TAYLOR
While Fergus supervised his yurt's erection, Ana and I were inside the office where a nifty piece of gadgetry awaited. As she was playing with the dogs earlier, a forensic technician brought the Surface Penetrating Acoustic Radar And Image Bouncing System and gave me a brief demonstration on how to use it. Thankfully, the gizmo was made with idiots like me in mind. Damn thing is like a point-and-shoot camera, but better and way more expensive.
Ana and I stood by the behemoth desk, which held the SPARAIBS apparatus. It looked like a four-foot long toolbox about ten inches high and tiny wheels, until one opened it. It unfolded into a base supporting a six foot by six foot frame with round, spongy transponders at each corner. Put the apparatus up against a wall, hit the SCAN button, and the frame projects a 3D image of what's behind the wall— wiring, studs, pipes, into the middle of the room. Could penetrate to a depth of fifteen feet through solid concrete and steel.
"Where should we try first?" I asked Ana, letting her set the course. Having her take the lead means she gets to assert herself. For my plan to be feasible, she'll have to have that trait and be decisive. Now is the time to coax it out of her.
She pursed her lips for a moment while she contemplated. "Well, we can rule out the whole wall that the door is in, since that wall separates the room from the hallway. How about that wall?" Ana pointed to a wall that had no window. "It's not like we have much of a choice. We can rule out that wall there, because it faces outside. Unless the safe is super tiny… but I think our efforts should be concentrated on walls with no portals."
"Okay, sounds good. Let's start here." I lifted the gadget and put it in the room's corner, unfolded it and positioned it just so. "Just hit the button."
Ana did just that, and inside the SPARAIBS frame, a mesh of blue formed and elongated into the room, giving us an accurate representation of what lay behind the wall. So far, wall studs and insulation. Grabbed the flipped out handle and rolled the apparatus down the length of the room.
"Oh, wait! Look there!"
What one would presume be dead space behind the closet in the neighboring room was a tunnel instead. A set of stairs led down into the building's foundation. "Hey, see that? There's wiring from this area of the wall to the desk."
With glee in her eyes, Ana bounced up and down. "It's gotta unlock from the desk. Some sort of button or something." She hurried to the desk and scanned her thumb. Once unlocked, she started yanking out the drawers and piling them atop the desk in a haphazard pile. "I am finding nothing. Hey, this last drawer won't come out all the way…"
I watched as she grasped the mystery key and lift it from its seat. But it would only budge a little. And when it raised up about an inch, the wainscoted panel of wall slid back about a foot and opened. "Well, guess we found out what the key unlocks. You stay here, I'm going to investigate. If I'm not back in fifteen minutes, call this number," and I whipped out my phone and sent Ana a text with Gaia's cell and office number. "You tell her who you are and what happened. She'll take care of the rest. Depending on what's down there, I'd rather not put you at risk by willfully exposing you to contraband. If it's clear, I'll let you know."
Wide eyed, Ana nodded. "Okay. Clock starts now."
Gave her half a smirk. "See you in fifteen."
I entered the portal. Darkness for about five feet, then little recessed lights flicked on to illuminate the stairs, one by one. Counted the steps as I made my way down. Fifteen total. Motion activated lights switched on, and I saw Christian Grey's big secret. The thing that could sink his ship faster than anything else. Upon the plastered walls alternated paintings and photographs. The paintings were of differing sizes, none smaller than three foot wide and five foot high, all hung a little above eye-height. Photographs were all eleven by fifteen, matted in heavy cream and framed in black. All the photos depicted a similar theme: two children, two adults. One of those adults was a younger Elena Lincoln, and one of the children: a young Christian Grey. I'm talking about six years old. And abused. The cigarette burns on his back, clearly visible. In her hand, a cattle prod. The paintings were no better. Simplistic scenes of torture; children hung spread-eagle on the wall, HELP ME written in blood on the wall. Didn't want to look at them all, didn't want to witness the torment of others. Furnishing the room itself was a huge bed next to a wide screen TV that took up most of the wall. Near the bed, a desk with computer. My mind began churning. This could be the server with the recording. It makes sense that he had a system like that set up, so no one, not even me, would know of this secret room filled with his secrets. I saw enough, and walked back to the stairs. Then it caught my eye; a photo right next to the wall near the stair's alcove. I wouldn't have seen the photo when I walked into the room, but I couldn't miss it walking out. Two adult women, two children. A boy and a girl. All nude. Children doing things to women that they shouldn't know about until high school. I recognized all four people. Elena Lincoln. Myra Fallard. Christian and Mia Grey. Could Myra be to Mia what Elena was to Christian?
I ran up the steps, quaking with adrenaline. As I reached the office, I saw Ana sitting on the desk, staring at her cellphone. "That was quick."
"Do not go down there. Gotta get forensics in here, clear out that room. Lots of evidence you don't want to see. God, I wish I hadn't see it." It was almost a temple dedicated to his pain and Elena's much longer term than anticipated role in delivering said pain. Needed to clear my mind so I could communicate clearly to Gaia. Needed to distract myself from what I witnessed. "Can I ask you a random question?"
Her forehead wrinkled as she contemplated my question for a nanosecond. "Yeah, sure."
"If you had the ability to piss on the parades of those who hurt your husband, would you go for it?"
She bit her lip before answering. "You know, I've been thinking about it, but I don't know where to even begin."
"What if I told you that you have a level of access that the FBI would be denied if we went through regular channels?"
"Why, because of Christian?"
"Well, in part. Also because a lot of the people your husband and his family invited to your wedding were in Elena Lincoln's little black book."
"Ewww. I could have gone the rest of my days without knowing that."
"Yeah, I know the feeling. Mental Clorox shower for one. I gotta make a call. But afterwords, I'd like to discuss the possibility of going after everyone in that black book and what exactly that would entail. Can say this: it'll be ugly. Dangerous. Most likely will make a lot of enemies. I'd like you to think about it before giving your final answer. That way, Fergus can't knock the shit out of me for endangering you."
