The Toybox

by Charly Cox

  ‘Sophie called last night.’ Holly set the knife aside and turned around, leaning her back against the counter and wrapping her arms around her middle. ‘Jersey’s nightmares are so horrible, they had to give her a heavy sedative. Sophie said Aunt Natalia freaked out because Jersey was thrashing around like she was trying to get loose and screaming, “I thought you were…’” Holly’s voice cracked, and Alyssa guided her to a chair before sitting beside her. Tears falling freely now, Holly asked, ‘What are we supposed to do? Whenever Natalia tries to ask Jersey about her nightmare, Jersey has another anxiety attack, and they have to sedate her again.’

  There was that elusive thread again. Alyssa reached across the table and grabbed a tissue, handing it to Holly. Then she put one finger beneath her daughter’s chin and tipped it up so she could look at her. ‘What Jersey and these girls went through is nothing short of horrendous and appalling. They’re bound to have nightmares for years to come. Even Isaac still has night terrors from his ordeal – not that I’m comparing the two. I’m just saying it’s going to take time.’

  Holly shifted in her seat and shot a watery smile Alyssa’s way. ‘Thanks, Mom. I know you’re right; it’s just hard seeing her like this.’ Then a smile transformed her face. ‘Speaking of Isaac, he gets back today. I can’t wait to hear how things went.’

  ‘I think I’ll just be glad he’s back home with us.’ Alyssa knew that was one of the other reasons she’d kept so busy. She didn’t want to have any time to fret about Isaac being off in the woods. Besides, Trevor’s mom had promised to call if anything happened.

  Holly cleared her throat, dragging Alyssa back and reminding her of her suspicion that her daughter had another motive for making her an omelet this morning. ‘Um, there’s something else I wanted to talk to you about… I went on a date with Nick Otis. It was only once, well, kind of twice.’

  And there it was. ‘I gathered as much. I have to tell you I’m glad you already let Dad and me know that you weren’t attending Cornell in the fall, or I would’ve been concerned you were doing it for a guy.’

  Holly frowned. ‘Please. I thought you knew me better than that. Besides, like I said, it was one – and a half – dates. We’re not picking out furniture and drapes, you know. He might not even want to see me again after…’ Instead of finishing that thought, she asked a question. ‘Is it going to bother you if I date him? I mean, will it affect your case at all?’

  ‘No, it won’t affect my case. If you like him, and he treats you well, then that’s what matters. How did you two meet, anyway?’

  Holly chuckled. ‘You know that day Sophie and I wanted to stop by and see you?’

  ‘Yeah.’ Alyssa drew the one-syllable word into two.

  ‘Well, we saw him coming out of the precinct, and long story short, he had a flat tire, so we helped him change it.’ This time the laughter hit her eyes. ‘He didn’t have a clue; couldn’t even find the jack.’

  Alyssa snickered. ‘Oh, your dad will love that.’

  ‘Your dad will love what?’ Brock said, rounding the corner into the kitchen and dropping a kiss on the top of Holly’s head. ‘My two favorite girls.’ He waved his hand toward the counter. ‘Great minds, huh? I’ll just take over from here.’

  ‘Thanks, Dad. And I helped a guy change a tire.’

  Even though her daughter played it off, Alyssa knew from the smug look on her face that, internally, she must be feeling the tiniest bit superior.

  ‘Hmm. Your mom’s right: Dad does love that.’

  The conversation died out while Brock made the omelets, slid them onto plates and set them on the table. The three of them ate in companionable silence, and when they finished, Alyssa carried her dishes to the dishwasher. ‘Thanks for breakfast, but I really need to get going.’ After she grabbed her gun from the safe, she paused in the doorway to the garage. ‘When are you going to see Jersey today?’

  ‘I’m going to swing by Sophie’s around eight so we can go together.’ She bit her bottom lip.

  ‘What’s wrong?’

  Holly sighed. ‘I’m not looking forward to telling Sophie that Leigh Ann sent me a text around midnight saying she was sorry and she was ready to visit Jersey.’

  Alyssa’s forehead furrowed in confusion. ‘What do you mean? Didn’t she visit her yesterday with you?’

