by Andrea Drew
Kelly hung up and I dropped the phone onto the table. Things were moving quickly, and I’d need to talk to Connor to work out the next step, especially if he had a search warrant set up. I scratched my head and headed for bathroom, where I washed my hands and face. I couldn’t wake Connor up now, the look on his face early that night told me all I needed to know. Exhausted and overwhelmed, he needed food and sleep. I’d asked him questions but all I’d gotten were one word answers. I knew when that happened not to push the point and to leave him alone until he’d recovered.
We’d talk in the morning. I had no idea how I would fit five children and a young woman in my tiny car, or even where I’d take them for that matter. No way in hell would I leave them there for someone like Jack Regan.
Heading back to bed, I slid under the covers and tossed and turned for what seemed like eternity before sleep claimed me. Then I dreamed of wide-eyed children, Jack Regan with gun in hand, Kelly screaming at him as Jack grabbed one child under each arm and ran into the dark.
All in all, it wasn’t the best night’s sleep I’d ever had.
***
Tony had practiced his poker face: appear calm and relaxed, like you belong here, and it won’t be a problem. He hadn’t been charged with a crime, nor had he been told he couldn’t leave the country, but as he made his way through the security check points, his heart thudded in his chest.
He hid behind the paper as he sat and waited for the boarding process to begin. He imagined Kieran and Jack at the clinic, waiting for him to arrive, with a screaming child on their hands and no way of restraining them. They’d be asking where he was, making frantic phone calls, with no response.
He smiled behind his newspaper. Within an hour, he’d be on the plane and on his way to the Caribbean, to relaxing on the beach. He imagined the panic Kieran and Jack would suffer once they brought the child back to the clinic. With no one to subdue the child, the screams would permeate the office and it would take some time before they realized he wouldn’t be coming.
Tony Vallis enjoyed sitting in the first class lounge. As his flight was called, he approached the boarding area. The attractive flight attendant smiled at him and welcomed him. That was the way he should be treated, not the dismissive abrupt manner that Kieran had adopted lately.
He didn’t like being taken for granted, but he knew now it would never happen again. He simply wouldn’t allow himself to be put in that position ever again. A few months off in Aruba until the next opportunity presented itself. The next one would be worth waiting for, he knew it.
As he settled back in his chair, he closed his eyes and smiled. He clicked his seatbelt into place and waited for take-off. His heart rate had subsided. He closed his eyes and waited for the plane to taxi out.
He looked out of the window as the aircraft gained speed, relaxing his shoulders as the plane left the ground. He was away.
***
I awoke to sounds of the shower running. The clock beside me said 5:29 a.m. Throwing back the covers, I headed for the bathroom, where Connor stood underneath the shower head, eyes closed as he soaped up his hair. I opened the shower door and steam billowed out.
“Connor,” I said. He rinsed soap from his eyes and looked back at me.
“Yep.”
“Kieran and Jack are getting ready to move. I spoke to Kelly. Jack barged in late last night. He’s coming for Lisa tonight and told them they are all being moved. She’s terrified.”
Connor turned off the taps and stepped out of the shower. He wrenched a towel from the rack and began to dry his face. “What do you want me to do?”
“We need to get them out of there, isn’t it obvious?” I heard the tone of my voice, and it sounded shrill even to my own ears.
“We will, of course we will, but if we move them now, we jeopardize the entire operation.”
“Jeopardize the operation? What about those children? What will you do if they’re harmed?”
Connor finished drying himself and walked from the bathroom back to the bedroom. I followed him. “They won’t be, once the warrant gets approved, I’m hoping we move tonight. If my information is correct, they’ll move around midnight. Searching the premises while they’re in the process of hurting a child means more charges.”
“I can’t believe you’re so casual about this. Anything could go wrong. What do I tell Kelly?”
“Tell her they’ll soon be out of her hair, locked away if all goes to plan.”
I couldn’t believe it. He’d been a cop far too long.
“She’s terrified.”
Rifling through the wardrobe, he selected clothes for the day, a white collared shirt with navy stripes. Sliding his right hand in, the crisp fabric slid across his shoulders.
“If her life is run by someone like Jack Regan, she’s been terrified for a long time. Social services will sort it out.”
“Social Services? But the kids will be split up.”
“Fact of life, sorry. Look, we’re close. I’ll probably get the search warrant approved today and prosecute Walkley and Regan with a bit of luck. Then we’ll have a permanent solution rather than a temporary one.”
My stomach sank as I thought about the conversation I would have later that day with Kelly.
Maybe I could distract myself with some work for a while. Fat chance.
***
The screw dog maggot locked the door behind him.
“Lights out in thirty minutes, Reardon.”
He didn’t respond he preferred to abuse the bastards in his mind. Imagining the screws running around like blue ass flies once he got out, he smiled as he lay back on the narrow bed, tucking his hands behind his head and leaning back.
Not long now. It paid to lay low and make friends.
Tonight the bitch would pay, and this time there’d be no chit chat, no tying him up and threatening him. A bullet to the head as justice would be the only possible result, and he was just the bloke to serve it.
