by Geonn Cannon
She hung up and folded her hands in front of herself.
Madeline exhaled sharply and shook her head, tears rolling down her cheeks. "I can't stand the way you speak to him. Can you please just be a little nicer?"
"No. I can't. I don't want him thinking you'll just roll over and do what he wants. He's got to work for this. Now..." She looked at Erica. "You're positive that was Brandon?"
"It was him."
Madeline said, "I-I'm not sure. He sounded strange."
"That's because he's panicking," Ari said. "Last time it sounded like he was reading from a script, but this time he was close to tears. Whatever his part in this is, he's not doing it willingly. Madeline, his neighborhood and his house... they're definitely a step down from where you live. You said you're coworkers..."
"Yeah. Brandon... he has a gambling problem. It's one of the reasons we broke up. He's not a bad man, he just gets in over his head and it costs him." She shrugged. "I tried to get him into a program, but when that failed I told him we had to end it. I didn't want him throwing away Jenna's future on a bad hand of cards." She wiped at her cheek and Erica joined her on the couch.
The phone rang, startling them all. Ari picked it up and turned on the speaker again. "Hi, who's this?"
"Jenna Pearl Morris."
Madeline gasped and clutched Erica's hand. Ari held the phone out, and she clutched it like a lifeline. "Jenna? Sweetie?"
"Mommy!"
The word was filled with such joy that Ari nearly stepped out of the room. She felt like she was intruding just by overhearing it.
"Hi, sweetie. Are you okay?" Madeline had her free hand flat against the side of the phone as if she could feel Jenna through the device.
"I'm fine. The man doesn't have any ice cream, though."
"What man, honey?"
"Unca."
Ari mouthed a suggestion and Madeline repeated it. "Do you recognize him, sweetie?"
"No. He's always wearing a silly mask. I miss you, Mommy. When can you come pick me up and take me home?"
Madeline closed her eyes. "Soon, honey. Really soon, I swear. Is... is 'unca' treating you well? You tell me if you're scared or want to leave."
"No, it's okay. I just miss you." She lowered her voice. "He lets us watch so much TV. I'm sorry."
Ari straightened. Us?
Madeline laughed. "No, honey, no. For right now, you can watch all the TV you want. It's okay, you have my permission."
"Really?"
"Swear. Don't worry about missing school or anything. Just let mommy worry about all of that, okay."
Jenna was quiet. "Mommy, why are you crying?"
Ari stood up and turned her back, wishing she could reach through the phone and pull the girl through. Back to home, back to where she was safe and could have all the ice cream she wanted.
"I just miss you, sweetheart. I love you. You know that, right? You know that I love you so much."
"I love you too, mommy."
"I'll see you as soon as I can. Not a second later. And I'll talk to you as much as I can. Okay? Be a good girl, honey."
"I will. Bye, mommy."
"Bye, baby."
The phone went dead. Erica took it and Madeline covered her eyes with both hands. Her body shook as she sobbed. After a few minutes of silence, the phone rang again. Erica looked at it like it was a foreign object and then held it out to anyone who wanted to take it from her. Ari took a deep breath to steady herself, wiped her cheeks just in case any tears had slipped free, then turned back around. She took the phone.
"What's Jenna's favorite ice cream?"
Madeline whispered, "Cookies and cream."
Ari answered the phone. "Hi, Brandon."
"Please--"
"Tomorrow you're going to get one hundred thousand dollars for the girl. I'll leave the details of the exchange to you. I'm going to be making the exchange myself. When I'm sure Jenna is safe and unharmed, you'll get the money and I'll bring Jenna home to her mother. You'll have the exchange information to me by tomorrow morning at ten. We'll carry out the exchange and the girl will be home by noon. Understand?"
There was a long pause, and Ari pictured Brandon waiting for a thumbs-up or down from whoever was writing his scripts.
"Okay."
"And get her some cookies and cream ice cream, for God's sake."
