Chapter 26
Rod understood Michelle’s pantomime to call the police, and he did so, as fast as he could. But there was the inevitable hold, and explaining took forever. He watched in consternation as Michelle went inside the building. So much for her promise to take a quick peek and come right back. Rod was annoyed, but also frightened for her.
“I’m afraid the police will be too late,” Vincent said, after Rod finally got his message across to the operator and hung up. “And we don’t have any weapons.”
“Yes we do,” Rod said. “This car is a weapon.”
“Let’s go!” Vincent said.
They both jumped back into the car. “Buckle up,” Rod said, thinking the professor might be middle aged, a mild seeming man, but he had courage and gumption.
Rod gunned the engine and they tore across the tarmac toward the office building. “Should I ram the building? Or check first?”
“Check,” Vincent said. “You might injure Michelle or the girls. We can use the gorgeous car later—to smash into the plane.”
Jumping out of the car when they got to the building, they ran into the office.
Looking around, all they saw was one bemused man, whom they didn’t recognize.
“Where’d they all go?” Rod asked the guy, taking in the whole place and quickly checking the bathroom, as if they would all be crammed inside the john.
“They left,” the man said, shrugging his shoulders.
“There was a woman who came in here a few minutes ago. You’re Sammy? The pilot?”
The man nodded toward a door in the back wall of the office building, pointing with his thumb over his shoulder. “They went to the lot behind here. I was supposed to fly them to Kauai tonight. But Omar decided to take his helicopter instead. It’s parked behind here.”
“Did the woman go willingly?” Vincent asked as Rod took off, running out the back door.
Sammy obviously didn’t want to say anything, but he shook his head.
Vincent followed Rod outside. It was almost too dark to see anything. But, sure enough, he watched the lights go on on a small helicopter. It was about a long city block away. It was nothing like the search and rescue helicopter they’d seen over Waikiki beach this evening, which had been enormous. This one appeared like a mosquito in comparison. He wondered how they all had managed to squash inside. It looked like a two-seater.
Rod had almost reached the helicopter and Vincent ran as fast as he could to help. Everybody was aboard except for Samson and Michelle. The rotor blades were starting to turn, with a slow whop, whop, whopping sound.
Samson was trying to pick up Michelle, to force her onboard. She was resisting, fighting back, but didn’t have much chance, Samson was so big and strong.
Rod had reached the struggling pair. He leaped on Samson’s back, his arm around Samson’s neck, trying to choke him. He could feel his other arm, taped to his chest, trying to help, to get free.
By that time Vincent was in the fight for Michelle as well. He was trying to pull Michelle away from Samson, who had her wrapped up in his arms. Vincent got hold of one of Michelle’s arms, but he couldn’t tear her away from the big muscled man. He feared he would pull her arm out of the socket if he tried any harder.
Omar poked his head out of the helicopter door. “Leave Michelle,” he ordered.
Samson let go of Michelle, violently throwing her to the side. She dropped to the ground. Samson ducked under the rotors and jumped into the helicopter.
Rod, Vincent, and Michelle were buffeted by the wind from the rotors. It seemed to hover just off the ground for a few seconds.
Then they watched as the helicopter, head and tail lights blinking, rose into the dark sky. It zipped off toward Honolulu.
Rod helped Michelle off the ground. “Are you okay?” he asked, hugging her.
Michelle nodded, but rubbed her shoulder like it was painful.
“I pulled on her arm too hard,” Vincent said. “I’m so sorry.”
“No. What you did was perfect,” Michelle said to Vincent. She shook her head in despair. “But Omar’s got the kids. I tried confronting him and the diamond didn’t work fast enough. He hypnotized the little girls to go with him. They couldn’t resist when he locked eyes with them. They just couldn’t look away.”
The three started walking back to the flight office, shoulders drooping, dejected.
“Maybe we can book a flight to Kauai with Sammy right now,” Michelle said, brightening. “He was planning the trip anyway. We could follow them over to Kauai.”
