by Matt Lincoln
“I wish I’d been able to stay here with them,” Olivia muttered anxiously. “Stupid gunshot wound. I hope none of the cops did anything to upset them.”
I was surprised to find two officers stationed outside the main entrance door as we pulled into the parking lot.
“Tight security,” I noted as the three of us got out of the car. It made sense, considering one of the suspects had managed to escape. He would most likely report back to his superiors, so we couldn’t be too careful about the women’s safety.
One of the officers blocked our path as we approached.
“Can I help you?” he asked sternly. He was a very tall man, a few inches taller than I was, and broad-shouldered. With his imposing stature and unwavering gaze, he made for a good guard.
Before I could reply, the door opened, and Officer Crowley stepped outside.
“Agents, you’re here,” he greeted us before turning to the two men on guard. “It’s okay. We’re expecting them.”
The officer who had blocked my path nodded and stepped aside to let us through. As we walked inside, I noticed that there was an unusually tense atmosphere.
“Everyone’s on high alert,” Crowley informed me, as though reading my thoughts. “I know it sounds cliche, but none of us ever thought anything like this could happen in our town. It’s the kind of thing that only happens in movies. Most days, the most exciting thing I do is collect the drunks and bring them in to sober up. But this? And right under our noses… Everyone’s in a bad mood right now.”
That much I could tell as we made our way down the hall. All the officers we passed had grim, almost pained expressions on their faces. It must have come as quite a shock to them to discover that their peaceful slice of Caribbean paradise was hiding such a dark secret.
“We gave the women the main conference room,” he explained as we came to a stop outside a closed door, also guarded by an officer. “It’s the largest room we have in the station. We offered to call a doctor, but none wanted anything aside from some food and water. I think they were waiting for you, actually.”
“Me?” Olivia asked as he nodded at her.
“That girl from earlier,” he replied. “Jenny. We brought her here a little while ago. When she heard that the other women were here, she asked to come. We thought it would be safer to have them all together, anyway. I’m not sure what all they talked about, but I think she spoke well of you.”
“Well, I’m glad to hear that.” Olivia smiled at him. “We’ll go in now if that’s okay?”
“Of course.” Crowley nodded as he took a seat in a chair just outside the door. “I’ll be out here if you need me. I’ve noticed that they tend to get nervous when the other officers or I linger around too much. We’ve been trying to give them space.”
So Olivia’s assumption had been correct. They had developed such a negative association with men that even the police officers were causing them to be wary.
I could hear the faint sounds of chatter from beyond the door, but it died down as soon as Olivia cracked it open.
Several pairs of eyes turned to look at us as we stepped inside. I could count about a dozen women at first glance. Most of them had pulled the chairs away from the large conference table and sat together at one end of the room. I spotted Daniela almost immediately, standing just behind the group, as though watching over them.
“Olivia!” one of the women exclaimed. It took me a moment to realize that it was Jenny. The first time I’d seen her, her skin had been a sallow gray color, and she’d barely been able to lift her head. She looked much healthier just a day and a half later, her cheeks rosy and her sleek brown hair pulled into a loose ponytail.
“Hi Jenny,” Olivia smiled at her as Jenny came to greet her. “I’m so happy to see you again. How are you feeling?”
“Good.” She nodded enthusiastically before turning back to look at the other women. “Much better now that I know everyone else is okay.”
“I’m glad,” Olivia replied before turning to look at the other women as well. They were watching the interaction with curious, albeit wary, eyes. “I was hoping we might be able to talk a bit. We think maybe some of you might know information that could help us catch the rest of the men responsible for this.”
“We already know that,” Daniela replied curtly. “We’ve talked it over. We agree that it’s fair after what you did to help us. On one condition, though.”
“And what is that?” Olivia asked cautiously.
“We stay together,” she replied with finality. “None of us are going anywhere with anyone alone. We stay together.”
Behind her, the women muttered amongst themselves, some of them nodding along in agreement. It was clear that Daniela was acting as the spokesperson for the group.
“We can work with that.” Olivia nodded slowly as she stepped toward the group. Holm and I followed behind her. Olivia and Holm pulled the remaining chairs to sit in, while I opted to just sit on the table itself.
“So, what do you want to know?” Daniela asked as she crossed her arms over her chest.
“First,” Olivia started, “I’d like to know what you all knew about Cat. Did any of you see her the day she fled?”
“Cat?” one of the women immediately piped up. She looked young and had dark skin and thick black hair. “Why? Do you guys know what happened to her? Is she okay?”
I watched as Daniela’s lips set into a hard line. She’d learned the truth of Allison’s demise yesterday, but obviously, she hadn’t gotten around to sharing the information with the rest of the women.
“No, I’m afraid she’s not okay,” Olivia replied gently after a moment of hesitation. “She didn’t survive the trip to the United States. Only Eddy did.”
“No,” the girl gasped as she pressed her hands to her mouth, her eyes immediately welling up with tears. “Don’t say that. Don’t tell me that.”
“I’m sorry,” Olivia replied as the girl started to cry. “Were you and her close?”
