SEVEN
Getting into the warehouse had proven ridiculously simple. The locks were ancient. Phoebe had no trouble picking them. A skill, she said, she had picked up while living in New York City. And something about an old boyfriend. The few guards that were about seemed to be unconcerned with trespassers. Probably from years of no one even attempting to get into the warehouse, Piper said.
The one large area of the warehouse was filled about halfway with huge crates. Each crate was marked with Logan's logo and address. In one end of the building were a row of offices, sleeping quarters, a janitors' closet and the normal types of rooms one might expect to find in a warehouse. All in all the entire warehouse looked quite unremarkable.
"Where do you think she is?" Phoebe whispered to Piper.
"I don't know," Piper whispered back. "She could be anywhere. There might be an underground room in here like a basement or something. I'm betting it won't be easy to find. If this is where they're keeping her captive, they won't want escape to be too easy. We'll just have to look around until we find something."
"Okay," Phoebe whispered back. "I'll go check over there. You check the other side of the warehouse. I'll meet you in the middle when we're finished."
"Right," Piper said. "Just be careful."
Phoebe moved among the crates looking for anything that might indicate a secret room or a hidden doorway. She didn't find anything. Everything seemed to be just as it appeared. A warehouse filled with crate upon crate of ball bearings waiting to be shipped out.
Phoebe rounded the corner of one crate and came face to face with one of the security guards. He was dressed in the dark blue uniform as the rest of the guards. This one was apparently about forty and he had a pistol on his hip. As Phoebe stopped suddenly, he brought up his flashlight and shined the light directly in her face.
"What are you doing here?" he demanded. "You know that no one is allowed in here."
"Oh, I....uh, I was bored," Phoebe said, trying to act coy and seductive. "This town is so boring. Especially for a healthy girl like me. I was just looking for a little excitement, that's all."
She began to move toward him slowly. As she did she batted her eyes at him and swung her hips in an exaggerated motion. All she needed to do was keep him off guard to get close enough to him. Unlike her sisters, her only active power was usually useless in a fight. Her martial arts skill, however, should be more than enough to handle this guy.
"Just stay where you are," said the guard, backing away a step. "You aren't fooling me. You're one of those newcomers in town. Logan said you might be trouble." He reached for the radio on his belt. "You just don't move."
He raised the radio to his mouth and was about to key the mouth. Phoebe gauged her distance to him, intent on taking him out before he could call for backup. Before either of them could move, a two-by-four struck the guard in the back of the head. He collapsed on the floor unconscious, the radio falling from his hand. Piper stepped up behind him, two-by-four in hand.
"Thanks," Phoebe said. "He caught me by surprise."
"My pleasure, sis," Piper said, laying the two-by-four on the floor. "Come on. I think I may have found what we're looking for."
Phoebe followed Piper across the warehouse. Within seconds they stopped at one of the walls of the main floor.
"Look here," Piper said, indicating the floor.
Phoebe looked at the floor. At first she didn't see anything. Then, barely noticeable, she saw what looked like scuff marks. As if someone had dragged something on the floor leaving scratches on the concrete. Except the marks were in a semi-circular pattern beginning at the wall.
"It looks like this section of wall swings out," Piper said. "Only I can't figure out how to open it. I've tried pushing and pulling on it, but it won't budge."
Phoebe began to look over the wall. It was old and appeared to be starting to crumble. There were several holes in it, though none appeared to be very big or very deep. Suddenly she turned to Piper.
"Wait here," she whispered.
Phoebe disappeared into the darkness as Piper waited for her. A few moments later she reappeared, keys in hand.
"I got these from that guard," she whispered. "This looks like a lock. I'll bet one of these keys will open it."
"Hurry," whispered Piper. "We need to get out of her right away."
Phoebe tried several of the keys, none of which worked. Finally, she placed a key in the hole and turned it. There was an audible "click" sound from the lock. Cautiously, Phoebe pulled on the key. The wall began to swing out from its' resting place.
Behind the wall was an elderly woman chained to the wall inside a small room. She looked up at the two sisters as they moved into the room. Phoebe moved instantly to the locks on the chain and began to check the keys on the guards' key ring.
"Who are you?" demanded the woman. "What do you want?"
"Quiet down," whispered Piper, looking back out into the warehouse. "We're here to rescue you."
Within moments Phoebe had opened the locks and the chains were removed from the woman. The woman was in poor health and Piper and Phoebe had to help her out of the secret room. They quickly made their way back through the warehouse to the place where they had broken in.
"Get her back to the hotel," Phoebe said. "I have something I need to take care of right now. I'll meet you back there."
"Phoebe," Piper said, "be careful."
"I will, honey," Phoebe said, kissing her sister on the cheek. "I will."
As Phoebe went back into the warehouse, Piper helped the old woman into the woods just outside the warehouse that would obscure their escape.
