The Chain of Lies

CHAPTER 18



Peter stepped up into the FBI van to a round of applause. With one hand in front of his waist and one hand behind, he took a dramatic bow.

“Great job, MacKenzie,” Ellis praised.

“It was all for Molly.”

“You could always become an actor if the reporter thing doesn’t work out,” Colin kidded as Emily elbowed him lightly in the side.

“I’d say Oscar worthy,” Isabel added with a few claps of her hands.

“Too bad you couldn’t get that girl’s name,” Colin said.

“I think the girl knew she was being watched,” Peter said. “You know, the camera over the door.”

“Yeah, you have to be very careful when a camera is on you,” Colin smirked, clearly referring to Peter looking at his shoes. “Forgetting can leave you, shall we say, exposed.”

Peter’s cheeks flushed red.

“Oh, Colin, stop that.” Emily playfully slapped his leg. “Peter, you did a great job.”

“Now, about my car.” Ellis stuck out his hand and Peter tossed the car keys to him.

Emily swiveled her seat to face Tony. “Now what?”

“Now we move on to phase two.” Ellis stood and addressed the group. “We mobilize our respective teams, stick to the plan, and we rescue those girls.”

Molly’s image flashed in Emily’s mind. A stillness fell over the van like a hush. From the somber looks on the others’ faces, she suspected they were likely thinking about her, too. Time was ticking away. As important as it was to set the other girls free, if they didn’t rescue Molly that night, she may be lost to them forever.

~*~

Colin, Emily, and Peter got in position at the Paradise Valley Hotel. Colin had called earlier in the day and made arrangements for the hotel to clear a block of eight rooms on the third floor, hoping to keep any other guests from traipsing through their operation. He brought along three of Paradise Valley’s young police officers, dressed in street clothes.

FBI Special Agent Tony Ellis took charge of the entire operation, and he had outfitted each of them with state-of-the-art earpieces with embedded microphones. Peter retained his glasses, both for continuity and for taping their end of the takedown.

Emily sat in the lobby with two of the plain-clothes officers, out of the way but with a clear view of the entrance, anxiously waiting for Ratana to deliver Molly. Colin waited with Peter and the other plain-clothes cop in the third-floor room. The plan was for Colin to move to one of the vacant reserved rooms as soon as Peter was alerted their guests had arrived. The plain-clothes cop was to hide in Peter’s closet until he was needed.

At five minutes to nine, Ratana and one of the Thai girls walked through the hotel’s entry, escorted by the husky Asian man. Seeing Molly was not with the woman, Emily’s heart began to race and her palms became sweaty, horrified at what that might mean.

“Colin,” Emily said as she faced one of the officers seated next to her, leaning toward him as if she was having a conversation with him, “Ratana is here but she did not, I repeat, did not bring Molly with her.” Her voice cracked as she fought against the tears that rushed to her eyes. “She brought one of the girls from the spa.”

“Damn!” she could hear Colin shout.

“She didn’t bring Molly?” Special Agent Ellis asked through the earpiece.

“Oh, it gets better. She brought a body guard. Colin, you better alert Peter and get out of there.”

~*~

“I heard you, Emily.” Peter stared at Colin. “Now what?”

“Agree to accept the girl, but I have to get out of here before they show up.” Colin walked toward the door and the other cop stepped into the closet. “Heads up in there. Not a peep. I’ll let you both know what to do next through the earpieces.”

The officer slid the closet door shut as Colin slipped out and down the hall.

Within minutes there was a knock at Peter’s door.

“They’re here,” he said quietly into the mic before he opened the door. “Hi, come on in.”

Ratana pushed passed him, pulling the dolled-up girl behind her. The Asian man remained in the hallway.

“What’s this? I told you a white American girl. You promised me.”

“I know, I know. I don’t have one for you. I know you want American, but not possible. So sorry.”

Peter crossed his arms and glared at the woman, then at the girl, showing his displeasure at the change. In truth, he was trying to cover his mounting fear and crushing disappointment at the diminishing chances to rescue his niece. This would have been his opportunity to save her, but now her rescue was in question.

“But this one will give you great pleasure. And it will only cost you five hundred dollar. See, I save you money this way.”

