He was oblivious as Ray quietly came out from around the other side of the house and set up position a few steps behind the boy. Keri stepped toward him to keep his attention on her. They were now less than four feet away from each other.
I want to know where Dean is, she said, dropping the playful pretense. And I want to know where the girls he brought over this afternoon are.
I dont know where he is. He left a few hours ago. And I dont know anything about any girls.
Despite being a juvenile delinquent in training, Keri she knew that Sammy had never been arrested, much less served time. She could use his fear of the prospect to her advantage. She decided to go in for the kill.
Youre not being straight with me, Samuel. And Im losing patience with you. We both know what business your brother is in. We both know how he can afford this house. And we both know that youre not spending your free time working on getting your GED.
Sammy opened his mouth to protest but Keri held up her hand and barreled on without pausing.
Im looking for two missing teenage girls out there. They were brought here by your brother. Its my job to find them. If you help me do that, you can lead something close to a normal life. If you dont, its going to go very badly for you. This is your one chance tonight to avoid getting put in the system. Cooperate or its down the rabbit hole.
Sammy stared at her, trying to keep his face untroubled. But his eyes were unnaturally fixed and his breath was shallow and quick. He kept clenching and unclenching his fists. He was terrified.
What Sammy didnt know was that Keri didnt have a warrant. If hed just stayed inside the house and refused to speak to them, they wouldnt have had much recourse other than to call for a warrant and wait outside until it was approved.
But by stepping outside to engage with her and leaving the door open, hed made himself vulnerable. He didnt realize it yet but whether he agreed to help or not, they were getting in that house. His next decision really would determine his immediate future. Keri hoped he could tell she wasnt bluffing. She hoped hed choose wisely. He did not.
I dont know anything, he said, unaware that he was only sealing his own fate.
Keri sighed. She almost felt sorry for him.
Did you hear that? Ray asked.
Sammy, unaware that anyone was behind him, nearly jumped out of his boots.
What the? he started to say. Ray interrupted him.
Detective Locke, I think I heard some cries for help from inside. Can you hear them too?
I think I can, Detective Sands. Officers, can you hear that too?
The two uniformed officers clearly couldnt but didnt want to be the weak links. They both nodded, and for good measure, the one whod first knocked on the door added, For sure.
Ray rolled his eyes at the clumsy effort but continued anyway.
Officers, can you handcuff Mr. Chisolm and put him in the back of your car for now while Detective Locke and I check out that crying?
This is BS, Sammy shouted as one of the officers grabbed him by the shoulder and turned him around to cuff him. You cant hear anything. This is an illegal search.
Im 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 Sammys 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 shed 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 couldnt 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 weve got enough here to arrest Sammy if we want.
Lets 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 hes facing real time, maybe hell be a little more chatty, especially after sitting in the back of that squad car for a while.
Sounds good, Ray said. Im 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 didnt 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. Were talking intent to distribute. And since you were the only one in the house, youre the only one we can pin this on. We also found female undergarments. Were bringing in our crime scene unit to check for DNA and dust for fingerprints. And Im pretty confident were going to find some for the girls Im 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.
Im laying this all out for you so you know what youre facing. Im not trying to trick you or play games. Youre hosed, Sammy. I dont know what the sentence is for this off the top of my head. But if we cant get those girls back, Im going to put all my energy into making sure you get the stiffest possible sentence. Ill testify against you. My partner will testify against you. Ill 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 were on the same page. With that, Im going to give you one more chance to get yourself out of this. Im 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, Ill go to bat for you with the DA. But this is a one-time-only offer. Youre 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?