  ‘Nope. Said she wasn’t ready yet. Plus, to be honest, Soph and I were still pretty pissed at her for waiting so long to tell you about Beau being at the frat party.’ A mask dropped into place, so she was clearly not over it yet. ‘Her reason for waiting – she was afraid of getting in trouble – just makes me want to scream. Especially since Beau apparently knew both Rachel and Jersey, and both of them disappeared after being with him.’ She huffed out a breath of air. ‘But how I feel about her right now doesn’t matter. Jersey was obviously upset when Leigh Ann wasn’t with us, so Sophie and I are just going to have to deal with it.’

  ‘You’re a good friend, Holly Wyatt,’ Alyssa said before heading out, that tickle in the back of her mind returning full force.

  Chapter Fifty-One

  Monday, May 27

  Alyssa was focused on trying to locate the common link between the seven girls when Cord walked into the conference room a couple of hours after her. She shot him a startled glance. ‘What are you doing here?’

  ‘Same as you, I imagine.’ He tipped his head to the whiteboard where she had written the names of every player, real or suspected, and the girls. Then she’d drawn a line connecting the ones who went together. A red line traced from Beau Cambridge to Jersey and Rachel, and a dotted line from Meghan and Katelyn, and yet another to Chance Williams. ‘Want to talk it out, see if I can help connect the dots?’

  Before she could answer, Hal rolled in. ‘Still no activity on Tatiana Salazar’s credit cards, so she’s obviously laying low. I took the liberty of contacting Bartholomew Rosenfelt to see if he had any idea as to where she may go if she was trying to stay hidden, but aside from the Placitas property, he couldn’t help. So, I put out an APB for her and her Porsche Carrera as well as alerting border patrol in case she tries to hop over into Mexico.’

  Alyssa hadn’t asked any of them to come in today, knowing they needed to get the same rest her husband claimed she did, yet here they were. Damn, she had the best team.

  ‘A Porsche Carrera is an awfully noticeable car.’ Cord twisted his phone end over end on the table. ‘Do you really think she’d be dumb enough to be driving it? She’s gotta know we’re searching for it.’

  ‘I’m going to resign and work for Rosenfelt. Everyone around him seems to have a fancy car,’ Joe said around a yawn as he strolled in with Tony trailing behind.

  She really did work with the best, and she was about to say so when her phone rang. She didn’t recognize the number. ‘Detective Wyatt.’

  ‘Detective, this is Spencer McKay. I’ll be representing Steven Yarmini. He wants to talk, but we want some assurances first.’

  ‘What kind of assurances?’

  ‘Well, he wants immunity.’

  ‘You know we can’t offer that.’

  ‘I do know that. That’s why I said he wants that. I’ve already told him it’s more likely he’ll be the next man on the moon. That aside, I want it to go on record that my client came to you, willing to cooperate. So, when it comes time to offer a plea deal, we’d like your cooperation when we go to the district attorney.’

  ‘It depends on what your client offers up, and whether or not it helps us. When do you want to meet up?’

  ‘How’s now?’

  ‘We’ll meet you over there.’

  Twenty minutes later, Alyssa and Cord sat across from Steve Yarmini garbed in an orange jumpsuit that gave him a washed-out pallor. Beside him sat his attorney, tan and dressed in a crisp, expensive-looking suit. The contrast between them couldn’t have been more pronounced.

  And the fact that McKay was here on Memorial Day when most families were home barbecuing… whew, that had to be costing a
pretty penny.

  Urgently trying to fit the missing piece into the puzzle, Alyssa dived in. ‘Tell us what you’ve got, Steve.’

  ‘I want immunity.’ Yarmini steepled his fingers together and propped them under his nose as if he was holding it up.

  Alyssa shook her head. ‘As your attorney has already shared with you, we can’t promise that. What we can promise is to tell the DA that you cooperated. And trust me, our district attorney is a real bulldog, so you’re going to want to rack up as many brownie points as you can.’

  He glanced at his attorney then back at Alyssa and Cord, his gaze bouncing back and forth between them. Then he closed his eyes and began. ‘I didn’t mean to kill her,’ he uttered. ‘My job was to take her to the hotel where her buyer would pick her up and transport her to her new location.’ He spoke so quietly, it was difficult to understand him, but Alyssa knew the recorder would still pick up every word.