***
Chapter 10
Ryan had left the search warrant on Connor’s desk, sitting across the keyboard. He picked up the phone to call him.
“Approved, nice work!”
“Yeah, you owe me big time, I ended up working so late I heard sparrows farting.”
“Thanks, I’m pretty keen to get these two charged ASAP.”
“Would have been better with a backup unit, but the prosecutor wouldn’t have a bar of it. Looks like it’s just you and me, a search warrant and the midnight hour.”
Connor sank down into the brown chair; its edges frayed, and picked up the search warrant to scrutinize it, flicking to the last page and smiling at the stamp and signature on the last page.
He’d go through every cupboard, every hiding place, and take his sweet time about it while Keegan and Regan sweated.
“Word is they’ll be moving a young girl, Lisa, there tonight, so Gypsy tells me.”
Ryan had undone the first two buttons of his shirt, one side of his collar standing up on end.
“Oh yeah, her usual sources, I guess.” Ryan’s skepticism had abated around the time her abilities saved his wife’s life.
“Yeah, they're worried though. Walkley sounds panicked. The deregistered psych went out of communication and considering they’re paying him big bickies, I’m not surprised. I hope the sweat burns him.”
“Just you and me then?”
“Yeah, just you and me. I was intending on letting the public prosecutor in on Gyspsy’s abilities, that’s on a need to know basis. I might rough Walkley up a bit, there’s nothing gives me more satisfaction than hurting a child trafficker.”
He could feel Ryan’s gaze locked on to him and turned his head. No matter what happened, this would end, tonight.
***
I figured rocking up in person would soothe my conscience more effectively than a phone call. I couldn’t form the words, how did someone tell an ex-prostitute that we were leaving her in the dragon’s lair to suffer whatever her fate may be?
; Cowardice didn’t settle on my skin too well. I had quite a few hours to fill until I braved the visit to Kelly. If the snake Walklely and his offside Regan planned on taking the girl tonight, Kelly would need my support, so I planned on timing my visit close to midnight.
I’d promised her I’d whisk her and the children away, and I knew breaking that promise would be the ultimate betrayal, the final blow to a desperate woman with nowhere else to turn.
I walked slowly from my tiny excuse of a lounge room, down the small hall to the door to my home office. The door creaked as I pushed it open. My desk, huddled in the corner, waited for me, yet the room seemed suddenly bereft, lonely and quiet. I walked over to the book case, where I flicked on the radio, hoping it would give the illusion of company, a friend to soothe my battered conscience.
I sat down at the computer and flicked the switch to turn it on. I grabbed one of the files and began flicking through it, but the words swam on the page.
It would prove to be one of the longest afternoons I could ever remember.
***
“Vallis’ phone keeps going to voicemail. Something’s up.”
“Go around to his place. Find him. Now.”
Walkley’s tone sounded dark, and dangerous. Regan couldn’t remember the last time he’d sounded worried like this.
“Okay, I’m on it.”
“Did you get the girl’s file? Have you left it at the clinic?”
“I’m there now.”
“Make sure the clinic is set up before you leave. We don’t need any hiccups, not now. After this, we’ll move that bimbo and the kids somewhere where no one can find them.”
“Under control.”
“Good. Don’t contact me again until it’s done.”
***
Connor and Ryan sat in car, a few doors down from the clinic. The boredom had set in.
Only so many cups of coffee could be drunk, and only so many topics of conversation covered, before the silence enveloped them, thick and tense.
At that moment, a light turned on in the clinic.
“Did you see that?” Ryan sat up in the passenger seat.
“Yeah,” said Connor, tucking in his shirt.
“What do you make of it?”
“I reckon if anything, it’s Regan, doing his boss’s bidding. If Vallis has flown the coop, he’ll be nervous and making sure he does a final check. Here we go.”
The front door to the clinic opened and Jack Regan stepped out, looking left and right, before he pulled the door closed. He walked the few steps to his white car and opened the passenger door before getting in and starting it up.
Connor and Ryan watched as the lights were turned on, he indicated right and took off.
“We’re not going to follow him?”
“No. If my calculations are correct, he’s on his way to pick up the girl, Lisa. He’ll be back with her in an hour or two. Then we politely knock on the door and pull the place apart.”
Ryan smiled. This would be good.
***
Surprisingly, despite my warnings from Li, Regan’s pick-up of Lisa from seemed relatively civilized.
Initially, Kelly had been enraged, but when I told her our plan, and that Regan and Walkley would be out of their lives forever by the end of the night, she calmed down.
When she’d opened the front door, she beamed. Her hair had been washed and blow dried. Kelly peered through the curtains at my car outside and frowned. “Where’s the van? No people mover?”
I shuffled my feet and looked down “Uh, change of plan.”
“Change of plan? What do you mean change of plan, you promised,” Kelly hissed, obviously keeping her voice down so the children wouldn’t be alarmed.
“Connor and Ryan are moving in tonight. They said that Jack will never bother you or the children again after they arrest him. They’ll get family services involved.”
“Family services? But they’ll split the children up?” Kelly waved her arms up and down, trying to keep her screeches to a minimum.
“Not necessarily. Connor said he’d do everything he could to work with you, once the bad guys are out of the way.”
