The Girl From Diana Park

by Alec Peche

  “We do. Whoever is caring for Hannah says she's free after five for the next three nights. That implies the girl has obligations and a schedule. That doesn't sound like someone held in captivity. Furthermore, the message indicated that they were arranging it around your daughter's schedule and not that of the adults with her,” Gregory said.

  “I assume you two want to do a call. We're running out of time to make arrangements for tonight. How about if I ask for tomorrow at five in the evening? That will give us time to move you to a safe location to host the call. We can't conduct the call from here as it would potentially give away your location.”

  The Sherwoods nodded their agreement looking hopeful and fearful. Hopeful that they would find their daughter safe during the call tomorrow, fearful, that she still might be in a bad situation.

  “Although the call will not be until five, we'll need to move you well before then. We're thinking of using our video conferencing facility at the San Francisco Courthouse. If the person that has sent us emails traces us to that location, it will be challenging for them to make arrangements to attack you two. The building has armed guards and great security. The only other place I think might be better is San Quentin prison. No one would be able to attack that facility to obtain your release!” Kinnear said.

  “Personally, I'd rather call from a courthouse than the prison. I have nightmares about being accidentally left behind in prison,” Amy said, shuttering.

  “Okay. We'll plan to move you about eleven in the morning taking a circular route to the courthouse. Once there, we'll have time on our hands. We'll grab lunch there and attend to the call in a conference room. On our end, we'll be trying to gain information about the callers like who they are and where they're located.”

  Jason nodded, pleased with the plan. He wondered if ether Amy or he would be able to sleep that night, knowing their quest for their daughter was nearly at an end. They continued talking with the agents and were eventually left alone.

  “Jason, who do you think is caring for Hannah?”Amy asked.

  “I don't know. I don't even have a sense if it's a man or woman. Really all we know is the person is very technology savvy and they know the allergy detail about Hannah. We'll hope for the best tomorrow.”

  “What is the best?” Amy asked with a sob.

  Jason reached over and comforted Amy, putting his arm around her. It had been trying year from the moment they hadn't made it to the safe room, to their escape and the now endless boredom of being in protective custody. Furthermore, there was no end in sight as the trial was still two to three years off and they would have to remain in protection for some time beyond the end of the trial.

  “I think the best for Hannah at the moment would be a safe location for her and a good set of foster parents. We could ask her to join us here, but if she is safe and happy elsewhere, then she should stay there.”

  Amy leaned back from Jason and looked into his eyes, nodding her agreement.

  “I would love to have her with us, but this is no life for a teenager. When the legal proceedings are over, how would we record her high school classes? I suppose we could home-school her.”

  “Yes, but living with us restricts her from even going outside. It's not just that she would be home-schooled, but she would have to cut off all social connections except us. That's a pretty horrible experience for a teenager.”

  “She's always been a strong girl. She'll tell us what is best,” Amy said.

  “Let's just agree to be hopeful about the call tomorrow and not worry about anything else. All we want is for Hannah to be healthy and happy, right?”

  “Right.”

  “Someday we'll have our life back. Once the trial is over, and the conglomerate is neutralized, we should get new names and plastic surgery and start a new life.”

  “How will we start a new life? We're young, and we'll need jobs. How will we get a reference? Where will the money come from? Do you think our house has been foreclosed on as we haven't written a check for the taxes or anything else?”

  “I asked the agents to check for me maybe a month ago, and at the time, our taxes had been paid, and the utilities were on. Weird. I assume the Marshals Service is paying the bills, so we have something at the end of the trial,” Jason replied.

  “Oh, okay. I don't understand this new world of ours. It seems that while we have our personal safety, we don't have control of anything in our lives including our own daughter.”

  “Maybe that's for the better. We'd make dismal parents at the moment. If only I'd never gone to work for that company. You and Hannah would be safe and together.”

  “Com'on Jason, we've been over this already. Moping about making different decisions doesn't change where we are now or make this situation any better. Let's just move on and hope for great news from Hannah tomorrow. Besides it's the company I went to work for that's the problem now.”

  He leaned close to his wife grateful that she didn't blame him for their confinement. He hoped tomorrow would bring good news from their daughter.

  Chapter 25

  Damian had provided their mysterious contact with a number to reach them tomorrow, and so his work was done. It was time to enjoy the here and now on a date with Ariana. She'd seen him in every clothing imaginable from playing regular clothes to swimsuits as they snorkeled or taught Hermione how to play water polo. They had seen each other in every type of clothing except formal wear, and he'd bet she would look sensational in a fancy dress. He couldn't think of a time when she didn't look beautiful.

  It was the first date that he'd rode in his date's car with her driving. Yep, Damian thought, he was going to be rusty at this dating thing. It was weird going on a date with a woman that at present was his best friend. How would the evening evolve from friendship to romance? He needed to stop thinking about the future and just enjoy the here and now. He had to stop his brain from its natural progression of what-if scenarios – something that it usually did all day.

