Redemption (18 page)

He and Michael walked out of the station side by side.

A chartered plane would be waiting for them at the Jackson Hole airport. It would take them to Cheyenne, and from there, they would hop another charter flight to Ohio.

 

****

 

Jamie was trussed up like a Thanksgiving turkey. She struggled against the ropes in the tiny closet they'd been thrown into on the plane.

Andrew stared at her. The captors had been kinder to him. His restraints weren't nearly as tight.

Both their mouths were taped, too.

The plane's engine rumbled to life. Soon they would be in the air and away from any help.

Andrew's face was tear-stained and his blonde curls stuck out at all angles. He'd obviously had a rough few days. The poor thing.

Tears formed in Jamie's eyes. She would do everything in her power to keep him safe. Unbidden, a thought formed—
not by your power but by Mine.

Closing her eyes, she forced her heartbeat to slow as she prayed. When she opened them, Andrew still stared. She smiled encouragement, despite the tape on her mouth.

It must have been good enough because he crawled to her and nestled into her. His hands were tied in front. He reached up to her face with chubby hands and patted her cheek. She snuggled in closer even as she was thinking about his almost free hands. Those chubby hands could free her.

The door opened.

A man glared down at her. “What a sweet sight.” He held a needle up.

Before she could move, Jamie felt the jab in her neck. Instant relaxation. And then her eyes fluttered shut.

 

****

 

Enrique jumped out of the cruiser as it came to a stop on the tarmac. He'd been calling Jamie's phone repeatedly. Something was wrong.

“Ready to go home?” he asked.

“Do I have a choice?” Michael's expression reflected hopelessness.

“Don't worry, we'll get him back.”

After Michael was placed in the plane, Enrique went back outside. A small plane took off from the same runway they would be using in minutes. He hit Jamie's number again. Nothing. He couldn't wait much longer. He left another message telling her he had to leave and that he would see her soon.

Ryan Mattson had flown in on one of these planes.

He walked over to one of the accompanying officers. “I need to find out which of these planes Ryan Mattson flew in from Ohio.”

“Won't take a moment, sir.” A few minutes later he came back with another man.

The new guy wore a cowboy hat and boots and looked as if he belonged on a ranch. He held out a hand. “I'm Butch Marshall. I'm the airport administrator.”

Enrique shook hands. “Did the officer explain the situation?”

“He did. Since the man is deceased, I have no problem with you checking out the plane, but you can't fly it anywhere until the situation gets straightened out.”

“Works for me.”

Butch motioned with his head. “Follow me.” As they approached a gray and crimson plane, Butch turned towards him. “If you remove anything from the plane, we'll need a receipt for it.”

“Not a problem.” Enrique told him. “You might as well come in with me. That way you can be a witness.”

Enrique moved through the plane, searching for anything that could be relevant. Nothing popped out. Not willing to give up, he sat in the pilot's seat imagining himself as Ryan. Where would he hide something important? He checked every nook and cranny.

There was nothing to be found.

 

 

 

 

 

42

 

Jamie's eyes opened as the plane landed. She was groggy, but only for a moment.

Andrew was nestled against her. His breathing was steady. Had they drugged him, too?

She needed to be more alert if she was to get them out of this situation.

The plane bumped to a stop.

The bouncing woke Andrew up. His eyes popped open in a panic. But when saw her, he calmed down.

The door opened.

The man looked more like a businessman than a kidnapper or a drug dealer. His brown hair was cut neatly and his clothes spoke of the same affluence. As he glared down at her, Andrew pressed against her, clearly frightened. “OK, I expect no problems from either of you. Got it? You cause me a problem and...” His gaze met hers. “Got it?”

She nodded.

He grabbed hold of Andrew and pulled him up.

Andrew began struggling and crying.

“Look, little boy. I don't have time for this. Behave yourself or you'll be sorry.”

Jamie kicked the man.