  ‘To whom are you referring, Mr. Yarmini, when you say you didn’t mean to kill her?’

  His eyes flickered open only to study the ceiling tiles. ‘That girl that you found at the abandoned restaurant on Central. Meghan Jessup.’

  ‘Transported where and why?’ Cord asked.

  Yarmini’s Adam’s apple bobbed up and down. ‘She’d run her course.’ Finally, he brought his gaze down, though his focus skirted everywhere except on the detectives. ‘The girls there don’t last long. It’s a, uh, highly… specialized… sex ring. The clientele there are into certain… violent kinks. And because of that, the price is quite steep, and those guys you picked up at the house? They were regulars.

  ‘Anyway, once the girls can no longer perform to their satisfaction, they’re moved out to another buyer where they’ – he swallowed – ‘they’re sold into prostitution. I guess one of the clients became a bit… rough… and possibly overdid it when he was getting his freak on. When he finished, she was unresponsive at first. That’s when Tatiana – she’s the one in charge – called me up. She even joked about how much money someone might pay for a brain-dead bitch.’ From his face down to his neck, Yarmini flushed crimson. ‘Then she laughed and asked how soon I could get there for pick-up.’ The more he spoke, the quieter his words became, and the more his body vibrated in his seat.

  The omelet Alyssa had eaten earlier threatened to make a reappearance. She really hoped there was a special place in hell reserved for people like Yarmini, the men who’d paid to torture the girls, and Tatiana Salazar, too. She shot a quick glance at Cord, knowing he had to be thinking about Shelley. Despite the way his fingers clenched into fists, he maintained his composure.

  ‘What about that brand on Meghan’s hip?’ Cord asked.

  ‘Tatiana wanted buyers to remember the girls came from her, so she chose the Rosenfelt logo since we both work for Rosenfelt Holdings. She found it amusing.’ His cheeks burned, and he dropped his chin to his chest. ‘She has a twisted sense of humor.’

  ‘Yeah, that’s some sort of humor. Kidnapping girls and collecting large sums of money so men can torture and rape them? Excuse me for failing to see the humor in any of that.’

  The lines around Spencer McKay’s mouth tightened as he focused his laser stare on Alyssa. ‘Careful there, Detective. Remember, my client is choosing to cooperate. That could always end. Now, for the record, he never stated that this situation was funny; he simply theorized about this Tatiana’s personality.’

  Alyssa matched McKay’s glare then continued with the interrogation. ‘So, you get the call that Meghan is no longer useful to this organization’ – her lip curled into a sneer – ‘you arrive at the designated place to pick her up, and then you transport her to the hotel. What happened after that?’ The underlying tremble in her voice hinted at the anger bubbling just below the surface.

  Yarmini angled his body away from the three other occupants of the room and punched his fists against his thighs. He spoke barely above a whisper when he finally answered. ‘I just figured she was already, you know, and so I asked her if it was okay. I mean, I didn’t think it was rape if she agreed to it.’ His arms pressed tighter into his sides even as he continued pummeling his thighs.

  Cord’s teeth gnashed together. ‘You didn’t think it was rape if you took advantage of a fourteen-year-old girl who’d already been raped and tortured, and in your own words, was “used goods”? In what universe would that be considered anything but rape?’

  One of Yarmini’s hands reached up and pulled at his hair. ‘She said yeah,’ he said weakly.

  ‘She said yeah? Just like that? You sure about that?’ Alyssa watched Cord’s face flush crimson and the tendons in his neck tighten as he tried to rein in his temper.

  Yarmini used the sleeve of his jumpsuit to wipe the sweat beading on his brows. ‘Well, not exactly. She just kind of nodded and rolled over.’ His gaze was still averted from the other occupants of the room.

  ‘She nodded and rolled over, and you took that as assent?’ Blood pounded in Alyssa’s ears. The man in front of her wasn’t just sick and twisted, but apparently stupid as well. A sharp pain in her palm ricocheted up her arm, and she realized she’d been squeezing her fists so tightly that her fingernails had sliced tiny crescent-shaped figures into her hand. She wiped the light line of blood off on her pants.

