“What did he say?” demanded DJ.
“I’ll write it down,” said Taylor.
“He said”—Grandmother paused for a breath—“that he had Eliza. He said”—she paused again—“that he wanted ransom money.”
“What else?” asked DJ.
“He said not to call the police.” She looked truly frightened now. “Or that something terrible would happen.”
“And you didn’t call the police, Grandmother. You called the FBI.”
Grandmother nodded. “That’s right. I did.”
“Did he say anything else, Mrs. Carter?” asked Taylor eagerly.
“He said he would be in touch with details.”
“And?” persisted DJ.
“Then he hung up.”
“Probably didn’t want to be traced,” said DJ. “Which phone did he call on? Your cell?”
“No, the one in the bedroom.”
“He knows the landline number,” DJ said to Taylor.
“Eliza must’ve told him.”
“We need to call the FBI,” said Taylor.
Suddenly Grandmother was crying. “I cannot do this. I am too old. Oh, what was I thinking to bring a bunch of girls down here?” She leaned over and sobbed even harder.
“It’s going to be okay,” DJ told her calmly.
“Come on,” said Rhiannon in a soothing voice. “I’ll walk you back to your room, Mrs. Carter. DJ will call the FBI. We have some new clues to tell them. Now you just breathe deeply, okay?”
DJ told Rhiannon thanks and reached for her cell phone, which she’d kept by her side all night. Taylor was ready with the number and DJ even remembered the name of the woman they’d talked with yesterday. “May I please speak to Marsha Stein?” she asked politely. She was given another number, which Taylor wrote down, and soon she had Marsha on the other end. DJ quickly filled her in on the phone call.
“Which number did he call on?”
DJ gave her the landline number. “Unfortunately it’s an old-fashioned phone and doesn’t have caller ID.”
“He’s probably using a blocked number anyway. But did you push star fifty-seven to trace it back?”
“No, should we?”
“No, but don’t touch that landline phone in case we can trace it back. Mostly, you don’t want to rattle this guy right now.”
“And we have even more information.” DJ told Marsha about the guy on the plane. About him giving them different names and finally about Eliza sharing her phone number with him. “We think it’s likely this is the same guy,” DJ told her. “Because Eliza told her roommate that it was someone she’d met. And it just seems to be the only possibility.”
Marsha asked for the flight information, Eliza’s cell phone number, and a description of the Todd/Jeremy character. “This will be very helpful,” she told DJ.
“What do we do now?” DJ asked. “I mean, what if the guy calls again?”
“For now, you just sit tight. I’m sending someone to your address as we speak. His name is Dan Jackson, he’ll show you his ID and then he’ll set up a wire tap. In the meantime I’ll be checking the passenger list for the Fort Lauderdale flight as well as Eliza’s cell phone records, and with any luck I might have some photos for you girls to identify.”
“Thanks!”
“Thank you. That’s some good information you just gave me. If we can put the pieces together we might be able to catch this guy.”
DJ closed her phone and filled in Taylor and Casey. “I’m going to check on my grandmother,” she told them. “I’ve never seen her fall apart like that before. It’s got me worried.”
Casey nodded. “Yeah, me too.”
DJ found Grandmother back in her bed with Rhiannon tending to her. “She asked for a bottle of pills that were in her purse,” Rhiannon whispered. “They were tranquilizers—prescribed to her. I only gave her one. It didn’t seem like it could hurt.”
“Probably not.” DJ went over and smiled at Grandmother. “Good news.”
“They found Eliza?”
“Not quite. But they have a lot of clues now. They don’t think it’ll be long.”
Grandmother closed her eyes. “Oh, good…”
“You just rest,” DJ told her. “We’ll keep you posted.”
“I called the general,” she said sleepily. “He’s catching an earlier flight…should be here this evening.”
“Good.” DJ actually felt relieved. “We could use his help right now.”
“Oh, yes.” She sighed sleepily. “We certainly could.”