When they went in the back door, Sammy was closing up the office, turning off the lights.
“The police are coming,” Rod said to Sammy. “They’ll want to ask you some questions.”
“Shit,” Sammy said, moving even faster. “I’m not waiting for them.”
“You better,” Rod said. “Omar just abducted two little girls.”
“He explained all that. He’s their father and they were stolen from him. Not the other way around.”
“Well, I’m their mother,” Michelle said. She paused when she saw Sammy’s surprised glance at her. Now Sammy believed that she and Omar had slept together. A totally yucky thought.
“Omar stole the children from me,” Michelle said. “So you lost a fare tonight, but you could take us to Kauai instead. You know where they’re going.”
“I’ll pay handsomely,” Rod added.
Sammy gave a revolting snigger. “You think Omar could fly all the way to Kauai in that little helo? With that amount of weight on board? No, he’s definitely staying on Oahu. Tonight, at least.”
Then the police arrived. One patrol car. One uniformed officer. Rod had tried to make the situation sound urgent, but obviously failed. What a sorry excuse for a critical police matter.
During the questioning, Sammy told the officer that Omar was the father of the two girls. That did it. The policeman probably thought the situation was a silly domestic squabble.
The plump young officer asked them a few more questions, took some notes. Then he left.
Michelle had been looking around the office when they were questioned by the police officer. She didn’t see her diamond, Abigail, anywhere. Samson had pulled it away from her and thrown it somewhere. When the policeman left she searched every corner of the office and under the desks. Then she looked at the pilot, who was rushing to get everything settled so he could leave.
“I’m closing the office,” Sammy said abruptly, jangling his keys, ready to turn off the lights. “You all need to leave now.”
Michelle shook her head. “We’re not leaving ‘til you give me my necklace back.”
“What necklace?” Sammy said. He was feigning innocence, but didn’t fool anyone.
“It’s a worthless piece of glass,” Rod said. “Now hand it over.”
Michelle didn’t need paranormal powers to know Sammy took it when they were all outside, by Omar’s helicopter.
Sammy finally and reluctantly pulled the diamond out of his pocket. He handed it to Michelle. “Now get out!”
Rod dropped Vincent off at his hotel in Waikiki, and then he and Michelle went home.
Lucifer greeted them at the door like they’d been gone a hundred years, making indignant meows. Michelle picked him up and carried him into the kitchen. Lucifer deserved a treat. They’d been gone almost all day.
The television was on in the bedroom as they started undressing to get ready for bed.
Michelle noted that Rod wasn’t saying much. He was probably still angry that she tried to take on Omar by herself. He was right. She felt guilty that she failed so spectacularly to get the children back.
Sammy had told them that Omar’s little helicopter could land and park almost anywhere, it was so small. So Omar and the girls could be anywhere on the island of Oahu.
They were at a dead-end for searching any more tonight.
“Hey, look,” Rod said, pointing at the TV.
The late news was on, revealin
g an aerial view above Waikiki. It showed about a hundred people running down the beach. The voice-over was saying, “Tonight there was a heroic effort to find three little flower girls, who were abducted from a wedding party by a criminal by the name of Omar Satinov, and another man with a first name of Samson.”
It was startling, seeing all of Heather and Mike’s friends from the wedding, running down the beach in the dark, wearing designer dresses and tuxes.
TV news helicopters had filmed the bizarre scene in Waikiki. The series of pictures also showed the big search and rescue helicopter with lights roaming over the people and the beach.
Michelle knelt down right in front of the TV and pointed. “That’s us, running.” She could make out herself and Rod at the water’s edge, moving fast.
The voice-over continued, “I just got news! One of the little girls was rescued!”
“Pure sensationalism,” Michelle said, frowning. “They knew that hours ago.”
Rod nodded. He sat down in front of the TV too.
