Bagels and Blackmail

by C A Phipps

  Ethan went to the door and held it open. “I’m dropping you two up to Gran’s first.”

  Maddie picked up her keys. “We can certainly drop Beth off there, but I’m coming with you.”

  “No, Maddie.”

  “Yes. If I have to drive Laura’s car there myself, I’ll do it.”

  Ethan glared for a moment, then the fight when out of him. “We’re wasting time. Let’s go.”

  Chapter 27

  “You don’t think this is trap. Do you?” Maddie asked as she pointed out an overgrown driveway.

  Ethan turned and drove slowly along it. “You can never tell, but I’ve called for back-up to this location.”

  Without being able to see the back-up that didn’t instil too much confidence, but she could see he was concentrating so she let it go.

  He hadn’t been at all happy about her coming, and nor had Gran or Laura. It had been a tense few minutes, but in the end the time factor had played an important part in settling the matter.

  Beth was taken in by Gran and suffered awkward hugs before being inundated with offers of food and drink. The misguided teenager would be well looked after.

  Maddie hoped they would be in time to save the animals. Now that Johnny had his money, he might decide to do away with them. She fidgeted in her seat, willing Ethan to drive faster, knowing he couldn’t with the path so rutted they were likely to break an axle.

  About quarter of a mile later they arrived in a small clearing. At the other end was a wooden building. It loomed out of the night like something from a scary movie. If it was a trap and someone was inside, whoever it was would have heard them arrive and have the perfect vantage point to see them approach.

  They both got out of the car. Ethan left his door open and she did the same, unsure if it was for a quick getaway or protection against gunfire. She might have watched too many movies. Her nerves jangled as she waited for whatever came next. Ethan went around the back and came up behind her.

  “You stay here. I’ll go check it’s okay.”

  “No way.”

  “Maddie, please. Do this for me?” he pleaded.

  Maddie was shaken by his words and reluctantly nodded. If they were in danger at least she could call the back-up and tell them to hurry. She could see the relief on his face as he crept forward, his hand on the gun that lay in its unclipped holster.

  The shed was covered in vines, except for the door which, she could see from here, was slightly warped and had rusty hinges. Ethan stood to one side of the only front facing window and peered through it. He crouched low and did the same when he got to the other side. Then he knocked on the door.

  “This is the sheriff. Come out with your hands up.”

  No one opened the door, but an almighty racket began. Dogs barked, cats meowed and she thought she could hear birds squawking. Ethan tried the door, and unable to stay back Maddie ran to him. He stared at her but the noise was so loud here that he didn’t bother to argue.

  He pushed at the door again. It squeaked, but didn’t open. Then she heard a sound she recognized—Big Red. No other animal made that sound. His meow was more of a human command. Usually for food, but she just knew he was calling out now for her to set him free.

  “Ethan, can you kick this door in? Big Red is definitely in there.”

  He shook his head. “I’m not a movie star.”

  Maddie raised her eyebrows. “Really? That’s not how the women of Maple Falls feel about you.”

  “Your faith in me is somewhat misguided, but I can give it a crack,” he said, with a small smile.

  She moved away and he took a short run-up, then threw his shoulder at the dilapidated door. Crack! Maddie hoped that it was just the door that was badly affected because Ethan emitted a groan as he bounced off it. Then he grinned. The door hung from its hinges, and with a firm shove he managed to push it inwards.

  “I knew you could do it.” Maddie all but climbed over his back to get inside.

  The sound increased ten-fold, and it was clear why. Rows of cats and dogs in cages, at least thirty, were pawing and scraping at their bars. And, there was Big Red right in the middle of them, howling up a storm and looking the worse for wear. He was thinner and had lost some of his fur.

  He called out to her, and she opened the cage, pulling him to her chest. He stunk, and she didn’t care.

  “My poor boy. Are you okay?”

  A shadow in the doorway made her turn.

  “He’s just fine. You, on the other hand, are definitely not.”

  Johnny stood behind Ethan, an arm around his throat, a gun pointing at her.

