Maggie's Image (Maggie McGill Mysteries Book 1)

by Sharon Burch Toner

  They were quiet for a moment. No one liked the idea of them separating; however, all were thinking about Brigitte. Could she make such a difficult hike?

  Maggie thought about herself. She knew the trip would be exhausting. Even though she was feeling better right now, she remembered her exhaustion of this morning. She wondered if she could make another demanding hike so soon. She decided that she’d rather take her chances on the trail than remain here, where she would feel trapped. Playing a passive role never had appealed to Maggie. Besides, not knowing what was happening would be too difficult to handle.

  She had just reached this decision when Brigitte spoke using French when her English failed her, “Please, please. I wish to go. Now that I have rested, now that I am free and with friends, now that I have food, I know I can make the hike. Please, Andre, please, we go.”

  Andre looked at the other three and said, “If Brigitte wants to give it a try, I agree. I don’t want to stay here. We will go. However, we’ll go only on the condition that should we not be able to continue, you’ll go ahead at that point without us. Wherever we might be at that time, we’d wait there for rescue.”

  Hadi gazed at Andre and Brigitte for a few moments. Then he said, “We will rest until dark.” He sat back against a small tree trunk, crossed his legs and closed his eyes.

  The others looked at each other, then without comment, each one leaned back, closed his or her eyes and rested.

  Maggie worried behind her closed eyes. Could she make the hike? How about Brigitte? Even though rest and food had helped she still looked frail and weak.

  Chapter Eleven

  “Cavanaugh here,” Harry said into the telephone.

  “Harry. This is Joe. I checked out the house. I think it must be the one.”

  “You think it must be? What d’you mean? What’d you find?” Harry asked in exasperation.

  “The guys went in, you know, like you said, as inspectors. The only person there said he was the cook. Didn’t speak much English. Our guys went all over the place. There was hardly any furniture. A bedroom that you should see. Folding table and chairs in the living room. That was about all, except, get this—a bright red Ferrari in the garage!” Joe said the last with glee.

  “Really! Interesting. Nothing else?” Harry asked.

  “Well, down from the kitchen there was a sort of garden storage shed. The door was standing open. There was a tiny window high on the wall. It was open, too. The shed was clean except for a couple of things. One of those little plastic sticks, you know, like you stir coffee with. It had Trans-Global Airlines written on it.

  “Bingo!” said Harry excitedly. “That’s the airline the McGill woman came to L.A. on.”

  “Wait. There’s more. There was a matchbook from Brandon’s. You know. That restaurant in Malibu. One more thing. The shed had a little courtyard. In the courtyard was a tray of food—five bowls of some sort of soup. Just sitting there. Funny, huh?” Joe said.

  “Funny? Best break we’ve had in a while. Good work, Joe. Anything more?”

  “Well, Harry. We took a look around that shed. There’d been some traffic around it. It looks like a few folks walked out the back way, up the ridge. What do you think about that?”

  “Remind me to give you a raise. That’s just great. Now the question is. Where’d they go? Did they go on their own or were they escorted?” Harry thought he didn’t want to think what their being escorted out the back way might mean. “Joe, could we get some people up on that ridge. See if we can track these folks down.”

  “Sure, Harry. We’ll keep in touch.”

  “Thanks, Joe.”

  The Ferret’s steps were becoming slower and slower as his breathing became more labored. He and Bruno were climbing the mountain toward the large HOLLYWOOD sign. The sun was hot and they had nothing to drink. The Ferret stopped and sat on a rock, motioning Bruno to do the same. The first several hundred yards of their hike had been easy. There were obvious tracks in the dirt. He had started energetically, confident that they would find their escapees quickly and easily. Now, he was feeling discouraged. Only his fear of Ahmed kept him from returning to the big white house; however, their progress up the mountain was becoming slower and slower.

  ***

  Maggie lay on her side, her knees pulled up, her head resting on her arm. Tingles in her arm brought her awake to find the light in their refuge dim. She sat up and looked across at Hadi. He sat, still upright, with his eyes closed. As she looked, he opened his eyes and smiled at her. The smile made Maggie feel appreciated and accepted. She felt loved in a special way, the way she used to feel when she was a little girl and her grandmother smiled at her. She smiled back gently and warmly.

