Balduccis. I’m familiar with them. We know they’re running drugs through Atlanta but haven’t been able to tie them directly to any of our big busts.”
“They have their hands in a lot of dirt.” He pointed a second time. “Maureen Winters, Priscilla Montgomery, Gina Torres and Faith Becker were all connected to the Balduccis. Maureen, Priscilla and Faith worked in one of their nightclubs. Gina was the family’s personal masseuse for a year before returning to school. All four were murdered after traveling abroad with a known Balducci associate and returning here to the United States. Bethany Brooks and Alice Mumford were known prostitutes with connections to the sex trade in Atlanta, and Jane, Erica and Felicity had ties to an escort service based in New York. Another body was found this morning. A young woman named Crystal Moore. She was a student who went missing about six months ago. We know she flew back from the Czech Republic earlier this week, but we don’t have any record of her ever leaving the country.” He shifted his weight from one side to the other, pushing his hands deep into his pants pockets as he continued.
“After we leave here you and I are headed over to talk to the man who flew back into the United States with her. He’s a low-level criminal with a long list of misdemeanors—petty theft, check fraud, shoplifting. He came on Interpol’s radar a few months ago, but they don’t have enough to charge him with anything, either. We know he’s well connected, though. His attorney’s one of the top litigators in the state. He can’t afford that kind of legal counsel without some serious backing. Bottom line, though, we can only hold him for a few more hours before we’ll have to cut him loose.”
Danni turned her eyes back to the wall to stare one last time, watching as Armstrong added Crystal Moore’s photo to the collage. She moved to get a closer look at the image. She tossed him a quick glance. The comment that came was filled with an air of awe and the sincerest appreciation. “You know all their names,” she said, her tone just a decibel above a loud whisper.
Armstrong met the look she was giving him with one of his own, contemplating her remark. He didn’t bother to tell her that he’d attended all their funerals and had made it his mission to speak to each woman’s family personally. He blew out the breath he’d been holding. “Yeah,” he said finally. “I do.”
* * *
The ride to county lockup was quiet. Armstrong made small talk about the city, the weather and the best places to grab good coffee and fresh pastry. Danni said little, responding politely as they crossed town, fighting morning traffic. When they fell into silence, enjoying the quiet and the light chatter of the police radio in the background, she was surprised by how comfortable they felt in each other’s company. Neither evidently had any need for words, focused on the tasks that lay ahead of them. When he broke the silence, his question startled her from her own thoughts.
“So why are you doing this? Why is this task force so important to you? In Atlanta, you investigate drug cases, correct?” He cut a quick eye in her direction.
She pondered his question for a split second before she answered. “Six months ago, my sister befriended a man she met while working at Emory University Hospital. She fell in love. He became someone she thought she could trust. One day he invited her to his home to meet his parents, and instead she was drugged and kidnapped. She was able to get away, to get help that saved her life. There were two other young women being held with her, but we weren’t able to find them after he realized Shannon had escaped. Long story short, the investigation led us here. Alice Mumford was one of the women held with my sister. I can’t let this rest until I find her killer and take down the monsters that are trafficking these women.”
Armstrong nodded, understanding wafting over his expression. The slightest smile pulled at his full lips. “I like your passion,” he said as Danni felt a glimmer mist her eyes.
Danni shrugged ever so slightly. She shifted her gaze to the view outside the window. She was taken aback by the current of emotion that fluttered in her midsection. It reminded her of the fear she’d felt when her sister had disappeared. Her anxiety had been corporeal. Thick and abundant, its viselike grip so intense she could barely breathe. The fright of not knowing where Shannon had disappeared to, or if she would ever be found, had been devastating.
She and her sister had been each other’s lifelines after the death of their mother. Their father, an over the road trucker, had mourned the loss in the cab of his tractor trailer, disappearing when they’d needed him most. Their paternal grandmother had taken up the slack as best she could, but her age and failing health hadn’t served them well. The wealth of their childhood had revolved around the old woman’s dementia and unruly behavior. They had found moments of solace only with each other. She couldn’t begin to explain how the prospect of losing her sister scared her, the very thought-provoking anxiety attacks that regular visits to a therapist still hadn’t healed. She closed her eyes and took two deep breaths.
After pulling into a parking space down at the county jail, Armstrong shut down the engine and exited the car. As Danni took another breath to collect her thoughts, she was suddenly surprised when he opened the door, the chivalrous gesture unexpected.
“Thank you,” she said softly.
His smile was brighter, filling his handsome face. “My mother raised me well,” he said teasingly.
Danni chuckled. “I’m sure she’d be proud.”
After passing through the security checkpoint and signing in with the officer on duty, the duo was led down a lengthy hallway to the interrogation area. They stood on one side of a two-way mirror, staring at a small wooden table and an empty chair. Minutes later the door swung open and Josef Havel was led into the room, handcuffed and in leg irons. The officer gestured for him to take a seat, then moved to stand in the corner of the small room.
Danni’s eyes widened in recognition. “That’s him!” she said, her voice rising slightly. “That’s the bastard that took my sister!”
Armstrong looked from her to their suspect and back again. “Are you sure?”
Danni narrowed her gaze. She felt the color drain from her face, and she clenched her hands in tight fists by her side. When she spoke, she bit back the emotion, her words edged in an icy chill. “I met him once when he came to pick Shannon up. It’s him.”
He nodded. “Let’s go nail him.”
“I’ll take lead,” she said as she pushed past the man and stormed out the door.
Entering the interrogation room, Danni said nothing, her gaze meeting Josef Havel’s evenly. The man eyed her with disdain, his arrogant expression meant to be dismissive.
“Why am I being held?” he sniped, his eyes shifting toward Armstrong. “I have done nothing. Where is my attorney?”
Neither responded as they took the seats on the opposite side of the table. Danni suddenly thought about Shannon and the fear that still followed her sister. The memory of what her sibling had been made to endure still haunted her. It made her angry, rage rising like morning mist on a new day. She clenched her teeth, her jaw tight as she slowly opened the manila file folder she’d been holding, scanning its contents briefly before she spoke.
“Mr. Havel, you are not obligated to speak with us without your attorney. But you are going to be arraigned on kidnapping and assault charges. It would probably be in your best interest to be as cooperative as possible. We have a few questions that you might be able to answer.”
He interrupted her, snapping sharply. “I did nothing! You have no proof. I do not know anything about that
