Nothing Is Negotiable

by Mark Bentsen

  The house and garage were surrounded by trees and bushes, and the surrounding forest was thick with heavy undergrowth. Sonny knew the fire would spread fast. In five minutes, any evidence or DNA would be gone. Within thirty minutes it would be a serious forest fire.

  He didn’t care. He didn’t care if it burned the whole fricking town of Whitefish.

  It took about ten minutes to get to the edge of town. Sonny pulled into the parking lot of Le Chateau Apartments. He powered up the laptop and grabbed the first available wi-fi signal.

  While he waited for his computer to boot, he thought about Pete, and that’s when it dawned on him. His take in the ransom just increased. The ransom was to be divided evenly between all five partners. Now, with Pete dead, there were only four.

  But, there was still the issue of Bonnie and Luke. He was sure that they wouldn’t go to the police until the ransom was paid because they knew he’d kill Olivia. But once the ransom was paid and Olivia was released, he knew they would, and they’d tell them about Pete. But, they had no proof. No blood, no fingerprints, no photos. Nothing. Perhaps they’d suspect that Pete was in hiding with the ransom. His body wouldn’t be found for years, if ever. And, if they did find him, there was no way to connect him to the others. All they had to do now was wait for Kim to wire the money.

  When his computer powered up, he noticed he had two new messages in his inbox. The first was from Yahoo welcoming him as a new member, and the other one was from Kim.

  Sonny’s pulse quickened as he double-clicked on the mouse pad. The message filled the screen.

  He read:

  Ms. Rich,

  When my husband and his parents were killed in the airplane crash, the media reported that I inherited over two billion dollars. That’s not exactly true. Though I am the heir to the Townsend estate, all of the money will be held in a trust for the next ten years. I am given a very generous amount of money to live on and I can petition the trustees for funds for special reasons, such as the children’s center at the hospital. They have never turned down any of my requests, until now.

  There are rules that govern the trust. One of them says no money can be paid for blackmail, extortion, or ransom demands, under any conditions.

  Sonny could not believe what he was reading.

  I have begged the trustees to make an exception to save Olivia. But, they said the rules were set up specifically to prevent situations like this. There are no exceptions.

  I don’t have $40,000,000 I can give you.

  Chapter 47

  Sonny thought he was going to throw up. His eyes went to the top of the page and he read it again. When he finished, he leaned back and stared blankly out the windshield at the brick wall of the apartment building.

  This can’t be happening.

  Sonny gritted his teeth and stabbed at the reply icon on the email. They are not going to screw this up. Not now. Not after all we’ve done. This was the perfect plan. Pete died for it.

  His breathing increased as he stabbed at the keyboard.

  I don’t care what the rules are. If you ever want to see your child again, you will wire $40,000,000 as we have instructed or she will die. Olivia’s next treatment is less than 37 hours from now. If we do not have the money by then, she will die. If you do not wire the money, the next time you hear from us will be to tell you where you can find her body.

  Without another thought, he hit the send button.

  ***

  “We have to turn ourselves in to the police,” Luke said.

  “We can’t,” Bonnie said.

  “Why not? You shot that guy in self defense. You were abducted and held hostage for four days. If you had not kidnapped that little girl they would have killed me and her. Isn’t that what you told me?”

  “Yes, but—”

  “Then the best thing we can do is turn ourselves in to the police.”

  “They said that if we go to the police before they get the ransom, they will kill her after they get the ransom.”

  “Bonnie, they won’t kill her. They want the ransom.”

  “I won’t take that chance. It’s because of me they have Olivia.”

  Luke leaned back and slowly nodded. She knew he understood.

  As Lauren drove, she said, “So, where do you want me to go?”

  Luke turned and looked behind them as they drove through the middle of town. “I think we need to get this vehicle out of sight as fast as we can. You don’t just shoot someone in a parking lot that big and drive away unnoticed. I think we can count on the fact that the cops will be looking for a white Suburban very soon.”

