“Jason, I will be sending a team of our men. I will contact inspector Andrews to assist them. Keep in contact and be careful, that man is crazy and has no limit of control.”
“Okay Matt, and thanks,” Jason said.
“Let’s get a move on before we’re too late,” said Jason.
They helped Jackie out of the window and hurried across the lawn. The Rottweiler can still be heard barking and snarling behind the front door. Jason closed the gate behind him.
He looked back saying, “we will come for you later. You’re heading for the dog’s home, you ugly mutt.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
The wind was picking causing sea swells to reach over a yard in height. Each wave soaked everyone on board to the bone. Water covered the boat deck and was slowly rising up to their ankles. Tony pushed on just the same. He was not going to turn around and miss this once in a lifetime opportunity. He reckoned they should reach land in ten minutes, maybe more if the weather continued to get worse. The cause of this sudden surge of weather was unknown, and Tony assumed it could be the effect of the moon, or just bad luck on this particular night. Travis was concerned about Sally with her hands bound together; she didn’t stand a chance if the boat capsized.
Tony turned around and shouted out to Travis. “Take out the life jackets from under the seat. Make sure everybody wears one, and for Christ’s sake, cut her hands loose, she won’t be going anywhere in this weather.”
Travis was relieved with Tony’s decision, so he cut the nylon zip-ties, and Sally thanked him with a smile. Stacy and Krissy started to come around as the effects of the drug began to wear off. The rough weather turned their dreamy look into a fearful one. Stacy came to first, realizing where she was for the first time.
She immediately began to panic.
“I can’t swim! We’re all going to drown!”
Krissy tried to calm her friend down, but Stacy lashed out, hysterical with fear. She stood up screaming, causing Tony to turn around, thinking someone might have fallen overboard.
Seeing the commotion, he again shouted out to Travis, “shut that bitch up before she overturns the damn boat!”
Travis understood what Tony wanted him to do, so he stood up and drove his fist into Stacy’s face. On impact, her eyes rolled up into her eye sockets as she slumped face first onto the deck of the boat.
Now it was Krissy’s turn to shout at Travis, “are you crazy? You’ve killed her you sick son of a bitch!”
Travis looked into Krissy’s eyes; she immediately got the message and sat back down. Sally was not an active swimmer, and she looked frightened as the boat dangerously passed over each wave.
She often went with friends for a day at the beach but never wandered into deep water. Travis saw the frightened expression on her face.
“It’s okay Sally. We should be there soon,” said Travis.
She turned to him, saying, “what’s the difference? I don’t stand a chance on land or in the sea. The ending will be the same either way.”
Travis turned away from her, knowing what she said was true. Sally thought of her father, and if she will ever see him again. Her thoughts wandered to her mother, hoping for a sign from her, convincing her everything is going to be alright, but none came. She was alone in this ordeal and had to get out of it fast. She knew her father would stop at nothing for her safe return, but she had to try and stay alive as long as she could. The bad weather was in her favor, delaying them from reaching land. She thought maybe this is how her mother is helping her by slowing the boat down, giving her father more time to find her.
Jason drove as fast as he could in the direction the GPS was showing. Kate felt the tension within him as she sat up front next to him. Jackie sat in the rear seat, checking her readings she had worked out from the sky chart. She was positive she had figured out the correct locations. Jackie thanked her father for pushing her, making sure she understood how to navigate on her own. The locations they were heading to were a few miles out from the shorelines of Miami. Jason calculated it to be about half an hours drive if they traveled at a reasonable speed. The only problem they had was that the exact coordinates that were showing on the screen were off the GPS chart. Jason decided he would go as far as he could, and see where they end up.
Kate asked Jackie for the notebook she found at Tony’s house. Then she took out Sarah Masters diary comparing names and information from the two books. Kate matched some of the names that dated back a few years. She presumed Tony had been abducting girls for some time now. She was amazed how he managed to get this far without causing suspicion. Sarah Masters diary only contained the names of three girls, while Tony’s notebook had nearly a dozen. Could it be that all these girls were still missing or maybe even dead? There was no way of telling. Tony was wise enough not to write down the girls surnames or ages making it difficult for anyone to find.
Jason checked the time again on his watch. He pushed down hard on the gas pedal reaching speeds of over eighty miles an hour. Jackie buckled up in the rear seat, and Kate held on tight. They were as worried as Jason was, but did not ask him to slow down. Time was against them on getting Sally back before the worse happens.
Rain began to pour down at an alarming rate, and Tony became concerned about reaching the island with the weather getting worse by the minute. He checked his course and seemed to be heading in the right direction. He then looked back at the others who were all shivering and soaked to the bone. He checked on Sally, who was his prime concern. Without her, all he planned would have been for nothing. Sally amazingly seemed to be taking all of this rather well. She even managed to keep herself partially dry from the rain as if it were avoiding her body. Tony knew she was being watched over by someone.
