by C. J. Carson
“That is exactly what I wanted; I was goading him. If we want him to try to meet again, we need to challenge him. I believe his ego is really too large to walk away.”
Payne reached out for my cell. “Carl, let me have a look at that. We don’t want to take any unnecessary risks, but we may have to take a calculated gamble going forward. It is becoming increasingly clear that this guy is all in. Contacting Allie this soon after last night’s incident tells me he is growing increasingly confident in his own abilities.”
From the look on his face, I could tell Payne was growing concerned. “Allie, I think he is going to raise the stakes.”
“What do you mean ‘raise the stakes’? It seems clear he wants me out of the way and desperately wants to put his hands on the ancestral box. His abilities could make him a real threat if he can do that.”
“Yes, but didn’t you say his original plan was to keep you alive until you could teach him more about what was in the box? My guess is that he knows about the box, but not how to unleash the power that comes with it. I believe he needs to keep you alive for some reason.”
Paco stood. “He’s right. The person who holds the box will only inherently know how to use the contents when it is meant to be in their hands. It will be of little use to anyone else. It would require Allie to voluntarily gift it to him. That is how it will be of most use. Allie, can I make a suggestion?”
“Of course!”
“I suggest that while we are all together this afternoon, we change the settings on your phone to accept calls and texts again. He is probably growing increasingly agitated because he is unable to reach you. I believe he may reach out to you this afternoon while we are together and that will allow us to help you devise a plan to lure him in for another meeting.”
Handing me the phone, Payne added, “In addition, if he does call you, we can try to track the call. We might even be able to check the cell towers, triangulate the calls and find his location.
Taking the phone, I changed the settings, making the phone available again. It immediately blew up. There were twenty missed calls from an unknown number, but no messages or texts.
Returning to my seat, the phone buzzed, alerting me of a new text message. So, you think you can get rid of me that easily? Uh-uh-uh, it doesn’t work that way!
The conference phone in the middle of the table rang. Payne answered it. “Hello?”
“Hello, Detective Payne!”
“Who is this?”
“I thought you had that all figured out by now!”
“Makya?”
“But of course! If you think you can save that little bitch from her fate, you are dead wrong!”
I broke in. “So, if it isn’t the coward.”
“Oh good, you’re there, too. How lucky to catch you both! Coward? I’ll show you coward! Just wait until I get my hands on your little lover boy! What’s his name, Josh? Perhaps you would prefer me to leave him alone and reach out for your buddy, Claudia? Maybe your pretend grandfather, George? What do you say? You choose and I’ll oblige.”
“Leave them out of it! This is between you and me!”
“It certainly is, but you need to be punished for betraying me last night. You were supposed to come alone, but you decided to bring your little friend with you. That is not the way this is going to work, my dear. Take your pick. Who shall I punish for your bad behavior?”
Josh stood up in a huff. “Why you arrogant—”
“Arrogant what? So, I think that must be Josh, correct? Well, Josh, I guess you just volunteered for her. I’ll be in touch!”
The phone went dead.
I turned to Payne. “How did he get through to that phone?”
“He must have called in and asked for me. I forwarded my office phone to this room. This guy is way too close for comfort. We are going to put Josh, Claudia, and George under round-the-clock surveillance. This is not going to happen on my watch.”
I turned to Josh. “How would you and Jake like to spend a few days at the Summit with Claudia and me?”
Joshed nodded. “I was thinking the same thing. What do you think, Payne?”
“I think that’s a great idea. There is certainly safety in numbers, and it would make your surveillance easier as well.”
The rest of the afternoon was spent going over possible scenarios to lure Makya in. The decision was made to go on the offensive right away. Payne suggested I spend the next twenty-four hours taunting and baiting him. The plan was to push him for a meeting by Sunday evening at the latest. Although we believed his next target would be Josh, we felt confident if we pushed him hard enough and kept him preoccupied, we could get to him before he could get to Josh.
At six-thirty, Payne raised his arms and stretched, twisting his torso left and right. “I think this is as good a place as any to call it a day. Carl and I can continue working with Allie to push this guy and we will call everyone back as we need you. Try to enjoy your day tomorrow and we’ll be in touch.”
Antonio gave the four of us a ride back to the Summit. When we arrived, Charles was sitting at the front desk with Sandy, the night receptionist, and Officer Caswell. Charles came out from behind the desk.
“Welcome back! Are you all in for the evening?”
“We are; Josh and Jake are going to spend the night here with Claudia and me.”
“So, I’ve heard. Payne called to give me orders for the evening. Jake, he wants me to escort you upstairs and clear the apartment before you enter. Then I am to be stationed outside your door for the night.”
“Do you think that’s a good idea? Who will be at the entrance with Sandy?”
“Officer Caswell is here for the night to man the desk. Come with me, let’s go upstairs and get you all settled in for the night.”
Chapter 39
THE NEXT MORNING, I WOKE UP ENGULFED in Josh’s embrace. He was sleeping so soundly; I didn’t want to disturb him, so I gently unfolded his arms and slipped out of his embrace.
