by Savannah Mae
“Breaking news. We’re sorry to interrupt the Shop till You Drop Show, but we have breaking news to report,” Tawny Greene, a local news reporter on television, said. “The Jinx Cove sheriff’s office has issued an alert, following what appears to be a double kidnapping of two young women. The suspects, described as two adult males, are still at large. Both men were last seen near County Road 122 and Wildwood Drive, just south of town. They are considered armed and dangerous. If anyone has any information about them or their whereabouts, you are asked to contact the sheriff’s department.”
“Whoa! What?” Melanie walked back in the house. “Is that here?” She gasped when she saw Anthony on the screen.
Tawny went on to say, “We have a reporter on the scene. He’s just spoken with an eyewitness.” She threw to the reporter in the field.
The on-scene reporter held the microphone to Anthony’s mouth. “Can you tell us what happened?”
He blinked twice, his long, dark eyelashes tickling the space under his eyes. “I can’t tell you much. The situation is fluid. I don’t want to step on anyone’s toes.”
The reporter tried again, “The sheriff’s office has put out an alert. You’re a police officer, aren’t you?”
“Yes.” He nodded. “You know that already. Why ask? We grew up together.”
“Did you witness the crime? Can you tell us anything about the assailants?”
He blinked twice again. This time, slower than he had before. “I didn’t see either of their faces. What I witnessed was a vehicle driving erratically. I pursued it. I don’t think I’m at liberty to say much more.”
Someone in the background interrupted them.
The reporter asked, “Are there any other details you can share with us?”
Anthony looked at someone in the background. “I’m sorry. You’ll have to follow up with the sheriff’s department.” He walked out of view of the camera.
“Where did he go?” Melanie asked.
“Away. Thank goodness. The guy is a royal jerk. He can stand there with his deep voice and stern stare, but I know better. He hasn’t matured at all. He’s still the same guy who broke your heart,” Ben said.
The reporter had the cameraman show the scene, then, it quickly jumped to another location, in front of Abracajava. Calliope, Calypso, and Lyra Jinx stood in front of the entrance door, surrounded by friends and neighbors. The camera stopped on Calypso’s face.
“Look at that. It’s Calypso,” Melanie sat in front of the television.
Ben chuckled. “Someone doesn’t look happy. I wonder why. Oh, yeah, I know. The liar is back in town. That’s enough to make anyone mad.”
A reporter turned his attention to Calypso. “I understand you’re the owner of the car the victims were found in. Do you know how the kidnappers acquired your vehicle?”
“No way,” Melanie said. She moved closer to the screen. “How in the world did that happen? I wonder who got kidnapped.”
The reporter spoke with Eddie, “Do you have a description of the suspects?”
He nodded, “Yes. As a matter of fact, we do. One of the men is described as a tall male with dark hair and brown eyes between the ages of 18 and 35. Athletic build. He was last seen wearing dark jeans and a black sweatshirt with a logo on it and white high-top tennis shoes.”
Melanie gasped. She looked over her shoulder at Ben.
He’d made the connection too. “Did he say what I think he said?”
She shook her head. “No way. Right? It can’t be.”
Her mother said, “That’s so funny. If I didn’t’ know any better, I’d say--”
“Did he describe me? I didn’t kidnap anyone,” Ben said.
Melanie signaled for him to be quiet. “It will be fine. I’m sure plenty of guys dress like you. You have nothing to worry about.”
The reporter faced the camera, “Police have set up a perimeter. They’ve blocked all exits out of town. They’ve assured us the suspects will be caught.”
Eddie chimed in, “They won’t get too far. We’ll find them. If you see anyone matching the descriptions, call the police. Do not engage.”
Ben’s head fell to his knees. “This can’t be real. What do I do? Should I call them and tell them I had nothing to do with it?”
Melanie gulped. “I have an idea. I’ll call Anthony.”
“My life is over. There went my career, my goals, my dream of becoming the next big celebrity attorney. I’m done.”
“Celebrity attorney?” She’d never heard that one before. “When did you become an attorney?”
He narrowed his eyes at her. “I said it was a dream. I’m not one yet, but I will be after I win the reality show competition.”
“The what?” she asked.
A smile spread across his face. “That’s why I need to go to L.A.”
“To audition for a reality show?”
“You got it. If I win the competition, I’ll have enough money to pay for law school,” he explained.
Chapter 4: The Montoya Sisters
I stared at Juliana in disbelief as she batted her long eyelashes at one of the officers who’d answered the call.
“What?” she asked as she tossed her long, red tendrils over her shoulder.
I gave her a pointed look, complete with a well-crafted sneer. “You don’t know? You’re so desperate for attention, you forgot we were kidnapped?”
She shook her head. “No. I remember.”
“Yet you still thought it wise to flirt with a cop,” I said.
She huffed, “No. This is what you call a conversation with a colleague.” She proceeded to squeeze his bicep.
I swatted her hand away from him. “He’s not your colleague. How many times do I have to tell you? You’re not a cop. You’re an internet private investigator. There’s a big difference.” I offered the officer an apology, “You’ll have to excuse her. She’s not been herself since the lobotomy.”