Fury crossed his face at her assault, but she quickly motioned at Andrew with her feet. The man let him drop to the floor. He leaned close to Jamie and pulled the tape off her mouth, just enough to let her speak.

“Let me take care of him. I'll keep him calm.”

“And why would you do that?”

“I don't want you to hurt him.”

“Oh, that's so sweet. A motherly instinct.” He grinned at her. “I'm going to untie you and take the tape off.” He pulled the tape off, and then sliced through the rope around her wrists. “If you do anything I don't like, I won't hesitate to kill you. The boy's my insurance policy—you, I can do without.”

She held her arms out to Andrew, who still lay on the floor sobbing. “Come here, Andy.”

He crawled to her.

“It's OK, Andy. I'll take care of you.”

His sobs quieted.

The man stood over them with an impatient look. “OK, let's go.” He grabbed her arm and pulled her up.

Andrew whimpered.

She hugged him.

The man pushed Jamie in front of him. “Keep moving.” He pressed the knife against her blouse. The point of it went through her clothes and jabbed her back.

Her temper flared. If it wasn't for Andrew…she walked forward.

The door was open and another man stood there waiting. The man with the needle. He didn't look nearly as civilized as the one behind her. His sandy blond hair was shaggy and unkempt. His beard hid his features. As he leered at her, she was greeted with a glistening gold tooth. His fingers dug into her arm as he grabbed hold of her. “Keep moving and don't make me have to shoot you, sweetheart. That would make me so sad.” His words were more of a snarl than a sentence.

Jamie decided he would probably enjoy shooting her and that he was hoping he could. She stepped from the plane onto the steps. Not quite dark. In the background were mountains and trees, but they weren't the Tetons. At least, she didn't think so.

The plane stood in the middle of a field, or perhaps a private runway. It was as if the plane and surrounding area was an island in the midst of an ocean of trees and mountains.

Jamie had no clue where they might be.

No houses or buildings. Beyond the fields, shadows of trees stood guard.

The three of them made their way down the airplane steps to a waiting van. The van door was open.

The man pushed her and Andrew inside.

An unseen person quickly put something over her head.

Andrew's whimpers turned to sobs.

“It's OK, Andy. We're fine. I'm right here with you.” She hugged him closer and whispered into his ear. “I know it's scary, but you and I will get through this. I promise.”

He snuggled closer and quieted.

Jamie prayed she hadn't lied to the boy.

 

 

 

 

43

 

According to her calculations, they'd been driving for close to fifteen minutes.

The radio blasted a rock song out. The loud music drowned out any ambient noises. Which meant she couldn't get a fix on where they were. City? Town? In the country?

No one spoke, but from the breathing patterns, she thought there were three men in the van with them. And all very serious.

She wouldn't be getting any sympathy or finding any help from them. With God's help, she'd get Andrew home to Zink.

Zink. Had Enrique contacted her yet? Did she know what was happening with her son? Did she know about Michael being found? Jamie couldn't imagine the nightmare Zink faced daily for the past two years, but this had to be even more unbearable for her.

The van stopped.

Andrew was pulled out of her arms. He whimpered. They weren't giving her a chance to escape. Still, she would be ready when an opportunity came. She heard nothing. No noise. No traffic sounds. Wherever they were, it wasn't in a town or city.

From the sounds she didn't hear, they were very isolated. When she and Andrew escaped, they would have to hide and make their way to safety on their own.

She took a deep breath. A familiar scent. What was it? She sniffed again. The scent grew stronger. Definitely farm smells.

Something changed.

The wind stopped and she wasn't breathing fresh air any longer. They weren't outside. The barn smell was overpowering. They must be on a farm. In Ohio? She could only hope that was the case. A horse whinnied, confirming her suspicions.

“Put her in there. Make sure her arms are tied to something. I don't want her getting away. And separate them.”

Andrew screamed at the top of his lungs as they dragged him from her.

