“What happened to them?” Candi cried. She touched each woman’s face, letting her hand rest on the image of Nicole.
Jim laid his hand across Candi’s and said, “They were murdered. Were they friends of yours?”
Candi cried openly and nodded. “Andi and I used to live together. She was a hard ass, but if she liked you, she’d do anything in the world for you. And she liked me. Nicki hadn’t been here very long. I only saw her a time or two. Actually, we met at the 4th of July party at Alexandre’s. She and Andi weren’t there very long though. I think they had booked a private party that night.”
“Did Andi ever tell you she thought she was being followed?” Frankie asked.
“No, but we haven’t really talked much the last couple of months.”
“Do you know anyone who drives a white truck?” Frankie asked.
Candi looked at her with a questioning look, “Not that I can think of.”
Frankie showed her a photograph of Heather, “Do you know this girl?”
“What the hell happened to her?”
“You didn’t answer, do you know her?” Frankie asked.
“I thought she was…yeah I know her. Heather used to dance with us. She disappeared about a month ago. Honestly, I thought she was dead.” Candi’s face had grown ashen.
“Why did you think she was dead?” Frankie asked.
“She dated this guy that worked as a bouncer at the club. Bobby something or other. He was a total prick. She used to show up at the club sore and with bruises all over her body. He was really careful not to touch her face, though. All the other bruises could be explained away, but bruises on her face would keep her from dancing. Midori is pretty particular about that. Anyway, about a month or so ago, she stopped dancing, and Bobby was gone.”
“Did you ask anyone about either of them?” Frankie asked.
Candi shook her head.
“Candi, where did you get your tattoo?” Craven asked.
Candi traced the rose stem on her wrist, “All the girls get a rose stem tattoo when they go to work for Midori at the club.” Candi cocked her head to the side and smirked, “You have to earn the bud, though.”
“How do you do that?” Craven asked.
“After hours, of course,” Candi said with a laugh.
Candi told Frankie and Craven the same story Tessa had told. When she finished, they thanked her for talking to them and told her they would be in touch.
Chapter 53
“Frankie, we have an address on that IP,” Mia said excitedly.
“Is it the sister’s address like he said?” Frankie asked.
“Not even close. In fact, it’s Kristof’s office building. Sarge is on his way in, and I’ve already started the search warrant.”
“I’ll bet money the girl isn’t his niece either,” Frankie said sardonically.
“I’ll get Fitzmeyer and go sit up on it, see if we can see anyone coming or going from the building. Do you know if there are any apartments or anything in that building?” Craven asked as he typed a text message to Fitzmeyer.
Mia stopped typing and turned to Frankie, “I looked it up on google maps, and it looks like a warehouse converted into an office building and loft space. Didn’t Tessa mention an apartment they used for the girls they recruited?”
Frankie nodded, “I wonder if Candi knows where it is?”
Craven called Candi and quickly confirmed the apartment was in an old warehouse that had been converted. She didn’t remember the exact address but said it was in the west bottoms.
“I’ll be in touch once I get out there. I’ll video chat with you to help with the description for the warrant.”
“Thanks, Jim. That will save us some time,” Frankie said.
Mia worked on the warrant while Frankie called the on-call prosecutor who said she’d drive to police headquarters to sign the warrant.
“Do you think it’s weird Moon doesn’t want us to come to her?” Frankie asked.
“Maybe she’s a slob, or maybe she just wasn’t home,” Mia answered. “Or maybe she doesn’t want you to know where she lives because she’s scared of you.”
Frankie laughed out loud, “As if. I have no interest in jeopardizing my career over her.”
Frankie looked at her watch, 9:30PM. It was going to be another late night by the time they got a judge’s signature and served the warrant. She had planned to go to Derek’s after work but looked like those plans were about to change.
“Hey babe, it’s going to be a late night. We are working on a warrant now.”
