Bannon Brothers Read Free Page A

schoolteachery voice.
    â€œYes, ma’am.” RJ sank his chin into his hand and pored over the last miscellaneous pages. When he was done twenty minutes later, he glanced at Doris, a thoughtful frown creasing his forehead. “I still don’t understand. Tell me why a case with a million-dollar ticking clock and a missing child gets closed.”
    â€œMore like two million. Don’t forget the interest,” Doris pointed out.
    He flipped back to the bank document and noted the date on it. “Eight per cent, compounded, low tax. Yeah, two million is probably about right.”
    â€œNow look at the date on the last document in the file.”
    He found it—a memo from a detective, now retired, whose name he remembered only vaguely. It was about something minor. RJ read the date aloud. “Okay, that was fifteen years ago. So?”
    â€œIt’s ancient history, RJ. We don’t have the manpower or the money to stick with cold cases, even a high-profile one like this. Our budget keeps getting cut.” She scowled into her screen. “Hoebel has a master plan to streamline some of us out of existence, you know.”
    â€œBut you just got promoted.”
    â€œWhich means I have to prove myself, right? I intend to get every single file down here entered in my lifetime. Which is getting shorter every day.” She picked up a staple remover and snapped the tiny jaws at him. “Getting old really bites. Just you wait.”
    â€œI’ll take your word for it.” He sat up and clasped his hands over his head, stretching out his back. “Are there other Montgomery files? I feel like I’m missing something.”
    â€œLike I said, there are ten on that table. It’s possible some already went to the storage place, but I can’t be sure until I find the master list of files. That thing runs to about three hundred pages all told.”
    â€œWhat about the record of evidence? Where’s that?”
    Doris’s reply was matter-of-fact. “Evidence? There wasn’t any to speak of. Not a drop of blood or a sign of a struggle. Whoever took Ann left virtually no trace.”
    RJ favored her with a look of disbelief. “That can’t be. Who handled the investigation?”
    She wagged a finger at him. “Did you forget I wasn’t working here then?”
    â€œWhat’s that got to do with it? You just said you looked into all the Montgomery files.”
    Doris gave him an annoyed look. “RJ, you’d know as much as I do if you’d really read the material.”
    â€œBrief me anyway. For old times’ sake.”
    She sighed and tapped her pencil on the tabletop. “Half the cops in Virginia were working on it for months. Every sheriff who could keep his pants up over his gut got in on the action and dragged his deputies along. Search and Rescue went out with tracking dogs. The woods around the Montgomery house were gone over inch by inch.”
    â€œAnd nothing was found?” His tone was skeptical.
    â€œThe dog handlers couldn’t pick up a scent trail and the searchers found zip. Whoever took her was extremely careful. I don’t know if you noticed it,” she added tartly, “but the FBI sent a profiler to try to match the MO to their list of known offenders.”
    â€œWhere’s that file?”
    â€œI’m not sure.” She looked his way. “Maybe to your left.”
    He set aside the file he’d been leafing through to look for something labeled FBI and got distracted by another one labeled Photos. Montgomery, Ann. Bannon instinctively steeled himself.
    This was where it got real.
    After five years as a cop and five more as a detective, there were things he never wanted to see again. Crime scene photos that involved kids were among them. Granted, Doris had said there was no evidence, but the way he’d tensed up made his back twinge again. Damn bullet.
    Two years ago it had stopped