Visible Threat (18 page)

48

B
Y NOON THE HOUSE
in Hawaiian Gardens teemed with all manner of law enforcement personnel. There had been only one dead man recovered, the male who opened the door to the deputy’s knock. He had, indeed, killed himself. After that, Brinna and the others found three padlocked bedrooms, each containing frightened young women. One bedroom held two women; the other two held four each. They were all young and of Eastern European descent.

There was no sign of Ivana or Brinna’s mother.

Chuck arrived with his forensic team. A short time later ICE pulled up with translators. All of the women were in the process of being interviewed. Brinna paced in frustration. None of the women spoke any more than broken English, so she was forced to rely on translation as each interview was finished.

She cursed after reading the transcripts. Waiting patiently had accomplished nothing. Down to the last interview, none
of the women knew anything. Their stories were the same as Ivana’s. They’d come to the US after being promised jobs by a man named Demitri. Once they arrived, they were forced into prostitution. All they knew of the US was the small bedroom they were imprisoned in. Two of the women knew Ivana, so that was at least confirmation that Ivana had run from this house. But none of the information the women shared would help locate Ivana and Rose now.

“Hey, what do you say we go get something to eat?” Jack appeared at Brinna’s shoulder. “Chuck will clean this up. It’s his mess now.”

“I’m not hungry.” Brinna crossed her arms, jaw tense.

“Brinna, half the day is gone. I know you haven’t eaten anything. I’m starving; you must be also.”

She blew out a breath and faced him, brows furrowed. “I can’t eat while I’m this worried about my mom. Jack, you know the odds of her still being alive decrease with each passing hour.” Her voice broke. She brought her fist to her mouth and sucked in a breath. Dread covered her like a shroud.

Jack stepped forward and grabbed her shoulders. “You’re dead on your feet. You need a break, some food, and a separation from this.” His gaze held hers.

Tears fell uncontrollably, and Brinna jerked away from him and wiped her face with the backs of her hands. She needed a few minutes and was thankful that Jack gave them to her. After she felt composed, she turned back to him.

“Okay, let’s go.” Together they walked toward the car. “There’s certainly nothing more for us to learn here,” she said.

*   *   *

When the heavy door shut and locked them in, Ivana felt as though her throat were closing. The only light in the room was a dim bulb, no brighter than a child’s night-light. A chair, a beat-up table, and a small couch were the only furnishings. Though Ivana had sobbed the entire way here in the car, as she hugged her arms to her chest, closed her eyes, and threw her head back, the tears ran down her cheeks anew.

“I’m so sorry, Mrs. Caruso,” she sobbed. “This is all my fault.”

Mrs. Caruso came behind Ivana, turned her around, and hugged her tight. “Oh, sweetheart, of course this is not your fault. You’ve been the victim in all of this.”

As the older woman stroked her hair and held her as though she were a child, Ivana sobbed harder.

After a while Ivana’s tears finally ran out. She wiped her face with a sleeve and looked up to see Mrs. Caruso regarding her with a soft, loving expression. There was no hint of fear.

“Do you feel any better now that you’ve gotten all that out of your system?” Mrs. Caruso asked.

Ivana shrugged. “Maybe, but I’m still frightened. And you’re not. You don’t know these men; you
 
—”

Mrs. Caruso shushed her and cupped her face in her hands. “Ivana, I have faith that we’ll be rescued. I don’t need to know these men. I know my daughter and the people she works with. They will find us.”

“Oh, I wish I had such faith.” Ivana pulled away and glanced around the room. “This is the place I told you about,
the place where Demitri brought us
 
—Villie and me
 
—when we first came to this country. He promised us so much, and here is where he told us it was all a lie.”

“All the more reason you should know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that you are not the one at fault here. The evil is Demitri.” She put an arm around Ivana’s shoulders. “Now I’ve told you about my faith in God, and you’ve told me you’ve heard about him, yet you don’t trust him.”

Together the two women sat down on the soiled couch.

“How about you let me pray?” Mrs. Caruso continued. “It will give me a measure of peace, and maybe that will help you as well.”

Ivana sniffled and nodded, already gaining strength from Rose Caruso’s closeness and her composure. Mrs. Caruso began her prayer and Ivana listened very carefully, hoping something in the words would infuse her with some of the strength and faith she felt emanating from the woman.

49

J
ACK AND
B
RINNA
had just pulled into the parking lot of a Coco’s when her cell phone went off. She grabbed it, hoping it was good news about her mother. It was Maggie. Disappointment mixed with relief as she flipped the phone open.

“Mags,” she breathed into the receiver.

“Hey, Brin, I just heard about your mom. I’m so sorry.”

“Thanks. I’m glad you called. I thought you’d given up on me.” She could hear Maggie sigh.

“I was mad at you. I needed time to think. It really bites what happened to Rick.” Maggie’s voice broke. “I can hardly look at his kids without choking up.” There was a pause.

Brinna felt her own throat tighten again.

“Anyway,” Maggie continued, “I realize it’s not your fault, and I can’t lose my best friend
and
my partner over this. Rick would have jumped into that water no matter what. That day, the ‘what’ just happened to be you.”

