Nothing Is Negotiable (28 page)

“It’s not your fault. This all would have happened, regardless of what you told me. I’m convinced of that,” Luke said.

“And without you, I’m not sure either one of us would be alive right now,” Bonnie added.

“I’m so sorry,” Lauren said.

“I don’t want you to feel obligated in any way. If you want to, you can leave right now and go back to Cardston because you don’t owe us a thing. Okay?”

“Absolutely not,” she said without hesitating. “I’m not leaving until that asshole is behind bars where he belongs.”

Bonnie couldn’t help but smile. She knew Lauren wouldn’t leave until this was over.

“Okay, so what do we do now?” Luke said, looking from Lauren to Bonnie.

“I think we need to find out if Kim’s paid the ransom,” Bonnie said.

“How do we do that?” Luke asked.

“Hopefully they’ll say something about it on the news.”

After they cleaned up the kitchen, they moved to the living room and the news was just starting. The lead story was about the shooting at the hospital.

“At this time, police will not comment on whether Mrs. Townsend has been contacted by the kidnappers and a phone call to the Townsend residence was not returned. A hospital spokesman said security guard Rocco Giovino’s condition has been upgraded to serious, but he remains in a coma.”

The next story was about the city council debate on zoning. Several more local stories aired, including one about a forest fire near Whitefish that burned over one hundred acres before they got it under control. After a few commercials the weatherman started talking about the seven-day forecast.

“They didn’t even mention anything about the shooting at the mall,” Bonnie said.

“Maybe the police haven’t given them any information on it yet,” Luke said.

“You’re probably right. Let’s see what they say tomorrow,” Bonnie got up and turned off the television. “I’m ready for bed. I have a feeling tomorrow’s going to be a long day.”

“I think you’re right,” Lauren said, standing and stretching.

Bonnie walked over and gave Lauren a long hug, and said, “Without you, I don’t know what I would have done. We can’t thank you enough.” Lauren nodded and smiled. Bonnie said, “We’ll lock up. You go to bed.”

A few minutes later, Bonnie washed her face and thought about how things had changed. Now that Luke was no longer held captive, her greatest fear was gone. And Rocky was improving. As soon as he was able to talk, he would tell police that she did not shoot him, nor did she shoot the woman who was killed. After the ransom was paid, Olivia would be released, and they could turn themselves in and tell their entire story. They’d identify Sonny, Coley, Rosemary and Rita as the true kidnappers.

When she crawled into bed and snuggled up beside Luke, she felt safer than she’d felt in a long time. But, it was far from over. She wanted to believe this nightmare would turn out their way, but deep down, she had a bad feeling. Something wasn’t right.

The next morning Bonnie and Luke wandered into the kitchen just after seven to find Lauren sipping on a cup of coffee while watching the news on a small TV.

“Anything new?” Bonnie asked as she pulled two coffee cups out of the cabinet.

“Nothing new about the kidnapping,” Lauren said. “Rocky obviously hasn’t spoken to the police, because they are still saying you’re the one who shot him and killed that woman.”

Bonnie’s optimism faded as she filled two cups with coffee.

“How about the shooting at the mall?” Luke asked.

“Still, not a word.” She pushed her chair back and turned to face them. “What do you think we should do today?”

“Luke and I talked about it last night. We don’t think there’s any reason for us to put ourselves in jeopardy. It’s probably best if we just stay here.”

“Didn’t you say that Kim told you there was some kind of problem with the ransom?”

“She did, and even if that’s true, I don’t think we can do anything about it.”

“You’re right. Staying out of sight is probably the best thing to do,” Lauren said. She flipped through the channels for more news.

Bonnie found a can of biscuits in the fridge and while they were baking she scrambled some eggs. After they ate, Lauren surfed the Internet looking for news about Olivia’s kidnapping, the shooting at the mall or news about Kim or the ransom.

By noon, they still knew no more than they did the night before. A raid on Beau’s refrigerator resulted in chicken salad sandwiches for Bonnie and Lauren. But, Luke said that after being a captive, even if it was for only a day, it had changed his perspective on happiness and he would not be deprived of the good things in life. He opted for three hot dogs smothered in chili and onions, chased by a Shiner Bock. This lead to a discussion about his opinion of good food. It was the first time in days any of them had laughed. For a brief five minutes they felt their world was normal again.

