| Mystery and Crime Fiction posted September 6, 2020 | Chapters: |
Prologue -1- 2... 
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A vigilante takes down a child trafficking ring.
A chapter in the book Where Are All The Children
Up in Fames
by Mistydawn
The sun is slowly rising in the clear-blue skies, sending a vast array of yellows, oranges, and pinks across the broad horizon. A cool early-morning breeze whips through the cruiser. A welcomed change after the merciless heatwave they'd just had. The two detectives sip their coffee, trying to prepare for what's promising to be a grueling day ahead.
The car thuds off Pebble Brook Lane onto a rugged, dirt path. A row of tall, bushy trees border either side. Slowing their speed to a mere crawl, Jamal pushes on. "The captain would kill me if I tear this one up too." He swerves around a pothole splashing coffee on his pants. "Just great." He's a toothpick of a man who transferred from narcotics a few months ago. He has short, curly black hair, dark complexion, and hazel eyes.
Toni chuckles. "He'd have your head for sure seeing this will be your third one this month." Toni is twenty-four. Her long midnight black hair is pulled tightly at the nape of her neck. She has olive skin, almond eyes, and a thin, athletic build. She moved from Savannah to Atlanta four years ago claiming she wanted to see what the big city has to offer.
"Two of those weren't my fault."
"The captain doesn't see it that way."
Jamal rolls his eyes. "I know, I know."
The detectives pull up to find what used to be a two-story farmhouse engulfed in flames. An exhausted group of firefighters are doing their best to get the massive blaze under control.
Climbing out of their car, Toni and Jamal walk over to the fire chief. "The captain said you found something."
"They're over here." He leads them to a large oak tree in the center of the yard. Stopping at a blanketed heap he turns and explains. "I had my men cover them out of respect." He pulls the canopy back.
The detectives look down to find a dozen battered young girls side by side. Bits of makeup tinted their pale, bronze faces. A bouquet of wildflowers lay across their naked bodies.
Childhood memories come to mind. Horrors Toni thought she'd left behind. She wipes a tear from her cheek as she pushes the grave image aside. "Whoever put them here must've cared a lot."
One of the volunteers runs up beside them. "You need to see this, sir." He leads them to a small lean-to that's nothing more than slivers of pale, rotten wood held up by a rickety frame.
Jamal flashes his light around and finds a naked man secured to a chain dangling from the rafters. Slash marks cover his rounded body. A bloody horsewhip lies a few feet away.
Toni checks for a pulse. "He's dead, but I don't think he's been gone long."
The chief turns towards a first responder. "You, grab a saw and help me get him down."
"I've got it right here, sir." A second man walks towards him. Freeing him from the chain, they lower him to the floor.
Jamal notices a large cardboard box on the otherwise empty shelf. Unlike its holder, the container was dust-free like it was recently placed. He walks over and peeks inside. "Take a look at this, Toni."
She walks towards him. "What'd you find?"
"There's a laptop, cell phone, and these." He hands her a stack of photos.
She skims through the pile to find they're all pictures of underage children dressed in provocative clothes. "We need to get forensics in here to process this and get an ID on this man."
Pulling out his phone, Jamal scans his prints. "According to this, his name is Mark Hensley."
Toni taps a few keys on her cell. "Says here he was the mayor of Stockton, retired ten years ago."
"How did a retired mayor get involved in kiddie porn?"
Toni thinks back to when she was the girls' age. A solemn look crosses her face when she says, "It happens more often than you think."
***
The bright mid-morning sun blares through the large picture window of the earth-toned painted, moss-carpeted space. There's a whiteboard in the corner with filing cabinets on either side. Small, metal desks sit in the center, four on either side of the aisle. Papers and Styrofoam cups are strewn about. The detectives are darting to and fro busily working their case.
The sergeant runs his fingers through his hair as he steps out of his office. He clears his throat and says, "I just got an ass-chewing from the mayor. He wants to know where we're at in our investigation and why we haven't called the FBI in on this yet. So, what can you tell me about this perp?" The sergeant stands six feet, but his brawny build makes him seem larger. He has a fair complexion and light-green eyes. His coffee-colored hair is graying around the temples.
Jamal glances up from his desk. "Mr. Hensley served two consecutive terms in office. There were rumors circling the city at the end of his last year about him being involved in illegal activities. The DA investigated but didn't have enough to convict."
"What sort of stuff are we talking about, Jamal?"
"Sexual harassment, bribery, fraud. He often assisted single mothers out of financial debt."
