Her phone rang, and caller ID told her it was Malone, but she sent him to voicemail. “So this Sawyer groomed Ashley. I assume that this person arranged a meet. Where was that?”
“At the food court in City Center Mall here in Washington. We were able to find witnesses who saw Ashley and another young girl, who we concluded was Crystal. They spoke to an adult woman. We never tracked her down, and she was good at averting security cameras.”
It sounded like the woman knew what she was doing. The fact a woman was involved in the recruiting didn’t surprise Amanda at all. The sex-trafficking case from a couple of months ago had also led her to a woman, but she wouldn’t be hurting anyone anymore.
“Now, if I remember right… Just give me a second.” Chester proceeded to click on his laptop. After a few moments, he said, “Here it is. There was an eyewitness—a male clerk at one of the burger joints. He said the woman got an order of fries, and he described a tattoo that went up the side of her neck.”
Amanda felt a prick of dread. “What did it look like?”
Chester clicked on the laptop. “Like a bunch of entangled rose vines.”
That would qualify as thorny vines. She inched forward on her chair. “Colored? Black and white?”
“Black and white.”
“Any letters on it?” Her heart was racing.
“Not that the guy saw, but he said it continued under the collar of her shirt.”
The DC ring tattoo was also black and white, though they typically placed it just above their girls’ left breasts. Did this woman have hers extended up her neck?
“Is there something else I should know?” Chester asked. “You two are lookin’ pale.”
“Ashley was branded by a similar type of tattoo,” Amanda began. “It’s been linked to a sex-trafficking ring that goes by the name of DC.”
“So it’s one here in DC?”
“Unsure. One could assume there’s a connection. All I know for sure is that’s the name they go by, and they have a reach into Prince William County. We’re going to need a copy of the case files on Ashley Lynch and Crystal Foster.”
“I’ll need to run it by my boss, but it shouldn’t be a problem. You haven’t found Crystal Foster, have you?”
Amanda shook her head. “Not yet, but it’s entirely possible she ended up in the ring too.” Her phone buzzed, and caller ID told her it was Malone again. “I need to get this.” She answered, and Malone started talking right away. His words were hurling at her so fast she could hardly catch them all, but she did get the message, and it turned her cold. “We’ll be right there.”
“Hot lead?” Chester asked.
“Hot homicides. Two of ’em.” She flicked a card across the table to Chester. “Email me the investigation files. Thanks.” Next she lo
oked at Trent. “We’ve gotta go.”
Thirty-Six
Another fire. Two young women dead.
That was the recap Malone had given her. The timing of the incident meant that Samuel Booth was innocent. It was clear now that he likely never had anything to do with murdering Lynch or Fox either. She made the call to cut him loose, feeling just a touch of remorse for hauling him in and putting him through what she had. But she’d only been following what she had to go on.
The second blaze was in a higher-end neighborhood than Bill Drive. The houses were newer and bigger, and the vehicles in the driveways, luxury.
It was almost noon when she and Trent arrived. Officers had cordoned off the scene a few blocks back. Trent parked at the perimeter, and they walked toward 816 Clear Mountain Circle.
The air was heavy with smoke, and she coughed. She’d guess this fire was a lot worse than the first one and their killer hadn’t left anything to chance this time around.
As they got closer, that thought was confirmed. Fire engines and other trucks from Dumfries Triangle Volunteer Fire Department were parked on the street in front of a burnt-out husk of a structure. A concrete foundation and some wood framing were all that was left. The bodies would be nothing but bones.
The gawkers were also there, gathered for the latest tragedy. Malone was standing on the lawn next to a For Sale sign. Did that mean this house had been sitting vacant too?
She hustled toward Malone, but a woman in yellow turnout gear played interference. “Before you go any further, I’m going to need to know who you are.”
Amanda showed her badge, held it there as the woman diligently took her time reading it. “Detective Amanda Steele with the Prince William County PD. That’s my sergeant over there.” Amanda pointed toward Malone, who was now walking straight for them.