New Growth (Spook Hills Trilogy Book 2) (7 page)

“No, I spoke to them at the door.
 
Susannah was visiting a friend down the
street.”

“Write down what you can recall – hair, eyes, height,
etc.
 
Even any impressions of each
one.
 
Anything else?”

She shook her head even as she searched her memory.
 
“Wait.
 
When I went out this morning, I remember a van parked down near the
corner.”

“Color, make, name?”

“Off white.
 
Enclosed except the front cab part.
 
No business name painted on the side.
 
Boxy American type.
 
Not a VW or another foreign make.”

“Anyone inside?”

“Man on a cell phone.”

“Plates?”

She shook her head.
 
“Didn’t
notice.”

“Lenny is covertly patrolling outside.
 
He’s pretending to be our driver.”

She nodded. Even though she trembled with worry over
Susannah, a little relief seeped into her at having Mathew and Uncle Rick with her,
as well as Lenny’s protection.
 
Answering
Mathew’s questions gave her hope of getting her daughter back.
 
Instead of waiting and worrying as
she
did or scowling and criticizing as John
Henry did, they regained a little control and could move forward.
 
She concentrated on Mathew, readying herself
for the next steps.

“Did you call the school back?”

“No, should I?”

“Let’s leave that for now.
 
If we decide to go for FBI assistance, they will handle it.
 
I need to speak to John Henry, even though
this is awkward as hell after what I did up at Rick’s.”

“I want you
here,
” she
said, forcing herself to keep her voice from quavering.
 
“If anyone can help us, you can.”

He reached over to press her hand.
 
“Callie, I will do my best.”

She nodded, wishing she could bury herself against him and
draw on his strength and composure.
 
Mathew hustled out to where Rick sat with John Henry.
 

Callie’s eyes followed him, remembering the first time she
had seen Mathew the year before.
 
Early
in the fall when she had passed Spook Hills on her bicycle, he was standing out
in his new vineyard down near the road.
  
With the sun sliding towards the horizon, the long slanted rays had
outlined him in a golden nimbus.
 
The
light had made him a mythical vision standing among the vines.
 
She had almost fallen off her bike,
gawking.
 
He had radiated warmth and
goodness.
 
Knowing him a little better
now, the impression of benevolence remained with her.
 
She needed his comfort as well as his skills
as an FBI agent.

Rick walked in.
 
Callie hoped they could leave John Henry and Mathew alone together
without a fight breaking out.
 

“Callie, I authorized the transfer of money to your bank
under my
name,
and we’ll
pick
it up as soon as it arrives.
 
Mathew offered up
some money
he had available too,” Rick said.
 
“Right now, I need some air.
 
Let’s step into the backyard.”

They went out to stand just off the patio where flowering
climbers covered the perimeter fencing.
 
Rick ambled away from the house.
 

“Mathew is going to put a device on your phone to
trace
any incoming or outgoing traffic.
 
He will be coming and going from here.
 
I will stay,” Rick said. “When we go to the
bank, Lenny will be on guard here. Do not open the door for anyone apart from
me, Mathew or Lenny.”

“Who will go to rescue Susannah?” Callie’s voice started to
fail her.
 
She hated the way it came out
all shaky.

“Mathew.
 
Lenny will
be hiding out in the backseat.”

“Good.
 
I don’t want
to risk losing you too.”
 
Callie began
sobbing.
 
“What if we don’t get her
back?”

Rick gripped her tightly.
 
“We will.
 
Susannah will be back
with us.
 
We may need to bring in the
FBI.”

She pushed back and forced a small smile as she wiped away
the remnants of weeping.
 
“By asking
Mathew to come down, we did that. He told Steve, right?”

“He’s working on an idea and should send an update
soon.
 
By the way, from now on don’t use
your phones or any telecommunications.
 
Mathew said they might
be bugged
.”

Callie nodded.
 
“If
anyone can bring Susannah back, Steve and Mathew can.
 
What I don’t understand is why they took
her.”

Rick shook his head, "No idea, excluding the
money.
 
Before this is over, Steve and
Mathew will know."

Late that afternoon, Mathew slouched at the desk in his
hotel room reading an encrypted communication from Steve.
 
While what Steve wrote made his heart sink,
he also saw hope for Susannah’s recovery.

Secure Email from Steve Nielsen,
21
^st
August
2014

Mathew,

I remembered hearing
about
certain
underworld gangsters who run
a string of illicit ops around the nation, most notably in California, Florida,
Nevada and Texas.
 
They offer the usual
illegal gambling, drugs, prostitutes and so on.
 
The FBI suspects they perform various acts to collect debts, including
theft of personal information, embezzlement and kidnapping.
 
They go after sources of big money such as
relatives, influential
friends
and
privately held businesses.
 
Two
identified instances of child abductions occurred in the last two years in
California.
 
