“That’s what I thought.” Her eyes searched his as she bit into a roast beef sandwich. “So what’s it going to be? Do I call my assistant or not?”
Ally, Ally... He ate a whole sandwich before he said, “You’d have to tell your parents first.”
“I already did, when I went to the kitchen. Mom’s all for it. Dad doesn’t like it, but he knows I’d do it anyway, so he gave me his blessing, as long as I follow your instructions to the letter.”
“You’re so incredible.” Luckey finished the chowder and took a drink of his coffee. “That was delicious, by the way.”
Her anxious gaze played over him. “Next you’re going to say you hate to eat and run, but there it is.”
Luckey leaned closer and kissed her. “I don’t want to leave you, but if we’re going to put this plan in action, I have to start things moving. Don’t get up, Ally. I’ll see myself out and call you within two hours.” He reached for the flash drive and hurried out of the house to his car.
On the way to his house, he phoned Vic. “Luckey Davis,” his friend said when he picked up. “TJ just informed me you need help on your case. I’m your man.”
“Now I know my plan is going to work. I’ll need you first thing in the morning. Let me explain what’s going on...”
* * *
ALLY SAT OUTSIDE the ranch house in her car Thursday morning and waited for Luckey’s call, adrenaline pumping through her body. The phone rang at 8:20 a.m. She picked up. “Luckey?”
“Go ahead and drive to the orphanage. Shan was dropped off on cue. Her handler has been arrested thanks to Vic. Park where you usually do, along the side. You’re being followed by one of the crew, so don’t be alarmed. I’ll know your progress every step of the way. Be careful.”
“You, too, Luckey.”
“Always. I’ll see you and Shan at your house.”
Ally hung up and headed for the orphanage. In case she had to persuade Shan, she’d brought the six sheets of paper with the Nüshu writing in her purse. Before getting out of the car, she said a prayer that this was going to work.
There were always three workers on duty at any given time, plus the cook and her assistant. One of them answered the doorbell to let her in. She talked with everyone like she usually did, until she found Shan in one of the bedrooms helping two of the children get dressed.
The bruises on her arms should have been noticeable before, but Ally hadn’t been looking. Now she saw that there were bruises on her legs, as well. Shan had been beaten. Who knew how many times?
Ally played with the children and helped Shan accompany them to the kitchen for their breakfast. “While they’re eating,” she said, “I’d like to talk to you, Shan. Let’s go back to the bedroom.”
The young woman nodded and followed her. Ally shut the door and sank down on one of the twin beds. She motioned for Shan to sit on the one across from her.
“Shan? Can you read the Nüshu language?”
She blinked. “No.”
“But you know about it.”
“Yes. A secret language.”
“That’s right. I have an example of it in my purse.” Ally pulled out the papers and showed them to her. “I’m going to translate what these words say. They were written in blood on the cheongsam of a dead Chinese girl found in Austin two weeks ago.”
Shan listened while Ally read the words the young woman had written. With each sentence, tears filled Shan’s eyes, until they ran down her cheeks and she bowed her head.
“You’re one of the many young women who have been kidnapped and brought to this country. The police have videos of the man who has enslaved you, bringing you to work and taking you back to the spa every night. If you’ll come with me right now, I’ll take you to my house, where the man you saw me with last week will talk to you.
“He’s a Texas Ranger and will take you and the other young women to safety, where you’ll never have to worry again. My father will arrange for another helper to replace you here. By tonight the spa will be closed down and the men involved put in prison. It’s your choice if you want freedom. I’m going out to my car. I’ll wait fifteen minutes, then I’ll be gone. I’m here to help you, but you have to want it.”
Ally sent up more prayers as she left the orphanage and walked out to her car. She didn’t know what was going to happen. Shan had to be frightened out of her mind.
After fifteen minutes had passed Ally decided the young woman wasn’t going to come. She started the car, but as she put it in gear, Shan came running out of the house. She opened the door and got into the front seat.
Ally squeezed her hand. “You’re very brave, Shan. In ten minutes you’re going to be free.”
Knowing that her handler had been taken care of by the Rangers, she backed out of the driveway and they took off for the ranch. Behind her she could see the car tailing her, and fought tears to think Shan was one of the lucky few who was able to escape. There were years—probably a lifetime—of rehabilitation ahead of her, but she would now be able to live her own life. Depending on where she’d been kidnapped in China, maybe she could return and be united with her loved ones. Maybe not.
When Ally saw Luckey standing on the porch with her parents, her heart jumped into her throat. She hadn’t seen his vehicle. Someone from the bureau must have driven him over. “You’re safe now, Shan. Let us take care of you.”
The three of them moved toward the car. Ally’s mom drew Shan out and put her arms around her. Speaking to her in Chinese, she walked her up the steps into the house.
Her father hugged Ally hard. “My brave girl. Thank God you’re safe.”
“Shan’s the brave one.”
Over his shoulder her gaze fused with Luckey’s. After her father let her go and went into the house, Luckey enveloped her in his arms. “You’re a sight for sore eyes,” he murmured.
