Deadly Deception

by Tami Kidd

  Asher let out a low whistle when they walked up to the vehicle. “Now this is a fine piece of machinery.”

  “Yes, it is,” Wally agreed, appreciating the craftsmanship.

  “It’ll get us where we need to go. Get in. We got to get on the road.”

  “I still can’t believe we’re going to sit on the side of the interstate and watch for a funky white van with a green lightning bolt.” Asher buckled his seatbelt.

  “You got a better idea?” Noah asked, looking back as he put the Tahoe in reverse and pulled out of the parking space.

  “No, but it seems like we should be working with the local and state police,” Asher said as he instinctively turned to look out the back window.

  “We’re not law enforcement, and Sully gave me strict instructions not to come down here, so I’d rather not draw any attention to ourselves.”

  “It could be they are already in Florida. If that’s the case, we are probably just chasing our tails.” Wally wiped his nose with his handkerchief. He folded it and put it in his pants pocket. “So, we’re looking for a white Ford van with a big green lightning bolt and Arkansas plates.

  “That’s it,” Noah said. “The van should be easy to spot.”

  “Well, let’s get a move on then,” Wally said.

  “We’re only a few blocks away from Interstate 10, where we’ll get on and go west toward Mobile.” Asher reviewed the map app on his cell phone. “Once we get on the interstate we’re a little over sixteen miles from the state line.”

  “Good. We’ll pull over on the shoulder and watch for it to cross the line,” Noah said.

  Twenty minutes later, when they reached the state line, Noah drove across the median and headed east until he pulled over on the shoulder about a half mile inside the Florida state line. “Okay, you two keep your eyes peeled. If we see it, we’ll follow and pray they don’t notice they’re being tailed.” Noah yawned.

  After two hours, they had seen many white vans, but none with a green lightning bolt. Still they continued to watch and hope they would see it speed by.

  Three hours later, Wally adjusted himself, uncomfortable in his seat. “I don’t know about you two, but I think we missed them. Even if they stopped last night, they’ve had time to make it into Florida by now. It’s almost 12:30, and I really need to use the facilities.”

  “Why don’t you just go out there in the bushes?” Noah asked.

  “Sorry, but that ain’t gonna help me.” Wally’s face flushed red.

  “Okay. I guess you’re right.” Noah started the Tahoe. “I just knew we were going to get lucky. I had a feeling. I guess I can’t trust my gut anymore.”

  “Pop, there’s a rest area ahead a few miles,” Asher said. “I could use a break to stretch my legs.”

  Noah exited the interstate into the rest area. Tourists streamed in an out of the building, some taking pictures of family members with a Blue Angels jet suspended high in the air as a backdrop.

  The three men got out. Wally jogged while the other two walked at a more relaxed pace. The day had turned out to be sunny and cloudless. Noah hoped the flight home would be easier than it was coming in. An overnight storm caused jittery nerves all around. Wally tried to fly above it as best he could, but they still hit several rough pockets.

  Asher walked away while Noah studied the glass-encased maps in the breezeway. The snack machines and brochures of attractions and points of interest didn’t go unnoticed.

  Out of the corner of his eye, Noah caught sight of a burly dark-skinned man dressed in a bold Hawaiian shirt. The man walked into the restroom. On impulse, Noah followed. When the man entered a stall, Noah stood at the sinks and washed his hands, taking his time. Then he reached into his back pocket and pulled out a comb. He combed each hair in place several times over and then repeated the process.

  Wally came out of a stall and washed his hands. “I’m going to get a drink. I’ll wait outside,” he said punching the button on the hand dryer. Jet engines from the dryer drowned out Noah’s reply, so Wally sauntered out.

  Almost immediately, the door opened again and Noah expected to see Wally. His heart lurched as Alex walked in with another man. The man accompanying Alex nodded at Noah, his lips pressed into a thin smile. He then turned toward the stalls. “Kale you in here?”

  “Yeah, I’m here.”

  With his back to them, he watched Alex and the other man in the mirror.

  “Okay, I’m going back to the car and wait for you two.” He cut his eyes to Alex and looked long and hard.

