“Where can he be going in such a hurry at this time of night?” Zack asked.
“I hope he’s not coming back soon,” Jeremy said. “We can’t let him see us.”
“Jeremy’s right,” Zack agreed. “We’d better hurry and get up to the Chateau before he returns.”
They jumped out of the limousine and sped up the long, steep driveway. Hildy, driven by her anxiety for Cammie, wasn’t even breathless when they reached the top. In the distance they could see Francois’ plane as they made their way down the long walk to the Chateau.
Rain looked imminent. It was dark, and the moon was hiding behind the clouds.
Good! thought Zack. We won’t be so easily spotted.
Jeremy led them to the side of the building, just under the window where he had seen Cammie. There was no light in the room.
He reached down to the ground and picked up a small pebble. “I’ll try and hit the window. Let’s hope only Cammie hears this. Be ready to hide in case someone comes looking,” he warned.
“I’ll signal her with my flashlight,” Zack said.
Jeremy took aim, and they heard the pebble hit the window. They waited.
No response.
“Maybe she’s asleep,” Hildy suggested. “Try again.”
Jeremy took careful aim and threw another one.
It hit the window.
Still no response.
Suddenly the front door of the Chateau opened.
“Quick! Follow me!” Jeremy ordered. He led them in the direction of the stables and headed toward the large tree with the hollowed out trunk.
When they reached the tree, Jeremy took a quick look back at the fifth floor window.
There was still no light in the room.
Suddenly there was a sound of footsteps approaching.
Without speaking, Jeremy turned and opened the small door that led to the inside of the tree trunk, motioning them to follow him.
One by one they entered the huge tree.
“It’s a good thing you knew this was here,” Zack whispered.
“What a great place to hide!”
“This is where I used to play when I was a boy,” Jeremy whispered back. “It came to me in a dream a couple of nights ago. I keep remembering new things, and I found this just before I saw Cammie yesterday. Come with me,” he said as he descended the steps.
When they reached the bottom, they spied the opening that led out of the tree and on toward the footbridge. As Jeremy stepped outside, he saw Francois returning to the Chateau. He turned to go back into the tree trunk, when Zack uttered a gasp of triumph.
“Hello!” he said. “What do we have here?” He held up the loose threads from Cammie’s sweater.
Jeremy examined the threads. “This came from Cammie’s sweater!” he exclaimed. “The one she held up to the window when she waved to me! You don’t suppose—”
“Cammie’s favorite sweater!” Hildy gasped. “Do you think she escaped?”
Zack looked grim. “If she did escape, where is she now?”
Jeremy turned to Zack. “Do you think there’s a car rental place open at this hour?”
“Why? Are you going to look for her?” Zack asked him.
“Yes,” he replied. “She can’t have gone very far. She proba-bly went over the footbridge and across the brook. The next thing she’d head for is the road. She could get lost around here, and it’s cold.”
“I have a hunch Gabe was on his way to look for her!” Zack surmised. “I’ll bet that’s why he was in such a hurry!”
“All the more reason I have to find her,” Jeremy told them.
Zack sprung into action. “We’d better get back to the limo,” he said. “Let’s hope you find her first, Jeremy,” he muttered. “If there’s a place open that will rent a car we’ll find it. The rest of us should return to Amboise. They’re expecting us.”
It didn’t take long to reach the center of town.
“Look!” cried Hildy. “There’s a place that rents cars! And they’re open!”
Before Zack brought the limousine to a full stop, Jeremy jumped out. Zack and the others followed him. It took only five minutes to fill out the form and get the keys to the car.
“Jeremy, I’m going with you,” Hildy said.
Jay took hold of her arm. “Don’t you think Lilli will suspect something if Zack is the only one who returns to Amboise? I wouldn’t let you go without me.”
Zack took a firm hold of Hildy’s other arm, and he and Jay steered her toward the limousine. “Jay’s right,” Zack told her. “Jeremy knows these roads, and they won’t suspect anything if he doesn’t return with us. We’ll simply tell them we dropped him off at an inn.”
“But he left his other rented car at the Chateau in Amboise,” Hildy reminded them. “Won’t that look odd?”
“It might look a little strange,” Zack agreed.
“Just tell them I didn’t want to impose on them, and I’ll pick it up tomorrow,” Jeremy told them.
Hildy, Jay, and Zack headed back to Amboise in the limousine. Hildy peered anxiously out the back window, and watched as Jeremy disappeared into the night. “I hope you’re right about Cammie escaping. But what if she didn’t? She might still be at the Chateau. Maybe we should go back and check,” she pleaded. “We could demand that Francois show us that room where Jeremy saw her.”
Zack spoke to her gently. “The fact that we saw the threads from her sweater proves she escaped. The best thing we can do now is to return to Amboise and wait. We mustn’t complicate things by arousing their suspicions.”
As soon as they drove into the drive and under the archway, Peter and Jenny rushed out to meet them. “I told them you went for a ride,” Peter said, “but Lilli asked where Jeremy was. When Jenny told her he went with you, she left the library. I’ll bet she suspected you might be on your way over to the Chateau, and called Francois to warn him.”
