The Falls City Five

by Sarah Markel

  Harrison frowned. “Can’t we just break the lock?”

  “No,” Agent Frost answered, “The cellar is part of a historic building. We can’t damage it in any way, without definitive proof that the door is the only way to get to the girls.”

  “Entry team’s rolling in,” Agent Young announced.

  “And the lookie-loos are coming out,” Frost muttered, spying a group of townsfolk gathered at the top of the street.

  “Shit,” Max muttered, “what if the UNSUB is one of them? If he or she knows we’ve found the girls, they’ll disappear.”

  “That’s a good point,” Frost conceded, “We need to figure out something to keep the gossip hounds happy.”

  “I have an idea,” Henson said, “Why don’t Vickers and I go over to that group and ask them when they last saw Esther Kinney? We can make it out like we’re doing a welfare check.”

  “They’re going to wonder why the FBI is assisting with a welfare check,” Frost argued.

  “Then we tell them we have reason to believe she may be a fugitive who has been hiding from the law for decades. Gossip hounds don’t care about the truth; they only care about what will get them the most attention.”

  “That might actually work,” Max admitted, “We can go in and rescue the girls, but instead of bringing them out the front door, we can hold them on the main floor. We’ll make it look like we’ve all left, and wait for the UNSUB to come back.”

  “That’s a good idea,” Frost said, running through the scenario in her head, “If the suspect thinks we haven’t found the girls, they might come back to get rid of them. We can have a team in the basement, waiting to make the arrest. Alright, Vickers and Henson spread the story. Max and I will take it from there.”

  Vickers and Henson hurried off to question the ever-growing crowd. Frost beckoned to the entry team leader.

  “We have no reason to believe the occupant of this home is involved in any crime. She’s a ninety-four-year-old woman, so tread gently when you enter. We don’t need to be giving the poor woman a heart attack at nine o’clock at night.”

  The team leader nodded and motioned his team into position. Max and Frost waited behind them, their weapons drawn as they prepared to put an end to the suffering of six teenaged girls.

  ***

  “Daniela, I’m scared,” Melissa said, curling around herself on the mattress, “What if he comes back before your team gets to us?”

  “Melissa, I promise you,” Dani said, crawling to the edge of her mattress and stretching out her hand, “We’re getting out of here soon. She’s not going to risk coming back with such a high police presence.”

  “But, how are you going to arrest her if she doesn’t come back? None of us know who she is,” Frankie wondered aloud.

  “We’ll figure out who she is, girls,” Dani assured the room, “That’s what we do.”

  “I can’t believe you’re really an FBI Agent,” Melissa looked intently at Dani. The redhead was blurry without her glasses, but Melissa couldn’t help staring. “You look so young.”

  Dani smiled at the compliment. “That’s why I was sent in as a classmate. Max wouldn’t have been able to pull it off.”

  “So, is Max just your partner? Or is she your, ya know, partner?” Melissa asked.

  Dani’s smile widened. “Both,” she replied, “Remember a couple of weeks ago when she and I went to Portland? We went there to celebrate our first wedding anniversary.”

  Melissa chuckled. “Boy, Eli is going to be so pissed.”

  “How old are you for real?” Piper asked, giving the redhead a once-over.

  “I’m twenty-five,” Dani offered. “I need to ask you all something, and I need you to be completely honest with me. How did you all end up at the Lasco house? All the witnesses we’ve found claim to have seen each of you near the house on the nights you disappeared.”

  Piper glanced at Melissa before diverting her eyes. “I got a text from a number I didn’t recognize. It had a picture attached to it; one I had sent to someone else. The message said to meet at the trail behind the Lasco house, or the picture would be posted all over town.”

  “I couldn’t let my mom see that picture, so I went. I didn’t see anyone by the trail, so I walked a few feet down. That’s when I felt a pinch in my neck. That’s the last I remember before waking up in here.”

  “Are you sure the person you sent the picture to isn’t the person who took you?” Dani asked. She watched Piper closely as the girl’s face flamed.

  “I’m sure,” she mumbled, glancing quickly at Melissa. Dani caught the move and smiled in understanding.

