Chapter Twenty-Three
Outside Jennifer Torlino’s room, a group of people had gathered that included an MPD Patrol officer who’d been assigned to provide security for Jennifer while she was in the hospital.
“Excuse me,” Sam said. “I’m Lieutenant Holland—”
“Oh Lieutenant!” A woman launched herself into Sam’s arms, and only Freddie’s quick action behind her kept Sam from toppling over. “It’s so awful! Mindy is in a coma and Jennifer is so sick. Those monsters! What they did!”
Sam patted her back awkwardly. She wanted to remind Jennifer’s mother that it could’ve been a whole lot worse, but thankfully that wouldn’t happen now.
“Now, Monica,” a frazzled-looking man said as he collected the woman from Sam. “Let the poor Lieutenant say what she’s come to say.”
Sam sent him a grateful smile. “I was hoping to get the chance to speak to Jennifer if she’s up for it. We only need a couple of minutes.”
“If it will help you get this guy, then sure,” the man said. “We’ll allow that.”
“Thank you.” Sam and Freddie showed their badges to the Patrol officer who opened the door for them.
Jennifer’s parents came with them.
A nurse was tending to her, so Sam showed her badge again. “We need a few minutes.”
“Try not to upset her,” the nurse said on the way out.
That was a tall order, Sam thought. This whole thing was upsetting.
“Jennifer,” she said to the frail-looking blonde in the bed, who’d been the star of the dorm-room video Sam had seen.
She tried not to think about gigantic dildos while she spoke to her.
“I’m Lieutenant Holland, and this is my partner, Detective Cruz. ”
“You’re the vice president’s wife,” she said softly.
“Yes, I am. I wanted to ask you about the men you met last night at McDuffy’s and whether you remember anything about the man named Sid that might help us to find him.”
“I don’t remember one named Sid.”
Freddie produced his phone and showed her the photo of Androzzi.
“That’s Jack.”
Yet another assumed name. “Do you recall if he gave you his last name?”
She shook her head. “He only said he was Jack.”
“And did you meet him that night or did you know him before you came here?”
Jennifer glanced at her parents, who were hovering at the foot of the bed.
Sam realized she would never speak freely with them in the room. “Would you mind giving us a few minutes alone with Jennifer?”
“Is that all right with you, honey?” her mom asked.
“Yes, it’s fine.”
Her parents left the room, and Jennifer looked up at Sam.
“He contacted me a couple of weeks ago through my YouTube channel, and we exchanged some emails and texts. He seemed nice, and offered to help us find some fun while we were here for the inauguration.” She wiped away tears.
“I can’t believe he drugged us and kidnapped us. And Mindy. She’s in a coma.”
“You don’t happen to have the number he texted you from, do you?”
“No, it changed all the time.”
Sam wanted to scream at her, to ask her how she could’ve been so stupid or taken such foolish risks. But she didn’t do that. “And you didn’t find that odd?”
“No, he said he had a bunch of phones for his business.”
“Did he happen to mention what business he was in?”
“He owns a T-shirt shop here in the city.”
“Has anyone told you what he really does?”
“N-no.”
“He’s a human trafficker. Do you know what that is?”
“No. Should I?”
“He kidnaps women like you and Mindy and sells them into sexual slavery, often overseas.”
“Oh my God,” she whispered, her already pale face leaching of all remaining color. She lunged for the puke bucket on the table next to her bed and was violently ill. Thankfully, Freddie stepped up to deal with that.
Sam handed her a tissue while Freddie went into the bathroom to dump the bucket.
Jennifer’s hands were shaking and tears streamed down her face.
“You had a close call,” Sam said. “A very close call. Your friend Jack is Sid Androzzi, who’s on the FBI’s ten most wanted list.”
As Sam spoke, Jennifer sobbed and whimpered. “I didn’t know… I had no idea. I thought he was a nice guy. We wanted to have fun on our trip.”
“Is there anything at all you can tell us about where you think he might be hiding out?”
“No, he never said anything about where he lived. Just about the store he owned.”
And like a lightbulb had been illuminated in her mind, Sam suddenly knew exactly where they’d find Androzzi. “This has been very helpful, Jennifer. We’ll hope for your speedy recovery and Mindy’s, too.”
“Thank you.”
“And even though it’s none of my business, I’m going to say this anyway. Take down that internet channel and stop letting strangers into your life. You never know who’s watching.”
Still trembling and weeping, Jennifer nodded. “We will.”
Sam handed her a business card. “If you think of anything that might help us find him, no matter how minor it might be, please call me. Day or night.”
“Okay.”
