Allure (Mercenaries Book 1)

by Tony Lavely

  “Better take better care of her,” she muttered, then glared at the other girls.

  Wendy finally looked out the window while gripping Kylie’s hand as hard as she could. The bus was proceeding along a two lane road through land which was rapidly becoming desert. The sun shining through the rear window also illuminated a weather beaten sign not quite lying in the sand, but she couldn’t read it as they flashed by.

  She guessed the driver had been watching for this sign; he turned in that direction and drove to a small windowless building with an open garage door. She grabbed Kylie’s arm as she saw an old biplane parked within.

  The bus came to a quick halt. Out the window, Wendy could see men brushing their tracks away. The woman directed the girls into the hanger and then out through a door in the back wall. “Bathroom’s over there,” she said as she waved toward a weathered door a few feet further down. “I strongly recommend you use these facilities; there will be no others for the rest of the trip.” One by one, the girls moved.

  Wendy had been one of the first to relieve herself, though it was difficult; she didn’t need to go and the events so far hadn’t done much to relax her.

  Waiting for Kylie, she leaned against the roof support along the wall from where the woman and another guard were standing. She looked out over the desert. Well, Kylie tried. Let’s see what I can do.

  She bent down to tie her sneakers a little better, then from the crouch, she started running away from the building, out toward the hills in front of her. She had gotten perhaps twenty yards when, simultaneously, she heard “NO!” and a sharp report. Something pulled hard at her hair. Really hard. She caught her foot and tripped, tumbling to the ground where she hit her face on a rock buried in the sand.

  She hadn’t caught her breath when someone grabbed the back of her shirt and pulled her to a kneeling position, then on up to stand. The guard she’d seen with the woman was holding her up. He looked her over, then hustled her back to stand before the woman.

  The woman grabbed Wendy’s shirt front; indifferent to the popped buttons, she pulled her to within a inch of her nose. “Don’t ever. Do. That. Again.” The woman’s tone brooked no insolence, even if Wendy had felt good enough to provide some. Wendy nodded slowly, as she rubbed her face to brush off the sand. “Get over there and wash your face.”

  Wendy walked slowly toward the bathroom. Kylie ran after her, catching her as she went through the door. The two girls didn’t say anything as they got Wendy’s mouth and face washed clear of blood.

  But outside, Wendy could see that Kylie was beside herself. “What’s wrong?”

  “You mean, ‘sides the obvious?” Kylie waited until Wendy nodded. “That was really, really stupid. Stupid major. You coulda been killed. You so should be dead!”

  “And what you did on the bus was smart?” She rubbed her chin, then pushed at her hair. “What happened, anyway?”

  “I was coming out the door when you ran. Bright boy…” Wendy could hear the woman continuing to reproach the guard, “saw you running, and pulled his gun to shoot you. She hit his arm as he fired, and then you fell. I was sure you were dead.” Wendy could hear a strange mix of fear and relief in Kylie’s voice. “But I guess he missed.”

  “He almost didn’t. It must have been the bullet caught my hair.” She pushed her hair to fall down her back, then rubbed her scalp. “Made me lose my balance and fall. That’s what split my lip.”

  “Well, she was really mad, hollering on him about not hurting one of ‘these girls,’ and she took his gun and told him to go get you. You were jus’ lying there, and I think she thought you were dead. I did.” Kylie was beginning to calm down, finally.

  “Well, my head and my face both hurt. Oh, look, we’re gonna be moving again, I’ll bet.” She pointed at the woman, gathering up girls at the other end of the building.

  CHAPTER TWO

  deVeel in San Diego

  BEFORE HEADING TO SAN DIEGO, deVeel had remained in Australia until Else Meyer and her team were sure that Werner had successfully contacted his German base, verifying both that Werner had survived the desert and her team was able to monitor his travel.

  In the California community from which the girls had been abducted, deVeel made a trip to the local police. Unimpressed by his credentials, they provided only information the local news media had received.

