Nothing Is Negotiable (20 page)

Lauren was exhausted when she pulled into her driveway. She had guided two retired couples from Sonoma Valley on the Crowsnest River. Fly fishing had not come easily to them and she had to watch them as closely as a mother watches a toddler around a swimming pool.

While she unloaded her equipment into the barn, she glanced over at the bunkhouse and noticed Luke’s Jeep wasn’t there. She had expected him to drop off the rental agreement, but when she stopped by the office, the employee who ran her office during the day said he never showed up. She’d check with him later.

On her walk back over to her house, her stomach growled. The only thing she’d had to eat since breakfast was a sandwich, and she was famished. It only took a few minutes to make a scrumptious salad and zap some leftover pasta in the microwave. With a beautiful setting sun on the horizon, she poured a glass of chardonnay, grabbed the latest Karen MacInerney paperback, and retreated to the patio to enjoy the remains of the day.

After two chapters she started inside when it dawned on her that Luke was still not back. She didn’t worry about him but she wondered if there was any news about Bonnie.

As she climbed the stairs to her bedroom she decided to check her email. She logged on to her laptop computer and while her messages were downloading she looked out the window and found it interesting that Luke still wasn’t home. Curiosity got the best of her and she double-clicked on the Car-Treker Unlimited icon. While she waited for the program to load, a pang of guilt swept over her.
Why am I spying on him?
But, Luke knew the Jeep had a GPS tracking program and she could find its location at any time.

She had not had a chance to use the tracking system since she bought the Jeep. The salesman promised she would be able to pinpoint the location of the vehicle within five meters anywhere in Canada or the States.

After she signed in she entered the number assigned to the black Jeep. A series of green lines ran along the bottom of the page and turned from green to blue as the computer calculated the data it retrieved from a satellite. Finally, a map of North America appeared on the screen and the computer pinged. She looked closer and saw a red arrow in the northwest corner of Montana.

With a furrowed brow, Lauren leaned closer to make sure she was seeing the map correctly. Each time she clicked her mouse on the plus sign in the corner of the screen, the map zoomed in until it highlighted the small town of Whitefish—a little town with a ski area on the west side of Glacier. She zoomed in again. It now pointed to a location out in the country, six miles from town.

Probably a glitch in the program, she thought. The system had been installed on her Suburban, too, and it was sitting right outside. That would be the easiest way to see if it was working. She entered the ID number for the Suburban and a second later, the map of Cardston came up, accurately pinpointing the location at the ranch, just west of town.

For a minute she stared at the location of Luke’s Jeep. She couldn’t believe he left town, or more accurately, the country, without telling her. He seemed more responsible than that.

Just to be sure, she reentered all of the information again. And again, Whitefish, Montana, came up.

Why would Luke be there? He’d said he was not leaving Cardston until Bonnie was found.

Lauren stared out the window and tried to make sense of it.
Could something have happened to Luke? Could someone have stolen the Jeep?
She ran downstairs and over to the bunkhouse.

She knocked on the door and waited a few seconds, but got no response.

“Hello,” she said as she pushed the door open. In front of her on the floor, she saw a box with their hiking and camping supplies, but no suitcases. In the bathroom she didn’t see anything of Luke’s. No razor, no toothbrush. Nothing.

Puzzled, she walked through the cabin and spotted something on the table. When she got closer she recognized them as Polaroid pictures. A closer look revealed a woman with her hands behind her lying on a bed. She tensed as she recognized the red hair. The other picture was the same person taken from a different angle. There was also a piece of paper with a typed message beside them. But her eyes were drawn to an envelope with a handwritten message scrawled in blue ink.

Lauren—I was right. Someone abducted Bonnie. I found this note in the Jeep today.

I have no choice but to do exactly what they say. I’m supposed to go to a location near Whitefish, Montana.

I’m 99% sure Sonny Diamond is behind this, but I don’t know why.

I have no doubt I’m walking into a trap, but I have no choice.

Do not go to the RCMP unless you don’t hear from me within 24 hours.

