The Body Market: A Leine Basso Thriller (19 page)

“We don’t have much time,” Grigori called.

She glanced at her watch. He was right. Nicholas would be expecting the shipment in the next couple of hours. Since the donor had surely given up his or her life to provide the kidneys, she couldn’t allow them to go to waste. She turned back.

“Call Nicholas. Tell him what happened. How long will it take to get through the tunnel?”

“With no problems, maybe twenty minutes.”

She reached the truck, climbed onto the tailgate, and yanked open the door.

E
lise walked out
of the doctor’s office in the main house and headed for the barracks. Ramirez had changed the dressing on the incision to a smaller bandage, similar to Julia’s. Time was running out. She feared she would soon be offered to the men who visited the ranch. The evening before, two men had come to the cafeteria and taken Julia away. She didn’t return to the barracks until late, after everyone had gone to sleep. The next morning, when Elise asked her if she was okay, Julia replied that they had to leave that night.

The early afternoon sun filtered through filmy clouds, sparing Elise the scorching heat she had come to expect during the day. She barely registered the rocky terrain, having gotten used to it—which was the only good thing about not having shoes. She hoped it would make the trek through the desert easier.

Elise checked to make sure no one was watching before she edged around the barracks and walked down the slope to the lone tree at the bottom of the gulley. Not seeing anyone at first, relief flowed through her when Sebastian poked his head around the trunk, a big grin on his face. Elise smiled.

“I didn’t think you were coming,” Sebastian said, staring shyly at the ground.

“Of course I came, Sebastian. You’re the only nice person I’ve met here.” She picked a piece of lint off his shirt and flicked it away.

Sebastian bobbed his head, his cheeks growing a deep shade of pink.

“I have something for you.” He reached into his pocket and brought out a shiny metal bracelet, which he eagerly handed to her. “It’s a magic bracelet.”

“How sweet.” Elise smiled, touched by his generosity. The copper bracelet was made of little metal flowers and leaves woven into links. “Would you put it on for me?”

Sebastian grinned as he looped the bracelet over her wrist and snapped the clasp closed.

She held it up for him to see. “Why do you say this bracelet is magic?”

“That’s what the man told me when I bought it. That it was a magic bracelet.”

Tears sprang to her eyes at his earnest expression. It seemed like such a long time since anyone showed her kindness. Whenever she saw Sebastian she made a special effort to talk to him and find out how his day was going. Now that she and Julia planned to escape, her relationship with Sebastian took on a new urgency. She just hoped he wouldn’t get in trouble for what she was about to ask him.

“Sebastian,” she began. “Someone told me that you get to go lots of places, not just here on the property. Is that right?”

He nodded enthusiastically. “Yes. Sometimes Master Garcia takes me into town. I help him carry the supplies to the car.”

“I miss going into town so much. How far away is it?”

Sebastian looked skyward for a moment and then frowned. “It’s longer than I can walk.” He fell silent for a minute, thinking, before another grin split his face. “Do you want me to ask Master Garcia if he’ll take you?”

“No. No, that’s all right, Sebastian. When you go with Master Garcia, which way does he drive, usually?”

Sebastian pointed past Elise to her right and then at a ninety-degree angle. “We go on two roads. The second one is really long.”

At least now we know which way to go,
Elise thought. She stepped closer to Sebastian and put her arms around him, giving him a squeeze. He froze for a moment, but then his body melted into hers and a small sigh escaped his lips. Elise patted his back like she would a newborn. A warm feeling flowed through her. She couldn’t remember the last time she felt even the slightest bit nurturing. It felt good.

She took a step back and raised her arm, holding up the bracelet. “Thank you, Sebastian. I’ll keep the magic bracelet with me, always.”

***

Elise jumped at the shrill whistle coming from the yard. The heat returned later that afternoon with the intensity of a forest fire. Elise and another girl had just finished cleaning the bathrooms in the stifling yellow house. Celeste was no longer assigned as Elise’s cleaning partner. In fact, she hadn’t seen the dark-haired girl anywhere. When Elise asked about her, she was told to go back to work.

An anxious look passed between Elise and the other girl before they picked up their buckets and made their way outside.

Master Garcia and the dog man stood in front of the main house with a girl Elise had never seen before. Her dress was filthy and torn and there was dried blood and scratches on her legs. Manacles encased her ankles. She stared at the ground while the rest of the girls gathered around them, leaving a wide space in front.

Elise searched the crowd for Julia and found her a few yards away. She inched over to stand beside her.

“Who’s that?” she asked.