  “Where do you want to go?” Lauren asked.

  “I don’t know,” Bonnie said. “Somewhere we can lay low for a day or two.”

  “If you and Luke had passports and driver’s licenses we’d go back to Cardston.”

  Bonnie noticed a green road sign—Flathead Lake 7 miles. It gave her an idea. “You said that fishing guide friend of yours is out of town. Maybe we can stay at his place.”

  Lauren nodded. “That’s a good idea. Let me call Roger. He always takes care of Beau’s pets when he’s not around.”

  She told Roger that her fishing trip had been delayed and she was low on cash and needed a place to crash for a day or two. “Would it be okay to stay at Beau’s place?”

  “Sure. Would you mind feeding his cat while you’re there? That would save me a trip over there every day.”

  “Is Gato still alive?”

  “Yeah, she’s at least fifteen, and still mean as ever. Her food is in the pantry by the washing machine. Remember how to get there?”

  “I do if he still lives in that little house down on Big Arm Bay.”

  “Still does. When you go to the back door, you’ll see a little birdhouse in the tree. Inside is a key chain with two keys—one to the back door and one to the garage. Make yourself at home. He won’t be back for a week, but let me know when you leave.”

  Beau’s house was about an hour south of Kalispell and by the time they turned in his long driveway, the sun had dipped behind the mountains to the west and his entire yard was in the shade. The small cottage had a low hedge across the front and a detached garage off to the right. Next to it were two empty boat trailers. After they got the garage unlocked, Lauren pulled in and they closed the door.

  While Lauren was unlocking the back door, an old Siamese cat came up and brushed against her leg and followed her inside. The house was neat and cozy. In the living room a big flat panel television hung on one wall and several mounted fish adorned the others.

  “Pretty nice place for a bachelor,” Bonnie said.

  “Beau’s not a slob like a lot of single men. And he’s an excellent cook, too,” Lauren said. “Roger said to help ourselves to anything we need.”

  “I could use a shower and a change of clothes. How big is Beau?” Luke asked as he spied a jar full of what looked like chocolate chip cookies. He lifted the top off and pulled out a couple.

  “Beau’s about your size, maybe a little shorter, but I bet his clothes will fit. Let’s go look.”

  As they disappeared around the corner, Bonnie rummaged through the cabinets and pulled some pasta and canned goods out of the pantry. By the time Lauren came back to the kitchen, Bonnie had a pot of water heating on the stove and was adding an assortment of ingredients and spices to some tomato sauce.

  Lauren said, “Beau’s clothes are going to fit Luke fine. He’s taking a shower now.”

  “Good. How does spaghetti sound?” Bonnie asked.

  “Sounds great,” Lauren said as she opened the refrigerator and pulled out a head of lettuce and two tomatoes.

  While Lauren started on a salad Bonnie tried to concentrate on the spaghetti sauce, but her mind kept whirling back to the events earlier in the day. For the second time in four hours, she had narrowly escaped with her life. The first time was at the hospital when Coley’s gun misfired. Then again at the mall. This time he hesitated, not realizing she had a g
un.

  And she had committed murder. Had taken the life of another human being. Never in her wildest dreams did she ever think that could happen. She never thought she’d have to kill to protect herself and the ones she loved. Although it was self-defense, it was hard to believe she had killed a man.

  As she tried to get the image of his bloody body out of her mind she thought about seeing Luke for the first time in five days. There were many times she thought she’d never see him again. Now that they were together, she didn’t want him out of her sight.

  In the refrigerator she spotted a six-pack of beer. Shiner Bock—one of Luke’s favorites. She pulled one out and told Lauren, “Keep your eye on the sauce. I’ll be back in a minute.”

  Bonnie opened the bottle and walked through the living room and down the hallway to the master bedroom. There she found the bathroom door closed. She tapped lightly and said, “Luke?”

  “Yes?” came a muffled answer.

  She pushed the door open and stepped inside.