—Luke

Lauren shuddered as the message sunk in. The part about Sonny really surprised her. She knew he was a rotten human being but never would she have predicted anything like this. She cringed when she remembered the day Luke was in her shop asking for advice about Sonny and she told him to trust him.

After Sonny went to prison, Lauren learned how unscrupulous he actually was. He had cheated on her with numerous women and was heavily involved in drugs. However, she never thought he’d be involved in something like this.

She read the last line of his note:

P.S. Somehow, I’ll get your Jeep back to you. Thanks for everything.

Lauren reread the note several times, trying to decide what to do. Her heart raced as she ran back to her house and checked her laptop. The Jeep was not where it had been earlier. It was on the move, now just north of Kalispell, a larger town about twenty kilometers south of where it had been earlier. For the next ten minutes she watched the icon move until it finally stopped.

She stayed glued to the monitor for the next thirty minutes. It didn’t move again. Unable to sit still, she ran downstairs and made some hot tea. When she got back to the computer ten minutes later, it was still there.

Lauren went into the bathroom and washed her face with cold water and made her decision.

She went to the window and looked out at the bunkhouse, now silhouetted by the setting sun. She thought about her brief friendship with Luke and wondered why she felt so connected to him. He had walked into her store just four days ago, yet she opened her house to him and let him take one of her Jeeps without as much as showing an I.D. or signing any papers. There was just something that made her trust him and now she knew it was up to her to help him.

Fifteen minutes later she was packed and on her way to Kalispell.

Rita and Sonny took Luke’s Jeep and followed Pete Coley who drove the van south. Half an hour later they were through the town of Kalispell and turning onto an old country lane. It followed a meandering, rocky creek with old houses nestled back in the pines and spruces on large wooded lots.

“You’re sure we don’t have to worry about the landlord?” Sonny asked Rita as they crossed a narrow bridge.

“I’m sure. The realtor said the owner lives in San Diego and all they do is give a key to the renter, then send a cleaning service out after it’s vacant again. It’s used mostly by skiers who come up to Big Mountain in the winter. Since it’s not real close to the mountains, it isn’t rented much during the summer. I sent them a cashier’s check for a month’s rent and three days later Rosemary picked up a key at a realtor’s office.”

They drove another half mile, and after they crossed the creek again they turned down a dirt driveway. He drove past the old rock house and parked beside an old Winnebago motor home at the back of the lot. Pete pulled in and stopped it.

Sonny parked the Jeep behind the van and Rita unlocked the RV. Pete and Sonny carried one of the wooden crates inside and set it on the floor. Pete unlatched the top and they opened it to see Bonnie lying on her side, her arms still taped behind her back.

“Stand up,” Pete said in a low, husky voice, as he grabbed her shoulders and helped her. He guided her over to a kitchen chair where he sat her down. He moved behind her and said, “Now sit here and don’t move or we’ll hurt you. Okay?”

Bonnie nodded and Pete untied the bag that covered her head. He slowly removed it making sure the tape over her eyes was still in place.

“Sit still. No one’s going to hurt you. Understand?” Pete said in a voice just above a whisper.

Again, Bonnie nodded.

Pete moved aside and Rita stepped in. She pulled the scrunchie off Bonnie’s ponytail and her hair fell around her shoulders. A photograph was placed on the table beside Bonnie, and then Rita started to brush her hair. When it was ready, she pulled out a pair of scissors and made her first cut.

At first Bonnie jerked, but Pete forcefully held her head in place. Again he whispered. “No one’s going to hurt you so sit still.”

Over the next few minutes, six inches of red hair fell onto the newspaper that was spread out underneath the chair.

Rita still had the knack for cutting hair. It had been her profession for eight years after she flunked out of college. But she lost interest and left Cardston to pursue her dream of being a nurse.

Ten minutes later Rita held the picture and walked around and looked at Bonnie from all sides. Satisfied, she handed the photo to Sonny and stepped out of his way. He compared the photo to Bonnie and gave Rita the nod.