“Just in,” the voiceover on the TV news special said excitedly. “We have a mug shot of the abductor, Omar Satinov!”
The picture was one of Omar from several years ago, a police mug shot when he had thick black hair. He appeared devilishly handsome. It didn’t look anything like him now, with his shaved hair, blue eyes, and beard.
“Damn. No one will recognize him from that picture,” Michelle said, disgusted.
“No way,” Rod agreed, turning down the covers and throwing pillows off the bed so Lucifer could pick one to sleep on.
“Wait! I just had a thought,” Michelle said. “Omar used to park his helicopter right here at our building. There’s still the round bull’s-eye painted on the roof. You don’t think…?”
“Probably not,” Rod said, but he started rapidly getting dressed again. “Do you have a good flashlight?”
Michelle nodded. “Gotta check.” She was pretty sure Omar still owned the penthouse suite in their building. If there was a buyer, she certainly would have heard through the condo grapevine. It was prime Honolulu real estate, with gorgeous wrap-around views of the ocean on one side and the beautiful green mountains of Oahu on the other.
Omar’s condo was the only one with a direct access door onto the roof. They had to ride the elevator to the floor under the penthouse level and then go down the hallway and up the stairs to the roof.
Rod used his key to open the door to the roof. Then he and Michelle went outside.
“Damn,” Rod said, walking over the pebble and tar asphalt to the bull’s-eye painted there. He shined the flashlight all around the painted circle.
“Wait!” Michelle exclaimed. “Look here.” She bent down and put her finger in some dark shiny liquid in the center of the circle.
It looked like blood in the darkness. It came away wet and she sniffed it.
“I think it’s an oil spot,” Michelle said. “Still wet!”
Rod checked it too, shining the flashlight on the spot.
“You’re right. They might have landed. But where did they go from here?”
Chapter 27
Through the seat of his pants Omar could feel he had way too much weight on board. He’d known he would be taking a dangerous chance with the little chopper and all the people he’d squeezed aboard. It was why he decided to leave Michelle behind.
The yaw pedal shouldn’t be necessary so soon, but he had to use it because the weight wasn’t distributed evenly.
Samson was about three-hundred pounds. Omar himself wasn’t much lighter. And adding the two French women, Louise and Chloe, made a substantial load for the small aircraft, which it wasn’t designed to handle. The two girl’s weight was insignificant and didn’t matter much.
Omar’s cyclic stick, which controlled airspeed and altitude, seemed sluggish. To make matters even worse, he could see on the control panel in front of him that he was losing oil. That wouldn’t be a problem for a while, but too much weight on board could be catastrophic.
He turned the little helo out toward the ocean. Glancing behind him, he could see that the two little girls had cried and hiccupped themselves to sleep, even in this cramped and noisy craft. It was way past their usual bedtime. All that emotion had exhausted them.
Good, Omar thought, they wouldn’t see what he planned. He needed to get rid of at least two hundred pounds.
Samson was squashed into the co-pilot’s seat and Omar leaned over, giving directions. He almost had to shout in the noisy helicopter, but he was pretty sure no one but Samson could hear him.
Samson nodded at Omar, watching out of the front windshield until they were a few miles out over the ocean. At Omar’s hand flip toward the back of the helicopter, Samson stood, squeezing himself between the pilot and co-pilot seats in the cockpit and went to the back cargo area where the girls and French women were seated. He unlocked and slid the large side door open.
Now it was even more noisy and drafty. Chloe and Louise shivered in the cold ocean air. Each was carrying one of the sleeping girls on their laps.
Samson smiled at Louise and pantomimed that he wanted to hold Ivory, folding his arms and rocking them back and forth. Maybe Louise had a premonition because she shook her head at the giant man.
Samson took Ivory from Louise’s arms and laid her gently down on the side seat.
Then he pulled Louise up under her shoulders. He turned around quickly, so she was in front of him, and pushed her violently forward, roughly throwing her out the open door.
