Page 157 of Corpse Roads
Theo shakes his head. “No immediate signs of movement or inhabitation, but the drones can’t get through the woods. We need to send a full reconnaissance team.”
Nodding, Hunter glances around the room. “This is our first lead in months. We can’t afford to screw this up. A team will find the church and check all the surrounding land for evidence.”
“Are we expecting to find another prisoner?” Kade flicks through his paperwork. “If so, we’ll need forensics and a medical team on site. Whitcomb’s corpse is also still unaccounted for.”
“As far as we’re aware, there haven’t been any more victims snatched.” Theo looks grim. “But as we know, he has a type. These women aren’t always on the police’s radar when they vanish.”
Hunter looks thoughtful for a moment. “We should be prepared for all possibilities. Make the arrangements just in case.”
Kade takes notes and sets to work on his laptop. It will take a lot of coordination, but we have the infrastructure to pull it off.
“There’s something else.” Hunter clears his throat. “I agreed with Harlow that she could come with us for this bit.”
“What?” I blurt incredulously.
Levelling us with a stare, Hunter doesn’t appear fazed by the nuclear bomb he’s dropped. It’s preposterous. After years of fighting, he’s finally lost his fucking mind.
“Why on earth would we risk Harlow’s safety after everything that’s happened?” I ask with a scoff. “Was one near-death experience not enough for you?”
“She asked me herself,” Hunter explains. “She knows this sick fuck is out there, threatening to rain shit and misery on our heads if we don’t release her.”
“Even more reason to keep her safe!”
“She’ll just leave herself,” Theo agrees unhappily. “That’s a lot of guilt for one person to bear. This would give her some control back.”
“Seriously? You too, Theo?”
Shrugging, he retakes his seat. “She would be surrounded by a team of highly trained agents. Hell, we may even find this place quicker with Harlow there.”
“I can’t believe I’m hearing this.”
“She isn’t a kid, Enz.”
“So you’re ready to watch someone else get hurt?” I snarl at him. “You, of all people, Theo, know we can’t take that risk.”
“Enough,” Hunter interrupts us. “This is our only shot. If we don’t produce results soon, the SCU is going to halt funding and find someone else to take over the case.”
That sobers everyone up.
“Who would they find to replace Sabre?” Kade frowns from his table. “We’re the best around. Nobody else would stand a chance.”
“So far, we’ve got jack shit to show for months of banging our heads against the wall,” Hudson inserts. “Hunter’s right; this is our only shot to make some progress.”
“At the expense of Harlow’s safety,” I remind them angrily. “That isn’t a price I’m willing to pay. She’s going nowhere.”
Stepping away from them, I retreat to the back of the room to cool off before I hit someone. The whiteboards reflect every second of our failure in taunting detail. So many lives have been taken.
We failed to protect these women. Not just us, but the whole damned world. Law enforcement. Families. Society. They were marginalised, made vulnerable by their social circumstances. Some have no family to visit their graves.
We have to do better than this.
But I won’t sacrifice Harlow to do that.
In every single photograph staring back at me, I see her face. This is her legacy. It’s a testament to all the excruciating pain and trauma she endured. I hate the thought of nobody being there to protect her.
Now that we’ve guaranteed her safety, Hunter wants to throw her back into the firing line. Endangering one life to save the potential many more that will end if we don’t do this. It’s an impossible calculation to make.
“Food for thought?” Brooklyn saunters up to me, leaving the others to continue talking.