by Savannah Mae
“Stop. No, please. That’s my kid brother. Don’t hurt him,” Earl Jr. said.
From the back of the squad car, Renee screamed a blood-curdling scream.
“Check on her,” Isaac ordered. “Whatever you do, don’t let her out of that car. He turned to Eddie. “Cuff him and sit him down right there.” He focused on Earl Jr. “Explain this to me. Don’t leave any details out. Why did you steal those cars and take those girls? Where did the money and the guns come from? And why in the world did you think it was a good idea to kidnap these three?”
Lyra didn’t know whether to be offended or impressed by his questions. She didn’t know whether he’d implied they were animals or pillars of the community.
“Why us?” she asked. “Whatever Calypso did years ago wasn’t our fault. Calliope and I never insulted your father.”
Calliope chimed in, “Why come after us if she’s the one you want?”
“She’s not the only one. It’s more than what you did. Renee said we had to get even with anyone who’d ever wronged her,” he explained. “We started with you for obvious reasons. Next on her list was Ben because she couldn’t think of a better way to get back at Melanie for stealing Anthony from her, so the next best thing was to go after him. Everyone knows they’re in love with each other.”
“So, it was her idea to pin this whole thing on Ben?” Calypso asked.
He shrugged. “Not mine. Hers.”
“Who else was on your list of targets?” Isaac asked.
“Can I sit down?” Earl Jr. asked.
Isaac nodded. “Right there. In the dirt.”
He slumped to the ground and explained, “That’s it, I think. She wanted to get back at the Jinx sisters, then, Melanie.” He chuckled.
“She’s nothing if not efficient,” Anthony said. “In one fell swoop, she caught everyone in her sinister net.”
Calypso narrowed her eyes at him. “Why do you get a say? You’re married to the enemy.”
“No, I’m not. She thought we were dating. We’d never actually met,” Anthony said.
Isaac interjected, “It was a sting operation. He was working with us. Renee and her brothers have done this before. In California, after Renee was turned down for a small role in a reality show, she took out her frustration on everyone involved with the show and the production company. Maybe you’ve heard of it? Montoya Productions?”
“Montoya? As in Batty and Bingo’s family?” Calypso asked.
“Yes, Renee auditioned for a new reality show and was rejected. According to what we were told by L.A.P.D, she hadn’t even left the lot before she’d plotted her revenge. She asked her witch friends from Florida if they’d help her execute her plan. That’s where Officer Bauer – Anthony – came in. He has helped other departments in the state when they’ve formed a task force. Granted, we didn’t know we’d need him until the Montoya girls were kidnapped. They called their father and he alerted the F.B.I. The feds contacted the state and asked Anthony to assist.”
“So, you pretended to be her boyfriend, so you could catch her? Gross!” Calypso said.
He nodded. “I sure did. Running into them on the highway was a lucky break. Renee and I had started a long-distance relationship online. She told me some things that made me suspect she had more in mind than we originally thought. Of course, I had no idea how far she’d take things. When Juliana stuck her hand out of the trunk, I knew things had taken a horrible turn. I tried to warn Melanie not to get involved, but she wouldn’t hear me out. I had to make sure not to blow my cover.”
“So, you let your girlfriend steal my car, steal the Montoya’s rental car, and kidnap us? How exactly did that help anyone?” Calypso asked.
He shrugged. “It didn’t help you, but it helped us make the case. She stalked Consuelo Montoya online because she mistakenly believed they were still married and learned that the girls had taken a road trip. She pinpointed their location based on their photos and lured them here with well-placed signage, detour signs, and roadblocks. She intended to kidnap them and make their father vulnerable to her persuasions. She thought that by weakening him, he’d relent and give her a part in his show. She intended to pretend to be the ones to rescue them and win his good graces.”
Earl Jr. interjected, “If he didn’t give her a role in the reality show, she thought for sure he’d give her a show of her own. It was a win-win. He’d get his spoiled kids back, we’d get a little reward money, and a star would be born. That’s why she changed her name to Honey because that sounded more like a Hollywood Diva than Renee King.”
