(homeless shelter); Cardiff, Wales

Saturday, November 7, 2020

Ianto Jones stepped into the office. Eira Fithan, the head of the charity, asked one of the kids to find him. He couldn't help but worry. When he first approached her about volunteering in mid September, she'd been skeptical. His connection to Torchwood hadn't helped. Nor the fact that he insisted on wearing a shoulder holster off-duty. She asked him a lot of questions and interviewed him twice before she agreed. What she hadn't explained, and he hadn't known how to ask, was what concerned her. While his background was completely fictitious, it was solid. He had legitimate references.

"Have a seat." The sixty-something woman motioned to a chair across the desk

Ianto felt like he'd been summoned to the principal's office. He'd been a troubled teenager. Then he would have stared defiantly. Now he worried he'd lose the one thing that was keeping him sane. With Kylia back in her universe, and Gwen wanting to spend more time with her kids, his days were lonely and quiet. Working with the homeless, particularly the children, helped. Torchwood showed him the worst parts of life. He needed something different.

"I asked when you first volunteered if there was another reason for you being here."

He claimed a chair across from her. "No. I wanted the opportunity to contribute to our community."

She passed three photographs across the table. "Do you know these girls?"

Ianto flipped through the pictures. "No." They weren't recent Torchwood cases.

"Bethany Powles, Elain Crowder and Meaghan Pembroke. Meaghan is sixteen. Beth and Elain are seventeen. While we don't officially accept teenage runaways, we do have a few that stay on occasion. Calling social services wouldn't help. They ran away from care."

"Did something happen?"

Eira sighed. "They're missing. I've been on the phone all morning with shelters and other charities in the area." She handed him a legal pad. "There has been an increase in missing street kids. Unfortunately, kids disappear. Street kids are high risk. Kids disappear from care homes for various reasons. A disproportionate percentage are girls."

Ianto looked at the list of names. He didn't recognize any of them. "Anything connecting them?"

"Lost, scared, desperate girls. There are rumors. Social workers investigate accusations against foster parents. Most are false or exaggerated. They don't catch everything."

The Sisters in Birmingham came to mind. Gwen would need to call and ask. "Do you have dates?"

"No."

"Are the police investigating?"

"No. Filing a missing persons report on a homeless person is pointless. Even if the police believe the person is missing, it's difficult to confirm. They have better things to do."

Ianto nodded. He also suspected the girls would be arrested, if the police found them. "I'm not familiar with missing persons statistics specific to children. How unusual is this?"

"I don't have a solid answer. But the last time I saw something like this, a cult was forming. Except that group targeted females over sixteen. Whatever is happening applies to younger children as far as I can tell. The bottom name there is a five year-old who disappeared from care. An anonymous 999 caller led to the foster parents being arrested. But the girl hasn't been found."

"Do you have details?"

Eira hesitated. "I don't want to get my contact in trouble."

"Few people ask Torchwood where we get our information." Jack could handle deflecting any questions.

She held her hand out for the pad and Ianto handed it back.

"Is there anything else that you know about? Even if it doesn't sound connected."

Eira finished writing. "There is a vigilante targeting criminals committing crimes against women. Muggers, rapists, abusers. Witnesses haven't cooperated with the police. Whoever is doing it went down the dangerous John list from a local Mary Magdalene charity. The police tried to get the nuns to stop distributing it."

"Hospital or morgue?"

"Both. I don't have specifics."

"Any idea when it started?"

"Six months ago." Eira sounded uncertain.

Hughes Flats

Jack Harkness parked Gwen's car and headed into the building. The sudden change in plans had him worried. Ianto reminded him that morning they had reservations. He suspected Ianto waited until after the scheduled conference call with London to text him. Not knowing nagged as he took the elevator to the fourth floor.

The flat smelled of coffee and Chinese takeaway. Ianto was using the kitchen table. A laptop, tablet and notebook sat next to a large mug of coffee. Kylia's belongings had been packed up and donated, but Ianto refused to use the office, if he could avoid it. Jack slipped his coat off and hung it on the rack by the door.

"Everything all right?" Jack asked as Ianto stepped out of the office.

"He keeps drinking my coffee." Ianto motioned at the cat stretched out on the table.

Jack nodded. "You canceled dinner because your cat's a jerk?"

Russell hissed at him.

"Eira Fithan gave me a case. I'm not sure what it is yet." Ianto absently petted the cat.

Jack walked around the table. "It's urgent?"

"I don't know. Best case scenario is the Sisters increased their relocation program locally. I asked Gwen to call."

"You had me worried." Jack reached up, sliding his finger tips over Ianto's jaw.

"Feeling guilty?"

Jack leaned in and kissed him. "I'd rather feel you."

"You need to see what I have."

Jack smiled. "That's the idea."

"That's bad." Ianto reached for the notebook on the table. "I don't know if it's a Torchwood case."

"What do we know?"

"Missing kids. The youngest is five."

That explained dinner being canceled. "MO?"

"I don't know. I can't prove most of the possibles are missing. Homeless, runaways, missing from care."

"The five year-old?"

Ianto meet his eyes. "Mom OD'd. Dad is wanted for multiple felonies and was last seen in Amsterdam." Ianto shook his head. "Foster parents are in jail for drugs after a 999 call. They claim Dera disappeared overnight, and only found out when the police woke them. No evidence. No witnesses. The girl's social worker is convinced the child was taken, saying she's fearful and prone to hiding. The police went through the house checking for possible hiding spots. They brought in a dog."

"What are the police saying?"

Ianto exhaled loudly. "The lead investigator suspected the foster parents sold Dera or traded her for drugs. After weeks, the DC's arrested a dozen drug dealers and has nothing to support the suspicion."

"Any we can follow up on?"

"No. There is a vigilante that disables CCTV as easily as we do. Possible explanation for the 999 call. Any case connected to the vigilante or missing kids leads nowhere. It's believed the vigilante is a woman. Dr. Floyd and A&E doctors have commented on injuries associated with the vigilante suggest she doesn't have a solid understanding of human physiology."

That suggested an alien. The injuries might identify the type. "Do you have a medical report?"

Ianto grabbed the tablet off the table and handed it to him.

Jack quickly skimmed through Dr. Floyd's comments. "She doesn't know what planet she's on. These would be fatal injuries to a humanoid species on the other side of the galaxy." Jack read the details again. "She should be able to tell the difference."

Ianto's mobile chimed. He checked the new message. "From Gwen. The Sisters claim they aren't involved."

"Is there a location we can check?"

"No. There has to be something."

"I will ask John to check the local black market." He'd been helping Dmitri track possible alchemy devices since house explosion because John had a better understanding of moving illegal merchandise.