by Kathi Daley
“What about the truck we saw?”
“Inoperable.”
“So what now?” Ellie screeched. “What are we going to do?”
My heart sank to my feet. “I don’t know.” I wanted to melt into a puddle on the floor, but that wouldn’t help. I needed to keep my wits about me if I wanted to help Alex. I needed to think. “Maybe we can get into Adira’s office and get a message off that way.”
“How?” Ellie asked. “There are two women and three men in the house with the girls. There are just two of us. I don’t know if they have weapons. We haven’t seen any. But I know for certain that we don’t have any.”
I ran a hand through my hair. “I know it seems bad right now, but we will find a way. I’m not going to sit back and let them take Alex. I’m going to wash up so I won’t look odd, and then we are going to go on a recon mission. As far as we know, no one is aware that we suspect anything. I think it will be best if Adira and her goons continue to think they have pulled the wool over everyone’s eyes. The chopper could show up at any minute and there won’t be a thing we can do about it if they do take the girls, but that doesn’t mean I’m not going to look for a way to stop it in the meantime.”
“Okay. I’m with you. Whatever you need.”
After I cleaned up, Ellie and I headed back to our surveillance site. We settled in behind the screen of shrubs and used the binoculars to look through the thinly veiled windows of Adira’s cabin. It was hard to make out any identities because no one was standing directly in front of the window, but I was sure I saw at least three bodies moving around.
“I’m going to sneak around to the back to see if I can verify where the girls are,” I said. “You stay here and keep a lookout. I won’t be long. Once we ascertain the lay of the land we can talk about a strategy.”
“Strategy?” Ellie screeched. “What strategy? We are totally helpless.”
“We aren’t helpless,” I tried to assure my best friend, even though I knew she was right. “I need you to stay strong. There has to be an answer to the admittedly difficult question of how to save the girls. We might not have figured it out yet, but that doesn’t mean we won’t.”
“Okay. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to freak out on you. One minute I’m fine and the next I feel like I am going to have a total breakdown.”
“I know. I feel the same way. And I’m not going to try to sugarcoat it: The situation is pretty bad. But at least we have a diversion now.”
Ellie raised a brow. “We do? What diversion do we have?”
“I found shotgun shells in the trailer by the lake. No shotgun, unfortunately, just shells. If we need a diversion we can use them to set off an explosion.”
“And then what?” Ellie asked.
I shrugged. “I won’t use the shells unless we have a plan. I’ve thought about this a lot and I don’t think that trying to stop them from taking the girls is the best move unless we have at least a small hope of success. So far, no one has been injured. I’d like to keep it that way.” I glanced back at the cabin. “I’m going around to the back. The first thing we need to do is assess the situation.”
As I had the day before, I made my way to the back of the cabin, being sure to stay hidden by the forest. I supposed if anyone was watching with binoculars they would notice my movements, but I had no reason to believe that anyone was watching. Once I got there, I used my binoculars to scout out the situation. The four girls were in the den, as they had been the day before. They looked to be working on another test, and no one seemed particularly upset. It made sense; none of them other than Alex even knew they were in trouble, and she’d keep her cool as long as that was the best strategy.
The bedroom I assumed belonged to Adira was empty, as was her office. I wondered if some of the players were elsewhere. When we’d looked in through the windows at the front of the house, it hadn’t appeared that there were five individuals, as there had been yesterday. I pulled out my walkie-talkie and called for Ellie. “The girls are in the den and look fine. How many bodies do you see through the windows?”
“It looks like three. Based on height, I’d say two men and a woman.”
“Isis could be at the compound, but where is the third man?”
Ellie paused, then said, “I don’t like this. Why don’t you come on back around?”
“I’m going to see if I can get a closer look first. Hang on, I won’t be long.”
As I had the previous day, I slowly made my way through the forest to the side of the cabin with the one small window. I moved across the open space as quickly as I could. Once I was as close as I was likely to get, I snuck around to the back. What I really wanted to do was to figure out if there was a way into Adira’s office. It still seemed to me that trying to get a message out was the best way to prevent Alex and the other girls from being taken away.
I scooted in close to the wall beneath the window, then slowly stood up to take a peek inside. The window in the office was open a crack. All I’d need to do was to remove the screen, open the window a bit more, and slip inside. The plan seemed doable as long as no one came along. I was considering how to remove the screen without making any noise when I felt the nose of a gun in my back. I was sure I’d just found the third man.
“Can I help you with something?” one of the men I’d seen leaving the house the day before asked.
“No, I’m good.” I tried for a cheery voice. “I was just curious about Adira’s private space. I know that sounds juvenile, but I am such a huge fan. That is why I wanted to come along this week.”
“Spying is rude and strictly against the rules.”
“Oops. My bad. I guess I’ll just run along now.”
The gun dug deeper into my back.
“Don’t shoot,” I said. “I’m sorry. Really.”
“Uh-huh,” he said in a deep voice. “I’m sure you are. I could take you to Adira, but that might upset the assets, so it seems I have no choice but to take care of matters myself.”