She protested, “That’s not true.”
“What’s not true? The lobotomy or the part about you not being a cop?” I stifled a giggle.
“The part about my credentials. I earned my license in person. I even went to firearms training. I’m legit.” She flashed a smile at the officer.
“You’re legitimately out of your mind. Did you not hear him tell you our car – the one you insisted we rent under my name because you may have forgotten to pay a couple of parking tickets – is nowhere to be found? We have no transportation. We’re stuck.” I leaned against the patrol car and closed my eyes. “I can’t believe this.”
She took a position next to me. “I don’t think it’s that bad. We have proof it was stolen, so there’s that. What can the rental company do to us? It’s not like we did this on purpose. We rent another one and continue on your grand vacation, or better yet, we go home.” She giggled. “I think we’ve had enough sister time to last a lifetime.”
I wanted to choke her. She didn’t get it. “This is serious. The car was stolen. I signed a contract with the rental company. Don’t you think they’ll want me to cover the damages? And need I remind you? We were kidnapped, so, yes, things are that bad.”
She and the officer exchanged glances.
“What? You don’t agree?” Neither of the two people in front of me gave a hoot about our problems. Both were more interested in growing their social circles.
“Hello,” a detective sauntered over with a notebook in his hand. “I’m Detective Randall. I understand you’ve been through quite the ordeal.”
Finally, someone who understood our dilemma.
“Yes, we have. We’re in a real bind,” I said. “The stolen car didn’t belong to us. It was a rental.”
He nodded. “I heard. Did you notify the car rental company yet?”
“No, but that’s not what my biggest problem is,” I said.
He nodded. “Okay. We can discuss your problems as soon as you tell me what happened.” He opened his notepad and wrote some notes.
Julian
a snorted. “I hope you have all day. She’s full of problems. Ask my mother. She keeps a list.” Her eyes lit up. “Oh, speaking of our mother, we should fill you in on a little secret.”
His eyebrows quirked up. “A secret? Hmm. I’m intrigued.” He motioned for the officer to take note. “What secret might that be?”
I’d heard her use this line dozens of times over the years. She used our mother’s fame to get herself out of jams quite often when we were young. I doubted it would make any difference in this situation.
She leaned forward and whispered, “Our mother is kind of a big deal.”
Detective Randall nodded. “She is?”
She beamed from ear to ear in response to his feigned interest.
“What does that have to do with any of this? Who cares?” I groaned.
She narrowed her eyes at me. “It could be important. We were kidnapped. You don’t think it’s possible we were targeted because of who she is?”
“Where do you get this stuff? No, I don’t blame our mother for what happened fifteen years after she left Hollywood,” I said.
Detective Randall’s eyes widened. “Explain to me what you mean. Why do you think you were targeted? Did the people who did this tell you that?”
I wanted to grab her and shake her. “No. Absolutely not. Don’t listen to her. She can’t control herself sometimes. Our mother is a normal mom now. She used to be an actress.”
“She’s still an actress,” Juliana corrected me.
Detective Randall’s eyebrows quirked up. “Impressive. Would I have seen anything she was in?”
I shook my head, but Juliana wasn’t yet done with her desperate attempt to deflect blame for some unknown reason. “She’s an Oscar-winning actress. You know how fans can get? They become obsessed and do anything to get close to their favorite actor or actress. I think that’s what this was. If Anthony hadn’t come along, who knows what would have happened to us.”
“Anthony?” Detective Randall eyed the man who’d rescued us.
He nodded at the detective. “Good to see you again.”
The detective waved him over. “You’re back?”
“You know each other?” I asked.
They locked eyes for a second, then looked away.
Anthony said, “We’ve met.”
I had more questions, but Detective Randall answered them before they were asked.
“Anthony is from Jinx Cove. He grew up here. His father used to be the mayor, so everyone knows the family. I guess we met soon after I arrived in town, didn’t we?” he asked him.
Anthony nodded. “That sounds about right.” He glanced at me. “Um, anyway, I found them and got them out of the car.”
“Did you see who did this?” Detective Randall asked.
“Yes, but they had black masks on. Like I told the officer, the guys took off through the fields.” He pointed in the direction they ran. “I figure, at that pace, they couldn’t have gone too far. I’m sure you have officers on the lookout.”
Detective Randall jotted down more notes. “You traveled together?”
Anthony snorted, “No, that’s my car right there.” He explained how he came upon us and rescued us as Juliana and I waited for more questions. When he was done, he gestured toward us and said, “I don’t know them. They said they had nothing to do with Calypso’s car being stolen, but I’ll leave that up to you to find out for sure.”
Juliana pouted. “Rude. Why would we steal a car and kidnap ourselves?”
He said, “I didn’t say you did.” He and the detective locked eyes again, then, he said, “If this pans out to be a real kidnapping, you’ll have a mess to sort through.”
Detective Randall shook his head. “I know.” He glanced at the car. “Are you sure that’s Calypso’s car?”
Anthony chuckled as he patted him on the back. “Sure is. Good luck.” He turned to the officer. “I’d refrain from anything outside the scope of the investigation if I were you.” He nodded in Juliana’s direction. “Your wife would kill you.”