  Dense steam filled the small bathroom and Luke stood on a bathmat beside the tub. He was naked, a white towel hung in front of him while he dried his chest.

  He watched as she closed the door and stepped closer.

  “I thought you could use one of these,” she said, holding the beer out to him.

  He took it and set it on the shelf above the toilet.

  “You are what I need.” He dropped the towel and pulled her closer.

  He kissed her softly and their arms wrapped around each other. They kissed again, this time more passionately. His lips were soft and they covered hers, filling a need she never felt so strongly. His hands pulled her tight against his body. One hand at her waist pulled her close and the other moved up her spine until it stopped at the nape of her neck, where it began to caress handfuls of red hair. Luke had always said her hair was like an aphrodisiac to him. She felt sexy as he played with it.

  They kissed and Bonnie felt Luke getting hard as he pressed himself against her. Her hands slowly slipped down his back until they reached the bare cheeks of his butt. With both hands, she pulled him against her body and slowly worked her hips against him. His hand moved to her rear and pulled her hard against him. Slowly, they began to move in rhythm.

  He was naked and fully erect now. Her breathing quickened as their hips pushed harder and faster against each other.

  This was not the right time or place. The kitchen was on the other side of the bathroom wall. Lauren was not twenty feet away in this quiet little cottage. She would hear them for sure.

  “Not now,” Bonnie said, breathlessly. “We can’t do this here.”

  But her comment fell on deaf ears as his hand moved from her hair to her breasts. He caressed them and never had his touch aroused her like it did now. His other hand came around and began to fumble with the button of her jeans.

  Stopping now was the last thing Bonnie wanted. She needed Luke more than ever. She reached down, undid the button for him, and quickly pushed down her pants and panties, and kicked, until one foot was completely out and free.

  Luke reached down and grabbed her by the back of the thighs and lifted her on top of the counter beside the sink. As she spread her legs and lifted her knees, he moved to her. Her heart pounded wildly and she wrapped one arm around his neck and pulled herself closer. The other hand went down and grabbed his erection and guided it between her legs. When her lips were just inches from his, he thrust himself inside her.

  She cried out and dug her fingernails in his back. With a grunt, he withdrew and thrust again, and again, and again. Unable to control her emotions, Bonnie cried out each time, each time louder. As the pace quickened, she felt as if every nerve ending in her body was on fire and Luke knew just what to do.

  It was hard, raw passion like Bonnie had never experienced. And she didn’t want it to end.

  But it was over quickly.

  They held each other tightly; breathing hard, a feeling of satisfaction, a feeling of love like she’d never felt before. Luke held her close, and gently, she started kissing him on the neck, and ear, and lips, not ever wanting to let him go.

  When Bonnie went back into the kitchen she saw three salads on the table. Lauren sat quietly thumbing through an issue of Field & Stream. Without looking up, she said, “Everything okay in there?”

  “Oh, yeah... everything’s great,” Bonnie replied, noticing a hint of a smile on Lauren’s face as she turned another page.

  “Well, dinner’s ready if you’re still hungry,” Lauren said.

  Bonnie cleared her throat and said, “Starving.”

  A few minutes later, as Lauren was putting the spaghetti on the table, Luke strolled into the kitchen wearing a pair of Beau’s fishing shorts and a clean T-shirt. His hair was wet but neatly combed and he had shaved off his four-day beard. He slipped up behind Bonnie, who was opening a bottle of wine, and kissed her on the cheek.

  “I didn’t thank you for bringing me a beer a while ago,” he said quietly.

  You certainly did thank me, Bonnie thought, but instead said, “My pleasure,” while trying to stifle a grin.

  This was the first chance they had to sit down together and there was much to talk about. When they started to eat and Luke told Bonnie how after three days the Cardston police department decided he was an abusive husband and they had proof she had taken a bus to the Calgary airport, and from there caught a flight back to Texas. But, he wouldn’t give up. He told her about Dr. Duncan’s apartment, the blood on the floor, and how it disappeared by the time the police got over there. And why he was now convinced Sonny was behind it all.

