Montgomery County has many malls. Collin figured the one closest to the Gene Search compound was the Montgomery West mall. It also happened to be the mall that Lily like to shop at if she and her girlfriends from work were going out for a day of shopping. Lily was surprised when Collin asked her if she wanted to go to the mall.
“You want to go to the mall?”
“Yeah.”
“Uh huh. Why?”
“To shop?”
“Collin you hate shopping.”
“Well, you like it.”
“Yes, but I usually go with other people who like it. What’s going on?”
“Lily, I have this really weird case.”
“A case!”
“Lily, please listen. Don’t be mad. It involves some young women that might be being held against their will.”
“What? Sit down over here and tell me what you are talking about.”
Collin sat down at the table where Lily was drinking a cup of coffee and eating some toast.
“Is that cinnamon sugar toast?”
“Yes. Here you take this piece. Let me get you some coffee.”
Lily poured a cup of coffee with cream and sugar and placed it on the table next to Collin.
Collin took a sip of the coffee, “Boy. That’s good.”
“Colly…”
“Right. This girl ran away and her aunt and uncle hired me to find out what she is doing and if she is all right. Then I found another lady whose daughter drove off with the people I told you came and took samples from me while you were at the baby shower. Then I found this cathedral and a secure compound. I snuck in and saw the girl that ran away talking to the doc who runs the place. She was bored or something so he told her he was going to send her and the other girls shopping today.”
“There is a doctor running a secure compound from a cathedral?”
“No. The doctor and the compound are next door to the cathedral. I snuck into the compound from the cathedral. It’s a couple of miles through the woods.”
“And the girls who are bored and going shopping are being held against their will?”
“Maybe. I’m not sure yet. That’s why I want to go to the mall. I want to see if I can ask them that. I think they would talk to a woman more easily than a man. That’s why I was hoping you’d come too.”
“Is the compound related to those Gene Search people I got you the phone number for?”
“Yes. I saw a manual in the laboratory that said Gene Search.”
“What laboratory?”
“The one at the compound.”
“Okay, okay. I’ll come with you. It should be pretty easy to pick out a group of bored young women being forced to shop at gun point.”
“Ha, Ha. Very funny Lily. Really. Thanks for coming. I’ll make it up to you.”
Collin drove them to the mall. Lily told him they should start at some clothing stores specializing in apparel for young women and then make a pass through the food court. She thought those were the most likely places a group of young women would be found. The first clothing stores were empty. Then they saw a group of girls across in another store. They looked kind of young but Collin and Lily walked over to the store to get a better look. The girls were only in their teens and were rapidly flipping through the t-shirts on the rack. They were laughing and commenting about the clothes.
“Too young. Lily lets try another store.”
“There are more just down the way.”
Collin and Lily entered the stream of people walking down the mall. Ahead and coming toward them were a group of five young women. Collin recognized Shelby.
“Lily, come here a second.”
Collin had turned toward a window display and was pretending to find it interesting. Lily joined him.
“What?”
“Across the way there. See that bunch? The one with the really white blonde hair looks like the girl that ran away, Shelby.”
“The one you saw talking to the doctor about being bored?”
“Yeah. Ooo. See that guy behind them?”
“Uh huh. Who is he?”
“One of the guards from the compound. He looks different ‘cause he isn’t in uniform, but I’m sure it’s the guy.” He didn’t tell Lily the same man had broken into his office. He didn’t want to worry her.
The guard sat down on a bench outside the stores. The girls paused to look at him then started giggling and hurriedly entered another clothing store. It looked like the guard had passed out some money to the girls and sent them shopping.
“They sure look happy for women being held against their will.”
“Let’s go in. You can wear these kinds of clothes. I’ll sit inside and you try on clothes. We’ll try to listen to their conversations.”
“But I’m not buying anything in here. I don’t like these hip-hop clothes.”
“Just pretend so we can find out what we can.”
“Okay.”
Collin and Lily entered the store. The girls were scattered around the store. Collin found a seat near the mirror just outside the changing booths so he could hear the talk around the booths and Lily could put on a fashion show for him. He sat there for a bit with nothing to do. Then one of the girls asked the store person to let her into a booth. Collin was observing her. She looked familiar but she wasn’t Shelby. She went inside the booth. Then Lily came up and asked for a booth. The store person unlocked one next to the girl. A minute later Shelby came up and asked for a booth.