  Shortly they arrived at the first of perhaps the fifteen or so galleries aligning Bridgewater Street. While they progressed down the street, they were also keeping an eye open for dinner. Ariana was casually looking for a piece for her house. She was tired of a watercolor that she had in her bedroom. She didn't know what she was looking for only that she would fall in love when she set her eyes on it. Damian was thinking of his house and couldn't remember if he had any.

  “Do I have any artwork on my walls?” he suddenly asked Ariana.

  She looked over at him with a deeply amused glance and said, “Why do you think I made this our first date? It was a subtle way to add something to your walls if we could find something that you like. Have you seen anything that catches your eye? Moves you? Has you looking at more than once?”

  Damian smiled at her smile and said, “That bad, huh? Why do I need art when I have the best view in the world? Mother nature is my canvas.”

  “Touche! Perhaps though you would like a piece that takes you away from San Francisco Bay to another part of the world you enjoy?”

  “Hmmm,” was all Damian said. He hadn't seen anything yet, that fit Ariana's description.

  He held out his arm, and they strolled arm in arm stopping at times to comment on some really awful piece of art in a low voice. Art was in the eyes of the beholder as evidenced by some of the prices that Picasso's works sold for. Edward Munch's 'The Scream” sold for over $100Million and yet Damian's only use for such a painting would be to put it on the cliff walls of his island to scare people off like a no-trespassing sign.

  They ended their art gallery stroll with no purchase for either of them.

  “I guess this isn't our night to find great art,” Ariana said.

  “Maybe I have bad juju for finding great art and that cast a pall on you finding anything as well.”

  “Sorry, but I've had days like this before, and in fact, I'm rarely successful in actively looking for something. I do much better accidentally falling on the perfect piece.
Did you at least get any ideas of what you might want on your walls?”

  “No. Mostly I now know what I don't want. I do think I would like something in black and white or sepia picture of something,” Damian said.

  “Have you looked through your pictures on your phone to see if there is anything there that might serve you – say from our vacation to the Great Barrier Reef?”

  “That's a thought. I'll look there. Let's duck into this Italian restaurant. I'd love a great pasta tonight. Would that suit you?”

  “Sure, they have good food. I've eaten here before.”

  Damian hesitated at her last comment and said, “Would you like to go to some place that you've never been to?”

  “I don't know if there is such a place in Sausalito,” Ariana said with a laugh.

  Damian grabbed her hand, and they went inside and soon had a table overlooking the water. Sunset had already occurred, and so they enjoyed the view of the marina and its lights at night. There was a comfortable silence perhaps as each of them thought of prior dates with their spouses.

  “I feel like it's rare for two people of the same approximate age to have lost their spouses and in my case, their children and meet, have an outside child to unite over and have lots in common,” Damian murmured.

  “Are you trying to sell me on why we should be together with all that in common?”

  “No. Just commenting on the mathematical weirdness of us being together.”

  “The world's a strange place with random things happening all the time. I would say this is a random good thing, rather than the random bad things that took our spouses and children in your case.”

  “True. Forgive my moroseness.”

  “I don't think you're being morose, rather it's your brain calculating the rare odds of us being together. My advice is to let it go and run with the moment. We could lose Hermione tomorrow. Do you think we would stay together or go on a second date without her to care for?”

  Damian thought for a while and then nodded, “Yes I do think we would stay together. Of course, I would also try to stay in contact with her if she's able to return to her parents. We could be a favorite aunt and uncle.”

  “Yeah, we could! Thanks for that thought. I'll admit I've been a little down myself thinking that Hermione might leave me. I enjoy my aunt role with my nieces and nephews, and I could add her to that category.”

  “Okay then let's focus on us. Since we vacationed together, fought killers together, and run a company together, we know a lot about each other, but let's use this date to find out new stuff. If you hopped on a plane tomorrow and had to tell the pilot to head to a location, what would that locale be?”

  “Good question. Am I by myself, with you, with girlfriends, or is it the three of us?”

  “With your girlfriends.”

  “We would head to Milan and eat, drink, and shop our way through Italy. Start at the fashion houses in Milan and the wines of the Lombard region, then move over to Venice for some glass and food, then head south to Florence for leather, park a few days in Tuscany before heading south to Rome for the flight home. Of course, we'd have a private driver so we wouldn't have to worry about drinking and driving.”

  “Wouldn't be my first choice, but I understand. Where would you direct the plane if it was just me on board?”

  “I think we would head for somewhere in Australia to spend time scuba diving. There are many choices there, we just have to find one without sharks,” Ariana said giving a shudder.

  “Good luck finding that site.”

  “How about you? Where do you want to go by yourself and with me?”

  “I might point the plane toward a destination that would allow me to see the Aurora Borealis if I was by myself. With you, I would head the plane to Salt Lake City to see the National Parks there and do some glam-camping.”

  “Is the glamorous camping for me or you?”

  “Me. I don't mind tent walls, but I want to sleep on a regular mattress. After hiking or biking all day, the last thing I want is an uncomfortable place to sleep.”