“What did the Florida witches do?” Lyra asked.
“They gave us pointers as to how to kidnap someone and get away with it, how to break into a place undetected, and how to dodge the cops.” He stopped and chuckled. “I guess that advice didn’t work.”
“Why did you take two cars?” Calypso asked.
He shrugged. “She still hadn’t forgotten about how to get back at you. You made it too easy. All we had to do was come in and order a couple of cups of coffee and wait for you to look away.”
“Then what did you do?” Calypso asked.
He snickered. “We put a little sleepy-time juice on the cup. When you cleared our table, the whole plan was set in motion. You were distracted. All you did that whole evening was bicker with your sisters. Then you pulled out that bottle of wine and drank away. It was amazing to see. One for the record books. Sleep potion and wine are a wonderful combination when you’re trying to incapacitate someone for a few hours. Your keys were easy. You left them in your car. All we had to do was wait for the argument to ramp up. You stormed out the back door. We followed you, hopped in your car, and led you away. You did the rest.”
She quirked her eyebrows up. “What did I do?”
He snickered again. “All it took was a little persuasion and we convinced you to take your car to the mechanics. It took less than two minutes, and no one asked any questions.”
“You doped me up and tricked me into taking my car to the shop?” she asked.
“The mechanic even helped us. He’s such an old fool. He had no idea the whole thing was a set-up.”
“He helped you?” Calypso raised her fist.
“Of course, he had no idea he did. He helped create a bigger distraction and allowed us time to jimmy the locks, so we could get in later and set our plan in motion,” he said with a smug grin on his face.
“He did, did he?” Calypso was already thinking of ways to get him back for his part.
Anthony snorted, “Look at your face. I know you’re cooking up ways to make him pay for his mistake, aren’t you? That’s not fair. If it hadn’t been for him and Desdemona, we might not have been able to connect them to the theft of your car.”
“What do you mean?” Lyra asked.
He laughed, “Desdemona has always believed Calypso would steal Mike away, so she had security cameras installed. She wanted to catch her in the act.”
“She got the whole thing on film? She has me and these Bozos on film?” Calypso asked.
“Yup. You looked drunker than a skunk, if they can be considered drunk,” Anthony said. “She has you being escorted to the store by these two young men. They dumped you there and ran outside to a sheriff’s vehicle. Guess who was driving that vehicle?”
“Renee?” Calypso shook her head. “Well, isn’t that a load of—”
“Don’t you dare!” Lyra warned.
Chapter 33
“Daddy!” Juliana and I ran to him as he exited the car.
He beamed from ear to ear at the sight of us. “My babies! I’m so happy to see you.” He pulled us in for a bear hug. “Are you okay? Did they hurt you?”
“No, we’re fine,” I said.
“I’m not. Look at this bruise on my foot,” Juliana said, pointing to a tiny mark on the top of her foot. “I’m blemished.”
I glanced at it and rolled her eyes. “That’s from your shoes. I don’t know why you insist on buying a size six shoe
. You wear a size nine. Pretty soon that fine line will be a big, honking blister.”
She whimpered. “Why do you always have to be so mean? Haven’t we been through enough already?”
Amanda scooted out of the car next. She had tears in her eyes. “Hello, girls.”
My mother grumbled something but flashed a smile when we turned in her direction. “Hi there.”
My father released his hold on us and stepped back to look at us. “Are you sure you’re okay? They didn’t hurt you, did they?”
“No, but they gave us a good scare,” Juliana said. “The one who tried to hurt us is her.” She pointed to our mother. “Can you believe she never told us about her diabetes? Who keeps that a secret from her family?”
His eyebrows quirked up, “You still haven’t told them?”
She shrugged. “Unlike you, I don’t have to air all my dirty laundry all over the place.” She scowled at Amanda.
“Leave her out of this,” my father warned.
