Chapter 14
They showered and left the house early and had breakfast at a waffle shop that never closed.
They tried to smile and act as though all was well.
Fritz even cracked a joke and got a laugh, but they were too wired for levity.
Their nerves were shot and their emotions were raw.
If Ben Baxter’s mysterious buyer failed to come through in a hurry, they had no alternative plan.
For lunch they were invited to the Clayburn home, where, after a round of hugs and tears, they settled on the covered patio and compared notes.
Sam reported that he had just spoken to Chelsea and Lowell.
They were trying to stay busy in Paris while watching the clock.
She said again that she would not leave the city without Paul and they believed her.
The end of their nightmare was almost at hand.
With business out of the way, they forgot about lunch and sat on the patio for a long time talking about the unbelievable mess they were in and what would happen when it was over.
The kids were coming home! The families would rejoice in quiet celebration, then take the next step, whatever it might be.
Fritz called Ben Baxter, who was headed to the lawyer’s office in McLean to review paperwork. No, the money for the purchase had not yet arrived.
At 4 p.m., the Tanners entered the lawyer’s office.
Baxter had left for half an hour to chase another deal.
They reviewed the closing packet and went over everything with the lawyer.
The deal was as easy as possible—cash, no mortgage, no inspection, as is.
The buyer agreed to lease the house back to Linzy and Fritz for ninety days at $2,000 a month.
Paying rent to use their own home seemed rather outrageous, but since last Friday nothing had made sense.
Baxter returned at 4:25 and a few minutes later the wire for $1.
5 million hit the lawyer’s escrow account.
How ironic that the Tanners were thrilled to get the money to sell their beloved home. There was no time for irony.
Sam called his father in Paris and relayed the news that the Tanners had worked a miracle and had the money.
—
They were subdued on the ride back to the home they had just sold under duress. Sold to a vulture, no doubt a predator who’d probably made his money feasting on other desperate sellers like themselves.
Themselves? There was no one like them. No one they’d ever met or known had been forced to navigate their way through such a horror.
It was a corporation, probably some type of money-running outfit hustling to keep up with the latest semi-legitimate scam.
The Tanners would not even have the privilege of meeting the proud new owners of a place they had nurtured for so long.
Now they would be reduced to renting it and even had a deadline to get out. Where would they go after ninety days?
A rather significant challenge but not important at the moment.
To keep away from that subject, they tried to focus on their next moves.
Fritz had not been instructed to zip off to Paris to get Paul.
How would the Tanners know he was safe and almost free before they wired the money?
Were they expected to trust the thugs because they had honored their end of Chelsea’s bargain?
The answers could come only from experienced hostage negotiators, probably employed by the FBI or CIA. But it was much too late for that. The Clayburns had not involved the authorities and Chelsea was now safe.
The crimes were nothing but old-fashioned kidnappings, all about money. Pay the ransom and save the kid.