She stepped away and Pete put the bag back over Bonnie’s head. As he removed most of the tape from Bonnie’s arms Rita set the timer on the microwave Pete leaned closer and whispered in Bonnie’s ear. “In three minutes you will hear a timer go off. When it does, you can remove the bag from your head and the rest of the tape from your arms, eyes and mouth. Beside the television you will find a piece of paper with your instructions. Follow them to the letter. Do you understand?”

“Mmmhmm,” she said through her gag.

“There is a red cell phone beside the television. It will only work to call us. Don’t even try to call anyone else. Is that clear?”

“Mmmhmm,” she answered as she massaged her wrists where the tape had been.

“The door is locked from the outside and there is no way to escape. Just do what we say and you’ll be released, unharmed, within twenty-four hours. Do you understand?”

“Mmmhmm.”

They slipped out the front door and put a clip on the latch that locked Bonnie inside.

When the timer buzzed, Bonnie pulled the sack off her head and the tape from her eyes and mouth. As she removed the duct tape from her legs, she took in her new surroundings.

In front of her was a small kitchen—a stove, sink and refrigerator. To the left she saw a narrow sofa against the wall and a couple of easy chairs. On the other side, a TV sat on top of a waist-high cabinet. Further up she saw the back of two captain’s chairs and a big steering wheel on the left side. Beyond that was a huge windshield that was covered by something that looked like canvas.
Must be in a motor home
, she thought.

She looked the other way and saw an open door and beyond it, a bed. In front of her was a door with a small window in the top half. It appeared to be covered with newspaper from the outside. There were many more windows behind her, and they were all covered as well.

With the tape off her legs, she went and tried the door handle. It turned but wouldn’t open. As they said, it must be bolted from the outside.

Back in the bedroom, Bonnie found a small dresser and nightstand next to a queen-sized bed. There were windows on three sides, all covered. In a corner she saw a canvas bag about three feet long. On the side it said
Pack N Play
. She’d seen one of those before at a friend’s house who used it as a portable bed for her baby when she traveled.

Back in the hallway she opened a door and found the bathroom. It had been almost eight hours since she went and she felt like her bladder was going to burst. It was a tiny room with the smallest commode she had ever seen. But it satisfied her needs and when she finished she couldn’t resist the urge to look at herself in the mirror. Her hair hadn’t been that short since she was a teenager. As she ran her fingers through it she wondered why they cut it. She knew Luke was going to hate it.

Back in the living room, she found the piece of paper with her instructions. She read the typed message:

–Everything you will need is inside the blue box.

–Turn on the VCR and watch the tape marked #1.

–When it is finished, watch the tape marked #2.

–When you have seen both tapes, call us on the red cell phone by pressing speed dial #3.

The blue plastic box was beside the TV. Inside she saw three VCR tapes and several bulging manila folders. Beside them she noticed the red cell phone and picked it. It looked like one of those disposable models sold at convenience stores. She put it down and turned on the television, put the first tape in the VCR and pressed PLAY.

When the tape began to play, a small white church with a tall steeple came into focus. The red CNN logo was displayed in the lower corner. As a woman began to speak, the picture zoomed in on a tall slender woman in black slacks and a pink blouse standing on the front steps of the church.

“Last September, Kimberly Townsend and her daughter Olivia were in Kalispell, Montana, visiting her parents and as usual on Sunday morning they were here, at Cornerstone Bible Church. In the middle of the service, eighteen-month-old Olivia suffered a seizure. Fortunately, that morning Dr. Myron Sheppard, head of pediatrics at St. Luke’s Memorial Hospital, was just two rows behind her in the congregation. Quick action on his part was crucial in stabilizing Olivia. She was immediately taken to the hospital where she was treated and underwent a series of tests.”

The scene on the TV changed to a busy nurse’s station inside the hospital where the doctor, a Colonel Sanders-looking man minus the bow tie, held a clipboard and made notes on a chart while speaking to a nurse. The story continued. “The tests Dr. Sheppard performed found that Olivia has a rare kidney disease that will require a kidney transplant.”

The scene switched to show an attractive woman, who appeared to be in her late twenties, with a little blonde-haired girl sitting in her lap. They sat across from Dr. Sheppard in an exam room. “Today, Olivia comes to the hospital every other day for treatment, but otherwise she leads a relatively normal life.”

