Page 57 of Astrid
Morgan looked around the room, and began, “As you all know, I started Boswell Two because Uncle Chip came to me and told me some doomsday preppers were running guns, drugs, and women across the border into Canada. However, I’m not thinking that it’s not preppers, but you all know we’ve gotten information back from our main missions that it’s more than likely the Cartel, as well as mob-related. Since meeting with the Canadians last night, we’ve been combing through the evidence they were able to provide us. Before I go any further...” She looked around the room and saw she had everyone’s attention. “The three men we met with last night will be here around eight on Saturday morning. They don’t have a secure location to go over the information we will be sharing with them, so I invited them here.”
“Are they safe?” Wyatt asked as he stretched his legs out, and balanced his plate in his hands. “I mean, do you trust them?”
“I do,” Morgan said, and it was Astrid who stood and laid a stack of papers on the desk before Wyatt.
“That’s the information Uncle Chip sent us about them. He did a background check on them before the girls even went to meet them last night.”
John was the first one to get up and take the papers, and began reading. Once he was done, he passed them to Justin, who read them and passed them to Alex, and on down the line it went.
“Unfortunately,” Astrid said as she leaned back, and stretched her arms over her head. “We’re too late.”
“Why?” Lucas asked in confusion.
“According to the Canadians, they have thirteen women who showed up in the local ERs or morgues. Their deaths were ruled drugs overdose,” Carl said as he pointed to the wall behind him. “These are twelve of the thirty women missing so far.”
Everyone got up and went to look at the photos, and again it was Lucas ,who asked, “You said thirteen, there are only twelve here.”
“One of the women survived, and when she was well enough to tell her story, that’s when Griffin Lee—” Carl pointed to a photo of the Canadian police officer, “—became involved in the case. He heard her story, and that’s when Paul and Harry became involved. All of this happened two years ago, and it’s taken them this long in their investigation to get this far, but they ran into a snag. That’s why they’re here in the States working undercover as thugs for Neil Mason.”
“Did I start this?” Alan asked from his position sitting on a desk, taking everything in. “When I took that phone call to do those kitchen cupboards? Did I start this?”
“No.” Five people looked at him with conviction. “If it wasn’t for you,” Carl said. “We wouldn’t have made the connection to the Canadians. It was Astrid, who went with you that became suspicious enough to go to Tom with her concerns. He in turn was able to find out they were cops. Everything we’re doing here is an effort to take the bad guys out.”
Everyone watched him as he settled back in his chair and studied them. “I’m here until we can take them out. I’m not going to step on the women’s toes, but because I am a state-level law-enforcement agent, I can advise them as to what they can and can’t do. I’ve even gotten the warrants to put the hidden cameras up when we install the cupboards. We want to have everything above board, so when it comes to the time to go to trial, we’ll have all our ducks in a row.”
“But, what about these women?” Lucas asked as he pointed to the photos of the dead women. “I know it’s too late for them, but will they ever get justice?”
“They will. I will do everything in my power to pin their murders on the bad guys. We just need to figure out who they are, and take them down when the time comes.”
“Are there more women?” Dolly asked at one point. “Other than these twelve, plus the one that survived?”
“According to my office,” Carl said, and picked up a file and showed them that it was at least three inches thick. “At this time, there’s a total of forty-seven women missing, and that’s not including the thirteen up there.”
“Shit,” Wilson said. “Are the Canadians taking care of the survivor?”
“Yes, they have her in a safe house. She won’t be coming home until the bad guys are caught, and then we’ll have to keep her safe until the trial.”
Everyone was lost in their own thoughts, and the people who couldn’t stomach what they’d learned set their plates down, while the others continued eating.
No one said a word for a long time, until Alan spoke from his position sitting on the empty desk, “I know I have no right to say anything, but can I make a suggestion?”
“What’s that?” several people asked at once as they studied him.
“I know how important it is to catch these fuckers, and you’re not going to do it tonight, right?”
“Well, no,” Astrid hesitated as she answered him.
Before she could continue, Alan spoke, “I know you’re gathering information, and you’re waiting for more people to show up to help. With that being said, why don’t you table everything for tonight, and go back to it strong tomorrow morning. I’m only saying this, because you’ve been at it all day, and it’s almost nine at night.”
The women looked at him with varying degrees of scowl, while the men nodded their agreement to his statement. After heaving huge sighs, the women sat back and agreed with Alan to table their work for the night. Whenever they brought up what they’d been discussing, one of the men would say something to change the subject.
CHAPTER25
John lookedup from his position leaning against the headboard of the bed when the door opened, and Astrid entered. Without saying a word, he rose, went to her, and directed her to the bathroom. He gently undressed her, directed her toward the tub full of water he’d drawn earlier, feeling it was still warm, but not hot, he released some of the water, and refilled it with hot before he guided her in. Instead of climbing in with her, he let her settle into the warm water with a heavy sigh, before he kneeled beside the tub. He lit the candles he’d set around, and poured her a glass of wine.
“You okay?” he whispered as he leaned down, took a cloth in his hand, and gently began to bathe her.
“Yeah, but my brain is fried with all the information we took in today.”
