by C. Fennessy
Chapter 3: The Plan
Kelly, Jan, and Cindy each slid to a stop, sending a spray of white crystals into the air. They had made several runs down the mountain, trying different trails on each trip down.
"Let's get something hot to drink," Cindy said, "I need to warm up. My hands are freezing!"
The other two agreed and they set their skis on a rack outside the casual dining hall called Trails’ End. Inside were two large fireplaces, and numerous wooden tables and chairs. They found a table close to a window where they could watch the skiers. Soon they were drinking hot chocolate and munching on snacks.
"Do you think we'll meet any cute boys here?" Cindy asked the others.
"Oh, you mean like the bellboys? I saw you checking them out," Jan teased.
"Well, I wouldn't mind meeting them," Cindy admitted, "Too bad our boyfriends couldn't come."
“Well, there are plenty of guys to choose from here,” Jan pointed out. She leaned close to Cindy and said quietly,
“Like that guy over there in the red and black plaid hat. He’s been looking at you, Cindy. I think he’s just your type. Why don’t you go over and ask him to join us?”
Cindy’s eyes widened with excitement, as she asked, “Where? I don’t see him.”
“Right there!” Jan pointed.
Cindy’s jaw dropped.
“That old geezer? He’s old enough to be my father and twice as fat!”
“I think he likes you, Cindy! Older men can be really interesting,” Jan said.
“If you think he’s so interesting, you go over and talk to him!”
Kelly and Jan laughed while Cindy shook her head.
“You guys are always teasing me!” she quipped.
“Yeah, because it’s so much fun!” Jan replied.
Cindy joined in the fun and giggled.
After a short rest, the girls returned to the slopes and skied until the sun dipped below the horizon, casting a pale orange glow across the sky.
They finally decided to stop for the day, and dropped their ski equipment off at the storage hut. Then the girls returned to their suite and changed clothes, fixed their hair, and rested until dinner. They each phoned their boyfriends to tell them about their fabulous suite and the great skiing. The boys were more than slightly jealous.
The girls decided to have dinner at The Whitewater Steak House, and took the elevator up to the terrace on the second floor where the restaurant was located.
Meanwhile, the red-headed bus boy was just clocking out of work when he spotted the dark-haired man waiting for him outside on the loading dock. He joined his friend and lit a cigarette. The other man, Sam, spoke.
"I found out the room number for the Carlson girl," he said, looking around to make sure they were alone.
"She's definitely connected to the Carlson Hotel family. I spoke to the desk clerk and she told me the family is worth millions. I think we can do better than a few bags of jewelry and cash from her room."
The redheaded busboy, named Steve pulled, on his cigarette, asking, "What do you mean?"
Sam smiled. "How much do you think daddy Carlson would be willing to pay for the safe return of his daughter?"
Steve froze. He asked, "You mean, kidnap her?"
Sam gazed around before answering.
"It'll be easy. We just follow her until she's alone and then snatch her. We can keep her safely tucked away until her old man pays up, and then leave her somewhere. By the time they find her, we'll be long gone."
"I don't know, Sam. Kidnapping is a federal offense. You can get life if something goes wrong."
"What can go wrong? We aren't gonna harm the kid, just keep her tied up for a couple of days."
"Yeah, but where?"
"I know just the place," Sam said confidently. Steve looked worried.
"Think about it, Steve. She's worth four million at least. That's two for each of us. No more petty larceny. We can both retire in Mexico and live a life of ease. It'll be a piece of cake. Besides, I’m the one who decides what we do, remember? If you give me a hard time, you know what I'll do. I’ll see that your boss finds out that I caught you stealing. Once word gets out that you're a thief, you’ll never find another job."
Angrily, Steve threw his cigarette butt on the ground and went back inside.
Kelly was just finishing the last bite of her chocolate-frosted, Red Velvet Cake. She put down the fork and sighed.
"I am so stuffed!"
"Me, too," Jan agreed.
"Are you going to finish that?" Cindy asked pointing to Jan's Black Forest Torte.
"No. Help yourself."
