Chloe leant in closer to her tablet, as she heard Tom announce he had managed to get into it. She could hear them flicking through paperwork, after which they appeared to come to a frustrated finale as it failed to deliver what they were looking for.
Great, what now? Where do we go from here? she grumbled, resting her head back against the pillow. Tatiana hadn’t given her any more guidance, other than to visit the house.
Just as she was about to dial the number for room service, she heard Tom pointing out something to Lucy. She paused to listen more carefully, and after a few seconds, Lucy let out a gasp. They had found a photo. A photo of Anna Gerber. This was followed by the discovery of several photos of young girls. They didn’t though, find a picture of Rosie.
Amongst the photos was one taken of three men with the names ‘Emil, me and Jozsef’ on the back. Chloe could hear them looking up some telephone numbers that had been rung frequently on a recent bill. The bills were in the name of Laurenz Felbiger, so it seemed to confirm to them that he was the stubbled man coming out of the house, and he was indeed the same man in the photo. Tom then found a notepad which contained Jozsef and Emil’s telephone numbers, along with a business card which had Laurenz Felbiger’s name on it. He was the Managing Director of a company called Golden Dreams, which they later discovered was a casino.
Chloe shuddered at the enormity of what had materialised from the house. Tatiana had definitely led them to one of the Chief Ringmasters. Chloe just hoped she was able to cope with steering Lucy and Tom safely through the riptides that surely lay ahead.
Tatiana said she would be protected…but how…..just through Harry?…and did this apply to Lucy and Tom as well? She would ring her in the morning…..she was too tired now. She just wanted to speak to Josh, but she was faced with the dilemma that she was supposed to be travelling back from her hen do tomorrow. She couldn’t leave now as she was sure that she would have to head off to another destination before flying back to the UK.
After careful thought, she finally came up with an excuse for staying longer, and after a few rehearsals of her explanation she rung him.
‘Hi babe.’ Josh answered
‘Hi sweetheart.’
‘How’s it going?….I thought you’d be out hitting the bars by now.’ Josh quipped.
‘Yes …we have been, but my friend Christy has fallen ill with some sort of virus and I am now at the hospital.’ Chloe replied, screwing up her face in pain at having to tell such an appalling lie.
‘Oh no, that is terrible!…is she going to be ok?’
‘Well, it is quite serious but they said she will be ok once she gets some fluids and antibiotics in her. They have said she will have to be in for a few more days, so I am afraid I will have to stay on a bit longer.’
‘Oh ok…I was looking forward to seeing you, but I understand you need to stay with her.’
‘I know, I was looking forward to seeing you too but I do really need to stay. Thanks darling…. I love you. I will ring you for a longer chat when I get back to the hotel.’
‘Ok sweetheart. Speak soon. Love you too.’
Chloe was relieved to get that out of the way and felt slightly more relaxed that she had a free pass for a few more days. So much so, that after ordering room and soaking in a warm bath, she fell into a deep sleep within minutes.
She awoke the next morning to the smell of fresh coffee wafting it’s way through her window shutters from the restaurant below. As she leant out of the window, she ran her hands gently across the ruby geraniums that were the overflowing from window boxes. Looking at their perfectly formed petals brought her a moment of peace and tranquility, but the harsh reality was, she still had a harrowing journey ahead to contend with. Her next instruction from Tatiana awaited, and she knew it wasn’t one that was going to be adorned with sweet smelling roses.
As she switched on her tablet, she caught Lucy on the phone to Marianne. She had managed to find contact details for two of the phone numbers they had found in the notebook.
Lucy and Tom then headed off for breakfast, before returning to their room to resume their research on an Emil Jonas and Laurenz Felbiger on the internet.
