by PJ Fernor
“Save your breath, Ben,” I said. “Do you really think I’m not going to go in there? That I’m going to stand there and do nothing?”
“Chemicals…”
“I don’t care,” I said.
“We have help on the way,” Ben said. “They’re probably right behind us.”
“Then there’s nothing to worry about,” I said.
The conversation ended at that.
Ben turned down Sunrise Court.
Now it was a little strange to name these roads Court or Avenue, but that’s just how it was.
Maybe there was a bigger vision at one point to add more houses.
But that never happened.
Ben slowed as we drove down the road.
“I don’t know which house it is,” I said.
“There’s not many here,” Ben replied. “Start at the end and work our way up?”
“I have to get out of this car,” I said.
“Sick?”
“I need to move,” I said. “I need to recuse her, Ben.”
“You will,” he said. “I’ll be right by your side.”
“Do you have any extra clothes in here?” I asked. “A shirt or something I can tie around my face? I know it won’t do much, but…”
“I’ll take care of you, Allie Down,” Ben said.
He came to a stop where the road ended.
I stared at an old house with four pillars. It looked like a sturdy house. The kind built to last through time. The opposite of the new houses being built in Sandemor. Those houses were thrown up over the weekend. A house like this was custom built and meant to have purpose.
We both got out of the car and Ben tossed me a t-shirt from the backseat of his car.
As I put it around my face, I took a breath and smelled him.
My teeth chattered.
I looked at Ben.
I couldn’t believe how messed up things had gotten.
It was all my fault too.
Not that this was the moment to start thinking about Ben and I together.
He wrapped a t-shirt around his mouth and nodded to me.
“Help is on the way,” he called out to me.
“I know,” I said.
I ran toward the house.
Something about the house just felt wrong.
It reminded me of Martha’s house. Annie’s house.
All these places that led me to Jerry.
And all those who were dead because of his evil path of destruction.
He was still out there. On the run.
A man smart enough to lure me in but also to have an escape plan.
Choosing between arresting him and saving Lo… there was no choice.
My life was Lo.
I ran toward the front door, knocked and shook the handle.
The door was locked.
Nobody answered the door.
I stepped back and looked at Ben.
He nodded.
“You do it,” I called out.
Ben removed his gun from its holster, shot the door and kicked it open.
I ran into the main foyer of the old house and looked around.
It was the epitome of an old farm style house.
Everything was in dire need of a fresh coat of paint.
But I wasn’t here to appraise the place.
I was here to…
I pulled the t-shirt down and took a deep breath and looked at Ben.
I hurried to move the t-shirt back up over my mouth.
“You go out there,” I yelled to him. “Call everyone again. Tell them drive faster.”
“Allie, wait!” Ben yelled.
It was too late.
I jumped for the main set of stairs and started to run.
The smell of chemicals already began burning my eyes, nose, and throat.
That meant…
This was the house.
Lo was here - somewhere.
Chapter Seventy-Six
The house smelled terrible.
At the top of the steps, I fell into the wall and shut my eyes.
I felt my chest getting heavy and tight.
The t-shirt wasn’t doing much to help me.
Not that it was designed to protect from deadly chemicals.
My eyes burned when I blinked.
My body was in full fight or flight mode with flight being the only choice to survive.
But for Lo, I had to fight.
I could not stand outside and wait for help knowing she was in this house.
I pushed from the wall and steadied my balance the best I could.
The main hallway overlooked the first floor.
To my right there were a series of doors.
With each one I opened, it was another let down. And another few seconds wasted. The way I felt by being in the house for a minute or so had to be nothing compared to what Lo and the other girls felt.
If they were still alive.
That was suddenly the driving thought in my mind.
That Lo could already be dead.
Or worse yet, maybe Jerry had her the entire time.
Maybe this was just another sick game of his.
I growled deep in my hurting throat and pushed forward again.
The hallway became dark and lonely.
The house had more of an inn feel than it did as a farm house.
Whatever the history was of this place, it was going to be forever ruined by the fact that a psycho kidnapper and murderer used it to store girls - in cages - as he waited for instruction on who was buying the girls.
I reached for another doorknob and missed it.
My eyes became blurry and I fell to my knees.
I coughed and gasped for a breath, which only made things worst.
I finally touched the doorknob and the door was locked.
That gave me another shot of adrenaline and I popped back up to my feet.
I tried to kick the door but didn’t have enough strength.
I wobbled back and reached for my gun.
My gun wavered left to right.
I couldn’t take a shot with some kind of accuracy.
It took me a few seconds to steady my hand and there I was, shooting another door open that Jerry had left locked.
And just like the door in his apartment, this one held maybe his darkest secret yet.
When the door opened and I saw the cages, I froze for a split second.
