Rescued- The New Rulebook Series #5 ( A Contemporary Christian Romantic Suspense Thriller Series) Kindle Edition

by Joy Ohagwu

  There was also no lighting. So once he shut the doors and locked her in, she was on her own. She wiggled against the restraints, but her struggle was useless. He’d cinched it tight. She sank back and wondered what she had missed while she slept and why one part of the old van’s door had been opened before they stopped. Shrugging away her worries, she chose to recite her Bible verses from the teen church to occupy her mind while she hoped that, at some point, she would have a chance for an escape.

  A long time later, they came to a complete stop. Ritz blinked sharply as light flashed into her face through the van doors cranking open. She lowered her lashes to shield her eyes from the direct flashlight.

  “You brought one? They should be two.” The rough voice vibrated against the interior.

  The man who had kidnapped her climbed into the van and raised her to her feet. He blindfolded her with a thick cloth and led her out of the van, guiding her feet lower to the ground. But she’d seen beyond the flashlight’s glare.

  It was nighttime. She wasn’t sure how far they had driven. At some point, the rumble of passing vehicles faded until she only heard the van’s steady hum drumming her ears to deafness. She had yawned behind sealed lips to force her ears open. Then she stopped when she no longer cared. She just wanted a way out.

  By now, her family would know something was wrong. Was Christiana alive? Were her parents searching for her? Did they know how far from home she was? She didn’t even know how far away she was. She simply hoped to be found before these men got rough with her.

  “Take her inside. I will go for the other girl,” one of them said.

  The van door slammed shut, and she struggled to see beyond the blindfold. She smelled soil, and the ground she walked on was not tarred. Were they in a rural area?

  Owls hooting in the distance scared her further. She avoided dark places, especially if there was no traffic along the road in Silver Stone. Once she started driving, her mom had given her a pepper spray can, and her dad had armed her with a pocketknife—peradventure she ever came under attack.

  But all of that was left in her car when she’d been kidnapped. She had no idea how to reach her people. A cry rose in her throat, but she tried to remain calm and take in her surroundings, using her other senses.

  The hand guiding her along the uneven way held a firm grip. The wintry blast chilled her skin, and she felt feverish again. Did she catch a cold in the process, or was she just low on blood sugar? The only meal she had eaten was when they stopped hours ago in Dunkirk. There was no telling how far from there she was or whether she would get some food again.

  Meanwhile, the van whirred to a start and zoomed away. Presumably, the kidnapper was going for the “other girl”, whatever that meant. Was this a trafficking operation? Fear choked her and she stumbled.

  She rose again, after picking up a small pebble. The person stopped a couple of steps further and jangled some keys then came the click of an unlocking bolt. The whoosh of chill wind against leaves rustled around her. And she peeled her ears for more distinct sounds but couldn’t readily identify anything.

  The door whistled as it swung open. Then a tug on her wrist led her inside. Warmth embraced her trembling body, and she loosened her stiff shoulders, glad to escape the cold. The door shut, and the lock clicked behind her. Then the keys jingled as they were pocketed.

  Soon, thick, clumsy fingers tugged at her blindfold, and it slid from her eyes. She squinched them open, afraid of the light, afraid of what she’d see, and surveyed a small room, no more than thrice the size of a restaurant table. A man led her into a larger room.

  As Ritz entered, a girl sitting on a lower bunk bed looked up, latching dazed eyes onto Ritz, before lowering them to her clasped hands.

  The man spun and locked the door behind him. Now, two doors separated her from outside. He nudged her toward the other girl.

  “You stay here and don’t make one sound.” He pushed over a dish with baked beans and a cup of hot tea with no milk, along with two granola bars. “Eat.”

  Then he removed her hand restraints. The ones on her feet had already been undone in the back of the van before they climbed down. She twisted her hand to flex them, wincing at an ache along her wrists.

  The man—short but muscular with crossed eyes—brandished a gun and ran the muzzle from her ear to her chin. “Don’t make me use this. Eat your food and go to sleep.” Lowering the gun, he waited to ensure she got the message, at which Ritz nodded and the other girl shrunk further into the bed.