After lunch, Luke and Lauren went back to their quest for news while Bonnie washed their dirty clothes. While she was at the dryer she heard Lauren yell, “Hey guys, come read this.”

With an armload of socks and shirts, Bonnie ran into the breakfast nook and read the Internet story over Lauren’s shoulder.

KIM TOWNSEND CAN’T PAY RANSOM

Lauren moved her mouse and the page began to scroll down.

“Oh my God. Look at that,” Bonnie exclaimed. She pointed to a small inside headline:
Kidnapper Demands Forty Million Dollars.

The article said the kidnappers are demanding the same amount Kim donated to build the Children’s Center onto the hospital. It also quoted an anonymous source that said when Kim inherited the Townsend estate, all of the money was put into a trust fund as dictated by the Townsends’ will. According to the covenants of the trust, no money can be used for blackmail, extortion or ransom.

“I wonder if this is what Kim was talking about yesterday,” Lauren said.

The final paragraph of the story said that Kim was told by the kidnapper that regardless of her situation, they would show no mercy.

“If this is true, and Kim doesn’t pay, they will let Olivia die,” Bonnie said. “We have to find out if this is true. I want to call Kim.”

“Okay, but not from here,” Lauren warned. “We need to go somewhere else to make the call, and after that, we need to get rid of the BlackBerry. I don’t really know if we’re safe, even when the battery is out of it. I’m sure the FBI has technology we don’t even know about.”

“Then we need to do it as soon as possible,” Bonnie said.

“Where do you want to go? Back to Kalispell?”

“I think we should avoid going there.” Bonnie and Luke watched as Lauren pulled up Flathead Lake on a Google map. “There’s a little town about ten miles south of here, Polson. But there are only two roads in and two roads out.”

Luke said, “I don’t like it.”

“Missoula is about an hour further south. It’s the biggest town in the area and it’s on the interstate. That’s probably the safest bet.”

***

Half an hour later, they were on the road, driving south. Luke drove, Lauren was in the passenger seat and Bonnie rode in the backseat, hiding behind the tinted windows. When they got to Missoula they pulled into a shopping center with a huge grocery store about a mile off the interstate. The parking lot was packed and when Luke pulled in, Bonnie put the battery back in the phone and pressed the power button. As soon as she had a signal, she placed the call. The feds knew that Bonnie had Dr. Owens’s BlackBerry and they were sure the FBI would be tracking any calls made with it. That meant they had to keep the call short because they had no way of knowing how long it would take for their location to be identified and for the police to close in on them.

“Hello?” Kim sounded anxious.

“Kim, I need to know if the reports on the Internet are true.”

“I replied to your ransom demand telling you my situation. You know it’s true.”

Disappointed, Bonnie remembered their first conversation. Kim sounded like she believed her when she said she was forced to kidnap Olivia. But, now, she didn’t.

“Kim, please believe me. I have not sent you any messages. I don’t even know what the message says. I’m not one of them.”

“You say that, but you’ve given me no proof. If you are telling me the truth, turn yourself in to the police and help me get Olivia back.”

“They said if I go to the police before the ransom is paid, they’ll kill Olivia. They said they would know,” Bonnie explained.

“You have to turn yourself in.”

“But, there’s nothing I can do.”

“You’re the one who took her. You have to know where she is,” Kim said firmly.

“I don’t. You have to believe me. I didn’t have any choice,” Bonnie pleaded.

“You had a choice, and you chose to kidnap Olivia and kill those people at the hospital.”

“I didn’t kill anyone,” Bonnie said, frantically. “As soon as Rocky comes out of his coma, he’ll tell you. Another man shot him.”

Kim paused. “Rocky’s dead.”

“What?” Bonnie hand came to her mouth.

“He died an hour ago.”

“You’ve got to believe me, I didn’t do it.”

“I’ll believe you if you turn yourself in.”

“But they said they’d kill Olivia if I do.”

Bonnie glanced at Luke. He held up his one arm and tapped on his wristwatch with the finger on his other hand telling her she’d been on the phone long enough.

“Then I have to believe you are one of them,” Kim said.

Bonnie frantically tried to think of what to say, but then she heard a click.

“Kim? Kim?”

Bonnie looked at Luke, tears streaming down her cheeks. “She hung up.”