“Okay. Come by anyway if you aren’t too tired ;)”
“K”
“Be safe. D”
Frankie smiled at the exchange and then began an inventory of her duty bag. The last warrant left the contents bare, so she quickly replenished her supplies in case they needed them.
“You two are determined to keep me from having an entire night at home with my wife, aren’t you?” Baker’s voice broke the silence. Jessica Moon followed him into the office.
“Sorry, Sarge,” Frankie and Mia said in unison.
“It’s okay. She’s used to it. Is there anyone out on the address?”
“Craven and Fitz are out there. I heard from them about ten minutes ago, and they said it was quiet with only one light on in the building,” Frankie said.
Jessica reviewed the warrant, requesting one minor correction before signing the document.
“We are going to run and get the judge’s signature, then meet you in the lot down the block from the building,” Mia said.
“Sounds good. Is Judge Maron still the on-call judge?”
“Yeah. I emailed her the affidavit to save some time, so it should be quick.”
Chapter 54
Frankie made her way into the renovated warehouse with Mia close behind. The brick building loomed over the empty streets and neighboring parking lots. Frankie used the key she got from Kristoff’s property and unlocked the door to the dimly lit lobby.
“I wonder if they use the freight elevator?” Frankie asked, nodding at the gated elevator in front of her.
“Looks like the gate is unlocked.” Pointing at the black sign next to it, Mia said, “ARK Marketing has offices on the first and second floors. Midori Enterprises has offices on the third floor. Check out the name on four.”
Frankie read aloud, “L. Petrov. We know Midori has a place where he keeps his recruits. What do you want to bet L. Petrov is Luka?”
“What does the warrant cover? All of the businesses or just ARK Marketing?” Baker asked.
“None of the above. It actually covers the location of the IP address, which is the fourth floor. We don’t have any PC to get into Midori Enterprises…yet. We can probably get a warrant for ARK Marketing but I’m not up to that tonight,” answered Frankie. “Maybe the other squad can work on getting it tomorrow.
“Okay. Let’s check out who, or what, is on the fourth floor. There’s a good chance that the door opens directly into the loft, so be alert,” Sergeant Baker said.
Baker scanned the group to make sure everyone had their vests on, then led the way into the freight elevator.
No one said a word as the elevator slowly made its way to the fourth floor. A collective exhale could be heard as the doors opened into another lobby-like space. Baker took the lead as Mia and Frankie stacked behind him. Craven and Fitzmeyer posted up on the opposite side of the door. Baker glanced at his watch, 11:57PM, then raised his hand to knock. He was preparing to knock harder and louder when they heard the clopping sound of shoes hitting the floor on the opposite side of the door.
A cough was followed by a thick accent asking, “Who zee hell is it?”
“Kansas City Missouri Police Department. Open the door,” Baker asserted.
The sound of the chain dropping, and the deadbolt being disengaged echoed in the silence.
“What can I do for you?”
Baker put his foot inside the doorway and pushed the door open.
“We have a warrant for this apartment. My detectives are going to search the space based on this,” thrusting the warrant into the man’s hand.
Frankie and Mia scanned the living room, moving hastily towards the hall. Fitz and Craven followed close behind. The doors in the hallway were all closed. Before leaving the living room, Frankie asked, “Is there anyone else here?”
“No. I mean, yes. My niece is in the bedroom asleep.”
“How old is your niece?” Frankie asked, disbelief obvious in her tone.
“Fifteen. No, I mean sixteen.”
Frankie remembered the girl from the video feed. She definitely did not look sixteen. She pushed open the first doorway, only to find a laundry room. Mia opened the second door to a desk with a computer and a chair. Craven opened the third door to a scream.
Chapter 55
“It’s okay. We are the police,” Frankie said. “Do you know where you are?”
The young girl stared at the group of detectives with a puzzled expression. “Of course, I do. I’m in Kansas. Why would you ask me that?”
