The Toybox

by Charly Cox

  Unlike then, this time a squirrel would be lucky to slip through the perimeter they’d set up. No one in that house was getting away.

  She barely had the car in park before she and Cord jumped out to the sound of slamming doors and thunderous shouts. A man wearing a bullet-proof vest and a police cap hurried over, grabbing her by the arm. ‘This way,’ he ordered. Then, when they were standing next to an unmarked white van, he said, ‘We have two snipers in place in case we need them. How do you want this to go down?’

  Alyssa explained her tactics, and shortly after that, the three of them approached the house. Pounding on the door, Alyssa shouted, ‘Albuquerque and Placitas police departments. We have the house surrounded. Open up and come out with your hands raised.’ Inside, booming footsteps sounded as the occupants scrambled. She stepped back, turned to the side, and gave the order: ‘Knock it in.’

  It took three tries before the battering ram did the trick, but once the door exploded off its hinges, officers rushed in. The first thing Alyssa saw was two muscular, shirtless men, their belts undone and their pants draped open, running for a back door. She directed Joe and Tony their way as she headed down the hallway from where they’d come. On her way, she grabbed three female officers she didn’t recognize. ‘I need you with me.’ She didn’t know what they were going to find, but she felt deep inside that whatever they encountered, it would be far less intimidating and frightening with women officers.

  Or at least she hoped so.

  The hallway was dimly lit, with three sets of closed doors on either side, but the one at the end stood ajar. Strangled sobs poured out into the corridor from inside the room, and Alyssa ran the rest of the way, hesitating only long enough to make sure the room was clear of any threats before rushing forward to the young girl on the bed who she recognized immediately as Katelyn Phillipson.

  ‘Get her down!’ She ordered the officers flowing in behind her to assist the female suspended nude in some kind of contraption. All around her came the sound of whispered reassurances of safety, and Alyssa knew it would be a long time, if ever, before these girls would be able to believe them.

  Careful not to further terrify either girl, she turned to the one the officers were frantically trying to get down.

  ‘Rachel Otis?’

  Tears rushed down the girl’s cheeks as she confirmed her identity with a weak nod. Alyssa addressed both girls. ‘We’re going to get you help now, but we need to know if there are any other girls here. Can you tell me that?’

  Mewling noises continued from Katelyn’s throat, but Rachel either nodded or her neck could no longer support her head as it flopped forward. At the same time, her knees buckled, and Alyssa yelled down the hall for someone to get the paramedics inside to help move the girls out of the room. She didn’t want them in there a second longer. Images of a battered and beaten Callie McCormick pushed their way into her mind, but she shoved them back. She might’ve been too late to save Callie, but she was determined these girls would live.

  Four minutes later, the girls were being wheeled down the hall on stretchers. In the front room, amid the hustle of officers rushing around, she caught Cord’s eye, and the pale look on his face was replaced with one of fury as he spotted the girls.

  Before the paramedics could take them outside, Alyssa approached Rachel, her voice filled with urgency. ‘Rachel, where are the others? We need to find them so we can help them. Where are they?’

  Rachel pointed to a wall lined with shelves of books, but when her eyes landed on two of the men the officers had rounded up, they rolled to the back of her head, and she fainted.

  One of the paramedics pushed Alyssa aside. ‘I’m sorry, ma’am. We need to get her to the hospital,’ and then they rushed her out.

  At the same time, another hand, surprisingly strong in its grip, clutched at her wrist, jagged fingernails slicing lines into Alyssa’s skin. Katelyn Phillipson’s petite frame shuddered violently, and her teeth rattled as she tried to explain what Rachel had been pointing at. Throat hoarse and raspy from screaming, tears streaming down her pale face, she whispered, ‘The shelf moves. When we came upstairs, that wall of books was over there.’ Her eyes followed the paramedics carting Rachel outside. ‘The others are down there.’

  ‘How many, Katelyn? How many others?’

  Her answer nearly shredded what was left of Alyssa’s self-control. ‘Four.’

