Crashed in Oasis

by Clay, Verna

  Something in J.D.'s voice didn't bode well. Collin said, "And?"

  J.D. rubbed the stubble on his jaw. "It…ah…looked liked someone was being dragged."

  Collin groaned and hung his head.

  Just then a police officer entered the room with Kate. He glanced at his superior. "She didn't resist arrest, sir."

  J.D. nodded. "Thanks, officer. You can wait by the door." He motioned Kate to a chair. "Please have a seat."

  Collin had never seen Kate so agitated. She was a hot-tempered woman, yes, but now she looked ready to come unglued.

  J.D. cut to the chase. "Ms. Sorenson, Dottie Arnez has been kidnapped and you've been brought here to assist in finding Mr. Smith. It was your call that alerted us to the fact that he may be the kidnapper.

  "He is the kidnapper!" she shouted.

  "Okay. Let's assume that's so. The next logical question is where do you think he's taken her and what is his intent?"

  Kate suddenly unraveled and covered her face with her hands. "He intends to kill her!"

  Collin's fists had turned milky white from being clenched so tightly. He was on the verge of shaking information from Kate, but a glance from J.D. warned him not to say or do anything.

  Calmly, J.D. said, "Where do you think he's taken her?"

  From behind her hands, Kate cried, "I don't know! But he'll hurt her in a big way to get back at Collin."

  No longer could Collin keep silent. "Why, Kate?" he shouted.

  She lowered her hands and rasped, "Because I fell in love with you."

  In a softer voice that he hoped would encourage her to keep talking, Collin said, "I don't understand. You've got to explain."

  She visibly swallowed. "I met Smith shortly after being hired by you. We dated on the sly because he's married. We used to talk about your wealth and how we could sure use some of it. At first we just joked, but somehow things turned serious and we devised a scheme. It was simple. I would make you fall for me. We would marry, which would give me access to money and treasure, and over a period of time, I would deplete some of your assets. When we had enough, I would divorce you, and Smith would leave his wife."

  Up until now, Kate had been straightforward in her account, but she lifted a fist to her mouth, stared at Collin, and sobbed, "But I couldn't go through with it. After we became lovers, I fell for you. When I backed out of my deal with Smith, he was so angry. He swore he'd make me suffer. I tried to reason with him, but he wouldn't listen. He's crazy. When your plane crashed I wondered if he'd had a part in it, but I was afraid to ask. Then, when Dottie's dive gear malfunctioned, I was sure he was behind the incidents and I finally confronted him last night. That's when he told me he'd sabotaged your plane, but he said he was glad you hadn't died in the crash because he knew you had feelings for Dottie. He said killing her would be the ultimate revenge."

  J.D. asked, "Where did you meet him last night?"

  She sobbed, "Out by the hangar. I'm sorry it took me so long to call. If I'd done so sooner, maybe he wouldn't have gotten to Dottie. But he swore he'd kill me if I told anyone."

  Kate covered her face and wept into her hands.

  Collin exhaled a long breath. "Kate," he said gently, "Think. Where would he take her? Would he bring her to the hangar?"

  She swiped her tears. "There's a storage shed behind the hangar with a padlock. That's where we'd sometimes meet and where I met him last night."

  "Do you have a key?"

  She sniffed and nodded. "In my purse, but the officer took my purse and put it in the trunk of his vehicle. He said he had to confiscate it as evidence."

  J.D. punched a button on his cell phone. "Mike, meet me at my car and bring Ms. Sorenson's purse."

  Collin said, "I'm coming with you."

  J.D. frowned and started to respond, but Collin's cell phone rang. He jerked it out of his pocket and glanced at the ID. "It's Smith!" he exclaimed.

  Kate gasped and J.D. said, "Answer it and see if you can keep him talking until we get a fix on him." He motioned to the officer standing in the doorway and the younger man said, "I'm on it, sir." The officer pulled his own cell phone from his pocket and dashed from the room.

  Collin puffed a breath and answered the call. "Hello."