  He spun and left, locking the door behind him.

  The bedroom clock chimed midnight, and Ruby wondered when to call Eva, who must have landed in Cambodia by now. Yesterday, she was busy musing over one lost and another sick client and sulking because Eva wasn’t there to speak with her through the loss.

  Today, she was speechless. She talked to the Lord in her heart—the one place where she expressed herself unreservedly. She unfurled the comforter, stood, and slipped on a thick jacket, making her way down the stairs. When she reached the last stair, she paused and observed Robert, Charlie, and Newton poring over evidence in their living room, searching for clues.

  She turned toward Ritz’s bedroom, and Robert lifted his gaze as she passed. Their eyes met, and they shared their pain. In that moment, she knew. She couldn’t talk about this with Robert. Yes, he loved her and she loved him, but her pain over Ritz’s kidnapping ran so deep, that she didn’t want to talk with any human being about it. Not even Robert. He seemed to know that, nodded, and she slipped into Ritz’s bedroom and shut the door. He entered moments later, simply hugged her in silence for a couple of moments, kissed her, and returned to the team. That hug wrapped around her soul like a warm blanket, more comforting than words.

  Alone, she climbed into Ritz’s bed and nestled there, staring at the white ceiling, wishing, hoping to hear her loud music blaring once more and wanting it to fill the house. But instead, there was silence. Lord Jesus, I want her noise, the entire thing. Let her bring the house down with it. I don’t care.

  She twisted and sobbed into Ritz’s Dora the Explorer pillow. I just want her back home. Oh, my baby girl! Her body trembled. The entire pain of the loss landed heavily on her. She could not live with losing Ritz. No, she won’t. It would shatter her heart.

  The joy of that child meant more to her than her own life. More than she could put into words. More than she could explain. She would not stop serving Christ if Ritz never made it back home, but her life would be altered forever.

  Robert felt the same way, judging from his determination as he sifted through evidence all night and fought sleep.

  Ruby spent a couple more minutes in prayer. Afterward, she stood and fixed the bedsheets. Then she went back upstairs and spent the rest of the night in agonizing prayer.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God…”- Romans 8:28

  Ruby shifted in her seat as she observed the SSPD team set things up once they arrived at dawn. Within the past hour, their home buzzed like a beehive. Twenty-four hours had passed since Ritz went missing, revealing no signs of where she was being held or if they were closer to rescuing her. Ruby clutched her sweater tighter, hoping her daughter was safe or, at least, warm. She yearned to hold her, lead her home, and almost blamed herself for letting her leave that morning.

  Ruby even became desperate enough to hope the kidnappers would call. She sent in a prayer request to their church yesterday, and the prayer team members formed an emergency prayer line during which she and Robert, the senior pastor of their church, and other members joined in to pray.

  Robert also did not sleep a wink the previous night, and neither did his men. Charlie, Newton, Mike, and Randolph had camped out in the living room working every possible angle while she prayed with the church team and thought of any helpful ideas. She conveyed those ideas to Robert, and he communicated them to the guys working hard on different PCs.

  Ph
illip, a fellow student at Ritz’s school, had come around with his parents the previous evening, accompanied by the school principal who knew their home address, for Ritz’s sake. Robert had explained to her that the boy was one of those who developed the app with which Robert had located and chased the kidnapper.

  He hadn’t shared many details except that he had been unable to stop the van, had seen Ritz inside the back, but hadn’t been able to reach her. Ritz, he said, had not seen him. She appeared either asleep or unconscious and did not wake, despite him shooting at the door twice and calling out her name—a definite concern.

  Ruby had treated the bruise on the side of his cheek from the encounter, with rubbing alcohol and antibiotic ointment. He had also mentioned that the kidnapper looked familiar but that he could not place where he’d seen the face before.

  Frankly, she was worried. She didn’t know whether to be relieved that, at least, he had seen Ritz or be concerned since Ritz had not seemed responsive. Was she drugged?

