“I’ll monitor the tracker and see if there’s a pattern, or if Zach goes anywhere unusual. You saw Alexander drive to the library?”
“Yes, he drove around the back and parked. There’s an exit back there, and I didn’t see him leave in another car while I was out front. I was there for over thirty minutes before I went inside. I drove around the back, just to make sure he hadn’t driven away and his blue Ford Escape was just sitting there,” Sunni answered honestly.
“So I’m going to go over there and put a tracker on his car so that I can monitor it. I can take a look around as well, and see if there’s a way he could have driven another car out of there.” Miles reassured her.
“Okay, I’ll trust you. Please call me when you find something. I don’t care how late or early, we just have to find Aunt Marie.”
Sunni shut the door behind her and climbed back into her now cold vehicle. She waved to Miles as she started up the engine and turned around to head home.
While Miles had been reassuring, the knot in the pit of Sunni’s stomach wouldn’t go away. There was something terribly wrong, and she felt they were going to miss something important, and it might cost her the aunt she held so dear.
Chapter 14
Perri regained consciousness a few hours later to the sounds of feet walking overhead.
She looked around groggily, trying to make sense of the cot she was lying on.
Her hands were tied together in front of her, but her legs were free and she had been covered with a blanket.
The gray cement walls and carpeted floor indicated a basement or cellar of some sort. There was a wall of random items on shelves, blocking the rest of the basement, but Perri could hear the sounds of a washing machine running.
Why had she been kidnapped? It made no sense. Where was Aunt Marie?
Perri looked around, but only saw the one cot.
“Hello, Aunt Marie?” Perri called out quietly, hoping whoever was upstairs couldn’t hear her.
She threw the blanket off, thankful to find both her shoes still on her feet. As she sat up on the edge of the cot, dizziness the from the chloroform made her pause to regain her bearings
Pushing herself to get up, Perri knew they didn’t want her dead because they would have already killed her.
The other side of the basement was basically empty, except for the hot water heater, and the washer and dryer that were running.
The stairs leading up to the floor above had a door at the top that was closed. Perri surveyed the empty room, only to realize that Aunt Marie wasn’t there, which meant they had either killed her already, or they had never had her to begin with.
Why now? What did they have to gain by taking her instead of Sunni? Who were these people, and what have we gotten ourselves into?
Perri pulled the cot over to the small window on the other side, but all she could see was the snow that had been piling up all weekend.
She pushed the cot back where she’d found it and curled back up on the cot with the blanket covering her as best as she could with tied hands.
The safest thing she could do at the moment was to sit tight and stay warm. Her friends would be looking for her, and if she tried to escape without knowing where she was, it would be more dangerous to try to leave than it would be to stay warm and dry until she could find out what this was all about.
Her body was still reeling from the effects of the drug, and the warmth of the blanket lulled her back to sleep.
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“What are you going to do with her? We can’t just keep her?” Alexander questioned the person in charge. “With Sunni talking her entire gang into being amateur detectives, they’re going to need someone or something to blame, and I’m the only one they seem interested in checking out.” Alexander protested, his voice taking on a whining tone.
“You let me worry about it. Besides, yours is not the only house they have targeted lately. Remember the surveillance disaster? I’ll be working on a plan to throw these ladies off the trail and onto one of our rival gangs.”
Alexander didn’t seem reassured, but agreed. “Do you need anything else before I head back to town?” He asked, his hand on the door, ready to leave.
“No. Resume your normal routine and don’t use the extra vehicle so that we can still use it if we need to have you make a getaway.”
“Absolutely. I’ll do as you’ve requested.” He left without saying anything else and headed out into the snowstorm that was quickly becoming a blizzard.
The leader went over and locked the door behind him, planning a suicide for Mr. Fine in the near future.
The camera in the basement showed Perri sleeping on the cot, and since there was no way to escape, it seemed like the perfect time to get a little sleep before moving to the next phase of the plan, but the phone call had to be made.
“Did you move her vehicle?”
“Yes. I took it out and made it look like it skidded off the road in the snow. It’s hidden by the trees, and it will be spring before someone notices it.”
“Very good. Now, see if you can find a way to take out the single mom. She could be seduced by your charms. She’s the only one who can connect the dots.”
“All right, but I must say, I don’t like the idea of taking her away from her children. She’s all they have, and I don’t want her to end up dead.”
“You don’t really have a choice in the matter, but you can wait until school on Monday so that the children won’t be traumatized or call the police before we have a chance to take care of her.
“Certainly. I’ll bring her to you first thing Monday.”
The call ended and one more was made as the details for ending their problem needed to be taken care of so that all the loose ends were gone.
“You can expect to do a pickup around two on Monday. I should have two packages for you and they need to disappear.”
“Make sure that you administer the correct dosage of drugs to keep them pliable, then I’ll dispose of them for you once the money is deposited into my account.”
“Consider it done. I may have one more job for you on Tuesday if everything is going well.”
