The Madeleine Richards Box Set (The Madeleine Richards Series Book 4)

by Juliette Duncan

  "Why? What's happened?" she asked, rushing over to him.

  "There's been a break-in," he whispered to her, his hand over the mouthpiece.

  After he'd spoken to the Police and explained what he'd seen, he and Sarah stood together in the kitchen, discussing what could have happened.

  "It doesn’t explain where the girls are," Sarah said. She was trying to remain calm, but her imagination was running wild.

  "They probably have nothing to do with it," Hank said.

  "I would hope not!" Sarah exclaimed. "I hadn't even thought about them stealing anything!"

  "No. I don't think they would have done that. But maybe Lyndsay did. What do you think?"

  "Why would she steal from her own parent's safe?" Sarah replied, trying to think rationally.

  "I don't know. As you said, it doesn't really explain where our girls are."

  They heard a knock on the door, and Hank let the police officers in.

  He explained once again what he'd seen, and led them over to the next door villa.

  "Do you know where the occupants are?" one of the police constables asked him.

  "No, I don't. Sorry."

  "So you don't know what was in the safe?"

  "No. No idea," Hank replied, shaking his head.

  The police constables were looking around when Lyndsay's parents returned. Her dad immediately took stock of the situation, rushed over to the safe and looked inside. He stood there with hands on his head.

  "No!" he exclaimed. "No. This can't have happened!"

  "Excuse me, sir. What's been taken?" the police constable asked him.

  "Top secret papers. I knew I shouldn't have left them in there," he said.

  "Sorry to ask, sir, but what kind of papers? We need to know."

  He sat down on the sofa and took a deep breath.

  "I've been doing research on rare plants that are only found here in Hawaii. Plants that could hold the key to longevity," he said. "I've been keeping my notes on my laptop and also on paper. The research is top secret, but I've had threats in the past, as this information is highly sought after. I've got my laptop with me, but the notes were in the safe."

  "Any idea who would have stolen them?"

  He shook his head. "No. Not a clue. I haven't been bothered by anyone all week," he said.

  "Okay then. Do you know the whereabouts of your daughter? Your neighbors here have been looking for their daughter and her friend, and thought they might be together."

  Lyndsay's mother answered the constable, "No. She usually does her own thing during the day. She could be anywhere, although I think she said she was having lunch with her boyfriend."

  "How old is she, Ma'am, if you don't mind me asking?"

  She quickly glanced at her husband before replying. "She's thirteen."

  The constable raised his eyebrows. "What do you know about her boyfriend?" he asked.

  "His name's Jake. He's a local. Lyndsay said he's eighteen. That's about all I know."

  "Could he have opened the safe?" the constable asked Lyndsay's dad.

  "I doubt it. I'm the only one who knows the passcode."

  "Could your daughter have opened it?"

  "I don't think so. I don't think she even knows where it is," he replied.

  "She's a smart girl," her mom said. "She would have seen you opening it, and it wouldn’t be that difficult for her to work out the passcode."

  "Do you have any idea where this Jake character lives?" the constable asked.

  Lyndsay's mom and dad looked at each other and shook their heads.

  "We really don't know much about him at all, Constable," her dad said.

  Sarah couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Lyndsay was only thirteen after all. She'd been right on that one. But how could her parents have let her go out with an eighteen year old boy, and then not know anything about him? Okay. Try not to judge them. Stay calm. The girls will be found. Lord, please be with them, she prayed.

  It didn't seem all that long ago since she’d prayed the exact same thing when they'd run away. Why did trouble always seem to go hand in hand with Maddy? Maybe she's not involved. Maybe it's only Lyndsay, and Maddy and Hannah are waiting for us at home.

  "I'm just going to see if the girls are back at our villa," Sarah said to Hank and the Police Constables.

  She walked quickly out the door, and back to the villa. It was empty. Her heart sank. Where are they, Lord?

  She walked back to Lyndsay's villa, and looked at Hank. "They're not there," she said quietly.