As the camera slowly closed in on the woman’s face, the commentator said, “If you think you recognized her, but don’t know the name Kim Townsend, you might remember her by her maiden name, Kimberly Ann Kimber. Or as she was known in the sports world, Kim Kim.

“The day Kim Kim graduated from Kalispell High School she was ranked as the number-one high school tennis player in the United States. She accepted a scholarship to Stanford but in her third year of college suffered a crushed elbow in a car crash and that ended her tennis career.

“Kim stayed on at Stanford, graduated and met Wade Townsend in graduate school, whom she married a few years later. Wade’s father, it turns out, was Alex Townsend, the hedge fund billionaire.

Still photos began to scroll as the reporter continued. “When Alex Townsend graduated from Harvard in 1962, his grandmother gave him ten thousand dollars and told him to invest it for his future. Over the next forty years he turned her gift into more than two billion dollars by investing in stocks and hedge funds.”

In one picture Mr. Townsend, a tall, gray-haired man, was receiving a plaque from George W. Bush. Next was a shot of him shaking hands with Warren Buffett, followed by one of him playing golf with Donald Trump.

The next photo showed Alex standing behind an attractive, statuesque woman with short blonde hair who looked to be in her mid-sixties. She was presenting a check to Jerry Lewis, who was standing in front of three kids in wheelchairs.

“The Alex and Katherine Townsend Foundation is a charitable organization that supports many different charities, including the MS Society.”

In the last photo, the Townsends were joined by a younger couple. The young man had one arm around Mr. Townsend and the other around Kim, and they were all laughing like they’d just heard a good joke.

“In September, Wade accompanied his parents on a trip to Boston, where they presented a twenty-five-million-dollar gift to the Harvard Business School. Shortly after the ceremony, the family boarded their private jet to fly home. They developed engine problems and an emergency landing was not successful. Their private jet crashed near White, South Dakota, killing all on board.”

“Three months later, Kim gave birth to Wade’s daughter, Olivia.”

The picture changed to the diminutive Olivia in a huge hospital bed. “Kim and Olivia live in San Francisco, but when they are in Kalispell visiting her parents, Olivia needs her regular treatments. The hospital is small and has always been underfunded. They didn’t have the equipment needed for Olivia’s treatment, so to solve that problem Kim bought the hospital everything they needed. And as a way of saying thanks to Dr. Sheppard and St. Luke’s Hospital, Kim has donated forty million dollars to improve services and build a new pediatrics center at the hospital.”

The image on the television panned the room and Bonnie saw a nurse wearing hot pink scrubs adjusting the tubes that protruded from Olivia’s tiny arm. As the nurse came into focus, Bonnie noticed her auburn hair. The camera zoomed in on the nurse and Bonnie’s jaw dropped. As the nurse began to speak, she stroked Olivia’s hair.

Bonnie fumbled for the remote and hit the pause button. She stared dumbfounded at the woman on the screen. She leaned closer for a better look, but the image was blurry. She pushed the rewind button and played the same scene again.

As she watched, a chill went down her back. “Oh my God,” she said.

Bonnie stared for a few seconds, and then pushed the play button.

Now, the woman, identified as Dr. Tammy Owens, was speaking. “I was Olivia’s pediatrician in San Francisco when her condition was diagnosed. I told Kim that Olivia would need constant medical attention and that she should consider getting a nanny who was a nurse. And since she could afford it, she might even consider hiring a doctor. Next thing I knew she made me an offer that I couldn’t turn down. That was six months ago and things couldn’t be better. Kim travels a lot, and most of the time Olivia and I go with her. About the only time we don’t is when Kim travels overseas.”

Again, she hit the pause button, and this time she saw a clear picture of Dr. Owens looking directly into the camera. Bonnie leaned closer and studied every feature of this woman’s face. The lips, the nose, the eyebrows, the forehead. Everything looked just like hers—she could be her twin. But, Bonnie knew that was impossible. She was an only child. Her dad said her mom died of breast cancer shortly after she was born.