  “Okay,” Kale said.

  The man left without another word.

  Alex turned to the sink and put his index finger to his lip.

  Noah nodded in understanding.

  Alex stepped into a stall and locked the door. Noah did the same in the stall beside Alex. After a minute, Noah heard a toilet flush and a stall door open. Then he heard water running in a sink and then the loud dryer.

  “Alex, are you still in here?” A deep husky voice asked.

  “Yeah, I’m here. My stomach isn’t feeling so well.” Alex moaned. “That breakfast burrito was greasy. I may be a few minutes. You might want to wait outside in the fresh air.”

  “Ah, yeah, I think I will.”

  Noah heard him leave. He unlatched his stall door and stepped out. Then Alex exited his stall. Noah walked over and gave him a hug.

  “I’m so glad to see you,” Alex whispered. “How the hell did you make it here so fast?”

  “Glad to see you too, Buddy.” Keeping his voice low, Noah said, “We flew down. Listen, I’ve got a Tahoe and two extra sets of hands. How do you want to do this?”

  “I’m staying with them,” Alex said flatly.

  “What? Why?”

  “Because I think they’re going to lead me right to Mara. I have a hunch and I want to follow through with it.”

  “But how do you know they’re not going to take you off somewhere and just shoot you?”

  “They’ve had plenty of chances to kill—”

  The door opened and both men stepped up to the sink, waving their hands under the automatic faucets. Noah released a heavy sigh when a lanky teenage boy with piercings in his eyebrows, ears, and lower lip walked up to a urinal.

  When the boy left, Alex continued. “Here’s what I want you to do. Go get whoever you’re with and get ready to leave. I’m going to wait a couple minutes, go back out there, and get in the car with them.”

  “Car? I thought you were in a van.”

  “We were, but last night we pulled over to wait out the storm. This morning the POS van wouldn’t start. We were parked in a used-car lot, so when the owners arrived this morning, they made a trade for a beat up green Ford Taurus.”

  “Well, hell, no wonder we didn’t see you drive by on the interstate. We were watching for a white van with a green lightning bolt.” Noah patted Alex on the shoulder. “It’s good to see you’re okay, brother.”

  Alex smiled. “Thanks, it’s good to know you’ll be back there covering my ass. Do you think you’ll have any trouble keeping up?”

  “Don’t worry about a thing. I won’t let you out of my sight.”

  Alex held his hand out, but Noah pulled him in for another hug. Noah gave him a reassuring grin as he walked out the door.

  Twenty-Five

  Mara studied Duncan, her gaze cold and unmoving. The man’s thin, taut face looked like a skull with skin stretched tight over it. A shock of thin white hair added to his sickly appearance. Deep-blue eyes gave him a compassionate appearance, but Mara knew looks could be deceiving, and as her mother always said, “Actions speak louder than words.” The fact that he was responsible for the death of a good man and held them against their will, proved compassion was not a rule he practiced.

  “Don’t you think so, Mara?” Duncan asked.

  “What?” Mara jolted back into the one-sided conversation when Duncan asked her a direct question.

  Duncan turned his head to look out the
window. After a moment, he turned back and glared at Mara. “Am I boring you, Ms. Byrne?”

  Mara glanced at Michael Porter to her left. His eyebrows rose and she saw uncertainty in his eyes. She detected a slight shrug of his shoulders. Oh well, what have I got to lose?

  “Ms. Byrne?”

  “Yes, I am bored. You see this isn’t the first time I’ve been taken against my will. In fact, this isn’t even the second time. It’s the third time. So, it’s getting kind of old. I’d really like to get this over with. I’m supposed to be on vacation and this isn’t quite what I had in mind.”

  Duncan smiled and looked down at his clasped hands resting on the desk. His jaw clenched as he ground his teeth. “I realize that, Mara. I’d like nothing more than for you to leave here today and resume your family vacation with your brother, Noah and his wife, Patty. But that really depends on you.”

