by Nan Dale
“What about Vanessa? Aren’t they afraid that she will talk?” John asked.
“Good question, and I considered that, which is why I looked to see if there was a one-way ticket back to Germany in her name. Vanessa Mueller is scheduled to be on a flight back to Germany tomorrow evening. I am guessing that she will claim a broken heart and flee the country. Thing is, the Yates family is pretty sophisticated and well-known, so she wouldn’t be able to disappear that easily. The other scenario is that the Schroeders just get rid of her.”
“Get rid of her?” Ruth repeated, confused.
“Off her. Kill her. That way, she won’t be able to implicate them.”
Ruth and John stared at each other. Suddenly, John had another call incoming. “Frankie, someone’s calling me from an unknown number. Let me call you back. It may be Vanessa or Patrick.” John switched over to the other call. “John Beard speaking.”
“Hi there,” responded the voice on the other side, in a very strong British accent. “If you head outside your front door and look underneath the welcome mat, there is a phone. I would like you to hang up this call and pick it up.” The speaker disconnected.
John and Ruth exchanged a quizzical glance. Ruth followed John as he slowly opened the door and retrieved a phone from underneath the mat. He turned it on.
Thirty seconds later, this phone rang. “Hi there, I am sorry I was not able to introduce myself earlier, but I didn’t want to take the chance that your calls were being monitored. This is a very sketchy time, as you are aware. I would recommend that you avoid speaking on your personal phone as much as you can. It is possible that your phone is being tapped.”
“Tapped?” asked John.
“Yes,” continued the voice, “but I don’t really have time to go into this. Time and discretion is of the essence. This is about Vanessa and Patrick. We have them. Someone is after them. I can’t say much more, but can you meet me at 72 Hudson Avenue, in Vinegar Hill, in Brooklyn, in an hour. Turn your other phone off, but make sure that the GPS tracker is off first. I’ll take off the spy tracker when you get here. Tell your wife to be discreet too. Her phone is also likely being tapped, so perhaps she can use someone else’s phone for any critical calls. I’ll see you at five.”
Ruth and John looked at each other again in disbelief. “This feels like a scene out of Kiefer Sutherland’s 24,” Ruth remarked.
John went to the settings of his phone and turned off the GPS tracker. He then dialed Frankie. “It’s me again. Ruth is coming over and she will brief you.” He clicked off, then to Ruth: “Make sure he takes off any spyware on your phone. This is a dangerous time.” He leaned over and gave her a very long embrace.
“Be careful, champion. You always wanted to be James Bond. Don’t blow your chance.” She smiled weakly.
Just as John was about to switch off his phone, it rang again. It was the office. He answered it.
It was Barbara, his assistant. “The partners would like to meet you at six thirty today in advance of the drug and the background test,” she said.
“Nellie, I am having a major family emergency. Please tell Stanley and Larry that I can’t make any promises.” Before he turned off his phone, he saw two text messages. The first was from Aaron: “Call me, it’s urgent. It’s about the last two days.” The second text was from Jessica: “Lauren will not take the paternity test. So sorry. Good luck with everything.” Ruth also read the texts before he switched off his phone. From now on, he would keep her in the loop in real time.
As he bent down to give her a kiss, he noticed that she was looking quite unwell again and extremely tired. “Ruth, I think you may have to see a doctor tomorrow. Perhaps you should ring my parents and they can watch the kids while you take a quick nap?”
Ruth nodded. “Yes, that would be a good idea.”
“Do you think you have food poisoning or a stomach bug?” John asked, concerned.
“No, nothing like that … John, I know this isn’t great timing, but given the situation that you are about to walk into, I thought you should know. You are about to become a dad of three.”
