Spook ran ahead of Brian several times, stopping and howling as if he was trying to communicate something important.
“You have got to be the strangest cat I’ve ever known,” Brian murmured when they reached the house.
But when Spook ran ahead of him into the kitchen, he started scratching at the locked door that led down to the basement.
When Brian ignored him and started walking through the kitchen, Spook howled loudly, approaching Brian, hooking the nails of his front claws through the bottom of Brian’s faux leather costume pants.
“Hey. These have to be returned,” Brian murmured, before calling out, “Ashley?”
When Brian pulled out his cell phone and tried calling her number, he heard her phone ringing from the small desk in the nook where she used her laptop.
Spook continued to howl, running back and forth between Brian and the basement door.
“Okay. I’ll do what you want, Spook,” Brian muttered, wondering if Spook really was aware of something Brian wasn’t.
Unlocking the basement door, Brian followed Spook as he scrambled downstairs. Turning on the lights, Brian glanced around, seeing nothing, but realized that Spook was standing in the hallway, in front of the door that had once been bolted up.
Spook began howling again.
“But Spook,” Brian growled. “There’s nothing in there.”
Opening the door for the cat anyway, Brian walked inside, suddenly becoming aware of a cold draft coming in from somewhere nearby, even though there wasn’t a window in the room.
“I think I get it,” he said to Spook, when he started climbing atop the shelves.
Brian started pulling all the floor to ceiling metal shelves away from the wall.
And finally, he saw it.
A handle.
Along with a dark red lip liner laying on the floor, that Brian had seen Ashley use earlier tonight and stick into her pocket.
Someone had kidnapped Ashley.
Brian’s first instinct after sliding open the door a few inches was to walk into the dark murky depths of the tunnel.
But that wouldn’t be smart, and pulling out his phone, he realized he couldn’t get a signal.
Spook tried to slip through the opening.
“Damn it, Spook,” Brian muttered irritably. “Let me get a flashlight first, along with my weapon. Plus, someone needs to know where we are.”
Brian scrambled back up the staircase into the kitchen, where he got a signal and was able to call Jeff.
“Hello,” Jeff answered.
Brian spoke quickly. “Listen, Jeff. Call Jake Loughlin. I know he probably has surveillance going at your house, but someone’s kidnapped Ashley.”
“What? Why?”
“Hell if I know,” Brian growled. “There’s a tunnel I just found inside one of the storage rooms running from the basement. I’ll leave the door open, so you can find it. I think it’s the one my grandfather used to talk about, I’m sure he said that the tunnel opened somewhere along the edge of the lake down below. See if Jake can get someone to patrol the lake and look for any suspicious vessels docked near the house. I’m going after her.”
“I understand,” Jeff said. “I’m calling Jake now.”
Disconnecting the phone, Brian put it back in his pocket as he ran up the staircase to retrieve his Glock. He’d decided after opting out to have a weapon on hand for when he returned to Crystal Rock.
Rushing back downstairs, he grabbed the industrial strength flashlight that Ashley kept charged in one of the kitchen outlets and raced down the staircase into the basement.
Spook was still waiting when Brian slid open the door and aimed the beam of the flashlight through the tunnel.
Not wanting to dwell on what had happened to Ashley, Brian tried to keep up with Spook as he scrambled ahead. Spook seemed to be familiar with the tunnel, and Brian wondered if that’s how Spook had turned up in the tower room ten years earlier.
How long did a cat even live? Spook didn’t look any older than he had back then.
Weird.
But now Brian was worrying again. He could swear he heard voices as he approached a draftier part of the tunnel, and suddenly came upon an exit leading to the beach near the edge of the property.
But the tunnel continued past the entrance leading outside to the beach.
Suddenly, Brian heard a long soulful cry of a cat attacking its prey. “Meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeooooooooooooooooooooow.”
When Brian reached the entrance of the cave, his jaw dropped.
He couldn’t believe what he was seeing.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Totally disoriented, Ashley wondered what was going on as she awoke.
Where in the hell was she?
When she started looking around, she realized she was in some kind of cave. But she’d heard there were several hidden caverns like this hidden in the cliffs surrounding Crystal Rock Lake as well as near the river.
She could be anywhere, she figured, hearing crashing waves resounding from somewhere nearby.
Why would someone take her, she wondered, if Michelle had been the one to discover the notebook, and had the key to possibly locating the missing funds?
What use could Ashley be to anyone?
It was then that she noticed her hands had been locked up tight with handcuffs, attached to a long thick chain which had been cemented into the rocky wall.
Suddenly, she heard the sound of footsteps approaching through one of the passageways leading into the cave.
She closed her eyes, pretending to still be out.
Ashley could feel his eyes upon her a few minutes later. Then she felt his touch and shivered as he ran his hand across her face, moving it down over her chin and then her chest, before covering her breast.
And his laugh went wicked, when she quivered in revulsion.
“I knew you were awake.”
When he squeezed her breast, her first instinct was to scream.
But she needed to think with her head and be smart about how she reacted, and not fly off the handle. It was obvious that whoever it was had a thing for her.
