by C. M. Sutter
Jeremy clicked to the other open tab and maximized the screen. “She’s got an hour left. We’re pretty close to the reserve on her too. This is what we need, bro—young, hot women. Luckily they don’t have tats, either. As soon as both auctions are over and the money is transferred, we’re heading to the mall. There are some nice young ladies out there just dying to meet us.”
They both chuckled.
“I’ll give them dinner after Gina’s auction is over.”
Jeremy nodded and clicked on the refresh icon again. “Okay, it’s down to the last minute. Watch the bidding go crazy now.”
They both leaned in closer to the screen. The mouse hovered over the refresh symbol, and Jeremy constantly clicked it.
“Thirty seconds. Look how it’s going up, man. Fifteen, ten, five, three—done.” He hit refresh a final time and saw the last bid. Jeremy whistled and high-fived his brother. “Damn, she went for twelve thousand bucks!”
They clanked their beer cans together and waited for a confirmation from the buyer.
Jeremy noticed he’d gotten an email alert on his account. He always used a pseudonym as his log-in name, as did everyone that had accounts on the darknet sites. He clicked over to his account and read the email. “Okay, here we go. The buyer is from San Francisco. The money is being wired as we speak.” Jeremy sent off an email of his own asking when and where the buyer wanted to receive his merchandise. “We still have an hour before Carley’s auction is up. Let’s have dinner, get ready to go, and leave as soon as hers is over.”
Matt went upstairs to prepare dinner for the three girls. Their meal would consist of bologna sandwiches and apples.
Jeremy turned the corner into the room of cages. His hand slapped at the dark wall until he felt the light switch. He flipped it on. A grin spread across his face as he pulled up a chair to Gina’s cage and sat down. “Guess what, Gina? You’re going bye-bye in a few days. Somebody from San Francisco just bought you, for a great price I might add. That should make you pretty damn proud. You’re worth a bundle to some perv. I bet you’ve always wanted to see the city by the bay, right? Now you get a free trip to the west coast, except it’s permanent.”
Gina cried quietly in the corner of her enclosure while Jeremy leaned back in the cracked-vinyl office chair and smirked.
Matt descended the stairs, carrying a tray with the girls’ dinner. He set it on the small table and ordered them back while he opened the cages.
“You’ll get your bathroom breaks when Carley’s auction is done. After that, it’s lights out. We’re going into town for a while. Liz, you’ll meet your new roommates later. It’s on you to teach them the rules.”
Chapter 23
The profile was complete, and the lieutenant, Jack, and I had just arrived at the fourth district police department. Lieutenant Gibson had several TV news stations there, as well as the journalists from several large daily newspapers. They sat on chairs in the police department’s pressroom, waiting for us to begin.
Lieutenant Gibson started by thanking the press for attending. He stood behind the podium, introduced each of us, then read the profile we had put together of the individuals in question. At that point, he had said, we were certain that an abduction and a murder had taken place. He asked for the public’s help in keeping a watchful eye for any white van that might have two men in it.
Lieutenant Clark stood and took his turn at the podium. “Ladies and gentlemen, I want everyone to be aware that our two counties are working closely together to try to find these individuals. Anyone that sees a white van, especially in the area of swimming lakes, parks, hiking trails, bike paths, or dog parks, please take down the plate number and call it in to any police or sheriff’s department. Do not approach a vehicle with that description. Of course, not every white van you see automatically belongs to the assailant, but it’s our responsibility to check that out. Keep in mind, these men use the flat-tire ruse to apprehend females. Please do not let anyone approach you offering to help with a flat tire or any type of car trouble. Call somebody you know, or a local garage, for assistance. There are still two missing females that we fear have been kidnapped by these men.” Clark held up photographs of Carley and Gina and gave their descriptions and told where they were last seen. “With the police and our sheriff’s department’s joint effort, along with the public’s help, these criminals will be apprehended soon. Thank you.”
