The Advocate's Ex Parte (The Advocate Series Book 5) (32 page)

When he reached the steps, JP tried once again to put the weight on his right foot so he could lift himself up and hop down the steps, but he couldn’t bear it. With the first pressure he collapsed and tumbled down the steps and to the ground, hitting both his broken toe and sore head on the hard dirt.

“Damn! That hurt,” he said softly, hoping that Tim couldn’t hear him.

He lay there for a few seconds waiting for the pain to subside, trying to formulate a plan. He scooted himself across the dirt to where the steps formed a right angle with the wall of the porch, leaned against it the best he could for leverage, and stretched his left leg out pulling the tape enough that he could put his foot almost flat to the ground. He tried doing the same with his right foot, but the tape was too tight. Then he pushed against the wall and climbed up into a standing position on his left leg. From there he hopped carefully toward the woods, afraid if he fell he wouldn’t be able to get up again. He wanted to stop, lower his body into the chair, and rest but he didn’t dare.

By the time he reached the woods, his left leg hurt almost as much as his right. It was difficult to hop between the trees, but at least here he figured he could wiggle his way back up if he fell, so he lowered the chair and sat down, taking the pressure off of his leg.

He took a deep breath, sat very still, and listened to the quiet night…and the footsteps that rustled the leaves behind him.

Chapter 55

“Damn you, Torn,” Klakken said exasperatingly. “You just can’t stay out of trouble, can you?” He reached down to tear the tape off JP’s mouth. “I ought to leave the tape on. At least I wouldn’t have to listen to any of your irritating homespun comments.”

JP jerked when Klakken ripped off the tape. A pain shot through his head like a lightning bolt. “But that was fun, too,” Klakken added.

JP knew he meant everything he said, but he was still thrilled to see him and didn’t comment on anything he said. Instead he explained their predicament. “There’s only one man here now, as far as I know. I heard them say he was staying behind as a lookout.”

“Who’s they?” Klakken pulled out his cell phone. “No reception,” he said.

“Two men brought twelve young girls here about three hours ago. They went back for more, I think. They’ll be coming back pretty soon.”

“Where are the girls?” Klakken removed a knife from his pocket and released JP’s hands.

“I don’t know.” JP pulled his arms around in front of himself and wrung his hands together, stretching his fingers and arms. “There’s a locked room in the house, but if they’re in there they may all be dead. I didn’t hear a single sound coming from that room. There’s also a barn behind the house, but I haven’t heard any noise coming from there, either.”

“They may just be too afraid to make any noise.” Klakken cut JP’s feet loose.

“I hope that’s the case.” JP stood up, but jerked when he took a step.

“Are you okay?”

“I think my toe is broken, but I’m good. I don’t know what they did to me after they knocked me out, but by the looks of my clothes, they may have drug me a ways. Maybe that’s how my toe got broken.” He shifted his weight away from his toes. “I can walk, just not sure how fast.”

“I take it you don’t have a weapon.”

“No, it’s gone.” JP tapped his shoulder harness, even though he knew the gun wasn’t there.

Klakken pulled his pant leg up and took out a Ruger SP-101 .357 Magnum with a 2-1/4 inch barrel. He hesitated for a second before he handed it to JP. “Here, you might need this to cover my back. Do you think you can do that, Torn?”

“I know we’ve had our troubles, Shane, but if I tell you a rooster dips snuff, look behind his wing and you’ll find a can.” He saw Shane’s frown. “Let’s just do this,” JP added quickly.

“Damn it, Torn, only if you promise not to spout any more of those stupid sayings you have stuck up your butt.”

“Okay, okay,” JP said. “How did you happen to be here, anyway?”

“Sabre called. She told me what was happening and she said Mae Chu’s father used to own this property and that he had a case about fifteen years ago with Judge Mitchell.”

“So Mae Chu is deep in the middle of all this.”

“That’s right. She wasn’t one of the girls they brought in the van, was she?”

“I don’t think so. I think I would have recognized her from her photo,” JP said. “So what now?”

“How much time do you think we have?”

“They said a couple of hours and that must be close to running out. I have no idea where the lookout guy is.”