“Um, did you just call me dirty?” Amanda asked as she tossed her platinum blond extensions over her shoulder. “Unlike you, there’s nothing wrong with me. I’m perfect. Ask your ex. He’ll tell you.”
This time there was no denying the noise my mother made was a growl.
“Stop,” I said. “Why do you always have to do this? Your marriage ended years ago. Let it go. Let each other go.”
My father changed the subject, “Did the police catch everyone who was involved?”
I nodded. “Yes. They can’t do anything about the witches who helped them devise a plan, but at least, our kidnappers are locked up.”
“What about the rental car? Where is it?” he asked.
“It was in the warehouse. The rental car company is sending someone to pick it up,” I said.
Ben, Penelope, and Melanie stepped out of the sheriff’s office.
“Hello,” Ben said. “You must be Mr. Montoya? What a pleasure to meet you.”
My father gave him the once-over. “Thank you, I guess. Are you with the F.B.I.?
Melanie snickered. “Don’t give him any ideas.”
Ben narrowed his eyes at her. “No, sir. I’m … I was … I’m Ben.”
“Okay, Ben. Good to meet you.” He turned to Amanda. “Sweetheart, have you met Ben yet?”
Her eyes lit up as she walked over to shake his hand. “I know you, but I can’t remember where we’ve met.”
He blushed.
“That’s it. You sent your headshots to us,” she said. She patted my father’s arm. “We booked him for an audition.” She looked around. “I’m so sorry. We’ll have to reschedule. This is a bad week for us.”
He nodded. “Yeah, it’s been stressful for all of us.”
She outstretched her arms and said, “Give me a hug. You look like you could use one.”
He hesitated, then, my father grabbed his shoulder and pushed him forward. “You heard her. Let her give you a hug.”
My mother cleared her throat after the hug went on too long. “Could you control your wife?”
Isaac escorted the Jinx sisters outside. He stopped when he saw us.
“Oh, Dad. This is Detective Randall. He’s the one who rescued us,” I said.
Anthony stepped out from behind them, followed by Eddie, Mike, and Desdemona.
“Are we too late for the party?” Anthony asked.
Juliana purred at the sight of him.
I promptly stepped on her toes.
“Ouch! What did you do that for?” she yelled. “That’s my foot.”
My father cocked an eyebrow at me. “Some things never change.”
My mother promptly pulled me by my shirtsleeves. “No kidding. You’d think they would’ve outgrown this nonsense after grade school, but no, of course not. Not your children. They don’t know what it means to grow up and behave like decent human beings.”
“Oh, now they’re my children? Funny how that works,” my father teased.
My mother started to respond, then, stopped when he grabbed her hand and squeezed it. “I’m glad they’re safe. I’m glad you all are. I don’t know what I would’ve done if something had happened to any of you.”
Andrea chimed in, “Me neither. It’s like you’re members of our family.”
It didn’t take us more than five seconds to burst out in laughter. Even my mother found it funny.
“I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I shouldn’t laugh at that,” she said, but that didn’t stop her from laughing some more. “I mean, it’s just so absurd.” She forced herself to stop and addressed Andrea directly, “You do realize we were and continue to be a family?”
Andrea gulped.
“Enough, Consuelo. She didn’t break up our family. We are still a family. You’re still the mother of my children. The girls are still mine. We’re all connected,” my father said. “That’s not why we’re here. We’re here because the girls – our girls – were kidnapped. Someone threw them into the trunk of a car. Who knows what would’ve happened if that police officer hadn’t found them.”
That statement sobered everyone.
Isaac interjected, “Folks, the good news is, the kidnappers-slash-thieves are behind bars. Of course, there will be a trial and that whole process. The rental car company is on their way to get the car. Calypso has her car back.”
“Finally,” Calypso groaned.
“And someone has just received an invitation to explore opportunities with the F.B.I.”
Anthony puffed his chest out.
“You’re kidding?” Melanie asked.
He shrugged. “There’s no guarantees. It’s just a conversation, but that’s a good start. I’d still have to take the tests and do all the prep work.”