  Smith said, "I'm sure Kate has alerted you to our earlier conversation, Collin, just as I knew she would. Maybe she even called the police. I don't know and I don't care."

  "What do you want?" Collin said as calmly as he could.

  "I want you to suffer, asshole. I've been flying you around the country for years, watching people treat you like royalty, but no more. It was okay until you stole the only woman I ever loved. Our plan was perfect. We weren't going to strip you bare, just stash enough money and treasure to live an easy life outside the country."

  In an effort to keep Smith on the phone, Collin said, "Smith, how did you get past my security system?"

  He chuckled in response. "I'm something of a wizard when it comes to anything electrical or mechanical. And all those times you were screwing Kate, she was screwing you by taking pictures of your security panel and emailing them to me while you slept."

  Collin gritted his teeth, but said with some semblance of calm, "Let's talk somewhere and come to some kind of agreement."

  "Not gonna happen. You're gonna get yours, buddy. Do you know what happens to a body falling from 10,000 feet?"

  When Collin didn't respond, Smith continued, "Let's just say there isn't much body left."

  "Smith, no, you wouldn't!"

  Smith chuckled. "Say goodbye to your girlfriend. She may have saved your ass, but you sure as hell won't save hers."

  The phone went dead.

  Chapter 29: The Shard That Unbinds

  Dottie heard Smith talking. Was he on a cell phone? He said Collin's name and then his conversation chilled her blood. He intended to drop her out of an airplane.

  Since finding the scrap of metal or glass, she'd steadily used it to work at the rope binding her hands. If she didn't free herself soon, she'd be in an airplane soaring to her death.

  Smith ended his call. "I sure hope you heard that. I expect this place will be surrounded by police soon, but we'll be gone by then. And Collin will have to live with the knowledge that he was the cause of your death. I'll be history, of course, living in South America. I may not have the money I wanted, or the woman, but I'll have the satisfaction of knowing I ruined the bastard's life, the way he ruined mine."

  She heard footsteps and then a hand jerked her head upward by her hair. She found herself staring into black eyes made wild with hatred. The man was insane.

  "So, I guess you did hear my conversation. That makes things even sweeter." He laughed. "Do you know how hard it was pretending to be your friend? Pretending to be happy you'd saved Collin's life?"

  He pushed her head back down and it hit the floor. The pain that had somewhat subsided now returned full force. She cried out in agony. Fighting to remain conscious, she barely heard the door open and close, but the reprieve sent a burst of adrenaline that cleared her mind. Working frantically, she continued sawing at her bonds.

  Smith had turned the light out so she was in inky blackness.

  Chapter 30: WindRunner

  Dottie had no clue as to how long Smith would be gone, so she frantically worked the shard against her bonds. Back and forth. She felt a twine snap. Tears coursed down her cheeks and she tried to choke them back. She had to remain focused and unemotional. As for a plan, she had none. Her sole intent was to free her hands and legs.

  Another twine snapped.

  By the time the third one was cut apart, she was again focused. The threads now rapidly released. Her fingers ached and she could feel blood on them, but she relegated that minor concern to another part of her mind.

  The final twine released. Her hands were free. Not a sound escaped her lips; not even a gasp of relief.

  Focus…focus…focus.

  She fingered the object in her hand but it was not needed to release
her feet. She worked the first knot free and then the others quickly came undone. Springing up, she almost toppled as blood rushed to her lower extremities.

  She'd gotten a glance at the room when Smith jerked her head up and remembered the floor was littered with objects, but the walls were relatively clear.

  Pausing to gain her equilibrium she stretched out her arms in the darkness. Positioning the door at twelve o'clock, would put her at four o'clock. Her fingers touched something and she gingerly moved her hands up and down. It was a wall. Feeling her way she moved toward three o'clock, two o'clock, one o'clock. Was she close to the door?

  Focus!

  She felt something protruding from the wall and explored it. The door hinge! Now she needed to locate a weapon from among the objects scattered across the floor. She still held the sharp object that had won her freedom, but it would be useless against a strong, angry man. She went down on her knees and began to crawl, feeling for a weapon.

