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Cassie left at 4:30. She reminded me of the plan, and said she'd have my back. I peeked out the window and watched her pull out onto the road. I watched until her tail lights were out of sight. I didn't see anyone following her.
I took a quick shower and dressed. Trying to act normal was torture. I grabbed a breakfast sandwich from the café before it was open and headed for Chance’s A-frame. As I drove, I wondered what the rest of the team was doing.
I wasn't scared so much as I was anxious to get Gracie Layne back safely. I wondered if she'd ever be able to forgive me for getting her involved in this.
When I got to Chance’s, I pulled up in front of the house and stayed in the car while I looked around for any sign that someone had been there recently. It all looked the same as we left it. I pulled around to the garage in back. It looked clear too. I opened one of the bays and pulled out a snowmobile. I transferred my gear from the SUV and pulled it inside before locking the door. When I was seated on the snowmobile, I said a prayer that this would end well for all of us and headed up the trail. We had gone over the plan repeatedly. I knew what I was supposed to do, and I reviewed the checklist in my head as I drove. "Glenda, I'm glad you're with me. I’m sorry you have to ride under the smelly rags, but I don’t want them to find you." I’d hidden my gun in a crate that was on the back of the snowmobile. It was filled with extra clothes, rags, oil, and tools. I hoped the kidnappers wouldn’t bother to search it.
As I got deeper into the forest, I saw some other tracks on the forest service road, but I couldn’t tell how fresh they were. I checked that the folded paper with the GPS coordinates was in my pocket. I checked the coordinates frequently to make sure I stopped at the right spot. I saw no sign of anyone else when I pulled the snowmobile over and parked it.
I paced the area and checked my watch. Right on time I heard snowmobiles approaching. There were two of them. One had a single rider. The other had two people. With heavy winter gear, it was hard to tell if the rider could be Gracie Layne. The driver without a passenger, pulled his snowmobile in front of mine to block me. The two riders stopped about 50 feet away.
"Where's Gracie Layne?" I asked when the lone rider took off his helmet and got off his vehicle. I’d never seen him before. He was taller than his partner who got off his snowmobile and stood beside it.
"Give me the coordinates," the taller man said, walking toward me.
"Stay back. I'm not giving y’all anything until I see Gracie Layne."
"Step away from the vehicle," the other guy said. I'd been inching my way back toward my snowmobile. Neither of them pulled a weapon, but they were both wearing jackets that could hide them.
"Get her," the tall guy said, nodding to the passenger.
The other guy pulled a black hood off Gracie Layne’s head. Her hands were tied in front of her. Cassie had warned me not to be distracted when I saw Gracie. "Gracie Layne, y’all OK?"
"Pissed, but OK," she said.
"Now, give me the coordinates,” the guy with Gracie said.
I walked between him and Gracie Layne. “When she’s standing beside me,” I said.
“What’s to stop me from just taking them from you?”
“Go ahead and try,” I said, planting my feet in a fighting stance.
“Ain’t that cute. Our little southern belle is itching for a fight. Should I give her what she wants?”
“Back off,” the tall guy said to his partner. He walked over and tugged Gracie Layne off the snowmobile by her arm and pulled her toward me. “Hand me the coordinates. Nice and easy. No sudden moves.”
I pulled the paper out of my pocket and held it out to him. “Here you go.” I pulled Gracie Layne in behind me with my other hand.
The partner had walked over and grabbed my arm. “We’re going for a ride,” he said, pulling me toward the snowmobile.
"That wasn't part of the deal."
"I'm thinking you believe you're pretty smart. Too smart to just hand me a piece of paper with the real coordinates on them," the tall guy said. "Once we get there and see bigfoot, then you can find your way home."
"We're not prepared for a hike," I said. "When we get to the location, it could take days of observation before you see a bigfoot."
"Then we'll have plenty of time to enjoy your company," the other guy said as he tossed his arm around my shoulders.
"Trust me. Keep your hands and all other body parts to yourself."
"That doesn't sound like any fun."
"Shut it," tall guy said to his buddy. "This is business, not pleasure. Let's get moving."
Gracie Layne was still wearing her suite and heels. "She can’t climb or hike in those shoes. She'll just slow us down. Why don't you let her go? I'll take you to the location. I swear."
"Not happening. You two are our insurance."
"At least let me see if I have a pair of shoes or boots she can wear." I moved to the back of the vehicle, surprised they hadn't searched it. I knew Cassie was somewhere nearby. I'd been told to expect that she'd take out the kidnappers if she could get a clear shot. I'd been trying to keep my distance, hoping it would allow her to shoot, but nothing happened. I made a production of digging around in the crate on the back of the snowmobile. I found a UGA hoodie and threw it across the clearing to Gracie Layne. "Here put this on." I found a pair of old sneakers. I walked them over to her. "These will be better than your heels." I handed her the shoes. She looked at me with questioning eyes. I knew she expected me to have a plan. By now I thought Cassie would have eliminated at least one of the guys. I wasn't sure what was going on, but I was determined to keep Gracie Layne safe.
"No more stalling," tall guy said. "Let's go. You drive,” he said, pushing me to the snowmobile and getting on behind me while his partner did the same with Gracie Layne.
“What are you waiting for?” he asked.
“Do you have a GPS?"
"Sure," he said.
"Good. Then here," I said, handing him the paper with the location coordinates on it. I've never been there from here. We'll have to follow the GPS."
"So, you can't lead us there?"
"I told you that."
Tall guy laughed. "I thought you were fuckin' kidding me. Good thing we need you in case this is a trap. Otherwise, I might as well shoot you now."