There were cages everywhere in the room.
They were… dog cages…
With thin bars and not much room.
The unused ones were stacked on top of one another, pushed against the walls and in the corners.
In the middle of the room, there were five cages.
A girl in each one.
Each girl with their eyes shut.
When I saw Lo, I let out a scream and ran to the cage.
I shook it hard.
“Lo,” I said. “I’m here. I’m going to save you.”
I looked around the room.
I wasn’t sure I would be able to save all five…
I dropped to my knees and dropped the t-shirt.
The chemical smell was worse than ever.
I started to cough again as I grabbed for the latch on the cage.
Jerry had a lock on each one, but the bars were thin enough to bend a little.
These girls weren’t locked in here tight at all. Anyone could have broken out of the cage.
Then what?
They’d been faced with a locked door.
Then they’d be faced with a large house tucked away in the woods.
This was just all part of the mind games and breaking the girls down into nothing…
It angered me so much that I had what some would call Mom strength.
I shut my eyes and screamed as I pulled at the door and the lock.
The cage door bent from the top and I curled it all the way down to the floor.
“Lo, you’re free,” I said. “Com
e here…”
I reached into the cage and touched her leg.
She lifted her head and looked at me.
“Allie…”
“I’m right here.”
“I messed up.”
“You need to come to me, Lo. We don’t have much time.”
“I’m tired,” Lo said.
“Lo, come on,” I said.
I grabbed her leg and pulled.
Her body shook as she slowly reached for the top of the cage. She used the cage to help sit up. Then she leaned toward me and put her arms out of the small opening I had made.
I grabbed her and pulled her toward me.
Tears filled my eyes.
The chemical smell attacked my senses even harder.
Lo managed to get her arms and head out of the cage but then she got stuck.
“I’m going to get you out of here,” I said.
I wrapped my arms tight around her and sat on my butt and put my feet to the cage.
I kicked the cage and pulled at Lo.
She let out a groaning cry as the cage slid down her body.
I’d trade cuts and bruises over losing her for good.
When she was finally free, I looked around the room again, my heart breaking into pieces.
I didn’t have time to do the same for all the others.
At least not with Lo in my arms.
I had to get Lo outside and get her medical attention.
The decision to leave the other girls behind was nothing short of gut wrenching.
I climbed to my feet and helped Lo up.
Her eyes opened and closed, over and over.
I grabbed the t-shirt off the floor and put it against her mouth and nose.
As I exited the room and turned left, I saw a group of hazmat people rushing down the hallway.
“In there!” I called out. “There’s four more!”
One of the hazmat people reached for Lo and I.
“Get her help,” I said. “I don’t know how long she’s been in there.”
We hurried down the hall, basically dragging and carrying Lo, needing to get outside to fresh air.
When we made it outside to the porch and down the steps, Ben was right there waiting.
Lights were flashing all around as I pulled Lo against me and the hazmat person gave orders for help.
Ben hugged both Lo and I.
“I saved her,” I whispered.
“Yes, you did,” Ben said.
Lo then became limp in my arms.
It was like she suddenly weighed twice what she had just a second ago.
We lowered her to the ground and I screamed for help.
Ben let out a barking yell that I had never heard before.
When I looked up at him, I saw tears in his eyes.
Tears filled my eyes too.
Chapter Seventy-Seven
I sat next to Lo’s hospital bed with the lights dimmed as the night said goodbye and another day was ushered in.
She looked beautiful as she slept.
Even in an uncomfortable hospital bed.
The sound of her heartbeat through the machine had been a soothing soundtrack for me to grab a few hours of sleep here and there.
Luckily I wasn’t feeling any effects from the chemicals in the house.
As for Lo…
“Good morning,” a voice loudly whispered.
I watched as Ben entered the hospital room with two coffees.
I stood and sighed with relief to see him.
“Here,” he said. “Good coffee.”
I took one of the coffees from him and lingered close to him.
“How is she?” he asked.
“Doctors said she will go home today or tomorrow,” I said. “So far no signs of any trauma or damage. If she had stayed in that house an hour extra…”
“Hey, don’t even think it,” Ben said. “It didn’t happen. She’s a fighter. She’s like you.”
I looked at Ben.
He smiled. “I can’t believe you ran into that house.”
“Yes, you can.”
“True,” he said. “What a nightmare, Allie Down.”
“Yeah,” I said. “Did you hear about the other girls?”
“They’re about the same as Lo. Two were severely dehydrated and malnourished. I’m trying to keep up as the information is pouring in.”
“I’m so sorry I’m not there, Ben,” I said.
“Stop,” he said. “You belong here, with your girl. She needs you. I’ve got this covered.”
“Thank you,” I said.
“Come here for a second,” he said.