  "Can we get photos of all three girls? I guess you don't have a photo of Jake?" the constable asked Lyndsay's parents, failing to disguise the disgust he felt.

  "No, we don't," Lyndsay's dad replied.

  "I'll get you one of Lyndsay," her mom said, flicking through her cell phone until she found a recent one.

  Sarah did likewise.

  "We'll get onto this straight away," the Police Constable said. "Three missing girls, and stolen top secret documents," he said to the Sergeant on the other end of the phone.

  Once he'd finished his conversation with the sergeant, he turned and spoke to Lyndsay's parents. "A team will be here to check for fingerprints and anything else shortly, and we'll get the photos of the girls out to all cars. They're our priority for now. If we find the girls, we'll most likely find the documents. It seems they're linked."

  "I'd like to go out and look for them. Any problem with that?" Hank asked.

  "No, but if you see anything, call us. Don't attempt anything yourself," the Police Constable replied.

  Sarah decided she needed to go with Hank. She had to be doing something. She'd go mad if she had to stay there with Lyndsay's parents.

  She and Hank left, promising to let them know if they found anything at all that might indicate where the girls were.

  Hank grabbed her hand, and they followed the Police Constables out of the villa.

  "I don't believe this has happened," Sarah said to Hank once the policemen had left. She was trying not to cry. Hank wrapped his arms around her, and whispered in her ear. "We’ll find them, darling. It will be okay."

  She felt comforted, but there was still an aching in her heart. She just wanted Maddy back. Surely Jake wouldn't have done anything to the girls? Or would he?

  Chapter 14

  Maddy sat there for several minutes after Jake and the man had left, not knowing what to do. Not that there was anything that she could do. She was tied up and gagged, unable to move or speak. The options were limited. Non-existent, in fact. She couldn't even see Hannah or Lyndsay's faces.

  Lord God, I need your help again, she prayed silently. I'm really scared this time. I have no idea what to do. I don't even know what's happened. Why did that man have Lyndsay? How can we get out of here? Can you please send a message to Mom and Hank? Can you do that, God? Please help us.

  She heard Hannah whimpering behind her. There was nothing she could do. Or was there? Maybe she could shift the pole they were tied to. She managed to move her head just enough to look up. The pole didn't look like it was one of the main beams holding the roof up. She thought it might be possible to pull it loose, given that the whole place looked like it was about to fall down at any minute. Just as long as it didn't pull the roof down with it.

  She tried to communicate with Hannah, but all she came out with was a grunting noise that said nothing. She jolted first to one side, and then the other, hoping that Hannah would be okay with what she was doing.

  It seemed that Hannah had understood, as she tried to help Maddy by pushing and pulling in time with her. Had she imagined it, or was the pole moving?

  They continued until they heard a loud creak, and felt the pole come loose. It almost knocked them over. The roof was quite high, and this pole would have been at least three meters tall. It swayed and they had trouble controlling it. Maddy was fearful that it might crash onto Lyndsay, and knock them both over in the process.

  The bottom of the pole had snapp
ed off as well which meant they were now able to slide along the floor. The problem was how to stabilize the pole without hurting themselves or Lyndsay.

  Maddy thought quickly. If they could slide over to the door, there should be enough room for the pole to come down without hurting Lyndsay, and then they could wriggle out of the shorter end. It was worth a try.

  Moments later, after they'd carefully slid along the floor, they leaned over slowly until the pole took off and fell heavily, knocking them onto their sides. Hannah's head landed with a thump, and Maddy was concerned for her friend. Her own head was hurting, but thankfully she'd avoided hitting anything apart from the floor.

  Hannah wasn't moving. Maddy grunted. No response from Hannah. She could hear Lyndsay making unintelligible noises, but couldn't see her. She had to free herself of the ropes.

  The short end of the pole was now off the floor. She forced herself inch by inch along it until she reached the end. Hannah felt like a dead weight on the other side of the pole, but Maddy finally heard her stirring.

  Maddy gave one last push and freed both herself and Hannah from the pole.