“Yeah,” the girl sniffled. “She was really nice. I used to watch Eddy for her sometimes when she was gone with Antonio. You said he’s okay, right?”
“Yes, he’s fine,” Olivia replied hastily. “You just mentioned Antonio. Where would Cat go with him?”
“Oh, I… you don’t know?” The girl looked at her in confusion. “Antonio is Eddy’s dad.”
I felt like a lead weight had fallen into my gut at that bit of information. That piece of remorseless trash was the kid’s father?
“You’re certain about that?” Olivia asked.
“Well, yeah,” the girl scoffed through angry tears. “Why do you think Eddy was allowed to stay around? Cat wasn’t the first to get pregnant, you know. Just usually, we ain’t allowed to keep them. Pregnant girls and babies ain’t good for business.”
It occurred to me suddenly that Antonio’s earlier outburst about her running off with Eddy made more sense now. He wasn’t just angry because she was escaping. He was angry because she was taking off with his kid.
“Ever since Cat got pregnant, she didn’t take no Johns anymore,” the girl continued, her mouth twisted into a disgusted scowl. “Antonio didn’t like sharing. Mostly she just stuck around the house with Eddy until Antonio called for her. Then we’d take turns watching him. We all loved that little boy.”
Several of the other women nodded at her statement. I noticed that a few of them had started crying at some point as well.
“His full name is Edward Jefferson, you know.” She smiled tearfully. “Cat said she wanted him to have a powerful name, the kind of name that important people have. She said ‘Edward’ was the fanciest name for a boy she’d ever heard, and since she didn’t know what her last name was, she chose ‘Jefferson’ for him. Like Thomas Jefferson. She always said that she wanted him to grow up to be somebody. The day she ran off… I knew it was for him. I knew she was just trying to do right by little Eddy.”
“Did you see her the day that she fled?” Olivia asked
as the girl started to cry in earnest again.
“Yeah.” The girl nodded as she wiped her eyes dry with the back of her hand. “She almost never left the main house, but Antonio was on guard duty that day, and he wanted her to come, so she came. I didn’t even notice when she left, though. All of a sudden, I just heard Antonio yelling. He was stomping around the bar, screaming her name. Then he ran out the door. We were all so shocked.”
“And that was the last you saw of her?” Olivia asked.
The girl nodded sadly without saying anything.
“Okay,” Olivia replied softly. “We actually spoke with Antonio just yesterday. We have him in custody right now.”
“Jenny told us,” the girl replied. “Thank you for that.”
“It’s my pleasure, believe me,” Olivia scoffed as she slipped her phone out of her pocket. “But I bring it up because he gave us a couple of addresses. I just wanted to confirm with you that he wasn’t lying before we head there. Jenny told us that she wasn’t sure because the men would blindfold you any time you moved, but maybe one of you knows something.”
The girl took the phone from her and stared down at it.
“I’m sorry.” She shook her head slowly. “I’m not sure.”
“Let me see,” Daniela said as she took the phone from the girl. She examined the addresses for just a moment before handing the phone back to Olivia. “They’re correct. At least the one for the house I’m almost certain is right. I know that it’s pretty far toward the southern tip, just off of Lighthouse Road. I’ve been here long enough to know that much. The other address, I’m not sure, though it wouldn’t surprise me. I’ve heard that old bastard Samuel lives in a big, expensive house. The Bajari Beach Club is an expensive tourist area. It would make sense for his house to be there.”
“Thank you,” Olivia replied as she tucked her phone back into her pocket. “One last thing. We’ll likely be executing another mission like the one today. We need to know how many more women are still in the main house, as well as how many men.”
“There are five other girls,” Daniela answered. “They stay behind when they’re on their cycle. They’ll be on the second floor of the house. As for how many men, I’m not sure how many might be there when you arrive.”
“That’s fine,” Olivia replied. “That information is good enough. You’ve all been a huge help, so thank you, everyone. In just a moment, I’m going to make a call to my director and make arrangements so that you all get to wherever you want to be from here. For now, we’ll work something out with the police to get you set up in the same hotel that Jenny was staying in. How does that sound?”
A ripple of chatter broke out among the women at Olivia’s words.
“That will be fine,” Daniela replied for the group. “Thank you, Agent Olivia. And you two, as well.”
I felt a little surprised when she turned to speak to us as well. Olivia had been doing such a good job communicating with them that Holm and I had just decided to keep our mouths shut.
“You don’t have to thank us,” I replied earnestly. “What happened to you should have never happened to begin with. We’re going to do our best to see that you get justice.”
Daniela gave me a small, somber smile in response.
“I’ll come back as soon as I get some news,” Olivia told them as she got up. Holm and I followed her out of the room. I could hear the women talking among themselves as the door closed quietly behind us.
“How did it go?” Officer Crowley stood up from his chair once the door was completely shut.
“Good,” I replied. “Well, relatively speaking, I guess. There’s really nothing ‘good’ about any of this.”
“That is true,” Crowley sighed bitterly. “So, what are we doing now?”
“We need to head to Cockburn Town,” I replied. “That’s where Samuel is, and according to Daniela, there are still five other victims there.”
