Entrance to Nowhere

by Marja McGraw

  My aunt looked angry. “But they’ve got Andrew. They could do anything to him.”

  Griz patted her back. “They’re not going to do anything to him until they have the right flash drive.”

  “Thumb drive,” my aunt corrected.

  “Flash drive, thumb drive. Who cares what you call it? They’re not going to do anything to him unless they have what they want. They got away with the phony thumb drive, so they’ll be back when they figure out what it is.”

  I nodded. “And since we switched the real drive for the fake one, they may make a point of coming back when they know we’re here.”

  “We’ll be ready,” Scott said. “I’m going to fix the surveillance cameras, but I’m also going to add a couple in places where they won’t expect them. We’ll see them coming this time, not just assume someone is here because the lights go out and the cameras stop working.”

  “Here’s the problem, as I see it,” Pete said. “They’ve had a lot of time to put their plan together. We’ve, or you’ve, only had a couple of days to try to figure things out. They could be anything from an international terrorist group to homegrown terrorists to a political group trying to make a statement. They might even be thieves. And we don’t know what they want to hack into. We’re in a tight spot with this one.”

  Griz gritted his teeth before speaking. “That’s why I wanted you here. We needed a fresh perspective and another brain to figure it all out.” He glanced around the room. “Now we’ve got five brains to pick.”

  “Hey!” Aunt Martha looked excited. “They got away with the thumb drive, but not the boxes they took out of the safe. They’re still sitting on the desk. Let’s see what’s in them.”

  “Well, duh,” I said. “They could contain an answer. Why didn’t we think of that?”

  Scott headed toward the door. “Let me know what you find. I’m going to get to work outside.”

  My aunt made it to the desk in a couple of long strides and started opening the boxes. Her eyes opened wider with each box. “I can’t believe this.”

  We each stepped forward to see what she was looking at.

  “I can understand the cash, but what about the gold?” Aunt Martha tipped her head to the side before snapping her fingers. “I’ve got it!”

  Griz picked up a bundle of hundred dollar bills. “What?”

  “I watch a lot of TV.”

  He looked at her and rolled his eyes, putting the bundle back in the box.

  “Okay, so sue me, you ol’ goat. I like television. Anyway, I mentioned watching those prepper shows. A lot of people think the world is going to have a financial meltdown. Cash won’t be worth a plug nickel. So they’re stocking up on gold and silver.” She smiled. “That’s my Andrew; ready for anything.”

  “Your Andrew?” Griz sounded amused.

  My aunt looked almost uncomfortable, but not quite. “He was always my favorite student.” She narrowed her eyes and stared at Griz. “You never would have been that fortunate.” The discomfort had morphed into sassiness.

  Griz laughed. “I like your moxie, lady.”

  She sniffed and turned away from him, but I could see just a hint of pleasure on her face.

  Layne examined the boxes closely. “This explains why Mr. Trapper kept saying he needed extra cash. I know he never goes anywhere, so I couldn’t understand his need for money. He was really annoyed when I questioned him about it and he told me to mind my own business. After all, he said, it’s his money.”

  Griz was suddenly serious again. “You know, it may be that they need financial backing and wanted his money for that reason. That would let out international terrorists because they wouldn’t need this money. Although there’s a lot here, it would be a mere pittance to them.”

  “At least that narrows the field,” Pete said.

  Bubba approached the desk and examined the boxes. I guess he figured if we were interested in them, he might be, too.

  I glanced around the room. “Where’s Clementine? Did we leave her in the Safe Room? I guess we did.”

  “Oh, and she was whining to be with Bubba.” My aunt headed for the door to let the little sweetie out, but stopped. “Where’d the door go?”

  “It’s hidden,” Griz said. He held out the remote control while pushing a button. The door opened with a soft whoosh.

  “I can’t believe how fond I’ve become of that dog in such a short time,” I said.

  “Don’t even think about it, Sandi. That mini mutt belongs to Trap. We’re not taking her home.”