The waves were increasing in size, and every ten foot the boat moved forward, they were pushed back five. In the distance, he could make out the shape of an island. Tony increased his speed knowing they would soon arrive. Rosie was seasick and threw up in her lap not being able to make it to the boat’s side in time. Stacy was still unconscious with her body rolling back and forth. As for Krissy, she was mumbling to herself. Travis thought she must be praying or something.
Suddenly the boat started to slow down when one of the outboard motors stopped. Tony checked the fuel gauge for that engine that read empty. He calculated the amount of fuel needed to reach the island, but at full throttle and against the waves, the consumption was more than he expected.
Travis realizing what had happened, asked, “will we make it on one engine? Why didn’t you load more fuel?”
Tony turned towards Travis with an angry look on his face.
“Are you afraid Travis? Are you afraid of dying?”
The GPS began to flash as they approached their destination point. Kate noticed they still had a few more miles to travel, but the GPS was warning them they could not go any further. The coordinates they had entered were to their left, which was the open sea.
Jason hit his fists on the steering wheel.
“Shit! That bastard must be going across the sea. The closest land are the Bahama islands, and there are hundreds of them!” said Jason.
Kate asked Jackie, “are you sure this is right?”
Jackie checked her calculations again.
“Well, we could be off course by a couple of miles, but it’s not that easy to match star charts with land or sea charts. This is the first time I’ve done it, but I’m sure we’re in the right place.”
Jason carried on driving carefully along the coast road, making sure he didn’t miss anything. After about ten minutes, Jackie shouted out, “over there on the other side of the road!”
Jason slammed on the brakes. Showing from beneath the overhanging branches were the rear windows of a large van. They got out, approaching the vehicle with caution as Jason led the way with his firearm drawn.
“Keep behind me,” he said.
He walked over to the driver’s side, pulling the door open to an empty cabin. Next h
e went to the side door and opened it, again nothing inside.
“Empty! Not a sign of a struggle, nothing.”
He was about to reach for his cell phone to run the vans number plates through to the Miami police for the owners particulars, when Jackie called out.
“Jason! Here look, footprints.”
Jason knelt down to check.
“These are fresh prints, and look! Somebody was dragged on their heels across the road!”
Jackie was the first to reach the other side of the road.
“They start again here, but that’s it, they must have gone over the boundary wall,” she said.
Jason took a look over the three foot wall.
“Jackie! Kate! Over here, there’s a narrow path leading down to the sea.”
He sent Kate to his car for a larger, more powerful flashlight.
Kate said, “we don’t have time to go down and check, and there are no beaches down there, just large rocks.”
Jason took the flashlight and shone its bright light along the pathway and onto the rocks. They could not see anything, except for waves breaking against the large rocks.
“God damn it! A dead end. Tony must have had a boat waiting here,” said Jason.
Suddenly his cell phone started to ring.
“Hey, Jason where are you guys? Matt updated me on the situation,” said Danny.
“Great to hear your voice Danny. I don’t have time to give you all the details, but our location is about thirty miles south on the coast road. We need help fast. I think Tony is on his way to one of the Bahama islands in a boat. We need to get after him somehow!”
Danny remained silent for a few seconds, then said, “okay, Jason, I hear you! Leave it to me. Keep your hazard lights on so I know exactly where you are.”
Jason ran towards his car.
“Danny! Hurry please, time is running out!”
Kate and Jackie looked at Jason waiting for an explanation.
“Jason! What’s going on? What did Danny say? Does he have news about Sally?”
“He’s on his way here. Don’t ask me how? Just trust me okay! Danny is full of surprises, and he has never let me down yet. Give him twenty minutes you’ll see,” said Jason.
Time. Fifteen minutes to midnight and Jason knew Tony had at least a forty-five minute head start on them. His chances were getting slimmer in knowing his daughter’s whereabouts. Tony could be on any one of the many islands of the Bahamas.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
Tony reduced speed as he approached the shoreline just two-hundred yards away. The bad weather had passed as suddenly as it had come. They were now entering a narrow passage through the rocks. Tony edged his way in, careful not to hit the boat against the jagged rocks through a clearance of only twenty feet.
He stood up smiling.
“We’re here at last! Now we can continue without any further delays.”
The boat slowly floated across the surprisingly calm waters. The scenery that lay before them was something you would typically see on a post card. Everyone on board, including Sally stared in awe at the most beautiful sight they had ever seen. A beach eighty feet wide, and well over a hundred feet in length stood before them. The sand dazzled beneath the bright moon while on both sides of the beach were rocks reaching over ten feet in height, transforming the whole beach into a basin, free from rough seas and high winds. The whole place resembled the shape of a round wine bottle, entering it through the bottleneck. At the further end of the beach were pebbles increasing in size as you move further up a small slope. The whole place seemed untouched by anyone. A beach paradise shielded from the outside world. Tony discovered this place by accident while flying overhead on a plane he had rented for the day.
The temperature inside this haven was peculiarly warm concerning the bad weather they had just encountered. Sally was as dry as a bone while the others were soaking wet. They all stripped down to their swimwear, letting their clothes dry out on the nearby rocks.
