by Fifi Flowers
I loved that she was like me and never missed a thing. Very observant with a great imagination. The farm was a perfect location for her to stay, but the more I scouted the land and came up empty, I wasn’t so sure.
There was no time to waste, my phone was to my ear within seconds, placing a call to Tex—a retired SEAL—who could miraculously find anyone, anywhere. I knew Alice had a burner phone and I hoped that there was a way to track it—assuming she had it with her.
As he answered the phone, “Oh shit!” came out of my mouth when I spotted a greenish hoodie on the ground near tire tracks in the dirt. “Sorry, Tex. It’s Hawkman. My girl’s been taken, presumably against her will and I just found what I think is her jacket. It’s ripped with tire tracks on it.”
“Does it look like they pulled out in a hurry? The tire tracks. Wheels spun?” Tex was asking me a battery of questions and I answered to the best of my ability and filled him in on my part and what I knew of her involvement in a situation that had landed her in a witness protection program. “She may have dropped it to let someone know she was taken.”
“No one followed us up and the hosts are nowhere to be found either. In fact, there is no one around and this is a working farm. Had to be someone that knew the place and that she was being moved here—if it’s not the hosts. I was hoping to find her through her burner phone and I thought of you.”
“Burner phones are meant to be untraceable...” I didn’t want to hear that at all and was thankful that he had a possible solution. “However, certain ones do give off a signal with a special device or a phone app.”
I nearly screamed into the phone asking for the name of the app, stating that it was worth a try and he in turn raised his voice to get me to settle down. “Hang on Hawkman. You have to be within ten feet of the phone for it to work.” I suddenly felt my shoulders slump and the pit in my stomach grow larger. “Maybe twenty feet, if you’re lucky.”
“I just want her back, Tex.”
“I wish you the best of luck, but remember we don’t all come back in one piece, but the important thing is we come back alive.” Tex knew that first hand after losing his leg in the line of duty.
“I’ll take her anyway I can...” My voice was cracking as I finished the call and thanked him.
Then I got the app and called another SEAL connection. Shark proved to be very helpful. He couldn’t come to my aid because he was off on a movie location somewhere, but he did give me a name of one of his former team members.
Brice “Price” Dixon, who had gotten his nickname after having his first name mispronounce too many times, was a familiar name to me. We had worked one mission together when I first deployed. He had been in the service a few years and helped me to be successful in the field. I was counting on him to come through again since he was so close to the farm. Retired from active SEAL duty as a weapons specialists, he had relocated to Point Mugu where they did weapons testing.
As I thought, my Navy SEAL brother committed to me on the spot, “I can get a team of my guys together within seconds. We’re at your service. Tell me where to meet you.”
“I’m coming for you, Alice,” I shouted as I headed to the rendezvous point.
Chapter Ten
Alice
Sitting in the back of the vehicle, for once in my life I wished that I had paid more attention in my Spanish classes. My captors where all speaking the language and I was in the dark, literally and figuratively. Were they talking about where we were headed? What they planned to do to me? My mind was still wandering down the ransoming-me-for-money path...and maybe asking for a plane or helicopter to get out of the country. What about when they no longer needed me: turn me over or turn me into shark bait?
Stop thinking! Keep count! Focus! Don’t panic!
We’re stopping... What now? I wondered as they opened the car door and pulled me out. Pushing me along up a ramp, I tried to take in everything going on around me instead of the fear that was causing my body to shake a bit: smells, sounds, sensations affecting my skin like wind and the temperature—sight wasn’t an option at that point.
Once they moved me inside, the hood was removed from my head and I was tied to a chair in a room that reminded me of a glass maze. Like in a funhouse at a carnival or fair...I had to be at the fairgrounds. I was familiar with the fair and the area. I had been up to Ventura Beach a number of times on mini-vacations with family which was ironic since we lived near a beach down south. And the fair had garden exhibitions during its annual event which my college participated in when I was in school. I could never forget that it was beautifully located right next to the ocean and I definitely heard the sound of waves crashing. The sound was loud like the surf was hitting rocks rather than soft sand.
That distance should be right with my counting method: one Mississippi, two Mississippi until I reach sixty and then started over again. I stopped counting once the car came to a complete stop. How I kept the final count straight I had no idea other than the fact that I wanted to be rescued.
Was a rescue even possible? Colt was probably far away, returned to his normal life... What was his normal life I started to wonder and put myself into what I imagined would be perfect for us. Happy thoughts miles away from where I sat, scared out of my wits. I needed to focus on the positive side of things...not that there seemed to be any at that point. But, it was better than pondering my life coming to an end.
What else could I use for hints since I couldn’t blurt out where I was or where I thought I was? I was definitely sure about the location once I heard the sound of a train whistle and felt the rumbling vibrations shaking the crappy structure. Fair buildings never seemed very sturdy—like they could fall down at any minute. Especially traveling fair rides and booths... I was never one that like to get on those snapped together, barf-me rides. I did like the food or junk sold at fairs: the cotton candy, the corndogs, the fresh lemonade and popcorn... I smelled caramel corn or, more specifically, kettle corn.
