Chapter 5

FIVE

Scanning the barn, Beth was finding it hard to believe a woman who went to high school was so naive she didn't understand that the man she was living with was openly abusing kids. The only excuse was that, as she suspected, Ginny displayed the classic symptoms of Stockholm syndrome. The unusual psychological phenomenon became established in abuse victims. They would develop a positive bond with their abusers. As more lost kids had surfaced years since their abductions, the condition had become frighteningly prominent. She'd never witnessed the behavior firsthand and seeing it troubled her. For someone to have so much power over another person seemed unimaginable. She'd read reports about abused kids becoming attached and actually caring and protecting their abusers from law enforcement. This seemed the case here. Ginny had apparently been so brainwashed by the man who'd abducted her that not only had she agreed to tell people they were married but turned a blind eye to the abuse of other kids, believing it to be normal behavior.

She found the trapdoor to the root cellar and pulled it up, surprised to see how easily it opened. Steps led down into darkness, but even in the dim light, she made out a metal door at the bottom. Using the flashlight on her phone, she walked down the steps. The door was old, dark brown, and rusted. It reminded her of something she might see in a castle. It had bands across it attached by large bolts, and the lock on the door was way past her expertise to open and she could open just about anything. Scanning all around with the flashlight, her attention settled on a small metal object pushed between a gap in the bricks. She reached up and discovered a small metal box, half the length of her hand. Inside, she found two keys on a ring. The larger of the two keys slid into the lock and the deadbolt turned over with a click. The door opened to a small storage area, the shelves filled with various items and a closet set into the wall.

At the back of the room, Beth came to another door, slipped the key in the lock, and pushed it open. To her surprise, the door led to a brightly lit modern one-bedroom apartment. Warm air rushed out to greet her, with a quite pleasant floral fragrance. A TV played in one corner, and in front of it sitting on a sofa was a young girl of no more than twelve years old. The girl turned to look at her, eyes wide with fear. Trying to turn her astonished expression into a friendly one, Beth moved forward. "You must be Ava. My name is Beth."

The girl looked at her with distrust, stood and backed away. "I want my mom. I don't like it in here. I don't like that man."

Beth ran her gaze over her. Ava wore a dress and socks. She would freeze if she went out into the cold wind. "I'll find your mom, but first we need to get you out of here. I'm an FBI agent, a cop. You can trust me. Do you have any warm clothes?

"No." Ava chewed on her nails. "Ethan took them. He said he'd keep them safe." She stared at the open door, trembling. "I want to go home. I want my mom."

Beth nodded. "That's the plan, but you can't go out in the cold like that. I'll find your clothes. Wait there while I look in the closet." She backed out of the room into the small storage area and opened the closet. Inside she found a coat, jeans, and a sweater. On the floor sat a pair of boots. She collected the things and took them inside, leaving the door wide open. "Can you put these on? It's cold outside."

"Okay." Ava pulled on the sweater. "The man said the bad people are out there and they want to kill me."

Shaking her head, Beth handed her the pair of jeans. "Not any longer. My partner and I got rid of them. It's time for you to leave here now and come and meet some other kids. We have a safe place for you while we wait for your mom to come get you."

"Okay." Ava pushed her feet into boots and looked at her. "Can we go now?"

Glad she was cooperating, Beth nodded. "Yeah, we have a police cruiser outside. Is there anything here you need to bring with you? A toy perhaps?"

"I don't play with toys." Ava pulled on her coat. "I'm almost eleven and all grown up."

Trying to control the anger welling up inside, Beth took the girl's arm. "Okay, let's go."

When Beth got to the SUV, Styles was missing but Bear was still in his harness. She opened the door and waved Ava inside. "I won't be long."

As there were no door handles inside the back of the sheriff's SUV, Ava wouldn't be going anywhere. Beth scanned the area and, not seeing Styles, headed up the front stoop. The door was open and she could hear voices coming from inside. Hurrying into the kitchen, she stopped at the sight of Styles holding a little boy. Her gaze moved over to Ginny, wild-eyed and brandishing a carving knife. "Put the knife down, Ginny. Violence will only get you a jail cell for the night and I'm sure you don't want that."

"He wants to take my son away from me." Ginny poked at Styles with the knife.

"I don't. I want to take both of you to somewhere safe." Styles stepped back, keeping the boy well out of Ginny's reach. "Look at you, Ginny, trying to hurt your son and your brother. Tell me that's an okay thing to do."

As Styles kept her talking, Beth moved slowly, step by step, behind Ginny, and then pounced. She closed one hand around Ginny's wrist and, pushing her off balance, slammed her onto the kitchen table. The knife spun from her hand and clattered onto the floor. The woman was stronger than Beth imagined, and it took effort to drag her hands behind her and cuff her. The scream from Billy almost burst her eardrums and she lifted her head to see the little boy's terrified expression. She gave Ginny a little shake. "Stop cursing. You're frightening Billy. Come along quietly." She held the woman's arm. "I'll pack a bag for you. Is there anything special you need for Billy?"

"Yeah, he has an elephant on his bed. He can't sleep without it." Ginny slumped against Beth. "I haven't done anything wrong." She burst into tears again and her son wailed.

"Once you've stopped being violent, we'll remove the cuffs." Styles bounced the boy on his hip. "Do you figure I enjoy seeing you so upset? I want what's best for you and that's getting you as far away from Ethan as possible. He's the bad man you need to be afraid of, Ginny. It's always been him."

"I don't believe you." Ginny sucked in a deep breath. "I'm not violent. I was just protecting my son. You say you're Dax, but what proof do I have?"

"Look, do you believe the FBI?" Styles pulled out his cred pack and showed it to her.

"Okay." Ginny indicated to her son. "What about Billy?"

"No one is going to take him away from you, Ginny. I won't allow it." Styles removed the cuffs. "You can't go attacking people with knives. If you do, I can't help you. Do you understand? All I want to do is make sure you and Billy are safe."

"By taking me away from my home and the man I love?" Ginny stared at him.

"It's only until we can speak to Ethan. If he's not involved in child trafficking, you're welcome to him." Styles shook his head. "Right now, if you care about Billy, then you need to listen to me and do as I say." He squeezed her arm. "Please, Ginny. Don't make this any harder than it is."

Seeing Styles' deep concern, Beth tugged at her arm. "Come along. I'll put you in the truck."

"I'll never forgive you for this, Dax, not ever." Ginny turned and glared at him. "Mom will take my side. You're dead to me, just like before."