Devil in Disguise

by Heather Huffman

  Rachel felt compelled to say something, but nothing coherent came to mind. “Oh” was the best she could do.

  “They mine a lot of girls from Chatspace. From looking at the chats, I think that’s what happened to your little sister. If that’s the case, they’ll spend the first couple of days…” Rick cut himself off, looking to Veronica for guidance. She nodded and he continued. “They’ll get her addicted to morphine – black tar heroin, actually – before they take her too far. They’ll want her compliant before transport.”

  “Dear God.” Rosemary spoke for the first time. “We should call the police with this information.”

  “They know.” Conrad’s expression was dark. “Trust me, they won’t help you. Your best chance to get her back is sitting in this living room.”

  Rick cocked his head to the side as if he wanted to ask something, but he said nothing when Veronica placed a hand on his leg.

  Rosemary shook her head. “I don’t understand. Why won’t the police help? What does it matter if Julia left on her own if she’s been taken by these animals?”

  “I’m with Mom.” Rachel gently squeezed her mother’s waist. “No, Julia shouldn’t have gone to meet this guy, but what teenager hasn’t done something at least a little foolish? This shouldn’t be a death sentence.”

  “On its most basic level, I agree with you,” Rick answered. “But the issue is complex. Most police departments aren’t equipped to handle trafficking cases; they haven’t been trained to fully understand the issue. Those that have are understaffed and strapped for resources. Some departments recover girls, but there are no resources in place to keep them safe or transition them back to life, so they wind up right back with the traffickers. Julia has unwittingly landed herself in the middle of a giant, sticky web that law enforcement has yet to figure out how to untangle. If a department doesn’t have the resources to get involved, they won’t even touch it.”

  Rosemary put her head on Rachel’s shoulder, silently processing what she’d been told.

  Rachel refused to accept that her sister was forever lost in a black hole of evil. “There has to be something we can do.”

  “Mrs. Phelps.” Veronica leveled her gaze on Rosemary. “I want to assure you that we will do everything in our power to get your daughter back. Jeff has gone in to the office. He’ll be our FBI contact for this. If you have somewhere Rick can set up, he’ll start tracking down any chatter about the abduction. That’ll let us know if we’re looking at an order fulfillment or if she’s being worked into the pipeline. Once we know that, we’ll know how best to proceed.”

  “Order fulfillment?” Rachel was afraid to know what that meant.

  “Chatspace acts as a special order catalogue. If a buyer sees someone they like and can afford the price, these guys can grab anyone from anywhere and deliver them to anywhere with all the paperwork they need to disappear.”

  “But privacy settings…”

  “Are a joke to them. A girl on Chatspace is a girl catalogued for sex trafficking.”

  “Dear God,” Rosemary murmured again, closing her eyes. “I had no idea.”

  Tears sprang to Rachel’s eyes. “I’d heard things, but nothing like this. I’d never have let her on there if I’d known.”

  “Good luck keeping a teenage girl off Chatspace.” Veronica patted her arm. “Besides – if everyone left Chatspace and went to another social media outlet, so would the traffickers. It’s unrealistic to say that none of us will ever go online again. None of us have figured out how to solve that riddle yet. My point is, this isn’t your fault. Like I said, let’s get Rick set up. He’s not quite the hacker Vance is, but he’ll do in a pinch.”

  Rick’s grin was a wry one. “Thanks, love.”

  “There’s a small office.” Rosemary’s speech was disjointed; the effort it took to turn thought into sentence was visible.

  “Rachel can show us,” Veronica offered. When they were alone in the small office, she whispered to Rachel, “It might be a good idea to give your mom something to calm her nerves and help her sleep. This will take a little while.”

  She numbly agreed and went to try to talk her mom into taking a Xanax and going to bed.

  Surprisingly, Rosemary didn’t put up as much of a fight as Rachel had expected — possibly because Rachel gave the pills a few minutes to kick in before suggesting Rosemary lie back and rest her eyes for a moment.

