Ellie shrugged, watching the bubbles dance around as she swirled the liquid in the half-empty glass. She didn’t answer for a long time, but when she finally lifted her head and fixed her gaze on Jillian, the space between them was heavy with Ellie’s haunted memories.
“I don’t know why I need to do it, but I feel very strongly about it. Maybe it’s the only way I can get back some kind of control. I’ve lived with the fear my kidnapper instilled in me for almost half my life. Every choice I make, everything I do in my life is because of what I went through.” She waved one hand in the air in front of her. “Even my career choice is a direct result of my experience.”
“I didn’t know that,” Jillian said quietly.
“We might not catch my kidnapper, but if I can help put most of the evil people behind the human trafficking ring in jail, maybe one of them will rat him out to save their own skin. Then I can stop looking over my shoulder everywhere I go.”
Jillian’s throat thickened with tears. Seeing her best friend in so much pain hurt, but not being able to make it right was worse. When she tried to speak, her voice caught. She cleared her throat and tried again. “What can I do to help?”
“There’s nothing anyone can do if I can’t get my brain to cooperate. Even under hypnosis, it’s like I’m blocked. I get so deep into a memory, then it shatters into a million pieces. Like running into a brick wall.”
“I can’t even begin to imagine how frustrating that is for you.”
Ellie’s shoulders fell, and she jammed her hands into the pockets of her robe. “Maybe it’s better this way. If I tip my hand now, the man who kidnapped me might still get away.”
“Unless Arthur Fink gives up his name. You know that man probably knows who did this to you.”
Ellie shook her head, jaw tight. “The D.A. says he’s given them a lot of information about other players, but he’s scared of the master.” She let out a long breath. “Even in witness protection, he’s afraid this man will find him and have him killed.”
“Do you blame him?”
“Not really. Even if he’s rich and powerful, it does seem odd that Fink acts like the guy is some kind of boogieman lurking in the shadows.” Ellie slumped back against the sofa and gestured at the box with her chin, changing the subject. “Did you bring work home?”
Jillian sat a little straighter at the mention of the box, eyes widening with excitement. She got up and reached for it as she explained. “Not exactly, but that’s what Captain Browning thinks it is.”
“Why would he send work home with you in the first place? Doesn’t that break the evidence chain of command?”
“It’s not actual evidence. He wants all the notes from older case files digitized by the end of the month so they’re easier to look up by detail, victimology, and cause of death.” Jillian shot her a cheeky grin. “To make it easier for the Cold Case Division to link older cases to more recent ones. He asked me to take home one file box a week and transfer everything to a flash drive, then load it into the database when I’m through. With overtime pay, of course.”
“Cold Case Division? So, he’s making you type up old notes to make my job easier?”
“Basically.”
“Did you tell him I’ve been doing that as I go?”
Jillian shook her head. “Nope. I also didn’t tell him I’m already done.” She shrugged. “I don’t know what he was thinking, but almost everything from the past twenty years is already in the system. I had to transfer some things from older files to the updated format, but I finished at the end of last week.”
“So, what’s this?”
Jillian slid the box across the carpet to Ellie, and she removed the lid and peeked inside as Jillian explained. “It’s a list of all the cases Jones worked after he started getting paid by the traffickers, copies of notes, and a copy of the financial records you obtained so we can use the dates to try and connect the cases.”
Ellie’s lips spread into an excited grin. “You’re a genius.”
“I also printed off any information I could find on officers who responded to the crime scenes, Jones’s old partners, and anyone else who worked the cases.”
“You did all this today?”
Jillian huffed out a laugh. “No. I had to do something with you on leave. It took most of last week to compile everything. I printed most of it today.”
“All with Captain Browning’s approval.”
“His insistence, no less.” Jillian snorted. “He loaded it in my car for me.”
Looking very impressed, Ellie cinched up her robe as she stood and carried the box into the kitchen, setting it on the long wooden table.
Jillian followed, retrieving two fresh yellow notepads from the small office off the living room and taking a seat across from Ellie.
As Ellie unloaded the papers, she whistled through her teeth. “This is a lot.”
“I’m sure there are more, but this is what I’ve found so far. I thought we could divide and conquer the pile.”
“Good idea.” Ellie took Jones’s financial records out and made a copy, handing one to Jillian. “It makes more sense for both of us to have a copy. We can combine our findings later.”
“Are you working half days all this week?”
“I am, but not in Cold Cases. I’ll be at the main office. Fortis said the cases aren’t going to get any colder while I work through this with Powell.” She groaned. “It’s ridiculous, and I’m going a little stir-crazy just sitting around waiting for something to happen.”
Jillian scoffed. “You’d think they’d give you a medal for saving Valerie and uncovering a human trafficking ring right here in Charleston.”
“Right? But Fortis said that’s not how it
