Leah felt dizzy with fear as she cowered behind the club chair, waiting for the door to burst open—the perpetrator to enter. But instead there was a quiet knocking, followed by Jon’s voice, identifying himself.
“Come in,” she called out weakly. “It’s open.”
“I’m surprised you didn’t barricade it.” Jon entered the room with a bag in hand, then paused to peer closely at her. “Are you okay?”
“I don’t know.” She took in a deep breath, sinking back into the chair.
He set the bag on the desk, staring at her with a furrowed brow. “You look pale, Leah. You’re not sick, are you?”
“No... ” Although she did feel slightly sick as she pulled her knees up to her chest, fighting off the urge to sob uncontrollably. “I’m just really scared.” She shook her head, still trying to figure this thing with her mother out.
“What happened?”
“It just keeps getting worse, Jon. Worse and worse.”
Jon came over, putting a hand on her shoulder. “What’s wrong?” he asked.
So, trying not to cry, she explained the news on the radio.
“Your mother’s gone missing?” He sounded incredulous.
She barely nodded. “Early this morning.”
“Do you think she might’ve wandered off? I had a grandmother with senility issues. She did that occasionally. My dad finally had to put her in a home.”
“Mom’s never wandered off before,” Leah told him. “There are some Alzheimer’s patients who do that all the time, but my mom has never been a flight risk. Never.”
“Oh.”
“This is related to Krantz. I just know it.” She pounded her fist into the arm of the chair. “He’s behind it.”
“But how?” Jon sat on the edge of the bed. “I thought he was around here most of the night.”
“But how do you know that?” she demanded. “We were both asleep—how could we possible know where Krantz was?” Once again, she wondered why she hadn’t just slipped out and attempted to run to town last night. Sure, it was more than ten miles, but she’d been training for a marathon. Ten miles wasn’t much—not if she’d taken the main road. Except for the armed policemen that might’ve tried to shoot her. There was that. “We don’t know what Krantz was up to last night. Not while we were sleeping.”
“Yeah...good point.” Jon rubbed his chin with a puzzled expression.
“Krantz might’ve left—gone to town. Maybe his shift ended and we didn’t even know it. He could’ve gone over to The Willows and kidnapped my mom while we were sleeping.” She could hear the tinge of hysteria in her voice—she knew that wouldn’t help anything. And it wasn’t as if it were Jon’s fault. She had to calm down, to think clearly. But how?
“But why would he do that, Leah?”
“Why would he do any of this?” she demanded. “None of this makes sense.”
“Yeah, that’s true. But how would Krantz even know your mom was there?”
Leah had already considered this. “Krantz had access to my car—and my purse was in there. My employee ID card for The Willows would’ve been right on top, along with all my other personal information—address on my license, friends in my phone—Krantz probably has all of it in his grimy hands right now.” This thought alone made her feel like throwing up.
“Even so. How would he know your mom was there at the nursing home, Leah? And, more than that, why would he kidnap her?”
“Maybe he went to The Willows to question them about me,” she suggested. “You know, since I’m a dangerous wanted criminal.” She cringed to think of Barb hearing this from a policeman. Would she believe it? Or would she defend Leah’s character? “Maybe someone working there mentioned my mom to Krantz. Maybe he saw his opportunity and just took it.”
“But isn’t there good security there? Cameras and whatnot?”
“Yes.” Leah bit into her lip. “But Krantz is a cop, he’s familiar with that stuff. Maybe he knew how to override the system somehow—I don’t know.” She held up her hands. “All I know is my mom is missing.” A painful lump was building in her throat and her eyes were burning.
“But I still don’t get why, Leah.”
“To get to me,” Leah declared, blinking back tears. “Krantz wants to shut me up or draw me out or something. He’ll use my mom to do it. I just know it. And my mom is in serious danger right now. And there’s nothing I can do about it. At least not from here.” She looked desperately around the small room, suddenly seeing it as a prison cell.
Jon slowly nodded. “Yeah... I guess I can see how Krantz might think that. It’s possible he kidnapped your mom.” Even so, his brow looked skeptical.
“I know it sounds crazy,” she blurted, “this whole thing is crazy.”
“But even if Krantz did kidnap her, how would he expect you to hear about it?”
She shook her fists in the air. “I have heard about it! Somehow he must’ve known that I would. That I’d listen to the news—or someone would tell me. And I’m sure he thinks that it’ll draw me out.” She slammed her fists into the chair arms. “And of course, I want to protect my mom. Even if I have to make myself known to do it. And that’s when he plans to grab me.” She pointed at Jon. “And he probably hopes to get you, too.”