As she went inside the girl in the booth next to her called out, “Is that you Shel?”
“Yes. Don’t you just love these clothes Lindy?”
Collin realized why the first girl looked familiar. She must be Linda Keller. Her mother had given Collin a picture of her. Lily came out and modeled the outfit she was trying on for Collin.
“Sweetie! You look fabulous.”
He was trying not to laugh. These t-shirts and baggy pants just weren’t her style.
“I’ve got more where that came from.”
Lily went back into the changing booth. This time she came out with a t-shirt cut high so her body showed from just below her ample bosom down to the low cut jeans which stopped just before you could get arrested for indecent exposure. Collin was delighted.
“Oh baby. You really should get those.”
Lily laughed and went back into the booth. Meanwhile Shelby and Linda had come out to show each other the outfits they were trying on. As they were discussing them another girl came up.
“Hi. You guys are so hot in those jeans.”
Shelby replied, “Too bad nobody will see us in them.”
Linda said, “Now Shel, we promised we wouldn’t get into this.”
The other girl said, “I’m going to put mine on. I’ve asked permission to see Jason again this Friday night.”
All three of them went back to the booths. By then the other two girls had also picked out an outfit or two and the changing booths were very busy. Lily came out and showed Collin a third outfit. This one was a sun dress with no sleeves and wild colors swirled around the dress.
As Lily was posing for Collin a woman walked up to the girls and told them, “Wrap it up girls. Let’s go have some lunch.”
The girls grabbed the outfits they wanted and headed for the register.
“Are we going to the food court?”
“Yes.”
“Can we stay long enough to see a movie?”
“We’ll stop by the cinemas on the way to the food court and check out the show times.”
Lily bent over and whispered to Collin, “You don’t want me to buy anything do you?”
“Not unless you want those low cut jeans, baby.”
“I think not. Didn’t you see what was written across the back?”
“Yeah. HOT BABE, wasn’t it?
“Hmm.”
“You change and we’ll precede them to the food court.”
Lily changed back into her clothes and she and Collin left the store. They w
eren’t in a hurry. It was going to take a while for the girls to pay for their outfits. The male guard was still sitting on the bench outside the clothing store. Collin and Lily slowly walked toward the end of the mall where the cinemas and the food court were located. They stopped frequently to look into the store display windows hoping the girls would pass by them. When they saw them approaching Collin lead Lily into the store they were at. It was a toy store. Not a place either of them frequented. They pretended to be interested in the toys displayed near the front of the store. After the girls walked past with their guard and the woman named Patty, Collin and Lily exited the store and followed the group at a distance.
When they all arrived at the food court the male guard sat at a group of tables that had been shoved together. He said, “Patty? Will you get me a sub and a soda?”
“Right.”
The food court was very large and it wasn’t hard to find a place to sit with a support column between them and the girls. Collin and Lily sat down to decide what to do.
“Lily, you think you could go stand next to the blond and get some food?”
“They are selling burgers. Do you want a burger?”
“Not really but maybe you could talk to her. Tell her you noticed her and her friends in the clothing store and ask her what group they are with.”
“You’re going to owe me big time for this one.”
Lily quickly got in line behind Shelby at the burger stand. After they had been waiting a minute or two for the line to move Lily asked her, “I saw you in the clothing store, didn’t I?”
Shelby was quiet at first and glanced toward the tables where the guard was waiting. He was not looking in Shelby’s direction. Shelby answered, “Yeah. I saw you with your boyfriend.”
Lily touched her wedding band as if to remind herself that she was still wearing it.
“Oh, you’re married.”
“Yes. He loves to take me shopping so I’ll model the clothes for him.”
Shelby giggled, “That’s sweet.”
“Are you and your friends with a group or something? I noticed you have a chaperone.”
“No. We just hired a driver. Patty is one of the girl’s sisters.”
“It must feel really special to have a driver. You know like a movie star or something.”