Cindy slid the plate over and dived in with her fork. Jan and Kelly smiled at each other. They were used to Cindy's endless appetite. She could eat more than the other two girls put together. Her waistline was not as trim as it could be, but she still had a pretty face with large brown eyes and dark, wavy hair.
Cindy remarked, "I never knew skiing would give me such an appetite!"
Jan replied, “Everything gives you an appetite!”
Cindy scowled at her, but ate another forkful of dessert.
Jan giggled quietly behind her hand and Kelly smiled. Although Cindy’s appetite was always impressive, she was still a very special friend to both of them.
After dinner, the girls strolled around the first two floors of the hotel, browsing through the exclusive boutiques and peeking into the restaurants. Each restaurant had a different theme and menu, and they all agreed to try each one during their trip. Finally, they retired to their suite and Kelly gave her father a phone call to tell him about her day. She also made one more phone call to Keith before going to sleep. He confessed that he missed her already, and wished he could join her on the slopes.
In the lounge on the first floor, Sam and Steve were having a drink together. Sam told him, "We’ll wait and watch. We’ll figure out their routines and decide when the best time would be to grab the Carlson girl. We have to do it where nobody can see us."
"They're checking out on Sunday," Steve said.
"That gives us plenty of time. If they come into your restaurant for breakfast, try to listen in on their plans. I'll follow them wherever they go. If I see an opportunity to grab her, I'll call you. In the meantime, get two rolls of duct tape and a bandana. That will keep her quiet until we can move her."
Steve asked nervously, "But where will we keep her?"
"We'll take her to one of the empty cabins on the other side of Longview Mountain. I'll break in and get the place ready tomorrow."
Steve nodded, but he still looked worried. Sam grinned and shook his head.
"Relax, will ya? We can do this. I have it all figured out. Trust me!”
Steve gave an uncertain nod.
At breakfast, the girls ordered their meals and then enjoyed coffee while waiting for their food.
"We'll skate for a couple of hours and then go to the village to have lunch and to shop, okay?" Cindy asked.
Jan and Kelly nodded, "Yeah, unless you want to come back early and ski for a couple of hours after shopping," Kelly suggested.
"Let's just play it by ear and see how we feel when we come back here," Jan suggested.
The girls sipped hot coffee as Steve, the bus boy, cleared the table next to them. Cindy turned to Kelly with widened eyes.
"Kelly, you must promise me that when you go to New York City, if you see one of the Harris Brothers, especially Paul, you've got to get an autograph! I just love their music!"
Kelly grinned, "I don't think they'll be in New York for Christmas, Cindy. They're probably going to be home in London with their families."
"Or maybe down in Miami where it's sunny and warm," Jan said.
Suddenly, there was a loud crash as dishes fell on a nearby table. The Steve’s face turned as red as his hair.
"Sorry," he apologized, and his eyes met Kelly's. She smiled back at him, saying,
"That's okay."
Steve began picking up glass fragme
nts. He swept up the area to make sure it was clean, and then took his plastic bin full of dirty dishes back to the kitchen.
He couldn't get Kelly's face out of his mind. Her kind smile and lovely eyes made him feel guilty knowing she would be kidnapped from her friends and tied up in a cold, lonely cabin. He wondered if he and Sam could actually pull off a kidnapping without getting caught. Sam was tough and sure of himself, but Steve wasn't as confident. What if something went wrong? What if they got caught or someone saw him taking the girl? His hands began to shake and his heart beat faster.
Back in October, Sam had caught Steve stealing from a purse someone had left on a table. Steve had taken five dollars to buy gas for his car so he could get to work the next day. Instead of turning him in to the manager, Sam blackmailed Steve into helping him identify guests who would be good targets for stealing a little cash or jewelry from their rooms. Sam waited until the guests were out at dinner or out skiing for the day, and then broke into their rooms using a master key that Steve had taken from the housekeeping department.
Sometimes the robberies weren't discovered for several days. Since October, Sam had robbed over twenty guests. Steve wished he had never met Sam, but if he hadn't agreed to help him, Sam would report him to the management, and he’d lose his job. Taking money was bad enough, but kidnapping was a whole different ball game—one Steve wasn't sure he could play.