‘Detective, this is Sergeant Boudreaux from the SFPD. I saw the composite sketch of your Jane Doe on the news this morning. I think she could be fourteen-year-old Meghan Jessup who went missing up here in late April. Her family thought she’d run away after a row when they put their foot down about her dating some senior. According to her dad, she got pretty upset, and the next day, she never came home from school.’

‘Has her family seen the news?’

‘When I spoke to them, they hadn’t, and as they’re headed straight here, I doubt they will. When they arrive, I’ll drive them to Albuquerque to see about making a positive ID. We should be there in less than two hours. I’ll let you know when we hit the city limits, so you can meet us at the coroner’s office.’

‘I appreciate it, Sergeant.’

Hal caught Alyssa’s eyes. ‘Sergeant Boudreaux, this is Hal Callum. Out of curiosity, where do the Jessups live?’

‘Off the top of my head, I don’t have their address, but I can get it if you need it.’

‘Just the general area for now, if you don’t mind.’

‘Well, I can tell you the Jessup residence is in one of the pricier communities up here. Do you mind if I ask why?’

The team exchanged glances, and Hal lifted one brow in question, deferring to Alyssa, but she nodded, encouraging him to continue. ‘We have a bit of something going on down here. Three girls aged thirteen to nineteen have up and disappeared in the last few days. And while it may be nothing, especially in connection with your case, we’ve noticed an unusual financial link threaded through these cases. It may be in no way related, but then again, I don’t want to discount anything at this point.’

‘I understand. Detective Wyatt, can I get your digits so I can contact you directly when we arrive?’

‘Absolutely.’ They exchanged numbers, Alyssa thanked him again, and then she ended the call, unsure whether her nerves wanted her to move about or simply fall back into the chair as the fear of another serial killer out there gripped her. How would Holly deal with that? How would she?

Alyssa shook the thought off. She couldn’t think that way. They had to focus on what they knew, not what they feared. She pushed herself to her feet and headed for the door. ‘I’m going to give Hammond an update.’ She motioned for Cord to follow. ‘You coming?’

Before she’d even finished her sentence, Cord was by her side. ‘Let’s do it.’

Chapter Twenty-Two

Wednesday, May 22

Police are asking residents and businesses in the area to check their security systems and to contact authorities if there is anything that could assist them in safely locating these missing girls. Details are listed on your screen beneath the girls’ images. Again, please…

Holly hit the button on the remote, freezing the pictures of Rachel Otis, Jersey, and Katelyn Phillipson on the television. Beside her, Sophie rested her hands on her knees and leaned forward as if by getting closer to the screen, she’d somehow be closer to her cousin.