The next morning, Thorax was in the kitchen giving the breakfast dishes a final rinse while the kids either watched TV in the living room or played with whatever few belongings they had up in their rooms. He was using every ounce of willpower that he had just to pretend everything was normal. Unless discovering that the wicked lady that signs your paychecks could have ties to a trafficking ring is a completely normal occurrence now, the last few days have definitely NOT been normal. He was so agitated that the sound of the doorbell nearly made him jump out of his skin.
“Thorax! The door!” Ms. Chrysalis called, further rattling his nerves. Thorax slowly let out a breath through his gritted teeth.
“I’m still finishing the dishes, ma’am,” he called back.
The doorbell rang again. He could hear his employer angrily stomping down the stairs. How she can stomp in heels and still have functional ankles he will never know.
On the way to the door, Ms. Chrysalis ducked her head into the kitchen and spat out, “You lazy bum, just what do I pay you for?”
When the bell rang a third time, she click-clack-stomped towards the door, yelling, “Oh, I’m coming! I’m coming!”
She yanked open the door and found Shining Armor and three other officers standing on the other side.
“Oh, why, Officer,” she said pleasantly, too pleasantly, “to what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?”
“Ma’am, I have a warrant to search the premises,” Shining sternly replied, producing the said document. “Could you step out onto the porch and wait with two of my associates?”
If Chrysalis had felt any fear from that request, she didn’t show it. She smiled suggestively and leaned in close to Shining.
“Officer, I assure you there’s no need for that. I’ve been a very good girl,” she purred in a sultry voice. She leaned in even closer to Shining Armor and slowly ran her hand up Shining’s chest. “But if you would like me to be a bad girl, go ahead and step inside, and I can show you just how bad I can be.”
Thorax had finished washing and had walked in right as his employer was attempting to seduce the policeman. Thorax’s eyes popped out of their sockets. His face turned a shade of green that was drastically sicklier looking than its normal color, and he could feel his throat and stomach spasming in disgust.
Shining Armor just casually pushed Chrysalis off him and said, “Ma’am, I’m on-duty, and what you’re suggesting is NOT part of my job. Furthermore, I’m MARRIED.”
Chrysalis’s face fell slightly before she resumed getting close and personal with Shining Armor.
“Are you sure you can’t have me for just a little bit?” she cooed, throwing Shining Armor the sexiest pout she could muster. “Surely such a fine, upstanding gentleman like yourself deserves to relax once in a while. Besides, you must get awfully bored wasting your youth on the same woman night after night.”
“I’M HAPPILY MARRIED!” Shining nearly shouted, his face turning fiery red as he once again pried the older woman off him. “And how DARE you talk about my wife that way! Now, step aside. My partners and I have a job to do.”
Shining yanked her out of the doorway and stormed in with one other officer while the other two kept watch over Chrysalis.
As Shining and his partner began their search, the other officer began to laugh.
“What’s so funny?” Shining snapped, his face still red from the earlier encounter.
“I know she’s too old for you, Armor, but come on,” the other officer joked, “don’t tell me you didn’t find her even a little bit hot?”
Shining gave his partner a withering glare. “I will neither confirm nor deny that suggestion, but even if I did, the fact that she possibly trafficked children outweighs everything else. Ugh, just having that on my mind makes me sick.”
After searching the entire first floor, Shining and his partner made their way to the second, and the first room that they entered was Ms. Chrysalis’s office. Shining Armor looked under the desk and found the safe right where Thorax told him it would be.
Shining and his partner had Ms. Chrysalis brought up to the office, and Shining Armor said to her, “Ma’am, I’m giving you two choices. You can either open this safe for us, or we can call a locksmith, your choice.”
“Does your warrant allow you to search safes?” Chrysalis retorted smugly.
Shining’s partner gave the warrant a quick glance, mostly just to spite Chrysalis, and replied, “Yes, yes it does.”
Chrysalis scowled and snapped nastily, “Open the [censored] thing however you want. Just don’t expect me to help you.”
About ten minutes later, the locksmith arrived and opened the safe for the officers. Shining Armor took out the safe’s contents. He found several ledgers, folders with legal documents, stacks of cash, and twenty-year-old copies of family-unfriendly magazines. Inside the ledgers were what look a list of names and ages along with numbers with dollar signs. The most recently written names in one book were Honey Bee’s, Gypsy Scarf’s, Nightingale’s, and Robin’s.
“What do you think?” Shining whispered to his partner. “Do you think this is enough to arrest her?”
The other officer looked over everything Shining Armor took out of the safe and nodded.
Shining’s partner turned to Chrysalis, took out a pair of handcuffs, and said to her, “Ms. Chrysalis, you are under arrest for child trafficking.”
He handcuffed her and continued, “You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford one, one will be provided for you.”
As Ms. Chrysalis was being led away, she looked back at Shining Armor, her face like a stone, and mockingly said, “Shame. You looked like you would have been such a good time too.”
Once Shining Armor was done shuddering, he exited the home, thankful that Ms. Chrysalis was already en route to the station. Thorax ran out and called out to him.
“Officer, is she really being arrested?” Thorax asked.
Shining Armor nodded. “We’re going to hand over what we just found to the feds to investigate more thoroughly, but from the looks of it, she might be put away for a long time.”
“So, if she’s going to jail, who’s going to run the home now? What’s going to happen to the kids?”
“We did discuss the case in further detail with several social workers, and chances are she’s not going to be allowed to be part of the foster system for really long time if ever. It’s possible that the home might have to be shut down and the kids sent to new foster homes.”
Thorax groaned as he put a hand on his face. He was afraid Shining Armor was going to say that.
“Or you could step up and give these kids the caretaker that they need,” Shining continued.
“St-step up?” Thorax stuttered, eyes growing enormous. “You mean, as in run the home by myself?”
“You don’t have to if you don’t want to, but—”
“No, no, it’s not that,” Thorax interrupted. “I’d be more than happy to run the home by myself if it gives the kids safe place to live. It’s just that I don’t know if I’ll be able to handle all the responsibilities. Last year, the home was at max capacity with 16 kids.”
“You’re not at max capacity now, are you?” Shining asked.
“Well, no, but the home could get assigned new kids,” Thorax explained, “and I don’t know how I’m going to keep up with everything if that happens. I mean, it’s not a problem now, but it’s still something I have to think about.”
Shining Armor sighed and looked at Thorax with sympathy. “Look, I know this has been a rough few days for you, but I’m afraid that your problem is a little out of my jurisdiction. This is something that you’re going to have to either figure out on your own or get advice from someone else.”
“I understand,” Thorax replied with a nod. “Thanks for everything.”
“No problem.”
Shining Armor was about to turn and return to his cruiser when Thorax stopped him.
“Hey, I don’t know if the PD is still handling this or if it’s the feds’ responsibility now, but please find and bring back Robby. I’d be able to sleep a lot better at night if I know that he’s safe,” Thorax pleaded.
“You and me both,” Shining agreed, “and don’t worry. We’ll do everything we can to find him.”