Mare's Nest

by Larry Darter

  "That was before your daughter reneged on our agreement. She tried to kill me and take off without paying me," Adam said.

  "You’re the one who broke the agreement," Allison said. "You demanded half of the money after Jimmy brought it."

  "I deserved half for taking the risks I did," Adam said. "Now after all the trouble I’ve been through because of you three, I’m taking it all."

  "I’ll go to the police," Kathleen said.

  "And tell them what? That you and your daughter cooked up a fake kidnapping scheme to extort money from your own husband. And you want to complain because one of your co-conspirators kept the ransom money? I doubt the police will be very sympathetic, Ms. Shaw."

  I’d been right all along. There had never been any kidnapping. It had all been a sham.

  "It isn’t like you were ever going to get the money back anyway," Adam said. He pointed the gun at me. "I figure little miss private eye here killed your husband so she could keep the money herself."

  "That’s not true," I said. "And, I didn’t kill Douglas Shaw."

  "The police said you did," Adam said. "It was on the news. In fact, it was on the news they arrested you. That’s why I came here. What are you even doing here? Why aren’t you in jail?"

  "The police picked me up and had me in for questioning," I said. "I didn’t kill Shaw. They hadn’t any evidence to charge me and had to let me go."

  Adam smiled and looked at the other two women. "Well, if she is telling the truth, I'd like to know who did kill Douglas Shaw."

  Neither Kathleen nor Allison met his stare.

  "Never mind that," Adam said. "I couldn’t care less who killed him. I only want my money." Adam looked at me. "Go find something to tie these two up with. I’m not taking all three of you to get the money. We’ll leave these two here."

  I got up from the couch.

  "And don’t try anything," Adam said. "You do anything besides what I've told you to do, or you don’t come back, and I’ll kill them both, and it will be on you."

  "Ahkay, no worries. I’ll see what I can find, and I’ll come right back."

  I walked to the doorway and started through it.

  "And leave the door open," Adam said.

  I did so and walked down the hallway until I found the kitchen. I looked through the cupboards and drawers until I found a roll of silver duct tape. I walked back to the room where Adam was holding Kathleen and Allison.

  "Found this," I said, holding up the tape.

  "Yeah, that will work," Adam said. "Tape their wrists together behind their backs and then tape their ankles together."

  I went to Kathleen first. She stood up and turned her back to me, arms behind her back and wrists together. I wrapped several turns of tape around her wrists, careful not to make it too tight. When I had finished, she sat back down. I knelt at her feet and did the same to her ankles. I moved over to Allison and repeated the process. I looked at Adam. "Satisfied?" I said.

  "Now tape their ankles together," Adam said. "I don’t want them feeling tempted to get up and hop around looking for something to cut the tape off with while we’re gone."

  I knelt again and wrapped several turns of tape around the ankles of both Kathleen and Allison. The result left them bound together. When I’d finished Adam said, "Now put a strip of tape over their mouths."

  "But there is no one about to hear them," I said.

  "Never mind, do as I told you."

  I tore two strips of tape off the roll and placed one over the mouth of each woman.

  Adam looked at Kathleen and Allison. "Listen up," he said. "You two sit here and be quiet while we are gone. Once I get the money, I’ll let O’Sullivan go. She can come back and turn you loose." The women nodded.

  "How far is it to where you stashed the money?" Adam said to me.

  "About a 15-minute drive," I said.

  "Okay, let’s go then," Adam said, motioning towards the doorway with the muzzle of the pistol.

  I walked through the door in the direction of the patio door I had come in earlier with Adam following. He was far more careful after what had happened in Haleiwa. It wasn’t going to be easy to jump him a second time.

  Once outside, he told me to walk to the outbuilding. When we got to the building, he told me to keep walking until we arrived at the back of the building. There was a white sedan parked behind the building that had been shielded from view. That was why I hadn’t seen a car when I had arrived earlier.

  "You’re driving," Adam said, tossing me a car keys. "Get in."