“I guess that makes sense.” But he still looked a little doubtful.
“I know it sounds moronic.” Leah locked eyes with Jon. “But I feel more certain than ever that Krantz is involved in human trafficking.”
“I know.” He nodded. “I’m having similar suspicions.”
“And it might just be a gut feeling, but I think your mom had it, too. That has to be why Krantz stopped me yesterday, why he was taking me into so-called custody. He was kidnapping me the same way he kidnapped those two girls—and who knows how many others. He’s a monster. And now he’s taken my mom, too—I just know it!” Leah broke into sobs.
Jon came over and gathered her into his arms. “She’s going to be okay,” he said soothingly. “Krantz will keep your mom alive in order to get to us. He wants her as leverage. So he won’t hurt her, Leah. But you’re right. We’ve got to get out of here. We need to get help.”
Leah blinked through her tears. “Jon, do you think that warehouse—the one your mom took the photo of—do you think that’s really where the human-trafficking ring hides them? Maybe like a holding tank or something? Do you think that maybe my mom could be there right now?”
“I don’t know, but if we can get out of here—if we don’t get caught, we’ll set the authorities onto it. As soon as we can. Maybe this morning.”
“Does the ATV work?” she asked eagerly.
“Yes. And as soon as it looks like the changing of the guard out there—soon as we get a break from those patrol cars, we will be taking off.” Jon pointed to her watch. “What time is it now?”
“Almost six-thirty.”
“Eat something.” Jon handed her a box of gingersnaps and a bottle of apple juice. “Sorry, the provisions down there were getting skimpy.”
“I’m not really hungry.”
“Then stick some things in your pockets. And at least drink the juice. I’m going downstairs to keep watch. As soon as it looks like they’ve gone, we have to head out of here. And we have to do it fast. My guess is that their shift change is either seven or eight. We need to be ready to roll—okay?”
“What about Ralph?” Leah took a small bite of a cookie, shoving a few others into the pockets of her hoodie before taking a swig of juice.
“We don’t have any choice but to leave him here. I think he’ll be safer here than with us.”
“I’ll fill his water dish, and I’ll leave some food for him, too.”
“Come down as soon as you’re ready,” Jon told her. “I’ll be in the front room. I have a feeling there’s no time to waste.”
Leah filled the water and food bowls, then tucked a towel around Ralph, whispering a quick safety prayer for him before she hurried downstairs. After a bathroom break, she rummaged through the hamper and found her slightly damp running clothes, which she slipped on beneath the purple warm-ups. Just in case. Then she crept across the front room floor to join Jon, who was hunkered down on the sofa, peering out the window.
“Any sign of life out there?” she whispered.
“A couple of cop cars just passed by here, like, three minutes ago. Not far apart. Headed south. But Krantz’s unmarked vehicle wasn’t with them.”
“Where do you think he is?”
“Maybe you’re right. Maybe he went to town and kidnapped your mom.” Jon frowned. “Maybe he’s stashing her somewhere right now.”
She took in a sharp breath. “We have to get out of here.”
He nodded grimly. “So I’m guessing the cruisers will turn around at the end of the road. They should be doubling back in a couple minutes. Then they’ll pass this way again.”
“And then?”
“And then we’ll hope and pray their shift is ending, that they’ll be heading to the police station.”
“And if not?”
He sighed. “Well, I’m guessing they’ll continue cruising down the whole row of beach houses. That alone should buy us time. According to my estimations, we ought to be able to make it nearly to the jetty before they even get back here.” He slipped off the sofa, still keeping low. “Let’s go to the garage and be ready to go.”
“Okay.” Staying low, she followed him out to the garage. There, she saw that he’d already positioned the green ATV up close to the garage door. It looked ready to go.
“There’s only one helmet.” He handed her a black helmet.
“You’re the driver,” she said, pushing it back.
He shook his head with a stubborn expression. “You wear it or else.”
Knowing it was useless to argue, she strapped it on, wondering if it were bulletproof.
“You stand here.” He pointed to the garage door opener near the door. “Stay out of sight and keep watch. As soon as you see them both go past again, let me know, and when they’re out of view, push the opener and I’ll get the ATV to the driveway.”
“Right.”
“As soon as the ATV’s outside, and no one’s around, you hit that button to close the door and jump on the back.” He explained how to avoid tripping the safety stop on the door. “And make it fast.” He got onto the ATV now, hunkered down low so that no one could see him through the window.
