“Why would the homeless guy be searching for Piper here? How did he know she was close by?”
“Good question. I don’t know.”
“How far did Piper go when she got away from where she was being held?”
“She didn’t say, but she was barefooted and wasn’t wearing a coat. With the temperature in the forties, I don’t think she went too far. Her goal was evading strangers and getting to a phone to call me.”
“Why didn’t she call the police?”
“I don’t know. Possibly because I was the one who was trying to help her with her mom.”
The sound of a car pulling onto the gravel road drew Brody’s attention. He smiled. “Nick and Colby are here. Watch the cabin. Let us know if he leaves.”
Making sure he kept his head below the rise, he slid down the incline then headed to the two police officers. He signaled to Charlie, and his dog immediately came to Brody’s side. “Five cabins are visible with about a couple hundred yards between them although there are more along this side of the cove. I’m not sure why the homeless guy broke into the third one from the end.”
“I think the place where the children are being hid is nearby, and they called him to come help look for Piper,” Nick said.
Brody nodded. “According to Emma, there are seven or eight older cabins, but Piper said she’d been kept in a large house.”
“Let me call my captain at headquarters and ask him what he can find out about a large house in this area. We’ll need more police officers to search.” Nick walked away to contact his superior.
Emma waved Brody to come to her then returned her attention to the landscape between them and the lake. “The guy left the cabin. He’s heading toward the place next to the one we believe Piper’s in. We can’t wait for backup. We’ve got to stop him now.”
“I agree. You stay here and keep an eye on the other cabins.”
Emma started down the incline. “No. Piper’s gone through a lot. She’ll need me.” She continued toward Nick.
Brody followed slightly behind her, not really surprised by what she said. Piper will need Emma and You, God. Please lead us to Piper and the others.
“One police officer was nearby. He’ll be here soon. I’ll call him and let him know what we’re doing.”
As Nick went to meet the police officer who turned in where they were, Brody walked to the front passenger side of his SUV and opened it. He withdrew his handgun and holster from his glove compartment. Then he retrieved the sack with Piper’s jacket from Brody’s vehicle in case Charlie needed to track her. Ready, he returned to the group. He passed the sack to Emma. “That’s in case she left the cabin since you last talked with her.”
“She wouldn’t unless…” Emma’s voice trailed off into the silence.
“Unless she got scared, especially if she saw the homeless guy and decided to leave.”
Nick finished with Officer Zimmer who took Emma’s place watching from the incline. “Emma, did the guy go inside the house next to where Piper’s holed up?
“Yes. He broke a window on the side. It’s a big cabin, so it’ll take a while to search.”
“Colby and I are going to the cabin where the homeless guy is.” Nick put on his protective vest at the same time Colby did. “Brody, you and Emma go to Piper. I don’t want her to come out and get caught by that man. We all need to use the trees as our cover.” Nick handed a vest to Brody and Emma. “This is only a precaution. You two should be safe. Let’s go.”
Brody took Emma’s hand. “We’re going to use the incline as a barrier between us and the perpetrator.”
They weaved their way through the underbrush at the bottom of the incline until Brody halted. “Stay here until I check to see if we’re in front of the cabin.”
Emma nodded.
Brody kept looking back at Emma while he and Charlie scaled the mound. At the top, Brody peeked through the trees littering the terrain below. When he saw the place where they suspected Piper was, he motioned for Emma to join him.
He’d rather go without her, but Emma was the best one to care for Piper when the teen was found. As she reached his side, he finished his scan of the expanse before them, noting Nick and Colby nearing their target. “Ready?”
“Yes.”
Side by side, Brody and Emma scrambled down the incline. Then he led the approach through the woods. He glanced to the right and noticed Nick and Colby heading for the place two hundred yards away from where the homeless man broke into.
When Brody and Emma reached their destination, he gestured toward the porch. “I’m going around the back to check the area from the water.” Especially since he spied a dock on the property. “See you inside,” Brody said to Emma then made his way to the left side of the house.
