by Peggy Dulle
I let Lori and Oscar argue about if and when we were leaving. I went over to Tom and felt for a pulse. It was weak but still there. As I untied his hands, he moaned.
I pushed open one of his eyelids. His pupils were completely dilated and he couldn’t focus, even when I said his name. They’d obviously given him some drugs to knock him out. I needed help to get him up. When I looked up, Terri stood over the bed. She looked more confused than Oscar.
She frowned as she tried to place him. “I know him.”
“It’s okay, dear. Just help me get him up.”
“Sheriff D?”
Terri was Jessie – I knew that now – but right now I had to get Tom out of there before the rest of the clown posse arrived. I turned to Terri and put my hands on her face. “Jessie. All of your memories are going to come back, some slowly and some in a rush, but right now we’ve got to get Tom out of here. Do you understand?”
“Yeah.”
“Okay. Help me get him to his feet.” I yelled to Dan, “Can I get some help here?”
He looked from Oscar to me to Tom, not knowing what to do.
“Dan. I need your help,” I pleaded.
“Okay, Liza.” He walked over and helped me get Tom off the bed. We got as far as the front door and we ran into Oscar and Bruno, both holding guns.
Chapter 25
It was a standoff. Suddenly I heard Tom’s voice. “My phone.”
“Never mind about your phone.” I turned back to the two men. “We’re leaving.”
“No, you’re not,” Oscar demanded and took a step toward us.
Tom said, “Liza, where’s my phone?”
“I don’t know.”
“Liza!” Tom shouted. His knees were still week, but he’d definitely had found his voice.
“What?”
“Where is my phone?”
I turned to Dan. “Find this damn man his stupid phone!”
Dan ran back into the bedroom, carrying my phone and dialing.
We all just stood there and waited. A few seconds later Dan came running back into the room and handed me the phones. Tom was finally starting to stand on his own two feet and not leaning so heavily on me. I gave Tom his phone. He quickly pushed a button and then put the phone in his pocket.
Lori stepped forward. She stood between us and the two goons standing in our way. “What are you going to do, shoot us?”
“If we have to,” Oscar retorted.
“How are you going to explain that to my parents?”
The two men looked at each other.
Lori stepped toward them. “We’re going directly to my parent’s office. You need to step aside and let us go.”
“We’ll go with you,” Oscar said.
She brushed him aside. “Idiots! I don’t need your help to find my own parent’s office. Get the hell out of our way. And if you follow us, I’ll get you fired!”
I had to hand it to Lori. She was a very tough girl. Given what she’d gone through as a child probably had made her strong.
We walked out of the small cabin and into the night. I knew if we stayed outside, we’d be spotted right away. The next set of goons might not be as open to Lori’s commands. The kid’s dorms were only a few feet away.
“It’s getting cold and I don’t want Tom to get sick. Let’s go through the dorms.”
“Sure,” Lori said.
Lori led, followed by me and Dan holding Tom, and then Terri. She looked lost and confused. I wish I had the time to explain everything to her, but I didn’t. I hoped there’d be time later. We got to the dorm safely. Parked in front of the building was a video repair truck.
“What are they doing here so late?” Dan asked.
I didn’t have the time to explain what the hell was going on at clown camp. That would take hours. “I think I heard Carl talking about installing security cameras.”
“Oh.”
I knew if we avoided the bathrooms, we wouldn’t run into any of the video technicians.
As we were about to exit the building, I heard people talking.
“Wait.”
Lori looked back at me. “Why?”
I put my hand up. “Just wait.”
Two men were standing outside the door. I didn’t recognize their voices.
“Orders are to kill them all, right?” one man said.
“Yep,” the other man said.
“Kill who?” Dan whispered.
I turned to him. “All of us.”
“Now wait a minute. I’m just a hired hand. I don’t know anything and I don’t want to know anything.”
“You’ll know if we all disappear, Dan.”
“Yeah, I guess so.”
“They’re not going to kill me,” Lori said, but her voice trembled slightly.
“I can’t guarantee that, Lori. How smart do you think those goons are?”
She shook her head. “Not very.”
“Let’s just get out of here and then you can call your parents. That way you’ll stay safe and so will the rest of us.”
“Okay.”
Then we heard one of the men again. “Let’s go check the other small cabins.” And they were gone.
“Lori,” I said.
“Yeah.”
“Check and see if they’re gone.”
She cracked the door, peeked out, and then glanced back. “Yeah, they’re gone.”
“Let’s go from here to the auditorium.”
They all nodded.
We made it to the auditorium, safely. As we walked, I could see several groups of people with flashlights all over the grounds of the camp. We were outnumbered and the chance of making it to my car without encountering any of them was slim.
We stepped through the auditorium door. It was pitch black.
“There’s a light switch on the wall.” Dan released Tom, who almost fell to the floor. Terri ran up and helped me. She still looked confused but smiled and nodded.
“Thanks.”
We all stayed close and followed Dan to the side of the auditorium. Then he flipped a switch. The music started.
“Shut that off!” I shouted in his ear. “Do you want them to find us?”
“No, but I don’t know which switch is for the lights.”
