Devoted to Her (Dream Date Book 2)

by Ivan Kendrick

  They all stood up.

  “I’ll return to Cornell,” Christopher said. “See if Judith happens to be around.”

  Amanda nodded. Then she turned to Nathan.

  “I’ll be with you.”

  With that, they left the restaurant. Nathan again followed the others in his car. Since they were heading to the Cornell campus, they would drop off Christopher there.

  Caldwell parked in a lot near the dorm building. Amanda promptly got out of the car. Nathan caught up with them.

  “According to Christopher, he stopped in that road when he brought Judith back.” Amanda pointed to the stretch of road directly in front of the entrance to the dorm building. Hayden walked there.

  “At what time was Judith dropped off?” he asked.

  “It was around eight fifteen,” Amanda replied.

  “Then it was already dark. The best time of day to kidnap someone without any witnesses.”

  Hayden walked around the entrance, surveying the area for signs of a struggle. Then he looked around for a spot where someone could hide. There was a group of bushes on either side of the entrance. Hayden walked over to them.

  “Would you be able to see me here in the dark?”

  Nathan and Amanda turned to look at Hayden.

  “Most likely not,” Nathan said.

  “If there was a kidnapper, he or she most likely hid here. Or also around one of the corners of the building. They probably snuck up to Judith and silenced her.”

  Hayden walked back to the group.

  “When Medina questioned the tenants, did he ask them if they heard any screams?”

  “No,” Caldwell said.

  “Then let’s go and find out.”

  Amanda and Nathan followed Hayden inside the building. Caldwell and Medina were also with them.

  “If you excuse me, I need to use the restroom,” said Amanda. “I’ll meet you outside afterward.”

  Nathan and Hayden both nodded. She walked away in the direction of the restroom. Amanda knew where it was, having come to visit Judith several times in the past. Caldwell followed her.

  When Amanda was inside the restroom, her smartphone rang. She looked at the caller ID. It was an unknown number.

  “Hello?” Amanda asked.

  “Amanda Tilley,” said a woman’s voice. “You will do exactly what I tell you, or your friends will suffer the consequences. If you’re not alone, ACT NORMAL. Now, answer this question with a yes or a no. Are you with someone right now?”

  Amanda had frozen midway through listening to the message. She slowly looked up, staring at herself in the mirror above the sink. Amanda glanced toward the door, wondering if Caldwell had heard the phone ringing.

  “No,” she whispered.

  “That’s good, bitch. Now, I want you to come to me alone. Find a way to escape those gorillas of yours. I’ve got Emmy and Judith in my power.”

  Amanda stared at her reflection in horror. This woman got to Emmy. How’s that possible?

  “Do not involve anyone, especially the police, if you want me to not hurt your friends. Is that clear?”

  “Who are you?”

  “Don’t ask questions. I’m going to give you my address now. Again, come ALONE. I’ll let your friends go as soon as I have you with me.”

  After Amanda got the address, the kidnapper hung up. She grabbed the edge of the sink, reeling. Now Amanda knew why Judith—and Emmy—had been kidnapped. Hayden had been right. The culprit wanted Amanda.

  Taking a deep breath, Amanda started to think about how to escape. She’d already taken a somewhat long time in the restroom already. Caldwell could get suspicious and send someone in. Amanda looked around, considering her options. If she walked out of the restroom, it would be almost impossible to give her bodyguards the slip.

  Amanda walked to the window. It was opaque and large enough for her to fit through it. Nervously, Amanda opened it. She looked down. Thankfully, that restroom was on the second floor, rather than the third or higher. Still, it would be quite a drop if Amanda were to jump. She looked down. There was only grass to cushion her fall.

  Before she could have any second thoughts, Amanda put a leg over the edge of the window. She looked around, thankful that there wasn’t anyone around to witness the lunacy she was about to do.

  Bracing herself, Amanda moved the other leg. She was now sitting on the edge of the window. Closing her eyes, she jumped. Amanda managed to roll forward when her feet hit the ground. It was a maneuver she’d seen in the movies. Unfortunately, Amanda had never done it before and it didn’t turn out well. She hurt both her ankle and her arm. Amanda turned over in the ground, groaning.

