Secrets at Cedar Cabin

by Colleen Coble

  “She probably wanted to keep their threats from you.”

  “Threats?” Lance raised his eyebrows. “What kind of threats?”

  “Eric left Olivia all his money, and the boys wanted their share. She tried to be fair and gave both of them a third of the substantial cash, but that wasn’t enough for them. They wanted her to divvy up his 401k, but she refused to do that. She wanted to keep it for her own retirement someday, and you can’t blame her. She didn’t have to give them anything.”

  “What kind of threats?” Lance’s voice was sterner this time.

  “Threats to take her to court, to make her pay for their financial situation. Some of it was vague stuff, but Scott showed up once in Phoenix waving a gun around. She called the police on him, but she was a little afraid he’d snap someday.”

  Bailey tensed. “She never said a word about this. I should let the sheriff in Rock Harbor know. Maybe Scott killed Mom.”

  “What about your mom’s will?” Lance asked.

  “Everything came to me on her death. I haven’t reviewed her estate yet. It didn’t seem important.”

  But nothing was unimportant in this labyrinth of lies and secrets. Bailey would have to call her mother’s attorney and see what she could find out.

  Chapter 19

  The building, a drafty fortress like all the other houses where Ava had stayed, felt different today. She had a sense that others were coming, and she steeled herself for new girls. New girls who would have to be shown the ropes and helped as much as she could. This was one of the worst times, when she faced the shock and despair of confronting her circumstances all over again.

  Her gilded cage would go from holding one trapped bird to two. She rose and faced the door as footsteps came her way.

  Her bedroom door opened, and a teenage girl tumbled inside, pushed by heartless Maly. The door slammed and locked behind her.

  The girl, probably about fifteen or sixteen, scrambled up from the floor and ran to the door. She twisted the knob. “Let me out! I want my mom!”

  Ava went to her and touched her shoulder. “They make those doors out of solid wood. You can’t escape. I’ve tried.”

  The girl flinched, and no wonder. A large bruise covered the side of her face. Alfie wouldn’t be happy to see someone had marred the merchandise.

  “I won’t hurt you. What’s your name? I’m Ava, though I’m not supposed to use my real name. They call me Lotus.” She scowled. “At first I refused to answer them when they called me that, but t-they have a way of breaking you down.” She stared again at the bruise.

  The girl wiped her streaming eyes. She was beautiful with her blonde hair and hazel eyes. “Where’s Charlie? He has to come back for me.” Her hand went to her cheek, and her eyes welled with tears again. “Where is this place?”

  Ava didn’t want to tell her. Usually they “broke in” the girls first and didn’t just toss them into the stable. She’d been like this girl though, noncompliant and defiant. This one wouldn’t be an Apsara dancer. Her coloring was wrong, even if they dyed her hair. “What’s your name?”

  “Jessica Penn.” She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “Where is this place?”

  “I’m not exactly sure. I don’t recognize the area. I think we’re in Seattle, but I wouldn’t swear to it. They only let us into the backyard under guard, and we can only see the sky and the privacy fence.”

  Jessica’s eyes widened. “How long for you?”

  Ava had lost track. At first she’d made marks on the floor under the bed, but they’d moved her so many times, she’d lost her markings. “I’m not sure. Maybe five years. I know it was October a few weeks ago because I heard someone say it on the boat, but I’ve lost track of what year.”

  The color washed out of Jessica’s face, and her eyes were huge. “Years?” She licked her lips. “I-Is this like a-a brothel?”

  “Yes, I’m sorry.” Ava rubbed her forehead. This was always so hard and brought all the horror back afresh. It made her want to pound on the door and scream at the top of her lungs.

  She swallowed the bile burning the back of her throat. “Let me take a stab at how this happened for you. You were fighting with your parents who didn’t understand you at all, right? You met this really great guy online who listened to all your problems and commiserated with you. He met with you a few times, and you liked how he was older, mature, and handsome. He took you to nice dinners and said all kinds of words you wanted to hear. When he suggested you run away with him, it seemed a dream come true.”