  Clementine came running into the office as fast as her little legs would carry her and she stopped in front of Bubba, looking up at him adoringly. Ignoring her, he headed for the front door. Apparently a potty break was in order. Some things are more important than others.

  I left everyone in the office and took both dogs outside. Fresh air was what I needed. I glanced at my watch and saw that the day was only half over. The longest day of all of our lives was becoming longer with every passing moment, which made no sense whatsoever to me.

  Pete joined me outside. “This is quite a place.”

  “Yes, it is. All of this security makes me feel kind of like a prisoner, and yet we’ve already seen that there’s not really enough security.”

  “Remember, the kidnappers we’re dealing with have knowledge. They understand this place, and I’m sure they forced Trap to tell them what to expect when they came back.”

  “Now that I think about it, with all of these cameras and things, how did they get in here to snatch him without it being recorded? They had to have some knowledge beforehand.”

  “We might not have the answer to that until we rescue Trap.”

  “I’ve been thinking about something,” I said. “Why did they only take one of Trap’s computers? He’s got so many of them, you’d think they would have taken all of them.”

  “From what Griz told me, Trap’s too smart to leave the files on any of his computers. Maybe they thought the one on his desk was the important one.”

  We looked at each other, each with the same thought in mind.

  “They’re on Stan’s computer,” Pete said.

  He pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and started pacing across the gravel.

  Chapter Eighteen

  I could see Pete’s mouth moving, but I couldn’t hear what he was saying. He didn’t talk for long.

  Returning to my side, he said, “Stan says he’s got it covered. He says he’s put up so much security that it would take an Act of Congress to hack his computer. He also said he’s taken precautions to only plug in one file at a time. It appears that without all of them, none of the information would make enough sense to anyone. He also sounds very nervous.”

  I thought about a few of the things Stanley had undertaken over the past few years. “He’s a lot smarter than we realized. I mean, I know he’s intelligent, but it seems he’s learned a lot more from taking classes than I thought. He’s figured out a lot on his own, too. He seems to have a knack for Internet Technology.”

  Pete stuck his cell phone back in his pocket. “I hate to admit it, but I thought he was wasting his time. Guess not.”

  Aunt Martha stepped outside. “Let’s have some lunch. Sandi, why don’t you help me put something together?”

  “Be right there,” I replied.

  Pete whistled and the dogs came running. Well, Bubba kind of loped. At his size, he only ran when he had to.

  “Take the dogs inside with you,” he said. “If those people come back, they may look at the big guy as a threat that they want to get rid of. I’m going to go talk to Griz and Draper and fill them in on some of the things Stan told me.”

  I nodded. “I’ll send Griz out and maybe the two of you can figure out where Scott is.”

  “Yeah. I don’t know my way around this place, but Griz seems to know every square inch of the area.”

  Bubba parked his carcass on the floor in the living room and after giving his face a good licking, C
lem curled up next to him.

  I joined my aunt in the kitchen.

  “Donald is quite a fellow,” she said.

  “Who?”

  “Donald Workman. You know, Griz.”

  “Oh. I forgot that was his name. So you like him?”

  “Well, of course. He gets me, kind of like Andrew did when he was a youngster. Even your Uncle Henry never really understood me. He just put up with me, bless his heart.”

  She was heating soup on the stove and making a pile of sandwiches. “Those men should be pretty hungry by now.”

  “I’m sure they are, Auntie.”

  “I’m worried about Andrew. If I understand correctly, he’s been gone for three days? I think it’s three. Those monsters could be doing anything to him. They could be torturing him to get information.”

  “Now, Aunt Martha, slow down. I’m sure they’re not torturing him. From what everyone has said, I get the impression he’s a mild-mannered man, and maybe a little timid. I don’t think they’d have to go to those lengths to get information from him.”

  “But – “

  “This morning that intruder went straight to the slippers, didn’t he? Trap had to tell him about the slippers. We don’t know enough yet to help Trap, but we will. They may be smart about computer stuff, but we’re smart in other ways. If there’s a military guy helping them – “

  “Probably ex-military,” she interrupted.

