"What does he do?" Hannah asked. "Is he still at school?"
"He goes to college, but works for some guy as well. Not really sure what he does, but sometimes he has to leave when he gets a call from him."
"Are you planning on seeing him again when you go home? New York is a long way from Hawaii," Maddy asked her, trying not to sound as if they were quizzing her.
"I'd like to keep in touch, and see him whenever I can. He says he'd like that too, but I don't know. He doesn't seem to be as keen as I am."
Hannah kicked Maddy under the table, and gave her a quizzical look. Maddy shook her head just enough for Hannah to see.
"Oh well. I guess time will tell," Hannah said.
"How was dinner, girls?" Sarah and Hank had just wandered over to see how they were going and were standing beside their table.
"Great! It was the best food!" Maddy replied. "I'm so full!"
"I bet you can still fit in dessert!" Sarah said.
"Now you mention it, I think there might be a little space left for me to squeeze some in!" She smiled at her mom and they laughed together at their in house joke.
"You always have room for dessert, Maddy!" Hank joined in.
"Yes, I know. What is there?" She sat upright, and looked over to the buffet table which was now laden with an amazing array of colorful desserts.
"You'll need to go and look for yourself. There are too many to choose from," Sarah replied.
"You coming, Lyndsay?" Maddy asked as she and Hannah stood up, ready to check them out.
"No, I'll stay here, but you go."
"Come on Lyndsay. Surely there'll be something there you'll like," Hannah added.
"Okay, then." She finally gave in and joined the girls as they walked over to the buffet table.
"I do feel for that girl," Sarah whispered to Hank as she watched the girls walk to the dessert table together.
"I get the feeling that their home life isn't that wonderful," Hank said quietly, squeezing Sarah's hand gently. "Not like ours, my beautiful Mrs Wilson."
"That still sounds so strange!" she laughed. "Come on, let's go and get some dessert before Maddy eats it all!"
After the buffet had ended, the performers returned and captivated everybody for the rest of the evening.
Maddy and Hannah were still buzzing on the bus ride home. As they walked along the path to their villa, they sang some of the songs they'd heard at the Luau.
Lyndsay walked beside them, but didn't join in despite their encouragement.
Maddy wasn't sure if she'd imagined it or not, but as they neared their villa, she thought she saw the man that Jake had met at the cafe leaving Lyndsay's villa.
Chapter 10
The next morning, Maddy and Hannah stopped by next door on the way to the pool to see if Lyndsay would like to walk down with them.
"Okay. Give me a minute," she said, and disappeared into her room to get ready.
"Lyndsay, how do you do it?" Maddy asked when Lyndsay reappeared. She was in a short sundress complete with matching hat and designer sunglasses. "You always look like you’ve just stepped out of a magazine!"
"Really? That’s funny! I just threw this old thing on," she said, flicking her hair back over her shoulder.
"Maybe we really do need to go shopping with you!" Hannah commented as they left the villa. "We look so dull compared to you!"
"That could be fun. We could go sometime tomorrow. Jake said he'll be busy all day, so I'll have most of the day free."
"Do you ever do things with your parents?" Maddy asked.
"Not much. My dad's always busy with his work, even when he's away on vacation. And my mom reads magazines and goes for beauty treatments most of the time. They pretty much let me do whatever I want."
"Did they enjoy last night? Mom said they seemed to have a good time at dinner. I think they're coming over for a visit this afternoon."
"I think they did. They normally keep to themselves when we're here, but it might do them good to mix a bit."
The girls reached the pool and found some vacant sun lounges.
"Are you going to come in today, Lyndsay? The water looks really nice," Hannah asked.
"Maybe later. I've got a headache, so I think I'll sit here for a while. You go in. Don't worry about me."
"Okay," Maddy said. "I hope your headache gets better quickly."
Maddy and Hannah left Lyndsay relaxing on the sun lounge, and decided to go on the slides since she wasn't with them. They spent the next twenty minutes having a great time, before they thought they should check on her.