Moving to the kitchen, I discovered I was the only one up. I got breakfast started, whipping up blueberry muffins to throw in the oven, cut up fresh fruit, and put on a pot of coffee. As the coffee was brewing, sounds came from Claudia’s room. Coffee would do it every time.
When she made her way to the kitchen with Jake, I had set up the island for breakfast and the muffins were ready to come out of the oven.
Coming around the corner, she smiled. “Wow, Allie, you must have been up early.”
“I’ve been up about forty-five minutes. I thought I would return the favor and make you a meal for a change.”
“That’s great. I’m starving!”
Josh walked into the kitchen. “Good morning, guys. I just checked in with Charles, and I think he might like a coffee and one of those muffins. What do you say, Allie?”
“Absolutely.”
“He said he likes his coffee with cream and one sugar. I’ll take it to him. Allie, I didn’t even hear you get up this morning. I must have been out cold.”
“Yes, you definitely were. I didn’t want to disturb you.” I took the muffins out of the oven. “Anyone want anything else for breakfast? Perhaps some eggs and sausage?”
Claudia poured her coffee. “Not for me, thanks. The muffins and fruit are just fine. It was the smell of those muffins that drew me out of bed.”
We all gathered at the island. “So, what’s on everyone’s agenda today?”
Josh reached out, putting his hand on my shoulder. “I have no plans until my one o’clock class at the dojo this afternoon. I was hoping maybe I could convince you all to join that class today since Payne would like us to stay together.”
Claudia nodded. “Maybe we could just hang out here this morning and then head over there about noon.”
“I’m in, how about you, Jake?”
“That sounds like a great idea, Allie. I don’t know about the rest of you, but I could use an escape from this crazy merry-go-round we have been on for the past couple of months.”<
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I stood to pour another cup of coffee. “You know, with all this craziness going on, I haven’t even been able to think about the holidays coming up. I mean, we went to the fall festival before Thanksgiving, but after that, the holiday came and went and we didn’t do anything. Christmas and New Year’s is just two weeks away and I haven’t even given it a thought. That’s terrible!”
Claudia began loading the dishwasher. “You know what, Allie? You’re right. Why don’t we spend the morning planning our Christmas dinner and make calls to invite some people over?”
“That’s a great idea! I know I would like to invite George and my mom.”
Claudia smiled. “Hey, what do you say we invite Guile? He and your mom seemed to hit it off. Of course, so she doesn’t think we’re up to something, let’s ask Henry and Sandy as well?”
“But you are up to something!”
“That’s right, but who cares? Maybe we should ask Dakota and his father, Paco, too?”
Josh tapped his hand on the island. “Hey, hey, over here. What about us? Jake, I think they forgot about us!”
I moved over to Josh and ran my hands through his graying locks. “Well, Claudia, what do you think? Should we add these two, fine specimens to our dinner list?”
“I don’t know, let’s take a vote, shall we? All in favor?”
All four of us raised our hands.
Josh leaned over and whispered in my ear. “I think the I’s have it!”
By noon, we were at the dojo with our day protection and surveillance on our tail. Trisha was there and had already opened up for the afternoon.
As we entered the lobby, Josh greeted her. “Good afternoon, Trisha. It’s great to see you. Thank you for getting here early and opening for me.”
“You’re welcome, but in full disclosure, I had some paperwork to catch up on, so I came in early.”
As Claudia, Jake, and I headed to the locker room to change, a wave of déjà vu came over me. It only lasted for a couple of seconds, but it was really intense.
***
Josh was in his office, preparing for the class when there was a knock at his door. He opened it to find Trisha there.
“I’m sorry to disturb you, Josh, but I meant to tell you that right after I got here this morning, a gentleman named Carl called. He and Detective Payne are going to come by the dojo this afternoon to see you.”
“Did he leave a message?”
“Yes, he said he had to speak with you about Jennie Slater.”
“Did they find her?”
“I don’t know, that’s all he said. Hasn’t she been missing for a couple of months?”
“Yes, at least that long. Please let me know as soon as they arrive.”
Josh began class sharply at one. “Okay, everyone, let’s start with a quiet meditation.”
During class, Josh seemed distracted and as we were going through our floor exercises, Trisha entered the dojo. “Excuse me, Josh, could I see you for a minute?”
He turned to all of us and excused himself. “Please keep working, I’ll be back shortly.”
As Josh moved toward the lobby, unbeknownst to him, I was on his heels.
“Good morning, guys. I hope you have some good news. Trisha told me you were coming by about Jennie Slater.”
As I stepped out of the dojo, Payne nodded and looked over Josh’s shoulder at me. “Yes, her parents received a ransom letter early this morning and we wanted to talk to Allie. Perhaps she will be able to help us.”
“Help you with what? What’s going on?”
“I was just telling Josh that Jennie’s parents received communication from the kidnappers. It stated that they would be sending a ransom note within twenty-four hours, and we thought we would see if you could help in some way. Recently, we also learned that her parents were coming into a large inheritance, but that wasn’t public knowledge. Apparently, someone privy to that information abducted Jennie. As this has unfolded, we have come to believe that it was definitely an inside job. Maybe even someone Jennie knew and trusted. Are you ready to go to work, Allie?”
