“Daisy? What’s wrong?”
“It’s Malcolm,” she said in a voice full of fear, “he’s been kidnapped.”
Chapter 13
DAISY
DAISY’S HAND SHOOK as she held the phone out to Jacob. “Look at this message. It’s a private one sent to me through Twitter.”
Jacob frowned as he read the message. “I don’t think much of their spellings. And their punctuation is atrocious.”
“Never mind that. Look at what he’s said. He’s taken Malcolm and won’t give him back until we pay him two thousand pounds.” She swallowed her rising panic. “He says if we don’t, he’ll start sending pieces of Malcolm to us.”
Jacob gave the phone back to her. “Just let him try. He might not look it, but Malcolm can get aggressive if threatened.”
“But the kidnapper might subdue him somehow. You hear about these things happening.”
“Not around here.” Jacob pointed to her phone. “We’re obviously not dealing with a criminal mastermind. Not if the grammar is anything to go by.”
Daisy didn’t voice her next thoughts. A person didn’t have to be a mastermind to be a sadist. She said, “What are we going to do? Should we call the police?”
“According to that message, we’re not supposed to.” Jacob pulled a look of disgust. “Do criminals really think we wouldn’t get the police involved? I’ll give Andrew a ring straight away. He’s the local police officer. But he might be out fishing.”
“Fishing? Isn’t he on duty? Shouldn’t he be at the police station ready to take any emergency calls?” Her voice began to rise hysterically.
Jacob held his hands up. “There’s no need to shout. We don’t have much crime around here, so Andrew doesn’t need to be on duty all the time. But I’ll track him down. Once I’ve phoned him, we’ll start looking for Malcolm. Have you considered that message could be a hoax? And just a coincidence? Malcolm might have run off somewhere.” He pulled her into a hug. “Try not to panic. We’ll find him.”
Daisy tried to quell the growing unease in her stomach. She had an awful feeling that the kidnapping was real. Furthermore, she knew it was her fault. She should never have put Malcolm on the internet. She was internet savvy enough to know how many idiots were out there in cyberland.
She pulled herself free and said, “I’ll start asking people nearby if they saw anything. Malcolm wasn’t left alone for long. Someone must have noticed if a stranger opened the van and took him out.”
“If that has happened, then someone will know about it.” Jacob gave her a small smile. “They’re a nosy bunch around here, and for once, I’m grateful for that.” He pulled his brick of a phone out. “I’ll get in touch with Andrew first, then I’ll go up to the hotel and church. If he has run off, Malcolm might have headed that way. You start talking to the neighbours. I’ll ring you in a bit to let you know what’s happening.”
Daisy managed the smallest of smiles. “Don’t touch anything in the passenger side of your van. There could be valuable evidence there. It’s a crime scene now.”
Jacob shook his head. “We don’t know if this is a crime yet.” He pressed some buttons on his phone and then put the phone to his ear. He grimaced. “It’s the answering machine. Andrew must be out on his boat. He won’t have gone far. I’ll find him.”
Daisy looked frantically up and down the street hoping to see Malcolm bounding happily towards them. “Isn’t there someone else you could phone? Another police officer? The emergency department? We have to do something right now!”
Jacob put a hand on her shoulder. “We’ll find him. I know we will. I’m going to the hotel now. You can come with me.”
“No, we’ll be more effective if we split up.” Without another word, Daisy walked away from him and headed into the gift shop next door.
The woman behind the counter gave her a big smile of welcome. Due to her panicked state, Daisy couldn’t remember the woman’s name despite meeting her yesterday.
Before the woman could say a word, Daisy blurted out, “Have you seen Malcolm? He’s a big, hairy dog with beautiful eyes.”
“I know who Malcolm is, dear. But no, I haven’t seen him.” She smiled. “Is he in trouble? Has he pinched some sausages from the butchers? He’s done that a few times, the cheeky scoundrel! You should have seen him last time. He looked like one of them cartoon dogs running down the street with a string of sausages in his mouth. Why, only last month—”
Daisy held her hand up to stem the woman’s flow of words. “Have you seen anyone suspicious hanging around this morning?”