Kelly regarded me silently as the children entered the living room. “They’re ready for bed, but I need to talk to Lisa. She’s being collected by Jack in a couple of hours.”
Kelly kneeled on the floor, running her hands along two of the boys’ arms. “Could you guys go play for a little while? I need to talk to Lisa alone.”
The taller of the boys spoke first, “Is she leaving? Is she being adopted?”
“She’s being picked up tonight, and Jack tells me she is going to live with a family, yes. So tonight you’ll need to say your goodbyes.” Kelly looked up at me. I held her gaze for a moment then looked away. “Off you go.”
Lisa remained behind, standing straight and still in front of Kelly, hands by her sides.
Kelly turned to check that the children had left before she spoke. “Jack’s coming tonight to take you to your new family.”
“I have a new family?”
“That’s what he says.”
“Where am I going?”
“He hasn’t told me yet.”
The young girl didn’t reply to that.
“Give me a hug,” said Kelly. Lisa shuffled forward to give her a hug before Kelly sent her off to bed. After all of the children were safely tucked up in bed, Kelly made coffee and we settled in to wait.
“What time will he be here?”
“Late.” She flicked a glance at her watch. “Not that long now, though. I kept them up late on a Friday night.”
“What’s the plan?”
“I’m going to keep it as quiet and calm as possible. For Lisa’s sake. If I had my way, we’d all be gone by now, but I need to make it work. They’ve already been through enough.”
Impressed by Kelly’s approach, I’d resolved that within minutes of Lisa leaving, I would follow them and arrive at the clinic to watch. That way hopefully Regan wouldn’t see that I’d followed him, and I’d arrive just as Connor and Ryan readied to search the place.
Kelly attempted a smile.
The aggressive knock at the door got us both up and out of our seats. Kelly walked over to the door to see Jack scowling in the doorway. He pushed his way in and stood in front of me.
“What’s she doing here?”
“It’s okay, she’s just leaving,” said Kelly, gesturing at me with a slight nod. “Lisa’s in bed, I’ll go and get her.”
Despite wanting to hang around and make sure everything happened smoothly, I headed for the door. I turned to Kelly before I left. “I’ll talk to you later,” I said. She didn’t reply. Jack stood in the lounge room, loudly tapping his foot, so I left, not wanting to register his presence by looking at him, and closed the door behind me.
Heading out to my car, I started it up and moved it to a street around the corner. As soon as Jack left, I’d leave.
***
Chapter 11
Jack Regan unlocked the back door. The girl hung behind him and he pushed her in front.
“Where’s my new family?” she said quietly.
“Shut up,” said Regan roughly, opening up the door and pushing her in. He put down his keys and wallet near the back entrance and grabbed the girl by the elbow, dragging her toward the clinic.
As he reached the end of the corridor, he turned in toward the clinic and turned on the light.
“Where are we?” said the little girl.
“I said shut up,” said Jack. He lifted the girl and sat her on the surgical table. Where the hell was Walkley?
“I want Mama Kelly,” said the girl. He needed Vallis, to start preparing her. Once she’d been given a sedative, she’d quiet down.
Footsteps echoed through the carpeted corridor, then entered the room.
“Vallis won’t be coming.”
Jack turned. Walkley frowned, his face grey and lined.
“He won’t?”
“I�
�ve left numerous messages on his voicemail. About twenty minutes ago, I received this.” Walkley retrieved his mobile telephone from his pocket and passed it to Jack. The message said, “Won’t be there tonight, too dangerous. I’m overseas. I’m sure you’ll be fine without me. The medications you need are in the second drawer.”
Jack dropped the phone on the bench. “Holy shit. What do we do now?”
Walkley picked up the phone and put it back in his pocket. “This is the last project. After this, we move to another location. We don’t need him; I can take things from here.”
The young girl sitting on the surgical table whimpered. “I want Mama Kelly.”
“I said shut up!” She began to cry and wail, increasing in volume and intensity.
Regan moved toward her, standing inches from her on the table, and grabbed her wrists tightly.
Walkley slowly opened a drawer. “I’ll get something to calm her down a bit.”
The child’s scream increased in pitch and intensity and she flailed her legs against the stainless steel table, banging loudly.
A pounding on a wooden frame resonated throughout reception, reaching them in the clinic behind it.
“Open up. Detective Reardon. Answer the door.”
“Shit!” yelled Regan. Walkley walked around the table and through the doorway toward the front.
“I’ll handle this.”
***
The moment had arrived. The white car pulled in to the dark street, this time parking in the alleyway behind the non-descript building on the corner.
“I’ll head around the back. He’ll do a runner, I’d put money on it.”
Connor played it by the book, heading for the front door. He didn’t begrudge Ryan the rushed approach, he understood it. The thought of inflicting pain on the scum that preyed on innocent children dogged his every moment. The dim light from a room most likely at the rear of the building broke through the cracks of an inner door.
Ryan practically leapt out of the car, sprinting around the back. Connor stormed across the road and banged on the wooden front door of the non-descript plain building with his right fist.
“Open up, Detective Reardon. Answer the door.” He struggled to keep the fury from his voice.