Peter looked at the girl whose eyes were lowered. She was dressed in a short, tight, red satin dress with black stilettos and way too much makeup. Her midnight-black hair was pulled up in a twist, held in place by two chopstick-like mahogany picks. She reminded him of a little girl trying to play dress-up.

He put two fingers gently under her chin and slowly lifted her face, revealing her big brown eyes. He was certain what he saw in them was utter fear and soul-wrenching pain. “Okay, she can stay.” If he couldn’t save Molly, at least he could save this one.

“I leave now. I be back in one hour.”

“One hour? Five hundred dollars for only one hour?” Peter feigned surprise. In reality, he was glad to have the ordeal over in an hour instead of dragging it on through the night.

“You want longer, it will cost more.”

“No, one hour is fine.”

Ratana said something to the girl in her native language and the girl nodded, then the woman was out the door.

“Did you get that?” Peter asked, knowing Tony Ellis was monitoring the video feed.

“Got it.”

Peter looked out the peephole to make sure Ratana and the man were both gone. All he saw was the back of the man’s broad head. “That woman left the hulk to stand guard outside the door.”

“We’ll put our heads together and get rid of the guy,” Colin said.

“I’ve tapped into the hotel’s video feed. I can see the woman in the elevator,” the special agent informed the group. “Andrews, make sure one of your men in the lobby watches for her when she gets off the elevator and stays with her. We have to keep eyes on that woman.”

“He’s already been given his orders, Ellis.”

Peter turned back to the girl who was seated on the edge of the bed, unbuttoning her dress. “No, no. Don’t do that,” he said, waving his hands at her.

“I don’t understand.” Her expression told of confusion mingled with fear.

“I’m not having sex with you. I’m going to help you.”

“Help me?”

“That’s right.”

“No one can help me,” she said sadly with a slight shake of her head.

“What’s your name?”

She shook her head again, looking down at her hands worrying in her lap.

“Trust me, no one will hurt you.”

She raised her head and looked into Peter’s face, as if she was considering whether to believe him or not. “Maliwan,” she said softly.

“Okay, Maliwan, just sit tight. There’ll be people coming and going, but you’re safe here with me. Understand?”

She nodded.

“And you might hear me talking to myself, but I’m actually talking to someone else in my ear.” He pulled his earpiece out and showed her.

Her eyebrows wrinkled together and she cocked her head, then she sat in uneasy silence.

“Peter, this is Colin. I have a plan, but I need you to distract the hulk so I can sneak out of this room.”

“What do you want me to do?” Peter asked, distancing himself from the girl.

“Take the ice bucket to the door and ask the guy to get you some ice. Of course, he won’t, but it will sway his attention for a few seconds.”

“I can do that,” Peter replied.

The girl watched as he grabbed the ice bucket off the dresser and went to the door. As Peter opened it, the large man spun around and glared at him. Holding up the bucket, he asked, “If it’s not too much trouble, big guy, would you mind getting us some ice? I think the machine might be by the stairs, but I’m not sure. Here’s the bucket.” Peter held it out to him.

“Me get ice? No. You want ice, you get it.” He shook his head as he turned back around and retook his post.

“Never mind.” Peter slowly shut the door.

“Give us a few minutes, Peter. Emily and I have a plan. You might hear a ruckus outside your door for a second. Don’t panic.”

“You have things under control over there, Andrews?” Ellis asked.

“Yes, sir. We’ll give you an update as soon as we get this goon out of the way.”

~*~

The elevator tone dinged as the doors slid open. Out stepped Emily clinging to Colin, pretending they’d had too much to drink and were on the way to their room. Laughing and staggering down the hallway, they kept an eye on the Asian hulk. They stopped at the room directly across from Peter’s.

“Where’s your key card?” Colin asked with a drunken slur.

“Shoot!” Emily screeched, stamping one foot for emphasis. “I forgot my purse in the bar.” She giggled then hiccupped like a woman who had had too much bubbly.

“All right, sweetie,” Colin said. “You wait right here and I’ll go down and get it for you.” He stumbled away.

Emily wandered over to the man standing guard and attempted to start up a conversation to distract his attention. “Why are you standing out here? You locked out of your room?” she asked, swaying and slurring her words only inches from his face.

“Go away, lady.”