Luke steered the vehicle through the parking lot and sat at the exit waiting for an eighteen wheeler to pass by before pulling into traffic. As he accelerated, he eyed Bonnie in the rearview mirror.

“What did she say?”

“She can’t pay the ransom,” she said haltingly. “And Rocky’s dead.”

The drive back to Beau’s house was as quiet as a limo in a funeral procession. Knowing that Kim couldn’t pay was bad, but finding out that Rocky had died tore Bonnie apart. Luke reminded her several times that it wasn’t her fault, but she couldn’t stop wondering what would have happened if she would have done things differently.

When they got back to Beau’s house, Bonnie went straight into the bathroom where she could spend some time alone. Fifteen minutes later she came out into the living room to find Lauren on the sofa with Gato in her lap and Luke in an easy chair with the remote in one hand. They were staring at the muted TV where a weather map tracked a hurricane off the South Carolina coast. Bonnie walked to the front window and looked at the placid waters of the lake across the street. After a silent minute she turned around.

“I don’t believe Kim.”

Luke said, “What don’t you believe?”

“I don’t believe she can’t pay. The original email Kim got from them said she had to get rid of the cops and the FBI. I don’t think she did. When we spoke, she kept saying I needed to turn myself in so we could help
them
.
Them
must be the FBI, and they are probably telling her exactly what to do.”

“I’ve always heard the FBI is against paying any kind of the ransom in kidnappings,” Lauren said.

“And because of Olivia’s condition, the amount of time they have is limited.”

“So, what do we do? Turn ourselves in?” Luke said.

“No. I’m afraid if we do they’ll kill Olivia,” Bonnie said. She sat on the sofa by Lauren and looked her. “Let’s assume Sonny is in charge of this whole thing. You know him, how he thinks. Do you have any ideas where we might start looking for him?”

Lauren slowly shook her head. “I don’t know him anymore. We haven’t spoken in over fifteen years. But, don’t underestimate him; he’s smart. The reason he was such a good quarterback was because he always had a plan. He was a master at getting out of trouble. I’m sure he has everything planned down to the last detail. He is not going to risk getting sacked.”

Bonnie nodded. “I guess the first place to start is where we know they’ve been. How about that house where you found me locked in that motor home. But, I don’t know if I can find it again. Can you?”

“That’s easy. It’ll be on the vehicle tracking program,” Lauren said.

Bonnie looked up at Luke and said, “And how about that old house where they had me tied up?”

As Lauren stood and started out of the room, she said, “It’s on the tracking program, too. We’ll be able to see exactly where you drove the Jeep since you left Cardston.”

Lauren pulled out her laptop. “The program keeps a detailed log of everywhere the Jeep has been for the last thirty days. It shows the route, the speed at which it travels, how long it’s parked. Everything.”

Lauren clicked on an icon and they all watched as the tracking program opened. After a few clicks, a map of northern Montana and southern Canada filled the screen. After a few more keystrokes, a yellow line appeared tracing the highways from Cardston, Alberta, down to St. Mary, Montana, through Glacier National Park, then over to Whitefish and down to Kalispell. There it looked like it crisscrossed town a few times then went north, back through Whitefish and into Canada, where it turned back to the east. It finally came to a stop in British Columbia, in the middle of nowhere.

Confused, Bonnie asked, “What are we looking at?”

Lauren’s eyes were locked on the screen and her reply was hesitant. “That yellow line shows the route the Jeep has taken. It shows where it’s been and where it is now. According to this, the Jeep is about a hundred and fifty kilometers west of Cardston.” She twisted her head around and looked at Bonnie. “Don’t you have the keys?”

“No, when I parked it at the hospital, they told me to leave the keys under the floor mat.”

“Either someone stole it or the kidnappers have it. Let me check something else.”

Lauren moved her mouse to the upper left corner of the screen to a plus sign and clicked on it a couple of times. The map zoomed in more with each click, until the cities of Whitefish and Kalispell filled the screen. The yellow line now went down various streets, from the east side of Whitefish to the west side, then down south of Kalispell, out of town, back to Kalispell, up to Whitefish, then north into Canada.

Lauren studied the map a minute then put her finger on the screen and tracing the yellow line said, “This is the route the Jeep took yesterday.”

