"You look lovely, Eva," Max said as he kissed her.
"You don't look so bad yourself," Eva said smiling.
"Well, let's go. We've got work to do!" Max said laughing.
Max and Eva pulled up the villa driveway right at 6:00 PM. Doug heard the car pull up and looked out the window. His heart skipped a beat at first sight of their sedan. He had forgotten that their car was like the sedan that was stalking him. They must be from the same rental agency, he thought.
Doug was glad he had accepted their invitation to dinner. After the events of the last couple days, he needed to relax. A night out would do him good, he thought. If Max and Eva moved into the neighborhood that would be one more reason he would be sorry to have to leave it. But he wasn't going to think about that tonight. He was going to have a few drinks, a good dinner, and enjoy the company.
When Max pulled into the parking lot of the classy restaurant, Doug remarked that he had been wanting to try it. He had heard it was one of the best. Things were starting out well, just as Max and Eva planned.
Max, Eva, and Doug found each other's company enjoyable. All three being from New York City gave them a lot in common to talk about. Max and Eva did not rush into their agenda. They allowed time for a rapport to develop. Finally, as they had their dessert and coffee, Eva decided to make her move. She started with a casual question.
"So Doug how long have you had that cool Vette that you showed us in the garage? She's a real beauty," Eva asked.
Doug's face paled and took on an expression that made it clear to both Max and Eva that something was wrong. There was not an immediate response to Eva's question. After a pause, Doug replied.
"I just bought it in Tucson about a week ago. I drove it back myself. Sadly, the Corvette is gone. I was hijacked two hours from here two days ago. They took the Vette and my money, tied me up, and threw me on the side of the highway. A kind man stopped and took me to the hospital where I spent the night. I had just gotten back home the day you called to invite me to dinner."
Max and Eva looked at each other in shock realizing they no longer had a plan.
"How horrible," Eva replied. "You must have been so frightened. I've heard about these things happening here. I'm so sorry."
"Do the police have any clues about who did it?" Max asked.
"I haven't pursued it yet with the authorities. My primary concern was trying to get myself back home. Mr. Perez -- the man who stopped to help me -- also drove me back to the villa."
"I see. Well, we are glad you are okay, and I'm sorry about your Corvette," Max said.
Max could not immediately come up with a new plan to gain access to the villa. At least they had established a further relationship with Doug. They took him home and went back to the hotel to discuss this new development.
Doug went up to his room, got undressed and got his iPad out. He would need to start looking for a new place to move to. He thought about Max's question about going to the police about the Vette. But he decided it was too risky. He needed to accept the fact that he would never see that Vette again. For all he knew, it may have been dismantled by now and sold for parts. He would have to forget it and move on. He would call Tim in the morning, get the house on the market, and get out of Puerto Vallarta as soon as possible.
Chapter Forty-five
VICINITY OF THE HIJACKING
Jorge and Antonio got out of their Green Angels Roadside Assistance truck and went into the small gas station to get something to drink. They had been patrolling the highway all morning responding to calls for travelers needing assistance. It had been a busy morning. When they got back to the truck, Jorge looked at the bag in the back of the truck.
"Antonio, that bag we picked up a few days ago is still in the truck. We need to phone into the office and see what they want us to do with it."
"It's just a bunch of dirty clothes," Antonio replied. "Don't you remember they were scattered all over the ground and we stuffed them back in the bag. I think some of them are even torn. The bag must have fallen out of a truck or car."
"Well, the bag looks like it's pretty expensive," Jorge said, as he grabbed the bag and turned it from side to side examining it. He opened it and felt around inside it. Hey, look, there is a paper on the bottom. It looks like the sales receipt for the purchase of the bag. Wow, I guess it is a pretty expensive bag -- look at the price!" Jorge added as he handed the slip of paper to Antonio.
"The address of the owner is right here at the top," Antonio pointed out, "It belongs to some American from New York City. We better phone in and see what they want us to do with it. If he's got some bucks, maybe he'll send a donation in to the Green Angels. We'll tell them the guy's address is on it."
"Okay," Jorge said. "Let's make the call now while we are stopped."
Jorge made the phone call and was told to take the bag to the post office and send it to the address inside. Later that day, Jorge and Antonio did as instructed and shipped the expensive-looking bag with the dirty and slightly torn clothes to the New York City address.
As they left the post office, Jorge and Antonio felt as though they had done another good deed. They were used to helping out people in distress. They could imagine how happy and surprised the owner would be when he opened the box and found his lost bag inside.
. . .
NEW YORK CITY
Catherine was glad when the work day had ended. It had been a long day and emotionally draining. She was glad that requesting her leave of absence from Jack was behind her now. She did not have a lot to do at work to get herself ready to leave for The Osprey Cove Lodge. Jill had started scheduling interview appointments to fill the vacant manager's position once held by Doug. She calculated she could get the interviews done in one or two days, discuss the results with Jack, and have someone hired by the end of the week. If all went well, she could see herself being up at the lodge within two weeks.