  Mara swallowed and tried not to show any alarm at the mention of Noah and Patty. Calm down, just because he knows their names doesn’t mean anything. He’s just trying to get a rise out of you. Don’t give him the satisfaction. Mirroring Duncan’s movements, Mara clasped her hands and smiled as she looked into his eyes. “I don’t know who you are, and I don’t care. You can do whatever you want to me. I’m not telling you anything.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that. Despite what you may believe, I can force you to give me the information I need.”

  “Why me? You have her.” Mara nodded her head in Dr. Foster’s direction.

  “Yes, it would seem that way, wouldn’t it? But unfortunately, Dr. Foster is of no use to me at the moment. She suffers from amnesia, an unfortunate result from her abduction. I do not have the time, nor inclination to wait until she recovers, if it ever happens.”

  Mara turned to study Dr. Foster. For the first time, she realized the doctor had shown no signs of recognition when she saw Mara. She hadn’t spoken a word, her deadpan eyes gazing off in the distance. Hiding her shock, she said, “Wow, that’s unfortunate for you. She can’t tell you, and I won’t.”

  “I was hoping I wouldn’t have to resort to drastic measures. Take a look outside this window.” Duncan pointed at the one on his left. He nodded to the guard standing by the door. The guard spoke into a microphone attached to his shoulder.

  “What are you going to do?” Mara asked as she stared at the guard.

  “Just watch.”

  In the area outside the window, Mara and Michael watched two guards come into view. They were dragging someone who struggled to break free from their grasp. Mara felt her face contort in horror when she recognized the person being manhandled by the guards. Dodger. The cherished baseball cap no longer covered his head and bloody, torn clothing replaced his once sharp, clean appearance.

  “No! Let him go. He’s done nothing to you.”

  Duncan looked to the guard at the door and nodded.

  Mara watched in disbelief as one guard pulled out a gun and aimed it at Dodger’s temple.

  “Stop!” Mara screamed.

  “Ms. Byrne, this is your last chance. Give me the information or this innocent man dies.”

  Mara’s mind raced. What can I do? I can’t give this lunatic the information in the letter. Her shoulders slumped. “Fine. Just let him go.”

  Duncan nodded to the guard who repeated the ritual.

  Mara held her breath as the two guards dragged Dodger away. The little man could barely stand, his short legs unable to keep stride with the long-legged guards. His head hung limp between his shoulders. Tears swelled in her eyes. How could anyone be so cruel? Then another horrible thought struck her. She jumped to her feet. Her voice rose to a shrill. “What about Sophie? Where is she? What have you done with her?”

  “You really must calm down. Sit.”

  Mara sat and inhaled a couple times. Her body shuddered and her hands shook. “What about Sophie?”

  “I’m sorry, but the good doctor was killed. It was unfortunate. I instructed my men to be as careful as possible. Casualties were not part of the plan. You have my apologies for Agent Pennick and Dr. Hildegard.”

  At the mention of Oscar, Mara heard a deep guttural sound from Michael. His head fell back and his eyes squeezed tightly. In an instant, he jumped up and lunged toward Duncan. Before he could get his hands around Duncan’s neck, a guard pulled him off, throwing him to the floor. In one swift motion, the guard turned him on his stomach and bound his wrists with a zip tie.

  “Michael, stop it,” Mara said as she jumped to her feet.

  “You bastard,” Michael hissed. The guard reacted by pressing Michael’s face into the floor even harder. “Opie was a good man. He had a family. You’re dead. Do you hear me? Dead.”

  “Mr. Porter, rest assured you are not the only person who wishes me dead. You’ll have to get in line.” Nodding at the guard, Duncan said, “Take him away.”

  Mara watched as the guard hoisted Michael from the floor and prodded him outside. She turned back to the monster at the desk. Her heart pounded so hard, she feared she might die. I’m not in Kansas anymore, Toto. Never was.

  “Now, before we were so rudely interrupted. You were about to share some information with me.”

  Mara rubbed her neck to ease the tension building by the second. “Yes, I guess I was.”

  Duncan opened a drawer to remove a legal pad and pen. Poised and ready to start writing, he said, “Okay, please begin.”

  “Before I begin, could I have something to drink? My mouth is parched.”