She hung up the phone and dropped it into the chair. She rolled her shoulders and shook her arms, feeling like she'd just gone ten rounds. She hugged herself, hands cupped over her elbows as she thought back over the conversation. One thing kept jumping out at her. "She said 'us.' They're letting 'us' watch TV."
Madeline looked confused, then closed her eyes as understanding hit her. "Oh. That might not mean anything. She has an invisible friend that she talks about sometimes. I wouldn't be surprised if she's there now."
"Oh. Well, we're not paying ransom for the invisible friend, too."
Madeline almost smiled at that. "So tomorrow by noon? This will be over tomorrow?"
Ari nodded. "I'll do everything in my power to make that happen, Mrs. Morris. You have my word."
#
Milo's feet were nearly turned completely sideways as she skidded down the slope. Montlake Bridge, which had slowed their drive home the night before, loomed above them. She turned and offered Dale her hand to help her balance as she joined Milo on the walking trail. When Dale was back on solid ground, she exhaled and brushed off her hands, looking around at the area. Milo had prepared three bags full of clothes, shoes, and emergency funds. One had been tucked under a drainage pipe by the fence of a golf course, the second was hidden underneath the wooden pylons marking the edge of a playground, and now the last one was to be placed in a spot of Milo's choosing. She'd asked to choose the last one as a test, and she would let Dale decide if she needed more practice in choosing locations.
Dale looked up at the underside of the bridge, and then turned to look down the footpath. Out of the way, sure, but a little difficult to reach. All in all, she gave it a grade of seventy-five, still well above passing.
"Okay. This one may just be in case of a dire emergency..."
Milo laughed. "I don't know. My wolf is pretty wily when it needs to be. I can see myself getting down here." She had one of the duffel bags from her car slung over her shoulder, and it bumped against her hip as she looked for a good spot to conceal it. Dale followed her, taking the time to admire the water rolling by a few feet to her left.
She climbed up a little ways from the walking path and crouched down, digging with a trowel she'd brought from the car and sticking the bag down into it. The spot was obscured by bushes and shadow, in a spot where it would be unseen by even the most eagle-eyed boat crew.
Once it was in place Milo climbed down and wiped the dirt from her hands. "And that's all she wrote. Three stashes... not too bad, gotta say. Makes me feel more comfortable with going out for a run now that I know I won't end up jogging home naked."
"Yeah. Ari has a problem with that, too. Although I think her complaint is with the arrests for public nudity. She has no problem with private nudity."
Milo lifted her chin. "Ahh, good to know. So I should always knock before I barge into your office."
"That's probably a good rule to have, yes. Okay, so..." She looked back up the slope. "Back up we go." She began to climb, moving slowly and hunched over in case she had to push herself along with her hands. She had only managed half a dozen steps before her sneakers slipped on the loose dirt and she tumbled backward.
She yelped and twisted at the waist, wanting to see where she was falling so she didn't just plummet into Montlake Cut. Milo was right behind her and, seeing Dale was in distress, reached out and put both arms around her waist. They fell backward together, but Milo caught herself with her foot and remained upright. She twisted on the ball of her foot, turning Dale's downward momentum into a spin and keeping them both from falling.
Dale put her hands on Milo's shoulders, their hips pressed toge
ther. When Dale had her breath back, she flipped her head to get her hair out of her eyes and chuckled nervously.
"Heh. Slipped."
"I saw that." Milo's voice was soft. "You okay?"
Dale nodded. "Uh-huh. Yeah." She tensed slightly, hoping Milo would take the hint and let her go, but the strong arms remained around her waist. "Uh... I-I think this footpath ends up there. We should probably just... I mean, it's a little out of the way, but it's better than falling into the water right?"
"Yeah." Milo smiled and, for a moment, seemed as if she wasn't going to let Dale go. Just before Dale was forced to ask her, Milo stepped back and straightened her blouse. "Yeah. Nothing wrong with walking a little out of our way."
"Nope." She cleared her throat. "It's a good spot. I, uh, I have a couple of other places. I can mark them down on a map so you can fill them up later. If you want."