  With her mom squared away, she went to check in with Rick and Veronica. They promised once again to get her the second anything turned up, which Rachel understood to be their polite way of saying, “Please leave us alone so we can do our job.”

  She found Conrad sitting quietly on the loveseat, lost in thought, his head resting in his hands. She noted the fingers woven through his hair and realized why he was disheveled: he’d been running his hands through his hair in a show of frustration. It was a habit he’d picked up since their days together. His eyes flickered over to Rachel; he offered her a weary smile and motioned for her to join him.

  Wordlessly, she sank into the overstuffed seat, leaning away from Conrad lest she melt embarrassingly in his arms. In true Conrad fashion, he seemed to understand exactly what she needed. He sat with her on the couch and didn’t try to fill the void with useless chatter. He simply waited with her, his quiet strength propping her up despite the distance between them.

  Her gaze drifted around the room, taking in the pictures, the colors, the well-worn but neat furniture. It was a room filled with life. It was also a room filled with pain, but Rachel didn’t want to think about that right now. At least it didn’t hold any of the nightmares that clung to her childhood home. Maybe that’s why she’d bought the place: she didn’t want Julia growing up with memories like that lurking around every corner. This house was supposed to have been a fresh start for all of them.

  The clock on the wall chimed. With a start, Rachel realized her guests might be hungry. “I think I’ll go see if they want some lunch.” She popped back out of her seat, grateful for something to do.

  “I’ll help.” Conrad probably wanted something to keep himself busy too, so Rachel accepted the offer.

  It almost felt like old times, moving around the kitchen together, preparing a meal. They made more food than anyone would eat. They knew it even as they cooked, but the need to keep their hands busy was greater than the need to conserve groceries. After serving Veronica and Rick, they went through the motions of making their own plates. Rachel pushed her pasta from one end of the plate to the other and back again before declaring it useless and packing up the leftovers.

  They found themselves back on the loveseat, trying not to touch, with nothing useful to do. It gnawed at Rachel.

  “I’m not used to waiting around,” she finally observed, feeling the need to speak but not really sure what there was to say in a moment like this.

  “No,” a wry smile accompanied a soft chuckle. “That never was your forte, chère.”

  “I’m sorry I hurt you,” she whispered, surprising even herself. “I think that’s what I really called about last night. To say I’m sorry.”

  Conrad stared at her, looking as if he’d had the wind knocked out of him. There was such intense pain in his eyes, she couldn’t help but reach out to cup his cheek with her hand. The instant their skin made contact, he jumped out of his seat as if branded then strode quietly to the other side of the room, where he stood scowling out the window. It was a look that made grown men tremble. Rachel had seen it before. There’d been a time when her favorite pastime was to teasingly pick a fight whenever he wore that look.

  Now, she was too stunned to do much besides sit alone on the loveseat, gulping in air and trying not to cry. When at long last she regained her composure, she squared her shoulders and tilted her head at its haughtiest angle.

  “If you hate me so very much, then please leave. I appreciate you being here for my mother, though I apologize for bothering you in the first place. I can assure you, it won’t happen agai
n. It’ll be a cold day in hell before I even spare you another thought, Conrad Langston.”

  He turned to study her so intently that Rachel was left with the impression he was memorizing her. Then he nodded and let himself out of the house without so much as a word.

  Rachel’s jaw fell open. She hadn’t expected him to actually leave, especially without a good verbal spar first. The Conrad she knew would have gotten a wholly stubborn look in his eye as he informed her she was being petulant or rash.

  Veronica interrupted Rachel’s quiet indignation by bursting into the room. “We know where she is.”

  “You do?” Rachel popped out of her seat.

  Joining his wife, Rick glanced around the room. “Wait, where’s the big guy?”

  “Conrad? He left. I guess I kind of kicked him out, actually.”

  “Kind of get him back, please,” Rick ordered.

  “I promised him I’d never call him again.”