* * *
When Emma had talked to Piper, she’d said she would find her. They arranged that she would knock on the front door three times. Until then, it would remain locked. Emma followed the plan and waited to see if she’d discovered the right cabin. When the teen slowly opened the door, fear lined her face. Emma moved forward, embracing Piper in hopes of wiping the distress from her. A step inside with her arms around the young girl still didn’t erase Piper’s terror. Her eyes were so wide Emma knew something was wrong.
A chill swept down Emma. She followed the direction of Piper’s stare. The guy with the cobra tattoo on his forearm came out from behind the open door. He pointed a gun at Emma’s head.
The man’s evil smile caused a shudder to snake down Emma’s body. She still had her arms about Piper and felt the girl’s shivers. Emma quickly put the teen behind her as Emma faced the cobra guy, his weapon now trained on her heart.
“You’re a little old, but I’m sure my boss can find a way to use you.” He waved his handgun toward a chair. “Sit there, lady.”
Where had this man come from?
Emma hated to leave Piper, but by following the man’s directions, it might give Brody a chance to rescue them. She took the seat he indicated.
“Piper, wrap this around her hands and chest then her ankles. Quickly.” He tossed a roll of duct tape to the young girl.
She did as the man told her, mumbling, “Sorry.” Tears filled Piper’s eyes and ran down her face.
“It’s okay.” Emma attempted a reassuring smile, but the corners of her mouth quivered. Brody was somewhere outside. She hoped he wasn’t ambushed like she’d been.
The assailant walked to where Piper sat and tugged on the wide tape, pain streaking up her arm as the restraint dug into her wrist. Then he slapped a piece of tape over her mouth. “Good. Now we can go into the bedroom.” He gestured toward the closed door off the main room.
The man grabbed Piper’s arm and dragged her toward the door. “No. no.” She sobbed.
“This is my bonus for finding you.”
Piper wiggled and tried to get away.
The guy slapped her across her face. “If you fight me, you’ll feel a lot more pain.”
Emma yanked on her restraints. Where was Brody? Had something gone wrong, and he was hurt?
The perpetrator slammed open the door, placed his weapon on a nightstand, seized Piper against his chest, then threw her onto the bed. She screamed. He used his body to trap her and clapped his hand over her mouth.
He’s going to rape Piper in front of me, and I can’t do a thing. Please, Lord, help.
Rage and frustration surged through Emma. Her clenched fists drove her fingernails into her palms. Tears coursed down her cheeks.
Until she looked toward the kitchen and saw Brody in the doorway.
She nodded to acknowledge his presence then turned her attention to Piper. Emma’s eyes widened as she watched the assailant trying to restrict the young girl who fought as much as she could. Even knowing Brody was heading to the bedroom with his gun in hand, Emma wanted to rip the duct tape off and attack the man.
Brody approached the cobra man on top of Piper. The guy was focused on tearing off the teen’s dress�
�until Brody pressed his handgun into the back of the attacker’s head. “Get off her. Make one false move, and I’ll shoot you. Piper, set Emma free.”
Piper scrambled from the bed and hurried toward Emma. She adjusted her dress and said, “My pleasure.”
After the teen took off the tape over Emma’s mouth, she asked, “Are you okay, Piper?”
“Yes, now I am.”
Emma began to help Piper to free her while she kept checking to see if Brody was all right.
He snatched the guy’s pistol on the nightstand and stuck it in the back of his pants. “Charlie, guard.” Brody drilled his gaze into the man. “If I were you, I wouldn’t move an inch. Charlie takes his job seriously.”
Emma grabbed the roll of duct tape and a pair of scissors. When she came to the entrance with Piper behind her, she said, “Let me have the pleasure of tying him up.”