  “You are well rested, now, dear lady?” Hadi asked quietly.

  “I am well rested, yes, Hadi,” Maggie answered. “And you, are you rested also?”

  “Oh, yes. I am rested. Soon we must be on our way. It will be best if we reach the road just after dark. Then we will be able to sneak across without detection,” he said.

  As they were talking the others stirred and were sitting up. “Shall we go? Are you ready?” asked Allie.

  Andre and Brigitte nodded and stood up. “Let’s go.”

  On their hands and knees one after the other they crawled out of the copse. There was more light outside. The sun was low on the horizon and cast a golden glow across the hillside. Hadi turned to the left and started walking, followed by the others. He led them on a course that paralleled the road above, but kept them out of sight of it.

  ***

  Joe Morales and Sam Anderson topped the ridge gasping for breath. Turning, they looked back. There was Los Angeles, spread out below like a carpet. They watched the light become more golden as the sun sank lower in the west. Joe opened the binoculars and scanned the mountainside above them. For a moment he thought he caught a movement, but whatever it was, it was gone. Nothing. Just scrub growth and rocks. He felt the small telephone in his pocket. He and Harry had agreed not to use it unless there was real news.

  ***

  Allie wondered how it was that Hadi knew the geography of this area; however, she had seen enough of his navigational skills that she no longer questioned his instincts. They continued around the mountain, climbing slowly and obliquely. In the lingering daylight, with the gradual ascent, the going was relatively easy and they made good time. In time they came to a dropping off place. The terrain dropped steeply into a canyon in which farther down they knew there were houses and civilization. It was tempting to go downhill, to try their luck in making their way to a telephone and help. But the stakes were high. Each of them knew that if they were recaptured there might not be another chance to escape. Additionally, each of them had developed a strong trust in Hadi and his ability to choose wisely for them.

  They stood on the edge of the canyon for a while looking down. It already was dark in its depths. Resolutely Hadi turned uphill. As they followed the canyon’s edge the light changed, going from golden to rosy, becoming darker and darker.

  Allie stopped suddenly and said, “Listen. I hear cars.” They stopped to listen. Above they could hear the sound of an occasional car.

  “You have sharp ears, dear lady. We go quietly now, and slowly,” Hadi said. After a few moments, they noticed the lights of the cars as they passed. Ahead loomed huge dark boulders. Thankfully, they sat in the shadows of the boulders. They could see the lights of the cars sweeping the boulders as they rounded a curve. They could hear the soft whoosh, whoosh as each car passed.

  “Now is a time for caution. Now is a time for slow haste,” Hadi said ambiguously. “This is a dangerous area for us, an area where we are most vulnerable. We will wait until it is truly dark. Then between cars we will hurry across the road. But we need to know where we are going once we are on the other side. That side of the road does not have as many boulders as this one. One of us needs to cross first and find a secluded resting spot on the other side.”

  Maggie thought for
a moment and said, “Hadi, could Allie and I both cross and find a spot. Then together we can direct the others to safety?”

  He answered, “Excellent. But you must go quickly and quietly. You must become as little mice in the night. Allah is with us. We are protected. But we do not want to put Allah to too much trouble!”

  Allie and Maggie crouched and crawled over the rocks. Not for the first time, Maggie was grateful that she was wearing jeans and a dark sweater and walking shoes. Allie was dressed similarly. In addition each wore her shoulder bag across one shoulder. Allie wore one of the canteens across the other shoulder. They poked their heads above the rocks and looked down at the road. From this vantage they could see it winding away in both directions, following the crest of the ridge. The lights of an approaching car became brighter and brighter, illuminating the sides of the road. Suddenly, Allie reached over and shoved her mother’s head down as she, herself, ducked behind the rock. Light passed over their heads and lighted the rocks behind them. Maggie drew in her breath. The light passed on and illumined both sides of the road farther down.

