Trespassers Will Be Prostituted. Page 13

  “Oh my God, you’re okay, you’re safe.” I must have been yelling in her ear because she moved her head away from me.

  “It’s a long story. Do you have the time to listen?” Cortnie said.

  I walked back to my desk and sat down in my chair. “Have a seat. Tell me all about it.”

  Cortnie sat in the chair across from my desk. I got up and went back to the door to close it. I didn’t want to be interrupted.

  When I sat down at my desk again, I said, “I’m not sure I’ve ever been so happy to see someone in my life. I can’t believe that you’re safe and sound.”

  “Haven’t you talked to Charles?” she asked.

  “I haven’t seen or talked to Charles since last night. He never even let me know that you were okay. He does know, right?”

  “He knows. He and Gabe were the ones who brought me home. But it’s not what you think. I was safe.” She settled into the chair.

  I leaned forward, arms resting on my desk. “Spill the story, girl. Tell me what happened.”

  “I had just gotten the first camera in place, and I had climbed the fence, just to get a peek inside. As I was ready to step back down, someone grabbed me. I’d been holding my backpack over my arm and it had slipped down to my elbow. I didn’t want them to see that I had more equipment, so I tossed it over the fence as they took me to the ground. I struggled as much as I could; I mean, I think I’m pretty strong. But this guy let me know I need more hours in the gym.”

  My heart was racing as I listened to her story. “Who was it?”

  “Turns out, the FBI had been keeping an eye on the house. An agent had been parked in the produce fields on an access road and saw me go into the bushes. He didn’t know if I was part of the ring, or if I was just some idiot climbing the fence. Turns out, I was just some idiot climbing the fence,” she laughed.

  “If anyone’s the idiot here, it’s me,” I said. “I should never have driven away. I should have stayed right by the house until you were done.”

  “Hindsight is twenty-twenty, isn’t it? But it was my plan. Gabe told me that I had knocked the camera off the fence in my struggle. And thank goodness I did, because that’s how they found me.”

  “It was the FBI that took you?”

  “Isn’t that a hoot? I mean, dude, I could have been killed, or I could have been prostituted. Not that anyone would want me. I’m old.”

  I wasn’t sure it was a hoot, but I was glad it worked out well.

  “Have you seen some of the girls that walk the streets, honey? You’d be a treat.” I couldn’t believe we were being so lighthearted about this.

  “Anyway, the agent took me to their safe house in Salinas and questioned me. They wouldn’t let me call anyone because they wanted to make sure that it was just me, and that I was safe. By the time we had gone over all of the information that I had, Max, Charles, and Gabe knocked at the door.”

  “How did they find you?”

  “I feel sorry for Gabe. He’s going to have a long day. We talked until late in the night, and he explained to me that they were able to trace the license plate because of my camera. I’m one lucky girl as it turns out. One, that Gabe and Charles were able to track me down, and two, that it was just the FBI, and not the Russians.”

  “I’m going to kill Charles for not calling me.” I was furious.

  Cortnie waved it off. “Don’t be too mad; everyone was exhausted. Even though Gabe and I talked mostly on the way home, I think we both fell asleep in the middle of the conversation once we climbed in bed. Then he was up and out of the house before I was even awake. They still have that multiple murder case they’re working on.”

  “Yeah, it’s going to be a long day for those two. Nick didn’t get much sleep last night, either. We have all the girls here, so we slept on the couch.”

  “Yeah, I saw that. The reception area looks like a day care center today. Maybe more like a slumber party. The girls are all sitting in there watching TV right now.”

  I put my hands on the side of my head. “The noise with everyone in the house is overwhelming. They were so quiet last night, I didn’t think about how noisy they would be once the drugs wore off.”

  “Have you talked to any of them? Gotten any information?”

  “No, I haven’t gotten that far. It’s going to be a long day here, too. We have to get them all in some sort of long-term care, because they can’t go back home just yet.”

