By nine the following morning, he was already in his office, black coffee in hand, staring at the two names he'd written on a yellow legal pad.
SUE SPEAR. BOBBY SPEAR.
He'd dealt with enough ugly situations to know that the story people told in public rarely matched what happened behind closed doors. Rafael Barba had given him a starting point, but Adam wanted facts.
He picked up his phone and scrolled through his contacts until he found the number he wanted.
The man answered on the fourth ring.
“Zeal,” he said. “I was wondering when you'd crawl out of whatever hole you've been hiding in.”
Adam smirked. “Missed you, too, Steven.”
“It's six in the morning. What do you want?”
“Can't a man call an old friend just to hear his beautiful voice?”
“No.”
“How cruel.”
“Then I'll hang up and save us both the trouble.”
Adam chuckled and leaned back in his chair. “Still charming as ever, I see.”
“Funny. I was about to say the same thing about you.”
Steven Woolf had been Adam's partner back when they'd both worn badges. He was a black man with tired brown eyes, salt-and-pepper hair, and a dry, cynical, blunt manner. He had never been particularly impressed by Adam's charm; years of working together had taught him to spot every dodge, half-truth, and subject-change attempt.
Adam had also learned that Steven's patience had limits.
“How's the private investigation business?” Steven asked.
“Thriving. The people are fascinating, the hours are terrible, and my clients keep me young.”
Steven rubbed his forehead. Adam could practically picture him doing it.
“Cut the crap, Zeal. What do you need?”
Adam's grin widened. “There he is. That's the Steven I remember.”
“Adam!”
“Fine. I need some background information on two people. Sue and Bobby Spear. Bobby is probably short for Robert. I want to know if there are any previous reports, complaints, or incidents attached to their names. Anything that might explain why someone would be afraid to go home.”
Steven fell silent for a moment.
“What's the case?”
“Private matter involving a client.”
“That's not an answer.”
“It's the one you're getting.”
Steven sighed. “You haven't changed.”
“I'm taking that as a compliment.”
“Don't.”
Adam's amusement faded slightly. “Look, I'm not asking you to do anything that'll cost you your badge. If you can legitimately access any records, let me know what you find. If there aren't, we'll work another angle.”
Steven rubbed his forehead again.
“You always did have a talent for making trouble sound reasonable.”
“And you always had a talent for making everything sound like a disciplinary hearing.”
“Somebody had to keep you from getting fired.”
“Yet somehow, here I am. Alive, well, and self-employed.”
“I'm still trying to figure out how you managed that.”
Adam laughed, but Steven didn't join him.
“Is somebody in danger?” Steven asked.
The question hung between them.
Adam glanced at the names on his desk.
“I think somebody might be.”
The humor left Steven's voice. “Then don't play games with me. If you have reason to believe someone's in immediate danger, get the appropriate people involved.”
“I know.”
“Do you?”
Adam's jaw tightened. For once, he didn't have a clever answer ready.
“Yes,” he said quietly. “I do.”
Steven let the silence sit for a moment before speaking again.
“Send me the names and whatever legitimate case information you can share. I'll see what's available through the proper channels. No promises.”
“That's all I'm asking.”
“Bullshit. You're asking for a miracle and hoping I'll call it a favor.”
Adam grinned again. “You know me so well.”
“Unfortunately.”
They exchanged a few more words before Steven ended the call.
Adam set his phone down and stared at the legal pad.
There had been a time when he'd worn a badge himself. A time when he'd believed that following the rules, doing his job, and trusting the right people would be enough to make things turn out the way they were supposed to.
He rarely talked about those days. Most people who knew him now didn't even realize he'd once been a cop.
He preferred it that way.
Adam drew a line beneath the two names.
Whatever was happening in the Spear household, he intended to find out.
And if somebody had been hurting Penny, they were going to have a very unpleasant conversation with Adam Zeal.
It usually took a day or two for Steven to call back with information. While waiting for his call, Adam decided to wait outside Sue, Bobby, and Penny’s apartment. He figured they probably wouldn’t come out since it was Saturday morning, but he wanted to be nearby.
Even though Rafael told him not to make any contact with the family, if he heard one scream, he would act.
Adam sat in his black Mustang with the windows open—far enough away so he wouldn’t be accused of trespassing or stalking, but close enough to see and hear anything.
To his surprise, Sue and Bobby stepped out, with Penny rolling slowly behind them.
