Chapter 21
Chapter Twenty-One
T he police station was busy, and the shift had changed between the time Kelly had been there and when Sam arrived with Connor. The officer they spoke to was nice, understanding what they needed and why they were looking for Kelly. His hands were tied though. Without being able to prove they were related or needed to know anything about her, there was little the officers could do.
Sam left the building feeling defeated. Cheyenne was the biggest city in Wyoming, with plenty of places to hide for someone who wanted to stay hidden. He headed for Connor’s truck as someone called his name. He turned around as an officer jogged toward him.
“I heard you asking about that woman who came in last night.” He stopped and glanced behind him. “I can’t guarantee she’s there because that place is as seedy as they come, but we get gift cards for the Over Easy Inn that we can give out to people who are homeless if it’s after the shelters are closed for the night. We don’t usually share that information, but I thought you’d want to know. ”
Connor looked at his watch. “It’s almost ten. If we hurry, we might make it there before checkout.”
“The gift cards are good for three days, but I can’t imagine choosing to stay there more than one unless you had to. They offer rooms by the hour.” The cop flinched. “It really is a place you would only go if you have nowhere else.”
Sam nodded. “Thanks for letting us know. It narrows down the possibilities some.” They continued walking to Connor’s truck and got in. “Even the name sounds awful. Why are places like this allowed to stay open? Everyone knows that places like that aren’t used by anyone but people who don’t ever want to be seen.”
Connor turned the key, starting the engine. “I know. Getting motels like that shut down would be a good start.” He pulled out onto the road.
Sam glanced at everyone walking down the sidewalk. Within a few minutes, they pulled into the parking lot of the inn. Just looking at it made Sam’s skin crawl. “She stayed here?”
“We won’t know until we go to the front desk and ask. Though, it’s better here than on her own on the street. There’s only so much Zeus can do.”
At the mention of his name, a dog barked and ran over from a bench on one end of the lot. He barked again, finally reaching Sam. Sam took hold of the dog’s collar and looked at the little metal ID hanging from it, but he knew the dog without the confirmation. “Zeus, where’s Kelly?” This had to mean Kelly was here, but why was Zeus outside, running around?
“The sign says it’s pet-friendly and even though I don’t know Kelly well, I don’t think she would’ve just let Zeus run around outside alone.” Connor slowly looked over the lot. “Something doesn’t feel right here.”
Sam headed for the office, needing answers. If Kelly was in a room, he’d need to know which one. If she wasn’t here, he wanted to see any cameras they had because the only reason Zeus would’ve come to this place without Kelly was if he’d been here before.
He went inside and the dim interior left him blinking, trying to see anything inside the small room.
“Can I help you, cowboy?” A woman who had to be about his age sauntered from behind the counter. “You looking for someone specific, or will any room do?”
The way she said room made his skin crawl. This motel was a front for something much more sinister than he’d thought. Did the police have any idea what went on here when they gave away gift cards to this place, or did The Over Easy motel give them gift cards to use in order to prey on the vulnerable?
“I’m looking for a woman named Kelly Chambers. She may have used a different name to check in, but she’s about five foot six, maybe a hundred-twenty pounds. Her hair is blondish, but closer to brown, and she’s wearing a great big coat. Oh, and she would’ve had a big dog with her.”
The woman’s smile only made it to half her face. “Nope, sorry sugar. Would you like to try one of our other rooms?”
Connor stepped forward. “He’s not here for a room, he’s looking for someone specific. If you don’t help, we’ll call the police to encourage you to help.”
The woman threw back her head and laughed. “That’s funny. The cops don’t come here. It’s like we don’t exist. They drive right on by, and the owner is happy to stay in business.” She shrugged. “If you’re not looking for a room, you’ll have to leave. I have work to do.” She plumped her lips into a full pout. “But if you’re interested, I could be convinced to go on break a little early.”
Sam and Connor headed back outside. Sam rubbed his hands down the front of his pants. “Feels like I need a shower and I didn’t even touch anything.”
Connor nodded and patted his thigh to call Zeus over. “But she hadn’t seen Kelly, so we’re back at square one.”
“Not quite. We know Kelly had to have been here. We know this place is seedy and at least peripherally in the sex trade. Nathan was after Kelly last night and shot at John Sr’s truck. So, it’s possible she’s still here.”
“Are you suggesting we just wait and see who leaves? Knock on doors?” Connor asked.
