Astra and Paige both take a moment to digest what I’d just said, sharing a glance, then nod to each other.

“That makes sense,” Astra says. “You’re pretty good at this job.”

I smile. “If I were that good, I’d have found a lead by now.”

“Then I guess we all suck,” Paige says.

“Nina, have you been able to find anything on that black van?” I ask.

She shakes her head. “There is absolutely nothing distinctive about it. There are literally hundreds of black panel vans in the area,” she replies. “And unfortunately, the camera wasn’t at an angle that allowed us to see the license plate.”

I blow out a frustrated breath and get to my feet. My arms crossed over my chest, I pace the room, letting my subconscious work at the knot lodged in my brain. The van is anonymous. The man who took Ashley has no identifying markers I can see. We have absolutely nothing to go on. The only thing I can say with relative certainty is that Ashley’s abductor is familiar with her—either through personal contact or from watching her from afar. He knew her schedule, her route, and when she would be alone and at her most vulnerable. Our guy picked that time and spot to attack. That suggests familiarity with her. Other than that, though, we’ve got nothing.

“What about her father?” Astra asks. “Any chance he’s behind this?”

“Why would he abduct his own daughter?” Paige asks.

“Could be something as simple as trying to win some sympathy votes. He’s up for re-election in November, and Barlow’s got a real opponent this time. It’s a competitive race that could be tipped his way if people feel sorry for him,” Astra notes.

I shake my head. “But then why involve us in such a delicate off-books investigation? Why lock down everything so secretly? Can’t exactly get sympathy votes if nobody knows the story.”

“Oh. Right,” Astra says. “Um, what about this bodyguard? Lieb, was it?”

“Yeah, Lieb is his name,” I say. “And he’s somebody we’re going to have to speak with. He’s on the list for sure.”

“He’s been protecting the Barlows for years. What’s his motive? Why would he suddenly turn on them and kidnap Ashley?” Paige asks.

“I’m not saying he did,” Astra starts. “But what if it’s something sordid, something like he fell in love with Ashley, she rejected him, and he needed to get rid of her to keep his secret?”

“That is twisted,” Paige replies, “really dark and twisted.”

“Unfortunately, it’s not like we haven’t seen something like that before,” Astra says.

“That’s true,” I confirm.

“Okay, so do we have a game plan?” Astra asks.

“Yeah. Paige, I want you to go and speak with Tanner Hicks,” I say.

“If we’re supposed to keep Ashley’s abduction quiet, how should I approach him?” she asks.

“Tell him you’re doing background at the request of Senator Barlow. I just want to get a sense of his relationship to her. Don’t give him anything specific, but listen closely and see if he slips up and tips you to anything we don’t already have,” I say.

“Copy that,” she says.

“Astra, we’re going to go talk to Lieb. I want to know what he knows,” I say.

“Excellent.”

“Nina, keep digging. Also, get in touch with Rick,” I tell her. “You can delegate some of what’s on your plate to him. Like I said, he’s bored over there waiting for a ransom call we all know isn’t coming. He’ll probably be happy for the work.”

“On it,” she replies.

“Okay, let’s go.”

As Astra and I head out, I keep thinking back to that smiley-face mask the abductor wore. Something about it just chills me. As I think about the abduction itself, replaying it over and over in my mind, I can see that he’s definitely methodical. Organized. He knows exactly what he’s doing, and it only reinforces my belief that something terrible is happening to Ashley Barlow. It’s possible I’m wrong, but I don’t get the feeling that this is an abduction for money or for political influence.

It also reinforces my belief that this case is not going to have a happy ending.

Executive Solutions, Downtown District; Washington DC

“You want to tell me what you’re really thinking?” Astra asks.

I pull into the parking lot in front of the two-story, red-brick building that serves as the headquarters for Lieb Tal’s private security firm, Executive Solutions. I find a spot and park, then shut off the engine. The exterior of the building looks aged and weathered. Given that the building is less than ten years old, though, I’d say it’s fashionably distressed. Old and rugged is in these days.

“What do you mean?” I ask.

“I know you, Blake. And I can always tell when you’re not sharing your thoughts,” she presses. “What are you really thinking about this case?”

It doesn’t surprise me that Astra knows there’s more going on in my head than I’m saying. She knows me better than anybody other than my kid sister. But in all honesty, in some ways, Astra might know me even better. In some respects, Kit and I are still playing catch up and trying to figure each other out after having been apart for two decades.

“I’m thinking this might not have a happy ending,” I say.

“Why do you say that?”

“On the surface, this abduction has the hallmarks of either a child predator or a trafficking ring. Possibly both,” I tell her. “The organization of the abduction as well as its audaciousness… this is somebody who knew her schedule and wanted her bad enough to risk taking her in public in broad daylight. This wasn’t impulsive. This wasn’t some random pervert who saw her on the street and decided to snatch her up on a whim. This was thoroughly planned and executed to perfection.”

Astra pauses and looks through the windshield at the building in front of us. She finally turns back to me, her expression grim.

“And if this is some trafficking ring, the possibility of not just finding her, but rescuing her, is incredibly slim,” she says.

“The odds aren’t on our side.”

“All we can do is keep working the case,” she says. “Maybe somebody we talk to can give us something that leads us to this trafficking ring.”

“That’s best-case scenario, yeah.”

“But not likely.”

I frown and shake my head. “Not likely.”

“That all that’s bothering you? We’ve faced long odds before, but you seem even grimmer than usual. What else is up?”

“Just thinking about this hearing. DeClerk is trying to end my career, and I’d be lying if I said having that hanging over my head isn’t messing with me.”