He saw her swollen, black eye, and his blood boiled with outrage.
He then heard Bobby bark, “Hurry up, you idiotic cripple!”
Adam wanted to punch him for those ignorant, heartless words, but, cracking his jaw, he stayed in his car and recorded the exchange on his phone.
“Yeah,” Sue added. “You know your Aunt Alyssa gets pissy when you’re late for your little visit with her, and she won’t give us money! She’s already upset about the black eye.”
“I-I’m tr-trying t-t-to h-h-hurry!”
Aunt Alyssa! She has an aunt. And they’re receiving money from her.
Adam quickly wrote the name down on his yellow notepad, keeping his phone focused on the family.
Suddenly, Bobby yanked Penny’s hair, which was in a ponytail, and forced her head back, making her look him in the eye.
“Don’t try!” he bellowed. “Do! We should’ve locked you away in a group home when you turned eighteen, but you begged us not to. If you like your freedom, listen to our demands!”
“Y-y-y-yes, s-s-sir,” she said, with frightened tears in her eyes.
Adam watched heartbreakingly as her eyes shifted toward Rafael’s apartment, probably hoping he would see and stop it. But Rafael was at work.
“Don’t worry, hon,” Adam whispered compassionately. “Rafael Barba and I see you. We care. We’ll stop them.”
Bobby let go of Penny and snickered.
Sue raised her hand to smack her. Penny flinched, bracing herself.
But Sue stopped midair and sighed. “We have no time for this!”
She drove Penny’s electric wheelchair up the ramp and into the back of their red van.
Adam followed them to a mansion in Brooklyn. The mansion looked old-fashioned and fancy, but it was completely wheelchair accessible.
Why don’t they let her live with her aunt? he thought.
On Monday, Adam sat behind his desk, going through his notes on the Spear family, when his phone rang. Steven's name appeared on the screen.
“Finally,” Adam answered. “I was beginning to think you'd forgotten about me.”
“Believe me, the thought crossed my mind.”
Adam grinned. “You wound me, partner.”
“Save the charm, Zeal. I found some things on the Spears.”
Adam straightened in his chair. “I'm listening.”
“Both Robert and Sue Spear have histories of domestic violence charges. More than one, from what I could find. But the charges were always dropped.”
Adam's expression hardened. “Both of them?”
“Yep. I couldn't find anything that explained why the cases never went anywhere. The records show the charges, but nothing that tells me why they were dropped.”
“And ol’ Bobby?”
“Multiple DUI charges, too.”
“Of course he does,” Adam muttered.
“Don't jump to conclusions just yet,” Steven warned. “I'm giving you what I found, not telling you what it means.”
“I'm just putting the pieces together.”
“Sure you are.”
Adam ignored the sarcasm. “Anything else?”
“Actually, yeah. There was a custody battle between Sue and her sister, Alyssa. They were fighting over Sue's daughter, who was seven at the time.”
Adam leaned forward. “Alyssa wanted custody?”
“Looks that way. Sue won, though.”
“Any idea how?”
Steven paused. “I asked around. I admit—curiosity got the best of me. There are rumors Sue slept with Judge Luke to get the ruling in her favor.”
Adam held back a chuckle. “Rumors?”
“Nothing I could verify,” Steven said firmly. “Don't go treating gossip like evidence, Zeal.”
“I wouldn't dream of it.”
“Yeah, and I'm the Easter Bunny.”
Adam smirked. “You'd look good with the ears.”
“Go to hell, Adam.”
“Missed you too, partner.”
Steven sighed. “There's something else. After Sue won custody, she kept calling Alyssa whenever she and Bobby got themselves into trouble. Needed money, needed someone to bail them out, that kind of thing.”
Adam frowned. “So Alyssa fought for custody of her niece, lost, and still helped Sue and Bobby afterward?”
“That's what the records and what I heard suggest. I don't know why she kept helping them.”
“Maybe she was trying to stay in her niece's life.”
“Could be,” Steven agreed. “But that's a guess, not a fact.”
Adam glanced at his notes. “If she fought for custody, she must have had her reasons.”
“Maybe she was worried about the kid. Maybe she thought she could give her a better home. I can't tell you what was going through her head.”
Adam's jaw popped. He remembered what he'd seen outside the Spears' apartment on Saturday morning: Penny’s eye, Bobby's cruelty, Sue’s raised hand, and Penny flinching before Sue even touched her.