  “How’d you know that?”

  “It’s their method of luring in teenage girls. Most people think trafficking happens when a girl is kidnapped, but that’s rare. It’s much more common they play on our own discontent. They lurk on all the social media sites and target girls they think will bring in the money. We’re inexperienced enough to fall for it.”

  “That happened to you?”

  Ava nodded. “I’d give anything to see my parents again, my brother.” Her voice went husky. “His name is Lance.”

  “Can’t you get a message to him?”

  Ava shook her head. “I’ve tried so hard. It’s hopeless. Our captors would say I’m fortunate. They elevated me to their elite club where I dance for the men, but it’s almost worse to be forced to watch them watch me and then to hear the bidding.”

  She showed the girl the lotus-flower tattoo on her ankle. “This is a reminder that there’s nothing I can do.” She’d thought she might escape a couple of weeks ago when she was moved by boat along with some new girls. Several of them had gone overboard and tried to swim to freedom, but it had all ended badly. Very badly.

  Since then the last of her hope had swirled away. She was stuck here until she grew old and ugly.

  She rarely cried anymore, but for some reason her eyes filled. She angled away so Jessica couldn’t see her tears.

  “What happens next?” Jessica’s voice trembled.

  Ava well remembered that first day when she realized she’d been duped—the fear, the loathing, the frantic need to escape. But there would be no escape today. Or ever.

  “They may leave you alone today, give you time to adjust. One of the guards or Maly will come in and give you “the talk” where the punishment is explained. If you try to ask a john for help or try to escape, you’ll be beaten and locked in a scary room in the cellar. Pleas for help are bad for business.”

  “You mean, t-the men who come don’t care if we’re here against our will?”

  “Nope.”

  She’d thought that once too—that all she’d have to do was tell one of the men that she was a prisoner. All she got for her trouble were welts up and down her back and a gash in her head. The monsters who used girls this way knew it was wrong, and they just didn’t care.

  The gulls swooped and landed at Bailey’s feet where she had tossed bits of her sandwich for them from the town pier. The sound of the waves lapping at the rocks and the toot of a ferry heading to one of the islands should have given her a sense of comfort, but she was a mess of jangled nerves.

  She zipped up her jacket against the chill of the wind, then pulled out her phone and found Ursula Sawyer’s cell number. Her finger hovered over the call button, but she couldn’t bring herself to punch it.

  Lance tossed some bread to the gulls. “Want me to talk to the attorney?”

  He hadn’t left her side, and she had been very aware of the way he watched every passing car and stared at every bush that lined the park where they sat. He was a man used to protecting, and she was able to relax a bit and think.

  He was still waiting on an answer, and she forced herself to focus. “No, I’ll call her. I doubt she’d tell you anything even if you are an FBI agent.” She hit the button to connect the call, then put it on speakerphone.

  “Ursula Sawyer.”

  In her fifties, Ursula was the best attorney in Rock Harbor, and Bailey had met her at church the first week she’d arrived in town. “Ursula, this
is Bailey Fleming.”

  “Bailey! I’ve been so worried about you. Where are you? Wait, never mind. I don’t want you to risk telling me anything. You’re all right?” Her Yooper twang came out stronger as she showed her agitation.

  “I’m fine. I have an FBI agent right here with me.”

  “FBI. What’s this all about, honey?”

  Bailey’s heart clenched at the concern in Ursula’s voice. She’d felt so alone for days, and it wasn’t likely to get any better. “Did you know my stepbrothers had threatened Mom?” She told her all that had happened and what she’d learned about her mother’s background so far.

  “She told me there was some bad blood between them over their dad’s will, and she wanted to make sure everything was buttoned up tight for you. I made sure it was.”

  “Did she leave a lot of money? I didn’t get a chance to talk to you about her will.”

  “Well, it’s not chump change. About half a million dollars, most of it in Eric’s 401k. There’s also a house in Lavender Tides deeded to her about ten years ago that’s occupied by her mother, your grandmother Lily. It’s probably worth close to two hundred thousand.” Ursula must have heard Bailey’s sharp intake of breath because she paused. “What’s wrong?”

