Windward Secrets (22 page)

Holding the gun in one hand, pointed at the men, Diane pulled her phone from her pocket and hit speed dial. “Ed. It’s me. We found Claire and she’s hurt. We need an air ambulance and the State Police. We’re on a hill above the house we rented. It looks like there’s a field big enough for landing. Yes. Serious. Three of them. Track me by the GPS on my phone. We’ll turn on the headlights of two vehicles. Ed, bring a vet too, please. Yes, I said a vet.” Her next call was to Caroline to update her.

Diane switched off her phone and called for Jill. “Turn on the car lights. Did you see any rope anywhere?”

“No, but I wasn’t looking.” Going back to the van she returned with bailing twine.

“Hog tie them as tight as you can. Do your best to cut off the circulation,” Diane said. “I don’t want them to move an inch.”

Both women walked closer to the three men. When Jill reached for the first man’s arms he made a move toward her and Diane shot him in the foot. “I warned you.”

“You bitch,” he yelled, falling to the ground.

Jill proceeded to tie his hands behind his back and then his feet, and connected the two so that his body was shaped like a C.

The first man Diane shot was still writhing in pain so Diane turned the gun toward the third man. “Come on. Make a move. I need the practice.”

The man slowly lowered his arms behind his back and let Jill tie his hands. “You’re nuts, lady.”

“On the ground,” Jill instructed. “And don’t talk to my friend like that.”

Once down, she hog tied him as she had the first man.

Cautiously, Jill walked to the man near the Mercedes. As she bent down to look at his face he reached out and grabbed her ankle. Yanking hard he brought Jill to the ground.

Jill hit hard and rolled away from him as quickly as she could.

Diane fired. One clean shot and his thumb was gone.

“Damn, men. They just won’t listen,” Diane said, shaking her head.

Jill scrambled to her feet. “It’s not Drew.”

“Thank goodness,” Diane said. “Do you recognize him?”

“No,” Jill replied.

Ike hadn’t moved. Jill knelt down and patted him gently. “Hang on boy. Help’s on the way.” Then she ran to the van and pulled out another blanket. After covering Ike with the blanket she went back inside the shack to stay with Claire.

Diane walked closer to the man beside the Mercedes and looked down at him. She didn’t recognize him. “Who are you?”

The man just stared up at her.

“Oh come on… like we’re not going to find out.”

The man said nothing. He tried to put pressure on both his thumb and knee to stop the bleeding.

What seemed like an eternity ended with the sound of a chopper and search lights overhead.

Chapter Fourteen

Wednesday

Ed was the first off the helicopter and ran to Diane who lowered her gun to her side and hugged him fiercely. Two men and a woman in hospital scrubs carrying medical kits were headed for the wounded men when Jill stopped them and led them into the shack to take care of Claire. A casually, dressed man was on his knees beside Ike. Claire was brought out of the shack on a stretcher with her right arm and leg splinted, a neck collar in place, and an IV bag being held by the nurse as the two men carried the stretcher toward the helicopter.

The chopper pilot walked to Ed. “We can’t take everyone at the same time.”

“Take the woman and the dog,” Ed said, without hesitation. “Have the doc do what he can for the other two and we’ll transport them by cruiser.”

“You want us to take a dog before a human?” The pilot looked at Ed in disbelief.

“That’s right,” Ed said. “The dog is more valuable than these scumbags.”

It was another hour before three Massachusetts State Police cars slowly drove up the dirt road.

The troopers swarmed like bees and to Diane’s dismay confiscated her gun. Ed took charge answering as many questions as he could. The three men were taken into custody, placed in two of the cars, and taken down the dirt road. Diane, concerned because Jill was showing signs of shock, covered her with a blanket and kept her talking. One of the troopers produced a thermos of hot coffee, which Diane convinced Jill to drink.

It was nearly dawn when Diane, Jill, and Ed were driven by one of the troopers to Windward Cottage.

Jill’s cooking had not gone to waste. There was a state police cruiser in the driveway and Caroline had kept busy feeding two state troopers. The three women collapsed into each other’s arms finally releasing their pent up emotions. When they separated and dried their tears, Caroline told them the State Police had intercepted Spence on his way to the Cape and escorted him to Massachusetts General Hospital where Claire was in surgery.

“Did he say how she is?” Diane asked.

Caroline eyes filled and she bit her lip trying to maintain control before answering. “It’s very serious. We’ll be lucky if she makes it through the surgery.”

Jill started to cry again and reached for her handbag and jacket. “We have to go, right now!”

Ed gently placed his hand on her arm. “Jill, wait. There’s nothing we can do until she’s out of surgery. You all need to get some sleep and then we’ll go in a few hours.”

