‘Where we going?’ Noah could barely hold himself up. Blood poured into his eyes. ‘You’d better be taking me to the infirmary.’
‘The RHU. You’ll get my write-up later. You got Class I charges. Threatening a CO with bodily harm, resisting arrest, and insubordination.’ They reached a maroon-metal door that read RHU. CO Evesham unlocked it, and they hustled Noah into a long hallway that had doors like the ACU isolation cells.
Noah thought about running. He was in too much pain. There was nowhere to run. He had no choice but to let them throw him in a cell. At least he would be safe.
CO Stanislavsky went to the first cell door and unlocked it. Noah stood aside. Blood ran down his face.
‘Get in.’ CO Evesham opened the door, but the cell wasn’t empty.
Inside was John Drover.
And in his hand was a homemade shank.
Chapter Eighty-two
Maggie, After
Maggie, Kathy, and Caleb sat in the small waiting room of the homey Tipton police station, having finished giving their statements to a group of federal, state, and local law enforcement. Wooden chairs matched a table that held back issues of People magazine, and the air smelled like stale coffee. Maggie was waiting to find out about Anna. The authorities were still interviewing Connie, and she’d been told that he was making a complete statement in return for a plea deal.
The waiting area was separated from the office by an old-fashioned wooden door with a glass pane, and Maggie kept checking to see what was going on. Uniformed local police, assistant U.S. attorneys, local assistant district attorneys, and FBI agents flooded the small room, which held only a few wooden desks with outdated computers. Atop a line of battered gray file cabinets sat an old TV playing The Weather Channel on mute, next to stacked case files and a clutter of New England Patriots and Red Sox paraphernalia, including a David Ortiz bobblehead.
Maggie felt pure dread that the worst had happened to Anna, but she told herself to keep the faith, and she worried about Caleb, since the horrific scene at Elma Tenderly’s. She was still amazed that he’d had the presence of mind to run out the back door and call 911 when Connie and Roy had burst into the house. She hadn’t had a chance to talk with him about what had happened, and it had to have been traumatic. He seemed okay under the circumstances, sitting next to her with his phone in his lap. During the interview, he’d absorbed everything with wide-eyed interest. She would help him process it later, and he could talk about it in therapy, too, when they got home.
‘How you doing, sweetie?’ Maggie asked him, ruffling his hair.
‘I’m okay.’ Caleb nodded with a smile.
‘You must be tired.’ Maggie checked the wall clock. It was almost one o’clock in the morning.
‘No, I’m fine.’
Maggie touched his hand. ‘That was scary at the house, huh?’
‘Yeah.’
‘I’m so proud of you, Caleb. You saved our lives, do you realize that?’
‘Yes.’ Caleb grinned.
‘I love you very much.’ Maggie gave him a hug and a kiss.
‘I love you, too, Mag.’ Caleb looked up with a smile. ‘And I said emergency!’
‘You sure did!’ Maggie smiled, proud of him.
‘Remember when I fell and cut my knee at school? It was an emergency?’
‘Yes. You said it perfectly. You were amazing.’
Kathy looked over, her eyes shining. ‘I agree, one hundred percent. Caleb, you were incredibly brave. You saved us.’
Caleb grinned. ‘Mag shot the guy!’
Kathy flared her eyes, with a half-smile. ‘Yes, she did. Who knew?’
‘Not me.’ Maggie shuddered inwardly. ‘And Kath, you tackled him.’
Kathy winked. ‘Right? The boys taught me that. Lacrosse in the spring, and football in the fall. Go, team!’
Caleb grinned up at Maggie. ‘Did you ever shoot anybody before, Mag?’
‘No, and I don’t want to ever again. I wasn’t trying to kill him, you know. I didn’t want to.’ Maggie managed a smile, knowing she’d have some processing of her own to do, later.
Kathy put her hand on Caleb’s. ‘Your mom shot only because he was going to hurt you.’
‘I know.’ Caleb looked up at Maggie. ‘You’re a great mom.’
‘Aw, thanks, honey,’ Maggie said, feeling her heart melt. She knew he loved her, but he’d never said that to her before this very moment.
Suddenly, there was new activity in the squad room. The door to the interview room was opening, and men in suits were spilling out with laptops and legal files. The FBI types were putting on jackets, the lawyers their trenchcoats, and the police were donning bulletproof vests and leaving by the back entrance to the parking lot behind the station.
Maggie found herself on her feet. ‘They’re going somewhere.’
Kathy stood up. ‘Looks that way.’
Caleb jumped up. ‘Here comes the Chief.’
Maggie waved to Chief Vogel of the Congreve Police, who caught her eye as he threaded his way to the waiting room, zipping the blue insulated jacket over his uniform and putting on his blue cap. They had met earlier tonight, and she liked him. Vogel was a taciturn Mainer in his fifties, but he’d been concerned about Anna’s case. He opened the door to the waiting room with a tense smile.
‘Hello, folks,’ Chief Vogel said, shutting the door behind him
‘Chief, what’s going on?’ Maggie met him at the door with Kathy and Caleb. ‘Is Anna okay?’
‘I have some answers, but not all. I’m authorized to tell you only what you need to know. It’s confidential police business, and we don’t have much time to talk now.’
‘I understand.’
‘We are engaged in an ongoing police investigation. I’m telling you only because you are a victim’s parent. One of the victims.’
Maggie swallowed hard. Her heart started to thud in her chest. She prayed Anna was alive.
‘A plea agreement is being finalized with Connie, full name Konstantine Rogolyi. Under its terms, Konstantine Rogolyi will be spared the death penalty and he will be spending life in prison without possibility of parole. In return, he agrees to plead guilty to the first-degree murders of Elma Tenderly, Patti “PG” Tenderly, and Roy Watson of Tipton. In addition, Konstantine Rogolyi is pleading guilty to several other charges, including numerous federal counts of sex trafficking.’
‘Sex trafficking?’ Maggie’s stomach turned over. She felt Kathy hold her arm, supporting her. She didn’t know how much Caleb understood, but this wasn’t the time or the place to explain.
‘Yes. According to his statement, Konstantine Rogolyi was engaged with Roy Watson and others in a sex-trafficking conspiracy, in violation of the TVPA, or the Trafficking Victims Protection Act and other laws. Patti Tenderly, whom you know as PG, was an integral part of the criminal conspiracy. Patti Tenderly’s role was to recruit victims like your daughter and lure them into meeting with Konstantine Rogolyi, Roy Watson, and others, who kidnapped and trafficked them.’ Chief Vogel’s mouth set grimly. ‘Konstantine Rogolyi told authorities that there are seven victims being forced into prostitution, coerced under threat of violence. You may be unaware of this, but not all sex trafficking is international. On the contrary, domestic sex trafficking is on the rise in remote regions of the country like ours. In fact, state and federal law enforcement coordinate with many anti-trafficking groups, including women’s groups and Truckers Against Trafficking.’
‘So does that mean Anna is alive?’ Maggie felt a flicker of hope, setting aside her revulsion. ‘And you know where she is?’
‘We have a reasonable basis to believe that she and the others are at a nearby location, but we cannot be certain. Konstantine Rogolyi told us that Patti Tenderly recruited Jamie Covington and your daughter Anna Desroches at Congreve. Patti Tenderly learned that your daughter was to inherit a trust fund at age eighteen. Seeing the similarity in her appearance with your daughter, Patti Tenderly befriended your daughter, trafficked her, and took the opportunity to steal your daughter’s identity and move to Pennsylvania.’