If She Ran (Martina Monroe Book 2)

by H K Christie

  Hirsch shook each of their hands. He knelt down on one knee to shake Kaylie's. "It's nice to meet you Kaylie. I've met your best friend Zoey, many times now."

  "She told me. She says that you lock up the bad guys."

  Hirsch gave her grin. "That's right." He stood back up and looked at Heather. "I'm glad we were able to find you when we did. As Martina may have mentioned, I am working the missing girls’ case that you have seen on the news. I have a few questions I need to ask you. I'd like to do so while it's still fresh in your mind, if that's okay."

  "I told the other detective what happened."

  He glanced over at me. I explained, "It was a detective from Lieutenant Orgeat's team."

  Hirsch nodded. "I'm afraid I'm gonna have to ask you, probably the same questions again, since now it's part of our case."

  Bridget commented, "Martina did warn us we would likely be asked the same questions over and over again."

  "Yes, unfortunately it's part of the process. Heather, I need you to tell me what happened, starting from when you left Sharon's house to meet your date, Harry, up until we found you."

  Heather glanced at her parents and her sister. "Heather, would you feel more comfortable with just us speaking with you?" I asked.

  She nodded.

  I turned to Bridget. "We'll take good care of her. You can wait right outside the door."

  Bridget hesitantly agreed before grabbing Kaylie's hand and walking outside. Her husband, Tom, followed.

  Once the doors of her hospital room shut, I sat beside Heather. "When you're ready, we're listening."

  She let out a breath. "After I got ready for my date, I did what you said for me to do. I gave Sharon a picture and name of who I was meeting and where I was going and when I was planning to be back."

  "Which was?" Hirsch asked.

  "I told her not to wait up."

  "Okay, and then what happened?"

  "I left our dorm and drove to the pizzeria. I pulled into the parking lot and as soon as I stepped out of my car, I felt a piercing pain at the back of my neck and then the next thing I knew, I was in a room that only had a heavy wooden desk and a blue sofa. I was handcuffed to the desk."

  "Do you know where you were at that point? And who was with you?"

  "He called himself the master."

  "What did he look like?"

  "Brown hair, blue eyes. He was tall. Six feet-ish."

  "If we showed you a picture, would you be able to know if it was him?"

  "Yes."

  Hirsch pulled out his cell phone and scrolled through before putting it in front of Heather. "Is that the man?"

  Heather twitched. "Yes, that's him."

  He peered over at me. "Rhett Kinsey." And then returned his focus on Heather. "What happened next?"

  "He unlocked my handcuffs. I tried to get away. I kneed him in the groin, but it barely fazed him. He grabbed me by the neck and threw me down on the sofa. He held me down while he took off my pants and..." Tears were now streaming down Heather's face.

  "Take your time, Heather," Hirsch said.

  "He raped me."

  I fought back tears and rage for Heather and for the other women. For all the victims and survivors. Hirsch handed her some tissues, and she blotted her face. "It was over pretty fast. When he was done he put his pants back on, and then he wrapped his fingers around my neck and said, "'Fight me again and I'll kill you.' He didn't let go of my neck until I almost passed out. He slapped me to wake me up."

  "Did he do anything else to you at that time?" Hirsch asked.

  "He told me to get dressed, so I put my underwear and pants back on. He injected me with something, and then I woke up in the barn with the other girls."

  "And then what happened?" Hirsch asked.

  "They introduced themselves. Layla told me the rules. He has all these rules," she said, shaking her head before going on to describe all the rules of the barn as explained by Layla. "When they were orienting me, I told them you were looking for them. At first, they didn't believe me, but I explained how it was all over the news."

  "What did they say to that?" Hirsch asked.

  "They kind of mumbled something amongst themselves, and then said that was probably why the other guy made him get rid of the other bodies."

  "What other bodies?" Hirsch asked.

  "Layla told me there used to be three dead women in the little yellow house. It's where he'd take them when he would do his thing."

  "His thing?" Hirsch asked.

  "When he'd sexually assault them," she said through tears.

  She was now crying heavier.

