Horace drove the van, with Peter in the front passenger seat. Jack sat on the bench seat behind, and Celeste made a point of sitting beside him. Derek and Skye sat in the row behind them.
“I don’t want the mother to start giving us any proof-of-life bullshit,” Celeste said as they drove toward the Trans-Canada. “All that does is help the cops try to find her. Make it clear to her that if she wants proof of life, we’ll send her some fresh body parts. Got it?”
“Got it,” Jack replied.
Twenty minutes later, they parked at a small shopping mall in Abbotsford. Celeste handed Jack a phone. “Okay, cowboy, time to do your thing, but hold the phone so I can listen.”
Jack was more than a little nervous, wondering if Rose knew yet that Alicia was missing. He made a point of hiding the phone number he tapped in, which seemed to amuse Celeste.
When Rose answered, Jack spoke quickly and harshly, hoping to prevent her from saying something that might alert Celeste.
“You don’t know me, but my name’s Jack. This morning we kidnapped your daughter, Ally, because yesterday Mason robbed me of five hundred thousand dollars.”
Silence followed. Celeste looked at him and raised her eyebrow.
“Are you listening to me?” Jack yelled. “Mason actually thought he could get away with robbing me! The bastard’s been selling me cocaine for years, but yesterday, for whatever reason, him and a bunch of guys beat the shit out of me and stole five hundred thousand dollars!”
“Is this — is this some kind of joke?” Rose replied.
Good, she’s playing along. He was relieved, though he knew the panic in Rose’s voice was genuine. “No, it’s not a fucking joke! If you don’t believe me, try calling Ally. I guarantee she won’t answer. Then talk to Mason. Get him to tell ya what he did.”
“Oh, dear, Ally. Is she … did you hurt her? Can I speak to her?”
“No, you can’t fuckin’ speak to her until you pay us. You make any more demands like that and we’ll be sending you her body parts.”
“Oh, God, no! I can’t believe this is happening. Please don’t hurt her!”
“We haven’t hurt her … yet. That’s up to you. If you ever want to see her again you’ll round up a million bucks in hundred-dollar bills.”
“A million dollars? Okay, yes, whatever you want. Please, don’t hurt —”
“You go to the cops, or tell anyone other than Mason, and she’s dead. Tomorrow, when you see your bankers or financial advisers, make up a story or tell them you want a cash gift to surprise your kids with. Your daughter’s life depends on you keeping your trap shut. Got it?”
“Oh, God, I was worried he might be involved in drugs.”
“I said do you understand? Don’t go to the cops! And get me my million bucks!”
“I will. I have investments and money in several banks. I can get it all by late tomorrow if I get some money from each place.”
Celeste whispered in Jack’s ear, and he passed on the message to Rose. “I’ll phone you back at one p.m. tomorrow with further instructions. Tell Mason not to bother trying to call me. I don’t even have my phone with me.”
“Yes, okay. I’ll get the money,” Rose replied.
“What’s your first name?” Jack asked. “Is it Rose? I think that’s what Mason said it was.”
“Yes, it’s Rose.”
“Tomorrow! One p.m.!” Jack yelled, then ended the call.
“You did good,” Celeste said, her face still so close that he could feel her breath.
“I think it went okay,” he replied. He held the phone so Celeste couldn’t see the screen as he retrieved the call history and deleted Rose’s number before handing it back.
Celeste smiled, then gave him a squeeze on the inner thigh before moving away. “Sounds like I really will have reason to celebrate my birthday tomorrow.”
“Hopefully it’ll be a party we’ll never forget,” Jack replied.
* * *
Rose had barely entered the triple one office when Jack had called. After he’d disconnected, she sat down, stunned, then looked up at the sombre faces of Laura, Mason, and Connie. “You heard?”
“We heard you. Is she okay?” Laura asked.
“It sounds like she is for now,” Rose replied. “They’re demanding a million, and Jack said he’ll call me tomorrow at one p.m.”
“Is he with Alicia?” Connie asked.
“I don’t know.”
“But he’s seen her?” Mason queried. “Was he there when they grabbed her?”
“I don’t know. He said she was okay, so I’m sure he’s seen her.”
“Will we arrest them when they pick up the money?” Laura asked.
Rose grimaced. “The location of the money drop won’t be under our control. If something goes wrong, like it did with the Chung kidnapping, they might kill Alicia. Jack, too, if he’s there and tries to stop them. Same thing if we grab Derek and try to get him to talk.”
“We could try tracking Derek through his phone, but I bet it’s turned off,” Laura said.
“I’m sure it is,” Rose replied. “Jack told me he didn’t have his phone with him.”
“So they don’t trust him,” Mason noted.
“Evidently not.”
“Safer to pay them, then wait until she’s released and the two of them are safe before making any arrests,” Connie stated. “Jack’s bound to know where they live or something that’ll lead us to them.”
“There’s something else to consider,” Laura said. “What’s to stop them from murdering Jack and Alicia once they have the money? In their minds, the police would go after Jack and maybe presume he skipped the country.”
“Especially if neither of their bodies is found,” Mason noted gravely.