“Maybe we can get some sleep before --” Arden started saying before Joe cut her off.
“What if these people have my daughter?” Joe reminded her.
The statement guilted Arden into getting into the car. They decided to take Joe’s vehicle. The spa shared a strip mall with a smoke shop, a palm reader, and a fan store. The front windows had graphics of men and women lying down on massage beds. The sign read, “Serenity: Massage Parlor and Spa” hovered over the door. The symbol rested behind the words. It showed the S and a bunny.
The lot was vacant. Arden was wary about taking a walk around when she saw the security cameras. She didn’t want to alert the owners or raise any suspicion. If the place was a front, the people inside would be cautious. Joe kept them parked at a gas station across the street.
At 9:15 am, an eighty-something-year-old woman dressed in yellow flowing clothes and an unassuming man in his twenties, dressed in a polo and white pants, entered the establishment.
The next few hours were grueling. Arden and Joe watched in shifts. The one who was awake snapped pictures of whoever entered and exited the spa while the other napped. In the middle of the afternoon, they decided to scope the place out from inside. They entered the lobby. Serene photographs of bamboo and stacked rocks decorated the walls. Magazines discussing alternative health treatments rested on lamp stands in the waiting area. The old crone in yellow scrutinized them as they approached the front counter. Her face was shriveled like a raisin and seemed genuinely unhappy.
“Welcome to Serenity,” she said with her raspy voice.
Joe smiled. “We were wondering what services you offer.”
The crone started to list off the different massages. As she spoke, Arden inquired about the bathroom.
The crone stopped talking and turned to Arden. “Go through the doors. It will be the second door on your left.”
“Thank you,” Arden replied.
She passed through the door and started down a stubby corridor lined with a few closed doors. Arden became keenly aware of the security camera watching her from the end of the hall. She glanced at the various closed doors but kept moving toward the bathroom. She couldn’t afford to appear suspicious, especially if she had to come back.
The bathroom had a single toilet and sink. Some of the tiling was cracked. A few hairs lingered in the sink. Arden felt something was off. She stepped back out into the hall and saw the young man who had entered with the crone earlier in the day. He closed one of the few doors behind him as he stepped in. Arden notice a flight of stairs descending below the parlor.
Arden made her way back to the lobby. Joe was still chatting with the woman at the desk. Something that he said made her blush. The two of them turned to Arden when she approached. Joe flashed the pamphlet describing the different massages.
“Any one catch your eye?” Joe asked.
“A few,” Arden replied. She glanced over the pamphlet. “Tell me more about the facility.”
“We have four massage rooms and a spa,” the old crone said.
“Is there anything else?”
“No,” the old crone said. “This is what our facility has to offer.”
Arden nodded. A sudden look of alarm overtook her face. “Darn it.”
The concerned look carried over to Joe. He waited for Arden to continue.
“I have that meeting with Kelly in an hour,” Arden lied. She directed her attention to the old lady. “I’m so sorry about this. We’ll come back sometime soon, I swear.”
They returned to the car. Once they got inside, Joe drove away from the spa. “I asked her about the girl with the tattoo, but she doesn’t recall anyone like that working here. I don’t think she was telling the truth.”
Arden absorbed the information. “They have a basement.”
“Is there something down there?”
“I don’t know. The place has security cameras everywhere.”
“So how will we get in?” Joe asked.
“We wait and see,” Arden replied.
After getting lunch, they returned to the stakeout. They searched the Internet on their phones to see if they could read reviews about the place and hopefully learn something. They had no such luck. The place only had three out of five stars. Most of the people who disliked it called it lower class and dirty.
At nightfall, things got interesting. More people started to arrive, but most of them male between the ages of twenty and fifty. They entered the smoke shop and palm reader, but none of them came out.
Joe eyed the strip suspiciously, “There is something going on here.”
