CHAPTER FOURTEEN

C HAPTER F OURTEEN

Later That Day

F ergus and Charles had their phone on speaker. Annie and Myra were also on speaker, and Annie was talking a mile a minute.

“Slow down, love,” Fergus said calmly. “Start from the beginning.”

Annie proceeded to explain that she had literally found the missing teen huddled in a stairwell. Apparently, she’d managed to escape from where she was being held. They were at the physician’s office, waiting for Vanessa’s parents to arrive.

“I say, it didn’t take long for you to find yourselves in the weeds, eh?” Charles chuckled.

“Charles, this is not funny.” Myra leaned into the phone.

“Sorry. Go on, then.”

“We only have bits and pieces of the story. The poor girl is exhausted, and we figured it would be better if she told all of us the story at the same time.”

“Have you notified the police?” Charles asked.

Myra and Annie looked toward Vanessa, who shook her head vigorously. “Not yet, Charles. There is reason to believe there are some shady things going on here, and we don’t know who is on which side of the fence. We should have more details shortly. Meanwhile . . .” Annie disconnected the speaker, picked up the phone, and moved to the bathroom. She didn’t want Vanessa to hear the rest of the conversation. Not that Vanessa would know what Annie was proposing, but the less Vanessa knew, the better, for her own safety and peace of mind.

When Annie felt she couldn’t be heard by the others, she continued the conversation. “Charles, Fergus, I need you to do some background checks on Milton’s boys, Benjamin and Oliver, but it’s Oliver I’m mostly focused on. Also, check on Patricia, Milton’s wife. There’s something going on there, too. Not sure what it is, but she is hiding something. Then there’s Dickie Morton, and a fellow named Bart. I didn’t get his last name, but I’m sure you can find out easily enough.”

“Right-o,” Fergus said. “We’ll get on it. Do we need to contact anyone else?”

“We’re thinking maybe have Sasha and Eileen come out here to tail whoever comes up looking suspicious.”

“Aye. Dodgy, bounders, and buggers,” Charles added.

“Yep. Now get busy. We have an injured girl to tend to.” Annie ended the call and returned to the examining room. Myra and a nurse were helping Vanessa peel off her clothes; then the nurse began to give Vanessa a sponge bath to clean the wounds.

* * *

“You’re a bit of a mess, eh?” The nurse had a noticeable Canadian accent. She smiled at Vanessa. “You’re gonna be right as rain. Some of this is gonna sting, and you might need a little stitchin’ up, but we won’t be able to tell until we get all this blood off ya.” She tossed the soiled sponges into a biohazard bin. “But we have to wait for yer mum and dad before we can do anything else. They gave us permission over the phone to clean you up, so that’s what I’m doin’.”

Vanessa squeezed Myra’s hand as the nurse continued to wipe her lacerations with antiseptic. There were long scratches on her skin as well as deeper pierce marks. Vanessa squeaked and flinched at every stroke of the cotton balls. It was an excruciating twenty minutes for the girl, but she was beginning to feel better and cleaner in the paper gown she was wearing. She ran her fingers through the glob of hair on her head. She looked up at Annie. “Rat’s nest?”

“Nah. Maybe a mouse.” Annie smiled. She was confident Vanessa would be alright, at least physically.

There was a soft rap on the door. Myra went over and answered it. Before she could step out of the way, a woman and a man pushed past her. “Vanessa! Honey! Oh, my! Geez! Are you alright?” It was hard to tell who was saying what at the moment. The nurse tried to hold them back.

“Ah, Mr. and Mrs. Rowan? Can you just let me finish up here? We don’t want any of these cuts to get infected.”

“Oh, of course!” Julie Rowan tucked herself against her husband’s chest.

Someone tapped on the door. It was Dr. Foster. “How is everybody doing in here? Vanessa, you’re looking a little better than you did when you first got here.”

“I’m feeling better too, thanks.” Vanessa managed a weak smile.