Chapter 25
John floated into his BMW after his conversation with Ruth. He was having a third child! It was perfect; he had always wanted a large family: three kids and a dog—that was what he used to talk about with Jessica. Still, Ruth’s news had really caught him off guard. On the one hand, it was amazing … exactly what he would have wanted. On the other hand, his au pair’s life was possibly in danger and he had no idea how this was all going to unfold. As he raced toward Route 3 and New York City, the cars on the highway started to slow down and suddenly everything came to a halt. There was an accident ahead. That’s a pain, John thought. It would take a while to clear. He was about three minutes away from Secaucus. It was a quarter past four. He would have to ditch his car if was going to have any chance of making it to Vinegar Hill on time. It was unorthodox, but he pulled onto a slip road, parked, and made a dash toward Secaucus train station. He would either get a ticket or get towed, but who cared? John barely made the 4:25 NJ Transit train into Penn Station. The train took a while to pull into the station, and John stood up nervously, checking his phone. Once the doors opened, he fought his way through the crowds of people at Penn Station, toward the downtown express A train to West Fourth Street. With twenty minutes to spare, he transferred to the F train to Coney Island. This was going to be close. He landed at York Street in Brooklyn with seven minutes until the chime of five o’clock and started sprinting toward Vinegar Hill.
At one-minute past five, his phone rang and that British voice came through the line. “Where the hell are you?”
“I am right outside the building,” John replied triumphantly.
The gray door of an old-looking carriage house opened, and a bald Englishman with a goatee and glasses opened the door. “Charles Curry. Nice to finally meet you.”
Chapter 26
John followed Charles up a winding staircase of a very traditional Brooklyn carriage house. The stairs led to an open living room with a high ceiling, a large fireplace with exposed brick, and a wide-wood-plank floor. The energy in the room was heavy. Patrick, who was normally cheerful, had a closed face, and Vanessa looked like she had been crying. John walked over to her and gave her a comforting hug. He instantly felt sorry for her. So young, and yet her life seemed to have been so complicated.
Judging by their faces, John gathered that Patrick was up-to-date about Vanessa and her adoptive parents. An elderly man stood up and extended an arm out. “Tom Yates. I am Patrick’s father.”
“Nice to meet you! I am John Beard, Vanessa’s host father.”
Tom Yates was in good shape for a seventy-five-year-old, with extremely intelligent eyes and a firm handshake. He was as tall as John at six-four and had an aura of a well-accomplished, very astute man. Still, John could tell that he was a little worried for his son.
Charles began talking: “John, I am not sure how much you know already, but we have asked you to come here due to our belief that not only Patrick but your au pair Vanessa’s life may be in jeopardy.”
“I am aware,” John said with a nod. “I did some of my own digging. Vanessa is under my care. I will do whatever I can to ensure her safety. I think what would be helpful at the moment, though, is if you could explain to Vanessa why she is also tangled up in all this.”
“Yes,” Charles continued. “Vanessa, no one can blame you for the situation that you presently find yourself in.” He paused and glanced at Patrick. Patrick kept his eyes on the floor. “Vanessa, we have done some digging around your adopted parents, and they are not what they seem to be. It appears that they may have been involved in a similar ransom case about ten years ago. They were implicated as suspects, but no evidence was found and the case was closed. This case, however, was eerily similar to your own. It involved a girl who was also an orphan, and who just so happened to be an au pair to a British family.”
Vanessa looked up, clearly surpris
ed. “What happened to the au pair?”
“That’s the thing,” Charles continued. “She went missing around the time of the police investigations. She was headed back to Germany, apparently. Only, no one ever saw her after she arrived back in Frankfurt. Given that she was an orphan, no one ever looked into it until now. Clearly, the Schroeders were involved. We presume she is missing or, worse yet, dead.”
Vanessa felt her heart drop to the floor. “Now I am scared for my life.” For the first time in ten minutes, Patrick was able to look at Vanessa and put himself in her shoes. There she was, all vulnerable and helpless and very much alone. He couldn’t bring himself to forgive her yet, though. She’d accepted his hand in marriage, for goodness’ sake. She should have come clean right after that.