Larry scratches the growth on his face. "So, he could've conjured up this child porn ring while he was in office."
"It's possible, sir."
"I think we're talking about more than just kiddie porn, sergeant." Toni pulls a file up on the laptop and then turns it around. This web page was in his browser history. The contact number traces back to the burner we found in the shed. I also found dozens of images of children in an encrypted file on his hard drive. The same images that can be downloaded from the website."
Kevin hands the sergeant a report. His five-foot-five frame seems puny alongside the sergeants. Unlike his coworkers, he has a light, freckled complexion and strawberry blond hair. "The calls made to the cell came from burner phones which have either been turned off or destroyed. Forensics said they'll do what they can to narrow down where the calls originated from. They also said Mr. Hensley never used his phone to make a call and according to the GPS, the cell never left the house."
Larry glances at the laptop again. "He couldn't have been running an operation this big alone. Toni, I want you to dig into Mr. Hensley's past. Jamal, you, and Kevin talk to everyone that served office with him. Talk to the prosecutor and the detectives that worked the case see what he can tell you about the investigation. Have you been able to identify the kids, Kevin?"
"Not yet, sir. Immigration doesn't have any record of these children entering the states. The ME said they've never had any type of medical work done. She said she'll try to identify them through their DNA, but didn't sound hopeful. She also said she found a dollar sign tattooed on the back of the victim's neck, which confirms Toni's suspicion about it being a trafficking ring."
Toni looks up from the computer screen. "I'm running their photos through the FBI's data bank hoping we'll get a hit, but with them being illegal I doubt we will."
Jamal hangs up his phone. "Patrol responded to a domestic disturbance call and found a man tied to a chair with pictures of under-aged children scattered around him."
Larry scratches his stubble again. "It sounds like we have a vigilante exposing these scumbags for who they really are."
The sun is slowly rising in the clear-blue skies, sending a vast array of yellows, oranges, and pinks across the broad horizon. A cool early-morning breeze whips through the cruiser. A welcomed change after the merciless heatwave they'd just had. The two detectives sip their coffee, trying to prepare for what's promising to be a grueling day ahead.
The car thuds off Pebble Brook Lane onto a rugged, dirt path. A row of tall, bushy trees border either side. Slowing their speed to a mere crawl, Jamal pushes on. "The captain would kill me if I tear this one up too." He swerves around a pothole splashing coffee on his pants. "Just great." He's a toothpick of a man who transferred from narcotics a few months ago. He has short, curly black hair, dark complexion, and hazel eyes.
Toni chuckles. "He'd have your head for sure seeing this will be your third one this month." Toni is twenty-four. Her long midnight black hair is pulled tightly at the nape of her neck. She has olive skin, almond eyes, and a thin, athletic build. She moved from Savannah to Atlanta four years ago claiming she wanted to see what the big city has to offer.
"Two of those weren't my fault."
"The captain doesn't see it that way."
Jamal rolls his eyes. "I know, I know."
The detectives pull up to find what used to be a two-story farmhouse engulfed in flames. An exhausted group of firefighters are doing their best to get the massive blaze under control.
Climbing out of their car, Toni and Jamal walk over to the fire chief. "The captain said you found something."
"They're over here." He leads them to a large oak tree in the center of the yard. Stopping at a blanketed heap he turns and explains. "I had my men cover them out of respect." He pulls the canopy back.
The detectives look down to find a dozen battered young girls side by side. Bits of makeup tinted their pale, bronze faces. A bouquet of wildflowers lay across their naked bodies.
Childhood memories come to mind. Horrors Toni thought she'd left behind. She wipes a tear from her cheek as she pushes the grave image aside. "Whoever put them here must've cared a lot."
One of the volunteers runs up beside them. "You need to see this, sir." He leads them to a small lean-to that's nothing more than slivers of pale, rotten wood held up by a rickety frame.
Jamal flashes his light around and finds a naked man secured to a chain dangling from the rafters. Slash marks cover his rounded body. A bloody horsewhip lies a few feet away.
Toni checks for a pulse. "He's dead, but I don't think he's been gone long."
The chief turns towards a first responder. "You, grab a saw and help me get him down."
"I've got it right here, sir." A second man walks towards him. Freeing him from the chain, they lower him to the floor.
Jamal notices a large cardboard box on the otherwise empty shelf. Unlike its holder, the container was dust-free like it was recently placed. He walks over and peeks inside. "Take a look at this, Toni."
She walks towards him. "What'd you find?"
"There's a laptop, cell phone, and these." He hands her a stack of photos.