"That would be lovely. Thank ya, Dale."
"Sure. Uh, lead the way." Milo turned and started walking, and Dale let out the breath she'd been holding. She tucked her hair behind her ears and followed. By the time they got back to the car, she had decided she wasn't going to mention anything to Ari about the clinch they'd just had. There was nothing devious about what had happened, no hidden motives on either of their parts. Dale had slipped and Milo caught her, and she'd had a natural reaction to being held by a beautiful woman. It didn't mean anything. Still, it would probably lead to a lot of unnecessary consternation if she brought it up.
Milo glanced over at her after she pulled back into traffic, aiming the car south to take Dale back to the office.
"Hope Ariadne really didn't need you today. I feel like I've taken over your entire agency in the day we've known each other."
"Well, we're new to each other. We're still feeling each other out. That takes time. Once we're familiar with each other it'll calm down. We'll just hang out to watch baseball games or have dinner every now and then."
Milo smiled. "I look forward to that."
Dale relaxed against the seat, then leaned forward and turned on the radio. She scanned the channels until she found something she didn't object to - Hall & Oates, vastly underrated in her opinion - and didn't realize which song it was until Milo started singing the chorus.
"'Rich Girl', huh? Got this one memorized?"
"Yeah, well. I'd bet you have all the words to Springsteen's 'Red Headed Woman' memorized, huh?" She reached over and twirled one strand of Dale's hair around her finger.
Dale grinned and leaned away from her, letting the strands unravel around Milo's finger. "I plead the fifth," she said. "Sorry, you're British... that means I'm not saying a damn word."
Milo laughed and settled for singing the rest of the song in full voice as they drove back across the bridge.
Chapter Nine
Ari received a text message from the kidnappers on Madeline's phone before she left the Morris house. All it said was "Peppi's Playground 9:30a. ALONE. Stand on the world." When she showed it to Madeline, she pointed toward the front door. "It's at the end of the street, on the right. There's a, a... there's a painting on the pavement." She held her hand out palm-down and patted the air. "A map of the world is drawn on the pavement. I'll have the money for you in the morning."
Erica said, "I can go with you when you leave and show you where it is."
"I'd appreciate that." To Madeline, she said, "This will all be over very soon. Your daughter will be home, and you can start putting this whole thing behind you."
"Thank you." Madeline's voice was soft. "I'd have gone crazy if you weren't here."
Ari smiled. "Just doing my job. I'll be here by eight-thirty. Try to sleep, Mrs. Morris. You're going to want your energy when Jenna comes home."
Madeline smiled and nodded. Erica escorted Ari out of the house and pointed. "The playground is just up here on the right."
They started down the sidewalk, hands in their pockets. Ari looked back to make sure Madeline wasn't following.
"What do you really think of Brandon Kent?"
Erica glanced at her, started a denial, then exhaled sharply. "I couldn't badmouth him in from of Madeline, even under the circumstances. He is a nice guy, and this is completely out of character for him."
"But...?"
"But he never really got over their breakup. Part of the reason he stayed on good terms with her was because he still hoped he had another chance. He was sweet. He didn't obsess or force himself into her life. It's more like he was just biding his time until she realizes she made a mistake and takes him back. Now, though, I think he can consider his chances pretty much eradicated."
"She said they broke up because of his gambling. Was it bad enough to lead to this?"
"Gambling." Erica made a rude noise and rolled his eyes. "Normal people gamble. Brandon seems to jump through hoops to give his money to people. Brandon is an ATM for card players. Madeline never really knew the extent of it. He played cards at a club downtown, he played online poker. He wanted to get into that tournament they used to show on TV all the time but he was terrible. But no matter how bad it got, I can't imagine him deciding to use Jenna or victimize Madeline like this. It doesn't make sense."
"If his girlfriend didn't know, how did you?"
"We were friends from work. He didn't want Madeline to know, so when he needed a little cash to get him through to payday he'd come to me."
"Do you know the name of any clubs he might have frequented?"