  Her heart dropped when she heard a noise at the door. There was no time to find a weapon. The shard would have to do. She jumped up and positioned herself behind the door just as it opened.

  A dappling of light fell into the room, but not enough to illuminate anything. A dark figure stepped inside and suddenly the overhead light switched on. The brilliance blinded Dottie. She knew she had one chance for escape and she waited, hoping her eyes would soon adjust.

  An expletive burst from Smith and he shot into the room. Barely able to see, Dottie darted around the door while Smith's back was to her. She had just moved into the threshold when a hand grabbed her arm. In that moment she said a silent thank you to Max Rutherford, Jr. for hosting a self defense class at the new clubhouse at Desert Princess Trailer and RV Park. The entire town had been invited and the turnout overwhelming. The instructor had had to teach the class nightly for a week.

  Dottie didn't think—she reacted. She allowed her attacker to swing her around and used the momentum engendered to send a powerful knee jab into his groin and the shard into his face.

  Smith screamed, released his grip, and Dottie fled into the night. His wails pierced the darkness like an injured animal as she escaped across the tarmac. The hangars were not close to each other and if she ran to the closest one, she would be running away from civilization. In the distance, she saw an inky blot that she knew to be the small airport's control tower. Beside it a glow of yellowish illumination became a beacon urging her onward. She had no knowledge as to whether the tower was manned at night, but surely there would be a guard.

  The tarmac tore the soles of her bare feet but that didn't slow her pace. Scenes from the movie WindRunner raced across her mind and she began chanting, "I am a WindRunner, I am a WindRunner." No longer did she feel pain or fear; she felt only the wind. Even when she realized Smith was chasing her, she knew only the wind.

  Chapter 31: Crutch Punch

  Before reaching the airport J.D. shut his car lights off, as did the two patrol cars following him. The airport was small, used mostly by local businessmen and women whose work often took them to the mainland. There were probably less than a dozen hangars and Collin directed J.D. to the one he rented.

  If Collin allowed his mind to wander back to Smith's phone call and his insidious intent for Dottie, he would have been a blubbering mass of flesh. Instead, he aimed his every faculty on searching the area. Although dark, large shapes could be seen. He rolled his window down and J.D. did the same. An indistinguishable sound arrested his attention. He pointed in the direction the sound had come from. "Turn that way," he directed J.D.

  J.D. radioed his officers and ordered one car to the shed behind Collin's hangar and the other to follow them.

  Collin again heard something. This time it sounded like a man's yell. "Did you hear that?"

  J.D. radioed his men to stop their vehicles and he did the same. The tarmac was silent and then the yell came again. It was definitely a man—an angry man.

  Collins heart kicked into overdrive and he clicked his door open. J.D. placed a hand on his sleeve. "I know you won't stay in the vehicle even if I order it, so please be careful. Don't do anything heroic. You're on crutches, in case you've forgotten."

  Collin stepped from the car, as did J.D. Collin squinted at a dark shadow moving in the distance. In a low voice he said, "J.D., look toward the tower. Do you see someone running?"

  J.D. responded, "I do! Get in the car!" He immediately alerted his officers.

  Before Collin even closed his door they were speeding across the tarmac toward the control tower. The closer they came, the more detail they saw of the runner. The person was small and favored one leg. "It's her!" Collin rasped. "I'd know her anywhere!"

  J.D. radioed his officers and ordered them to fan out in opposite directions to look for a white male. If they found one, they were to approach with caution and bring him into custody.

  J.D. pulled the car close behind Dottie, but she didn't slow her progress. Yelling through his window he tried to get her attention. Her pace never slowed.

  J.D. said to Collin. "She's locked into a mindset. I've seen this happen before with victims pushed to their limit. I've got to stop the car and run after her."

  "I understand," Collin wheezed. He was finding it hard to suck enough air into his lungs knowing that Dottie had been pushed over the edge.