  His next visit was to the Highway Patrol. The map led to a white cinder block building with blue trim highlighting the roof line. Inside, a uniformed officer directed him to the “Community Event Room.”

  He surveyed the room. It was two-thirds filled with long tables. Plastic chairs lined the tables. Whatever audience there might be faced a wooden podium with no identification. Behind the podium, the light grey wall was adorned with a large green chalkboard. A freestanding flip chart stood to the side, blank pages crying for bold images and large letters. Air conditioning left the room cool, without any defining scent.

  Five minutes of woolgathering ended when a tall man entered the room. His uniform was flawless, creases pressed to an almost dangerous sharpness. He carried a slim folder. “Good morning, Mr. deVeel. I’m Sergeant Lamont. How can I assist you?”

  “First, I appreciate your willingness to talk to me.”

  “Well, I’m hoping… You’re interested in the JFK Middle School kidnapping, right? Let me tell you what I can. Then—”

  “That would be helpful.”

  “There were twenty-five kids on the bus. You already know that eleven were kidnapped. We’ve checked the surveillance video and watched them all get on. The video didn’t show any difference between the bus that took the kids and one of the department busses. It stopped just where it was supposed to, stayed as long as it should have. From the teachers and monitors outside the school, from the video, there was nothing unusual. Unfortunately, the video from the vehicle holding area was out of commission, so we don’t know what happened there. We don’t know how they switched busses.”

  “The newspaper said the bus has been found?”

  “Not the one that took the kids. The regular bus and its driver were found in the back of an empty industrial park near the international border. He’d been shot, once, execution style. No prints or anything to indicate how he or it got there. We haven’t turned up anyone suspicious in the department. And everything appeared normal at the school.” Lamont looked a question.

  “Except that—”

  “Except they didn’t stop until they got to the park.”

  “Where’s that from here?”

  “About eight miles north. If you came down from LA, you drove by the exit.”

  Lamont looked down at the folder, but kept his hand atop it. “So, your turn now.” His eyes flashed. “What gives you an interest in this?”

  “Do you think that it’s a local matter?”

  “I’m not sure what you mean.”

  DeVeel gave him a heavily redacted review of the past two months. “So you can see there’s nothing I can say about your kidnapping. We’ve forcibly connected two events which may have no association at all: a slave trader with a supposed brothel which may be located in the southwestern US, and here in San Diego, a kidnapping of girls, all of a certain description. If you had any information that argued for or against our suspicion…”

  “This slave trader—”

  “Operates in Europe, as far as we know.”

  Lamont leaned forward. “But the place in the southwest?”

  “Hearsay. Did something turn up that doesn’t fit?”

  Lamont picked up his folder and went to the door. “Wait here a moment.”

  This is a pleasant experience. Is he going to throw me in a cell back there until I make up a story for him?

  However, when the sergeant returned, he sat. “I had hoped you’d have some little thing that would point us… No matter. We haven’t heard anything that would invalidate your theory. Nothing to prove it, either, except that there haven’t been any ransom demands…”
<
br />   DeVeel sat up a little. “Yeah. It’s been, what, almost a month? That’s a long time to go with no word if they were taken for ransom.”

  “It is. And none of the girls come from particularly well-to-do families. There were better busses to hijack if ransom was the goal.” He stared into deVeel’s eyes. “I’d be happy with anything… I know those families…”

  “I can guess. From wandering around, it looks like a pretty tight-knit community here. However, since I’ve described the abduction we did investigate, I don’t have anything else I can tell you. I appreciate your talking with me.”

  “I’d like to understand your interest, then.”

  DeVeel sighed, then smiled. “That would be information I’d prefer to keep quiet. I will say that everything we do… Our goal here is returning the girls to their families. Any other interest is secondary.”

  “I understand there’s a lot of money in… illicit activities.”