  “Sorry, Maddie. Have you met Luke’s brother?”

  She could see that Ethan was furious with himself, and although she was scared, anger at the man who had stolen these animals and not looked after them properly was the stronger emotion.

  “I have, unfortunately,” she said through gritted teeth. “You may want to rethink killing a sheriff.”

  “Maybe, but a cook isn’t such a big deal. I might simply injure our friend here and send your monster animal to the big cattery in the sky.”

  “Don’t you dare!”

  He laughed. “Oh else what? You’ll hit me with a bagel?”

  It was odd that he would bring this up, because she could see bagels on a small table. Were they from her bakery? He was still laughing at her, but neither of these things were as important as keeping Ethan and the pets safe.

  “These animals have done nothing to you.”

  “Really? They’re smelly, noisy, and eat too much.”

  His sneer was like throwing oil on a fire.

  “You’d be smelly if you were locked up in a cage, which you will be when our back-up gets here.” While she talked, Maddie took note of what weapons were available to her. There weren’t too many choices. How could they possibly get out of this mess without them?

  “Does she ever shut up?” Johnny asked Ethan. “Seriously, you could do a lot better than this mouthy cook.”

  Ethan was sending her signals to keep quiet, but she was running on adrenaline and her mouth wouldn’t comply.

  “I am not a cook. I’m a baker. Then again I wouldn’t expect you to know the difference.

  In a lightening move Johnny whacked Ethan around the back of his head and he slumped to the floor.

  Maddie screamed, while Johnny leapt across the prone figure and slapped her, sending her flying. Big Red, jumped from her arms and up onto the top cage while she landed against the bars of the one he had been in previously. Her ribs protested.

  That was when something poked into her. Her back was to Johnny, and she slipped a hand behind her to feel her phone.

  “What are you doing? Get away from those animals.”

  “You pushed me there,” she said belligerently, as she turned. Her face throbbed and she could see blood on Ethan’s face as he lay on the floor.

  “He better be all right or I . . .” Well she wasn’t sure just yet what she might do, but she would definitely think of something

  As Johnny came even closer, she flinched. In that moment, perhaps thinking like she did that the man was about to hurt her again, Big Red launched himself from the tier of cages and landed on the criminal’s shoulder. He ran his claws down the young man’s face, hissing and meowing loudly.

  Johnny picked him up and threw him roughly on top of Ethan, as he wiped the blood off his cheeks with the back of his hand.

  “He’s been more trouble than he’s worth. You know, no one actually wants a cat like that. The thing’s feral.”

  Maddie was proud of her boy. “Big Red knows you’re not a nice person and he acted accordingly.”

  “He was lucky that I didn’t have the time, otherwise, his days would have been numbered a week ago.”

  Now she felt sick. Thank goodness they’d found him. Found all of them. Except now they were all in danger together.”

  All of a sudden, Johnny looked very young. “Why couldn’t you have paid the ransom
, and left it, like the rest?”

  “The rest?” If he was talking he wasn’t killing, and that had to be a good thing.

  “I should have said, ‘some’ of them. They were only too happy to hand over their cash. It was easy money, until that grumpy Maude Oliver decided to play detective like you.”

  “I don’t understand why you still have all the animals if some already paid you?”

  “In the beginning I did give them back. Then I had the idea that if they’ll pay once, why not twice?” he scoffed.

  Maddie didn’t like the glint in his eyes. He looked to be in his early-twenties—not much younger than herself. What had led him down this path? Then she remembered Mickey, and the way he had looked at her.

  “Sounds like greed to me. Are you planning on giving any of them back?”

  “I wasn’t sure until now,” he taunted. “With you and the Sheriff interfering it won’t be long before others begin to cave, and start blabbing, so you can blame yourself if they don’t get their animals. Anyway, since it’s getting too hot around here, you’ll need to take a drive with me to another location.”

  Maddie froze. “So you can kill us?”

  He sniggered. “I could do that right here if I wanted to.”