  “I’m sure you’re right. Anyway, if he’s helping them, it appears he hasn’t come here with them. He’s working from a distance. We’ll take care of things when they make another attempt, and they will. They want that thumb drive in the worst way.”

  We heard the men’s voices moving through the house. Pete was on top of things.

  “So there’s only one way in or out of here, right? I mean when they drive in, not when they’re on foot.”

  “That’s right,” Griz replied.

  Pete carried on with his thoughts. “Is there anywhere to hide a car along the route?”

  “Yes,” Scott said. “We’ve been so involved in the house and that they’re looking for the thumb drive, we’ve been too short-sighted.”

  “Okay, so you take care of the security here. Sandi and I will hide the Jeep along the way. When they leave, we’ll follow them out.”

  They’d walked into the kitchen while they talked.

  “Won’t they see you following them?” Aunt Martha asked.

  Pete smiled at her, which surprised me. “Your niece and I are old hands at this. Trust us.”

  He turned to Griz and Scott.

  “When we follow them to their destination, I’ll call you on the cell phone.”

  “Call us before you figure out where they’re going,” Scott said. “We’ll bring up the rear.”

  “Who’ll guard the house?” My aunt sounded worried again.

  “What’s to guard?” I asked. “If they leave, they’ve either found what they want or they’re going to grill Trap.”

  “Good point, but they’d better not do any grilling or they’ll have to deal with me.” She turned off the burner on the stove and poured tomato soup into bowls, and set the plate of sandwiches within easy reach.

  Each man picked up a bowl and a sandwich and headed for the dining room. Aunt Martha had set out paper plates.

  “There’s one thing you haven’t taken into consideration,” Scott said, setting his soup bowl and plate on the table. “They’ve been here twice and they’re figuring out the lay of the land. They could come in on ATVs.”

  “What’s an ATV?” My aunt directed the question to me.

  “It’s an all-terrain vehicle. It can go all kinds of places that a car can’t.”

  “Okay, I’ve seen those on TV, too. They look kind of like a teeny tiny Jeep, right?”

  “Some of them do.”

  “We’ve got two ATVs in the garage,” Griz said. “Either way, we can follow them. We can keep in touch with each other, and if they ditch the ATVs and switch to a vehicle, you can pick up their trail.”

  “Here’s the problem,” I said. “We need to convince them that we’ve really left and the house is empty. They wouldn’t fall for a trick again.”

  “There is that,” Pete said.

  Griz swallowed a bite of sandwich. “They’ll come back tonight. I know this because that’s what I’d do. They’ll figure we think we’ve won and they can take us by surprise.”

  “Makes sense,” Scott said. He blew on the soup spoon.

  “Okay, so I’m going to pull the motorhome around. As soon as it’s almost dark, we’ll make a big deal about all climbing aboard. They’ll be watching. Think about it. They had to be watching the house when we pulled the motorhome and car around to the Safe Room. They thought we’d left.”

  Pete nodded and set his sandwich down on the plate. “But this time they need to actually see us leave the property.”

  “Exactly. There’s a tight curve on the way out of here. It’s bordered with a lot of trees and bushes. I’ll have to slow way down to take the curve, and when I do, you all pile out. They won’t be able to see you.”

  Scott smiled. “I’ll move my car out there. We can come back and I’ll park by the Safe Room again.”

  “How are you going to drive the car back?” Aunt Martha asked. “They’ll see us coming up the road.”

  “You’re right. I’ll take the ATVs out and we can ride back in those.” Scott finally sipped soup from the spoon.

  “Aren’t they noisy?” I asked. “They’d hear us.”

  “Not if Trap’s helicopter was flying over. I’ll get in touch with the pilot. It’ll be a matter of timing.”

