Chapter 50
"Okay, let's figure out where this bastard is hiding." Robert led the way into Grant and Marcus's place. They had been fortunate to find that there were only a few places near the landing site where they could have held Robin and only one that had no owners on file. Less than an hour after Robin was evacuated the group was entering where Grant and Marcus had kept her for almost a week.
The ground floor held nothing of interest. The rooms were basic and barely used except the kitchen. All cabinets were empty and they place had been completely wiped down. Robert saw a door in the corner of the kitchen and opened it to discover a set of stairs leading to the basement. He turned to the group, barking out orders. "Mac, Anna – come with me to the basement. Lucky, Jason – go upstairs and see what you can find."
The group slowly made the way down the stairs, guns drawn and at the ready. Reaching the bottom step, Robert looked at Mac and nodded his head. Mac took up position opposite of Robert and opened the door.
The room was pitch black and Mac reached over to the right side of the door and found the light switch. Moments later the trio stared in horror at the sight before them.
"Oh my God, he was going to keep Emma here." Anna felt like she had just taken a step back in time. The cage, the chain on the floor that had obviously had a dog attached to it at one time, the various items that were obviously for a child. Stuffed animals, books, the Frozen comforter and sheet set. "He was going to kidnap her to get to Robin."
"You know what they say – those who don't learn from history are doomed to repeat it. He should have known that there was no way in hell you or Robin would let him take our granddaughter." Robert was trying to make some sense of the scene before them. He looked at his ex-wife and could see she was shaken by the scene. "Anna, why don't you go back upstairs…"
"No!" Anna took a deep breath. "I'm fine. Let's see what we can find to stop this monster once and for all."
Mac watched the two carefully. He hadn't been around during the time that Anna was kidnapped by Putnam but he had heard the story from Robert. This had to be bringing back horrible memories for both of them. "Are you sure?"
Anna blinked back her tears and smiled at Mac. "I'm sure. Robin and Emma are safe for now but if we want them to stay that way we need to stop Marcus."
She walked towards the cage but Robert stopped her. "I'll go in there."
Anna began to protest but decided he was right. "You know what, maybe we missed something on the main floor. I'll leave you two to investigate down here."
Anna went up the stairs and Mac turned to Robert. "This is what he had planned for Robin all those years ago - isn't it?"
Robert nodded. "Yes, it was."
Tears filled Mac's eyes. "And he was going to do that to Emma?"
"Yes."
"I hope he rots in hell." Mac entered the cage and looked back at his brother. "Come on - we need to find Marcus and make him pay for the hell he has put our girls through."
Lucky and Jason made quick work of the upstairs. The bedrooms and bathrooms hadn't yielded them any new information and they were wondering if Marcus had taken everything with him when he and his father abandoned the place. "Last room – what do you think – office?"
Lucky shook his head. "Could be – I just hope he left something behind we can use to track him down."
The men entered to find a desk and some file cabinets. The desk had a computer and Lucky quickly walked over and turned it on. "I'm surprised he used a desktop – most people have a laptop or tablet now."
The logon screen appeared and Jason looked over Lucky's shoulder. "Can you get into it?"
"I may not be Spinelli but I have done some work with a computer crime task force." Lucky stared at the screen for a minute and thought out loud. "What would your password be? Robin?" Lucky tried it but the computer quickly told him it wasn't the correct one. "It has to be something to do with her, right?"
Jason was investigating the file cabinets but stopped for a moment to think. "Try little bird – it's something I heard Helena call her."
Lucky typed the suggestion in and was greeted was the Welcome screen appearing. "Yes!"
Jason continued going through the files but there wasn't much there – Grant and Marcus had cleaned out all essential paperwork before they left. He was reaching for the last drawer when he heard Lucky cursing. "You bastard."
Jason walked over and looked at what made Lucky mad. It was a newspaper with a story about Patrick and Emma dying in a car crash. "He was trying to convince her they were dead."
"Why?" Lucky looked at Jason. "I understand making her think Patrick was dead but losing Emma would destroy her."
Jason sighed. "And weaken her defenses, making her far more susceptible to his suggestions. With Emma gone Robin would have no reason to go home and she would stay with him."
"That's insane." Lucky turned back to the screen. "I'm going to see what else I can find on this damn thing, you go back to the cabinets."
Jason went back to the last drawer. Upon first glance it looked empty but he noticed something in the back corner. He reached in, pulled it out, smiled and quickly stuck it in his pocket. He closed the drawer and walked back over to Lucky. "Did you find anything else?"
"Apparently the man has mastered photoshop." Jason gave Lucky a confused look so he opened up a folder to reveal dozens of pictures of Robin with Marcus. It was obvious that he had taken pictures from the internet and placed his and Robin's heads on them. There were pictures that looked like they might be from a wedding, some from picnics and various other places. Marcus had created an entire fake life for himself and Robin.
"He is completely insane." Jason leaned back against the wall. "He is not going to give up on getting Robin until he is dead."
"No, he won't." Lucky shut down the computer and unplugged it. He wrapped the cords around it and placed it under his arm. "That is why we need to do everything in our power to protect her and her family." He moved towards the door and looked back at Jason. "We both owe her that."
Jason nodded and pushed himself off the wall, following Lucky out the door.
