"That was us, sir." Hirsch beamed.

  "I'm glad you're still out there fighting the good fight."

  The look on Hirsch's face told me he was remembering a time in that department when nobody appreciated him fighting the good fight, so to speak.

  "I'll see if I can get this to you relatively quickly, Ms. Monroe," Tippin assured.

  "Call me Martina."

  "Martina, I'll make sure they're sent over to your office as soon as we have them."

  "I appreciate it."

  "Delighted to meet you. And, Hirsch, let's keep in touch."

  "Of course."

  As Hirsch and I exited the station, I said, "Not bad for a Monday."

  "True. But now our biggest obstacle—fight the traffic over the bridge to get home."

  "Our toughest mission yet."

  He chuckled. "How about we stop and get a coffee and a bite before we head out?"

  My stomach rumbled, and I realized lunch had been forgotten. "Sounds great." I was feeling good about the case. A lot of things were getting connected, but the picture wasn't clear quite yet. My gut told me Stanzel was at the heart of all this. But what did it mean? Had they killed Victoria to keep her quiet? They didn't want people to know that Anthony Stanzel was a pimp who physically assaulted his workers? I'd seen rich folks do far worse for less.

  18

  PRISCILLA

  PRESENT DAY

  Staring into Maurice's dark beady eyes, I said, "We have a problem."

  "What do you mean 'we have a problem'?"

  "I just got a call from one of our contacts at the San Francisco Police Department. Someone is looking for all records relating to Victoria Hightower from thirty-five years ago."

  It took him a moment to recognize the name. "Why is someone looking into records for Victoria Hightower?"

  I was as surprised as he was. "I don't know. All I know is the guy in the records department said somebody made a request for anything relating to Victoria Hightower around the time she had been hospitalized."

  "Maybe her family's looking for her again. There might be nothing to worry about."

  "I'm not so sure."

  "If you really think it's a problem, reach out. You know her new name. Make sure everything stays quiet."

  I felt conflicted. I had done so many bad things, all for the sake of self-preservation. If anything got out, it would ruin the family, ruin me, and devastate many. "All right, I'll get our guy on it, try to find out where she is now."

  "You've been keeping tabs?"

  I shook my head, somewhat defiantly. "It's been thirty-five years. We haven't heard a peep from her. For all I know, she's dead. She's kept her end of the bargain."

  If she was out there and told the police what she knew, it would ruin the family. And me. Would they retaliate against me, since I had said it was handled? "We should find out who is looking for her."

  A knock interrupted our conversation. "That's Anthony."

  Opening the door, Anthony walked in, clad in an expensive suit and a silk tie, his hair freshly cut. Time may have refined his appearance, but he was still the scum he was all those years ago, but now with a trainer and a new wardrobe. "Priscilla says we have a problem."

  "I told you. That PI came in asking about Victoria. She even had a photo of her."

  "What was the PI's name?"

  "She didn't give her full name, just a first name: Martina."

  "Well, that's not a common name. We'll look for all PIs named Martina. Have a chat with her, ask why she's digging."

  I preferred that approach rather than trying to find Victoria living under an assumed identity. For all I knew, she was married and her name was no longer the one we had given her. She'd upheld her end of the bargain; it was only fair that we upheld ours. I would much rather stop the investigation than disrupt her life.

  These men had taken so much from her and many others. It wasn't fair, and I knew I was complicit, but I'd done it for self-preservation. No one looked out for me. I had to fend for myself. Times had changed. I no longer needed the Stanzels. I had money, independence. However, our ties bound us together, indefinitely. And our current dealings meant a revelation like Victoria Hightower's past could detonate everything we had built.

  She had information that could shatter the glass house we'd been living in.

  From the outside, our world was shiny and clean, but the inside was dark and dirty—stained with the souls of the innocent. In my mind, I wasn't part of it, but I was just as guilty. Maybe I deserved to be punished. But I wasn't planning on trading in my Gucci suits for an orange jumpsuit, and neither were the Stanzels or their associates. It was selfish. But there was only one person who looked out for my best interests—me. My priority? Find this PI, Martina, and quickly.