“Just turn each one for a second.”
“Okay.” Dan nodded.
With the next one we heard a churning sound. “That’s the rope in the center of the room. Keep going.”
The next started the purple fog.
“What’s that smell?” Lori asked.
“It a dr—“
I interrupted him. “It’s incense, that’s used for the meditation.” There was no reason to tell the girls about the drugs.
The next switch started the light show. “Turn it off.” Dan switched it back off. “Now, turn it on for only a few seconds until we can see where the door is.”
After a few times, we all spotted the exit. Luckily all of the tables had been cleared away and it was a straight shot. “Okay, let’s go.”
We crept slowly toward the door. When we opened it, we stood face to face with Beverly, Carl, Oscar and Bruno.
Then Terri stepped up. “Uncle Carl, Aunt Beverly, what’s going on?”
They both jumped back, wide-eyed.
“Look things are coming unraveled here. Do you want to make it worse?” I said. “What are you going to do, mind-control your niece again and maybe even your daughter?” No answer, so I kept talking. “That’s dangerous to do to Jessie again. Do you want her psychotic for the rest of her life?” I made that up, but it sounded good.
Carl touched Beverly on the shoulder. “We can fix this.”
“No you can’t,” I answered him. “Listen, your only other alternative is to kill us all.”
Oscar and Bruno stepped forward with their guns drawn. Then we all heard the sirens.
Beverly looked at Carl. It was just the hesitation I needed.
“My suggestion would be to get out of our way and out of the c
amp. Things are coming to an end for the clowns.”
The sirens were getting louder. Oscar glanced at Beverly and Carl and then ran off. One down, one to go.
Tom was starting to stand on his own feet. “My people are here. It’s over.”
Bruno pointed his gun at me and sneered. “Well, at least I can kill the person who brought it to the end.”
I was staring down the barrel of a gun. I’d like to say that my life flashed before me, but it didn’t. Just then I felt Tom slide his hand down my back and get the gun. He pulled it out and pointed it at Bruno. It was a standoff. Neither man was going to relinquish their position.
I put my hand on Tom’s arm. “How far do you think they are going to get?”
He chucked. “Not far.”
“Then, let them go.”
Beverly glanced at Carl. “Lori, we need to go.”
“I don’t understand any of this.”
“I’ll explain later, honey.” Beverly reached for her daughter. “Let’s go.”
Lori stepped toward her parents and then glanced back at me. “What’s going on?”
“Just go, Lori,” I said, nodding to reassure her.
Beverly shook her head. “I can’t believe we were brought down by a kindergarten teacher.”
“Listen, I deal with four and five year olds and their sometimes irrational parents. You clowns are nothing compared to them.”
Carl, Beverly and Lori turned quickly and sprinted away from the cabin. Bruno backed away, still holding his gun toward me. Then he was gone, too.
“They’re not going to get very far.” Tom’s voice was raspy and weak. He dropped the arm that had held his gun. It had obviously taken all of his strength to hold it.
“It’s nice that the cavalry is coming.”
“Oh yeah.”
I could hear the sirens getting closer. A few minutes later about fifteen cop cars came into the camp. None were from Santa Dominga. Tom finally stood on his own two feet and shouted orders. Men ran everywhere. I held tight to Jessie’s hand as she clung to me like a lost child.
Finally Tom came over. He held out his hand and Jessie grabbed it. He smiled and nodded to me. “Nice work.”
“Thanks. Can I go home now?” I pleaded.
“Well. The FBI wants to know who my source was on this case.”
“Can’t you just tell them it was an anonymous tip?”
“That is the story I’m telling. I’m not sure how long they’re going to believe it.”
“Do you have enough evidence with what Justin sent you and what you get here to close down the clowns?”
“Probably.”
“Then I’d rather not be involved.”
“What if I have no choice or they need you to testify?”
“Then I’ll do what I can.”
“Okay.” Tom leaned over and kissed me on the forehead. He signaled for another officer to come over. When he arrived, Tom said, “Will you take this lady to get her things from her motel and then escort her to her car?”
“Yes, Sir.”
“Make sure she gets out of the canyon without being bothered.”
“Of course.”
As the officer and I walked away, I glanced back at Tom and Jessie. I knew he’d take good care of her. I went to the motel, gathered up my things and drove away from the camp. I’d accomplished what I had come for, plus a little bit more. It was definitely time for me to go home.
As I drove I thought about Jessie and what she would experience in the next few days. It was going to be tough, but Tom would stay with her. Then I thought about Sandy. For the first time I smiled instead of shedding tears. I hadn’t been able to find her, but somehow finding Jessie had given me the closure I needed.
Chapter 26
When I pulled into my driveway, Justin motored over with Shelby barking and running along side of him. I put my stuff down and bent to pet my dog. She licked my face and barked some more.
“I missed you too, girl.”
“Hey, what about me?”
“I missed you too, Justin.”
“Everything turn out okay?”
“Yes, it did.”
“Then let’s go inside. I want to know every little detail.”
That’s just what we did. It took me over an hour but I shared my entire adventure, from finding the date at school to the cavalry coming in.