Arden had her plan in place. They returned to the spa. There were a few people waiting. The old crone recognized them as they ventured to the desk. Arden apologized about the day’s delay and asked about an appointment.
She signed up for a deep tissue massage and was directed to a room with a stack of folded clothes. She got changed, hide her phone in close and waited for the masseuse to arrive. She was a very young, perhaps sixteen or seventeen, timid Hispanic.
The girl awkwardly smiled. Her nametag read “Nana.”
“Do you go to school around here?” Arden asked.
The girl gestured for Arden to lie down on her belly. Arden did so.
Arden asked if her parents lived around here.
“No English,” Nana replied and got to work.
“Do you like your job?” Arden asked after a few moments.
“Yes,” Nana said robotically.
A little while later, Arden asked about the basement.
The girl stopped massaging her for a moment. She went tense.
“Is there another spa down there?” Arden asked.
Nana said, “No English.”
She didn’t answer anymore of Arden’s questions.
When massage had ended, Nana wasted no time leaving the room. Arden changed back into her clothes. She was disappointed to see that the audio recorder on her phone didn’t pick up anything useful. Nevertheless, it was painstakingly clear that something was going on in the basement.
She met Joe outside and told him what had happened. The smoke shop stole his attention. They decided to check it out.
Provocative pictures, glass bongs and other babbles idolizing weed culture lined the walls. A long glass counter cabinet stretched down the rectangular room. Despite the number of cars parked outside, the place was empty.
“Well, that’s not suspicious,” Joe remarked sarcastically.
Arden nodded and stayed alert. At the back of the room was an employee door. After browsing around for a moment, it opened. A greasy middle-aged man walked behind the counter. Arden and Joe approached him.
Joe said to him. “We’re looking for something, and heard you were the man to ask.”
Arden smiled and pressed in close to Joe. “My partner and I are looking to spice up our evening. Would you have any suggestions?”
The storeowner directed them to a two-person bong, some sexy items, and other things Arden wouldn’t touch with a ten-foot pole.
“We were hoping for something more exotic,” Arden said.
The clerk eyed her suspiciously. “I don’t know what you mean.”
Joe pulled out a wad of cash.
The clerk stared at the money.
Joe leaned in. “We know people come in here for more than what’s on the front counter.”
After hesitating, the clerk gestured for them to follow. They passed through the employee’s door, stepping into a small hallway. There was a closed door to a storage closet and a stairway blocked off by a waist-high rope. The clerk told them to wait while he searched the closet. The moment he left their sight, Joe stepped over the rope.
“Wait,” Arden whispered loudly.
“I’ll only be a moment.” Joe quietly darted downstairs and out of sight.
After waiting to see if the clerk would return, Arden grunted and stepped over the rope. Her shoes clacked on the wooden steps. She reached the bottom. Dim and hazy c
eiling lights cast their ominous glow around the dark room. There were branched into several hallways.
Arden didn’t see Joe.
A deep, rhythmic bass bled through the walls. Arden followed the sound down one of the halls and to a closed door. She cracked it open, but her instincts stopped her before she could peek inside. She quickly twisted back, seeing the clerk staring at her from down the hallway. He held a Taser.
Arden knew that she was one wrong word away from being finished. Her heart started pounding rapidly.
The clerk glared at her. He had dark circles under his eyes. His greasy bangs were sweat-glued to his forehead.
“What are you doing down here?” the man interrogated.
Arden put on a smile. “I was curious, that's all.” She started to take steps toward him.
The man didn’t move. “You’re in big trouble.”
“That’s what I’m looking for,” Arden flirted. She kept going toward him until the man aimed his Taser.
“Careful now.” Arden kept up her act, but her heart was racing. “You don’t want to hurt your customer base.”
“You’re nobody,” the man replied.
“I’m just a woman interested in what you have to offer,” Arden replied. “I heard that this was the place to be at. My partner and I have money, if that’s what you are wondering.”
“Where is he?” the man asked.
