by Terry Keys
Stacy noticed me first and made a beeline for a door in the back of the room. The music and chanting was so loud that none of them had heard me kick my way inside. Stacy’s grandmother had her eyes closed and was fully into her sickening voodoo madness. The third woman—Brittany, I presumed—followed Stacy in a full-out sprint. I thought about giving chase, but the only thing on my mind was Karen.
“Freeze!” I shouted, but it was no use.
Stacy’s grandmother looked up at me in shock. She turned like she was reaching for something, and I fired a warning shot near her feet.
“Don’t make me shoot you, because I will. Lay down face-first, and put your hands behind your back. I’m placing you under arrest.”
The old lady complied. I cuffed her and dialed 911 as I ran over to check on Karen. I was angrier than I’d ever been in my life. Karen’s eyes fluttered, opened, and then closed again. Her little body was cold and limp. She was soaked in blood. Had she been cut? I searched all over her body but I didn’t see any cuts right off. Some sort of tape still covered her mouth. I did my best not to hurt her as I peeled the tape off her mouth.
“My name is Detective David Porter, HPD. I’m at thirty-two fifteen LaCrouix Street. I need an ambulance and police backup immediately. Two murder suspects fled on foot.”
I figured either one or both cars would be gone, so I gave the operator both makes and models along with the plate numbers which I’d memorized.
Karen’s breathing was shallow, and she was totally unresponsive. It was shallow enough that I felt CPR was needed, so I began compressions.
“It’s too late; she gone now. We take her to da other side,” Stacy’s grandmother said.
“Shut up! You shut up now!”
I couldn’t be too late. I just couldn’t be. I continued with the compressions, and it seemed like her breathing was slowly improving.
“Karen, it’s me, dad,” I pleaded with her. “Wake up, Karen! Talk to me.”
This couldn’t be happening. Not like this.
“I tell you already; she gone. She be free now.”
“You evil bitch!” I yelled, shoving my gun in her face. “What did you do to her?”
“No matter now; you’s too late,” she said.
I turned back to Karen. As I knelt down beside her, she opened her eyes and let out a bloodcurdling scream.
I hugged her tight and tried to calm her. I doubted she could hear my voice over the screaming.
“Police! Freeze!” a cop yelled from the top of the basement staircase.
“I’m HPD. Here’s my badge,” I said, pointing inside my jacket. “I have the one you want handcuffed over here.”
The ambulance arrived, and I ushered the EMTs over to Karen.
“Daddy!” Karen had opened her eyes again and finally saw me—really saw me.
“Karen! Hey, baby. Daddy’s here.”
Karen was still crying. It was a deep, hard cry and I could tell she was still trying to figure it all out. “How did you find me? I thought I’d never see you again.”
“Don’t worry about that right now, sweetie. Just relax and let these good people take care of you.”
Chapter 28
I piled into the ambulance with Karen and held her hand as tight as I could for the duration of the trip to the hospital. I don’t think I’ll ever let go of her again. Stacy’s grandmother was being taken in for booking. For now, the only thing I could pin on her was endangerment of a child. I was hoping to add aiding and abetting to that list, too.
The one thing I needed to do more than anything was to call Miranda. I was eager to tell her and frightened at the same time. I worried that Karen might never be able to get those horrifying images out of her young mind.
I punched in her number. The phone couldn’t connect fast enough. Before Miranda could even finish saying hello, I interrupted her. “Miranda, I found her!” I wanted to get the words out before she had a chance to say anything else.
I heard a clatter as Miranda’s phone dropped to the floor. Then I listened, helpless, to my wife’s anguished wailing. It overwhelmed me, and I found myself crying along with her.
“Don’t cry, Daddy. I’m okay now. You saved me!”
“I know, baby. I know. Daddy’s just really happy.”
I stayed on the line until Miranda returned to the phone.
“Is she okay, David?”
“I think she’s going to be fine, yes.”
