Collin awoke with a start. His Blackberry was bleeping at him again. He slipped out of bed and took the phone outside to answer it.
“Hello?”
“Is this Mister Carter? The Mister Carter that came to visit Shelby yesterday?”
“Yes, I’m Collin Carter.”
“You have to help us. Shelby has been locked up in the main house.”
“What happened?”
“She told us yesterday that you said Ellen was dead. Then she went to ask Doctor Phelps what really happened to Ellen and when she came back she was very upset. She got us all together and told us she overheard Doctor Phelps talking on the phone while she was just outside his office. She heard him saying something about the implantation procedure becoming too dangerous. She heard him say to whoever was on the phone that we could all end up in jail for murder.”
“How did she get locked up and by whom?”
“Well we were in her room while she was telling us what she heard. We all ran and hid when they broke down the door, except Shelby. She stayed in the living room and they dragged her away. We all snuck out and back to our own rooms. Now they have guards all over the place. I found her cell phone and your phone number was in it.”
“What is your name?”
“Gretchen. I was there yesterday with Shelby when you came.”
“Gretchen, do you think you are in immediate danger? Do you think you can stay hidden until I can get some authorities to come save you?”
“I don’t know. I’m really scared.”
“Well, I’m coming. I’ll bring what I can find in the way of police and we will get you out and we’ll find Shelby too. You just hang on.”
Lily woke up when Collin came back into the bedroom. She sleepily asked him, “What’s going on?”
Collin sat down on the side of the bed. “Lily, do you remember the trip to the mall?”
Lily sat up in the bed with her back against the headboard. “Yes, I remember.”
“Those girls are here on the island.”
“What? Why would they be here?”
“Now Lily, please don’t be mad, I wanted to come here for vacation because I knew the Gene Search people had moved the girls here.”
“I’m very confused by all this Collin. Why are we talking about this in the middle of the night?”
“Because one of the girls called me. They are in trouble. I need to get the police to get them away from the Gene Search people.”
“Now?”
“Yes.”
“Well then, I need to make a call.”
“You Lily?”
“Yes, remember the other day I had tea with a lady I met named Carol?”
“Yes I remember.”
“One of the ladies I met at the tea was the wife of the police commissioner here on Rarotonga.”
“You are going to call her at two in the morning?”
“You said it was an emergency right?”
“Well yes it is. They have locked the girl you spoke to, Shelby, up in the laboratory building. She overheard Doctor Phelps from the Gene Search compound talking about murder.”
“Murder! Oh Collin, has someone been murdered?”
“I’m not sure Lily, one of the girls, Ellen, has disappeared. I heard Doctor Phelps say she died accidentally.”
“This is horrible Collin. I’ll call Debbie right away.”
Lily woke Deborah and had Collin explain to Daniel, the Chief of Police, about the phone call from Gretchen and the whereabouts of the clinic. Then Lily and Collin got dressed. Collin called Charlie and told him about the Chief of Police and asked if he wanted to come also. Charlie agreed and called some of his buddies from the local rugby team. By three a.m. everyone was converging on the clinic compound in hopes of rescuing the girls from Doctor Phelps before anyone else got hurt.
Daniel Blackmore, Chief of Rarotonga police, was in the lead car with siren blaring. He was followed by two more police cars, then Collin with Lily. Coming along just a little behind them were Charlie and his Rugby buddies in two more cars. They all came speeding into the clinic parking lot screeching to a stop with people jumping out and filling the area. Collin ran up to the Chief and pointed out the living quarters and the laboratory building.
Chief Blackmore sent Collin and Charlie with one policeman to the living quarters. The Chief took the rest of the policemen and the rugby players and charged the laboratory building. Chief Blackmore and his crew found some guards but no one else. He took them to the conference room and demanded to know where everyone else was. The guards played dumb and told him it was after hours and nobody was at the clinic at three a.m. Chief Blackmore sent three of the rugby players and two police officers to search the building more carefully.
Charlie and Collin returned from the living quarters. They reported to Chief Blackmore that the girls had disappeared. When Chief Blackmore asked the guards about the girls they claimed no knowledge of any such persons.
Charlie told the chief, “I saw them sir. Just this, well yesterday now, afternoon.”
Then a shrill scream shattered the night. It was a woman screaming for help! She was outside in the darkness. Chief Blackmore left the clinic guards in the conference room with one of his officers. Everyone ran outside to find Lily running through the parking lot. Collin ran to her.
“Sweetie, what happened? I thought you were safe in the car!”
“A man tried to take me. He made me get out of the car and dragged me to the woods. I saw Shelby. She and the other girls were unconscious in the back of a van. I screamed and slipped out of his grasp. I ran away but they still have the girls. Over there.” She pointed to the edge of the clearing around the compound behind the living quarters.
“There is no van there now.”
“They drove into the trees.”
Chief Blackmore and the rest ran to the area Lily had pointed to.
“There! Look! Beyond the trees is a road!”
Chief Blackmore and some of his men took their cars and slowly entered the road beyond the trees. Collin was still with Lily. Charlie and his rugby buddies were standing with Collin and Lily trying to decide what to do.
Charlie asked Collin, “Hey ol’ chap, should we follow the chief or do you need us here?”
Collin asked Lily, “Can you come with me, Charlie and these guys? I want to find Gretchen and Shelby and the rest. I don’t want to leave you here.”
“Yes, of course I’ll come.”
Collin helped Lily get into Charlie’s 4x4. The rugby players got in their jeep. The two vehicles followed the police down the road beyond the trees.
Chapter Twenty-five
Gene Search: A Collin Carter Mystery Page 24