  19

  MARTINA

  Standing in the lobby, I spoke softly to Mrs. Pearson. "Shannon and her mother are coming in today to talk about Victoria."

  "I can't believe you found them," she replied. "Have you told Nancy yet?"

  "Not yet, but the case is definitely heating up. I think we might actually find her or at least find out what happened to her."

  Mrs. Pearson nodded. "Well, Martina, I knew if anybody could, it would be you. How's it looking though? Do you think you'll find her alive?"

  "Honestly, I don't know. There are plenty of reasons to believe she may not be alive. But stranger things have happened. I've seen it, you've seen it, everyone in this building has seen it. I'm not giving up hope."

  "Nancy will appreciate that."

  "After I speak with Victoria's mother and daughter, I'm going to give Nancy a call and update her."

  "I know Nancy's so grateful that you've taken her case. And for her years of friendship with Victoria. I think if you can't find Victoria alive, she would most definitely like to meet her family."

  "So, how do you know Nancy?"

  "Church."

  "Really? How long have you known her?"

  "A few years now, probably… oh, actually, my goodness, probably a decade."

  "And she's shared her history with you?"

  "She has. If she hadn't told me, I wouldn't have known. She turned her life around so much, it's really incredible. She's a wonderful person, mother, and grandmother. I really hope you find Victoria."

  So did I. On the off chance Victoria was still alive, chances were she could turn her life around too. Drug addicts don't typically have a long lifespan, especially ones caught up in sex work. I tapped the desk and said, "That's them. They're here."

  "Good luck, Martina."

  "Thanks, Mrs. Pearson." I stepped toward Shannon and, presumably, her grandmother. "Hi, good to see you, Shannon."

  She turned to the other woman. "Grandma, this is Martina Monroe."

  "It's nice to meet you. You can call me Martina."

  "You too. Please call me Peggy."

  "Peggy, I understand it's hard for you to get around now, but I can lead you back to the conference room, and we can talk more about Victoria. Can I get you anything? Do you need something?"

  "Some water. I'm a little parched," Peggy replied.

  "I'll have some tea if you have it," Shannon said.

  "I'll get it, dear," Mrs. Pearson sang out as she hurried back to the break room.

  "That's Mrs. Pearson. She is the linchpin of the entire organization. She knows everyone and everything. Want to go ahead and follow me back?"

  I walked slowly to ensure that Peggy would be able to keep up. I opened the door and led them into the conference room. It was one of the smaller rooms with a window and colorful art on the walls. It was where we brought clients who needed a ray of sunshine, and I thought Victoria's family most certainly could use as much light as possible.

  As they seated themselves, Mrs. Pearson hurried in with tea and water. Both women thanked her, and I said, "Thank you."

  "I'm not done yet. I'll have your latte in a moment," Mrs. Pearson noted with a wink, revealing just how well she knew me.

  We sat quietly. Shannon sipped her tea, and Peggy held her bottled water with a shaky hand before taking a drink. Mrs. Pearson returned, and I thanked her. She shut the door behind her, and I took a sip of my drink. Mrs. Pearson made the best lattes.

  "Thank you both for coming down. I have a few questions about Victoria," I began.

  Shannon interrupted, "Before we get started, I'd like to say something."

  "Of course, anything."

  "I spoke with the PI I hired before and told him that you were looking for Victoria, my mother. He said that your firm is the best there is and wished me luck. But I also asked him to forward any kind of records he found."

  "I really appreciate that." I had purposefully held off on speaking with the private investigator who had, or had not, found Victoria, not wanting his information to bias the investigation, especially since we were uncovering so many clues. I glanced down at the folder she had. The printed emails from the PI revealed that he had found very little. He hadn't located any of her medical records or police reports detailing her last known movements. He did track down where she had lived in San Francisco, but there was no mention of the Stanzels anywhere. Had he not found them or just didn't mention it? Considering how influential the Stanzel family was, the PI could have been compromised, so it was best he didn't know any more than necessary.