Lauren pointed to a dot in the middle of the yellow line and looked at Luke. “Does this look like the place where you found Bonnie?”

He leaned forward and focused. “I think so.”

“The Jeep was parked there on Friday afternoon from 5:59 to 6:22.” Her finger moved down the screen. “Then it was driven here. It shows it was parked there from 7:13 until 1:57 yesterday afternoon. Then it was driven to the hospital.”

“That sounds right because I got to the hospital and was supposed to go in at exactly 2:10,” Bonnie said.

“Then at 2:14, the Jeep left the hospital and went over here, then back to the house near Whitefish.” Lauren leaned back, still looking at the screen. “It has to be them.”

“They must have taken it right after I went into the hospital.”

“Then it went north, crossed back into British Columbia and over to here,” Lauren said pointing at the map. “And it’s been there since last night at midnight.”

While Bonnie and Lauren continued to study the map, Luke said, “So, according to Kim, they have no leads. And when she says that, we have to assume she’s talking about the FBI. So, if Coley said they have contacts with the police, we have to assume that’s true. That could be either the Kalispell PD or the FBI. So, if we turn ourselves into the police, Sonny will know. And he said they’ll either kill Olivia or let her die from lack of treatment. Right?”

Bonnie nodded.

“So, what are we going to do?”

“I think it’s up to us. We’re the only ones who can save Olivia,” They nodded and Bonnie said, “I think we have only one choice. Follow the Jeep.”

***

It only took them a few minutes to pack, feed the cat, load the Suburban and lock up Beau’s house. As they pulled out of the driveway heading north, Lauren said, “I just realized we have a huge problem.”

“What’s that?” Luke asked.

“We’ll all need a driver’s license or passport to get across the border.”

Luke reached and touched his empty back pocket. “They took my billfold when they tied me up.”

Lauren glanced at Bonnie and said, “And every law enforcement agency in the states and Canada is looking for you.”

“But your car is from Canada. Will they check it when you are coming back across?”

“Before 9/11, they hardly ever checked private vehicles, but now things are different,” Lauren said. “Sometimes they’ll check you, sometimes they don’t. I think now, with the kidnapping, they’ll be checking most vehicles, especially one as big as this.”

“Any idea how we can get across?” Bonnie asked.

“No, but we’ve got about two hours to think of something.” Lauren said.

***

An hour later they got to the city limits of Kalispell. Even though they had found no news on the Internet about the mall shooting, Luke still worried they might be looking for a white Suburban. They took back roads and residential streets and fifteen minutes later they made it through town. With a sigh of relief they headed for the Canadian border.

They got to the town of Eureka forty-five minutes later, which meant they were only ten minutes from the Canadian border. Lauren pulled into a convenience store and at the gas pumps parked across from a Ford Expedition with a boat in tow.

“This is as far as we go until we come up with a plan to get across the border,” Lauren said as she turned off the ignition.

Luke said, “The only thing I can think to do is to hide under that tarp you have in the back. What are the odds we’ll be checked?”

She shook her head. “The odds are probably about two to one we’ll get across without a problem, but I’d like something better than that.”

Lauren noticed a piece of paper was taped over the credit card slot that said, “Out of Order. Pay inside,” so she grabbed her wallet and headed inside.

While she went into the store Luke got into the backseat to talk to Bonnie. Another truck pulling a boat eased up to the pump on the other side of them. The truck was painted red and silver to match the red and silver ski boat it was pulling. The driver got out and tossed an empty beer can into the trash then went over and started pumping gas. On the other side of the truck another guy got out and went to the back of the boat carrying two towels. He was wearing a tank top and flip-flops. He tossed one towel to the driver and they started wiping down the boat. They were both good-looking, thirtyish, with flat bellies and surfer haircuts.

A minute later, Lauren came out of the store and as she walked to the Suburban, Bonnie noticed the tank-top guy motion to his buddy to check her out.

After Lauren started the pump, she sat down in the front seat and dropped her wallet back on the seat. Bonnie asked, “Is there a lake around here?”

“Lake Koocanusa is just west of town. Not thinking of swimming across the border, are you?”

“No, I was just noticing these boats,” Bonnie said, looking at the boat in front of them and the other one across the bay.

