by Savannah Mae
Juliana pulled her phone out of her bag. “I got a text from Dad. He says he’s notified the F.B.I.”
“The what?” My knees went weak. “Why would he do that?”
My mother sat up. “I knew he didn’t have a brain. I should’ve listened to my mother when she told me to stay away from him.”
“We wouldn’t have happened if you’d done that,” I said. “We have to stop this. Do you know how much trouble we could be in?”
“I know. Give me a second to think.” She rang her hands. “Unbelievable. Why would he get the F.B.I. involved?”
Juliana said the most intelligent thing I’d ever heard her say, “Because kidnapping is a federal crime. If my child went missing, I’d call everyone.”
“Then, why didn’t anyone call them for our real kidnapping. Why did they leave it up to the sheriff’s office to locate us?” It didn’t make sense. I didn’t think twice about it when we were questioned.
“Because you were already found by the time the police got the call.” She moved to get off the bed. “We have to get out of here and stop this before we all end up in prison. I can’t go to jail. My fans will drop me like a bad habit.”
Juliana snickered. “No, they won’t. People love when stars have bad habits. It’s the good habits they can’t get on board with. If anything, they’ll rally behind you. They’ll probably start a movement to demand your release from custody. Free Consuelo Montoya t-shirts for everyone. Can you imagine?”
“If they’re not that bright, they might, but how will that help us? We lied about a kidnapping. We will most definitely go to prison,” I said.
The doctor stepped in. “We have the results of your scan. It looks good. I think you’ll be fine.” He watched as my mother slipped her shoes back on. “Um, Mrs. Montoya, that’s not a good idea.”
She swung around, an angry scowl on her face. “Why not? You said I’m good. That means I’m free to leave.”
He shook his head. “I said your scan was good. I haven’t told you about the bloodwork yet.”
“What about it?” she asked.
He cast his eyes at his feet. “Have you been experiencing any discomfort lately? Any muscle or joint pain?”
She shook her head. “No, why?”
“What’s the matter? What did the bloodwork show?” I asked.
He looked my mother in the eyes. “How long have you been ill?”
“Ill?” Juliana and I exchanged concerned looks. “What do you mean?” I turned to my mother. “What’s he talking about? Are you sick?”
He swallowed hard. “Mrs. Montoya—”
“Ms.,” she corrected him in a firm tone. “Can I have a minute with my daughters?” The look in her eyes told him it wasn’t a question.
“Sure. No problem. I’ll be back in a few minutes.” He retreated.
She leaned on the bed. “Don’t listen to him. He doesn’t know what he’s talking about. I’m not sick. I haven’t been sick in years.”
“Mom?” I reached for her hand. “What is it? What do you have?”
She snickered. “I have a headache, no patience, and about ten seconds before I lose my mind. Grab your bags and let’s get out of here before he comes back.” She peeked out the curtain and signaled for us to follow her. “Move quickly. His back is turned.”
We rushed out after her. No one in the emergency room batted an eye as we walked out the door.
“You can’t leave without a release,” I said.
She didn’t skip a beat. “I can, and I did. You heard him. I’m fine. No head injury. End of discussion.”
Thankfully, no one followed us outside.
“Wait a minute. Where do you plan to go?” I asked. “I don’t think I’m cut out for a life on the run.”
Juliana giggled. “We’re fugitives.”
My mother glared at her. “We are not fugitives. You were kidnapped. You didn’t lie. You just delayed telling him.”
“We were kidnapped and released unharmed a few days ago. I don’t think the F.B.I. will believe our emergency phone call to Dad was a delayed reaction to it.”
She let out a long sigh. “I don’t know what to do.”
Juliana suggested, “We can load up your car and go home. That sounds like the perfect plan.”
“Yes, please,” I begged. “I want to go home. I never thought I’d say this, but I can’t wait to get back to work. You have no idea how badly I wish I was in my office right now.”
Juliana gasped. “Do you think we should call Rob? I bet he’d know what to do.”
