Only the headlights of Charlie’s 4x4 and the jeep coming along behind lit the pathway down the dark hidden road in the jungle. The trees were very close in and it was very dark in the jungle. Chief Blackmore and the others had quite a head start on them. Charlie was driving slowly so as to not miss any side road hidden in the dark. Everyone was leaning forward to peer out the windshield for any sign of the Chief or the girl’s captors.
Suddenly a man ran past the front of Charlie’s 4x4 with a policeman chasing him. Charlie stopped the vehicle and his rugby friends stopped behind him. Before Charlie and Collin could get out of the car the rugby players had run into the jungle and dragged the fleeing man back out. They threw him down in front of Charlie’s 4x4 to look at him in the headlights. The policeman came up behind them. Collin and Lily had exited the 4x4 and were looking at the man.
Lily said, “That’s the man who tried to take me into the jungle.”
Collin said, “It’s Doctor Phelps.”
The policeman said, “We found him and the van with the unconscious women up the road a bit at an abandoned property. There was a woman named Patricia there also.”
The policeman cuffed Doctor Phelps. The rugby players tossed him in their jeep. The policeman got in with Charlie, Lily and Collin. The two vehicles continued down the dark road until they found the abandoned property. Chief Blackmore was there with his other officers holding some more guards and the woman Patricia.
Everyone disembarked and walked up to Chief Blackmore. Collin asked, “Where are the girls? Are any of them hurt?”
Chief Blackmore said, “They seem to have been drugged. They definitely need to go to the hospital. I’ve called for ambulances to meet us at the clinic. I’ll have the van driven back there so they can be transported to the hospital.”
Lily said, “I’m a nurse. May I check them please to see how they are doing?”
Chief Blackmore nodded his head and one of his officers took Lily to the van. Lily checked everyone’s pupils to see it they were dilated, then checked their pulse and respiration. “They don’t look very good. What drugs were they given?”
Patricia spoke up, “Benzodiazepine. He gave it to them.” She indicated Doctor Phelps.
Lily told Chief Blackmore, “We need to leave now. I’ll go with them but they need the hospital right away. I think he gave them enough to kill them.”
Lily told Collin, “You stay with Charlie. Meet me at the hospital later.”
The van turned around and left back down the dark, hidden road to the rendezvous with the ambulances. Collin walked up to Patricia and Doctor Phelps and asked in a loud commanding voice, “Where is the girl Ellen?”
Doctor Phelps said, “Patricia killed her. I told her not to but I couldn’t stop her.”
Patricia responded, “You liar! You told me to kill her. You! Not me!”
Chief Blackmore said, “Both of you can go to prison for her death. Too bad they’ve done away with the gallows if you ask me.”
Patricia said, “No! I’m not going down for that. The girl is alive. I’ll tell you where she is if you promise not to prosecute me. I also have all the evidence you’ll need to put Doctor Phelps away forever!”
Chief Blackmore told Patricia, “You better tell me where this Ellen is right now. The matter of prosecution will be dealt with later. We still have the other girls very near death as well.”
Patricia gave in and told Chief Blackmore where she hid Ellen. Collin was overjoyed to find out Ellen was alive. He asked Charlie, “Can you take me to the Hospital? I’ve got to find out how Lily is.”
Chief Blackmore and his men arrested Doctor Phelps, Patricia and the rest. Everyone left the jungle as day was breaking over Rarotonga.
EPILOGUE
A week later, on Saturday, Chief Blackmore presented an award of bravery to Charlie and the players from the rugby team at the stadium as part of the opening ceremonies before the game. Collin and Lily were there to watch and sat with Ellen who had been rescued from Patricia’s apartment.
Doctor Phelps, Patricia and the Gene Search guards were all under arrest and had been transported to New Zealand for prosecution. Doctor Holt and Donna had not been found. The three couples all claimed ignorance and even though Charlie and Collin heard them say incriminating things at the Gene Search meeting the he said - she said evidence was not enough to hold them.
The surrogates, Shelby, Linda, Gretchen and Susan were still in the hospital though improving steadily. Patricia had been mistaken in the drug used by Doctor Phelps to sedate the girls. He had used an extract from a plant called Angel Trumpet mixed with the Benzodiazepine. If he ever returned to the USA that might be evidence enough to convict him of the murder of Thomas Stevenson. Lily went to see the girls daily and was becoming friends with them even though they were all in their very early twenties and Lily was thirty-two. Lily forgave Collin for tricking her into planning their vacation so he could check on the girls though she made him promise not to play any golf during the last week of their vacation!
I hope you enjoyed Gene Search. If you would like to leave a review please click on this link: https://smarturl.it/ReviewGeneSearch.
Books by Kathleen Steed
These links will take you to your Amazon wherever you may live.
Fiction:
Private Investigator series:
1. Gene Search: A Collin Carter Mystery
(Novella approx. 30,000 words)
https://smarturl.it/MyBookGeneSearch
2. White Lies & Dangerous Secrets: A Collin Carter Mystery
(Novella approx. 30,000 words)
https://smarturl.it/MyBookWhiteLies
3. Who Killed Peggy Recker? A Collin Carter Mystery
(Novella approx. 30,000 words)
https://smarturl.it/MyBookPeggyRecker
4. Saruprani A Collin Carter Mystery
(Novella approx. 35,000)
https://smarturl.it/MyBookSaruprani
Dark Murder Mystery:
Danny
(Novella approx. 20,800 words)
https://smarturl.it/MyBookDanny
Patriotic Thriller:
Capitol Terror
(Full length novel approx. 76,000 words)
https://smarturl.it/MyBookCapitolTerror
Non-Fiction:
Religious:
Hope in the Dark: A collection of Short Sermons
https://smarturl.it/MyBookHopeInTheDark
A travelogue:
Oahu in January: Janet’s Visit to the Island of Oahu
95 beautiful pictures of Oahu, Hawaii
https://smarturl.it/MyBookOahuInJanuary
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Kathleen Steed was born on September 12, 1953. She graduated from the University of Maryland with a degree in Medical Technology. She worked in various laboratories for twenty-nine years then changed to regulating laboratories. She lives in Maryland with her husband and a Jack Russell Terrier named Spanky. You can reach her at:
Facebook author page: facebook.com/KSteed.Thrillers.Mysteries.
Gene Search: A Collin Carter Mystery Page 25