Chapter 40
CHAPTER FORTY
The longer Courtney sat on that step stool, the less comfortable it seemed. This was definitely taking too long. She was tempted to text the kidnappers and ask if they were coming or not, but she knew it would be a mistake to antagonize them. So she kept watch, waiting and listening.
Outside she heard the hum of cicadas, just slightly louder than the beating of her own heart. She’d never quite understood the expression “the suspense was killing me” until this moment. She was living it now, and that’s exactly how it felt.
The sun was just barely over the horizon when movement in the night sky got her attention. She leapt off her seat to get a better look and spotted a drone circling the statuary garden. Courtney repressed a smile. A drone had been one of her guesses, and she loved being right. What a great plot device. A way to pick up the ransom without actually having to make contact with anyone. And coming in through the back would make it hard for someone to follow them since all the cars were in the garage in front of the property.
She took a step outside. The drone almost certainly had a camera, but she doubted she was currently within range. She needed to get a closer look.
The drone made the sound of angry bees combined with a race car heading around a track. A large hook was mounted on the underside. Courtney watched as it made its way toward the statue.
Was anyone else seeing this? Again, she looked up at Brayden’s window and over to Ronald and Martha’s cottage, but no one was in sight. Did she have time to knock on the cottage door and get them out here? No, she didn’t think so. Instead, she got out her phone and started filming. The drone hovered around the statue, making several attempts to hook the bag. Whoever was maneuvering the thing was having some trouble lining up the hook to the bag’s handle. The angle had to be just right, and the bag was swaying in the breeze.
It was a helpless feeling watching and knowing that whoever was steering this thing had her friend. Dana could be standing off in the wooded area right now, her hands tied behind her back, a bag over her head. The thought made Courtney sick, but she consoled herself with the thought that Dana had nerves of steel. She was sure to come out of this better than ever.
The buzzing bee noise of the drone grated on her nerves, as did the fact that whoever was operating it was doing it badly. Completely inept. If she were here, Dana would have had a few choice things to say. It was so frustrating to watch the repeated attempts that if the ladder had still been out, Courtney would have been tempted to climb it and loop the bag over the hook herself.
The drone pulled away, and for a second she feared it was going to give up and leave without the ransom, but it was just repositioning itself for another pass. This time it managed to hook one of the straps of the bag and lift it off Naked Man ’s hand. Shakily, it rose up into the sky and circled the yard before heading back in the direction from which it had come.
Courtney took a deep breath and grabbed a hoe. With any luck, she was going to see Dana soon.