Mission: Without a Trace - Nicole Edwards Page 0,88
for the time being.
“Call for backup,” Brantley ordered Baz. “And get an ambulance.”
“I’ll stay with her,” Reese told Brantley. “Go get Corinne.”
Brantley was on his feet in an instant. The next he had disappeared down to the basement.
Chapter Eighteen
Brantley made quick work of the padlock on the basement door before flinging it open and starting down the stairs. He kept his weapon raised, looking for a threat, praying there wasn’t one but willing to do what was necessary if there was.
Luckily, the coast was clear. Only one person in the basement and she was on the other side of the metal bars on a cot.
“Who are you?” Corinne called out, her voice trembling.
“Corinne? My name’s Brantley Walker. Your parents sent me to get you.”
“Oh, God. Please,” she cried out, a sob following.
He made it down the stairs, saw the solid door to the room she was kept in. The padlock was a joke and it took him less than thirty seconds with the correct tools to pick it and pull the door open wide.
Brantley didn’t make any quick movements as he stepped inside, not wanting to send Corinne into a panic. It was bad enough they’d been holding her down here, naked, with only a blanket.
“Let’s get you out of here.”
Corinne pulled the blanket aside, revealed her left ankle and the fact that it was shackled to the bed frame.
He could hear the sirens outside, grateful the cavalry had arrived.
Taking out his phone, he called Reese. “Have Baz bring down a blanket. Somethin’ from his car. Not from here.”
“Will do.”
He disconnected the call, looked over at Corinne.
“We’ve got the police and an ambulance on the way. My partner’s upstairs, as is an APD detective helping with the case.” He unlocked the cuff around her ankle, then helped Corinne to her feet.
“Is Lauren all right?” She laughed softly, though it was humorless. “You know what I mean.”
“Looks like they had a plan if they were ever found. She was supposed to take her own life, but we managed to stop her from doing that.”
“Oh, my God.” Corinne breathed roughly. “He’s crazy.”
More than a little, Brantley knew.
“She’s safe now. I’m sure it’ll be a long recovery for her, but she’s okay. Physically, anyway,” he assured her.
“I can’t believe he kidnapped her. Kept her here all this time.”
“Not just here,” Baz said when he met them halfway down the stairs. “And not just her.”
Corinne stopped short.
“This is Detective Buchanan,” Brantley explained as Baz passed over the blanket. “He’s workin’ the case alongside my task force. Turn around, Baz.”
When the detective turned around, Brantley helped Corinne to replace the wool blanket with one she hopefully wouldn’t associate with that crazy bastard.
“He’s got more girls here?” she asked when she was appropriately covered.
“No,” Baz told her, meeting Brantley’s eyes.
He saw it then. The truth. There were more girls, but likely, Lauren Tyler was the only one he’d kept alive.
“Come on,” Brantley encouraged Corinne. “Let’s get you to the ambulance. Have them look you over. Your parents are on the way.”
After passing Corinne off to the EMTs, Brantley took a stroll around to the back of the house. He found he wasn’t alone though. Reese had already come back here, pacing. Without saying a word, he fell into step with the man and they just walked. No words were necessary.
This was their first official case on the governor’s task force, although technically, they’d solved two at one time. Not only had they found Corinne, bringing her home safe and sound, they’d also found Lauren Tyler. That girl had a long, long road ahead of her based on what Brantley had witnessed. She had been willing to take her own life because the bastard who’d kidnapped her had brainwashed her into doing so. He didn’t even want to think about what might’ve happened if Reese hadn’t been there to stop her.
He had been there though. That was all that mattered.
A few hours later, after receiving an invite from Baz to join him down at the station to observe Dugan’s interrogation, Brantley was standing in a small room. The two-way mirror revealed the brightly lit room where Dugan was sitting at a table, hands cuffed behind his back. There was a sinister smile on the man’s face and it took every ounce of his control not to stroll into that room and punch the fucker in the face.
“You’ve waived your right to counsel,” Baz stated as he stepped into the room to join Dugan. “Is that correct?”