to Maven.
Maven was still in the handcuffs connected to the chain so she wasn’t free. “Don’t worry about me right now. Everyone needs to find a weapon of some sort.”
“There’s nothing like that down here,” Tricia said.
Denise pointed back towards the bathroom. “How about the toilet seat?”
“Great idea.” Tricia ran to the toilet.
“What’s behind that door?” Maven pointed to a door beyond the caged area.
“That’s the utility room,” Lara answered her. “It has the hot water heater and the furnace in it.”
“And probably the fuse boxes.” Maven wondered if there wasn’t something they could do with the fuse box. She hadn’t a clue about such things.
“I went in there once, but it’s small. No way to get out there,” Lara said.
“In all the time you’ve all been here, he never had to replace anything in there or have it repaired?”
“A few times, but he just chained us upstairs.” Tricia was struggling to get the toilet seat off.
“And then drugged us for good measure so we couldn’t make any noise,” Lara said as she tried the door. “It’s locked.”
“I wonder why he keeps it locked?” Maven asked. “There has to be something in there he doesn’t want you to know about. Something that could help us.”
Tricia walked out with the toilet seat in her hand. “Let’s find out.”
Lara, Tricia, and Denise stood shoulder to shoulder at the door.
“I help.” Joshua ran over to the women.
“Not right now, baby. Let’s see if Mommy and your aunties can do it first. You keep hugging Maven. She’s scared.”
The little boy ran over and plopped himself on her lap, his arms around her neck.
“Thanks, Moses,” Maven whispered.
“One. Two. Three,” Lara huffed.
“I felt it move. Let’s try again,” Denise’s voice was excited.
The third time, the door splintered.
32
Donald shook the attorney’s hand. “Susan, this is Paul Jordon. Paul, Susan Layton, my attorney.”
“Anything yet?”
“Nothing credible. But we’re getting calls so that’s good.”
Her secretary had the phone to her ear. “Hey, Sue. There’s a young boy on the line. He says he lives in Erieview Village and Cedar Lane is close to where he lives. He says he knows of a house like that. He and his friend were at the park last night when they thought they heard a woman yelling. They biked around the park but couldn’t find her.”
“What about the house?” Paul asked. “Where is it? Get an address.”
The secretary spoke into the phone, listened for a moment, and then looked at him. “A Victorian house on the other side of the park from where the boy lives, but it’s not gray. It’s purple.”
Donald looked at Paul. “Close enough for me.”
“Me, too. We’re on our way. Tell the boy not to go to the house or talk to the owner at all. It could be dangerous. Get his address and send it to me.”
Once in the limo, Paul called Lizzie. “Is Trent with you?”
“I’m sorry I went behind your—”
“It doesn’t matter, Lizzie. I understand why you did it. Is Trent with you or not?”
“No. Why?”
“We have a lead. Can you call him and give him an address?”
“Of course.”
Paul gave her the address two times and had her repeat it back to him. He started to hang up, but Lizzie said, “And I’ll keep praying, Paul.”
“You do that, Lizzie.”
“Keep safe and bring Maven back home.”
“I’ll do my best.”
“Godspeed, Paul.”
Two minutes later, his phone rang again. He looked at Donald. “What can I say? I’m a popular guy.” He clicked answer. “Hi, Snoddy. What can I do for you now?”
“You can wait to approach until I get there. You have no authority to get inside the house.”
“That may be technically true, but I am a policeman in search of a missing woman. As far as I’m concerned, that’s enough for me. I’ll do what I need to do.”
“Look, we’re on the same side, Paul. I want to find Maven, too. Now,
Maven was still in the handcuffs connected to the chain so she wasn’t free. “Don’t worry about me right now. Everyone needs to find a weapon of some sort.”
“There’s nothing like that down here,” Tricia said.
Denise pointed back towards the bathroom. “How about the toilet seat?”
“Great idea.” Tricia ran to the toilet.
“What’s behind that door?” Maven pointed to a door beyond the caged area.
“That’s the utility room,” Lara answered her. “It has the hot water heater and the furnace in it.”
“And probably the fuse boxes.” Maven wondered if there wasn’t something they could do with the fuse box. She hadn’t a clue about such things.
“I went in there once, but it’s small. No way to get out there,” Lara said.
“In all the time you’ve all been here, he never had to replace anything in there or have it repaired?”
“A few times, but he just chained us upstairs.” Tricia was struggling to get the toilet seat off.
“And then drugged us for good measure so we couldn’t make any noise,” Lara said as she tried the door. “It’s locked.”
“I wonder why he keeps it locked?” Maven asked. “There has to be something in there he doesn’t want you to know about. Something that could help us.”
Tricia walked out with the toilet seat in her hand. “Let’s find out.”
Lara, Tricia, and Denise stood shoulder to shoulder at the door.
“I help.” Joshua ran over to the women.
“Not right now, baby. Let’s see if Mommy and your aunties can do it first. You keep hugging Maven. She’s scared.”
The little boy ran over and plopped himself on her lap, his arms around her neck.
“Thanks, Moses,” Maven whispered.
“One. Two. Three,” Lara huffed.
“I felt it move. Let’s try again,” Denise’s voice was excited.
The third time, the door splintered.
32
Donald shook the attorney’s hand. “Susan, this is Paul Jordon. Paul, Susan Layton, my attorney.”
“Anything yet?”
“Nothing credible. But we’re getting calls so that’s good.”
Her secretary had the phone to her ear. “Hey, Sue. There’s a young boy on the line. He says he lives in Erieview Village and Cedar Lane is close to where he lives. He says he knows of a house like that. He and his friend were at the park last night when they thought they heard a woman yelling. They biked around the park but couldn’t find her.”
“What about the house?” Paul asked. “Where is it? Get an address.”
The secretary spoke into the phone, listened for a moment, and then looked at him. “A Victorian house on the other side of the park from where the boy lives, but it’s not gray. It’s purple.”
Donald looked at Paul. “Close enough for me.”
“Me, too. We’re on our way. Tell the boy not to go to the house or talk to the owner at all. It could be dangerous. Get his address and send it to me.”
Once in the limo, Paul called Lizzie. “Is Trent with you?”
“I’m sorry I went behind your—”
“It doesn’t matter, Lizzie. I understand why you did it. Is Trent with you or not?”
“No. Why?”
“We have a lead. Can you call him and give him an address?”
“Of course.”
Paul gave her the address two times and had her repeat it back to him. He started to hang up, but Lizzie said, “And I’ll keep praying, Paul.”
“You do that, Lizzie.”
“Keep safe and bring Maven back home.”
“I’ll do my best.”
“Godspeed, Paul.”
Two minutes later, his phone rang again. He looked at Donald. “What can I say? I’m a popular guy.” He clicked answer. “Hi, Snoddy. What can I do for you now?”
“You can wait to approach until I get there. You have no authority to get inside the house.”
“That may be technically true, but I am a policeman in search of a missing woman. As far as I’m concerned, that’s enough for me. I’ll do what I need to do.”
“Look, we’re on the same side, Paul. I want to find Maven, too. Now,
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