  Cortnie jumped up. “I’ve got to get back to work. This isn’t over yet. They still haven’t caught the men who did this. I wanted to check Alma’s phone again. I still need to trace that call and those text messages we were talking about. And I want to dig a little deeper.”

  I stood and headed toward the kitchen, figuring it was safe now that the girls were in the living room. “Have you had any coffee? Want some?”

  Cortnie followed me, but said, “No, I’m good. I grabbed a vente Americano on the way here.”

  Five minutes later, Cortnie was back in the kitchen, pouring herself a cup of coffee.

  She turned around and leaned against the counter, holding her cup in both hands. “Do you remember the name of the apartment manager where Alma lives?”

  “I’m not sure I ever knew what his name was? Why?”

  Eighteen

  Charles

  I made my way into my kitchen. Max stood at the stove, making breakfast.

  “You weren’t home when I got here last night,” I said. I tried not to sound accusing.

  “No, I wasn’t. I was at the office.” Max slid the fried eggs onto a plate that already held bacon. He picked up the plate and handed it to me. “Are you going into the office this morning?”

  I took the plate to the table and sat down, picked up a piece of bacon and took a bite. It was crunchy and perfect. “I was going to ask you the same question.”

  “I talked to my boss last night. I don’t know why we keep saying last night, it was early this morning. He wants me to stick with this for now.”

  I looked up from my breakfast and said, “Really?”

  Max nodded. He slid a couple of eggs onto another plate with bacon, picked it up, and join me at the table.

  I cut into my eggs, which were over medium and had just enough yolk to mix well with the bacon.

  “I checked on Alma last night. And she didn’t just watch movies.”

  I stopped eating, my fork midway between the plate and my mouth. “What are you telling me?”

  “It seems teenage girls just can’t stay off Facebook. She was messaging some boy, letting him know that she was okay. Letting him know that she was staying in a pretty, as she put it, swanky place. She plans on staying a few more days, on our dime.”

  I drop my fork onto the plate, and eggs and bacon splashed across the table.

  My cell phone rang. It was Mimi.

  “Hello, this is Charles.”

  “Are you sitting down?”

  Yes, as a matter fact I was, but I didn’t tell her that. “What’s up?”

  “Cortnie and I were talking this morning, and while we were talking, Lydia came in and let us know that every single one of those girls was abducted from El Costa Plaza. They were all from the same place.”

  For some reason, Mimi’s information didn’t surprise me. “How do you know this?”

  “We made the girls breakfast this morning, and then after breakfast, they went into watch some TV. Apparently, my mom went in there to chat with them. They didn’t know each other before this happened, but it turns out they all lived in the same apartment complex. What are the chances of that, Charles?”

  Unless there was a conspiracy, the chances were pretty much zero. “No telling.”

  “I called Nick, and he is looking into Missing Persons to see if any of these girls have been reported. I haven’t heard back from him yet.”

  While I was on the phone with Mimi, Max received a phone call and got up from the table and walked away.

  “I’ll be in the office in a
little while, and we can talk about it then. We can figure out what’s going on.” I suddenly wasn’t hungry anymore, but I couldn’t let Max’s generosity go to waste. I hung up the phone, and stuffed the food in my mouth.

  Max had his back to me, and was talking on the phone in the living room. I tapped him on the shoulder and said, “I’m headed to the office.”

  Max put up his finger to stop me. He finished his phone call and turned around.

  When he put his phone away, he had a huge grin on his face. It made me wonder what he was up to.

  “Is everything okay?” His smile said that it was, but you never know.

  “That was Ogilvy. He called to let me know that they executed a raid on the farmhouse before daylight. They caught three men. Took them down in the yard.”

  Now my smile matched his.

  “There’s more.” His smile faded.

  “This doesn’t sound good.”

  “There is no doubt those men were armed to the teeth. They didn’t go down quietly. From what Ogilvy said, it was quite the firefight. One of ours was critically injured. He’s in surgery now.” Max walked back into the kitchen and sat at the table. He stuck a bite of cold bacon and eggs in his mouth.

