Page 28

TWENTY-SEVEN

As Jenna entered the hospital room, the sight of Amy Clark’s battered face pushed all thoughts of Beth’s psychopathy to the back of her mind. Maybe she’d chat with Jo later or leave it until Kane returned. Up to this moment Beth had been nice and extremely helpful. Being angry about abuse was something she’d experienced many times, so maybe she was being a little harsh toward Beth. She couldn’t blame the poor woman for the sins of her father. She approached Amy and introduced everyone before sitting beside the bed. Jo and Beth sat opposite. Jo had a notebook ready to take notes, but Jenna pulled out her phone, laid it on the side table, and activated the record button. “Amy, so we don’t miss a single detail, I’m going to record this interview. Are you okay with that and is there anything I can do to make you feel more comfortable?”

“No. I don’t mind, and Maggie told me you help many women who’ve been through the same experience. I’m feeling very safe here in this secure ward.” Amy glanced at Jo and Beth. “I appreciate you sending women doctors and FBI agents to speak to me. I’m not very good around men right now.”

Nodding, Jenna wanted to hold her hand to comfort her in some small way, but being direct and professional would be best. “Can you tell me what you remember from the time you left the prison? Was everything normal during the bus ride?”

“Yes, it was very quiet. The prisoners didn’t speak to each other at all. They just stared out of the windows. They seemed to enjoy the view.” Amy pushed a strand of hair behind one ear and stared into space. “Then I heard the sound of a chopper overhead. It seemed to follow us for some miles until we got onto an open stretch of highway. There were no vehicles for miles ahead of us. It just dropped out of the sky and hovered in front of the bus.”

“Can you describe it?” Jo glanced up from her notebook. “Did you see anyone inside?”

“Yes.” Amy turned her head slowly toward Jo. “It looked like a military helicopter but it was black. It had open doors with men sitting along the edge aiming assault rifles at us. The men were dressed in black, like the SWAT teams you see on TV.”

She went on to describe the incident as it occurred with surprising clarity. Jenna noticed how Amy became distressed when she described approaching the cabin. “How far would you estimate the cabin was from where you’d left the bus wreck?”

“Maybe a mile. It was difficult to gauge. It could have been two miles. We were moving very fast.” Amy blinked a few times. “I could hear water running, so I figure it was near a river.” A large tear rolled down her cheek.

Having to ask this poor woman questions was tearing Jenna apart. “I know this is difficult for you, but can you tell me exactly what happened when you arrived at the cabin?”

“I didn’t know they were going to shoot the old man.” Amy picked at her fingernails. “They told me they just wanted to get inside the house and find some clothes. It wasn’t necessary to kill him. There was washing on the line. They could have taken it without anyone knowing.”

“The prisoners are lifers and violent criminals. Did one of them take charge?” Jo looked at her. “I understand you must have been facing the old man, but do you know who shot him?”

“Margos gave the orders. He was in charge the entire time.” Amy scrubbed at her forehead as if trying to remember. “I’m not sure who shot the old man. It could have been Margos or Romero. They were the two carrying weapons.”

Jenna cleared her throat. Asking about sexual abuse was difficult but the questions needed to be answered. “Do you remember which one of the men assaulted you?”

“They all did frequently.” Amy lifted up her knees and, with her elbows resting on them, placed her head in her hands. “I fought back at first, but how many times can you be punched in the face before you give up? Margos was the first and he wanted to tie me to the bed to stop me fighting, but at that time they hadn’t found the rope.” Trembling and allowing the tears to fall, she went on to describe the horrific time with the men.

“There are hundreds of people out searching for them. They won’t get away with hurting you.” Beth’s fists were clenched. “You have my word.”

“Did you find the girl?” Amy looked from one to the other. “I know she fled the cabin. I saw her hair ribbon caught in a tree.”

Nodding, Jenna gave her a small smile. “Yes, Serena is safe. The prisoners didn’t find her. She ran into part of my team hunting down the prisoners in the forest.” She sucked in a breath and pushed on. “During your time with these men, were there any discussions on where they were heading or what they planned to do?”

“No, they did mention the town Louan a number of times, as if they wanted me to remember it.” Amy gave Jenna a bleak look. “You must remember I was either in the kitchen cooking for them or in the bedroom. They only discussed things when I was out of earshot. When we left that cabin, we split up for a time, I went with Margos and the others headed for the river. They acted excited and later came back with a package, which one of them let slip came from a drone. It contained weapons, ammunition, and satellite phones, along with some instructions that I didn’t get to see.”

