Kaylin said, “We know your natural instinct is not to trust the cops, but we only want to help. We need to know what you’ve seen on the streets.”
Jamie leaned forward and passed a folded piece of paper to Chloe. “These are the names of some kids I haven’t seen around downtown lately. None of them are likely to have just gone home.”
“Thanks, Jamie.” She turned to the girls. “We understand a woman has been approaching girls offering to buy them clothes and lunch. Do you know anything about that, and have you seen her?”
A pretty little blonde whose name was Angela, maybe, and who appeared to be about fourteen, said, “Last week I was walking on Andrews Avenue. I had been hanging at the plaza in front of the Main Library. A woman stopped her car, opened the window, and asked me if I was hungry and wanted to go get some lunch with her.” The girl frowned. “I don’t know why—I was kind of hungry—but I told her that I’d just eaten lunch at the shelter and didn’t want anything. She asked me if I was sure, and when I said I was, the light changed, and she drove off.”
“What kind of car was she driving, and do you remember what she looked like?”
Chloe could see Kaylin was excited. This was their first solid lead, but she knew eyewitness descriptions could vary widely. They would have to wait and see what the other kids said. She stepped in. “Why don’t Angela and I go into the other room and try to nail down a description of the car and driver while you guys talk to the others?” She raised her eyebrows at Kaylin and Del. She hoped they caught on that she didn’t want Angela’s description to prejudice the other witnesses.
Kaylin smiled. “Good idea. We can cover more ground that way.”
When they had questioned all of the girls who had seen the woman and had gotten their separate impressions of her and the car, they came up with a description that was eerily similar. The suspect was sitting in her car, so none of them knew how tall she was, but they didn’t think she was a very small person or a very large person. She had dark hair pulled back into a bun of some kind and dark eyes, but she was Caucasian and did not appear to be Latin. The girls all noticed that she had pretty rings and a nice manicure and was wearing pearls and a sweater set. The car was a fairly new black Mercedes four-door sedan.
When they thought they had gotten all they could from the girls and Jamie for the moment, they thanked them and went up to Jayden Lane’s office.
“Ms. Lane,” Del began.
“Jayden, please. Let’s drop the formalities.”
“Jayden, then. Have you noticed anyone fitting this description lurking around the shelter? Have you maybe seen the same car going past too frequently?”
“I’m sorry to say I haven’t, but I will sure be looking for her from now on. I can’t believe it. I wonder how many girls she’s conned into that fancy black Mercedes. This makes me sick. Let me put together a contact list for the other shelters in the area. You should talk to them as well. You never know who has seen what.”
“Thanks. That would be a big help. Please call us immediately if anyone here sees her or remembers anything else. Sometimes details surface in a person’s mind after the initial interrogation.” Del was clearly impressed by Jayden Lane.
When they were back in Del’s Jeep he turned to them. “That was excellent. We got much more than I expected. I guess street kids have to have their wits about them to survive very long out there. That just makes me sick. These kids should all be safe at home and going to school.”
“Sometimes home isn’t safe, Del. They didn’t all leave home on a whim to spend the winter in Fort Lauderdale like tourists. I would venture that most of them had damn good reasons for leaving.”
“I wish we could do something to help Jayden and the shelter. Monetarily, I mean. Maybe we could take up a collection at BSO, or maybe have a fundraiser.” Kaylin had a look on her face that spoke of determination. “Maybe I can talk Jack into doing a fundraiser at the club. All the people there are well heeled, and we might be able to squeeze a substantial sum out of them. I’m going to talk to him about it.”
“That’s a good idea. I’m sure Jayden would love to make a pitch.” Chloe didn’t know Jack Dalton Brown, and had only met him briefly since he and Kaylin had gotten back together. From what Kaylin said he was a big donor and preferred to keep his charitable donations close to home. That might actually work out. She hoped so.
Chapter Four
Office of Central Broward Homicide Division, Broward County Sheriff’s Office, Ron Cochran Public Safety Building, Broward Boulevard, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Wednesday afternoon, August 20, 2014
Chloe and Sergeant Snyder met with Kaylin, Del, and Sergeant Kelly in the conference room in the Homicide Division for a briefing.