  “Your sister’s life depends on it.”

  “He’s still in the driveway.” Veronica tugged her husband’s sleeve and pointed. Without a word, Rick darted out the door.

  “What’s going on?” Rachel turned to Veronica.

  “Rick picked up some chatter about a girl matching your sister’s description, taken about the time Julia went missing. The girl was wearing a blue-and-white dress; does Julia have anything like that?”

  Rachel felt like she’d been punched in the gut. “I gave her a blue-and-white sundress as a gift last night,” she confirmed, her voice cracking.

  Veronica nodded. “The good news is she’s still close. If we move quickly, we can get her back before she’s moved down the pipeline.”

  “Then let’s go get her.”

  “Sorry, Rachel.” Veronica held up a hand and shook her head. “I need you to stay here to be sure your mom stays put. Having family along would only hurt our chances of getting Julia back. I promise you, if we get her, I’ll call you first thing so you can meet us at the hospital.”

  Rachel nodded slowly, seeing the truth in Veronica’s words, no matter how badly she wanted to be the one to bust down the door to get her sister back. One thing still nagged at the back of her mind, though. “Why did Rick need to talk to Conrad?”

  There was a flash of hesitation in Veronica’s eyes before she responded, “He has some connections that might get us in the door where Julia’s being held.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean? Where is she being held?”

  “I’ll explain later,” Veronica laid a reassuring hand on Rachel’s arm. “Right now, I need to go with them to get your sister back. Keep your phone close, lock the door, and be ready to go when you get the call. In fact, I think I’ll send some Feds by to pick you up. I’ll call to let you know for sure, though, okay, sweetie?”

  Without waiting for Rachel’s nod of assent, Veronica kissed her friend on the forehead, gave her a quick hug, and grabbed a black case on her way out the door. Rachel was left with nothing more to do than watch the three of them load into their respective vehicles and drive off.

  With a million and one worries over her sister chasing each other around her brain, one additional thought kept bubbling to the surface: What exactly had Conrad gotten himself mixed up in?

  CHAPTER THREE

  RACHEL WAS ENVIOUS of her mother’s drug-induced slumber. Exhaustion made Rachel’s entire body hurt; adrenaline kept her wired. After a couple of excruciatingly slow hours, she got a call from Veronica stating that she couldn’t give an update, but Rachel should get ready for someone to come pick her and Rosemary up.

  “Pack anything you can’t live without; it might be a while before you can go home. But don’t pack too heavy; it’ll only slow you down,” Veronica warned.

  Rachel wasn’t sure what to make of that, but she set about gathering a few basics for her mom and sister. At least, the best she knew how, anyway. Going into Julia’s room for clothing was almost her undoing. It felt like the teenage girl should be sprawled across the bed, talking on the phone or surfing the Web. Not wanting to linger in that room, Rachel grabbed the first suitable clothes she could get her hands on. After that, she grabbed a day’s worth of clothes for her mom before shoving some basic toiletries into the bag.

  When she had the small black suitcase packed and sitting by the door, she went to rouse her mother. Rosemary surprised her by stirring at the first mention of her name.

  “Mom, I need you to get up and get dressed. We have to go soon.” Rachel knelt beside her mother and tenderly brushed a strand of hair away from Rosemary’s face as she spoke.

  “Did they find her?” Rosemary’s voice sounded painfully vulnerable.

  “Maybe. In fact, they could be rescuing her even as we speak. Veronica sent some agents to come pick us up. Maybe they’ll take us to Julia.”

  Rosemary nodded, sitting slowly as if to orient herself.

  “Mom, if you had to be away for a while but could only take one thing with you, what would it be?”

  “Why do I have to go? Where am I going?”

  “Honestly, I have no idea. Well, I have an idea, but it could just be my overactive imagination. But Veronica mentioned we might have to leave for a while.”

  Rachel couldn’t be sure she was making any sense, but Rosemary nodded and rose from the bed, padding over to the closet without hesitation. She pulled out a small box and handed it to Rachel, nodding once and then moving on to get dressed.