Lucy firstly looked up the Golden Dreams Casino, where she saw a photo of Laurenz Felbiger at their Vienna branch. Crucially though, Lucy discovered another photo of the Golden Dreams Casino in Hungary, which showed a photo of Jozsef Halasz. He was tagged as the owner, and was shaking hands with the Interior Minister. Apparently Jozsef Halasz had raised money for a children’s protection charity. That can’t be right, Chloe thought…. something doesn’t add up.
Chloe continued listening as Lucy then picked up on a coloured plaited bracelet that some members of a Sinti community were wearing in a photo, which matched the one Emil Jonas was wearing in the picture with Laurenz and Jozsef.
She could then hear them planning to drive to find the nearest Sinti community, so Chloe quickly gobbled down the last of her croissant, before heading downstairs to her car, ready to follow them.
Chloe had been trailing Lucy and Tom for twenty minutes, when the surroundings started to become more familiar. They were heading to the village that Chloe had followed Laurenz Felbiger to, the day before. As they parked up on a verge, Chloe managed to pull up in a field opening further back.
Her heart was pounding as she watched them head towards the village entrance, and as she crouched down behind a hedgerow, she moved to a slight incline in the road where she could just see over the top of the white stone wall that was surrounding the village.
Her heart was in her mouth, as the whole village came to a standstill when Lucy and Tom entered their territory. They were approached by a hostile spiky haired man, who had a heated conversation with them, before asking them to leave.
As they turned in a hurry to exit the village, Chloe saw a familiar face come flying out of one of the stone buildings. A mop of bleached blond hair fell forward on a cowering female figure. The sound of her loud sobs could be heard around the village, stilling the echo of children’s laughter.
The woman was followed by the same moustached man Chloe had seen the day before, however this time, his hand was raised ready to bulldoze the broken woman to the ground. He was only stopped by the red flag of trespassers, in the form of Lucy and Tom.
As his hand was raised, Chloe spotted the coloured plaited bracelet. Could this be the man in the photo? she thought. As she watched Lucy and Tom speed walk back to their car, she jumped back into hers, but as she was about to drive past the village entrance, a pick up truck pulled out in front of her. It was being driven by the man who was threatening the blonde lady. If this was the same man that was in the photo that Lucy and Tom found, then they were now being followed by Emil Jonas.
‘Oh God, what’s he going to do?’ Chloe said, alarmed. She desperately tried to keep him in sight. As they all drew up to the hotel, Emil parked his truck on the opposite side of the road and watched as Lucy and Tom drove their car into the underground car park. Chloe could see him call someone on the phone and gesture towards the hotel, before driving off.
What if he comes back and attacks them? ….what if he sends word to Jozsef Halasz? ….what if this causes them all to go into hiding? All sorts of terrifying scenarios were filling Chloe’s head.
As soon as she was certain he had left, she parked up and anxiously returned to the hotel. As she walked past the hotel lounge, she saw Lucy and Tom speaking to one of the waitresses. They seemed to chatting for a while. Annoyingly, she would just have to wait until she got back to her room, to find out what they were discussing.
After a half an hour wait in her room, Chloe heard Lucy and Tom returning to theirs. They chatted for a while about their conversation with the waitress, until they were interrupted by a knock at the door. They welcomed two women in to their room. One called Hannah, the other called Julia. They were then privy to Julia’s story.
The horrifying truth of what this poor girl had to live through, and how she managed t
o escape the evil clutches of her ruthless father. Her father…..Emil Jonas. Then the crescendo…the earth shattering moment that Lucy and Tom discovered that Rosie had been taken to her village. Julia had tried to save her, but was brutally stopped. This brave young girl had given Lucy and Tom hope. Hope of finding the truth. She didn’t have to. She was risking a lot by divulging this information, but she had selflessly decided to help heal their pain.
Julia had heard her father mention both Vienna and Budapest in discussions with Laurenz, so she thought there might be a chance the girls were taken there.
Chloe was shocked to the core by Julia’s revelations. The information she had bravely given had been invaluable. With these new insights Chloe knew it was time to speak to Tatiana. She had a feeling they would be heading for Vienna next, but to do what? That was her feared question.
