A Christmas to Die For_Mrs. A 1

by Kristine Frost

  Peeking through the windows, she said, “I don’t think anyone lives in the house. There isn’t much furniture in the living room.”

  “Lepley says that you’re to stay put,” Ruth said. “We just pulled up past your car. We’ll be there in a second.”

  “Hurry.” Ann hissed. “I just saw someone walk past a doorway in the back of the house.”

  “Don’t go in,” Martin repeated. “We don’t need a hostage situation.”

  Martin reached up and turned off the dome light. “We don’t want to attract attention. They may know that Ann’s here if she didn’t turn off that light.”

  They quietly walked through the bushes. “I wonder if there are motion detection lights.”

  “Stay low. They’ll be set for regular size people. They won’t be set for someone crawling because an animal could set off the lights.” Martin said.

  Ruth stopped. “I thought I was a light in that upstairs window.”

  Martin said, “There’s Ann over under the window.”

  “I’ve got to get in that house,” Ruth said, desperately. “Antonia could be in there.”

  “Oh, you’ll get there alright,” a rough voice said. “Stand up and don’t do anything stupid.” Ruth could feel something round and hard pressed against the back of her neck. She raised her hands in the air and slowly stood up. Staring straight ahead, she felt Martin stand.

  Then she gasped as the outside lights came on. Ruth looked toward the window where she’d seen Ann, but the space beneath the window was empty.”

  “Did you bring the ransom?” The man demanded as he poked her with the gun.

  “No.” Ruth said calmly, even though she had to swallow before she spoke. “The drop will be made on time, but you won’t get any of it.”

  “Oh yeah?” He laughed. “I’ll get my share. Now walk around the back.”

  Slowly, Ruth and Martin walked across the lawn and up the three steps that led to a huge covered patio. Beyond the patio, a pool lay under its cover. They could see the lights of El Paso to the south, then the black line that was the Rio Grande and then the lights of Cuidad Juarez.

  He shoved them toward a wide doorway, the glass showing dark. “Go in,” he said as he pressed the gun against her neck. Martin reached out and opened the door for her.

  “Quite the gentleman,” the man mocked.

  Ruth strained her eyes, looked for Ann. She glanced at Martin who barely shook his head.

  They walked through a huge kitchen that was dimly seen from the light coming through the windows. “In there.” He said.

  They walked through one half of a double mahogany door.

  Ruth gasped. Sitting in a large throne like chair in the center of what looked like a library was Alice Van Ostendorf.

  “Ruth, darling.” She said in a silky voice that made chills run up and down Ruth’s spine.

  “Alice. I thought I’d been here once. You invited Freddy and me to dinner, what five or six years ago.”

  “You have a good memory. I don’t think you returned the invitation though. That wasn’t very polite.” Alice sneered. She picked up a gun that was sitting on the elegant side table next to her chair. “Tie her hands behind her back.”

  “Tie her feet?”

  “Yes. We wouldn’t want her to run away.”

  Once the man had obeyed her orders, she motioned toward a straight back chair that stood opposite her. “Sit down, there.”

  “Why should I?” Ruth said coolly, taking a step away from the thug behind her.

  “Because I’ll shoot your man, if you don’t.”

  Ruth glanced at Martin. As she sat in the chair, the gun in her waistband pressed into her back. They haven’t searched us. Maybe Martin can keep his gun.

  “Did you search him?” She pointed her gun at him. “Don’t do anything stupid. I can take out both you and your precious employer with two shots.”

  Martin stood still, his hands raised while the man searched him. He held up the gun.

  “Set it on the table and take him up with the others. Make sure he’s tied tightly.”

  What do I do now? Can Inspector Lepley find us? Stall Ruth, Stall. Give him time to get here.

  Alice looked at her. “How does it feel to have walked into a trap?”

  “Trap?”

  She laughed harshly. “Yes, trap. Everything that has happened has been orchestrated to get you here, tonight, at this hour.”

  “So the ransom was a hoax? Max thought it was.”

  “Who’s Max?”

  “A friend.”