Getting into the warehouse had proven ridiculously simple. The locks were ancient. Phoebe had no trouble picking them. A skill, she said, she had picked up while living in New York City. And something about an old boyfriend. The few guards that were about seemed to be unconcerned with trespassers. Probably from years of no one even attempting to get into the warehouse, Piper said.
The one large area of the warehouse was filled about halfway with huge crates. Each crate was marked with Logan's logo and address. In one end of the building were a row of offices, sleeping quarters, a janitors' closet and the normal types of rooms one might expect to find in a warehouse. All in all the entire warehouse looked quite unremarkable.
"Where do you think she is?" Phoebe whispered to Piper.
"I don't know," Piper whispered back. "She could be anywhere. There might be an underground room in here like a basement or something. I'm betting it won't be easy to find. If this is where they're keeping her captive, they won't want escape to be too easy. We'll just have to look around until we find something."
"Okay," Phoebe whispered back. "I'll go check over there. You check the other side of the warehouse. I'll meet you in the middle when we're finished."
"Right," Piper said. "Just be careful."
Phoebe moved among the crates looking for anything that might indicate a secret room or a hidden doorway. She didn't find anything. Everything seemed to be just as it appeared. A warehouse filled with crate upon crate of ball bearings waiting to be shipped out.
Phoebe rounded the corner of one crate and came face to face with one of the security guards. He was dressed in the dark blue uniform as the rest of the guards. This one was apparently about forty and he had a pistol on his hip. As Phoebe stopped suddenly, he brought up his flashlight and shined the light directly in her face.
"What are you doing here?" he demanded. "You know that no one is allowed in here."
"Oh, I....uh, I was bored," Phoebe said, trying to act coy and seductive. "This town is so boring. Especially for a healthy girl like me. I was just looking for a little excitement, that's all."
She began to move toward him slowly. As she did she batted her eyes at him and swung her hips in an exaggerated motion. All she needed to do was keep him off guard to get close enough to him. Unlike her sisters, her only active power was usually useless in a fight. Her martial arts skill, however, should be more than enough to handle this guy.
"Just stay where you are," said the guard, backing away a step. "You aren't fooling me. You're one of those newcomers in town. Logan said you might be trouble." He reached for the radio on his belt. "You just don't move."
He raised the radio to his mouth and was about to key the mouth. Phoebe gauged her distance to him, intent on taking him out before he could call for backup. Before either of them could move, a two-by-four struck the guard in the back of the head. He collapsed on the floor unconscious, the radio falling from his hand. Piper stepped up behind him, two-by-four in hand.
"Thanks," Phoebe said. "He caught me by surprise."
"My pleasure, sis," Piper said, laying the two-by-four on the floor. "Come on. I think I may have found what we're looking for."
Phoebe followed Piper across the warehouse. Within seconds they stopped at one of the walls of the main floor.
"Look here," Piper said, indicating the floor.
Phoebe looked at the floor. At first she didn't see anything. Then, barely noticeable, she saw what looked like scuff marks. As if someone had dragged something on the floor leaving scratches on the concrete. Except the marks were in a semi-circular pattern beginning at the wall.
"It looks like this section of wall swings out," Piper said. "Only I can't figure out how to open it. I've tried pushing and pulling on it, but it won't budge."
Phoebe began to look over the wall. It was old and appeared to be starting to crumble. There were several holes in it, though none appeared to be very big or very deep. Suddenly she turned to Piper.
"Wait here," she whispered.
Phoebe disappeared into the darkness as Piper waited for her. A few moments later she reappeared, keys in hand.
"I got these from that guard," she whispered. "This looks like a lock. I'll bet one of these keys will open it."
"Hurry," whispered Piper. "We need to get out of her right away."
Phoebe tried several of the keys, none of which worked. Finally, she placed a key in the hole and turned it. There was an audible "click" sound from the lock. Cautiously, Phoebe pulled on the key. The wall began to swing out from its' resting place.
Behind the wall was an elderly woman chained to the wall inside a small room. She looked up at the two sisters as they moved into the room. Phoebe moved instantly to the locks on the chain and began to check the keys on the guards' key ring.
"Who are you?" demanded the woman. "What do you want?"
"Quiet down," whispered Piper, looking back out into the warehouse. "We're here to rescue you."
Within moments Phoebe had opened the locks and the chains were removed from the woman. The woman was in poor health and Piper and Phoebe had to help her out of the secret room. They quickly made their way back through the warehouse to the place where they had broken in.
"Get her back to the hotel," Phoebe said. "I have something I need to take care of right now. I'll meet you back there."
"Phoebe," Piper said, "be careful."
"I will, honey," Phoebe said, kissing her sister on the cheek. "I will."
As Phoebe went back into the warehouse, Piper helped the old woman into the woods just outside the warehouse that would obscure their escape.