“The girl who escaped,” Julia said, her voice flat. She was staring at the dog. Its ears lay flat against its head and a low growl emanated from deep within its muscular chest.

A spike of anxiety shot through Elise. “What do you think they’re going to do to her?”

“I don’t know,” Julia whispered.

The doctor and another guard joined Garcia, the doctor carrying a coiled bullwhip. The rest of the guards stood at various intervals around the crowd’s perimeter.

“Let this be a lesson to all of you here,” Master Garcia’s voice boomed. He grabbed the girl’s chin and jerked it up so everyone could see her face. Her body trembled and there was terror in her eyes.

“This Jezebel left under cover of night. Walked into the desert alone. She had no water, no food.” Garcia dropped her chin and placed his hand on her shoulder. “She is lucky we found her. So many terrible things could have happened.”

The girl closed her eyes and licked her dry, scorched lips. Tears coursed down her cheeks, streaking through the dirt on her face. Elise wondered if anyone had given her water, or if they were just going to let her suffer.

The answer came soon enough.

“I am
displeased
,” Garcia roared.

Fear in both the girl and the crowd was palpable. Elise’s heart skipped in her chest.

What if Julia and I get caught? This girl was out there for four nights and they still found her.

“Hold her,” Garcia commanded.

Dog Man and another guard gripped the girl’s wrists and pulled until her arms were fully extended. Garcia seized her shift and in one movement ripped the back open to her waist. He then turned to the doctor, who handed him the bullwhip.

Garcia walked into the crowd, and they quickly parted to give him room.

“They’re going to use that?” Elise couldn’t believe he needed that big of a whip, not when she could still feel the sting of the smaller one he’d used on her when she first arrived.

“He’s going to kill her.”

Julia’s voice almost didn’t register. She’d said the words so quietly that Elise wasn’t even sure she’d heard her correctly.

“But—he can’t, can he? I mean, what about the police? Aren’t there laws?”

Julia ignored Elise and watched, stone-faced, as Garcia snaked the whip through the air, testing it. The girl flinched with each loud snap.

With a grim expression, Garcia brought the whip back and Elise turned away. There was a sharp
crack!
and the girl screamed.

Another blow split the air. The screams turned to sobs.

And again.

Elise put her hands over her ears and ran from the crowd, fury at Garcia and the doctor burning in her chest.

She didn’t care if Julia backed out or not. She would escape.

Tonight.

L
eine scanned the
interior of the back of the truck.
Nicholas’s shipment was secured to one wall with a bungee cord. The pallets were held in place with floor locks.

There was another door at the far end. Expecting more organs, Leine threaded her way toward it and yanked the door open.

A dozen pair of eyes blinked at the influx of light like owls on a tree branch. Leine’s breath caught in her throat at the sight of twelve children—none of them could have been older than twelve—wrapped in ratty blankets and sitting on the filth-encrusted floor of the cooler.

“
Mamá!”
a little girl cried. Another girl shushed her, jabbing her in the side with her elbow.

“I—it’s all right,” Leine said in English, her throat tight. She remembered where she was and switched to Spanish. “It’s safe to come out now. You all must be very cold.”

One by one, each child made his and her tentative way out of the cooler toward Leine. Many of them glanced at her as they walked past, curiosity filling their dark eyes. As soon as they had found their way to the back of the truck, Leine climbed down and began to lift them out.

Grigori joined her, his eyes widening as he took in the scene.

“They were going to—” he whispered, staring at the children.

Leine nodded, her lips pressed into a hard line. He clenched his jaw and turned away. He’d tied his T-shirt around his upper thigh to stem the bleeding, leaving him bare-chested. His back had several scars—a few resembled bullet wounds that had healed, but one extended from his shoulder across his back to below his kidney.

She glanced to where he’d been holding Zamir at gunpoint. The Albanian wasn’t in sight.

“Where’s Zamir?” she asked, alarm sweeping through her.

“Do not worry. I will handle Zamir.” He spoke his name as though he’d tasted poison. “I found this on the driver.” Grigori handed her the man’s cell phone before he disappeared around the back of the truck. Sliding the phone into her pants pocket, Leine glanced at the next child in line—a girl of about eight in a pretty green dress—and smiled.

“Stay there. I’ll be right back to help you down, okay?”

“Okay,” she answered in a tiny voice.

Leine hurried around the end of the truck, hoping she wasn’t too late. She needed to interrogate Zamir, not bury him.

Yet.

