"Since our last conversation, we have done a complete sweep, of every employee currently working at the security company." Nell said.
"There are three employees that were on shift, over the last three years, every single time the hidden program was activated and an address was entered. A janitor, a night security guard and a customer service rep. We ran background checks on all three, as well as the hot dog vendor, ice cream cart owner and the grounds keeper from the park and found nothing at first." Eric replied as he displayed their photographs on a screen.
"It didn't strike us until we started to review the footage from the security cameras, that both Callen and Sam found and Kensi and Deeks submitted to us, that we had missed something. According to the jewellery store's camera footage 36 vehicles drove past the business between the hours of 1:30 a.m. and 5:30 am. Of those only one went by the neighbourhood 15 minutes prior to and after the time the Coverman's security system was deactivated and Cassie is believed to have been taken." Nell explained.
"It was a navy blue utility van. A work van that contractors tend to use. The kind that once you get past the front section there are no windows. We were only able to get the make and model and the first three digits of the California licence plate. We were in the process of running the first three digits of the plate and trying to match results up with the description when Kensi and Deeks arrived with the bakery's flash drive."
"According to the footage, they found, the same vehicle, over the last three days, has arrived at the park at 10:30 a.m. and has left at 10:45. It seems to arrive and leave again at least three other times during the day. The last time each day it arrives is at 7:30 pm. From the bakery's footage we were able to confirm the make and model, and were able to obtain a complete license plate as well as photos of the people associated with the van."
"Who are they?" Callen asked.
"The first gentleman is the hot dog vendor. According to the van's license plate he is the registered owner of the vehicle. The photo on his driver's licence matches the gentleman in the footage. It appears that the van is used to carry supplies and to pull the hot dog cart. The second gentleman is the night guard from the security company." Nell answered.
"Does anyone else get the sense that these two are involved in something else other than the hot dog business, and night guard employment?" Deeks asked.
"That's the same question Nell and I asked ourselves. Like we said earlier, the background checks did not seem to reveal anything…at first. We went back over both profiles and noticed something. Their social security numbers are only 4 digits apart. It is possible. Perhaps just a coincidence. Then again I do not tend to believe in coincidences."
"I ran both names and birth dates through death registrations in every state. Our hotdog vendor is known as David Mitchell Evans, born March 2, 1979 in Colorado. David Mitchell Evans died at the age of 17 months on Aug. 12, 1980 in Colorado. The night guard is known as Paul Eric Michaels born Dec. 8, 1978 in Texas. Paul Eric Micheals died on April 24, 1980 at the age of 16 months in Texas."
"They both have false identities. Could they be in the witness protection program?" Sam questioned.
"We thought of that as well. The witness protection program is not that careless. Our understanding is the aliases they create are full proof. The names, birth dates, social security numbers, green cards everything is completely fictitious. No, these guys did this themselves."
"The night guard is most likely the one tampering with the security systems. He seems to be stationary. He has worked at the same location for the past three and a half years." Nell said.
"David Mitchell Evans seems to be a bit of a nomad. Over the last four years he has obtained hotdog vendor permits from towns in seven different states. He appears to stay a few months and then he moves on."
"The hotdog vendor is the one that is probably scouting the kids and then grabbing them." Sam stated.
"We are running their faces through law enforcement data bases to see if we can obtain a match. Try to find out who these guys really are. So far no luck." Eric stated.
"Both of these men are renting apartments under their aliases, and both appear to live alone. We cannot find any phone records, landline or cell. They are probably using pay as you go phones. The number the night guard has listed as a contact number on his employment file is a fake." Nell said as she displayed the apartment locations on a computer screen.
"What about the addresses you found when you were digging into the security company's main system?" Deeks asked.
"The final total of addresses we located was 69. The addresses are from all over the country. Nell and I just completed running every address against local law enforcement data bases. In every case, except for five, a child was abducted. They are all under the age of six. None of them have been ever located. No sightings, no body…nothing."
"Guys…what have we stumbled on?" Deeks said slowly.
"It's a child abduction ring of some sort." Callen replied.
Except for the underlying humming of the computers, an eerie silence descended upon the room.
"Why hasn't any police force figured this out before now?" Kensi inquired.
"The 69 addresses we located were from all over the country. Yes, there homes all had security systems installed and monitored by the same company, and the majority seemed to disappear from there homes, but that is where the similarities end. The children's descriptions are as varied as possible. Blond hair, brunette, red heads, blue eyes, green eyes, hazel eyes, thin, chubby, Caucasians, African Americans, Hispanics…you name it. The odd child was taken over night, but the majority seemed to disappear during the middle of the day. Taken out of their back or front yards. No one has ever witnessed anything. The majority of the time, even though the home security system was tampered with, the home was not entered and the system was therefore never turned off. Some families have had a system with this company for over ten years; others have only had the system for only a few months. Until now, nothing was ever caught on a security camera. The dots just were never connected." Nell answered.
"These people are smart. They haven't slipped once, until now." Sam replied.
"They slipped because the jewellery store just had the surveillance equipment installed two days ago and the bakery's system was hidden and not advertised." Kensi said thoughtfully.
"Good detective work Miss Blye. That's why you wanted the Bakery owner to hold off putting her sign up." Deeks thought glancing at his partner.
"What about the treads I sent you? The ones G and I found in the neighbour's yard. Anything unique about them?"
"I ran those and discovered they belong to a generic brand of shoe sold in discount department stores throughout North America. It's impossible to know where they were purchased." Nell answered.
"It is 1:30 p.m. now. If these gentlemen continue with their "routine" we have a few hours before this Mr. Evans will complete his day of work. Mr. Beale, I assume some finger prints may aid in the identification of this suspect." Hetty inquired.
"Yes."
"Mr. Callen, Mr. Hanna, I want the two of you to go to the park and purchase hotdogs from this vendor. Make sure when you pay you will require change back. Then bring the change and the hotdog wrappers here to have them both dusted for finger prints."
"Miss Blye, Mr. Deeks, go and check the home addresses of our hotdog vendor and night guard discreetly." Hetty commanded.
"Our first priority is to locate Cassie and return her safely to her family. Our second is to shut down this operation, whatever it turns out to be, arrest those involved, and try to locate the whereabouts of these other children. We have two suspects, who believe we have no knowledge of them. I suspect there are more individuals involved. You all need to be very discreet. We cannot take the chance of them being "spooked."
"Mr. Beale, Miss Jones continue your investigation into the background of our suspects and the crimes we believe they have committed. Do you have all the access you need to the security company's computer system?"
"Yes, we do." Eric answered.
"Good, I am going to make a couple of phone calls to have the LAPD techs removed from the company's premises. The night guard is obviously, currently not at work, but it is possible that there is someone else, on site, who is involved. They may be watching and updating our suspect. At the moment we have the upper hand. I do not want that situation to change. I will have the LAPD techs leave the premises, thank the CEO for his co-operation, and say they found nothing out of the ordinary."
"How much of what we have discovered should we tell LAPD?" Callen asked Hetty.
"At the moment very little. I will take care of LAPD. I know how to deal with them."