“Nurse Crowley took care of all your cuts, did she?”

“Yep.”

“Just take a look at this one, doc.” Nurse Crowley moved part of the paper robe aside. There was a significant gash running from Vanessa’s knee to her ankle. He scrutinized the wound. “No stitches, but you’re going to have to keep it clean and bandaged.”

“I’ll make sure of it, doctor,” Julie replied.

“Good. I’ll let Nurse Crowley finish, and then you can be on your way.”

Mark Rowan had tears in his eyes. In fact, everyone did. The nurse finished cleaning, dressing, and bandaging the wounds. “Okay, you can hug now! But be careful.”

The three Rowans were clasped together, rocking back and forth. After several minutes, Mark and Julie stepped back. Julie wiped her nose. “How did you find her?” she asked the two women who were watching the family reunion.

“Maybe we should let Vanessa start,” Annie suggested. “By the way, I am Annie De Silva, and this is my friend Myra Rutledge.”

“Oh, so sorry!” Mark blurted, introducing himself and his wife. “That was pretty rude of us. Thank you. Thank you.” Julie nodded in agreement.

Annie looked at Vanessa. “You up for it, sweetie?” Vanessa bobbed her head and gulped. “I was on my way home from school when Morgan sent a text about a party. I was really, really mad at you guys, and I knew you wouldn’t let me go.”

Julie was about to say something, but Myra gently placed her hand on Julie’s arm, as if to say, Let her tell the story .

“Anyway, I’m really, really sorry.” She started to sniffle. Annie handed her a box of tissues. “I figured I’d hitch a ride to Portland.”

Again, Julie was about to interrupt with a parental warning, but Myra put a stop to it once more.

“A green pickup truck stopped. It had the S.E.I. logo, so I figured it was safe. It’s the Spanglers, you know.” She took a breath and a drink of water from a plastic cup. “When I got in, there was a box on the seat. The guy tried to move it out of the way, and the tape or something got caught on the seat belt buckle clasp. A bunch of bags with white pills spilled out.” She paused.

“Then what happened?” Mark asked.

“Then I guess he punched me in the face or something, because when I woke up, I was in a basement somewhere. My wrists hurt, and my face was stinging.”

“Probably from the tape they had over your mouth.”

“I guess so.” She shrugged. “There weren’t any mirrors.”

Annie pulled up a stool. “Can you describe the place?”

“Shouldn’t we call the police?” Mark interrupted.

“Mr. Rowan, we don’t know how or who may be involved in this situation right now,” Myra explained. “It would be advisable for everyone to keep this among the five of us, until we can do some further assessment.”

“Oh, are you private investigators?” Mark asked.

“Federal marshals?” Julie’s turn.

“No, neither,” Myra answered. “What I can tell you is that we have a network of individuals who can explore the situation.”

“A private company?” Mark kept pushing.

“Mr. Rowan, it would be best if you would only concern yourself with your daughter’s well-being right now. She has been through a very traumatic experience. We also don’t want anyone to know Vanessa has been found.”

“Why not?” Mark asked with a furrowed brow.

“As I mentioned, we don’t know how far-reaching the wrongdoing goes, and we do not want to alert anyone who may have had a hand in this. If I recall, the search was cancelled when you got a bogus text from Vanessa.”

“That’s right, Mark,” Julie agreed.

“So, let’s keep all of you out of the public eye for a bit,” Myra suggested.

Annie snapped her fingers. “I have an idea.” She turned to the parents. “Can the two of you take a few days off from work?”

They looked at each other and shrugged. “I suppose so. Why?”

“How would you like to go to Lake Tahoe for a couple of days?”

“We can’t afford a trip like that.”

“You don’t have to. Myra and I will take care of all the details.”

“I don’t understand,” Julie said.

“In addition to our network, we have resources that can provide safe and discreet travel and accommodations.”