As she and Freddie retraced their steps back to the Emergency entrance, Sam said, “For the record, I want to say I hate the fucking internet.”
“I’ll make a note for the record.”
“I hate how it provides na?ve kids with a place to be stupid with life-changing results. These two girls will never be the same again. Brooke will never be the same,” she said of her teenage niece who’d been victimized twice—once when she was gang raped in the Springers’ basement and again when video from the assault was posted online.
“It gives the pervs a place to troll for unsuspecting victims. I hate it.”
“I bet this job was a lot easier before the internet existed.”
“No doubt. It was never easy, but it was better than this shit.” Sam called Malone. “So guess what we’ve missed in this whole thing with Androzzi?”
“What’s that?”
“The fucking T-shirt store actually exists.” As she walked and talked, she flipped through the pages of her notebook to find the notes she’d taken from the reports on the interviews with Enright and Griffen.
“It’s on freaking Constitution Avenue. How much you want to bet he’s been hiding out there since he shot Arnold? ”
“What’s the address?”
Sam read it off to him.
“Meet you there?”
“Yes, you will.”
“Let Hill know.”
“Aww, Captain, do I gotta?”
“Yeah, you gotta. He was ranting to the chief about you earlier.”
“And here I thought we were such good friends these days.”
“You’re making friends all over the place this week. The brass wants to talk to you about what happened with Ramsey, and he’s demanding charges be filed.”
“Whatever. I don’t have time to deal with that scumbag right now. Cruz and I will meet you at Constitution Ave.”
“Call Hill,” Malone said before the phone went dead.
Sam growled.
“Uh-oh. What’s that about?”
“Freaking Hill. Gotta play nicey-nice with his ego.”
“He is in charge of the investigation.”
“But he’s not the one out pounding the pavement, is he?”
“Want me to call him?”
“No, I’ll do it.” Sam put through the call, and Hill answered immediately, as if he’d been waiting for her to call. Weirdo. “There’s going to be a raid on a T-shirt shop on Constitution Avenue where we suspect Androzzi has been hiding out.” She provided the exact address.
“What makes you suspect he’s hiding there?”
“I don’t have time to lay it all out for you. I’m doing you the courtesy of letting you know.” She ended the call before he could say anything.
Freddie snickered under his breath.
“What’s so funny?”
“You said, ‘I’m doing you.’”
“What? I did not?”
“Um, yeah, you did. ‘I’m doing you the courtesy…’”
“Shut up. Just shut up.”
He snickered again as they exited the hospital and emerged into an icy tundra that had Sam zipping her coat all the way up and tying her scarf around her neck. “Meet you there.”
Sam got into the car and whispered a prayer of thanks to the God of heated seats—and to her husband, who she called to thank.
“Hey, babe.”
“My bum is loving you right now.”
“I have no idea how to reply to that.”
“Heated seats, my love. Heated seats.”
“Ahhh, I do what I can to take care of your sexy bum.”
The way he said that made her desperately wish she were in a bed naked with him. Soon enough. “I’m going to be a little bit longer,” she said, updating him on the hunch about the T-shirt shop.
“You’re not going in there alone, are you?”
“Nope, we’re bringing the cavalry. Second time today that we’ve busted out the SWAT team. They’re going to be positively spent tomorrow.”
“I’m glad they’re going in ahead of you. Be careful.”
“I will. I’ll be home as soon as I can.”
“I’ll be waiting for you.”
“Knowing that makes this very shitty day so much more bearable. See you soon.”
Sam pulled up to the address on Constitution Avenue and didn’t see anyone else from the MPD yet. She stayed in her car, hunched down, eyes on the dark storefront. God, she hoped she was right about this. It would be so great to nail this bastard tonight and be done with it before the inauguration.
Having an armed murderer on the loose with a million or so extra people in town was law enforcement’s worst nightmare.
Freddie pulled up behind her and the others arrived a few minutes later.
She switched her radio to the encrypted channel used for sensitive situations such as this, lest Androzzi be tipped off to their arrival by a police radio that could be purchased anywhere.
“This is Captain Nickleson. My people are in place. We’ll be going in via the front and back simultaneously.”
“Be prepared for gunfire,” Conklin said. “He’s already killed one cop. He’s got nothing left to lose. Proceed with caution.”
Sam got out of her car and met Freddie outside of his.
Hill came storming up the sidewalk, brushed by Sam and went to confer with Conklin.
“Was it something I said?” she asked Freddie.
“He’s still thinking about you offering to do him.”
“I liked you better before you knew what that meant, back when you were a good Christian boy.”
“Here we go, people,” Nickleson said over the radio, giving the order for his officers to move in.
“Please let him be there,” Sam whispered.