Thus far the crimes are not
solidly linked to any alleged crime bosses.
 
The kidnappers returned each victim unharmed once they had the
ransom
but be assured these gangsters will be
damn nasty if they suspect a trap.

Could Callie or John
Henry or even Rick be close to someone with
a
gambling
or drug problem?
 
John
Henry is the obvious choice, although someone else could be aware of Rick’s
relationship to Callie and Susannah.
 
Rick is the perfect rich uncle for this type of swindle.
 
With the size of the ransom, I
guess
an overdue debt escalated with interest
and so-called collection fees.
 
If this
is true, the person who ran up the debt may or may not be in on snatching
Susannah.
 

I make two
suggestions.
 
First, tell no one about
this, not even Rick or Lenny.
 
Second,
give me the okay to make contact through the Chief with the head of the San
Francisco office.
 
I will coordinate a
neutral meeting spot for you, maybe at the bank.
 
We must not let them see you with the FBI,
but I think we need this one meeting.
 
They will put you on the Bureau’s scrambled mobile network and work with
you on resolving the case.
 
If you want
me to join you, I will.
 

Use this encrypted
service until you are on the Bureau’s mobile phone network.
 
Standing by until I hear from you.
 
You might let Rick know Sassy is holding up
well.
 

All is quiet on the
Northern Front,

Steve

Mathew moved away from his laptop, his palms sweaty after
reading the message.
 
Steve possessed an
unerring sense about crime.
 
If he
thought of this as a plausible explanation for the kidnapping, it likely
was.
 
While you could never be 100% sure
about people, Mathew ruled out Callie and Sassy as well as Rick, since
he
would put up a good part of the funds.
 
Mathew wanted to place priority on
investigating John Henry, Rick’s two grown children and their spouses, Rick’s
first wife and other persons not yet known to him.
 
John Henry claimed to be dealing with his
drinking concern after being threatened with the departure of his family and
possibly the loss of his position at Berkeley.
 
An addictive personality could get compulsive about making wagers or
doing drugs or both.
 
John Henry also
might be sexually deviant, given what he said about Callie not being
venturesome.
 

Did he risk bringing in the Bureau on this?
 
Callie’s tear-filled eyes haunted him,
reminding him of a few words from Virgil –
lacrimis
oculus
suffusa
nitentos
, her sparkling eyes suffused
with tears.
 
Steve’s judgment on the
people at the San Francisco office could be trusted.
 
Mathew tapped the reply button.

Secure Email from Mathew Heylen, August 21st, 2014

Call the Chief.
 
Make sure the locals will be deep
background.
 
They cannot show up at
Callie’s house
or at
Berkeley or even be
in the vicinity.
 
I want them positioned
incognito when I get Susannah, only to pursue the thugs for the arrest after
she is securely away from the target location.
 
Lenny will crouch down on the floor of the rental car.
 
I will not pressure John Henry or Rick on
possible debts until Susannah is out of harm’s way.
 
I want a
Bubird
to take her and Callie up to Spook Hills with Lenny to guard them.
 
Rick and I will stay here for the transition
to the FBI.
 

I think you should
nose around backgrounds on Rick’s son and daughter, their families and his first
wife.
 
John Henry is upset about
Susannah.
 
W
hile
he is the obvious candidate for your theory, we should explore other
possibilities.
 
As much as I want you
here as my wingman (there’s a change!), stay at home with Ivy and Sassy.
 
I know I can rely on you 24/7.
 

Mathew

The second afternoon, Mathew joined the others at
Callie’s where they gathered around the dining table waiting for the phone to
ring.
 
Mathew sat next to John Henry and
noticed times when he became fidgety, left the room for a few minutes and came
back calmer.
 
While Mathew suspected John
Henry went out to sneak shots of vodka, this was not the time to mention his
suspicions to Rick or Callie, much less to confront John Henry.
 

"The assigned senior agent out of the FBI’s San
Francisco office met us at the bank this morning with two and a
half
million,” Mathew said.
 
“We discussed our plans in a small conference
room.
 
Steve and I are putting in a
million and Rick put up the balance.
 
Steve said the FBI should have a substantial stake in the ransom."

Callie spread her fingers open.
 
“How can we ever pay you and the FBI back?”

Rick regarded her steadily.
 
“What is all the wealth I accumulated good for if I can’t use it an
emergency to save the people dearest to me?
 
Right now, we must only focus on Susannah, getting her back and helping
her through the trauma and the after-shock.”

“How can we sure the FBI will not act precipitately and
endanger Susannah?” John Henry asked in the arrogant tone that characterized
his communications.

"I repeated Steve's instructions for the FBI to follow
in a covert manner.
 
These agents are
skilled in handling kidnapping situations where the protection of the child
takes precedence.
 
I believe we can trust
them.
 
Both the former FBI Chief Mueller
and the current head of the FBI, James Comey, were advised on this issue.
 
