All That Glitters (23 page)
Authors: Ruthe Ogilvie
“What?” Zack exclaimed. “He didn’t kidnap her! He was trying to save her! Where is she now?”
“A man came for her. They left a few minutes ago.”
Zack was exasperated. “You don’t know what’s going on!” he exclaimed. “She’s in more danger now than she was before!”
“I’m sorry, Sir,” she apologized. “I didn’t know.”
“What did this man look like?” Zack asked her.
“He was tall and slim—about six feet. Quite handsome, with brown hair. I don’t know what color his eyes were—he was wearing dark glasses.”
Zack nodded. It was Francois all right, he muttered. Gabe is only five feet eight, gray-haired, and stocky.
He rushed back to where Hildy and Jay were waiting. “Quick!” he said. “We have to go back to the Chateau de Boulanger. Francois came and took Cammie!” As they ran toward the door, he called back to the nurse. “Call off the gendarmes!” he shouted. “Now! Jeremy had nothing to do with the kidnapping!”
They ran out the door to the limousine, and sped away at full speed.
* * *
When Francois lost sight of Cammie, he returned to the Chateau.
Gabe was there, ready to go with him to the Chateau in Biarritz. “Where is Mademoiselle Stuart?” he asked Francois.
“You botched things up again!” Francois snorted in disgust. “She got away.” He paused, plotting what to do next. “Gabe,” he ordered, “I want you to go back to the hospital. Find a way to disguise yourself as an orderly. I want you to kill Jeremy Douglass. I don’t care how you do it. Just do it!”
Gabe grabbed a pistol from the gun rack and left immediately in the truck.
When Zack, Hildy, and Jay arrived at the Chateau de Boulanger, Zack ignored the “Do Not Enter” sign by the driveway, and drove the car up to the Chateau. He tried desperately to control his anger as he jumped out and pounded on the door. He was surprised to see Francois standing there greeting them most cordially.
“Where is Cammie?” Zack demanded to know.
Francois assumed a deeply hurt and innocent expression. “Why, Zack, I thought you knew. Cammie has been kidnapped.”
Zack pushed past Francois and strode up the stairs two at a time to the fifth floor. Never mind the elevator. Francois could easily shut that down and trap him inside.
Francois followed Zack up the stairs.
Zack pushed open the door to each and every room, but no Cammie. He rushed past Francois, down the stairs, and sped out to the limousine, looking grim and disappointed. “She’s not here,” he told them. “Somehow she must have escaped.”
“Where do we go from here?” Hildy asked in despair.
“We should go back to the hospital and make sure Jeremy is okay. We can’t let the police arrest him for something he didn’t do. Maybe he’ll know where she went.”
* * *
At the hospital Gabe, dressed as an orderly, entered Jeremy’s room. Jeremy’s eyes were closed, and he was just about to drift off to sleep.
Gabe closed the door. As he approached the bed, he withdrew his gun from his pocket, and grabbed a pillow to silence the shot. Just as he took aim, the doctor entered the room. Startled, Gabe slipped the gun back into his pocket, and pretended to fluff the pillow.
Jeremy opened his eyes just in time to catch a glimpse of the man’s face. Gabe!
“What are you doing here?” the doctor asked him.
Gabe muffled an answer and fled.
“That was one of the orderlies,” the doctor said, puzzled. “I don’t know what he was doing here. The nurse told me she had done everything that needed to be done. I just came in to do an extra check on you.”
“That man wasn’t an orderly!” Jeremy told the doctor. “He’s the man who shot me! He came back to finish the job!”
“What is going on?” the doctor exclaimed.
“It’s a long story, but I think you had better put me in another room and have a guard stationed outside. These people mean business. They’re trying to make sure I don’t talk!”
He started to rise from his bed, but the doctor stopped him. “I’ll call a nurse and have you moved.”
“How soon can I be released
from the hospital?” Jeremy asked the doctor. “I have to
make sure Cammie is safe before her abductor kills her!”
The doctor sat down in the chair next to the bed. “Who is this ‘Cammie’?”
“Haven’t you seen the headlines in the newspapers? She’s Cameron Stuart, the actress and singer.”
The doctor’s eyes widened in recognition. “Oh! The one who just married the Count! You know who kidnapped her?”
“I certainly do,” replied Jeremy. “Cammie brought me here when I was shot. Then the kidnapper came here and tried to take her again. I’ve got to go after her and make sure she’s safe!”
