Lt. Ruby Vaden, newly put on the Zoe Kendall kidnapping case, revealed to Richard, Zoe's father, that they found the car – a black Chevy Blazer to be exact. Because the plates had been removed, there was no way to positively ID the owner. The only hope was to wait for the crime lab to process fingerprints supposedly belonging to the kidnappers.
It was close to midnight and Richard frantically paced the room, worrying and near tears. This was one time he wished his dear wife was still living. Althea would know what to do; she was always the rock of the family. No wonder Richard doted on Zoe so; his only child looked and acted so much like her mother.
"We still haven't heard from those people. Surely they'd send some type of ransom demand," Richard said as he accepted a cup of hot coffee from Fran. Poor Fran, his daughter's best friend all through middle school and college, had to deal with turbulent emotions of her own. She beat up on herself, thinking if she only had a gun or pepper spray, that she could've done something to prevent such a tragedy.
Oh my God!, she thought, what if they killed Zoe already? What if they never plan to release her once they get the ransom? All she could do now was to comfort Richard in his time of need.
"Don't blame yourself, Fran," Richard said at last. "Things happened way too fast for you to do anything. Besides, Zoe is a fighter; she may be finding ways to escape this very moment."
He turned to Lt. Vaden, asking, "Did they find anything that would indicate where they took Zoe?"
"Sir," Ruby replied in her usual matter-of-fact tone, "in most kidnapping cases the victim is taken somewhere non-descriptive: a warehouse, abandoned building, perhaps an apartment. Wherever Zoe is, the people who have her will make sure she won't escape."
Richard Kendall, his face skewed in an almost permanent frown, pondered all Lt. Vaden said. He wondered if his daughter may be held captive in one of the very buildings he planned to tear down. After all, he thought, it seems logical. If it's any of those folks who tried to disrupt the news conference, then they just may have Zoe in an old apartment building, perhaps the old theater. He voiced those concerns to Lt. Vaden.
The intrepid detective, her black hair cropped in a neat Afro, the deep brown eyes narrowing as if searching for plausible clues, answered, "Mr. Kendall, that might be just the break we're looking for. The vehicle was found not far from that area. It might be worth looking into."
She waited as her partner, Capt. Ted Solari, supervised a phone tracing setup. She looked at her watch; it was almost eleven-thirty. Surely the kidnappers would call in a ransom demand by now. Ruby didn't have to wait long as Richard greeted another concerned visitor.
This was Nathan Kellerman, a handsome thirty-two year history old professor at Northwestern University. Nathan, Zoe's fiancé, rushed in out of breath and spoke with some urgency. He pressed a note in Richard's hand.
"Mr. Kendall, I got here as fast as I could, but I found this in the elevator. I went ahead and read it. It's a–"
Richard scanned the note, wondering how the person who wrote this got pass the security guard downstairs. "It's a ransom note," he said as he passed the note to Lt. Vaden.
Ruby read the note then handed it to Ted Solari. Obviously this could be an even bigger break in the case. But why send a note when a phone call is the usual pattern with kidnappers?
"This," said Ted, "is obviously an amateur job. Pros use phone calls, even will let the victim talk to the family."
He and Ruby scribbled notes in their respective pads then made a few more phone calls to headquarters. "We'll have to do a handwriting analysis, then question the guard downstairs," Ruby said.
Nathan, his sepia-toned face skewed in anguish, the brown eyes blazing, couldn't quite comprehend all that was happening. What is the motive for kidnapping Zoe? Surely there is more to this than a misguided retaliation for Richard's development deal. At least that's what Richard's lawyer, Steven Dix, mentioned to Nathan while the latter was en route to the Kendall home. Steven was summoned to the condo immediately after Zoe was reported missing. Obviously his services would be needed in case a massive ransom had to be raised in record time.
Nathan walked to the bar, poured himself a stiff shot of vodka laced with ginger ale. He stared at a photo of Zoe, wondering if he would ever see her again. They were to be married in the fall; wedding plans were in full swing. Zoe was ecstatic about beginning life as a married woman; she even talked about starting a family right away. Everything was going as planned then fate stepped in.
Nathan began to entertain forbidden thoughts about the possible outcome, almost on par with Fran's. What if the kidnappers have no intention of letting her go? If Zoe is indeed still alive, what are conditions of her captivity? Nathan shuddered at the prospect of Zoe bound and gagged in a dingy warehouse or, worse yet, buried alive with minimal oxygen. She could be dead within hours if the cops don't act now.
"Nathan," said an approaching Richard. Mr. Kendall poured himself a shot of bourbon, saying, "I guess I need this more than coffee. No need being more jittery than I am."
"Richard," Nathan said between sips of his drink, "I found that note in the elevator. But I don't understand. How did they get past the guard downstairs? Anyone who comes through that door has to announce his or her business."
Solari and Vaden heard this; the latter replying, "Prof. Kellerman, my guess is that the person who deposited that note has been here before."
She turned to Solari, asking, "Did we get the security guard's statement yet? Perhaps a description of the person."
