Strangers

by Crystal V. Rhodes

  “And then you appeared.” Sin made no attempt to conceal his antagonism or his suspicion. This time everyone noticed.

  “I appeared and told her to call the FBI,” James observed, “just like I’m advising the rest of you to do.”

  Ignoring his comment, Sin addressed Dana. “Did the caller say when he would call back?”

  “No, but that was over an hour ago and…”

  The ring of Dana’s cell phone interrupted her in midsentence. She had placed it on top of her desk. She checked caller ID and didn’t recognize the number.

  “It’s nobody I know.

  “Then answer it.” Sin’s words were not a request but a demand. His tone was tense.

  In tune with what Sin was thinking, James picked up the cell phone and handed it to Dana. “Answer it.”

  Despite the vibes emanating between the two men so many miles apart, it was obvious that at the moment they were in perfect sync. Dana did as directed.

  “Hello?”

  “Two million dollars in 24 hours,” were the chilling words that greeted her.

  Dana’s hand began to tremble as she covered the receiver. Turning to the camera she silently mouthed to the others. “It’s him.”

  CHAPTER 4

  “He has my cell phone number!” Dana told the investigator with whom she was speaking. “How in the hell did he get my freakin’ cell phone number?” She was as mad as hell.

  James and she were in the conference room in her office, where the two of them were being interrogated by the FBI.

  After the second call from the kidnappers there was a consensus that the authorities should be contacted. The FBI had responded with amazing speed and efficiency. By nightfall they had inconspicuously set up operations both in L.A. and on the Peninsula. Dressed as gardeners, yardmen, janitors and city utility workers, they blended seamlessly into the areas that they had infiltrated.

  Telephone lines were tapped, waiting to trace the next call that Dana might receive. The instructions that she had been given by the abductors had been simple and precise. She was to deliver the money tomorrow. The drop off point was to be on the Santa Monica pier, an area which was especially crowded on the weekends.

  After the instructions were given, Dana had made a request to speak with the girls, but it was ignored. The abductors had made certain that their communication with her was brief. That avoided a trace being put on the call. Adding to everyone’s stress, the families were told that after the money was delivered the girls would not be released together. One would be released after the money was retrieved. The other one would be released after the money had been counted and it was confirmed that no tracking device had been included. Both releases were to be somewhere on the Peninsula.

  Everyone in the family was shaken by the telephone calls, and before the authorities arrived, each of them got busy. Sin and Thad made arrangements to get the ransom money. Nedra contacted their sons at their respective schools to make sure that they were safe and arranged for them to come home. Darnell called Mrs. Sharon and asked her to come to the Reasoner home. She would be able to provide valuable information to the authorities about the telephone call that Thad was suppose to have made.

  Dana noticed with pride that despite the dreadful circumstances, nobody in her family had fallen apart and she was determined that she wouldn’t either. Most of her life she had felt as though she was the weak link in her extraordinary family. For most of the past two years she had spent time in the bosom of those who loved her as she recovered from a fall that she had suffered in her home. It was during that time of recovery that she had discovered how wrong she had been about herself. She was a strong woman and she had learned to appreciate her strengths.

  This present ordeal demanded that she utilize every ounce of that strength. If her niece, nephew and cousins could endure this nightmare and stay sane, so could she. Of course they had each other to lean on for support and she was grateful that she wasn’t alone. James Starr, who had inadvertently stumbled into this nightmare, was there with her and he was proving to be a Godsend.

  When the abductor was making his demands, using quick thinking James had hit the speaker on her cell phone and withdrew a tiny recorder from the pocket of his jeans. He had then taped the perpetrator’s voice. Dana had wanted to drop on her knees with gratitude, as did the girls’ parents. Even Sinclair, who was openly hostile toward James, seemed appreciative. Yet Agent Michael Conway, the FBI’s lead investigator on this case, seemed to think that James having a tape recorder was suspect.

  “You say that you carry it around with you to take notes on your cases?” His tone was skeptical.

  Dana wasn’t sure what to think about the agent’s manner. She didn’t really know anything about James, but her gut instincts told her that he wasn’t involved with the abductors. Did the authorities know something that she didn’t know?

  James Starr seemed to take the questioning in stride. He never got upset. None of the many questions that the authorities asked seemed to faze him. He answered them all politely and appeared ready to cooperate in any way that he could. She had to admit that the man was a cool customer.

  Before the authorities came, Dana had wanted to get his take on the abductors’ actions and to find out a little about him.

  “It looks like the way that this has been set up, with the money drop being in L.A. but the kids being released on the Peninsula, that there are at least two kidnappers,” she speculated. “What do you think?”

  “Yes,” James agreed. “I’m no kidnapping expert, but as far as I know most ransom deliveries and releases are in the same area. This is a new one to me.”

  They both understood that the dual operation might make it more difficult to capture the culprits. The idea that the criminals might get away with this was unthinkable as far as Dana was concerned.

