by Charly Cox
She read the message aloud and asked Hal to open the link to the records since he already had her email open. The first thing she did was run a quick scan to see if Beau or Hugh Cambridge’s phone numbers popped up on the list.
Of course, they didn’t. That would’ve made her life a little too simple. Tension tightened the muscles in Alyssa’s back and neck, and she rolled her shoulders in an effort to release the tautness. There were still a lot more numbers to go through, and she had a feeling one of them would lead to the girls. ‘We need to find out which cell towers were pinged when these calls were made.’
‘I’ll ring Judge Rosario and ask her to issue us another ping warrant and let her know it’s for the same case. I don’t think we’ll have any problems getting a green light on this,’ Hal said.
Alyssa nodded. ‘In the meantime, let’s start at the top and begin calling those numbers, see who answers. Maybe we’ll get lucky.’ She could always hope.
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Saturday, May 25
At noon, Alyssa was alone in the conference room. Cord had offered to go pick up lunch and bring it back, Joe and Tony were checking out the local GPS coordinates, and she wasn’t sure what Hal was up to. The last she’d seen him, a new officer had knocked and asked to speak to him privately. She wasn’t surprised. He’d always been the go-to guy for rookies and veterans alike.
Sprawled in front of her were printouts of call and text logs from Rachel, Jersey, and Katelyn’s phones. The pages didn’t give her as much as a subpoenaed record might, but at least meant she could check for common numbers. As it turned out, there was one that both Rachel and Jersey had called or texted, and she highlighted it.
Just as she was about to dial the number, Lynn Sharp called, skipping the pleasantries and diving right in, the kind of direct approach Alyssa appreciated. ‘I told you we found fibers in the abrasions on Meghan Jessup’s body. Some of them match the fibers found in the carpets of the rooms at Hotel Camino. Good call on getting someone over there this morning. I’ve already sent them off to the same lab, and put a priority rush on it, explaining we have the lives of three young ladies on the line, possibly more. I have to say the technician wasn’t overly impressed with my plea, saying everyone’s items were urgent. But don’t worry. I called in a favor. I’m going to text you a contact name and number. If you don’t hear something soon, Tyler said you could call him directly.’
‘That was fast.’
‘Like I said, three lives on the line.’
‘How does this Tyler person owe you a favor? If you don’t mind my asking.’
Lynn laughed. ‘Truthfully?’
Why did people always ask that? ‘No, lie to me. Of course, I want the truth.’
‘Tyler and I met at a medical conference in Oregon a few years back. One of my cousins lives there, and she met me at the hotel for lunch. He saw her, fell head over heels in lust, and begged me to set up a date. I did. They’ve been happily married for a year now.’
A few minutes after they ended the call, Lynn sent her the text containing Tyler’s contact information while also telling her she’d forgotten to mention that the lab could already have the results from the fibers discovered on Meghan Jessup. Immediately, Alyssa placed a call to Lynn’s cousin by marriage.
‘Tyler Rhodes.’
‘Tyler, this is Detective Alyssa Wyatt with the Albuquerque Police Department. I believe Lynn told you to expect a call from me.’
‘Detective, yes, she did. Give me just a second while I pull up that file.’ After a series of clicks, Tyler was back. ‘Here it is. Okay, it appears the fiber that came from Meghan Jessup’s wounds were from a rug, but not from your run of the mill rug or carpet. In fact, there’s only one manufacturer here in the United States that creates them, and each rug is custom ordered right down to the dye, shape, and length.’
Alyssa stretched across the table to grab a pen and a blank piece of paper, ready to take down the information.
‘Royal Empire Textiles out of Connecticut is the manufacturer. Believe it or not, I was able to email them the specifics and scan in a copy of the fiber discovered, and they said that’s all they’d need to be able to tell us who purchased it, when, and where it was delivered. They said to give them at least twenty-four hours, and I sent that early yesterday morning. If you’re ready, I can give you the contact information. And I already checked: someone is always there on Saturdays.’
