Taken! 19-24 (Donald Wells' Taken! Series) Read online

  “It’s crazy to think that she could have managed all this. I mean if what Sarah suspects is true, then how did she get him out of the hotel without anyone seeing them?”

  “I may have the answer to that,” said a voice from the doorway,

  All three heads looked over to find Traci Vargas leaning in the threshold, while holding up a flash drive in her hand.

  “What’s that you got there?” the chief said.

  “New video from the hotel, and it’s beginning to look like Sarah could be right.”

  ***

  The four of them stared at the monitor atop the chief’s desk, as Traci explained to them what they were looking at. The video showed a group of festive people going in and out of one of the suites on the twentieth floor. The film was a bit shaky, however it was clear,

  “A week ago, the hotel’s security system was damaged by flooding due to the rapid melting of the snow that we got the week before. It was a minor problem, but it did render several cameras and motion detectors inoperative. At first, we thought that it may have been deliberately caused by whoever placed those explosive charges on the helicopter’s tail rotor and cyclic stick, but the tech guys assured us that it had simply been water damage.”

  “Let me guess,” George said. “Those broken cameras were the ones on the roof and the stairways?”

  “Actually, no, the roof and stairways don’t have cameras, what was affected were the hallway cameras between the fifteenth and twentieth floors. This new video was taken by a camera phone on the twentieth floor by one of the maids. Their supervisor had gotten promoted to hotel manager and they were throwing her a party to celebrate. That’s not really important though, what I think might be important is coming up riiiight... now! See there? See the woman coming out of room 2019? Am I mistaken, or is that Dr. Juliet Hamden?”

  In the video, a woman exited a hotel room while dragging along a large suitcase on wheels. The case appeared to be heavy and, after she had gone a few feet, one of the hotel’s staff ran up to her and appeared to be offering a helping hand. The woman declined and struggled along with the case until she reached the elevator.

  The woman was wearing a white cap but there was dark hair flowing out from beneath it and she had a slim but shapely figure.

  Traci backed up the video and froze it on the best angle of the woman’s face.

  “What do you think, Jack, could that be Dr. Hamden?”

  The chief cocked his head as he squinted at the image.

  “Maybe, she certainly looks like her, but what do you think, George? You know her better than any of us.”

  “She definitely resembles Juliet, but I’ll say no, no I don’t think it’s her, but remember now, I haven’t seen Juliet in years.”

  Sarah pointed at the monitor.

  “That’s an awfully large suitcase, more like a trunk, and I would bet that you could fit a body in there.”

  “Who was registered to the room she came out of?” The chief said.

  Traci read from her notebook.

  “The room belonged to a Mr. Samuel Harvey. Mr. Harvey lives the next state over, in Bergenville.”

  “Did you find out anything about the woman?”

  “I did. The hotel cameras in front of the building worked just fine. I looked back over the footage from that day and found out what cab she took, on the way back here I talked to the cabbie and he gave me her address.”

  “He remembered her that well?”

  Traci laughed.

  “He remembered that trunk. He told me that he nearly threw his back out while struggling with it.”

  “What’s the address?”

  Traci showed the chief her notebook and he nodded.

  “That’s out by the pines; it’s pretty secluded out there.”

  “So what’s our next step?”

  “I’ll put in a call to the Bergenville P.D. and ask them to have a talk with Mr. Harvey, and then you and I are going to have a face to face with our mysterious woman with the trunk.”

  “What about us?” George said, while referring to him and Sarah.

  “Keep this to yourselves, as soon as we know anything we’ll let you know.”

  “Alright, but I’ll tell you, Chief, I don’t know what to hope for, either way this turns out, it’s a nightmare.”

  The chief sent him a look of disagreement.

  “This isn’t a nightmare; the nightmare begins if and when we pull those bodies from the lake. Right now, Jessica White and Rob Stevens still have a tiny sliver of hope, but once we recover the bodies, they’ll have nothing left but despair.”

