by C A Phipps
“That’s right. Somewhere you can’t get to him,” Maddie lied, hoping the other two would keep quiet. Although, if Caleb didn’t know about Brad’s escape then what was happening here?
“Is that so? Anyway, why would I want to get to him?” he asked, pleasantly.
“So you can frame him to take the rap for your crimes,” Suzy told him caustically.
Maddie stood on the side of her foot. “Shush,” she said out of the corner of her mouth, noticing that although their eyes were the same shape and color, there was a hardness and something else she didn’t care to see in Caleb’s gaze. They were in deep trouble because Caleb really was a horrible person. She could see and feel it.
Caleb was laughing at them. Loud and long, it was horrible to hear. “You’ve been watching too much Television. What surprises me is that you would stick up for my dear brother, when his marriage to your friend was such a disaster. I did tell Angel back then that she was marrying the wrong twin.”
He looked Maddie up and down. “You never made any bones about not liking either of us, so I can’t understand why you would be involved in this at all. Surely friendship alone isn’t worth the risk you’re taking?”
Maddie glared at his taunting, which didn’t faze the criminal in the slightest. It was days like this she wished she had a more imposing presence. Being 5’ 7” wasn’t enough to make anyone worry about what she was capable of. Then she remembered what Grandad said about size being only one factor in a fight. Using your head could outwit the biggest assailant.
Glancing at the henchman, Maddie thought that big didn’t do him justice. He was enormous. His hair sported a buzz cut, and he wore khaki pants and an olive t-shirt. Both articles of clothing were stretched to capacity over his upper arms and thighs.
“Why don’t you let us go? We won’t tell anyone where you are.” Maddie said.
“Oh, sure. There’s no way you would run to your boyfriend and tell him where to find me.” He snorted. “No, I think we should let things run their course, and when we hear that Brad is doing jail time for the murders, you can go back to your bakery as if nothing happened.”
Suzy made a rude noise. “As if you’ll let that happen. You care nothing for anyone but yourself, with family mattering less than anything it would seem.”
“If you don’t show some respect, you’ll find out right now what I think of family, and their friends,” he glowered at them as if he had a bad taste in his mouth.
“As Gran always says, respect is earned. You don’t deserve a lick of respect.”
“Maddie,” Laura warned.
“Listen to the red-head, if you know what’s good for you.” He nodded at his man. “Tie them up and if that one can’t keep a civil tongue in her head—gag her.” He pointed his bottle at Maddie.
She pressed her lips together. She definitely didn’t want to be gagged and stood docilely while her hands were tied with tape. Then the other two suffered the same.
“Shall I put them in with the booze?” The thug asked.
“Where else, you idiot?” Caleb retorted and took another slug from the bottle.
“It wasn’t my fault they tracked me,” the man said defensively.
Caleb’s eyes narrowed, his voice becoming more menacing. “Wasn’t it?”
“They were in an old jeep. I thought I’d lost them.”
“And yet, here they are. Perhaps you should leave the thinking to me, Ambrose.” Sarcasm dripped from Caleb. His eyes held a deadly glint.
The thug wasn’t happy with his boss’s attitude, but he picked up his gun and used it to usher Maddie and Angel forward under the awning and around the back of the RV.
“Wait here,” he ordered, before pulling back at a branch and another awning which was attached to it.
The cover had blended so well Maddie hadn’t been aware it was anything more than part of the hillside.
“Get in.” Ambrose pointed the gun at them once more.
Maddie led the way into the mouth of a cave, since Laura looked terrified at the prospect. It was dark and took a moment for her eyes to adjust but he wasn’t waiting for them to get comfortable and he shoved the forward so hard that Maddie hit her ribs on a large rock. She got up quickly with Laura’s help and followed Suzy who was muttering unlikely words a principal would use.
The cave turned out to be quite large, and he pressed them into a cell-like room situated at one end. The bars were very thick.
“Sit,” he ordered as if he were speaking to a dog.