The woman’s eyes narrowed. “Do you mean Wendall McGuire? I’ve told him a million times I’m not interested in his dodgy herbs.”
“No, I don’t mean Wendall.” Daisy was finding it hard to breathe as the panic in her increased. “Malcolm’s been kidnapped, according to a message I got. He was taken from Jacob’s van right under our noses.” She suddenly burst into tears. “It’s all my fault! I shouldn’t have made him an internet sensation!”
The woman dashed over to Daisy’s side and put her arm around Daisy’s shoulders. “There, there. Calm yourself down.” She handed Daisy a tissue. “Start from the beginning. Did I hear you right? Did you say Malcolm has been kidnapped? That can’t be right. We don’t have kidnappings around here. That kind of thing only happens on the TV.”
Daisy wiped her eyes. “It has happened. Some evil troll saw Malcolm online and decided to make some money out of him. I should have known better. I shouldn’t have put his adorable face online.”
“Did you say troll?” The woman removed her arm and looked Daisy straight in the eyes. “Have you bought anything from Wendall McGuire? Are you hallucinating?” She shook her head at herself. “You wouldn’t know if you were, would you? Let me make you a strong cup of tea and you can tell me what you’re seeing right now.”
“I don’t have time. This is all real.” Daisy showed her the message on her phone. There was now another message which said a piece of Malcolm would be delivered to Daisy’s office within two hours if she didn’t pay up.
The woman’s face flushed red with anger as she read the words. “How dare someone do that to lovely Malcolm? How dare they? If they so much as hurt one hair on him, I’ll throw them in the sea! Have you phoned Andrew?”
“Jacob has. Andrew’s fishing.”
The woman shook her head. “Fine time to go fishing! Leave this with me. I’ll speak to everyone in town and see if they saw anything. Give me your mobile number and I’ll let you know if we find anything out.”
Daisy’s eyes filled with tears. “Thank you.”
“There’s no need for thanks. We look after our own in Holly Blue Bay, and that includes you.”
Daisy gave the woman her number and took hers in return. She headed back to her office and slumped into her chair. How could this have happened? How could someone sneak past her building and steal Malcolm? And what sort of person does that?
Daisy’s guilt was eating her up. She had to do something. But what could she do?
She read the messages again. An idea popped into her mind like a flashing light bulb. Yes, she could do something. Jacob was right about the kidnapper not being a mastermind. This kidnapper had used an account which Daisy could easily access.
She was going to fight fire with fire. Or in this case, fight internet crime with internet justice. She just hoped it wouldn’t all backfire on her. This could damage her reputation beyond repair. But she didn’t care about that. She cared about Malcolm and his safety.
Chapter 14
JACOB
JACOB WAS MORE CONCERNED about Daisy than Malcolm as he drove away from her. She looked worried sick. He had no doubts she’d be feeling guilty about this so-called kidnapping. Shouldn’t it be called dognapping? He was sure it was all a hoax. He’d read in his newspapers about the weird things which happened online. It seemed to him that the internet was full of cowards who didn’t think twice about writing awful things about othe
rs, but those cowards wouldn’t dare say such things to the same person’s face. Oh no, they didn’t have the guts to do that, and they hid behind the shield of the internet.
“I’ve said it before, Malcolm, and I’ll say it again. The internet is nothing but trouble.” He glanced Malcolm’s way. His heart sank when he realised his dog wasn’t there. He’d already forgotten he was missing. Jacob’s hands gripped the steering wheel more tightly as the thought of a kidnapping finally became a possibility in his mind. But why would someone take Malcolm? And why would they demand such a paltry sum for him? Malcolm was worth more than two thousand pounds. He was worth...well, he was priceless.
Jacob’s mood darkened as he arrived at the hotel. He stormed into the building and over to Liza. Without any preamble, he snapped, “Have you seen Malcolm this morning?”
