Deadly Deception

by Gilbert, Morris

  “God isn’t going to let anything bad happen to Dani and Pat,” she said calmly. Her face was thinner than usual; her wound had drained some of her vitality; but both men noted a light in her clear blue eyes. She turned to Savage and remarked, “I’ve studied the copy of the phone calls, Ben, but I can’t make anything out of them. Only that they’re alive.”

  “We’re all missing something,” Savage muttered. “Dani’s got the answer we’re looking for in here. I’m just too stupid to get it!”

  “Let’s hear it again,” Rosemary proposed. “Maybe it’s in the way they said something, instead of in the words themselves.”

  Ben nodded, and walking to the door, he ordered, “Vance, play the call again.” He threw himself into a chair and closed his eyes, his head back on the cushion as the words came out of the speaker.

  Ring: All Right, Lanza, here’s the kid.

  Pat: Daddy?

  Frank: I’m right here. Pat! Are you all right?

  Pat: Yes, but I want to come home. When are you coming to get me, Daddy?

  Frank: Very soon, Pat.

  Ring: All right, that’s enough. You’ve heard the kid.

  Frank: It sounded like him, but it could be some child you’ve trained to say those things. I want proof that it’s my boy.

  Ring: You ain’t in no bargaining position, Lanza! All right, you get one more shot, and that’s all!

  Frank: Son, are you being well treated?

  Pat: I guess so, but I miss my programs. Dani’s been telling me stories. I like the one about Rapunzel. But I’m going to miss Billy White’s party. It’s at 3:30 and—

  Ring: (breaking in) That’s enough, Lanza. Now here’s the dame. (In a muffled voice) You say one word outta line, and I’ll shoot the kid in the leg.

  Dani: Hello?

  Ben: You all right, Dani?

  Dani: Well, I could do with a good Cajun meal, Ben, but I’m all right. My captors have been good to us. I’m not treated like a queen exactly, but so far we’re all right. (Pause.) Ben, give them what they want! It’s the midnight hour, and I’m getting a clear signal that they’ll kill us if you don’t come through. This is an SOS, Ben—

  Ring: All right, that’s it! You know they’re all right, Lanza. Now it’s up to you. Watch the mail. As soon as you get the instructions, do what they say. There won’t be a second chance on this for the kid and the dame!

  Frank: It’ll take another twenty-four hours to get the money.

  Ring: (Long pause.) All right, but that’s it. And there’ll be no more phone calls!

  Silence ran around the room, as they heard the click that signaled the end of the call. Finally Frank asked tentatively, “Ben—can you make anything out of it? Anything at all?”

  Savage lifted his head and stared out the window. “Nothing to do anything with, Frank.”

  “What Pat said about Billy White’s party,” Rosemary said slowly, “it wasn’t quite right.”

  Savage gave her a swift look, “There’s no party?”

  “Oh, yes, but it’s not at three-thirty. It’s next week, but it’s an evening party, beginning at seven.”

  “Pat probably forgot,” Frank amended wearily.

  “Maybe not,” Ben said slowly. He let the thoughts flow through his mind, then added, “I think it’s something Dani told him to say.”

  “But what could it mean?” Rosemary asked.

  “May mean that it’s the right time to get them out of wherever they are. Or maybe it’s a street address. She used the word queen, so maybe there’s a 330 Queen Street. But there’s no Queen Street in New Orleans. I looked it up.”

  “Maybe in a little town close by,” Frank suggested.

  “Could be, and that’s the kind of thing the police could have been checking,” Ben commented mildly. “The part that’s got me stumped is the Rapunzel thing.”

  “It’s a fairy tale,” Rosemary recalled. “I remember it, but I didn’t think Pat knew it.”

  Ben stirred and asked, “I’d like to read it. Have you got a copy?”

  “Yes. It was one of Rachel’s favorite stories. I’ll go get it.”

  “Let me.” Frank rose. “Would it be in Rachel’s room?”

  “I think so. You know how she never throws anything away. Try not to wake her up.” When Frank left, Rosemary studied Savage carefully. “Ben,” she whispered. “Is there a chance?”