“Going on to the second cabin, can you recall anything specific about it? Was it by any unusual rock formations or can you think of a way we can find it again?” Beth’s gaze moved over Amy as if assessing her injuries. “I know we have Serena to show us how to get to the first cabin, but I’m wondering if, in light of what you said about them receiving instructions, it was specifically chosen for a reason?”

“No, I can’t remember anything specific about the second cabin.” Amy shook her head slowly. “It was just a cabin in the woods alongside a fire road.”

Jenna shot Beth a look to prevent her butting in and turned back to Amy. “Forget the second cabin for now. Anything else you recall of significance from the first cabin?”

“It smelled of pigs, and Margos told the others to feed the old man to the pigs.” Amy shuddered. “I was pushed inside and didn’t see what happened to him.”

Leaning back in her chair to relieve the pain in her lower back, Jenna swallowed the sick feeling crawling up from her belly. Pigs would eat anything, including the man who fed them from the time they were piglets. “Can you tell me what happened when you left? Did you see anyone else in the forest?”

“No, I didn’t see anyone at all, but as I told you before, I did see a yellow ribbon snagged on a pine tree. How Margos didn’t spot it I’ll never know. I kept looking around the whole time, but I didn’t see hide nor hair of her.”

Amy described how they moved to the next cabin and the same deception was played out again. Margos had stabbed the owner of the cabin and dragged him into the forest. Later, as she prepared supper, she heard Margos call out that he’d found moonshine in the root cellar. They’d all dashed down to get some and commenced drinking before they’d eaten a meal. It didn’t take too long for them to fall asleep. She turned her attention to Jenna. “When this happened, I gathered a few things and ran away. I noticed the smell of fire when I got outside. I headed back to the fire road and ran downhill. Along the way I met a woman who was trying to get her horses off the mountain and away from the wildfire. She gave me a ride into the sheriff’s office and Maggie brought me here.”

“I know they beat you pretty bad.” Beth leaned forward in her chair. “Did any of them actually try to kill you? The men are very dangerous psychopathic murderers. I’d like to know how you managed not to trigger them into killing you?”

“I recalled that trying to make yourself useful to them sometimes prevents triggering them. I avoided eye contact, kept my head down, and did everything they asked me to do. Yeah, they beat me, but it wasn’t to kill me. I was part of their twisted sexual behavior.” Amy took a long shuddering breath. “Those men are animals.”

Nodding, Jenna couldn’t resist patting Amy’s hand. “Is there anything you believe might be important for us to know?”

“No, I figure I’ve told you everything.” Amy leaned back in her pillows looking exhausted.

“Do you have any questions about what happens next?” Jo’s expression was filled with compassion. “Has the doctor explained about the morning-after pill? Unless, of course, you have a religious reason not to take it. There will be a number of tests to ensure you haven’t contracted any diseases from the men. I’m afraid some of these must be repeated over a period of time.”

“Yes, they did explain everything to me. I just want to speak to my parents before I make any decisions.” Amy stared at her hands. “It’s not a decision I can make immediately. An hour either way is not going to make any difference.”

Pushing slowly to her feet, Jenna stopped the recording. “I’ll contact the men searching the forest and see if they can pinpoint where both of the cabins are located. Although with the wildlife hunting through the forest at this time of year, it will be difficult to find any remains.” She sighed. “I’ll send your parents in now, but I would like you to follow the doctor’s advice and stay here in the secure ward until she believes you are fit to leave. I can’t order you to do this, but we don’t know where the prisoners are at this moment. It might be safer for you to remain here.”

“I’ll stay here for a couple more days until I get some of the test results back and I don’t look so bad.” Amy tried to smile but her split lip prevented her. “Then I guess I will return to Helena with my parents, although I don’t believe I will be working in the prison service again. From now on I want a quiet life.”

Backing away, Jenna cleared her throat. “Someone will be by with a statement for you to sign. It’s likely to be Maggie.” She headed out the door and met Carter and Zorro in the waiting room chatting with Amy’s parents. She introduced herself. “You can go in and see her now.” She gave a wave to the guard on the door.

“You must find the men who did this to her.” Amy’s mother gripped her arm like a python.

Jenna nodded. “Oh, I know who did it. We have the forest crawling with law enforcement to bring them in. They won’t get away with what they’ve done. I promise.”