“Waiting is what I had in mind, and calling Nixon to find out why they don’t close this place down. How influential would someone have to be to make a police force that seems otherwise good to turn a blind eye?” Sam hated things that were unfair or went against what was right.
“We both know that it may not be the police. It might be judges or even city government. If people get released without consequences anytime the police make an arrest, it isn’t long until the police stop doing it. There are other places that need them. Places where their actions will have a good result.” Connor opened his truck door and patted the seat to invite Zeus inside.
Zeus piled in. Only then did Sam realize he was shivering. How long had the dog been out in the cold? He was used to the weather, but they’d left before midnight, ten hours before. That was a long time to be outside for a dog who was used to having a warm bed at night .
Connor grabbed his phone and turned it on speaker. He hit a few numbers, and it started ringing. Nixon picked up on the third ring.
“Hello, Connor. I still haven’t heard anything.”
“Tell me about the Over Easy Inn, in Cheyenne. Why is it still open? This place is barely a cover for what they’re doing. The woman in the office practically threw herself at Sam.”
Nixon snorted. “That place is owned by a senator. Not a state senator, but a federal government senator.”
“Oh.” Connor said with enough sarcasm to fill the cab. “You’re saying it stays because he has more power than sense and he likes money.”
“You got it.” Nixon went silent. “Please don’t tell me Kelly is there.”
“Can’t prove if she is or isn’t. The woman in the office says she wasn’t here but we found Zeus outside. I know he wouldn’t have come here unless he’d been here,” Sam said.
Officer Blake was silent for a minute. “Zeus was a tracker, right? Have you thought about asking the dog to take you to her?”
It was a long shot. Zeus would normally need something to scent first before he could find her, but he had to ask. Sam ruffled Zeus’s ears. “I’m sorry, boy. I’ll let you warm up real soon, but I need you right now and more importantly, Kelly needs you. Bring me to Kelly.”
He opened his door and Zeus launched out, racing down the sidewalk.
Kelly gripped the thick metal collar around her neck and tugged on it, but it didn’t loosen that time just like it hadn’t loosened any other time she’d pulled at it. She shivered on the floor in what might have been a warehouse of some sort, she wasn’t sure. All she knew was that it was cold, she was sore, and she regretted leaving Wayside.
Why did every decision she made for herself have to lead to pain? Was she destined to live a terrible life because she couldn’t make good choices? Her grandmother would’ve told her that was absolutely the case. Get smart, girl. If you don’t wise up, the world will wise you up. Funny how she couldn’t recall a single kind thing the woman had said.
The door across the room swung open with a loud bang, and the woman who’d caught her came in. She reached down and gripped Kelly’s collar, yanking her to her feet. She pressed in close to Kelly’s face, forcing her to look away and enveloping her in sickly sweet perfume. “If you’re going to run away like a dog, we’ll treat you like a dog.”
She shoved Kelly to her knees. “The first thing you’re going to tell me is how you got away. Then, you’re going to go in and talk to Viceroy. You’ll tell him everything he wants to know. You’ll do whatever he tells you to do. Then you’ll kneel in front of him, and he’ll put a bullet in your head. You will do all those things because you owe us.”
This was it. She would die before Sam could find her. She would never have the chance to tell him she was sorry. So sorry for not placing her trust in him or telling him what was going on. Odd how shame and guilt had made her keep doing things that caused more shame and guilt.
The woman tugged her back to her feet and out of the room. They walked toward a corner of the large open building. The concrete floors had frost over them, and Kelly tried hard not to slip on the damp surface in her socks since the woman had taken her shoes. The woman didn’t seem to have any issue in her high heels.
Lord, you’ve got minutes to work a miracle if you’re going to save me. I don’t have any more time than that.
Kelly went through a door and Viceroy sat in a thick, velvet padded chair. Everything in the room was tailored to his comfort, despite the fact that the rest of the building appeared to be falling down.
“Get over here,” Nathan said from a far corner of the room. She hadn’t even noticed he was there, though he appeared to be even more beat up than she was.
Kelly took a few steps closer but wanted to stay out of striking distance. If she had to die, she didn’t want to get beaten first. She stopped and took a deep breath. “What do you want me to tell you?”
Viceroy was on his feet in a split second and slapped her before she knew what he’d planned. Her only consolation was that her metal collar had left a long gash on the side of his hand. His blood splattered down the front of her shirt.