“And you know I’d change it if I could.”

“Yeah, but neither one of us can. So we just need to move on and make the best of what we have left.”

“Are you with Rick now?”

“No, his mom and dad flew in this morning. It’s all family now, which is probably best for the kids. I’ll check in with them from time to time, and they can always call me. Where are you at?”

Brinna looked up, suddenly remembering where she was and who she was with. Jack sat quietly in the driver’s seat, watching her.

“Uh, I’m with Jack. We’re at Coco’s on Lakewood. We just came from the house we believe Ivana ran from before she jumped in the river.”

“Lakewood? I heard that call on the scanner. It went crazy when the deputy put out that shots-fired call. Is this related to your mom?”

“Yeah, we’d hoped to find her at the house. . . . No such luck.” Brinna rubbed her temple with the index finger on her injured hand, the dull ache there and in her wrist seemingly permanent.

“You need to bring me up to speed. I’ve been out of the loop.”

“Want to join us? We haven’t gone in and ordered yet.”

“Sure, I’d like that. I’ll be there in twenty.”

Brinna took a deep, cleansing breath and closed the phone. At least one part of her personal life had realigned itself.

“Good news?” Jack asked, jolting her back to the most jagged part of her life.

“Yeah, Maggie doesn’t hate me. She’s had time to cool down and she’s going to join us. Do you mind?”

“Not at all. Like I said before, what happened to Rick was not your fault.” He reached across the car and tugged on her sleeve. “Rick made up his own mind to go into the water.”

“I don’t know.” Brinna shook her head and looked away. “My falling in might have pulled him in as well. If we hadn’t been attached by that leash, I probably would have been the only one in the water.”

“This is all second-guessing. If I remember right, you told me that your mentor had a word for second-guessing scenarios you can’t change and for second-guessers.”

Brinna leaned back and frowned at Jack, who lifted an eyebrow and regarded her with an amused expression.

“I told you that, did I?”

“Yep. Come on now; how did Milo put it?”

In spite of everything, Brinna felt a smile tug at her lips. “He used to say that second-guessing was donkey dung and the second-guessers the donkeys. And I cleaned that up a lot.”

“Right. I never met the man, but I agree with him today. Now, how about we go have a seat and order some coffee while we wait for Maggie?”

“Good idea.” Brinna felt her mood lift somewhat. Being reminded of Milo was a good thing. Though accepting his death had been painful, enough time had passed and now memories of him made her feel warm and happy. He never would have wallowed in unproductive second-guessing.
“Onward and forward,”
he would have said.
“Just catch the bad guys.”

But thinking of Milo also brought her mother to mind. And her mother’s faith. Milo had spoken with Rose at length about her faith, and the fact that Milo had come to accept it was what had caused Brinna to relax and let go of the irritation her mother’s beliefs seemed to engender.

My mother’s faith,
Brinna thought as she and Jack took a seat in the restaurant.
Where does it fit into all of this? It will keep her strong. She’ll not fall apart and do anything stupid; I’m sure of it.
Comforted by this, Brinna watched Jack as he yawned and stretched, and she knew he was the right person to be with when the conversation turned to faith.

The waitress arrived with coffee, pouring two cups and leaving a carafe. As the aroma wafted across the table, Brinna realized that in spite of the turmoil she felt, she was starved. Some food would probably even ease her headache.

“I have a question for you,” Brinna said to Jack, after taking a long sip of hot coffee. She fixed a thoughtful gaze on him. “Here we are in another situation where the innocent are suffering at the hands of the evil. I want to believe God is good, and sometimes I think I’m almost there, but how can faith explain what has happened to my mom?”

“Just because bad things happen doesn’t mean God isn’t good.”

Brinna bit her bottom lip. “I don’t understand that. I can get behind evil people being jerked around, but why good people? My mom is truly good
 
—she believes in God
 
—so why would he let this happen to her?” She held her hands out, palms up. Her frustration with this old dilemma bubbled up like heartburn. She’d asked this question her whole life in
terms of missing kids. Why were some kids saved and safe while others were brutally murdered? No child could ever be said to deserve that kind of treatment.

“I can’t tell you why. All I can tell you is what the Bible says. No one is good. Everyone is considered a sinner in the eyes of God, and everyone is equal in his sight.”

“Then how can anyone win? What is the point of having this great faith in God if you’re still going to get smacked by something awful?”

“Brinna, God made man, but man made the society we live in.” Jack’s tone held such a firm confidence that Brinna gave him her undivided attention. “Evil is here to stay because man rejects God. You have to understand that God wants people to believe in him in spite of what’s wrong in the world, not because of it. If he intervened
 
—stopped things from happening or made people puppets
 
—man would not have a free will. God recognizes that some will always reject him. He doesn’t force anyone to believe or to be good.”

“I’ve heard that from my mom so many times.” Brinna leaned back in the booth and closed her eyes. “You have to believe of your own free will.” She punctuated each word with her index finger, then opened her eyes and brought her head forward. “But if belief doesn’t save you from calamity, what does it do for you? What’s the point?”