She opened her eyes slowly, as if she had just awakened.
“Wade?” she murmured in shock.
And then she pulled herself together.
“I’m so glad that it’s you. I never would have turned to Brian if I had any idea at all that you were interested in me.”
He looked at her suspiciously, but she could tell that her words had caused a shift in attitude, because he wanted to believe what she said.
“I thought it might be something like that,” he answered with arrogance.
How long had he been feeling this way, she wondered? Maybe as far back as junior high, she realized, remembering all the times he’d hung around with her friends, not really saying anything. She’d been so full of herself back then that she’d actually drawn followers.
“If you take these cuffs off me, I’ll show you just how much I’ve wanted you.” She deliberately looked down at his crotch, and nearly puked, realizing he was definitely turned on, and it was happening quickly.
Pulling his keys out from inside his pocket, he was shaking so hard that they nearly dropped from his hand. After managing to uncuff one of her wrists, he paused before unlocking the other when the sound of a motor caught his attention.
“I’ll be back in a minute,” he growled, standing and rushing back through the tunnel to what was obviously a boat landing nearby.
She was still able to pull the pouch out from under her costume with one hand, but nearly dropped what she was after inside.
Ashley was worried that there would be someone with Wade when he returned, because she wouldn’t stand a chance of getting away.
A few minutes later, she heard the sound of the boat retreating, before footsteps echoed through the cave, and Wade returned through the opening, obviously alone.
He was unzipping his pants. “You’re the only woman I’ve always wanted, and now you�
�re going to be mine.”
His pants dropped down to the ground, and Ashley prepared herself to be patient, trying to control her disgust as he approached. She only had one chance to do it right, so she had to get him exactly where it counted.
Wade stepped up closer and pulling her hand out from where she had it hidden behind her back, she jabbed him as hard as she could with the short screwdriver gripped within her hand.
When he fell, screaming louder than anyone Ashley had ever heard, she reached down to his pants, slipping the handcuff key from his pocket.
“You bitch,” he finally cried.
And then when Ashley was ready to find her way out, Spook appeared like a wildcat, leaping through the air and landing smack in the middle of Wade’s chest.
“Meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeooooooooooooooooooooow.”
Wade started screaming louder. Spook had obviously landed with his claws out.
“Ashley? Babe, are you alright?” Brian called out from somewhere in the shadows, with definite humor in his voice. “Obviously, you didn’t need me.”
Ashley couldn’t believe it when she saw Brian appear at the opening of the cave, carrying a flashlight. He had a gun in his other hand, which he promptly tucked into his waistband.
She ran into his arms, where he held her for a very long time.
She heard the sound of a boat nearby and Brian quietly withdrew from her arms, gently tugging her into the shadows before approaching the opposite opening with his weapon drawn.
When Jake Loughlin entered the cave, Brian heaved a sigh and shoved his gun back into his waistband..
“Wade Davis, huh?” Jake took a look around and sighed, approaching Wade. “So much for my extensive background checks. I suppose we’d better get him some medical attention, although I could care less if he bleeds out.”
“Holy crap, Ash,” Brian murmured, studying Wade more closely as Spook continued to stand guard. “I’d better be careful to never do anything that pisses you off.”
It was a grim situation, but kind of crazy. And Ashley couldn’t help it. She laughed.
And so did everyone else.
Except Wade.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
When Michelle had been told that she’d inherited her grandmother’s property and her father had put it in her name, she’d assumed that the letter inside the package of information that had been handed over from her lawyer at the beginning of the year had been written by her father when she was a young girl.
Michelle had put in a call to her lawyer, Will Overton, when Jake had asked her if she’d been left any correspondence. When Will had called her back, he’d reminded her of the letter in the packet, apologizing for not mentioning that the letter had been sent to him by mail a few weeks before her father’s death. But since he, too, had been led to believe Tom Ashford had committed suicide, he hadn’t encouraged Michelle to open the letter immediately.
If only she would have thought about it sooner, she’d told everyone as they sat in the kitchen at Ashley’s house a few weeks later.
“No one would have known what to look for ten years ago,” Jake reassured her. “And now, even though we haven’t found all the notebooks, whoever’s been after Brian and Ashley’s parents has no reason to pursue them anymore. Everyone listed inside will be too busy trying to protect themselves, since the FBI has put out the word that we have the notebooks, and not just one, but all six of them. It’s nice to know exactly what they’ve been looking for.”
Jeff frowned. “Why do you suppose no one showed up at Michelle’s house to try and grab that notebook?”
“That’s what I’ve been worried about,” Jake answered, heaving a sigh. “It could only mean one thing.”
Brian observed, “Someone who’s working with you at the FBI is in on it, and they knew it was a trap?”
Jake grimaced. “If I had to hazard a guess, I would have to say yes. That’s why we’re going to install a top-notch security system on the property, Michelle. We don’t want anyone to know that we didn’t find all the notebooks when we did that thorough search of the house the following week. But I need you to promise that if you do find anything else, you’ll get a hold of me immediately.”
“That won’t be a problem,” Jeff replied. “What about the money?”