  “Ah, yes. The famous Max DeWitt. The man who was stretched so thin that he couldn’t send someone to help you.”

  How did she know that? I called on my private line. She thought, but said, “He’s runs an extraction service. I didn’t know where my granddaughter was located, so he couldn’t extract her.”

  “But he was too busy to help you, wasn’t he?” She sneered. “You think you’re pretty special, you and that do-gooder husband of yours. He can’t help you either.”

  Groaning mentally, Ruth said, “Cut the chatter. You said that you brought me here tonight, so what do you really want?”

  Alice smiled, but it wasn’t a nice smile. “What’s the matter, Ruth? You’re not up for a little light chitchat? You can learn a lot from chitchat or didn’t you know that?”

  Ruth looked at Alice for a moment. Why is she doing this? What does she want? Suddenly the answer came. She wants to torture you. She wants you to squirm.

  Then the thought came. Don’t let her do it to you. Where was Ann?

  Ann looked through the window. Someone was sitting in a throne-like chair. Then she heard—what? It didn’t sound like a footstep. It sounded more like someone was trying to walk very softly. It was almost a shuffling sound.

  Silently, she flattened against the ground and began crawling for the corner of the house. She had just slid under some sort of prickly bush. It almost felt like the holly that grew on her grandfather’s farm in Vermont. Does holly grow in Texas?

  Suddenly, the lights surrounding the house flashed on. She lifted her head, only to be stabbed by the suddenly vicious bush. Lowering her head, she inched forward so she could see around the corner. She watched as Ruth and Martin were surrounded by men with very large guns.

  This is so not good. She noticed that the back of the house was dark, the lights were on only in the front. But as Martin and Ruth walked toward her, she scooted back under the bush gritting her teeth to keep from crying out when her arms came down on the dead, but exceptionally sharp thorns on the ground.

  Once the group had entered the house, the lights went off. Carefully easing her way out from under the bush, she paused for a minute to pick all the thorns out of her hands and the arms and legs of her clothes. Her coat had protected her arms, but her jeans were loaded with the sharp pointed thorns.

  Staying close to the house, she followed the men guarding Ruth and Martin. When the lights were turned off, she reached out praying that the door was unlocked. To her amazement, the door hadn’t closed fully and no one had noticed in the dark. She had to pull the door hard to free it from where it had stuck at the top of the door.

  It finally came open with a slight grinding sound.

  “What was that?” A deep voice said from the other room.

  “Damn. I’ll bet the door didn’t close.”

  “Go make sure.”

  Holding her breath, Ann slipped into a tall cupboard that seemed to hold brooms and mops. She pulled the door closed but kept her hand over the magnetic catch. She didn’t want the man to hear the click.

  Pressing her ear to the door she heard him walk across the tile floor, his fancy boot heals clicking loudly. She heard him pull the door shut. Then suddenly, the door under her hand was pushed hard. The magnet caught the skin on her finger and pinched hard. She pressed her lips together to keep from gasping or crying out loud, but tears rushed to her eyes silently.

  She heard him walk away be
fore she dared push the door open and release her finger. Even in the half light from an open door, she could see the blood blister forming. Sticking her finger in her mouth to stop the pain, she slipped off her boots and tiptoed across the kitchen, her feet silent on the tiles.

  She kept to the walls so no one would see her movement. She paused outside the open door, listening.

  “Why should I?” Ruth said coolly, taking a step away from the thug behind her.

  “Because I’ll shoot your man, if you don’t.”

  Ruth glanced at Martin. As she sat in the chair, the gun in her waistband pressed into her back. “Did you search him?” She pointed her gun at him. “Don’t do anything stupid. I can take out both you and your precious employer with two shots.”

  “Set it on the table and take him up with the others. Make sure he’s tied tightly.”

  Alice looked at her. “How does it feel to have walked into a trap?”

  “Trap?”

  She stepped behind the open door as the men shoved Martin into the hall and up the big winding staircase. She reached in her pocket, pulling out the pocket recorder that Ruth had lent her. She turned it on and pressed record. Quickly, she set it on the floor next to the open door, then she quickly hurried back to the kitchen.