Alyssa’s heart picked up speed. ‘Just to be clear – what you’re telling me is that we now have carpet fibers from two different locations? One is from Hotel Camino and one came from this manufacturer out of Connecticut. Is that correct?’
‘Correct.’
There was no way a place like Hotel Camino could afford the type of textiles that came custom-made, right down to the smallest detail. ‘Thanks, Tyler. Can you run that number by me one more time so I can make sure I jotted it down right?’
‘Sure thing.’
A minute later, Alyssa thanked him again and hung up.
Her pulse fluttering because she knew they were getting closer, she entered the digits for Royal Empire Textiles, glancing up when Cord walked in, holding two take-out bags from Taco Cabana. She pulled the phone away from her ear and placed it on speaker, propping it in the silver tray of the whiteboard, amplifying the sound. Just when she was positive she was going to have to leave a message, a disembodied, nasally, and altogether bored voice answered.
‘Royal Empire Textiles. Raleigh speaking.’
Raleigh? ‘Raleigh, this is Detective Alyssa Wyatt from Albuquerque, New Mexico, and I’m trying to reach Andie Kirkland. Is he available? This is somewhat of an urgent matter.’
An impatient and irritated sound echoed around the room as Raleigh huffed out her breath. ‘Andie,’ she said slowly, as if she was speaking to someone she’d had to explain the same concept to fifteen times already, ‘is in a meeting right now, and she won’t be available again until Tuesday.’
Before Alyssa could suggest interrupting the meeting, another voice, loud but indistinguishable, could be heard. For sixty seconds, she and Cord listened to the garbled sounds of two people arguing before a series of clicks echoed into the room.
Then, ‘Hello? Detective Wyatt? This is Andie Kirkland. I wasn’t in a meeting. I was heading out when I overheard Raleigh tell you I was unavailable.’ The woman on the other end of the line laughed lightly, a throaty whisper of sound. ‘I don’t know how much you heard, but Raleigh doesn’t like to be contradicted. As she’s the owner’s niece, she often feels a bit entitled, shall we say, and she’s yet to accept that she’s been relegated to such lowliness as being someone else’s secretary.’ This time, Andie’s laugh was full of glee. ‘While I would’ve preferred her being assigned to pretty much anyone else, it does my heart good to see the girl not have everything handed to her on the proverbial silver platter. But enough of that. Your urgent matter has nothing to do with our spoiled Raleigh, so, how can I help you?’
Alyssa had a feeling she’d like this Andie Kirkland. ‘I understand Tyler Rhodes emailed you with the specifics of a piece of fiber we discovered on the body of a young girl, and I was hoping you could help me out by giving me the name of the purchaser of that particular rug or carpet.’
‘He didn’t speak to me, but he was given my name by the person who forwarded the email to my inbox. Give me just a second to bring it up… Okay, here it is. Are you ready?’
‘Fire away.’
‘It would appear that particular rug was ordered in 2015 by someone named Tatiana Salazar. The cost was $463,000 and was paid in full as is our policy before we begin any piece. When the order was complete, it was shipped to the Royal Gorge Hotel in Taos, New Mexico.’
Cord whistled low at the price.
‘Is there anything else I can help you with?’
‘Not at this moment. Thanks for taking my call, Andie.’
As soon as the call ended, both Cord and Alyssa were up and moving. ‘Who do you
know in New Mexico who has been living in Connecticut and that could afford that price tag on a rug?’
‘Bartholomew Rosenfelt,’ he said.
Their lunch was left abandoned on the table as they sped over to Hotel Parq Central.
* * *
Sixteen minutes later, Alyssa pounded on the door of Bartholomew Rosenfelt’s room. She held her badge to the peephole, assuming he’d check it before opening. When he did, she didn’t give him a chance to speak first. ‘Royal Empire Textiles ring a bell for you?’
‘Manners dictate I invite you inside, but common sense prevents me from doing so.’
‘You know one of the best things about forensic science, Mr. Rosenfelt? You can glean almost anything from the tiniest fiber. Now, Royal Empire Textiles?’
