Surprised at that thought Sativa allowed a slight level of panic to seep in. She tried to re-direct her thoughts and concentrate. Who could these kidnappers be? Mob is all I can come up with, especially since Bugsy owned part of a casino in Vegas. Why us? Why are we involved? What did we do to be kidnapped? Why is the Mob involved and which Mob? Did Bugsy do something to make them angry? If that is the reason, then they are really upset. To come all the way here from Vegas. Those two at the funeral looked like Adolpho or Alphonso whatever that casino guy’s name was and his bodyguard. Can’t think clearly right now. Wish I could figure this out.
She tensed her body to keep from rolling around as the limo zigged and zagged along the winding road. The three bound bodies swayed and slid into each other, legs and arms bumping as the limo sped along, the rough car carpet ruthlessly biting into their unprotected limbs. Sativa tried to relax but her thoughts were still bouncing all over her brain, mostly of Matt. And she was getting hungry.
I can feel Connie and Gina squirming and wiggling trying to spit out the gags and break through the ropes on their wrists and ankles. Those thugs really tied us tight. The limo is still speeding down a main road. I’m certain it’s Rte. 6A. Even though the pavement is smooth, it’s difficult to keep my balance and not slide all over the floor as the car lurches back and forth around the curves and Rte. 6A is very curved.
Suddenly, with an unexpected swerve, the limo bowled into an abandoned parking lot, and screeched to a stop beside a non-descript dirty white van with blotched lettering on the sides. The limo driver got out and opened the side door. He motioned to the three thugs to get out. They stumbled out shoving each other. The driver then motioned to the thugs to get the girls and put them into the van. Not a word was uttered.
The thugs reached into the limo and grabbed the ladies one-by-one tossing them roughly onto the dirty floor of the almost empty van. As the girls were transferred from limo to van, so were our little specters. Not to be left behind to leave their ‘girls’ unprotected, they both soared around the thugs in circles causing the thugs to wince and utter oaths under their breath as their legs and arms were repeatedly pinched and prodded almost dropping one of the girls.
“Lots of mosquitos here,” one of the thugs uttered only to be hushed with a smack to the back of his head from the limo driver. Pushing the girls into a pile on the floor of the van, one of the thugs slammed the door shut, then they all got back into the limo with the driver and quickly drove away.
Another driver (the one who came with the van) jumped into the driver’s seat, backed out of the lot, and headed west along 6A.
“Where the hell are they?” Matt shouted over the siren to his two deputies. “Where could they have gone?” After chasing along Rte. 6A for several miles, Matt realized he had lost them.
“We’d better head back and wait for some communication from them… This is the work of a mob, I’m certain.” Matt said as he turned the car around and headed back to the station. “How in *&^% do I deal with a mob?”
Chapter Fifteen
Fritzie and Bugsy, who had finished harassing the thugs to their satisfaction were sitting on a pile of boxes near the front of the van behind the driver’s seat. The interior of the van, mostly empty, smelled like bubble gum. The girls were squirming and wiggling themselves into comfortable positions next to each other. When the doors were closed, the inside of the van became pitch-black. With the blindfolds on, the girls couldn’t see anything, but could hear each other’s muttered grunts through the gags.
“Jeeze, Bugsy, can’t we do anything? I feel so helpless,” Fritzie wailed.
“So, do I Fritz, at least we are here with them, for what that’s worth,” Bugsy said sadly, “Connie is still a knock-out. She hasn’t changed, only gotten a few pounds heavier in the right places. Did you hear what she said as she threw the dirt over the casket? I think she still loves me, Fritzie, after all these years.”
“See what ya gave up? Kinda’ late, isn’t it?” Fritzie gave Bugsy a nudge in the ribs or where he thought Bugsy’s ribs were.
“Who knows what our life would have been like, Fritz? All I knew were the rackets. I never had any education except on the streets,” Bugsy lamented. “I can finally give them something. That loot will keep them well off for the rest of their lives.”
“Speaking of that, how are ya gonna get the loot to them and keep it away from the mob?”
