Chapter 14

Becky listened for the door to open; when it did, she heard heavy footsteps on the stairs and some small whimpers. She knew that there were two people on the stairs but this time there was no whispering. Becky felt someone fall next to her. She grabbed the whimpering person and started to feel her way around. Footsteps went back upstairs and then the door closed.

“Damn you!” Becky screamed at the top of her lungs. “Why are you doing this?” Becky broke down crying. She gathered the new person up and held on to her tightly. She needed to get out of this. She just didn’t know how yet.

The new person woke up and jumped back form Becky. “What do you want? Where am I? Why are you doing this?” The person yelled in broken English. I’m not doing this to you” Becky told her. “I was brought here the same way you were.” The volley of questions started to get hysterical and Becky understood she had been in that exact position not long ago.

“My name is Becky, what is yours?” “My name is Marielle. Where are we?”

Becky held out her hand and touched Marielle’s face. “I don’t know where we are and all I know is that there was a girl here before me. Someone came down and took her up the stairs. The other girl never came back down.

“The last time the Whisperer was down here I had twenty four hours left. I think I am going soon. When I came here the other girl was only here for a short period of time before she was taken.” Becky took a deep breath and then grabbed Marielle’s hand. “Please remember my name, tell my parents I love them if you get out of here. My name is Becky.”

Marielle started to cry. And spoke “What do you mean if you get out of here?”

The door opened and the whispering started. As the footsteps came down the stairs, the whispering got louder. Becky quickly said to Marielle “Promise me, you‘ll remember that my name is Becky and I love my parents!”

“…know ye not that these things area an abomination in the sight of the LORD; yea, most abominable above all sins save it shedding of innocent blood or denying the Holy Ghost? For behold, if ye deny the Holy Ghost when it once has had place in you, and ye know that ye deny it, behold, this is a sin which is unpardonable; yea, and whosoever murdereth against the light and knowledge of God shall be guilty of such a great crime. I will not swell upon your crime, to harrow up your soul, if it not for your own good. Marielle I am your executioner. You have been found guilty for your sins and your punishment will commence in 7seventy two hours. May God have mercy upon your soul even though the murder of the innocent you committed showed no mercy upon that soul! …know ye not…”

Becky felt her hair being grabbed and was pulled out of the spot she was sitting. She held onto the Whisperer’s hand as she was yanked up the stairs. The person had gloves on. Becky thought they felt like leather. She wanted to remember everything she could about this person. If she got to be free she could give the authorities whatever information she could remember and think of.

“Do you repent?” The Whisperer asked in her ear “Repent?” Becky asked

“Do you repent?” The Whisperer asked again.

“Yes, I repent all my sins and I pray the good Lord to save my soul so I may pass into the next world with a clean soul.” Becky was thinking on her feet. She had no idea really what she repented for but if the question was asked, it had to be important.

The Whisperer whispered “AMEN” and walked Becky to the door. He whispered three simple instructions into her ear

1. Get undressed
2. Remember to say your prayers
3. When you wake up you will be free

Becky wanted to say something, but the Whisperer placed a cloth over her mouth and then pushed her through the door.

When Becky woke up she was outside; bald and naked but alive! She started to cry happy tears and started to walk. She was in the parkway; she recognized the buildings. Good thing she worked around here. She knew she had to walk a mile to get to the nearest populated area. Becky stumbled and then realized that the ground was covered with rocks. She tried to run slowly toward a Cul de sac. Then she saw a pair of headlights on a car and began to scream and wave it down. It was a police car. Becky was relieved. She started to cry even harder. The squad car stopped and a police officer got out.

Becky started to yell, “My name is Becky Holder. Please take me to the hospital. I need to speak with someone; I was just released by a crazy person. He kidnapped me and kept me in a dark place…” Becky stopped rambling as the police officer wrapped her in a blanket and placed her in the back of the car. As he drove to the hospital; the Officer called Darrell Darker, the lead detective on the IPK task force, this protocol was issued only hours earlier, this way Darrell could meet them at the hospital and question the girl.

Darrell was waiting at the hospital when they got there. Becky wasn’t even on the Task Force list yet. This was a huge break. Darrell hoped that he could get information out of the young woman before her memory became too sketchy.

After the doctors and CSIs were finished doing all the tests needed on Becky, Darrell went into her hospital room. “I talked to your parents; they are on their way. Before they get here I’d like to ask you some questions while your memory is still fresh. Is that OK?”
Becky whispered “Yes” quietly.

Darrell sat down in the chair beside her bed so Becky was sitting above and was taller than Darrell and he was in a lower position. This would make Becky easier to talk to, give her the feeling of being in control.

Darrell started with the basics; “How old are you Becky?” “Twenty five” she answered.

“OK, do you prefer Becky or Rebecca?” “Becky”

What day do you last remember before today?”

“I think it was Thursday but I am not sure.”

“You are doing great. What do you remember?”