  "Looks like he was unable to find much other than where she lived before she disappeared," I commented.

  Shannon nodded. "He said she appeared to have vanished, which most likely means she is no longer with us."

  "I understand how one might come to that conclusion. However, since I've restarted the investigation, I've learned a lot more details about her last few days before she went missing."

  "You have?"

  "Yes, I have. But before we delve into that, I want to know more about Victoria. Especially from you, Peggy. You're her mother. What can you tell me about her?"

  "Like, what kind of girl she was?" Peggy asked.

  I nodded. "In missing persons cases, it's crucial to understand who the person is; their likes, personality, things they enjoyed doing."

  Peggy seemed to understand. "Even when Vicky was little, she liked to be in the garden, be in nature. She was such a free spirit. But then, something changed. She became… cold, angry. Mad at the world."

  "How old was she when she changed?"

  "Probably around six or seven years old. She used to be this ray of sunshine, and then she transformed into a sort of gloomy, introverted girl who just wanted to read books and keep to herself."

  "Did she have a lot of friends growing up?"

  Peggy shook her head. "No, she kept to herself. I never really understood it."

  From my experience, something must have happened in young Victoria's life at age six or seven if she went from being a happy-go-lucky girl to an introverted, withdrawn child. That was often indicative of trauma. "Do you recall anything significant happening when she was six or seven years old? Maybe a divorce or loss of a pet?"

  I didn't think it was either of those things, but it was worth asking.

  "No." She hesitated. "But you know, I was working a lot back then. I was a single mom, and sometimes a neighbor had to watch her. He was a godsend; he watched her all the time. I didn't have to worry about childcare. Maybe that's why she became so different; I was gone so much."

  I felt a twinge of suspicion. Were the neighbor's intentions pure? A friendly male neighbor spending a lot of time with a young girl followed by a stark personality change? It didn't bode well.

  "The neighbor who helped watch her—did he have a family? Children of his own?"

  She shook her head. "Nope, just a bachelor living on his own. He wasn't my type; otherwise, perhaps I would've remarried," she said with a sad smile.

  My alarm bells rang louder. "And how did her middle school and high school years go?"

  "Oh, she just went wild. Lots of boyfriends… she—" She hesitated, glancing at Shannon. "Maybe you shouldn't listen to this."

  "I knew she was a prostitute, Grandma. There's nothing you can tell me that could make me love my mom any less," Shannon interjected gently.

  I admired Shannon's resilience. "Well, by 'wild,' I mean lots and lots of boyfriends. There were rumors that she was using drugs, and I found evidence a few times. She was eighteen when she had Shannon."

  It was consistent with child sexual abuse. Some children tried to normalize the abuse by engaging early in sexual behavior. "And is Shannon's father in the picture?"

  Peggy shook her head. "Victoria didn't know who the father was, or so she said."

  That explained the blank space on Shannon's birth certificate where the father's name typically would be.

  "Even in her older years, when she was acting out quite a bit, did she have any hobbies? Did she still like to read or maybe write?"

  "Oh, yes, when she was reading or writing in her journal, she seemed… quieter, calmer, you know."

  "And when did she move to San Francisco?"

  "She was about nineteen. Shannon was just a baby. She said she could make a lot of money in the city turning tricks. 'Why not get paid for doing something I like to do anyhow?' she'd reasoned. I worried for her, especially when I could tell she was using more and more drugs. I think she soon realized things weren't going as she had hoped. When she met that Blade character, she was no longer independent. She wasn't making the money she had hoped to make. She told us she was trying to get away from him. The last time we spoke to her, she was in the hospital about to be discharged. She told us she'd be back home that day, but we never heard from her again."