Frankie nodded at Craven and Fitzmeyer, gesturing for them to leave the room. She noticed a chair at the end of the bed and asked, “Do you mind if I sit down?”
The little girl nodded. Her voice trembled as she asked, “What’s going on? Why are you here? I don’t understand.”
Mia grabbed a stool and sat down. “What’s your name?”
“Julia Christenson.”
“Where are you from?” Mia asked.
Frankie grabbed her notepad to take notes.
“Alton, Illinois.”
“How old are you?”
“10. Will you please tell me what is going on?”
Mia calmly explained, “My partner, Detective Thomas, and I are with the police. We served a search warrant at a house yesterday and found a computer with a live feed into this room. We watched you sleeping on the camera. Did you know there was a camera in this room?”
The color drained from Julia’s rose-colored cheeks.
“How did you get here, Julia?”
Julia pulled the covers tightly around her petite frame. Tears glistened in her emerald-colored eyes. With her head lowered, she began to mumble into the blanket.
Mia touched the girl’s foot and softly said, “Can you please speak a little louder, it’s hard to understand you through the blanket.”
Julia looked up slightly and said, “They promised me I was going to be famous, so I came here with them.”
“With who?”
“I can’t remember her name, but it started with a T. The other girl’s name was Andi. I told them I was 13.”
“How long have you been here?” Mia asked.
“Since October. I left on Halloween.”
“Do your parents know you are here?” Frankie asked.
Julia glared at Frankie and said, “My parents are dead. I’m sure as long as my foster family gets a check every month, they won’t care that I’m gone.”
“Julia are you the only girl that lives here with Luka” Mia asked.
Julia shook her head but did not volunteer any information.
“Who else lives here?” Mia asked.
“Heather was staying here, but I haven’t seen her in a few weeks.” Julia reached up to brush golden strands off her face, revealing a tattoo of a thorny rose stem.
Mia made eye contact with Frankie and nodded. Frankie felt her stomach roll as she asked, “Does anyone else stay here?”
“Just Emma. She should be asleep next door if you all didn’t wake her up.”
“I’ll go check,” said Frankie. “How old is Emma?”
“11 or 12. I can’t remember. She hasn’t been here very long.”
Frankie fought the anger growing inside. Stepping out of the room, she leaned against the wall and took a deep breath. When she looked up, Craven was staring down at her.
Chapter 56
“There’s a little girl sleeping in the next room. We thought she might be less scared if she was woken up by Mia, or the girl with the boy’s name.” Craven winked at Frankie.
Frankie laughed. “I’ll be right back.”
Frankie slowly pushed the bedroom door open. The room was laid out identically to Julia’s. She turned on the lamp and said, “Emma?”
The girl groaned something unintelligible.
“Emma, wake up.”
Frankie watched the tiny girl’s eyes flutter, then open wide with a look of fear.
“It’s okay, I’m the police. I’m not here to hurt you.” Frankie pulled a chair next to the bed and sat down. “My name is Frankie. Do you know where you are, Emma?”
Emma rubbed the sleep from her hazel eyes and nodded.
“What’s your last name, Emma?”
“Brandt. Why are you here?”
Frankie explained why they were at the loft, then asked, “Emma, where are your parents?”
Tears created a trail down Emma’s freckled cheeks. She brushed them away and said, “My momma’s in Heaven. My dad’s in hell.”
Frankie thought Emma’s choice of words was interesting.
“How old are you, Emma?”
“I just turned 13.”
“Where were you living before you got here?”
“With my mom’s sister and her husband.”
“How did you get here?”
Emma fidgeted in her bed. She grabbed a worn, brown teddy bear and clutched it close to her chest. After a few moments, she said, “I ran away. You can’t make me go back there. I won’t go.”
“Why did you run away?” Frankie felt a tightness forming in her chest as she waited for the answer.
“I don’t want to talk about it, but I won’t go back. They are not good people.”