  Ruby made her way to the kitchen in search of something to do to occupy her. Her visit to the hospital early this morning had shaken her up when she saw Christiana on sedation with so many tubes around her. One particular one was said to have been draining fluid from her brain to reduce inflammation.

  Her mom, who sat beside her bed, was shaking uncontrollably. Ruby comforted her the best she could, and she spent an hour there, although anxious to get back for any news. She made a mental note to assist Christiana’s family with the medical bill, knowing Ritz would’ve wanted that. For her mom to help her best friend.

  She glanced over at Robert and his men still working tirelessly. His eyes were puffy now and reddened, yet he didn’t slow down. He had worried that the kidnappers did not call again. They had waited anxiously by the phone, and yet…nothing.

  Ruby opened the cabinets and drew out six coffee mugs, setting them on the kitchen island after a quick rinse. She brewed coffee with the Keurig and poured it, except Robert’s for whom she made tea. When they were all full, she set the kettle down, and then added sugar and milk.

  “I can help you to carry them.”

  She looked up at Charlie, who appeared just as tired as Robert, as he entered the kitchen. He took one tray with half the cups of coffee. “Thank you, Charlie. If any of you want to rest a bit, you guys can take one of the spare bedrooms. We won’t mind.”

  Charlie shook his head. “Thanks for the offer, but I’m fine. We’ll sleep when Ritz comes home.” He strode to where the others sat and set the tray down. They each came over to grab their cups.

  “That means so much to me, Charlie. Thank you.” Ruby moved into the living room and set the second tray down as well.

  The men surrounded her, taking one cup at a time. She served her husband, placing his in a small cup holder like he preferred it. He nodded. “Thanks, love.” He sipped without looking, engrossed in what he was peering at on his computer. “Charlie, please forward a transcript of that call to me. I need to listen again.”

  Charlie did as requested. Randolph was doing the voice analysis, but he’d indicated the voice was purposely garbled, leaving a slim chance of finding the speaker.

  They could’ve remained at the station, but Robert didn’t wish to leave her alone all night. Plus, their large house easily accommodated guests if any one of Robert’s men wanted to nap for a few hours—though none of them appeared ready to do so.

  Ruby returned to their bedroom upstairs, trying to piece things together. She was logging onto her laptop to digitally sign some urgent business vouchers, just to keep her mind engaged, when Robert strode in with Randolph. When he pointed toward the bedding stacked at the foot of the bed, Randolph set drawing paper there and left.

  Ruby edged her laptop aside. “Is everything all right?”

  Robert shut the door and slid in next to her, pulling the items Randolph had dropped off close to his feet. He curled his feet under him and spread the drawing paper on a firm slab. “We need your help.”

  She twisted to face him. “Sure, honey. Anything.” She accepted the pencil he handed out and took one sheet of drawing paper. “You need me to draw something?”

  “Yes.” He nodded. “Someone’s face whom I caught enough glimpse of. I recall you were good at composite drawing in school. It might’ve been a long time, but I need to tap into those skills now. This is so important I need it to be done by someone I trust with all my heart. Can you do it, please, love?”

  She shrugged. “You stretch the extent of my artistic talent for forensic purposes, but if this is something we need, sure, I’m happy to help. I can’t guarantee that it will come out perfect, though. Like you said, it’s been a while. Ritz is the one…” She trailed off, and they both knew what she was about to say.

  Robert squeezed her hand and smiled sadly. “She’s the best of us in art, I know. You taught her well, Mom.”

  Ruby let a smile curve her lips. “You’re not doing badly either, Dad.” She adjusted the drawing paper on the slab well on her lap. “I’m ready.” She positioned the sheet and began shading the edge to get a perspective. “Whose face are we drawing?”

  “Ritz’s kidnapper.”

  Ruby assisted Grace—her maid service employee—in lifting the last set of trays as she washed and loaded them into the dishwasher. In her mind’s eye, she kept seeing the kidnapper’s face—the face she’d drawn for Robert as he had provided more detailed descriptions of the man behind the wheel.

