All That Glitters (24 page)

She tried to keep driving, but at last her hunger won out, and she decided to take a chance and stop at a roadside cafe just long enough to get something to eat while she drove. She hadn’t eaten for almost forty-eight hours. I’ll feel safer once I’m on the Chunnel train, she muttered under her breath, but I need some food now, to keep up my strength.

Up ahead she spotted a Cafe. She pulled in, parked, and hurried toward the entrance. Still no sign of Francois.

Once inside she was tempted to stay longer. The warmth and coziness of the crackling fire seemed to invite her to sit on the comfortable sofa, and stay a while. But she was afraid once she sat down she might doze off. I can’t let that happen. Plenty of time to relax once I get to Scotland.

As she reached into her pocket, she thought about Jeremy. How dear he was to lend me the five hundred dollars worth of francs and his rented car! Without them I wouldn’t have made it this far. What she was going to do for money when that ran out she didn’t know, so she spent it sparingly, buying only such food as bread and cheese, with a little wine to keep her warm from the chilly air, and to go with the food. She also bought a little fruit to nibble on until she reached the Chunnel train.

There would be a good supply of canned goods at the Castle in Scotland. She would be alone except for the gardener, who was staying there to act as caretaker. Since her parents visited the Castle only twice a year, there was no need for the other servants to be there while the place was empty.

She sped back to the car with the food, taking a bite of cheese as she climbed in. There was no time to allow herself the luxury of eating at the Café and relaxing by the fire.

She was exhausted from tension, but she finally reached Paris. She scanned the receipt from the rental company to see if they had a branch there, and was relieved to see it was right next to the entrance of the Chunnel train at the Gare de Nord.

She drove the car to the front of the building, and ran in to return the keys and settle the bill, leaving enough money to replenish the tank with fuel. When she told them she was headed for London, they exchanged the rest of the francs she had for British pounds.

When Cammie first saw the Chunnel train, she was so impressed that she almost forgot the danger she was in. The train was certainly built for speed. With its bottle nose and sleek body, it looked for all the world like a gigantic dolphin, about to plow its way underwater, via the tunnel.

She stepped on board and headed toward her reserved seat. Although she was conserving the money that Jeremy had so generously insisted she take, she decided to buy a first class ticket with a private cubicle, so she would be hidden from Francois, just in case he was following her.

Soon she was settled in her comfortable upholstered chair, which swiveled and rocked, with a foot rest attached to it. All the comforts of home, she whispered under her breath.

She looked around. When she still didn’t see any sign of Francois, she sank down into the plush seat, put her feet up, and breathed a sigh of relief. Now she could turn her thoughts to Scotland, and how she was going to get there. The Chunnel train arrived at Waterloo Station in London in just under three hours. Cammie got off the train, and went outside to hail a cab.

“King’s Cross, please,” she told the driver as she settled back.

In fifteen minutes she was at the station. She shivered at the change of climate. She had no luggage, not even a purse. Her clothing was thin, and she had only the torn sweater that she took with her from the Chateau de Boulanger. She knew it would be even cooler further north in Scotland.

As she headed toward the ticket counter, a pretty blue jacket displayed on a mannequin in one of the shop windows caught her eye. It was warmly quilted, had just been marked down, and was in her size.

She made a quick purchase and put the jacket on. She pulled the hood up over her head in an effort to hide her face. No sense taking a chance that someone might recognize her. She mustn’t bring attention to herself, and impede her escape.

By this time she was very hungry. No time to eat, but the ticket agent told her there would be food she could buy on the train.

She looked around. Still no sign of Francois. As soon as the train left for Edinburgh, one of the porters came through with sandwiches and hot coffee.

The four and a half hour train trip to Edinburgh served to calm her frazzled nerves, and as soon as she finished eating, she sat back to enjoy the scenery of the Scottish coastline. She even managed to get a little nap.

It was still light when the train finally pulled into the station in Edinburgh. At this time of year it didn’t get completely dark until almost midnight. Cammie got off and went immediately to the car rental place, situated in back of the depot. As she waited at the pickup area for the car to be delivered, she noticed a man standing about twenty feet from her. He was bearded and wore dark glasses.