“The Count must be devastated,” the doctor said, “losing his wife right after the wedding.”
Jeremy was saved from answering the doctor’s comment by the arrival of the nurse who came to wheel him to a room where he would be safe.
* * *
When Zack, Hildy, and Jay arrived at the hospital, Jeremy was just being wheeled into his new room.
The nurse was all apologies. “I sent the gendarmes away,” she told them. “I’m so sorry. Countess Lilli said Jeremy Douglass was the kidnapper.”
“I’m not surprised,” Zack snorted under his breath.
“Where is the young Countess now?” the nurse asked.
Zack looked grim. “We don’t know,” he replied.
“How is Jeremy Douglass doing?” Jay asked her.
“He is recovering nicely,” the nurse told them, and pointed to the orderly pushing Jeremy’s wheelchair.
Zack and the others followed as the nurse got him settled. Jeremy’s eyes lit up when he saw them. “I’m so glad you’re here,” he said. “Did you see Cammie?”
“No,” Zack replied. “We thought Francois had kidnapped her again, but we went back to the Chateau de Boulanger and she wasn’t there.”
“She was here,” Jeremy told them. “She got me to the hospital. I gave her the money I had in my wallet, and the keys to my rental car. She said she’d try and get to your Castle in Scotland where she’d be safe. How did you know we were here?” he asked, puzzled.
“I overheard Lilli talking with the nurse on the phone,” Zack explained. “I hope Cammie makes it to Scotland okay. She said she’d try and contact you when she gets there?”
“That’s what she said, but she won’t know where to reach me. The doctor plans to discharge me tomorrow. Is there a phone there? Maybe we could try and reach her.”
“There is, but now that we know the doctor will be discharging you tomorrow, I think we should head for Scotland right away.”
“I’d like to go with you,” Jeremy said.
“Right now? But you’re still recovering from the gun shot and the loss of blood!” Hildy exclaimed. “Besides, I thought you were anxious to stay here and do more digging into your past.”
“That can wait,” Jeremy replied. “I feel fine. The important thing is to make sure Cammie is safe.”
Hildy looked at him intently. “You’re in love with Cammie, aren’t you?”
Jeremy nodded. “I never believed in love at first sight, but I do now. The more I get to know her, the stronger I feel. I’ve never felt like this before. I can’t bear to think of anything happening to her.”
Hildy walked over to his bed and kissed him on the forehead. “That’s the best news I’ve heard in a long time.”
“I only wish she’d met you first,” Jay said.
Hildy looked tenderly at Jeremy. “You risked your life to save her. We’ll never forget that.”
Jeremy looked surprised. “She risked her life to save me. I wish you could have seen her!” He chuckled as he pictured it. “Gabe tried to shoot me a second time, and Cammie gave a ballet kick and knocked the gun right out of his hand! Gabe’s head hit a rock. He was unconscious when we left. That’s the last thing I remember. Somehow Cammie managed to get me to this hospital. I would have bled to death if she hadn’t.”
“Thank God you’re both safe,” Hildy said.
“Do you think the doctor will release you?” Zack asked. He looked at his watch. “How long will it take? Do you think it’s wise?”
Jeremy turned to the orderly. “Will you please get the doctor?”
In two minutes the doctor appeared, looking very anxious. “The nurse tells me you want to be released now. We really should keep you overnight.”
“My friends here are leaving for Scotland this afternoon to join Cammie,” Jeremy explained. “I need to go with them.”
The doctor hesitated, then nodded. “Leaving here may be the safest thing you could do,” he told Jeremy. “If the man who tried to shoot you should return, he won’t find you here. You’ll have to sign release papers.” He turned to Zack. “Will you make sure he doesn’t exert himself? We can’t be responsible once he leaves the hospital.”
Zack looked at Jeremy. “Someone tried to shoot you again? Who? Gabe?”
Jeremy nodded. “Francois is afraid I’ll talk. I’m sure he sent him here to finish what he started.”
Hildy was extremely upset. “Jeremy, we have to get you out of here!”
“Will you do as the doctor says?” Zack asked Jeremy. “Will you sit back and take it easy? No heroics?”
Jeremy gave him a mock salute. “Aye, aye, Sir. I feel stronger already. Just knowing we’ll be going to Cammie to make sure she’s safe is a big help.”