She skims through the pile to find they're all pictures of underage children dressed in provocative clothes. "We need to get forensics in here to process this and get an ID on this man."
Pulling out his phone, Jamal scans his prints. "According to this, his name is Mark Hensley."
Toni taps a few keys on her cell. "Says here he was the mayor of Stockton, retired ten years ago."
"How did a retired mayor get involved in kiddie porn?"
Toni thinks back to when she was the girls' age. A solemn look crosses her face when she says, "It happens more often than you think."
***
The bright mid-morning sun blares through the large picture window of the earth-toned painted, moss-carpeted space. There's a whiteboard in the corner with filing cabinets on either side. Small, metal desks sit in the center, four on either side of the aisle. Papers and Styrofoam cups are strewn about. The detectives are darting to and fro busily working their case.
The sergeant runs his fingers through his hair as he steps out of his office. He clears his throat and says, "I just got an ass-chewing from the mayor. He wants to know where we're at in our investigation and why we haven't called the FBI in on this yet. So, what can you tell me about this perp?" The sergeant stands six feet, but his brawny build makes him seem larger. He has a fair complexion and light-green eyes. His coffee-colored hair is graying around the temples.
Jamal glances up from his desk. "Mr. Hensley served two consecutive terms in office. There were rumors circling the city at the end of his last year about him being involved in illegal activities. The DA investigated but didn't have enough to convict."
"What sort of stuff are we talking about, Jamal?"
"Sexual harassment, bribery, fraud. He often assisted single mothers out of financial debt."
Larry scratches the growth on his face. "So, he could've conjured up this child porn ring while he was in office."
"It's possible, sir."
"I think we're talking about more than just kiddie porn, sergeant." Toni pulls a file up on the laptop and then turns it around. This web page was in his browser history. The contact number traces back to the burner we found in the shed. I also found dozens of images of children in an encrypted file on his hard drive. The same images that can be downloaded from the website."
Kevin hands the sergeant a report. His five-foot-five frame seems puny alongside the sergeants. Unlike his coworkers, he has a light, freckled complexion and strawberry blond hair. "The calls made to the cell came from burner phones which have either been turned off or destroyed. Forensics said they'll do what they can to narrow down where the calls originated from. They also said Mr. Hensley never used his phone to make a call and according to the GPS, the cell never left the house."
Larry glances at the laptop again. "He couldn't have been running an operation this big alone. Toni, I want you to dig into Mr. Hensley's past. Jamal, you, and Kevin talk to everyone that served office with him. Talk to the prosecutor and the detectives that worked the case see what he can tell you about the investigation. Have you been able to identify the kids, Kevin?"
"Not yet, sir. Immigration doesn't have any record of these children entering the states. The ME said they've never had any type of medical work done. She said she'll try to identify them through their DNA, but didn't sound hopeful. She also said she found a dollar sign tattooed on the back of the victim's neck, which confirms Toni's suspicion about it being a trafficking ring."
Toni looks up from the computer screen. "I'm running their photos through the FBI's data bank hoping we'll get a hit, but with them being illegal I doubt we will."
Jamal hangs up his phone. "Patrol responded to a domestic disturbance call and found a man tied to a chair with pictures of under-aged children scattered around him."
Larry scratches his stubble again. "It sounds like we have a vigilante exposing these scumbags for who they really are."
The car thuds off Pebble Brook Lane onto a rugged, dirt path. A row of tall, bushy trees border either side. Slowing their speed to a mere crawl, Jamal pushes on. "The captain would kill me if I tear this one up too." He swerves around a pothole splashing coffee on his pants. "Just great." He's a toothpick of a man who transferred from narcotics a few months ago. He has short, curly black hair, dark complexion, and hazel eyes.
Toni chuckles. "He'd have your head for sure seeing this will be your third one this month." Toni is twenty-four. Her long midnight black hair is pulled tightly at the nape of her neck. She has olive skin, almond eyes, and a thin, athletic build. She moved from Savannah to Atlanta four years ago claiming she wanted to see what the big city has to offer.
"Two of those weren't my fault."
"The captain doesn't see it that way."
Jamal rolls his eyes. "I know, I know."
The detectives pull up to find what used to be a two-story farmhouse engulfed in flames. An exhausted group of firefighters are doing their best to get the massive blaze under control.
Climbing out of their car, Toni and Jamal walk over to the fire chief. "The captain said you found something."
"They're over here." He leads them to a large oak tree in the center of the yard. Stopping at a blanketed heap he turns and explains. "I had my men cover them out of respect." He pulls the canopy back.