  “What about you?” Dani asked Gabby.

  “Pretty much exactly the same as Piper, except the picture I sent was to Zeke, not Melissa,” Gabby answered with a shrug.

  “Same with me,” Angelica, Frankie, and Bailey chorused.

  “How did you end up here?” Angelica asked, “I mean, I doubt you sent a sexy selfie to a teenager.”

  Dani snorted. “No, I don’t even send stuff like that to my wife. After Melissa disappeared, my team and I started baiting the kidnapper. The Lasco house was the last place anyone had seen any of you, so we waited until dark and I swam across Rock Ledge to the trail that leads up to the house. Near the end of the trail, something pricked my neck and I went down.”

  “Wait a second,” Dani’s attention shifted to Melissa, “How did you get lured out? Who were you sending pictures to?”

  Melissa’s eyes darkened, and she curled herself into a tighter ball. “No one. I didn’t send pictures to anyone.”

  “What happened then?” Dani asked, moving as close to Melissa as the chain would allow, “Does it have anything to do with the letter the twins found in your room?”

  Melissa’s head whipped up. “What letter?” she asked incredulously.

  Dani cocked her head. “The letter from your mother. The one that says who your father is.”

  Confusion and anger clouded Melissa’s face. “I’ve never gotten so much as a fuck you from Ruth. Why in the hell would she give me the one thing I’ve ever wanted?”

  Before Dani could reply, a loud bang reverberated around the room. Dani’s hands flew to her ears and she cried out in pain as the door swung open. Agents flooded into the room, sweeping right and left with their weapons drawn.

  “Clear!” someone called, beckoning to the Agents waiting outside the door. Max and Frost rushed into the room.

  “Max!” Dani cried, crushing Max to her chest when the taller woman hugged her.

  “Later,” Frost said, sticking her hand between the Agents, “We need to get these girls out of here, now.”

  Max stepped back, and Dani nodded. “The chains have electronic locks. I can hear the hum from them.”

  “Young, I need you down here,” Frost said. “Girls,” she turned to the teens, “Once we have you freed, we’re going to take you all upstairs. We can’t let you go, just yet.”

  The girls started to protest loudly, but Frost whistled to get their attention. Dani flinched and rubbed her ears.

  “There are too many people outside, watching what’s going on here. If we remove you from the house, we will lose any chance we have of catching your abductor. Mrs. Kinney agreed to let us bring you upstairs, until it’s safe to take you out of here.”

  Sobs echoed around the room as the girls dissolved into tears of frustration. Dani glanced around at the captives and her heart broke for them. They were no longer in the clutches of their captor, but were still being held against their will.

  “Frost,” Dani called, motioning the woman over, “I have an idea.”

  Frost moved over and listened as Dani explained. “Instead of holding the girls here, let’s strip down seven agents. Put the girls in their gear and load them into the entry van. We can transport

  them to the hospital in Salem to be checked out, without raising suspicion from the town. I’ll go with them and run interference. I’ll need to have my blood drawn, anyway
, to see if there’s any trace of whatever I was injected with.”

  Frost considered Dani’s proposal. The only downside she could see to the plan, was the possibility of someone getting wind of it.

  “Alright,” she finally agreed, “but on one condition. You need to make sure that none of them has any communication with their families, until we’ve made an arrest.”

  “Done,” Dani agreed. She glanced over Max’s shoulder and smiled when Young entered the room.

  “Man, it’s a circus out there,” he announced, “I think half the town is watching. Whatever story Vickers and Henson told sure has everyone talking. Mrs. Kinney is being an awful good sport about all this.”

  Max chuckled. “We’ll talk about it later, Young,” she said, “right now, we need you to work your tech magic and get these girls loose.”

  Young walked over to Dani and knelt on the mattress beside her. He inspected the shackle on her ankle, and the anchor point on the pole.

  “It’ll be easier to just cut them off,” he said, glancing up at Frost, “Overriding the electronic lock could take the better part of an hour. The electronics are confined to the lock, so there’s no point in wasting the time.”