Once the assailant’s hands were tied behind his back, Brody took out his cell phone and called Nick. “Piper’s safe. I’ve got the guy with the cobra tattoo. The back door to this place was unlocked when I approached it. He must have been sent to check cabins with the homeless guy. The vegetation’s thick along the lake behind here.” Brody paused, listening to what Nick must be saying. A huge grin spread across his face as he ended the call.
“What’s going on?” Emma asked as Brody headed for the front door.
“A large house at the other end is where the kidnapped children are being kept according to the homeless guy. The police are raiding it as we speak.” Brody gripped the cobra guy’s left arm and walked him out of the cabin while Charlie took his place on the other side of the kidnapper.
“I need to be there to help the children,” Emma said, praying they all were unhurt. “They’ve been through a lot.”
“I’m going with you.” Piper came to her side.
Emma took her hand. “You’re the reason the police found the place where you all were kept. If you hadn’t taken a risk, we might not have gotten to you in time. This gang goes from one city to next, collecting children for about a month and then moving on to the next town. At least that’s the pattern so far. But your actions brought an end to that. Keep that in mind.”
* * *
Later that evening, Brody stood in the viewing room next to Colby listening to the interrogation of the clerk at the Fun and Go across the street from the Harrison Apartments, a perfect place to watch the routines of the kids that lived in the low-income housing project. Many of them, like Piper and Nancy, frequented the store before and after school. Darrell Morris worked the day shift and according to Nancy was directly responsible for snatching her that morning. Thankfully, he had her in the trunk of his car, gagged, tied up, and drugged, to be transported to the large house on the lake after work. Not only were Piper and Nancy freed, but all of the kids were found safe during the police raid.
“I’m thankful the drug he gave Nancy wore off faster than he thought it would. He’s talking. I don’t want any loose ends or people involved getting away.” Brody remembered seeing the young guy when he, with Charlie, traced Piper’s movements last Thursday. If only he’d known that Darrell Morris was involved. Nate, Bobby Joe, and Nancy wouldn’t have gone through their ordeal. But he couldn’t read minds, and there hadn’t been anything to warn him of the clerk’s motives.
“Nancy’s kicking against the trunk alerted a customer who called the police. His arrest and cooperation will help us clean up any loose ends.” Colby stood next to Brody observing the interview.
“Now that I think about it as I left the Fun and Go, I remember our suspect making a call on his cell phone. He most likely was the one who informed the kidnappers Piper was on the way to her apartment.”
“That makes sense. Has Emma called about how Bobby Joe’s doing?”
“Yes, he’s been sedated. His mother is sitting by his hospital bed. He took quite a beating, but he’ll heal physically. Emma will work with him as she will with each child taken. They’ll need counseling after the ordeal they went through. Maria’s in the hospital for evaluation. She’s shut down, but Emma will be there for her. This tragedy has awakened her brother to his responsibilities. Emma’s guiding him on what he can do for Maria.”
Nick finished his interview and rose while an officer took Darrell back to his cell.
Brody glimpsed the clock on the wall and realized he had to pick up Danny, Beth, and Terri at the center along with Charlie. His canine had been dropped off before Brody came to the police headquarters to make his statement. At least the kids knew their brother was found, and, hopefully, when Emma left the hospital, she would bring Nate to her house.
As he headed for the door, Brody stopped and glanced back at Colby. “Any information on who’s running the ring?”
“I don’t think Darrell knows but maybe the homeless guy, the man with the cobra tattoo, or one of the three arrested at the house raided today will know. Nick’s going to start the interrogation of each one.”
“Have him call me to give me all the details he can share.”
“Until Maria went missing, we didn’t know what was going on around us. There were two other children who’d been at the house before Maria—both from small towns in the area. I understand they had a quota here of eight to ten. Then they were to move on to the next place, somewhere outside of Oklahoma. Most of the kids they stole would be taken down south to the border to be smuggled out of this country.”
Brody inhaled a large gulp of air then let it go slowly. “Most? What happened to the ones left behind?”
