as one of the officers grabbed him by the shoulder and turned him around to cuff him. “You can’t hear anything. This is an illegal search.”
“I’m afraid not, Sammy,” Ray said, unholstering his gun and preparing to enter the house. “Those cries we all hear create exigent circumstances. Maybe go to law school once you get that GED, buddy.”
“You should have listened to me,” Keri whispered in Sammy’s ear before she walked up the steps and pulled out her gun. Ray nodded and they both entered with weapons raised.
The place was a sty. There were empty beer cans everywhere. Fast food wrappers littered the stain-dotted carpet. Music was coming from somewhere in the back.
Keri and Ray made their way through the house quickly. Neither of them expected to find much. The fact that it was devoid of people suggested that it had only been a staging area. Girls were likely brought here thinking they were attending a party only to be drugged and then moved en masse.
Keri found the back bedroom where the relentless techno music was coming from and turned it off. She stepped into the adjoining bathroom and saw a pair of panties balled up beside the toilet.
With a creeping anxiety, Keri returned to the bedroom and noticed something she’d missed before. There were three locks on the door. In addition to the standard one on the knob, there was both a deadbolt and a chain lock.
“Hey, Ray, come back here,” she called out as she moved to get a closer look. The chain lock had lots of scuffs. It could have been her imagination, but Keri couldn’t help thinking all the markings were a result of it repeatedly being locked in a rush, by someone trying to prevent people from getting out easily.
Ray stepped in the room and Keri pointed at the door.
“Lot of locks for a bedroom door,” he noted, pointing out the obvious.
“I also found some panties in the bathroom,” Keri said.
“There are a few other pairs strewn throughout the rest of the bedrooms too, as well as a few bras,” Ray said. “I also found some coke and pot. I think we’ve got enough here to arrest Sammy if we want.”
“Let’s call in CSU to collect the drugs and see if they can find any prints. I want to take another run at Sammy. Now that he’s facing real time, maybe he’ll be a little more chatty, especially after sitting in the back of that squad car for a while.”
“Sounds good,” Ray said. “I’m going to turn on the TV to find a channel that sounds like girls screaming. You know, for the exigent circumstances and all. Got to make it look good, right?”
Keri nodded. While Ray fiddled with the remote control, she walked out to the squad car. One of the officers had turned on the flashing lights and a small crowd was developing down the street.
Keri was pleased at the effect. Everything was adding to the pressure on Sammy. She didn’t want to put a sixteen-year-old kid in the system but she would if she had to, especially if the threat of doing so might rescue two abducted girls.
He was staring at her nervously through the car window as she approached him. She opened the door and knelt down to his eye level. She could go lots of ways with this kid but decided that at this point her strongest move was to just play it straight.
“We found the drugs, Sammy,” she told him. “Pot, coke, who knows what else. The quantity suggests more than just possession. We’re talking intent to distribute. And since you were the only one in the house, you’re the only one we can pin this on. We also found female undergarments. We’re bringing in our crime scene unit to check for DNA and dust for fingerprints. And I’m pretty confident we’re going to find some for the girls I’m looking for, maybe others too.”
Keri watched as Sammy gulped hard. She thought he might say something but he stayed silent, so she went on.
“I’m laying this all out for you so you know what you’re facing. I’m not trying to trick you or play games. You’re hosed, Sammy. I don’t know what the sentence is for this off the top of my head. But if we can’t get those girls back, I’m going to put all my energy into making sure you get the stiffest possible sentence. I’ll testify against you. My partner will testify against you. I’ll find a way to get the parents of these girls to testify against you, to tar you with these missing girls. Do you believe me Sammy?”
Sammy nodded.
“Good. So we’re on the same page. With that, I’m going to give you one more chance to get yourself out of this. I’m not even going to ask you to implicate your brother. I just want to know the location of the warehouse where Chiqy took those girls. You give me that and it pans out, I’ll go to bat for you with the DA. But this is a one-time-only offer. You’re only good to me as long as I still have a shot at finding these girls. What do you say, Sammy? You want a second chance at saving your own life?”
Sammy lowered his head as if lost in thought. Keri waited patiently, knowing she had pushed as hard as she could and it was now out of her hands. After a moment he raised his head again and she knew she had him.
“The warehouse is in the Valley, in North Hollywood, on Vanowen,” he nearly whispered. “I don’t know the exact address. But I have it on my phone. If you give it to me, I’ll find it for you. That guy has it.”
Keri stood up and faced the uniformed officer he’d pointed at. It was the one who’d first knocked on the door. He was leaning on the hood of the car.
“Give me his phone,” she ordered forcefully, then turned to face the house and yelled as loudly as she could. “Ray, get out here now!”
CHAPTER SEVEN
Keri wasn’t in control and she hated it. She forced herself not to let her frustration show but it was hard. If she bit her tongue any harder, she feared it would bleed.
Because they were about to raid a warehouse that might be housing a prostitution ring run by a notoriously brutal pimp who maintained a small army, an LAPD SWAT team had been called in. They were running the show.
Keri and Ray stood with the team, who had set up a block away from the warehouse. They were listening to the team leader give final instructions. On his mark, half the team was to enter through the front and half through a door in the back. Keri and Ray would be allowed to join them once the place was secure.
Keri watched them approach the warehouse and, despite her resentment at being left out, couldn’t help but admire their teamwork and efficiency as they quietly moved into place.
The team leader gave the go-ahead over the radio and she heard a series of bangs as the team members dispersed stun grenades before disappearing inside. She listened to the chatter as they secured the facility. There were no shouts, no gunfire, and little anxiety in their voices. Keri could tell within thirty seconds that there were no hostiles inside. After another two minutes, they were given permission to enter.
Once inside, Keri allowed herself a moment to take in her surroundings. The entire cavernous warehouse was comprised almost exclusively of mattresses scattered throughout. There had to be over two dozen. They were completely bare, without sheets or blankets. A few of the ones in the corners had curtains, which offered the barest semblance of privacy. A bitter thought entered Keri’s head.
Maybe those are for the VIP clients.
It was immediately apparent why the SWAT team had sounded so casual. Other than the areas behind the curtains, which