“Put her on the phone. I want to hear her voice.”
I hit the speaker button and laid my phone down between us.
“Hi, Mommy!”
“Oh baby!” Miranda said, choking back tears.
“Don’t worry about me, Mommy. I’m okay. Daddy found me!”
“Your dad is the best. He loves you so much. We both love you so much, baby.”
“I gotta go now, Mommy. I love you, too.”
“Okay, sweetie. Mommy will see you real soon.”
When Miranda hung up, I called De Luca. I needed their report on the Carl Blake murder. I also wanted to let everyone in Houston know the latest.
“Porter, Lafitte and I were just about to call you. We just finished up the Carl Blake crime scene investigation.”
“Good. I want to hear every detail, but it’ll have to wait a few hours.”
“Why? Is everything okay?”
“Everything is better than okay.” I felt the tears well up again as I looked into Karen’s eyes.
“Porter?”
“I’m here. I found Karen. She’s with me now.”
“Wait, what? When?”
“Within the last hour. That’s what I was calling to tell you.”
“Porter, that’s amazing! I guess your hunch was right all along. What about Stacy?”
“I’ll do you one better. Both Stacy and Brittany are here in Louisiana. I stormed into the basement and found both of them. They escaped out a back door before I could apprehend them. I was more concerned with tending to Karen.”
“You made the right move.”
“I did get her grandmother. She’s in custody now. I’ll call you and Lafitte in a few hours for a debriefing on the Carl Blake crime scene. We’re getting Karen a once-over, and then I’ll get her on a plane back home.”
“Wait. So, you aren’t coming back to Houston with her?”
“No. Call you soon.”
I could do my job and handle this case, even if it involved my little girl. I’d found her, and after I got her safely back to Houston, I would track down the other two I came for. I’d come too far, and I’d never be able to rest knowing Stacy and Brittany were still out there. They’d surely come for me if I didn’t find them first.
Chapter 29
Stacy and Brittany were both traveling east on I-10, moving quickly but not so fast that they would be stopped. They needed to ditch their cars and get new ones in case Porter had given their plate numbers to the cops.
Stacy got in the right lane and exited the freeway. She saw a Walmart up ahead and figured it would be a good place to make a car exchange. Brittany followed a few car lengths behind.
Stacy drove around the parking lot in search of an easy mark. It had to be toward the outer edge of the parking lot. She came to a stop and waived Brittany to pull up beside her.
“There’s one security guard making rounds. Go to the other side of the parking lot, get out, and raise your hood. Disconnect your battery. Be sure to park so he’ll have his back to this side of the parking lot when he gets under your hood. I’m going to take this white Maxima to my left. Be sure to flag him down when he comes near you. After he reconnects your battery, drive around to the back of the store. That’s where we’ll leave your car. I’ll be waiting for you back there.”
“Got it.”
“It’ll take some time for them to realize we’ve ditched these cars and hopefully an hour or so before this one is reported stolen. I noticed the stickers on the back window of the Maxima—soccer mom with three kids. She also had
a huge grocery list in her hand as she walked into the store, so she’ll be awhile.”
Brittany did as she’d been instructed, and, just like clockwork, the security guard drove over to help the damsel in distress. Pathetic, Stacy thought. Go time!
Stacy got out and jimmied the door. Within no time, she had the car hot-wired.
She drove the Maxima to the back of the store, pulled into a parking spot, and waited for Brittany.
“What the hell is she doing? Come on, Brittany, damn it.”
One minute. Two minutes. Three minutes. Four. Finally, Stacy could see Brittany’s car coming around the corner.
“Get in! Let’s go,” Stacy yelled as Brittany jumped out of her car.
In less than a minute they were back on the Interstate.
“What was that all about?” Stacy said.
“You mean, what took me so long?”
“Yes, that’s exactly what I mean,” Stacy said, giving her sister a hard stare.