“Why would we want to get him involved?” I asked, referring to our mutual friend. “Let’s try to leave him out of this.”
My mother motioned for us to follow her to the car. “One of you will have to drive. I can’t see a thing.”
“Are you serious? Maybe we should take you back inside,” I suggested.
Her hand went to her forehead. “I don’t feel too—”
I caught her before her head hit the ground. “Get a doctor!” I yelled.
Juliana dropped everything and ran back to the hospital.
“Mom? Mom? Wake up.” My heart beat out of control.
Chapter 26: The Jinx Sisters
Lyra fought to see between the tiny slots. “I can’t see anything. Where are we?”
Calypso was so close, her lips tickled Lyra’s ears as she spoke, “I think we’re in a giant coffin of some sort, but I’m not sure. Whatever it is, it’s not good. How did this happen?”
“I’ll tell you how it happened,” Calliope started. “It all began with your vanishing car. That’s not to mention your increasing memory problems. For some inexplicable reason, you dropped it off at Mike’s shop to have him work on it … for nothing, I might add. News flash, your car has sounded like that since the day you bought it at that yard sale. What year was that? I think Kennedy was still in office. Anyway, it doesn’t matter. What’s most important is you once again did something that makes no sense.”
“I never left my car at Mike’s shop. I don’t know how it ended up there. I sure as pie don’t know why someone would want to steal it,” Calypso said.
Lyra squirmed. “Will you move over? I can’t feel my arms.”
No one could move. They were stuffed into what appeared to be a large packing crate, hoisted several feet above ground in a dark, dingy warehouse.
“This place smells awful. Where are we?” Calliope asked. “All I see are a bunch of shelves and mounds of dirt. There’s nothing to indicate what building we’re in. Let’s think Where is the nearest warehouse to our shop?”
“Oh, I know. There’s one about … here,” Calypso snapped.
There was movement in the warehouse.
“Hey, let us out of here. You might not know this, but we’re not the sort of people you want to hold for ransom,” Calypso said.
Lyra tried another approach, “If you let me out, I’ll agree to let you keep my sisters and no one has to know a thing. I never really like them much anyway. What do you say?”
The man ignored them.
“Can you see his face?” Lyra asked.
Calypso squinted to see. “No. We need him to get closer. My eyes haven’t been the same since the seventies.”
“How do you propose we get the guy to come closer to us? Do you want to ask him to climb up here or should we try something more practical like screaming our lungs out?” Calliope asked.
Lyra took a deep breath and began screaming like her life depended on it.
The man spoke over her noise, but never turned to face them. “That won’t work. No one can hear you out here. You might as well save your energy. I have a feeling you’ll need it later.”
That piqued Calypso’s curiosity. “Yeah? Why is that? Do we have to run a marathon later today? Good luck with that. In case you haven’t noticed, we’re not cut out for strenuous exercise.”
He paced back and forth in front of the large garage door, as if he expected someone to come through and give
him directions. “Funny. I bet it’s been a hundred years since any of you ran anywhere.”
Calypso growled. “Who does he think he is?”
Lyra hushed her, “He’s the one in charge. That’s who. Don’t say anything to make things worse. I’d like to get out of here in one piece if I could.”
Calypso never listened to anything her sisters had to say. Why Lyra thought she would now was beyond her. “Hey, loser. Do you have a minute? Don’t answer that. No, you don’t. I’ll give you exactly ten seconds to mosey on down here and let us out of this thing. I don’t know if you’re aware of this, but nothing good can come out of this situation. We’re not your average victims.”
He appeared to show some interest in them. He turned, careful not to expose his face by pulling his shirt over the lower half of it. “Was that a threat?” He chuckled. “I don’t think you’re in a position to threaten me. I realize you’re up in age, but I think even you can figure out you’re in a box. What exactly do you think you can do to me? We’ve got you trapped in there like sardines. If I were you, I’d save my breath, especially since it might be one of your last.”