“It worked!” she cried softly.
He kissed her face and hair. “How did you convince her so fast?”
“I showed her the secret writing and translated what was written. That got to her.”
“You’re brilliant and wonderful and so many things, I don’t know where to begin.” For a minute the world stood still as his mouth closed over hers and they attempted to express their feelings for each other. Ally groaned when at last he pulled away from her. “We’re going to spend all Saturday together,” he whispered against her lips. “But until then I’ll be wrapped up in business.”
“I know that’s what you have to do.”
“A crew of special agents will be coming to get Shan in a minute, but I’d like to learn what I can from her before they arrive.”
Ally met his lips one more time in an explosive response of need. She couldn’t bear to let him go, but she had to. He eased her away, but kept hold of her hand as they walked inside the house. The others were in the living room. Ally took a seat on the couch next to Shan and her mother. Luckey found a chair near her father, opposite them.
Beatrice reached in front of Shan to grasp Ally’s hand. “We’ve found out Shan lived in Loudi.”
Ally’s gaze shot to Luckey. “That’s only about a hundred miles from Changsha.”
“Ask her to tell you what happened.”
Once Shan had finished explaining in Mandarin, Ally translated what the young woman had revealed. “Her parents ran a flower shop and lived above it with her younger brother. She was seventeen when someone grabbed her from behind while she was leaving her gymnastics class after school.”
Luckey’s jaw hardened. “She’s from Hunan Province, too, and is a gymnast. Her story sounds like what happened to Yu Tan.”
“That’s what I’m thinking. All Shan remembers is that when she woke up, it was in a horrible place where men used her and she couldn’t get away. She was moved around for a long time. One Chinese man told her he would take h
er to America and get her a good job, but she’d have to pay him back by working. If she didn’t cooperate, he’d hurt her brother.
“He showed her a picture of him, so she knew the threat was real and signed the contract. She doesn’t know where the man moved her. She was never left alone for a second. The next thing she knew, another man was in charge of her here and told her she had to work at the orphanage to earn extra money. But he kept her wages. She tried to run away, but he beat her.”
Luckey leaned forward. “Ask her for a description of the man who first kidnapped her.”
Ally did his bidding. Shan shook her head and muttered a string of words Ally translated. “She only remembers he had funny hair.”
“What does that mean?”
“That he wasn’t Chinese, but he spoke Xiang.”
Funny hair? Could she have meant blond? The analogy to the Komodo dragon’s split yellow tongue, written in the secret language, flashed through Luckey’s mind. With Shan’s revelation, certain information he’d gathered was beginning to come together. “Ask her if she associated any kind of smell with him. This is very important.”
Another conversation ensued. Shan nodded. Ally looked at him. “She said he smelled like the grumpy old farmer who supplied leeks for one of the markets on their street in Loudi.”
Leeks. A white vegetable like onions and...garlic.
Luckey got excited over the details she’d provided. “What about the man who’s been handling her here in Austin?”
Ally got an answer from her. “He’s Chinese.”
“Does he speak Xiang, too?”
The answer came back. “No. Mandarin.”
Just then the front door bell rang. Luckey hurried to answer it and, as expected, found a female agent from the trafficking division who spoke Chinese there. He accompanied her inside and introduced her to Shan before turning to Ally. “Tell Shan I’m going to headquarters with her and Agent Chen, where we’ll make her comfortable. After she’s been processed, you can all visit her.”
Ally quickly conveyed his words to Shan, who got up from the couch. She hugged her before they all walked to the front door.
In an aside to Ally, Luckey said, “I’ll phone you as soon as I can about Saturday.”
She nodded, but it killed her to see him go. “Make it soon.”
Once they were gone, she turned to her parents. “I need to get to the university. When I come home later we’ll talk.”
No doubt they were dismayed by her swift departure, but Ally needed to keep busy or she’d go crazy, until she could be with Luckey again.
Chapter Nine
By late afternoon, Luckey and Agent Chen had talked to all but one of the fifteen female victims who’d been brought into the security housing area for debriefing. Their conversations had been recorded and would be printed out for the files.
He’d heard a different story from each one as far as where they’d come from and their individual circumstances. But one thing remained constant: they’d been kidnapped in their mid to late teens and locked up like animals. They were told nothing and had no hope of escape. He couldn’t wait to go to the jail and interrogate the men who’d been arrested. But he had one more victim to visit.
A different female agent met him at the door. “This girl is from Jakarta, Indonesia.”
Luckey’s pulse picked up speed. They went inside. He told the agent what questions he wanted her to ask the girl. Soon he got an answer that solidified the theory he’d been forming.
“She said the man who first kidnapped her was waiting for her when she was the last one off their school bus to attend a gymnastics meet.”
“Can she describe the man?”
The agent translated his question, then told him, “She says he smelled like a pigsty.”
“Has she been around pigsties?”
“She says her grandfather was a pig farmer. Their family had to help deworm the animals with garlic and wormwood.”
