“What are you suggesting?”
“Wade drove here in Jack’s truck. The path is wide enough to allow it.”
“Which means he’s long gone,” Jack said.
“Where would he go?” I asked.
Ida shook her head. “I don’t know.”
“We need to split up,” Mrs. Janowski said. “Edna and I will run to town. Ida, you call the police again. Sylvia, you find out where the guards are. We need them to start searching as well. Mars and Jack, you follow the trail to town. There might be another way out of here that they took. Call me as soon as you find something. And call Rand too. Have him check at the lot, just in case.”
We all scurried in different directions.
“Are you going to be okay?” I asked Jack as we jogged down the hill. The jostling had to be extremely painful.
“I’m fine,” he said, gritting his teeth.
I left him alone. He wouldn’t stop even if his arm fell off. He was stubborn like a couple of other men I knew. Speaking of which . . .
I pulled out my phone and poked it, trying to call Rand as I ran down the trail, my calves already burning.
“Rand, are you at the lot?” I asked when he answered.
“No, I’m trying to shake off a leech.”
“I’m not a leech!” I heard Emily pout in the background.
“I need you to check the lot to make sure Hank or anyone else isn’t there.”
“There’d better be contractors there,” Rand said.
“Yes, the contractors, of course. Just no one else.”
“There shouldn’t be anyone else there anyway. It’s a construction site.”
“Rand, please, just go check.”
“Why are you out of breath?”
“I’m running.”
“Why?”
“Hank and his daughter were abducted. I can’t explain everything right now. Just go check the lot.”
“Gladly.”
“No!” Emily said in the background. “You can’t go yet. I need your help.”
“Mars needs my help.”
“I asked for help first.”
“You’re a pest.”
“You’re a jerk!”
“You’re a b—”
I hung up. I had to concentrate on breathing.
“The end of the trail is up ahead,” Jack said.
Thank goodness. I wasn’t prepared for this type of a workout. Had it just been me, and there were no abductions, I would have collapsed in the leaves that blanketed the ground.
After a few minutes, we reached the end of the trail. It spit us out at the edge of town. Mrs. Janowski screeched to a stop next to us.
“Any luck?” she asked.
“Nothing,” Jack said since I was still puffing.
“Nothing at the gas station either,” she said. “Is Rand checking the lot?”
I nodded.
“Edna and I are going to search some more. You two go back to the house and regroup. The guards should be available any minute now. We’ll need them stationed around town. Find a map.” She took off down the road.
“Do you think Aly has a map?” I asked Jack.
He shook his head. “No, but I know where there is one.”
I followed him down the road to the gas station we had just escaped. A gas station would have a map. But I didn’t want to go inside.
Jack must have sensed my hesitation. “Stay here,” he said. “I’ll just be a minute.”
Even though I was terribly chicken, I followed him in anyway. It’d be faster if we both searched.
“I was just thinking,” I said after an initial scan of the stocked items, “he might have business or personal information here. It doesn’t look like there’s an office, but maybe behind the counter there might be something useful.”
“Go ahead,” Jack said. “I’ll keep looking for the maps.”
As soon as I stepped behind the counter, a woman walked in. She plunked down forty dollars. “Put it on pump two.”
I had no idea how to operate a cash register, nor did I want to help Wade with his business. I slid the money back to her. “It’s on the house.”
“What do you mean?”
“Fill it up. You’re a winner.”
“Really?”
“Yep. Feel free to take a soda or water too. Whatever you want.”
“Really?”
“Yes.”
She looked around. “Am I on some funny TV show? Is there a secret camera watching us?”
“No camera. Just a good day for you.”
“Thank you,” she said with a smile. “I’ll grab a soda from the case.”
I nodded. As soon as she turned her back, I ducked down to search the shelves and counters. There were receipt rolls and cleaner. Keys for the bathroom hung on a hook.
I almost gave up my search until I stumbled upon a sketchbook. Opening it, I discovered it filled with drawings of the necklace, of Sandy and the necklace, and of the necklace again. While it was Sandy’s face, it wasn’t her name scrawled on every page.
Nhung.
In fact, in the beginning of the book, Sandy’s face was distorted. At first glance I thought it was just a practice drawing. But maybe it had something to do with the repeating name.
“Jack, come and look at this.”
He walked over with a map in hand. “What is it?”
“It’s a sketchbook with your mom’s face and necklace, but a different name.”
“Nhung,” he read.
“And look at this sketch,” I said, pointing to the earlier drawing. “She has an Asian tilt to her eyes. It’s like he’s purposely changing Sandy’s features. Either that or he’s horrible at sketching.”
“Maybe he’s confused.” Jack frowned. “He’s definitely crazy. I have a ruined arm to prove it.”
“You need to go to the hospital.”
“I will. After we find everyone.”
“Well, this is the only clue I found, and it’s not much help.”
“It might be,” Jack said. “Grandpa said he was a war veteran. Perhaps he was stationed in an Asian country. There could be a record somewhere.”
“How would that help?”
“I don’t know.” He tossed the map onto the counter and attempted to open it with one hand, which proved difficult. After fumbling with it, I finally took it and opened it for him. “Thanks.”