  “Yeah, real close. That was a spotlight. They’re still looking. Rats!” Allie said. “Hadi was right. This is a very dangerous place. I’m beginning to feel like little Eva. Thank God they haven’t thought of using dogs!”

  Maggie shivered. “Right,” she said. Far off, to the left, they could see more lights approaching.

  “Mom, we need to dash for it as soon as this next car passes. I’ll lead, you follow me. Okay?” Allie said.

  “Okay,” answered Maggie, wondering just where they would dash to and hoping there was a sheltered spot somewhere on the other side. The car came closer, lights scouring the roadside. Again they ducked behind the rock. As soon as the lights had disappeared around the bend, Allie rose, motioned to Maggie and scrambled down to the road. Maggie followed. They went without speaking, bending low, running. On the other side of the road, they searched first up the road and then down. There was no decent cover anywhere, only short, dry grass and rocky soil, but straight ahead the ground dropped off slightly.

  “This has to be it,” Allie said, “We just have to get them over here. They can . . ..” She broke off as another set of headlights and the dangerous spotlights approached. “Quick, Mom. Lie down—flat!” She whispered. They flattened themselves on the ground just as the spotlight swept over their heads.

  “Whew! Close again,” Maggie said. “There’re so many of them. They must think we’re very important.” Just then a car came by slowly. No spotlights this time, just driving by slowly.

  When it had passed Allie said, “Now, here’s what I want you to do. I’ll cross back over and send the others to you. You meet them at the side of the road, lead them over here and make sure they lie down. Okay? And, Mom? Be sure to keep your head down.”

  “Yes, I will,” Maggie answered. After the next searching car passed, Allie ran across the road and disappeared behind the rocks. After the next car, Maggie ran up to the road to meet Brigitte and Hadi running her way. Quickly, she led them away from the road to where the land dropped off. They had just hit the ground when they saw more lights approaching. Maggie reached over and pushed both heads to the ground. She had started back to the road when Andre and Allie appeared, running, bending low. Together they joined Hadi and Brigitte, lying just below the crest of the ridge.

  “Now what?” asked Andre, speaking for all of them.

  “Now, my dear friends, we walk. We walk away from this dangerous spot to find sanctuary,” replied Hadi.

  Maggie’s heart sank at this. They were so close here. If only the cars and their dreaded spotlights would go away surely they could find help right on this road. She hadn’t yet forgotten her fatigue of yesterday. Her body reminded her with sore and stiff muscles every time she moved.

  Hadi said, “It is true that this seems to be an oasis in the desert, but we must remember that not everything is as it seems. It is important to follow Hadi without question to the true resting place.”

  Maggie thought about what seemed to be an uncanny ability of Hadi’s to sense her thoughts and feelings. She also remembered that so far, they had avoided capture. She sighed and said, “Well, Hadi, let’s get going. I’m looking forward to that true oasis.”

  They moved away from the road, at first on hands and knees and then upright, single file behind Hadi. No one spoke. Each one was locked into his or her own thoughts. They went downhill at first, away from the road. When they were well out of sight of the road, Hadi led them on a diagonal route ever north. The partial moon gave little illumination. It was difficult to see where they were heading, yet Hadi moved forward confidently and sure-footedly, as if he were strolling along a boulevard.

  They alternately climbed and then descended, but they seemed to be avoiding the sharp scrambles of last night. Maggie felt grateful that they were not climbing and descending steep inclines. The muscles in her legs were sore and she felt each up and down step more than the level ones. They had walked, almost leisurely, for a couple of hours when Hadi stopped for a rest in an area of large stones. They sat down thankfully. Hadi doled out trail mix to each person and then passed the water bottle. It was the last of the water from their prison. Water had never tasted so good. Maggie thought that it seemed like a lifetime since she had crawled out through the tiny high window and they had escaped.

  ***

  The Ferret and Bruno scrambled up the mountain in the dark. Ferret guided their progress by the huge sign above them. The night was dark and it was difficult to see where they were going. He thought once again of returning to the big white house, but the thought of Ahmed discouraged him. He could not imagine how they could find their prisoners in the dark on this huge mountainside. Behind him he could hear Bruno mumbling curses in Arabic. Bruno’s mood was becoming ever blacker. Maybe the prisoners had been found already and he and Bruno were enduring this torture for nothing.