Whatever the reason, Alyssa might know more about the family than anyone else.
“Thanks for looking into this,” Adam said. “Can you send the info as PDF files?”
“Already sent to your email. And don't mention it. Just be careful, Adam. I know that tone of yours. You're already convinced something's wrong.”
“I'm convinced something doesn't add up. That's why I'm investigating.”
“Then find evidence. Don't turn suspicion into fact.”
Adam smiled. “You always were a ray of sunshine, Steven.”
“And you always were a pain in the ass. Some things never change.”
“Wouldn't have it any other way.”
Steven hung up.
Adam set his phone down and stared at his notes. The domestic violence charges. Bobby's DUIs. The custody battle. The rumors surrounding Judge Luke. And Alyssa, who had fought to take her niece in and apparently kept helping the family even after losing.
Adam picked up his pen and underlined Judge Luke’s name and circled Alyssa's.
If she'd fought for Penny, there had to be a reason. Maybe she knew more about what went on in that house than anyone else.
As he printed out the emailed info, Adam leaned back in his chair, his gray eyes narrowing behind his sunglasses.
It was time to find out more about Judge Luke and Aunt Alyssa.
Adam had been staring at his computer screen for nearly an hour, searching for anything on Judge Luke or the Spear family.
He'd checked public records, old news articles, and a handful of social media pages.
Unfortunately, Judge Luke had died two years ago.
He was indeed the judge in the custody trial, but there was no way to ask him some pointed questions about the alleged sexual bribery.
“Not unless I use a damn Ouija board,” he said aloud sarcastically.
After that, his luck didn't improve. Nothing had given him the answers he wanted.
“Come on,” he complained, “Give me something!”
He clicked through another search result, expecting to find nothing more than an irrelevant profile.
Instead, a Facebook page popped up.
Alyssa Spear.
Adam paused.
“Well, hello there.”
Her profile picture showed a woman in her early forties with long, dirty-blonde hair that fell in soft waves around her shoulders. Her hazel eyes seemed to sparkle in the light, and she had the most gorgeous, angelic smile. There was something warm and genuine about her expression, something that made her seem approachable and kind.
Adam studied the picture for a moment.
“You look like an angel, Aunt Alyssa,” he remarked.
He scrolled through her public posts. There were photographs of flowers, family gatherings, and a few snapshots of what looked like homemade meals. Ordinary things. The sort of things people shared when they weren't trying to hide anything.
Then he found a photograph of Alyssa standing beside a young woman in a wheelchair.
Penny.
Adam's expression softened.
The picture looked a few years old. Penny's hair was longer, and she was smiling at the camera. Alyssa had one arm resting gently around her niece's shoulders. They looked comfortable together, as though being around each other was easy.
He studied the photograph for a moment.
“There you are, kiddo.”
He clicked the date and read the caption.
My beautiful girl. No matter how old you get, I'll always be here for you. Never forget how talented you are.
Adam read it twice.
Then he glanced at the notes beside his keyboard. Alyssa had fought Sue for custody of Penny. She'd lost. And according to Steven, she'd continued helping Sue and Bobby whenever they got into trouble.
Adam looked back at the photograph.
“Yeah,” he mused. “I think I know why you fought for her.”
He scrolled farther down the page, looking for more pictures of the two of them. There were several: Penny at a family gathering, Penny beside Alyssa in what appeared to be an art store, and Penny holding up a drawing of a crooked old house with dark windows and a crooked fence.
Adam grinned.
“You've got excellent taste.”
He leaned closer to the screen, studying the drawing. The lines were careful, the details deliberate. It wasn't just a random sketch. Whoever had drawn it had an eye for atmosphere.
Penny had talent. Real talent.
And Sue had told her she wasn't smart enough for art school.
Adam's smile disappeared.
“Your mother doesn't know what she's talking about, sweetheart.”
He rubbed a hand over his beard.
He hadn't set out to find Alyssa's Facebook page. He'd been looking for information and had stumbled across something much more personal than a record in a database.
A glimpse of Penny when she wasn't visibly frightened. A glimpse of the relationship she shared with someone who seemed to genuinely care about her.
Adam looked again at Alyssa's angelic smile in the profile picture.
There was something about her that made him think she hadn't given up on Penny, even after losing the custody battle.
It wasn't proof of anything by itself, but it gave him a direction.