“If you shoot me, everyone will hear the gun,” I pointed out.
“I have a silencer.”
I heard the click of the safety being released. “Wait,” I said a bit too loudly. I didn’t want to alert the girls to the fact that there might be a problem. They would freak out and it could get them injured or dead. “My husband is rich. I’m talking billionaire rich. I’m sure he will pay a lot of money to get me back alive.”
The man paused. “You must be the rich dame who came with those girls from Ashton Falls.”
“That’s me. So what do you say? Why don’t you put that gun away? We can call my husband and explain the situation. I’m sure he will pay you whatever you want for my safety.”
“Or he’ll show up with the cops and ruin everything.”
He had me there. I guess I shouldn’t have expected him to be quite as dumb as I hoped.
“Start walking. We’re going to go inside to see what the boss wants to do with you.”
I wasn’t thrilled with the goon’s plan, but I didn’t have any options right then either so I walked around to the front of the cabin and entered through the front and apparently only door. I was sure that Ellie must be freaking out by now. I just hoped she’d keep her cool and not give away her hiding place. I didn’t always give Ellie the credit she deserved when it came to keeping her head, but she’d been with me on a lot of sleuthing capers, and this wasn’t the first time she’d had to stand by and watch as I was dragged into a potentially deadly situation.
The first thing I noticed when I walked into the living area was that it was occupied by Adira and the other two men. Adira looked frightened, while the men seemed irritated that the third man had brought me inside.
“I said to take care of her, not to bring her to the party,” one of the men said.
“I was going to shoot her, but she told me that her husband is a billionaire. Heck, if she is worth that much, maybe we don’t even need the girls. Why squeeze a couple of million bucks out of four
sets of parents when we can get that and more from this one guy?”
The tallest man in the group frowned. He looked at me. “Who exactly is your husband?”
“Zak Zimmerman,” I said. “And your friend is right. Zak will pay anything to get me back. You don’t need the girls.” Dang, I should have thought of offering a trade earlier. I had to wonder if the group even knew that Zak was Alex’s unofficial second dad. They may have selected her based on the assets of her real parents, but that was nothing compared to the cash that Zak had access to.
I felt my heart lighten just a bit as the man appeared to be considering the situation.
“I don’t know,” the third man said. “This dame doesn’t look like she is married to a billionaire. I mean, look at what she is wearing. Totally off the rack.”
I rolled my eyes. The man was a doofus, but he might mess up what had just become my new plan.
“If you don’t believe who I am, look me up. Zoe Donovan Zimmerman. My husband is Zachary Zimmerman, of Zimmerman Industries.”
“Look it up,” said the man who seemed to be in charge to the one who had expressed his doubts.
He went into the office and then returned a few minutes later. “She’s telling the truth.”
“I’ll go with you willingly and won’t put up any sort of a fight if you let the four girls go.”
The man hesitated.
“I’m worth more than the four of them combined. It makes sense. You end up with maybe twice the money you would have gotten from the four parents and you won’t have to deal with emotional teenagers having meltdowns.”
“Why are you so calm about this?” the man in charge asked.
I shrugged. “Believe it or not, I get kidnapped all the time.”
The man looked doubtful.
“I’m serious. Google ‘Zoe Donovan is kidnapped.’ You’ll see it is almost a hobby of mine.”
“She’s lying,” one of the men said.
“It doesn’t matter,” the man who had found me outside said. “It makes sense, Saul. If we can get more money for the one dame, why do we need the kids?”
“Okay,” Saul, the man in charge, agreed. “I guess this does make more sense. Take Ms. Zimmerman into the office and then tell the girls they can go.”
“I’m here with the group from Zimmerman Academy,” I said. “If I just disappear, people are going to wonder where I went. If I tell them that I had to go home early, no will be any the wiser when I don’t show up for dinner.”
Saul looked at Adira. “Get the girl. The one from the Academy.”
After she left to fetch either Pepper or Alex, Saul turned to me. “Say one thing to tip her off and you’re both dead.”
I nodded. “Don’t worry. I won’t say anything that might cause you to have reason to harm any of the girls.”
Thankfully, Adira brought Alex, not Pepper.
“Zoe,” she said in what sounded to be a very convincing nonchalant voice, “what are you doing here?”
“I just wondered where you went off to. I have to leave early. Nona is sick.” If anyone checked, the lie was a believable one. Nona, Zak’s adopted grandmother, had had health issues not so long ago. “Adira has been nice enough to arrange for transportation for me back to the airport.”
“I should come with you.”
I looked Alex in the eye. “No. You and the others are having fun. I want you to stay. You could do me a favor, though, and tell Ellie what happened when you see her. I couldn’t find her to say goodbye.”
Alex nodded, never losing her smile. “Of course. I’ll let her know that you had to leave. She’ll understand. I’m sorry you will miss the rest of the week. I know how much you were looking forward to it.”
“It’s okay. Taking care of Nona is more important.”
Alex nodded. “I’ll miss you. I hope Nona is going to be okay.”
I smiled. “I’m sure she will be.”