“Okay,” she sang, before unleashing her fury. In a matter of seconds, Emily stomped hard on his foot with the sharp heel of her boot, then she jerked her knee up into the man’s groin. As he bent over in mind-numbing pain, she jabbed her elbow in his face.

Without giving him a moment to recover from the surprise attack, Colin had the muzzle of his Glock pressed against the man’s neck. “Get your hands up!”

The man did as he was ordered, seething with anger, blood dripping from his nose.

Emily gingerly reached inside the man’s jacket and pulled out the handgun he had in a holster under his arm. “What about his phone?” she asked, pulling it out of his breast pocket.

“Pesani, Cleaver, I need you out in the hallway to take the trash out,” Colin ordered as he grabbed the man’s hands, one at a time, and brought them down and cuffed him. He took the man’s gun from Emily and stuffed it in the back of his belt.

One officer stepped out of Peter’s room and the other came sprinting down the hall from the stairway toward them.

“Take him into room three eighteen and gag him. We can’t have him warning the woman,” Collin called after the cops as they took the man down the hall.

“We make a pretty good team,” Emily said, grinning up at Colin.

“We certainly do, but we ought to get inside, don’t you think?” He tapped on the door.

“Good work Colin and Emily,” Ellis praised through their earpieces.

“Thanks, boss, but it’s not nearly over. We’ve got to find Molly.” Emily entered Peter’s room and Colin followed.

“SWAT has an unmarked surveillance van already in position near the house. I’ve been given word they’re picking up four bodies on the heat sensor, two moving around on the main floor and two stationary upstairs.”

“My man, Mason, is down in the lobby keeping watch over the woman,” Colin reported. “She went in the bar. He’ll let us know when she’s on her way back up.”

“She’s probably in there sipping a mai tai, waiting while her girl does her dirty work.” Emily growled between clenched teeth.

“She said she’d be back in an hour, so we only have to wait until then,” Peter said, checking his watch. “Another twenty-three minutes or so.”

“You do realize she’ll be expecting to see the man she left outside your door?” Ellis pointed out. “You better come up with a plan quick to deal with that.”

“Already thought of it and have it covered.” Emily walked over to the young girl and settled on the edge of the bed next to her. She slipped off her cardigan and pulled the sweater around the girl’s shoulders. “Don’t worry, sweetie, we’re here to help you. Do you understand?”

She nodded, fear still pooling in her dark eyes.

“Her name is Maliwan,” Peter informed Emily.

“I need you to help me, too.”

The girl stared silently into Emily’s eyes.

“Will you help me, Maliwan?” Emily returned her gaze and looked kindly into the girl’s face, hoping to allay her fears.

She nodded again, her eyes brightening a bit.

~*~

After her brief talk with Maliwan, Emily returned to Colin and Peter. She began to tell them that the girl thought she may have caught sight of Molly that very morning at the house.

“You forget you’re mic’d, Emily,” Ellis cut in. “We all heard the whole thing.”

“Then you must have heard her say she saw a girl with long red hair lying on a mattress in the upstairs bonus room.”

“We hope to God one of those four heat spots is Molly.”

Ellis typically sounded professional and by the book, but every once in awhile Emily swore she could hear his voice quiver as he spoke of Molly. “As soon as you have the madam in custody, I’ll give the signal to move on the house and the spa. If we move too soon, someone could text her a short one-word warning and she’s in the wind, guys.”

“One word?” Emily asked.

“Like run.”

“Got it.” Emily looked from Colin to Peter. “Now, we don’t have much time, fellas, let’s all get in position. You heard the plan.”

“We’re on it,” Peter replied.

“Maliwan,” she said, casting a glance over her shoulder, “you know what to do, right?”

“Yes,” she replied in a small, nervous voice.

Colin stepped into the closet and Emily went down the hall, just past the elevators, and waited around the corner in a small alcove. “We’re all in place, Ellis.” She reached back and felt her gun snuggly fitted in the back of her waistband, under her shirt.

“Ellis, is my video feed coming through okay?” Emily heard Peter ask.

“A-Okay.”

“The elevator just dinged,” Emily informed everyone. “Open the door, Peter. Cue Maliwan.”

The doors glided open and the madam stepped out, turning toward Peter’s room. She only took a few steps before she halted abruptly. Emily crept out of the alcove and tiptoed behind her, watching as the madam realized the man she’d left there was gone. The woman spun around and took a couple of steps toward the elevator, but Emily stood between Ratana and her escape.