Tony signaled for Travis to unload the equipment from the boat while the others gathered around Sally, making sure she didn’t try anything stupid. Tony searched around the beach, checking if they were alone. He didn’t want any unexpected guests showing up. Not many people knew about this little sanctuary he had discovered, and the only way to get here was by boat. It was more like an enormous rock than an island. During winter times, it would be inaccessible due to the high tides and frequent bad weather. Tony still had no idea from where tonights freak weather came from.
Travis finished unloading the boat, then got Rosie to bind Sally’s hands again. He didn’t want to spend the remainder of the night chasing after her. He then went back to the boat to check how much fuel they had left for the return journey. Travis opened the hold to where the fuel tanks are held. He saw two large tanks, one for each outboard motor. One dial read empty, while the other had just under a quarter of fuel left.
“That’s not enough for us to get back!” He said.
Travis looked around for Tony and saw the beam of a flashlight just beyond the rocks. He jumped off the boat and ran over to him.
“We don’t have enough fuel for the return trip! How are we getting back?” Said Travis.
Tony said, “follow me Travis.”
They went over to some nearby rocks about forty yards away. Tony disappeared behind a large rock and came out dragging two large Jerry cans full with fuel.
“You underestimate me Travis! You think I’m an idiot! I’ve been planning this for weeks. I have enough fuel here to get us to the gulf of Mexico. The only thing I had no control of was the damn weather we experienced on our way here!” Said Tony.
Travis lowered his head. “Okay, I’m sorry! How was I to know what you planned?”
Tony dropped the heavy fuel tanks and placed his arm around Travis’s shoulder.
“Have faith in me, we always managed to work our way out of our past problems. We work as a team and in the end, we are rewarded with what we do. Now help me take these tanks to the boat before the night ends.”
They each dragged a fuel tank and loaded it on board the boat. Tony took out two of his bags that he had preloaded a few days ago. He took out the clothes that he usually wears when performing the ritual, and removed his drenched jeans and top, then put on his ritual garments. They consisted of a white top and trousers, with a robe worn on top. He then took out a large cloth about twelve feet square with a large pentagram printed in the middle. Tony handed it over to Travis, who went over to where the girls were. They helped him spread it out over the warm sand. Sally sat a few feet away watching them lay down the sheet.
Stacy gained consciousness only ten minutes ago with a large bruise visible across her cheek from where Travis struck her. Krissy stayed close to her friend, while Rosie had her eye on Sally, watching her every move. She was confident Travis will be hers after tonight’s ritual.
Tony opened his second bag and took out his small black pouch placing it in his robe pocket. Next he removed a wooden bowl eight inches in diameter, that had some kind of ancient civilization markings written on the side. Tony stepped out of the boat having the front half embedded in the soft sand. He took his place at the top of the pentagram.
“Travis you know what to do,” he said, looking at Sally.
Travis jumped down from the boat, his eyes fixated on her. Things were starting to heat up, and Sally knew time was running out for her. She could be dead in the next hour. She thought of getting up and run, but run where? There was no way off this island. To the front of her was the sea, with sand and rocks on every side. Behind her seemed the only place of escape. She earlier watched Tony and Travis disappear into the darkness before coming back with fuel for the boat. She didn’t have much of a choice but wasn’t just going to sit around and wait for death.
Jason was becoming impatient, pacing up and down the road checking his cell phone, he couldn’t wait much longer, so he dialed Matt’s number.
“Jason! I just go
t off the phone with detective Andrews. The location you gave us is a deserted beach near the Florida keys. No sign of anyone here and hardly a vehicle in sight. How about you? Have you found anything?”
Out of frustration Jason kicked the car door.
“We found an abandoned van, partially hidden among the trees. Plenty of footprints around the van, leading down a rough pathway to the sea. I’m sure the van belongs to Dr. Barrette. It seems they vanished into thin air. They either had another vehicle waiting, but I can’t see any tire tracks. My guess is they had a boat hidden among the rocks and headed out to sea. Chief, we’re at a dead end, and I fear the worst!”
Kate came over trying to keep Jason calm.
“Listen Jason! Has Danny contacted you? I received a call from him just fifteen minutes ago. He said he were on his way to pick you up,” said Matt.
Jason quickly looked up and down the road, but still saw no sign of Danny.
“Yes, he must have called me just before he contacted you. I don’t know what he’s up to, and time is running out. We won’t reach her in time…..”
Jason’s voice trailed off, when out of nowhere a huge gust of wind came from beyond the treetops, causing Jason and the others to shield themselves from flying leaves and debris. Suddenly they were blinded by a bright light. Jason then recognized the sound of helicopter blades slicing through the air. To their amazement an FBI chopper was hovering above them, slowly descending in the middle of the road with its searchlight partially blinding them as someone opened the side door.
“Hey you guys! Come on get in!”
Jason recognized that voice anywhere; it was Danny.
“Boy am I glad to see you!” shouted Jason.
He then turned to Kate and Jackie. “You two go back. Take my mustang. I will keep in touch as soon as I can.”
Danny shouted out to Jason, “now let’s go and get that son of a bitch!”
The helicopter swiftly took off into the night across the glittering sea.
The Forbidden Script Page 18