Both lieutenants took fifteen minutes of questions from the press. The taped coverage would hit the evening news at six o’clock with a repeat of the broadcast at ten.
After a private sit-down with Lieutenant Gibson and his department where we exchanged our most current information, the lieutenant, Jack, and I headed back to North Bend.
“I think that went pretty well,” Jack said. “With a description of the vehicle and the known locations where they strike, the public will be watching closely. The news broadcast will cover all of southeast Wisconsin. Hopefully those two are still in the area, and either we or Milwaukee County will get them soon. The noose is going to tighten around their necks pretty quickly with the public’s help.” Jack rested his left arm across the seat and looked back at me. “Don’t forget, Gibson said he’d have his people call the places in Milwaukee County that paint cars. We should get someone on that too, tomorrow. Any white van that comes in for a paint job should trigger a call to law enforcement.”
I checked the time as the lieutenant drove—six o’clock. Once we got back to the station, we’d watch the news broadcast that had been recorded.
We walked into the bull pen at six forty-five. Jamison and Horbeck were gathered around the small corner table with Todd and Billy.
“Hey, guys. We were ready to pack it up, but we wanted to touch base with you three before we left,” Todd said.
The lieutenant walked over. “What have you got?”
Billy spoke up. “I checked out the number of white vans registered in North Dakota and Wisconsin. Without a make, model, or year, it’s pretty overwhelming.”
“What’s the count?” Clark asked.
“Between the two states, it’s thousands. We don’t know if it’s a panel van, a work van, a privately registered van, a cargo van, and so on. You get the picture. Sorting through the owners could take months.”
Clark groaned. “Okay, whatever happened with the darknet human-trafficking scenario?”
“I took it upon myself to dig further, and I opened up a fraudulent account, just to get beyond the first level. Finding the bad, illegal stuff is tough, like going through a maze. The only places that popped up were in Malaysia and Thailand. I saw them for barely a second before they disappeared. If human trafficking sites were that easy to access, they’d be shut down and busted as soon as they started, at least in the United States. Other countries might not be as diligent in monitoring activities like that,” Todd said.
Clark exhaled a deep sigh. “Okay.”
I could see the frustration on the lieutenant’s face. “Let’s take a few minutes and check out the six o’clock news broadcast.”
We walked down the hall to the lunchroom, where Jamison turned on the TV. We each grabbed a seat and waited for the taped news to start. I bought everyone a soda, then the broadcast began.
The press conference segment lasted less than five minutes. The only thing we had to tell the press was that two women were missing and two men with a white van were seen putting Carley and Gina inside. The back passenger side tire of Carley’s car was flat. That very ruse was used in a previous abduction too. We didn’t have a make, model, or plate number for the van. We didn’t know what state the men or vehicle came from prior to abducting Reanne. At least we made the public aware, and hopefully they would keep a close watch on their surroundings. That bit of information was all we had.
“Anyone up for a beer?” I asked. I needed a distraction for an hour or so to wind down. If I went home, I’d be alone and thinking of the case, and at seven thirty, I was far too jacked up to doze of
f on the couch.
Everyone was either committed to family time or too worn out for loud music and a crowded bar. They declined my invitation, but I understood the family thing. They had all put in too much overtime lately, it was a Saturday night, and they should be spending it with their loved ones.
Jack walked out with me to our cars. “You going to Joey’s?”
“Yeah, Amber works until closing. We haven’t had a lot of sister time lately.” I shrugged. “If it has to be at the bar, then so be it. Sure you don’t want to tag along?”
“Will you be mad at me if I don’t?”
“Nah—I’m good, and I have a really big gun.” I patted my side and grinned. Twenty feet away, I hit the button on my key fob, the lights flashed, and my car doors unlocked. “Are you coming in tomorrow?”
Jack opened his car door. “Yeah, for a bit, I have plenty of busy work to do. Maybe you haven’t noticed, but I can’t see my desk anymore—too much paperwork to file.”