  She braced both hands against the counter—what did he want with her daughter? His was not a gentle face, and the idea of…

  She pushed off the counter and dried her hands, trying to wash the fearsome thoughts from her mind as well and focus.

  The minute she finished the drawing, Randolph took it and headed to the SSPD to scan it, upload, and begin running facial recognition on it, pending whether Robert recalled anything else, which he hadn’t. Robert had said that, when things settled down, he would have their forensic artist also redraw the culprit from Robert’s recollection.

  After having stayed up the entire night with them, praying, Ruby then completed the drawing when Robert asked, working this angle of the case and praying for her daughter’s safe return.

  Rinsing off her hands, Ruby dried them with her kitchen towel and slid it into the oven handle. “Grace, I’m heading upstairs. Call out if you need something.”

  The woman smiled. “Oh, I should be fine, ma’am, but thank you. I will get the trash taken out and help Vincent out in the lawn with more salt bags for the driveway. That should be all.”

  Ruby smiled back and patted her shoulder. “In that case, enjoy the rest of your day afterward. I’ll see you at church on Sunday.” Moving past Grace, Ruby climbed the stairs. She halted at the top and glanced down to the first step, recalling the moment she’d had there with Ritz two years ago.

  They’d just returned from the night vigil when praying for Robert’s disappearance, and her daughter refused to go to sleep alone. She invited her upstairs, and they shared the bed until her father’s return. It had saved Ruby the trip downstairs once a night that she or Robert usually made to check on Ritz while she slept. Her heart wrenched afresh with Ritz’s absence, but it strengthened her resolve. She bit down on her sorrow, swiveled, and entered her home office opposite their bedroom.

  Picking up the phone, she dialed Melinda. Ruby had received word from Melinda that her son had gotten sick and worsened in the last week and he needed her support in Ohio. So she would be taking extended leave soon.

  That added to Ruby’s devastation within the last day. She needed Melinda’s moral support. However, she understood Melinda’s needs too. But that only meant she would learn to depend even more on the Lord.

  “Ruby? How are you faring? Any news yet?” Melinda said as soon as she picked up the call.

  “Hi, Melinda. Oh, thanks for organizing the files yesterday when I was in no shape to do so. There’s no new news beyond what I told you yesterday, but we’re working
all the angles. I believe God will give us a break soon.” Ruby massaged her neck. Truth be told, she’d barely considered sleeping and neither had Robert since Ritz went missing. They were uncovering every contact and connection they knew, and yet unearthed no tangible leads regarding the culprits.

  “I hope you got some sleep, Ruby? Ritz is going to need you to be strong for her. Wherever she is, I’m sure she is praying for you, but you need to not die before they find her,” Melinda warned. “I’m bringing over some soup. Make sure you eat yesterday’s before I arrive in a few hours’ time. First, I need to go buy my flight ticket for Ohio. I leave in two days. And I’m sorry again to be leaving under these circumstances. You know I wouldn’t if things were different.”

  Oh, that’s right. Even eating had become optional for her and Robert. For the past twenty-four hours, they’d eaten nothing, just running on countless cups of coffee and tea. “I’m sorry. I just don’t—” Ruby’s head swayed. She gripped the back of her chair. “Sorry, I’m feeling dizzy and slightly nauseous. Can I call you back, Mel?”

  “Sure. Please, go eat that soup or something.”

  Ruby set the phone down. Melinda was right. She needed to eat. She already felt as though she would pass out, but she managed to get down the steps.

  Arriving in the kitchen, she spotted the blueberry muffins’ tray she’d used yesterday, now cleaned and dry.

  At dinnertime last night, she and Robert had sat on the kitchen floor and eaten the blueberry muffins, while staring at each other and sharing their pain without words. Their daughter’s favorite snack connected them and rubbed the wound deeper. They’d risen from that sorrowful meal with one unspoken determination—to find Ritz.

  Contrary to her expectation, Ruby grew more confident about Ritz’s being found, the more she prayed as the hours passed. First, she had taught Ritz everything she knew about Jesus and about trusting God in tough situations. She knew that, when Ritz faced danger, the teachings would spring to life.