  “We didn’t think they were going down easy. And at least the FBI has the equipment and firepower. I hate to hear that one of your agents was injured. We can only hope he has a great surgeon, and comes out of this okay.” I stood with my hands on the back of the kitchen chair, watching Max finish his meal as if nothing had happened.

  Max swallowed the last bite of food. “On the plus side, they’re all dead. Cortnie was wondering what would happen, or if we’d be getting information out of them. In reality, I don’t think they wanted to take them alive. These were some bad motor scooters. I hate that one of ours got injured in the process, but I can’t say that I’m sorry that they’re dead. I only wish there could’ve been more suffering.”

  “I try not to say stuff like that out loud.” I walked away, headed to the bedroom.

  I heard Max get up.

  He called after me. “Do they need you at the office, or can you head over to talk to Alma with me?”

  “Why? Do you need me there?” I asked.

  “I don’t need you there, but I think it would be better with two of us. It’s bad enough that I spent time with her in the beginning without some other adult supervision. You never know what she could accuse me of.”

  Since neither Max or I were interested in young girls, that thought hadn’t even occurred to me. I wondered who he had been talking to on the phone, but didn’t think it would be pertinent to ask.

  “There’s already too many people at the office as it is. Yeah, I’ll head over to Alma’s with you. Just give me a second to get dressed.”

  “Your car or mine?” Max asked.

  “Who knows where this will go? It’s probably a good idea if we take your car.”

  I usually take my time getting ready in the morning. I set my alarm (even though I’m always awake before it goes off) for at least an hour before I need to leave. That way I can take a leisurely shower, primp myself to the perfection that I am, and then take my time picking out the clothes for the day. Today wasn’t one of those days. I took a two-minute shower, ran a towel over my head, and pulled on jeans and a T-shirt. I checked myself in the mirror on the way out of the bedroom, and if I do say so myself, I still looked hot even with the lack of sleep. I shove my feet into leather loafers, and by the time I got to the front door, Max was right behind me.

  He explained to me what he told his boss about this case and the Russian mafia on the drive to Pacific Grove to visit with Alma. We also discussed the fact that she couldn’t stay off Facebook. He handed me a small box and told me to check it again. The small box had a screen, and on that screen were Alma’s Facebook messages.

  “We need to get our asses there now. I know who this boy is,” I said.

  “Who is he?”

  “He’s the manager’s son.”

  Max gave me a quick look. “What manager?”

  “The manager of the apartment complex where Alma lives. This is his son.”

  By the time I made the revelation, Max had parked in the driveway at the hotel where Alma was staying. We got out of the car and headed up the walk, just in time to see Alma leaving her room with the Ruiz kid. According to Facebook, his name was Richardo Ruiz.

  Max was the first person to say something. “Hello, Alma. This must be Richardo Ruiz.”

  Alma stopped dead in her tracks, and I could see the boy was getting ready to bolt.

  “Stop right there, or I will gun you down,” I yelled.

  Max looked at me. “You can’t say shit like that.”

  “Like I told Gabe last night, I’m not a cop. I can say whatever I want.” Then to the boy I said, “Drop to the ground, spread your legs, and put your hands above your head.”

  The boy looked at me defiantly.

  I pulled my Glock. “Get your ass on the ground, legs spread, and arms over your head. If I have to ask you again, I’m going to shoot you.”

  Richardo reluctantly complied, although he continued to glare at me as he did so.

  At this point, I thought Alma was going to pee herself.

  Max asked, “Where you going, Alma? I thought we told you not to contact anyone, and to stay out of sight.”

  Alma stuttered as she answered. “We were just going to Denny’s for breakfast.”

  “Bullshit,” I said. “This hotel serves a wonderful breakfast. You could even have something sent to the room.” I walked past Alma and stuck my key in the door. I opened the door, and waited.

