Nothing Is Negotiable (31 page)

A minute later Lauren called from the darkness. “Luke! Bonnie!”

“We’re on the deck,” he shouted back.

A few seconds later she came through the cabin and onto the deck. She rushed over and knelt beside them, a look of panic on her face.

“Are you okay?”

Bonnie closed her eyes and nodded her head. “We’re okay.”

“I heard shots and saw them driving away. What happened?”

Luke looked from Bonnie to Lauren and exhaled loudly.

“They’ve got Olivia.”

“What now?” Luke asked.

“Should we notify the RCMP? There are only a couple of roads getting down from this mountain. Did you see what kind of minivan they were in?” Bonnie asked Lauren.

“No, where I was parked, I couldn’t see anything. When I heard gunfire, I ran to the cabin. But by the time I got here, the car was leaving and all I could see was the taillights in a cloud of dust. Besides, my cell phone hasn’t had any service since we left the pavement.”

“Let’s see if we can find something that might give us a clue to tell us where they went,” Bonnie said.

Inside the cabin they turned on the lights and except for the broken glass from the shattered back windows, they found the cabin uncluttered. The tables and countertops were as clean as if maid service had just left and inside the drawers and cabinets they found nothing of interest. Lauren went through the trash baskets and there was not as much as an old envelope or a grocery store receipt.

They moved into the front bedroom, but it looked like no one had been in there for months so they continued down the hallway to the back bedroom. Bonnie stopped at the door, hesitant to enter. Luke came up behind her and put his hands on her shoulders.

“Is this where they kept you?” he asked.

“Yep, this is it,” she said as her eyes moved from the bed, to the dresser, to the portable baby crib that now sat against the opposite wall. The window she had broken out was now covered with a piece of cardboard.

She walked over to the crib and bent down to pick up a fluffy white bunny rabbit that lay on top of the pink blanket. For a few seconds she looked at it with interest, and then felt the pure white fabric that almost looked like fur. She pulled on the big floppy ears, then turned it over and almost smiled when she saw the fuzzy button of a tail.

She sighed, dropped it and turned her attention to the window. She grabbed the cardboard by the corner, pulled it off and let it drop to the floor. Sharp edges of broken glass protruded from the corners where the windowpane had been. Careful to avoid them, she stuck her head through the window and stared into the darkness a few seconds.

“You should see it during the daytime. That’s one hell of a view,” she said without emotion.

Bonnie left the room, and after a brief look inside the dresser and closet, Luke and Lauren followed. When they got to the front door, they saw the interior light of the Jeep was on and Bonnie was seated in the passenger seat.

Luke walked up beside her and saw her going through the glove compartment.

“Find anything?”

“Nothing.”

“Let’s check the RV,” Lauren said.

On the way over to it they came to the shed where Luke had locked up Sonny. He said, “I want to find out how in the hell Sonny got out of here.”

The front door was still latched but behind it he saw a small patch of the ground lit up. When he looked closer he was unsure what to say. The side and back wall were separated at the corner, allowing fluorescent light to escape. Luke bent down and grabbed the lightweight aluminum siding and pulled on it with both hands.

“Son of a bitch,” was all he could say.

The separation between the side and the back created an opening big enough for a man to crawl through. He hadn’t realized how flimsy the portable building was.

He walked around to the front and removed the latch. When he opened the door a light attached to the ceiling revealed what he hadn’t seen earlier when he had dragged Sonny’s unconscious body inside the dark shed. On one side sat a partially disassembled snowmobile, and on the other side was a workbench cluttered with engine parts. Lying over by the corner where the siding was separated, he saw the answer to his question.

“Sonny had everything he needed to get out,” Luke said looking back at Bonnie and Lauren who were standing at the open door. He picked up a crowbar lying on the floor beside the opening. “The shed was full of tools and all he had to do was turn on the light to find the one he needed to pry off the back wall.”

They left the shed and went over to see what they could find in the RV. Bonnie started in the living area and Lauren went to the back bedroom. Luke went forward to the driver’s compartment and had barely opened the storage compartment when Bonnie found something.

“Look at this,” she said.