The Rowans had no idea who they were dealing with, and the expressions on their faces showed tremendous confusion.

“I know it may be difficult, but you’re going to have to trust us.”

Mark and Julie had bewildered looks until Vanessa spoke up. “Mom, Dad, these ladies helped me. I wouldn’t be here now if it weren’t for them.” She let out a huge sigh. “I don’t know where I’d be, actually. I mean for real. If that guy at the hospital saw me, I could be back in that dungeon, or worse.” Her eyes were pleading.

“I guess we’re going to have to go along with Vanessa,” Mark said. Julie agreed. “So what should we do next?”

“The two of you go back to your house and pack a bag for each of you. Say three or four days’ worth of clothes. Bring some shampoo and a blow-dryer so Vanessa doesn’t look like grunge gone overboard. Also, a baseball cap and sunglasses for her. Bring everything back here. Once we get Vanessa sorted, someone will drive you to the airport.”

“What about tickets?” Mark asked.

“You’ll be on my private jet, which is about to land any minute now.” She checked her watch. “My pilot will bring you to Tahoe, where a car will meet you at the airport. A person will have a sign that says ‘Lady’s Friends’.”

Myra jumped in. “My dog. We don’t want your names to be bandied about anywhere.”

Vanessa giggled. “I like dogs.”

Annie continued with the instructions. “The driver will take you to a privately owned lodge. We don’t want you to stay at a hotel. Vanessa could be recognized. The kitchen will be stocked with food and beverages. There are fresh linens on the beds and in the bathrooms. There’s Wi-Fi and several televisions, also a bookcase filled with a large selection of reading material. There’s a laundry room behind the kitchen. If you need anything, there is a name and number next to a landline in the kitchen. Please, whatever you do, do not go off the property. As I said, we can’t risk someone identifying you.” Annie observed the baffled expressions on their faces. “Any questions?” There were none. “Okay, then. All good?”

“Very good,” Mark said, and shook Annie’s hand and then Myra’s.

“Be back in a flash.” Julie smiled at her daughter and gave her a gentle hug.

Once they were gone, Vanessa looked up at Myra and Annie. “Who are you guys?”

Myra and Annie hooted. “Just a couple of gals, visiting a friend in Oregon.”

Within the hour, the Rowans returned with a couple of weekender bags, shampoo, and blow-dryer. Mark waited outside while Julie tended to her daughter. Julie helped her off the table and walked her over to the sink, where she proceeded to wash Vanessa’s hair, being mindful not to get soap near the bandages. “I remember when you used to love having me do this.”

“Me too, Mom.” Vanessa had never imagined she would be this happy to be around her parents.

Annie called a car service to bring the Rowans to the airport. “We’ll be in touch. We’re going to need more information, but it’s better if you skedaddle for now.” She looked at Julie. “Let me put my number in your phone and vice versa. I want you to contact me if anything, and I do mean anything, comes up that doesn’t seem right.” Annie and Myra looked everyone in the eye.

“Got it?” Myra asked.

“Got it!” Vanessa said.

Myra and Annie held up their hands for a group high five. They walked the family to the car. “Try to relax and enjoy each other.”

Vanessa wrapped her arms around Annie. “Thanks for saving me.” Then she turned to Myra and gave her a big hug.

“You guys rule!”

The family settled into the back seat while the driver stowed their luggage in the trunk. Everyone waved as they pulled away.

Annie’s phone vibrated. Maggie had sent Annie a text:

On our way to hotel. See you in a bit.

Annie sent a text to the pilot: Reserved rooms for you and the crew at the Marriott Grand. Fifteen minutes from airport. Enjoy & relax. Don’t want you going over your limit.

Shortly thereafter, she got a reply: Thanks, boss. Will do.

“Whew. We really have a lot of people to keep track of, don’t we?” Annie let out a big gush of air.

“And we’re just getting started.” Myra put her arm around her friend.