Adam clicked back to Alyssa's profile and considered sending her a message. He could introduce himself, ask about the custody fight, and see whether she'd be willing to talk.
But if Sue or Bobby had access to Alyssa's messages—or if Alyssa warned them he was asking questions—he could put Penny at risk.
“Nope,” he decided. “Not making that mistake.”
He copied the profile's public information into his case notes and closed the tab.
First, he'd talk to Rafael. Then he'd figure out the safest way to approach Alyssa without tipping off the Spears.
Adam glanced once more at Penny's smiling face before turning back to his work.
“Hang in there, kiddo,” he murmured. “We're getting closer.”
He called Rafael, who quickly told him he was in the middle of a massive trial and couldn't meet with him until Friday, after his breakfast with Penny.
In the meantime, Adam decided to keep the Spear family under surveillance.
First, he figured out Penny’s routine.
Penny stayed at home during the week. Her at-home care aide seemed neutral when it came to Penny. She made sure Penny's physical and medical needs were met, but she was never friendly or warm toward her.
He had seen that she had let Penny sit outside and draw because the weather was nice that day. And according to Rafael, she'd pick her up from the Friday breakfasts with him. But those were the only kind things she did for her.
To her, Penny was just another job.
“She probably takes care of your injuries,” Adam said sardonically, “but doesn't report them because she needs the job.”
Then he followed Sue. She worked as an exotic dancer at a shadowy strip club called XoXo. He didn’t see anything wrong with being a dancer. Someone had to have flexibility and gusto to pull off all those dance moves on a pole. Although he found it odd that so many men wanted a lap dance before nine a.m., he still didn’t judge.
But what bothered him was that, before getting on stage, she was selling clonazepam to patrons. He knew Sue was aware that those pills were Penny’s medication for treating seizures because he’d followed her from the pharmacy to the club. He also knew she was well aware that the pills could be used to drug people without their knowledge, judging by her evil grin.
He took pictures of Sue carelessly selling her daughter’s medication left and right, essentially facilitating the drugging and potential assault of unsuspecting people.
He watched as a man tried to offer a drink to a dancer shortly after Sue had sold him some pills. The woman hadn’t seen the transaction, and she certainly didn’t know what the man might have intended to put in her drink.
Adam’s stomach turned.
He couldn’t know for certain what the man planned to do, but he wasn’t about to sit there and wait to find out. He needed to intervene without blowing his investigation.
Spotting a waitress with long red hair passing by, he discreetly caught her attention and slipped her some cash.
“Mind taking a little break?” he asked with a crooked grin. “I’ll cover for you.”
She eyed the money, then him. “Do you even know how to serve drinks?”
“Darling, I can learn anything in five minutes.”
She shook her head, pocketed the cash, and handed him her spare black vest and apron.
A few minutes later, Adam was moving between the tables with a tray of drinks, keeping a close eye on Sue and the men buying pills from her. Whenever a patron tried to hand a dancer a drink, Adam found a convenient excuse to intercept it.
“Sorry, pal. House rules,” he said, lifting the glass off the table. “I’ll get her a fresh one.”
He flashed the unsuspecting dancer a quick wink before moving on.
For once, Adam Zeal wasn’t interested in playing games. He had evidence to collect, a suspect to watch, and innocent women to protect.
And he could do all three without spilling a single drink.
Adam kept it up until Sue’s shift ended. She never noticed a thing.
The next day, he followed Bobby. During that day, he was the stereotypical sleazy car salesman at a Manhattan dealership, pressuring people to spend money they didn’t have.
Later that night, a blue car picked him up. It drove all the way to the Bronx, where it stopped at a run-down, abandoned hospital.
The driver never got out of the car, so Adam couldn’t see who it was.
“Damn it!” he exclaimed under his breath.
But he wrote down the licence plate number.
He took off his sunglasses and trench coat. Stealthily, he followed Bobby into the dark building and stood silently in the dimmest corner, making sure no one noticed he was there.
There were about a hundred girls chained to the walls, ranging from teenagers to older women. Random men came in and out with the girls. They would give Bobby money, and once he counted it out, he would unchain a girl and hand her over to the man.
If she began complaining, begging not to go, or sobbing, he would smack her and shout, “Shut up, whore! Make him happy and make money for Daddy!”
Adam’s skin crawled as he recorded everything. Fury and hatred also seethed within him as he realized Bobby was pimping out these girls.