Alex took off her sweatshirt and handed it to me. “I borrowed your sweatshirt this morning. I hope you don’t mind. I was going to bring it back to you later in the day, but you should take it if you are going home early.”
Way to go, Alex! “Thanks. I was wondering what happened to it.”
“I know it is your favorite,” Alex said. She gave me a hard hug, then looked at Adira. “Should I go back to the others?”
“Actually,” Adira said, “I think we are done for the day. The four of you can join the others for today’s power building activity.”
Alex shrugged. “Okay. The tests you had us take were fun. Thank you for inviting me.”
I let out a breath of relief as I saw the four girls walked out the front door. I just hoped that Ellie would keep her cool and not do anything to give away the fact that we had known about the kidnapping all along. They had me now. The wife of a billionaire and the mother of the billionaire’s daughter. They didn’t need the girls. I just hoped everyone else would make it home safely.
Chapter 14
I was too relieved that the girls were safe to be scared. At least initially. In my mind, trying to figure out a way to free myself was a lot easier than trying to free the four girls. Alex had given me the sweatshirt with the phone. As long as they didn’t find it, my plan was to go with them when the chopper arrived and, when the phone got a connection, find a way to contact Zak to let him know where I was so he could call in the cavalry.
One of the men had tied me to a chair in the dining area. Adira had gone into her office with Saul while the other two men played cards while they watched me. I hadn’t seen Isis since she was at the cabin to collect Alex, but she must be around somewhere. What wasn’t clear in my mind was whether Adira had been in on the kidnapping plot all along, or if, like me, she was a victim and was playing along because she had few options. Of course, she did have access to the communications equipment. It seemed that if she was truly a victim, she could have found a way to get out word. Unless, of course, the men were holding something over her head in exchange for her cooperation.
I wondered if the kidnapping plot was a local scheme or if someone even higher up, such as Goddess Lakshmi, was involved. Not that it made sense that she would be if she was as rich as I’d been told, but there were those rumors of financial hardship.
“So what comes next?” I asked the men playing cards. “Surely you aren’t just going to keep me sitting here. Should I call Zak to ask for the ransom? Would you prefer a teary video?”
“What I’d prefer is for you to shut up,” one of them said.
Okay, then. Light-hearted banter was not going to work with this crowd. They hadn’t said a helicopter was on the way, but I knew it was. I wondered how long I’d have to wait for it to arrive. Waiting really was the worst part. I figured that it was probably close to eleven by now, and the chopper was supposed to be here around noon. I thought about asking the men who had been assigned guard duty for something to eat, but they were occupied and I didn’t figure it would serve me well to irritate them in the long run. I hoped Alex and Ellie were okay. Both must be totally freaking out. The others shouldn’t have any idea that anything was ever wrong, so I suspected that other than my honorary daughter and my best friend, everyone was going about their business as usual.
I heard blades whirring overhead less than twenty minutes later. It sounded like they were early. Saul and Adira came out of the office. He looked at the other two. “Go check it out. The chopper is early, which makes me wonder.”
“Wonder about what?” one of the card players asked.
“Just go check it out,” the boss instructed.
The two men left the cabin and the head man turned to me. “We are going to need to untie you to take you out. Remember, you are leaving of your own free will. If you struggle or do anything that might cause anyone watching alarm, I will kill those precious teenagers you seem so intent on protecting.”
“I won’t do anything. I promise. I’ll go with you, my husband will pay the ransom, and we will all live to see a
nother day.”
The man smiled, a creepy, evil sort of smile. “That’s the plan, sweetheart.” The man looked at Adira. “I will be leaving you here with Craven and Scully. As long as you continue to play your part, your friends live. Once this deal is done and we are able to disappear I’ll set them free. Do you understand?”
“Yes,” Adira said. “I understand. I won’t do or say anything to cause alarm. Please don’t hurt them.”
“That will be up to you.”
The two men who had been sent out to do recon returned. “The chopper is here. Different pilot.”
Saul frowned. “What is that all about?” He asked if the pilot had come alone and was told he had.
“Okay. We’ll head out as planned. The two of you stay here and keep an eye on the goddess and the rest of the girls. If she does anything to alert the others, shoot her.”
“Yes, Boss.”
Saul nodded and I was untied. I was told to stand up and I did. I was then instructed to walk out to the helicopter and climb inside. Saul followed me out and we walked toward the helipad, which was behind the compound.
“I was told I was picking up five passengers,” the pilot said.
“Change of plans. Where is Sam?”
“He broke his leg,” the pilot answered, “so I am filling in for him.”
Saul frowned. “Do you know where we are heading?”
The pilot shook his head. “I was told you would provide directions when I picked you up.”
Saul rattled off coordinates for a small, local airfield about a hundred miles away. The pilot nodded and repeated the location, as if to confirm it in his own mind. And then the strangest thing happened: I could swear the pilot winked at me.
Then he told me to settle in and turned around and pulled back the lever. The chopper lifted into the air. “Buckle up. We have some wind shears to deal with today.”
“Doesn’t seem windy to me,” Saul responded.
“There are pockets of turbulence.”