  Max said, “Back in the room now.” He pointed, and Alma turned around.

  Max walked over, grabbed Richardo by the back of his collar, and lifted him off the ground. He shoved the boy forward into the room.

  My phone rang.

  “Charles, it’s Cortnie. I’ve been going deeper into Alma’s phone, and she’d been having long conversations with this boy named Richardo Ruiz. I’m trying to track him down, but his phone is listed in his dad’s name. His dad lives at the same address as Alma, just a different apartment number. I’m assuming this boy lives there too. But they’ve been in contact a lot —“

  “Cortnie, I’ve got to go. I can’t talk right now.” I ended the call.

  Max had Alma and Richardo sitting next to each other at the foot of the bed.

  “It’s time for you to start talking. What is going on?” Max said.

  Nineteen

  Charles

  Alma began to shake. “I have to pee,” she said.

  She stood. I stepped forward and pushed her back down onto the bed. “As far as I’m concerned, you can pee your pants. You aren’t going anywhere until the two of you start talking.”

  Rebelliously, Richardo said, “We don’t have to tell you anything. There is nothing to tell. You're going to get in trouble for kidnapping us.”

  Max said, “You’re kind of a smart ass punk, aren’t you? Got quite the mouth on you for what, a sixteen-year-old?”

  Angered, Richardo said, “I’m nineteen, so suck it.”

  Every ounce of me had to be held in check to refrain from beating the shit out of the smart mouth punk.

  “Something’s going on here. Alma, you’ve been in contact with this boy for a while.”

  Again, my damn phone rang.

  “Mimi, I can’t talk right now.”

  “Then don’t talk, just listen.” Her voice was strained enough that it worried me, so I listened. “Alma sold those girls. She sold those girls into prostitution. Yolanda just told me everything. She wasn’t trying to get Yolanda out; she was trying to get herself out. Maybe she had a change of heart, and that’s why she came to us. But she got money for giving up Yolanda.”

  The bile rose in my throat. Now I wanted to knock some sense into both Richardo and Alma.

  “I just so happen to be standing right in front of Alma. We are going to have a nice
little talk. I’ll call you back.”

  I put my phone in my pocket, and directed my next question at Alma. “What on earth possessed you to sell a thirteen-year-old girl to sex traffickers?”

  The color drained from Alma’s face. I thought she was going to puke.

  “He asked you a question,” Max spat.

  Alma spoke in a whisper. “I didn’t know it was for sex. I promise you. I didn’t find out until later. I found out when they took Yolanda. They took me, too.” Tears rolled down Alma’s cheek.

  I tried to find somewhere inside me that felt sorry for her, but I couldn’t. She had used us and I still didn’t understand why.

  “Time to start talking,” Max said. “This is your only chance. If I walk out of here, I’m going to let Charles do whatever he wants. And I’ll say I was never here.”

  Way to go, Max. I think I fell in love with him all over again at that very moment.

  Richardo started talking. “One day, we were harvesting in the fields by that house that Alma said she was taken to. I saw two girls leave the fields and go around the fence. I was being nosy, so I followed them, but when I got there, they were gone. I looked all around and couldn’t find them. I was headed back to the field when someone grabbed me by my hair.”

  Max and I looked at each other, skeptical.

  “I swear to you, I’m telling the truth. The guy asked me if I wanted to make some money. He said really good money. He said all I had to do was tell him about any girls who had family problems. He said if they were younger, they would be worth more money. I had no idea what they were doing.”

  Alma shoved him. “You had to know.”

  He shoved her back. “You’re as guilty as I am. You’re the one who told me who the girls were.” He looked up at me and Max. “I didn’t know any girls, so I asked Alma. She told me about girls in the apartment complex that had complained about their parents. All the girls would hang out over by the merry-go-round talking and laughing, and I would just stand there and watch them. They didn’t let the boys in, though. It was a girl thing.”