  “Always a chance.”

  Rosemary considered his words, then replied gently, “You’re worried about Dani, aren’t you?”

  “Sure.”

  The brevity of his reply and the lines etched in his tough face seemed to tell her something. “I love Dani,” she told him simply. “She’s been the best friend I’ve ever had. But I know you love her, too.”

  Savage looked up sharply, a surprised expression fleeting across his face. He caught her gaze, then dropped his head, and shrugged. “She’s a good kid,” he finally admitted before barking angrily, “Drives me crazy, this transcript! The answer is right there, but I’m too stupid to see it!”

  Frank came back, a book in his hand. “It’s in here,” he said, handing the book to Ben.

  Savage got up and took the book. Glancing at it, he laughed shortly. “Guess I’ll go do my reading.” Walking to the door, he muttered, “I’m down to reading fairy tales! That’s about my speed!”

  When he was out of the room, Rosemary observed, “Ben’s in terrible shape. He wants to lash out at something. Waiting’s hard for a man like him.”

  “For me, too.” Frank nodded. Then he came over and looked down at her. “You really think we’ll get him back, Rosemary?”

  A pleading look entered his eyes, and his wife reached out for his hand. When she took it, she nodded. “Yes, I do think so. I’m afraid, of course, but somehow there’s something inside of me saying that we’ll get them back.”

  He studied her, finally admitting, “I never believed in miracles. But now that I’ve seen one, I guess I’ll have to change my mind.”

  “A miracle, Frank?”

  “You,” he said softly. “Not long ago you would have been dead drunk if a thing like this had happened. Now I’m leaning on you. Is it religion?”

  She put his hand to her cheek, thinking hard, then shook her head. “No, not religion. I’ve always had that.”

  “What then?”

  “It’s hard to explain, Frank. Really, I don’t think it can be explained,” she murmured. “All I know is, I called on God and asked Him to forgive me—and to make me good. Ever since that moment, I’ve known that He’s been with me.

  Frank stared at her. “I’m glad you’re here, Pet,” he commented quietly. “I don’t think I could make it alone through all this!”

  Dani knew it was the last day of March. She had no calendar, of course, but she and Pat had been taken on Tuesday the twenty-eighth. Though the three days seemed more like three years, she let no sign of her fears get through to Pat.

  The two of them had grown very close, naturally. Dani had wondered how she would have fared had she been in the cell alone. Not very well, she thought, for her efforts to keep the boy’s spirits up had kept her from worrying about her own plight.

  The two of them had read the magazines and comic books over and over, and Dani had told every incident of her childhood that she could rake up from her memory. She had arranged the food so that they did not eat the evening meal, knowing that it was vital to be alert. For the last two nights she had stood at the window after midnight. She had made a screen of sorts from the covers of magazines, a little larger than the window itself. On the hour she tried to send a signal by covering the window, then moving the screen away. It was an awkward business, and probably useless, but she kept at it until her arms were too weary to continue.

  Over and over the memory of the phone call ran through her mind, and she almost wept when she realized how vague her hints to Ben had been. She thought of better ways, but it was too late. The chances of their captor letting them use the phone
again were microscopically small.

  Dani slept in small naps—mostly when Pat lay down during the day—or not at all. She had asked for something to bathe in and had found a small enamel basin, along with some soap, cloths, and towels beside their noon meal. Using the tepid water from the five-gallon jug, Dani washed Pat carefully just before bedtime. After he was asleep, she removed her clothes and sponged off, using most of the water. She hated to be dirty, and the simple pleasure of being clean was enormous. How little it takes to be content, she thought as she washed her undergarments with what was left of the water. She hung them up and threw the water out the window.

  Then she sat down and began to pray. Her communications with God had been odd, since she had been taken. At first they had been “panic” prayers: Lord, get us out of here!—God, don’t let us die! But to her surprise, their nature had changed. Now she simply thought about the Lord, remembering verses from the Bible that spoke of His mercy and His love. She meditated on these, and as she did, she felt peace growing in her. For long periods she found herself praying for Ben and the Lanzas. Later she remembered that during those terrible days when she and Savage had faced death in the silo, she had come to pray like this.