Ben walked to the large window on the opposite end of the room.
“What’s going on?” I asked.
“His office was taken apart,” Ben said. “Nothing was found. The same with his apartment, other than his room of notes.”
“Sick, wasn’t it?”
“Very,” Ben said. “They’re gathering everything up and organizing it in some order. Just to try and track them down.”
“I don’t think you’ll find a thing,” I said. “That’s the worst part.”
“It’s worth a shot,” Ben said. He sipped his coffee. “They found a body in the house.”
“Rachel?” I asked.
“How did you know?” Ben asked.
“The notes,” I said. “He had notes that he killed her and put her in storage.”
“Freezer chest in the shed,” Ben said. “I noticed an electric line running out there and went to check it.”
“You… saw…”
Ben nodded.
“Oh, Ben,” I said.
“Poor girl,” he said. “I’ve already been in contact with local authorities where she went missing. At least she’ll get to rest in peace now.”
I felt my phone vibrating.
I turned and looked to see Johnny Barby’s name on the screen.
“Let me get this quick,” I said to Ben.
He nodded.
“Johnny,” I said.
“Allie,” he said. “How’s your kid?”
“She’s my niece.”
“She’s your kid,” he said. “How is she?”
“Alive,” I said.
“That’s good.”
“What’s going on?”
“I just wanted to check on you and the kid.”
“That’s it?” I asked.
“Yeah,” he said. “I’m going to be coming to town again. Those girls under the bridge need to start talking. I’m going to tear through this whole thing, Allie. I’m not afraid of the truth.”
“Just find Jerry first,” I said. “Or Gerard. Whatever he wants to be called.”
“I’ll get him,” Johnny said. “Do you need anything?”
“Other than what I said, no,” I said.
“I’ll check on you again soon.”
The call went dead.
I turned and Ben was on his phone.
“Okay,” Ben said. “I know he wants to see me. I’ll be there soon. I promise. Okay. Thank you. Bye.”
Ben put his head back.
“Your father?” I asked.
“Yeah,” he said. “I haven’t seen him in a day and a half. He’s nervous.”
“Why haven’t you gone home?” I asked.
“I slept in my car in the parking lot last night.”
“What? Why?”
Ben stared down at me. “I didn’t want to leave you alone.”
“Ben…”
“I promise, Allie Down, I’ll always be there for you.”
His fingertips touched my hand.
I pulled away.
“That wasn’t Sandra on the phone,” he said. “That was a new nurse.”
“Okay…”
“I ended things with Sandra,” he said. “I told her she needed to work somewhere else too. It was bad to mix those things together. You know?”
“And us mixing things together isn’t bad?” I asked.
“With us
, it’s worth it,” he said.
I touched Ben’s hand.
He squeezed mine tight.
“He got away,” I said.
“For now,” Ben said. “We know his moves. We knows his names. We cut off his ability to work. Trust me, he’s not going far.”
“I can’t believe I let myself slip like that.”
“Allie, you didn’t do anything wrong. The guy had this planned. He used you. We already talked about this.”
“I know,” I said. “I’m just… he’s out there. I’m in here. There’s so many answers we don’t have.”
“The most important answer is behind you,” he said. “Lo. She’s alive. She’s well.”
I nodded. “That’s true.”
“Everything will fall into place,” Ben said.
“My head won’t stop spinning. At what this entire case is going to do. This doesn’t end with finding Jerry.”
“Trust me, I know,” Ben said. “I’m not sure how you find the ending to this one.”
“It just has to be stopped. The One. That’s what Jerry kept saying. The One. I have no idea who that is, but that’s the guy who’s been in control of Jerry all these years. Jerry got into gambling debt and somehow this other guy stepped in and-”
“Allie,” Ben said.
“Yeah?”
“Can you just stand here with me and we not talk about that stuff for a minute?”
I nodded.
Ben and I stood together.
Holding hands.
Sipping coffee.
Both of us knowing this was probably going to be the only calm moment for us for a very long time.
Chapter Seventy-Eight
Miss Kesslier opened the apartment door and came walking in with a tray of chocolate chip cookies.
I looked at her and started to laugh.
“What?” she asked.
“Nothing,” I said. I turned my head and yelled. “Lo! Someone is here for you, again!”
A few seconds later, the bedroom door opened and Lo came out of her room.
“Who is…”
When she saw Miss Kesslier, she smiled ear to ear.
“I had to,” Miss Kesslier said. “I owe these to you.”
“You already made cinnamon rolls,” Lo said.
“And you prepped dinner for a week,” I said.
“And I’m prepping next week too,” Miss Kesslier said. “You both need rest and some family time together.”
“This is too much,” Lo said.
Miss Kesslier slid the tray of cookies on the table and opened her arms for Lo.