“Mr. Wallace, you admit to being at the storage unit with Lilly Cordon and the other two girls?”
Ronald fidgeted, glanced at Lewis, who nodded, then back to Andi. “Yeah. They were supposed to go to Columbia.”
“I assume not voluntarily?” There was a hint of steel in Andi’s voice, and George tensed inwardly, keeping a close eye on his partner. They needed answers, and they wouldn’t get them if Andi punched the man.
Ronald seemed to sense the danger he was in, because he answered the question quickly and even provided some information on his own.
“No, not voluntarily. I don’t know who they belonged to. I was just hired to watch over them at the storage unit. It was supposed to be an easy job, quick money.”
Andi’s knuckles went white when he grabbed the edge of his chair. George shifted his weight, signaling to his partner he was there for him.
“What went wrong?”
Ronald shrugged. “One of them tried to run. Was damn fast too. She made it outside, and all I had was that crowbar. Conked her hard. I didn’t mean to kill her, but she wouldn’t stop running and… I had to hit her again and then she was dead, and I panicked a bit. I went back to the other two, and they went hysterical when they saw the blood on the crowbar. I slapped one and started choking the other, trying to make her shut up, but I guess I was a bit out of it. And suddenly they were dead too. I wiped the crowbar down and left it with them. I figured if nobody found the murder weapon, I’d be safe. Then I closed the storage unit and left.”
George furrowed his brows. It sounded plausible, not a murder done in cold blood, rather one out of panic, which was corroborated by their evidence.
“What did your contact say? I mean, you fucked up the job and all.”
“I called him. He said it wasn’t so bad since they weren’t top notch merchandise anymore. Already getting too old, he said.”
George had a hard time keeping the disgust for this human vermin from showing on his face. Given how Andi’s molars were visibly grinding together, he was experiencing similar problems. Sucking in a quick lungful of air, Andi went on.
“He wasn’t angry at all?”
“Well, he wasn’t happy with me, but this was the first time I fucked up, so I guess he let it slide.”
“The first time?” The hint of steel was back in Andi’s voice. “How often have you ‘looked after’ girls like these?”
Ronald hesitated, and George was sure he would stop talking now, realizing how deep of trouble he had found himself in. When he opened his mouth again, George was afraid what would come out of it.
“Maybe every two months since summer last year? I don’t know. I was approached by this Vance guy, at a party where I had two of my girls working. He said I was the perfect guy for the job and the pay was great.”
“This Vance, does he have a surname?” Andi sounded as if he was holding on to the last shreds of self-control.
Ronald just shrugged. “That’s his surname. His first name’s Taylor.”
“Do you know where he lives?”
“No. Never asked. We weren’t friends. Just work partners. No weekend barbecues with him.” The way Ronald was talking about shuttling young girls across the state as work, as if forcing them against their will was no different from changing the tires on a car, made George seriously regret their offer of taking the death penalty off the table. Not that they actually had the power to do so, something Ronald didn’t seem to know, since this was something the DA had to decide. But both Andi and Lewis had seemed sure the DA would agree to the offer, which meant they had a good working relationship with him or her as well. Another hint that Andi’s work was solid and Chief Norris was off the mark. George returned his focus to their perp, hardly able to contain his disgust. The worst thing was that if he confronted Ronald about his attitude, the asshole wouldn’t even understand why George had a problem. It was sick. Andi seemed to have come to a similar conclusion, because George could hear the disdain clearly in his tone.
“Do you know anybody except this Taylor Vance, or was he your only contact when it came to the human trafficking?”
“I only ever worked with him. He called a few days in advance whenever he needed me. I’d drive to the storage unit, meet him there, take on the cargo, keep them in the unit for a few hours until they were picked up, then go home. Three days later, my money always arrived in an envelope, usually delivered by some young boy. All done.”
Andi nodded. “Thank you for your cooperation, Mr. Wallace. If we have further questions, we’ll drop by. Mr. Brackenport, a word?”
Lewis got up from his seat next to Ronald, unable to hide a relieved expression. “Of course, Detective Hayes. After you.”
They exited the interrogation room, finally able to breathe freely again. Andi turned to Lewis and shook his hand. “Thank you, Lewis. It was a pleasure to work with you, as always.”
Lewis grinned. “The pleasure’s all mine, Andi. I just hope you find the big players in this one. Because as much as it galls me, while putting Ronald Wallace behind bars will make the streets a bit safer, especially for young girls, he’s obviously not the mastermind here. Whatever is going on has already become a routine operation, and he’s the most insignificant pawn in this.”
“Don’t worry, Lewis, we will find the king.” Andi had a determined glint in his eyes. “Whoever it is, they won’t be getting away with it.”
Lewis dipped his head in acknowledgment. “And I’m going to talk to the DA, explaining to Bill Waters why he has to refrain from asking for the death penalty for Ronald Wallace.”
Andi’s hand came up in a lazy but serious salute. “Thank you, Lewis. You’re the best.”
