know?
Clark was breathing hard, visibly shaken. “I’ve never . . . Oh my God.” He looked up at Luke, his eyes horrified and suddenly very old. “They’re kids. They’re just kids.”
It was a scene that would have turned the stomachs of most seasoned cops. Eric Clark would be forever changed. “Come on. Let’s check this back hall.”
There were only two cells in the back, older and more fetid, if that was possible. One of the doors was open and a body lay across the threshold. Another sweep of Luke’s flashlight had him fighting the urge to gag. The man was dead, gutted like a pig.
The cell was otherwise empty, but Luke could see a hole had been dug under the wall to the next cell and realized that Beardsley had pulled Bailey from the other cell through the hole and together they’d escaped.
“Do we break down the door?” Clark asked unsteadily.
“No, it’s empty. Go back to Vartanian. I’ll call the ME for the dead men.” Luke swallowed. “And the girls.”
The innocents. Young girls the same age as his nieces. They should be going to school dances and giggling about boys. Instead they’d been tortured, starved, and God only knew what else. And now they were dead. They’d been too late.
I can’t do this anymore. I can’t look at this kind of depravity anymore.
Yes, you can. You will. You have to. He tightened his jaw and straightened his spine. Then you’ll find who did this. It’s the way you’ll stay sane.
The medic went back to Daniel and Luke returned to the first cell where Alex knelt next to Beardsley, her hands pressing fresh gauze pads to his side.
“How many girls did they get out?” Luke asked quietly.
Beardsley’s eyes were weary. “Five or six. I heard them talking about a boat.”
“I’ll notify the local police and the water patrol,” Luke said. “And the Coast Guard.”
Out in the hall, Daniel was being wheeled out on one gurney as a second gurney was brought in for Beardsley. Alex thanked him for saving her life, then left the small cell to join Daniel. Luke took her place, crouching next to Beardsley, careful not to get in the way of the paramedics. “I need to know exactly what you saw and heard.”
Beardsley grimaced as he was lifted to the gurney. “I wasn’t that close to the office, so I didn’t hear much. They kept Bailey and me in the cells at the other end of the bunker. Kept us separated. Every day they took us to the office. For questioning.”
“You mean the room where Mansfield and the others died?”
“Yeah. They wanted Bailey’s key. They beat her and . . .” His raspy voice broke. “Oh, God. Granville tortured her.” He gritted his teeth fiercely, anguish in his eyes. “All because of a key. You have no idea how much I wanted to kill him.”
Luke looked over at Angel, dead on the cot, then thought of Susannah Vartanian and all the other innocents victimized by Dr. Granville and his club. “Yeah, I think I do.”
He needed to call his boss. They needed to regroup. They needed a plan.
They needed Susannah’s girl to survive.
Luke followed Daniel’s gurney out into the sunshine. He was met by Agent Pete Haywood, one of Chase’s team. “What happened in there?” Pete demanded.
Luke gave Pete the short version, Pete’s eyes growing larger with each detail. “Now I’ve got to talk to that girl. She might be the only one who knows who took the others.”
“You go,” Pete said. “I’ll stay. Call me with news on Daniel.”
“Secure the scene. Nobody in and radio silence until we inform Chase and the Bureau.” He started running toward his car, dialing Chase Wharton as the medics loaded Daniel into the waiting ambulance.
“Goddammit,” Chase snarled before Luke could speak. “I’ve been trying to get you for twenty minutes. What the hell’s going on down there?”
The ambulance pulled away. “Daniel’s alive, but critical. Alex is unhurt. O’Brien, Mansfield, Granville, and Loomis are dead.” Luke filled his
Clark was breathing hard, visibly shaken. “I’ve never . . . Oh my God.” He looked up at Luke, his eyes horrified and suddenly very old. “They’re kids. They’re just kids.”
It was a scene that would have turned the stomachs of most seasoned cops. Eric Clark would be forever changed. “Come on. Let’s check this back hall.”
There were only two cells in the back, older and more fetid, if that was possible. One of the doors was open and a body lay across the threshold. Another sweep of Luke’s flashlight had him fighting the urge to gag. The man was dead, gutted like a pig.
The cell was otherwise empty, but Luke could see a hole had been dug under the wall to the next cell and realized that Beardsley had pulled Bailey from the other cell through the hole and together they’d escaped.
“Do we break down the door?” Clark asked unsteadily.
“No, it’s empty. Go back to Vartanian. I’ll call the ME for the dead men.” Luke swallowed. “And the girls.”
The innocents. Young girls the same age as his nieces. They should be going to school dances and giggling about boys. Instead they’d been tortured, starved, and God only knew what else. And now they were dead. They’d been too late.
I can’t do this anymore. I can’t look at this kind of depravity anymore.
Yes, you can. You will. You have to. He tightened his jaw and straightened his spine. Then you’ll find who did this. It’s the way you’ll stay sane.
The medic went back to Daniel and Luke returned to the first cell where Alex knelt next to Beardsley, her hands pressing fresh gauze pads to his side.
“How many girls did they get out?” Luke asked quietly.
Beardsley’s eyes were weary. “Five or six. I heard them talking about a boat.”
“I’ll notify the local police and the water patrol,” Luke said. “And the Coast Guard.”
Out in the hall, Daniel was being wheeled out on one gurney as a second gurney was brought in for Beardsley. Alex thanked him for saving her life, then left the small cell to join Daniel. Luke took her place, crouching next to Beardsley, careful not to get in the way of the paramedics. “I need to know exactly what you saw and heard.”
Beardsley grimaced as he was lifted to the gurney. “I wasn’t that close to the office, so I didn’t hear much. They kept Bailey and me in the cells at the other end of the bunker. Kept us separated. Every day they took us to the office. For questioning.”
“You mean the room where Mansfield and the others died?”
“Yeah. They wanted Bailey’s key. They beat her and . . .” His raspy voice broke. “Oh, God. Granville tortured her.” He gritted his teeth fiercely, anguish in his eyes. “All because of a key. You have no idea how much I wanted to kill him.”
Luke looked over at Angel, dead on the cot, then thought of Susannah Vartanian and all the other innocents victimized by Dr. Granville and his club. “Yeah, I think I do.”
He needed to call his boss. They needed to regroup. They needed a plan.
They needed Susannah’s girl to survive.
Luke followed Daniel’s gurney out into the sunshine. He was met by Agent Pete Haywood, one of Chase’s team. “What happened in there?” Pete demanded.
Luke gave Pete the short version, Pete’s eyes growing larger with each detail. “Now I’ve got to talk to that girl. She might be the only one who knows who took the others.”
“You go,” Pete said. “I’ll stay. Call me with news on Daniel.”
“Secure the scene. Nobody in and radio silence until we inform Chase and the Bureau.” He started running toward his car, dialing Chase Wharton as the medics loaded Daniel into the waiting ambulance.
“Goddammit,” Chase snarled before Luke could speak. “I’ve been trying to get you for twenty minutes. What the hell’s going on down there?”
The ambulance pulled away. “Daniel’s alive, but critical. Alex is unhurt. O’Brien, Mansfield, Granville, and Loomis are dead.” Luke filled his
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