“Of course, I will do anything I can, but Payne, you know it doesn’t always work that way for me. Let me change and you can take me back to the Summit. I’ll call Dakota and let him know we are coming. We’ll have to go to his penthouse because right now, he has the ancestral box in his safe room.”
“Josh, could you join us as soon as class is out?”
“Sure, I’ll let Claudia and Jake know what is going on and we should probably be back to the Summit in a little more than an hour from now.”
Chapter 40
WHEN WE ARRIVED BACK AT THE SUMMIT, we went to the penthouse. Dakota had already retrieved the box from the safe room and was waiting for us to arrive.
“Good afternoon. Dare I ask what is going on? Has there been a break in the case?”
“No, well not a break in my case, but possibly another one.”
“I’m confused. Is it related to what is going on with you at all?”
“No, Dakota, it’s related to a young girl that takes classes with Josh at the dojo. Look, I’ll fill you in later, but right now I need to take this box downstairs to my apartment and be where there are no distractions so I can see what I can figure out, which may be nothing, but I have to give it a try.”
Payne and Carl followed me to my apartment and as we entered the foyer, I hesitated. “Do you think I could have a few minutes alone in my room? You can both wait here in the living room.”
“Sure thing, just let us clear the apartment first.”
While I waited, I took off my coat and threw it over the back of the couch. Within a few minutes, I was able to retreat to my room.
Sitting on the bed, I placed the box on the nightstand. The urge to sit in silence hit me. Something compelled me to be still, mentally. I sat in the tranquility of the moment, taking slow, steady breaths. In my mind’s eye, I saw an old, black trunk with weathered, brown leather straps holding it shut. A wave of calmness rushed over me as a voice in my head said, You must listen to your heart, but the answer will come when the time is right. It cannot be rushed.
A knock on my door broke the moment of stillness. “Allie, it’s Claudia. Can I come in?”
“Yes, Claudia, come in.”
“I’m sorry, Allie, but you have been in here for hours and we were beginning to get worried.”
“Hours? What are you talking about?”
“Allie, it’s eleven o’clock! Payne left hours ago and said to call him if you came up with something. He has called several times to check-in.”
“No, that can’t be. I just sat down. You have to be kidding!”
Josh stood in the doorway. “Can I come in?”
“Josh, Claudia said it’s eleven o’clock.”
“That’s right, you’ve been in here nearly four hours.”
Jake entered the room. “Everything all right in here?”
“I think so. Allie, maybe you fell asleep.”
“No way, Claudia! I sat here on the bed and just quieted my mind for a few minutes and the next thing I know you’re knocking on the door. This is just crazy!”
Taking my hand, Josh pulled me to my feet. “Look, Allie, come out into the kitchen. We have made something to eat. I’m sure we can figure this all out.”
“I’m not sure we can. How can it have been just a few minutes for me and hours for all of you? I’m not sure if I even want to try to sort it out tonight, but something to eat does sound like a great idea.”
We moved into the kitchen where Claudia had put out a smorgasbord of healthy finger foods.
Laughing, I turned to Josh. “I didn’t realize how hungry I was until I laid eyes on this food.”
“Well, let’s dig in then. We wouldn’t want all of this to go to waste.”
Sitting down to eat, Jake posed a question. “You still have your phone on unavailable, right?”
“Yes, Payne said not to change it until he called.”
&nbs
p; “Well, he called about eight o’clock and said to change your phone to available about eleven-thirty, but only for an hour. It’s to see how Mak is reacting to your having this much control over his communication with you. Payne said he has called his office phone each hour after the meeting, but he hasn’t left any messages.”
At eleven-thirty, I changed my phone’s settings to “available.” There were no more calls from Mak and at twelve-thirty, Jake’s phone rang. It was Payne. He answered the phone on speaker.
“How are things going there? We are monitoring Allie’s phone and we can see there has been no attempt by Mak to reach her.”
“No, none at all. Do you still want us to make her phone unavailable now?”
“No, I want you to turn it off completely. It will have the same effect on him, but it will not give him an unavailable message. He will know she has turned it off and that might get a rise out of him. Turn it back on first thing in the morning. My guess is he is not contacting her because he is trying to regain control over the situation. He wants the element of surprise back.”
After we ate, we decided to just sit and relax. Claudia turned on some quiet music and we talked about our plans for our Christmas dinner. After our food had some time to digest, we headed off to bed. My head hit the pillow and I was out. I think the events of the past few days had exhausted me.
Sunday was rather uneventful. There were no phone calls from Mak, the phone was silent. We all lay around in our sweats, grazing, watching movies, and relaxing. Around five o’clock, Sandy called up from the front desk.
“Hello, is this Allie?”
“Hi, Sandy, yes, it is.”
“There is a gentleman here at the desk who says his name is George. It appears he may have some food for you.”
“Of course, he does. Please send him up.”
Greeting him at the door, I reached up and gave him a big hug. “George, this was so sweet of you.”
“I want to make sure you are staying nourished. I know you, and when you get into something, you don’t always take time to eat right.”