Diane nodded her head as she swallowed the lump in her throat. “He’s right. Let’s get some sleep. Just a few hours and then we’ll go.”

Jill wasn’t done yet. She frantically looked around and began to babble, “Where’s Drew? Has anyone heard from Drew? I don’t understand, where is he? Why wasn’t he with Ike? Was that his car up there?”

Caroline walked over to Jill and took her by her shoulders. “Stop, Jill. Listen to me. Drew was here. Ike ran away yesterday morning about the same time Claire disappeared. He thinks Ike knew she was in trouble. Drew spent all day driving around trying to find him and then came here. When we learned where the vet had taken Ike, Drew left to be with him. You will see Drew later today.”

Jill stared at Caroline with a blank look. It was too much to take in. She just stood there and then started to shake.

Ed turned to one of the troopers who had been standing by. “Get a doctor.”

Diane led Jill to the sofa where she got her to lie down and covered her with a blanket. “Caroline, get her some water please.”

A doctor arrived with an ambulance and after checking her over decided all Jill needed was a sedative and some sleep. “Keep an eye on her, but I’m sure she’ll be fine once she gets some rest.”

Diane and Caroline helped Jill up the stairs to bed.

“What the hell’s going on here?” the doctor asked,

turning to Ed.

***

After settling Jill into her bed, Caroline and Diane returned to the first floor with the backpack and bags of blankets from the cave.

“You two need some sleep too,” Ed said.

“Not yet, Ed,” Diane said. “We have to show you something first.”

In the dining room, they reconstructed their investigation into the missing girls including the map on the wall and the pictures from the security cameras at the marina.

“Holy Hell,” Ed whistled. “This is major.”

Ed made a phone call to someone who, from Ed’s side of the conversation, was not happy about being awakened at dawn. Then he called the troopers into the room. “You are to guard this house and this information with your life. The FBI is on their way.”

Fatigue hit Diane and Caroline like death itself and, with the evidence in safe hands, they laid their heads down on the table and fell asleep. A smile crept across Ed’s face. Diane was going to hate it when he told her she fell asleep on a dining room table in front of state troopers. He motioned for one of the troopers to carry Caroline to her bedroom. He then lifted Diane in his arms and carried her to her room and laid her gently on the bed. He slipped off her shoes and covered her with a blanket and then took off his own shoes and lay down beside her. Taking her in his arms he whispered in her ear, “Thank God you’re okay. If it had been you, I don’t know what I would have done.” His eyes closed and for the first time in many years he was exactly where he wanted to be.

Four hours later Diane, Jill, and Caroline were getting caffeine kicks with black coffee in the kitchen surrounded by state police and FBI agents.

“Ed, will you drive us to Mass General?” Diane asked.

“Not just yet Diane. We have time for breakfast.”

“Ed! We need to get to the hospital.”

“Trust me Diane there’s time. Claire is out of surgery but in ICU. She’s heavily sedated so there’s no need to hurry.”

That was all Jill needed to hear; she was up and pulling frying pans from everywhere. “Okay. How does everyone like their eggs?”

Caroline and Diane looked at each other and laughed.

“She’s back,” Caroline said.

After breakfast, Ed spent an hour in seclusion in the dining room with the agents while the women cleaned up the kitchen and then took their posts in the rocking chairs on the back porch. They heard the sound of a helicopter, in the distance, and turned their attention to watch as it flew low along the shore line toward them. The chopper slowly lowered to the beach in front of them spraying them with sand that felt like millions of needles piercing their skin.

Ed stepped out the back door. “Come on, ladies. You wanted to go to the hospital didn’t you?”

Jill and Caroline looked at Diane. “How does he do all this Diane?” Caroline asked.

“I told you he’s the Attorney General.”

Jill jumped up. “No, you didn’t. You said he was ‘AN ATTORNEY,’ not THE Attorney General.”

“Well,” Diane said. “Minor difference.”

“Really?” Caroline said, collecting her handbag. “Just a minor difference?”

***

The chopper landed on the helicopter pad at Mass General and they were escorted to the ICU. Standing at the glass wall that separated them from Claire, they watched as a doctor and nurse administered to her. Claire’s face was black and blue, her right arm was in a cast from hand to shoulder, her left leg was casted and in traction, and there were tubes it seemed in every orifice of her body. Spence was fast asleep in a chair with his head on the side of the bed. His left hand was holding her hand with the IV and his right hand rested on her cheek.

Jill wiped her eyes and looked at Caroline who put her arm around her waist. Ed took Diane’s hand and gave it a squeeze.

The doctor, seeing them, made one last check and then left Claire’s room to speak with them.