  She had noticed a secondary staircase leading up from the kitchen when she crossed the kitchen. She hurried up the stairs, staying against the wall just in case the stairs creaked.

  When she got to the second floor, she watched the men push Martin up a narrower stair case. She looked behind her, but the stairs ended on this floor. She hurried down the hall toward the other stairs, but she slid into one of the opened doors when she heard them coming back down the stairs.

  “Think we ought to post a guard?”

  “Na. No one can get to them. I think we’d better get outside and get ready for the FBI just in case she notified Lepley that she was coming here.”

  The other man laughed, “Well, they’d better bring an army or they’ll all be dead.”

  “Yeah! That’s one thing about the old bat—she makes sure we have plenty of help.”

  Ann waited until the men had run down the stairs, then she slipped into the adjoining bathroom, shut the door and called Inspector Lepley.

  “Inspector—just listen—I don’t have much time. We are at Alice Von Ostendorf’s house. I texted you the address. Come prepared. They have an army waiting for you. Ruth and Max are hostages. Ruth in on the main floor, Max is upstairs. I think the others might be there, too. I’m going to find out.”

  She pressed the off button and slipped the phone in her pocket. She didn’t have time for the arguments she knew Lepley would give her.

  She made her way through the bedroom, then paused behind a big dieffenbachia that stood next to the stairs, listening. Then she hurriedly ran up the stairs. They hadn’t creaked for the men coming down so she didn’t take time to worry about it.”

  When she got to the top of the stairs, she noticed that all the doors were closed and there was no light coming from under the door. I hope they are here somewhere. I don’t have time to search the attic.

  She tiptoed to each door pausing to listen for voices. The last door was unlocked. When she eased it open she saw that it was the stairs that led to the attic.

  She stopped to listen. Horrified, she realized that someone was coming up the stairs. I’m trapped. Help!

  She quickly pulled the door behind her and felt her way up the stairs, expecting that the door would be pulled open. When she got to the top, she saw that there was a round window opposite the stairs. The light from the full moon was streaming through it.

  On the floor under the window were what looked like four people. She could smell the stench of fear, urine and old food. She heard feet on the stairs. Shutting the door and staying behind it she felt the door knob turn. A flash light beam pierced the darkness. She almost gasped out loud. Bob and two girls were chained to the wall, their arms over their heads, their feet shackled to the floor. Martin had been tied to a fourth ring with a heavy hemp rope. His feel were tied to a ring in the floor.

  “It’s good to see you’re still here. We found a second car so I thought I’d check. I would have thought Mrs. A was too cheap to come in two cars, but that’s what it looks like.” He laughed unpleasantly. “Sorry to leave this lovely sight, but I have to go get ready for the FBI. Our forward scout said they were on their way.” He shut the door and Ann could hear him clump down the stairs.

  When his footsteps had died away, Ann tiptoed across the floor, trying to avoid the junk on the floor. She walked to Martin, pulling a knife from her pocket. It was sharp and sliced through the rope in a couple of seconds. Bob always said to carry a sharp knife.

  He pulled the gag from his mouth as she cut the rope on his feet. “Thanks. I was hoping they hadn’t gotten you. They have Mrs. A.”

  “I know. I couldn’t do anything about her without getting caught so I thought I’d rescue you.”

  While she was talking, she slipped the knife under Bob’s gag. “Hi, Bob.” She whispered, kissing his cheek. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a long thin case. Opening the case, she pulled out two long thin lock picks. “I’m loaded with handy junk tonight.” She eased the lock picks in the padlock that hung on the hook above their heads.

  Martin took the knife and began cutting the gags on the two girls. “Antonia, Allison, are you all right?”

  “Water,” Allison croaked.

  “I don’t suppose you have any water in your pocket, do you?” Martin asked.

  “Sorry. It wouldn’t fit.” There was a click and Bob’s arms flopped to his side. She quickly began unlocking his legs.

  “My arms feel like lead. We’ve been tied like this for days.”