Like a sentry, she watched out the corner of the window until she saw the first police cruiser coming down the road. “Car number one,” she said quietly. She waited and before long the second car came slowly along. “Car number two.” As the second car disappeared from sight, she pushed the button. As the door opened, she stepped under it and out to the driveway, peering down the road to be sure they weren’t returning.
The ATV’s motor was louder than she expected and she hoped the cops’ windows weren’t down to hear the noise. As soon as Jon pulled into the driveway, she hit the garage door button, then sprinted out to join him. Climbing on behind Jon, she peered over his shoulder, looking down the road to see if the cars had turned back.
“Hold on tight,” Jon commanded as he took off down the road. “The beach access is a few houses down. When I leave the road, the ride will be rough.”
She wrapped her arms around his waist, clinging tightly. “How fast can this thing go?”
“Eighty at tops.”
She gulped and, thankful for the helmet, held on tight. Before long, he turned off the road and started down a steep and bumpy beach-access trail that was not designed for vehicles. Holding her breath, she looked down toward the beach. The tide was out, and what little she could see looked empty. Hopefully it would be completely deserted—at least free of cops.
Jon seemed to know what he was doing as he skillfully maneuvered the bulky vehicle down the rough terrain and, after a few more big lumps and bumps, they were on the level beach and Leah was able to breathe again.
“We’ll make better time on the wet packed sand,” he told her above the noise of the engine. “But we’ll be more visible out there, too.”
“Why not stay in the soft stuff for a while?” she yelled back. “Just to stay out of sight of the bluff. In case the cops heard the engine noise.”
“Good idea.”
And so he ran the ATV alongside the shaded area of the bluff, zigzagging a maze of driftwood and oversize rocks. But they weren’t putting much distance behind them. Feeling nervous that they weren’t making good time, Leah turned around to peer back, making sure they weren’t being followed. No one was there, but still feeling a wave of anxiety, she called out again. “Maybe we should go for speed instead!”
“Yeah.” He nodded. “That’s what I’m thinking. Hold on!” And now he turned out toward the ocean. Soon he was running the ATV through the wet sand, going at a much higher speed. She had no idea how fast he was going, but everything was whizzing by. And, trying not to remember some of the ATV accident victims she’d cared for while doing her practicum at the local hospital last semester, Leah held on tighter.
After a minute or so, she relaxed just a little. And instead of obsessing over broken bones and brain injuries, she prayed—still clinging tightly to Jon. And she didn’t mind the feeling of being this close to him. He felt firm and strong and capable. She knew she could get used to this—under different circumstances. And despite the uncomfortable speed and knowing they were still in danger, she felt a faint smidgen of hope. Maybe they were going to escape this thing alive.
As the jetty came in sight, probably just a couple of miles away, she felt a happy rush—they were going to make it! Feeling almost giddy with confidence, she turned to look over her shoulder, and in that same instant, she nearly lost it.
“Jon!” she screamed. “Krantz’s car! Less than a mile behind us!”
“Hold on,” he yelled.
She tightened her grasp and leaned into him as the ATV lurch forward, going even faster. Laying her helmeted head against his back in the hopes it would make them more aerodynamic, she prayed for safety.
“Creek ahead,” Jon yelled to her. “Gonna be rough!”
“Okay!” she yelled back.
As they bounced and splashed through the creek, she heard the sharp sound of gunshots. Bracing herself for the pain of a bullet—or worse—she buried her face into Jon’s back and prayed even harder.
“We’re going up the dunes,” Jon yelled as he slowed down to turn inland.
She looked to where he was heading, staring in horror at the hill of sand that looked almost perpendicular to the beach. Could the ATV possibly climb that slope without toppling? And even if the vehicle could hold on, wouldn’t they become an even easier target?
Afraid to breathe, she stared ahead in terror as they started to climb, wondering which would hurt more—broken bones or gunshot wounds. She could feel her fingers digging into Jon’s ribs, trying to hold on as he pushed the ATV even higher—the sounds of bullets from behind.
“We’re gonna jump for it,” he yelled as the top came into sight. “Don’t let go of me. We go uphill. The ATV goes down.”
“Okay!” she yelled back, processing this plan. And clinging to him for her life, she watched as he released his hold on the ATV, throwing himself to the left. In that same moment, she hoisted herself along with him. Somehow they went upward into the dune—while gravity sucked the ATV down the hill. As it tumbled, more shots rang out.