  A commotion near the wall stole Alyssa’s attention, and when she twisted around, Cord had located the switch that rolled the bookshelf out of the way, but the door behind it was locked. Cord didn’t hesitate, kicking it in and leading the charge down the steps. She heard him yell, ‘Clear’ before several booming footsteps rushed down after him.

  Anger heated Alyssa from the inside out even while her heart broke at the sight that greeted them.

  Four girls, one of them Jersey Andrews, huddled together onto one mattress, their arms around each other, their faces streaked with tears. One of the girls sat slightly forward of the others as if she alone could protect them from whatever was happening. Each of them wore silk robes matching the ones discarded in the room where Rachel and Katelyn were discovered. Of all the houses of horrors she’d encountered in her career, this had to be one of the worst.

  Alyssa approached the cell door. ‘Jersey?’

  Holly’s petite friend lifted her head from where she’d been hiding her face in the crook of one of the other girl’s necks, and when she saw who was calling her name, she cried out, collapsing twice as she struggled to stand and move to the metal bars separating her from safety.

  ‘Oh my God. Mrs. Wyatt?’ And then she sank to her knees, the top of her head pressed into the bars as a torrent of anguished cries escaped.

  Trying her hardest not to react to the bruises covering Jersey’s face, Alyssa reached through the bars and touched her hair, gently rubbing a hand through the strands. Twisting only her upper body, she turned and pointed to the officer closest to the stairs. ‘Find the damned keys! Now!’ she roared when he didn’t move fast enough to suit her.

  Upstairs, the whines of men protesting their innocence filtered down to her, and a red haze clouded her vision. She sensed movement beside her, and she lifted her head to find Cord pacing as he waited for the man to return with the keys. ‘Tatiana Salazar?’

  ‘No. According to one of the guys up there, she stepped out about an hour before we arrived, and she’s not expected back before tomorrow. And they all claim to know nothing about her whereabouts.’

  ‘Damn it,’ she swore. ‘Where are those keys?’

  Finally, the officer bounded back down, a set of keys jangling in his fingers. ‘Found them on one of the muscles up there.’

  Alyssa moved her hand from the top of Jersey’s head and pushed herself to her feet so she could meet him partway, but she was too slow because Cord’s stride was longer, and he’d already snatched the keys away so quickly that it elicited an ouch from the officer when the metal teeth scratched across his hand. And then Alyssa was stepping back out of the way as Cord fitted first one key then another until he found the correct one. The second the cell opened, Alyssa rushed forward, catching Jersey, as once again, she collapsed to her knees.

  Several officers and three paramedics moved inside the small enclosure to assist the other girls while crime scene technicians snapped photographs and documented evidence.

  A young paramedic with light brown hair and soft blue eyes squatted down so she could address Jersey, but Jersey burrowed her head further into Alyssa’s shoulders, her sobs crushing Alyssa’s heart as her tears soaked through her shirt.

  ‘Jersey, sweetie, you need to let the paramedics check you out so we can transport you to the hospital.’ Holly’s friend tightened her grip, her cries changing to low moans. ‘I’m going to be right here with you, I promise. No one else is going to hurt you. You trust me, don’t you?’

  Alyssa didn’t take it personally when Jersey hesitated. She couldn’t blame her. How would she ever
trust again? Slowly, gently, she coaxed Jersey’s arms away from her and into the waiting arms of the kind paramedic. But as the paramedic tried to guide her away, Jersey struggled, her eyes wide with fear, and Alyssa stepped so that she was back in Jersey’s line of vision. ‘Jersey.’ Her voice was gentle but firm. Jersey stopped squirming and stared at Alyssa, her lower lip quivering. ‘We need to get you to the hospital where you can get checked out. Can you be brave just a little longer?’

  Jersey’s gaze clouded over. ‘Brave?’ The word was nothing more than a whisper of sound.

  Alyssa cupped Jersey’s cheek and tilted her face up. Holding her gaze, she repeated, ‘Brave. You and the others have been very brave. And we need you to do that a little longer. Don’t quit on me now. Can you do that for me?’

  Slowly, Jersey nodded, her mouth once more forming the word brave as she allowed the paramedics to assist her upstairs and out to the ambulance. Alyssa hated that the girls would have to pass by the men who’d tormented them, but she also trusted that the professionals here would shield the girls as much as possible as they escorted them out.