“Text the details and I’ll take care of it.”
“Thank you for your cooperation.”
The snow continued to surround the house, insulating it further and hiding it from discovery.
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Around eight p.m., everyone on the Scooby team received a text message.
Gerald: Perri has not returned home. I’ve called the police. They’ll do nothing until tomorrow because of the weather. They think it could be an accident, but I told them where she was going and they’ve searched those areas. They didn’t find her or the car. Sorry for involving everyone, but since you called earlier, I got really worried when she didn’t come home, and she’s still not answering her phone. What could’ve happened?
Sunni: We’re investigating a drug ring and we think they’re using the school to do it.
Kristi: We found some stuff at the school today, and she was getting something from her office and leaving immediately.
Sunni: We checked the parking lot and there was no sign of her car by the time we got there, around ten.
Miles: We put trackers on the cars of both suspects and I’m monitoring them. They’re both in town and haven’t gone anywhere except home, the store, or the library.
Gerald: She didn’t tell me any of this. I know she’s been worried about the kids at school because of the overdose. She never mentioned they were getting the drugs from school.
Olive: If they haven’t found her by Monday, then I suggest we start looking for her by combing the streets.
Miles: They’re expecting blizzard type conditions tonight so the police have their hands full with accidents because of the storm.
Sunni: Gerald, keep us looped in so we can help. I think we should start looking for her tomorrow.
Miles: Agreed. We know more than the police at th
e moment, and might be able to find her faster.
Olive: Let’s meet at my office tomorrow and we can plan the search from there.
Sunni: Agreed.
Kristi: I can’t come because Carolina is not being reliable due to the weather.
Miles: Why did Carolina leave the girls alone?
Kristi: She literally stepped outside to cover her plants and had no idea she was gone so long. I saw her when I got home and she just waved like there wasn’t anything wrong. I think she forgot that she was watching the girls.
Sunni: At least she and the girls are okay.
Olive: If you promise that your girls will be quiet and not get into things, you can bring them with you.
Kristi: Oh, thank you. I’ll be there then.
Gerald: Thanks, everyone. I appreciate it so much. I’ll go out and look tonight. I can’t imagine her out there all alone.
Sunni: I feel so bad for having gotten her into this situation.
Gerald: It might not even be connected to what your group was doing. I’m having faith that we’ll find her. I’ll let you all know if I find her tonight. I’ll be in touch.
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There was no sign of Perri or Aunt Marie, and the Scooby team was no closer to a solution on Monday morning than they had been after hours of searching on Sunday.
Kristi bundled her two children up against the cold weather and made sure her coat was securely fastened as well.
The blizzard conditions had stopped midafternoon the day before, but the plows had been going nonstop to allow the buses to run.
The girls slipped and slid along the unshoveled sidewalk, down toward the bus stop. The other children in the neighborhood were trudging through the snow as well, and Kristi had to duck a few times to avoid a snowball aimed at other children.
The bus was a little late due to the slick roads. The children and parents gathered, huddled together for warmth against the chilly winds that continued to whip through the air.
As the bus approached, more children gathered, hurrying to make it before they were left behind.
“Have a great day at school.” Kristi kissed the tip of each girl’s nose since it was the only piece of skin available.
Both girls got into the semi-warm bus, and Kristi walked back home.
Ugh! I wish I had a way to get the car out without doing the shoveling. I really need to find a man.
Kristi opened the door to the unattached garage and took out her shovel. Instead of doing the entire driveway, she only did a path wide enough for her car to fit through.
She reached into her coat pocket and hit the button to start her car so that it would warm up.
As she dusted off her feet, she unlocked the front door and went back inside to enjoy the few minutes she had to warm up before heading to work. After pouring her cup of coffee, she took the extra and put it in the thermal cup sitting on the drain board.
Bundling back up, she threw her purse over her shoulder and went out, locking the door behind her.
Just as she walked up to her car, a loud bang startled her. She glanced behind her and spotted Zach’s gold car in front of her house.
“What in the main frame are you doing here?” Kristi stalked out to meet him.
“Hi. Nice to see you too.” Zach grinned as Kristi’s anger grew.
“How dare you show up here when there are two people missing and you have something to do with it,” Kristi accused as she got in Zach’s face with her finger.
“Now, tiger, slow down. I’m sure I don’t know what you’re talking about. I was hoping that we could go get some breakfast and get acquainted.” Zach placed a hand on her shoulder.
His grin never faded, but he spoke quietly under his breath. “I can help you find Perri, but only if you get in my car and act like you want to go to breakfast with me. There might be eyes on me.”
The thermos slipped from Kristi’s hand and fell into the snow bank.
Loudly, Zach tried to get her attention back on the matter at hand. “Who uses the words main frame as a cuss word?”
“You wouldn’t understand.” Kristi crossed her arms as a means of protecting herself.
“Sure, I would. I only built games for the gaming world. It’s a widely-played game for those who enjoy a little challenge in their console games.”