  I got in behind the wheel. Adam got in the front passenger seat, keeping his pistol pointed at me. "Let’s go," he said.

  I started the car, put it in gear, and headed for the driveway. We passed the house and continued down the long drive to the road. I turned onto the road and started towards Kailua.

  "I’d be within rights to give you a little payback for Haleiwa," Adam said. "But, I don’t want to hurt you. I only want my money. Let’s go get it without any drama, and you’ll live to see the end of the day. It’s not your money anyway, so this shouldn’t be a problem for you."

  "Ahkay," I said. "I’m cool with it." I went out of my way to appear resigned and cooperative. Inside I was racking my brain trying to think of a way to turn the tables on Adam again. No way was I going to hand over the money to him. I thought about crashing the car, but he might have a split second to shoot me, or we could both die in a crash. I kept driving and trying to think of a better plan. Neither of us spoke. After about ten minutes we arrived on the outskirts of Kailua. That’s when a plan dropped right into my lap. We were approaching an intersection and a few meters from it, the traffic light went yellow. There was a police cruiser at the intersection waiting for a green light to cross the road in front of us. I accelerated, and our car entered the intersection a second or two after our traffic light went red. Adam had been watching the light and hadn’t noticed the police car until the last second. The police car had started ahead, and the cop had to brake to avoid colliding with us. The cop swung in behind us and immediately activated his emergency lights.

  "You stupid, stupid girl," Adam said. "This isn’t going to help you."

  The cop hit the siren, and I pulled the car to the side of the road. "Take the ticket and keep your mouth shut," Adam said. "Say anything, and you might get me arrested, but you won’t be alive to see it."

  The police car stopped behind us. I watched the outside rear view mirror. After a few moments, the cop got out of his car and approached my window. Adam concealed the gun at his right side next to the car door.

  "Good afternoon," the cop said, "license and registration please."

  I looked up at him and saw the dawn of recognition on his face. He was the same cop that had arrested me the day before. "It’s you again," the cop said. "We have to stop meeting like this Ms. O’Sullivan."

  "Ah, right," I said. "And, wouldn’t you know officer I haven’t got my license on me, again."

  "Are you supposed to be back on the street?" the cop said.

  "Yes," I said. "I had a chat with the lovely detectives in Honolulu. We got things sorted, and they let me go. I'm only required to stay in town until they’ve finished their investigation."

  "I see," the cop said. "But, please understand I’m going to have to check that out. Who is that with you?"

  "Adam," I said. "Adam is a friend. We were chatting about where to stop and eat, and I didn’t notice the traffic light until it was too late."

  "Uh, huh," the cop said. "Turn off the ignition and hand me the keys please."

  I switched off the car, pulled the key out of the ignition, and passed it out the window to the cop. He dropped the keys on the top of the car and then took a step back. "I need you both to exit the vehicle," the cop said.

  "Officer is this necessary," Adam said. "I can vouch for her. I picked her up at the police station when they released her."

  "Yes, sir, it is necessary," the cop said. "Now both of you, get out of the
vehicle."

  "Happy to," I said. I opened the door and hopped out. Adam opened his door and did a runner. The cop shouted at him to stop, but Adam was hitting his stride. The cop ran after him in hot pursuit. I walked back to the police car. I reached through the window, turned off the ignition, and pulled the key out. I turned and threw the keys as far as I could across the road into the grass. I walked back to Adam’s car, grabbed the keys off the top of the car, and got back behind the wheel. I started the car, did a turnabout, and drove back in the direction we had come from. Regardless of what happened to Adam, I knew one thing. Soon the cop would give a description of the car and registration details over his radio to his mates. I had to get back to Shaw’s place quick smart before that happened and another cop spotted me.

  I made it back to Shaw’s without any further drama. I stopped Adam’s car out front of the house and left it there. There was still no one about which was great. I intended to get some answers from the Shaw women at last. I tried the front door and finding it unlocked. I let myself in and walked back to the room where I last saw Kathleen and Allison. When I opened the door, things seemed as they had been when I had left with Adam. Both women were still sitting on the couch, bound together. I walked over and pulled the tape off their mouths, but left them bound. I sat down in a chair across from the couch.

