If She Ran (Martina Monroe Book 2)

by H K Christie

  "Okay, I'll call you."

  "I'll be waiting."

  Adrenaline pumping, I hopped into my car and sped back to the station.

  42

  Detective Hirsch

  Car parked, I slammed the door shut and jogged toward the entrance to the station. Once inside, I hurried past the receptionist and into Sarge's office without knocking or asking if I could enter. Shutting the door behind me, I stared at Sarge. He glanced up at me with his brows raised. "Yes?"

  "We have a major break, Sarge. I had to get creative, but hear me out. I just got a positive ID from Jordan for the photographer who supposedly took the women."

  "So, you found Everett?"

  "I found Everett Poussin, a-k-a Rhett Kinsey."

  "Wait, what?"

  I explained everything, including my visit with Roxanne, Rhett's ex-wife. "Rhett Kinsey is our perp. He is the one who took those women. I need a warrant to search the farm."

  "This is all circumstantial and kind of thin."

  "It fits. It all fits. The women were all patients at the eating disorder clinic where Jonathan Day recruited them for his talent agent brother, Jordan Day. Jonathan Day is dead. Jordan Day had an attempt on his life and is in the hospital. He's told us that the clients that he sent to Everett, the photographer, went missing and that Everett said to stop asking questions or he'd be sorry. He said he was untouchable, like a police sergeant's son, and threatened to kill him if he didn't keep bringing him more women. We have a positive identification of a photo of Rhett Kinsey from Jordan. We have a sketch that matches the photo. We have a history of violence against a blond-haired, blue-eyed woman. Sarge, I am telling you, it's him."

  "Are you still willing to risk your badge for it?"

  "Yes," I said without hesitation.

  Sarge let out a breath and shook his head. "Do you think those girls are still alive?"

  "They might be. If they are, we need to get out to the farm and fast."

  "Write it up. I got a friend who's a judge. He'll get us the warrant."

  My mouth dropped open.

  "Go on, get out of here. Write it up and don't tell anybody what you're doing."

  "You got it." I rushed back to my desk to write up the warrant request. To multi-task, I dialed Martina. "I'm writing up the warrant request. Sarge has a friend who's a judge that will grant it, discreetly. Can you meet me at the gas station near the farm, and then we can head over together?"

  "Yes, let me get my mother over here to stay with Heather and Kaylie's parents. They're not doing great. I'd hate to leave them alone."

  "All right. I'll let you know when I leave here."

  "I'll see you at the gas station."

  Heart pumping, I tapped furiously on my keyboard, filling out the request. Everything in my body screamed that this was right. This is what it was like when all the pieces fell into place. We were going to find those women.

  43

  Martina

  I prayed all my hunches were correct, and that we were about to find the six missing women. After that, we'd find Heather. I walked over to Bridget and Tom. "I need to run out, but my mother will be over in five minutes. She's bringing Kaylie and Zoey with her."

  "What is it? Why do you have to leave?" Bridget asked.

  I hated to disappoint them, but it went with the job. "We have a lead on the missing women's cold case."

  "Not Heather?" Bridget asked.

  "I'm afraid not." Although my gut tingled that we were close to finding Heather as well.

  "What about Lieutenant Orgeat—will he still call you or will he call us?"

  "Don't worry, he'll call me and then I'll call you right after. I promise."

  "Okay. Good luck, Martina."

  "Thanks."

  During the hour-long drive out to Byron toward the Kinsey farm, Hirsch and I talked on the phone and discussed our theories on the case and the tactical plan for arrival at the farm and its search. Five minutes from the farm, Hirsch said, "I'm pulling into the gas station. You can't miss me. I have a team of a dozen officers in six squad cars with me. They're all itching to turn that farm inside and out."

  "I should be there in three minutes," I said.

  "See you when you get here."

  My adrenaline was pumping, I could feel it in my bones we were going to find them. I took a moment and prayed to God those women were still alive.