Brittany grinned. “Well, I didn’t want it to seem too obvious that I didn’t really need his help. And he was kinda cute.”
Stacy rolled her eyes and focused on the road. “Jiminy Cricket.”
“So where to?”
“Mississippi and Florida are next. I’m quite certain those incest breeding grounds will have plenty of bad boys to choose from.”
Chapter 30
Stacy and Brittany drove straight through Louisiana to Mississippi. Brittany wanted to talk about their grandmother, but she was afraid Stacy would come unglued. They both knew the odds of ever seeing her again were slim to none. And much closer to the none side. But they both knew she wouldn’t talk. Not to a cop. Ever. She’d rot in jail for the rest of her life before she’d say a word.
But now that Porter had searched her out, what else would he find back at her house? Would he even go back and look? She was afraid he would.
“Grammy—”
“Don’t, Brittany. Grammy knew the risks. She’s a brave soldier. Don’t even go there.”
Brittany wanted to say more but she didn’t. And Stacy was right; Grammy knew the risks. After all, this whole rapist killer movement was her idea.
“If Porter goes back to Grammy’s house, he could find everything.”
“Brittany, don’t you fucking think I know that already? Jesus.”
“I was just saying. Don’t be such a bitch, Stacy.”
“Well, what were we supposed to do, hang around and get everything while he stood and watched?”
Brittany didn’t respond. It was no use.
“Listen, kiddo, I’m sorry. Yes, I know if Porter goes back, he could find the vault, and he would have all of our information at his fingertips—from our leadership structure to our members. I been thinking of ways to stop him from doing that.”
“How?”
“I’m thinking about having one of the girls go in and torch the place tonight. Probably the best thing we could do.”
“I like that idea, Stacy. Right now he’s probably at the hospital with his little girl. No way he makes it back by tonight.”
“Well, I wouldn’t put it past him. Either way, it’s going up in flames tonight.”
They drove on in silence until they reached Gulfport, Mississippi. Stacy exited the highway and stopped when she reached a wooded area on the outskirts of town.
"So what’s the plan, Stacy?”
“Plan is simple. We camp out here till nightfall. Tonight we’ll go into town and find some new clothes, doll ourselves up a bit, and see what kind of fun we can get into.”
“You have someone in mind for the burn job tonight? We could send her in to get the vault and stuff before she burns it.”
“Too risky. We have all the information safely stored, so there’s no need for the hard copies. And yes, I do have someone in mind. We have plans for everything. I’m going to send her a text code eight. She’ll know what needs to happen. Not to mention it’s an old vault that probably weighs three hundred pounds.”
Chapter 31
As I sat in the hospital waiting room, the minutes felt like hours. I was hungry and tired and worried sick that whatever voodoo bullshit Stacy and her sick grandmother had done to Karen would be permanent. How would she ever get those images out of her head? I wondered.
Finally, I saw a doctor heading my way.
“Detective Porter?”
I nodded. “Yes. Give me some good news, please. I could use some for a change.”
“Good news is my middle name, detective. And I do have some for you. Karen is great; actually, she’s better than great. I don’t think she’s going to have any lasting damage. She just needs to get home and get some rest. A little dehydrated, but other than that I don’t see anything wrong. I’m releasing her to you here in a bit. She needs plenty of rest and lots of liquids.”
I sat down and called Miranda back to give her the doctor’s report. I also let her know I wouldn’t be making the trip back with Karen. I knew she wouldn’t be happy about it, but she also knew none of us were safe with Stacy and her goons still out there.
I heard my name being called from a nurse at the desk. Karen’s examination was complete and she was being discharged.
I hurried to my truck. I wanted desperately to get back to Stacy’s grandmothers to see what I could find. I’d been called twice already by the local PD, anxious to get me to come in and give a statement. I pulled up to the back entrance of the hospital just as the doors opened.
Karen gave me a huge hug. “Daddy!”