Strange, she thought. It’s dusk. The sun isn’t that bright at this time of night.

Cammie was also wearing dark glasses, but she had a good reason. She was hiding. Her heart began to race. Was he hiding, too? Could that be—? No! Stop being paranoid. Francois couldn’t possibly know where I’m headed.

Both cars were delivered at the same time. Cammie got in and drove off.

In her haste to get to the Castle and safety, she didn’t notice that the same man was following close behind her.

It wasn’t long before she reached the familiar iron gate that opened automatically as the car approached. She turned into the long driveway that led up to the roaring brook and Courtney Castle.

Ian, the gardener, greeted her as she drove in. “Good evening, Miss Cameron! I wasn’t expecting you! What a pleasant surprise!”

“Hello, Ian,” Cammie responded. “How nice to see you! I didn’t have time to notify you.”

“I’ll park your car, lass. Here—let me open the door for you.”

Cammie thanked him and entered the Castle, closing the door behind her. She breathed a sigh of relief. “Safe at last!” she exclaimed.

* * *

The man with the beard and dark glasses waited on the street in his car until Cammie was out of sight. Then he slowly drove up to the Castle. When he saw that she was safely inside, he parked the car by the front door.

Ian approached him to see what he wanted. Strangers on the premises were an oddity.

“Good evening, Sir,” he said. “May I help you?”

The man smiled his most charming smile, and spoke in a soft, friendly manner.

“I’m Miss Cameron’s husband,” he told Ian. “We came together.”

“Oh,” Ian replied, pulling his keys from his pocket. “She didn’t mention it.”

He unlocked the door and let him in, then headed back to the garden to finish putting his tools away.

* * *

When Cammie
heard the car drive up to the front door, she
looked out.

Francois!

She screamed and ran toward the cellar, hoping to lock herself in, but Francois caught her just before she reached the stairs. He put his hand over her mouth so she couldn’t scream again, and with the other hand he snapped handcuffs on her wrists so she couldn’t fight back, as he forced her out the front door.

When Cammie screamed, Ian picked up a hoe and rushed toward the Castle.

Francois pushed Cammie into the front seat of his rented car. He grabbed the hoe out of Ian’s hand, hit him over the head, picked him up, and dumped him into the bushes, bleeding and unconscious.

He jumped back into the car. “We’ll put you where no one can find you this time!” he told Cammie.

“How are you going to do that?” she gasped. “You’ll never get away with this. We’re a long way from France. Your plane is in Chaumont!”

“That’s easy!” he boasted. “I’ll rent a plane to fly back there. Then I’ll fly you in my own plane to my Chateau in Biarritz. No one will find you there!”

Cammie opened her mouth to scream again.

Francois quickly gagged her with a kerchief he pulled from his pocket.

Cammie was sure she wouldn’t get another chance to escape.

Zack and his companions arrived just as Francois drove off with Cammie. Her scream was muffled as Zack passed Francois’ car, and drove the limousine up the long driveway to the Castle.

* * *

Francois’ disguise didn’t fool Hildy for one minute. “That’s Francois!” she cried, almost in hysterics. “Cammie was free, and now he has her again! We’ll never get her back! I’m going to do what he wants. It’s the only thing that will save her.”

Zack disagreed. “Don’t do it!” he warned her. “He’ll never let her go alive!”

“It looks hopeless!” Jeremy said. “No matter what we do it’s the wrong thing!”

“Just be patient and hold off for a while,” Zack said grimly. “He won’t harm Cammie until he gets what he wants.”

Hildy wiped her eyes and looked at him pleadingly. “Where do we go from here?”

“We’ll try to catch them. If we can’t, we’ll go back to the airport and rent a plane to fly back to Chaumont,” Zack replied. “I have a gut feeling he’s headed there to pick up his plane. I’m sure he intends to take Cammie somewhere else, now that we know where he’s been holding her prisoner. If we hurry we may be able to stop him.”

They had just seated themselves in the car, when they heard a moan coming from behind the bushes at the side of the long driveway.

Zack jumped out of the car. He reached in and pulled the gardener out. By this time the others had joined him.

“Ian!” screamed Hildy. “What happened?”