Establishing my whereabouts was one thing, but I also needed them to know that there were people in authority who could no longer be trusted. It was obviously an inside job the way they were able to take me so easily. No one had trailed us up to the farm and the person running the show appeared to be Officer Sandra Pedro. If I had to guess, I was sure she was the one at the restaurant that night. The hidden woman with great shoes that were similar to the ones the officer wore standing off to the side as two men, other than the barefoot host, began to question me:
“Who do you work for?”
“Basil at the nursery like I told you.” I looked toward the woman who had heard some of my answers at the police station when I popped in to be a Good Samaritan.
“Why were you at the restaurant that night?”
“Who sent you?”
“No one sent me. I went there because they grow fresh produce at the nursery and they had left an advertisement postcard and menu.”
“Who tends their garden?”
“Picks up stuff or delivers?”
“I have no idea. That’s not my main area of the nursery.”
“You do garden there?”
“The nursery has a space for employees to grow things... I have a few plants.”
“Did you...have you ever given anyone night access or know of anyone letting people in late...after closing time?”
“No. I supervise and oversee the greenhouse. I’m not usually back there.”
“Who do you know at the restaurant?”
“No one.”
“You must know someone.”
“I only know of the restaurant. The name. The menu.”
“What did...who told you to record that night?”
“No one. I just did because I heard screams for help.”
“So, you always take your phone into the bathroom with you?”
“Not at home, but I do when I’m out.”
I wasn’t sure if they were satisfied with my answers or not, but apparently, they needed a littl
e conference and moved away from me. They whispered and occasionally looked my way before returning to drill me again.
“We need you to tell us where the restaurant’s portion of the garden is—can you do that?” They put an aerial map from an online source in front of my face.
“That’s not current.” I nodded my head since my hands were tied to the back of a chair. “Right there. The blank space is all filled with raised planting boxes. That map is before the public garden was set up. I have the right map on my phone. If I had it, I could tell you the set up and who owns each plot.”
“I thought you said you didn’t know?”
“Not off the top of my head, no. But, we all have a map for deliveries—”
“Deliveries?” His tone suggested something illicit. That word, also, seemed to pique all of their interests as they moved closer to me. “And stop jabbering on! Speak up! Clearly!”
I hadn’t realized that I had been saying things out loud; other than in my head.
Attempting to set them straight, I told them how people ordered plants and even asked us to plunk them in the ground for them. Lots of people seemed to want to consume fresh, pesticide-free produce but didn’t want to do the work or didn’t have the time to tend their plot of land. For an additional fee we had workers make sure their gardens flourished. We then snapped photos and sent them along with notifications that let them know when they could start picking—that was up to them.
The restaurants all took care of their own gardens and had the largest amount of planter boxes. This interrogation had me wondering what the one restaurant was doing with their assigned plot and many more questions: What were these people going to do with my information? Were the nursery workers in danger? Was one of the nursery workers involved in some way? Letting people in after hours?
I stopped racking my brain when the woman ordered someone to untie my hands. Then she got right up close to my face as I was being cut loose and uncuffed. “No stupid moves.” I nodded when she showed me her gun and ran it down the side of my face. I nearly peed my pants and then she handed me a phone.
“That’s my phone,” I said out loud, almost in a questioning tone. It had been kept for evidence I was told. The fact that they had it made me wonder who the good guys were if some of the members of the police department were involved in criminal activities...murder?
Focus! I told myself silently as I fired up my phone with my fingerprint and listened to their conversation that had my body shuttering.
“What if she knows nothing? What if she’s telling the truth?”
“Then we get rid of her. I saw some guys cutting trees on the grounds. We pay them a few bucks and throw her in the wood chipper.”
Another guy laughed. “Poof! She’s gone!”
Stay calm. Don’t cry. Get a message out. My earlier jabberings to myself were what I needed to rely on. I couldn’t type out a whole message easily without being caught, but if I could get the random words recorded, I could send a document to Colt’s phone. I had to remember so many numbers in my head with that stupid burner phone and I hoped that I had memorized it correctly when he gave it to me before leaving me behind. I had been given another number to call in case of an emergency, but I wasn’t sure it was a trustworthy source anymore.
I just hoped that my message gave him what he needed to get me the hell out of there before they handed me over to the tree trimmers.
Chapter Eleven
Colt
Grabbing all of Alice’s belongings along with the torn sweat jacket I found on the ground—definitely hers: leaves and rocks in the pockets—I threw it all into the back of my vehicle. We weren’t coming back to the farm. She was going with me. I didn’t care if I was breaking rules. It was obvious that no one was to be trusted on her case.
Driving far faster than I should have, I met the guys in a parking lot just off the main highway, closest to the farm. Recognizing Price at once, he introduced me to the rest of his team: Scout, Ghost, Shepard, Lion, and Sharp. Then, he got to the important stuff while handing me gear to use for the mission. “What do you know so far?”