‘Yes, I’ve heard of them. One of my personal decorators has purchased a number of items from them for various houses I own, and not just in New Mexico. And before I answer any more questions, I need to know if I need to contact my lawyer. My assistance only goes so far before self-preservation kicks in.’
‘Right now, we just need you to answer some questions.’
‘Then please come in, as we seem to be drawing an audience.’ He stepped back and swept his arm to usher them into a suite that was easily three times larger than the average hotel room.
‘This decorator… Is she still in your employ?’
‘Tatiana Salazar, and yes, she is, though she’s taken a brief leave of absence for the past four months as she deals with family issues.’
‘Family issues?’
‘I don’t know much, but what I do know is that Ms. Salazar was going through quite a nasty divorce after she discovered her husband was having an affair with one of her acquaintances. This came on the heels of her father dying and discovering the fortune she’d always thought she’d receive had been spent by her husband and his mistress. Mrs. Salazar’s husband was her father’s financial advisor, which is how they met.’
‘Fibers discovered on Meghan Jessup’s body were traced back to a rug priced at $463 grand and shipped to one Tatiana Salazar at the Royal Gorge Hotel in Taos.’
As soon as the words left her mouth, Rosenfelt stumbled backwards, the back of his knees hitting the leather sofa which he sank onto. ‘Steve Yarmini and Tatiana often work together, as she spends most of her time in New Mexico since she’s originally from here. That rug was ordered for one of my properties, but not in Taos. It was a place I purchased in 2015 – and sold to her when she expressed an interest in it. I allowed her to keep the rug as a housewarming gift.’
A new sense of urgency kicked Alyssa’s pulse into overdrive, and she and Cord exchanged a look. ‘I need to know right now where that house is located.’ Somehow she knew this was the place they were looking for.
‘Placitas. Let me call Kimberly so she can get me the exact address.’
As she waited for him to place the call, Alyssa’s mind swung back to another time in April when she’d discovered where Isaac had been held. That same sensation swarmed her, and her nerves demanded she move.
A couple minutes later, Bartholomew hung up and handed her a piece of paper. ‘God, I hope this doesn’t mean what I think it means, Detectives.’
Neither she nor Cord responded to that, but what she did say was, ‘Stay where we can contact you, Mr. Rosenfelt.’
They rushed to the car where Cord called Hammond to request the telephonic search warrant and a chopper. While he was doing that, Alyssa called Hal and had him contact the chief of police in Placitas, who to no one’s surprise, Hal knew from ‘back in the day.’
Chapter Forty
Saturday, May 25
Never in Rachel’s nineteen years had she ever been so desperate to change something, do something, help someone else. The desperation was a physical hum that raced through her nerve endings, setting them on fire as she hung suspended in the contraption.
And though her back burned from the slashes sliced into her from the whip, though her hands were raw from gripping the rope dangling to the side of each handcuff, those things faded when the men disappeared, only to reappear moments later with Katelyn. Despite knowing it was unrealistic, she’d still hoped the young girl would somehow be spared this deviant torture.
She’d watched helplessly as the men had dragged Katelyn into the room, her feverish, over-bright eyes spotting Rachel, naked and suspended from the contraption. She’d collapsed to the ground, hand clutched to her throat, her breaths coming in short bursts as she tried to get enough air into her lungs. And then she was crawling to the door, clawing her fingernails down it as the blond muscled guy laughed and dragged her back.
Bile burned its way up from Rachel’s stomach and into the back of her throat as she forced her lungs to breathe in steadily, willing Katelyn to stay strong.
And then, before she could process the change in the men’s positions, one of them had pulled up the long leather strap lying across the foot of the bed and moved in behind her while the other man gripped Katelyn by the chin, holding her face immobile. Even as she screamed out at the searing agony, she saw the man holding Katelyn lean down, an evil, malicious smile decorating his face as he whispered something in her ear.
Trying to dislodge the man’s grip, tears streaked the young girl’s pale face, her mouth opened in a terrified scream drowned out by Rachel’s.