Lyndsay had her eyes closed, but opened them when she heard the girls return.
"How are you feeling?" Maddy asked when she sat up.
"A little better," she replied. "But I think I might go back. Jake's coming to pick me up shortly, so I'll go and get ready."
"Where are you going today?" Hannah asked, giving Maddy a quick look.
"I don't know. He usually tells me when we're on our way. He seems to know a lot of nice places. There are a lot to choose from around here."
"Maybe we can catch up this afternoon? We're going across to one of the other beaches with Mom and Hank. It'd be nice if you could come with us."
"Thanks. I'll think about it," Lyndsay replied. She stood up, put her sun dress back on, adjusted her hat and sunglasses, and waved to the girls as she walked back towards the villa, unaware of the danger that lay ahead.
Chapter 11
The day was warming up and the air was thick with the scent of frangipanis and ginger. However, her mind was elsewhere and she didn't notice. There was a heaviness in her heart that she couldn't explain. Seeing Maddy and Hannah enjoying themselves in the pool had made it worse. How she envied them their carefree and happy lifestyle. She wished she could be that like, even for just a short time. She couldn’t seem to let go and relax. What would people think, especially Jake, if she ran around and laughed like a child? He'd dump her for sure.
No, she just had to accept that her life was different. Better. She could have anything she wanted. All she had to do was ask. Problem was, her parents were never around to ask anything of. She wondered where they were today, as she turned the key in the door.
The room was different somehow. Things had been moved around, and there was an unfamiliar smell. Body odor mixed with stale cigarette, perhaps. She attempted to scream as a hand covered her mouth.
"Don't make a sound," he said quietly, as he led her away from the door. He was behind her, so she couldn't see him, but she could feel his body against hers. She struggled to break free. She kicked his shins and elbowed his stomach, but his arms were too strong.
"Make one sound or one move, and you're gone." He held her up against the living room wall, and she thought he had a gun pointing at her. "Understand?"
All she could do was nod. Her heart thumped and she almost wet herself.
"Tell me where your father keeps his files," he ordered.
"I don’t know."
"I don't believe you. Where are they? Tell me, or I'll make it worse." He grabbed her throat and pushed the end of what felt like a gun into her stomach. His breath stank of alcohol and cigarettes. She almost vomited.
"Over there, in the safe," she managed to say.
He let her go, but still had the gun pointed at her. "Open it."
"I don’t know the passcode."
"I don't care. Work it out." He pushed her over to where she'd indicated. She knew the safe was hidden behind a painting that was firmly attached to the wall. However, she also knew the painting would come off easily if she could find the hidden button that would release it.
Her dad would kill her. He hadn't told her where the safe was, but she'd seen him open it several times when he thought she wasn't watching. She didn't know the passcode, but she thought she'd be able to guess it.
Which was better? Being killed by her dad or by this crazy man?
"Open it," he ordered. He still had the gun pointed at her.
<
br /> She carefully reached around the edge of the painting until she found it. She held her breath, and pressed the spot. She heard the click, and the painting swung away from the wall, revealing the small safe that held her father's top secret papers. Why he'd brought them on vacation, she would never know.
She took a deep breath. Her mind was racing. What passcode would he have used? What if it was one of those new safes that generated a different one each time it was opened? She'd be dead if it was.
She punched in the numbers she thought it might be. It didn't open.
She punched in more numbers. It still didn't open. Her heart was beating so fast she thought it was going to explode.
"Don't play games. Open it," he said gruffly. He stood behind her, and she could sense his agitation.
"I'm trying," she said, sounding way more controlled than she felt.
She punched in another set of numbers and held her breath. She relaxed as she heard the sound of the safe unlocking.
He kept one eye on her, and the other on the safe. He reached in and pulled out a folder. He glanced through it, and shoved it in his shoulder bag.