  Rachel stared down at the keepsake tin in her hands, running her fingers over the painted peonies. A smile tugged at the corner of her mouth. She remembered this tin. One of her greatest joys as a child had been sorting through its sacred contents, back in the days when the tin had sat on her mother’s makeup table. It had long ago disappeared – Rachel had thought for good.

  She couldn’t help peeking in the box now, noticing that a few more mementos had been added. It still held her grandmother’s ring, her father’s medal of honor, and her grandpa’s harmonica, but now it also held her parents’ wedding rings and various newspaper clippings from Rachel’s career. She replaced the lid before she could be overcome with emotion.

  “I’ll go add this to your luggage.” Rachel excused herself from the room, glad for something to do. If the agent didn’t arrive soon, she’d make herself crazy. She made the rounds through the house, checking to be sure electronics were turned off or unplugged as necessary. Then she checked her phone to be sure it was on and the volume was up. With nothing left to do, she curled up on the couch to stare vacantly out the window.

  When a black sedan pulled into the drive, she didn’t expect to see Conrad unfurl from the passenger seat. Rachel flew off the couch and out the door, stopping just short of his arms, though a part of her wished he would grab her and enfold her into his protective embrace.

  “We got her back,” he answered before she could even ask. “Let’s get your mother. I’ll fill you in on the ride to see her. We have to hurry.”

  Rachel didn’t fully understand the urgency, but she trusted Conrad enough not to question it. The FBI agent who’d driven him there had already retrieved Rosemary and was loading the suitcase into the trunk before Rachel even realized he’d gotten out of the car.

  Conrad insisted Rosemary take the front seat, even though that meant folding himself in half to curl into the back seat.

  “You can put your legs on my side of the seat.” Rachel smiled, partly in response to his kindness to her mother, partly in amusement at him trying to fit inside the car. He accepted her offer with as much dignity as he could muster and slid his feet onto her floorboard so he was sitting cattycorner in his seat, but at least his knees were no longer touching his chest.

  Rachel had a sudden vision of their first night together in that Louisiana motel. They’d been working to free Neena Russell from a living nightmare. He was there because Neena was his little sister, Rachel because she wanted to break the story. Circumstance had thrust them together; instant chemistry had made it interesting
. And on that first night, when they’d caved into the sparks between them, no one else in the world existed. Right now, she’d give anything to transport herself back to that moment.

  Instead, she dealt with the reality of the moment she was in. “How is she?”

  “She will be okay,” Conrad answered cautiously.

  The emphasis on “will be” wasn’t lost on Rachel. “How is she now?”

  “They hurt her, chère. The doctors are still assessing whether there is any permanent damage. She received some pretty heavy doses of narcotics, too.”

  Rachel couldn’t bring herself to ask just how they’d hurt Julia. Not yet. She’d fought so hard to save Julia the pain of having her innocence stolen by the string of men in their mother’s life, only to fail her when it really counted.

  “Did they catch the bastard who did this?” Rosemary asked, her tone clipped.

  “We can’t discuss that at the moment,” the federal agent interjected, not willing to take a chance on Conrad’s ability to keep quiet.

  Conrad brought the conversation back on track. “Right now, the thing I need you both to focus on is Julia. She was pretty out of it when I left, but the more she comes around, the more she’ll need you. Rachel, Jeff asked if an agent would keep an eye on your family until it’s clear what the status of the investigation is. Veronica said to hang tight in Julia’s hospital room until she can come update you herself.”

  Rachel nodded. “Thank you – for everything.”

  Conrad opened his mouth, but no words came. She could see him wrestling with something he wanted to say the rest of the way to the hospital. As they crossed the parking lot, he snagged her hand, holding her back while Rosemary and the agent hurried on.

  Conrad glanced around as if to be sure they were alone before pulling Rachel into his arms to envelop her in the embrace she’d been craving.