“I just received a message and knowing Alice, it’s filled with clues...possibly her location.”
I never loved being barefoot in San Pedro but I would really like twenty minutes to sea the choo choo and taste caramel corn one last time before I die. I’m fine and a mess. Hate the mirrored walls.
“Where would twenty minutes put her from about two miles away from here...where there’s a train and caramel corn?” I asked.
“The fairgrounds.” Scout answered.
“Is that near the ocean? She spelled ‘sea’ rather than see as in seeing—”
Scout cut me off. “It’s right next to it and nowhere near San Pedro.”
“I’m guessing the barefoot and San Pedro relate to her safe house host who was barefoot when we got there which I found odd.” That should’ve been my first clue that I was leaving her with the enemy. “How do you spring into action without shoes on?” I shook my head and then added, “There was also an officer working on the case named Sandra Pedro.”
“Hates the mirrored halls... the fair could have a house of mirrors funhouse.” Lion spoke up.
“She mentioned dying. They’re not giving her up once they get whatever they want is my guess. Maybe she overheard them—they wouldn’t tell her that if they wanted anything from her.” Shepard pointed out things I didn’t want to hear.
“Okay.” Price chimed. “I already made a call to my wife who has a shop in downtown Ventura that sells antiques and she’s heavily involved with the flea market held at the fairgrounds. She contacted the guy who has the keys to the kingdom—an antique thing—he’s headed to the fair ready to do whatever we need.”
“That’s perfect if he can cut the power to the place when we give the signal. With our goggles we can go in and take care of business.” Ghost seemed to like that bit of help.
“She’s connecting me with the guy right now...” Price informed us.
“Guns drawn, everybody.” Sharp announced.
“Let me secure Alice before anybody starts shooting. Males are okay, but no females.” I planned to shield her with my body. I didn’t care if they shot me, but there was no way they were harming her.
“Don’t worry.” Sharp assured me. “Alice seems like a very smart woman. She gave you clues which gives us time and we won’t fuck up.”
I nodded my head. He was right she was smart and probably using everything in her power to keep herself alive. What did they want from her? From what she had told me, I didn’t even know why anyone would find her a threat. Had she left anything out?
As we waited for everything to fall in line, my mind roamed between the situation at hand and memories of her and how wonderful she was...is. My parents thought she was a keeper if I wasn’t so young—they reminded me just about every time I visited them. My father could never forget that she had outwitted him playing a game of chess on a giant chessboard we had at the resort. My mother still baked a fluffy white cake from a recipe Alice told her about from a social network board. I could only imagine if they knew where I was and what I was about to do to save the girl they loved so much...the woman I loved so much.
We needed to get moving. I was starting to pace without even realizing it. I wanted to hear the words “let’s roll” not words that might interfere and delay our rescue mission. I would never forgive myself if it turned into a recovery situation.
“There might be a bit of a problem. The guy says there’s a farmers’ market going on. Good news is that it is nowhere near the Fun Zone.” Price was speaking directly to the guy and I told him to keep him on the phone no matter what.
Ghost had a possible solution. “If we have to, we cut the power outside the building. Nothing is ever permanent in those places. Most likely there’s a junction box in the middle of buildings and lines connected to it.”
Agreeing on our plan of attack, following the guy’s instructions, we
headed a short distance to the fairgrounds—I prayed that was the correct location—and entered the gate he had left open for us with a guard to further instruct us. Our inside guy had gathered some of his own trustworthy friends on the local police force to help us.
With a walkie-talkie radio system they let the flea market guy, Garrett, know that there were two unmarked black cars not far from a building marked House of Mirrors. No sign of people outside guarding the place, but I was certain that we were at the right location. I had never been more relieved in my life and I planned to kiss my nature girl like there was no tomorrow for being so smart.
“It’s a go” were the best words I had heard since I met up with the team. Fully on board, we moved toward the Fun Zone on foot—totally geared up—and I set my app to detection mode. Coming up behind the target building a vibration alerting me to Alice’s phone and I made a hand signal to let the guys know that we had hit the bullseye.
Another signal confirmed that the power had been cut and with our goggles in place we entered from two different directions—the only ways in. I wished that I could say it was all easy from there, but it wasn’t. While we had vision on our side and we could hear other people scrambling and yelling that they couldn’t see, we had to figure out how to get through the fucking glass maze. We knew she had to be in the middle since we had been told that it was the only open space that had any room and had the mirrors that distorted people. If I knew it was safe, I would’ve liked to have broken every bit of glass in the place.
Alice was within reach—I just needed to collect her...my prize.
Chapter Twelve
Alice
Trying to still the tremble in my voice and shake in my body after sending and deleting a secret message, I complied with their requests. “These right here are boxes that belong to restaurants.” I had a mapped-out diagram on my cell phone screen and they were looking at their out of date satellite image. I assumed they were comparing or maybe making notes since they took my phone away from me and started speaking in Spanish again.