  "What are you doing?" Kathleen said. "Turn us loose."

  "In due time," I said. "We’re going to have a chat first about why someone tried to frame me for killing your husband."

  It was then that I felt what I reckoned was the muzzle of a pistol pressed against the base of my skull. A familiar deep, masculine voice said, "They aren’t telling you anything."

  Chapter 16

  THE MAN STEPPED INTO view from behind me. It was as expected, Ken, the driver. I’d recognized the voice. I was looking at the business end of a very large, shiny nickel-plated revolver.

  "Have to admit I’m impressed," Ken said. "I figured the cops would keep you locked up at least until there was a hearing. After all, you went on the run, and they had to hunt you down. You must be a mouthier broad than I even gave you credit for to talk your way out of it."

  "The police had no evidence I was involved," I said. "They had to let me go."

  "Watch her," Ken said to Kathleen. "Tell me if she so much as bats an eyelash. I’m going to cut you loose."

  Ken walked over to the couch with the pistol still trained on me. Kathleen leaned forward. Ken pulled a folding knife from his pocket. He opened and cut the tape binding Kathleen’s wrists. Then he handed her the knife. Kathleen rubbed her wrists for a moment to restore the circulation. She cut the tape off her ankles, then she freed Allison.

  "You would have been better off in jail," Ken said.

  "Where is the money?" Kathleen said. "Did you give it to Adam?"

  "It’s not like I had a choice, Kathleen," I said. "He had a gun. Of course, I did."

  "How did you get back here?" Kathleen said.

  "His car, the one we left in," I said. "It’s a hire car. He called someone on the way, and they picked him up in Kailua after we retrieved the money. He told me I could take the car to get back here."

  "Damn it," Kathleen said. "We needed that money."

  "Forget it," Ken said. "Once the courts settle Douglas’ estate you’ll have plenty of money."

  "That’s the problem, Ken," Kathleen said. "Money is going to be very tight until that happens."

  "Okay, okay, one problem at a time," Ken said. "Once we take care of the problem at hand, I’ll find Adam and get the money back."

  "What are we going to do with her?" Allison said, pointing her finger at me.

  "You know what we have to do," Ken said. "You said Adam exposed the kidnapping thing. She already knows too much. We can’t have her talking to the cops."

  "I can hear everything you’re saying," I said. "Stop chatting about me as if I’m not here."

  "Shut your hole," Ken said, "before I shut it for you. You’ve caused enough trouble. If you were in jail where you belong there wouldn’t be a problem. If the cops weren’t so stupid and hadn’t released you, we’d have been long gone by the time there was a hearing."

  "Do we need another body, Ken?" Kathleen said. "This is starting to freak me out."

  "Mother, Ken is right," Allison said. "You want to spend the rest of your life in jail? I sure don’t. We’ve come too far to go back now."

  "I suppose you’re right, dear."

  "Allison get the duct tape, and tie her up," Ken said.

  Allison retrieved the roll of duct tape from the desk where I’d left it earlier. She returned with it to the chair where I was sitting." Get up and turn your back to me," she said.

  I stood up and turned away from her. She grabbed my wrists and pulled them behind my back. I flexed my wrists when I felt her start making the wraps of tape around my wrists. I hoped there would be at least a tiny bit of slack once she finished and I relaxed them.

  "Sit back down," Ken said. I sat.

  "Ankles too?" Allison said.

  "No, she will need to walk," Ken said.

  Allison walked over to the couch and sat down beside her mother.

  "I’ll clean this up," Ken said. "Shouldn’t take more than an hour or so. While I’m gone, you two start packing. We need to leave as soon as I get back. We’ll find a place near the airport where you’ll be safe. Then I’ll go find Adam and get the money from him."

  Kathleen stood up and walked over to Ken. She embraced him. "Please, be careful darling and get back as soon as you can." It was clear Ken was a bit more to Kathleen than only the family chauffeur.

