Page 80 of Fallen Creed

“A VISA gift card.”

“That has a serial number, right? Can you track how it was purchased?”

“Probably. Don’t be surprised if they paid with cash,” he told her. “Gift cards are easier to travel with than a money roll. You can get them almost anywhere: gas stations, grocery stores, Walmart. I believe you can purchase up to $500 on one card. Now, I will be able to tell you where the card was purchased, but again, if it was bought with cash, that might not help us.”

“My gut tells me these three are still here. Get some screen grabs of their faces to distribute to local law enforcement. We have enough for them to put out APBs. We find these three, we find Ryder and Grace. I think Libby must be with them. Does she have any social media accounts?” Maggie asked.

“Libby does not. But Emma did. Not much help there, either. Posts stopped around the end of February.”

“Photos?” Maggie asked.

“I’ll check again, but I didn’t see anyone who might fit this guy’s description.”

“Send me the links. Wait a minute.” Why hadn’t she thought of this sooner? “Can you access Libby’s cell phone?” Spencer said his people had tried, but maybe Alonzo had more access.

“I already checked. There aren’t any accounts with her name. No cell phone. No credit card. No driver’s license.”

“Spencer said she had a driver’s license.”

“It must be a counterfeit.”

“So good that a county sheriff couldn’t tell the difference?” But even as Maggie asked this, she suspected Spencer had sneaked a quick peek, hoping only for more information about the girl.

“Hey, there are plenty of young women named Libby Holmes, but no facial recognition matches the photo you sent me. When I put in Emma Hobbs, I got an immediate match.”

“Okay, getting back to the cell phone,” she said. “Nora was certain Libby’s was not left behind. Spencer told us he tried to track it. So she obviously had a phone. If the Spencers put a third person on their account, would that person be listed separately?”

“The phone’s activity would be. Do you know the number?”

“No, but I’ll text you Nora’s and Ted’s. If you get into their account, we could see if Nora is still in touch with Libby.”

“Didn’t you just say this guy is a county sheriff?”

“He is,” Maggie said without preamble. She knew what Alonzo was asking. And she knew very well what she was asking of him. “Ryder was still a part of our task force when he disappeared looking for this girl. Nora Spencer hasn’t been entirely honest with us from the start.”

Maggie didn’t bother hiding her frustration, but she hated that her voice sounded a bit desperate. She caught a glimpse of her reflection in the hotel room’s mirror, and she was glad Alonzo couldn’t see it. “I’ll deal with rules later. Can you get into the account or not?”

“Already on it. So you think Libby might still be texting Nora Spencer?”

“I think it’s possible. Actually, I hope she is.”

“But she wouldn’t tell her husband?” Alonzo asked.

“She didn’t tell her husband the girl was pregnant.”

“Point taken.”

“Were you able to find out anything more about the Virginia case?” she asked. “Was there any mention or innuendo that it could have been related to human trafficking?”

“Human trafficking?”

“Maybe I’m grasping at straws,” Maggie tried to explain. “A middle-aged man accompanied by young women who could be teenagers. In this security footage, they’re buying dismemberment tools as calmly and casually as if this stuff is for a home improvement project. They’ve done this before.”

“I can check databases.”

“But we already have similarities with the Virginia case.”

“Except no mention of a middle-aged man. Only the two teenagers,” Alonzo told her. “And lots of dead ends. No one else was charged.”