  Finally, Dani slept, but when the knock on the door came the next morning, and the voice cried, “Breakfast!” she came up from the bed quickly.

  “All right,” she said, going to stand beside Pat’s cot. She faced the wall, and the door opened. “Thank you for the basin and the soap,” she added quietly. “I used all the water.”

  There was no answer, but she heard the man’s steps moving to the spot to her left where the five-gallon water container was located. A sudden crash made her turn instinctively to see what had happened.

  The short, muscular man with the high-pitched voice had fallen to the floor. There was a soapy puddle, and his foot had slipped. Dani began, “I’m sorry—” and stopped abruptly.

  He was not wearing a mask, and she was looking right into his face. She knew him at once, for Dom had shown her his picture. It was Johnny Ring. He had a round face, dark eyes, and a small mouth, and a feral air about him.

  He stared at her, and Dani knew with a sudden alarm that she had made a terrible mistake. She wheeled at once to face the wall, apologizing, “I’m sorry. I should have cleaned up that mess.”

  There was no answer, and his silence somehow terrified her more than a threat. She listened as he moved out of the room, and when the door closed, she thought: He’ll never let me go now! I can identify him! Fear, thick and strong, constricted her throat, and when Pat greeted her, “Hello, Dani,” she could not answer for a moment.

  “Is it pancakes this morning, Dani?”

  She stared at the boy numbly, automatically replying “You can go see, Pat.” Then she stood still, trying to think, but her analytical mind raced. He’ll have to kill me, even if he gets what he wants. And it will be tomorrow or the day after. He can’t wait any longer!

  Pat came back with the plastic trays. “Aw, it’s eggs again. I hate eggs!”

  She could not eat more than a few bites, and of all the days in Dani’s life, that one, March 31, was the worst. She could only pray, Lord, give Ben some sense—and don’t let anything happen to Pat, no matter what happens to me!

  18

  Midnight Incident

  * * *

  Abby sat between her mother, Irene, and her aunt Helen at the table, thinking that it was about as close to each other as the two women had gotten in a long time. Years earlier Abby had learned that her aunt Helen was jealous of her father, and she understood now that it was because she and her husband Max had no children. Her father and Max got along very well, but their wives never had and never would. Abby toyed with her food, wishing that she could leave, yet at the same time morbidly interested in the scene. It was the first time they’d all been together as a family since the kidnapping, and she noted that Frank and Rosemary were completely changed.

  Frank Lanza had never, Abby knew, been a demonstrative man, but there was a new quality in the way he leaned close to Rosemary. Despite his lined and weary face, a light shone in his eyes for his wife. And Rosemary—Abby could not believe the change in her aunt! For a long time she’d had nothing but contempt for this woman, and when she’d heard that her aunt had gotten religion, she’d scoffed, “See how long that lasts!” But in just the short time since Rosemary had been shot, Abby’d been forced to admit that she’d changed. Abby had waited for her aunt to try to convert her, but that had not happened. Yet the younger woman sensed a new spirit of happiness in Rosemary that could not have been counterfeited.

  “Where’s Grandfather?” Abby asked her father.

  “Not feeling well enough to get out of bed today,” Eddy explained briefly. He looked at Frank and asked, “The doctor come to see Pop today?”

  “This morning.” Frank shook his head, adding bitterly, “A waste of time, but what else can we do?”

  “I’ll go up and sit with him,” Helen offered quickly. She rose, but paused on her way out to put her hand on Frank’s shoulder. “Try to get some rest, Frank. You’re not going to last, if you don’t.” Then she hesitated for one moment. Awkwardly she touched his cheek, whispering, “We’ll make it, Frank!”

  She left quickly, her head down. As soon as she was gone, Max remarked, “She’s taking it harder than anything I’ve seen. Not just Dom, but the rest of it.” He stared down at his plate, his thin face looking almost cadaverous. Then he tried to smile. “I guess we’re all pretty low.”

  Eddy nodded. “The terrible thing is—there’s nothing to do. Nothing at all!”

