Secrets shall be revealed

Part 5

It turns out children are exceptionally good negotiators. The girl he talked to made some deals with other children gangs to share some of the awards, and the news soon spread.

They were also good at keeping the information on the low so older kids and adults wouldn't pick on it. They didn't want to lose their prize to adults after all.

It took them only two days. Damian had to visit one of his personal hideouts to take the money, but he was going to meet them tonight. They found the next target.

Damian monitored the area thoroughly. They listened to his instructions fully. There was a girl who was named Sammy, a boy around the same age, and another girl who was silently crying. Damian put up his act and approached them.

"We found what you were looking for. Now, where is the money?" Sammy said.

Michael took a stash of 20-dollar bills out of his pocket. "Here. Want me to count it in front of you?" he asked.

Sammy nodded. Damian started counting the bills in front of her slowly, carefully, for her sake. Once she was satisfied, she talked again. "The girl is the one you are looking for. She was approached a few days ago. Jammie is her gang leader." Sammy said.

Jammie gave a shove to the crying girl to get her to talk. "I'm Ella. A man came to me 3 days ago. I was coming back from my dumpster diving. I usually work near the docks. I was alone, but it was still daylight, so I wasn't scared."

"I was passing by an alley when the man started talking. He was tall and in a raincoat. His face was friendly, and he started talking. He complimented my looks and told me he works as a photographer. He showed me some of his works on his phone. There were all children about my age looking like dolls in different settings. He told me I look like a model, and he wanted to photograph me."

"I wanted to refuse, but he said he would pay me 200 bucks, and we could do the photoshoot in the park. So I thought it would be ok since it's a public place. He told me not to tell anyone since he wanted to stay anonymous as an artist until he finished his collection."

"He... he looked so kind and harmless. When I was telling Jammie when I came back. He told me what you said. Is it true?" She managed to say, sobbing harder.

"Unfortunately, it is. I'm working with some people who are working on this case. Whoever this man is, he is not harmless. None of the children ever returned. Do you remember how he looked?" Michael asked in a sympathetic voice.

The girl nodded.

It turned out Ella has an excellent memory. She described the man in detail while Michael drew him. She was also trying to give him any other details she remembered. How the man seemed friendly but was so firm about her not telling anyone.

How he gave her a location and address. While all the photos were beautiful, they seemed too doll-like to her. Ella did her best to describe as many details as possible.

They arranged a meeting at the park for when Ella goes to the meeting. Michael would follow her to make sure she was safe. Jammie and Sammy would also be there but at a safer distance.

Michael paid them the agreed amount plus 20 more dollars to Ella for her help.

They all agreed to a plan. Michael would shadow Ella to the location while Sammy and Jammie would stay close but not too close. They would only approach if Michael gave them a signal. Michael even made sure to survey the area and find the best waiting place for them.

He had to go back to one of his hideouts to pick an emergency beam. They would only activate when the button was pressed to send an emergency signal to the bats. He was going to give it to Sammy and Jammie.

He was also going to give Ella a tracker and hope the target wouldn't be paranoid enough to check for it. He also picked up some supplies in case he needed to fight. Everything had to be perfect.

It was time. It was daylight, so Damian couldn't use shadows to his advantage. Instead, he was as far away as possible, in the trees, using binoculars to keep watch. The other two were doing the same with the pairs he gave them.

So far, nothing was out of place. Ella was standing alone in the clearing and waiting. She looked unsure and nervous. Damian was trying to keep watch on the surrounding area as well. He couldn't risk anything unexpected happening.

As soon as he saw someone approaching Ella, he focused his attention. The guy was wearing a similar outfit to what Ella described. His body language was open and friendly. Too friendly. Damian called the others on the burner phone he gave them.

"Do you see them?" Michael asked.

"Yes, we have eyes on them. they are heading for that old shack." Sammy said.

"He has his back to me, so I can't read his lips. But he pointed to his duffle bag. I think he wants to show her something." Michael said.

Ella and the man slowly headed for the shack. "I will get closer to see what happens inside. Keep an eye on the general area of the building in case he tries to escape from another exit." Michael said. He jumped down from the tree as he got the confirmation.

He calmed his nerves as he got closer. The building was old and rundown. No doubt used to keep a few gardening tools and machinery. There was only one obvious entry point, but he could never be sure.

It was a decent-sized shack. About 40 square meters. So, there might be something hidden inside. Damian tried to approach the building from the side where he could climb to the roof. There weren't many people in the park since it was during the week and the weather was cold, so he wasn't worried about getting noticed. There was a window on the roof. He wanted to check it out.

He got to the window just in time to see the man hit Ella in the head with an old metal pipe as she had her back to him to change clothes. The man quickly checked that she was unconscious and picked her up. There was a golf cart with a big box attached to its back parked there. The man simply grabbed Ella and put her in the box before getting in the golf cart to drive.

Damian had to find a way to follow. "He knocked out Ella and put her in a box attached to a golf cart. He is using the parking exit to get out. Go to the car." He didn't wait for a response as he put the phone away.

Golf carts are slow enough for him to follow on foot, but he couldn't exactly run after one without getting seen. He used his binoculars again to follow the path the man was taking. He was going for the south exit of the park. Yesterday, Damian parked a car near the closest exit to their meeting point, which was the west.

The car had shaded with tinted windows, so the inside wasn't visible. He made sure to enter from the passenger side so the passerby don't get suspicious. He turned on the engine and the GPS.

A few seconds later, the other two passengers got inside. The chase was on.