“Oh, I’m so glad I found you,” Emily gasped, her arms spread out to keep the woman from going around her. “There’s a girl in the room down there that’s been crying for her mother.” Emily pointed toward the room. “She looks a lot like you, so I’m assuming that it’s you she’s been calling for?”

“That stupid girl,” the woman spat under her breath, looking down at the floor. Then she raised her head and her expression softened. “Yes, I am her mother. Where is she?”

“Right down here.” Emily laid one hand on the woman’s shoulder and motioned down the hall with the other. She walked her to the room where Peter held the door open.

“I’m so glad you’re back,” Peter said. “Your girl has been crying her eyes out ever since you left.”

The woman marched into the room, past the bathroom and closet. The girl was resting on the edge of the bed, her head bent down, weeping.

“There, that’s the girl,” Emily exclaimed, following the woman into the hotel room. Maliwan lifted her head as Ratana approached her.

Ratana barked something to the girl in Thai, motioning for her to leave with her. The girl replied something in her language, shaking her head no. The woman grabbed the girl by the arm and yelled at her again, yanking her to her feet.

Maliwan looked at Emily, pleading for help with her eyes.

Peter leaned against the dresser, watching the events unfold. “Are you getting this?” he whispered.

“Loud and clear,” Ellis responded.

“Let her go!” Emily hollered, stepping toward the woman. “You’re hurting her!”

“Peter, Emily needs a distraction, quick,” Colin whispered into his mic from inside the closet.

The woman dropped her hold on the girl’s arm, reached into her purse and drew out a small handgun. “The girl, she leave with me.” Ratana pointed the weapon at Maliwan.

Peter glanced around. He picked up a glass from the dresser and hurled it against the closest wall, shattering with a loud crash.

The woman’s head jerked toward the sound long enough for Emily to seize her opportunity. She grabbed the woman above the wrist, stepped in, flipped her over her hip and flat on her back on the floor, twisting the gun out of her hand. She dropped down and planted a knee on the woman’s chest. “You’re not going anywhere.”

Colin rushed in and stood over them, his gun drawn, with a slight grin on his face. “Great job, Emily.”

“And we got the whole thing on tape,” Peter exclaimed, positioning himself to record the arrest.

“Paradise Valley Police,” Colin shouted, flashing Ratana his badge while keeping his Glock leveled at her. “You’re under arrest for prostitution and human trafficking, and anything else I can find to charge you with. Roll over on your stomach and put your hands behind your back.”

Emily pulled her knee off the woman and sprang to her feet. “She’s all yours.”

Peter turned to watch as Colin clamped the cuffs on her and pulled the madam up.

“Why is it always my job to take the garbage out?” Colin marched the woman out of the room, reading her her rights as they went. Peter followed to get the whole thing on video.

“Stop complaining, Andrews,” Ellis chided in their ears.

One of the doors across the hall opened and the two officers escorted the stocky man out, as well. The woman screamed a string of indiscernible words at the man in their native tongue and he barked a few back at her as they marched down the hallway.

“You heard all of that, Ellis, right?” Emily asked, touching her ear as she sat beside the girl on the bed.

“I did and I’ve already given the order to storm the spa and the house.”

“I’m heading over to the house right now,” Emily reported. “I’m keeping the girl with me for the time being.”

“Not a good idea,” Ellis said. “Let one of the officers take custody of her.”

“She’s just a kid, Tony, and she’s been through a lot. I can’t simply hand her over to another man she doesn’t know.” Emily thought she’d get some push-back from the Special Agent, but he must have understood she wasn’t backing down. “Besides, we’re already on a fast-track out of the hotel. I’ll turn her over at the house, so have someone meet me, ready to take her. I want to be there when they bring Molly out.”

“You mean if they bring Molly out. There’s no guarantees here, Emily,” Ellis said.

“I have to believe she’s there, Tony, because if she’s not, it would be better for her if she were dead.” Emily glanced over at Maliwan, and the girl nodded sadly as she released a long sigh.

“She’s there,” Peter insisted. “We have to believe she’s there.”

“Keep the faith, Emily. I’ll meet you at the house,” Colin assured her.