He wanted to call the police or rescue the girls himself right then.
But he thought of Penny and her black eye.
He had to rescue her from Sue and Bobby and make sure Bobby wasn’t forcing Penny into this, too.
He reluctantly left.
“I’ll get you help, girls,” he thought with a heavy heart. “I promise.”
On Friday, hours before he was supposed to meet Rafael, Adam decided to break into Sue, Bobby, and Penny’s apartment. He waited in his car, watching as Sue and Bobby left. Then Rafael and Penny came out.
Adam rolled his window up, leaving only a small crack so Rafael wouldn’t see him.
He knew Rafael Barba would probably give him a long-winded lecture about the law and the rules, just like Steven used to do back in the day. So, he hid.
Through the crack in his window, he watched Rafael and Penny slowly make their way toward the café.
Penny rolled beside him, her sketchpad resting in her lap. She was still wearing her sunglasses to hide her eye, but she was giggling, playfully teasing, and happily chatting with the suited defense attorney.
Even Rafael’s demeanor changed. He was gentler, almost fatherly toward the young woman.
Adam let himself enjoy the wholesome moment, smiling briefly.
“This is the only day you feel safe,” he whispered tenderly. “Isn’t it, sweetheart?”
Once they were out of sight, Adam’s expression turned serious.
Under his trench coat, he wore a gray hoodie with the hood up. He kept his sunglasses on.
Looking around the apartment complex, he had spotted cameras. However, he’d overheard the other neighbors saying they were just decoys. Still, he couldn’t be too careful.
He also wore blue medical gloves to avoid contaminating any evidence he might discover.
Adam quietly approached their apartment door and glanced down the hallway to make sure no one was watching. He reached for the doorknob and carefully tested it.
To his surprise, the door opened slightly.
He raised an eyebrow. “Well, well. Looks like somebody forgot about home security.”
He pushed the door gently, and it swung open without a sound. Apparently, the lock didn't latch properly.
So much for breaking and entering being a challenge.
Adam smirked and slipped inside, softly pulling the door shut behind him.
His amusement faded as he surveyed the apartment.
“Let's see what secrets you're hiding, you two.”
He adjusted his gloves and began searching, careful not to disturb anything unnecessarily. He had no idea what he might find, but after what he'd witnessed at the abandoned hospital, he wasn't taking any chances.
He looked around the unkempt apartment, taking pictures with his phone. This was supposed to be an upscale, fancy apartment complex, but you wouldn’t know it from the state Sue and Bobby kept their apartment in.
He found empty beer cans, random trash, illegal drugs, and boxes of cash.
“The cash has gotta be from Bobby’s human trafficking operation,” he whispered, thinking aloud.
He crept silently through each room with purpose, photographing anything that might serve as evidence.
He stepped into a room he assumed was Sue and Bobby’s bedroom. There were more beer cans, cash, and illegal drugs. He even had to hop over used needles. Their gray bed looked like it hadn’t been made in ages.
On the nightstand beside the bed lay a bright red binder. He carefully flipped through it. Inside were papers from the custody battle, and toward the back, he found what looked like a written agreement.
It stated that Alyssa would provide Sue and Bobby with weekly payments and legal assistance, provided Sue took better care of Penny and never left her alone with Bobby. In exchange, Penny would stay with Alyssa every Saturday.
He took a picture of the agreement.
“That is a strange agreement, but I think she’s trying to protect you. She knows Bobby is a bad guy.”
Then he stepped into a bedroom that was obviously Penny’s. On her wall hung a poster of the Gothic painting The Nightmare by Henry Fuseli.
A pale, white-draped woman lay in a dramatic, vulnerable posture across a bed, symbolizing the helplessness of sleep. A pudgy demon squatted directly on her chest, representing the crushing physical weight and oppression of a bad dream. A spectral horse with glowing eyes and a wild mane peered through dark red velvet curtains.
“I don’t know if this is an example of your fantastic taste,” he remarked, “or a cry for help. Probably both.”
Her purple bed was neatly made. Her open laptop was free of dust. Her room was clean, except for the sketchpads, pencils, pens, and art books scattered across her desk.
At the back of her copy of Bob Ross: The Joy of Painting, he found pictures of her. But they weren’t selfies. To his utter shock, they showed bruises, black eyes, abrasions, and scratches. There were dozens of pictures spanning many years. They appeared to have been taken by Penny herself using disposable cameras and her webcam.