“That’s so cool, Teach. You’re like Sam Spade.”
“That would be Samantha Spade.” I smiled.
“I’m glad I got to be a part of it.”
I patted Justin on the arm. “You were an invaluable part, Justin. I couldn’t have done it without you.”
“You’re right, you couldn’t have. What’s our next assignment?”
“Several days of rest for me.”
“Ah, come on, Teach. I’m ready to go.”
“I’m not. Besides, we’ll have to wait for my computer to give me another assignment.”
“That is kind of weird. Of course, given any date you could probably find several things that happened.”
“Yeah. When I was first looking up the date, I found at least ten different events that happened on that particular date. But somehow a lost little girl just drew me in.”
“It’s like there’s a force bigger than both of us and it’s directing you.”
“Okay, that’s too bizarre. I think it was just probably a coincidence and may never happen again.”
“Maybe or maybe not.”
I spent the next few days reading, finishing my kid’s journals, and relaxing. I didn’t hear from Tom. He was all over the papers and television. They were calling him a hero because he never gave up looking for a missing child. He kept giving the credit to an “anonymous source.”
During the first few days most of the camera shots showed Jessie standing with Tom still holding her hand. But afterwards there were a few of her and Todd, and even one of her and her dad. It was nice that he’d come home and they were together again. I wondered what would happen next.
Clowns in all four camps were being arrested for selling pornography, drug possession and trafficking, and kidnapping. I even saw the judge from Santa Dominga under arrest.
I never saw Carl or Beverly on the television. I guess they got away. I shouldn’t be happy, but I was. I was glad that Lori didn’t have to go through losing her mom and dad again. Tom probably wouldn’t have agreed, but since I hadn’t heard from him, I didn’t care what he thought.
It was Saturday morning, only two days left of my vacation. I decided to take a drive to the beach to walk on the sand. Shelby loved chasing the birds and I loved the sand between my toes. The sun was shining and the temperature was at least seventy degrees. Not quite warm enough for me, but still it would be nice to spend the last two days of my vacation listening to the water crashing on the beach.
I called and made a reservation at a hotel on the beach. We’d stayed there before, so I knew I could take Shelby. I had a single bungalow equipped with a small kitchen, sitting area and bedroom. It cost me a bit, but it was worth it. I packed a bag for all kinds of weather, from sun to rain. You never can trust the weatherman anymore. He was predicting sun, so it probably was going to storm while I was there. I filled a couple of Ziploc bags with Shelby’s food and another with her treats.
I packed a box for me, too, filled with cereal bars and yogurt for breakfast, sandwich and soup stuff for lunch, M & M’s and diet coke for snack. I figured I’d go out for dinner and then use the leftovers the next day if I didn’t want to have soup and sandwich for lunch.
I made a few trips to the car to load up and then Shelby and I got in. I pulled out of the driveway and drove down the road to the freeway. Two blocks later, flashing lights were behind me.
“Damn it!” I said to Shelby. “I didn’t do anything wrong! Did I?”
I looked in my rearview mirror as I pulled over. The cop, heading toward me, wore dark shades and held his ticket book. What a great way to end my vacat
ion. I rolled down the window. There was no way I’d done anything wrong. I looked both ways when I came out of my driveway. My dog is in a harness and not loose in my car. I wasn’t on my cell phone. I hadn’t run any lights. In fact there aren’t any lights between here and my house. I knew arguing with him wasn’t going to help but I was ready to do it anyway.
I took a deep breath and turned my head. He slid down his shades with his finger. “Where do you think you’re going?”
It was Tom.
My pulse accelerated and I tried to control my breathing. I was mad at him for not calling. “I’m going to the beach for a couple of days.”
“Without me?”
“I don’t remember inviting you to go along.”
“Anyone who swears at me doesn’t have a say in anything.”
“I didn’t swear at you.”
“Yes, you did. I repeat: ‘Give that damn man his stupid phone.’
“Oh, yeah. I did say that. But I was kind of anxious at that particular moment.”
“Well, I’ve been preoccupied for the last week. First I spent several days going through all of the events of the last week with the FBI. Then I spent two days in jail.”
“For what.”
“Refusing to reveal my source.”
“Oh.”
“Did you think I’d forgotten about you?”
“Maybe.”
“Not a chance, lady. How about this? Let’s drive back to your house. I’ll park my cruiser there and if you’d allow me, I’ll come to the beach with you.”
“What are the neighbors going to say?”
“That you have a new friend who’s a cop?”
“Maybe they’ll just think I’ve been arrested.”
He laughed. “How about it, Liza?”
“Sure, why not?”
It was a wonderful two days. He cooked every meal and I cleaned up. We walked on the beach, hand in hand, and Shelby ran around until she was exhausted. Nights were spent huddled around a roaring fire in the fireplace and drinking hot chocolate with tons of marshmallows. And afterwards, we crawled into bed and made love. It was fabulous.
One night as we snuggled into each other’s arms, I asked about Jessie.
His face broke into a huge smile. “She’s doing great. Her memory is almost completely restored.”
“How’s she adapting to being with her brother and dad again?”