John interjected, “So in summary, Vanessa’s adopted parents used her to get close to Patrick. No one knows what they plan to do to him, but we think ransom, right? I have been doing some of my own digging and the Schroeder’s are in New York. They landed at JFK last week. We actually got a call from them earlier this afternoon. They were looking for you, Vanessa. Apparently, you normally check in every morning and they haven’t heard from you since yesterday.”
Vanessa reached into her pocket. “My phone, it’s …”
“Here,” Charles said. “I had to make sure that you weren’t being followed after I took you out of Patrick’s apartment. I turned it off and took out the SIM card … right after I bashed you in the head.”
“Lovely, Charles,” Patrick said. “You make it sound so endearing.”
“Vanessa, there is a flight booked for you to head to Germany tomorrow morning. Did you know that?” John asked.
Vanessa looked surprised and shook her head. “I didn’t know that, but my adopted parents wanted me to take Patrick out for his birthday. His birthday is on Friday, but they wanted me to take him out earlier. I am meant to treat him to a night out at a hotel in Midtown.”
“When?” asked Charles.
“Tonight,” Vanessa said weakly, not able to look directly at anyone.
“Where?”
“At the Hilton in Times Square.” Vanessa kept looking at the ground. “The room has been pre-booked. It is under the name Grube.”
“Grube.” Patrick rolled his eyes. “Really? You couldn’t even use your real name? Sheesh. Did you find out about those plans before or after our engagement yesterday?”
“Afterwards, of course! About an hour after you left New Jersey, Frau Schroeder gave me a call and told me about the booking. I tried to warn you right away, but your phone was off—”
“That was because Mr. Charles here decided to jump me before I got to my apartment,” Patrick said. “I lost my wallet too!” He gave Charles an accusing glance and Charles averted his eyes.
“Here’s your wallet.” John handed it over to him. “I found it by the trash cans at the back of your apartment building this morning. Ruth wanted me to check on you after your no-show at breakfast. Plus, apparently, Vanessa was panicking.”
“For good reason, too,” Patrick said sourly.
“OK, let’s get back to the next steps. What time are you meant to check into the hotel?” asked Charles.
“Around seven tonight. I am meant to then leave Patrick in the hotel room and head out to the pharmacy on Forty-fifth and Seventh Avenue. While I am away …” Vanessa paused. “The Schroeder’s are meant to visit Patrick.”
“You mean kidnap, darling,” Patrick said with salt. “They are meant to kidnap your fiancé while you are at the pharmacy supposedly buying lipstick and whatnot.”
There was an awkward pause in the room. Tom started to drum his fingers into the table, clearly anxious for his son’s safety.
“And what happens to you after you make the getaway?” asked Charles softly.
“I am … meant to meet Frau Schroeder at the agreed location,” Vanessa said flatly.
“Which is … ?” Charles continued pressing her.
“I don’t know! I was meant to check in and confirm it this morning.” She looked at Patrick for the first time. “I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t make the call. I couldn’t go through with it.” Vanessa and Patrick stared at each other—caught in their love, but trapped in an insecure situation.
Chapter 27
“OK, so it is now five to six,” Charles said. “Your adopted parents are freaking out right around now, because they have no idea where you are. And they probably suspect that you have run off with Patrick and bailed—and, worse yet, spilled the beans. They aren’t going to take any chances, and they are hunting you as we speak. My guess is that once they find you, you may not make it out alive. Too risky for them. Also, I checked earlier and your phone is definitely tapped.”
Charles paused for effect, waving his finger through the air. “This is what you are going to do. You are going to head down to the F train with Patrick and ask a passerby if you can borrow their phone to make a quick call. Say that it is an emergency. Sick family member or something. You are then going to call the Schroeders and explain that you accidentally dropped your phone in the subway and have been trying to get a replacement. If they ask, blame it on Patrick. He took you away for the night to celebrate your engagement and you lost your phone in the frenzy. Let them know that the plan is still on track and that you will be at the Times Square Hilton at seven o’clock as planned. We will trail you.”
