Special Forces: Operation Alpha: Redemption for Avery (Kindle Worlds Novella) (Ryker Townsend FBI Profiler Book 2) by Jordan Dane
Authors: Jordan Dane
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your daughter?” I asked.
“No, everyone loved her. Who would kill my baby?” Sandra cried.
“The truth is, Lily had been spending more time away from home,” Mr. Hubbard said. “She didn’t like my rules, but that kid needed discipline.”
“Was Lily seeing anyone?” Crowley asked. “A boy from school, maybe?”
Mark rolled his eyes and turned away from his wife. Sandra shed fresh tears and wiped her nose with a tissue.
“Grayson Barbour. He goes to Lakeside High School, like Lily does.” She sobbed. “Like she did, I mean.”
“Ask anyone. That Barbour kid was trouble for her.” Hubbard shifted his gaze toward Sandra. “I tried to warn you.”
“How so?” Crowley asked. “What kind of trouble?”
“He called and sent text messages to her all the time,” Sandra said. “It’s like he wouldn’t let her out of his sight. Grayson was jealous over the least little thing.”
“I think Lily had a physical relationship with that boy,” Hubbard said.
“You don’t know that.” Sandra glared at her husband, but when he returned her stare, she backed down, hard. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to—”
“You always had blinders on when it came to that girl.” He grimaced before he turned his attention toward the deputy. “Where is she? Lily.”
“Her body is at the coroner’s office, but the FBI brought their own medical examiner and two other CSI types to help process the evidence. That’s what they’re doing now. There will be an autopsy,” Deputy Lovell said. “I’ll contact you when you can make arrangements. I’m sure you’ll want to have her cremated.”
Sandra Hubbard gasped and lost it again.
“You’ve said enough, Deputy.” I gritted my teeth and glared at the man, knowing it wouldn’t do any good. “I would like to see your daughter’s room. Would that be possible?”
“It’s just the way she left it, after she—” Lily’s mother stopped and shot a fleeting glance to her husband. When her fingers shook, she clutched at her tissue to stop her trembles.
Mr. Hubbard heaved a burdened sigh.
“She took off last week. Friday night,” he said. “We don’t know where she went or who she stayed with.” After a long moment of silence, he finally added, “I kicked her out.”
“You never reported this?” I asked.
Hubbard only shook his head ‘no.’
“She didn’t take a car?” Crowley asked.
“No. I locked the door on her. I don’t know what happened,” he said. “She had her purse and a small bag. That’s all I know.”
Whatever motive Lily’s father had to delay reporting her missing, he had made it easy for the UNSUB to cover his tracks. Hubbard’s pride or shame or guilt had lost precious time for authorities to find her—and Mrs. Hubbard hadn’t intervened, not even for the sake of her daughter.
“Do you remember what she wore?” Crowley pulled out a notepad and a pen.
Mrs. Hubbard described her daughter’s clothes from jeans to a distinctive black T-shirt with the words ‘Golden State of Mind’ across the front, and a pair of red twill Vans on her feet.
When I got the attention of Deputy Lovell, I said, “Canvass the neighbors. See if anyone remembers Lily leaving Friday night. Someone might’ve picked her up. A vehicle description would be helpful.”
“Will do,” the deputy said.
A strained hush fell over the room. A clock on the wall ticked for what felt like an eternity before Mrs. Hubbard broke the tension. She rose off the sofa and spoke.
“I’ll show you to her room, Agent Townsend.”
Lily’s mother kept her head down and didn’t look for approval from her husband. She couldn’t leave the room fast enough.
Chapter 8
Big Bear Lake
North Shore Drive
Morning
Ryker Townsend
“This is it. My baby’s room.”
Sandra Hubbard opened the door to her daughter’s bedroom and walked in before me. Lily’s room looked distinctly feminine with its four-poster queen bed and white, lacy comforter with pale pink
“No, everyone loved her. Who would kill my baby?” Sandra cried.
“The truth is, Lily had been spending more time away from home,” Mr. Hubbard said. “She didn’t like my rules, but that kid needed discipline.”
“Was Lily seeing anyone?” Crowley asked. “A boy from school, maybe?”
Mark rolled his eyes and turned away from his wife. Sandra shed fresh tears and wiped her nose with a tissue.
“Grayson Barbour. He goes to Lakeside High School, like Lily does.” She sobbed. “Like she did, I mean.”
“Ask anyone. That Barbour kid was trouble for her.” Hubbard shifted his gaze toward Sandra. “I tried to warn you.”
“How so?” Crowley asked. “What kind of trouble?”
“He called and sent text messages to her all the time,” Sandra said. “It’s like he wouldn’t let her out of his sight. Grayson was jealous over the least little thing.”
“I think Lily had a physical relationship with that boy,” Hubbard said.
“You don’t know that.” Sandra glared at her husband, but when he returned her stare, she backed down, hard. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to—”
“You always had blinders on when it came to that girl.” He grimaced before he turned his attention toward the deputy. “Where is she? Lily.”
“Her body is at the coroner’s office, but the FBI brought their own medical examiner and two other CSI types to help process the evidence. That’s what they’re doing now. There will be an autopsy,” Deputy Lovell said. “I’ll contact you when you can make arrangements. I’m sure you’ll want to have her cremated.”
Sandra Hubbard gasped and lost it again.
“You’ve said enough, Deputy.” I gritted my teeth and glared at the man, knowing it wouldn’t do any good. “I would like to see your daughter’s room. Would that be possible?”
“It’s just the way she left it, after she—” Lily’s mother stopped and shot a fleeting glance to her husband. When her fingers shook, she clutched at her tissue to stop her trembles.
Mr. Hubbard heaved a burdened sigh.
“She took off last week. Friday night,” he said. “We don’t know where she went or who she stayed with.” After a long moment of silence, he finally added, “I kicked her out.”
“You never reported this?” I asked.
Hubbard only shook his head ‘no.’
“She didn’t take a car?” Crowley asked.
“No. I locked the door on her. I don’t know what happened,” he said. “She had her purse and a small bag. That’s all I know.”
Whatever motive Lily’s father had to delay reporting her missing, he had made it easy for the UNSUB to cover his tracks. Hubbard’s pride or shame or guilt had lost precious time for authorities to find her—and Mrs. Hubbard hadn’t intervened, not even for the sake of her daughter.
“Do you remember what she wore?” Crowley pulled out a notepad and a pen.
Mrs. Hubbard described her daughter’s clothes from jeans to a distinctive black T-shirt with the words ‘Golden State of Mind’ across the front, and a pair of red twill Vans on her feet.
When I got the attention of Deputy Lovell, I said, “Canvass the neighbors. See if anyone remembers Lily leaving Friday night. Someone might’ve picked her up. A vehicle description would be helpful.”
“Will do,” the deputy said.
A strained hush fell over the room. A clock on the wall ticked for what felt like an eternity before Mrs. Hubbard broke the tension. She rose off the sofa and spoke.
“I’ll show you to her room, Agent Townsend.”
Lily’s mother kept her head down and didn’t look for approval from her husband. She couldn’t leave the room fast enough.
Chapter 8
Big Bear Lake
North Shore Drive
Morning
Ryker Townsend
“This is it. My baby’s room.”
Sandra Hubbard opened the door to her daughter’s bedroom and walked in before me. Lily’s room looked distinctly feminine with its four-poster queen bed and white, lacy comforter with pale pink
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