“You start to work your way toward the barn, but keep in the orchard. I’m going to run back to the car and try to radio for back-up. It isn’t far. Then I’ll join you. If those girls are in the barn, maybe we can get them out.”

Klakken ran off through the trees and JP started along the tree line toward the barn. He moved as quickly as he could, putting the weight on the heel of his right foot. It still hurt, but not any worse than his head. As JP passed the back of the house he could see it was boarded up just like the house in Linda Vista; he wondered if Jade was there all this time, right under his nose.

JP was almost directly behind the barn when Klakken returned.

“The radio didn’t work. We need to try to get the girls out of here. Then we can go for help.” He handed JP a set of handcuffs. “Here, in case you need these. I had an extra set in my car.”

Klakken pointed toward the barn and drew his Glock 30. “Cover me.” He dashed across the weeds. When he reached the barn, he stood behind the back of it. JP followed. Then they both crept around the corner and along the wall to the door. One side of the door was missing; the other hung part way off. They edged their way inside. It was just an open space with junk piled on one side about six feet high. A stove lay on its side, sticking out of the pile, along with broken furniture, books, and other junk. It was covered with dust and cobwebs.

Klakken said quietly, “There’s no place to hide in here.”

“Then they must be in that locked room in the house, but we’ll need something to break down the door.”

They looked around for a tool of some kind. A shovel and a rake lay against the wall to the left. Behind the pile of junk were a hammer and an axe hanging on the wall. Both looked pretty rusty and someone would have to climb on the pile or dig their way in to reach them.

Klakken looked at JP’s foot. “I’ll do it,” Klakken said. He holstered his gun, stepped up on the stove, and grabbed a hold of a beam. His fingers sank into the cobwebs. He stepped gingerly on a piece of wood that looked like it was once part of a cheap dresser. Then he put his weight on it and pulled himself up. From there he was able to reach the tools. He tossed them down.

JP let them fall to the ground. They were so old and rusty he wondered if they would fall apart at first swing. Klakken hopped down and picked up the axe. JP took the hammer and they started toward the house. Just as they reached the side of the house, headlights beamed as a vehicle turned onto the road toward them. It was about one hundred yards away.

Chapter 56

“You stay on this side, and I’ll circle around the other side of the house. When they step out of the van to unload the girls, we’ll strike.”

“I’ll follow your lead,” JP said.

JP stayed back so he couldn’t be seen from the approaching vehicle. He watched the lights until the car pulled in front of the house. Then he moved forward, staying close to the wall so he could see what was going on. The car came to a full stop and the engine shut down. Both men emptied out of the front and started toward the back of the van. JP dropped his hammer and placed his gun in position. He waited for Klakken to make his move.

“Stop! Police!” Klakken yelled.

JP stepped forward, pointing his gun at the driver who reached toward his pocket. “Don’t even think about it,” JP said. “Hands above your head.” The man raised his hands slowly. JP moved closer. “Now drop them one at a time behind your back.” JP stood about six inches taller than the driver. He had managed to put the first cuff on the right hand just as a bullet sped past his head and into the car window. He saw a man running toward him with a gun in his hand. JP ducked and fired back. The driver flipped around and rammed his head into JP’s stomach, slamming him against the car door. JP brought his right knee up into the driver’s chin and the man tumbled backward. Another gunshot rang out. This one came from Klakken’s gun. JP glanced up, but no longer saw the running man. When the driver tried to stand up, JP booted him in the chest and knocked him back down. Holding him still with his left foot, JP pointed his gun in his face.

“If you even think about getting up again, I’ll knock you so far down in your shoes that you’ll have to pull your socks down to look out.” JP cautiously removed his foot. He flipped the guy over, pulled his hands behind him, and slapped the other handcuff in place. He patted the driver down and removed a gun and switchblade.

“Did you get him?” JP yelled to Klakken.

Klakken came around the corner with the passenger in handcuffs. “The shooter’s down. Stay here with these two. I’ll check on him.”

JP stood behind the van out of the line of fire. From there he could watch both cuffed men on the ground. Neither moved. A few minutes later Klakken returned. “He’s dead. Give me a hand.”