I pinched her cheek. “Hey, sugar. You ready to go home?”
“Yes! I’m ready to see Mommy!”
“Let’s get you home then.”
I got Karen loaded into my truck and headed for the airport. I was told a few detectives had offered to ride back with Karen, which I appreciated.
“Daddy, why did Miss Stacy take me away? She told me you wanted to leave us behind.”
“No! Don’t talk like that. That couldn’t be any further from the truth. Miss Stacy is sick, dear. Daddy is trying to find her so I can get her some help.”
A single tear rolled down her cheek. “So you still want to be my daddy?”
I leaned over and kissed her on the forehead. “Of course. I love you, Karen.”
As I’d feared, Stacy had filled Karen’s head with lies. I was both angry and saddened for Karen in the same breath.
“Listen, I need to tell you something. Mommy will be waiting for you at the airport. I won’t be able to go back with you. I have to find Miss Stacy before she hurts someone else or hurts herself. Do you understand?”
Karen sat in silence for a moment, staring out of the window. I hated having to put her on the plane alone, but I couldn’t leave now.
Then she turned to me and smiled. “It’s okay, Daddy. I understand. But I really wish you could come home instead.”
I reached out my hand across the truck and held hers.
When we reached the tiny one strip airport, I parked my truck and helped Karen out. I stood there hugging her for a long time, fighting back tears—tears of joy, pain, anger, pity. I was all over the place.
“You okay, sir?” one of the detectives asked as he walked over to get Karen.
“I’m fine. Take care of my baby girl, or there’ll be hell to pay,” I said with a smile as I winked at Karen.
“You get some rest and get well. Take care of Mommy, and give her and Hil a kiss for me, okay?”
I bent down to give her a kiss and one last hug before I saw her off. I didn’t pray as often as I should, but I said a quick one, asking God to watch over the plane carrying my baby girl.
I stood there until the plane was out of sight. Before I made it back to my truck, my phone rang.
“Porter here.”
“David, it’s me, Wilcrest. De Luca told me about Karen. I am so happy for you, son. I called as quickly as I could.”
“Thanks, Cap. My family needed this. I don’t think we would have—”
&
nbsp; “I know, son. So you and Karen headed back soon?”
I hesitated. I knew what Wilcrest’s response would be when he found out I wasn’t coming back, and I really wasn’t in the mood.
“I’m not coming back right now, and no, it’s not up for debate. I’m going to catch her.”
“David, she . . . this case isn’t going anywhere. You need to come home, spend a few weeks with your family. You guys need time to heal.”
“I know. And I will, just as soon as I bring Stacy and her sister in.”
“I know there’s no talking you off the ledge on this one, but you should listen to me on this, kid.”
“I’m actually headed back to Stacy’s grandmother’s house now. She was obviously involved on some level. Maybe I can find some good intel there. I’m kinda banking on it, actually. De Luca and Lafitte should be on a flight back to NOLA soon.”
“They’re headed to the airport now. You be careful out there and get home to your girls soon. You hear me?”
“Aye, aye, Captain.”
“One more thing—I’m damn proud of your promotion. It’s well deserved. You and your team are going to do a lot of big things. I can feel it. I’ll be here to kick your ass if you don’t.”
After my little chat with the captain, I was kind of second-guessing my decision to stay in Louisiana. Maybe he was right. Maybe I was pushing it too far this time. I couldn’t be sure. Before I could give it more thought, my phone rang again. Who could it possibly be this time?
“Hello? Hello, this David Porter?”
I hadn’t spoken a word and had barely gotten the phone up to my ear.
“Hello!” the voice called again, this time a little louder.
“Porter here. Who the hell is this?”
“Porter, it’s Chief Davidson. I thought you were coming in. Where the hell are you?”
Damn it! This guy was persistent. I had planned on going to see him after I went back to Stacy’s grandmother’s, but it seemed it wasn’t going to play out that way.