The detectives look down to find a dozen battered young girls side by side. Bits of makeup tinted their pale, bronze faces. A bouquet of wildflowers lay across their naked bodies.
Childhood memories come to mind. Horrors Toni thought she'd left behind. She wipes a tear from her cheek as she pushes the grave image aside. "Whoever put them here must've cared a lot."
One of the volunteers runs up beside them. "You need to see this, sir." He leads them to a small lean-to that's nothing more than slivers of pale, rotten wood held up by a rickety frame.
Jamal flashes his light around and finds a naked man secured to a chain dangling from the rafters. Slash marks cover his rounded body. A bloody horsewhip lies a few feet away.
Toni checks for a pulse. "He's dead, but I don't think he's been gone long."
The chief turns towards a first responder. "You, grab a saw and help me get him down."
"I've got it right here, sir." A second man walks towards him. Freeing him from the chain, they lower him to the floor.
Jamal notices a large cardboard box on the otherwise empty shelf. Unlike its holder, the container was dust-free like it was recently placed. He walks over and peeks inside. "Take a look at this, Toni."
She walks towards him. "What'd you find?"
"There's a laptop, cell phone, and these." He hands her a stack of photos.
She skims through the pile to find they're all pictures of underage children dressed in provocative clothes. "We need to get forensics in here to process this and get an ID on this man."
Pulling out his phone, Jamal scans his prints. "According to this, his name is Mark Hensley."
Toni taps a few keys on her cell. "Says here he was the mayor of Stockton, retired ten years ago."
"How did a retired mayor get involved in kiddie porn?"
Toni thinks back to when she was the girls' age. A solemn look crosses her face when she says, "It happens more often than you think."
***
The bright mid-morning sun blares through the large picture window of the earth-toned painted, moss-carpeted space. There's a whiteboard in the corner with filing cabinets on either side. Small, metal desks sit in the center, four on either side of the aisle. Papers and Styrofoam cups are strewn about. The detectives are darting to and fro busily working their case.
The sergeant runs his fingers through his hair as he steps out of his office. He clears his throat and says, "I just got an ass-chewing from the mayor. He wants to know where we're at in our investigation and why we haven't called the FBI in on this yet. So, what can you tell me about this perp?" The sergeant stands six feet, but his brawny build makes him seem larger. He has a fair complexion and light-green eyes. His coffee-colored hair is graying around the temples.
Jamal glances up from his desk. "Mr. Hensley served two consecutive terms in office. There were rumors circling the city at the end of his last year about him being involved in illegal activities. The DA investigated but didn't have enough to convict."
"What sort of stuff are we talking about, Jamal?"
"Sexual harassment, bribery, fraud. He often assisted single mothers out of financial debt."
Larry scratches the growth on his face. "So, he could've conjured up this child porn ring while he was in office."
"It's possible, sir."
"I think we're talking about more than just kiddie porn, sergeant." Toni pulls a file up on the laptop and then turns it around. This web page was in his browser history. The contact number traces back to the burner we found in the shed. I also found dozens of images of children in an encrypted file on his hard drive. The same images that can be downloaded from the website."
Kevin hands the sergeant a report. His five-foot-five frame seems puny alongside the sergeants. Unlike his coworkers, he has a light, freckled complexion and strawberry blond hair. "The calls made to the cell came from burner phones which have either been turned off or destroyed. Forensics said they'll do what they can to narrow down where the calls originated from. They also said Mr. Hensley never used his phone to make a call and according to the GPS, the cell never left the house."
Larry glances at the laptop again. "He couldn't have been running an operation this big alone. Toni, I want you to dig into Mr. Hensley's past. Jamal, you, and Kevin talk to everyone that served office with him. Talk to the prosecutor and the detectives that worked the case see what he can tell you about the investigation. Have you been able to identify the kids, Kevin?"
"Not yet, sir. Immigration doesn't have any record of these children entering the states. The ME said they've never had any type of medical work done. She said she'll try to identify them through their DNA, but didn't sound hopeful. She also said she found a dollar sign tattooed on the back of the victim's neck, which confirms Toni's suspicion about it being a trafficking ring."
Toni looks up from the computer screen. "I'm running their photos through the FBI's data bank hoping we'll get a hit, but with them being illegal I doubt we will."
Jamal hangs up his phone. "Patrol responded to a domestic disturbance call and found a man tied to a chair with pictures of under-aged children scattered around him."
Larry scratches his stubble again. "It sounds like we have a vigilante exposing these scumbags for who they really are."
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