Hearts and Aces (Kelsey's Burden Series Book 7)

“A modern mystery,” Beth said, walking toward Bridget. “Sounds intriguing.”
I turned back to the profile I was writing.

Chapter Four
After finishing and sending the profile, I emailed our general mailbox asking for the extension office in Nevada to be billed for a quick-glance service. I also provided a few case details to add to the invoice. I received a reply email from Kemp that the invoice would be sent by the end of the day.
I closed the files, saving them by date and case number in an electronic folder before opening the third case. The runaway case. The case happened a little more than five years ago, and the fifteen-year-old girl would now be twenty-one. She would’ve reached out by now if she was still alive.
I hated these types of cases. They were depressing and often there was nothing I could do to help. Since Tech had promised I would look, though, I had no choice.
Sighing, I started with the parents’ statements. Allie Jacobs argued with her parents about her curfew before leaving to go to her best friend’s house. According to her friend though, she never showed. Her friend lived less than a mile away, and Allie had taken her bike. Neither the bike, nor Allie, were ever seen again. “Damn it, Tech.”
Tech turned his chair to face me. “I know. I get why you hate these cases, but something is off about this one.” He stood and walked over with his laptop. “Look at this.” Tech clicked a few screens and a satellite map of the neighborhood came up. “This is farm country USA. Only fifteen houses exist between her home and her friend’s house. Also, there are only two roads that intersect her road. Limited traffic and the houses are set back a good distance from the road. Anyone could have stopped Allie, and no one would have seen anything. This isn’t a city neighborhood where a street kid turns to the wrong person for help. This is a small community.”
“You’re thinking kidnapping, but maybe she never planned on going to her friend’s house. She was a teenager. She could’ve gone anywhere.”
“Not likely,” Tech said, expanding the map. “There’s nothing else around unless she decided to ride her bike five miles into town.”
“An older friend could have picked her up. A secret boyfriend.”
“Her best friend confirmed that she wasn’t secretly seeing anyone, and they didn’t have any friends that could drive yet. Plus, she would have stashed her bike somewhere, but it was never found.”
“Your theory is that one of the neighbors was involved? That’s a lot of background checks to dig through.”
“Which is why I asked Kemp to start pulling the backgrounds for all of the rest of the residents within a two-mile radius.”
“We’ll need to go deeper than that. A friend or a relative could have visited anyone living in the neighborhood.”
“I’m working on the family’s background now, diving deep. Allie would’ve been more likely to go quietly with someone she knew, whether that was a neighbor or someone close to her own family.”
I raised an eyebrow at Tech. He usually didn’t push for cases this hard. “This case got to you, didn’t it?”
He shrugged. “I can’t explain it. I don’t know why this one feels more important. My gut is telling me we need to look closer.” He grabbed some documents from the printer, handing them to me. “I’m willing to cover the cost. You were right. The family’s broke. They’ve dumped everything they have into finding their daughter.”
I sighed, looking up at the ceiling. “We’ll take it pro bono, but no promises.”
Tech threw an arm over my shoulder. “Thanks. I owe you one.”
“Don’t thank me yet. You’ll likely have to research your ass off. And for what? There’s no hope that this girl is alive. You know that, right?”
Tech nodded as he moved back to his workstation. “But we can stop whoever did this from ever touching another young girl.”
“Don’t get sucked in,” Bridget said to Beth from their side of the table. “Stay focused on our case.”
“Their case sounds more important.”
“It is, but it’s the type of case that will break your heart whether they solve it or not.”
Bridget tapped on Beth’s monitor, and Beth rolled her chair closer to her screen.
I called the police department in charge of the disappearance case. The detective on the case was happy to help after he verified my references. He emailed me his case files, including his notes. “Tech, as you and Kemp run the backgrounds, flag anyone who has a truck or SUV. If she was picked up, they took her bike with them. It was an adult-sized ten speed.”
“They could’ve strapped it into a car trunk.”
“Someone would’ve noticed and remembered. No. It’s more likely to be a truck or large SUV.”
“Her dad drives a truck.”
“Wasn’t the dad. He wouldn’t have put a second, then a third, mortgage on their house if he had killed her.” I picked up my phone and texted Trigger, asking if he could go back on the road. He replied that he was available and was only minutes away from Headquarters. Next, I called Wayne and asked if there was a seasoned guard available. He said he’d check with Jerry.
“You want me to pack a bag?” Bridget asked.
“No. I’ll have Tech send Trigger with a body cam, and we’ll watch the interviews remotely.”
“Why do you need one of Ace’s guards?” Tech asked.
“Because Trigger’s not seasoned enough. If we do manage to find this guy, Trigger might decide to put a bullet in his head.”
Bridget snorted. “Which is exactly why you should send him alone.”
Beth nodded. “I’m liking that plan.”
I rolled my eyes as someone knocked on the door.
Tech half stood, stretching to open it. Casey Pritchard walked in.
I nodded a