  ***

  Jessica parked her car in the driveway of a two-story home that sat just off College Rd.

  She had to ring the bell twice before he answered, and when he finally did open the door, she was shocked by his appearance.

  Rob Stevens had the beginnings of a beard upon his gaunt face and under the open robe he wore was a bare chest and a pair of wrinkled sweat pants. He was in his stocking feet and his hair looked disheveled.

  “Jessica?”

  “Hello Rob, may I come in?”

  “Why are you here? They haven’t found...?”

  “No, it’s not that. I just wanted to see how you are.”

  Rob sent her a helpless shrug, before turning and walking back into the house.

  “Come in if you’d like,”

  Jessica followed him into the living room where the TV was on with the sound off; on screen were two ex-jocks in ill-fitting suits arguing over a meaningless call in last night’s basketball game.

  Atop the coffee table were empty beer cans along with depleted bottles of whiskey and it appeared as if Stevens had been sleeping on the couch, as a blanket and pillow were propped up in a corner of it.

  Jessica looked around. “You haven’t been alone, have you?”

  “My brother offered to come, but he’s got a wife and four kids, not to mention his business, and besides, we never really got along anyway.”

  “You shouldn’t be alone, Rob.”

  “But I am alone, Callaway saw to that, Callaway made sure that I’ll be alone for the rest of my life,” Rob said, before plopping unto the couch and covering his face with his hands. “Oh Juliet... I should have protected you baby, I’m so sorry, oh God, I’m so sorry.”

  Jessica took in his grief and felt her own threaten to envelop her, but then she spotted something by the side of the couch.

  “Rob, why is your gun lying on the floor?”

  He looked up at her with wet eyes.

  “It’s on the floor because that’s where I dropped it last night. I didn’t even have the guts to end my own misery.”

  She walked over to him and offered her hand. When he took it, she gave it a tug and he stood.

  “Go pack a suitcase; you’re coming home with me.”

  “What?”

  “I’m not leaving you here alone. You need to be around other people, I know, because without my friends and family keeping me sane, I don’t know where I’d be right now.”

  Rob nodded his head as he shut off the TV.

  “Let me grab my shirt and shoes and then we’ll go.”

  “Don’t you need to pack something?”

  He stared at her a moment before answering.

  “I’m already packed; I did it days ago... for the honeymoon.”

  ***

  The chief moved his car slowly along the twisting driveway and then parked while still a ways off from the house.

  “Why are you stopping here?” Traci said.

  “If someone is in that house with a hostage, then, I think it would be wise to approach with caution, don’t you?”

  “You mean sneak around and peek in the windows?”

  The chief smiled. “Exactly,”

  The large, Victorian home was three stories tall with a wide front porch and a balcony on the left side. All of the windows appeared dark from the front, however, music drifted faintly on the breeze, something classical
with a lot of wind instruments.

  When they were twenty feet from the house, Dent put a hand on Traci’s shoulder and whispered in her ear.

  “I’ll take the left side and meet you at the rear.”

  Traci kissed the chief. “Okay, and you be careful,”

  When she was halfway around the house the sound of the music grew more distinct and a sliver of light could be seen through a gap in the blinds of a window that was six feet off the ground.

  Traci stretched up as far as she could, but was still shy of looking in the window. As she glanced about for something to stand on, the chief rounded the corner and walked over to her.

  “There’s a gap in the window, but I’m too short to see in.”

  The chief laced his fingers together.

  “I’ll give you a boost.”

  Traci stepped up onto his hands, and a moment later, she found herself staring through the blinds. Her eyes widened at the sight before her.

  Handcuffed to a bed was a naked man. A hood covered his face and he was straining against his bonds.

  “Do you see anything?” the chief whispered.

  “Yeah,” Traci answered. “I see probable cause.”

  ***

  When Jessica returned home with Rob, Maggie came running up to her with the dog by her side.