  “You knew about Lily?”

  “Of course. What do you mean?”

  “I was always told I had no other family. I’d never met Lily until I got here to Lavender Tides.”

  “I don’t understand. You’re there, yet you didn’t know anything about your family?”

  Bailey told her how she came to have the deed to the house. “Do you know if Mom was acquainted with Kyle before I married him?”

  “She never mentioned it if she was.”

  “Have my stepbrothers contacted you since they heard Mom died?”

  “Oh yes. The day after your mother’s murder, Scott called on behalf of both of them and asked what she’d left them. When I told them nothing, he cursed and hung up on me.”

  “He told me they wouldn’t attend the funeral, but at least he seemed solicitous.” Bailey rubbed her head and watched Lance take notes.

  “You don’t have a will, Bailey. If you died without one, the money would go to your stepbrothers since Eric adopted you. You should get that taken care of as soon as possible. If either of them had something to do with your mom’s death, you could be the next target.”

  Bailey’s gaze connected with Lance’s, and he raised his brows. “Which would explain why someone tried to kill me a few days later.”

  “Yes, of course. I’m worried about you. You want me to handle a will for you? I can get it done and send it to you via email. You can get it notarized and mail it back.”

  “I don’t even know who I would leave my possessions to,” Bailey said. “There’s no one left. I’ll have to think about it. Maybe a geriatric organization. I’ll get back to you once I’ve figured it out.”

  “Don’t take too long. If your brothers are involved, the sooner they know hurting you can’t help them, the safer you’ll be. Keep me posted, Bailey. I’m here for you.”

  “Thanks, Ursula.” Bailey ended the call and looked at Lance. “What do you think?”

  “I’ll check them both out, see if they have an alibi. Where do they live?”

  “In Chicago.”

  He nodded and rose from the picnic table to walk to the edge of the water. He squatted at the ocean’s edge. “There’s a tide pool here. My sister loves them.”

  Bailey knelt beside him. “I’ve never seen one. I’ve never lived near the beach before, at least not an ocean beach. What are all those things?”

  “There’s a limpet and an anemone.” He pointed out each creature.

  A rock seemed to move. “Is that a hermit crab?”

  “Yep. And a small starfish. These creatures are all different from each other but share the same small pool in harmony. There’s no fighting over who gets to occupy the small spaces. Makes you wonder about humans, doesn’t it? I’m sure it hurts to think that your stepbrothers might want you dead.” He brushed the sand from his hands and stood.

  “I’m not quite sure I believe it.” She walked with him to his SUV.

  She slid into the vehicle beside him and glanced at his strong profile. At least it felt like someone was on her side. “Let’s go talk to the mayor.”

  Chapter 20

  The mayor’s office was in a new building on the edge of town. Black shutters complemented the gray brick and red door. The large oak tree in front had lost most of its leaves, and its barren branches whipped in the wind that had freshened in the last few minutes. Bailey had a feeling they wouldn’t get far with the mayor. He’d be able to confirm he knew her mother, but that wouldn’t tell them much.

  Lance held open the door for Bailey, and she stepped into a space smelling of cloves and cinnamon from an essential-oil diffuser buzzing away on the receptionist’s desk. The young woman with a red nose and watery eyes directed her back to the mayor’s office as soon as Lance flashed his badge.

  Mayor Thomas Weaver smiled at them from behind his desk, a massive cherry monster with ornate Oriental carvings on the front. “It’s not every day I get a visit from the FBI.” His gaze slid from Lance to Bailey. “Have a seat and tell me how I can help you today.”

  Lance introduced himself. Bailey perched on the edge of a leather armchair, but Lance crossed his arms and stared at the desk. “Nice desk, Mayor. Where’d you get it?”

  Weaver’s gray brows winged up. “Southeast Asia a few years ago. I bought some pieces in Cambodia and had them shipped here. You came here to ask about my choice in office furniture?”