  Exasperated, Duncan exhaled. “Yes, I suppose I could allow you that much.” He rose from his chair and walked around the desk. Extending his arm, he motioned for Mara to join him. They walked around the partition. A small kitchen with an island stood in the center of the floor. A residential size stove and refrigerator occupied the corner of the area. Duncan removed a bottle of water and handed it to Mara.

  The request was a stall tactic until Mara could figure what to do. She drank the water leisurely, not taking her eyes off Duncan. Pulling the bottle away from her lips, she realized she drank more than half.

  “Thirsty, weren’t you?”

  “Yes, I was.” She held the bottle out to her captor.

  “No, you keep it. Can we continue now?”

  As they turned to go back to the desk, Mara noticed a bedroom area on the opposite end of the kitchen. An army cot, a nightstand, a small dresser, and a chair were neatly tucked into the corner. Mara realized Duncan must use this building as living quarters.

  Ms. Byrne, please, let’s continue. Duncan reached for her elbow.

  She reflexively jerked away as if burned by a hot flame. “Don’t touch me,” she snarled. Her stomach soured in revulsion from his contact.

  In one swift motion, he struck her across the mouth with the back of his hand.

  Mara yelped and dropped the water as she covered her mouth with both her hands. Tears of shock filled her eyes. Never in her life had anyone struck her in such a manner. She reeled and stumbled. Before she could fall, Duncan grabbed her by the shoulders and slammed her into her chair.

  His face inches from hers, he hissed, “Let me remind you who’s in charge here. If you think you’re going to get by with that holier-than-thou attitude around me, you’re going to learn very quickly that I—won’t—have—it. Women better than you have tried me, and now they’re dead.”

  Mara’s face stung where he struck her and his hot breath burned her already blazing cheeks. Her breath hitched as she tried to regain composure. Pulling her hands away from her wet face, she inhaled a jagged breath. A childlike sound escaped her throat.

  “Stop your whimpering.” His hardened gaze twitched. “I don’t like getting physical, Ms. Byrne, but I will not tolerate a woman who refuses to show respect.”

  Mara couldn’t believe her ears. Is he for real? He’s stuck in the 1950s.

  Duncan picked up his pen. “Now, let’s pick up where we left off.”

  She looked over at Dr. Foster, who sat stone faced and emotionles
s. Mara opened her mouth to speak when the world went black.

  Twenty-Six

  Following the green Taurus seemed easy enough, it being an eyesore and impossible to go unnoticed like the billboards littered along the interstate. Noah and his group headed east a few car lengths behind Alex and his captors. They crossed over the Escambia Bay Bridge toward Milton. After a few miles, the Taurus veered off the interstate onto exit 45 and took a right. Noah’s nerves spiked. The chances they might be spotted increased since traffic was light and the area less populated.

  “I wonder where the hell they’re going,” Asher said, looking at the map on his phone. “There’s nothing around here.”

  “It’s going to get pretty obvious we’re following them,” Wally said. “The roads are getting less crowded, not to mention it’s starting to look desolate.”

  “Yeah, you’re right. I’d better hang back a little.” Noah eased off the gas. “I’m afraid I’m going to lose them though.”

  “It doesn’t look like there are too many places they could get to in these woods.” Asher looked out the window at the trees and brush lining both sides of the road. Soon the road changed from pavement to dirt. A trail of dust swirled on the road ahead of the black SUV.

  “Well this is good. At least now we’ll be able to keep track of them,” Noah said.

  The road narrowed and made several hairpin turns, but they knew they were on the right track from the wake of the dust falling gently on the road. The trail of roiling dust made a sharp left onto a road that could only be describe as a pig trail. Noah turned down the road, but stopped. “So, what do you think? Should we follow?”

  “In for a penny, in for a pound,” Wally said.

  “I agree.” Asher pointed at the trail, bobbing in his seat. “Hang on to your hats, it looks like it’s about to get bumpy,” he said.

  Noah glanced at his son. His eagerness to get going made him smile. “What does your little map say? Can you see what’s up ahead?”

  “The only thing I see is lots of green. And judging by our surroundings, I’d say there’re trees, trees, and more trees.”