And then a thunderous boom that reminded Rachel of the time Nick had stolen their father’s Hummer and crashed it through their block wall when he’d taken the corner too fast reverberated throughout the entire house, shaking it on its foundation. She hoped it was a nuclear bomb that would kill them all because she would rather die than watch Katelyn try to survive the nightmare that awaited her.
Muscle Guy shoved himself away from Katelyn as he jerked his head towards the closed door. Where a second ago a solid wall of chest had pressed into Rachel while strong hands gripped her forearms, there was suddenly nothing as she was jolted forward, her upper body twisting, the bindings at her wrist tearing through flesh.
When another explosion rocked the house, both men scrambled, ripping their pants off the floor, tripping over each other in their frenzy to get dressed. Not bothering to put on their shirts, they yanked open the door and bolted down the hall.
With the door ajar, Rachel watched shadows slice across the hallway as individuals shouted and ran in different directions. Someone, maybe Muscle Guy, shouted, ‘Leave them!’ when someone inquired what to do with the girls.
Another noise, this one outside and more distant, penetrated through the heavy fog and pain in her brain – a helicopter whirring overhead. She didn’t know what it meant, couldn’t bother to care. After all, she’d already learned – they all had – that hope was for fools.
The sound of more pounding footsteps, shouted orders, and frantic demands trickled down the hall, and then suddenly, several uniformed officers stormed the room, led by a short female with auburn hair. Mortified at being naked in front of all these people and suddenly terrified that she was only dreaming, she closed her eyes, her unleashed tears streaming as the lady commanded someone to get her down before rushing over to Katelyn, who’d drawn her knees up into the fetal position in the middle of the bed, her face and nose red, eyes bulging, lips and chin trembling.
Two officers worked the bindings on Rachel’s wrists to free her as a third stood behind her, ready to catch her when she was released. And as her body gave way to gravity, a voice in her ear whispered, ‘I’ve got you. You’re okay. You’re safe now.’ The sweetest words, even if they weren’t true. But she let them utter the lies, and when they tried to wrap the silk robe around her, a howl of agony tore from her throat. As much as the pain was like molten lava spreading across her raw back, and as much as she wanted to shrug the robe off, to never have the sensation of silk against her skin again, she wanted to be covered up more and so she allowed it to stay on.
‘Anna?’ Her throat was on fire, and what emerged was nothing more than a raspy whisper
of sound that no one seemed to understand, but she suddenly needed to know what had happened to her friend.
She wanted to ask again, but her neck could no longer hold her head up, and it fell forward onto her chest; in that moment, nothing mattered more than escaping this place. Seconds later, the auburn-haired officer was yelling for the paramedics. And then she felt herself being wheeled out into the hall, down the corridor, and into the front room where she’d first met the men who’d abused her. A crashing crescendo of commotion and noise and fear surrounded her, and it took several tries before she realized the woman was urgently asking her where the others were. ‘We need to find them so we can help them. Where are they?’
Before her mind went blank, Rachel pointed toward the door hidden behind the new built-in, moveable bookshelves that weren’t there until a few days ago, and then she allowed herself to collapse into nothingness.
Chapter Forty-One
Saturday, May 25
Alyssa pressed harder on the gas pedal, ignoring the way the dirt road jostled her bones because right now, her main focus was on reaching the girls, praying they were there… and alive. They’d deal with the rest later. The police chopper flying overhead and the rumble of vehicles in front of and behind her almost drowned out the cackle of the mic at her shoulder.
Not wanting to risk anyone slipping through the closing net, Alyssa had requested that Placitas send in several officers to set up both an inside and outside perimeter until her team could arrive, and it was one of them reporting in.
‘We count four vehicles, three parked in the driveway and one in the four-car garage.’
‘I’m less than a minute out.’
As the trees, rocks, and bushes blurred past her window, she forced back the memory of a similar operation when her team had surrounded Evan Bishop’s lair only to have him escape and resurface at her house, where he’d gleefully shared with her the tortures he had planned for her and her family. My family is safe she reminded herself as she skidded to a halt outside the grand residence.