DJ quietly left her grandmother’s room. But once she was outside, she felt like she was close to tears too. Really, this was too much for them to deal with. They needed someone like the general. Or even DJ’s father. Not that she planned to call him. Even if he was concerned, what could he do? She leaned against the wall and realized that the only father figure she could really rely on was God. And so, once again, she prayed. She prayed for Eliza and then she prayed for the rest of them. “Please, help us,” she finally whispered. “Amen.”
“Praying?” asked Rhiannon as she came out of Grandmother’s room.
DJ nodded.
“Me too.”
“Thanks for helping with her.” DJ nodded toward the closed door.
“No problem. She and I are actually starting to bond.”
DJ smiled. “And I know that’s not easy.” Just then her cell phone rang and, to her relief, it was Conner.
“Hey, I just heard about Eliza. Is there anything I can do?”
DJ gave him the latest, saying how the FBI guy was on his way. “In fact, it sounds like someone’s at the door now.”
“Be careful,” he warned. “Don’t let just anyone in.”
“We’ll check ID.”
“Why don’t I stay on the phone,” he said quickly. “Just until you make sure it’s really the FBI.”
“Thanks.” She hurried to the front door in time to see Taylor checking the FBI badge of a tall black guy in a navy suit. “Okay, Dan Jackson, you seem to be the real deal. Come on in.”
DJ nodded to Taylor. “And just in case he’s not, I’ve got the authorities here on the phone.”
“Is that Marsha?” he asked hopefully.
DJ grinned. “No, I was just checking.”
He nodded. “Smart girl.”
“The phone’s in here.” Taylor led him into the living room.
“The guy’s legit,” DJ told Conner now. “But thanks for staying on the line.”
“So what can we do to help?” asked Conner.
“For starters, just get over here.”
“Will do. But all the guys are with me. You want us all over there?”
“Sure. Maybe we can form a search party.”
As DJ hung up, she thought that might not be such a bad idea. She went over to the general’s computer and went online to see if Eliza had a spot on any of the social networks. Sure enough, she had a couple. DJ quickly downloaded and printed some photos.
“What are you doing?” asked Casey.
DJ showed her. “Now how about the Betsey Johnson dress…do you think you can find it online?”
Casey went to work and within minutes had a several copies of the dress printed out. “Here you go.”
DJ took the photos to Dan Jackson and explained them.
“Good stuff,” he told her. “Marsha is on her way over.”
“We’ve got a bunch of guys on their way too,” DJ told him. “But maybe it’s going to be too crowded here. Still, they’re willing to do some looking around town.”
“And we might have more information soon. As long as they can lie low and be quiet while we’re working.”
Marsha made it there before the guys. And she had photos. “Thanks to post-nine-eleven security,” she told the girls, “no one gets on a plane without photo ID or getting their photo taken.” She tossed a pile of photocopied pages on the dining room table. “You girls get to work.”
Despite the grainy quality o
f the black-and-white photos, they all agreed on one. “This is him,” Casey told Marsha. “Not Todd or Jeremy, it seems.”
Marsha read the name. “Theodore Wayne Johnston from Newark.” She handed the page off to Dan now. “Can you do a search on him, see if he’s got a record? I’ll get someone at the office to check for a rental car and phone records.”
“Wow,” said Casey, “this is moving along.”
“Don’t be fooled,” Marsha said as she punched some things into her laptop. “This is the easy part. After that it can be like a needle in a haystack.” She turned to DJ now. “And I assume Theodore, or shall we call him Ted, hasn’t called since the first time.”
“No.”
Just then the guys arrived and, after Conner and DJ exchanged a long hug, she ushered them all into the kitchen where she dispensed the latest information.
“We thought we could take Eliza’s photos and ask around at some of the local hot spots,” Lane told DJ. “Places where all the spring break parties are going on.”
“We already accused Lane of wanting to check out the hot babes,” teased Seth. “You know that whole girls gone wild thing.” He nudged Casey like this was funny and she just glared at him. “Excuse me,” he said sarcastically.