  I glanced over at Hirsch and gave a slight nod. Heather needed more time to rest. We had what we needed for now. "Heather, I'm going to bring your parents and Kaylie back in, okay? You did really good, Heather," I said.

  "I feel so stupid."

  "Don't feel stupid. He's a predator," Hirsch added.

  "Is he in jail now?"

  "We have him in custody," Hirsch said.

  "What about the other guy?"

  "The other guy? Can you describe him?" Hirsch asked.

  "I never saw his face, but we could hear him."

  "Anything you can tell us about him?" I asked.

  "I think he was older—the others said they think it was the master's dad. I think he called him that once."

  We exchanged glances. I said, "We believe it was his father. We're looking for him now. But no need for you to worry. We'll catch him, and there are guards at the door. You're safe now." I'm not sure if she believed me, and I wouldn't blame her one bit if she didn't. What she'd gone through could take away one's sense of security for quite some time.

  "You take care, Heather. We'll see you soon," Hirsch said.

  "Okay."

  Detective Hirsch and I opened the door to her hospital room. Her parents and sister were no more than three feet away from the door, apparently waiting on pins and needles to see their daughter and sister again. "We're done for today. You can go back in now. Like we said, we'll need to keep her here until we have a few more individuals in custody."

  Kaylie wrapped her arms around me. "Thank you so much for finding my sister."

  "You're very welcome. I'm glad she’s safe," I said.

  Bridget and Tom echoed little Kaylie's sentiment. "You told us you'd find her and you did."

  "Yes. I helped, but it was really Detective Hirsch who made the final connections. He put a lot of the pieces of the puzzle together. It's because of him we found her as fast as we did."

  "Thank you, Detective Hirsch. We will be forever grateful."

  "You're very welcome. Take care."

  We walked back toward the nurses’ station. I waited until the family was back in the room before I spoke to Hirsch. He pulled out his phone, which was buzzing loudly. "Hirsch."

  He looked into my eyes and nodded. He had news. "All right, okay, let me know when he's there." He hung up the phone. "They just caught Sergeant Kinsey at the border. The other two detectives have been taken into custody and are on their way to the station for questioning."

  "That's great news. Once we secure their location, I'll let Heather's family know they can take her home," I said.

  "Any word on how Willow is doing?"

  "They're still doing tests," I explained.

  "I'm going to head to the station to prepare to question the detectives. Are you going to stay here and question the women?"

  "Yeah, I'll stay here and see what I can get out of them before I head over to the station. Any idea when they'll bring the cadaver dogs out to the farm?"

  "Tomorrow morning they'll have the dogs and a dig team at the farm. The forensics team is expected to be there another few days. We don't want these guys getting away with anything. If there are other bodies on the property, they'll find them."

  "Excellent work, Detective. I guess you're all right," I said with a smirk.

  "You're not half bad yourself."

  I patted Hirsch on the shoulde
r and said, "Keep me posted," before I moved toward Willow's room.

  46

  Martina

  In the war room, I met up with Detective Hirsch. I gave him a brief update on the girls' conditions. Raquel and Layla were expected to make a full recovery, at least physically. Heather too. The doctor was still waiting for Willow's test results, but she said it looked a lot like leukemia. According to Layla and Raquel, Willow had started getting sick about a month before we found them. I prayed for Willow and that she still had a fighting chance at life.

  Hirsch nodded. "Well, I'm glad we could find them. I'm hoping that they'll be able to find the other three bodies at the farm."

  "Did you let Jordan know what we found?" I asked.

  "I haven't called him yet. I figure I'd let him stew for a little while longer. I appreciate him being forthright with us—after they shot him—but I feel he's partially responsible for what happened to those women and am regretting making any deals with him. I hate to see him walk away with just probation and a slap on the wrist."

  "I agree, but I think you did what had to be done to find them. Jordan didn't really want to harm the girls. I think it was more likely that he was too afraid of what the Kinseys would do to him. Although if he'd just gone to the police back then, it could've avoided a lot of pain and suffering for those women."

  Hirsch agreed.