She bit her lips to stop from yelling out for him. She didn't want to remind them that her mouth was no longer taped. She was pushed down. Her right shoulder smashed against a wall. The pain jarred her, but she managed not to moan. Moments later, her hands were tightly secured to something above her head, making it awkward for her to move. She couldn't sit down. Basically, she was suspended even though her feet touched the ground.

Andrew was screaming.

Footsteps scuffed past, and then silence.

Andrew's screams turned to sobs, and then to whimpers.

She straightened to a standing position. As she did, her hand hit her head. She leaned back down and grasped her hood. A moment later, her head was freed. She could see again. Her hands were secured to the bars of the stall.

The barn was dim, but a bulb gave off enough light to look around. More stalls were on the opposite side. Horses were in a few of the stalls.

This was not the type of barn she'd grown up with in Ohio. The barn was modern and clean. Instead of old, gray weathered wood that most Ohio barns had, these stalls were made of knotty pine. Could they still be out west?

Taking deep breaths, Jamie calmed down so she could think.

A barn meant tools. Tools that could be used as weapons. If she could get her hands free…

“Andy, can you hear me?” Her voice was soft.

The whimpers quieted. “Ye…es.”

“Andy.”

“Wha…at?”

Most adults underestimated children. Amazingly, her own daughter had managed to contact an aunt she'd never met when Jamie was kidnapped.

“Andy, my name's Jamie. I'm here to help you.”

“I want my daddy.”

“I know you do, sweetie. And I'll take you back to him. Very soon.”

“OK.”

“Andy, are your hands and feet tied?”

“Sort of.”

“What do you mean?”

“They tied me up, but not very tight.”

“Can you walk around?”

“Sort of.”

“Your feet are untied?”

“They're tied. But I can walk. Just not big steps.”

“Do you see a door in front of you?”

“Yes.”

She'd been half-expecting him to say ‘sort of'. “Good. See if you can open the door.”

“OK.”

Moments later, soft scuffling sounds came from further in the barn.

“It's heavy.”

“That's OK. You're a big, strong boy. You can do it.”

Dry rusty squeaks.

Andy stood three stalls down. “I got it.” Triumph was in his voice.

“I knew you could. Can you see me?”

“No.”

“That's OK. I'm going to kick my stall door. You'll see it move. Come towards me.”

She stretched out. Gritting her teeth, she ignored the pain in her shoulder sockets. She kicked her leg towards the door. Her foot met the wood, but just barely. The door only moved an inch or so. “Do you see it, Andy?”

“Yes.”

“OK, you come here. And then I'll open it as much as I can. When I do, you grab it and open it the rest of the way. OK? But we need to be quiet. We don't want them to hear us.”

“OK.”

She looked towards the entryway. Nobody was coming. She wanted to urge him to move faster. But that would make him more anxious. “You're doing great, Andy. Almost here.”

He looked up at her with trusting eyes. He stopped in front of her stall.

Please, God, let me deserve his trust.

“Are you ready, Andy?”

“Yeah.”

Once again, Jamie stretched, and then pushed against the door.

Andy grabbed the edge, opened it wide, and then ran inside. He hugged her legs.

“OK, Andy. Here's what we're going to do. You're going to climb up on me until your hands reach my hands. Then I'm going to untie your ropes. Then you're going to untie mine. And then we'll be free.”

“I don't know how.” His voice trembled.

“I know you can do it. You're a big boy and you're so brave.”

“I can't.”

“You want to know how I know you can?”

“How?”

“Because you are smart and brave.” She gave him a big, happy smile. “OK, pretend you're a mountain climber.”

He giggled and crawled upwards, gripping her clothes for security. The kid was heavier than he looked.

Her back muscles quivered. “Keep going. You're doing great.”

He moved up to her chest. He grabbed the bars and pulled to a standing position, one foot on her arm, the other on her shoulder. She winced.

“I hurt you?”

“You're fine. Just move those hands up to mine.” Jamie stiffened her body, holding him in place.