“Oh, believe me, I’ve noticed.” I climbed into my car. “If the news broadcast served its intended purpose, we may have leads to check out. See you tomorrow, partner.”
Jack nodded.
I took off, ripping through the gears of my Cobra—my pride and joy. I checked the rearview mirror and saw Jack standing with his hands on his hips and shaking his head.
Chapter 24
“I can’t believe how stupid we used to be,” Matt said as he and Jeremy watched from the mall parking lot. The tall overhead lamps glared down on the cars every hundred feet. They chose a parking spot in a dark corner of the lot. Matt leaned back in the passenger seat, his legs crossed against the dash—unworried. A pair of binos rested in his lap. “Between Carley and Gina, we just made over twenty grand. We were lucky to get eight grand apiece before, and that was for the best, like Melanie.” He laughed at the thought of her. “I wonder where she’s at. She’s probably entertaining her new owner in Morocco by now. I guess it does pay to be a little more selective, though, given the money we made today.”
The radio played as background noise, but the brothers weren’t listening. Their eyes darted left and right across the lot—looking for prey.
Jeremy nodded and pulled the binos up to his face. He followed a few women to their car then put the binos back down. “We aren’t always going to be that lucky, brother. Sometimes we have to take the good with the bad. In the dark like this, we aren’t going to see their features that well, just like those two”—he jerked his chin at the car that was pulling away—“because they looked too old. Tonight, we’re going by body language, the way they dress, and of course, if there’s more than one. Once they get to their car and are busy loading their bags, we’ll pull up on the sliding door side and grab them. It should only take a few seconds, and the cameras won’t see anything. The van will be blocking the view.”
“That’s right, we have to exit on my side.”
“You leap out first, and I’ll slide the door open. We’ll hit them with the stun guns and throw them in. You jump in behind them, and I’ll drive us away. Punch them unconscious if you have to. The whole thing will take less than thirty seconds.”
“Sounds good to me.” Matt pulled his binos up and looked around.
“I only need to get us out of the parking lot’s camera range,” Jeremy said. “Then I’ll pull over, and we’ll give them the needle. That should keep them quiet until they’re in their new homes.”
Matt handed his brother a stick of gum. Jeremy slid the foil out of the wrapper and popped the gum into his mouth. Pinching the wrapper between his fingers, he rolled the foil into a tight ball and flicked it to the floor. They continued to watch the well-lit outdoor café directly in front of them on the opposite end of the lot. A mix of couples, families, and a few young single women filled the tables. The theme appeared to be no theme at all, with a little shabby chic thrown in. The tables looked to be different shapes and sizes, obviously repurposed, and the chairs were mismatched. Strings of lights suspended off the aqua-painted pergola lit the area well enough for Jeremy and Matt to see faces and features with their binoculars.
“Those three sitting together look promising,” Matt said.
“We’ve never grabbed three at a time. That might be too ambitious. I wouldn’t want any of them to get away.”
“Yeah, you’re right. Hey, check out the redhead and the dark-haired chick that were just seated.”
Jeremy located the table, then he pulled the binoculars up to his eyes and focused on the two women that had just sat down.
“Yeah, they’ll definitely work, and they have plenty of shopping bags too. Now, we just have to wait them out.”
Jeremy checked the time—seven forty-five. He watched as the waitress approached the table where the two girls sat. She held the order pad but didn’t write anything down. Jeremy moved upward with his binos. He saw her talk, smile, and put the pad back in her apron pocket.
“Hmm… maybe they aren’t having dinner after all. That could speed up this process considerably.”
After a few minutes, the waitress returned with two beers and set them down.
“Perfect,” Matt said. “This should be an early night.”
Twenty minutes, four songs, and three commercials later, as they sat patiently in the van, Jeremy and Matt saw the redhead flag the waitress down.
“I think they’re wrapping things up.” Jeremy reached behind the seat and grabbed the two stun guns. “Here, put one in your pocket. Do you have a syringe loaded?”
