PART II Chapter Twenty-eight
Kate sat cramped in the van seat for a good two hours and so far not much was happening except talking. Karen was ordering her own drinks at the moment but was clearly disposing of them in her purse reservoir. Kate could hear her slurring her voice to make her date think she was becoming inebriated.
Kate heard Matt offer to bring Karen a drink and she accepted. She could tell Matt was gone for several minutes, enough time to add to the drink. He brought it back and Kate heard Karen thank him. Kate heard Karen after about a fifteen minute break say she was getting dizzy and needed some fresh air.
Matt led Karen outside. Kate watched Karen pretend to pass out and Matt open his trunk and push Karen inside it. Kate watched the car speed away and Karen whispered in the trunk. Karen said, “I am okay. I hope you are able to hear me and follow the car.”
Kate knew that Karen would pretend to be passed out as long as possible. When the car drove through the gates at the gated community, Kate parked just far enough away to be hidden but close enough to watch and hear what was going on. Kate heard the trunk open and some other voices in the background. Kate had a position blinking on the GPS tracker and moved to where she could peek through the gates and locate the house that was marked on the tracker.
She spotted the house but didn’t see the car anywhere. She thought it must be around in the garage and then she heard someone say to close the garage door and confirm what she thought. She heard a deep voice say ”Let’s get her inside.” Kate knew it wasn’t Matt’s voice and assumed it must be the owner of the home. She could hear the shuffling of feet and the grunting sound that told her they were carrying Karen.
Kate called for backup and waited hoping they would show up before it was necessary. Kate heard more voices and one that said, “Bring the girl into the studio while I get all of the equipment set up.” Kate heard the movement of equipment, then there was the sound of a trunk slamming.
Kate was listening for signs that Karen was ready for them to bust in. She was obviously still pretending to be passed out and Kate didn’t want to rush it. Kate had notified the backup officers she had already set up and they were on their way.
Kate heard one of the men questioning how much drugs was put in this girl’s drink. The man said, “She should be waking up about now unless you overdosed her. She is no use to us if she is completely passed out. We need her just a little groggy and happy. Look, she is waking up now.”
Kate figured that Karen must have heard them talking and wanted to get them in a compromising position. Kate heard Karen talking in a slurred pattern and figured Karen heard them talking and decided she needed to move it along so they could get something on them.
Kate’s backup team began showing up outside and Kate knew they needed to get inside the gate. The guard at the gate wasn’t going to let them in and then Kate held up her badge and a search warrant that gave them the authority to search anywhere on the premises.
Kate said, “You can let us in or I will charge you with obstruction of justice and an accessory to anything we find inside. You can have an adjourning cell to the big boss.”
The guard at the gate moved aside and let the group of police detectives through. Kate said, “Cuff the guard and put him in a patrol car until we have completed this bust, I don’t want him warning them. Take away his phone and any other device you can find.”
Two patrol officers took the guard to their car and placed him in the back. They took his cell and did a pat down looking for anything else. There was only a pistol in the holster worn over the guard’s uniform and they took that. Nothing else was found and after the guard was secured the officers joined the detectives for the pending raid.
The tracking device worked as it was supposed to, showing Kate not only the house, but where in the house they would have to go through.
Kate rang the bell and a big guy wearing a tux answered the door. It looked like someone out of a James Bond film. The guy was supposed to be a butler Kate had assumed and she didn’t hesitate to hold up the warrant.
Kate said, “We believe that a felony is about to be committed in this house. Obstruction and force can be met with whatever force we determine is necessary.”
The butler moved away from the door and the two patrol officers led him outside. Kate was listening to the transmission of Karen abductors trying to hear any clue that may have been mentioned. From the conversations Kate had heard about the studio earlier, it sounded very much like it was located in the basement. All Kate had to do was to figure out how to get to the basement.
Kate found a room with a closed door and she could hear muffled sounds coming from the other side. The other officers and detectives gathered behind Kate and she placed her hand on the doorknob. The officers had their guns drawn and pointed at the door. Kate turned the knob and felt no resistance. It wasn’t locked. After slowly turning the knob all the way, Kate pushed the door revealing a long dark corridor ahead.
The two patrol officers took their police issue flashlights and went ahead of Kate to lead the way through the darkness. The long pathway seemed empty. There was no furniture but about halfway down the path, they descended down a series of steps that were clearly taking them to basement level. After they finally got to the end of the corridor the sound of human voices became much louder and more distinct.
Kate again stood at a closed door. The other officers stood back with guns drawn once again. The adrenaline rush from the previous encounter with a door was coming back to them. Kate was certain they would be facing actual people behind this door but she hoped they weren’t expecting company.
Kate opened the door just a crack and peeked in the room as far as she could see. No one was looking their way. It was obvious the people in the room were concerned with making a movie and they wouldn’t notice Kate and her group of detectives and officers until they were already in the room.
When she was inside and enough support was also there, Kate said, “Good evening gentlemen. We come to tour your studio facilities. We are looking for someone to make some recruiting videos for the police academy and it looks like you guys could handle that.”
One of the men who would be a suspect in this crime answered, “Gee look, the lady thinks she is a comedian.”
Karen had quickly run over and joined Kate telling her there were more girls in the house but she didn’t know where they were. Karen was speaking clearly now, no speech slurring or indication of drug interaction.
The guy who made the comment about Kate being a comedian was obviously miffed that Karen was apparently a plant in their operation. The guy kept staring at Kate. It was beginning to creep her out before he finally spoke,
He said, “I know you, I have seen you in the paper. And on the news.”
Kate replied, “I am surprised you could read a newspaper.”.”
Kate and crew began putting their suspects in cuffs and reading their Miranda rights. They wanted to clear the suspects to allow the forensic team to better work the area. Kate told Karen to help her find the other girls. They went together opening each door hoping the girls were behind it.
Kate asked, “How many other girls are there?”
Karen replied, “I am not sure but just guessing from what I heard them saying, I am going to guess maybe a dozen.”
Kate once again found herself at a closed door hearing the sounds of voices on the other side. Kate handed Karen a pistol and asked, “Are you ready for this?”
Karen replied, “That is what I came here for, let’s save the victims and catch the bad guys.”
Kate had tried to open the door, but this one was locked. She examined it and noticed it was locked on the side Kate stood on, so she unlocked it and then pushed it open. There were ten girls total on the other side when Kate got the door open. It was obvious the girls were still under the influence. Kate radioed for help from the other officers and several of them came to where Kate had instructed them to come pick up the kidnapped victims.