Forever Alexa (Book Four In The Bodyguards Of L.A. County Series) by Cate Beauman

me that if Ms. Harris had been killed in the area, which the phone call alluded to, her remains would’ve begun their decomposition process right away. The cadaver dogs utilized are a Quantico trained team—the best the FBI has to offer. They can pick up on fresh remains almost immediately after death.”
    “So Abby’s alive?”
    “More than likely. As I said when we spoke earlier, we’ve seen this MO on three other occasions over the last six months. The ransom piece is new, but the method of abduction is dead on. Alexa Harris shared with us in an interview Friday evening that she remembered a van following her off and on throughout the day as they traveled home from Virginia Beach. In all four kidnapping incidences, young women have been taken by two men who rush from a tan, silver, white, and now gray van. The only difference between Abigail Harris’s case and the other three is the burn phone. This is the first time the kidnappers have attempted contact with the family.”
    “So let’s go with the theory that Abby is alive and the same people who abducted three other young women have also taken her. Why would they want to make contact with Alex? What’s changed?”
    “Nothing. My gut’s telling me this is a diversionary tactic. A vice team spotted one of the victims last month in a strip club in DC, then again in Baltimore. Immigration and Customs Enforcement ran several raids—without luck. Now they know we’re on to them.”
    Jackson’s stomach sank as the pieces started fitting together, but he would let the detective play it out. “You lost me. Who knows you’re on to them?”
    “The Mid-Atlantic sex ring. Our vice teams are putting in overtime at some of the seedier strip clubs and prostitution joints in the Baltimore/DC area. They’re getting closer to blowing this thing wide open. The FBI and ICE as well as the Baltimore and DC PDs are working a joint taskforce to bring this group down. They’re big and dangerous. An agent was made yesterday. They found him floating in the Potomac last night.”
    Dread quickly replaced unease. “Son of a bitch.” The situation was more dire than he’d imagined. A sex ring had a bead on his family. “Sex trafficking? Are you telling me Abby may be caught up in sex trafficking? That doesn’t make a damn bit of sense.”
    “Doesn’t have to, Mr. Matthews. They see what they want and take it. But that’s where we hit our dead end. We haven’t been able to find the common denominator. Why were these girls targeted and taken? How were they targeted? We’ve been through their computers, cell phones, have talked to close friends and family. None of the typical avenues we check are coming up as a green light. Nothing fits. Nothing matches to string the four victims we know of together. Until we figure that out, we aren’t bringing anyone home.”
    Jackson rubbed his fingers over his brow and closed his tired eyes. “So, what’s the next step?”
    “We’ll continue to search for leads until we can take this operation down. Our biggest objective right now is focusing on the major players. I want them wrapped up with a goddamn bow. Zachary Hartwell, CEO of Starlight Entertainment—he’s our number one man, dirty fucker. He’s smart, slippery, lawyered up, and he’s mine. The Commissioner and DA are breathing down my back to bag him on something that’ll stick.”
    Jackson recognized a personal vendetta when he heard one. “That could take months, even years. What does that mean for Abby and the other victims?”
    “It means were working our asses off to get them home.”
    “But not until Zachary Hartwell takes the fall.”
    “I’m doing the best I can here, Mr. Matthews. We’re all doing the best we can. I’ll keep you up to date with any new developments.”
    “Thank you, Detective.” Jackson hung up and scrubbed his hands over his face. “What a fucking nightmare,” he muttered. Kidnapping to murder to sex trafficking. If this latest