“Is Cammie with Jeremy?” Jenny asked.
“Shh!” warned Jay. “It’s a long story. We’ll tell you later,” he said, as he spied Lilli coming out of the Chateau to greet them.
“Did you have a good ride?” she asked. She looked around. “Where is Jeremy?”
“We left him at an inn,” Jay told her. “He didn’t want to impose by staying here.”
“He left his car here,” she said in a suspicious tone. “Won’t he need it?”
“He said he’d pick it up tomorrow,” Zack was quick to reply. “I’ll drive over and bring him back here. The inn isn’t far.”
Fran had joined them just in time to hear the tail end of the conversation. “Jeremy is at an inn? I thought he would stay here. Such a nice young man!”
The look of disapproval on Lilli’s face was not lost on Zack. She seems ill at ease with Jeremy around, he pondered. Something about him makes her uncomfortable. A connection of some kind?
The mystery deepened.
“Let’s go inside,” Fran suggested. “It’s getting chilly out here.”
“Have you heard anything further from Andre?” Zack asked him.
“No, not a word,” Fran replied.
“Have you decided yet what you’re going to do?” Lilli asked Hildy.
Hildy made a desperate effort to hide the animosity that suddenly tried to take over. “No, not yet,” she answered.
“We have to speak with Cammie first,” Jay told Lilli. “We have to know she’s all right before we agree to anything. You must have heard me say this when Ga—Andre called.” Jay quickly corrected himself.
Lilli showed no sign that she noticed the near slip.
“Would you like some hot coffee?” Fran asked them. “You must be cold. It will take away some of the chill.”
“Yes, thank you. That would be
nice,” Jay answered. “It is quite cold tonight, isn’t it?”
* * *
Hildy shivered. Just thinking of Cammie out in this chilly night air frightened her. Please, God, she prayed, help Jeremy find her and bring her back.
Fran is right, she thought fondly—Jeremy is a nice young man. If only Cammie had met him first, none of this would have happened. So what if he’s not a Count, and Cammie didn’t become a Countess? What difference would it make as long as she was safe and happy? Hildy barely slept that night. She tossed and turned until Jay took her in his arms.
* * *
Jay hadn’t slept either, worrying about Cammie, and how this whole thing was affecting Hildy. How could this have happened? he asked himself over and over again. Gregory Wilcox died years ago, yet here he is haunting us again. He thought about how Greg had deceived him years ago into believing that Hildy was the culprit—and how the only thing that made him realize the truth was when Greg kidnapped her and Roger, and left them to die in the cold, snowy Alps, just so they wouldn’t reveal the truth about him to anyone. How could I ever have trusted that bastard? Thank God I came to my senses and remembered the lodge where he took them! We’ve had many happy years together—and now this—Greg’s son kidnapping Cammie, just as Greg kidnapped Hildy, and demanding that Hildy admit to a lie, so Cammie can live. It can’t end this way—it just can’t!
Morning finally came. A roaring fire in the fireplace took away the chill that remained from the cold night. The temperature had dropped down into the thirties, and they wondered how Cammie had survived the cold. They could only hope that Jeremy had found her, and seen to it that she was safe and warm. They had hoped to hear from him before this, but they knew they must be discreet. All they could do now was wait and try to be patient.
CHAPTER XXXI
When Cammie woke up in the shack the next morning, at first she didn’t know where she was. There was only one blanket on the bed, and she was cold. Dinner last night was the last meal she had, and she was hungry.
She tried not to panic when the realization struck her that she had no money to buy food. She was grateful that she could speak fluent French, which would make it easy to communicate with anyone. But would they believe her when she told them who kidnapped her? Or would they be only too eager to collect the reward that Francois was offering?
No! I won’t let that happen!
She looked around the shack to see if perhaps someone had left some food. There was a storage shed out back. Maybe there’s some food there, she thought.
She peered out the window to see if anyone was around. When she saw no one, she sneaked out to the shed. To her relief she found a store of provisions which she figured would probably last a week if she was careful. She could only hope that no one would return to the shack and find her.
Her next move would be to try and find some way to contact her parents.
But I don’t know where they are. They’re not home. Did they return to the Chateau in Amboise? Should I try to contact them there? What if Lilli answers? She was sure Fran knew nothing about the kidnapping, but Lilli did. Francois told her so.
Who else can I contact? She felt alone and desperate. You’ve got to remain calm, she warned herself. You’ve come this far—don’t blow it now!
As soon as she finished eating, she sat down on the bed trying to figure out where she was. She had no idea how far she had walked last night.
Suddenly she heard footsteps outside!
She dove under the bed.
The door rattled.
Someone’s coming in!
Whoever it is must be alone—I don’t hear anyone talking. She had smoothed out the bed, but hadn’t had time to hide the dirty dishes. A trace of the aroma from the food still lingered in the air.
As she lay quietly, hardly daring to breathe, she saw the man’s feet, and recognized the boots that Gabe wore! Finally, after what seemed an eternity, he went back down the hall, walked over to the door of the shack, and left.
Cammie looked at her watch, and waited a full five minutes before crawling out from under the bed. She didn’t dare stay in the shack any longer. It was too dangerous.