  Young motioned to one of the other Agents and accepted the bolt-cutter the man offered. He clipped through the heavy link connected to the cuff and tapped Dani’s calf. “You’re all set. Now, let’s get these young ladies out of here.”

  Chapter 18

  Out on the street, a sea of spectators watched as a dozen heavily suited Agents filed out of the house and into the waiting black van. Agent Frost was the last one out of the house, followed closely by the feisty, elderly owner of the home.

  “You hooligans will be hearing from my attorney!” Mrs. Kinney shouted, her raspy voice cracking as she spoke, “You nearly scared me into my grave!”

  Agent Frost turned to face the woman. The bystanders couldn’t hear what the Agent was saying, but the look on Mrs. Kinney’s heavily wrinkled face spoke volumes. The old woman said something to the Agent, before shuffling back inside and slamming the door in the blonde’s face.

  Agent Frost shook her head and made her way down the walk. “Clear it out, people. We’re done here!” she shouted to the other Agents milling about.

  A tall Agent dressed in tactical gear nodded from beside the black van. The Agent climbed into the driver’s seat and started the engine, maneuvering the bulky vehicle up the street. At the corner, the van made a right-hand turn and headed out of town.

  “We’re clear, Frost,” Harrison said as he pressed the accelerator and steered the van toward Salem.

  “Copy,” Frost said, “We’re dispersing the crowd. Max and the apprehension team are set. We’ll let you know when we’ve made the arrest.”

  “Ten-four. Harrison out.”

  ***

  Inside the basement, seven armed Agents waited in the brightly lit room. They had no idea how long they would be there, but each of them was still on high alert.

  It had been three hours since the girls were covertly loaded into the van and taken to the Salem Hospital for observation.

  Max was still in contact with the others, through the bug Dani had given her, and was receiving steady updates from Young. Weston was back at her post in the attic of the Lasco house, watching the entrance to the cellar beneath the jail.

  Max was convinced the UNSUB would use the cellar as an entry point, and the other Agents were in agreement with her.

  Agent Frost was in the van with Young, watching and waiting for the suspect to make her move. She was convinced the UNSUB would make a move tonight, and was hasty in removing the police presence from the house.

  Once the police and FBI vehicles were gone, the spectators had left the scene quickly. A few had approached the house, using concern for the elderly woman as an excuse for their curiosity.

  Mrs. Kinney, for her part, assured her neighbors that she was fine. She regaled them with the story Agent Frost had given her, adding just enough displeasure to make the lie believable.

  When the team entered the old woman’s house, they’d found her sitting in front of her television watching a rerun of a popular crime drama. Startled, the woman just stared at the guns pointed at her.

  “Put those away, you fools. I’m not a danger to anyone,” she told them firmly.

  Agent Frost stepped forward and explained the reason for their presence. Mrs. Kinney refused to believe Frost, but gave the woman permission to search the house. When the Agents discovered the girls locked in the basement, Mrs. Kinney was devastated.

  “I haven’t been in that basement in twenty-five years,” she explained as she sobbed.

  “Mrs. Kinney,” Frost asked gently, “do you know how someone managed to get in there without your knowledge?”

  Mrs. Kinney shook her head sadly. “Unless they broke a window and climbed in that way, there’s only one other way in. There’s a door at the bottom of the stairs that opens to a tunnel leading to the cellar under the jail. We found it when my husband bought the house, decades ago.”

  “Mrs. Kinney, who else knows about the tunnel?” Agent Frost asked, hoping the woman might unknowingly name their suspect.

  “Anyone who knows about the town’s history,” Mrs. Kinney answered, “The tunnel is listed with the Historical Society. When they closed the cellar to the public, we put a lock on the door in the basement. That way if someone broke in, they couldn’t get into the house.”

  The old woman noted the disappointment on the Agent’s face and offered to help in any way she could. “If someone is using my home to commit a crime against children, I’ll do whatever you need to catch them.”

  Now, all was quiet in the town. Mrs. Kinney had turned out her lights and gone to bed, falling asleep quickly with the knowledge that an Agent was standing watch just outside her bedroom door.

