The Missing Pattern

Shadows of the Past Part 4

I headed back to the FBI office, pushing through the fatigue weighing me down as I stepped inside. My small workspace was a mess—case files stacked high, notes scattered across every available surface, and a large map covered with pins marking each disappearance. I took a deep breath and sank into my chair, feeling the gravity of the case settle heavily on my shoulders.

The dim light from the desk lamp cast long shadows, making the whole scene feel more intense, more pressing. I'd worked dozens of cases, but this one... this one was different. It hit me somewhere deep, stirring up memories I hadn't revisited in a long time.

My eyes drifted to a photo pinned beside my desk—a snapshot of a girl from my past, the friend I'd lost nearly twenty years ago. She had been my childhood friend, growing up together in Richmond, Virginia. The night she disappeared had been a turning point in my life, leaving me with questions that would never have answers.

I could still feel the echo of the helplessness, the endless search, the painful hope that would ultimately dissolve into silence. The night she vanished changed everything for me, leaving a wound that never fully healed. That unresolved case shaped everything I would become. I couldn't save her, but I'd made a vow that day: I would do everything I could to save others.

That promise had driven me into law enforcement, first as a detective in Richmond and later as an FBI agent. Richmond's streets taught me the dark side of humanity, hard lessons that had turned into a quiet, fierce resolve over the years. They were lessons that now pushed me forward as I faced the mounting puzzle of Kiara, Maria, Tameka, and the four other girls missing across the region. These were girls from different towns, different backgrounds—kids who had their whole lives ahead of them.

Leaning back, I felt the weight of all these stories. My instincts told me there was something organized, something calculated in the way they'd vanished. And with each missing girl, the stakes grew higher. This case wasn't just mine; it was a fight. And I would see it through to the end, for these girls and for the promises I'd made a long time ago.

With a deep breath, I refocused on the current case. Six girls missing in just over a week, each one gone in a blink, leaving behind little evidence and mounting fear. I reviewed my notes, piecing together the similarities and searching for the connections we might have overlooked. Kiara, Maria, Tameka, and now three others I was waiting for files on—each case seemed like another piece of a dark and complex puzzle.

I grabbed my phone and notebook, heading over to my supervisor SSA Michael Thompson's office. My mind was racing with details of the case, and in my distraction, I nearly walked into Agent Reese in the hallway, muttering an apology before continuing. I barely knocked before pushing Thompson's office door open.

"Thompson, you wanted an update? Here's where things stand with the missing girls case." I dropped into the chair across from him, the weight of it all hitting hard as I began. "When I got to Bakersfield PD, they'd gone from dealing with one missing girl to three—all within five days."

"Detective Wesley and I spoke with each of the families, and the local PD is following up with friends, teachers, anyone who might have seen or spoken to these girls recently. We started digging into nearby precincts, and that's when we found a similar pattern—another precinct nearby reported three more girls missing within a week. One Caucasian, one African American, and one Hispanic, all between 13 and 16. We're still waiting on their files, but this is shaping up to be far bigger than one neighborhood or a few isolated cases."

I continued, laying out what Wesley and I had uncovered. "We're looking at six girls missing in a seven-day span, from different areas but all disappearing near high schools. There's no specific demographic linking them except age. We're extending the search to additional precincts, hoping to find any similar patterns."

"Michael, we're looking at six missing girls in a single week. I think this is just the beginning. We're already stretched, and I need more resources. These girls aren't just vanishing; they're being taken systematically."

Thompson listened intently, his tone serious. "Kitty, you've got six families hanging on to hope out there. I know this case hits close to home for you, but I need you to keep perspective. Don't get too consumed."

I took a breath, steadying myself. "Sir, it's only been two days, and I've got six families with daughters missing within a week. This feels organized—systematic even. It's one girl every day for the past week."

Thompson leaned forward, his face tense with concern as I took a steadying breath. "This isn't random, Thompson. Someone is orchestrating this."

Just as he was about to reply, my phone buzzed, breaking the silence. I raised a finger, signaling for him to hold on, then answered, "Agent Harper."

"Hi, this is Detective Dale Davis from Porterville PD," came a weary voice on the other end. "We received the FBI alert to check recent cases of missing girls between ages 13 and 16 within a week's span, especially near schools. I've got four that match. They all disappeared just over two weeks ago, each last seen around the local high school area. Ages 14 to 16."

I felt my stomach clench. "Were there any common factors? Similar circumstances?"

A brief silence hung in the air before he answered. "Yeah... all four girls were last seen around their high school, just before or after the school day. Their families reported them as having no reason to run away, and their backgrounds were... diverse." He paused, then continued. "One Hispanic, African American, Caucasian and one Asian girl. They all disappeared within days of each other over seven days. We thought it was an isolated incident, but hearing about the cases on your end..."

"It's a pattern," I finished, barely able to believe the implications. "Detective Davis, can you send over all your files, statements from parents, any sightings, any details from teachers or friends?"

"Of course," he replied, and I could hear the relief in his voice, knowing his cases were finally getting more support.

After I hung up, I turned back to Thompson. "Sir, we're now looking at ten girls taken in two weeks. Ten girls, two weeks, all around high schools."

As soon as I left Thompson's office, I dialed Calvin. "Calvin, it's bigger than we thought. Four more girls from Porterville disappeared just over two weeks ago. Same pattern, same age range, same proximity to schools. We've got ten missing girls now, all within days of each other."

A pause, then Calvin's voice, steady but tense. "That's... this is something else, Kitty. Ten girls in fourteen days, from towns nearby but not directly connected?"

"Yeah," I confirmed, the urgency of the situation pressing down on me. "Thompson is taking full control of the case from the local authorities, and the FBI is officially leading this investigation. You're being temporarily reassigned to our task force, so gather up anything you need and come over here. Also... it seems Thompson appreciates your work and thinks you should apply for a permanent position with us."

Calvin chuckled lightly, a welcome break in an otherwise intense conversation. "Guess I'm a temporary G-man now, huh? I'll finish up on this end and be there as soon as I can. I'll bring all our current files."

I could hear the determination in his voice—a quality that had made him an invaluable partner since day one. We were in for a long, grueling journey, but with Calvin's resolve and Thompson's support, we'd have the resources and manpower we needed to see it through.

But even with all the pieces slowly coming together, I couldn't shake the unease. Ten girls in two weeks—a pattern emerging as we dug deeper, a trail of lives cut short and families left wondering. And there was a chilling thought in the back of my mind, a question that haunted me as I looked around my cluttered office.

If this was happening right in front of us, what were we not seeing?