“Cockburn is all the way on the southern island.” Crowley frowned. “We’ll need to take a boat or a plane there. It might take us hours to procure either.”
“Not necessarily.” I smirked. “I happen to know a guy who owns a boat. And it just so happens that he really, really hates the traffickers.”
28
Ethan
After we finished speaking with the women, I suggested that we call Raymond and take him up on his offer of help. He’d given us vital information at the beginning of our investigation here. He’d been so furious about the death of his brother at the hands of the traffickers that he’d offered to do whatever he could to assist us in catching them. I called him using the number he had left us, and I found him extremely enthusiastic about the idea.
“Are you certain that this man can be trusted?” Crowley muttered apprehensively as we made our way down the beach toward the boat docks.
“Honestly? I’m not sure,” I replied. “I barely know the guy. But I do know that he offered to lend us his boat, and considering he knows the traffickers and what we’re getting into, he probably won’t be surprised if his boat gets destroyed in the process.”
I flashed back to our previous mission in Scotland. We’d inadvertently damaged not one but two boats, both belonging to the same man. Raymond Johnson was so incensed by his need for vengeance that he probably wouldn’t care as much as the other guy had.
“After everything that has happened,” Hanks added, “I’m not sure who to trust anymore.”
Hanks, the only officer who had remained uninjured during the fight at the Oasis Lounge, was accompanying us instead of Olivia. She’d chosen to stay behind to figure things out as far as relocating the women. She’d also said that she wouldn’t be of much help, considering she was injured and down an arm. It felt odd not to have her around, but at the same time, I was a bit relieved. If she had come, I would have spent the entire time worrying about her.
“There you are!” Raymond called from the deck of his boat as he spotted us approaching. “Hurry up! We haven’t got all day.”
“He seems just a little too eager, I think,” Holm muttered uneasily.
“Can you blame the guy?” I replied. “Jerks shot his baby brother dead in cold blood.”
“Yeah, I guess I get that,” Holm mumbled. “I’d probably react the same way if it was my sister.”
That being said, Raymond did seem a bit too giddy as we boarded the fishing boat.
“Sorry space is so cramped,” he said as he stepped over to the helm. “I have bigger ones, but this one here is the fastest. Speed is what we need right now, right?”
“That’s right,” I answered as I sat on one of the seats behind the helm.
“Well, then hold on.” He grinned as he turned around and moved something at the helm. A moment later, the boat took off at a fast pace, causing the surrounding water to splash and spray up into the boat.
The trip from Kew to Cockburn would take about an hour by boat. It was a bit of a ride, but faster than taking a plane. Though a flight would have only been about half an hour, we’d have lost time going through the airport, not to mention actually driving to the location after landing. With a boat, we’d be able to go directly to where the main house was.
“We’ll hit the main house first.” I went over the plan one more time as we made our way there. “Our priority is getting the victims to safety. If Samuel isn’t there, then we’ll hit his house after.”
“You think they’re waiting for us?” Holm called over the sound of the boat motor and splashing water. “It’s been a few hours since the fight at the Oasis Lounge. The suspect that got away had plenty of time to warn them.”
“That’s possible,” I called back. “We’ll just have to assume they know we’re coming and go for a direct attack.”
Our faces had already been seen, so there was no point in trying to go for a covert approach. We needed to just move in as quickly as possible and secure the remaining women.
“A police escort will be waiting for us when we arrive!” Crowley ye
lled. “They’ll be waiting by the docks to take us straight to the house. I’ll call ahead and have them keep eyes on the building!”
“Good plan!” I yelled back.
We fell silent then, the anticipation growing more intense with every second that passed.
As we tore across the water, I couldn’t help but think about pretty the sea looked against the setting sun. Right now, the sky looked orange, and the part of the sea that met the horizon looked pink. We were far away enough from Western Caicos now that it just looked like a dark blotch in the distance. All around us were nothing but multicolored ocean waves.
It was admittedly kind of a strange thought to have when we were in the middle of a risky mission, but in a way, these were the kinds of things that helped me stay sane. Drugs, murder, trafficking, missing kids, the list of things we dealt with on a daily basis could go on and on. If I couldn’t take some time to appreciate something as simple as a sunset over the ocean, I would lose my mind.
The sky was beginning to darken when the dock finally came into view. It had been such a busy day that I’d barely noticed how quickly time had passed. I realized suddenly that I’d barely had anything to eat that day, and I made a mental note to have dinner with Olivia that night as soon as we got back. Maybe we could hit up one of those restaurants along the beach again.
There was a large black police van waiting for us on the dock, and I saw two men get out as Raymond pulled the boat in.
“Here we are,” he announced as he brought the boat to a stop. I climbed out immediately, eager to stretch my legs after sitting for over an hour.
“Hello,” one of the uniformed officers greeted us as we got off of the boat. “I’m Officer Stevens, and this is my partner, Officer Anderson.”
“Nice to meet you,” I stepped forward to shake their hands. “I’m Agent Marston with MBLIS. This is my partner, Agent Holm, and this is Officer Crowley and Officer Hanks.”