  ‘I don’t know what happened. I got—’ Yarmini shook his head back and forth, not finishing his sentence. ‘And then she suddenly stopped breathing, and she never started again. I panicked and dropped her off downtown. And then I dumped my car.’ His upper body hunched forward, and his arms crawled around his middle.

  Alyssa found it difficult – if not impossible – to feel anything but anger and disgust toward him. ‘When we discovered Meghan’s body, she was wearing clothes that didn’t belong to her. Explain that.’

  Yarmini’s legs bounced, and he rubbed his hands up and down his thighs as his gaze flew around the room. ‘Tatiana kept all the clothes from her first operation. And before you ask, I don’t know why. I just grabbed something from the box I thought would look sexy and dressed her in that.’

  Alyssa was aware that one of the evidence technicians had uncovered a cardboard box containing clothing in one of the rooms when they’d searched the Placitas property but believed the clothes belonged to the girls in the house. Those items had been sent to the lab for testing in hopes they’d uncover a link to one or several of the men involved.

  Alyssa’s pulse quickened. ‘What do you mean by “her first operation”?’

  Yarmini’s face paled even more, and he dropped his head into his hands. Alyssa suspected it was because he thought they’d already known.

  About ten seconds later, he raised his head, glanced once at the door, then at the red blinking light on the recorder. His shoulders drooped as he spoke. ‘The Placitas property was the second, more high-end operation. About a year ago, Tatiana ran a trafficking ring out of southern New Mexico for about six months. She mostly targeted prostitutes and undocumented immigrants because their disappearances would be less likely to send up any red flags to the authorities.’

  ‘What changed?’ Alyssa was holding on to her fraying temper by a fine thread, and one glance at Cord convinced her he was, too.

  ‘Tatiana and I were having drinks one night late November, and after a few shots of tequila, she told me how her ex had frittered away her father’s funds – apparently legally – and she wanted to make more money, faster.’ He shifted in his chair. ‘She told me she was thinking of turning her operation into a more ‘high-end, specialized’ one, but we’d need ‘cleaner’ girls. And she thought her property in Placitas was classy enough and far enough back from prying eyes.’

  Cord piped in, anger and disgust evident in the tone of his voice. ‘And how about you, Mr. Yarmini? For Tatiana Salazar, it was about money. What was in it for you? The thrill of degrading and abusing women?’

  To Alyssa’s surprise, Steve didn’t shy away from Cord’s angry glare. ‘I’d gone deep into debt over my gambling addiction –
I owed a loan shark a hundred grand at an interest rate of thirty percent. I got scared and told Tatiana about it. A week later, she approached me with her idea. I wasn’t sold on it right away. Then she offered seven percent of profits, and all I had to do was transport the girls she no longer needed out. I wouldn’t have to be involved with finding or getting the girls. She said she’d find someone else for that.’ He spoke nonstop, his voice never altering from the monotonous tone of someone who knew he’d sold whatever soul he had to the devil. ‘Money from the first operation was good, so when she dropped the idea of making more while being able to stay closer to home, I jumped at it.’

  Alyssa brought the questioning back around to something that had bothered her since she’d realized the picture on Lorna Price’s phone was that of Steve Yarmini.

  ‘You’d already cleared out of your house by the time we discovered the Viper, so tell me, what brought you back to Hotel Camino in the early hours of Saturday morning?’

  One arm dropped and hung loosely at his side while the other rose to hold his head in his hand. ‘I thought I’d lost my watch. It was a gift from my mother, and it had my name etched on the back. I was afraid.’

  To Alyssa’s knowledge, no watch had been discovered.

  A self-deprecating laugh escaped. ‘It turned out it was in the bottom of my suitcase.’

  ‘Tell us something, Mr. Yarmini. What made you decide to cooperate today? Aside from hoping to cop a plea deal?’

  His breath hitched. ‘I know you won’t believe this, but… maybe I can’t make it right, what I did, but I can try to help stop it from happening again.’

  Even though something in the way he said it made Alyssa believe him, she felt zero sympathy for the man in front of her.

  ‘Who picked you up after you tumbled your car over the cliff?’

  ‘I don’t know.’

  ‘You don’t know?’

  ‘No, some guy saw me walking and asked if I wanted a ride. I said yes, gave him twenty bucks, and had him drop me off about a mile from my house.’