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Sitting down, he felt Mr. Bloom fan him with a file he’d had on his desk. It was horrible, the things he’d touched on in her head. Looking at the man he was beginning to like a great deal, Duncan asked him if he really didn’t know what she did with the children.
“I’m thinking she is selling them off. That’s what I keep telling myself, Duncan. That’s what keeps me from being able to sleep at night. If I’m wrong, and I just know I’m not, you need to be telling me.” Duncan nodded. “It’s something no man would want to know, isn’t it?”
“Yes.” Duncan stood up and picked up the phone on his desk. “I can take care of it right now. I’m calling in some special help with this. Do you—would you like to be in on this, Mr. Bloom?”
“It’s Max, and I surely would.”
When the man at the other end answered his phone, Duncan had forgotten about it being Christmas Day. Agent Bishop answered the phone with a laugh and a merry holiday.
“I’m so sorry, Ben. I truly am. But I have a nasty situation here that I need you to move in on now.” Ben asked him what had happened, all business as soon as Duncan started out telling him he was sorry. “There is a home in the town where I live for homeless and orphaned children. I have it on good authority the woman and man who are running things there are running a child prostitution ring.”
Duncan looked at Max when he sat down, his face as pale as he’d ever seen. Handing the man a bottle of his best bourbon, he wasn’t surprised at all when he took the cap off and drank right from the bottle.
Ben knew what Duncan was, that he could see bits and pieces of the future. Also that he could read minds when he needed to. Without Ben questioning his source or the person he might have gotten the information from, Duncan explained to him, in detail, what he’d found in the woman’s head.
“When you get in the home, you’ll take a left into what looks like a parlor. Behind the bookshelf, you’ll find a small room where the pictures and movies are made.” Telling him where he would find other incriminating things, Duncan told him that Mr. Bloom, his neighbor, had warned him about her just today. “I would consider it a personal favor to me if you could let him be there when you arrest her.”
“What time is your party over today?” Duncan told him they were going to have dinner at five then send them home on the bus. “Good. That’s perfect. I’ll hit the home now within the hour. Since it’s only a little after noon now, I can find enough to go there and have her taken away. The problem is, what happens to the children in the meantime? We have to have a safe place for them to go.”
“I can take care of that. I have enough people here and in my area that would gladly help out with this.” Duncan looked at Max, who was nodding too. “The kids will be safe, Ben. I promise you this.”
After giving him a few more details, the two of them hung up, Duncan looked at Max and asked him if he was all right. When he nodded, then shook his head, Duncan could see that the reality of the situation was much more than even he’d thought. Max asked him what she did with the older children, once they were too old to let her take their pictures.
“She kills them. Max, we wouldn’t have been able to stop her without your help. I know it’s a lot for you to think about now, but there is no telling how much longer she might well have done this to children.” Max nodded but didn’t look in his direction. “I can’t thank you enough for this. For your help. I’m indebted to you for this.”
Still not looking in his direction, Max spoke. “You taking any of those kids for your own?” He told him about the two they were adopting. “There is something I’d like for you to do for me. You don’t have to if you don’t want to, but I’d appreciate it if you’d allow me to be their grandda. I’d like to have them around me some. Not because I helped out, but just because you want to allow them to come see me.”
“They would love it. Perhaps you can talk to Abe some more. I notice he has taken a shine to you.” Max nodded. “You can call up anytime you wish to have them come over. I have to make a few phone calls about the children. Do you want to stay?”
“No. I’m feeling the need to get me some more hugs from those kids. You take care that that she-devil don’t hurt you none either. I’m just now getting to like you a bit.” Max nodded at him, then walked to the door. “You’re a good man, Duncan. A damned sight better than I gave you any credit for. I’m sorry for that.”
“We
’re friends now. And to me, I think I’ve come out on the better end of it.”
Max left him there, and Duncan reached out to the woman who had raised him. Mary would be able to find enough homes for all the children in no time flat. He wouldn’t be surprised if a few of them found themselves some forever homes after this. Laughing a little, he told Mary what was going on and how many homes he might need.
Is it the little ones at your house now? He told her it was. I’ll make a couple of calls. How about you move it so we can have ourselves an adoption party today too? Might go a long way in getting these kids in a safe home. But tell me, Duncan, what’s going on? He told her everything he’d found out, and even what was going to happen today. We’ll be there. You say about ten families? We’ll be there.
His phone was ringing when he was ready to leave his office. It was Ben, telling him not only had he found the room he’d told him to look for, but there was a lot of paperwork there as well.
“We have everything, Duncan. This is— I’m telling you right now, son, this goes beyond her just running some porn out of this place. We’ve found a few photo books with newspaper articles, talking about the death of a few of the children she’s had in here. Got herself some pictures of before and after they were murdered. This is one sick person. Sicker than I’ve come across in all my years. She’s been doing this for some time too.” Duncan told him he was sorry. “I am too. But we’re only scratching the surface of things here. We’re going to be out to get her. You can count on that. I’m telling you right now, I’m hoping she tries something. I’d be as happy as I’ve ever been to pop one in the back of her head.”
“Tell me when you’re going to be here, and I’ll make arrangements so the children aren’t privy to her being taken out.” Ben told him that might be a good idea. “I have people coming for the children soon. Mary told me we might have a huge adoption party going on here today.”
“Mary is a good woman. A heart of gold. You tell her for me, she needs anything in taking these children in, I’m there for her. If anyone of them folks she brings to your home needs a reference, I’ll stand up and give them my oath that if Mary picks them, they’re good people.”
Ben told him he’d be there at two. That gave Mary an hour to get there and for the kids to find something to do in the back end of the castle. It might be the perfect time, Duncan thought, to have some cake and ice cream.
By the time he explained to the birds and their mates what was going down, he could tell that not only was Mercy pissed off about it, but Judith looked like she wanted to hunt the woman down right now and end her life. Duncan didn’t dare tell her everything Ben had told him. Ms. Holloway would never make it to her next breath if he did that.
Ben had unearthed a mass grave in the back of the home. He’d been able to find it thanks to him being a wolf. The others with him, the officers, had been sickened by the find and had wanted to come along with him when he arrested Hanna Holloway.
At a quarter till two, Mary showed up with not just other people, but gifts they’d brought with them as well. Six families were with the children when Judith herded them to the big dining room for make your own sundaes. Duncan had never been so nervous in his life as he was at this moment.
“What do you think you’re doing?” Duncan asked Ms. Holloway what she meant. “I told you when I agreed to this hair-brained idea of yours that they weren’t to have too many gifts and that they were not to open them until I approved it. You’ve got them running like wild animals around here, and I won’t have it. I’ve a good mind to just pack them all up and take them back with me.”
“You go ahead and try it. I’m sure that my family will keep you from touching a one of those children. Not to mention, I don’t understand why the gifts couldn’t be opened. Perhaps you can explain to me why I had to let them open the gifts, then take them away until they were ready to leave.” Someone tugged on his shirt, and he turned to find Abe there. “Hello, son. Are you missing the ice—?”