  They were still tied together, but as the ropes were now loosened, it didn't take Maddy long to get free. She undid their gags and took a good look at Hannah. She seemed to be okay, apart from a little blood on her head.

  "Does it hurt, Han?" Maddy asked, taking a closer look.

  Hannah reached up and touched the side of her head and flinched.

  "A little," she replied. "Yuck. Blood." She looked at her red fingers and felt the bump on her head again.

  "I think I'm okay. It's just feels like a small cut. Let's get Lyndsay untied," she said.

  Maddy raced over to Lyndsay, and noticed that her eyes were almost popping out of her head.

  When Maddy undid the gag, she immediately spat on the ground. "Thank you," she said. "That rag tasted like a bunch of rats had weed on it."

  She stood up slowly, and when she looked at Maddy, tears started to run down her cheeks. "I don't know what would have happened if you hadn't found me."

  Maddy embraced her. She guessed she was crying for Jake. She didn't say anything. There was no need.

  "Come on, Mad. We need to get out of here," Hannah said.

  "Shh!" Maddy said. "They might still be around."

  Hannah looked up, startled. "I didn't think about that," she said quietly.

  "Lyndsay," Maddy said as she reached inside the pocket of her shorts and found a tissue for her. "Why did that man have you?"

  "He was in the villa when I went back after leaving the pool," she said. "I think I surprised him. He made me open the safe and get out Dad's top secret papers, and then he made me come here." Tears streamed down her face again. "I didn't know Jake was involved," she cried.

  "We should have told you about him," she said. "We saw him with that man the other day. He looked creepy then."

  "But he was with another girl. I don’t understand." She started to cry again.

  Maddy put her arms around her again, and let her sob for a minute before pulling away.

  "Lyndsay, we really need to get out of here. Will you be okay?"

  She wiped her tears and nodded.

  Maddy smiled at her. "Let's go."

  Maddy opened the front door carefully and peeked out, checking that no-one was about. "Okay, the coast is clear," she said quietly, indicating for Hannah and Lyndsay to follow.

  The girls snuck out, and had just started to walk down the overgrown path when they saw two men walking towards them in the distance.

  "Quick, hide!" Maddy whispered. The girls jumped into the bushes and crouched down, as still and quiet as they could be, as the two men walked past and turned into the hut.

  They raced out as quickly as they'd gone in. One ran around the back of the hut. The other stood looking along the path to the left and right just in front of her.

  Maddy could see him clearly through the bushes. He was wearing a dark colored muscle shirt, and his arms were covered in tattoos. She'd never seen anyone with so many of them before. He stubbed out a cigarette on the ground with his foot, and looked along the path again. He clearly seemed agitated. She hoped and prayed he wouldn't look her way.

  The other man joined him. They peered into the bushes as they walked slowly back along the path the way they'd come. Maddy could tell they were looking for them.

  Hannah couldn’t help herself. She'd been holding it, but all of a sudden it happened. She sneezed. The men turned around and ran towards them.

  "Run!" Maddy called out. She took off down the path the other way with Hannah and Lyndsay following. She looked back. Lyndsay wasn't keeping up, and the men were gaining on her. Lord, please help us. All of a sudden, she broke out of the overgrown path and found herself on the main thoroughfare. Lyndsay was nowhere to be seen.

  Chapter 15

  "Where do we look?" Sarah asked Hank as they stood outside their villa once the police had left.

  "Let's check out all the paths around here. You never know, the girls might not be involved at all, and might have just gone for a walk."

  Sarah didn't believe that, but was happy to be doing something. They started walking down the path towards the main reception area, looking carefully for any sign of the girls. They saw nothing, but kept walking, hopeful they'd see something. They continued around the other side, and just as they were about to give up hope of finding anything, they were almost knocked over by Maddy who had suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

  "Mom!" She threw her arms around Sarah. "How glad am I to see you!"

  Hannah followed, but immediately collapsed. Hank managed to catch her before she hit the ground.