“If we had another car, we could split up,” Conner told DJ. “That way we could cover a lot more territory.”
“Sounds like a plan,” DJ agreed.
“I’ll print some more photos,” Casey said. “We could even put a lost girl thing together with a phone number to call.”
“Great idea,” said DJ. “Let’s put a photo of the dress too. It’s pretty identifiable.”
“Give me five minutes,” called Casey as she headed back to the computer station.
“Any of you girls want to come with us?” asked Lane hopefully.
“I probably need to stick around,” DJ told him. “My grandmother isn’t functioning too well just now.”
“I can stay with her,” offered Rhiannon.
“It might be helpful to have you along,” Conner pointed out. “I mean, a bunch of guys out looking for a girl could be taken wrong.”
“Let me check with Marsha,” DJ told him.
Marsha was still in the living room with her laptop open and talking into her Bluetooth. “Yes, I got that, Carl. Two thousand eight, white Nissan, two-door.” She wrote down a license number. “That’s great. No hotel yet? Okay, he might’ve used another name. No, keep checking.” She turned to DJ now. “Anything new?”
DJ told her about their idea to check out the spring break hot spots. “And Casey is making some posters with Eliza’s photo and the dress she wore.”
Marsha nodded. “And here’s what Ted is probably driving.” DJ copied down the car information.
“Make sure you all leave your cell phone numbers here,” Marsha told her. “And stay in touch.” She held up a warning finger. “And don’t let anyone play hero. Just keep track of your whereabouts and call me or nine-one-one if you see them. But do not approach them, understand?”
“And is your grandmother able to answer the phone?” Marsha asked suddenly. “I heard she wasn’t feeling well.”
“Yes,” Rhiannon called out from the other room. “I just checked on her and she’s better now.”
DJ returned to the kitchen where everyone was gathered and waiting. “Okay, you guys, before we do anything, I want everyone to bow their heads and pray. I don’t care whether you’re a believer or not. But no one goes on this search unless we pray first.”
“I agree,” said Taylor.
“And I’ll begin,” offered Conner as he bowed his head and started to pray. DJ prayed once he had finished, and then Taylor, Rhiannon, and Bradford. To DJ’s surprise even Casey prayed briefly. Harry and Lane actually said a few words and finally Conner said, “Amen!”
Then they all wrote down cell phone numbers for Marsha and headed their separate ways. DJ asked Conner to drive the general’s car, and Taylor and Harry came along. Casey and Seth went with Lane. Bradford stayed behind with Rhiannon.
“This really does feel like searching for a needle in a haystack,” DJ admitted as she waited for Conner to tape another flyer outside of a popular hotel. It seemed young people were everywhere and half of the girls looked strikingly similar to Eliza.
“What is it with all these blondes?” Harry complained. “Don’t girls know that there’s more than one hair color to choose from?”
Taylor laughed. “And fortunately not all gentleman prefer blondes.”
“Quiet,” said DJ suddenly. “My phone’s ringing.” She saw the caller ID as she opened it. “It’s Eliza’s cell,” she said quietly. “Hello?” No one spoke on the other end. “Eliza?” said DJ. “I saw your name. I know it’s you. Speak to me!” Still nothing besides some scritch-scratch static sounds. “Eliza, if you can hear me, make some kind of noise. Or text message, Eliza. Text us!” But then she lost the connection.
“Call her back,” commanded Conner.
“Maybe she doesn’t want her phone to ring,” DJ told him. “Maybe she’s hiding or something.”
“I’m going to call Marsha,” said Taylor as she got out of the car.
Just then DJ’s phone trilled.. “It’s a text message,” DJ said. “It says Motel.”
They all waited impatiently for another text, but DJ’s phone was silent.
“At least we know she’s at a motel,” Conner said.
“Yeah, there are only dozens around here,” Taylor reminded him.
Just then DJ’s phone rang again. “Another text,” she told them. “It’s just the number six.”