  ***

  Harry Cavanaugh sat in his car at the scenic overlook. Below him were the lights of the Los Angeles Basin as far as his eyes could see. He knew there was little he could do from here, but even so, he wanted to be up here just in case. If word should come that the McGill women had been found this might be a better place for him to be. The night was black and he wondered where they were and what was happening to them. Were they on this mountain? Were they alone? WHO was with them? These were not happy thoughts. Harry stretched his neck, trying to ease the stiffness in it. Beside him, the telephone remained silent. He poured another cup of coffee from the thermos and sighed.

  ***

  The night remained quite dark. The stars shone brightly in the inky sky. The horizons held yellow glows from the city that they knew was all around them. Yet here, there was quiet. Here they felt away from the civilized, mechanized world. In the distance they could hear a dog barking.

  “It’s a beautiful night,” Maggie observed.

  “This would be almost fun under different circumstances,” Allie said.

  Hadi drew in a long breath and said, “But, dear lady, this is just what it is. Can we not enjoy what is enjoyable? We are here. It is beautiful, yes? Let us praise Allah for what is beautiful, for what is pleasurable in the moment. After all, our lives are only moments strung together, like beads on a thread. Let us be happy for the beautiful beads. If there are others, we will address them when they arrive.”

  There was a silence as the little group pondered this observation. A chill little breeze blew against Maggie’s face. She had not noticed the coolness while they were walking. The dog still was barking. It seemed as if the barking was closer than before.

  After a while Andre spoke, “Oui, Hadi, it is true. We do have only moments. And this moment, here under the stars with good friends. This is a good moment. Oui, a good moment.” He put an arm around Brigitte and held her close, murmuring to her in French.

  As one, the little band rose and resumed their trek. When they stopped for the next rest the slivered moon was low on
the western horizon. To their left they could see the bulk of the large mountain they had been skirting. One and all they were happy not to have attempted climbing such a huge slope.

  They continued. One foot in front of the other. Maggie lost track of time. It seemed as if she had been walking for her whole life. Now they were moving more steeply downhill. From time to time there were glimpses of lights far ahead of them. Occasionally they would cross a ravine, a steep washed out area with heavier vegetation. The climb down brought screams of protest from her already sore muscles. Each climb up left her out of breath.

  Resting after one such climb, Maggie became aware of a dog barking somewhere near. In the dim moonlight she looked at the others. Surely their pursuers would not bring dogs to track them. Allie had heard the barking too and clutched Maggie’s hand.

  Hadi saw their clenched hands and spoke, “Please do not alarm yourselves, dear ones. If there were dogs tracking us, we would hear more than one bark. This is only one dog. He has been with us for a while. He barks only when we stop, have you not noticed?”

  As Hadi stopped speaking there was a rustling in the ravine behind them. A small whitish creature careened out of the bushes and flung itself toward Allie. It stopped at her feet, wagged a tail, licked her hand and lay down.

  Allie exclaimed, “Oh, look, Mom! Hadi!” Then to the creature, “Where’d you come from? Who are you? How’d you find us?” She bent down and scratched him behind the ears. The tail beat a hard tattoo on the dry ground. He rolled over, then jumped up and with great dignity ceremoniously greeted each person in turn, returning to lie at Allie’s feet.

  Maggie laughed, “Well, Allie, I don’t know who he is or where he came from, but I do believe he thinks he belongs to you!”

  Allie laughed in return, “So it would seem.” She stood up. “Well, come on then, Dog. Let’s get on with it.” They all stood up and started walking. The little dog trotted along beside Allie, occasionally running ahead to Hadi, as if he were checking out their route. The going was easier now. Below the lights of the city could be seen. Maggie began to notice a lightening of the eastern sky. She looked up. The stars were beginning to fade. Soon it would be light. Morning again. She wondered where they were.