R.O.P.E. Squad Three

By Lillian Baker O'Malley

June Turner already has two children and she is a widow because her policeman husband was shot by a fugitive parolee. (Book one, Jump Rope Switch). Now that she is alone she has the full responsibility for her daughter and son. June takes her two children to the park playground and her whole life changes that afternoon. Kidnappings and human trafficking set her life on a dangerous path. She calls on her friend Tasha Avery, policewoman, who works for the R.O.P.E. Squad division of the police department. The Repeat Offender Parole Enforcement Squad does not usually handle kidnappings, but Tasha Avery manages to get permission to work the case that involves a policeman's widow. She enters a world of cruelty, death and callous disregard for human life.  Her own life is put in danger as she hunts for the people who regard children and people as merchandise to be bought and sold. This is Book Three in the R.O.P.E. Squad series. following Book one, Jump Rope Switch, and Book two, A Matter of Public Record Investigation. An exciting new series that will soon feature Book 4.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lillian Baker O'Malley
• Release date: Dec 4, 2019
• ISBN: 9781393790655

Book preview

Chapter One

June Turner;

His shoelace was untied again. June Turner was bone tired. Her daughter was fussing a lot during the night with her new teeth coming in. June was surviving on very little sleep and lots of coffee. She turned to glance back across the park playground at the baby stroller that held her daughter then turned back to tie her son’s shoe laces better. There you go son, all tied up right.  Now stay on the swing until I get your sister out of the stroller.

She heard the sound of a car motor, so she turned around from the swing and her heart leaped in fear. There was a big black car that looked like a luxury S.U.V., like a Cadillac or a Mercedes, which screeched around the corner and disappeared.

There were now two more children standing beside her daughter’s stroller. A girl about eight years old was holding onto the arm of a young boy. She had her other hand on the push bar of the stroller and was rocking it gently back and forth to soothe the fussing child seated in the stroller. Both children were just standing there looking at her. There was no adult in sight.

June made her way slowly towards the children. She stood a short way from the eight year old girl. Hi, dear. Where are your parents? Are you lost? Where is your Mom? Do you live near here?

The eight year old girl dragged two backpacks of theirs towards June and looked at her without speaking.

June took the backpacks and looked back at her son on the swing set. He was still there watching her. He was safe. June felt a rush of guilt. She had allowed herself to be distracted for a few minutes as she tied her son’s shoe laces. Her daughter in the stroller could have been taken in that short period of time. Instead of having two children added to her care she could have lost her daughter to a kidnapper just as easily. It was just a moment of time, that’s all it took for someone to steal a child. She moved so that her son was in her line of sight. She checked out her daughter who had stopped fussing.

She opened the girl’s backpack. It was very heavy. There was about $20,000 dollars in 20 and 50 dollar bills on the top of the bag. There were three envelopes in the backpack. All of the envelopes had her name, June Turner, printed on the envelope in big, black, bold, block letters. June opened the envelopes. One held an assortment of prepaid cards. There was a total of ten $5,000 cards. The second envelope held a birth certificate and some immunization papers and a passport. There were transcripts for school records from two different schools. The name on the documents was Susan Amber West. She was eight years old. There was a small photo book with pictures of her in it that started from when she was about three years old. There were several pictures of each year until she was eight. The third envelope was a big brown envelope that was the size to mail big documents. There were some more envelopes in the manila envelope. There was an ordinary letter sized envelope in it on top of the others. It had her name on it in block print. June opened it.

The letter was addressed to her, June Turner, in block print. Dear June, I have been watching you at the playground park and when you are outside with your children I can see that you love them. I see that you are a good mother and kind to your children. I am asking you to take these children in and raise them as your own. They are in danger from some very bad people, especially one bad person that I am trying to get enough evidence against to send him to jail for many lifetimes. He had kidnapped them, but I don’t know who they really are or where they come from. I kidnapped them from the kidnapper and need to find them a safe home. I cannot keep them myself. The kidnapper has been making arrangements to sell both these children to a man in New York city. He has captured other children and even some young men and women that he is selling to the highest bidder. The kidnapper lives in a city on the other side of the country. You and your children will not be in danger from him, I promise. Please, please, do not go to the police. He will kill me and the children and maybe the others he has kidnapped. Then he will just move on and start somewhere else. I will send you more money on a three month basis. This is not a joke. The girl and boy both are called by their second name. I think that second name is their real first name that they were given at birth. Their first and last names are made up by the person who provided the documents. I am pretty sure that the girl and boy are really brother and sister. If you do decide to keep them safe, I will forward updated documents to you that change their last name to Turner. I am going to free some other children soon. I know you are a single mother and that your late husband was a policeman who was killed in the line of duty. If you don’t want to do this, put a large wind chime on one of the hooks on your front porch. If you do want to do this, put a hanging flower basket on the hook on your front porch. If you decide you don’t want to do this I hope you will keep them until I find a safe place for them.