  “Heads up,” Cordy’s voice filled the van, “two subjects approaching the cellar door.”

  Frost snapped to attention and relayed the info to Max. “Possible incoming times two, Max.”

  “Copy.”

  “Hold positions,” Frost commanded, checking to be sure her weapon was loaded, “No one moves until the suspects are in the room.”

  “UNSUBs are inside,” Cordy said, just before the loud banging of the wooden door sounded.

  “Let’s move,” Frost said, stepping out of the van. Without hesitation, she took off at a full run toward the house.

  ***

  Max heard a loud clang and used hand signals to keep the other Agents still. When she heard a key in the deadbolt Young had reassembled, Max began lowering her fingers, one at a time.

  “Time’s up,” A mechanical voice blared as the door opened.

  “FBI, don’t move!” Max shouted, pointing her weapon at the two figures that stepped through the open door.

  The other Agents moved in, their weapons trained on the pair. “On your knees,” Max commanded, “Hands on your heads.”

  The pair complied and were quickly put in handcuffs. “Suspects secured,” Max announced, receiving confirmation from the others through her ear piece.

  Agent Frost stepped into the room, weapon still drawn. She moved around the suspects seated on the floor and stood in front of them. Without a word, she reached out and removed the black cotton masks obscuring their faces.

  Max stared down into the angry face of Lilah Fisk. She hid her surprise at the woman’s identity. Max had been certain that Ezra Fisk was culprit, until the other night.

  Seated next to his mother, Zeke stared at the floor. “I’m sorry, Mom,” he said, receiving a scathing hiss in return.

  “Shut up, Ezekiel,” Lilah spat, “Don’t say another word.”

  “We don’t need him to talk,” Max said, “We’ve got everything we need to put you both away for a long time.”

  “You have proof of nothing,” Lilah scoffed, “Those harlots can’t identify either of us.”

  “Melissa and the other girls may not be abl
e to,” Max agreed, “but Daniela can. She’s much more perceptive than you think.”

  “No judge is going to take the word of a deaf teenager,” Lilah sneered, “the only thing we are guilty of is breaking and entering.”

  Max allowed a predatory smile to spread. “You keep telling yourself that, Lilah,” she said sweetly.

  “Okay, boys,” Agent Frost said, “get ‘em out of here. Come on, Max, let’s go check on your wife.”

  Lilah narrowed her eyes at the women as she was hoisted roughly to her feet. Max watched as realization dawned on the older woman. With a proud smile, Max nodded her confirmation.

  “You disgust me,” Lilah screamed as she was led up the stairs.

  “Ouch,” Max replied, taking Lilah’s arm from the muscly agent, “that hurts coming from a woman who abducts teenaged girls in her spare time.”

  Lilah growled and tried to wrench herself from Max’s grip. She shifted, ramming her shoulder firmly into Max’s jaw.

  The sudden shift in weight brought both women to the floor with a thud. Frost, who was leading Zeke through the house, passed the boy off to another Agent and lent Max a hand.

  She slipped her arm through Lilah’s cuffed hands and yanked the woman off Max. Max scrambled to her feet and righted herself.

  Without batting an eye, Max reached down and pulled Lilah upright. She unceremoniously dragged the woman from the house and shoved her roughly into the back of a waiting patrol car.

  ***

  “Hi,” Dani smiled softly as she stepped into the large room that held the six teens. The girls were resting comfortably in beds that lined the space; each separated by only a few inches. At the FBI’s insistence, the girls were being treated together.

  “Wow,” Melissa said, “You look way different dressed like that.”

  After having her blood drawn and being cleared by a doctor, Dani had spoken to the hospital staff and issued the no-contact order for the girls.

  She called SSA Cross to relay her status, and checked in with Agent Frost for an update. She wasn’t sure where he’d procured them from, but Agent Harrison had given Dani some clothes to wear.

  Dani ran a hand over the white button-down blouse and chuckled. Paired with simple black slacks, an unbuttoned black blazer, and a pair of low-heeled black boots, Dani’s presence was much more authoritative than Melissa was used to.