  “I should have told you not to trust Sonny,” Lauren said to Luke.

  “But, there was no way you would have known Sonny was involved,” Luke said.

  “But there’s a lot more I should have told you about him.”

  “Like what?”

  “I told you we used to date, but I didn’t tell you why we broke up.”

  “Would it have mattered?”

  “Probably. Our senior year, he was sent to prison for murder,” Lauren murmured.

  “Murder? Who’d he kill?” Luke asked.

  “A professor he was having an affair with.”

  “My God, what happened?”

  “I don’t really know for sure, but here’s what came out during the trial. She was in her thirties and had a thing for football players and—”

  “Was Sonny a football player?” Bonnie asked.

  “Yes. He went to the University of Wisconsin on scholarship. In high school he was one of the best quarterbacks in Alberta.”

  “I thought hockey was the big sport in Canada,” Luke said.

  “It is, but we love our football, too.”

  “Were you dating him at the time?”

  “Yeah, we dated our last few years of high school and I followed him to Wisconsin.” She picked up her glass of wine and swirled it for a few seconds, seemingly lost in thought. Without taking a sip she put it down and continued. “Our junior year he had her for Kinesiology. All the jocks tried to get her class because it was an easy A. According to what came out in the trial the professor had had affairs with a number of the football players over the years. Sonny started having sex with her while he was taking her class.

  “That summer we got engaged and according to his testimony he went over to tell her it was over and she didn’t take it too well. He said she came after him with a butcher knife and he turned it on her, killing her in self-defense. But instead of going to the police, he tried to make it look like she had been killed by a burglar. He might have gotten away with it but he tried to fence some of her jewelry. To make things worse, they had had sex before he killed her. So, they even had his DNA.”

  “Did he confess to killing her?”

  “Not at first. He tried to get me to give him an alibi but there was no way I was going to lie for him. That’s why he hates me now. He thinks if I had vouched for him he never would have gone to prison and wou
ld be playing football in the NFL.”

  “So, what happened?”

  “When he found out what all they had on him, he took a plea. He went to prison and was paroled after ten years. He got out about five or six years ago. He spent a couple of years in a halfway house in Wisconsin then came back to Cardston a few years ago. An old friend hired him to run his camera shops.”

  “He had me fooled. I thought he was sincere and really wanted to help,” Luke said.

  “I know and I’m sorry I didn’t tell you this earlier. When you asked me if you could trust him, I said yes, because he can be a nice guy,” Lauren said, shaking her head. “So, when I found your message telling me you were sure Sonny was behind it all, I almost died. If I had warned you about him maybe you wouldn’t be in this mess. But I didn’t and that’s why I’m here. I’ll do whatever it takes to help you get out of this mess.”

  “It’s not your fault. This all would have happened, regardless of what you told me. I’m convinced of that,” Luke said.

  “And without you, I’m not sure either one of us would be alive right now,” Bonnie added.

  “I’m so sorry,” Lauren said.

  “I don’t want you to feel obligated in any way. If you want to, you can leave right now and go back to Cardston because you don’t owe us a thing. Okay?”

  “Absolutely not,” she said without hesitating. “I’m not leaving until that asshole is behind bars where he belongs.”

  Bonnie couldn’t help but smile. She knew Lauren wouldn’t leave until this was over.

  “Okay, so what do we do now?” Luke said, looking from Lauren to Bonnie.

  “I think we need to find out if Kim’s paid the ransom,” Bonnie said.

  “How do we do that?” Luke asked.

  “Hopefully they’ll say something about it on the news.”

  After they cleaned up the kitchen, they moved to the living room and the news was just starting. The lead story was about the shooting at the hospital.

  “At this time, police will not comment on whether Mrs. Townsend has been contacted by the kidnappers and a phone call to the Townsend residence was not returned. A hospital spokesman said security guard Rocco Giovino’s condition has been upgraded to serious, but he remains in a coma.”