Angel fought her way out of unconsciousness only to find she was trapped in a confined space that smelled like rubber tires, motor oil and rotten oranges. The last thing she remembered was following Jade Moon, then being caught off guard when the woman yanked her out of the car. She couldn’t remember anything after that. Curled in a semi-fetal position with a sore spot behind one ear and a painful cramp in her stomach, she felt around in the dark for her purse, thinking her cell phone was in it.
Where’s my cell phone? On the ground. She smashed it. Holy Shit. Where the hell am I?
She patted the interior of the space, ran her right hand along the hard surface above her head while covering her nose with her left hand.
What is that awful smell? Omigod, those oranges Sterling gave me. I put them in the trunk and forgot them. So that’s where I am. Wait, don’t panic. Trunks have release levers. This shouldn’t be that hard.
Angel wiggled around until her hand finally closed on something that felt like the latch release, but no matter how hard she pulled, it wouldn’t budge.
Shit! The darn thing’s stuck. Some detective I am. No cell phone, the safety lever’s broken, I’m on a deserted road and no one knows where I am. I’ll probably die in here. Stop, take a deep breath. Think.
She felt around in the trunk looking for a tool that she could use to break out the tail light. She came up with nothing but a handful of moldy oranges. With the skill of a contortionist, she managed to reach into her pocket for a tissue and discovered Dexter’s phone. When the screen lit up, she almost squealed with joy. She quickly keyed in Godiva’s number.
A moment later she heard her boss’s voice say, “Hi Dexter, I guess Angel finally got your phone back to you.”
“It’s not Dexter, Boss, it’s me and I’m locked in the trunk of my car. Jade caught me by surprise, knocked me out and stuffed me in here. I’m whispering because she might still be outside somewhere.”
Godiva sounded like a worried mother scolding her child to mask her fear. “Oh, Angel, I told you it was dangerous to follow that woman. Wait until Dexter hears what happened. That is if she hasn’t already done something awful. Maybe you were right about her casing his shop, but I just knew you shouldn’t have followed her. I’ll leave a warning on his home phone since you have his cell.”
“Um, Boss, could we talk about that later? Right now I need someone to get me out of here. Better call Ricky Thompson, we might need the big guns. And while you’re at it, call Agent del Toro and tell him I found his jewel thief.” She gave Godiva her location and tried to remain calm while she waited for help to arrive.
As it turned out, Ricky was with a client in Bel Air which wasn’t far from the house in the canyon. He dropped everything and arrived within fifteen minutes to find the property was deserted. He saw Angel’s purse still laying on the passenger seat, pulled her keys out of the ignition and opened the trunk. She practically fell into his arms. He sat her down in the car and grabbed some bottled water from his Hummer. While stroking her back, he spoke to her in soothing tones.
“There you go, Angel. Just try to relax. Godiva said you followed Jade Moon here. Kinda brave and kinda dumb, too.”
She took a big swallow from the water bottle, then leaned back and sagged against the seat. “I thought I was being so clever and everyone would be proud of me. It’s something Goldie or Godiva would have done, isn’t it?”
He smiled. “Well, yes, but look at all the trouble those two get into, not to mention Flossie and Sterling. I think you’ve been hanging around the Silver family much too long. Listen, you’re in no condition to drive, so we’ll leave the car here and one of my men will pick it up.”
Ricky was about to help her into the Hummer when Agent del Toro pulled up. They filled him in on what had happened and the FBI man gave Angel a gentle lecture about the danger of playing cops and robbers.
She said meekly, “Well, I sure found that out. But I had to follow her. Everyone has been looking for her and I had her in my sights. You do understand, don’t you?”
Del Toro grimaced. “Yeah, I know you thought it was the right thing, but that woman is very dangerous. That’s how well-meaning people wind up dead. Chica, I have four words for you: don’t do stupid things.”
Ricky said, “Hey, ease up. I think she learned her lesson. I’m gonna get the poor kid back to Godiva’s. You do what you have to here.”
Del Toro called for backup to investigate the isolated house while Ricky helped Angel into the Hummer.
***
Forty-five minutes later Angel sat on the plush leather sofa in Godiva’s family room while Flossie and Sterling fussed over her. Flossie insisted on wrapping her in a blanket and Sterling asked Guadalupe to bring her a cup of tea. Flossie sat next to her, patting her arm.
“Oy vey, you could have been killed—or worse. I knew from the moment I met that woman she was no good.”
Goldie and Godiva sat on the matching arm chairs opposite Angel while Godiva spoke to a telephone operator. “But there must be some mistake, operator. That number can’t be disconnected. It’s my boyfriend’s home and there is no reason he would shut off his phone. Please try again.”
The operator explained patiently that she had checked the records and the subscriber had issued a disconnect order to become effective that day.
With a bit of hesitation Goldie said, “Darn it, Sis. I knew you shouldn’t have given him that valuable jewelry. What if he’s taken it and flown the coop?”
The scene in Godiva’s family room was one of mild chaos. Ricky was pacing, Flossie and Sterling were hovering over Angel like mother hens, Godiva was beside herself, insisting that there must be some mistake, and Goldie kept repeating, “I told you so.”
Finally, Godiva said, “Well, I know something is wrong. Dexter wouldn’t shut off his phone, and he certainly didn’t need to steal my jewelry—after all he’s rich, too. I’m going to drive over to his house to find out what’s going on.”
Goldie picked up her huge purse, made from an Afghani saddlebag, and slung it over her shoulder. “Well, you’re not going by yourself. I’ll go with you.”
Ricky held up his hands. “Both of you girls will ride over there with me. What if Jade and some of her sidekicks paid him a visit? They might even be holding him hostage, demanding he turn over a huge fortune in gems. After all, Angel thought Jade was checking out his store.” He looked at oldsters pampering Godiva’s assistant. “Flossie and Sterling can take care of Angel. Let’s go.”
When they got to Dexter’s house, there was no sign of life. The drapes were drawn and there was no answer when they rang the bell. The garage door was open and no car was in sight.
Although they didn’t know it then, Dexter and Jade had successfully vanished without a trace.