  After a quick glance to make sure evidence was being preserved, Alyssa climbed the stairs and headed outside. As each girl was loaded onto a gurney, she asked her name, age, and who they could contact to let them know they were safe. She knew it would be a long time before they believed that word ever again, but still she used it. They needed to hear it as often as possible.

  The second she had the information, the ambulance doors closed, and then they were gone in a caravan of urgency. When the last one disappeared down the road, she tugged at Cord’s arm and indicated he should follow her back inside. She spotted Joe and Tony and motioned for them to join her.

  ‘Before we do anything else, before they hear it on the news, I want the families notified.’ They divvied up the task with Alyssa contacting Jersey’s mom, Katelyn’s parents, and even though it was against protocol, she opted to call Rachel’s brother instead of her parents.

  As the first call was placed, she watched the scene unfolding in front of her, watched four men hauled outside in cuffs, protesting their innocence the entire way. Her hand squeezed the phone, hurting her fingers, but she didn’t ease her grip because the pain was helping her to focus on the task at hand instead of the burning compulsion to go outside and confront the men herself.

  ‘Hello?’ A woman’s choked voice answered on the second ring.

  ‘Natalia? This is Alyssa Wyatt, Holly’s mom…’

  ‘Oh my God, have you found Jersey?’

  Alyssa swallowed past the lump in her throat. ‘We’ve found her, but she’s in rough shape. She’s on her way right now to the Trauma Center at UNMH. If you leave right away, you’ll probably beat her there. Mrs. Andrews, if you give me your husband’s number, I’ll be happy to call him for you to give him the news as well.’

  ‘Would you? Thank you.’ Ten seconds later, Alyssa was armed with Mr. Andrews’s number, but she chose to call him after she’d contacted Mrs. Phillipson and Nick.

  Next, she dialed Mary Phillipson who answered so quickly, it was almost as if her finger had been hovering over the phone.

  In a whispered hush, she breathed out Alyssa’s name. ‘Detective Wyatt?’

  ‘Mrs. Phillipson, is your husband with you?’

  A garbled cry escaped, and Alyssa heard Mr. Phillipson’s muffled voice before he took the phone from his wife. ‘Katelyn?’

  ‘We found her. She’s…’

  ‘Is she… is she…’

  ‘She’s alive, and she’s going to need you to be strong for her. I’m not going to sugarcoat it; your daughter’s been through a lifetime of horror in the past few days.’ Like she had with Jersey’s mom, she informed Mary and Jason where Katelyn was being taken, and then, after promising to meet up with them later to answer their questions, she dialed Nick’s number.

  ‘We’ve got her. We found Rachel,’ she said as soon as he answered.

  ‘Where? What? How is she? Is she okay? What happened to her?’

  ‘She’s got a long road of recovery ahead of her, but right now she’s on her way to UNMH.’ She paused. ‘I haven’t contacted your parents yet. I’ll do that next.’

  ‘I’ll do it. Thank you, Detective. I can’t…’ Nick’s voice broke on a sob. ‘Thank you. Um, there’s someone here who wants to talk to you.’

  A second later, the last voice she would’ve expected to hear came on the line. ‘Mom? Was Jersey with Rachel? Did you find her?’

  ‘What are you doing with Nick Otis?’

  ‘Later, Mom. I promise. Now – Hold on, my phone’s ringing. It’s Sophie. Mom, I’ll call you back.’

  And then she was gone, and Nick was on the line. ‘Detective, I have questions. Will I be able to find you later?’

  Alyssa pushed aside the confusion of hearing Holly with Nick. ‘As soon as I can leave here, I’ll be heading to the hospital, though it might be late.’

  ‘I’ll look for you.’ And then he, too, was gone.

  Mr. Andrews, the last person on her list… Alyssa steeled herself because as of yet, the man couldn’t have shown any less interest in the fact that his daughter had disappeared. Like Mr. and Mrs. Otis, it was too much of an inconvenience to his social life to take it seriously. She dialed the number and listened to it ring. On the fourth one, a gruff voice answered.