“We’ve put the suspect’s description out in a BOLO to all the uniforms and cruisers in and around downtown.” Del looked disturbed. “God, there’s no knowing how many girls she’s talked into that car, drugged, and done who knows what with.” Chloe knew the BOLO, or Be On The Lookout, was a long shot. Finding a late-model black Mercedes in Fort Lauderdale would be like looking for a needle in the proverbial haystack. But it was worth a shot.
“You would think they would all know enough not to get into a car with a stranger, but I guess the lure of a new outfit or fancy lunch was too much for some of them.” Kaylin looked heartsick.
“That’s true, but some of them want the attention more than the food or clothes. It’s very sad.” Chloe was speaking from her vast vice experience.
Del took point on the briefing and they went over all the salient details with the sergeants. They got the go-ahead to call in whatever backup they needed from the uniforms or other detectives.
“This case is going to take priority. There are kids in danger out there.” Sergeant Kelly looked disturbed and angry.
In the meantime, the report from the medical examiner had come in. The victim had died from blunt force trauma. Judging by the dirt and particulates in the wound, it had happened when her head hit the floor of the shipping container. She was probably already dead when the other girls were moved out of the container. Needless to say, they all had to have been frightened out of their wits at seeing another girl die in front of them.
* * * *
That evening Chloe and Del Lord joined Kaylin and Jack Brown for drinks and dinner at Jack’s apartment in the penthouse of the JDB Building on Broward Boulevard at the corner of Federal Highway. The JDB Building was a modern, white, twenty-story skyscraper with curved walls of glass and a four-floor parking garage. Jack’s private BDSM club, The Black Iris Club, occupied the penthouse floor along with his private apartment. Jack served cocktails on the rooftop deck.
Chloe was amazed by the deck with its large lap pool, full-sized palm trees, and plant beds overflowing with tall, lush grasses and groundcover plants. The fabulous view out over the city, Port Everglades, and the Atlantic Ocean in the distance was stunning. The sun was just starting to go down to the west, and the horizon over the ocean to the east was turning a dark blue. She was astounded by what could be seen from twenty floors up. She thought she could locate her house in Victoria Park if she just followed the main roads.
“I ordered a chateaubriand for four from Morrison’s Steakhouse downstairs. That way we can enjoy the evening, and no one”—Jack grinned—“mainly me, has to cook.”
Kaylin giggled. Clearly Kaylin was so happy lately she could hardly contain it. “Jack is a terrific takeout orderer.”
Jack smiled at her. “You haven’t gone hungry yet, woman, so quit your complaining. My specialty is breakfast.”
“That’s true. You make the best omelets in town.” Chloe could see this was getting to be “too much information” for Kaylin’s homicide partner, Del Lord.
Kaylin changed the subject. “Speaking of going hungry, baby, I’d like to pitch an idea to you. Feel free to say no if you want to, but I’d appreciate your giving it some thought first.” Kaylin watched his expression, and when he looked interested s
he continued. “The Sistrunk Outreach Shelter for teens is doing some really good work.” She filled him in on what they had learned there that afternoon. “I was hoping that maybe…” She hesitated and then just plunged in. “That we could talk you into doing a fundraiser at the club for the shelter. Those kids need all the help they can get, and the director of the shelter, Jayden Lane, is just fabulous. She does a hell of a lot for those kids. The ones we saw were in clean clothes and looked like they ate regularly. I wish we could do something for them.”
“Kaylin…”
“Just think about it, baby, please, before you say no.”
“Kaylin, I was going to say that I already donate to the Sistrunk Shelter, and I wouldn’t mind doing a fundraiser for them at the club. I’ve known Jayden Lane for a couple of years. We just have to be mindful of the confidentiality issues.”
Kaylin threw herself into his arms and kissed him hard. When she let him come up for air he said, “Why don’t you girls meet with my secretary and put some ideas together, and then we can talk about it. We should be able to get something going in the next week or two. It’s still summer, and neither the club nor the office are too busy. I can send a mass invitation out to all past and present members for a cocktail party or something.” He laughed. “Once we have them in the club and the doors are locked they’ll be sitting ducks.”
