Wolf Tracks - Bianca D'Arc Page 0,2
said softly. “We identified them from their personnel files. They’d been fired—on paper, at least—and none listed any next-of-kin.”
Jack picked up where his mate left off. “We suspect the witch had been singling out loners and people with no family. Nobody to miss them or raise an alarm when they disappeared.”
“That’s so sad,” Lisa said. Martin reached out to take his mate’s hand, squeezing softly in reassurance.
“We can trace the employee victims back through their personnel files and see if there’s anyone who might want to be notified of their passing,” Ace went on. “Some of our government contacts might be of help there with paperwork and such. It’s the ones we haven’t been able to identify yet, that are going to be the bigger challenge.”
“I might be able to help there,” Ben piped up. The lone human male at the gathering, he probably had connections the others knew nothing about. “That janitor that was supposed to be watching the plant for the Altor Custodis was taking copious notes. He might have something in there about it, but there’s a lot of material to sort through.”
“Digital or analog?” Lisa asked, earning some surprised looks from those gathered at the table. They didn’t know his mate, after all. Martin sat back and let her educate them, feeling pride in his ultra-intelligent wife.
“A little of both,” Ben replied warily.
“If you can get me a scanner and internet access, I might be able to help you,” Lisa said, her confidence in her chosen field clear in her words and expression. “We can take the digital records and set up a search algorithm that might help find the information you want faster. Likewise, we can scan in the handwritten pages and run optical character recognition. It’s not perfect, but it’s not as bad as it was in the past. I have some personal tweaks that I’ve made to handwriting analysis that might make it easier and a little more accurate, as well.”
“Is this what you do?” Kiki asked, clearly intrigued.
Lisa nodded. “I own a company that assists large law firms with the discovery process. We analyze lots of data all the time. I have a few hundred employees who all work remotely, each working with specific, dedicated client accounts, to avoid any possible conflicts of interest or possible leaks of information.”
“That’s fascinating,” Sabrina said, looking impressed. Actually, they all looked impressed. As well they should be. Martin was very proud of the business Lisa had built. She was a powerhouse. A computer nerd and loveable math geek. And she was all his.
“Do you have to get on the road right away tomorrow?” Jack asked, a hopeful note in his voice.
Martin looked over at Lisa and knew she wanted to repay these people for their help in finding Melissa as much as he did. Also, helping them clean up the mess that witch had left behind was the right thing to do for everyone.
“We hadn’t planned that far ahead, to be honest,” Martin told them all. “We’ve been on Melissa’s trail for weeks, so staying in one place for a bit to regroup is appealing.”
“And we really want to help you,” Lisa put in. “You’ve all been so incredibly kind.” Lisa’s eyes teared, and she stopped talking. Martin squeezed her hand again.
“I can have whatever equipment you need delivered first thing in the morning,” Jack promised. “There are scanners and computers at the plant, but I wouldn’t ask you to split up or to take Melissa back there. You can work from the cottage, if you want. Or the hotel, if that’s easier. I can get you a suite, no problem. In fact, you can have mine, since I’ll be with Kiki.” He reached into his pocket and took out his hotel key, handing it over to Martin. “Come to think of it, you’d probably be more comfortable there. It’s a big suite with a couple of private bedrooms, a kitchenette and dining area. We could set up the computer equipment on the big table in the main room, and there are plenty of outlets.”
“Something this cottage lacks, unfortunately,” Kiki said with a cringing smile. “Though, it does have other compensations, there’s no WiFi here.”
“We’re all staying at the hotel, too,” Helen put in. “All our rooms are next to each other, in a block. It’s very safe and clean. They also have nice amenities, including a pool, hot tub, and sauna.”
“The hotel sounds perfect,” Lisa said, having reined in her emotions. “Thank you. I’ll