“I got a plan, Fritz, I got a plan.”
“Well, I hope ya let me in on it when the time comes, WHOA! Where are we going? It feels like we are heading on a different route.” Fritzie floated into the front of the van. He peeked out through the passenger’s window and saw signs to Falmouth and Woods Hole. “Bugsy, we’re heading down to the ocean. I told ya. What are these guys up to?”
“They want the loot and they’re not gonna give up until they get it, Fritzie.”
“You don’t think they are gonna drown the girls, do ya?”
“Naw, they will hold them hostage ‘till they get it back.”
“Will they kill them then?”
“You know how they work, Fritzie, they are a mean bunch of b********. We saw what they did in Vegas so many times.”
“Whadda ya gonna do?”
“I hope this Matt guy has some smarts. We can also intervene, Fritzie, we can fly around unnoticed and do ‘stuff’, they won’t have a clue.”
“Okay, what should we do now?”
“Wait and see where they put the girls. Then we can go into action.”
“Okay, Bugsy, just don’t wait too long.”
Chapter Sixteen
When the van arrived in Falmouth, it changed direction. The girls could sense that by the speed and the crunching of gears. It was getting dark, the sun dipping down into the ocean. The driver slowed his pace and drove leisurely down into Woods Hole following the signs, where he pulled up beside a private dock.
The girls could smell the ocean even through the walls of the van and hear the lapping of waves. They could also hear voices, three distinct voices The back door of the van was thrown open and the girls were carried one-after-another and dumped into a small boat. They knew it was a boat because it rocked from side to side when they were dropped onto one of the wooden seats. Then they heard the van door close with a slam and drive away.
Two men and two ghosts got into the boat as the girls again felt it rock from side-to-side. They felt and heard the outboard motor start and the boat vibrate.
“Cast off the line, Jack,” ordered one of the two men, possibly the leader of this crew. Jack, nodding, cast off the line and coiled it dropping it neatly onto the mahogany deck of the boat. The boat pulled away from the dock, Jack stepped around the three girls and moved to the front. He pushed a cushion (and Fritzie) aside so he could sit. Bugsy was sitting aft holding onto the flag staff keeping an eye on the girls.
“Where are you taking them?” Jack asked in an undertone.
“Over to Naushon Island. It’s completely deserted this time of year,” Pete replied.
“Jeeze, are you goin’ to leave them tied up? That’s not right.”
“No, we’ll loosen their bonds enough so they can undo them with a little help from each other. They can take out their gags and undo their blindfolds.
“What about food and water?”
“Right here in the cooler.”
“How long do you think it will take for the widow to pay up?”
“The boss just wants to know where the loot is.”
“Then what?”
“We go back to Vegas and start a new life.”
“Are we gettin’ a share?”
“Supposedly, we’re almost to Tarpaulin Cove, get ready to drop the anchor. We’ll have to wade through the surf and drop them onto the beach, then get out of here fast!”
“Why?”
“In case the guard is still here. It’s off season, but he may be hanging around. Young Mr. Forbes wouldn’t like it if the place were left unguarded.�
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“I thought this was going to be an easy job.”
“Losing your nerve? Wanna swim back?”
“OMG! No!”
“I’ll cut the engine, you drop the anchor,” he added in clipped tones, “quietly!”
“Aye, aye, sir,” he mocked and pulled the anchor out from the piles of ropes aft and let it slither quietly over the side allowing enough length until he felt it catch. He gave it a tug to hold it down and slid over the side into the water.
“*&^%$#@! damn, this water is cold,” he swore and reached up as Pete handed him one of the girls. He waded a few yards up onto the beach and dumped Gina down onto the wet sand with a thump so hard she squealed through her gag.
He waded back to the boat to get another one and splashed to the beach again, depositing Connie onto the wet sand with less force. One more, he thought as he sloshed his way back to the boat.
Anxious to stay with the girls, Bugsy and Fritzie flew out of the boat and followed Jack.