"Righteo, miss. We're going to walk out of here as if nothing has happened. Make one wrong move, and you'll regret it. Understand?"
Lyndsay nodded. Where was he taking her? What was he going to do with her?
Chapter 12
Maddy and Hannah stretched out on the sun lounges and watched Lyndsay walk off.
"I really think we should have told her about Jake," Hannah said. "I think if I was her, I'd want to know."
"It's just not fair. At least she's only got a few more days here. I wonder if she has a boyfriend back home?"
"Probably," Hannah said. "I think she lives a very different life to us. Can you imagine us having boyfriends?"
"No, but she's older than us. And she lives in New York. It must be so different."
"She always acts as if she's got it altogether, but somehow she still seems sad underneath."
"It just makes me realize how lucky we are, Han. With parents who love us, and knowing Jesus. I think we should pray for her."
"Yes, I think we should too."
The girls spent a few minutes praying for Lyndsay. They prayed that she might want to know Jesus, and that He would help her sadness to go away. They also prayed for her parents, especially since Lyndsay had told them they were fighting.
"Do you want to go back?" Hannah asked all of a sudden.
"Yes. We should go check on her. Her mom and dad are probably out. They never seem to be there."
"Yes, I agree."
The girls wandered back along the path, chatting happily to each other, enjoying each other's company. They both knew their time together was coming to an end, and before long Hannah would be going home to Riversleigh, and Maddy would be starting a new life in Smithtown. Neither girl wanted this magical week to come to an end.
Maddy looked up just in time to see the same man she'd seen the night before leaving Lyndsay's villa. However, this time he wasn't alone. Lyndsay was with him.
She pulled Hannah quickly to the side of the path so they couldn't be seen.
"Look!" she whispered to Hannah, who was wondering if Maddy had lost her mind.
"That man's got Lyndsay!" Maddy could see he had a good hold on her, and it certainly didn't look as if she was walking with him by choice.
"We need to help her!" Hannah exclaimed when she realized that Maddy was right.
"Yes. Let's follow and see where he takes her. Let's go."
The girls crept along, remaining in the shadows of the trees as much as they could, trying to keep a reasonable distance so they wouldn’t be noticed.
The man walked with Lyndsay along the path leading to the main resort entrance, but after walking a few hundred meters, he turned into a smaller, narrower path that the girls had never noticed before, even though they'd walked past it many times. The vegetation was overgrown and jungle like, and the deep shade made it difficult to see.
The girls followed quietly, but stopped when the man slowed and looked around. They thought he'd seen them, but he mustn't have, as he pushed Lyndsay to the side and took something from his pocket. It looked like he'd opened a door, as he and Lyndsay disappeared inside a building that blended so well with the jungle that it wasn't easy to notice unless you knew it was there.
"What are we going to do?" Hannah whispered.
"I don’t know," Maddy replied. "We should try to look inside."
"What if he sees us? I think we should get your parents."
"What if he takes her somewhere else before we get back? I think we should take a look," Maddy whispered.
"Okay. But I'm feeling a bit scared."
"So am I, but it must be worse for Lyndsay. Let's try to see where she is."
The girls crept along the side of the building, which was no more than a grass hut that looked like it would fall apart in a big wind. They reached a window, but were disappointed to find that it had been boarded up, and they were unable to see inside. They tiptoed further along the hut until they reached the corner. Maddy snuck a quick look and saw some broken steps leading up to a veranda.
"We’ll need to be careful," she whispered to Hannah.
The girls got down on their hands and knees and crawled along the damp ground. Maybe it was just rotting vegetation, but Maddy thought it smelled like something had died.
They stopped when they reached the edge of the veranda. Maddy glanced back at Hannah before taking a good look. An old cane rocking chair sat in the corner, covered in a layer of dust and cobwebs. A door and a window were both boarded over, but she noticed that most of the boards were hanging loose. She told Hannah to stay put and keep a look out.
