Chapter 20
CHAPTER TWENTY
Courtney pulled her phone out to make sure the ringer was as loud as it could go, then saw that she’d gotten a text five minutes earlier. With the arrival of the police, she’d somehow missed the notification.
She clicked on it to see a photo of Dana holding a piece of lined paper with today’s date at the top. Underneath, in her handwriting, were printed words: PAY THEM. I WANT TO COME HOME. Courtney felt her throat tighten as she whispered the words aloud. She imagined Dana begging the kidnappers to let her come home. What awful things must she be going through? She had to be terrified.
Courtney took a closer look at the image, trying to get a clue about the location from the background, but she couldn’t place it. Clearly, Dana was indoors and it was dark. The flash had brought the camera’s focus right on Dana. The background was dark, but she could spot the edge of a framed print off to one side. The room appeared dingy, and that alone made her skin crawl. Dana couldn’t stand a dirty environment. Courtney took some measure of comfort in Dana’s appearance. Courtney couldn’t remember ever seeing that outfit before, which was curious, but she was more worried about her friend’s safety. Dana had a grim expression and her naturally curly hair was a bit on the wild side, but otherwise she looked her usual self. She seemed to be holding up well, despite her horrible ordeal.
The text message that accompanied the picture repeated the instructions they’d been given earlier before Ian ripped the phone out of her hand. If you want to see Dana alive, put $100,000 in $100 bills in a shopping bag with a handle. Hang it off the hand of the statue in the center of Dana’s garden. Deadline: nightfall. Do not involve the police!
Seeing it in print was even worse than hearing it spoken. Written words had power. They made it real. Courtney read the message multiple times, her heart speeding up with every pass. Dana really and truly had been abducted. It wasn’t a prank on her part. This was proof. Ian would have to believe it now.
She texted back. Don’t hurt her! We’ll get you the money.
With the phone tight in her hand, she went and found Ian and Kristy, still in the living room. Neither of them appeared perturbed. Kristy sat demurely on the sofa, scrolling through her phone, while Ian peered out the window, his back to the room. “Listen!” she said as soon as she was within earshot. “I just got a text message and a picture from the kidnappers.”
“Does it list a phone number?” Ian asked.
Courtney shook her head. “Like before, the display says Unknown Caller .” She went over to Ian and showed him the screen.
Silently, he took in the picture of Dana and the accompanying message. After a minute, he said, “You texted back and promised them the money?”
“Of course,” Courtney said. “Look at her!” She gestured to the phone. “She’s being held captive somewhere. God knows what they’ll do if we don’t pay up.”
Kristy appeared alongside her husband and craned her neck to look at the photo. “What is she wearing? Are those butterflies on her skirt?” She made a face like she’d just stepped in something nasty. “Have you ever seen that outfit before?”
This conversation was taking a wrong turn. “I don’t know. Maybe. She has a lot of clothes.” How could Kristy land on that particular detail and not show any reaction to the ransom demand? “You seem to be missing the point, which is that they have her and we need to pay the ransom.”
“My point,” Kristy said contentiously, “is that if she wasn’t wearing that yesterday when she took off, then she clearly packed a bag expecting to be gone, which makes this whole thing more than a little suspicious. It backs up Ian’s theory, which is that Dana is doing this for attention.”
“Why would you say that?” Courtney asked. “She didn’t have a bag with her. I would have noticed. Not to mention that we’ve heard from the kidnapper both in a phone call and a text. And look at that photo. She looks worried.”
Kristy wasn’t ready to let it go. “If she didn’t pack that outfit, then she’s been shopping between now and then. Not the usual activity for someone who’s been kidnapped.”
Frustration boiled up from inside her. “Unbelievable. You’re creating reasons not to help her!”
“I’m just saying—”
Ian held up one finger and interjected, “I agree with Courtney.”
“You do?” Both of the women spoke in unison. First time ever.
He nodded. “We’ll pay and get my sister back home.”
Courtney exhaled in relief. “I’ll go get a grocery bag. We have time before it gets dark, but it wouldn’t hurt to put it out early.”
“Not so fast,” Ian said. “It’s going to take some doing to get that kind of cash. The bank isn’t open today, but first thing tomorrow I’ll go and see how quickly we can liquidate some of Dana’s assets.”
“Tomorrow?” Her jaw dropped open in disbelief. “But they said tonight.”
Ian held up a hand. “I understand, Courtney. I can read as well as you can. But even criminals have to understand that these things take time. Text them back and tell them that we’re working on it. Explain that we have to go to the bank.”
She blinked back tears. “What if that’s not good enough? What if they do something terrible to her?” Years ago, she remembered hearing about a famous case where the kidnappers sliced off the victim’s ear when the ransom wasn’t paid and mailed it to the family. She couldn’t bear the idea of anything like that happening to her friend. Dana had a very low pain tolerance. Even blisters from poor-fitting shoes tortured her. She wouldn’t be able to withstand having a body part lopped off.
“We have to take that chance,” Ian said. “It’s Sunday. I’m sure they’ll understand that we can’t magically produce money out of thin air. Text them back.”
Kristy went back to the couch and returned her attention to her phone as if the crisis was over. How could she be so calm?
Courtney wiped her eyes and fumbled with the phone, barely able to tap out a message.
Can’t get $ until tomorrow when banks open. Don’t hurt Dana! She’s everything to us.
She sat down on the other end of the couch and stared at the phone, willing it to ping with a response. As the minutes ticked by at an agonizingly slow pace, her eyes never left the screen, even as she heard Kristy chuckle about something on her phone and Ian shuffle his feet impatiently.
Finally, Ian spoke. “Courtney, stop worrying. Go home. We’ll deal with this tomorrow.”
Ignoring him, she stared at her phone, praying for an answer, but there was no response. Finally, she did the only thing she could—she sent a mental message to Dana: Hang on! I’m doing everything I can.