The boy’s backpack was identical to the girl’s backpack. His name on the birth certificate was Brandon Austin West. He was six years old. There were pictures of him as a one year old toddler, then others showing several photos of each year until he was six years old, in a small photo book.

The girl was watching June. She was starting to look frightened.

Are you hungry or thirsty? Do you speak English? June asked.

The girl nodded enthusiastically and said. Yes, I speak English. We are very hungry and thirsty, and my brother needs a nap. They said you might be our new mother. Do I call you Mother or Mom, or should I call you Mommy?

Mom would be fine for now. Let’s go home. June picked up her own son and the three of them walked back home. Amber pushed the stroller and June held onto her son’s and Austin’s hand.

June made the children a good late lunch and put all four of them down for a nap, even Amber, the eight year old girl. She looked in the backpacks again but didn’t empty them. She took out two of the $5,000 pre-paid cards. The children needed everything, day clothing, nightwear, underwear, socks, shoes, toothbrushes, and combs of their own. Then she needed to buy two complete beds and mattresses and pillows and all the bedding. She needed to stock up on groceries. They would soon need sweaters, coats, and boots too. Some of these things she could buy online. For some other things like shoes she would have to take the children to the malls to get them outfitted in the proper sizes. The children also needed dental and medical checkups. They appeared to be healthy, but listless.

She went and sat in her living room and turned the T.V. on low on a news channel. She opened up her laptop and looked up the national and international news sites to see if there had been any recent news about abductions or kidnappings. There was an Amber alert system app on her phone, but it hadn’t notified her of any abductions in a couple of months.

While she was scanning the channels, the most nagging thing on her mind was if she had become a kidnapper herself. Did taking the children home and not calling the police, put her in jeopardy of facing a charge of kidnapping and a long prison sentence that probably would be a life sentence? June wondered if she had put her own children in danger from other people as well as the danger of losing her, of losing their mother, to a long prison sentence. She would lose custody of her own children, they would be put in foster care unless someone she knew would raise them for her. Her children might disown her if she became a convict. She couldn’t leave the abandoned children in the park either. That would have been heartless. June wished her late husband was there. Not to tell her what to do, but to point out legal facts that he knew because of his background as a policeman.

She had many friends in the police department. One of her good friends was Tasha Avery. Tasha was a police officer in the R.O.P.E. Squad Division of the local police force. The R.O.P.E. Squad was the Repeat Offender Parole Enforcement unit. They handled cases when a parolee becomes a fugitive after being released from prison. Most of the fugitive parolees who did disappear and commit parole violations, were dangerous criminals on the run. They committed crimes like robbery and murder and their crimes escalated as they committed them. Frequently, no one knew that a dangerous felon was living in their neighborhood. The R.O.P.E. Squad didn’t handle kidnappings unless there was a fugitive parolee who was part of the kidnapping crime. The F.B.I. was the department of the justice system that handled kidnapping.

June knew Jesse Fox, who was an F.B.I. agent. She was friends with him and his girlfriend, Dr. Ruby Nelson. June needed to decide who to call first. She needed to call someone in law enforcement. She also needed someone who would be discreet.

She wondered if she should involve either Colton Butler King of the R.O.P.E. Squad whose wife was a psychiatrist or Detective Christopher Shadrack Kane who was called Rack by his unit. Rack’s wife was a lawyer who dealt mostly in business and finance law, not criminal or family law. She might know what her legal options were though, or might recommend a good lawyer. June felt that she would need one eventually.