“What impact is Mrs. Townsend’s donation going to have to the area?” the reporter asked.

“It’s going to be huge. Because of Olivia’s illness, Kim has become quite involved in the hospital and pediatric care. She is definitely committed to improving healthcare for all children in this area. Without a doubt, St. Luke’s will become one of the leading pediatric hospitals this side of Spokane. We’re all very excited.”

“How is Olivia doing?”

“Olivia will be fine some day, but until she gets a kidney transplant, she needs her regular treatments and medication,” Dr. Owens said, while using her fingers to brush the hair from Olivia’s face. “Without them, she couldn’t live more than three days.”

The scene changed and the camera focused on several men and women standing around a large conference table covered with blueprints. The reporter said, “Construction of the Myron C. Sheppard Children’s Center will begin next week and will be open for business in about eighteen months.”

The recorded program ended and the screen went gray. Anxiously, she inserted the second tape. It was easily identified as a local news broadcast. The news anchor began: “Vice President Graham will arrive in Kalispell tomorrow to attend the groundbreaking ceremony for the Myron C. Sheppard Children’s Center. Surgeon General Preston Howell, Governor and Mrs. Thompson will also attend the ceremony with the vice president. Guests of honor will be Mrs. Townsend and her daughter Olivia. Mrs. Townsend is a graduate of Kalispell High School and has donated forty million dollars for construction of the children’s center. A black-tie dinner and fundraiser will be held at the Kalispell Community Center Sunday night at seven p.m. Tickets are still available for one hundred dollars each.”

When the reporter began the next story, Bonnie stopped the tape and picked up the cell phone and pressed the speed dial button.

It rang once and the familiar voice said, “Have you watched the programs on the VCR?”

“Yes, I have.”

“I’m sure you noticed the remarkable likeness you have to Dr. Owens.”

“Yes, I did.”

“Good. What you are going to do is very simple. This week, Kim and Olivia are in town for the dedication. Tomorrow Dr. Owens will take Olivia to the hospital for treatment. Dr. Owens always leaves for about two hours and goes to a health club across the street to work out. When she comes back, we are going to detain her and you will pose as Dr. Owens and pick up Olivia.”

“What?” Bonnie exclaimed, tension in her voice.

“There is nothing to worry about. All you have to do is go up to the third floor, go down a hallway to the dialysis unit. DeWayne, your driver, will be there and as soon as he sees you he will leave to get the car. All you have to do is sign a form and they will turn Olivia over to you. You will bring her down the elevator to the garage where we will be waiting for you. After that is done, your husband will be released. Kim will pay a ransom and Olivia will be released unharmed.”

“But I can’t—”

“Yes, you can,” There was brief pause, and he continued. “Everything has been planned down to the smallest detail. You can and will pull this off. And when it’s done, you and your husband will be free to go. Is this clear?”

“Yes, but—”

“There are no buts. Kim is a billionaire. The ransom will be no problem for her. Neither you nor Olivia will be harmed in any way.”

“But Dr. Owens—”

“Dr. Owens will not be hurt either. It’s very simple. Either you do exactly as we say or we will kill Luke. Do you understand?”

She hesitated, but couldn’t think of anything else to say. “I do,” she said, weakly.

He continued, “On the dresser beside tape number three you will find a manila folder. Inside there is more information, including the floor plans for all three floors and the basement of the hospital. While you watch tape number three, pay close attention to the floor plan. The tape was made while walking the route you will take tomorrow. Okay?”

She looked over and saw the tape. “Okay.”

“In the box is a folder with everything you need to know. There is detailed information about the hospital, plus information and photos of all of the employees you may see. You’ll also find information about the Townsends, Kim and Olivia, and Dr. Owens. Study it all closely. You will have until midday tomorrow. At that time, we’ll go over specific plans for picking up Olivia. And let me explain one very simple rule. If you were to escape, or if anything goes wrong, your husband will die.” After a long silence, the man on the phone said, “Do you have any questions?”

After a pause, she said, “Just one.”

“What?”

“Are you out of your fricking mind?”