  Off the highway and on the main road, I saw the line of police cars trailing out of the gas station. I pulled up next to Hirsch's vehicle and rolled down my window. "Hey, stranger."

  Hirsch grinned. "You ready?"

  "I'm ready."

  "Let's do this."

  Hirsch waved his officers ahead and then took off—I followed behind. A quarter of a mile from the driveway of the farm, I parked behind Hirsch and exited my vehicle with my side and ankle firearms in place. After pulling on my flak jacket, I jogged ahead to where I could see Hirsch and the team gathering.

  I stood next to Hirsch. "Okay, Martina and I will serve the warrant at the main house. The rest of the team, stand back a few hundred yards until we've served the warrant. I'll radio it in when it's done. Questions?"

  "No, sir," the group replied.

  Hirsch and I exchanged glances. "Let's go."

  We jogged the quarter mile down the road before reaching the driveway. From there, we hurried up to the main house and Hirsch knocked on the door.

  I glanced around the farm and my heart sank. It was the perfect place to hide prisoners. The door creaked open and there stood Rhett Kinsey. I recognized him from his photo. He said, "Detective, I believe what I said to you was to not come back unless you have a warrant. I'm going to have to ask you to leave."

  "Mr. Kinsey, I have a warrant to search the grounds that includes all structures currently on the property." Hirsch handed him the warrant with a smile.

  He took the papers and glanced them over. He stepped back, as if inviting us in. If you asked me, he was a little too calm about the situation.

  I stepped in and glanced around the interior of the home. There were a few old sofas, a big screen TV, and a kitchen. I didn't need to search further—the girls weren't in there—I could feel it. "Hirsch, while you check the main house, I'll go check the other structures."

  Rhett Kinsey's face twisted before he sprinted out of the house and down the driveway. "Hirsch, he's running."

  Hirsch took off in a sprint after Kinsey and picked up his radio and alerted the officers. "He's on the run, white male, six foot, wearing tan hiking pants and a blue long-sleeve shirt."

  With Hirsch in pursuit, I exited the house and ran toward the back of the property, where there was a small yellow house and a large red barn. First, I approached the yellow structure, pulled on some gloves, and opened the door. A powerful scent of bleach filled my nostrils.

  I withdrew my weapon and stepped inside the small space, outfitted with a couch, a table and some chairs, a rug, and freshly-painted walls. All clear. I turned around and headed toward the barn. A rusted padlock and chain secured the barn doors. With my boot, I kicked at the doors. The chain fragmented and the doors swung open. I stepped inside, weapon drawn. I yelled out, "Put your hands up. Everybody hands up."

  I gasped as I studied the faces of the emaciated young women, who wore chains around their ankles. One lay on the bed, very pale, and I wondered if she was still alive. At the far end of the barn, I saw Heather. It took all of my resolve to not run straight to her.

  Heather cried, "Martina!"

  I nodded before glancing around the barn at the women. They had all raised their hands as instructed except for the one lying in the bed. "Is there anybody else in here other than the four of you?"

  They shook their heads.

  "Stay where you are. I'm just going to do a quick look around." I hurried around the barn, checking for potential danger. There were four cots, each had a bucket next to it that smelled of feces, urine, and vomit. At the back of the barn, there was a table and chairs, a sof
a, and a TV, along with a refrigerator and cupboards padlocked shut.

  I grabbed my radio and reported my findings. "I'm in the red barn. I've found four young women. We need ambulances, immediately. I, repeat, four women, and we need ambulances immediately."

  I turned around to face the women and lowered my weapon. "My name is Martina Monroe, and I'm a private investigator working with the CoCo County Sheriff's Department. We've been looking for you." I could no longer contain myself and ran up to Heather and wrapped my arms around her. I whispered, "I'm so glad you're safe," as a few tears escaped.

  I pulled back and wiped my eyes. Glancing down at her ankle, I could see it was already red and raw. She had bruises on her cheeks and her neck. I looked over at the other girls. "Stand still. I'm going to break the chain." With the butt of my gun, I busted the chain before running over to the one who seemed unresponsive. "What's wrong with her?" I asked.