  Jessica greeted her with a kiss and then introduced her to Rob.

  “I’m sorry about your wife, Agent Stevens.”

  “Thank you, but she was my fiancée, we never got the chance to—thank you.”

  “Maggie, where’s your mother?” Jessica said.

  “She’s with your dad. Mr. Carver is gonna barbecue and your dad said he wanted ice cream for dessert, so they went to the market.”

  “Oh, alright, and how are you doing?”

  “I’m okay, and Stitches is fun to play with.”

  “Good, but don’t wander too far; I wouldn’t want you to get lost in the woods,” Jessica said. She stared at Maggie a moment more and then embraced her. “Thank you for coming here; you’ve brightened my day.”

  Maggie hugged her back. “I couldn’t stay away.”

  ***

  Jessica settled Rob into the study, where the sofa folded out into a bed. With the influx of visitors, all of the guest rooms were already occupied.

  She walked into the kitchen to find Gabby and Lena preparing a salad and side dishes to go with the steaks.

  Gabby smiled at her. “Where were you?”

  “I went to see Rob Stevens. He was in a bad way when I found him and I asked him to stay here. I put him in the study.”

  “I could switch with him if you’d like?” Gabby said.

  “No, he’ll be fine; he just needs to be around other people right now.”

  George walked in the back door and went to the refrigerator. He took out two beers and gestured for Jessica to follow him back outside.

  “Come keep me company while I get the grill ready.”

  They went outside and walked over by the grill where George had set-up a folding table, and chairs. The wide grill was made of brick and filled with fresh charcoal. They settled at the table and George slid a beer over to Jessica.

  “You’ve helped me out so many times that I’ve lost count, so I want you to know that if you need anything, Lena and I are here for you.”

  “I know that, George.”

  “Do you want to talk? Everyone is walking on eggshells around you and I know from experience that it can be maddening, all that quiet sympathy, but we’re old friends, and old friends should talk plainly.”

  Jessica smiled. “You would make a good therapist.”

  George smiled back and then waited, as Jessica gathered her thoughts. She cracked open the beer and took a long swallow before leaning back in her chair and shaking her head slightly.

  “Logic tells me that he’s dead, but my heart, my heart tells me he’s alive, but if he’s alive, then why isn’t he here?”

  “I don’t know, honey, but he’s the toughest man I ever met and if anyone could survive a crash like that, it would be him.”

  “If he’s dead... if I have to—No! I can’t think like that. I won’t think like that. They haven’t found a body and if there’s no body, then, there’s hope.”

  “It’s possible that they may never find a body. That search & rescue guy, Burns? He told me that there were underwater streams and currents that supply water to the lake, plus they had just opened the dam between the river and the lake at the time of the crash. If, if something got sucked into one of those currents, well then, it’s possible that it could be channeled into the river and carried away,”

  Jessica sat up straighter.

  “But if that’s true, then he could have been swept up in one of those currents and washed up on the riverbank.”

  “I pointed that out to Burns and he nixed the idea because of the temperature of the water that day. He said that given the distance and the speed of the currents, that it would take over a minute for that to happen, and that no one could hold their breath that long in water that frigid. He even told me that the world record for something like that was only fifty-eight seconds.”

  “Burns doesn’t know him like we do. My husband is exceptional.”

  George smiled. “That he is.”

  “You believe that he’s alive too, don’t you?”

  “I do. I learned a long time ago to never bet against him.”

  Jessica got up from her seat and walked over to George, who met her halfway. They embraced and when they finally separated, each one found the other one crying.

  “If, if somehow he’s alive, then someday he’ll come back to me.”

  George took her chin between his thumb and forefinger.

  “Baby, not even the Devil himself could stop him.”

  ***

  Chief Dent rang the bell and heard chimes echo within the house. After the peephole darkened, locks were disengaged and the door opened on a beautiful, dark-haired woman wearing a red silk robe, and although there was a resemblance, the woman was definitely not Juliet Hamden.

