Chasing Monsters by Melinda Woodhall

Author:Melinda Woodhall [Woodhall, Melinda]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2024-06-24T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER NINETEEN

Friday morning came with a cold breeze from the east that ruffled Dalton West’s fair hair as he headed toward the coffee shop where Bailey would be waiting. She’d suggested they meet at the Summerset Espresso Café beside the courthouse for breakfast prior to Mason Knox’s bail hearing. Dalton had readily agreed to the early morning date, knowing that it might be his only chance to see Bailey all day.

Zipping up his jacket against the chill of the February wind, he stuck his hands in his pockets and quickened his pace, joining the stream of office workers heading into downtown, most of them wearing heavy coats that hadn’t see sunlight all year.

It was rare for the temperature to fall below sixty degrees in South Florida, and when it did happen, most people used it as an excuse to bundle up as if they were heading for the arctic.

As he entered the coffee shop, Bailey waved to him from across the room. He could see right away from the gleam in her green eyes that she had news to share.

“I finally have a photo of our teenage Jane Doe,” she said. “Only, she’s not a faceless Jane Doe any more, she’s called Birdie.”

She smiled as she slid a printout toward him.

“That photo was in the Belle Harbor Chronicle a few years ago,” she said. “And the girl right there is Birdie.”

Dalton studied the photo.

“Congratulations, that’s some good investigating,” he said.

As he looked up, he saw Nigella Ashworth and her son standing in the long line to order coffee.

His smile faltered momentarily, and then he looked away as if he didn’t recognize them, careful not to give any sign that he was working with Neil, who was also studiously avoiding looking at their table.

“I can’t wait to show this photo to the task force,” Bailey said. “We’ve been trying to identify this girl for so long, and now it’s all coming together. Once we got a match to her father in CODIS, I knew it would just be a matter of time until we figured out everything about her. And we’re almost there.”

As she spoke, Dalton glanced over at Neil and his mother.

An idea started to take shape in his mind.

Maybe he could figure out a way to run Neil’s DNA through CODIS to find out if Chuck Ashworth’s DNA was in there.

If the man’s body had been found but not identified, or if he’d committed some sort of crime and run off, his DNA would likely be in the FBI’s national database.

“How do you get DNA sent to CODIS to see if there’s a match?” he asked when Bailey had stopped to take a sip from her cup.

Blinking at him in surprise, she cocked her head.

“Well, the FBI only allows law enforcement to send in DNA profiles to be added to the database,” she said. “And the law enforcement labs have to be certified. The Bureau is pretty strict.”

Dalton’s heart fell.

“So, if I was looking for a missing person…”

“It would have to go through an agency, such as the BHPD or the FBI lab,” she said.

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