“Yeah. Sort of.”
They got their food and went back to their seats.
Collin and Lily could hear Patty at the girl’s table say, “The movie doesn’t start until 1:50 so take your time girls. Jack will go buy the tickets so we won’t have to stand in line.”
The girls murmured their affirmatives and kept munching their lunch. They weren’t talking very much. Collin figured that was because the guard Jack and Patty were there. He remembered when he followed Jack and Shelby to the director’s office. The director, Doctor Phelps, had told Jack he wanted to see Patricia. Collin figured this Patty was probably the same person. Collin and Lily weren’t discussing the case. They felt like they were sitting too close and might be overheard. They stretched out their lunch by having ice cream for dessert. While they were licking their cones the girls and Jack and Patty got up to go to the movies. After they left Collin asked Lily if Shelby had said anything.
“She said they were not part of a group.”
“No?”
“No. She said Patty was somebody’s sister and that the guy is a hired driver.”
“Well, last time I saw the guy he was wearing a security uniform and escorting Shelby to the director’s office.”
“I guess they have been given a story to tell outsiders. Other than that they seem pretty normal.”
“I’ve got to talk to Shelby so I can finalize a report to my clients, her aunt and uncle.”
“Well they are going to the movies.”
“Maybe I can write a note. Then you could give it to her.”
“How am I going to do that? The movie has already started and the two chaperones will probably be with them.”
“Let me think about that. Do you have some paper I can write on?”
Lily looked in her purse and pulled out her day calendar. She ripped off a sheet from the back.
“Here. Don’t you usually have something to write on?”
“Yes. I keep it in the glove box.”
“Oh. What are you going to say?”
“I think I should ask her to meet me. I’ll sneak into the compound from the cathedral side. I guess I’ll give her a day and time. Maybe my cell phone number. Then she might be able to call me if the day and time are no good.”
Lily was looking around the food court while Collin was writing the note.
“Colly. Look.”
Collin looked up. Patty and Jack were sitting down at the food court tables again.
Jack said to Patty, “Are you sure you shouldn’t be in there with them?”
“I can see the entrance from here. I’ll get closer when the movie is about to let out. I just can’t stand those fairytale type movies. True love! As if that ever happens.”
“They’re young. They still believe.”
Collin took Lily’s hand and whispered, “Come on.”
Collin and Lily slowly walked further into the food court so they could swing wide around Patty and Jack. They stopped at the front of the cinemas and then bought tickets and went in. They didn’t intend on seeing a movie but they needed to see which one of the twelve cinemas was playing the fairytale and they needed tickets to enter. After they got inside they walked down to the right cinema, Lily took the note and went inside. Collin stayed outside to make sure Patty and Jack didn’t change their minds and come in.
Lily let her eyes adjust to the darkness. Then she stood to the side and looked over the audience as if she was looking for some friends or a seat. She saw the girls on the other side about six rows back from the front. Lily walked back down the ramp and then around the back of the cinema and re-entered from the side the girls were on. Shelby was sitting third seat in. The first seat was empty and Lily sat there. The girl Shelby had called Lindy was sitting between Lily and Shelby. Lily wasn’t sure exactly what to do. She didn’t want the other girls to know about the note. The movie had just begun so Lily sat there watching and considering her options.
Lily’s chance came when Lindy left to go to the bathroom. After Lindy excused her self and practically ran down the ramp, Lily reached down to the floor and said to Shelby, “You dropped your ticket.”
Shelby looked at Lily and recognized her. Lily placed the note into Shelby’s hand and held her hand for just a moment while their eyes met. Lily smiled and then left the cinema. She glanced back at Shelby as she was leaving. She saw Shelby quickly place the note into her pocket and quickly look back at the movie screen.
Lily found Collin outside the cinema. He asked her, “How did it go?”
“She’s got the note.”
“Lily, you’re wonderful!”
“Yeah. Let’s go home now.”
“I just want you to know how wonderful you are.”
“Yes Collin. I’m really glad to help, but I would like to go home.”
They left the cinema being careful to walk away from the food court and Patty and Jack.
Chapter Twelve
Gene Search: A Collin Carter Mystery Page 11
