Friday
And that’s when my cell buzzed. All four of us stared at it. I checked the caller ID panel. Caller unknown. I held it up so LeJeune and Luke could see. They both nodded. I took a deep breath, pushed the green light, and put it on speakerphone, as Nick had instructed.
“Hello?”
No hesitation on the other end. “You know who this is, I assume.”
“Yes, Mr. Stokes,” I said for their benefit.
“And you know what I want.”
“Yes.”
“Well?”
“I need to talk to Rachel. Make sure she’s okay.”
LeJeune had said he would probably say no but to tell him all bets were off until I heard her voice. To my surprise, though, he didn’t object. “Of course.”
There was a swish of air. A moment later, I heard, “Mom?”
Her voice on the other end of the phone was like my birthday, Mother’s Day, and Christmas, all wrapped up in one. “Rachel. Oh my God. I love you. I am so sorry. Are you okay?”
“Well, actually I am. I was scared shitless at the beginning, but it’s okay now.”
I started to giggle. I knew it was a nervous reaction to the stress and fear. But I couldn’t help thinking how mature she sounded.
“What’s so funny?” Rachel asked.
“Nothing, honey.” Still, she wasn’t with me, and in the space of a few seconds, my giggles turned to sobs. Luke squeezed my free hand.
Rachel picked up on my tears. “Don’t cry, Mom. Really, I’m fine. They bought me McDonald’s for dinner last night. And KFC tonight. And one of the guys is a pretty good— Look, I can’t stay on the phone. He’s motioning me to get off.”
Was this my daughter? She sounded so level-headed and calm I would have thought she was at camp, not the captive of some ambitious, overreaching covert operative. Was I overreacting? Was all the hysteria and anxiety misplaced? “Baby, we’re going to—”
But a sudden swish on the phone told me I was no longer talking to Rachel. My fear ratcheted up.
“Satisfied?” Stokes said.
“I want to talk longer.”
“Not now. By the way, you can call off the feds. I know they’re listening.”
All four of us exchanged glances. LeJeune leaned back with an expression that said he might have underestimated Stokes.
“And you can tell the rest of the gang we’re going to do you a big favor.”
“What’s that?” I said.
“I know you’re in Lake Geneva. And you now have the drive.”
“How do you—”
He ignored the question.
“There’s an airstrip behind the Lodge, the fancy resort up there.”
“I know it.” I glanced over at Luke and Jimmy. The three of us had history there.
“Be there at two am. You give us the drive; we’ll give you your daughter.”
“How do I know you won’t pull a stunt at the last minute?”
“You don’t.” He paused. “No weapons. No floodlights or cameras. No comms. Maglites and binoculars are okay. Most important, no one comes before two am. If my team sees anyone they don’t recognize, anyone ferreting around, prepping, or planting land mines or flares, the deal is off, and you’ll never see your daughter again.” Another pause. “Oh, and you will hand over the drive. Not your FBI pal or your boyfriend. Got it?”
I was about to reply, but he disconnected.