To this Solari replied, "I got my men on it now. I think you're right that whoever wrote and delivered that note wanted to be seen. But why? I don't get it. Why kidnap a woman then personally deliver the ransom note?"
At that moment the phone rang. Richard started to answer but was stopped by Solari.
"Wait a bit, Mr. Kendall," he said as he instructed his men to start the tracer.
"OK, pick it up. Remember, try to keep them talking as long as possible, even try to let them talk to your daughter. We just might be able to pinpoint their precise location."
With a nod, Ted Solari switched on the device then gave Richard the signal. Richard answered the phone and hesitatingly said, "Hello?"
"Mr. Kendall," said the female voice on the other end. "We have Zoe and will let her go only if you do the following."
Richard tried to keep from crying, saying, "OK...How is Zoe? Have you hurt her?"
"No, sir. Your daughter is fine. A little tied up but fine. Now..."
The woman laid out her demands immediately: Bring a duffel bag containing $100,000 in unmarked bills to Union Station, then place the bag in a locker. Give the kidnappers at least 24 hours to get out of the state. Once the money is secure and no cops are following, then Zoe will be released.
Richard listened while Solari made motions to keep the woman on the line.
"Yes," he said, "I know where that is. When?"
"By midnight tomorrow."
"Look, whoever you are, it's going to take some time to raise that kind of money."
"One hundred-thousand dollars by midnight tomorrow or Zoe is long gone. Got it?"
The usually calm, mild-tempered Richard Kendall fumed, demanding and shouting into the receiver, "God damn it! Let me at least talk with my daughter. Let me know she's all right. I supposed you duped the guard, got past him, then dropped that note in the elevator where you knew someone would find it!"
Ted Solari and Ruth Vaden looked at each other with anguished, angry eyes. Oh no, don't let us blow this, we almost have the call traced.
Solari whispered and motioned to Richard, "Keep her talking! Don't lose your cool or you'll tip her off."
Calming down, Richard said, "Sorry to lose it like that. OK, you want your money, you'll get it. How?"
The woman said, "Come to the old shop at midnight tomorrow. And we want you to come alone. No cops or FBI. If we see one cop, your daughter is as good as dead."
The woman hung up abruptly, leaving Richard in a quivering heap of emotion and rage. Slamming the receiver in its cradle, he asked everyone, "How am I going to raise that amount in less than 24 hours?"
He looked at Solari, asking, "Did you get the call traced? Where are they keeping Zoe?"
Solari shook his head, saying, "The call came from a cell phone. We have the number but it'll take some time to trace exactly where she was calling from."
Another figure entered this tense room: Steven Dix, Richard's friend and lawyer.
"Steve, am I glad to see you!," greeted Richard.
The short, stout, gray-haired barrister – just barely five-feet-six inches tall – swam across the room and embraced his friend.
"I got here as fast as I could. Now, what's the latest?"
Richard explained everything: how Zoe was grabbed then forced into a car; the mysterious, taunting ransom note left in the elevator; the phone call demanding a $100,000 ransom; the threats of death. Steven was flabbergasted. "Holy cow! We have to move fast if we're going to raise that kind of money," he said, thanking Fran for the martini she made for him.
Turning to the detectives, Steven asked, "Any word on the location of the call? Where they might be holding Zoe?"
Lt. Vaden shook her head, saying, "We're tracing the cell phone call now. We're also questioning the guard downstairs. Hopefully we'll get a description of our note writer. I'm thinking it could be the same person."
Steven Dix looked blank, his eyes registering no emotion. He blinked a bit, saying at last, "Then let us hope that Zoe is OK. I don't want to sound pessimistic, Richard, but something isn't right here. They didn't even let you talk to her, which gets me thinking they're playing us for suckers."
******
"Yeah, Donna," Andy said dreamily as they sat in the auditorium sharing a pizza and a six pack. "Think about it. We get half the money. You and me could live pretty good off that."
"Yeah," Donna answered, this time thinking that what they did would finally get them out of their respective dull lives. "We could go to Mexico. I hear it's real cheap to live down there."
Still swigging her beer, she said with a full mouth, "Andy, I read some place that folks from the States go down there and have maids and big houses on little or nothing. Yeah, we could live in high style, you and me."
Andy nodded, blowing a stray lock of dishwater blond hair out of his eyes. "Donna, we need to move the girl out tonight. The boss said she has to be in the new place before morning."
Again, Donna had misgivings but did as she was told and went up to the costume room to fetch the "cargo."
"Uh, Andy," she asked before disappearing up the stage steps, "where are we moving her to? I mean, it has to be where the cops can't find her."
"Leave that to me, baby. Just get the girl, and don't forget to give her that shot before untying her. Can't let her try something and escape. Got it?"
"Yeah, Andy," replied Donna flatly, patting her pocket which contained a syringe of strong sedative, "I got it."
Andy kicked up his feet, leaned back in his seat, and let thoughts of a carefree life swarm in his mind. This was the easiest job yet. While kidnapping was not really his forte, Andy couldn't turn down the offer. He didn't know who "the boss" was and could care less. All he knew was that he and Donna could finally get out of cold, windy Chicago, start a new life somewhere warm and away from prying eyes. Andy dreamed of life in Mexico, but why not Rio? He smiled thinly, knowing that easy money would soon be his.
