Desperate Measures (33 page)

“Here, there, you name it. I get around, thanks to your grandfather.”

Caitlin twitched but refused to take the bait. “So you’ve done pretty well for yourself?”

“You could say that.” The truck stopped.

If there had been something other than the empty beach and uninhabited woods, Caitlin would have opened her door and run like hell. She stayed put in her seat. Her spine pressed against the cushion. The gun still aimed in her direction, the hand holding the weapon steady.

“Give me your cell-phone please,” Nick requested.

Caitlin, nauseated at the polite term of please, debated saying she left her phone at the hotel. Lying presented serious risks. Nick could search her purse and find it or the damned thing would ring. She opted to play it safe and handed over the phone. Nick tossed it out onto the sand and continued driving.

“There. That should put enough distance between the body and your phone.”

Horrified, Caitlin could only manage to squeak, “Body? Oh my God! What did you do to Chris? Where exactly are you planning on disposing of my body?” she challenged the demented man.

Nick chuckled. “Oh don’t worry, your boy back there won’t be out that long. As far as disposing of you, I could never do that, you’re my meal ticket once Lukas meets us at the Black Rocks.”

Playing dumb Caitlin asked, “Who’s Lukas?”

Nick’s head turned sharply, the truck swerved. Caitlin was certain they would hit the palm tree in front of them. Her uncle, realizing he needed both hands, placed his hand with the gun in it on the steering wheel. Caitlin leaped across the cab but Nick managed to get the vehicle under control before she could grab the weapon. Caitlin’s bold actions angered Nick further, he pointed the gun at her right eye.

“Try that again and your grandfather will never have the chance to finally meet you. I’ll splatter your brains from here to his villa in Barbados!”

Caitlin could no longer contain her emotions, her lip quivered, she sobbed, completely confused. She didn’t know who the real enemy was, her uncle or someone else. Unbelievable thoughts raced through her mind fueled by fear.
What is he talking about, he’s taking me to my grandfather, is Lukas Bucklin really behind all of this? I’ve never met the man and could care less if he sired my father or not. What the hell is going on? I’ve got to figure a way out of this mess. Scott, where are you? You’ve got to realize something is wrong by now. Surely you have read my note. Chris is out like a light, who knows what this maniac did to him.

Caitlin stifled a sob as terror shot through her. Her phone had a GPS tracking device, certainly Chris’s did as well. She mentally begged Scott to trace Chris’s signal first. If Scott went after Caitlin’s phone, on the beach, he would be on a wild goose chase, wasting precious time. According to Nick, Chris might still be alive. He saw Constance/Nick last and can identify this truck. Caitlin stared ahead and said nothing as the truck started up the incline , leading them to the main road, which ran all the way to the Black Rocks.

Jack put the phone back together with the bug and listening device in place. He held the tape recorder in his hand, ready for the next incoming call. He needed to talk to Barry first and tell him what he’d discovered. Barry might have called during the time he had the phone dismantled. He picked up the receiver. Before he could hit the last digit, the phone alerted him of an incoming call. Not bothering to check caller ID he snapped, “Hello.” At the sound of a low unrecognizable female voice ridden with tears, his heart skipped a beat.

Through sobs and gasps, Ginny finally managed to speak so he could understand. “Jack, I’m so sorry, so very sorry. I didn’t know Nick would go this far.”

“Ginny, what the hell are you talking about? What didn’t you know about Nick? Tell me and tell me now!” The tape recorder whirred.

Ginny relayed the details of the FBI investigation and then started crying again. “Jack, I thought he changed, he was so different. I know you didn’t approve of our affair when my husband was dying of cancer. When he told me he’d tried to make amends with Constance, I thought he truly had changed.”

Jack was right, the bastard had been in his home. Why didn’t Constance tell him? “Get to the goddamn point and I mean now!” Jack demanded.

“You were right in what you said last week when you called. Please believe me this time, Jack. I really didn’t know he was this devious. He goes by Mackenzie Zegar now. When the truth finally came out about our father, or I should say your father, I blabbed everything to him. A few months later he changed his name.”

