“What reason would the police have to ignore the reports?” Meredith asked.
Meems picked up her coffee and washed down her mouthful. “Probably for the same reasons the police told you when you filed your missing person report—she’s young, newly independent, probably testing her wings. That she’ll show up eventually once she runs out of money.”#p#分页标题#e#
Travis had worked through his plate of pancakes and was digging into his ham and cheese omelet. How he had an appetite Meredith didn’t know as she stared down at her own egg-white omelet. She picked up her toast instead and took a bite.
“Five years and nineteen girls—that we know of. None of their bodies have been found. That could be a good thing. Either that or they just haven’t been discovered yet. But after five years, you’d think something would have turned up.” He swigged a mouthful of coffee down, nodding as he processed the information. “And the girls. Anything of interest about their description? Same ethnicity? Race? Hair color?”
“All pretty, but other than that, nothing consistent. You got a handful of Hispanic girls, two Asian girls, one African American. Of the white girls, there were brunettes, blondes, redheads.”
She paused, looking at Meredith a second too long. “Do you want me to speak frankly?”
“By all means,” Meredith said, knowing that the woman’s hesitation had to be about her. “Are you thinking this is the work of a”—she barely could say it—“serial killer?”
The woman looked directly at Meredith now. “Honestly? It’s entirely possible, only…I have some other theories as well.” She flipped the laptop back to face her and typed as she continued, “Serial killers usually stick to an MO. Same race, and often within that race they might prefer brunettes, or blondes. Some attribute, some characteristic the victims share that means something to the killer. This guy—or gal—is picking them indiscriminately. Then there’s the fact that the women are from various areas, four different states.”
“That can hardly be uncommon,” Meredith said. “Bundy and countless others have crossed multiple state lines.”
“Yes, but the pattern is odd here. According to the reports, sometimes two, maybe three girls go missing around the same time. Within the same few days. Utah and Colorado in one instance. That has to be tough, when you consider all the planning that would have to go into the apprehension of one. Planning that almost would require…a network. Not just one person, but a few to help carry this out.” She typed again, stopping as she studied the data. “January, March, June. November. These are months that the girls have disappeared for the past five years. Recognize any pattern?”
He thought about it for just a beat. “Sporting events. NBA finals, Super Bowl, maybe March Madness?”
“That’s what I thought, too,” Meems said and shared a look with Travis, who nodded slightly. They knew something, had some understanding, but they weren’t saying it out loud.
Meredith was going to stab her fork in Travis’s thigh if he didn’t stop the secrets.
“I’ve put out some feelers,” Meems said. “I don’t have any bites but I’m going to keep looking.”
It was like they were speaking in some secret code, both understanding the other and not feeling the need to share with Meredith.
She gripped her fork tighter. “What aren’t you telling me? If you don’t think this is the work of a serial killer, you clearly have some idea what might be going on. Spill.”
Meems looked expectantly at Travis, who turned to face her. “Sounds like…possibly human trafficking. These girls could be kept as forced prostitutes in some hole-in-the-wall in town. Then sold to high bidders and moved around the country. It all depends on who’s running it. Their connections. For a few years now, there’s been reports of these rings supplying girls for some of the big sporting events. For their guests.”#p#分页标题#e#
“According to the FBI database, there are three separate organizations in the area that they suspect operate in drug and human trafficking,” Meems added.
“Like a sex slave. You’re saying that there are men who will use these girls, willing or not, for sex.” Her stomach tightened, and she was relieved she hadn’t eaten her breakfast since she was sure it would be revisiting her right now. “And if the girls refused? What then?”
“It’s not optional. They might be beaten until they come around, or if they’re lucky, drugged so they can’t fight.”