Begrudgingly, they slid down onto a large rock. A sinking feeling hit Maddie as the man slid a large bolt home and clicked an equally large padlock.
“You behave yourselves, or I will come back and gag you. I might bring water and some food.”
She could make out the Cheshire cat style grin before he lifted the canvas. Once he dropped the branches back into place it was dark again. There was not much hope that he would return with anything soon and they had nothing with them.
Once her eyes adjusted, Maddie turned to Suzy and Laura. “I’m sorry. I should have listened to you. It was a trap, and I didn’t see it.”
They were so close together that she felt Suzy’s shrug.
“We had to know about Caleb, and now we do. I didn’t imagine that all this time they were so close to town.”
“We’re all to blame. We should have listened to Gran.”
Laura’s voice was flat, and guilt weighed heavily on Maddie’s shoulders. She had to do something. Giving in was no option at all.
“Judging by the broken vegetation and the state of the RV, I don’t think they’ve been here that long. Although, this cave has obviously been here for many years, and used as a storage facility. Did you get a look at what else is in here, other than this cage.”
“What?”
The whites of Laura’s eyes as she peered around her were all Maddie could clearly make out in her friend’s face and to emphasize her fear she had a firm hold on Maddie’s wrist.
“I don’t mean animals,” she said soothingly. “They have crates and crates of bottles back there, and I bet they’re all full of illicit liquor. Namely, the whiskey Brad told us about.”
“I didn’t notice a darn thing, sorry.” Laura sounded dismayed.
Maddie nudged her with an elbow “We’ll be fine. Ethan will find us.” The words were as much for her own sake as they were for her friend’s sake.
“How will he do that? He didn’t know we were coming out here.”
“From Angel and Gran. They’ll make sure of it.”
Maddie found a sense of calm in her statement, and she knew that conviction could be contagious. They all needed hope as they quietly listened for their captors or a rescue that might not be coming soon enough.
“It’s so cold in here. I wish we had a blanket or coats.” Suzy squirmed closer.
“I guess the temperature is right for storing alcohol.” The damp was seeping into Maddie’s bones. She rubbed her hands against her thigh.
“I wonder if Brad knew about this place?” Laura asked.
She felt Suzy shake her head. “I think if he had, he would have told Angel.”
“I’m under no illusion that Brad was a good guy in any of this, but Angel’s so sure he never killed anyone, so I think you’re right, he would have told her if he knew because this would have led us to Caleb earlier.”
“The way the temperature’s dropping we’re going to freeze before Caleb gets decides to kill us,” Laura stated.
Suzy snorted. “If I had to be stuck in a cave with anyone, I’m glad it’s with you two. I’d say it would be nice to have Angel here too, but that doesn’t sound right.”
Maddie wriggled between her friends. “No offense, but I don’t intend to sit around waiting for Ethan or someone else to rescue us.”
“But you said he’d come,” Laura exhaled.
“Oh, he will. I want to be ready to help him when he does.” Maddie was already working at the tape which she’d encou
ntered before. There wasn’t a lot of room on the rocky floor and she accidentally knocked Angel several times while she got into a good position.
“What on earth are you doing?” Suzy asked with the barest hint of impatience.
“Trying to get free.”
Chapter Twenty-One
Lifting her hands up as high as she could to get downward leverage, the way Grandad had taught her, she smacked them over her thighs, pulling them apart at the same time. The tape snapped on the second attempt, and she removed it from her wrists, throwing it to the dirt floor.
“Give me your hands, Suzy.”
“You got it off? I was using my teeth, but that didn’t do much.”
Maddie smiled to herself as she tore at the tape around Suzy’s wrists. This wasn’t the only trick she knew, but right now it was the most important one. With a satisfied grunt, she pulled away the last piece and dropped it on the dirt floor. Turning to do the same to Laura’s bonds.
“Now what do we do? The cage is locked.” Suzy rattled the bars.