“You documented your abuse. Good girl. But why won’t you tell anybody, though?”
He tried not to handle the pictures more than necessary. Since they were evidence, he carefully spread them out on the bed and photographed each one.
Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a white object on the floor. He carefully put the pictures back in the book, then walked over to investigate.
It was a box labeled Punishment Box.
He slowly lifted the lid and looked inside without touching the contents.
Inside were chains and shackles.
With horror, he remembered the drawing Rafael had mentioned, depicting a woman chaining a girl to a bed. Then he thought of the girls in the abandoned hospital.
With his heart pounding, all he could say was, “Oh, God.”
Hours later, Adam was back in his office, waiting for Rafael Barba. Papers, video footage, and photographs of the evidence were spread across his desk.
The usually cocky investigator was pale and silent, gulping down his black coffee. His sunglasses were off, and his eyes were filled with worry.
Rafael finally walked in. He took one look at Adam’s face and realized whatever Adam was about to tell him was far worse than he’d expected. His heart sank.
Skipping the pleasantries, Rafael asked, “Is it bad?”
Adam nodded.
Adam rubbed a hand over his beard and stared down at the papers on his desk.
“It started with their records,” he said quietly. “Sue and Bobby have both had domestic violence and DUI charges dropped.”
Rafael pulled out a chair and sat down. “Both of them?”
Adam nodded. “Different incidents. Different circumstances. But neither of them faced consequences.”
“Dropped charges don't automatically mean someone is guilty or innocent, Adam.”
“I know that, counselor.” Adam lifted his eyes.
Usually, there would have been a smirk accompanying the remark. This time, there was nothing. “I'm not saying the charges prove anything. I'm telling you what made me look closer.”
Rafael studied him for a moment, then glanced at the stack of evidence.
“Go on.”
“I watched them. I wanted to know what was happening inside that apartment when Penny wasn't with you.” Adam swallowed and reached for his coffee, taking a long drink before continuing. “I've seen the horrible way they treat her. They're abusive, both physically and verbally.”
Then he showed Rafael the recording.
Rafael swore under his breath as he watched Bobby call Penny an idiotic cripple and yank her head back so violently.
“But Penny does have a family member who cares,” Adam said, giving Rafael a glimmer of hope.
“Who?”
“Her aunt, Alyssa. She fought Sue and Bobby for custody of Penny when Penny was a kid,” Adam explained. “She lost the battle, though. There were rumors that Sue had slept with Judge Luke, who presided over the case, but I haven't found anything to prove it.”
Rafael just heard her name in the recording. Sue had been worried that Alyssa was upset about Penny's black eye. Not because Penny was hurt, but because Alyssa had noticed.
Adam continued, “They get money from her, Rafael. I didn't know what the arrangement was, so I kept watching.”
He slid a photograph across the desk.
“I followed Sue to a strip club. She's an exotic dancer. Before her shift, she was selling clonazepam to patrons.”
Rafael studied the photograph, his eyes narrowing.
“Is that Penny's medication?”
“That's what I suspect, too. I followed Sue from the pharmacy to the club.” Adam leaned forward. “I watched a man buy pills from her and then try to offer a drink to one of the dancers. I couldn't prove what he intended to do, but I wasn't going to wait around to find out. So I borrowed a waitress's vest and apron and intercepted the drinks.”
Rafael stared at him with a raised eyebrow. “You impersonated a waiter?”
“Temporarily.”
“Adam.”
“Rafael, there are more important things to discuss right now.”
Rafael closed his eyes briefly, as if asking heaven for patience. “Keep going.”
“Anyway, Sue never caught on. I kept an eye on her until her shift ended. Then I moved on to Bobby.”
“What did you find?”
“During the day, he's a car salesman. A sleazy one, from what I saw. He pressures people into buying cars they can't afford and doesn't seem particularly bothered about whether they can make the payments.”
“That doesn't surprise me.”
“At night, things get a lot more vile!”
Adam slid another photograph toward him.
“A blue car picked Bobby up and drove him to an abandoned hospital in the Bronx. I followed them inside.”
“What did you find?” Rafael asked.
Adam went quiet.
The silence made Rafael sit straighter. He braced himself.
“Adam?”
“There were girls inside,” Adam said softly.
“What kind of girls?”
“Teenagers. Young women. Around a hundred of them, maybe.”