With all the noise, there was only a brief shrill shriek as Louise, arms waving and legs kicking, fell into the sea.
Now Chloe knew her fate. She was petrified with terror. She turned and ducked away from Samson, cowering in her seat, holding Shelly in a firm grip.
She didn’t have a chance, even screaming and resisting with all her might. Samson forcefully pulled her out of her seat, and wrenched Shelly from her arms.
Shelly woke up to witness Samson throw Chloe, fighting and pleading for her life, out the door of the helicopter.
Shelly was petrified for a moment and then started screaming as she looked around and saw that both women were gone. That woke Ivory. She looked at her sister, and with their psychic communication, both girls knew what happened to the two French women.
They grabbed each other and held on tight, looking at Samson in horror. They may have been young, but Leilanie had instilled good morals in the children. Hurting anything alive was wrong. Now they had witnessed murder, the worst possible thing a person could do.
The two children poked their little fingers at Samson and said, “Suck, suck, suck.”
Samson shouted, “Stop that.” He knew what happened the last time he was a victim of the children’s game, but he couldn’t touch them. Omar would be furious at him if he slapped at or harmed the kids. He managed to sidle as far away from the open door of the chopper as possible. Then he felt his eyelids closing, his eyeballs rolling back. He flopped down on the floor of the helicopter, unconscious.
In the front of the craft Omar frowned, wondering why Samson was taking so long to get back in his co-pilot seat, and why he hadn’t closed the side door. It was getting drafty.
He glanced above in the rearview mirror which showed the back interior of the helicopter. The women were gone, which was good, but he couldn’t see Samson. He wondered if the women had pulled Samson out of the door with them.
He adjusted the mirror downward and then saw Samson lying on the floor. Omar’s daughters were pointing their little fingers down at him.
Uh-oh, Omar thought, but there was nothing he could do. Helicopters don’t have auto-pilot control. He was stuck in the pilot’s seat until he landed. By that time Samson might really be harmed. That would be a shame. Samson was quite useful and Omar was used to having him around.
The two French women, on the other hand, had been practically useless in Omar’s estimation. They had expressed their distaste at the way Omar had stolen the children. Had been
utterly upset about how distraught the little girls were. The women realized the two girls didn’t love Omar and wanted to stay with the Hawaiian woman, Leilanie. They also knew Michelle was the real mother of his children. Their constant complaints, even about the hellishly hot Hawaiian weather, got on his nerves. He didn’t trust them not to blab when they got back to France. They could do real damage to his French Wiccan coven, where Omar had a pristine reputation. They had to go.
Women from the local Hawaii coven were set up at his place in Kauai. They would take care of the children until he could get them all back to France.
The good news was that the tiny chopper was now maneuvering easily. He zoomed toward Waikiki.
Samson was a pretty good mechanic, if he wasn’t dead by the time Omar landed. Samson could add oil and fix the leak if necessary. It meant he’d have to park at his old condo in Waikiki where Samson could work on the copter. He had stored parts, oil, and gasoline there just for this aircraft.
It was the condo where Michelle and Heather lived, which gave him a smashing idea.
He headed to the condo in Waikiki, flying low so radar wouldn’t pick him up. It was dark on the roof, but Omar was an expert and made a precise landing. Then he turned everything off on the dashboard and went into the back.
Samson was still lying on the floor, unconscious or dead. The two girls eyed him with new distrust as Omar went over to Samson and shook him. He didn’t wake up.
Omar looked at the girls. They didn’t know how powerful they were at this very moment. They’d just taken much of Samson’s life force inside themselves. He didn’t want them to know they could do this. The girls were too young; it would make them too powerful.
Omar smiled his devastating smile at the two little girls. Even at their young age, they smiled back and were entranced, hypnotized by their father.
“Would you two please wake up Samson? I need him to fix the helicopter. He has to add gas, and we have an oil leak.”
Magical Legacy Page 17