Sativa was heavier than the other two. Or was he just getting tired? He almost dropped her into the surf but managed to keep his footing as he brought her to shore to join the others. He heard Pete wading up near him then he saw the cooler. Pete set the cooler up on dry sand and picked Gina up and set her up where it was dry. He motioned for Jack to do the same until all three girls were on dry land.
Jack and Pete crouched down and started to work the girls’ ropes loose.
“Ouch, these greenheads sure can bite!” Jack winced trying to undo Connie’s hands. “Damn, their bite is sharp, ouch!”
“Jack, there are no greenheads out here at night! Ouch! That hurt!” Pete howled.
“Cripes, hurry up and finish so we can get back to the boat and out of here!” Jack said between clenched teeth, “Yipes, that hurt!” He slapped the back of his neck.
Fritzie and Bugsy were having a little pay-back pinching the two henchmen, chuckling.
Pete and Jack finished loosening the wrist ropes and raced down the beach into the water running to get back to the boat. They splashed their way over, climbed in and Jack pulled up the anchor while Pete started the engine to make their way back to the mainland. They made the trip back in record time, slid into the dock and Pete cut the engine.
“Who does the boat belong to?” Jack asked as he tied the boat fast and stepped nimbly out onto the dock.
“I have no idea,” was the reply, “come on, the car’s over here.”
Chapter Seventeen
The girls, hearts pounding and still frightened, were laying on the sand trying to understand where they were and what was happening as they heard the boat engine disappear in the distance.
Sativa wiggled her hands, wrenching them against the loosened ropes and opened them enough to pull one hand free and then the other. She immediately reached up and pulled the gag from her mouth and yanked the blindfold off.
“Connie, Gina, my hands are free. Lie still and I’ll see if I can untie my feet. God, I am so cramped up from these ropes. Try to stretch a little. There, my hands and feet are free.”
She stood unsteadily, her legs stiff and sore from the confines of the ropes and wobbled over to Connie. She gently pulled the gag from Connie’s mouth and removed the blindfold. “Hold on while I untie your ropes,” she directed as reached behind and freed Connie’s hands.
Connie immediately untied her feet and tried to stand, swaying a little only to be steadied by a pair of hands from nowhere. She turned to look, but no one was there. Sativa was untying Gina’s hands and removing her gag. Connie wobbled around trying to get the circulation back into her arms and legs.
“Where are we?” Connie shouted so Sativa and Gina could hear her over the sounds of the surf.
“Some beach, no idea,” Sativa shouted back.
“My mouth is so dry, wish we had something to drink,” Gina said as she stood, staggering a little when a pair of hands steadied her. “Thanks, Mom,” she said gratefully.
“Thanks, for what, Hon, I didn’t do anything.”
“But I thought….” Gina was interrupted by Sativa’s shout.
“Look, a boat out in the channel!”
“Too far away, Sativa,” Connie said as she began to scan her surroundings. “A cooler, wonder what’s in it? Did it wash ashore?”
“Could have. Open it up,” Sativa replied with the sound of hope in her voice.
“Girls, water bottles and sandwiches!” Connie shouted with pure relief. She tossed a bottle of water to Sativa and Gina, then took one for herself.
“Pure heaven,” Gina sighed as she drank deeply, “what kind of sandwiches?”
Connie let out a chuckle, “Peanut butter and jelly!”
“Anything will be delicious, our last meal was breakfast, what a day this has been!” Gina sighed, “I am worried about the baby, though.”
“He’ll be fine, Indica and Archie will spoil him terribly,” Sativa grinned, “I’m wondering which mob set us up like this and why?”
“You mean there is more than one mob? And why us?” Connie asked, her stomach clenching, “I left all that behind me when I brought Gina here, Sativa, I’ve created a new life. Damn Basilio!” she spat out.
“Easy, Connie, I’m sure he had nothing to do with this. Do either of you have a watch? We need to know the time,” Sativa asked.
“My watch says 7:30 PM,” Gina replied, “Why is this important?”
“That could have been a patrol boat or the Harbor Master. Hopefully, he runs by here on a schedule.”