Lyra whispered, “I told you to keep your mouth shut.”
Calliope shushed her, “Don’t. Not now. Does he sound like a man who wants to play games?”
The man laughed. “Okay, ladies, I’ll be the first to admit, I could listen to you squawk all night long, but unfortunately, I have better things to do with my time. Long story short, keep your traps shut.” He turned his back toward them and made his way for a door on the far-righthand side of the building. “Goodnight. I’d say don’t let the bed bugs bite, but honestly, I think, they’re the least of your worries.” He shut the overhead light off and walked out of the building.
“No, please, wait!” Calliope yelled loud enough to make Lyra and Calypso’s heads hurt.
“Shh! Stop yelling!” Calypso scolded. “If he’s out of our way, we can figure out how to get ourselves out of here. We don’t need him. Let him go.”
Lyra squirmed. “I can’t breathe.”
“Yes, you can. Slow down. Breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth. It will help clear your head and make you feel better,” Calliope suggested.
A loud screeching sound from the other end of the warehouse interrupted their attempts to help Lyra catch her breath.
“What is that?” Calliope asked.
Calypso said, “I think someone is coming in the building.” She titled her head to listen. “Yes, that’s what it is. I hear voices.”
“Those must be the voices in your head. I don’t hear anything,” Lyra said as the overhead lights came back on.
“Ladies,” a familiar male voice greeted them.
Calypso squinted to see the man. “I know that voice. Who is it?”
Lyra and Calliope exchanged glances.
“His voice sounds familiar, but I can’t remember where I heard it before,” Lyra said. To the man, she said, “Please, let us go. We’re old women. We haven’t done anything to anyone.”
He stopped walking, his face shielded by his hands. “I’m sorry. I can’t do that. Not yet.”
“Not yet?” Calypso asked. “When, then?”
He stooped close to the ground and brushed a pile of dirt off to the side. “Did you know this place has a basement? It took me a few days to figure that out.”
Calypso didn’t want to make small talk with him or anyone associated with their kidnapping. All she wanted was a way out and if that meant she had to employ her rather unreliable abilities, then, that was a risk she would take.
She whispered, “I hope this works.”
Lyra swallowed hard. “Be careful.”
“Do it quickly,” Calliope urged.
“I wouldn’t if I were you. Your skills won’t work here. You probably didn’t notice when you came in, but you’ve been stripped of most of your powers.”
The sisters gasped in horror.
“Temporarily, of course.” He paused to chuckle. “Let me take that back. I can’t promise you’ll get them back.”
He sauntered toward the door and dimmed the lights as he spoke, “Don’t mind me. I’m afraid my arm is growing weary. I guess I should do more arm work next time I go to the gym.”
“How can you make jokes at a time like this, sicko?” Calypso tried to pry her arms free. “By the way, we don’t believe you. You don’t have the ability to strip us of our abilities unless you’re one of us. I don’t want to be rude, but there’s way too much base in your voice for you to be a woman.”
He laughed again, this time with dark undertones that reminded Calypso of the sort of laugh Vincent Price would share with frightened visitors to one of his homes on a Hollywood sound stage. “You have no idea what we can and can’t do. No worries. You’ll find out soon enough.”
“Turn the lights back on,” Calypso demanded.
He shook his head. “No can do. Sorry, sweetheart.”
Lyra and Calliope gasped at the same time.
Calypso spoke under her breath, “I think I know who he is.”
“Do you remember?” Calliope asked.
She nodded. “Yes, but, wait. What is he doing?”
Suddenly, the crate moved and dangled precariously over a large hole in the ground.
“What are you doing? Let us down!” Calypso ordered.
The man, still hidden in shadows, yelled, “Have you ever wondered what it would feel like to be buried alive?”
The fear rendered the sisters unable to do anything but cry.