  “I’ve heard that, too.” He leaned back in the chair. “It’s not our first interest.”

  “Perhaps your second, though?” With a wry grin, Lamont waved off any need to answer and opened the door. “Please keep in contact. I will expect to hear from you.”

  Deveel left the station and phoned London.

  “So, they were admirably prepared,” Jamse said after the review.

  “They sure were.”

  “Based on the level of advance work, I think this confirms that our activity in Rome did not precipitate this abduction.”

  “Yes, the laundry list of things they did to prepare proved it for me. He didn’t say, but the police must realize that the cell tower outage and the surveillance video faults were not random. And so far, we don’t know everything they would have done, by any means.” He sighed into the phone.

  “Kevin, do not be concerned about having agreed to this action. I still believe it more likely than not that Werner is involved; the information we found at his villa points inescapably toward the Southwestern United States.”

  “Yeah, I know all that, Ian. It’s just, I don’t know… Unsatisfactory to bring the group into something for the wrong reason.”

  “I dispute your thought that we have the wrong reason. One or more particulars may be in error, but all of us were similarly seduced, except perhaps Rebecca, who questioned us in London.”

  “But—”

  “It is also incorrect to characterize the rest of the group’s involvement as anything but willing. I spoke with them earlier; all wish to continue even if Werner is not involved.” DeVeel heard the smile in Jamse’s voice. “And if Werner is not involved, we can still pay him attention. Derek is keeping watch, as you know.”

  “Any word from him?”

  “No, nor from Ms Meyer nor Ms Saunders. Ah… Did you hear that Miguel discovered one of Werner’s pilots—”

  “Yeah. Jean-Luc Fereré, right? I forget who said he might be willing to… shift allegiance?”

  “Ms Stadd suggested that after talking with Ms Betheler. With the task in San Diego complete, for now at least, I will have Boynton arrange your flight to Rome, so you may also interview the man.”

  “With who else?”

  “Ms Rios, Ms Saunders and Mr. Hamilton.”

  “We should be able to work him over,” Kevin said with a chuckle.

  “Indeed. It is possible he may be able to assist with Werner’s codes, as well.”

  “Good. I’ll give Boynton a call when we’re done here.”

  “Now, Susan has identified a resort near Santa Fe in New Mexico which she believes may provide a base for our operations. Unless you have misgivings, I will advise her to proceed.”

  “Everything… Well, the little bit we know seems to point to that general area.”

  “Too true, too true. When the interview is done, you should have Boynton arrange your flight back to arrive there. We will talk later.”

  CHAPTER THREE

  Meet the Groves

  IN LESS THAN A WEEK, Sue completed preparations and began to move into the resort. Barely three days passed before she chose to rent the entire facility. Her decision delighted the owners, though they had to work feverishly to find alternate accommodations for several potential guests.

  It wasn’t so much that the group needed all of the thirty rooms and suites as that Sue felt that some of their business would be better conducted without strangers around. Consequently, the usual staff were also sent off to work at other properties. She was aware that the team would be remembered, but could see no good way to avoid it. As the season hadn’t yet started, she hoped the disruption of the resort’s business would be minimal. And brief. Especially brief.

  In the middle of this activity, Jamse arrived to collect her for a trip to San Diego. He planned another attempt to interview the girls’ families, more of a last resort than anything else. “Before we go out and start actually turning over rocks.”

  The police acceptance was slightly better than deVeel had described; Jamse mused aloud Susan’s presence might be responsible. She laughed.

  The third time they visited the police, the last before giving up in heartfelt disgust, one of the liaison officers walked to the car with them. “They don’t want to see you,” she said, looking from one to the other.

  “Yes, that is obvious.”

  “But why?” Sue asked. “Why would the families be unwilling to see anyone who might help get the girls back?”