Liza backed up behind the reception desk. “Hey, there’s no need to shout because you’ve lost your dog.”
“I haven’t lost him,” Jacob retorted. “He’s got himself lost. Or something worse.” He ran a hand through his hair and scanned the area around him. “Have you seen him or not? I haven’t got time to waste.”
Liza rushed around to him and put a hand on his shoulder in an effort to calm him. “What do you mean, something worse? What’s happened?”
Jacob quickly explained about the possible kidnapping. Liza’s face turned ashen.
She said, “What sort of a person would do that?”
Jacob shrugged. “I don’t know. I’m not even sure Malcolm has been taken yet.” His heart suddenly felt heavy. “But Liza, what if someone has taken him? They could have him locked up somewhere. They might hurt him, if they haven’t already.”
“Stop that kind of talk immediately, I won’t have it. Right, let’s think about this clearly. Have you phoned Andrew?”
“I have. He’s out fishing.”
Liza rolled her eyes. “He’s as much use as a chocolate teapot. I’ll get my staff to search the hotel and the grounds. Have you been to the church yet?”
“Not yet.”
Liza pulled her phone out. “I’ll phone Enoch. He’ll have a good look for Malcolm. He’s got the church choir there this morning on one of their rehearsals. They can look for Malcolm too. Have you been home to see if Malcolm is there?”
“I haven’t.” He frowned at her phone. “You don’t have to go to all this trouble for me. I’ll search for Malcolm on my own.”
Liza gave him a kind look. “You don’t have to do any of this on your own. You have many friends in this town.” She gave him a half shrug. “Well, many people who’ll tolerate you. But we all love Malcolm. We’ll find him. You go home and look for him there. I’ll let you know if we find him.”
Jacob suddenly felt his eyes stinging with tears. He cleared his throat and looked away from Liza. He mumbled, “Thanks. I appreciate it.”
Liza moved so she was in his line of vision. “No thanks needed. Like it or not, you’re part of this town. I still don’t understand why Malcolm would be kidnapped. I can’t imagine someone local doing that.”
Jacob shrugged. “Daisy thinks it’s someone who’s seen him online. She put some photos and videos of him on her website last night, and people love him apparently. What was the word she used? Trending, I think. I’ve no idea what that means.”
Liza turned away, but not before he saw the worry in her eyes. She said quietly, “There are some dangerous people on the internet.”
“You don’t blame Daisy for this, do you?”
Liza didn’t meet his gaze. “Course not. Off you go. Let me make my phone calls.”
“This isn’t Daisy’s fault,” Jacob repeated before leaving the hotel.
He called out Malcolm’s name as he headed to his van. He quickly changed direction. He knew Liza said she’d phone Enoch, but he might as well check the church himself seeing as he was so close.
Jacob headed to the graveyard, still calling Malcolm’s name. But his dog wasn’t there. Jacob rested for a moment by his parents’ grave. He placed his hand on their headstone and said quietly, “I’ll find him. I won’t rest until I do.”
He drove the short distance to his home, and then checked every room. His voice became hoarse as he continued to call out Malcolm’s name. His dog wasn’t anywhere.
He phoned Daisy, but she didn’t answer. She must be busy talking to the shop owners and people in town. Some of them could talk the hind leg off a donkey. He reckoned Daisy could do with some help, and he headed back to town.
There was a commotion on the main street and many people were milling about and chatting with each other. Jacob parked his van and walked over to them.
Some of them had their backs to him and he heard a man say, “It’s her fault. That woman from London. Coming here with her ridiculous ideas and London ways! She put that poor dog all over the World Wide Web. And all the lowlifes came crawling out of the woodwork and saw him. Easy picking, they thought. Easy money. And now poor Malcolm has gone! We’ll never see him again, and it’s that woman’s fault.”
There were murmurs of agreement.
Jacob moved closer to the gossiping man and gave him a hard look. “What was that you said about Daisy?”