His reverie was disturbed when a very perturbed Donna rushed back onto the stage.
"Andy! She's gone! I swear she's gone!"
Andy blinked, shot up from the seat, then stormed up to the stage. He glared at Donna and blamed her for being so careless in the first place.
"Damn it, Donna! What do you mean she's gone? I thought you had her tied up real good? How could she get out?"
He continued to harangue Donna but the girl could not be swayed.
"Andy, I swear I double-knotted that rope and gagged her good. No way she could've gotten out. You think someone might've come here while we were gone?"
Good question. Andy searched for possible answers. It was no secret that many homeless folks took refuge in these abandoned buildings, and one of those bums could've stumbled in here, perhaps found Zoe in the process.
Now, to make up some plausible excuse to the boss. No way was Andy going to tell this person that the girl got away. No telling what could happen to Andy and Donna once the word got out.
"Did you hear me, Andy? What are we gonna do?"
Donna didn't quite understand, saying, "But what if he does? Andy, we could get killed."
Andy Ford shook his head. "No, no, Donna. Honey, after I call the boss, I'm coming back here. You know, stake out the place. Whoever let out the girl just might come back and–"
Donna interrupted, "Andy, what if she's home already? Then what?"
At that realization, Andy's eyes suddenly widened, his voice quavered with slight fear as he replied, "Oh God, I didn't think of that. Come on, babe. We gotta get scarce or else we're dead meat."
******
If only Donna and Andy had known about the door under the orchestra pit, about the secret passage that led to a long-hidden lair deep beneath the Centralia. Within this mysterious place their escaped captive lay in a near-catatonic state; the poor girl passed out from shock.
"I'm sorry, Neva. I should've told her about you before I brung her down here," said Bud who knelt beside a prostrate Zoe Kendall. "Poor girl didn't know what to think when she laid eyes on you."
Neva, the dragon who lived in this chamber, craned her massive head down and looked at her newest guest. No one actually came down here except Eldon "Bud" Bigbee, and he found Neva's chambers by accident. But the old dragon and street bum quickly struck a friendship that lasted for nearly two decades. Bud swore he would never let Neva's presence be known. As she once explained to Bud, she always remained in the shadows ever since she arrived in this part of the world centuries ago, and she wanted to keep it that way.
"I know the mindset of your modern peoples, Eldon," she said as she gently blew warming air across Zoe's face. "They would want either to kill or cage me. If given that choice, I'd prefer to die."
Bud looked at his draconian friend, saying, "Neva, don't talk like that. I know folks would freak if they saw you in the flesh. Oh heck, you've watched this country go through some important times, good and bad. I don't know why you were never discovered."
"That is because I managed to keep well concealed, Eldon," she replied kindly and with a slight smile.
Then Bud thought of something else: Zoe.
"Neva, we got to get this girl home. Her daddy's probably plumb worried about her. I know what happened because she told me." He patted Zoe's hand and watched as she began to stir. "She has to go home tonight, honey."
Neva thought of this, but nixed letting Zoe go too soon. This she said to Bud who protested, "But, Neva, we can't keep this here girl down here long. She might decide to escape; she knows the way out of here and–"
"No, Eldon!," Neva roared, her booming voice causing the delicate crystals to quiver. The old man feared his friend would soon let loose a blast flames, but Neva at once calmed and further explained. She peered into her green crystal "mirror", a wall of quartz exactly, which was her sole means of observing the outside world.
"Eldon, this lady is still in danger. I know she is, and you may find yourself in dire situations. No, the ones who brought her here are still nearby. Wait until morning, then leave. Zoe will remain here with me."
"Neva, what if people start asking questions? There's probably cops all over town looking for her."
Neva nodded; her huge golden eyes flashed in righteous anger. She knew what the future held for both Eldon and Zoe. These people were friends, and Neva immediately vowed her protection.
"Eldon, as I said before, Zoe is still in grave danger, so is her father. Betrayal runs amok in the house of Kendall. Those who profess friendship wield the sword of deception."
Bud didn't quite figure it out, but he knew Neva long enough not to question her wisdom. He agreed that he would leave come dawn but keep a bright lookout for Richard Kendall. He asked Neva again for guidance and again was both amused and flattered when she addressed him by his real name. No one has called him "Eldon" in so many years.
"Eldon, there is much at stake for you as well. I cannot divulge much, but it greatly depends on your role in Zoe's return home."
Bud understood but voiced more concerns, such as the pair who snatched Zoe Kendall.
Neva reiterated, "They are amateurs, Eldon. The real villains have yet to reveal themselves. And when they do–"
Bud jolted to attention. "Oh, Neva, don't say you'll–"
"Yes, Eldon. If it means I must show myself – the sixth time in more than five centuries – I will fight to the death anyone who dare harm my friends."
TO BE CONTINUED...To Chapter 4!
Copyright©2003 by P.R. Parker. All Rights Reserved.