Mountain Hostage

by Hope White

  “Did you really just say that to him?”

  Jack glanced up. Zoe was blocking Detective Perry.

  “Excuse me?” Perry said.

  “That snarky remark about Jack losing me, too? He wasn’t the sole person responsible for Angie’s death, Detective, and to suggest as much is utterly cruel. You need to get right with yourself about what happened to your niece before you start casting blame on others.”

  Jack went to intervene, but Zoe put out her hand, as if she wouldn’t allow him to speak on his own behalf.

  With fire in her eyes, she glared at the detective. “This is bullying behavior and it’s unacceptable. They say bullies are victims, that they’ve been bullied themselves. I think you’ve been beating yourself up over your loss, and now you’ve aimed that frustration and self-loathing at Jack. It needs to stop because it’s only causing more friction and confusion when we’re trying to find my friend and apparently shut down a drug ring. Isn’t that our goal?”

  “It is,” Perry said.

  “Then deal with your grief and leave us out of your misery.”

  Silence blanketed the storage facility. Sergeant Peterson glanced at his phone and frowned. Another deputy, who was collecting evidence, looked away.

  Zoe held the detective’s gaze, not backing down. “Are we done?”

  “For now.”

  She glanced at Jack. “Take me back?”

  “Of course,” Jack said.

  Then she turned to Kelly, who was still staring blindly at the spot where Walter had landed after she’d hit him. Her boss, Curt, was patting her shoulder.

  “Kelly, do you want to come with us?” Zoe asked.

  “I’m going to drop her at her parents’ house,” Curt said.

  “Good, she shouldn’t be alone.” Zoe gave Kelly a hug. “Thank you for defending us. It will all be okay.”

  * * *

  Back at the duplex Zoe’s prayers had changed. Well, not changed completely, but they had been amended. Instead of praying solely for Shannon’s safe return, Zoe also started praying for strength to deal with the potential reality of her friend being a drug dealer.

  “No, I simply won’t believe it,” she whispered as she gazed out the window of the suite. She stood behind the curtain so no one outside could see her standing there. Along with sunset came more snow, which meant no search teams would be sent into the mountains.

  That’s when Zoe realized it didn’t matter if Shan had gotten involved in something shady. She was still loved, unconditionally, both by Zoe and God.

  “Thank you,” Jack said.

  Zoe glanced at him, but he didn’t look up from his laptop. “For what?”

  “What you said to Detective Perry.”

  “You’re welcome, although I’m a bit embarrassed about that.”

  That made him look at her. “Why?”

  “I kind of lost it. You don’t think I was too harsh?”

  “Sometimes harsh is necessary.”

  “I know, but I do feel sorry for the man. Yet I can’t stand watching someone be abused because the abuser hasn’t dealt with his own pain.” She went to Jack and glanced over his shoulder. “Any luck finding Shan’s phone?”

  “Not yet.” He tapped away at his keyboard, as if not wanting to give up, although she sensed it was a lost cause. Romeo slept contentedly by Jack’s feet.

  “I know you’re doing your best.” She placed her hand on his shoulder.

  His fingers stopped.

  She snatched her hand away. “Sorry, I shouldn’t touch you while you’re concentrating.”

  “No, it’s okay,” he said. He continued to type in code of some kind. “It makes no sense.”

  “What?” She went to the kitchenette and turned on the stove to warm water.

  “Are you making tea?” Jack said.

  “Yes, you want some?”

  “Please.”

  “What makes no sense?”

  “My program, designed to track a GPS signal, keeps giving me a bounce back.”

  “Meaning?”

  “It’s giving me Kelly’s phone location, instead of Shannon’s. I’m not sure how they’re doing that, rerouting the location to the receiving phone.”

  “So we’re dealing with someone who’s tech savvy?”

  “Yeah, but more tech savvy than me?” he said.

  “Ego much?” She winked.

  He half frowned.

  “Teasing again,” she said. “You sounded so surprised, maybe even horrified that someone could be better at this tech stuff than you. It’s kinda cute.”

  His frown deepened at that comment.

  “Don’t listen to me,” she said. “I’m worn out, hungry, confused, maybe a little sad.”

  “Tea will help.”

  She felt herself smile slightly at his comment. Jack thought he could assuage her emotional turmoil with the mention of tea. She appreciated his intention.

  “And food,” he said. “I’ll call the restaurant and place an order.” He stood and went to the bureau where he pulled out a leather-bound resort directory that included a restaurant menu. “You want a burger, sandwich, fish dinner...?” He glanced up. “What sounds good?”

  For half a second, she wasn’t a grieving friend, worried about Shannon, sucked into a maelstrom of danger. Zoe was a woman being asked to make a decision about dinner.

  Jack studied her, then looked back at the menu. “Or if that doesn’t sound good, they serve breakfast all day, even at night.”

  “Thank you.”

  He glanced up again. “For what?”

  “For making me feel a little normal during all this craziness.”

  “I’m not sure how I did that.”

  “Just say ‘you’re welcome.’”

  “You’re welcome?” And he shared a curious smile.