‘Hi Tatiana, it’s Chloe.’
‘Hi Chloe, how’s it going there?’
‘Tatiana, you won’t believe how much Lucy and Tom have found out. You were right, there was a minefield of evidence in Laurenz Felbiger’s house, but not only that, we have linked him to a man from the Sinti community. We have since been in contact with his estranged daughter who has confirmed he has been involved in child trafficking.’
‘That’s great Chloe, Lucy and Tom have taken up your trail fantastically….are you coping ok though?’
‘Yes I’m ok, but I am afraid now Tatiana, as Emil followed Lucy and Tom back to the hotel yesterday. What should I do?’ Chloe asked fearfully.
‘I will discuss your next plan of action with Truth Master Benedict, but for now I don’t want you to worry. Whatever situation either of you get yourself into, the Higher Powers that be, will step in. They would not have chosen the Parkers for this healing, if they thought they were going to be harmed tragically in the process.’
‘Ok…. I will trust you then.’ Chloe replied, still in some doubt. ‘So Julia, the estranged daughter, mentioned Vienna and Budapest. Do we need to be visiting there next and where are we to look?’
‘I will ring you back within the hour and let you know.’
Chloe looked around the room waiting for her instructions. She picked up her table and input Vienna and child trafficking in the search engine. As she clicked on each article from various newspapers and journals, she was alarmed at the dark goings on behind the scenic romanticism that Vienna conjured up.
Of course, there was still a wealth of splendour, with it’s stunning medieval castles and musical history, but being someone who liked to live in a world of vibrant colours, the muted dark undertones of life’s reality was shattering Chloe’s faith in humankind.
What lay beneath was an underworld of specially trained pick pockets. Children abducted at a young age with the specific aim of earning gang leaders up to 250 euros a day from every child worker. Either abducted worldwide or ‘bought’ from poor Roma communities to earn them riches. The more children they had working the streets, and skillfully stealing from unsuspecting tourists, the wealthier they became. The children were not afraid of the law, as being underage they couldn’t be arrested, and on release they were back on the streets again, earning money for their Masters. The gang leaders were the main threat, as the children would suffer the wrath of their backhand if they didn’t meet their daily targets. They were also threatened with child prostitution if they were not successful at stealing, which was usually their tragic fate once they reached an age where they were more visible to the police as pick pockets.
With on average fifteen children working in this field at one time, the ring leaders could earn thousands of euros a day. Most of the children had numerous passports with fake identities to avoid detection from missing lists, and they were usually taken at a young age, to be groomed by an experienced thief until they were ready to go it alone. It was a carefully calculated and well-oiled operation.
Chloe found it frightening to know it was happening, not just in Vienna, but all around the world. She didn’t know how they had a chance in hell of finding Rosie, or at least what happened to her, if this was the case. There were probably numerous children out there, so it would be like finding a needle in a haystack.
She had to remember though that she was going to find out what had happened, but now, after reading the reality of what might lie ahead, she was more apprehensive than ever about what the outcome would be.
Chloe’s panicked thoughts were interrupted by her phone ringing.
‘Hi Tatiana’ she answered.
‘Hi Chloe, I have been discussing the next stage of your mission with Truth Master Benedict and he has confirmed that you will need to travel to Vienna.’
‘I thought that would be the case. Lucy and Tom have booked a hotel there already anyway.’
‘Oh good….have you carried out any research on Vienna yet?’
‘Yes, I have just been looking, and despite it being a beautiful city, there is a disturbing undercurrent of child trafficking for the purpose of stealing and begging.’ Chloe disclosed.
‘Unfortunately, yes you are right. Now Chloe, your next stage is stepping in to more dangerous territory, so you will have to keep your wits about you. As I have said though, you are being protected, but that does not mean that you should put yourself intentionally into threatening situations assuming that you will be ok…understand?’ Tatiana reiterated more firmly.