  They sat there silently, nobody really interested in the food. Finally Frank announced, “I’m going to call in the police. Should have done it earlier, but you all know how much Pop is against such a thing.”

  Irene asked, “Isn’t kidnapping a federal offense?”

  “Yes, and Savage said all the time we should have had them in.” He hesitated before continuing, “But I was too much of a coward to make the decision.”

  “Aw, come on, Frank!” Eddy interjected, his sensitive face working with emotion. “In a thing like this, nobody knows for sure what to do.”

  Frank looked at Eddy and Irene, then shifted his gaze to Max. “I’m not tough enough.” He shrugged. “If it had been Phil, he’d have—”

  “He’d have had every man we had out gunning for Martino!” Irene responded firmly. “And you know how much good that would have done!”

  Abby didn’t want to listen to any more. “Mother, can I go to my room?” she whispered. When Irene agreed, she made her way out of the house. The afternoon sun was covered by clouds, and a stiff breeze ruffled her hair as she walked along beside the hedges. She strolled to the gym and found Rachel and Matt knocking a Ping-Pong ball listlessly over the net. “Is Ben around?” she asked.

  “He’s doing something to his car,” Matt informed her. Suddenly he smashed the small white ball with all his might, driving it over the net. It hit Rachel on the arm and fell to the ground. “I’d like to kill those guys!” he declared between clenched teeth.

  Rachel bit her lower lip, then tossed her paddle on the table and ran out of the gym. Abby watched her go. “Hey, Matt, why don’t you try to cheer her up?” she demanded.

  Matt stared at her angrily. “Cheer her up? Who’s going to cheer me up?”

  Abby shook her head. “You’re tougher than she is, Matt. And she’s just a little girl.”

  Matthew flushed and flung off, throwing over his shoulder, “Oh, all right!” Abby left and found Ben in the garage, but he was not working on the car. He was standing in the doorway, looking out over the level green lawn. He turned when she came to stand in front of him, but said nothing.

  “Hello, Ben,” Abby greeted him.

  He was wearing a pair of old jeans and a faded blue shirt, and on his feet were a shabby pair of loafers.

  “I guess there’s no news, is there?”

  He shook his head and
then offered, “Haven’t seen you much lately, Abby. How’ve you been?”

  “Oh, all right, I guess.” She hesitated. “You know, I found out something about myself, Ben.” She thought hard, her pretty face as serious as Savage had ever seen it. “I found out I’m not as rotten as I thought.”

  This brought a quick smile to Savage’s lips, and he remarked, “That’s a good thing to find out about yourself. How’d it happen?”

  “When Dani and Pat were kidnapped,” she told him slowly. “It was awful! I—I guess I just didn’t know how much I loved the little guy! I’ve been with him all his life, Ben. He’s just like a little brother. And when I heard about—about it—” Tears rose in Abby’s eyes, and she dashed them away quickly. “Well, I guess I’ve been so busy feeling sorry for myself, that I haven’t had time for anybody else.”

  Ben looked at her carefully. He suddenly reached out and gave her a hard hug. “You know, Abby, growing up isn’t always a matter of months and years. Sometimes we muddle along for a long time and don’t seem to be getting anywhere—and then something falls right on our heads, and we get a little older.”

  Abby didn’t move for a second, and she began to cry. He put his arms around her, holding her until the storm of weeping was over. Finally she pulled back, and asked, “You have a handkerchief?” She took the one he offered, wiped her face, and then blew her nose. “I’d better keep it,” she suggested. Then she looked at him and gave a wan smile. “I’ve been trying to get you to pay attention to me ever since we met, Ben Savage, and here I blubber like a whipped cur, and then you cuddle up to me!”

  Ben shook his head. “You’re going to give some guy all he can do, Abby. You’ve just had a bad start.” He looked over the estate, then added, “This is no way for a young girl to live, all surrounded by walls and cut off from everything.”

  Abby asked curiously, “What about you, Ben?” She suddenly gave an impish grin. “Maybe you ought to cry on my shoulder! I know you and Dani are close. I know you two fight all the time—but I’ve seen how you look at each other sometimes.”