“The point is, we can have peace in this world, no matter what our circumstances.”

Brinna refilled her coffee cup.
Peace no matter what the circumstances.
“You think my mom has peace right now?”

Jack didn’t look away. “I think your mom trusts God, and I think she will continue to trust, no matter what.”

No matter what.
Brinna ran her finger around the rim of her coffee cup, suddenly very tired. She knew Jack was right. God was the firm center of her mother’s life.

“Will God come through for my mom?” Brinna held Jack’s gaze.

“Of course he will.” He rubbed the stubble on his chin. “But it might not be in a way you consider to be ‘perfect.’”

“Figures. Nothing ever seems to work out perfectly.” She glanced away for a moment, seeing Maggie heading to their table. “Here’s Maggie.”

The sight of her friend gave Brinna a jolt of adrenaline. She stood and embraced Maggie. “About time.”

“Hey, I broke the land speed record getting here.” Maggie’s smile was warm, and Brinna felt that warmth to her core. It was good to have her friend back.

“Now,” Maggie said as she sat, “why don’t you guys fill me in on this human trafficking thing. I was happy to help Rick out as babysitter, but right now I need to be a cop again.”

“I can relate to that,” Brinna agreed.

Faith talk and God lingered in Brinna’s mind as she launched into a narrative of the latest waking nightmare for Maggie’s benefit. She’d always believed that work was the best place to be when the world seemed to tilt off its axis, but that was changing
 
—it had changed, she was sure. She wanted the peaceful, sure faith of Jack and her mother. Here, with Jack, and with her mother in peril, she finally believed she’d get there.

50

“D
EMITRI?”
Anton’s face turned red with rage. “That coward! All he knows how to do is exploit and use people.” He banged one end of his cane into his palm as if it were a club. “He will pay for this, I promise.”

Magda’s fear for herself morphed into fear for Anton. She’d cried until she thought for sure every ounce of moisture had left her body as she’d told him about all the evil she’d let happen through the years. He’d listened, pacing the room, features stiffening with each detail she shared. Now this thought flashed through her mind:
What if he tries to confront Demitri?

“He’s a dangerous man
 
—”

“He’s an animal, a rabid animal who must be put down.” He started for the door, and Magda leaped from her chair to grab his arm.

“What will you do? You can’t stop him on your own; he’ll kill you!”

Anton took her arm from his, then gripped her right
shoulder tight, left hand white as he leaned on his cane. His eyes were angry and pained. “I need to think. I need to pray. I will be on the porch for a moment. Leave me alone right now.” He released her and turned to leave.

Magda felt a real pain pierce her through as she watched him disappear through the front door.

“Oh, God,” she cried, “God, I’m not a good person like Anton, and I don’t deserve anything, but if he leaves me, I will die. I will die.” Her legs gave way and she collapsed onto the couch, tears springing from what she thought was a dry well. As she sobbed, alone and frightened, she vaguely realized that now that the horrible truth was out, she felt a modicum of relief. There were no secrets to keep anymore. If Anton would only forgive her, they could start life anew. She continued to cry out to the God she’d only given passing attention to until now.

After a while, Magda’s tears ended. She got up from the couch and resisted the urge to open the front door to be certain Anton was still there. She went to the bathroom and washed her face, then returned to sit in her favorite chair in the living room to wait.

It was forty minutes before the front door opened. Anton entered and Magda forced herself to stay seated and not jump up and throw herself into his arms. She needed to know what decision he’d come to without her input. His face looked calm, peaceful, and she knew him well enough to see that he’d wrestled his anger away. He was in control as far as Demitri went, and some of the fear in her gut dissipated. But where was he in regard to her?

“Magda,” he said, approaching her chair, “I wish you had told me all of this sooner, but I understand your fear. I knew something was wrong and have prayed that you would finally see your way free to tell me what it was.”

“Oh, my love, I was so afraid.” She stood, and he gathered her into him, kissing the top of her head and then resting his cheek there.

“I know that now. I had feared Demitri was making you smuggle drugs; never did I imagine he trafficked people.”

“Oh, Anton, do you hate me? I’ve let this go on
 
—”

He stopped her with a kiss. “No, I could never hate you. My heart breaks because you have been as much a victim in this as those girls. Demitri is the evil one behind this.”

“He beat you because of me.”

“I survived.” There was no anger in his eyes, only love.

“I may go to jail because of all I’ve let happen.”

“You will survive because I will be with you no matter what.” He gripped both of her hands in his strong one.

“How can you forgive me? How can you still love me?” She stared into his eyes, almost not believing the depth of love she saw there.

“Because, my love, I have been forgiven much. And I know that the one who forgave me demands I forgive you. But again, I truly believe you are the victim. We must go to the police immediately and tell them everything.”

“I know this is true, but I am so frightened. Demitri is powerful and evil. He has people everywhere. I fear for all of us.”

“There will be nothing to fear once the police know
everything. It is time to trust them to stop Demitri and see that he is punished. God is in control. He will protect us.”

“You’ll go with me to the police?”

“I’ll go with you. I will never leave you. I love you.”