Maddie was already working her way hand over hand along them towards her. The lock was the same thickness as the bolt and would need something firm to pick it. Feeling around in her braid she located one of the bobby pins she’d placed there and pulled it out. With another from the opposite side of her head, she slipped them both into the lock. Tongue clamped between her teeth she began to dip and twist the two together until she felt a ridge. Pushing with as much force as she dared, her reward was an audible click.
She stood still, her breathing sounded loud in the cave and Laura’s hand slipped around her upper arm which made shifting the bolt rather tricky with one hand. There was no way of minimizing the sound as metal scraped on metal, when the bolt disengaged, and she swung the door open.
Taking Laura’s hand, with Suzy holding Laura’s other one, Maddie led them along the cage, then the wall of the cave.
“Aren’t we going the wrong way?” Laura whispered.
“I want to see what the bottles contain.”
“Surely, it’s alcohol, like you said?” Suzy asked.
“Yes, but what kind?”
“Does it matter?”
Suzy was definitely impatient now. Maddie could understand that, but she simply had to check.
“It might. If we get out of here and Caleb moves all of it before we can get back or get help, at least we can say exactly what it was.”
“You’re always thinking ahead. I don’t know how you remember all this stuff. If it is alcohol, why don’t we hide a bottle for good measure?”
Maddie grinned in the dark. Suzy was a planner too, and it was beginning to show.
“That’s brilliant. Here’s one.” Maddie took the first bottle and unscrewed the top. Using a finger, she dabbed some of the liquid on her tongue. Even with a minimal taste, her eyes watered. “This is it,” she rasped. Putting the lid on, she felt the wall around her and near the bottom found what she was looking for—a crack large enough to hide the bottle, if she jammed it hard. “Right let’s get out of here.”
Holding hands once more they went back the way they had come and eventually got to the canvas opening. Gingerly lifting the side of it, Maddie peered out into the fading light. A drop of rain fell on her face and the cold air caught in her throat. Another drop ran down her neck and under her shirt. She shivered. With night falling, and rain, it would be cold out in the woods. They had no jackets, and even the double layer of clothes would not protect them.
The men weren’t in sight, and no lights shone from the RV. This didn’t mean they weren’t nearby, but Maddie decided to take the risk and pulled her friends out of the cave and along the rockface until they reached the trees.
“We’re going to move as fast and as quietly around the outskirts of the camp and head back to honey, okay,” she whispered.
Suzy and Laura nodded, and they set out through the woods slowly at first, then picking up speed. Until they were gasping with the exertion. Rain fell steadily now, and they were soaked from head to toe.
With the rain and clouds hiding the moon or stars, Maddie was unsure of the direction and eventually called a halt.
“I’m sorry, I don’t know where we are or which way we’re headed now. I can’t believe I didn’t pocket the compass.”
“What will we do?” Laura sniffed.
“I think we should head downwards and see if we can find the lake. Then we can get our bearings and follow it back to Grandad’s cabin if we’ve gone too far, which I’m pretty sure we have. Somehow I’ve missed all the signs. I guess the different route confused me.”
“That’s a heck of a walk. Surely Caleb and his buddy will be out looking for us by now.” Laura sounded on the brink of exhaustion.
“I imagine so, but so will Ethan and maybe the detective.”
Nervously, Laura stepped closer to them. “If we don’t know where we’re going we could walk smack into Caleb and the other guy.”
“Surely, those goons won’t be out in this weather, not if they’ve been drinking heavily all afternoon,” Suzy stated.
Maddie tapped her thighs. It wasn’t easy to come up with plans on the fly, and Suzy and Laura both had valid points. Either way, they couldn’t be sure where the men were. Most importantly, they needed shelter if they didn’t want to get struck down with hypothermia.
“It may not be that easy to retrace our steps and find the cabin in this weather without hiking down to the lake,” she warned.
“Surely we follow the line of elms that led us to here?” Laura pointed behind them.