JP looked inside of the van through the driver’s side. He couldn’t see in the back because it was sealed off with plywood. He removed the keys from the ignition and placed them in his pocket. Then he and Klakken walked to the back of the van. JP stood with his gun drawn as Klakken slowly opened the back door. Fifty scared eyes looked out at them. About half of the passengers were young girls, the others older women. They were so crammed in the small space that it was a wonder they could breathe. None of them spoke.

“It’s okay,” Klakken said. “I’m the police. You’ll be safe now.”

That only made them retreat farther back into the van, cramming them even closer together.

“It’s okay, we’re not going to hurt you.”

One of them murmured, “Immigration pigs.”

“I’m not immigration,” Klakken said.

“And I’m not a pig,” JP said.

Klakken gave JP a stern look. “You’re not helping.” He spoke again in a soft, comforting voice. “Look, I know you’re scared, but we’re not here to hurt you or send you home. We’re here to help you.” It took some convincing, but finally Klakken was able to persuade the scared girls to come out of the van. JP was impressed with this kinder, gentler side of his long-time enemy.

They filed out, one by one, and formed a line, just like they had been trained to do. Still few sounds came from the group. JP started to say something, but Klakken looked at him and said, “It’s just as well we have a little order until we can get some help here. I’ll get the sleaze balls and lock them inside the van. You take the girls inside the house. Is there room for them?”

“More than in there,” he said, nodding his head toward the van.

JP went to the front of the line and led them all into the house. “It’s not much, but if you can just find a place to sit, Detective Klakken will be right in.” He looked around at the group to see if he could find Kim-Ly, Jade, or Mae Chu but he didn’t recognize any of them. “Do any of you know a girl named Jade?”

No one answered. “Or Bich?”

Still nothing.

Klakken came in carrying the rusty axe. Eyes widened throughout the room. Several girls shuffled backward. He looked down at the axe and then set it on the table. “Have any of you ever been here before?” Most of the girls directed their eyes to the floor. “I need to know what’s behind that door. We think there may be more girls in there.” An older woman nodded her head.

JP pulled the van keys from his pocket and handed them to Klakken. “Try these. There’s like eight keys on there.”

Shane took the axe outside and then went to the door to try the keys. JP followed him, ready to assist if he needed it. The second key he tried worked. Klakken opened the door very carefully. JP held his breath, afraid of what he might see, afraid to discover a pile of dead bodies.

The room spanned no more than eight by eight feet. There were no windows and the walls were solid, unlike the rest of the house. A small vent in the ceiling let in a little air, but it was stuffy. JP sighed. They were alive, but some were in bad shape. Three girls were chained to the walls. The others huddled together around a young girl who lay in a fetal position on the lap of another. The one who held her pulled the young girl’s torn dress around her to cover her. JP couldn’t see the face of the girl in the lap, but he thought he recognized the girl holding her when she looked up.

“Kim-Ly?” JP asked.

She stared at JP with an inquisitive look and then nodded.

Klakken moved the other girls out into the living room. Using the keys they had retrieved from the van, he opened each of the shackles. The girls ran out and Klakken followed, leaving JP with Kim-Ly and the girl in her lap.

“Is that Jade…er…Bich?”

“Yes,” Kim-Ly said. Jade looked up when she heard her name, but she didn’t say anything.

JP explained who he was and that he knew Sabre would do everything she could to help them. He wasn’t getting through to either of them. “Jade, Quang has been worried about you.”

Jade sat up. “He has?”

“Yes, he has. Without him, we never would have found you.”

Klakken came to the door. “We need to get help and I can do it faster than you can, so you stay here and I’ll go to my car and drive until I have reception on either my radio or my cell. I’ll be back as soon as I can. I’ll check on the guys in the van on my way out.”

“Please have someone call Sabre and let her know I’m okay.”

“Will do.”

JP stayed in the room with Jade and Kim-Ly. After a few minutes, Jade got up and walked into the other room.

“Do you know Mae Chu?” JP asked Kim-Ly.

“No.”

“She is the CASA worker appointed on your case. Did she ever contact you?”

“No.”

It took a while for Kim-Ly to open up to JP. It appeared to be her concern for her daughter that finally gave her the courage to talk.