“He was upstairs when I got curious,” Arden replied. “I’m surprised you didn’t see him on the way out. Look, let’s just stop wasting time.” Arden got close enough to touch the man’s arm and lower the Taser. “And start talking shop.”
The man put his greasy hand on her cheek. “What do you want?”
“I’m after girls,” Arden gambled.
“I’m going to need to frisk you.”
Arden allowed him to do so. She was unarmed. “I keep my purse.”
“Can’t allow that.”
“You can make an exception,” Arden told him. Her sultry words seemed to convince him.
The man led Arden down the hallway. She followed, feeling grimy for acting this way. Fear crept in as she ventured deeper into the strange basement. She wondered where Joe had gone. She was escorted into a hazy room. She realized it was beneath the spa. It had a small bar with a few tiny tables. The bartender was a scantily-clad woman serving drinks. She looked a lot like Nana. Arden wondered if they were sisters. There were a few men drinking at the tables and laughing. They had diverse lifestyles. For example, one was in a suit and tie. Another was a construction worker. Arden took a seat near the back. She was offered a drink. She accepted whatever they had on tap but wasn’t going to drink it. It was more for appearance than anything. She waited for Joe to arrive. The businessman and construction worker gave her lecherous looks. Arden kept herself from shuddering. The vileness of the place ate her skin like some sort of flesh-eating disease.
Eventually, a buff man who looked more like a bull than human approached her. He had on a muscle shirt with biceps the size of her head. He placed a menu in front of her. Arden looked over it. It had the names of different candy, along with their sizes and ethnic background.
“What’s the latest item?” Arden asked, improvising as she went. She still had a brush with the hidden spike inside her purse. It might be her only hope if things went downhill.
Despite the man’s intimidating appearance, he had a softer voice. “Her.”
He pointed at Lemondrop. Arden felt like she was going to vomit. Instead, she thanked the man. He escorted her down to one of the rooms and unlocked it. Inside was a bed with mirrors on three sides of the room and on the ceiling. Arden didn’t see any cameras. Good. There was a girl on the bed. She had blonde hair that was going dark at the roots. She wore a small cut-off shirt and short shorts. Her face was sunken. She had track marks on her arms. Arden assumed she was between seventeen and nineteen. She glanced up at Arden, surprised to see a female.
Arden waited until the door was closed behind her before approaching the girl. The girl started to undress when Arden said, “Wait.”
The girl seemed confused.
“I’m Arden. Who are you?”
“Lemon,” the girl replied.
“Your real name.”
“I’m not allowed to say.”
Arden nodded, understanding. “How long have you been here?”
“I’m not allowed to say.”
Arden said. “I want to help you, but I can’t do that without some cooperation.”
Lemon gave her a deadpan look. “Can we skip the roleplaying?”
Arden opened her mouth for a rebuttal but thought better of it. To come in like a knight in shining armor was probably so out of touch with where this girl was at mentally. She probably thought everything Arden was saying was a lie. She had to push through anyway.
“How many girls work here?”
“Seventeen,” Lemon replied. “You’re wasting your time. You only have me for forty minutes.”
“I don’t care about that,” Arden said. “Have you seen any new recruits?”
“I said, I’m not allowed to--”
Arden squeezed the girl’s jowls, shutting her up. “Listen to me, okay?”
Lemon was terrified.
“Were there any new girls?” Arden asked. She loosened her grip.
“I don’t know. They never really tell us anything,” Lemon said.
“What’s your guess?” Arden asked, taking her hand off her mouth.
Lemon cast her eyes down. “You really shouldn't be asking all these questions. They don’t like it.”
The doorknob started to jiggle.