“The man—the man—” Ian gasped. “He hit me with the hoe! You must catch him! He took the lassie!”

Jeremy ran back to the car and picked up the phone and dialed for information. “Operator!” he said. “Get me the nearest hospital! A man has been attacked and needs attention!A He turned to Jay. “What’s the address here?” he asked him.

Jay took the phone from Jeremy and told the operator where to send the ambulance. “We can’t leave Ian here like this,” he told the others. “We have to wait for the ambulance. They should be here in ten minutes.”

Hildy stood there, crying softly. She felt torn. She knew they must wait for the paramedics, but they were losing precious time. Francois and Cammie would be long gone before they could follow them.

The paramedics arrived in exactly eight minutes, and told them to go ahead. Ian wasn’t badly injured, and they assured them that they would take good care of him.

Zack drove off toward the airport as fast as possible. As soon as they arrived, he rented a plane, and they were on their way back to Chaumont.

CHAPTER XXXVI
 

In the wee hours of the morning Francois landed his rented plane at the airport in Paris, and herded Cammie into his Rolls Royce. He called Gabe from the car phone and told him they were on their way. “Have the engines of my jet warmed up, ready for takeoff,” he ordered. “We’ll be there in an hour.”

As soon as he arrived at the Chateau with Cammie, he parked his Rolls Royce down near the stables, and forced her into his plane.

“Gabe!” he shouted over the noise of the engines, “be on the lookout for a plane that could be carrying Cammie’s parents and friends. Shoot them on sight! They know too much. All except Cammie’s mother. Lock her up! We have to keep her alive until she confesses. Call the gendarmes. Tell them they were trespassing on my property, and you had to shoot them to protect it.”

Cammie struggled to loose herself from the handcuffs, but all she could manage was to wiggle her head till the kerchief over her mouth fell off. “Francois!” she yelled. “You can’t do that! Please! Do what you want with me, but don’t shoot them!”

Francois ignored her pleas and sat down in the pilot’s seat. He gunned the throttle and they were airborne.

* * *

Zack reached the Chateau de Boulanger, and put the plane down on the grass beside the landing strip, just in time to see Francois’ plane take off, with Cammie on board.

Hildy began to sob, and Jay looked as though someone had sucked the breath out of him.

When Zack saw Gabe walking back toward the Chateau, he jumped out of the plane and chased him, determined to make him tell where Francois was taking Cammie.

Gabe saw him coming, and ran. Before Zack could reach him, he entered the Chateau and locked the door.

Zack demanded that he open up, but Gabe ignored him. He could hear Gabe inside on the phone reporting to the police that there were trespassers on the property.

A sudden feeling of impending danger overwhelmed him. He ran back to the others, and told them to hurry to the tree and hide in the trunk.

They had just managed to reach the tree, when Gabe came out the front door of the Chateau with a gun in his hand. But by this time they were nowhere in sight.

As soon as Gabe and returned to the Chateau, they exited the tree trunk, and once again boarded the rented plane, saddened and bewildered. They took off immediately, before Gabe could take a shot at them.

“Where are we going now?” Hildy sobbed.

“I have an idea where he may have taken her,” Zack told them.

“The Chateau in Biarritz?” Jay asked.

Zack nodded. “Exactly. The secret room behind the panel in the library would be a perfect place to hide her. We’ll get there as fast as this plane will fly!”

“What about fuel? Do we have enough?”

“We have plenty,” Zack replied.

“We can’t land on the runway there. It’s too short for two planes,” Jay reminded him. “Francois’ plane will be there.”

“No problem,” Zack replied. “We’ll rent a helicopter once we arrive at the Biarritz airport.”

* * *

Francois had been flying for about two hours, when he spotted the landing strip at his Chateau in Biarritz. He quickly set the plane down and taxied to a stop. He shut off the engines and prepared to deplane.

Cammie’s wrists were still handcuffed. In an effort to shut her up, Francois had gagged her again while they were en route. He was tired of listening to her tell him he couldn’t get away with this. As far as he was concerned, he already had. He only hoped that Gabe had obeyed his orders and shot Cammie’s father and friends, and taken Hildy hostage.