The man stuck his skinny chest out as he turned around. “It’s just what everyone else is saying. Malcolm would be safe in your van if it wasn’t for her. I don’t even know why she came here with her plans to improve our town. Pah! There’s nothing wrong with our town.” He wagged his finger at Jacob. “You’re a fool for getting involved with her. She could have organised this kidnapping as a publicity stunt. Have you considered that?”
“No, I haven’t because that’s a stupid thing to say,” Jacob replied coldly. “You should know better than to gossip about people, John Evans, after what I’ve seen in your garage.”
John Evans’ face turned red. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. But I know what people are saying about that friend of yours. Malcolm has been taken because of her! You know it too.”
“I don’t know that at all!” Jacob was beginning to lose his temper. He knew shouting at John Evans would make him feel better, but this wasn’t the time to do it. “Daisy would never put Malcolm in danger. It was my idea to put him on the internet.” He paused a fraction. It had actually been Daisy who’d first suggested it, but he wasn’t going to tell this lot that. “Daisy is going out of her mind with worry over Malcolm. She loves him.”
John Evans shrugged. “She didn’t look that worried when she left town a few minutes ago.”
“Left town? What do you mean?”
“She got in that car of hers and left with not so much as a backward glance at this town,” John explained with a hint of smugness in his voice. “Good riddance, I say. It’s better she goes now before she causes any more problems.”
Jacob turned away from the smirking man and marched over to Daisy’s building. He tried the door. It was locked. He phoned her again. She didn’t answer.
Sweat broke out on Jacob’s forehead. Had Daisy really left Holly Blue Bay?
Chapter 15
DAISY
DAISY WAS SURE SHE’D never sweated so much in her life, not even after that awful kickboxing class Tilly had dragged her to last year. But she wasn’t perspiring this time because of physical activity; she was in this condition because of extreme nervousness. And who wouldn’t be anxious in her position? Instead of doing the sensible thing and waiting for the police to deal with Malcolm’s kidnapping, Daisy had decided to take matters into her own hands. After sending many private messages to her online followers, she had contacted the kidnapper and told him she would pay the two thousand pounds if they met in a public place.
And now here she was, in a car park of a pub miles from Holly Blue Bay. The pub could only be described as dodgy. Dangerous was another word she could use. What about unsavoury? That would describe it too. And the people hanging about near the door were definitely shady-looking. Perhaps even menacing.
She mumbled to her
self, “Come on, get out. You can’t sit here acting like a human thesaurus all day.”
She got out of her car and locked it. She checked the handle three times to make sure it was locked, not that a lock would stop a determined criminal. She pulled her handbag closer to her chest as if it could defend her from any possible attack. She put a confident look on her face and moved towards the pub entrance. Even though she was quite a distance from the door, the people standing there stopped talking and slowly turned their heads her way.
Daisy’s confident smile vanished, and Daisy wished she could do the same. This was a mistake. She shouldn’t have come here alone. And she shouldn’t have a bag stuffed with two thousand pounds. She was an idiot, and she knew it. When her imminent robbery was on the news later, people would shake their heads in disbelief at her stupidity.
But then Daisy remembered why she was being so foolish. An evil monster had stolen Malcolm. Lovely Malcolm with his smiling, furry face. She wasn’t going to wait for that fishing policeman to deal with this. No, she was going to deal with the monster herself, no matter the consequences for her.
Daisy marched towards the entrance in a determined manner, the anger over Malcolm’s kidnapping increasing by the second. Two burly men at the door looked her over and moved to block the entrance.
The anger in Daisy was red-hot now. She snarled at the men. “Shift out of my way! Right now!”
The tallest man burst out laughing. “Whoa there, missy. There’s no need to shout. Why don’t you stop and chat a while?”
Daisy threw her handbag to the ground, grabbed the man’s forearm and lunged at him, twisting as she did so. Her anger gave her a boost in energy, and she easily flipped the man over and onto his back. She glowered at the other man who was still standing in front of the door. She snapped, “Well? Are you going to move or should I help you move?” She jabbed her fists at him.
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