Vanessa went downstairs with Patrick as planned. Even though they were only a few inches apart from each other, it seemed like there was a river between them. Patrick, visibly hurt, betrayed, and heartbroken; and Vanessa, misunderstood, helpless, and heartbroken.
She tried to touch Patrick’s arm, but he jolted it away. She pulled back, a big lump growing in her throat. A young girl in tight jeans, a long gray sweater, and sunglasses walked toward them. “Excuse me,” Vanessa said politely. “We are tourists and don’t have an American cell phone. May we use your phone for a quick call? Very sorry, but it is an emergency.”
“Sure, go ahead,” replied the girl.
“Tag. Ich bins. Entschuldigung. Ich habe meine handy veloren und ich benutze das von jemand anderem. Der plan fur sieben uhr steht noch. Wo sol lich danach hingehen?” (Hi, it’s me. I lost my phone and have been using someone else’s. The plan is still on for seven. Where should I head to afterward?)
“Bitte. Tschuss.” (OK, bye.)
After she returned the phone, she noticed Patrick looking at her strangely.
“I can’t figure you out,” he said. “On one hand, you play the victim, the helpless orphan from Düsseldorf that had no choice but to comply with her parents’ demands. On the other hand, you are the woman I fell in love with, who is light and funny and fearless, and who moves mountains. And now there is this third girl I am seeing, the conniving schemer suitable for any worldwide heist.”
Vanessa looked at him. “It’s not at all what you think. I am the one you fell in love with. I’m the orphan that followed her parents’ advice and fell in love with you. If I had known about the Schroeders, I would never have gone through with it. I came looking for you because I wanted to warn you.”
“NO!” Patrick shouted. “How can I trust anything that you say now when our entire relationship has been built on a lie? Anyway, it’s no use now. We need to keep moving or you’ll be late delivering your package.”
Chapter 28
The uptown F train arrived at the York Street platform in Brooklyn. They took it one stop to Jay Street Metro-Tech and then walked in silence over to the A train. As Patrick walked, he felt Vanessa slowing down beside him. She seemed lost in thought. The signs were obvious. How could a simple girl with humble beginnings be so well versed in the different works of Vivaldi and Chopin? How could she talk at length about the differences between a Monet and a Rembrandt? How had she known his favorite actors and movies and his pastimes? It was too good to be true. Vanessa was truly amazing. She could quote some of the leading poets around the world. She used to laugh at his jokes
and she shared the same dreams and interests. All because she had studied him. She had a damn PhD on him! How could he have been so foolish?
Vanessa could barely walk as they moved to the front of the platform. Her legs felt heavy and she was lost in thought. The future seemed so bleak at this point. What would happen to her now? Her only friends were John and Ruth. But … would they want her to continue as their au pair, knowing that she was a collaborator in a kidnapping? And what if she ran off now and disappeared? She had an ID and money in the bank—enough to get her a bus ticket from New York to Los Angeles. She could start again. But even if she did make it out, she would never truly be free. The Schroeders would always be looking for her. They spent their time tracking people online. They were like professional spies.
And what would happen to Patrick? The Schroeders wouldn’t stop until they had gotten some money out of him. They had spent almost two years plotting this. Patrick needed her to see this through for his own safety. She was the only one that could put them in jail once and for all.
The A train was delayed. As they stood on the platform, Vanessa stole a glance at Patrick. The last eight months had been the best months of her life. She had experienced what it was like to be truly in love and to be truly part of a family. She had laughed more than she had ever laughed in her entire life in those eight months. She realized what had been missing all her life: love.
Even though what she’d done was fundamentally wrong, those eight months made it all worth it. She could never go back to living in fear and not being part of a family. She could never go back to feeling unloved and unworthy. She hated not being able to belong.
As the A train started to head toward the platform, Vanessa looked at Patrick and mouthed the words, “I LOVE YOU.” Then she took one step onto the tracks.
Patrick was catapulted out of his stupor and followed suit in disbelief—he had to act quickly. It was in that moment that he understood the meaning of undying love.