  The officer studied her feet as she twisted the strap of her handbag. Finally, she took a step back. “I think, because we haven’t painted a particularly… a particularly appetizing picture of you. If you get my meaning.” Since neither Jamse nor Sue made any comment, she continued, “I mean… your reps are those of auxiliaries… or mercenaries, not of law enforcement.”

  Her words came more quickly now. “Not that your references are bad; they’re not. But they’re not the references we’d have gotten from the Yard if you worked for the Yard. So everyone’s a little leery of you, and that shows up in the way we talk about you.” She stopped and looked directly at Jamse. “For that, I’m sorry, especially if it’s undeserved.” Jamse fluttered his hand, as if to say ‘no matter.’ “Anyway, what I wanted to tell you is there is one family willing to meet with you, and answer questions. If you want to meet them.”

  “Yes, we do. Please. While it may amount to nothing, it might assist both of us in our quests.” Jamse drew himself up, emphasizing his six foot height. “I assure you that we have no pertinent information not available to you. The difference between us is our motivation: we are committed to discovering what has happened to these girls. We are, indeed, mercenaries, not usually so firmly on the side of law enforcement, though seldom so far over the line as to make us enemies. Your attitude frustrates us, but causes us no real harm.”

  Sue watched the resignation on Jamse’s face flushed away by anger.

  “However,” he continued, “it may have had a significant effect on the girls who have been kidnapped, perhaps even causing their deaths.”

  The officer stepped back again. “Yes, I see that, and that’s why I decided to talk with you today. I hope it won’t come to that,” she replied. “The parents are the Grove’s. Their daughter is Wendy Grove.” She showed them a copy of a surveillance photo. “She’s this one. I’ll lead, if you’ll follow.”

  At the Grove’s home, the officer introduced both Susan and Jamse, then stood quiet. The parents described Wendy and the others they knew. They went over everything they could think of: physical appearance, clothes she was wearing, personality, schoolwork, friends.

  “Have you a recent photograph of her?” Jamse finally asked.

  “Of course.” Wendy’s mother left to return with several snapshots. “Here are some recent ones. This one’s Wendy with Kylie, her best friend that we talked about.” She handed Jamse an eight by ten photo of two girls dressed in formal gowns.

  “When was this taken?”

  “February, wasn’t it?” she asked her hus
band. “At that semi-formal. You remember.”

  “I do. I guess no one asked either of them. At least, that they wanted to go with.” Sue nodded encouragingly. “So they decided they’d go together.” He sounded discomfited by the admission. “Not that we thought there was anything more to it than that, you know.”

  “Certainly. Girls that age frequently bond with each other, especially when no other choices seem viable. The attraction, if there even is one, passes as soon as…” She glanced again at the photo. “In this case, I’d guess, as soon as the boys in their class grow up.” She smiled. “But the friendships generally last.”

  “Thanks.”

  “Perhaps we could see her room?”

  “Sure. What do you expect to find there?” Mrs. Grove cast a glance at the officer, standing slightly aside. “I mean, the police already looked it over. And it’s her sister’s room, too.”

  “Did the police take anything?”

  “No,” the officer said. “Since it seemed, seems, like a completely random act, we looked for unusual things. There weren’t any.”

  “Hmm.”

  They made their way to the room, discovering there a younger version of the girl in the photos who introduced herself as Wendy’s sister, Lisa.

  “So, you share this room with Wendy?” Sue asked, taking the lead from Jamse, who gave her a quick smile.

  “Yeah, till she was snatched. You gonna bring her back?”

  “We do not kn—”

  “We’re going to try,” Sue said, taking the girl’s hand. “We’ve been looking for a man who has taken girls before, and he may have taken Wendy and the others, too. So we’re going to try and get them all back.”

  The combination of truth, half-truth, confidence and hope seemed to satisfy the girl. Sue and Jamse poked around a little, finding, as the officer said, nothing of interest, nothing which seemed out of place in a room shared by two teenage girls.

  The computer on the desk woke up with an instant message. Lisa ran over and typed a few lines.