  "She's got a cut on her head," Maddy said, as she let go of her mom and bent down to help Hannah.

  Hank found the cut easily. Her hair was covered in blood, and it was still oozing out.

  "Quick. Give me your scarf," he said to Sarah. He wrapped it around Hannah's head and sat her down. "You’ll need stitches, but that should stop the bleeding for now," he said to her.

  "What happened?" Hank asked, looking at Maddy.

  "We've been worried sick," Sarah said.

  "Where do we start?" Maddy replied. "We were running away from two men who were following us down that track," she said, pointing to where they'd just come from. "But that's the end of it, not the beginning. And Lyndsay's missing. She was with us. Those men must have caught her."

  "We'd better call the police straight away," Hank said. "They've been looking for all three of you."

  "I got a good look at one of the men."

  "Good girl," Sarah said, giving her daughter a hug.

  Hank called the police, and they arrived within minutes.

  Maddy gave them a good description of the man that had been standing in front of her, and a group of police commenced a search of the area.

  "I hope they find her quickly," Maddy said. "He looked really mean."

  The police wanted to interview Maddy and Hannah, but were happy for them to go back to their villa instead of the police station.

  On the way, Maddy told Hank and Sarah what had happened.

  "We saw Lyndsay being taken away by this man when we were coming back from the pool," Maddy said. "It was the same man I'd seen the other day with Jake, and so we followed them. We didn't have time to do anything else. And then we got caught. By Jake and his girlfriend. They tied us up in the hut where they'd tied Lyndsay up."

  "Maddy got us out of there," Hannah said. "But then, these other men came looking for us. We hid in the bushes, but then I sneezed, and they chased us. And that's when we ran into you. But now Lyndsay's missing."

  "Sounds like you've had quite the adventure," Hank said. "Once again." He looked pointedly at Maddy.

  "I know," she said. "But this time it wasn't our fault. We were just trying to help Lyndsay. I'm so worried about her."

  "The police will find her. They couldn't have gone that far," Hank said.

  They reached the vi
lla, and Lyndsay's parents came outside. Maddy noticed they looked distraught. Lyndsay's mom had been crying, and her dad had his arm around her.

  "Have you heard anything?" Hank asked Lyndsay's dad as they walked inside their villa.

  "No. Nothing at all," he answered.

  "Where have they taken her?" Lyndsay's mom started to cry again.

  Sarah sat beside her and comforted her. "She’ll be okay, you'll see." Sarah prayed silently that this would be the case, and that Lyndsay would be found unharmed.

  Lyndsay tried desperately to keep up with Maddy and Hannah as they ran along the pathway, but she knew she was falling behind. Unused to this level of physical exertion, she was running on adrenalin, but it wasn't enough. She glanced behind and saw the man with the tattoos gaining on her. She turned and tried to run faster, but it was no use. He caught up and grabbed her from behind, throwing his strong muscly arm around her and stopping her dead in her tracks.

  She managed to scream out briefly before her mouth was covered with his other hand. She kicked and elbowed him, but with no success. He was too strong for her.

  He was pulling her back into the bushes when the other man arrived.

  "The boss is going to kill us for losing the other two," Lyndsay heard the second man say. "I followed them as far as I could, but I dropped back when they reached the end of the path."

  "At least we've got this one," the tattooed man replied. "We'd better get out of here quick. The cops will be round soon."

  He put a gag over Lyndsay's mouth and tied her hands together behind her back, before dragging her back the way they'd been running. She dug her feet in and wriggled and squirmed as much as she could until he stopped and faced her directly.

  "If you know what's good for you, little lady, you'll come quietly, or else I can't guarantee you'll get there in one piece." His breath stunk, and if it hadn't been for the gag, she thought she'd vomit.

  Lyndsay's mind raced as they continued along the path. If only I'd been fitter, she thought. At least Maddy and Hannah managed to escape. I still can't believe that Jake duped me. What an absolute rat bag! Tears stung her eyes and rolled down onto the gag.