The BMW 540i was well-balanced fore and aft, and had power and stability. Reis handled it well considering their speed on the uneven surface of the country road. The Challenger, with its big V-8 motor up front, was not quite so nimble. It had the advantage of acceleration but this wasn’t a race and Fenn knew he had to rein Reis in before much longer. He saw the next bend as the perfect opportunity.
They weren’t travelling quite so fast as on the highway though Fenn’s speedometer needle was close to 90 mph, which for the 540i would be over 140 kmh. The only vehicle in sight was a tractor collecting hay bales. The road itself was deserted.
Fenn kept the space between their bumpers to an arm’s length and eased closer to the shoulder. The road curved right. Had it curved to the left, what he had in mind wouldn’t work. He tapped the horn to get Reis to look in the mirror. It was not intended to make her miss the bend, merely to make her miscalculate the braking point. Yet she was also late in turning for the curve and had to compensate with more brake and steering.
As Reis pulled the car into the turn, weight from the right rear corner was transferred to the left front wheel. Fenn moved up and gave her a tap with the Challenger’s bumper. Already off kilter, the high speed nudge was all it took to make the BMW lose traction and swerve to a right angle with the road.
Reis counter-steered like an expert but there was too much momentum and not enough room for the correction. The black car shot off the tarmac, skipped across a shallow water-filled ditch, and ploughed to an abrupt stop in the loose dirt of the cultivated field. Fenn had swung far left after the bump to avoid the spinning car and then brought the Challenger to a halt. He threw it into reverse and backed onto the shoulder. The 540i was up to its axles in mud and there was no sign of movement within.
Fenn shut off his motor and pulled the key. He advanced on the BMW, walking in the ruts where its tires had compressed the soil. Reis appeared to be slumped forward, her seat belt still on but loose. The sudden stop had probably lashed her head against the steering wheel and knocked her out without triggering the airbags. He opened the driver’s door. Reis lay against the wheel, her left arm dangling beside her leg.
With a hand on the door for support, Fenn leaned in to push her back against the seat—and came within a hair’s breadth of being skewered. Peripherally, he saw her fingers twitch as Reis jerked upright and thrust her right fist toward his face. He threw himself backwards using the door for added thrust. Her lunge barely missed his chin and as Fenn fell back he heard the door hit her skull with a thud. He scrambled up, ready for another attack, but found Reis lying motionless over the passenger seat. This time she was truly out.
Her weapon had landed in the mud. It was the jade hairclip he’d knocked off the desk the last time they’d been this close to each other. The pin appeared to be a needle, locked open like a penknife blade. He cleaned the piece off and his thumb found the lever on the little brass tube. Fluid squirted from the needle tip. Interesting. He figured out how to fold it up and put the device in his pocket. Then he went back to his car and fetched some bungee cords from the trunk.
Reis was still unconscious. Fenn trussed her wrists and ankles with the cords then carried her, fireman-style, to the Challenger. He dropped her onto the passenger seat and strapped her in. That would be good enough. They didn’t have far to go.
== == ==
Eileen Tillart went out to feed her chickens. It was a job she usually did earlier in the day but a good part of her morning had been spent talking to the missing persons division of the Hamilton Police Service. She’d told them what she knew about Kim’s date with Fenn, and that Kim hadn’t answered her calls, or turned up for work.
Yes, it was out of character for Kim.
No, I don’t know what she’s wearing.
Yes, I will let you know if she gets in touch with me.
And, she thought, I should check on her dog. She should also try to contact her parents, again. Neither one had answered their cell phone.
A car came up the driveway and stopped in the large open space at the back of the house. She didn’t recognize the make, some sort of muscle car, but it must belong to someone familiar because only friends would know to come around to the back. The driver was male, his passenger a female. The man got out. Eileen could scarcely believe who it was.
“Bloody Hell! You’ve got some nerve showing up here. And who’s that, your new girlfriend? Does she know what you’re like?” She swished out the rest of the seed and briefly considered throwing the pan at the car. Fenn raised his hands in a gesture of surrender.
“Eileen, please. I know what you’re thinking but I’m here to help. My ‘girlfriend’ here is responsible for Kim’s kidnapping.”
“So Kim has been kidnapped. And you knew this!”
“I just found out. Look, call the cops if you want, but this woman may be able to tell us something. Have you got a wheelchair?”
“You know damn well I do, a couple in fact; but I’m fine with my cane.”
“Not for you. For her. She’s a bit incapacitated and I’d like to keep her that way.”
“Oh. Right. Just a minute.”
Eileen’s rage was such that she hardly needed the cane to get to the back porch where she kept an old wicker wheelchair. It was quicker to get aboard and coast down the ramp rather than push it to the car, so she did. Fenn pulled Reis out of the Challenger and with a couple more bungee’s secured her to the chair. She stirred and her head lolled back.
Eileen stared at the woman’s inert form with hatred in her eyes. “I don’t want this person in my house. Take her to the barn over there.” Fenn obeyed.
Larry was out with the tractor so there was plenty of room in the barn. Fenn wheeled Reis inside then asked Eileen where Larry was working.
“We rent a field across the road. You’ll probably find him there. Are you just going to leave her like this?”
“I’ll be back shortly. Perhaps she’ll be conscious by then and we can get some answers.” Fenn got into his car and drove off, leaving Eileen to attend to Reis.
As dust from Fenn’s departure settled, Eileen studied the woman in the chair. She raised her cane and poked Reis in the leg but there was no response. Eileen looked around. The barn had cats. They were feral but good for mouse control. She didn’t feed them but did keep a water bowl out. It was empty. Just outside the door was a hand pump and she carried the bowl over. The cats gathered round as she pumped, obviously thirsty.
“Sorry, my dears. You’ll have to wait.”
The cold water hit Reis like a slap in the face.
“Wake up, bitch!”
Reis gasped and shook her head. Eileen stood over her with the dripping bowl in her hand. She leaned on the walking stick but right now didn’t feel the least bit infirm.
Reis looked up and tried to focus. Her head throbbed. She couldn’t move and the front of her silk blouse was wet.
“Who the hell are you? Untie me this minute!”
Eileen walked around the wheelchair and tapped it with the cane as she went.
“I’m going to ask some questions and you are going to answer. I recommend you do so quickly and truthfully. Now, where is my sister?”
Reis twisted against her bonds and gave Eileen the full effect of her steely eyes. Who did this gimp think she was? The woman couldn’t even get her shirt to match her chinos.
“If you want your sister back then you need to release me. Mark my words, you don’t know who you’re dealing with.”
Eileen held the stare then turned abruptly and walked away.
“And neither do you, Fraulein, but you’re about to find out.”