Chapter 27: The Abney Family
“They didn’t tell you what happened?” Penelope asked as she poured coffee for them. “Why did you leave before you got any information?” She took a sip. “Someone around town must know something about what happened. Let me finish this cup and get dressed, then, we’ll go find out for ourselves. If something horrible happens to one of us, something horrible happens to all of us. I don’t know who these people think I am, but anyone who knows me knows I won’t stop until I find the truth. Lyra and her sisters would do it for us, so now it’s our turn to do it for them.”
Melanie and Ben were at a loss as to what to say or do. The Jinx sisters hadn’t responded to any of their phone calls. No one would answer any of their questions. When they tried to make their way through the alley behind the coffee shop, they were stopped by police officers.
“Did you check their house? Are you sure they didn’t get spooked and go home?” Penelope asked.
“We didn’t stop, but we drove by. There were no lights on in the house,” Ben answered. “I didn’t notice anything unusual. I mean nothing more unusual than any other day that ends in y.” He snickered because Calypso and her sisters were well known for causing a ruckus no matter what day or time it was. If their eyes were open, you could be sure they were up to something.
“Did you see their cars? What about the girls who were kidnapped? Did you see them?” she asked.
Melanie had forgotten about Bea and Juliana. “No. I don’t know why I didn’t think to ask them. Their mother was at the coffee shop. We saw them put her in an ambulance. Of course, they’d know what happened.”
Ben grabbed his car keys. “Let’s go.” He took his mom’s arm. “Do you want to come with us?”
She shrugged. “I thought we should go to the coffee shop, but if their mother was there, then let’s start with them.”
*
They hopped in the car and made the five-minute drive from Melanie’s house to the Jinx household.
“Should we knock on the door or just barge in and demand answers?” Melanie asked as they stared at the large home. The only light came from the lone streetlight across the street. “It’s dark in there. How can they sleep after what happened tonight?”
Penelope opened her door. “I don’t know, but I intend to find out. Who knows? Maybe the sisters are okay, and we were worried for nothing. That’s what I hope happened. If not, those girls better have a good explanation
for why they’re here and the Jinx sisters aren’t. Let’s find out what they know.”
Be pulled the driver’s side door open. “I’ll go. If they’re home, I don’t want them to yell at you for making something out of nothing. They can take it out on me.” He ran up the walk, Penelope and Melanie tried to keep up the pace behind him. “This might sound mean, but I hope I do wake them up. At least we’ll know they’re okay.”
Penelope quirked an eyebrow up at him. “What do we do if they’re not here?”
A light came on in the front hallway.
“Someone’s awake,” Melanie let out a loud sigh. “Oh, thank goodness. They’re okay. See. We got all worked up for nothing.”
Bea opened the door, wearing pajamas and pink bunny slippers. “Yes?” She hid behind the door when she saw Ben. “Sorry. I didn’t think to grab a robe. I thought the sisters locked themselves out of the house.” Her face turned a deep shade of red.
Ben blushed too. “Hi. No need to apologize. We should apologize to you for waking you up.” He glanced over his shoulder at his mother.
She lifted a brow at him. “Go ahead. Ask her.”
“Ask me what?” Bea asked.
“The reason we’re here is to see if Lyra and her sisters are home. Are they?.”
She asked, “Who?”
“Calypso, Calliope, Lyra? Are they home?” he asked. “Have you seen them this evening?”
She shook her head. “No, but we’ve been asleep. Honestly, I forgot about them. It’s been a long night.” She scratched her head. “As a matter of fact, I don’t know why we’re here.” She yawned. “I’m sorry. I’m confused. Where’s my mother?”
“That’s what we want to know,” Ben said.
She shrugged. “I don’t know. I can’t think straight.”
Melanie’s defenses were up. “We don’t have time to help you figure out your problems. We’re here to speak to Calypso. Do you mind if we come in?” She narrowed her eyes at Bea. “Or is that too much to ask? I wouldn’t want you to do anything you didn’t want to. It’s not like she didn’t give you a place to stay or anything.”
Ben mumbled under his breath, “Save the lecture for later. We need information from her right now.”