  "When do you think Sergeant Kinsey will arrive?" I asked.

  "It'll be a few hours. They're driving him up from down south. It's likely we won't be able to talk to him until tomorrow morning. Rhett Kinsey is booked and ready to be interviewed. I was waiting until you got here."

  "I appreciate it, Hirsch." My phone buzzed. I glanced up at Hirsch. "It's Lieutenant Orgeat." I answered the phone. "Hello."

  "Martina, it's Orgeat."

  "What's up?"

  "My team is out in Discovery Bay. Based on some of the eyewitness statements, we brought in a dive team. We think he dumped Heather's car into the bay."

  "That would explain why they hadn't recovered her car—or any others. Maybe he's been using the marina as a dumping ground. When will the dive teams be going in?" I asked.

  "They'll start first thing tomorrow morning. For now, they're continuing to canvas the area, looking for more witnesses. We've got the area roped off to make sure nobody tries to remove or disturb anything in the area."

  "Great. Thanks for the update, Lieutenant."

  "Anytime. How are the women doing?" He asked.

  I gave him an update and then hung up the phone and explained to Hirsch what Orgeat had told me. "Well, hopefully, they'll find some evidence. It would be nice to have as many questions answered as possible," Hirsch said.

  "I agree. Are detectives Smart and Yates here yet?"

  "Yes, they've both lawyered up and have their union reps by their side. Neither wants to talk, but I think they'll change their tune after we get statements from Kinsey and son. Speaking of, are you ready to interview Rhett?" Hirsch asked.

  "I'm ready."

  We walked into the interrogation room where Rhett Kinsey sat with his lawyer by his side. The lawyer didn't look like a public defender, not with his shiny suit and perfectly groomed hair. I stared directly into Rhett Kinsey's eyes, but all I saw was darkness. It was like looking into the eyes of a cold-blooded reptile. He didn't appear nervous, or like we had caught him with four prisoners on his farm.

  Hirsch did the introductions before we sat down.

  Kinsey's lawyer said, "Like I explained earlier, Detective, my client has nothing to say and denies these preposterous allegations."

  Hirsch smirked. "That's fine. But you should know, I just interviewed all four of the women who were being held prisoner in your client's barn. Not only did they identify Rhett Kinsey as their abductor, but they also told us of many atrocities and crimes committed against them and others at his hand over a period four years. The number of charges is totaling in the hundreds. We could put your client away for five hundred years or even get the death penalty—which is most likely. Unless he talks. If he talks, we may get the District Attorney to take the death penalty off the table."

  The lawyer fidgeted in his seat, and I wondered how much his client had told him about his crimes.

  Hirsch added. "The forensic team has been on the property all day and plan to be there for a couple more days. Tomorrow, the cadaver dogs and ground-penetrating sonar will find the other bodies. So, you can decide to talk or not. Either way, you're going to go to prison for the rest of your life. The only thing you can do at this point is decide whether you want to die by lethal injection or old age."

  Kinsey sat up straight, placing his hands in his lap. "The rest of my life?"

  "That's right," Hirsch said.

  "Sounds like lethal inject would be better than that, don't you think?" Kinsey asked.

  "It's personal preference, I suppose," Hirsch answered.

  Rhett turned to look at his lawyer and then did a slight shrug before returning his attention to me. "All right, I'll talk. I'll tell you what I did to those girls."

  His lawyer placed his hand on his arm and whispered something in his ear. Rhett shook his head. "No, it's okay. I'll tell them exactly what I did."

  His lawyer said, "I highly advise you against saying another word."

  "You're fired," Kinsey said.

  The lawyer sighed. "You're firing me?"

  "Yes. You're fired. Bye," Rhett Kinsey said with disgust in his voice.

  The lawyer pushed his chair back and grabbed his leather portfolio. He said, "Detective, Miss Monroe, best of luck," before he exited the interrogation room.

  My eyes remained on Rhett Kinsey. "So, what is it you want to tell us?"

  "And before you respond," Hirsch said, "I want to ask you. Have you been read your rights? Do you understand those rights?"

