“I still don’t understand why your family wants to kill Eleni Townsend,” Chris told Zach as the ambulance continued on its way. “Why is she a threat to you?”
“Earl Montgomery, my father, never gave up hoping that his missing daughter would be discovered alive, even though she was officially declared dead a few months after she disappeared. He hired countless investigators over the years, but they all came up with nothing. My parents never had any more children, and they always wanted to know what happened to their little girl. Then, a little over a year ago, one of the investigators he hired found some articles written by Eleni Townsend, and thought there might be a resemblance to the age-progressed photo we have of her. Although we didn’t know it at the time, Wesley Montgomery, my uncle, paid the same investigator to report anything he found to him that he also reported to my father.” He paused and took a breath. “I can’t prove it, but a year or so ago, I think Wesley paid a guy to kill Eleni and her family. He wanted to make sure that if Eleni was related to the Montgomerys, that the connection was never discovered. The job got botched, and only Eleni’s husband died, and Earl never knew anything about the death, or the possibility that Eleni could be his child. Apparently, Eleni and her daughter were supposed to be in the car that night, too, but for some reason, it was only her husband.” Zach moved uncomfortably on the gurney, his shoulder obviously still hurting him despite the pain medication that was flowing through the IV. “The police labeled Charlie Townsend’s death a car accident, and the investigation didn’t go very far, but Eleni was still out there.” He swallowed.
“But why kill her? It doesn’t make any sense!” Chris proclaimed. “She didn’t even know about the connection. Her adoptive mother never told her about her past.”
“Wesley couldn’t take the chance,” Zach replied.
He coughed, and the EMT got exasperated. “Can’t this wait?”
“No,” both Chris and Zach responded together, and then Zach continued, “Eleni is an heir to the company. Her kidnapping didn’t change that. Even though she was believed dead, her death was never confirmed. Without that confirmation, there was still a threat to the future of the family company, at least in Wesley’s mind. Wesley let it go when the first attempt to kill her got botched, but then my father died. Earl was the CEO of Montgomery Investments and wielded a lot of power—power that Wesley wanted. Up until his death, my father ran the show, and made it into the multimillion-dollar business it is today, and Wesley was always jealous and trying to take control. When Earl died, controlling interest of the company was split equally between Wesley and me. We have equal shares of the equity, but even though he’s the CEO, I have veto power.” Zach took a moment to catch his breath, then continued, “For the most part, I just stay out of his way. He can be a nasty adversary, and I never wanted to give him reason to have me eliminated. He also has several board members in his pocket, which would make challenging him very difficult. Wesley relaxed a bit once he got the CEO position, but my father never gave up looking for his daughter before his death, and always hoped that somehow, she had survived. Before he died, he put a special provision in the bylaws of the company that gave Eleni and me a controlling interest together, if she was ever found. We could leave Wesley as the head, or we could take it over and run it ourselves, but at least we would have the choice. Without those extra shares, I don’t have enough power to oust Wesley from the CEO position, but with them, I can have him removed.”
“Did you want to take over?”
“I didn’t. I was happy with the vice president role and I have a nice work-life balance. But that was before I found out Wesley was hunting for Eleni again and trying to kill her. I don’t know for sure, but I think her recent exposé brought up all of those concerns he’d had in the past. He wants to make sure he can remain in power, and that she’ll never come forward and threaten his position.” He shuddered. “I don’t know Eleni. But she is my sister. I don’t want her dead.”
Chris shook his head. “So basically, this is all about money?”
“Basically,” Zach replied. “Wesley will stay CEO, unless Eleni is found. If she is discovered, a DNA test will be done, and then Eleni and I would take over Montgomery Investments.”
Chris tilted his head. “So how did Wesley make sure that Eleni was related? I mean, an old age-progressed photo is pretty flimsy evidence. I doubt he would go to all of this trouble on a hunch.”
“You’re right. He hired someone to break into their house a few months ago to obtain a DNA sample, and he confirmed the truth. Eleni Townsend is really Celia Montgomery. But he kept the information secret so he could keep the CEO position. I happened to come across the payment for the test, and secretly ordered a second copy of the report. That’s what alerted me to what was going on.” Zach sighed. “Then I overheard Wesley plotting to kill Eleni and Katie on the telephone, and I found the paper trail that showed how he hired Henry Jackson from Chicago to poison both of them.”
Chris shook his head. “Why did he choose poisoning at a restaurant salad bar? There was so much collateral damage! He killed and hurt a lot of people.”
Zach pursed his lips. “Wesley is not a straightforward guy. He thrives on intrigue. I overheard him say that he believed the poisoning would be thought to be a terrorist act or arbitrary at a minimum and, therefore, the crime would never point back to him, even if Jackson got caught. He also thought the investigation would go nowhere if there were several possible victims instead of just two.” He sucked in a breath. “I found out about what he had hired Jackson to do, but not in time to stop him. By the time I got to Chicago, Jackson had already dispersed the poison, and Eleni and Katie were in the hospital. I went to the emergency room to check on them, and have been trying to keep an eye on her ever since.”
“You know Jackson is dead, right?”
“Of course I know!” Zach said vehemently. “Wesley had Jackson killed to clean up any loose ends. Then he hired new people to try to kill Eleni. I’ve been trying to protect her as much as I can, but I have a hard time getting information in real time. Wesley is not a stupid man. In fact, he’s one of the smartest men I’ve ever known, and he’s gotten really good at covering his tracks.”