“Don’t you dare speak without being spoken to, garbage.” Viceroy sat back in his seat and held out his injured hand. The woman immediately came forward and tended to him.
“Now, you will tell me exactly how you escaped. Leave nothing out. If you had help, I want names.”
Kelly swallowed hard. The company that had helped her wasn’t a secret. Their mission was on their website. Telling Viceroy wouldn’t do anything because FREE International didn’t hide who they were or what they intended to do. But would he hurt those who worked there? They’d helped her like no one else, and if her life was over anyway, why risk all the people who worked for FREE?
“I’m afraid it’s a pretty boring story. Nathan let me out of my room to visit with Jasmine as he did once a week. Instead of going to her room, I decided I was done and left.”
“You decided?” Viceroy laughed. “What compelled you to think you could grow a brain?”
Heat blazed up her neck. This was the same treatment she’d endured for years, but now she knew there was life out there, life with Sam at Wayside where they cared if she ate or took a walk. Not in the sense that she wasn’t allowed to, but in the sense that they cared where she was.
“I’ve had one for some time.” She’d just forgotten to use it.
“Perhaps it’s time to end that nonsense.” Viceroy pulled out a long black pistol and laid it on the arm of his chair. “Now that you understand that hell is your destination, why don’t you try the truth? Let’s start with that big trailer you went into right after you snuck outside?”
Hopeless. There were too many houses and no one in sight. Sam followed Zeus up a slight hill to a residential area past the first house. The neighborhood was full of the same four houses in various colors, and the same people had probably lived in them for decades.
Zeus ran up to the front door of the second house on the right, whined then sat. Sam looked at the door and had doubts. There was no way Kelly was in there, but just like the inn, Zeus wouldn’t have gone there without having been there before.
Connor strode up the walkway. “This isn’t your typical trafficking neighborhood.” He rolled his eyes. “I think this is a bust.”
An old man opened the door behind Zeus and glanced at Sam and Connor. “Can I help you with something?”
Sam took a deep breath. “I know this is going to sound strange, but I’m looking for a missing woman. She was in this neighborhood with this dog earlier today. Is there any chance you saw her?”
The old man bit his lip, looked back into the house, then tiptoed outside. “My wife told me not to get involved because she was scared this morning.”
Sam nodded, leading him a few more steps away from the door. He didn’t want the wife to get wind that her husband was doing something she wouldn’t want him to, or they’d lose the only possible witness to whatever happened to Kelly. “Tell me what happened.”
“I was making a late breakfast. I’m retired, so I can stay in bed a little late if I want to. Well, as I was about to dig into my eggs, someone starts knocking on the door and it’s strange. Like they’re pounding, but it’s rapid like a regular knock. I got to the window and there was this girl out there. She was wearing a huge coat and backpack. She had a dog with her, just like that one.”
Sam swallowed hard, bile burning his throat. “What then?”
“I had only pulled up one of my little blinds to see what was going on as this really sharply dressed woman strode up the walk carrying a gun. I didn’t want to get in her way, but she kind of looked like the police. I thought maybe the girl was under arrest. She looked homeless, but that dog looked too nice for her to be homeless. Anyway, the police or FBI lady, whoever she was, she took the girl right off my porch and the dog went running. They didn’t go after him, so I hoped the dog was okay. I see now that he is.” He rocked on his feet. “That’s all I know. Oh, and this.” He pulled something from the pocket of his robe.
Connor took a deep breath. “That’s from Wayside.” He took the knife from the man’s hand. “Did you happen to see the vehicle they got into? Was it a car, truck, van, SUV?”
“It was a limo. That’s the only thing that didn’t sit right with my theory.” The older man grinned and pulled his house coat closer around himself then looked up and down the street like someone might hear him. “I don’t know any cops or feds that ride around in limos, picking up vagrants.” He chuckled. “I guess the government has more money than even I thought.”
The old man thought this was a joke. Sam massaged the tense spot between his eyes. “She wasn’t a vagrant. She was a victim. Did you see which direction they went?”
The man’s brows dipped. “Victim?” He sucked in a huge breath. “I witnessed a kidnapping?” He clutched his chest. “My wife isn’t going to believe this.”
Connor gripped the older man’s arm. “Did you see where they went?”
He pointed down the street. “They have to turn at some point. It’s a dead end. I didn’t watch them though. I’m sorry.” He flinched. “I can’t believe it.”
Sam couldn’t believe it either. Another dead end.