He searched the map while I continued to flip through the sketchbook. The same name continued throughout, yet the drawings, always with Sandy in them, morphed from beginning to end. I scanned each one. Some were perfect, others had exotic eyes or some other feature that didn’t belong to Sandy.
It didn’t make sense. Was this how he saw Sandy? Or was it how he wanted to see her?
“It’s almost like he can’t remember Sandy’s features and is replacing them.”
“But the name is Nhung,” Jack said. “Maybe he can’t remember Nhung’s features and is replacing them with Sandy’s.”
That made more sense. In fact, it sparked an idea.
“Hand me the scissors,” I said, pointing to a hook near Jack.
He used his good arm to pick them up and hand them to me. “What are you doing?”
“Each picture has a different feature. I know what Sandy looks like. If I cut out all the features that I know aren’t hers, I can reassemble them and hopefully we can get a picture of Nhung.”
“How will that help?”
“I don’t know,” I said, making my first cut. “But this has to be driving him crazy. It’s driving me crazy.”
“Can I do anything?”
“Grab me a water. And tape.” When he came back with the requested items, plus a water for him too, I asked, “Did you find anything on the map?”
“No, I have no idea what I’m looking for.”
“Do you have your phone?”
“Yeah, why?”
“Search for veteran services, maybe a hospital or clinic. Someone has to know abou
t Wade.”
“They won’t give me information.”
“No, but you can tell them that their services are required.”
Jack nodded and pulled out his phone. By the time he placed a couple of calls, I was finished with an interesting rendition of Nhung.
“What do you think?” I asked.
“I think it looks like a Picasso.”
It did. None of the features were aligned quite right. The left eye was gigantic compared to the right. Her mouth was lopsided. But there was a glimpse of a young Asian girl.
“What ethnicity do you think Nhung is?”
“No idea,” Jack said. “Grandpa never told me what war Wade served in.” He fiddled with a few of the extra pieces that were abandoned on the counter. “Why did you cut these out?”
“They didn’t belong to Sandy.”
“But they aren’t Nhung’s either.”
He was right. If they didn’t belong to either woman, who did they belong to? Was there a third woman?
Quickly placing them in order and taping them, I stared at the woman. She looked familiar.
“I know her,” Jack said, frowning. “But I can’t place her.”
“I think I know her too.”
Jack sighed. “This is pointless. Let’s get back to the house with this map. Hopefully the ladies had better luck.”
“I’m taking the sketches. Maybe one of the ladies will know who this third person is.”
On our way out, I grabbed another water bottle for the hike back. If I was huffing and puffing on the way down, the trek up would be brutal. I almost thought about calling Mrs. Janowski to come pick me up. But after disabling Jack with my thunder thighs, I figured I could use the exercise.
Jack, not at all fatigued by the climb, continued calling various veteran resources. He didn’t have any luck. By the time we reached the top, I was covered in sweat and gasping for air, while he cursed and shoved the phone back into his pocket.
“Nothing! I can’t get any help. No one will talk to me. It’s like a maze trying to figure out who to call. Then once I do, they tell me to call someone else.”
I nodded since talking wasn’t an option.
Trudging after him, we knocked on the back door to be let in. I was surprised when Sylvia opened it. I thought for sure some of the newly appointed security guards would be on duty by now. It was something I’d ask about after I caught my breath.
No more cheesecake. Never will I ever eat cheesecake again.
Aly hurried over. “Did you find them?”
I stalled the same time Jack did. We looked at her, then each other, and then back at her.
“Take out the sketch,” Jack said.
Once produced, we knew exactly who the third woman was.
Aly Darby.
Chapter 24
Aly had to be the other woman in the sketches.
“Do you know him?” I asked.
“Who?” Her brows raised in confusion.
“Wade,” I answered, showing her the sketch. “He owns a gas station in town and is the one who took Sandy and Hank.”
“He’s the same man?” She pressed her hand against her chest. “Yes, I know him. I didn’t think . . . I never thought . . . Are you sure it’s the same man?”
“Positive.”
“Oh,” she sat down in the nearest chair.
“He’s started to draw you,” I said.
Sylvia grabbed the book and flipped through. “What does this all mean?”
“Jack and I aren’t sure, but there is a name in the book that continues throughout. The sketches morph from one woman to the other.” I showed her Nhung’s drawing. “I think this is Nhung. She’s the original.”
“Nhung?” Aly asked. “I recognize that name.”
“You do?”
“Yes. When it was a slow day for him at the station, he’d come out and fill customer’s tanks. We got to chatting one day. He told me he is a veteran, had to leave his wife behind.”
“And he mentioned Nhung?”
“Not that day. It was several months later. I saw him doodling and peeked at it. He snapped the book shut so I didn’t ask any questions, but I did see the name Nhung.”
“Was there a necklace in the picture?” I asked.
Aly nodded. “Yes. It was unique. I had never seen the design before.”
I showed her a picture of the necklace he drew.
“Yes, that’s it.”
“Has he done anything inappropriate toward you?” I asked.