He turned around and saw her looking in an opaque plastic box. She put it on the kitchen table and they went over and watched as she pulled out several manila folders bulging with papers. When she opened one of the folders Luke saw a blue print of a building. Across the top in architect’s scroll, it said,
St. Luke’s Memorial Hospital.
She closed the file and set it aside. The next file she pulled out said
Employees
on the tab.

Luke looked over her shoulder and saw several VCR tapes and more folders. He watched as she pulled out folders and set them on the table. At the bottom of the box lay a chrome-plated pistol. Luke leaned in to get a better look and saw what looked like smears of dried blood on the handle and the trigger guard. Beside it was a black metal tube about six inches long. Bonnie looked back at Luke.

“That looks like the gun Pete had in the hospital,” Bonnie said. “I remember it was chrome with a gold trigger and the silencer was black.”

“The gun he had at the mall was chrome plated, too,” Lauren said.

“I’ll bet this is his blood and his fingerprints are on it, too. That will prove I was not the one who did the shooting in the hospital,” Bonnie said.

“Is that a laptop computer?” Lauren asked pointing to the shelf behind the table.

She went over and grabbed it and sat down at the table. When she opened it the screen brightened at once.

Lauren clicked on the icon that said My Computer, then My Documents. A dozen folders appeared, among them were Accounts, Addresses, Alex Townsend, Bonnie Wakefield, Dr. Owens, Employees, ISP, Kalispell Hospital, Kim Townsend, and Wifi.

“We may have just hit the jackpot,” she said.

She clicked on the one that said ‘Alex Townsend’ and a long list of document names appeared. Randomly, she clicked on the one titled, “Crash Takes Hedge Fund Billionaire and Family.” An article from
The New York Times
came up telling how Kim’s husband and her in-laws died in the crash of their private jet. She opened another. It was an article from
Forbes
magazine with details of Mr. Townsend’s wealth.

She closed it and went to the folder titled ‘Accts.’ A box appeared asking for a password.

“I was afraid of that,” she said, closing the file.

“I’m sure the cops can hack into them,” Luke said.

While Lauren tried to open more files, Bonnie walked over and sat down at the table across from her and next to Luke. He leaned his head forward and rolled it around stretching the muscles in his neck. The adrenaline no longer pulsed through his veins and his body felt weary.

“I was just thinking about the last time I talked to Sonny. He said, if we interfere in any way, he’ll kill Olivia, even if he gets the ransom,” Bonnie said.

“I know. And now we’ve interfered.”

“So, now what are we going to do?”

“There’s not much we can do unless we know where they are going. Are you sure you didn’t hear them say anything about where they might leave her?” Luke asked.

Bonnie leaned forward and rested her face in her hands. “They said they were going to leave Olivia at a church where they could get in and out without being noticed, but they didn’t say anything about which one or where it was. He said when the ransom was paid they’d call Kim and let her know where she can find Olivia. She can notify the police and they can pick her up within minutes.”

Luke said, “Okay. So, that means they aren’t going to be in Kalispell or else Kim would be close enough to go get her. So, let’s look at it from another direction. Olivia’s condition can’t be treated by just any doctor’s office or hospital, can it?”

“No, Kim had to buy equipment for the hospital in Kalispell, and it’s the only hospital in Montana that can treat her condition,” Bonnie said. “This type of treatment is available only at the bigger or newest medical facilities, and all of them are in larger cities. That’s why this new children’s hospital in Kalispell is so important.”

“Okay, where’s the closest place that might have a medical facility that can treat her,
and
be close enough for them to get to by early morning?” Luke asked Lauren.

“Other than going back to Kalispell, there’s only one place,” Lauren said. “Calgary. It’s probably four hours from here.”

“Then, I say we go to Calgary.”

By the time the Suburban was loaded, it was 1:26 a.m.—less than eleven hours before the ransom deadline, and less than thirteen hours before Olivia’s next needed treatment.

Luke said he’d drive, which was fine with Lauren. She crawled in the backseat and Bonnie got up front with Luke. He turned sideways to face the ladies.

“I’ve been thinking about it and I think it’s time we turn ourselves in. We’ve done everything we can, but now it looks like we’ve lost them. If we go to the Calgary police and give them this computer, maybe they can figure something out before it’s too late. I’m sure it will help our case later.”

Bonnie said, “I guess you’re right. The Calgary police might even be able to contact the security businesses there and get a lead on this other guy.”

“What are you talking about?” Luke said.