  From behind, I heard, "She got sick a few weeks ago. I don't know what's wrong with her. She barely moves anymore."

  Perhaps that's why he took Heather. I glanced down at her, feeling her neck for a pulse. "She's still alive." It was Willow. "Willow, honey, we're going to get you help."

  She mumbled something I couldn't understand. I glanced to the left. "Raquel?"

  She nodded with tears in her eyes.

  I put my arms around her. I said, "We found you."

  She sobbed, and her body rocked.

  I whispered, "You're safe now."

  After a moment, I pulled back and said, "It's okay, now," before I hurried over to Layla. "Layla, I'm so glad we found you." I embraced her and told her, "You're safe now." I let go and then used the butt of my gun to break her chains and then ran over to Raquel to do the same. As I freed them, I could no longer withhold my emotions. These poor women had suffered for so long. I wiped the tears as I worked. When they were free, we surrounded Willow's bed.

  I didn't see the other three missing women. "Are there any other girls?" I asked.

  Layla shook her head. "Not since I've been here, but there were others."

  "Do you know where they went?" I asked.

  Layla said, "He used to keep them in the yellow house, but we heard him arguing with the other guy—his dad. His dad told him he had to get rid of them. He made us bury them in the back of the property."

  The thought rattled me. Sergeant Kinsey had probably told his son to get rid of the evidence. Shortly after, the other officers entered the barn with Hirsch. I called out, "Hirsch."

  Our eyes met. I nodded, a job well done, and waved him over. I then introduced the women to Detective Hirsch and explained his role in finding them. As we talked with the women, the other officers brought them food, water, and blankets. Soon, they were in the back of ambulances. They had a long road to recovery, but at least they were going home.

  44

  Layla

  The day they set us free, it had started out like any other day. At the sound of footsteps coming toward the barn, I turned to Heather and said, "Get on the cot and smile." With that command, Raquel, Heather, and I had all scrambled up on our cots, sat cross-legged, and plastered our obligatory smiles on our faces. It was showtime. The sound of the lock disengaging, like it had every day— twice a day for the last four years—felt different. The master entered, pale and with worry in his eyes. Was he worried about Willow? He didn't move past the entrance of the barn. He said, "Listen up. There's a new rule. You will be silent unless I'm in here. Do you to understand?"

  I nodded.

  "I asked, do you understand?"

  "I understand."

  Raquel and Heather followed, saying that they understood as well.

  He said, "Good, now be quiet until further notice," before he slammed the barn doors behind him and locked it. Something had him rattled. But what? Had somebody been poking around? Was it true what Heather had told us about the police and a private investigator looking for us?

  I wasn't sure how to evaluate this news. It could be good news, and there were people looking for us, and we were going to be rescued, but it could be bad news if the master got too nervous and tried to bury us, his remaining evidence, like the others. I stared at Raquel and Heather and then Willow. The sight of Willow withering away in her bed made my heart sink. My emotions had been all over the place lately. There were ups, downs, hope, and despair. Hope we'd be rescued and despair that if we were rescued, Willow might not be coming with us.

  Raquel climbed off her bed and walked toward the center of the room. I did the same, holding my chains, attempting to be as quiet as possible. We nodded toward Heather, giving her the cue to join us. I whispered, "What do you think is happening?"

  "They're coming," Heather answered.

  "That's what I was thinking. What should we do?"

  "We sit quietly and wait?" Heather offered.

  "What if he gets too nervous? What if he gets scared and puts us with the others?" I said to Raquel.

  "That's a good point. You're right. We have to be smart about this. If he tries to kill us, we attack."

  Heather shook her head. "How do we do that? We're chained up."

  Raquel explained. "The chains go pretty far, as you can see. If he goes for one of us, one of you wraps the chains around his neck and then the other runs up and kicks him in the groin and takes his weapons."