“Oh, my. That wasn’t in the information we found on you.”
Kristi gasped and covered her mouth. “I can’t believe I told you that.”
“Well, Kristi, if you want to see your friend alive, then I need you to come with me so that I can explain everything to you.” Zach pointed to the still running car.
“Very well.” Kristi’s instinct was to run away, but she didn’t think this man would hurt her. He seemed genuinely interested in her.
Kristi pushed the button to turn the car off and another to close the garage.
“There now, are you happy? If this is what it takes, but I need to text my boss and let her know I’m running late.” Kristi took her phone out and starting to text Olive.
“Hold that thought for just a minute. Let’s get in and out of the cold, and I’ll tell you exactly what you need to let her know and where to find you.” Zach held up his hands in a sign of honesty.
She got into the gold eyesore parked at the street, but could only hope that she was making the right choice.
Zach shut the door after she was in the car and went around to his side.
“Now, what was so important that you couldn’t tell me out there in the great public world?” Kristi again crossed her arms in protest.
“I’m kidnapping you,” Zach responded as he pulled onto the street and headed away from her home.
“Are you out of your mind!” Kristi screamed at him, reaching for the door handle.
“I’m a cop, undercover.” He flashed a badge and put it back under the seat.
The fight went out of Kristi. If a cop was kidnapping her, what chance did she have of getting out of the situation alive?
“Perri was taken to a house in the country Saturday afternoon. She’s alive and fine, but they wanted me to kidnap you.” Zach grinned. “Actually, I volunteered. They have a pickup planned for both of you later today. As soon as they have you in the vehicle, we have several cops on standby to intercept it.”
“Wait, you’re going to let them take us somewhere else?” Kristi buckled herself in since it was second nature.
“The traffickers will try to sell you, and we can catch everyone at the main warehouse. We know they have one in town, but they’ve managed to elude us, which is why they sent me undercover.” Zach glanced sideways at her to see how she was handling the information.
“So you’re using us as bait? Where’s Aunt Marie?” Kristi wasn’t sure how many shocks she could handle in just one day.
“We don’t have your Aunt Marie. Nobody has seen her in three or four days, when she fell off our radar.” Zach looked at Kristi. “You thought we had her?” Kristi nodded. “Well, that explains why your group suddenly started snooping around more in the past few days.”
“So why would these people kidnap us if they’re only selling drugs? Wouldn’t that bring more attention to their operation?” Kristi tried to pay attention to where they were going, but her sense of direction was thrown off by the snow blanketing the streets.
“The department has been putting pressure on their group for a while now, and when that girl died, it sped up our timeline. We’ve only had two days to put our sting operation together, but hope we can follow the leader further up the ladder.”
“So how are we going to get away if you are sending us to the traffickers? What about my kids?” Kristi asked, hoping she would be able to pick them up at school.
“Here.” Zach held out his phone, a knife, and pepper-spray that was concealed as lipstick. “There’s a camera in the basement, but if you text your friends under the blanket, you can get them to come and follow you.”
“Why should they follow me? Sh
ouldn’t you and the police do the following?” Kristi took the offered items and hid them in her knee-high boots.
“We want you guys to force their hand and help your friends escape with the police. I need to maintain my cover so they’ll take me to the next part of the setup.” Zach didn’t tell her there was a hit out on Alexander to put him out of commission.
“It sounds like this could go wrong in so many ways. What’s to prevent us from being killed?” Kristi asked suspiciously.
“They plan to sell you both for about twenty thousand dollars. Perri isn’t worth as much, but there isn’t as much availability for older, mature women, so there are only a few people who will pay to have her, and certainly you as their sex slave.” Zach suppressed his smile at how he expected Kristi to respond.
“What the head shot! You’re going to sell us for twenty thousand dollars? Why on earth would someone pay that much for us?” Kristi caught Zach’s appraisal of her assets. “Never mind. Are you sure we’ll be released today?”
“I can’t guarantee it, but I sent the phone a text that you can forward to your gang. Do it close to one thirty so that your friends have time to get there. Tell them to follow any large cargo van or truck that pulls out from the house. They might need two cars to make sure they don’t lose you, and so that someone can make sure it’s the correct vehicle.”
“What about the police? How do we let them know we need help?” Kristi started to fidget, realizing what she was walking in to.
“On the phone, hit #1 and it will dial the preset number so that the police can hear everything. I’m hoping that when I chloroform you, it’ll wear off by the time they get there to pick you up.”
“If you’re going to talk to Perri, make sure you’re facing the wall and tell her not to talk back unless she covers her mouth because the camera has no sound. I need you to pretend to be knocked out when they come down so they won’t redose you. Otherwise, you’ll be too out of it to get help.”
“Are you sure this will work? I think the less I tell Perri, the more realistic it will seem when they take us.
The Mommy Detectives and the Bingo Hall Mystery Page 14