  That didn’t make her feel any better. “I guess you have a better way of disposing of us than leaving our bodies in a shed that someone might come by at any time.”

  “I’m assuming you didn’t find this place by accident, so once I’ve taken care of the snitch, I can come back and empty this place out. Now, get over here, stop causing trouble, and wasting my time.”

  “All I wanted was my cat back. You’re the murderer and catnapper.” She didn’t want to rile him up, but when she thought of him treating all the poor animals so bad, or killing them, as well as the death of Maude Oliver, and now Ethan, she saw red.

  He snarled at her. “You interfered. The last thing I wanted was to take your beast of a cat anywhere. Look at me.” He touched his face gingerly. “I’ve still got scratches all over me thanks to that fur ball. Like I said, he’s lucky to have survived this long. As for the old lady, that was an accident, not that anyone is going to believe me.”

  He did look sorry about that, which didn’t fit with what he’d just said about killing the animals. Naturally, Maddie was curious, and also desperate to buy some time. For what she wasn’t sure of, but she wasn’t giving up yet.

  Ethan was still prone on the floor and Big Red, who landed on his feet after attacking Johnny and ran into a corner, was slowly climbing up the cages as if he was stalking the man and perhaps pounce again. She didn’t want that, because he might not get away with it after last time.

  The animals, apart from two whimpering puppies, were less vocal as they watched Big Red’s progress. Maddie wanted his focus anywhere but on Big Red or Ethan.

  “Tell me what happened. I’ll believe you.”

  “Sure you will.”

  His voice was laden with sarcasm. Still, he looked undecided so she waited quietly, which was no small feat. After a heavy sigh, the words began to pour out and he started pacing.

  “She turned up at the park across the road from the bakery as planned. It was already dark when she dropped the money inside the rubbish bin. She waited so long I didn’t think she would ever leave. Then she walked away up Maple Lane. I had been hiding in the shrubs at the far edge of the park, so I didn’t see where she parked.”

  Maddie nodded. “She’d parked down Plum Place, under a tree.”

  “Which somehow I didn’t see, and that’s when everything went wrong. My bike was down the end of the street but it wouldn’t start. I tipped it over the hedge, planning to pick it up after the ransoms were all paid, and ran back to get your car. I’d noticed it earlier, because you’d left the garage door open.” He grinned at her stupidity.

  Maddie shuddered at the idea Honey was used as a murder weapon, but it didn’t all fit yet. “You would have been coming from the wrong direction to hit Maude.”

  “You’re smart. I’d left the keys for the shed in the lift-up on the bike. I drove down the street with no lights on, got the keys, did a U-turn and put my foot down. That was when she jumped into the middle of the road. I saw her face only when I hit her. I tried to brake, but I was going too fast and I hadn’t seen her with enough time to swerve.”

  “Where is she? I mean, Honey.”

  “She? Honey?” he sneered. “No need to worry about that old thing. He frowned. “I bet you’ve been stalling me deliberately. Now, you know everything and we really do have to go.”

  “And if I refuse to go with you?”

  Johnny cocked his trigger.

  “I’m ready when you are,” she capitulated.

  He reached into his pocket, throwing something at her as he backed up to the doorway. “Put that plastic tie around the Sheriff’s wrists. That’s right. Now slip one around yours.”

  She did as he asked with Ethan, but made a fuss with putting her hands behind her back and trying to tie them.

  Frustrated, he yelled, “For goodness sake, just put it on around the front and use your teeth.”

  Quickly she did this, hiding to hide her satisfaction.

  He checked Ethan’s ties, then fished around in his pockets until he found the car keys. After pushing Ethan out of his way with the toe of his boot, he came to tighten hers.

  They were cramped in this end of the small shed and Maddie couldn’t see a way past the gun. Not that she would leave Ethan and Big Red, even if she could get away. The animals had kept up their noise, and a terrier snapped at Johnny through the bars when he got close.

  He smacked the cage making the terrier whimper and cower back as far away as it could. Then he motioned to the door with the gun. “Outside, and walk straight ahead. These damn animals are making my head hurt.”

