Page 96 of Preying Heart
“Then the picture shouldn’t bother you,” I taunt her. “You’re worried your husband has something to do with this, and you should be worried he’s pressuring people to kill you by keeping this woman, Remi and Slade’s mother, as a hostage so they’ll do what he says.”
“Tell us where he’s keeping this woman imprisoned.” Justin takes the picture and puts it in an evidence bag. “Tell us where to find her or we’ll haul you in.”
“She’s not imprisoned there.” Claudia spits venom like a swaying cobra. “She lives there. She’s provided room, board, and entertainment. A leech, although not on society. Private charity.”
“By who? You?” I give her the interrogation stare that sends chills through suspected traffickers.
“I have the right to remain silent.” She lifts her chin in defiance.
“Not unless you’re under arrest. Who?”
“It’s a charitable organization. A women’s shelter.”
“Run by who? You?”
“No, my dad. And I dare you to get a search warrant on him after what you did to him.”
“Who’s your dad?” I know the answer but have to get her to admit it for the record.
“Horace Steele, philanthropist,” she says. “Falsely arrested by a rookie cop with planted evidence. My father rescues trafficking victims the same as you. He keeps them off the streets and gives them a place to live. Rescues them like stray cats.”
“Awfully charitable of him,” I observe. “To not only provide for Miss Bruckner’s mother but to pay a million-dollar bounty for Miss Bruckner’s baby. Why?”
Her breath hitches, but she tosses her head, flips her wrist, and barks a dry laugh. “Why not? When he has money to throw around. There’s no crime in providing for a child, is there?”
“Or a grandchild.” I spike the ball straight at her.
Her nostrils flare and she rises stiffly from her easy chair. “Get out. This interview is over. Out. And if you publish any of it, you will be sued to your last penny.”
Once Justin and I are outside of the mansion, he asks, “What was that all about? You seem to know something.”
“Remember the guy who got me kicked off the force? That bust I made?”
“The unauthorized sting operation. The big guy whom the DA refused to charge.”
“Her father. He’s the one who had me find Remi and keep her hidden from Gavin these past few weeks. He also promised to pay me a substantial bonus after Remi’s baby is born and offered to him for adoption.”
“He’s supporting her mother. You think?” Understanding dawns on Justin’s face.
“He might be Remi’s dad.”
“She and Claudia are sisters from a different mother,” Justin says. “Does Gavin know?”
“He got the picture from someone, and he knew enough. I bet they spy on each other. Gavin knows stuff about Claudia, and she knows things about him. Mutual blackmail.”
“What a marriage. Next step, we have to find Slade. We know Gavin was at the shed since he texted the picture with Slade’s burner phone to Remi. Come with me to the precinct. We’ll pull Gavin’s property records and hopefully get a match on the location tag of that image.”
“Even better. If you can get a search warrant on OgleNet’s image search database, we can hopefully get a match for the basement wallpaper and background.”
“We’re getting warmer,” Justin says. “I can feel it in my gut. There’s a huge sex trafficking organization that’s going to get busted.”
ChapterThirty-Six
Remi
Thankfully, Gavin didn’t show up at the apartment. He wasn’t going to get sex due to my miscarriage, and he didn’t have the patience to deal with my grief.
He sent a non-incriminating text.Be ready at 6 to be picked up.