  "That matches our findings. Was Victoria close with any family members? Maybe an aunt or cousin."

  "No. I'm an only child and we weren't in contact with Vicky's father's family."

  The so-called cousin, who was not her cousin, had picked her up, and then she was never heard from again. If I were a betting woman, I'd bet just about anything the Stanzels were behind Victoria's disappearance. "Can you think of anyone she may have been in contact with?"

  "No. But you said she had a friend who was looking for her. Must've been a close friend."

  "Yes, it was. She said she was also in 'that life' but managed to escape. She deeply regretted not being able to save Victoria too."

  "Sounds like a wonderful girl. What's she doing now?"

  "She's grown, has her first grandchild, and is clean. We met because she attends the same church as our receptionist."

  "Oh my!"

  "What I've learned so far about those last days is quite concerning. I'd like to share some information with you, but due to its sensitivity, I must ask you to not share it with anyone else—not the PI you've worked with previously and not the police. Even though I am working close with the CoCo County Sheriff's Department regarding the missing persons case you filed thirty-five years ago."

  "I wish we'd found you years ago. We might've learned the truth by now."

  "Sometimes, things happen for a reason. Nancy came to us, eager to find her friend, to convey how much she meant to her. We've identified 'Blade' and questioned him. We believe there was a police report filed based on her injuries. We've requested those records, which might offer more insight into what happened to Victoria after she left the hospital." I paused, then continued, "We suspect that her pimp, Blade, is a member of a highly influential, wealthy family. So, until we can prove what transpired, we need to keep this between us. Of course, I'll share this information with Nancy too."

  Shannon nodded. "I understand the need for discretion." Shannon placed her hand on her grandmother's arm, who seemed to be in shock.

  Peggy squinted behind her thick glasses. "Wait. Now, I know why you look familiar. You were on the news years ago. You solved all those tough cases with the police. The sheriff's department."

  "That's right. And I've been in contact with Sergeant Hirsch, and we're working the case together."

  Tears formed in Peggy's eyes. "You're going to find her. I can feel it. And I think—I know she's alive. A mother knows."

  That sent a chill down my body. Mother's intuition was real. If her mother believed she was alive after all these years, she may well be. I looked them squarely in the eyes, asserting, "I will find out what happened to Victoria. You have my word."

  Armed with more knowledge about Victoria, supposing she was alive, I knew where to start looking for her. Many individuals, when given a second chance, revert to their intrinsic inclinations. For Victoria, it was nature, reading, and writing. If she was clean and alive, she'd likely be in a rural area, not the city. If she was hiding, she'd probably be keeping a very low profile, perhaps cocooning herself like she had all those years ago.

  20

  MARTINA

  Vincent looked around at the familiar faces and grinned. "I guess this'll do."

  Hirsch shook his head. "Glad to have you back, Vincent."

  It hadn't taken much to convince Hirsch to ask Vincent to join the new Cold Case Squad, and Vincent accepted almost immediately. Vincent was one of the best Drakos Monroe had to offer, and Hirsch knew that. Vincent had an uncanny knack for exploring perspectives others hadn't considered. In those overlooked ideas, he often discovered pivotal clues.

  "It's good to have some fresh faces around here," Ross remarked.

  Jayda added, "Looks like we lucked out—two for the price of one."

  "Just on this case," I clarified. "Because the case was ours first. But of course, any other missing person cases we get from CoCo County, we can collaborate with the sheriff's department to find the missing and bring them home."

  "I appreciate that," Hirsch said.

  Vincent sat down. "So, what's the game plan for the Victoria Hightower missing person case?"

  I took a deep breath. "Well, from what we've learned, in the last days of Victoria Hightower's life, she was beaten and on the run. She ended up in a hospital where a police report was taken. Then, a so-called cousin left the hospital with her. Victoria's family never saw or heard from her again, even though she had told them she'd see them later that day."

 

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