  “I’ll take a turkey sandwich on wheat.”

  “Okay. I’ll place our orders.”

  “And fries.”

  “With ranch dressing?”

  “Ooohhh, I never through of dipping fries in ranch. Sure, I’ll try that.”

  As Jack called in their order, Zoe found tea bags in a cupboard. The food would do her good. No doubt the drop in her blood sugar was contributing to her morose mood.

  Her phone pinged with a text. Kelly was texting for an update. Zoe felt so frustrated. How could she respond that Shannon was a criminal?

  She wouldn’t, because Zoe wasn’t 100 percent convinced of that fact herself. All indications pointed to Shannon’s involvement, but Zoe clung to hope that it was a mix-up.

  “Okay, thanks.” Jack hung up the phone and went to join her in the kitchenette. “It will be here in thirty to forty minutes.”

  “I’m not satisfied,” Zoe said.

  “Well, it is the dinner hour so they’re pretty busy.”

  “I’m talking about Shannon. I mean, a nice, Christian woman doesn’t suddenly become a drug dealer.” She started pacing, thoughts spinning in her brain. Was she onto something here? Or was this the last vestiges of denial?

  The kettle whistled, and she went to pour hot water over the tea bags. “What’s her motivation? She didn’t live extravagantly, and was driving a fifteen-year-old Honda.”

  “Those cars do last a long time.”

  “She dressed humbly, didn’t take vacations, didn’t own expensive jewelry, and the house she rented was modest at best. Where is all the money that she would have made from dealing drugs?”

  “I don’t have an answer.”

  “Because there’s no evidence of her receiving large sums of money. Someone doesn’t become a drug dealer, make a ton of money and not spend it. Can you break into her financial records?”

  “Break in?”

  “Sorry, access her financial information? Credit cards
, stuff like that?”

  “I shouldn’t.”

  “Please?”

  He glanced down. She touched his arm and he looked at her, his blue eyes brighter than normal.

  “I need to help my friend, Jack.”

  With a nod, he went back to his laptop.

  * * *

  Half an hour later, Jack said he was close to accessing Shan’s accounts.

  Zoe paced, feeling both hopeful and guilty about what they were doing. If it would somehow support Shan’s innocence, it was worth the risk.

  “Okay, I’m in,” he said.

  She rushed across the room and stood beside him.

  They scanned her deposits, withdrawals and online payments, checking everything they could think of to find evidence of her friend’s extreme spending behavior.

  “What do you think?” she said.

  “I don’t see anything unusual here. We’ve gone back six months, yet there are no cash deposits.”

  “That’s good, right?”

  “Hmm.”

  “Hmm, what?”

  He tapped away, opening screens and closing others. She couldn’t make sense of what he was doing.

  “It looks like someone else may have accessed her accounts,” he said.

  There was a knock at the door.

  “Dinner,” Jack said, still focused on his laptop screen.

  “I’ll get it.” Zoe started for the door.

  “No, Zoe—”

  The door flew open and three men burst into the suite.

  TWELVE

  Romeo barked protectively but kept his distance.

  “Hands where I can see them, and control that dog,” one of the intruders ordered. He was a tall, skinny man wearing dark pants and jacket.

  “Romeo, right here,” Jack said.

  The dog sat beside him, and Jack raised his hands.

  “Identify yourselves,” Jack said, not that he had any leverage in this situation.

  “DEA. Hands behind your head. Now.”

  Jack did as they ordered, glancing at Zoe who seemed more angry than upset. Good. He hated seeing her upset. “What’s this about?” he asked.

  One of the other agents, short and stocky, wearing a leather jacket and permanent scowl, zip-tied Jack’s wrists and led him to the sofa. Romeo followed and jumped up beside Jack. A low growl rumbled from his throat.

  “Romeo, quiet,” Jack said.

  The stocky agent motioned for Zoe to sit beside Jack. She did and crossed her arms over her chest, denying them the access to restrain her. They most likely didn’t force the issue because they didn’t consider her a physical threat.

  Zoe and Jack were so close that their thighs touched. He hoped the contact would calm her because he didn’t want her spouting off at the agents and escalating the situation.

  “I’m Agent Trotter,” the tall, skinny agent said. “Is that your laptop?”

  “Yes, sir,” Jack answered.

  Agent Trotter motioned for the third agent, the youngest of the group with red hair, to sit at the table. He opened the laptop and tapped on the keyboard. He hesitated and looked at Jack. “Password?”

  “Romeo1215_&#.” A password he’d quickly change once he got his laptop back.

  Agent Trotter motioned for the stocky agent to stand watch by the door, then swung a chair backward, straddled it and studied Zoe and Jack.

  “How are you involved with Shannon Banks?” Agent Trotter said.

  “Involved?” Jack said.

  “In her drug operation.”

  “She’s not involved with drugs,” Zoe snapped.

  The room fell quiet. Agent Trotter eyed her. “And you are?”

  “I’m Shannon’s best friend, Zoe. I was with her when she was taken.”

  Trotter turned to Jack, expectant.