  “How long have you been in the security business, Mr. Starr?” she asked, changing the subject.

  James smiled to himself at the sudden change in direction. She was fishing for information.

  “First of all, please call me James, and to answer your question I’ve been in this business for five years. My partner is a private investigator and we merged our businesses two years ago. I moved out here to establish a West Coast branch in Southern California.”

  “Who’s your partner?”

  “His name is Nathan Webb. Ray knows him. Nate has twenty-five years of experience as a P.I.”

  Dana’s interest piqued. “And what do your services include?”

  “Webb Starr offers everything from assessing the security of commercial and residential property to following a straying husband or wife.”

  Dana raised a brow. “Oh really? How many employees do you have?”

  “Presently, we have twenty-five in two states, and as I said earlier, we’re ready to open an office in Northern California. Speaking of that, I need to call my partner and let him know that I’ve had a slight delay in getting up there.” He withdrew his cell phone from his pocket.

  “Don’t worry, I won’t tell him the reason why,” he added in reaction to her censuring glare.

  He had been on the telephone talking to his partner when the FBI arrived. Dana had been restlessly pacing the room and feeling much more secure about James Starr being in her office since she knew a little more about him. However, as Agent Conway continued to focus on him, she wasn’t quite sure that she had learned enough.

  “We’ve run your name through our computer. Mr. Starr,” the agent told him ominously, “and I’m sure that you can guess what we’ve discovered.”

  James’ casual stance didn’t waver. “What was that?”

  Yes, what was it? Dana was on full alert.

  “It seems that you’ve had quite a colorful past.” The agent gave him a twisted smile.

  Dana raised a brow. A colorful past?

  “It has been interesting,” James didn’t react to that observation either.

  “Indeed, but as you’re undoubtedl
y aware, we have to look at all aspects of this case and consider every possibility. We’ve dug deep considering how little time we’ve had.”

  “Then let me commend you.” James gave a sardonic smile. He knew that the agent was baiting him, but he beat him to the punch. “I take it that you’re referring to my activities as a hot headed youth.”

  The agent nodded. “I am.”

  Dana frowned. “What youthful activities? What does that mean? I hope that there are no secrets here.”

  James could hear her impatience. He didn’t make her wait.

  “You see, Mrs. Mansfield, what the agent is trying not to say is that it seems coincidental that I should stumble into this situation given my background…”

  “What background? Would you please get to the point?”

  “Okay. Despite my fifteen years as a cop with a clean record or my five years in the security field, I still can’t escape the fact that in my youth I was involved with one of the most notorious gangs in Harlem, New York. I’m a former gang member.”

  Dana didn’t bat an eyelash at that revelation. Looking at him, she wasn’t surprised at all.

  ****

  Gillian Reasoner was smart. By the time that she entered kindergarten her older brothers had taught her to read on a second grade level. Just as important, Gillian was also a clever child. She possessed a blend of quick thinking and basic common sense which belied a child her age. Grownups often marveled at her ability to finesse her way out of trouble, which she found herself in much too often. That was because Gillian Reasoner was also tough.

  Born to a single, drug addicted teenage mother, she had barely weighed three pounds at birth and had fought for her life from the beginning. The little girl with the dimpled chin and sad eyes had just turned three years old when she became the daughter of Nedra and Sinclair Reasoner. As the youngest of the Reasoner’s three adopted children, she held a special place in her family’s heart. They adored her and had allowed her energetic personality to thrive. The diminutive cutie was dubbed Little Miss Dynamite by her family and friends. Being held against her will by anyone presented the perfect opportunity for that keg of dynamite to explode.

  It hadn’t taken Gillian long to figure out that she was extra baggage for the kidnappers. It was obvious that the room in which they were being held captives had been set up for one person. If these people were smart they would ask for money from both set of parents, doubling their take. If they weren’t smart she didn’t want to think about what her fate might be. Whatever the case, Nia and she were both in danger as long as they were here and they needed to escape.

  Gillian had developed a plan. By looking through the doggy door she could see a bathroom across the hall with a window. She would ask the kidnappers if Nia and she could go to the facilities together. If the men let them out, the girls would close the bathroom door and run the water to cover the noise while they opened the window. Nia would climb out first and Gillian would follow. Gillian had instructed her cousin to run and keep running whether Gillian got out with her or not.

  Time passed slowly as they waited in the hot, stuffy room for the kidnapper to come to the door. The heat was stifling. The air vent above them didn’t seem to be working well. Gillian took the plastic off of the mattress and pillow because laying on it was too hot. She also turned the light off at intervals because it added to the heat.

  They didn’t know if it was day or night. Gillian looked out of the doggy door across the hall to see if there was still daylight streaming through the window into the bathroom. It was dark. She wasn’t sure how long it had been since they had been kidnapped.

