by Mark Bentsen
“Man, I’m no help at all. I’ve done very little business in Canada. I don’t know anyone with the RCMP, no private investigators or even any lawyers in Cardston or the area. But, I have a friend in Calgary I can call,” Jack said. He reached in his wallet and pulled out a business card. On the back he scribbled a number. “That’s my cell phone number. We’re on our way home so give me a call tomorrow and I’ll let you know what I find out.”
Luke said he would and went to his room. After a hot shower he collapsed on the bed and within minutes he was asleep.
Five hours later there was a knock on the door. He bolted upright and saw at the clock. It was after two. He hadn’t intended to sleep that long. Dressed only in his boxers, he cracked the door to see a young girl in blue jeans with a vacuum cleaner at her side.
“Give me ten minutes and I’ll be out of here, okay?”
He dressed quickly and grabbed a quick lunch at the café before heading back to Cardston. As he approached the border he dreaded a repeat of the day before. But, none of the agents looked familiar and after he showed his passport and driver’s license they passed him through without incident.
As soon as he got to Cardston he stopped at the police station. Ernest was back in his office and Luke asked him if he’d been given the items he found in the alley earlier that morning.
“When I called in, they told me you left them here and I told them to turn everything over to Paul Simpson. He’s one of our officers here. We don’t have a full time investigator but he’s real good. I just got back a few minutes ago so I haven’t talked to him yet.”
“I’d really like to see what he’s found out. He needs to go over to the clinic and see if he can get some answers. I found all that stuff in the alley behind it. And her windbreaker was in a garbage bag in the dumpster, like someone was trying to hide it. It needs to be checked for DNA and—”
“Luke, settle down. I know you want to help, but I think it’s best if you just let us handle it, okay? Paul will get to it when he has time.”
Luke screamed, “When he has time? What in the hell is more important than this? Writing parking tickets?” His blood was on the verge of boiling. “My God, Ernest, Bonnie’s been missing for over twenty-four hours and you only have one person who’s going to work on it when he has time?”
“No, there’s a lot more happening than that,” he said, trying to settle Luke down. “Trust me Luke; we’re taking this very seriously. Every law enforcement agency in Alberta has been notified as well as personnel at all border crossing. Here in Cardston, every patrolman has her picture and we are looking all over the county. The sheriffs and highway patrolmen also have been briefed.”
“I crossed the border about seven this morning and no one even noticed my name,” he exclaimed. “I would think they’d notice my name if they were paying attention to this crap. It doesn’t sound to me like they’re taking it serious.”
“They are looking for a woman, not a man. That’s one reason they didn’t pay attention to you.”
Luke turned and stepped over to the window. He pulled off his cap and ran his hand through his dark hair while he thought. It seemed obvious that they weren’t equipped to handle an investigation like this. “Is there a private detective around here I can hire?”
“No. The closest one you can find is probably in Calgary.”
“So, what do I do now? Go to the motel and watch soap operas?”
“I know it’s hard, but give us some time. There’s not much to work with here. Paul’s good and he’s checking out that stuff you brought in. Let’s just give him some time.”
“I can help, Ernest.”
Ernest shook his head. “Luke, give us a little time.”
Chapter 10
The next time Bonnie woke it was almost eleven. The door was still locked and Luke was still not there. After knocking on the door and calling his name a few times she fell back onto the bed, still lethargic.
She had slept hard, this time not dreaming and hardly moving. Her mind went back to her last memories. It was being in the doctor’s office. She got the drugs for her thumb and her stomach. And they gave her a tetanus shot. Maybe she had an allergic reaction or there were too many drugs or something, because she had never felt so wiped out in her life. It was still hard to wake up.
The pain in her thumb was not as bad as it had been, so the pills she took earlier were working. And even her stomach felt better. It had been about four hours and now it was time to take pills again.
She went to the dresser and picked up one of each of the pills. As she took them she grew curious and pulled open the top drawer. Inside she saw handkerchiefs, t-shirts, boxer shorts, and an old cigar box. This was definitely not a motel room. This was someone’s private home. But how did she get here?
Inside the cigar box she saw pens, pencils, paper clips, and a key chain with several keys. A glimmer of hope crossed her mind, so she grabbed it. But the keyhole was too big. These keys were for small, modern locks.
Disappointed, she threw the keys back in the drawer and rambled through the rest of the contents. A handful of change, safety pins, a compass, an old belt buckle, and some shoelaces. The second drawer was less revealing: more clothes. In the bottom drawer was an insulated jump suit.
She opened the closet door. It was small and almost empty. On a hanging rod were about six hangers with a few jackets and flannel shirts. On the closet floor was a cardboard box full of old books and magazines. In the corner she saw an empty plastic bucket and a roll of toilet paper.
Surely not. Did someone expect her to stay in this room with only a bucket for her relief? The mere thought just about gagged her. Did this mean she was going to be here a while?
She unconsciously shook her head and continued to look. Above the hanging rod was a shelf, empty except for a blanket and an extra set of sheets.
Before she closed the door, Bonnie caught sight of the bucket again and it made her realize she needed to go. But, she was going to hold out as long as she could.