“No, nothing.” She contemplated. “However, there was one day that he made me a little nervous. He had this odd look in his eyes as he stared at me. He took a step forward, but as soon as I stepped back, he stopped. Then he turned and walked into the station. At the time I felt intimidated, but I thought it was just my mind playing tricks on me. The next time I saw him, he acted normal.”
Mrs. Janowski and Edna returned then, interrupting the conversation.
“We came back to regroup,” Mrs. Janowski said. “We were driving in circles. Any luck for you two?”
“We have a lead,” Jack said. “It’s not much, but it might help.”
Mrs. Janowski pushed forward. “What kind of a lead?”
I showed her the book and the pictures I had pieced together. “It’s Aly,” she said right away.
“Aly knows Wade,” I said. “She was just telling us that he is a veteran and had to leave his wife behind.”
“Well, this is definitely a new development,” Mrs. Janowski said. “These drawings are confusing, but I can certainly see Aly in one and Sandy in another.”
I held up the third. “And we think this is Nhung, his wife.”
“You said he was a veteran,” Mrs. Janowski pondered. “Vietnam, perhaps.”
“I’m not sure,” Aly replied. “He never went into detail. Just that he had to leave his wife behind.”
Mrs. Janowski studied each sketch. “Something is terribly wrong with him. Is he trying to re-create his wife?”
“Maybe the necklace originally belonged to her,” I said. “It could explain why he’s obsessed with it.”
“Not really,” Mrs. Janowski said. “My husband wore the same watch every day for fifty years. I kept it because it reminds me of him and he loved the damn thing. It’s in a drawer somewhere. If it went missing, I wouldn’t attack anyone. I certainly wouldn’t abduct anyone either. This guy has a screw loose.”
I nodded. She had a point, yet there was something else wrong. Something that I wasn’t seeing in the pictures.
“Wade is obviously transferring his thoughts to Aly,” Sylvia said. “There is a pattern here. I think we came just in time. He might have attacked her next.”
Aly’s mouth swung open.
“Now, we just have to find him,” Mrs. Janowski said, looking to Jack and me. “Are you sure there were no other paths that connected to the main trail?”
“I didn’t see any,” Jack said.
“The only other path leads to Aly’s house,” I said. My mouth swung open to mirror Aly’s. “Do you think he took them to her house?”
Mrs. Janowski looked at Aly. “Does he know where you live?”
“Yes, he came over one time because I couldn’t get my car to start.”
“We should call the police,” Edna said.
“Yes,” Mrs. Janowski agreed. “But we need to send a rescue party over there too. We have no idea how long it’ll take the police to respond in this rinky-dink town. Where are our security guards?”
“I don’t know,” I said, wondering the same thing.
“We’ll have to proceed without them,” she said. “Sylvia, call the police again and then find Ida. Tell her to stay put. It wouldn’t be good to have Ida come with us. She was already on the hook for his murder. We don’t want them in the same room together.”
“And you really think he’s at my house?” Aly asked, her mouth still gaping.
“I would wager ol’ Bessie on it.”
Al
y was confused by the reference but took Mrs. Janowski at her word.
“Jack, you’re injured so maybe you should stay here too,” Mrs. Janowski said.
“No, I’m going.”
Mrs. Janowski eyed him then shrugged. “Suit yourself.”
“Should I stay here too?” Edna asked hopefully.
“No, we might need your lock-picking skills.”
“Aly would have keys to her house,” Edna said. “I’m sure she would let you use them.”
Aly nodded and pulled keys from her pocket.
“I wasn’t thinking of the front door,” Mrs. Janowski said. “There are other kinds of locks that we might need to break through. Handcuffs, for instance.”
Edna’s face fell, but she squared her shoulders and nodded.
“Load up, troops,” Mrs. Janowski said, taking Aly’s keys. “We’re on a rescue mission.”
“Do you think he has a gun?” Edna asked on our way out.
“I don’t think so,” Jack said. “At least not when I saw him. He surprised us and got the jump on us before we could react.”
“Perfect,” Mrs. Janowski said. “Then we’ll do the same. We can park down the road so he doesn’t see us.”
“We could take the trail,” Jack said.
I did not want to hike up more trails. Wade would only have to poke me in the arm and I’d fall over.
Thankfully, Mrs. Janowski shook her head. “I’d feel better with a car at our disposal. You never know; we might need a quick getaway.”
“Sylvia, call the police now,” Mrs. Janowski said on our way out. “Make sure they know that we’ll be there. I don’t want to be mistaken for a burglar.”
Mrs. Janowski took the driver’s seat with Edna at her side. Jack and I sat in back. He was pale in the sunlight.
“Your arm has to be killing you,” I said.
“I’ll be fine. It’s only temporary,” he said.
“I learned a few things about first aid,” Mrs. Janowski said. “I could try to pop your arm back in.”
He blanched further. “No, thank you. I’ll be fine.”
Mrs. Janowski shrugged and backed out of the parking spot. She drove up the road. “I sure hope this is the right way,” Mrs. Jankowski said. “I forgot to ask for directions, but there can’t be too much on this road. It’s getting narrow.”
The road tapered down into one lane then curved into a long driveway that led to a two-story house at the top of the hill.
Fearsome Foursome Page 18