His face a deep shade of red and breathing heavily, Grigori loomed over the Albanian with the AK-47 shoved against his forehead. He had tied Zamir by the wrists to the back of the dump truck with zip ties.

“You bastard,” he said in Russian. “You were going to use those children like—like they were your own fucking body parts supply store
?
”

“Don’t kill him just yet, Grigori,” Leine said.

A vein pulsed in the Russian’s temple. “Why not?”

“I need to find out if he knows anything about a case I’m working on.”

Rage plain on his face, Grigori continued to stare daggers at Zamir. Leine waited while the Russian got himself under control. Little by little, like a boiling teapot that had its burner turned to low, the tension in his body lessened. He took a deep breath and stepped back, lowering the gun. Leine inserted herself between the two men, facing Zamir.

“Where do these children belong?”

Zamir turned away. Grigori stepped forward, his fists clenched.

“You son of a whore—”

Leine gave him a look that said
back off
. He hesitated but stood down.

“I’m only going to ask once more. Where did these children come from?”

Zamir’s stony gaze focused behind Leine and she turned. Several curious children had drifted from behind the truck into the main area. A little girl walked next to the wounded driver. He moved his arm, startling her, and she began to cry. Leine glanced at Grigori.

“Would you make sure they stay behind the truck? And ask them where home is,” she said.

Grigori nodded stiffly and hobbled over to retrieve the little girl and corral the rest of the kids. Leine turned her attention back to Zamir.

“Now, I can make this easier for you or I can let Grigori have at it when we’re finished. If you answer my questions truthfully, I promise you won’t suffer. If you refuse to answer, I’m sure Grigori would love to have a few moments alone with you.”

Zamir sneered. “Why do you think I would tell Nicholas’s bitch anything?”

Leine smiled and shoved the barrel of the .45 into his crotch. Zamir’s eyes narrowed, fear reflected in their depths. Beads of sweat appeared above his lip.

He remained silent. Tired of playing games, Leine stepped back, aimed the .45 at his leg, and shot him. Zamir screamed and tried to fold himself into a fetal position.

“This isn’t helping, Zamir.”

Groaning, Zamir squeezed his eyes closed and clamped his lips together. Sweat rolled down the side of his face.

She reached inside her pocket and slid out a copy of Elise’s picture. “Do you recognize this girl?” she asked, holding it in front of him.

He refused to look. Leine grabbed him by the hair and forced his head up. “Open your eyes.”

With an insolent glare he glanced at the picture. Dawning comprehension lit his face, and he glowered at Leine, fury evident in his eyes.

“I knew it was you who killed my men,” he said, his voice dripping venom.

“So you do know where she is.”

“I know you will die soon.” He spit at her feet.

Leine put the picture back in her pocket. He’d just confirmed he was connected to Elise’s disappearance, at least by association, thereby sealing his fate. She was pretty sure Grigori wouldn’t have a problem with that.

Clearly, it would take too much effort to extract the information she needed from Zamir, and she was running out of time. Leine made her way over to the dying driver. Wariness on his face, he gazed up at her through pain-filled eyes. Blood had pooled in the dirt below him. She checked to make sure none of the children were watching.

She hunkered down and showed him the gun. Misery and resignation swam in his eyes.

“You think you can intimidate me,” he gasped, his voice weak. “You are nothing, an ant.”

“And you’re in pretty bad shape,” she said, surveying his wound. “I will help you if you help me. All you need to do is tell me where this girl is.” She showed him the picture of Elise.

When he didn’t respond, she pressed the gun to the side of his head. The driver flinched, his breath coming faster.

“Zamir should have killed you when he had the chance,” he wheezed. “Like Ivan should have done to that bitch’s mother when she betrayed him.”

What is he talking about?

“Like I said,” she continued, “you’re in pretty bad shape. I’d say you’ll bleed out in a matter of minutes unless someone does something. I can make things easy or a whole lot more painful for you. What’ll it be?”

The driver drew in a shallow breath as tears leaked from the corners of his eyes.
He’s close,
she thought.

“One more time. Where’s Elise? And, for the bonus round, tell me what ‘the bitch’s mother’ did to betray Ivan.”

He clamped his lips closed. She lowered the gun to his crotch. Sweat ran in rivulets along the side of his face.

Leine lowered her voice. “If you don’t tell me what I need to know, I will make your last few minutes a living hell.”

The driver closed his eyes and bowed his head. His shoulders sagged.

“When the mother… did not pay money she owed Ivan, he sold daughter.”

“What money? And who did Ivan sell her to?”