Given their closeness to the case, even a
renegade agent will not risk putting her in jeopardy."

"You might
be shot
,"
Callie said, her voice sounding tinny with nerves.

John Henry glowered at her.

"I’m trained in handling confrontations,” Mathew
said.
 
“Lenny will be protecting me
clandestinely.
 
Once
we have Susannah safeguarded
in the car, if the
perps make any aggressive moves, the FBI will take over.
 
I will wear a wireless microphone on a scrambled
circuit to the CARD leader, as well as to Lenny and Steve."

"And the call tonight?" John Henry asked.

"Like before, let your wife answer.
 
Her
voice is familiar to them.
 
Callie,
insist on speaking to Susannah.
 
That request
might extend the call for tracing purposes."

Callie nodded, trying to appear calm even though she again
clutched one hand with the other to hold herself together.
 
Mathew wanted to wrap her
in
an embrace and ease her worries with soft
words.
 

 
"Once Susannah
is with us, we’ll hurry back here where you can reunite with her.
 
Do not ask her too many questions, but do ask
if her captors hurt her in any way.
 
Assuming she is not physically injured, take her up for a shower and put
her in whatever is most comfortable,” Mathew said, pausing to take a drink of
water and to let his instructions sink in.

“Pack luggage for each of you," he said pointedly to
Callie.
 
"We will run the two of you
down to Oakland and put you on a Bubird with Lenny.
 
You will be flown up to Hillsboro where FBI
agents, Steve,
Ivy
and Sassy will meet
you at the airport.
 
You will stay at
Spook Hills until we are back."

"What if Susannah talks some more?"

"Write down what she says.
 
Don't press her for details until she is
ready to talk.
 
Her healing comes before
solving the case."

"What about me?" John Henry asked with an edge in
his voice.
 
"What am I allowed to do
in your scheme?"

"
Welcome
your
daughter home.
 
Make sure she knows your
love surrounds her
.
 
You, Rick and I will stay here to deal with
the follow-up from the CARD team.
 
We
need to shelter Susannah for as long as we can.
 
This type of harrowing experience shatters a child’s subconscious sense
of living in a big bubble of well-being."

"I want to fly out with them," John Henry said.

While Rick had listened in silence, now he spoke up,
"John Henry, our job is to be
strong
and steadfast here for Susannah.
 
Callie
will act in the same
way
on her trip
north.
 
When things are settled down, we
can plan the next steps."

John Henry glared at him and pushed back from the
table.
 
Callie squared her shoulders,
drawing on inner reserves Mathew guessed she never realized she possessed.
 

"Each of us will do our best," she said with
surprising resolve in her voice.
 
"Now if the kidnappers will call and give us
time.
 
This waiting is
dreadful."

“Go up and get your suitcases packed,” Mathew said knowing
that activity, particularly of
a positive
nature like packing in hopes of Susannah’s return, would help Callie hold
herself together.

Callie ran upstairs to fill suitcases for herself and her
daughter.
 
Mathew went into the living
room to get ready.
 
He did some stretches
to limber up his tense muscles.
 
Feeling
looser,
he
checked his
roscoe
and replaced it in his shoulder holster,
then he strapped a knife to his leg and hid smoky explosives in his
pocket.
 
Before he left the house, he
would don a loose jacket over his bulletproof vest.
 

Lenny drove out to pick up a dinner none of them wanted, but
they half-heartedly ate part of it out of duty.
 
Then they waited.
 
The jangle of
the phone startled them when it finally rang.

"Hello?" Callie said in a trembling voice when she
clicked the phone on speaker.
 
"I
want to talk with my daughter."

"Bring the five million to 965 87th Avenue in Oakland
in one hour. That’s 965 87
^th
Avenue."
 
The line went dead.

Callie's eyes went wide with terror.
 
"Is Susannah no longer alive?"

"He didn't want the call traced.
 
Don't read anything into the shortness of the
call.
 
Same voice as yesterday
morning?"

"Same cold, clipped voice.”

“Like he read from a short script.
 
The FBI will attempt to obtain Caller ID, but
he probably made the call from a stolen cell phone."

Mathew searched for the address the man gave on Google maps,
noting it was in a commercial area not far from the airport, which should be
empty at the specified 11 o’clock at night.
 
He spoke into his headpiece.

"You guys got that?
 
Ready to roll?"

"Moving as we speak.
 
We'll come in some blocks away and move in stealth mode on foot to find
sheltered positions.
 
We will not be
visible.
 
You all set?"

"Ready.
 
The
money is in two bags as you suggested."
 
Mathew stood, taking two duffels from Rick, one much heavier than the
other.
 
The money was split as one and
four million.

His abs stiffened.
 
Steve said his tightened right before every operation.
 
Mathew found the sensation gave him
an impression
of power and quelled his
inevitable
edginess right before a
sting
.