  ‘Hello?’

  ‘Mr. Andrews?’

  ‘Yes. Who’s calling?’

  ‘Mr. Andrews, this is Detective Wyatt with the Albuquerque Police Department. As you’re aware, your daughter has been missing for the past six days.’ She intentionally changed her tone to sound more accusatory. ‘I just wanted to inform you she’s been found and has been taken to UNMH’s Trauma Center. Mr. Andrews, your daughter has been through a traumatic experience, and she’s going to need the support of both her parents. When can I expect you’ll arrive?’

  Jersey’s dad cleared his throat, and Alyssa knew right away that he wouldn’t be returning for his daughter, and she was suddenly quite glad the man was an ocean away because as it was, she wanted to reach her hand through the phone and throttle him.

  ‘Well, I’m relieved she’s been found. Please tell her and her mother I’ll see them in two weeks when I return home.’

  ‘No.’

  ‘Excuse me?’

  ‘I said, no, Mr. Andrews, I will not be your messenger girl. I don’t think you understand the extent of your daughter’s injuries, the hell she’s endured the past six days. Torture—’

  ‘Detective, there’s nothing I could do to help her heal any faster if I were there, so I really don’t see how my being there now or in two weeks will make much of a difference.’ His next words were muffled, which Alyssa assumed meant he’d covered the mouthpiece to speak to his new girlfriend. Her anger grew exponentially with every tick of the clock.

  When he came back on the line, she cut him off before he could infuriate her any further. ‘Mr. Andrews, your being here, Jersey knowing you care enough to cut short a vacation to be here for her, that she is more important… those are the things that will be instrumental in assisting with your daughter’s healing.’

  Several heartbeats of silence passed, and Alyssa began to hope she’d finally gotten through, only to be slammed back into reality once again.

  ‘I hardly see how my pacing and watching her heal will do anything other than make Jersey more nervous. No, I think it’s better if I follow my instincts here.’

  ‘You mean your selfishness. That’s fine, you do that, Mr. Andrews, but let me tell you something: you’re an even bigger ass than I expected you to be. I hope destroying that last bit of hope in your daughter that you care is worth whatever you’re doing.’

  And then she jabbed her finger into the screen of her phone over and over as she ended the call.

  When she was sure she wouldn’t take her anger out on undeserving individuals, Alyssa headed down the hall where she’d watched Cord disappear after finishing his c
alls. She found him standing in the doorway of the room labeled The Toybox, face ashen as the technicians moved about, measuring and cataloguing evidence. She knew him well enough to know he wasn’t just seeing the stomach-churning contents of the items openly displayed or the ones in the wardrobe that she couldn’t even fathom a use for.

  With a firm hand on his arm, she pulled him away. ‘I think the team downstairs could use your help.’

  Without a word, he dragged his gaze from the blood stains on the mattress and stared down at her hand before lifting his eyes to meet hers. Coldness replaced whatever memories his brain had forced upon him, and after a quick nod, he walked away, leaving her to oversee the rest.

  * * *

  By the time the forensics team had combed every inch of the house and collected all the evidence, it was dark out, with the only light slicing through the darkness coming from the headlights on the vehicles as they drove away. The car said it was close to ten; still, instead of heading home, Alyssa and Cord were headed to the hospital. There was a good chance they’d have to wait until tomorrow to interview the girls, but even if that were the case, she wanted to check in, see them for herself. If she didn’t, sleep would elude her until she did.

  Finally turning onto the main road, Alyssa blindly reached out her hand and touched Cord lightly on the arm to get his attention. From her peripheral vision, she saw his head tilt her way. ‘That had to be hard to see, for more reasons than one. How are you doing? And don’t try to BS me.’

  Cord’s fingers tightened into a fist in his lap, and he tipped his head back. She heard his teeth grind against each other before he exhaled in such a rush of air, it was almost as if he’d been holding his breath for the past hour. ‘I wanted to shoot every one of those bastards.’

  She took her eyes off the road long enough to catch him watching for her reaction at his admission. ‘It would be unnatural if you didn’t feel that way. In fact, I’d be more worried if you didn’t. Thank you for telling me the truth.’