Her mind seemed to be functioning more clearly now. It’s very clear that I am in a strange house with the door locked and no memory of how I got here. There’s enough food in that box to last for days, I have a bucket to use for a bathroom, and there’s no sign of Luke. If I was safe someone would have left me a note explaining the situation. Considering those facts, all I know is that I need to get out of here as soon as I can.
Her mind began to look for answers. How do I get out of here? The window was not an option because the ground was too far down, so that left the door. In the closet she saw several old wire hangers. In old movies, she’d seen them use hangers to jimmy locks on old doors.
She straightened one out, put a little bend in the end of it, and inserted it into the keyhole. She pushed it, pulled it, turned it, jabbed it, yanked it, and shoved it. Nothing. She tried bending it differently, but that didn’t help either. After half an hour, she grew frustrated and she pushed the wire harder and wilder. Finally, the wire snagged something and wouldn’t give. She jammed on it and pulled back but it was still stuck. Wrapping both hands around it, she put all of her weight into it and yanked. Her grip failed and the jagged wire slipped through her clinched hands, tearing flesh as she fell back.
Bonnie stumbled and screamed in agony. Looking down at her hands she saw several long pink lines of exposed flesh where wire ripped away her skin. Blood began to ooze, and the pink slashes turned red.
Her chest heaved as tears filled her eyes. She clenched her burning hands tightly and stepped back and kicked the door. Then kicked it again. “Let me out of here.” she yelled.
Furious now, she knew she needed more force. She looked in the closet and saw the box of books. She grabbed the top two and flung them at the door. They hit the door where the hanger was and it fell out and bounced on the floor beside the books.
Maybe it sprung the lock. She rushed over and twisted the door handle and pulled.
Still locked.
&
nbsp; Hysterical now, she grasped the next book out of the box. It was Ken Follett’s 973 page epic, Pillars of the Earth. Using both hands she poised to throw it at the door, but stopped. It would do no good. The door was too sturdy; there was no way she was going to break it down with a book. She lowered it and turned away. Across the room, she saw bright light flooding through what was probably the only other exit. She took three quick steps, and, like an Olympic shot putter, let the book fly.
The lower two windowpanes exploded and the book disappeared out of sight. Her heart pounded as she ran over and looked out the window to get a full view of her surroundings.
She leaned out and looked down. As she feared, the cabin appeared to be perched on the edge of a cliff. The ground was far below. She grabbed another book and dropped it. It took at least three seconds to reach the rocky canyon below.
“Help,” she screamed, her voice echoing through the mountains. Five seconds later she cupped her hands around her mouth and yelled again. “Can anyone hear me? Help me!”
Nothing. No one yelled back. No cars engines started. Not one sound from the civilized world.
Bonnie’s heart sank. Slowly she backed away and dropped on the bed. Blankly her eyes fell to the floor that was now littered with pieces of the broken window.
Her heart sank and she sat in silence. Nothing made any sense. Why was she here and where was Luke. He wouldn’t allow this to happen.
After a few minutes she got a t-shirt from the dresser and used it to wipe the broken glass under the bed.
It was then she realized how hungry she was, so she grabbed an apple out of the box and just before she took a bite, a distant rumble pierced the silence. Quickly she moved to the window and listened. It was a faint, low whine that sounded like the engine of a vehicle. It moaned, the pitch changing as it accelerated and slowed, probably for curves or inclines on the mountain roads. This was the first sound, other than her own voice, she had heard since she woke just after dawn.
She tensed with anticipation. Finally, someone was coming for her. It has to be Luke.
But, as the sound grew louder, it became painfully clear that it wasn’t their rented Chrysler Sebring. It was probably a truck, she thought. The noise grew louder and louder, until finally there was no doubt it was coming to her.
The sound came closer and closer, until it was so close, it was just outside. She could hear gravel crunch under the tires as it came to a stop. The engine idled a second, then everything went quiet.
She prayed that the next thing she heard was Luke’s voice.
A door opened, then slammed.
Footsteps crunched on gravel, but there was no hurry in them. The cadence was nothing like Luke’s.
She began to tremble.
Bonnie turned from the window to the door. She inched a step closer.
In the distance, a latch mechanism tumbled as a door was unlocked. Hinges squeaked like a door opening.
Bonnie was an optimist and wanted to believe someone was there to help her. She wanted to call out to whoever was there. Tell them to unlock the door. Instead, every terrifying novel she had ever read came to mind. All the fictional characters created by Dean Koontz, Steven King and James Patterson suddenly became real. She thought about all the sadistic murderers that dismembered their victims, the serial killers who tortured and killed random strangers, the kidnappers who lock their prey in old farm houses where rats nibbled on their fingers and toes when they became too weak to fight back.
But, no, she told herself, nothing like that could happen to her. They were on vacation. There’s a simple explanation for this. It would all be okay.
Then, at once, the door was slammed with the force of a freight train. The entire cabin rattled.
Bonnie gasped. And stepped back.
The same door squeaked again, and now she heard a loud growl as the door was slammed again. Two more times it was opened and slammed with the force of a rabid gorilla.
Bonnie couldn’t move. Her heart began to hammer as she backed away from her door.