He didn’t respond. Leine applied more pressure.

He pulled in a ragged breath. “She betrayed him, I don’t know how. He lost money and took her daughter to make her pay him.”

Belinda Bennett’s responsible for this?
“The daughter is still alive?”

The driver nodded.

“Who has her?”

He closed his eyes, opening them an obvious strain. “His name is Felix Garcia Otero. He runs many businesses in Tijuana.”

Otero.
“Elise is in Tijuana?”

“No. There is a place several kilometers outside of town—a ranch where Otero supplies the men who work for him with young women.” He coughed and blood bubbled between his lips. “Ivan will receive a percentage of what she earns there.”

He must have her at the whorehouse Herrera mentioned
, Leine thought
.
“Do you mean the one where he keeps the girls to service his ‘messengers of Christ?’”

The driver nodded. “Yes. I show you.”

“No. You’re going to tell me.”

With a little more encouragement the directions came. Leine looked the location up on his phone. From the satellite imagery she identified three buildings and a couple of smaller structures on the property—maybe sheds or a well house—and nothing but desert for miles in any direction.

The driver died not long after that. Leine walked behind the truck where Grigori had arranged the cots as seating for the children. They were watching Grigori pantomime a story. A few giggled as he grimaced in pain. She glanced at his bloody pant leg.
Probably not acting out that one,
she thought.

“Can anyone tell me where home is?” she asked with a smile.

“La Paz,” the girl in the green dress replied, her voice small. The other children looked at her with solemn expressions. Leine turned to Grigori.

“Did you call Nicholas?” she asked in a low voice.

“
Da.
His people wait for us at other end. He refuses to come to Mexico.” Grigori shrugged. “An old problem, I think.”

“You take the shipment and the money. I’ll stay here. Someone needs to get these kids back.” Nicholas was going to be one happy Russian when he saw the pallets of money.

Grigori shook his head. “You must wait. I will come with you after I deliver to Nicholas the shipment.”

“Your leg needs medical attention, Grigori. No offense, but you would be of no use to me in your condition. Get the wound tended to. I’ll be fine.”

“But your arm—”

Leine glanced at her blood-soaked shirtsleeve. “I’ll fix it. I’m sure there’s a first aid kit of some sort in the Yukon.”

Grigori sighed and shook his head. “You are very stubborn, you know this?”

“So I’ve been told.” She paused. “Before I leave, for my own peace of mind—who are the kidneys for?”

“I thought you knew,” he said, surprise evident on his face. “They are for Vladimir’s wife. She has rare blood type and will die soon if she does not receive transplant.”

“Of course. I should have known.” No wonder Vlad sounded more stressed than usual. It didn’t make it right, but at least now Leine had an answer. She turned and faced the kids. “Are you ready to go home?”

Her words were met with shy smiles and enthusiastic nods.

“Come with me.” She gestured for them to follow her. “I left Zamir for you,” she whispered to Grigori. He nodded.

“Thank you, Leine Basso.”

The children, all of whom were eerily quiet, followed her to the SUV. Leine’s heart squeezed tight at the thought of these innocent children being terrified into silence. They were supposed to be rambunctious and happy.

Not inventory in a body market for criminals.

The keys were still in the ignition. Leine opened the doors and helped the kids pile inside, making sure everyone was accounted for. Then she got in and turned the key. The engine roared to life, and she backed out of the Quonset hut and shifted into park, nose out.

A crack of a single gunshot reverberated through the air. A few moments later, the refrigerated truck’s engine caught and idled for a moment, echoing in the silence before fading underground.

Zamir would no longer be a problem.

Leine turned to look at the kids. Two sat beside her in the front passenger seat, four sat in the middle, three were in the back seat, and three peered at her from the cargo area.

“I need to do one more thing before we go. While I’m inside the building I want you to put your seatbelts on.”

“But there are not enough for all of us,” one of the older boys said.

“I know. You’re going to have to share. The bigger kids can hold the smaller ones on their laps, okay? You three in the back, I want you to come up front and get in on the action too.”

The kids began moving around, trying to figure out how to get each other belted in. Leine got out and walked back inside the now silent metal building. She grabbed two of the gas cans and a length of jute rope, and walked over to Andre where she cut off a section of his shirt with the knife attached to his belt. She paused where Zamir slumped against the dump truck, a bullet hole in his forehead. She felt his carotid, just to be sure he was dead. Then she followed the ramp down to the first section of the tunnel and set everything on the ground. A few trips later, and she’d transferred all six of the gas cans to the tunnel entrance.