Hildy, Jay, and Zack waited outside of Jeremy’s room while the nurse helped him get dressed.
The doctor came in to do a last minute checkup, and brought the dismissal papers for Jeremy to sign. After signing the document, Jeremy left enough travelers checks to cover the bill.
Together they walked out to the waiting limousine. Jeremy got into the front seat with Zack, and with Cammie’s relieved family they left for Orly airport in Paris to rent a plane to fly to Scotland.
They were halfway to the airport when Hildy spoke up. “I just thought of something,” she said. “Jenny and Peter will wonder what’s going on when we don’t return to the Chateau. Don’t you think we should ask them to join us?”
“We’ll have to be careful not to arouse Lilli’s suspicions,” Zack warned. “If she knows Cammie is headed for Scotland, she’ll warn Francois, and he’ll follow her there.” He thought for a moment. “Perhaps we could tell Peter to pretend that he and Jenny have been called back to the States on an emergency, and they have to leave right away. Where should we tell them to meet us? And when?”
“How about the airport?” Jeremy said. “It’s not far from Amboise. They could easily get there by taxi, and we could meet them in—what?” He looked at his watch. “An hour or so? That should work.”
“You’d better make the call,” Zack said, handing the phone to Jeremy. “If Lilli or Fran should answer, they wouldn’t be so apt to recognize your voice. Ask for Mr. Graff. The minute he comes on the phone, tell him to call you Jim, and pretend you’re calling for him to come back to California on a business emergency. Then tell him to meet us at the hangar where they rent the planes.”
* * *
Soon Peter came on the line. After listening to what Jeremy had to say, he hung up and turned to Lilli and Fran. “We have to leave,” he told them. “A business emergency back home. When the others return would you please tell them? I’ll call a cab. How long will it take for it to get here?”
“No need to call a cab,” Fran said. “I’ll have my chauffeur drive you to the airport.”
Peter hesitated. “Oh, no,” he told
Fran, “that would be an imposition.”
“Not at all!” Fran assured him. He picked up the phone and called the chauffeur.
There was no way Peter could refuse. He thanked Fran, and went upstairs to help Jenny with the packing.
As soon as they were in their room, Jenny turned to Peter. “What’s the big emergency?” she asked.
Peter put his finger on his lips and closed the door. “That was Jeremy who called,” he told her. “They want us to join them at the rental hangar at the airport. Cammie is safe, and on her way to the family Castle in Scotland. Zack will be renting a plane and flying us there.”
“Thank God she’s safe!” Jenny exclaimed. “What about Fran’s chauffeur driving us to the airport? Do you think it will cause a problem?”
Peter shrugged his shoulders. “I hope not. We’ll have him drop us off at the International Terminal and take a cab over to the rental hangar.”
They grabbed their luggage and opened the door. As they exited their room, they saw Lilli disappearing around the corner. “Do you suppose she heard us talking?” Jenny asked.
“I don’t know,” Peter replied. “We’d better hurry. If she did hear us, she’ll tell Francois, and he’ll be hot on Cammie’s trail. The sooner we join Hildy and Jay, the sooner we’ll get to Scotland and protect Cammie.”
When they joined the others at the hangar, they couldn’t hide their concern.
“What’s wrong?” Hildy asked them.
Jenny put her arm around her. “We think Lilli may have overheard Peter and me.”
“We don’t mean to scare you,” Peter said, “but she was outside our door as we prepared to leave. We’d better get to Scotland ASAP just in case.”
Cammie sped down the road in Jeremy’s rented car, headed toward Paris. She planned to catch the Chunnel train to London, and go on to Scotland from there on the Flying Scotsman. She kept one eye on the rear view mirror, making sure Francois wasn’t following her. So far, she hadn’t seen him.
She drove as fast as the road conditions would permit. She glanced at the fuel gauge, and hoped she had enough to get her to Paris. Jeremy had told her he had been about to fill it before he found Cammie at the shack in Chaumont, but after Gabe shot him, he was in no condition to hunt for a service station. And Cammie was too intent on getting him to a hospital to even notice how much was in the tank. She had no idea then that she would be using the car to escape from Francois again.
By looking at the map, she could see that Paris was a little over an hour’s drive from Chaumont, if she drove straight through. She was hungry, but afraid if she stopped anywhere, Francois might catch up with her.