“Motel Six!” yelled Harry as he leaped out of the car to tell Taylor.
Taylor relayed this to Marsha then hopped back into the car. “They’re on it,” she told them. “Apparently there aren’t that many Motel Sixes in the Palm Beach area.”
“If she’s really in the Palm Beach area,” said DJ.
“What do we do now?” asked Harry.
“Hey, I saw a Motel Six sign on the way home from the train station this morning,” Conner told them. “I thought if Lane and I got into some kind of fight over DJ I might end up there.”
DJ laughed. “Like that’s going to happen.”
“I know it’s a long shot, but want to check it out?”
“Why not?” DJ nodded. “But remember what Marsha said—no heroics. If we see anything suspicious, we just call her.”
“It’s probably not the right hotel anyway,” Harry said from the back.
“Eliza might not even be in the Palm Beach area,” Taylor pointed out.
“Well, it beats sitting on our hands.” DJ was looking out the window, keeping a watch out for a two-door white Nissan. Unfortunately, it was a fairly common-looking car.
“There’s the motel sign,” Conner called out.
“You should’ve turned back there,” Harry told him. “That was the entrance.”
“I’ll just go on around,” he said.
“Yeah, circle the building,” teased DJ.
But as he was going around the back side, DJ spotted a car that actually fit the description. “Don’t slow down or stop,” she told him. “But everyone look at the white Nissan parked between the Black SUV and the red car and see if you can read the plate.”
“That’s it!” shouted Taylor. “That’s the car.”
“No way,” said Harry. “Are you sure?”
Conner was slowing down now, craning to see the license plate.
“No,” DJ told him. “Just drive on by and act natural in case someone is looking.” She squinted, trying to read the numbers. But Harry was already spouting them out and they matched what DJ had on the paper in front of her.
“Marsha?” Taylor was already on the phone. “We found his car!” There was a quick pause. “Yes, the numbers are the same. No, Conner just drove right past and no one is around. I’m not sure of the address but it’s not too far from the Amtrak station. Yes, that sounds right. Okay.” Taylor cl
osed her phone. “She’s sending someone.”
“Hey,” said Harry. “I see a blonde girl in a black and pink dress.”
DJ turned around to see.
“Don’t let them see you looking!” Conner commanded.
“It’s her!” DJ exclaimed. “And there are TWO guys!”
“I think one of them has a gun,” Harry said quietly, “underneath the jacket that’s draped over his arm.”
“That’s Ted—he’s pushing Eliza into the backseat of the car,” Taylor whispered. “The other guy is older and he’s driving.”
“Grab that parking space around the corner,” DJ told Conner. “The rest of us stay down.”
“Why?” asked Harry.
“Ted—he’s seen Taylor and me before.”
“I’ll just sit here until they drive past,” Conner said in a surprisingly calm voice. He was pretending to read a map as they all silently waited for what seemed like several minutes, but was probably just seconds. “Okay,” he told them, “they’re out of sight. DJ and Harry trade seats—hurry. You girls stay down in the back. We’re going to tail them.” And just like that, they switched seats and Conner was following about four cars behind the kidnappers. Meanwhile Taylor was on the phone, and according to Marsha the police were on their way. “Yes,” Taylor said to Marsha. “We’re a safe distance away and Conner is being very careful. We just don’t want to let them—”
“Taking a left on the street ahead,” Conner told them.
“Palmetto,” Harry yelled out.
“Left on Palmetto,” Taylor said into the phone.
“Take your time, Conner,” Harry was telling him. “Don’t want to look like you’re in a hurry. Nice and easy.”
DJ’s heart was pounding and she wanted to yell at Conner to go faster and not to lose them, but she knew it was better to be quiet. So she just kept her head down low and prayed. She didn’t know how much time had gone by, but it felt like hours.
“I see a state police car,” said Harry. “Coming up from behind us at a fairly fast clip.”
“Are his lights on?” asked DJ hopefully.
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