When it was all said and done, the FBI had arrested twenty-seven men in connection with her father’s pedophilia racket. Charges ranged from kidnapping and trafficking to rape and assault. Some, including her aunt, were charged with conspiracy. Needless to say, there were a lot of pissed off child molesters who didn’t want Katherine to testify to what she saw, but she wasn’t deterred. Every last one of those monsters deserved to be tried and convicted. She’d been in and out of the U.S. Attorney's office for weeks. She had given written statements, recorded statements, and committed to testifying.
Katherine grabbed a bottle of wine from the rack and a glass from the cabinet. She was set to pour herself a tall glass of wine when the phone rang. She wanted to ignore it, but it could have been Joseph calling.
Katherine exhaled, left the glass on the counter, and grabbed the receiver. “Hello?”
“Katherine Chase?”
“Yes, this is Katherine.”
“Hold, please,” the female voice said on the other end.
Seconds later Katherine heard crying.
“Katie?”
It was Gabby.
“Gabby? What’s happened? Are you okay?”
“I’ve been arrested!” she cried.
Katherine gasped. She could hear the terror in her voice.
“Arrested? For what?”
“I don't know, Katie. They say I’m gonna get deported.” Gabby cried hysterically. “I can’t go back, Katie. I’ll kill myself first.”
“Gabby, calm down. I’m gonna get you some help. Keep your mouth closed. Don’t say anything to anyone.”
Gabby was sobbing on the other end, but Katherine needed her to stay calm. They both knew she was being punished for helping her, even if they had no proof that she had.
“Gabby, not a word to anyone. Do you hear me?”
“Sí, I hear you,” she said with a sniffle.
Katherine grabbed a pen and pad from a drawer. “Now, where are you?”
After writing down the details, Katherine hung up. She grabbed her keys and purse and left the apartment. She locked up, ran down the stairs, and left the building. She jogged to the parking lot just in time to see her car being hooked to a tow truck.
Katherine picked up the pace and sprinted to her car. “What are you doing?” she shouted at the tow truck driver. “That’s my car!”
The driver looked down at his clipboard. “No, ma’am. According to this, this car belongs to Robert and Elizabeth Chase. And I’m sorry to say, they’ve repossessed it.”
“Son of a bitch!” Katherine screamed. She pushed her fingers through her hair and blew out a frustrated breath. Her parents were assholes, but there was nothing she could do about it. So, she turned around and stomped back to the apartment building.
After dropping her purse on a table beside the front door, she hurried over to the phone, dialed the number for Kaplan and Harlow, and waited. She sighed with relief when Henrietta answered.
“I need your help,” Katherine blurted into the phone. “It’s important.”
* * *
JOSEPH
Joseph tucked a few folded boxes under his arm and grabbed a roll of tape. Since Jack’s mom couldn’t bring herself to do it, he’d offered to pack up his apartment. Katherine was still on the phone; she’d been on the phone since he got home. From what he’d overheard, the Chases’ housekeeper was facing deportation.
Joseph gestured toward Jack’s apartment to let her know he was leaving.
Katherine told the caller to hold on and covered the mouthpiece. “I’ll be over in a few minutes to give you a hand.”