  "Does he always carry a gun?"

  "Yes. We have to be fast. It's life or death. We have to fight him because all of our lives depend on it. Agreed?"

  "Agreed," I said.

  Heather hesitated.

  "Heather, it's the only way. We've lived in this awful barn for four years. If he tries to kill one of us, he will kill all of us."

  "Okay, I'm in. We fight him to the death—let's pray it's not our own," Heather said with a half-grin.

  At least she had a sense of humor.

  Sitting in a circle on the floor, we heard what sounded like boots running on the grass. My heart raced. Was he coming here to kill us? I glanced up at Raquel and Heather. We carefully went back to our cots like he had trained us to do. Besides the boots, there were distant noises that sounded like a storm of elephants roaming through the farm. A loud bang exploded before the barn doors flew open, and a woman dressed in all black with a gun pointed in front of her body yelled for us to put our hands up. Everyone's hands went in the air. The woman's eyes were wide as she studied us. Heather cried out, "Martina."

  Emotions flooded through me. What Heather had said was true. They had been looking for us, and they found us. This woman, this Martina, found us.

  I think she asked us if there was anybody else in the barn other than the four of us. Someone told her it was just us. She then said something about looking around. She hurried through the barn with her gun drawn.

  I allowed the tears to stream down my face and for my body to heave. It was as if in that moment all the emotion, all the sadness, the rage, and the anger were pouring out of me. It was over. It was finally over.

  Through my tears, I glanced across the room at Raquel, who sat with tears streaming down her cheeks and a smile on her lips. I nodded at her. We both leaped off our cots and met in the middle, wrapping our arms around one another. We looked over at Willow, who was being attended to by Martina. I think she asked us a few more questions, but it was a blur. The only thing I can remember after that was holding Raquel's hand as we exited the barn and into the sunlight. We were free. At last.

  45

  Martina

  I stood at the nurses’ station at Delta Hospital where all four of the young women were being treated. With the exception of Heather, they'd all suffered from malnourishment and dehydration. Heather was obviously in the best shape since she'd only been held captive a few days. They were still doing tests on Willow, trying to figure out what was wrong with her. The doctor told me it looked like cancer but was unsure if it was treatable. However, the doctor did said it was a good thing we brought her in when we did. She may still have a chance. I prayed t
o God that she did. It would be too awful for her to have endured the last four years of torture just to be free to die of cancer.

  Hirsch approached. "How are they doing?"

  "They’re hanging in there. They're all with their families now."

  "That's great." Hirsch said.

  "Any word on Sergeant Kinsey?" I asked.

  "We have an APB out for him, and we're also bringing in Detective Smart and Detective Yates. I have a feeling, as does Sarge, that they at the very least are facing obstruction of justice charges. I don't know how deep Sergeant Kinsey's involvement was, but my gut says he had to have known what his son had going on at the farm."

  I added. "I agree. Even if Detectives Smart and Yates simply turned a blind eye to the missing girls’ cases, it was criminal and gives all police officers a bad name."

  "I completely agree. Are any of the women ready to be interviewed yet?" Hirsch asked.

  "I was just waiting for you to go talk to Heather. Since you're the detective in charge, I figured you'd like to meet her and be there for her interview."

  Hirsch nodded. "Let's do it."

  I led him to Heather's room, where Bridget and Tom stood on either side of Heather. Kaylie was next to her mother, clutching on to Heather's hand. They stopped talking when they saw Detective Hirsch and me. "How are you feeling, Heather?"

  "I'm doing pretty well. I'm looking forward to getting out of here and going home."

  "I understand. We're still rounding up a few potential contributors to the crimes, so it's best to stay here for now."

  "You really think they would do something to her?" Bridget asked.

  "She is a witness. So, until we have all of the persons of interest in custody, we'd like to keep Heather here."

  They nodded in agreement. "Heather and family, I'd also like to introduce you to Detective Hirsch. He's the one who found you." I smiled and then introduced each of them.