  I thought about the whole plan. “I think the three of you should take off in the motorhome. Let them see that Aunt Martha and I are still here, and they’ll be more likely to fall for the plan. They’ll think they’re taking us off guard. We’ll go for a walk and they’ll think the house is empty.”

  “Now we’re getting somewhere. If we make it look too easy for them, they’ll never fall for it.” Pete plucked a second sandwich from the plate. “If they see us leave without taking you and your aunt, they’ll be laughing themselves sick thinking we underestimated them.”

  “What if they kidnap us, too?” Aunt Martha had a nervous edge to her voice.

  Griz smiled at her. “If you’re out of the house, they’ll try to find the thumb drive. They don’t need you two. What could you offer them?”

  “Thanks a lot.” My aunt sounded a little miffed.

  “What if they plug the thumb drive into the USB port on Trap’s computer this time to be sure they have the right one?” I asked.

  “I know where there’s a drive Trap used before coming up with the right stuff. I’ll put that somewhere where they’re sure to find it. They’ll only glance at, and they’ll figure it’s the right one. Problem solved.”

  Layne had been sitting quietly, taking everything in. “What about me?”

  “You’ll stay in the motorhome with me,” Griz said.

  “Why?”

  Griz sighed. “Do you have any police or military experience?”

  “No, but I was a boy scout. I know things about being in the woods.”

  “Do you know self-defense or how to shoot a gun?”

  “No, but – “

  “You’ll stay with me.”

  Pete glanced toward the ceiling and then at Griz. “Let Layne stay here. The women can go for a walk and he can stay in the office, like he’s working. When the intruders show up, he can make sure they get the right thumb drive – the one we want them to have.”

  Layne surprised me. “I can do that. I played the lead in a high school play. I’m a good actor. Leave it to me. I want to help get Trap back.”

  Griz chuckled. “Don’t overact or they won’t fall for it.”

  “Uh, will they hurt me? That’s something to think about.” Layne had backtracked a few steps.

  “No. They might tie you to a chair or someth
ing, but considering the way they ran from us earlier, they don’t seem prone to violence.”

  “What will we do between now and darkness?” Aunt Martha asked.

  “Improve on our plan,” Scott replied. “It needs a little work.”

  Chapter Nineteen

  I started to laugh.

  “What?” Aunt Martha asked.

  “It just struck me. You got rid of the kidnappers with a can of beans.”

  She grinned. “I did, didn’t I?”

  “Our little Bean Queen,” I said.

  She looked quite pleased with herself.

  Scott didn’t look happy. He’d had one of the intruders in his grasp until the can of beans hit his shoulder.

  Well, let my aunt have her moment in the sun.

  She took Bubba outside with her, and Layne followed along. She wanted to explore the best places to take a walk after dark and not turn us into targets – just in case. And she didn’t want to get lost. After all, we weren’t familiar with the area.

  While she was gone we returned to the Safe Room so Scott could watch the computer screens and we refined our plan to catch the kidnappers and find Trap. It sounded so easy, but it wasn’t. So much of our plan was a matter of timing and hoping we knew what they’d do when it got dark. Trying to figure out what they’d do next was based on an educated guess. After all, there were two ex-cops and an ex-military man on Trap’s side.

  I walked out to the kitchen to get some drinks and Pete followed me.

  “Pete, what kind of experience does Scott have? Was he part of Special Forces or something?”

  “No, he wasn’t. He spent most of his time in Iraq, Iran and Afghanistan, and he was what you’d call a scout, and he was involved with reconnaissance. That’s the easiest way I can explain it. He did four tours over there until he was injured. He knows what he’s doing, Sandi.”

  “I was just curious. In our own way, we’re kind of a motley crew to be the ones trying to find a kidnapped billionaire, don’t you think?”

  “I agree. If Griz and Scott hadn’t signed those contracts with Trap, we could call in some experts. I think if this doesn’t work tonight, those two will break the contracts and call in the FBI. If the kidnappers see the feds hanging around though, that could be the end of Trap. They could give up on using his expertise and simply get rid of him to follow other avenues.”