“You know, the other guy said he worked in the security business in Calgary?”

“Which guy?”

“The guy in the minivan.”

“No, I don’t remember hearing anything about this,” Luke said.

“I thought I told you.”

“You mentioned that to me,” Lauren said.

“That’s right. I guess I got mixed up,” Bonnie said. “Anyway, he said for the past thirteen years he’d been working in some kind of security job.”

Something about
thirteen years
sounded familiar to Luke—something from a recent conversation. He started the engine and tried to remember who said it, but he was exhausted and he couldn’t bring it to the forefront of his mind. “What else did he say?”

“Nothing really, other than rich people are assholes who only care about their money instead of people,” Bonnie said.

While the truck was idling, Luke searched his memory. Then it hit him like a sucker punch in the solar plexus. A feeling of betrayal ran through his soul. “When he said thirteen years, did he happen to use the phrase, ‘ass-sucking years’?”

“That’s exactly what he said,” Bonnie answered.

“Son of a bitch,” Luke exclaimed as he pulled the gearshift down and started down the gravel driveway. “Looks like we’re not giving up yet.”

“We’re not?” Bonnie asked.

“Because I know who that new guy is. First thing we need to do is get down off this mountain because I have a phone call to make.”

Two hours later, with the cruise control set on one hundred fifteen kilometers per hour they were headed for Calgary when Lauren’s cell phone rang. Luke answered.

“This is Luke Wakefield.”

“I got a call from my office and they said you had something urgent to talk to me about that can’t wait.” The caller sounded quite irritated after being awakened at two-thirty in the morning.

“I do. Have you been keeping up with the kidnapping of Olivia Townsend?”

“That little girl over in Montana?”

“Yeah, that one.”

“Now why in the hell would I be keeping up with that?” he barked. “I’m in charge of the RCMP in Cardston, Alberta, for Christ’s sake. That doesn’t have a damn thing to do with us here in Canada.”

“I hate to tell you this, Ernest, but it has everything to do with you. And Cardston,” Luke said.

Luke let a few seconds pass, but Ernest was in no mood to wait.

“Well, are you going to tell me what in the hell you’re talking about or do I have to wait for it to come out on the news tonight?” Ernest snapped.

“A lot has happened since I saw you five days ago,” Luke said as he straightened up behind the steering wheel and focused down the long straight highway.

For the next hour Luke filled Ernest in as he drove through the darkness.

Sonny grabbed his watch off the nightstand. It was just past eight, which meant he had slept for almost four hours. The surprise attack at the Cliff House had complicated things, but the plan was still on track. They had come to Calgary, where they had a two-bedroom suite reserved just off the freeway.

Sonny pulled on his pants and walked out into the living room to find Rita at the desk staring at the screen of her laptop.

“Any updates on the blog yet?” he asked, walking up behind her.

“I was about to wake you up. I got an e-mail a few minutes ago saying there was an update. I’m checking it now.”

When the website opened, Rita clicked on
Kidnapping Update
. It started with a several paragraphs about the ongoing investigation. Kim had been given instructions how to send them information by hiding coded messages in Olivia’s Blog. As Sonny read the message he pointed at the first word of the first paragraph.

“I,” he said as he moved his finger to the second word of the second paragraph. “will.” His finger went to the third word of the third paragraph. “pay.”

“She’s going to pay,” Rita screamed. She threw her arms around Sonny’s neck.

He pushed her aside and took her seat at the desk. He read the rest of the post. The final paragraph said
The search continues but at this time there were no new leads. At ten o’clock we’ll post another update.

He spun the chair around and looked at Rita. “She’s going to make the transfer at ten, about two hours from now.”

Sonny stood and walked over to the window. This was the news they’d been waiting for, but he had a knot in his stomach. There was still unfinished business that could derail the entire job. Bonnie and Luke were a problem, because they knew his identity.

His thoughts were interrupted by three soft knocks at the door.

He went over and looked through the peephole.

Paul Simpson, the police officer from Cardston, was standing outside.

Sonny cracked the door three inches and looked at the RCMP officer. He checked from side to side, saw the empty hallway and pulled the door open. “Come in.”

“Well?” Paul asked as he walked into the room.

“Kim just posted the message we’ve been waiting for. The ransom will be wired at ten o’clock.”