The Vanishing Gary Brown (booksvooks TXT) 📖

her to be, this will not be easy,” Claire said. “She’ll fight off any attempt to forcibly remove her every step of the way.”

“I’m sure she will. We’ll be prepared for that. That’s why we need to gain her trust, to help her understand that we’re there to help her, not hurt her.”

“How can you expect her to do that when she doesn’t even know you?”

“Through you. We’ll need you to provide us with the family picture you brought with you. And one more thing.”

“What’s that?”

“We’ll need a recording of your voice. A personal plea from you to cooperate and come with us. If she doesn’t recognize you from the picture, she’ll likely remember the sound of your voice. You see, for most of us voices are like auditory fingerprints. We have a capacity for their long-term retention. Like when you get a phone call from someone you haven’t heard from for a very long time. You know you know the voice. You strain to place its familiarity, and eventually you do. Hearing your voice may be the key to unlocking Amanda. We want to create an emotional or psychological connection with her that is so compelling she will trust us and come along freely.”

“I can do that,” Claire agreed. “How soon will it be before Mark and his team can get started?”

“As soon as we’ve identified her exact location, we’ll arrange the extraction.”

“How will you do that?”

“It’s all a matter of planning and patience. First, an operations team will carry out a reconnaissance of the area where we believe Amanda is being held. They’ll make note of her surroundings, watch the comings and goings of the other members of the group, their daily routines. Most importantly, they’ll identify if she has a handler.”

“A handler?”

Martin nodded. “Sometimes, a high-profile cult member is assigned a handler by the leader of the group, usually a senior lieutenant within the chain of command. It’s their job to watch that person twenty-four seven.”

“I thought they maintained control over the group as a whole?”

“Yes, they do. But a person like Amanda is different. If the country’s best law enforcement agencies tried to find her and came up empty, it’s obvious she’s being hidden by these people. They know that if she’s found by the authorities, it will mean the end of life for them as they know it. Their freedom would be gone in a heartbeat. In Amanda’s case, federal authorities would pursue an action against them, most likely implicating them on charges of obstruction of justice, conspiracy, and kidnapping to name just a few. Should that happen, the cult would crumble. Without leadership and guidance, they’re lost. That would be a fate equal to death. If they know who Amanda is, and my best guess says they do, they’ll use her to further their own agenda, whatever that is. They’ll protect her at all costs. To them, Amanda is a valuable property, a commodity they won’t have any problem using as a bargaining chip if things get ugly. That’s why once we find her, we must get in and get out as quickly as possible. If something goes wrong with our plan, she will be in danger. It’ll be her life for their safe passage. Make no mistake about it.”

“We can’t let that happen, Martin,” Claire said. “I don’t want to have come this far to lose her now. I’m not sure if I could live with that.”

“Don’t worry, Claire. I have no intention of letting anything go wrong. Before we make our move, we’ll have double and triple-checked the plan. Amanda’s safety and security are our primary concern.”

“Are you going to be part of the extraction team?”

“Yes, I am. I really want this guy. I have a feeling Joseph Krebeck has more than one skeleton in his closet. And I want to be the one to expose him.”

42

CLAIRE STOOD, WALKED to the edge of the gazebo, stared up at the pale moon, then turned and faced Martin. “If you’re going in after her, so am I,” she said defiantly.

Martin scoffed. “Are you insane? That is completely out of the question. You have absolutely no training in these matters. For all intents and purposes, this is a tactical operation, a hostage rescue. Your inexperience could get you hurt or killed. Just in case you haven’t figured it out, we are, by definition of statute, kidnapping Amanda. That you’re her sister and we’re doing this at your request has no bearing on the matter. We’re going to go in and remove her, probably against her will. If we’re caught trying to extract her, no one’s going to ask if we’d like to sit down and discuss it first. Cults govern themselves according to their rules. A violation of this magnitude could have serious consequences.”

“Meaning?”

“That they could make you disappear. Permanently.”

Claire folded her arms. Her voice shook. “My family is dead, Martin,” she replied. “Amanda is all I have left. So, if I must die or be left for dead in some godforsaken place never to be seen again, then I bloody well want to know it was for a good reason. And I can’t think of a better one than trying my damnedest to rescue my only sister from the hands of a bastard like Joseph Krebeck!”

“I’m sorry, Claire,” Martin said. “I shouldn’t have put it that way. I know how much Amanda means to you and that you want her back in your life. But that doesn’t change the situation. You can’t go in. I won’t allow it. It’s just too damn dangerous.”

“Then train me.”

“What?”

“Train me. Teach me what I need to know. You name it, I can learn it.”

“That’s absurd. We don’t have the time to train you for something like this.”

“Then just give me the basics if you have to. But I’m telling you right now, trained or not, I am coming with you.”

Martin sighed. “You’re not going to give up on this, are you?”

“I’m going in with you to get