Chapter 46

Today I am 32. Yikes, where did the time go? Two years ago I was just beginning bed rest with the triplets thinking I would write so much while on bed rest! Unfortunately that didn't happen. So, here I am two years later doing what I had hoped to do then - finishing a novel :) Yes, I am so close to being done - I have been writing furiously for weeks thus the chapter a day on the blog. So, Lord willing and you can all pray for this that this year, my 32nd year, would be the year I get a novel published or even just in the works - I would be thrilled with that. So enjoy another chapter - so close to there!


“Get up! Come on move!” A large man grabbed Ashley and pulled her to her feet. Pain shot through her bicep. She swung her arm to try and hit the man holding her but she didn’t connect. Instead the man grabbed her fist and pulled it tightly behind her. He leaned into her ear, “Try that again and you will never move your arm again.”
Ashley let herself go limp. She didn’t doubt he would do what he said. Only struggling again when she heard Kayla yelp. But it was no use. The grip around her arms only got tighter. And now there were more men. At least four of them. One man for each of them. And one man with a gun; a rather large gun.
“Let’s go,” the man holding Ashley said.
“Where do you want ‘em?” One of his partners said.
“Put ‘em in the van. We take ‘em to the boat like the boss said. We ship out tomorrow.”
What? Oh God no! This couldn’t be happening. What if Nate hadn’t seen the message Julia sent? What if he didn’t understand it? She had no way to know if anyone was even watching the footage any longer or if they had lost all feed. She certainly had no explanation as to why the camera was even there.
The man holding Ashley began to bind her wrists with what felt like plastic handcuffs. He then threw her onto the floor of the van and bound her legs in the same manner. No matter how hard she tried Ashley could not undo her restraints. Julia and Kayla were laid down next to her and for the first time she was able to get a look at their young faces. Both girls had the same shocked and confused look that Ashley was sure she wore. Kayla’s face was pale making her blue eyes stand out all the more. Her hair was matted with dirt. Streaks of dirt and dried blood marred her otherwise perfect face. She was wearing a t-shirt with a cat on the front, a short jean skirt with striped leggings underneath. She wore sneakers with no socks. Her clothes matched her face; marred with the filth and grime of being in a shipping container for a week.
Julia, on the other hand, looked cleaner. Her hair had been recently brushed and her face recently washed. Julia was wearing a clean pink polo top with white long-sleeved tee underneath, jean capris and flip-flops. Her clothes looked recently cleaned with no dirt or stains. Ashley vaguely remembered someone saying that Daisy had been cleaned and Ashley could see the same thing had probably happened to Julia. After a night of being brutalized her captors probably cleaned up all traces of them. It was why they had been unable to find any DNA in Daisy or Emma.
“It’s okay, girls. We’ll be okay. I’m going to be with you every step of the way.”
“Where are we going Miss Ashley?” Julia asked.
“I don’t know sweetheart.”
“Are we going on a boat?” Kayla asked.
“I don’t know…”
“We are. We’re going on a ship. They’re going to send us to another country. I heard them talking.” Tears began to slip down Kayla’s cheek. “I forgot to tell you that Miss Ashley. I should’ve spelled that to the police. I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry.” Julia continued to repeat her apology and cry into the van’s carpeting.
In any other situation this would seem like an overreaction but Ashley understood her distress. “It’s okay, sweetie, you told Nate what we knew and we just have to pray that he will find us.”
“But my prayers aren’t working. God isn’t listening.” Julia was almost howling now. Ashley glanced up at the men in the driver’s and passenger’s seat. If they heard her they paid her no mind.
“I know it feels like that but…” But what? What could Ashley say? It took her being kidnapped to even consider prayer again. She was no great Christian who had the right words for this young, hurting child. Who was she kidding? She didn’t even have the words for herself.
“We should keep trying, Julia. We’re still here. The police will find us. God will help them. I’m going to see Kyle again.” How did Kayla get so brave?
And that is what they did. On the floor of the van with their arms and legs bound on the way to some unknown horror the three of them prayed that God would hear them and that the police would find them or that they would find some chance of escape.