She grabbed her sweater and cautiously opened the door.
She peeked out.
Not a sound, and no one in sight.
She stepped out of the shack, carefully closing the door behind her, and tiptoed across the clearing.
She had almost reached the road when, with no warning, Gabe jumped out from behind a tree and tried to grab her. She screamed and ran as fast as her feet would carry her.
Jeremy had been driving all night looking for her, and had just spied the shack from the road, when Cammie screamed. He jumped out of the car and rushed over to help her.
Gabe drew a gun.
He took aim and fired.
The bullet hit Jeremy’s shoulder. He staggered, but recovered enough to lunge at Gabe, who pointed the gun at him again.
Before Gabe could fire a second shot, Cammie emitted another scream and made a ballet leap, knocking the gun out of his hand. Gabe fell, hitting his head against a rock, and was rendered unconscious.
Cammie rushed over to Jeremy, who by now was bleeding quite profusely. She put her arm around him and helped him to the car, which was only a few yards away. She sat him in the passenger seat and jumped in behind the wheel. “Jeremy, do you have the key?” she asked him. She could see that he was making a valiant effort not to lose consciousness. “Jeremy! The key! Hurry!”
He nodded with his head in the direction of his jacket pocket. Cammie quickly retrieved it and inserted it in the ignition. She started the engine, shifted gears, and sped down the road. “Jeremy,” she asked as calmly as she could, “do you know where there’s a hospital?”
He shook his head just before he passed out.
“Oh, God, please get me to a hospital!” she prayed.
As she sped along, she kept an eye out for someone who could help, when she spied a doctor’s sign on one of the front lawns of the residential section. She quickly pulled into the driveway and leaned on the horn.
A woman came running out of the house, followed by the doctor.
“Hurry!” pleaded a frightened Cammie. “This man’s been shot!” The three of them managed to carry the unconscious Jeremy into the doctor’s office, where the doctor made a quick examination. He looked grim. “The bullet nicked an artery,” he said, “but we got him in time before he lost too much blood. I’ll do what I can, but we’ve got to get him to the hospital.”
The doctor’s wife picked up the phone and dialed for an ambulance, while the doctor tended to Jeremy. By the time the paramedics arrived, the doctor had managed to stop most of the bleeding.
Cammie followed the ambulance to the hospital in Jeremy’s rented car. Her legs felt like jelly, and she had to fight to keep her trembling hands on the wheel. Her eyes filled with tears. He had risked his life to save her. How could she ever repay him?
The hospital was only five minutes away, and they rushed Jeremy into the operating room.
Cammie wanted to go in with him, but was told to wait outside. She approached the desk. “Would it be possible to use the phone?” she asked. “I have to notify someone about a patient who was just brought in. This is the number I want to call.” She gave the nurse a piece of paper with the number on it.
The nurse smiled. “Oui, mais certainement,” she said, and handed the phone to Cammie.
But as Cammie took the phone, she had second thoughts. What if Lilli answers? She’ll recognize my voice. I’m not sure Mom and Dad are there. If Lilli finds out where I am, she’ll tell Francois.
She handed the phone back to the nurse and walked away, tears of frustration welling up in her eyes.
The nurse was surprised. “Don’t you want to make the call?” she ask
ed her.
Cammie turned back. “No. Someone might answer that I don’t want to talk to.”
She turned and walked toward the waiting room.
* * *
As the nurse watched, her eyes fell on the headlines of the newspaper. Cammie’s picture was on the front page. “Countess Kidnapped,” it read. She looked at the telephone number Cammie had handed to her, then at the number given in the newspaper for the reader to call if anyone had news about the kidnapping. It was the same number! “It can’t be!” she exclaimed out loud.
She studied the picture again. Yes—it is! I’ll bet the young man who was shot has something to do with the kidnapping! she figured. I’d better call this number. The young Count Francois is offering a reward.
The phone in the Chateau in Amboise rang only once. Lilli answered.
“Who is this speaking?” the nurse asked.
“This is Countess Lilli Dubonnet, Count Dubonnet’s wife.”
The nurse breathed a sigh of relief, sure that she could trust the Countess. “I’m calling from the hospital in Chaumont,” she told her. “There’s a young woman here who I’m positive is the Countess who married your son, Francois. I understand she was kidnapped. She came here a few minutes ago with a Jeremy Douglass who was shot. I think he might be the kidnapper. She’s in the waiting room. Your son must be frantic, and will want to come here and be reunited with his wife.” She paused. “I believe there’s a reward?”
“Yes, there is a reward,” Lilli was quick to tell her. “Jeremy Douglass is the one who kidnapped her. Where is this hospital?”
* * *
As she took down the directions the nurse gave her, Zack had just returned from a walk with Fran and the others, and was passing by the door of the library. When he heard Lilli mention Jeremy’s name, he stood quietly and listened.
“Memorial Hospital in Chaumont?” he heard her say. “Merci!” She hung up with a smug smile on her face.
Zack watched as she wrote on a piece of paper. She hid it inside her dress and rushed toward her private quarters in the Chateau.
All That Glitters Page 17