“That’s my guy. No mercy. I love it. We’ll pick them clean. All for a good cause, of course.”
“Of course.” Jack grinned at her.
* * * *
Dinner was brought up and served by a Morrison’s waiter, and they ate while they discussed the human trafficking case and their ideas for the fundraiser. Kaylin was relieved that Del and Jack now seemed to get along despite their initial dislike of each other. Both of these men were very important to her, and she didn’t like there to be dissention between them. Ha. Now it seemed like they were banding together for mutual protection in the fundraising campaign—when they weren’t going at each other with sarcastic jibes that both seemed to enjoy tremendously.
“If you’re not careful, Del, they’ll put you to work as a bartender again. Do you still have the leather pants and vest?”
“Unfortunately, I do. I would not particularly want to revisit that scenario.”
“But, Del, you looked so cute in that outfit.” Kaylin knew she was pushing her partner and her luck, but it was so much fun.
“Do I need to remind you how cute you looked without any outfit at all?” Oh, no. He would bring that up. She had been very self-conscious enacting BDSM scenes with Jack during their undercover operation with Del providing backup as a bartender. She hadn’t wanted to be naked in front of her partner. They had been trying to smoke out the serial killer who had murdered Jack’s receptionist, Lucy Evans. Alan Baker was currently in jail awaiting trial. Kaylin had agreed to go into Jack’s very luxurious BDSM club undercover as his sub. Her introduction to BDSM had been unconventional to say the least, but she now found she enjoyed the drama, and she really enjoyed Jack Dalton Brown.
Kaylin had been heartbroken when a misunderstanding and one unfortunate word had resulted in them breaking up. She was glad they had straightened out their problems—at least for the time being. It was early days yet, and they had a volatile relationship.
“Well, it’s getting late. I’ll drop you off at BSO, Chloe. Your car is still there, right?”
“Thanks, Del. That would be great. Dinner was wonderful, Jack. Thanks for having us, and thanks for considering the fundraiser. I’m so excited about that. I’ll talk to you tomorrow, Kaylin, and we’ll figure out our next step on the case.”
* * * *
When Chloe and Del got into his Jeep on the fourth-floor parking level she said, “I’m so happy for Kaylin. It looks like things are going to work out for them.”
“We’ll see. I’m still not sure…”
“Del, you had your shot, and you didn’t take it. Let Kaylin find her happiness and be glad for her.”
“You’re right. I just have this protective thing for her. She is my partner after all. If not for that, I probably would have taken that shot.”
“I know, hon.”
Chapter Five
The Black Iris Club in the penthouse of the JDB Building, downtown Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Friday night, August 29, 2014, 8:00 p.m.
Chloe, Kaylin, Jack, and Jayden Lane were greeting guests in the foyer of the club. Kaylin and Jack looked fabulous. Kaylin was wearing a slim-fitting, black sheath cocktail dress and high red heels with a heavy, white gold Judith Ripka chain holding a pavé diamond heart that had been a gift from Jack around her neck. Jack wore an Armani tux with a red rose in his lapel and his black alligator cowboy boots. That was enough to make any woman swoon. She had never seen a more handsome man than Jack. Jayden wore a beautiful, long, tribal-type dress made of handwoven fabric shot with silver threads and a heavy, hand-carved beaded necklace.
Chloe was happy with her own outfit—a new red cocktail dress she had picked up at Macy’s on sale. It was not too tight or too short but emphasized her better attributes nonetheless. She knew the black Christian Louboutin pumps with the red soles she’d had for two years but rarely wore did amazing things for her legs and butt. She and Kaylin had planned to color coordinate their outfits as the hostesses of the evening.
Chloe was surprised at how quickly they were able to put the fundraiser together. She was delighted when Jack’s secretary, who had done the majority of the work, told them responses to the e-mail invitations had poured in. They were hopeful that a good amount of money would be raised that night.
The trafficking case, unfortunately, was not moving along as quickly as they would have liked. DNA results from the tests done on the toothbrushes and other personal items left behind in the container indicated that there were at least five other girls in there with Mitzi. They had hits on the DNA databases, and three of them now had names. They had not had a hit on Mitzi’s DNA.