  J.D. braked and jerked his door open. In the dark, Collin watched two shadows running. Collin exited the car himself and stood beside the hood. It didn't take J.D. long to reach Dottie. Collin heard her cry out, not in fear, but in frustration, and watched the dark forms struggle. He heard snatches of J.D. saying. "You're safe…Collin…here…don't fight…"

  Suddenly, the smaller form collapsed against the larger one. Collin could wait no longer and began crutching toward Dottie. He'd only gone a few steps when something barreled into him and he flew forward, sprawling across the tarmac.

  Smith growled, "Don't think you've won. Instead of just killing her so you know what it's like to lose the one you love; I'm going to kill both of you."

  The unbearable pain in Collin's leg became secondary to Smith's warning. "The hell you are," he shouted. Instinctively, Collin butted Smith's forearms away from his body, believing him to have a pistol. He was right.

  A loud crack split the darkness. Reaching under his body for his crutch, Collin rolled, grabbed it, kicked with both legs at Smith's muscular body, felt his broken leg give, screamed in pain, and shoved the flat end of his crutch into Smith's chest with such force the man fell backward, motionless on the tarmac.

  Adrenaline pumped through Collin and he readied his crutch for another blow, but Smith didn't attack. As his breathing slowed, the pain in his leg returned until he could no longer hold his half sitting position and he fell backward, still holding the crutch. In anguish he heard J.D. calling his name and footsteps running toward him. J.D. yelled, "I'll help you as soon as I secure the assailant and radio for an ambulance."

  Collin couldn't form a coherent response or open his eyes. Something soft touched his face and a sweet voice said, "Please don't die, Collin."

  He opened his eyes to see Dottie leaning over him. In the bright light of the patrol car careening toward them, her body, sheathed in brilliance, could have been that of an angel.

  Chapter 32: Beaches, Sun, Aqua Ocean?

  Dottie entered Collin's hospital room. The dim interior was cool and peaceful. As quietly as she could she rolled her wheelchair forward. Sharp pain in her left foot, the one most abraded during her escape, made her wince.

  Collin lay with his leg immobilized in a sling elevated above his body. Her heart cried and rejoiced at the same time. His leg had snapped during his struggle with Smith and a pin had been placed in it, but he was alive! The doctor had said Collin would probably walk with a slight limp, but he should be able to resume his normal lifestyle, including diving.

  The pain in Dottie's foot subsided and she lifted a hand to her injured face. She was glad the room was dim so Collin could
n't see the extent of her bruises. She'd been lucky that no facial bones had fractured, but the discoloration looked terrible and moving her jaw hurt.

  The wheelchair squeaked and Collin opened his eyes. For a moment he seemed disoriented, and then he said, "Hi, honey."

  Dottie said softly, "I didn't mean to wake you. Would you like me to come back later?"

  In his naturally raspy voice, he replied, "Are you kidding? I want you to move in with me."

  His response surprised her but she knew he was only speaking figuratively. "Have you talked with your doctor yet?"

  "I have and all is well. Come closer so I can see you." She rolled to his bedside. His gaze roamed her face and he frowned. He glanced down at her bandaged feet. "Honey, I'm so sorry for getting you in the middle of my mess."

  She waved a dismissive hand. "You had no way of knowing what would happen, so I don't want to ever hear another apology."

  She thought she saw moisture in Collin's eyes when he blinked rapidly. He averted his gaze to the window. "Would you open the curtains a little?" he asked.

  "Of course." Dottie rolled her wheelchair to the window and cracked the drapes. She hesitated before turning the wheelchair around. Her face would be clearly visible now.

  With resignation, she returned to Collin's bedside.

  Collin stared at her, missing nothing. He reached to touch her hand and then she did see tears. Her own eyes misted. "We're both going to heal and be as good as new," she offered in an attempt to erase the guilt written on his face.

  He lifted her hand to his mouth and kissed it. "It's good to be alive."

  They stared at each other with an understanding that only those who have suffered so much together could grasp. Collin broke the silence. "I was thinking…" he paused.

  "What?" Dottie was glad for a change of subject.

  "I was thinking that as soon as we're travel ready, we should return to Oasis to recover. I'll leave the salvaging of the Vittoria to Jake. He's more than capable."