“We will see what we can do. How did you end up here?”
Emma hesitated before saying, “Heather and Andi found me at a rest stop on the highway. They said I could stay with them. They told me I was going to do some modeling or something.”
“How long have you been here?”
“I’m not sure. A few weeks. Maybe longer..”
Frankie knew she needed more information but decided not to push the issue in the tiny bedroom.
“Why don’t you get dressed and we will go for a ride to my office?”
“Why? I haven’t done anything wrong. Why can’t I stay with Luka?”
“Because you are a minor, and he doesn’t have custody of you. We have to sort some things out and it will be easier to do it downtown.”
Chapter 57
Frankie ran her hand through her hair as she stared out the window of her office, trying to process all she had learned. They had gotten statements from Julia and Emma who were in the waiting room watching television and eating some chips from the vending machine. Mia was trying to get someone from social services on the phone.
“Dammit!” Mia shouted, drawing Frankie from her thoughts.
Turning around, Frankie asked, “What’s wrong?”
“The on-call Division of Family Services worker is a freaking idiot, that’s what’s wrong.”
“What did they do now?”
“It’s not what they are doing, it’s what they are not doing. They told me to take these girls down to JJC like they were…”
Frankie interrupted, “They told you to take these two victims of sex trafficking to the Juvenile Justice Center?”
“Yes, like a couple of criminals. I’m not going to do it. I’ll stay here with them all night before I do that.”
“Maybe we can get them into…” Frankie paused for a moment before saying, “Wait, I have an idea. Hold on.”
Frankie started looking through her desk, frantically.
“What are you looking for, Frankie?”
“There’s a place in Parkville that might be able to help them, but I can’t find their number. You know the SAFE PLACE signs at Quick Trip and the fire stations?”
“Yeah.”
“I used to volunteer for t
hem. If a child goes where a SAFE PLACE sign is, the workers have a number to call. Volunteers transport the kids to the shelter in Parkville. I thought I had their number in my desk,” Frankie said as she continued to rifle through business cards.
“Hey Dawn,” Mia said to the dispatcher on the phone. “Yeah. Do you have a phone number for the SAFE PLACE in Parkville? Mmm Hmm. Yeah. Okay. 9055. Okay. Thanks Dawn.”
Frankie listened to the one-sided conversation, thinking how brilliant Mia was to call the dispatcher. Aloud she said, “You da’ bomb girl!”
Mia smiled and shrugged her shoulders as she dialed the number to the shelter. Frankie listened to Mia describe the circumstances to the person from the shelter. Five minutes later, they were explaining to Julia and Emma that they had a safe place for them to stay until their families could be notified.
Julia began to cry.
Emma put her arms around Julia and tried to comfort her. Emma looked at Frankie and Mia and said, “You can’t make me go back to those people. I’ll run away again.”
Frankie sat in a chair next to Emma and said, “I need you to explain why you won’t go home. You don’t have to do it tonight, but you’re going to have to tomorrow, or they will send you back to your aunt and uncle. They have legal custody of you.”
Julia looked at Emma and said, “Em, you have to tell them. I’ll even come with you if you want.”
Emma grabbed a tissue from the side table and wiped her nose. Her eyes searched Frankie’s then fell to her lap. Quietly she stated, “Can we talk in the morning? I’m really tired.”
Frankie said, “Of course. I’ll come and talk to you at the SAFE PLACE tomorrow after breakfast, okay?”
Emma nodded.
The drive to the shelter was silent. Frankie glanced in the rearview mirror and saw Julia and Emma huddled together with their eyes closed. She wondered what traumas they had experienced that made them so…old.
Softly Mia said, “Frankie, you remember we are off tomorrow, right?”
Frankie nodded, “Yeah. I’m going to go talk to her after my run and while the kids are at school. You don’t have to come in. I’ll call you after. I don’t want to bring anyone else into this if I can help it.”
Across State Lines Page 13