  Lance ran one hand over the shiny surface. “It must have set you back a pretty penny. Shipping alone would be costly. What were you doing in Cambodia?”

  “It was a missions trip. A bunch of us from church went. I’ve been several times and love the country and the people. What’s this all about?”

  Bailey wanted to know as well. She had no interest in Asian furniture, but she kept her mouth closed and let Lance follow his rabbit trail. She already knew him well enough to realize he had some reason for the strange questions.

  “You ever see Apsara dancers when you were there?”

  The mayor’s puzzled smile flattened, and his eyes narrowed. “Sure, up in Siem Reap. There’s a dinner theater that puts on a nice show.”

  Lance gave a slight nod. “Uh-huh. You ever see anything like that here?”

  “The Royal Ballet of Cambodia comes to the States once in a while, and my wife and I planned to go to Seattle a couple of years ago to see it, but we couldn’t get tickets. Look, Agent Phoenix, I’m losing my patience here. These are strange questions.”

  Lance stared at him for a long minute. “That’s it?”

  “That’s it.”

  “I’m investigating a trafficking ring that exploits women they’ve trained in Apsara dance.”

  “Operating in Lavender Tides?” The mayor’s voice rose. “That’s ludicrous. I would have caught wind of it.”

  “Not operating here but running some of the girls through the county.” Lance told him about the bodies discovered at Bailey’s cabin.

  The color drained from the mayor’s face, and he leaned back in his chair. “I’ll do whatever I can, give you whatever resources you need.”

  Bailey glanced at Lance and he nodded her way. “We actually came to ask you something personal. I’m looking into my mother’s background, and I saw you in a picture with her in the school yearbook. Olivia Norman.”

  The sheriff’s frown only deepened. “You want to ask me about Olivia but you’re here talking about human traffickers and prostitution? I doubt Olivia would ever have anything to do with that kind of thing.”

  “She’s dead. Murdered a couple of weeks ago, and I’m on the run after an attempt on my life as well. I’m finding out I didn’t know my mother, not really. What can you tell me about her, and how well did you know her?”

  “I took h
er to the senior prom. I had a mammoth crush on her, but she never went out with me again. She only let me take her to the senior prom because she couldn’t get her boyfriend to go, and I was enough of a sap to hope she’d see I was a stand-up guy she could trust.”

  “Who was her boyfriend?” Lance asked.

  Weaver picked up a pencil and twirled it in his fingers. “I never knew. No one did, but she was crazy about him. When I asked her out again, she said she was taken. I always thought it was an older guy—someone she thought her parents would disapprove of. I never found out though, and I even followed her a couple of times.” He flushed and dropped the pencil. “That’s not as nasty as it sounds. I was just curious.”

  Lance rested his hand on the back of Bailey’s chair. “Did she see you?”

  “Maybe. She drove all around, then went into a restaurant and managed to disappear. I went inside but she wasn’t there, and when I came back out, her car was still there but she was gone. I’d guess she went out the back and got in his car.”

  Bailey’s pulse zoomed. “If we could figure out who that was, maybe we could find him and talk to him.”

  “Good luck with that. I asked her best friend Kim and she had no idea. She was a little hot about it, too, because Olivia was being so secretive.”

  “Kim Johnson? We already talked to her at the school this morning, but I didn’t ask her who Mom was dating. Maybe she knows now. They kept in touch.”

  Weaver shrugged. “She didn’t date anyone else until she up and left here.”

  “Well, I was born here as far as I can tell,” Bailey said. “I was born in September 1995 and Mom left town around then. So she must have been seeing someone.”

  Weaver stared at her and shook his head. “She was never pregnant when she lived here, Bailey. I saw her several times a week when she was working as a paramedic. I saw her the day before she left town and she wasn’t pregnant. She was working the day of the earthquake.”

  A wave of nausea roiled in Bailey’s stomach. “What earthquake?”

  “A big one that killed a lot of people. She was trapped in a grocery store for about thirty hours with other shoppers. She was hailed as a hero for helping out in the rubble. The town wanted to give her an award, but she left out of the blue.”