Colton had been best friends with her husband. Colton and his wife Jade were still close friends with her too. It was knowing who to call first that made her hesitate. She wanted the children to be in a stable environment. June knew that was what they needed, because her early career before her policeman husband’s death was as a school teacher. She had taught all levels of ages, had taught children right from kindergarten to grade eight. She knew the vulnerabilities of children that age. They needed consistency and stability and love. Most of all they needed kindness.

Eventually, she might need all of her friends if they would agree to help her. She would need a police officer, the F.B.I., a doctor for the children, a lawyer for herself and possibly for all of the children. The children might even need psychiatric care. June shuddered to think they may have been used to make child porn or had photos put on paedophile sites.  

June made her decision then picked up the phone.      

Chapter Two

Tasha Avery, R.O.P.E. Squad policewoman;

June called her friend, Tasha Avery, a policewoman at the R.O.P.E. Squad, first. Tasha was always straightforward and level headed when it came to making decisions about any police matter. She also loved children, even though Tasha didn’t have children of her own yet. June called Tasha on her personal cell phone, not through the office switchboard. She had to talk to Tasha in a personal way as friends before she called the official police line.

Hello. Tasha, are you busy? I have to talk to you. Could you come over as soon as you can? I need to see you, I need some advice. I don’t want to text. Do you have a couple of minutes? June waited for the reply.

Hello, June. I have some free time right now. Do you want me to bring anything? Do you or the kids need anything that I can pick up on the way? Tasha pulled out her notebook to make a list.

Well, I do need three loaves of bread and about 4 quarts of milk and two boxes of cereal. I also saw some big gorgeous hanging baskets in the garden center, just before you go in the main doors. Could you pick one up for me? I was in a hurry yesterday and I had both children with me, so I couldn’t take the time to stop and get one. I think the sale ends tomorrow. Everyone here is sleeping and the supermarket might be closed by the time they wake up and I get them ready to go to the store. Do you mind? I just didn’t have time today.

Of course, I don’t mind, replied Tasha. I’m glad to pick up anything you need.

Do you want to stay for supper, Tasha? I have spaghetti and meatballs planned for tonight. I could throw a couple of steaks on for us if you want something different. June liked to cook.

I will have some of your wonderful spaghetti and meatballs and I hope you have garlic bread with cheese. I haven’t eaten yet today. Busy, busy, busy, all day until now and right now there is nothing to do. Put the coffee pot on. I’ll be there in an hour with some chocolate chip ice cream too. Bye for now.

Tasha hung up and grabbed her tote bag with her laptop and left the squad room. She could tell by June’s voice that something was wrong. Tasha hoped it was something easy that chocolate chip ice cream would make better. She hoped it wasn’t a red wine or whiskey type of emergency. Tasha didn’t drink, but some of her friends were social drinkers. Sometimes they enjoyed a few glasses of wine to relax. Maybe she should just drop by the wine store that was in part of the supermarket. She could pick up some bread at the in store bakery and of course some treats for the children and June.

When Tasha arrived at June’s house, she grabbed the bags of groceries and went up to the front door. Before she could ring the door bell, the door opened up and June was there helping her with the bags.

I have the hanging basket. It’s still in the back of my S.U.V. Do you want me to get it and hang it on that hook over there on the porch? I think it will look gorgeous there. Tasha turned back to her S.U.V. and unloaded the hanging basket of flowers and greenery. She hung it on the porch hook and stood back to admire it. What do you think June? Do you like it?

June replied, I love it. It’s absolutely gorgeous. Thanks for picking it up Tasha. You are so good to me and the children.

No problem. I do love coming to your house. It’s like the home I always wished for when I was little. Tasha smiled at her friend.

Come inside. The spaghetti and meatballs will be done in a few minutes. I have already set the table in the kitchen alcove. I just need to put the garlic bread in the oven for a few minutes then we can eat. June went inside and Tasha followed her. The table in the kitchen alcove was set for six places.

Are you expecting other guests? I’m not intruding on a meal that you had planned for other people, am I? Are you sure it’s okay if I stay? Tasha stood at the kitchen door as June put away the groceries.