Rafael went completely still.
“They were chained to the walls,” Adam continued. “Men came in, paid Bobby, and he counted the money before unchaining one of the girls and handing her over to them.”
Rafael's face had gone pale.
“Are you saying they're being trafficked?”
Adam nodded, his fingers curling around his coffee mug.
For several seconds, Rafael didn't speak.
“Jesus Christ,” he whispered.
“I recorded what I could. I wanted to call the police right there, but—”
“But you didn't.”
Adam looked down at the desk.
“I thought about Penny. I needed to know if Bobby was forcing her into this, too. I had to leave those girls, Rafael!”
“Then we need to make sure we get them help as quickly as possible.”
“Agreed.”
“And we need to do it without putting Penny or those girls in further danger.”
“There's more,” Adam said with a heavy sigh.
Rafael looked at him for a moment.
“What else did you find?”
Adam's expression darkened again.
“I broke into the apartment while you were out with Penny this morning.”
“You what?”
“Relax. The door practically opened itself.”
“That is not a legal defense!”
“I didn't damage the lock.”
“Adam, you entered a private residence without permission!”
“And I found things you need to see.”
Rafael stared at him, furious, but the sight of Adam's face seemed to remind him that whatever the investigator had discovered was serious.
“Show me.”
Adam arranged several photographs on the desk.
“The apartment was a mess. Empty beer cans, trash, drugs, used needles. And boxes of cash.”
“Did you establish where the money came from?”
“No. I suspect it could be connected to what I saw at the hospital, but I can't prove that yet.”
“Good. Keep the distinction between what you know and what you suspect.”
“You make everything sound like a courtroom.”
“That's because evidence matters, Adam.”
“I know.”
Adam pointed to another photograph.
“I found a red binder in Sue and Bobby's bedroom. It contained legal documents, court papers, and a separate written agreement. I photographed the pages I found, but I haven't examined every detail.”
“Show me the agreement.”
Adam handed him the photograph.
Rafael read the wording carefully, his brows drawing together.
“That's a rather specific set of conditions.”
“Yeah. I thought so, too.”
“Do you know why Alyssa agreed to those terms?”
“No. I don't know what led to this agreement or what Alyssa was trying to accomplish. But I think she's trying to protect Penny.”
“Let's hope so. We'll need to examine the paperwork before we can make any assumptions about the history or the legal arrangements.”
Adam pulled out another set of photographs.
Rafael looked at the first picture, and his expression changed.
“What am I looking at?”
“Penny's room. She had hidden photographs at the back of a book.”
“Photographs of what?”
Adam didn't answer immediately. He spread the pictures across the desk.
The photographs showed numerous injuries documented over a period of years.
Rafael's hands shook with anger and fear as he examined them. He couldn't bear to think that this had been going on for that long.
"Those bastards!" Rafael thought. "They tortured her for years!"
“I don't know,” Adam told him. “Some of the pictures look old. Others appear more recent.”
“She documented her injuries.”
“That's what it looks like.”
"I wish she'd told me," Rafael thought desperately. "I could've helped sooner!"
“There was something else in her room.”
“What?”
“A box on the floor, with two words written on the lid.”
He turned the photograph toward Rafael.
PUNISHMENT BOX.
Rafael's stomach dropped.
“What's inside?”
“Chains. Shackles.”
The thought terrified him, but Rafael asked, “Did you find any indication that Penny had been restrained with them?”
“No, but—”
Even though he knew he shouldn't, Rafael hated Sue and Bobby with a passion.
Adam swallowed hard.
“When I saw those chains, I remembered the drawing you told me about. The one showing a woman chaining a girl to a bed.”
Rafael nodded slowly.
“And you thought of the girls at the hospital.”
“Yeah.”
Adam rubbed a hand over his face.
“I don't know whether the box has anything to do with the hospital. I don't know who put it there or what it was used for. But after what I saw in that building and finding those shackles in Penny's bedroom…”
He stopped.
For a moment, the only sound in the office was the hum of the old air conditioner.
Finally, Adam said, “I know you wanted Penny to decide what happened next, but with those girls in the hospital and the chains and shackles in her room, I think we should act now.”
“I completely agree,” Rafael replied, clearing his throat to steady his shaky voice. “You’ll report what you saw in the Bronx. And we’ll both try to talk Penny into reporting her abuse. Sue and Bobby aren’t home, and her at-home care aide will let us talk to her.”