  While Ann worked on Allison’s lock, Martin hurried over and began rubbing his arms. Bob groaned as the circulation came back.

  Once Ann had released the two girls, she looked around. There was a jug of water sitting on a table. She grabbed it and hurried to the two girls.

  “Don’t,” Bob whispered. “It’s drugged.”

  Ann nodded, then pulled her phone from her pocket. She turned it on and texted: “Have found girls and Bob. We’re in the attic for right now.”

  Suddenly, they heard shooting. “That’s not good,” Ann said. “We’ve got to get them out of here.”

  Martin helped Bob to his feet. He staggered. Ann looked at him, his face gaunt in the moonlight. “Can you get downstairs?”

  He shook his head. “Not walking.”

  “Then crawl,” Ann said. “Lower him back down, Martin. They’ll have to crawl. We can’t get them out of here any other way.”

  Martin help Bob to his hands and knees while Ann shook the two girls. “Allison, Antonia, pull it together. We’ve got to get out of here.”

  “Can’t.” Antonia said. “No strength.”

  “You’ve got to. We need to rescue your grandmother before that old witch kills her.”

  Chapter 30

  Cielo Dorado Estates—same night

  Ruth said, “Alice, you said that this was a trap and that everything that had happened moved me here. You’re telling me that you were behind Robert Black’s death.”

  Her eyes held a gleam that looked like madness. “Poor Robert. He made the mistake of trying to blackmail me. His dear Aunt Alice.” Her face hardened. “Nobody crosses me and lives to tell about it.”

  “I take it you were behind Bob Black’s abduction or did you kill him, too?”

  “Dear Bob. He got too close to that loser Paradise. I always thought Andrew had more sense than to get drunk and spill our agreement. He’ll have to go. He thought he was the boss, but when he tried to sell those plans to the Taliban--well, he shouldn’t have done that.”

  “Oh please!” Ruth protested. “Don’t tell me you wouldn’t have done the same thing.”

  She laughed. “I wouldn’t have sold anything that lucrative for the pittance he asked for.”
>
  Ruth’s face mirrored her disgust.

  “What do I owe my country? The dear voters didn’t appreciate what my husband did in the senate so they voted in your ‘straight-arrow’ husband. Then they hounded my husband until he had a heart attack. It’s too bad that your husband got elected. If he hadn’t, then you wouldn’t be in the mess you’re in.” Alice looked at Ruth. “Your husband might even be alive today if he’d lost the election against my husband.”

  “You killed Freddy.” Ruth said, feeling dangerously angry.

  “Dear me, no. I didn’t kill your husband, but some of my associates felt pretty vengeful when he slashed some of their military contracts from the arms budget. That wasn’t a nice thing to do.”

  “I see.” Ruth said.

  “I’m sure you do. You always were a smart one. It’s too bad you didn’t stay on that plantation in Georgia or in that blues club in Louisiana. By the way, being a blues singer didn’t sit too well with some of the members of Congress. They thought it was a, well, a cheap, sordid profession.”

  Ruth looked at Alice who still sat in her throne chair dressed, in a full skirted, black dress with a long red scarf. It seemed to be her favorite colors. She really does look like a black widow spider.

  A man who looked Middle Eastern walked in through a balcony door. “Has she given you the plans?”

  “I want those plans, now.” There was an aura of power and cruelty about him. It was obvious he was used to giving orders and having them obeyed.

  “I told you I’d get the plans. Now go away.”

  He grabbed her arm dragging her to her feet. “I said now, old woman. Quit playing your games and get me what I paid for.” He pulled a pistol from the back of his waist band. “Or else.”

  She seemed to crumble. “Of course, Mosud.”

  He dropped her arm and went to slide the gun back in his waistband when she raised the gun she had been holding in the folders of her skirt, pressed it to his heart and pulled the trigger.

  “I’m not one of your cheap harem girls and I don’t take orders from you.”

  Ruth stifled a gasp as another Middle Eastern man ran in, his gun held to his side. Alice raised her gun to point in his face.