“I had let my dog out and when I called him in, he didn’t come, so I stepped out into the yard to see where he was. When I woke up it was dark and I couldn’t see very clearly. I was in a sweat suit that was warm but the room I was in was cold. There were stairs and a door at the top. The door creaked a little and the stairs sounded almost like metal.”

“OK, anything else?”

“There was a girl there before me, um Kristen, but she was taken away and wasn’t brought back. A girl was left behind when the person pulled me up the stairs by my hair. It felt like they wore leather gloves. I think the name of the girl who’s still there is Mary or something. Oh I can’t remember her name...Why can’t I remember?”

“You are doing great.” Darrell reminded Becky. “Did you smell anything that reminded you of something?”

“It smelled like earth, like the way it smells in the garden after a rain.”

Darrell was amazed at what this girl had remembered. She didn’t seem as shaken as the other survivor.

“OK, was there anything being said?”

“YES!” Becky sat straight up and looked at Darrell. “Some sort of bible passage; something about innocence and killing and shedding blood for the Holy Ghost, or something like that. The man whispered it and there was a count down…seventy two hours, twenty four hours, twelve hours…”

“Anything else you remember?” Darrell asked Becky.

“Um, Maria.” Becky said to Darrell.

“Maria?” Darrell asked.

“Ya that girl who was left there when I was taken out”

“Marielle Sanchez?” Darrell asked, he remembered the name from the Missing Persons Report that had come across his desk earlier.

“Yes, Marielle that is it!” Becky smiled. She felt like she was really helping.

“Do you know where you were held?”

“No” Becky said a little disappointed. “I couldn’t see where we were and it was dark. Really dark. When I woke up my legs were really wobbly and I had a hard time moving. Before I was outside again he told me to say my prayers, get undressed and then when I woke up I would be free.”

“OK, this is great Becky; you are doing a great job. Do you know how tall he was?” Darrell asked.

“No, I never saw him.”

“OK, I notice that you keep calling the person a ‘him’. Do you know for sure that the person is a male?” Darrell said as he stood up.

“No, I don’t, but I can’t help calling him a ‘him’. I mean, I just guessed that it’s a man. I hope that isn’t wrong.” Becky looked at Darrell and a single tear started to fall from her left eye. Darrell grabbed Becky’s hand and squeezed gently. After a big breath, Becky wiped the tear from her face and smiled at Darrell. “Is there anything else?” Darrell asked. “I don’t think so, but do you have a card and then I can call if I remember anything?” Becky held out her hand. “Sure thing.” Darrell gave Becky his card and held out his hand for her to shake, but Becky held out her arms for a hug. Darrell was taken aback by this but he stood firm on the hand shake. Something just didn’t feel right when she asked for a hug.
”Becky!” Her mother screamed from the door and ran to give her daughter a hug.

Darrell excused himself and left the family alone. As he walked out of the hospital, he thought of Becky and her resilience, or was it something else?

Darrell couldn’t stop thinking about how Becky Holder wanted a hug at the end of their talk. He found that incredibly odd and off-putting. He took a trip over to the department shrink. He had to find out why this hug bothered him so much. On his way he took a detour and picked up Gayle along with SSA Talon.

In the car, Darrell updated the pair about the discovery of Becky Holder and what Becky had told him about Marielle Sanchez.

SSA Talon demanded to go back to the IPK room to tell the other agents in person. He wanted to see if any of the others had any new thoughts.

“Fine, but first I want go back to where Becky was found and see if there is any evidence that might tell us where she came from.” Darrell said curtly to the Agent.

“Fine, we will stop there on the way to the office.” Talon said.

When the three of them got to the field, Darrell took off toward the bush line. There were small cedars and brambles of raspberry bushes. He shone his flashlight toward the base of the bushes.

Darrell almost missed the tire impression next to footprints which he guessed were Becky Holder’s. The tire impression looked as though it had been covered over or swept so that it wouldn’t be visible.

Darrell yelled to the other two, and grabbed his phone and called the boys at Evidence Recovery. SSA Talon was the first to come over and see what Darrell was shouting about. When he saw what Darrell was pointing at, Talon immediately took pictures with his cell phone, then called one of his fellow agents. Gayle walked up to the two men and asked Darrell what was going on. Darrell showed Gayle the tire impression and the footprints that were beside it.

“Good thing that you thought of coming here first.” Gayle spoke quietly.

“Now we can at least get an idea of what the perp is driving.”

“Exactly” Darrell shook his head at Gayle. “If FBI boy there got his way, we might not have been here to discover the impressions.” Gayle retorted

“Can I ask you something Gayle?” Darrell looked directly at her and waited for her answer. “Sure, anything.”

“What would you think of a vic that has gone through what these women have gone through then after reliving the event, asks the detective for a hug?” Darrell looked at Gayle with a puzzled look on his face.

“Well…” Gayle started to say as Talon walked up to them. “It may be Stockholm syndrome?” Gayle finished.

“Perhaps, but I just don’t know what to think of it. The whole idea of wanting to give me a hug seems, I don’t know, odd.”

Talon interjected by looking at both Darrell and Gayle.