“Sex trafficked within this country—the youngest and the prettiest ones.”
“I still want to know how they knew where Bobby Joe was taken.”
“So do Nick and I. Hopefully, he’ll know more after talking with the other five. Let’s pray one cracks.”
Brody walked into the hallway. “I need to pick up the kids. Emma’s still at the hospital. She’s supposed to bring Nate home with her. She wanted to make sure the drugs they gave Nate were out of his system and that he’s okay.”
Darkness had fallen since he’d come into the police station. He hurried to his SUV so he could get Danny, Terri, and Beth and take them home. There was still more to be discovered by the police, but he’d done his job. As he pulled up to the center, he took a moment to compose himself. Exhaustion pressed down on him. The images of the children and what they had endured still made his anger boil. He couldn’t let the kids see that. He needed to be upbeat.
Thank You, Lord, for bringing the children home.
* * *
Emma pulled into her garage with Nate sitting in the front passenger seat. “Your sisters and brother are inside. I’ve been taking care of them since you went missing. They’re special to me, and I’ve applied to be their foster parent until the state finds a relative who wants to be your guardian.”
“We don’t have any relatives that want us. I can take care of them.” Nate folded his arms across his chest.
“You aren’t old enough. When you reach that age, you can look into it. In the meantime, I want to take care of you and your siblings. I hope you’ll give me a chance.”
“Why do you want to?”
“I work with children every day. I love my work. I’ve always wanted children.”
The door into the garage from the kitchen opened. Danny, Terri, and Beth raced out of the house and ran to the passenger side. Nate smiled and eased the door open.
When he stood, Beth flung her arms around his legs. She looked up at her brother. “I thought you were gone like Mama.”
Nate heaved her into his embrace. “No one’s gonna keep me from you.” He hugged her then set her down next to him
“I’ve got my own puppy. Her name is Fluffy. Aunt Polly took us to the ranch to get her,” Beth said, all sadness wiped from her face, as she took his hand and dragged him toward the house. “You’ll love Fluffy.”
Emma exited her car and watched the siblings’ reunion with Nate. Her heart swelled at
the sight of the family’s reunion. This only confirmed what she wanted—a family. Her gaze drifted to the entrance into the house to where Brody stood watching the children. He would be a great example for Danny and Nate—also for the girls. He glanced toward her, and the smoldering look in his eyes spiked her heartbeat rate. She walked toward him. Her cheeks warmed. “Let’s all go inside.”
Beth led Nate and the others inside then Emma followed. When she entered the kitchen, the kids were gone, but Brody stood across the kitchen.
She smiled. “Is Beth showing Nate the house?”
“Yes, and Fluffy.”
“Where’s Charlie?”
“I took him home before picking up the kids at the center. He needs some downtime after the day he had.”
“The same for us.” There was so much she wanted to say to him, but she didn’t know where to start.
Brody cut the space between them. “Your aunt went back home but said if you need help she would come.”
“She’s only a house away.”
“Where’s Piper?”
“The parents of her best friend, Amber, are taking her in for the time being. What Piper went through was tragic and the state agreed that Piper needed people she knows to help her through the ordeal. I’ll be meeting with her tomorrow morning. How’s the case going? Do the police have the gang in jail?”
“Yes, except for the person who’s behind the operation. Nick and Brad will be digging into the details of the case and interviewing all the people involved. Hopefully, one will cut a deal and give up the leader. There were limited people who knew where the safehouse was.”
“I pray that happens. Children should never have to worry about what happened here.”
Brody loosely embraced her. “In a perfect world, that would be the case. I’ve seen too much of the underbelly of society. That’s why I pray each day for the truth to be revealed.”
“Me, too.”
Although he’d gone through different experiences than she had to reach the same conclusion, she realized how alike they were. No wonder she’d been drawn to him from the beginning. Emma wrapped her arms around him and tugged him toward her until they pressed against each other.
Missing (Everyday Heroes Book 6) Page 15
