Page 101 of Wild Escape

She turned to the door.

"You might want to think twice about that,” I said. “Right now, you have an opportunity. An opportunity to tell the truth. Come clean, clear your conscience, and stay out of jail. When it comes down to it, your friends will turn on you. As you can see, Rachel is already stabbing you in the back. She's gonna throw you under the bus when it comes to Cheyenne and Gabby. After we talk to you, we’re going to talk to Kendall." I paused. "Now is your chance. Tell us everything, and I'll make sure you get the best deal possible. If you play hardball, you’re going to be charged with conspiracy to commit murder. Two counts.”

After a long pause, Lauren said, "I want a lawyer."

"You're not under arrest.” I handed her a card.

She didn't take it. She didn't want anything from me.

Lauren backed away and slipped into class. She promptly hurled on the steps, grossing the whole class out. Nerves and the hangover had gotten to her.

We left and started back across campus. I called Isabella and asked her to locate Kendall’s phone.

She tapped the keys. A few moments later, she said, “Her phone is at Pembroke Hall. But you might want to hear this before you talk to her.”

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Iput the call on speaker so JD could hear.

"There was something bothering me about this whole thing," Isabella said. "I went back and looked at the cell records from the cabdriver and checked his location data. When Raj drove Gabby home, he went out of his way, taking a long route. At one point, he drove around in circles. During the trip, he made a phone call. He kept driving around aimlessly until the phone he called appeared behind him in traffic. The two vehicles paused in the warehouse district, then he continued on to the sorority house while the other phone went to an abandoned warehouse.”

With a tight jaw full of anger, I said, "He had a vulnerable girl in his car, called his buddies, and they abducted Gabby.”

"That's what it looks like to me.”

"Where is the phone Raj called?" I asked.

"It's a prepaid cellular. Right now it's at a house on Spoonbill Lane.”

Isabella gave me the location of the warehouse where they had converged on the evening in question. I thanked her for the information and ended the call.

After I updated JD, we decided to put Kendall on the back burner.

“What are you guys? Like spies? How are you getting this intel?”

“Don’t ask.”

We hustled across campus to the Founders’ Court, hopped into the Porsche, and zipped to the warehouse district.

The abandoned warehouse on Union Street was an old marine storage facility. Damaged after a hurricane, a developer had planned to renovate the place and turn it into modern loft living. The project ran into environmental issues with cleanup. Industrial solvents, fuel oil, etc., had contaminated the area.

JD pulled into the lot, which was surrounded by a chain-link fence, topped with concertina wire. The gate to the property had long since been disabled, and the red brick was covered with graffiti.

We hopped out of the car, climbed the loading dock, and advanced to a rusted steel door. The door handle was missing. The hinges squeaked as I pried it open.

Shafts of pale light filtered in, illuminating the cavernous space. Motes of dust swirled.

I pulled a small tactical flashlight from my pocket, clicked on the beam, and swept it across the area.

Dust and debris littered the floor. There were old papers, invoices, beer cans, broken bottles, and hypodermic needles. Several oversized pieces of cardboard in the corner had formed a makeshift bed. Ratty blankets lay crumpled nearby. Old, rusted-out parts and bits of motors cluttered the space.

We stepped inside and searched the area.

It didn't take long to find a horrific sight.

Near the center of the room, by a pillar, a pool of blood stained the concrete. It was dried and crusted now. Probably a few days old. It still had some color.

Bloody ropes lay on the ground near the support pillar. It was clear they had been used to restrain Gabby.