Catherine got a taxi and headed home to the loft. She was looking forward to calling Alex tonight and telling him the good news. She had gotten the leave of absence. As she rode home in the taxi, she was thinking about how good she felt emotionally since her vacation at the lodge and since making the decision to return to the lodge for the next several months. She felt like her life had finally turned a corner. The nightmare of her life with Doug had been pushed far into the recesses of her mind. She hardly even thought about him and all the harm he had caused her. She had begun to think of the child she was carrying not as Doug's child but as her child. The child would not ever know its biological father, but Catherine hoped it would have a father that would love it as much as she would love it.
Catherine paid the taxi driver and got out of the cab and got into the elevator.
"Well, hello, Ms. Wellin," Mrs. Clark said. "How are you feeling today? We are all still thinking about you. I am going to get a casserole over to you real soon. I know it's got to be lonely for you. If you ever feel like talking, just come up and knock on my door. I'm always ready to give a listening ear."
Even Mrs. Clark was not going to spoil Catherine's good mood.
"Why thank you, Mrs. Clark. I appreciate all your kind thoughts and words. I am doing well. . . Oh, here's my floor already. Have a good evening."
Catherine smiled as she exited the elevator. As she headed for her door, she noticed a package sitting beside it. Oh, no, don't tell me she sent the tea set here instead of to the lodge. It has to be the tea set; I haven't ordered anything else. She opened the door and carefully pushed the package inside. She gingerly lifted and placed it on the dining room table. She hoped at least it had arrived here safely. She would be devastated if it had been broken.
She turned on the light, took off her coat, and went to get a pair of scissors to open the package. As soon as she went to slice the tape, she noticed the postmark -- Mexico. She felt a sense of relief that it was not her tea set. She had grown accustomed to the idea of having it at the lodge to use during her stay. But who would be sending her something
from Mexico? Perhaps she thought it was a fruit basket or another sympathy gift. She hadn't heard from Margaret for a while. Who knows, she may be living in Mexico now and is sending something. These were the thoughts running through her head as she struggled to open the box. Eventually, she got through the tape and opened the flaps. She was taken aback when she saw it was a piece of luggage. She pushed away the brown paper wrapped around it and pulled it out. Who would be sending her a piece of luggage? And then it occurred to her that either Michael or Alex may have sent it to her for her trip to the Osprey. It looked like an expensive bag. It was clearly Italian leather. But she examined it more closely; it appeared to have a few marks on it. It must have been damaged in shipping.
After she had examined the outside of the bag, she opened the zipper. She was shocked to see clothing inside. Her first thought was that it had been sent to her in error. Perhaps it was a lost airline bag being shipped back to its owner. She quickly turned back the flap of the box that had the address label and looked to see who it was addressed to. How stupid of me not to have checked that before opening it, she thought. When she read the label her stomach knotted up -- it was addressed to Doug Wellin.
She had to sit down at one of the dining room chairs. The bag was on the floor in front of her. She sat there frozen, unable to move, staring down at the clothing sticking out of the bag. Was it Doug's clothing? The bag did not look familiar. Had he purchased it for his trip when he left her? Why wasn't it in the car with Doug when he had the accident? Why was it being sent from Mexico? She looked further at the return address label. It said Green Angels, Roadside Assistance, Mexico. Who were the Green Angels? Catherine's body was unable to move for a few minutes, but her mind was racing. So many questions.
Finally, she got herself to pick through the articles of clothing. None caught her attention at first. And then she saw it. She picked up the T-shirt that Doug had constantly worn since Saint Martin. She saw the familiar words, Diving is Better in St. Martin. It was more than she could bear. She became hysterical. She reached for her phone and called Michael.
She was in such a state of hysteria that she could not even get the words out to tell Michael what had happened.
"Michael," Catherine managed to get out Michael's name amid sobs.
"Catherine, what's wrong? Please try to calm down, so that you can tell me what happened. Whatever it is, we can deal with it together. It's okay. Take a couple of breaths. Why don't you start by telling me where you are."
"I'm at the loft in the dining room."
"Okay, that's good. Now, tell me what has you so upset."
"Michael, when I got home from work, there was a package at my door. I thought that it was a tea set that I bought in Canada. But I saw that the postmark was Mexico. Then I thought maybe someone sent me a sympathy basket or gift. When I opened it, I saw that it was a piece of luggage, an expensive looking piece of leather luggage. I wondered if you or Alex had sent it to me. But, Michael, when I opened it ----" At this point, the hysteria started again. Catherine was finding it difficult not only to speak but to breath as well.
"Catherine," Michael raised his voice, "take deep breaths again and try to tell me what was in the bag."
"Michael, I think they are Doug's clothes. Most of them I don't recognize, but there is a shirt -- a diving shirt -- that I know he bought in St. Martin. And when I looked further to see who the package was addressed to, it said Doug Wellin. Michael, what does this mean? Why would a bag containing Doug's clothing be in Mexico?"
"Is there a return address?"
"Yes, I forgot that part. It was sent by the Green Angels, Roadside Assistance, Mexico."
"Do you recognize the bag as belonging to Doug, had you ever seen it before?