“Now?”
“You’ll call the authorities on speakerphone while we drive to the apartment. Let’s take your car. We need to move fast.”
“Are you always this demanding?” Adam asked sarcastically.
“Only when psychopaths mess with innocent people,” Rafael replied with fiery determination. “Especially when those people are people I care about!”
“That’s the spirit, Counselor!”
Adam’s grin finally returned as they rushed out the door.
Adam drove through Manhattan traffic, gripping the steering wheel while Rafael held his phone on speaker so he could talk to the 911 dispatcher.
“My name is Adam Zeal. I'm a private investigator, and I witnessed what I believe is a human trafficking operation inside an abandoned hospital in the Bronx on Thursday night. There were dozens of girls being held against their will, possibly around a hundred. They were chained to the walls, and I saw men paying a man named Robert Spear to take them away. He goes by Bobby.”
His jaw tightened as he remembered what he'd witnessed. “I have photographs and recordings. I'll give you the exact location and everything else I know, but you need to get officers there as quickly as possible.”
Rafael watched him anxiously, keeping the phone close as Adam navigated the traffic. They had to get to Penny. Thankfully, the apartment wasn’t too far from Adam’s office, but the heavy traffic made it seem farther away. Rafael wished Adam had a siren to make the other cars get out of their way. They had to talk to Penny.
She wasn’t going to be hurt anymore!
The dispatcher wanted Adam to stay on the line, but he said, “I’m currently on my way to another urgent situation. I've given you the location and everything I witnessed. I’ll send the evidence, just please help those girls!”
Then he ended the call.
“You know, technically,” Rafael remarked, masking his anxiety, “talking to a woman isn’t an urgent situation.”
“We both know it is,” Adam told him, glancing over his sunglasses.
Little did Rafael and Adam know that it was Sue and Bobby’s wedding anniversary. Neither of them went to work. They were at a bar, getting drunk. While there, Sue promised Bobby something repulsive and horrific.
Sue and Bobby abruptly burst into Penny's room while she was drawing.
Adam and Rafael inched through traffic.
“W-w-what a-a-are y-y-you do-doing?!” Penny exclaimed, smelling the alcohol on her parents’ breaths.
Adam blew his horn impatiently. Rafael’s pulse suddenly began to race. His gut was telling him something was very wrong at that moment. He couldn’t explain it, but he couldn't ignore it either.
Sue grabbed Penny by the wrists.
“Hurry, Adam, please!”
Bobby got the shackles from the box. Penny tried to stab her mom with a pencil. This was the only time she fought back. But Sue snapped the pencil in two.
“I’m trying, Rafael!”
“You’re about to give your daddy a special gift,” Bobby said with a disgusting, almost demonic grin.
“Damn these cars!”
“W-w-what g-g-gift?”
“Move!”
“Your virginity.”
Rafael wanted to jump out of the car and run there!
“N-N-NO!”
Penny tried to kick, scratch, and bite, but Sue and Bobby took her out of her wheelchair by the arms and legs.
“Come on, people!”
“Come on!”
Bobby was on top of her, slapping her repeatedly and clumsily trying to undo his belt.
Sue had stumbled away when they finally arrived.
The car came to a stop with a screech. When they opened their doors, they heard Penny screaming.
They both bolted toward the apartment.
Adam busted the door open with his shoulder. They rushed inside, while the other neighbors gathered in the doorway. Rafael followed the sound of Penny’s screams.
Rafael ran into her room and saw Bobby on her, trying to strangle her with both hands.
Without thinking, and with a strength he’d never known he had, Rafael punched Bobby in the face.
Bobby was out cold on the floor. Penny’s nightmare was going to end.
To be continued…
©Lena Holdman, all rights reserved 2026
Disclaimer: I do not own Law & Order: Special Victims Unit or its characters. They are the property of Dick Wolf, Wolf Entertainment, Universal Television, and their respective copyright holders.
Adam Zeal, Steven Woolf, Alyssa Spear, Sue Spear, Bobby Spear, and Petra “Penny” Spear are my original characters, created by me.
This is a non-commercial fan work created purely for fun and entertainment. No copyright infringement is intended.
The image above was created using AI tools (ChatGPT / image generation), but it's my concept.
Notes: I love you, Rafael Barba! 💖💏⚖️
Smooches and think Tink