No, no, get your coffee and sit down at the table, Tasha. I just need to put the garlic bread in the oven then supper will be ready. The other guests are in the playroom with my children. I have to talk to you after we eat. I hope you can stay after we finish eating. I really need some advice. You will see what I’m talking about in a minute. June was putting the final parts of the meal together and setting lots of napkins out on the table.

June went to the playroom. Children, It’s time to eat, you can watch cartoons again after supper. Aunt Tasha is here.

June’s two children came running when they heard Tasha’s name. They loved Aunt Tasha. She was better than some of their real aunts. Aunt Tasha usually brought a delicious treat or a book or a toy. Sometimes she brought a book with her that they all read together. No one else appeared in the kitchen.

There was a long pause and then a girl of about eight years old and a boy who was about six years old came to the edge of the kitchen. The girl held onto the boy’s arm tightly. She looked frightened but determined. She stood slightly in front of the boy as if she was protecting him and looked at June and waited.

Tasha was curious. Hello, I’m Aunt Tasha. How are you? She smiled at the girl.

This is Amber, my daughter, and Austin, my son. June spoke as if it was the most normal thing in the world to suddenly acquire two additional children today. First we all have to wash our faces and hands before we eat.

Children, I want you all to sit down and I will serve you first, and then Aunt Tasha and I will eat.

I don’t know where to sit, Mom. Where do Austin and I sit? The girl didn’t move toward the table.

June’s daughter and son were scrambling onto their chairs and sat there expectantly.

Come here and you and Austin can sit together on this side of the table. June motioned to their chairs and Amber and Austin went and sat obediently.

The meal lasted about forty-five minutes. The children all ate hungrily. They wanted the treat they knew was coming. Their plates were clean, but they weren’t, and neither was the table. June and Tasha got out wet paper towels and wiped off messy hands and faces. They cleared away plates and set out the bowls of chocolate chip ice cream. Everyone else dug into the treat, but the girl Amber just sat there, and tears rolled down her cheeks as she watched her brother eat and enjoy the frozen treat.

June and Tasha were both alarmed. What’s wrong, child? Is there something wrong with the ice cream? You can have something else or if you don’t want any dessert that is fine too. June looked at Amber and tried to look reassuring.

Thank you for the wonderful meal. Thank you for feeding us. Thank you for the ice cream. I am not going to let you take photos of me and Austin. I know you want us to do something bad, but we don’t have to if we don’t want to. If you make us do anything, I will scream and scream. I’m not afraid of you, I’m not afraid of anything! Amber was sitting there with balled up fists. Then she grabbed a butter knife and held it up defiantly as if she were protecting her brother and herself.

My dear, I am so sorry, that you and your brother have been treated badly. I am your new Mom. I will not ever let anyone hurt you. I will never hurt you or ask you to do anything bad. You are safe here. My children are safe here. Aunt Tasha will keep you safe here too. Now please put the knife back on the table and here is a bunch of new napkins and you can wipe your eyes and Austin’s mouth where he has a bit of ice cream on it. Then you can enjoy your own ice cream if you like and go back into the playroom and watch more cartoons or read or watch a movie while Aunt Tasha and I clean the kitchen.

June handed Amber a bunch of clean napkins and Amber had to put the knife on the table to take the napkins. She wiped her eyes, then her face. She cleaned her brother’s mouth and cheeks. She watched her brother and the other children and Tasha as they all ate their ice cream. Amber picked up her spoon and savored each delicious bite.

When the children were back in the playroom, Tasha and June cleaned the kitchen. June gave her the money for the groceries that Tasha had picked up. Tasha refused the money for the wine and the chocolate ice cream. Those were gifts. They were playing a delaying game while June got her thoughts in order.

Tasha was patient. She was used to observing and assessing situations as they unfolded. She had never seen anything like the scene that had just happened at the supper table. When the cleaning was finished, they took their coffee cups into the living room.

The T.V. was still on the news channel and was on low volume. June didn’t turn it off. Instead she motioned for Tasha to sit beside her. June poured out the whole story of the morning at the playground and how she had come to acquire two more children in one morning. She showed Tasha the envelope with the block print note that asked June to keep the children. She showed Tasha the birth certificates and other documents for Amber and Austin. She didn’t show her the backpacks or the money in them.

June