“Great, but how will we signal him so he knows we are here?” Gina asked.
“Good question, we don’t even have our phones with us,” Connie added, “a lot of good they would do us here,” she added sadly.
“No, but the light would have made a great signal,” Sativa said, You girls stay here, I’m taking a walk to see what this place is like, be back in a while. Meanwhile, keep track of the Harbor Master’s boat to see what time he returns.”
Sativa left the ladies on the beach and trudged her way inland to see if there were any signs of life. She walked along the shore to the end of the beach. The sky was overlaid with stars and the moon cast a quarter glow over the sand and rocks along the waters’ edge. Ahead she saw a dim outline of a tower, then a light which disappeared. She stood still and waited. Yes, the light returned illuminating her surroundings. A LIGHTHOUSE, there was a lighthouse here on the island. A lighthouse meant a light housekeeper. There had to be someone to take care of it.
She turned and started to walk back to where the girls were when a voice yelled,
“Stay right where you are, girlie,” and a light flashed at her.
Sativa staggered with relief.
“Thank God,” she said as the light moved closer shining in her eyes blinding her so she was unable to see anything.
“Who are you and what are you doing here? This is private property!” the voice shouted at her.
“I am so glad to see you,” Sativa shouted and almost collapsed with relief, “if you shine that light away for a minute, I’ll explain everything, sir.” She proceeded in fumbled fashion to tell the voice the whole story from the wake to the funeral to being dumped here on the beach. She even threw in her thoughts about the mob connection. “So, you see, sir, we are not really trespassers, we are really wash-ashores, and not by choice.” She smiled or tried to at her little joke. She had no idea who her rescuer was, but she was darn glad he was here.
“Where is this place, sir? I have no idea and neither does Connie nor Gina,” Sativa asked.
“There are more of you? Where?” the voice asked, not quite as loud.
“Come on, I’ll show you.” Sativa motioned for the light to follow her as she turned and started to retrace her steps. She led the voice back to the beach where the girls were waiting and was grateful for the flashlight this time showing the way. Connie and Gina were huddled together trying to stay warm as the sea breeze had cooled considerably now that the sun was going down.
“Ladies, my name is Randy, and I guard the property for young Mr. Forbes. This is Naushon Island and you must have come in through Tarpaulin Cove. Visitors are welcome during the season for picnics only. Other than that, they become trespassers if they leave the beach and wander inland. You understand?”
The girls nodded and Gina asked, “Sir, I have a new-born baby at home. Friends are taking care of him. We planned to be away for only a few hours, they will be so worried.”
“We can get a message to your family, little one, don’t worry. First, I want to go to the lighthouse and send a message to the Harbor Master to pick you up on his next trip. That’s the only way you will get off here. Unfortunately, my boat is in Falmouth for repairs for a few days, otherwise I could have taken you back.”
“The Harbor Master went by at 7:30PM, we clocked him,” Connie said helpfully.
“Good, his next round will be in about half an hour at 8:30PM.” Randy said and bowed to the girls. “I’ll send him a radio signal.” He walked away to flag the Harbor Master. “Don’t go away,” he teased over his shoulder as he trotted back to the lighthouse.
The girls, relieved that help was on the way, sat down on the dry sand to wait.
“Are there any more sandwiches?” Gina asked, “I’m still hungry.”
Connie and Sativa chuckled and looked into the cooler feeling around. “We are in luck, there are six more sandwiches, whoever packed this cooler must have planned for a long stay. There are a few more bottles of water, too.”
The girls settled down with the cooler between them and made a feast of the rest of the sandwiches and water.
“I wonder if Matt has heard from the mob, yet?” Sativa offered between bites, “if they want money, they will be disappointed. We don’t have any.”
“Knowing Basilio, he probably has some loot stashed away somewhere. I’ll bet that’s what they want,” Connie said disgustedly, “he was into the rackets all the time. I couldn’t handle it and the people he dealt with were so ---- rough, I was always afraid for our lives.”
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