  Maddie led them back to the clearing where Ethan’s blue ford sedan was parked. Johnny opened the doors and she got awkwardly into the back.

  “Stay here, if you want the Sheriff to make it.”

  He went back to drag Ethan, who was probably half as heavy again as Johnny, none too gently to the car. She thought of all the ways she could escape, but wasn’t prepared to risk Ethan’s life.

  She moved awkwardly across to give him room, noticing Johnny was sweating by the time he manhandled his prisoner onto the back seat beside her. Ethan was still out cold and Maddie hoped that it wasn’t a serious injury.

  Big Red sat by the edge of the path watching them. She hoped he had enough sense to get away from here and sent a silent plea for him to find his way home to Gran if she didn’t make it.

  Johnny got in the front, dropped his gun on the passenger seat, slammed the door and sped off down the path they’d come up, heedless of the potholes which made it hard for Maddie to keep her seat. Ethan was thrown about like a rag-doll, but luckily he didn’t fall off the back seat either.

  Instead of heading out to the road he swerved near the top onto an even rougher path. He drove for several miles cross country, and they bounced around in the back until he came to a smaller dirt track that went down to the river.

  She remembered this place from a walk she’d done as a teenager. It had culminated in jumping off the banks into the chilly lake, then building a fire to dry themselves and toast marshmallows for s’mores.

  No one she knew came here anymore because there had been a few slips over the years, making the bank unsafe. This was looking worse by the minute. A vision of the car bobbing at the bottom of the bank, then sinking, came to mind and she clenched her teeth.

  Luckily she was sitting behind the driver’s seat so Johnny couldn’t see her awkwardly pull her phone from a front pocket. Thankful for staying with her tiny old model and wearing a baggy sweater which had hidden its shape, she had also put it on silent and dimmed the light. At least she hoped she had, as she slowly tapped in 911 before holding it between her thighs.

  “Where are you taking us?” she said, loudly.

&n
bsp; He gave her a glance in the rear vision mirror. “You’ll soon see, now be quiet.”

  “I know this part of the river. Are you planning on killing the sheriff and me and dumping our bodies at Sam’s wharf?”

  “Shut up!”

  He swerved as a large rut appeared in front and Maddie’s elbow whacked against the door, causing her to dislodge the phone. She managed to save it from falling, so one more bruise added to the others wasn’t so bad.

  She wasn’t sure if anyone was listening, but she had to give them the best chance of finding them. The only way she could do that was by talking, even though she knew she was making him furious. “Don’t do this, Johnny. I can still pay you the ransom.”

  “Are you kidding me? It’s too late for that, now you’ve seen my face, and I’ve told you everything.” He slapped the steering wheel as they bounced along. “Why the heck did I do that?”

  “Because you don’t want to do these things anymore. It’s a cry for help.”

  He laughed, in not a particularly pleasant way. “You’ve been reading too many detective novels. Believe me, I don’t want to go to jail, and you’ll spill all the details as soon as your boyfriend asks.”

  “I wouldn’t say anything.” She crossed her fingers at the lie.

  He scoffed. “Really? Seems to me that you can’t keep your nose out of anyone’s business. I kept a low profile around town, but I can see it was a mistake to have Beth around. I bet she told you everything, didn’t she? No matter, that little snitch is going to be very sorry.”

  Scared at her and Ethan’s chances of making it out of this situation alive, her determination kicked up a notch. She had more than Big Red and his fellow prisoners to save. Poor Beth was certain to be on Johnny’s list of those expendable.

  “Did you forget? You came into the shop with your father, didn’t you? When you were threatening your brother in front of the Sheriff?”

  He was cussing about having been forced to go that day, but Maddie stopped listening to him. She could hear a tapping. It came from beside her and was more of a vibration. Ethan. She almost called out, but pressed her lips together instead. He must have regained consciousness. She couldn’t see his face as his head was turned away from her, but it gave her hope.