  ****

  As he settled into his airplane seat the stranger gave a sigh of relief. It had been quite a trek to get here from the island on which he resided. He had made the airline reservation the day that he read the two year old article about Darnell Cameron. It hadn’t taken him long to pack and close his house, but that boat ride to the mainland had been grueling. Then there had been the flight in that small plane to the coast where he had caught the jet to the United States that had been just as laborious. He sorely missed the luxury yacht on which he used to cruise the ports of the world and the private aircraft that once took him to any destination that he desired. Things had certainly changed, but the sacrifices had been worth it because he was still alive. He couldn’t complain.

  Having made this unexpected return to the States, he couldn’t help but ask himself how long he would stay alive if someone from his past spotted him. What he was doing could possibly seal his fate. He was taking a risk making this trip, but the first hurdle had been crossed. The fake passport that he had hoped he would never have to use again had gotten him through customs. He was onboard the plane now where he could lay back, get some rest and wake up in Los Angeles. The question was what would he do when he got there? He had no plan.

  His decision to come here had been so spur of the moment that he hadn’t thought about that little detail. What he had read had been so startling, so unexpected, so shocking that all he could think about at the time was getting to the States, and quickly. There was no way that he could have stayed on the island not knowing if what he had read was true. As far as he was concerned, if it cost him his life to know the truth, it would be worth it.

  CHAPTER 5

  “We’ll get a decoy to drop the money,” Agent Conway informed Dana as they reviewed plans for the delivery of the ransom. They had been engaged in meetings for hours. Arrangements had been made for a bank to deliver the money in bills that had been carefully marked to avoid detection.

  James leaned back in his chair casually observing everything happening around him. He knew that the authorities still held him suspect, but he wasn’t concerned. He had been vetted years ago when he joined the NYPD. His youthful activities were well documented—at least those that he wanted others to know about.

  The revelation of his past appeared not to have bothered Dana Mansfield. She had given him a look as though she thought that what was revealed might have been worse. She had no idea that was probably true.

  She had asked him to stay until after the drop was made, stating that she might need his expertise. He had no doubt that the request had really been made out of fear that he might go to the media with the story of the abduction. She wanted to keep an eye on him. James was certain that if she hadn’t insisted that he stay, Agent Conway would have. Either way, the lives of two children were at stake and although it delayed his plans a bit, James had no problem being here.

  This was big and every agent scurrying around Dana’s office knew it. Darnell Cameron and Thad Stewart were two of the biggest stars in the world. Every aspect of this case was going to be scrutinized thoroughly by the media and by the public when this story broke. The FBI was treading carefully on this one. The end result had better be a success or heads would roll.

  Dana and the parents of the girls were being handled with kid gloves. As preparations for the drop were being made, each family member had been questioned regarding their activities during the day. James and Mrs. Sharon were questioned with the most scrutiny. Attention was given to each minute detail, and Dana had informed James that the Stewart’s housekeeper had been put under particular pressure. It had been she who had spoken to the man claiming to be Thad Stewart. Her interrogation must have been intense because Conway had received a Skype message from Darnell Cameron Stewart informing him that she did not appreciate the way that her housekeeper was being treated.

  After that, contact between L.A. and Carmel had been minimal and James was unable to gauge how the parents were holding up. However, Dana seemed to be more focused than she had been when he had first encountered her.

  Between breaks in the F.B. I. questioning, Dana and James had talked. She had been so upset by the call on her cell phone that he had helped her make a list of how many people had the number. By the time that she was finished she had to admit that her number hadn’t been as private as she had thought.

&nb
sp; As Dana sat observing the seemingly endless activity swirling around her, she was proud of herself for her ability to look calm. The reality was that her insides felt like jell-o and she prayed silently and constantly for the safe return of the girls. She felt more confident that could happen than she had hours ago. The efficiency with which the authorities were moving was impressive. She was glad that the family had listened to James.

  His advice was sound and unhampered by the emotions that had clouded the judgment of the girls’ loved ones. His objectivity had been needed.

  Dana liked James Starr. She liked his calm demeanor and his laid back style. It was comforting. His presence made her feel safe. There was no doubt that his towering height and muscled build was an important factor in that. He had the physique of a man who had spent some time behind bars. She hadn’t been surprised when it was revealed that in the past he’d had run-ins with the law. He claimed to be a different man now and she had no reason not to believe him.

  She had to admit that his gray-eyed gaze was disconcerting. They seemed to change with his emotions and she had noticed that they missed very little. He appeared to be keenly observant, and she had the feeling that if the FBI missed anything in this case, he would notice.

  ****

  As she sat on the mattress, Gillian fought to stay awake in the suffocating heat. Both girls were dehydrated and Nia had fallen asleep. Each time Gillian felt herself drifting off she jerked awake, but as the seconds ticked away it was becoming more and more difficult.

  She was fighting the overpowering urge to sleep when she heard the faintest of sounds outside the door. Alerted, she sat up and listened closely. Someone was there. It was time to execute her plan for escape. She sprang into action.