in ICE knew where he was. That certainly said something about their state of intelligence, didn’t it? She knew their focus was on terrorism, but right now she felt a far bigger threat from human traffickers than she did from a small-minded extremist bent on killing Americans for the sake of killing Americans. It was a valid focus, but why couldn’t they do both? Why couldn’t they fight terrorism
She took a deep breath. This was getting her nowhere. She had no time for self-pity.
She called Kane. He didn’t answer, of course. She left a message.
“Sun Ling. Chinese American, born in San Francisco. Trafficking. I need everything you know. I owe you big- time, Kane. Duke and Sean are godsends. Thank you.”
Sonia snapped her phone shut and it immediately vibrated in her hand. But it wasn’t Kane returning her call, it was her boss, Toni Warner.
She almost didn’t want to know what Toni had learned about her biological father, but she’d never hid from the truth before, and she wasn’t going to hide now. “Hi, Toni,” she answered. “What have you found?”
“I don’t have good news.”
“I wasn’t expecting any. Just answers.”
“Then you’ll still be disappointed. There are no records of Sergio Martin.”
“None? There have to be records.”
“Nothing, except for your deposition. The agents assigned to find him twenty years ago never did.”
“I knew that, but-”
“They concluded that he may not have existed.”
“That’s bullshit.”
“I know that, you know that, but this is in the records. They couldn’t find a birth certificate they could prove was his. I don’t have to tell you Martin is a common name in Argentina.”
“So they never continued looking for him?” When Sonia became an agent with Immigration, she’d received permission to read her file, which included minimal information about her father. Now she realized that she knew everything they knew, which was almost nothing. She had always been certain that there was a file somewhere, maybe classified, but that one existed, so she could rest assured that someone was trying to find him and punish him. The statute of limitations on her case was long up-and the United States didn’t have the laws then to prosecute him-but traffickers were like drug addicts. They didn’t stop. The money and power were addictive. Many considered it simply a job, and the cries and pleas of the victims nothing more than the bleating of lambs being led to the slaughter.
“No one knew what he looked like,” Toni said.
“I do!”
“Sonia-”
“I sent you the picture this morning.”
“I know, but it’s not a lot to go on and the image is fuzzy. Are you certain?”
“One hundred percent certain. It’s him. Sergio Martin. I promise, I’m not hallucinating or making it up or guessing. It’s him.”
“I believe you, but-”
“No one else does?”
“It’s not that. It’s just that we don’t have a name, one that has any meaning or record. We have an old, unclear photograph. And we have the twenty-year-old deposition from a minor. It may not be related to this case-”
“Toni, my father was from Argentina. That’s where I was born. The knife used to attack Riley and kill Greg Vega were available exclusively at an Argentinean knife factory. He’s in the same picture as known human traffickers, including Xavier Jones, taken less than ten years ago.”
“On the surface it sounds good, but-”
“It sounds good because the intel
“I put in your request for a legal attache to do so, and it’s been approved. They’re on their way.”
“And you said there wasn’t good news? That’s great. It’s a huge lead.”
“It’s Friday afternoon. There could have been hundreds, thousands of those knives sold. We don’t know how old, we don’t know when they were sold-”
“They could be limited editions. We have to follow every lead.”
“Sonia, you’re not thinking your father is involved in this in some way?”
Not on the surface, but deep down, as soon as Sonia saw the photograph, she had suspected just that.
“Toni, let me lay it out. Yes, I think my father is still involved in trafficking, but I don’t know how. Finding him is my priority after this case. But one of those other men in the picture could very well be our killer. Making his move, taking out Jones and staking out this territory. There are already two people in that photo who are connected to this case. If we can identify the other men, and the female, we may find the killer. I need to find Charlie. He saw him.”
“You told me he didn’t see him.”
“He said he didn’t recognize him. I want to show him this picture.”
“He hasn’t contacted the office.”
“If I find him, can I offer him limited immunity?”
“Sonia, you can’t offer him anything, but if you find him, I’m not going to send you up the river if you let him walk. Once.”
“Understood.” Sonia had to locate Charlie. Dammit, where would he be hiding out?
Toni said, “You’re working closely with the FBI, Richardson tells me.”
“Yes.”
“Stick close. This is messy and multijurisdictional, but it’s also dangerous. Traffickers are rarely this bold within our borders. I fear this is a new operation, someone who has the money and power to control it from a distance, which makes him that much more difficult to capture.”
“I’m not going to let Greg Vega’s killer leave this country. I will find him, Toni.” Sonia wished she was as confident as she sounded.
“I hope so. I don’t like how he’s made this personal.”
“It’s not personal-”
“It is. These people broke into your house!”
“Toni, I’m being careful.”
“Are you too close to this? Maybe you should join your family-”
“No. I can’t believe that after ten years you’d think I would run away and hide and let someone else stand in my place. I know this is dangerous, we’re dealing with dangerous people. But I’m not too close to it, and I’m not leaving. In fact, my connection with Charlie and Jones and everyone else in the case gives me inside knowledge. I’m doing everything I can to minimize the threat, but I’m not walking away when dozens of women are in jeopardy. My entire career has prepared me for this.”
Toni said, “I didn’t think you’d step down. Keep me informed as often as possible. If you need anything, call.”
“I will.”
She hung up and made several calls trying to find Charlie.
Dean walked in a few minutes later and said, “We have the warrant.”
“That was fast.”
“Two double homicides in one day has everyone wanting results. Bob Richardson has been fielding calls from the media and politicians ever since our office’s involvement came out.”
“Let’s get rolling.” Sonia headed for the door.
Dean followed and said, “I contacted the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Department. They’ll meet us at the warehouse to help serve the warrant.”
“Where’s Sam and Trace?” Sonia asked when she didn’t see them around the white-collar crimes area.
“While I was getting the warrant, Sam thought he’d check out Omega and feel the staff out. See if any of them will talk. Sometimes, all you have to do is ask the right questions. I should have had them talk to you before