“It could be just her personality. Some of the other agents are on their way to look at the impressions, so we can go back to base and add these last two girls to the board. Unless there is something else that you need to do Detective?” The sharpness in Talon’s voice suggested to Darrell that urgency was of the utmost importance. The Detectives and the Agent got back in the car and headed for the station. Not a word was spoken in the car; each one of them was trying to work out what was to happen next.

By the time Gayle opened the door to the IPK task force room she saw that there were several new photos on the boards. There were two new pictures of women that Gayle guessed were Becky and Marielle as well as pictures of the tire impressions and the footprints. Darrell was the last to walk into the room. When he saw the pictures, Darrell immediately felt there was a renewed sense of urgency with everyone in the room. Everyone was digging through papers for information about the girls and the tire impressions. Darrell was focusing on his thoughts and jumped when Gayle touched him.

“Did you hear me?” Gayle looked quizzically at him.

“No sorry, I was somewhere else. What did you say?”

“I was just wondering if you wanted to go back and talk to Alicia Booker again. See if she remembers something else.”

“Good Idea.” Darrell looked across the room and called for SSA Talon.

When Talon walked over Darrell told him what he and Gayle were off to do and asked him if he wanted to come with them.

“You don’t need to do that detectives. Ms. Booker is on her way here to talk to SSA Frie.”

“Oh” Gayle said “When was that decision made and why weren’t we notified?”

“I was actually just coming to tell you about the interview when you called me over. I was wondering if you, Detective Adams, could sit in with SSA Frie while we question young Ms. Booker about her experience. Then we would like to compare the two living victim’s statements and see where that leads us.”

Gayle looked at the Agent almost stunned, “Ya, sure I will. Definitely. Thanks for the invite.”

Gayle looked at Darrell and shrugged.

Gayle sat on the left side of the table with SSA Frie at the head of the table and Alicia Booker at the other end parallel to SSA Frie. Darrell stood in the booth watching intently. The usual pleasantries were covered at the beginning of the interview and trust was established with Agent Frie.

“So Alicia, can you tell me what the place you were being held in looked like?”

“No I can’t. The place was dark and we couldn’t see anything.”

“OK, close your eyes and tell me what you smell.”

“I smell dampness, and I smell wet dirt”

“Anything else?” SSA Frie pushed a little

“Umm, no I don’t think so.” Alicia opened her eyes and looked at the Agent.

“You are doing well. Will you close your eyes again? I want to continue”

Alicia closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “OK, I am ready.”

Alicia’s determination was admired by both Gayle and Darrell, who was in the booth watching the interview. Agent Frie was a harder nut to crack.

“Now Alicia, take a deep breath, close your eyes and think back to when you first knew you were being held. Remember you are safe and now you are an observer…What is the first thing you notice?”

“It is dark. I can’t see anything. I am wearing a jogging suit and I can hear another person. She is asking if I am alright and what my name is. I tell her and she tells me hers. I ask what is happening and then the door opens. It is still dark but now there is whispering. The whispering gets closer and closer then it is right up against this wall thing that I am leaning against. “

“Can you hear what is being said to you?” Gayle asked this time.

“Yes, he is telling me that I have so many hours until my execution. The voice is whispering and it sounds like a man.” Alicia started to breathe a little faster. Gayle instinctively grabbed her hand and started to rub it.

“You are safe, Alicia. What else do you hear or smell?”

Alicia took a moment and breathed out slowly.

“It smelled like it wet dirt.” Alicia said again, this time with more fear in her voice than what there was before.

Gayle continued to rub Alicia’s hand, and then started to gently rub her arm to try to settle Alicia down.

“What is it? What are you sensing?” Agent Frie asked Alicia

“It is so dark and I can’t see anything. The other girl is trying to calm me down but I can’t. I am so scared, I don’t want to die.”

Gayle kept rubbing Alicia’s arm and spoke quietly to her. “You are fine Alicia. You’re safe and you aren’t really there.”

“Michelle was the other girl’s name. The girl that was there before me. Then I was alone; the person that kidnapped us took Michelle and she never came back. I was worried and then I was scared again. The kidnapper brought someone else in, her name. I can’t remember her name…..” Alicia began to cry.

Agent Frie signaled to Gayle to stop the interview. Alicia was losing control and was not able to separate the past from the present. They would have to do another cognitive interview to continue to get as much information as possible. The task force had some new leads to follow up on. The agents could start putting the girls in order of how they were taken and not how they were found.

Agent Frie shook Alicia Booker’s hand, and left the room. Gayle stayed with Alicia until she calmed down and started to get control of her emotions again. When Alicia felt secure enough to be able to get up and walk, she grabbed Gayle by the hand and shook it like she had just been awarded a big lottery prize.

Gayle and Alicia said goodbye then Gayle walked back into the IPK task force room. Everyone was busy moving pictures around and talking in hushed tones.

“What did I miss?” Gayle asked Darrell as she walked over to him.

“There’s been another one….” Darrell said as he turned his back to Gayle and watched as the room buzzed alive.