“Your personal cell?” There’s an edge to his tone, but it’s not frustration. More like disbelief. It’s justified—I hadn’t exactly planned that little side trip.
Another car whooshes past. “I also might have collected a used tissue from the trash.”
“Ugh,” Luke chokes out. “Just so you know, that’s unlikely to be admissible in court. Even though it might be considereddiscarded. For legal collection, we’d need to pull it from the streetside trash.”
Not sure Sons of Eden are on the grid for curbside pickup. “I had a feeling you’d say that. But if it’s a match to the DNA from that trailer, it has to help our case in putting Tolbert behind bars for human trafficking.” Or murder.
Luke hums his acknowledgement. “Where is this, uh, evidence, now?”
“Wrapped inside the glove I used to collect it. I don’t exactly carry evidence bags around like you guys do.” Most of the evidence I collect is too big for any bag—like the chain saw I packed out of Crooked Pine Basin, or the remains of a 700-pound bull elk. I routinely confiscate compound bows and rifles, and I once took possession of an entire boat.
“Get it into custody as soon as possible. Did you tell Kaz about it?”
“Yeah, one of his deputies came to collect it.” Canyon County Sheriff Kaz Ballard was in court today. A personal matter, from what I could determine.
“Good. His team can fast-track it to the state crime lab.”
“So, what’s next?”
“We keep building our case, brick by brick.”
I exhale my frustration. “What if there are more kids who want out?” How do we save them? Colton was on the run for nearly a month in the cold and the snow, surviving off whatever he could forage or steal. Gweneth and McKenzie stowed away in my trailer, risking hypothermia and injury, not to mention death if I’d been in an accident on the freeway.
What about the kids who aren’t so brave? The kids without a family member on the outside waiting to take them in?
“We bring the whole thing down, but we do it right, with minimal harm,” he warns.
He’s right. We can’t go in, guns blazing. History has shown us how dangerous that can be. “Something else you should know, though I’m sure it won’t come as a surprise. Tolbert and Wayne were both carrying, and each of them had a gun locker in their garage.” When I asked Wayne to volunteer his rifles for elimination purposes, his friendly demeanor slipped. Without a warrant, I knew it was another longshot, but it never hurts to ask.
The door opens and CJ leans out, his uniform shirt rolled up to his elbows. From behind him I can make out a woman’s excited voice. “The mother’s here.”
I nod and he retreats, the door clicking shut behind him.
“Can you do me a favor, Luke, but keep it on the down low?” I push off the table and breathe through the burn in my hip.
“I’ll do my best,” Luke replies, his tone wary.
“Here’s what I need.”
Chapter Twenty-Nine
You’re safe now,”I say, rubbing McKenzie’s back while the harried social worker practically taps her foot in impatience. “It’s gonna be okay.”
She wraps her little arms tighter around my neck. “Don’t go.” She starts crying, tearing off another piece of my heart.
“Hey, hey, hey.” My voice cracks, so I swallow hard and keep rubbing her back, trying to soothe her with every bit of confidence I can muster. “You’re gonna be with your mama real soon.” I lower to a crouch so I can set her on her feet.
“Promise?” she says into my shirt.
The social worker grimaces. They’ve assured us that they’re doing everything they can to reunite Gweneth and McKenzie with their mom, but there’s a process. Their mother is fighting to get them back, and from what I’ve been able to determine, she’ll win, though it’s going to take a little time. I wish I could tell her to move far away, so the cult can’t pull the same stunt again, but I don’t know her circumstances, and my role here is done.
“You’re being so brave,” I tell McKenzie even though the words soundhollow.
Finally, McKenzie releases me. Our eyes meet one last time, and then she lets the social worker lead her from the room.
Running my hands through my hair, I exhale into the empty space, but my heart is too much of a fucking mess for it to do any good.
Rowdy’s waiting for me in the lobby. We walk in silence to his rig, the cold wind gusty and dry, and climb inside.