  “I’m Jack Monroe with Search and Rescue. I found Zoe last Friday after she fell off the mountain—”

  “Was pushed,” Zoe interrupted.

  “—and was injured,” Jack finished.

  “You were the one who accessed Miss Banks’s personal accounts?”

  “I am,” Jack said.

  “Then you’re under arrest.”

  “He was doing me a favor,” Zoe said. “I’m trying to prove Shannon’s not a drug-dealing criminal.”

  “How about it, Red?” Agent Trotter said to the agent working intently on Jack’s laptop.

  “They didn’t move anything around,” the agent said. “Just went exploring.”

  “Ask Detective Perry,” Zoe said. “He can tell you we’re not involved. I’m trying to help my friend and in the meantime, I’ve become a target.”

  “Maybe because you keep doing things like breaking into bank accounts.”

  “If she’s a drug dealer, where’s the money?” Zoe said.

  “Zoe,” Jack said, trying to temper her.

  “We couldn’t find it,” Zoe said. “Could you? No, because she’s not involved. You’ve got the wrong suspect, and she’s probably up in the mountains dying a slow, miserable death while we’re all down here more focused on a phantom drug ring than saving her life.”

  Agent Trotter tapped his fingers on the chair. Jack feared they were both going to be arrested.

  No, he couldn’t let that happen. “It was my idea to access Shannon Banks’s accounts. Arrest me.” He turned to Zoe. “Take care of Romeo.”

  “Jack, no,” she said in a soft voice, as if she were in pain.

  He was trying to protect her, yet only managed to upset her further.

  “Where’s your cell phone?” Agent Trotter asked Zoe.

  “In my bag,” she said. “Side pocket.”

  The stocky agent retrieved her cell phone.

  “Is Detective Perry’s number in here?” Trotter said.

  “Yes,” Zoe said.

  Trotter motioned for the stocky agent to give her the phone. “Call him. Tell him to come over.”

  As she made the call, Jack puzzled over why the agent didn’t call Detective Perry himself.

  It didn’t completely surprise Jack that their paths had crossed with the Drug Enforcement Agency. Since this mystery seemed rooted in a drug distribution business, it was only a matter of time before they appeared. Jack sensed they were not working hand in hand with local law enforcement or else the DEA agents would have known whose room they were breaking into tonight.

  “Someone’s coming,” the stocky agent said, peering through the curtains.

  “Room service,” Jack offered. “Zoe hasn’t eaten since eleven this morning.” He didn’t care if they kept him restrained, but he wanted her to be comfortable.

  “What do you want me to do?” asked the agent by the window.

  Trotter nodded at Zoe. “Don’t let him in. Take the food and close the door.”

  She stood and went to retrieve her purse.

  “What are you doing?” Trotter asked.

  “I need to tip him.” She grabbed cash out of her wallet, went to the door and waited, seemingly irritated. The stocky agent flanked the other side of the door.

  Jack presumed that the DEA didn’t want it to be common knowledge they were close to nailing the drug ring, for fear the players might disappear. By tracking Jack’s activity today, they probably thought they had found one of the key suspects in this scheme.

  The resort employee knocked, and Zoe opened the door. “Hi, thanks.”

  “I can set it up for you in the—”

  “No, I’m good. I’ll take the tray.”

  A moment later she kicked the door shut and carried a tray over to the kitchen table.

  “Can I sit at the table or is being hungry against the law?” she said.

  Jack wondered why she thought sarcasm was a good idea in this situation. Then again, she reli
ed on sarcasm when she was anxious.

  “You’ve got quite an attitude for someone who’s about to be arrested,” Trotter said.

  “For what? For loving my friend so much I want to prove her innocence?”

  She and the agent stared at each other, and Zoe didn’t back down. Jack knew she was strong but didn’t know how strong she was until this very moment. She had pushed through the fear of the past few days and had come out the other side a tenacious woman.

  “Go ahead and eat,” Trotter said.

  “Jack needs to eat, too.”

  “Don’t push it.”

  “Look, I’m a social worker for teens, and Jack’s an IT entrepreneur. We’re out of our league here, I know that, but we’re trying to do the right thing for an innocent woman who was taken against her will.”

  “Or she disappeared of her free will.”

  “You weren’t there,” Zoe said, her voice low. “You didn’t see how the man brutalized her...and me.”

  “You could be covering for her.”

  “Do a background check on me, go on. And do one on Jack. He’s got nothing to hide either.”

  An interesting assumption on her part, although she was right, Jack had a squeaky-clean background.

  Trotter studied her, still assessing.

  “We’re trying to help you,” she said.

  “By getting involved in police business?”

  “By proving she’s not your suspect so you can focus on finding the real criminal.”

  Agent Trotter narrowed his eyes.

  “Are you going to let Jack eat dinner with me?” Zoe asked.

  Trotter motioned with his hand.

  Jack stood, waiting for someone to remove the cuffs.

  “Zip ties stay on,” Trotter said.

  His ego swelled at the thought that these three men thought Jack could physically overtake them.

  “Come on,” Zoe said. “I’ll feed you.”

  He hesitated, not wanting to be embarrassed by being spoon-fed.