  Get up. You don’t have any time.

  Amanda used all her strength to sit up. She looked toward the window she’d jumped from. Thankfully, Caldwell didn’t seem to be aware of what she’d done. Before anyone could catch her, Amanda stood up. She walked over to the parking lot and found her car, which Medina had been driving. It was lucky that she carried a copy of her car keys. Kellan had done that for security.

  Amanda revved the engine and hastily pulled out of the space. She barely avoided totaling one of the cars behind her. Taking another deep breath, Amanda shifted gears and drove forward. When she passed through the entrance to the dorm building, she was glad to see that no one was looking for her yet.

  Caldwell was starting to get impatient. He was standing next to the restroom door. It had been ten minutes since she’d entered. He felt worried.

  As it was the woman’s restroom, Caldwell couldn’t enter. He decided to tap on the door.

  “Ms. Tilley? Is everything all right?”

  There was no answer. Caldwell thought that maybe Amanda hadn’t heard him.

  “Ms. Tilley? Hello? Are you in there?”

  No response came. Caldwell looked toward both sides of the corridor. There wasn’t anyone in sight.

  Feeling concerned, Caldwell pulled out his cell phone. He called Medina.

  “This is Hawk 1. Hawk 2, do you copy?”

  “Copy that. What’s the status?”

  “We’ve got a possible situation. There’s no response or visual from Aurora. Over”

  “Roger that. We’re on our way. Over.”

  Caldwell gave Medina his position and then ended the communication. He decided to enter the restroom after all. If something was happening to Amanda and Caldwell didn’t act, he would feel guilty. After tapping on the door a second time, Caldwell opened it.

  “Amanda?”

  Caldwell stopped when he got to the stalls. He noticed the open window right away. Caldwell walked over to it, looking to the bottom. He groaned, and pulled out his phone again.

  “Hawk 2. Aurora is in the woods. Repeat, Aurora is in the woods. We need to move now!”

  Caldwell rushed out of the restroom. He met with Nathan, Hayden, and Medina outside.

  “Where is she?” the latter asked.

  “Ms. Tilley jumped from the window. We need to go and find her.”

  “What?” Nathan asked. He and Hayden looked stunned. They followed the bodyguards out of the building. The group made a beeline for the parking lot and the spot where they left the car.

  “I can’t believe it. She took the car,” Caldwell said.

  “Where could Amanda have gone to?” Nathan asked. No one was able to answer.

  “Did you notice anything suspicious while you were with her, Caldwell?” Medina asked.

  “No. She just took a long time in the restroom. I didn’t imagine that she could give us the slip.”

  “Why?” Nathan wondered. Hayden had an idea.

  “The kidnapper must have contacted her. That must be why they took Judith. To use as bait.”

  They all stood frozen on the spot, trying to think of a plan of action.

  “We should see if the police can put a BOLO on the car,” Hayden suggested. “I’ll get in touch with Sutton.”

  “Then we should go find Amanda,” said Nathan, looking at Caldwel
l and Medina. “We can take my car.”

  They all agreed on Nathan’s plan. Hayden left for the police station while Nathan headed back to the apartment.

  “It’s a good idea to see if Amanda went there first,” Nathan said to Caldwell. “Maybe she wanted to pick up something before meeting with the kidnapper.”

  Nathan and the bodyguards rushed up the stairs to Amanda’s apartment. They stopped outside the door. Nathan knocked.

  “Amanda! Are you there?”

  There was no answer from inside. Nathan looked back and was surprised to see only Caldwell was with him.

  “I sent Medina to the back,” he explained. “Can’t risk Amanda pulling the same trick on us twice.”

  Nathan knocked on the door again. He waited, listening for any sounds.

  “We should go in,” Caldwell suggested.

  “Wait, let me try something.”

  Nathan pulled out his smartphone. He dialed Amanda’s number and waited, putting his ear to the door. Caldwell realized what Nathan was doing.

  “Either Amanda set her phone to silent, or she’s truly not here,” the latter said. He ended the call.