Luckey reared his head back. “Ask her to tell us anything else she remembers about her kidnapper.”
The response came in a minute. “He spoke Indonesian, but he was big like a lot of American men.”
“Does she mean fat?”
Another question. Another answer. “No. He had a tall, muscular build.”
“Did she see his face?”
More conversation Luckey couldn’t understand. “No, just his hair.”
“What color was it?”
He waited for the answer. “Like the brass sculptures on the church.”
Bingo!
Her captor had to be the head of this particular trafficking ring. All Luckey had to do now was find him and nail him.
“I know who I’m looking for,” he announced, elated, when he saw Vic coming out of TJ’s office a half hour later. “How did the raid go?”
Vic’s black eyes flashed. “Your plan to arrest the man out in the car for stalking worked like magic and opened up the worst can of worms you ever saw. The spa has been shut down and the men arrested. They’re still being interrogated.”
“No one’s given up the name of the mastermind yet?”
“They will. I just got out of a meeting with the boss to let him know what’s been happening. He’s wanted to clean up that area of downtown for years. This is a big win for the department, thanks to you.”
No. It was thanks to Ally. “I couldn’t have done this without your help, Vic. There’ll be more wins when we catch this fork-tongued dragon.”
His friend squinted at him. “Forked tongue? Is that a secret code or something?”
“A secret code from a secret language. Come down to my office while I check my emails and I’ll explain. First, though, I need to call Ally.”
“While you do that I’ll get us some coffee and doughnuts.”
Luckey sank down in his chair and phoned her.
She answered on the second ring. “I was hoping it was you!”
“Where are you, Ally?”
“I just got home from the university. What’s happening?”
“The spa has been closed down and the men arrested. But the big news is I’ve identified the guy responsible for this trafficking ring. I’m positive he’s the one who kidnapped the victim in the morgue. Ally, it’s looking more and more like she may be Yu Tan.”
“Oh, Luckey...”
“There’s more. He also kidnapped Shan and one of the other girls we picked up at the spa. She’s Indonesian. I just came back from talking to her. With the information I got from the three women, I have the description I need to go after this pervert.”
“Were we right when we thought the victim at the morgue had written an important clue?”
“Absolutely, and she provided more than one. We’re now looking for a tall, muscular American with brass-colored hair, who speaks Indonesian, Xiang and Mandarin, smells of garlic and holds awards in gymnastics and kung fu. I’m going to get him, Ally. Give me until Saturday, then I’m all yours. I’ll call you tomorrow night to arrange a definite time to come and pick you up.”
“I’ll be ready.”
“Take care. You’re the most important person in my life.”
As he hung up, Vic walked into the office with the coffee and doughnuts. He darted Luckey a meaningful glance. “Guess I don’t need to ask how things are going between you two. Jeremy wants you to bring Ally over to the house. She has received my son’s seal of approval.”
“She’s got mine, too, Vic. All I have to do is solve this case so I can concentrate on the two of us.”
“I hear you.”
“Take a look at these rap sheets. After what I know now, I think the last one is the ringleader.”
Vic walked around the desk and studied them. He read the last one aloud.
“‘Robert D. Martin, known to hold a US and Chinese passport, is sought for the armed robbery of eight million dollars from a security company in Las Vegas. He took two security employees hostage at gunpoint, handcuffed them and injected them with a poison, killing them. Fled to China and is still at large. Fluent in Xiang. Has awards in kung fu and gymnastics. Aliases are: Dino Morten, Bobo Marten, Sid Marteen, Momo Demott, Angelo Martin. Carries a .32 caliber pistol.’”
Vic lifted his head. “I think you’re right about this one.”
“Cy helped me compare these rap sheets to the list of names we got from the express mail services. I feel in my bones this has to be the guy, but I haven’t tied his name to any aliases yet.” Luckey told him about the Komodo dragon analogy and the residue of DMSO on the sleeve of the victim.
His friend’s black brows lifted. “You figured all that out from the secret writing?”
“With Ally’s help.”
“Maybe she’s in the wrong field of work.”
“If Dr. Duncan had been anywhere except at her office that day, we would never have met. I don’t even want to think about it.”
“What more can I do to help? Use me before the boss calls me in on another case.”
“You pulled off today’s sting with your usual finesse. I’ll never be able to repay you. Now go on home and be with your family. Tonight I’ll be making phone calls here and overseas, trying to zero in on this guy.”
“You’re sure?”
“Positive.”
“If something comes up and you need me, I’m only a call away.”
Luckey knew that. He watched his friend walk out the door before he started scrolling through his latest emails. Good! The one from Las Vegas had come through. He opened it and called the phone number given to him by the police department for a Lieutenant Hayes.
“Hayes speaking.”
“Lieutenant? This is Ranger Davis from Austin, Texas. You’re the one who investigated the case involving Robert Martin?”
“No. That was Lieutenant Torelli. He passed away a year ago.” Luckey frowned. “But I’ve looked up the file on Robert Martin for you and can see he’s still at large,” Hayes continued. “Do you want me to send you a copy?”
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