"No, I never saw the bag. He must have bought it to take on his trip when he left. I don't know why he would have done that. He had plenty of bags this size. It looks like a carry-on bag."
Michael did not know why the bag had been sent back to the loft. But he did know something that Catherine must never know, that Doug was alive and living in Mexico. As far as Michael was concerned, Doug had ruined his sister's life far too much already. She believed he was dead and he wanted him to stay dead. And for all Michael knew, something may have happened to him since his detective reported sightings of him in Puerto Vallarta. Frankly, he didn't care as long as he stayed out of Catherine's life. But how was he going to calm his sister down and convince her that this was nothing to be concerned about.
"Catherine, I believe that the Green Angels is a roadside assistance organization, something like our AAA here in the United States. The bag must have been found alongside a road somewhere in Mexico. Is there a name and address label inside in case the bag is lost?"
"Let me look." After searching through the clothes which sent chills through Catherine's body, she found the receipt.
"Are you there, Catherine?"
"I'm here. I'm reading something. There is no name and address label, but there is a sales receipt for the bag. It is in Doug's name and shows when he bought it and how much he paid for it. The date was around the time Doug left. The price is exorbitant, Michael -- $950.00. Why would Doug pay so much for a small bag like this when he already had several like it? It doesn't make any sense."
"So we know for sure it did belong to Doug. There could be a lot of explanations for it being found along a roadside in Mexico. Maybe it was found at the accident scene in New Mexico, someone picked it up on their way to Mexico and then decided they didn't want it and discarded it on the roadside. The Green Angels picked it up and thought they were doing a good deed by returning it to the address they found on the sales receipt inside. Does that make sense?"
"I suppose so. It does look beat up. It has scratches and scrapes in the leather. Some of the clothing looks dirty and torn."
"Well, that would fit in with it possibly being thrown from the car when Doug had the accident."
"That does sound reasonable. But I wonder why they took it and then didn't keep it? It is a beautiful bag."
"They were probably looking for money or something valuable. When they found just clothing, they decided to toss it."
"I suppose the bag could also have been stolen anytime after Doug left home. He could have left it in a motel."
"That is also a possibility. I know how upsetting it must be for you, Catherine. Just get rid of it and forget it ever happened."
"You're right, Michael, I'm not going to let this upset me. I was happy today. I talked to Jack, and he approved my leave of absence. He said I could leave as soon as I have the department ready to turn over to Bob, the other VP who will be covering for me. The only big job I have to do before I leave is fill the manager position that has been vacant since Doug left. I already have the interviews set up. So I figure I should be able to go in about two weeks tops."
"That's great, Sis. I know how excited you are about this. The Osprey Cove Lodge must be some special place. I'm going to have to plan a trip up there during your stay and see what's so special about it!"
"I wish you would, Michael. There is plenty of room. The owner's quarters has three bedrooms. Please come anytime and stay as long as you want. I would love for you to meet Alex. He is much like you, Michael. Maybe that is why I like him and want to get to know him better."
Michael laughed. "Well, just keep focusing on getting yourself there. Get rid of that bag, as I said, and if you find yourself upset anymore tonight, call me no matter what time it is."
"I'll be okay now, Michael. Thank you. I plan to call Alex now and tell him about my leave being approved."
"Okay, Sis, take care, I love you."
"I love you, too, Michael. Talk to you soon."
. . .
Catherine hung up with Michael and immediately called Alex and shared her good news about being granted the leave of absence. She told him she hoped to be there within two weeks. She did not even mention the package that had been delivered. Catherine had nearly forgotten it hers
elf. What Michael had said made perfect sense to her.
Chapter Forty-six
PUERTO VALLARTA
Doug woke up the morning after his dinner with Max and Eva determined to start the process to get himself out of Puerto Vallarta. He needed to get away from whomever had tracked him down there in the dark sedan. As soon as he got dressed, instead of going to Starbucks as he usually did every morning, he asked Isabella to make some coffee and prepare some breakfast for him.
He went out on the terrace with his coffee while he waited for Isabella to bring out his breakfast. While he was waiting, he called Tim at the Riviera Real Estate company.
"Hello, Tim, this is Doug Castlebury. You sold me the 'Baker' property."
"Yes, Mr. Castlebury, how may I help you?"
"Well, I find that I must sell the villa, Tim, and I'd like to have you come out and get it listed at your earliest convenience."
"I will be happy to come out and help you with that anytime that it is convenient for you. Will you be buying another property here in Puerto Vallarta?"
"No, I will be leaving Puerto Vallarta. This afternoon is good for me. Can you come by say around 1:00 PM?"
"Sure, I'll see you then."
Tim hung up the phone and turned to Jason who was sitting at the desk next to him.
"You are never going to believe who that was on the phone."
"Who?"
"It was Doug Castlebury -- you know the guy who just bought the 'Baker' property for $10 million. He wants to list it!"
"Wow," Jason replied, "what a break for you and maybe for me, too. I'm working with a couple with an unlimited budget that is interested in that neighborhood. I even drove them by The Villa Castlebury. Let me know as soon as you list it, so that I can get them out to see it. This could be great for both of us! When is your listing appointment?"
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