“Well, why didn’t you just go to the police?” Chris asked. He was having a hard time keeping the anger out of his voice. Here was a man who knew someone was in danger, but who never reported it.
“Wesley doesn’t know I know. If he did, I’d be dead now, too. I’ve been walking a tightrope with him ever since my father died. Wesley is willing to do anything to make sure Eleni’s connection to the family will never be discovered.” Zach ran his tongue over his teeth. “What could I report anyway? Wesley has done an amazing job of concealing any information he’s discovered. I really came across all of this by accident. All I could do was try to protect her from afar, and hope it was good enough.”
“Who was the guy who actually took Eleni from the loading dock? That’s what I really need to know. I have to find him before he hurts or kills her.”
“I told you the man’s name is Ramos. That’s really all I know, but he must have been hired by Wesley.”
“How do I find him?”
“I have no idea. I’ve been following Eleni around because I didn’t know exactly what to expect or when her life would be threatened. I hoped if I stayed close enough, I’d be able to keep her safe.”
Chris fisted his hands, frustrated. “There has to be a money trail somewhere to follow.”
“True,” Zach acknowledged. “But I usually find them after the fact.”
The ambulance pulled into the hospital bay for the emergency room, and Chris grasped Zach’s hand and put his card in it. “Thanks for everything you did. Here’s my contact information. If you think of anything else, anything at all, please call me.”
Zach nodded and met Chris’s eyes. “Keep her safe. Please.”
“I will,” Chris promised as they took Zach out of the ambulance and wheeled him toward the hospital doors.
Now he just had to figure out how to keep that promise.
Eleni paced back and forth in the small room, then examined the window once again. It was painted shut, and when she pulled on it, nothing budged. Even if she was able to get it open, the bars looked like they had been securely fastened to the house, and she saw no signs of rust or other hints of weakness to give her hope that she could escape through the opening. Still, she had to try. It was really her only option. There was nothing in the bathroom besides the toilet and sink, and the bedroom was bare as well. The lock on the door was a dead bolt that locked from the outside, and she saw no way out through the door unless her kidnapper or someone else opened it. She was sure that if she tried kicking it or making other noises, her punishment would be swift and fierce. She moved back to the window and continued picking at the paint, hoping she could at least get the window open so she could take a better look at those bars.
She stopped for a moment and rubbed her arms, thankful that she’d worn a sweater today, as well as her jeans and tennis shoes. It was dark outside, and quickly getting cooler, and the cabin didn’t appear to have any heat. It was going to be a long night.
She hadn’t heard any more noise from the other part of the cabin for about an hour or so, and she wondered if her captor was still there or if he was out reconnoitering the area. Either way, she was glad to be away from him. He had a coldness in his eyes and the bearing of someone who just didn’t care about those around him. Quite frankly, he scared her right down to her toes. She didn’t think talking to him would convince him to change his plans. He’d already made it quite clear that he had no intention of holding a conversation with her. He wanted his money. Period. Her life meant nothing to him either way. She had to stay at the top of her game and wait for any opportunity to escape. She had too much to live for, and no one to depend upon to help her except herself.
That was wrong. God was always with her, and she could do all things through Christ who strengthened her. She stopped picking at the window and just prayed, laying out her fears and asking for God to watch over her child, Chris and her newly discovered brother.
Footsteps suddenly sounded in the living room of the cabin, and she tensed, waiting to hear which direction he was moving. He was coming to her room! She instinctively backed into the corner, the farthest she could get away from him. The lock clicked as he opened it, and then he opened the door.
He was a big man, and he filled the door frame with his bulk. He was still wearing the same Bears sweatshirt and jeans, but this time she actually noticed the gun he wore at his hip and the knife in the scabbard next to it. His eyes scanned the room and saw the damage she had done to the window, but all he did was shake his head. Apparently, he didn’t believe she could escape that way either. His cold brown eyes moved to her and raked her up and down. Then he started walking toward her, a calculating grin on his face. He knew he was scaring her, and he was enjoying her fear. It was evident in his smile and the leer in his eyes.
He stopped right in front of her and bent his head down so he could look directly into her eyes. She was already backed into the corner and there was really no place for her to go. She hated bullies, so even if she had to pay for it later, she steeled her spine and didn’t back down or cower away from him, despite the fear that was pulsing through her veins. He was so close, she could smell the garlic on his breath.
He reached out and drew a finger down her cheek, and she instantly recoiled at his touch, despite her vow to stand up to him. “Hey, you’re kinda pretty.”
She slapped his hand away and put as much disdain as she could in her voice. “Don’t touch me.”
“Who’s going to stop me?” he said with a laugh. “Come on now, don’t be shy,” he said, his voice husky. He moved his hand to stroke her hair that she had removed from her usual ponytail and was now hanging loosely around her shoulders. He played with the strands, letting them flow through his fingers.
“Your hair is beautiful—almost the color of my Blue Mountain coffee beans before I grind them.” He grinned. “By this time tomorrow, I’ll be able to travel and see where they grow that coffee firsthand. Pity you won’t be able to travel with me. But you, my pretty friend, will be dead by then.”
Eleni moved her head, pulling her hair out of his hand, and tried to get past him, but he moved with her, prohibiting her from escaping. He laughed again, but there was evil in his voice.
“And just where do you think you’re going?” he said in a malicious tone.
Cold fear tightened a knot in Eleni’s stomach as his malevolent eyes once again swept over her from head to toe. She knew, down deep, that she was in very deep trouble.