Maddie swung around to see that there was indeed a long line of Elms stretching back as far as she could see.
“Are you saying we followed them all this way?”
Laura nodded. “I assumed you were using them as a way of deciding our direction.”
Maddie could have wept with relief. “I wish I could take credit for that wonderful idea. To be honest, I panicked and just wanted to get away from there.”
Suzy gave her a look of disbelief. “You panicked? Well, I never would have believed it, and I’m not sure I do now.”
“It’s the truth. I seriously thought the big guy would come back any moment and I knew he wouldn’t let us get away again.”
“If you say so.” Still skeptical Suzy pointed at the trees. “So we follow these?”
Maddie would have tried harder to persuade Suzy she wasn’t the remarkable sleuth she’d clearly been painted as, but there was no time, so she nodded. “The trees form a natural boundary between the protected forest and the developed end of the lake. They’re now our lifeline. Let’s see if we can make the trip back, faster.”
They jogged along the tree line, sneakers squelching in the slippery grass. The exercise helped keep them marginally warmer, but there was an increased danger of falling, so it was a huge relief when the hill finally came into view where the track to the cabins came down it. Grandad’s, and Bernie’s.
Maddie turned left and slowed the pace, growing more cautious with each yard until she saw the ridge of the roof that was Bernie’s cabin ahead. Calling a halt, she whispered to her friends as rain ran down their cheeks, along with mascara.
“Will we chance taking a look for Brad’s tin of proof?”
Suzy checked with Laura, who was shivering worse than all of them but nodded agreement.
“I guess we may as well.” Suzy said with little enthusiasm.
Maddie had hoped they’d say yes, despite the risk.
Chapter Twenty-Two
They crossed the open space at the back of the cabin as fast as they could, and Maddie went straight to the back of the woodpile as Brad had directed her. She didn’t need to do more. A gaping hole remained where a small tin might have fitted.
Laura gripped her arm. “What now?”
Maddie turned back to the cabin.
“We should go.” Suzy hissed.
“Yes, you two get back to Honey and head to town. Find Ethan or the detective. I
’ll keep an eye on the criminals.” Maddie pushed them forward, but they held their ground.
“If you stay. We stay.”
It was Laura who spoke up this time, and Maddie was humbled, but she couldn’t have this on her conscience. They’d been lucky so far, and she wasn’t going to push it any more tonight.
“Then we’ll all go back and wait for Ethan.”
The other two smiled with relief and followed her with more energy than they’d had all day, meaning they made great time. With Grandad’s cabin in sight, and Honey not far, followed by a quick trip to town, she truly thought they were okay now.
A squeal rang out behind her, followed by a low moan, and there was Suzy sprawled on the ground, her ankle at a ridiculous angle. She grabbed hold of it, eyes wide.
“I’m sorry, I should have been watching the path like your Grandad taught us, but I saw the cabin roof, and I forgot everything else but getting there.”
“Shush, it’s okay. Can you walk?” Maddie asked.
Laura and Maddie helped Suzy to her feet. She tried a step but gasped with pain.
Maddie crossed her forearms arms in front of her. “Laura do the same as me, then hold my hands to make a hammock. Now, Suzy sit on them and put your arms around our necks. Okay?”
They crouched so Suzy could slide on to their locked arms.
“I hope I’m not too heavy?”
“Light as a feather,” Maddie grinned tightly, breaking into a sweat already as they negotiated the terrain of the track, which was made for one or two people at most.
Used to carrying heavy bags of flour Maddie managed reasonably well, but Laura was struggling, and as soon as they reached the cabin, she slumped with Suzy against the railing. Maddie unlocked the door, using the key kept under the woodpile, while the other three stood close to her. She could hear their breathing as loud as her own which disturbed the quiet of the woods. They pushed through the door with Suzy between them.
It slammed shut it behind them.
Laura gasped, Suzy moaned, and Maddie listened.
The room was black as pitch, but she sensed there were more people other than the one at their backs.