  “Didn’t she give you a copy of her key?” Caldwell asked.

  “She did once, but it’s only been a short time since we reconciled. Amanda hasn’t gotten around to giving it back to me.”

  Caldwell pulled something out of his pocket. Then he walked to the door. Nathan saw Caldwell holding a lock picking tool. Nathan looked around, hoping to see Amanda walk around the corner. Caldwell worked on the lock for around a minute. He opened the door.

  “Amanda!” said Nathan, walking in with Caldwell. They checked every room. Nathan looked in the closet and the bathrooms as well.

  “She’s not here,” Nathan told Caldwell when they met back in the living room. “How do we find her?”

  Caldwell began to think of a plan. Nathan then heard his phone ring. He saw it was Christopher.

  “What’s up, Chris?” Nathan answered.

  “Hey, Nathan. Are there any news on Judith?”

  “No, we still haven’t found her. We believe that the kidnappers have made contact, though.”

  There was a short pause on the other end.

  “What do you mean, you believe? Have they told you how much money they want?”

  Nathan took a deep breath.

  “No, it’s not that. There’s no ransom that we know about. Amanda is missing.”

  Hayden entered the police station. The activity inside was normal, neither too rushed nor slow. He walked toward one of the cops.

  “Is Detective Sutton in?”

  “Yes, sir,” the officer said. “May I have your name?”

  “I’m Patrick Hayden, private investigator.”

  The officer led Hayden toward Sutton’s office. Once inside, the Detective looked up.

  “Mr. Hayden. Good afternoon,” Sutton said, shaking hands with him.

  “Good afternoon.”

  The two men sat down.

  “Did you come with news about the Rebecca Jenkins case?” asked Sutton.

  “Yes, but they’re not good news. There has been a development.”

  Hayden filled the Detective in on Judith’s kidnapping and Amanda’s later disappearance.

  “You’ve got two girls missing on your watch?” Sutton asked with incredulity.

  “Trust me, I’m not happy about it. Ms. Tilley actually escaped right under our noses. The only explanation I can come up with is that Ms. Vawer’s kidnapper called her.”

  “It doesn’t make much sense, even if she’s rich.”

  Hayden shook his head.

  “There’s a high chance that the woman from the hit-and-run is behind these events. She wanted Ms. Tilley and seems to have finally got her.”

  “Jesus. How much danger is Ms. Tilley in?”

  “I hope that not much. Can you put a BOLO out on her car? We need to find her fast.”

  “I’ll see what I can do,” Sutton said, nodding.

  “Thanks. I also think it would be wise to have a small rescue team ready. Nothing over the top like SWAT; regular cops will do.”

  “I’ll look into it.”

  Hayden gave Sutton the information on Amanda’s car. Then they stood up.

  “I’ll talk to my superiors,” the Detective said. “They’ll have to approve the BOLO and the rescue team.”

  “Please tell them that this is a timely matter.”

  The two of them walked out of Sutton’s office. The latter went to see the Lieutenant.

  Christopher would not go to his last class of the day. After Nathan told him about Amanda’s disappearance, it all added up slowly. Presumably, Amanda wasn’t taken by force. She’d left willingly, as shown by her escape from a two-story window.

  Amanda wants to rescue Judith.

  As he entered his car, Christopher knew that he wanted to rescue Judith, too. He hoped that his suspicions weren’t true.

  Christopher pulled out of his space and drove forward. He considered calling the police, but decided against it. He didn’t want to risk Judith’s safety. First, Christopher would go find Judith. Later, he would decide if it was safe to involve the authorities.

  When he got to a red light, Christopher dialed a number. He tapped his fingers against the steering wheel, his patience waning. The light turned green again, and still the other end wasn’t answering. He hung up.

  Christopher exited the campus and headed north. If his hunch was correct, he would find Judith shortly. The drive would be a bit long, but not too much.

  When Christopher was near Amanda’s apartment building, he looked in its direction.

  Is she truly willing to go to such lengths?

