Page 37 of Out to Find Freedom

“Or they couldn’t. Not many men”—he glanced at Violet—“or women would rat out their partners.”

“It’s a risk we can’t take right now. Not until we know more.”

“Agreed.” Violet nodded.

My phone rang. I quickly looked to the caller ID. Disappointment swept through me when it wasn’t a blocked number. Instead, it was Lan. “Lan,” I answered.

“Lenny Kavas and Gloria Summers have been living in that house for five years. From what I can tell, they’ve never had a job, been on the dole since then. Two years ago or just over, Gloria’s niece came to live with them.” My body locked tight. “She attended a local school until a friend of the family paid for her to attend a boarding school in Melbourne.”

“What’s her name?” I clipped through clenched teeth.

“Emerson Spence.”

Emerson.

Emmie.

“You know what I’m thinkin’?” I asked Lan.

“That Emerson isn’t really at a school, but in the basement next door to you. They’ve got some decoy at the school instead.”

“Yes,” I hissed.

“A friend owes me a favour. She’s on her way to the boarding school now. I’ll see what she can find out. What I don’t understand is why bring in a stranger to pretend to be Emerson in the first place?”

“That’s something we need to find out. Look, we’ve learnt more too.” I told him what Butch told me, even while my gut ate at my organs.

Emerson Spence was a teenager.

A fucking teen.

She’d told me she was thirty. Why?

“I’m not liking this at all, Warden. I think the station—”

“I’m on this.”

“But—”

“I’m on this, Lan. I appreciate the help like I said, but this is our case.”

He sighed. “I get it. I don’t like it, but I get it. Look, I’ll also look into this family friend who’s paid the bill for the boarding school.”

“That’d be good,” I said.

“Talk soon.”

“Got it.” As soon as I ended the call, I relayed what Lan said to the others. “I’m gonna go set up the cameras.” I grabbed the box off the table and started from the room.

“Warden,” Violet called. When I faced her, she asked, “Are you all right?”

Was I? No. For some fucking reason, I felt played by Emmie, and yet I didn’t have the right to feel that way. So what if she told me she was older than what she was.She’s still a woman in need of help.That was all I had to remember. I’d do my job, get her out, get her safe and living free. That was all.

“Fine,” I bit out.

“Warden,” Vi pressed in a tone of warning.

Unclenching my jaw, I said, “Just want this done. Emerson has been in that basement for God knows how long.”

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