“Always, brother. You know what they say about never leaving home without one.” He chuckled and noticed the waitress carrying the leather check folder to the table. The redhead put her credit card inside, and the waitress walked away with it.
“You about ready?” Jeremy asked. “They should be coming out in a few minutes.”
Matt inhaled deeply and let it out slowly. “I’m more than ready. Let’s do it.”
They watched the two ladies exit through the wrought-iron gate. The walkway was flanked by decorative shrubbery, most likely to hide the fact that the café was right next to the parking lot. Matt cracked his window a few inches. The sounds of laughter and conversation became louder as the women crossed the sidewalk and stepped down to the asphalt.
The brothers waited and watched—ready to pounce.
“Looks like their car is parked a good distance out.” Jeremy waited until he saw headlights flash twice. “That’s where you’re going? You couldn’t have parked in a better spot.” He turned the ignition key.
Boot heels sounded on the pavement—clip-clop, clip-clop. Laughter echoed from the left of the van. Jeremy watched the brunette click the key fob again and pop the trunk. He inched closer. “Get ready, bro.”
Matt’s hand gripped the cool, steel door handle. He’d spring out like an animal released from a cage. Jeremy turned wide with the headlights off. He pulled up along the back quarter panel of the car, blocking the cameras mounted on the building. The young women were clearly unaware of the imminent danger. While busying themselves at the trunk, they didn’t look up until the van was on top of them—then it was too late. Both women were hit in the neck with stun guns.
They yelped and dropped to the ground. The women were too far away for anyone to hear them. Matt grabbed the redhead and tossed her into the van. Jeremy slammed the car’s trunk with his elbow, making sure not to touch anything, and dragged the brunette to the side door. Matt pulled her in.
“Let’s go.” Jeremy slid the door closed and jumped into the van from the passenger side, stepped on the gas, and pulled out onto the street. “Hit them with the syringe before they start fighting you.” Several sharp turns later, he ended up on a dead-end street and killed the engine. He jumped in the back and pinned the brunette down. Matt nailed her in the neck, then Jeremy grabbed the redhead. She flailed and kicked him. “Hang on a second until I get her to hold still.” Jeremy squeezed her face between his hands and turned her head to expose her neck. “Just
hit her anywhere. It doesn’t matter.”
Matt sank the needle into her neck just below her left ear. Her grasp on Jeremy’s arms relaxed, and her hands dropped to the floor of the van.
“Man, that girl can fight. I guess it’s true what they say about redheads having bad tempers. We’ll have to keep our distance from her unless we want our eyes gouged out. She gets the cattle prod from now on.”
Matt watched in his side mirror as Jeremy drove. “That went pretty smooth, don’t you think?”
“Not too bad,” Jeremy said as he rubbed his forehead, “except when Red kicked me with her damn boot. We’ll check them out better tomorrow. We may have to take them outside in the daylight to get a good look, but we’ll definitely have to dose the redhead first. So far I think we made a good choice.” He glanced at Matt and laughed. “Ching-ching… I can hear our bank accounts filling up already.”
The long driveway was just ahead, and Jeremy turned in. His headlights bounced off the barn behind the house as he hit ruts and potholes.
“Son of a bitch… what was that?” Jeremy backed up and turned slightly to the right. He hit the brights, illuminating a person running toward the field.
Matt craned his neck. “What the—”
Jeremy yelled, “It’s Liz. How did she get out?”
“I don’t know—what should we do?” Matt looked back at the floor of the van. The girls began to moan. They’re going to be wide awake soon.”
“Is there any Xylazine left in the syringe?”
Matt pulled the syringe out of his pocket and flipped on the overhead light. “A little.”
“Nail them again. There isn’t time to deal with them—we have to catch Liz first.”
Chapter 25
Joey’s was packed, and the music was loud—just the way I liked it. The cartridge made a familiar hiss when Amber cracked open the can and filled my glass with Scottish ale.
“I’m glad you stopped in, Sis. I wasn’t expecting it.” She looked around. “Where’s Jack?”