It was dark by the time Nate had his warrant and had made his way down to the Port of Tampa. One security guard sat at a gatehouse when Nate pulled up and flashed him a badge and a warrant. The guard quickly opened the gate and directed them to a small office where they were to wait for someone who had access to the computer systems so they could search for the exact location for the shipping container they were searching for.
Twenty minutes later an older man with salt and pepper hair stepped into the office. He snuffed out a cigarette in the ashtray next to what appeared to be the main computer. “Help you?”
“I’m Special Agent Nate Zimmerman. This is my partner Special Agent Eric Walker; we have a warrant to search the premises as well as to search your database for the exact location of a shipping container. We need you to access your computer system and tell us where the shipping container is located.”
“What container you need?” The older man did not appear to be in a hurry. Instead he paused to stick a cigarette in his mouth and light it. He took a deep puff, blew out the smoke in Nate’s face and smiled.
“This is what we have.” Nate laid a sheet of paper in front of the man with the few numbers they had written on it. “I need you to find what I’m looking for.”
The older man smiled revealing crooked teeth. The smile deepened the wrinkles around his mouth and eyes. There was no joy in his eyes. The smile was fake. “You need me to find one container with that?”
“What is your name, sir?”
“Why do you care?”
“What is your name?”
“Jesse Farrell.”
“Listen Mr. Farrell, we are looking for three missing girls, one missing boy and one missing woman. I suggest you not stand in my way or you will find yourself in my custody on charges of obstructing justice. I have a warrant. You have no choice.”
“Fine, ya don’t have to yell. It’s just that number is the beginning of probably half the containers out there.”
“Maybe I can narrow it down for you. This container says “Tate” on the outside but is owned by LRI.”
Something flashed across the man’s eyes but was quickly gone. If Nate had any reason to believe this man was involved he would arrest him immediately. He was tired and in desperate need of answers. Not a good combination to mess with. His patience was thin; there was no telling what he might do.
“I’ll get you the information.” Jesse sat down at the computer and after twenty minutes he pulled up a list of shipping containers with a list of areas. “Look, this is the best I can do. I have about thirty containers with those numbers on it. You’re gonna have to search for yourself.”
Jesse stood and handed Nate a piece of paper with the list of containers and locations in the shipyard. Nate glanced at the list and then back at Jesse. “If I don’t find what I’m looking for I’ll be back to talk to you.”
“Fine. But just so you know I gave you this under duress.” Nate left the office with Eric and a crew of detectives wondering what this man was afraid of.
With weapons drawn Nate and the detectives began their search of each and every shipping container on the list. Containers stacked more then two high were ruled out as impossible or at least improbable as getting girls in and out of a container that high would have been difficult. That left them with twenty-three to search. They began with the ground level containers which meant searching fifteen.
“Clear!” A detective called after the first shipping container was opened.
“Clear!” The second container was a dead end.
The phrase was repeated another eight times until finally Nate came upon a container that was giving off an unusual odor. The odor was that of human excrement. Nate covered his mouth with his arm. Then taking a deep breath he pried open the doors to the dark red container. With his gun in front of him in his right hand he held a flashlight in the other and shined it into the shipping container.
Nothing.
Blackness hovered around them. Nate could only see where his small beam shined. It landed on one mattress to his left and a second mattress to his right. This is where they were. This is where Ashley had told him they were just hours ago. Discarded McDonalds bags sat scattered around the container. Apparently no one bothered to clean up.
Eric ran up to the container behind Nate. “Anything?”
“No, nothing. They were here but they aren’t anymore.” Nate sighed and stepped out of the container.
“We’ll find her, man, I promise.” Eric placed his dark hand on Nate’s shoulder and squeezed. Nate tried to take comfort in the gesture.
“I know we’ll find her but the question is whether or not we find them dead or alive.”