There had been reports of sightings of the mysterious black Mercedes, and a few more kids from the shelter had been approached. But now the kids were on the lookout, and none had gone with the dark-haired woman. Unfortunately none of them had been able to get her license plate, either. They hoped she would not be spooked by her lack of success in luring any of the girls and go to ground. The task force was now considering putting a couple of undercover officers who looked young out on the street in hopes of trapping the woman. That was still under discussion, but the brass was not very enthusiastic about that idea. They thought it was too dangerous with a limited likelihood of success and a good possibility of tipping the suspect to the fact that she was on their radar. That knowledge could encourage her, or her ring, to dispose of the girls prematurely.
A waiter passed flutes of champagne and others passed trays of hors d’oeuvres. With no scenes going on and everyone dressed to the nines, the guests were enjoying the opportunity to mingle and visit with friends. The plan was that Jayden would make her pitch after everyone had partaken of the bountiful buffet that was set up in the dungeon. It was hoped that once everyone had several drinks and plenty to eat they would be in a generous mood. Chloe was grateful. Jack had gone all out in funding the food and liquor for the party. Any donations would go directly to the shelter. She had a good feeling about tonight. She just wished they would get a solid lead in the case. Every day those girls were out there alone and at the mercy of the kidnapping ring made the situation that much more perilous.
“Thanks for doing this for us and for the shelter, Jack. You’re a prince.” Jack was standing with his arm around Kaylin while Chloe was kissing his cheek in thanks for opening the club for the benefit. Suddenly, Chloe felt a ripple of awareness zip up her spine. She saw something out of the corner of her eye and stiffened. She turned away from Jack’s cheek and saw John James Temple standing in the entrance. He looked as shocked as she felt. He looked good. He was tan, his closely trimmed blond hair gleamed, and his eyes were as blue as ever
. He was wearing a classic tux and patent leather dress shoes. He got his expression under control and walked up to them. He put his hand out to shake with Jack and then reached over to put a kiss on Chloe’s cheek.
“How are you doing, Chloe? I haven’t seen you in a while.”
“I’m fine, John. Thanks for asking.” You bastard. “I hope you brought your checkbook with you. You know my friend, Kaylin, and this is Jayden Lane, the director of the Sistrunk Outreach Shelter, the beneficiary of the fundraiser tonight. It’s an excellent cause that we are happy to support with Jack’s help.”
* * * *
Temple was shocked to see Chloe here to say the least. One of their bones of contention, at least in his mind, was that he couldn’t bring her to the club or introduce her to his BDSM friends because she was a vice cop. Now here she was, apparently on friendly terms with Jack Dalton Brown. Surprisingly, Brown and Kaylin Gallagher looked like they were now a couple, if the way he had his arm around her was any indication. He didn’t look like he was planning to let go of her any time soon. And was that heavy gold chain around her neck intended to be a collar? When the hell had that happened? The last time he’d been to the club, Brown was the carefree bachelor around town. Now it looked like he and Kaylin had hooked up.
Temple was trying to wrap his mind around this situation when Chloe turned to the others and said, “Excuse me a moment. I have a couple of things to see to with the caterer. I’ll be right back.” She smiled at everyone and was gone before he could say anything else to her.
* * * *
Chloe made her way to the back of the foyer and opened the door to the dungeon. She moved through quickly and headed to the ladies’ room off the women’s changing and locker area. Most of the key card and palm plate security had been turned off for the night. She had to get out of sight, catch her breath, settle herself down, and get a grip. She definitely needed a grip. Too bad it couldn’t be around the grip of her nine mil. She sat down on the sofa and closed her eyes. Her heart was pounding, and she thought she might be sick. Breathe deep. Relax. She was not going to let John James Temple see that he had upset her apple cart. She just was not. She had never thought to ask if J.J. was on the guest list, never mind if he had RSVP’d an acceptance. She had not been prepared for this. Hopefully, he would have moved into the dungeon before she went back to the receiving line, and she could avoid him. If not, Kaylin would understand and take up the slack.
Chloe's Rescue [The Black Iris Club 2] (Siren Publishing Everlasting Classic) Page 3