“Apparently the money wasn’t as important as we thought it was, although Wesley Armstrong killed to try and get a hold of it.”
“You were able to prove it?” Michelle asked.
“He won’t admit it. And the problem is, we can’t prove it was Wes, although he doesn’t know it,” Jake answered, sipping his coffee. “We were surprised that your grandfather wasn’t cremated, so we lucked out there.”
Michelle snorted. “Not so surprising, with the Hanover family mausoleum. He had strict instructions in his will. At least when Mom passed away, I didn’t have to pay for the burial. The money was already put aside.”
“What’s going to happen to Wesley Armstrong if he can’t be convicted for Michelle’s grandfather’s murder?” Jeff asked.
Jake smiled grimly. “He’s scared to death they’re going to come after him, so he’s giving us as many names as he knows so that we’re willing to protect him.”
Brian asked, “This ring is pretty prolific then?”
“It is,” Jake answered. “But we’ve always known that. The problem in the U.S. is so horrific, it would probably scare you to death to know the stats.”
Ashley growled, “What’s going to happen to Wade?”
Walking up behind Ashley and laying down a cup of coffee on the table in front of her, Brian smiled widely. “You mean after his nuts are repaired?”
Everyone laughed.
Finally Jake stopped laughing long enough to answer, “After his ah…surgery, he’s going to jail for a long while.” Jake frowned. “Turns out he and Wes Armstrong were the ones behind the trafficking scheme. He admitted it. For all we know, Michelle’s grandfather wasn’t even in on it and just saw the opportunity to seize the money.”
Michelle looked thoughtful. “Yes. That could be. My grandfather never treated me disrespectfully. He just had an old-fashioned attitude about women.”
Ashley was still puzzled. “I guess I realized that Wade had the hots for me years ago, but why did he abduct me when he did?”
Jake’s expression turned grim. “I didn’t want to have to tell you this, but it’s part of the reason we decided to put out the story of discovering the remaining notebooks. His partner, Wes, was planning on abducting you, Ashley. I guess it was out of desperation to try and get to your dad. He needed to get a hold of that money to start over, since one of the notebooks had been found, and it was the one where he was listed inside. And there’s no way he would have found out without someone inside our organization informing him.” Jake heaved a sigh. “But once Wade found out, he couldn’t let that happen without having you first. Who knows whether he would have held on to you or turned you over to Wes? I think it depended on how you responded once he kidnapped you.”
As Ashley shivered with revulsion, Brian squeezed her reassuringly from behind.
Jake continued, “And Wade was Wes’s illegitimate son. We just discovered that the other day. That explains the impressive credentials Wes had from his time away from Crystal Rock after graduating high school. Wade’s family has always been rather notorious, being involved in several unproven criminal schemes.”
Jeff stood up and poured himself more coffee. “Okay, Michelle and I decided the other night that we’re still confused, and we tried to puzzle out the situation.”
Jeff continued. “So it started with Michelle’s dad being contacted by Wes Armstrong, who was behind the investment scheme. But Tom Ashford discovered it was actually about human trafficking, so he started keeping records so he could expose the people involved?”
“That’s right. We’re still unsure if it was Wes Montgomery who got the ball rolling,” Jake answered. “But he was the same age as Michelle’s dad, who grew up
here in the area.”
“But somehow they found out dad was planning on exposing them?” Michelle asked.
“Yes. We think that Wes knew your dad had been collecting a lot of money Michelle, but was wondering why he wasn’t handing it over,” Jake said.
“And then he called my dad for help?” Ashley asked.
“Yes. And that’s what I feel bad about,” Jake murmured. “The fact that I was out of town for a few months supervising the building of a new hotel, otherwise I’m sure Michelle’s dad would have come to me instead.”
“I was wondering about that,” Michelle admitted, looking like she was ready to cry. “So Dad was used as an example?”
“We think so,” Jake said. “They thought that Ashley’s dad had been given the money and probably the notebooks, so they expected everything to be handed over.”
“And my mom and Ashley’s dad discovered Tom Ashford’s body in the real estate office?” Brian asked.
“Yes.” Jake hesitated. “And there was an attempt on their lives. Or, rather, we think they were planning on taking them somewhere to be questioned.”
“What?” Both Ashley and Brian responded in unison.
“Someone was waiting for them in the office, so they went after them when they rushed from the office to go to the police. I have a feeling they would have been taken away and tortured and possibly killed. Luckily, they made it through the alley to the police station and your dad had his cell phone with him Ashley, because they were being shot at. The first thing we did was send officers to your home and Brian’s and all of you were being watched carefully. But we figured they wouldn’t come out in the open after that and risk exposure.”
Visibly distressed, Ashley asked, “Why didn’t anyone tell us?”
“Because we needed them to think that your dad and Brian’s mom had what they wanted to keep everyone else safe. Imagine what would have happened if your dad admitted he didn’t know what the heck they were talking about? They would have never believed him. All of you would have been in greater danger. Plus, the only way for you to have a chance at staying safe was for them to think that your parents cared more about the money and each other than they did about all of you.” Jake sighed deeply. “Remember, these are extremely corrupt individuals who will always assume the worst.”
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