Page 24 of Lost Truth
He dug the key from his pocket and inserted it. The lock came free. “Jackpot.”
Pushing open the door, he took a step into the dark room. His foot dropped into space. He lurched back, his heart rate kicking up at his near miss. “Floor disappears, and I almost took a nosedive. Stairway, I think.”
“Stairs?” Abby’s confused voice rose and echoed back at them from the space ahead. “Surely this place doesn’t have a basement.”
Hayden ran his fingers over the wall until he connected with a light switch. A quick flip and a single bulb hanging from the ceiling illuminated the area. A stone ceiling and walls with steps carved out of the rock stood in front of him. “Not a basement. A cave.”
Abby bumped him aside and peered ahead. “This is creepy.”
“You can say that again.” He tried to keep the hesitation out of his tone. “You stay here while I check it out.”
Frowning, she slowly backed off. “Don’t take any risks. If anything seems off, hightail it back here.”
He nodded and pushed past her, illuminating his feet with the flashlight on his phone to start down the steps. No handrail, so he ran his hands along the cold stone wall. Six steps led him down to a stone floor. He flicked his flashlight to the right, revealing a short tunnel. It seemed to open into a large room.
He listened for any noise. Any sound at all. A slow drip plunking into a pool of water reached his ears. Nothing for it but to follow the tunnel.
Using his light to mark his way, he bent forward to safely move under the low ceiling. A stale, musty odor permeated the stone cavern surrounding him as he approached the room.
What in the world would he find? He had no idea. Couldn’t be good if Kai had to hide it like this, could it? His heart beat faster, and he rested his hand on his sidearm for quick access if needed.
The ceiling gently slanted up at the end of the tunnel. The urge to rush ahead hit him, but he flashed his light around the space before taking another step. His light revealed a large room with smooth walls. Not walls built by man, but a natural cave.
He ran his light down the length. Reached the end and jerked to a stop.
Man, oh man!
His mouth fell open as he studied three women of Asian descent huddling together on the floor. Near them sat three cots and shelves lined with food and various other toiletry items. A composting toilet had been placed on the opposite wall, and a foul odor emitted from the area.
He stepped a few feet into the space. The women cringed.
“No hurt.” The oldest one with large terrified eyes shielded the other two behind her.
Hayden held up a hand to give him time to process the scene before him. Was Kai into human smuggling or trafficking? Did his disappearance have something to do with these three women?
He didn’t know Kai well at all, but the man was well loved in town, and Hayden found it hard to believe he would be involved in such a horrific thing.
“Please, no hurt.” The woman’s panicked voice rose. “You ask. We do.”
“Don’t worry. I won’t hurt you.” He took a step closer.
She jerked back farther. The fear was alive on their faces and in their eyes, their arms gripped tightly around their waists. As a former border patrol agent, he’d seen the same expressions more times than he would like to count from people trying to illegally cross the border or those who made it across only to be discovered by authorities. When he’d left CBP, he’d hoped he would never have to face such human fear again.
But here it was. Fresh. Intense. And not more than ten feet away from him in quaint Lost Lake.
Sadly, the women’s reaction to him said they’d been abused. No question in his mind. Likely by men. Likely in the worst way possible.
A wave of nausea rolled through him, and the urge to flee the room and not look back hit hard. They needed him to rescue them, and he didn’t want to fail.
Please let us help them.
Us.He should probably call Abby down here. As a former sheriff, she would know how to handle this situation, and the woman would probably trust a female more. He should call her, but he didn’t want to bring her into this ugly experience if he didn’t have to, and he definitely wouldn’t allow Cady down here.
So what, then?
“Hayden?” Abby’s voice came from the end of the tunnel.
Of course she didn’t listen and stay in the office. She’d sensed a problem, and as his backup, she came to check on him. If he didn’t stop her from entering the room, she would see more than she bargained for.