  Christopher hesitated at the wheel. Alone, he wouldn’t be much help if things got complicated. All he wanted was for Judith to be safe. Christopher had to tell the cops the truth, or they’d never get to Amanda or Judith in time.

  At the next intersection, Christopher turned. He pulled into a curb. After switching on the hazard lights, Christopher grabbed his phone. He dialed the police station. It only took a couple of rings for them to answer.

  “Ithaca Police Department. Please state your name and the reason for your call.”

  “Um…I’m Christopher Holt. Tell Detective Sutton that I have information for him. It’s about a crime.”

  “One moment.”

  Christopher waited until his call was transferred. Only a half-minute passed before Sutton picked up.

  “Hello?” a deep voice asked.

  “Good afternoon, Detective Sutton. I’m Christopher Holt.”

  “Greetings, Mr. Holt. I’m told that you have a crime to report.”

  “Sort of. I think I know who may be behind Judith’s kidnapping and Amanda’s disappearance.”

  Detective Sutton paused while he thought about it.

  “What do you know, Mr. Holt?”

  “I have reason to believe that Rebecca Jenkins used Judith as bait to get to Amanda. I can tell you where they might be right now.”

  “Have you seen them?”

  “No. It’s just…Rebecca is my sister.”

  Amanda finally arrived at the address that the woman gave her. It had taken about a quarter hour to get there. Amanda deduced that was most likely done to slow down the cops if they were to head there.

  Adjusting her breath, Amanda looked around. The apartment buildings were practically secluded. There was grassland all around, but the south was populated. Amanda thought that if things went bad, at least there were people nearby. They could come to her aid if it was necessary.

  Deciding not to drag it long, Amanda walked out of her car. She felt in her jacket for the pepper spray canister that she carried. It made Amanda feel a little safe.

  Amanda walked toward the apartment building. She had expected one of those two-star types that were lacking in one way or another. This one was at least a three- or four-star. Amanda walked slowly, looking around. A couple of cars drove b
y as Amanda looked at the street.

  Once inside the building, Amanda walked up the stairs. The woman gave her a room number on the highest floor. Again, she obviously chose it to delay the cops.

  Amanda turned around the corridor when she got to the right floor. It was deserted. She walked forward at a brisk pace until she found the right door. Amanda didn’t knock on it. She just allowed herself in.

  The room was dark. Amanda’s eyes adjusted to the dimness. She noticed a couple of small, dilapidated red sofas in front of her. The coffee table was simple and wooden, with several chips in it. Beyond that area was a small refrigerator and sink, but no stove. There was also a window on the far wall, with the blinds shut. The living room was smaller than Amanda’s.

  Amanda walked forward. She resisted the urge to announce her presence. It was better to try to surprise the kidnapper, as hopeless as that sounded.

  There was a door to the left, opposite the wall that had the refrigerator. Amanda guessed that led to the bedroom. She walked to it. Amanda turned the knob and opened the door slowly. The bedroom was also dark.

  When Amanda was inside, she immediately noticed Judith and Emmy. They were both unconscious.

  Amanda took a step forward. Before she could react, someone struck her from behind. Amanda yelled in pain, falling to the floor. She covered her head with her hands.

  “At last you’re in my power, bitch.”

  Amanda tried to look up, still dazed from the blow. She felt a pair of hands grab her by the collar. Whoever it was lifted Amanda from the floor. She was now face-to-face with her captor, a woman with a Mardi Gras-style mask. It covered most of her face.

  “Who are you?”

  The woman gave no response. She slapped Amanda across the face, sending her against the bed.

  “I’m the woman who’s going to make you pay. Thanks to you, my boyfriend is now dead.”

  Amanda thought hard, trying to find out who the woman could be. Then it dawned on her.

  “Rebecca. You were with…Hilbert.”

  Amanda slowly stood up, and then faced the woman. The latter took off her mask. Recognition flashed in Amanda’s eyes. Her blood went cold.

  “You!”

  Rebecca (or Erika, as Amanda best knew her) flashed a wide grin.

  “Your surprise is amusing. I’ve been watching you all this time. Not even once did you have a clue of my true intentions. You’re so naïve.”