  "I will," Ken said, watching me over Kathleen’s shoulder.

  "What if Adam comes back?" Allison said.

  "Why would he?" Ken said. "He got what he wanted."

  "He could come back for the rental car," Allison said.

  "You worry too much," Ken said. "If Adam concerned himself with the rental car, he wouldn't have let O’Sullivan drive it here. I fear that Adam is already at the airport waiting for a flight to who knows where."

  "He needn’t be in any rush," Kathleen said. "Adam doesn’t know about you and me. He asked where the staff was when he arrived. I told him we had to let everyone go after the death of Douglas because we didn’t have the money to pay them."

  "I hope you’re right," Ken said. "Otherwise you can kiss that money goodbye."

  Turning to me, Ken said, "All right, get up and let’s go."

  I stood up. Ken grabbed me by the upper arm and guided me out of the room and down the hallway to the front door. We stepped outside, and he closed the door behind us. We walked down the steps to the garage door. He pushed a button on a key fob, and the door opened. There was the limo, parked beside a dark-colored Chrysler 300. Ken pushed me toward the back of the Chrysler. He opened the boot. "Get in," he said.

  "I’m not," I said. "I have a condition, I can’t deal with confined spaces. Let me ride in the back."

  "And I have a gun," Ken said, brandishing it. "Now get in."

  "I won’t," I said.

  I only picked up a blur out of my peripheral vision when Ken swung the gun. I only felt the pain for an instant when the steel connected with my left temple. Then everything went black."

  Chapter 17

  SNEEZING, BROUGHT ON by the dust in the air inside the compact space I found myself in, was what brought me around. I was still a bit muddled, trying to figure out where I was and how I got there. Besides having a sore head, I felt dizzy, and a bit nauseous. I reached up and felt the left side of my throbbing head and my fingers came away wet and sticky. That’s when it all came flooding back. I remembered Ken bashing me in the head with his gun when I refused to get in the boot of the car. Yep, the boot. That’s where I was. The bouncing and bumping along on what must be a rough, rutted road wasn’t helping with the nausea. I wasn’t claustrophobic, actually. I’d only tried to talk Ken out of making me get in the boot. I knew it would limit my escape op
tions if I were stuck in the boot of the car.

  I twisted and worked on the duct tape trying to get enough slack so that I could pick at the tape to try and free my wrists. No good. I couldn’t quite touch the edge of the tape with my thumb and index finger. Something was digging into my back. I scooted away and rolled over. I ran my hands over it and discovered it was a long-handled spade. I didn’t need three guesses to figure out what Ken had brought along a spade for.

  At first, I thought it could be used as a weapon. But I discounted the idea realizing it was too long and I’d never manage to swing it fast enough to catch Ken by surprise. I needed something to use as a club, but the spade wouldn’t do. Then I thought of the tyre repair thing, the iron used to remove the lug nuts when changing a flat tyre. After feeling around, I didn’t find a spare or any tools. It must be in a compartment below me. Running my fingers along the bottom of the compartment, I found the edge of a cover.

  It wasn’t easy with my wrists bound. But by contorting my body this way and that and heaving at the edges, I managed after a while to raise the cover. I found the spare. Secured somehow on top of the tyre were the tools.

  My fingers found a large wing nut, and I unscrewed it. The tools came loose. I separated the tyre iron from the jack. Putting it aside for the moment, I resumed my contortions until I managed to get the cover closed once again. Exhausted, I lay on my back sweating and gulping breaths. The car continued bouncing along, the air still filled with dust.

  After what seemed a long while the car came to a stop. With haste, I organized my plan. It wasn’t a great plan, but with a bit of luck, it might work I thought. I pushed the iron up against the front edge of the compartment, hoping it wouldn’t be visible when he opened the boot. I heard steps. I heard the click of the lock, and then all I saw was blinding bright sunlight when the boot lid raised up.

  "Get out," Ken said. I struggled to focus on him with my pupils dilated from the previous blackness I’d been in. "Get out," he said again.