“How bad is she?” Diane asked.

“You’re Mrs. McPherson’s friends who were with her on the Cape?” the doctor asked.

“Yes, Diane replied, introducing the women and Ed.”

“It’s bad. Besides the obvious broken bones, there are serious internal injuries. Luckily she had a helmet on or I’m sure she would have died. It was a long and intricate surgery. We repaired all the fractures and stopped the bleeding. She’s on a respirator to help her breathe. Now it’s up to her.”

“How long until we can see her?” Caroline asked.

“She should start coming out of the sedation in a few hours. We’ll check her then and let you know.”

The doctor started to walk away and then came back. “Who’s Betsy?”

Diane, Caroline, and Jill looked at each other and then back at the doctor. “Why do you ask?” replied Jill.

“Mrs. McPherson, talked to her through everything.”

When they did not respond, the doctor looked confused and continued. “Well, she must be her guardian angel or Mrs. McPherson would never have survived. I’m still not sure she will, but most people wouldn’t have made it this far. She’s going to be setting off a lot of metal detectors with all the screws and pins we had to put in her.”

A nurse directed them to a waiting room where they found Amy and Beth, Claire’s daughters. The girls rushed into the women’s arms. Once everyone was calm Amy and Beth wanted to know what happened. Diane, Jill, and Caroline did their best to explain what they knew and then there was nothing to do but wait. Eventually, a nurse came to the waiting room to tell Amy and Beth they could visit their mother for a few minutes. Addressing the others, she explained that until Claire was conscious and stable they would only be permitted to take turns visiting for fifteen minutes every hour. The day progressed, slowly, with a rotation of visitations to Claire’s side.

Jill tried Drew’s cell phone to let him know how Claire was and get news on Ike. Again, there was no answer. “What is wrong with him? Why isn’t he answering?” Frustrated she threw the phone in her purse.

Ed was busy making calls and finally called the three women into a private room used for family conferences with doctors.

With a serious look on his face, he asked them to be seated and then proceeded to ask them why they had started their investigation of Wendell.

Diane became the spokesperson and explained about Claire finding the clipping in the scrapbook, how she had known Betsy as a child and was compelled to find out what happened to her.

Ed listened quietly, at times looking down thoughtfully at his hands folded on the table in front of him. When Diane finished her story he looked up. “You ladies have no idea how dangerous this was. That being said… I have to tell you how brave and courageous you are. The four of you have exposed the largest, human trafficking ring in history.”

“What?” Jill said, starting to tremble. “Human trafficking? You mean those girls were kidnapped and sold.”

“Yes. Exactly. All over the world.”

“Have any of them ever returned home?” Caroline quietly, asked.

Looking directly at her, Ed slowly shook his head from side to side. “None that we have been able to determine.”

The women sucked in their breath and prayed Ed was wrong.

“The FBI has been working on some of the individual cases for years, but they never made the connection with the man you call Wendell. As it turns out, thanks to you, they have cracked the case wide open.”

“I don’t understand, Ed,” Diane said. “If the FBI has been working on the same cases, why didn’t they make the connection?”

“There was no evidence pointing to The Cape until you found it. The trafficking began on a small scale over fifty years ago and grew to this horrible monster. You were right, Wendell’s father was involved early on and slowly brought in a few people, but it was still a small enterprise until they found the perfect piece to the puzzle.”

“And what was that,” Diane asked.

“Actually, it was two pieces. One was protection from suspicion, and that was Chief Peterson. He ran a tight little town where nothing ever happened because he extorted money from the business owners to guarantee their silence in return for the safety of their families and businesses.”

Jill slammed her hand down on the table. “Claire was right about him all the time. The good-for-nothing….”

Ed continued. “The second major piece of the puzzle was Swift Runner, the yacht.”

“Really,” Caroline asked. “How does that tie in?”

Ed stood up to stretch his legs and continued. “As I told you originally, the yacht is owned by a corporate conglomerate. We finally dug deep enough to locate the owners in the Middle East. They’re the other half of the equation. You got the pictures of the four Americans operating from Haworth. Wendell, Peterson, Johnson, and a man named Jeffries who captains the yacht. They abducted the girls and then turned them over to the Middle East connection. We believe the girls were held in the cave until they could make the transfer at sea. The forensics on the blankets will not be back for a while. We’re currently gathering as much DNA from the missing girls’ families as possible.”

Diane held up her hand to interrupt. “Ed, what happened to the children after they left here?”

Ed, who was looking out the window, turned to Diane. “They were sold to the highest bidders. Human trafficking is one of the fastest growing and most heinous crimes in the world. This was a huge ring, but there are many more out there.”