Footsteps now on the wooden floor came closer. Heavy steps, like hiking boots. Definitely a man’s walk, but definitely not Luke’s.
Now, just on the other side of the door, they stopped. His breathing was loud and guttural, almost a low growl. She saw the door handle turn, just a little. And then the other way. She heard him push and pull the door as if checking to see if it was securely closed.
Then she heard something, it was like a hoarse whisper. Words, but they were inaudible. She inched closer to hear. He whispered something again, but not quite loud enough.
She slowly stepped closer, trying to understand.
Then, as if a bomb went off, he attacked the door while growling viciously.
Bonnie screamed and jumped back. For ten seconds it sounded as if the door would fly off its hinges. Like the mad man was beating both open hands against the door. Two large pictures, one on each side of the door, crashed to the floor and the glass in the frames exploded into a million pieces.
The entire cabin shook. Without even realizing it, Bonnie ran to the other side of the bed, and wedged herself into the corner, fearful the door would fly off and the beast would have her.
Then it quit.
Now all Bonnie heard was his breathing.
A few seconds later, footsteps moved away from the door.
She waited. She looked out the window again and wondered if he came after her, would falling to her death be less painful than being tortured by this madman.
A moment later, in the distance, a chair scooted on the wooden floor. Silence followed. But, after a minute, footsteps came back and a sheet of lined yellow paper slid under the door. On it was only one handwritten line. In large capital letters, it read:
DO YOU WANT TO LIVE?
For a few seconds she couldn’t comprehend what it meant.
She had no idea what to do or say. She wanted to ask a million questions. Who are you? Why am I being held? What did I do to deserve this? What do you want with me?
Words wouldn’t come. Five seconds passed and as her mouth opened to speak, her lip quivered uncontrollably.
She had to say something. She licked her lips and stepped closer to the door to answer.
It was too late. Violent pounding erupted, accompanied by the same growl.
Bonnie screamed while trying to back away from the door, lost her balance and fell back. Her natural reaction was to break her fall by using her hands and when she did, it felt like an electrical jolt hit her in the injured thumb. Another picture by the dresser fell off the wall and the frame shattered, spraying glass all around her.
The growling stopped but the pounding got louder and harder. The door bounced in the frame. It was going to splinter.
Terrified, she scooted back further and with a burst of air, screamed, “Yes!”
The pounding stopped at once.
As she pulled her throbbing thumb against her body, another note slid under the door:
YOU WILL LIVE IF YOU DO WHAT I TELL YOU.
DO YOU UNDERSTAND?
Meekly she answered. “Yes.”
Another note was slid into view:
YOU HAVE FOOD AND DRINK.
DO NOT TRY TO ESCAPE.
WE WILL GIVE YOU MORE INSTRUCTIONS LATER.
Bonnie read the note but was still struggling to understand what was happening. “Can you tell me why I’m here?”
NO QUESTIONS.
But, she asked one anyway. “Can I go to the bathroom?”
NO.
Through her tears she whined, “I won’t try to escape.”
IF YOU TRY TO ESCAPE I WILL KILL YOU.
“I promise I won’t.”
NOTHING IS NEGOTIABLE.
DO YOU UNDERSTAND?
Fighting back tears, she said, “Yes.”
There were no more notes.
While she sat on the floor trembling, she heard him walk out the front door.
Chapter 11
Give them
time. Luke was afraid Bonnie didn’t have time.
He parked across from the clinic as he had the day before. He went down Main Street, showing Bonnie’s picture in every store he passed and asking if they’d seen her.
After half a dozen stores he came to the camera store. Through the window he saw Sonny at the counter, and went inside.
“Last night I told a group of friends about your wife and passed out the pictures,” Sonny said. “They said they’d pass her picture around. So, the word is out. We’ll have the whole town looking for her before long.”
“You don’t know how much I appreciate it.”
“Luke, I was raised in this town and know everyone here. Later today, I’m going to the St. Mary store. I’ll post a picture in the window there, too. Having a business on both sides of the border I’ve got contacts everywhere, in all walks of life. I can probably find out stuff the cops can’t. Keep me posted on what’s going on, okay?”
“I will. Thanks.”
As Luke started down the street, he thought about his first impression of Sonny. After Bonnie’s run-in with him, he was convinced Sonny was a jerk. But looking at it from Sonny’s point of view, he had reason to be upset. And now, he was going out of his way to help. Obviously they had misjudged him.
Luke went back to the street and after a while came to the Sportsman’s Outfitter. Inside he spied Lauren sitting at her desk. As he opened the door, she looked up and smiled. “I was about to give up on you.”
“I’m sorry, but a lot has happened since I was here,” he said walking over to her desk. “Yesterday, while I was here, my wife was at the clinic waiting to see a doctor. She had taken a fall and we came over here to get her thumb X-rayed. While she waited to see a doctor, I ran a few errands. That’s when I found your store.”
“How’s her thumb?”
“I don’t know. When I went back to the clinic, they said she had already checked out and left. I went out to our rental car and waited but she never showed up. I looked for her all afternoon and never did find her. I even slept in the car last night hoping she’d show up. But she didn’t. She just disappeared.”