  “Yes, may I help you?”

  “I’m Chief Jack Dent, ma’am, and this is Officer Vargas, may we come in?”

  The woman hesitated.

  “We can wait for a warrant if you’d like?” Dent added.

  “A warrant? I’ve nothing to hide, come on in.”

  “What’s your name, ma’am?”

  “I’m Sylvia Morgan.”

  “Is this your home?”

  “No, it belongs to my grandmother; I was named after her.”

  “Do you know a Mr. Samuel Harvey, and were you in his hotel room about a week ago?”

  “Yes, I know Samuel. I’m his therapist.”

  “What kind of therapist?”

  The woman took off her robe and let it drop to the floor, underneath it, she was naked, and Dent couldn’t help but stare with interest.

  “I’m a sex therapist.”

  “Is there anyone else in the house?” Dent asked, while staring at her breasts.

  “Yes, I was with a client when you rang.”

  “I’d like to talk with this client.”

  “What’s this about?”

  “I’d like to talk with that client right now, ma’am.”

  “He’s indisposed at the moment.”

  “Indisposed?” Traci said. “Is that the same thing as being handcuffed to a bed?”

  Sylvia Morgan looked indignant.

  “You’ve been peeping in my windows, haven’t you?”

  “The ‘client’,” Dent said. “Now!”

  With a huff, Sylvia Morgan turned and led them down a hallway and into a bedroom. Inside the room, on a king-sized bed was the naked man with the hood on his head. Sylvia walked over and spoke to him.

  “You have my deepest apologies for this intrusion, Mr. Smith, but the police insisted on seeing you.”

  The muffled word, “Police?” drifted out from under the hood and even though it was
only one word, Dent recognized the voice.

  The chief walked over and yanked the hood off, as he did so, he heard Traci make a gasping sound behind him.

  “Hello Mayor.”

  “Chief, what the hell are you doing here? Did my wife send you two to spy on me?”

  “No sir, we’re just following a lead in a case. I, eh, didn’t mean to disrupt your ‘therapy,” Dent said, as he draped the hood over the Mayor’s privates.

  “Not a word of this to anyone, Jack, please?”

  “Your secret is safe, Bob,” Dent said, before turning around and heading for the door. As he was leaving, he spotted the black trunk sitting in a corner. “What’s in the trunk, Ms. Morgan?”

  Sylvia Morgan walked over to the trunk and began unlatching it. To reach the bottom latch, she had to bend over and the chief’s eyes widened at the sight.

  “Put your eyes back in your head, Jack.” Traci whispered, as the trunk opened and revealed a huge assortment of sex toys, there was even something that resembled a power drill, although all of its attachments seemed to have feathers on them.

  “Satisfied?” Sylvia Morgan said.

  The chief nodded, and then he and Vargas headed for the door.

  On the way back to the car they began giggling, and by the time they were seated inside, they both had tears streaming down their faces.

  “Aren’t you up for a raise this year, Jack?”

  “Yeah, why?”

  “I’ve a feeling that the Mayor will grant the request.”

  As they laughed, the chief’s phone rang and he answered it while wiping away tears.

  “Dent here,”

  The words spoken on the other end of the line wiped all traces of humor from Dent’s face and he suddenly looked sickened.

  “I’ll be right there,” he said.

  “Jesus, Jack, who was that?”

  “That was Burns; they think they found the bodies.”

  ***

  At the house, Jessica gazed about her picnic table and wondered what her husband would have thought of the gathering before her.

  They were eight, as Maggie sat on her left and surreptitiously fed the dog pieces of steak beneath the table. Her father sat at Maggie’s left, and sitting beside him was Maggie’s mother and she and the elder Dr. White seemed to have become fast friends as they chatted away. To her right, she saw that Lena had actually gotten Rob to smile a time or two as they talked, while George, who was sitting next to Lena, kept making Gabby laugh out loud with his repertoire of stories.