“What about the love of your life?” Ben asked, referring to Renee.
“Miss Honey, as she calls herself these days, isn’t the love of my life. I told you. I played a role. We were never in a relationship,” he said.
“But what about all that talk about buying a house and settling down?” Melanie asked.
He smiled. “That was real. That’s what I wanted to talk to you about.”
Melanie gulped.
He continued, “I’m in love.”
She shook her head. “Don’t do this. I thank you for everything you’ve done, but we can’t be a couple again.”
He furrowed his brows. “What? I didn’t mean us.”
She gasped.
He pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and pulled up a photo of him. “I’m in love with her. We’ve been together a little over a year. I wanted to talk to you to tell you that I’ve asked her to marry me.”
Melanie’s eyes brimmed with tears. “With Tawny, the reporter?”
He smiled. “Yes. We’re thinking of buying the old McBride house.”
“The McBride house?” she asked. “You mean the one down the street from me?”
He nodded. “Do you know of another McBride house?” He patted her shoulder gently. “Of course, that one. Can you believe it? After everything we’ve been through, we’ll be neighbors. Isn’t that the funniest thing you’ve ever heard?”
She and Ben locked eyes.
She dead-panned, “Yeah, hysterical. I don’t know if I’ll ever stop laughing about that.”
Amanda hadn’t taken her eyes off Ben. She said, “You know, you have an interesting look.”
He blushed. “I hope you mean that in a good way.”
She nudged my father. “Look at him. Don’t you think he’d be perfect for that other project?”
My father assessed Ben again. “I suppose.” He looked at Andrea. “Do you really think so?”
“I’ll take it,” Ben said. “I mean, I accept. I’ll do whatever it is.”
Melanie smacked his back. “You don’t even know what the part is yet. Slow down. You sound desperate.”
Andrea said, “I wrote the pilot of a show about a super, sexy vampire, who leaves his small-town life to become a private investigator in L.A. I t
hink you’d be perfect for it.”
“A vampire private investigator?” Melanie giggled. “What kind of nonsense is that?”
Andrea nodded her head. “And you’d be great for his sidekick. You’re perfect. I didn’t know where we’d find a beautiful, intelligent, go-getter with a heart of gold and nerves of steel. I think you’re my girl.”
Juliana and I locked eyes.
I was never into the whole Hollywood thing, but how dare she offer the part to a virtual stranger and not give Juliana or I an opportunity to turn her down!
“What are we? Burnt onions?” I asked.
She and my mother locked eyes.
She said, “No, of course not. I wrote the part with you girls in mind, but I made a promise to your mother that I’d never get you involved in the whole Hollywood thing. That’s the only thing we ever agreed on.”
My mother said, “Wrong. With a little convincing, I think we can agree not to allow our feelings about each other to get in the way of our relationship with our girls.”
“Our?” Andrea repeated.
“Yes, I may have given them life, raised them, dealt with their squabbling and all the teenage drama, but you won them over with your—” She struggled to find the right words.
“My awesomeness. I get it. I’m hard to compete with. You know what I mean?” Andrea sounded like a teenager.
“And just when you thought all the drama was over, our beloved stepmother drags us right back into the muck,” I said.
“You’re all free to go. If I need anything more from you or should anything come up, I’ll call,” Isaac said.
“That’s it?” I asked.
“As far as I know, it is,” he said.
Calypso clicked her tongue. “Let’s just say this chapter of our lives is over for now. I’m sure something else will come up later. We’ll deal with that like we always do.”
“With chaos and spells?” Consuelo asked.
We nodded simultaneously.
“Of course,” Consuelo said. “I’d say it’s been fun, but that would be a lie. If something else happens, can you promise me you won’t try to implicate my son in it?”
We glanced at each other.
“No guarantees. I have a feeling we’ll run into each other again. Let’s just hope there’s no crime involved,” I said. “For now, be well, everyone. I’ve got to get out of here and get back to my advice column.”
