Mission: Without a Trace - Nicole Edwards Page 0,66
He explained how they’d looked into the man she was interested in, the Uber driver who’d dropped her off, and the friends. He was still debating as to whether he wanted to tell them he believed Corinne’s disappearance was directly related to their investigation into Lauren Tyler’s disappearance. Last thing he wanted was for them to think Corinne would end up suffering the same fate as Lauren.
“While we were at her apartment, we ran into Detective Buchanan.”
“Baz.” Governor Greenwood nodded. “Yes. He’s assigned to her case. I hope you’ll utilize his skill set to help.”
“So you know him?”
“I know of him,” the governor said. “He’s a damn fine detective. Been with the department for ten years now. Started out on patrol. When I asked for the best they had, his name was offered first.”
Although Brantley didn’t have a problem with Baz, as he was referred to by his friends, he would certainly be doing some background checks on the man. He’d already passed along the detective’s information to JJ, asking that she contact him so they could sync up with what they’d all learned, ensure they were keeping everyone in the loop.
“I’ve also reached out to the Texas Rangers to assist,” Governor Greenwood noted, then looked up at Brantley. “But I’ve informed them all that you’re leading the investigation. They’re to contact you if they come up with anything.”
Brantley nodded. “I’d like to give them a call, let them know what we have so far. No reason to work in a vacuum here. More people looking for her, better our chances of finding her.”
“Understood.”
What worried him the most was the fact that Corinne had disappeared without a trace. Simply vanished. And from where Brantley stood, there were no more leads to follow, no clues to unearth. Brantley felt as though they’d gone headlong into a brick wall and he didn’t know how to get around it.
“I heard you’ve been looking into Lauren Tyler’s case,” Governor Greenwood noted. “Do you think this has anything to do with that?”
Well, that made the decision as to whether he wanted to share or not.
“It’s possible,” Brantley told him, maintaining eye contact. “Anything’s possible. We haven’t spoken to Corinne yet, but we’ve reached out to her. We did sit down with Lauren’s mother and father, and I’ve had some discussions with the teachers and the principal of Coyote Ridge High School.”
“Anything worth mentioning?” Gerard probed.
“Not yet.” Brantley sighed, deciding on full disclosure. “I have to believe I might’ve tipped someone off and because Corinne is possibly the one who can solve the case, even if she doesn’t realize it, whoever took Lauren has decided to tie up loose ends.”
Brantley and Reese would have to go back through, look into anyone and everyone they’d spoken with about Lauren’s case, see where they were at the time of Corinne’s disappearance.
“So what now?” Trina asked, her voice trembling.
“We’ve still got a few avenues to go down,” Brantley lied, intent they would have them by the time night fell. He damn sure wasn’t giving up. If he had to personally visit every single person Corinne had come into contact with in the whole of her twenty-four years, he damn sure would. “I assure you, we’ll work every angle we have until we find her.”
“Find my baby, Brantley,” Gerard pleaded. “Bring her home to us.”
He was damn sure gonna try.
And pray like hell, to boot.
Half an hour later, they were sitting at a table at Wendy’s.
Brantley was staring at his phone, exchanging texts with JJ, waiting for her to hit him back.
“What next?” Reese asked.
Lifting his gaze, he peered at his partner. “Did you get the feelin’ that leasing agent was keepin’ somethin’ from us?”
“You think? Guy’s hands were shakin’. Couldn’t get us outta there fast enough.”
“I noticed that, too.” Brantley drew on the straw of his drink. “I want to know what else is on those videos. The other ones that vanished.”
Reese leaned back, seemed to ponder his statement. “Good thing is, they maintain their recordings in the cloud.”
“Which means?”
“Means they’re accessible.” Reese nodded to Brantley’s phone.
“Not through legal channels,” Brantley noted.
“No. That’s where immunity and means comes in.”
“True. But then comes the problem with convicting the bastard responsible. Whoever it may be.”
Reese stared back at him. “Good point.”
“If JJ hacks those cameras, anything we find won’t be admissible.”
Reese leaned in, expression turning icy. “Right now, the only thing we need to find is Corinne. Fuck how we get to that point. That’s our job, right? The police and