"I don't. I might be able to find out for you."
"Try. I'm going to get Jenna back tomorrow, and I'm going to make sure she's safe before I make another move, but I won't stop until I get the people who took her."
Erica looked at her as they walked and then nodded. "Maddie made the right choice when she hired you."
They crossed the playground and walked around the corner of a quiet school building to a paved area with patterns for hopscotch and four-square painted on the ground. The opposite side of the playground was lined with basketball goals. In the center of the space were two maps, one showing the fifty American states and the other showing the countries of the world.
"Looks like that's where I'll be waiting tomorrow." She looked at the school. "Hopefully I won't get in too much trouble for loitering outside a school."
"You told Maddie that you weren't going to let Brandon get away with the money."
Ari nodded. "I assume he's going to try to use the kids as a smoke screen. I'll be too busy getting Jenna to watch the money and he'll slip out. But I'll have a secret weapon."
"He said no police."
"No police," Ari assured her. "And if everything goes well, he'll never even notice my backup is there. I just have to see if she's willing to play along."
They walked back to the house and Ari retrieved her car. She had just missed the post-work, pre-dinner rush when she parked in front of the office. The curtain in their office window was glowing gently with light from within, and Ari knocked on it as she passed. By the time she got inside, Dale was standing up behind her desk. The overhead lights were off, but the desk lamp cast enough light to see by.
"Evening, boss."
"Hey, gorgeous. Solve my case yet?"
Dale turned her computer monitor so Ari could see it. "The call from your kidnapper came from a defunct number. I did a little digging and it turns out the account was suspended by one of Madeline Morris' coworkers."
Ari almost didn't say anything. "Brandon Kent?"
"Yeah." Dale looked a little disappointed. "How'd you know?"
"Madeline identified him from the security camera footage. So it was still your work that made the break. You get a gold star." She pecked Dale's cheek.
Dale smiled. "Well, so long as you know I'm indispensable."
"Never doubted it for a second. Madeline and Brandon dated for a while but they broke up because he has a gambling problem. I checked out his house, but he wasn't there and didn't show up for work today."
"So he needs the money to pay off a
debt?"
Ari considered that, but shook her head. "I don't know. Maybe. I still think there's more going on here. The guy sounds scared to death on the phone, but I'm also fairly sure he's reading from a script whenever he calls."
"Well, Ari, he's a gambler who is extorting a former girlfriend by kidnapping her daughter. He's going to be nervous, and if he's nervous he's going to prepare for the phone call. He might have written out what he wanted to say on note cards so that he wouldn't slip up when it was actually happening."
"That's true. But when he called today I asked to talk to Jenna. He said she wasn't nearby. He had to get in touch with someone else to make the call."
"Accomplice?"
Ari chewed her lip. "Maybe. Possibly. And both Madeline and her friend Erica say this is out of character for him. Neither of them can imagine him coming up with this plan, so I have to think someone else did the brainstorming." She pushed her hands into her hair and sighed. "Anyway, I'm starving." She stuffed her hands into her pockets. "You wanna go out on a date with me?"
Dale smiled. "I think that would be lovely, thank you."
"Good."
Ari waited while Dale logged off her computer and got her coat. When Dale put on her scarf, Ari took a moment to adjust her collar and smooth her hair down over it.
"Thanks."
"Sure." She brushed her hand down Dale's back and escorted her out. "Indian or Thai?"
Dale considered. "I could go for some curry."
Ari linked her arm around Dale's and guided her down the street. "So how was your afternoon with Milo?"
"It was fine. We found a couple of good stash places up by the University. She said if you ever get up that way you're more than welcome to make use of them. Must be kind of nice having a canidae friend."
"Yeah. I think I could get used to it. In fact, I might have a way to make good use of her. The payoff is happening tomorrow at nine-thirty at the playground. He said no cops and to come alone, but even if Brandon does have accomplices they aren't going to be looking for a wolf. If Milo is there she doubles our chances of getting Brandon and making sure Jenna gets home safely."