Arden turned back just in time to see the door start to open. She quickly hid behind the side of the door. Holding a Taser, the buff man entered. He turned just enough to see Arden, but she struck him in the throat with her fist. Her other hand punched him in the groin two more times. He fired off the Taser but missed horribly. As he fell to a knee, Arden gave him a right hook and then a left hook. He tried to grab her. Arden skipped back a step. The man missed. She kicked him in the nose. There was a crunch and blood started flowing down his lips. Arden whaled on him until he was out of commission. Both her hands throbbed in pain. She had busted her knuckles. A sickening pit formed in her stomach as she realized what she had done. Despite this, adrenaline fueled her. She noticed a small hole drilled in one of the wall mirrors. It was evident there was a camera spying on her.
Still on the bed, Lemon gawked at her.
“Run,” Arden said.
Lemon was out of the room in a jiffy.
Arden grabbed keys out of the unconscious man’s pockets. She stepped into the hallway.
Arden looked down the hall. Yelling and running, a group of four more men came charging at her. Arden’s stomach dropped. “Oh, God.”
Arden quickly picked up the Taser and shot one of the other four. He gurgled on the floor as Arden held down the trigger. The one man in the back was smacked in the head with the leg of a bar stool and crumbled. Joe stood behind him. He met eyes with Arden briefly.
The two remaining men focused on Joe. He ducked their swinging batons. He hit one in the side of the knee, snapping it inward, then swatted the other one in the mouth. All four were down within a matter of seconds. Joe held one in a chokehold to make sure he was out cold. The rest were too beat up to fight back.
Meanwhile, Arden began to unlock the various rooms. Some of them just had the girls, but some had men and women engaged in various acts. Joe joined her as they began opening up various doors looking for Jessica. Room after room after room, they had no luck. Some of the girls just stared blankly, others screamed, and a few darted for the exit. There must’ve been about twelve.
Not waiting for them, Arden and Joe reached the bar and caught a glimpse of the bartender wielding a shotgun. She fired a blast just as Joe and Arden entered the room. They quickly ducked for cover outside of the door.
Joe yelled. “What the hell is going on?”
/> Rubbing her bleeding knuckles, Arden yelled back. “We’re getting out of here.”
Joe kept hold of the chair leg. He peeked through the doorway.
Boom!
A blast of buckshot peppered the corner of the threshold. Wood and brick exploded from the impact site.
While the woman cocked the gun, Joe threw the chair leg.
It hit the bartender’s nose, staggering her.
Without hesitation, Joe quickly ran through the small speakeasy, vaulted over the bar, and slammed into the woman. She went crumbling down.
Arden tried to get cell service. She wasn’t lucky, so they ran up the stairs leading out of the bar and went on the other side of the spa’s basement door. It was locked, but Arden was able to get cell service. She dialed the police.
“911, state your emergency.”
“Shootout at Serenity Spa. Underground trafficking ring.”
The door to the spa swung open. The man who entered with the old woman stood on the other side. He was backing away from them and holding a pistol. Arden and Joe dashed down the stairs as he opened fire.
They dived behind the bar.
Bam! Bam! Bam! Different booze bottles were shot and exploded into a rain of glass shards and liquid.
Arden kept her head low. Her call ended due to lack of service. She prayed.
The shooter got closer. He held the pistol in both hands. He was going in for the kill. Joe picked up the shotgun from the passed-out bartender. Taking a breath, he popped out of cover and fired a blast at the ceiling to threaten the shooter.
The shooter pushed over one of the tables and crouched behind it. He and Joe exchanged pop shots while Arden stayed low.
Two minutes later, the police swarmed in. Out of ammo anyway, Joe and the man dropped their weapons and put their hands up. Even Arden was cuffed and brought upstairs. Her heart was still pulsing rapidly. She kept silent with her head down. The police forced her to sit on the curb.
One by one, they escorted the ladies and patrons from all three of the shops. EMTs used gurneys to carry those who were passed out. There didn’t appear to be any fatalities.
One of the officers grabbed Arden from under the armpit and shoved her into the back of a squad car.
Secrets Boxset: A Riveting Kidnapping Mystery Collection Page 5