Detective Randall rolled his eyes. “Can we get back to my questions? Tell me more about your theory. What makes you think you were targeted?”
I didn’t want to encourage Juliana’s fantasies, but I had to ask, “Why? Do you think there’s a possibility there could be a connection?”
He shook his head. “I’m not ready to say anything on that front. I need a clearer picture of what happened. How did you end up in the trunk of this car?”
“We stopped and got out,” Juliana said.
He nodded. “You stopped where?”
“I can explain,” Juliana started. “She promised our mother we’d document the whole trip. She likes photos for her blog. It’s her thing.”
He wrote that down.
“Here’s the thing. Our mom used to be a famous actress. It’s a long story, but let’s just say things between her and our father didn’t work out. She wanted to get away from Hollywood, but she didn’t want people to forget her, so she keeps one foot in that arena by keeping a blog and more social media accounts than a high school class. Most of the pictures she posts are of her, but every now and then, she’ll post pictures of us. That’s why we stopped to take a photo,” she explained.
“Okay. Walk me through this again. You stopped the car, took a few photos, then, the kidnappers approached you?” he asked.
“No. We pulled over, got into an argument with a guy who thought we cut him off, then, took some pictures, and got kidnapped,” I explained.
He leaned forward. “Was one of the kidnappers the guy who thought you cut him off?”
“You never mentioned anything about another guy,” Anthony said. “Where did he come from?”
“I thought I had,” I said. “I’m sorry. I guess I forgot.”
“Go on,” Detective Randall said.
“What did that man look like? Did you get a name?” Anthony asked.
Juliana shrugged. “He looked like every guy I’ve ever met. Desperate for love and going about it all the wrong way.”
“Description,” Detective Randall said.
“Dark hair, brown eyes, smooth skin, about thirty or so,” Juliana said.
It occurred to me then that we hadn’t contacted our mother to tell her. “What about Mom?” I asked. “We should call her before she hears about it from someone else.”
Juliana snorted, “Yeah, I’m not it. I’ll leave that to you.”
The detective cocked an eyebrow. “You can do that later. If we want to find these guys, we need information now.”
Juliana must not have understood because she asked, “How about the rental car company? Have you talked to them yet?”
I glared at her. “No. Did you hear what he said? We can worry about that later.” I offered my apologies and filled him in on the rest of the story, stopping at our rescue.
“Okay. Good.” He motioned for another officer to come over and whispered something to him. When he was done, he let out a long sigh. “Here’s what happens now. We go down to the sheriff’s office and get your formal statements. How does that sound?”
I nodded. “We’ll do whatever we have to do to get that car back and get out of here.”
Juliana was already on the phone with the car rental company.
I snatched the phone out of her hand and walked away to speak to them in private. I could feel the officers’ eyes on me as I moved. They didn’t trust us.
“What’d they say?” she asked when I returned a few minutes later.
“They weren’t thrilled. After we make our statements, we need to figure out how to get out of here. I don’t suppose there’s an airport anywhere nearby, is there?” I asked.
“No. You have to drive over the state line to find an airport,” Anthony said.
That’s the last thing I needed to hear. “What about a bus company? Do you have buses?” I didn’t care how we got out of there. If I could get back to my normal life, the mode of transportation didn’t matter.
“Nope,” he said. “Your best bet is to call home and see if someone can pick you up.”
Juliana perked up. “We can call Detective Hottie back home. I’m sure he’d love to go for a drive. Besides, I think he likes me.”
“Can your mother come get you?” Detective Randall asked.
“Trust us. You don’t want that to happen. If you think we’re a handful, you’d never be able to handle our mother.”
A large vehicle made its way down the road toward us.
“Uh-oh,” Detective Randall groaned. “I’ll take that as a sign to get out of here.” He offered a reluctant wave as the car stopped and a small woman with angry eyes stepped out and walked toward us.
“Who is she?” I asked.
The police officer offered, “One of the local busybodies. She owns the hardware shop-slash-auto repair shop. Something tells me this story will be broadcast all over town in no time at all.”
Chapter 5: The Jinx Sisters
Lyra begged her to stay away, but like hundreds of other times in her long life, Calypso didn’t listen. She had to do things her way.
Calypso wanted to know how it is the young women ended up in her vehicle. She wanted to hear it from them, not the new detective. She didn’t trust him.
“I know how to play this,” she said as she donned a fake smile and waved at Isaac Randall, who promptly looked away when he noticed.
Calliope signaled for Lyra to let her handle it. “I think we should wait, don’t you? If he has any news, he’ll let us know.”
Calypso tapped on the window. “Knock. Knock. Guess who?”
The young women watched her with their eyes wide.
She turned to face her sisters. “Do you see what I see?”
Lyra rolled her eyes. “I see a pair of crime victims who don’t know what to make of the crazy old woman with the flour in her hair.”
Calypso crossed her arms in front of her. “This is serious. I think we have more problems than we thought. Do those redheaded beauties look like ordinary girls to you?”
Lyra squinted to see. “They’re gorgeous. What about them? They look scared, but that’s expected, given what they’ve been through.”