She crept onto the veranda, hoping and praying that the rotting floor boards would hold her. She reached the window and slowly moved a loose board just far enough to see in. It took a moment for her eyes to adjust to the dark interior.
What she saw took her breath away.
Lyndsay was tied to a chair, and had a gag over her mouth. It looked like the man was about to leave.
She heard a muffled scream behind her. She turned and saw Hannah being held by Jake. He had a gun in his other hand. The girl was with him.
"Open the door," he said, pointing his gun at her.
Maddy looked at the door, and slowly moved over and pulled on it. The boards scraped against the floor and one of them fell off as the door creaked open. The man looked up and saw Jake with the girls.
"Who are they?" he asked.
"Snoopers," Jake replied. "Caught them looking in. Friends of hers," he said, nodding towards Lyndsay. He didn't look at her.
Lyndsay stared at Jake, and then at the girl. She couldn’t believe what she was seeing. Jake? What was he doing here? And why did he have a gun? And who was he with? She struggled in an attempt to free herself, rocking the chair from side to side.
"You. Don't move," the man pointed the gun at her.
She stopped, but her eyes were fixated on Jake.
"What are we going to do with these two?" Jake asked the man.
"Get some rope and tie them up," he replied. He indicated to Maddy and Hannah to sit on the floor, either side of a post, and pointed his gun at them. Jake disappeared out the front door.
The girls were sitting so they couldn't see Lyndsay without turning their heads. Maddy could feel Hannah shaking, and she reached behind her and felt for Hannah's hand.
"What are you going to do with us?" Maddy got up enough courage to ask the man. She'd noticed he kept looking out the window nervously, even though he still had the gun pointed at them.
"Shut up, you," he replied, just as Jake returned with more rope. Jake tied the girls together, ether side of a pole running between the floor and the ceiling, and gagged their mouths with some foul smelling rag.
"Let's go," the man said to Jake and the girl once he'd checked the ropes.
Jake took a quick look at Lyndsay before walki
ng out the door and locking it behind him.
Chapter 13
Hank and Sarah had decided to take a stroll along the beach since it was such a lovely day. The kite surfers were out early, creating a colorful display against the brilliant blue sky. Hank dragged Sarah into the water, and they both fell in, laughing and splashing each other.
"I've had such a wonderful time this week," Sarah said a little later, as they relaxed on the sun lounges on the beach, completely unaware of the trouble that their daughter was in.
"It's not over yet," Hank said, reaching over and taking her hand. "We've still got three more days before we leave."
"Bliss," Sarah said, closing her eyes and soaking up the warmth of the Hawaiian sun.
They stopped by the pool on the way back. They thought they'd have a quick swim with Maddy and Hannah before lunch, but it seemed they'd already left.
"Strange," Hank said. "We normally have to drag them out."
When they reached their villa, the girls weren't there either.
"I wonder where they are?" Sarah asked. "It's unlike them to go off without saying anything."
"They'll be back," Hank said. "Don't worry. I'll just take a quick shower and then I'll help with lunch."
The girls still hadn't returned by the time lunch was ready, and Sarah was starting to become quite concerned.
"I think we should go next door and see if they're with Lyndsay," she said to Hank.
"Okay. I'll pop over," he said.
Hank walked over to the next door villa and noticed that the door was open. He knocked, and waited. He knocked again. No answer. No noise either. Maybe they're out the back. He walked around the side to the patio.
"Hello," he called out.
No-one there. He walked back around to the front and knocked again. No answer.
He peeked inside the door and immediately saw the open safe on the wall. A feeling of dread flooded through his body.
He decided not to enter the villa, but looked around as best he could to see if there was anything else amiss before returning next door.
"We need to call the Police," he said to Sarah as he walked back in and went straight for his cell phone.
The Madeleine Richards Box Set (The Madeleine Richards Series Book 4) Page 11