“Yeah, fishing’s not bad. They do some boating over there. I like Flathead Lake down where Beau lives better, but it’s further.” Lauren glanced at the boats, “These are all from Canada. Most Canadians fill up before going home because gas is cheaper in the U.S.”

She got out and pulled a squeegee out of a bucket and started cleaning her windshield. From the backseat through tinted windows Bonnie noticed the guys with the red and silver boat watching Lauren while she cleaned on her windshield.

When Lauren finished, she leaned inside and grabbed her wallet off the front seat. “You guys want me to get you something to drink?”

Bonnie said, “Wait a second. Get in and sit down, but don’t look back at us.”

Lauren did as instructed.

“I think I know how we can get across the border. Those guys at the pump to the left have been lusting after you ever since they pulled up. I’ve got an idea.”

After a quick discussion of the plan, Lauren got out, replaced the hose into the gas pump, and glanced over toward her admirers.

“That sure is a pretty boat,” she said, giving them a big smile as she started for the store.

“Thanks,” the shirtless one said. He watched her butt until she disappeared inside.

When Lauren returned a minute later, the top two buttons of her blouse were unbuttoned. The guys were cleaning the back of the boat when she came up and stood beside them.

“I’ve never seen a boat painted to match the truck. I think it’s the prettiest boat I’ve ever seen,” she said, running a finger down the side.

The one in the tank top immediately noticed her breast bulging out the opening in her shirt and when she looked the other way, he mouthed “Oh my God” to his buddy.

The shirtless one moved closer to get a better look and said, “We have a paint and body shop, and a few weeks ago I painted the truck to match the boat.”

“You did an awesome job. Could I see the inside of the boat?” she asked.

The boat set high and she couldn’t see inside from the ground.

“Sure, step up here,” the shirtless guy said. He pointed at the fender over the wheel of the trailer. She held out her hand for help and he took it, helping her up on the fender. While she bent to examine the interior, the guys checked out her well-toned legs.

“It’s beautiful,” she said.

Shirtless helped her down and she pointed to two colorful boards strapped to the chrome apparatus on the top of the boat and asked, “Have you guys been wakeboarding?”

“That we have. And drinking a few brewskis,” said shirtless.

She grinned flirtatiously at him. “Sounds like fun. I’d like to try wakeboarding some time.”

“Where’re you from?”

“Pincher Creek. How about you?”

“Fernie. You aren’t that far from us. Give me your number and I’ll call you next time we’re going out,” the shirtless man said.

“I’m changing cell phone carriers and will be getting a new number next week. Why don’t you give me your number and I’ll call you.”

Shirtless got her a business card from the truck and handed it to her.

“L & R Paint and Body—Lance Wells and Ryan Gillespie,” she read aloud. “Which one are you?”

“I’m Lance, this is my business partner, Ryan,” Shirtless said.

“I dated guys who were partners one time. Now that was interesting,” Lauren said laughing while tugging at her shirt. “I’ll tell you all about it if you take me wakeboarding.”

“Yeah, I can hardly wait to hear that story,” Lance said, stepping closer.

“So, what’s your name?” Ryan asked.

“I’m Lauren,” she said, extending her hand.

“How about next weekend?”

“I’m not sure if I can. Can I get back with you later?”

“Sure,” Lance said.

Lauren looked at her watch and acted surprised. Backing toward her Suburban, she said, “Wow, I didn’t realize it was so late. I need to be going now, but I’ll call you in a few days.”

They watched as she hopped in the Suburban and quickly left the station.

Ten minutes later, five miles south of the Canadian border, the Suburban sat on the shoulder of Highway 93. Lauren stood beside it, watching the road back toward Eureka. As soon as she saw the red and silver pickup pulling a red and silver boat come round the bend, she pushed the hood up and started waving her arms frantically. The pick-up coasted up behind the Suburban and slowed to a stop.

Lauren ran to the driver’s window and said, “Lance, I’m so glad you’re here. I don’t know what happened. My car just quit. Could you take a look at it and see if you can tell what happened?”

Lance and Ryan got out and went to the open hood to look for problems.

“What happened?”

“Nothing, I was driving along and all the sudden, it just quit. I didn’t know what to do, so I just pulled over. I know I’m not out of gas because I just filled up. I let it sit a minute, then tried to start it. It goes
rrr, rrr, rrr
, but won’t start. What do you think is wrong with it?”