‘Ok….understand.’ Chloe responded, still feeling slightly dubious. ‘So where should I steer Lucy and Tom to go to in Vienna?’
‘Lucy and Tom will meet somebody in Vienna, and you will be involved in this.’
‘Who and how?’ Chloe questioned.
‘I can not tell you this right now.’
‘But I still don’t understand why I have to wait, when I am going to find out anyway in the end?’ Chloe exclaimed, getting frustrated
‘I have told you that everything has to evolve organically. If we tell you now, you may pre-empt the situation and cause a different and unwanted outcome.’
‘Ok ok’ Chloe responded, screwing up the cushion on her lap in frustration. ‘I understand.’
‘So have you booked into the same hotel as Lucy and Tom?’
‘Yes…Hotel Magdalena…in the city centre.’
‘Ok good…and remember to retrieve your listening device from their room before you go.’
‘Yes will do.’
‘You are doing a great job Chloe. I know it is hard with this being your first case, but you have covered a lot so far, so you should be very proud of yourself.’
‘Thank you Tatiana…..I needed that. It does get a bit lonely.’
‘I know, but you have Josh on the phone and I am here for you.’
‘Yes you are right…thanks again. Speak later.’ Chloe replied.
She didn’t like feeling so out of control. Chloe liked to think of herself as quite relaxed, but when she didn’t know what lay ahead of her day to day, she found it could be quite disturbing, especially when it could involve meeting some unsavoury characters. She could ring Josh and Lola to calm her nerves, but she found it too painful not being able to speak to them about any of this.
Instead she made herself a hot chocolate and braced herself for the three hour drive to Vienna the following morning.
Chapter 25
‘Here it is, Hotel Magdalena’ Lucy announced, lifting up her sunglasses to look up at the Viennese flag adorned building.
Tom glanced around at the bustling pedestrian lined streets, before dragging their case towards the entrance of the hotel. ‘Let’s hope we can check in, as it’s still early.’
As feared, their room wasn’t ready, but after an hour’s wait in a café opposite, they were finally let into their room.
‘I could do with an hour’s nap after that drive.’ Tom said, jumping on the bed and sinking his head into the pillows.
‘It is tempting.’ Lucy smiled …‘but we’ve got to get outside and starting hunting…we haven’t got a lot of time here.’
&nb
sp; ‘Yes …you’re right.’ Tom agreed, groaning as he got up to retrieve the map.
‘So where are we going to go?…..we don’t have a lot to go on.’ Lucy said, looking out of the window despairingly.
‘We need to find the Golden Dreams Casino. I’m not sure what we are going to do when we get there, but we can at least check it out. There is also that Child’s Crisis Centre we read about in the city centre…we could try there?’ Tom proposed.
‘I suppose as well, if we have an explore around, it might bring something to light.’ Lucy sighed, looking in the mirror trying to resurrect her hair.
As they both wandered along the route of the Ringstrasse, they found themselves standing in front of the expansive marbled Parliament building. It’s Greek-Roman inspired statues proudly looked over the Pallas Athene fountain, where tourists were gazing at the cupids and dolphins decorating it. Lucy and Tom locked onto their congregating faces, in the hope of finding a glimmer of something untoward. However, they both knew that they were living on false hope, and the chances of them finding something, or someone, roaming around the outskirts were remote.
‘According to this map, the Golden Dreams Casino should be just around this corner.’ Tom declared, after heading back in to the city centre.
‘There it is!’ Lucy shouted out, experiencing momentary joy that they had somewhere to investigate.
As they approached it’s neon lit façade, they found a black suited bouncer guarding the front entrance.
‘What shall we do now?’ Lucy mumbled, as they casually walked by.
‘I don’t know…should we go in?’ Tom suggested reluctantly.
The Truth Healer: A Riveting Spiritual Psychic Thriller Page 26