  “Okay, my turn. You have a chef who will cook anything, what does he make for you for dinner?”

  They continued the twenty questions through dessert and weaved their way back through the town to where her car was parked.

  Arriving back at her house for a glass of wine, they continued their fun question game, until kissing took over. Damian had both wondered and fantasized what it would be like to take Ariana to bed, and hours later he admitted the real thing was better than the fantasy.

  The next morning in her kitchen, they were making coffee to take outside and enjoy the day. Hermione was due home in a few hours from her sleepover and the three of them would head over to his island for the call.

  “Thanks for letting me stay the night. It was wonderful,” Damian told Ariana.

  She nodded not saying anything in return with her eyes closed, but her face smiling while catching the first ways of the sun. About one in three days were foggy, and this was not going to be one of them. They planned to get a thirty-minute swim in her heated pool and clean up before Hermione was expected home. Then they were leaving early to head over to his island, making sure that everything was in place for the call. What happened after the call was anyone's guess.

  Chapter 26

  It was early afternoon, and the three of them were settled on lounge chairs with blankets as the February air was cold. While their respective homes were both located on San Francisco Bay, the temperature could vary as much as fifteen degrees. It seemed that despite the anxiety about the call later that day, everyone at the moment needed some extra sleep. They could have slept indoors, but the sound of boats going by made the perfect noise to create sleepiness.

  They had a good half hour under their belt when Damian's cell phone began sounding an alarm. It woke all of them from their sleep, and Ariana and Hermione looked at him in annoyance as their naps had been too short.

  He stood up gathering the blankets they used and said, “That alarm indicates there's an intruder on the island. Let's go inside and see what's going on. I'm glad we all came on my boat as it's inside the watercraft garage and that's locked up tight.”

  They hurried toward the door with the two cats and Manuel following them. They'd also been dosing when the alarm sounded. They soon entered the house and followed Damian down to his lab to see what was going on. He guessed it was probably just a weekend boater who couldn't read the sign that said 'private property, stay off Red Rock Island'. When he saw the video feed of his beach, he was appalled.

  “Oh boy! Ladies, I'll need your help, until the police arrive, to defend ourselves.”

  “I'll make the call to the police while you organize what you want us to do,” Ariana said using her cell phone to call the 9-1-1 operator.

  “I'm ready!” Hermione said. “I've been practicing with a video game to shoot people with water cannons. Let me operate that station.”

  Ariana and Damian looked at each other and then at Hermione.

  “I have a new technology you can try. I have a metal cord that shoots out and wraps itself around your legs or waist. There are fish hooks on each end to dig into clothing and make it harder to move your legs if it's around the lower body or move your arms around the upper body. The men need to be within about fifteen feet of the gun in the cliff, and so if you're keeping them away with the water cannon, you won't have a chance to try the cord.”

  “Maybe next time I visit the island, I can practice. I want to be Bat-girl!”

  Ariana and Damian swallowed, hoping there would be a next time. It really all depended on that call later.

  “Sweetie you have surprises every day,” Ariana noted. Then she spoke to the emergency dispatcher that answered giving her a status of what was going on. Ariana could tell there was some disbelief in the dispatcher's voice, and so she offered to connect the dispatcher with the video feed inside Damian's lab. The dispatcher soon saw the same feed that featured armed men
jumping off a yacht with automatic weapons in their hands. Ariana could hear her making background commands to get them some help.

  “How soon do you think we'll see police here to help us?” Ariana asked in a calm voice having every faith that Damian's building and tactics would keep them safe.

  “The Oakland Air Patrol will be responding, and their ETA is ten minutes. San Francisco has a twenty minute ETA, and the Contra Costa County Sheriff is unable to respond at this time. I will stay on the line until police arrive and take command.”

  “Thank you,” Ariana said. Rather than put the phone on speaker and distract Hermione and Damian, she used her Bluetooth headset to stay in contact with the dispatcher.

  “Remember this house is reinforced and so we should be able to withstand anything short of a bomb being dropped. Guns won't have an effect on the house's shell. Let's keep them on the beach. I have a new technology I'm going to try – it's a few swarms of drones. I also have them loaded like with canisters that will drop my pepper spray green dye on them. I put the mixture in pods like you see used for laundry detergent, but the plastic covering is more fragile, so it will bust open immediately. They'll be successful shooting down some of the drones, but I have the drones arriving from both sides of the island as well as from the mountaintop. I got the idea from the Independence Day shows that went from fireworks to drone shows.”

  “When this is over will you teach me to operate drone swarms?” Hermione asked.

  Ariana teared up over the question, and Damian took a big swallow before saying, “Sure kiddo.”

  They crewed their stations with Ariana planning to aid Hermione. She knew nothing of Damian's drone swarms, but she could whack a mole with the water cannons.

  Her earpiece indicated that help was being marshaled as she heard background communication with officers to be dispatched in boats. Ariana checked in with the dispatcher briefly to confirm that she could still see the feed on the cameras. She smiled when she had news that the Coast Guard was redirecting a ship toward the island.