  "Yes."

  "Can you confirm you are waiving your right to have an attorney present?" Hirsch asked.

  "I waive my right to have an attorney present."

  Hirsch and I looked at each other with apprehension. "Okay, let's hear it," Hirsch said.

  "Where shall I begin?" He asked.

  "Why don't you start with how you selected the women and how you got them in your possession?" I asked.

  "You'd like the entire story." He smiled. "Get comfortable."

  He was a narcissist who was proud of what he'd done.

  He continued, "It started with a hobby of mine. I've always enjoyed taking pictures, so I started going to casting calls. I'd take photos of young aspiring actors and actresses, all of whom were eagerly awaiting my attention, or anybody who would give it to them. That's when I met Jordan. Did you meet Jordan?"

  "We have," I said.

  "Such a shame that he passed. He was a good friend."

  "Yes, that was sad. Any idea how that happened?" Hirsch asked.

  Rhett shrugged. "It wasn't me. I don't have those connections. My dad, on the other hand..."

  "Are you implying your father hired a hitman to take out Jordan?" Hirsch asked.

  "You'd have to ask him."

  "If you had to guess, do you think he did?" I asked.

  "Probably."

  Was it that the apple hadn't fallen far from the corrupt tree, or was it a matter of the father cleaning up his only son's messes?

  "Tell us more about Jordan," Hirsch commanded.

  "He was a talent agent. He was the perfect conduit to pretty young actresses." A creepy grin crept up his face. "He sent me a few girls, somewhat to my taste but not really. And then there was Daniela. She was a beautiful blonde. Big blue eyes. Rocking body. She was perfect. While I photographed her, I decided I wanted more than just a picture. I wanted to touch her. To taste her. To own her. So I did."

  "Was this consensual?" I asked.

  "She fought me at first. Quite a bit, actually. She complied after a time. And then there was Aria. Another gift from Jordan. I thought since I'd been having so much fun with Daniela, how great would it be
to have a second. I decided Aria would stay with me too. And then Iris. Sweet Iris. She was my third and the one who made me realize three was the perfect number of wives. Three beautiful actresses just for me. I photographed them together. They were so beautiful. Unfortunately, some of them had bad attitudes about the barn. Daniela and Aria both conspired against me. They tried to fight me, but they were no match. And unfortunately, I had to remove their light. I was so sad. And angry. But then I realized I could have a whole new scene. I kept them in their darkness, having them close to one another."

  Hirsch and I exchanged glances. I wondered what Rhett Kinsey's diagnosis was. Sociopath with narcissistic tendencies? "Jordan just handed them over to you, no questions asked?" I asked.

  "By the time Aria and I were together, he asked me what was happening to the girls that were being sent to me. I told him to stop asking questions, or he'd regret it."

  Jordan had been truthful.

  "And that was enough to get him to comply?" I asked.

  "I may have threatened him a little. You know, dead-animal-in-his-mailbox kinda thing. He knew my father was in law enforcement and that he couldn't go to the police. He did what I asked after that."

  "So, then it was just you and Iris?" Hirsch asked.

  "Yes. It was just Iris and me for about six months. I think she was lonely, and I missed the variety. I enjoyed having a trio. There's just something about having three beautiful women just for you. That's when Jordan sent me Raquel. And then Willow. Both were such good girls. They never put up a fight, and they got along well with Iris. But, unfortunately, Iris decided she wanted to leave. That is when I had to take her light, like with Daniela and Aria. This left a hole in my heart and an opening in the barn. That's when Jordan sent me Layla. It was with Layla's arrival that I realized all was perfect and how it was meant to be. I would have three light and three dark. I put Iris with the other two and made a dark and hauntingly beautiful scene. It was almost as beautiful as my lights. When I'd bring them all together, my light and my dark, it was a vision to behold." He paused for effect.

  What I was hearing was that he'd taken pictures. If they were still around, our techs would find them. "By the end, you had Raquel, Willow, and Layla. What happened to Daniela, Aria, and Iris's bodies? We didn't see them at the farm," I said.