“Ginny, I know all this, except for the Mackenzie Zegar part. Tell me what you’ve done.”

“He wanted the picture and I didn’t have it, so I stole it from Gary when I went to see him in Las Vegas.”

Jack’s throat constricted in panic, restricting the intake of air, but he managed to speak. “So Gary told me the truth, you took his picture.”

“Yes. Jack, I need your help. The FBI is after me.”

“Sorry, Sister, you should have thought about that a long time ago, before you hooked up with the likes of Nick Holland or whatever you say he’s calling himself these days. Also, as a reminder, I’ll repeat what I said when I called your top secret phone last week, this has you written all over it. I can’t end this call without a surprise for you. Everything you’ve just told me has been recorded. Thanks to your boyfriend’s visit to my wife and the bug he planted in my phone, he’s listening to this conversation as well. Say hello to Nicky, Mikey, Maxy, whatever. Do you know where he is now? I do. He’s posing as Constance, using her passport, at Miami International Airport, on his way to kill my daughter. Don’t go far. I’m calling your local police department and the South Carolina FBI field office as soon as I hang up. Tell the rest to them!”

* * * *

Scott struggled with the decision but finally opted to go with Tomas to the warehouse and leave Mitch and Pam with the kids. The killer was after his wife, not his children. He gave strict instructions to Mitch and Pam. “Do not under any circumstances open this door for anyone, except Tomas or me.”

Pam answered. “Clear, but the way this bastard has been getting around, as a safeguard lets come up with a password too.”

“Good idea,” Scott agreed. “Rallo, our dog.” The minute the words left his lips, he knew what a stupid idea he’d suggested.

To confirm Scott’s foolish remark, all in the room shook their heads. Pam spoke first and emphasized the valid point. “Nope, this guy knows too much. We can’t assume he doesn’t know your dog’s name.”

Tomas jumped in. “Map. He or she will never guess that one.” They all looked at each other in agreement. Alexandra and Chad were engrossed in a Wii game. Scott and Tomas would have laughed at the irony of the code name chosen, but due to the severity of the situation, they couldn’t fathom the thought of humor.

“Perfect.” Three voices sounded. Mitch threw the keys to his police car at Scott. “Here, use my wheels. Drew certainly won’t mind, use the flasher and siren.” Tomas and Scott ran out the door and raced to the parking lot.

Scott drove, Tomas powered up his laptop to obtain a signal from the GPS chip in Chris’s phone. The signal was poor but a blip finally flashed on the screen. They had a location. It blinked on the computer. The closer they got to the warehouse, the stronger the signal grew. Chris and Caitlin were still there. Scott turned down the sandy road, they were almost there. Another blip filled the monitor. Caitlin’s cell-phone was nowhere near Chris’s.

Tomas cursed. “This can’t be. Shit!”

Scott didn’t know whether to stop or keep going. The decision was made when he saw the body of Chris Dobbs. He slammed on the brakes and motioned for Tomas to hurry. Chris had a pulse and strong vital signs. So did the two patients admitted to the emergency room last night. The two men loaded the unconscious man into the back of the police car. Tomas barked orders for Scott to follow the location of Caitlin’s phone. “Back there the way we came, she’s near the beach.”

Awakening from the back seat, Chris struggled to sit up, and grabbed his phone. He ignored his voice mail messages, opened and read the text marked urgent. “She’s nowhere near that beach, it’s a trap. Are there Black Rocks around here? If so get us there as fast as you can.”

Scott, even Tomas by now, knew exactly in which direction to drive. Their fears had been realized, the steep drop with no guardrail. The local vendors closed on Sundays, the place was the perfect killing ground.

* * * *

Caitlin spotted the police cruiser as it crested the path of the mountain leading to the beach areas. Once the car passed out of sight, the silver truck accelerated and entered the main road heading in the opposite direction of the only rescue Caitlin had observed since her abduction.

They had to go through the downtown area, hope remained for an escape. They reached a traffic circle and merged onto the road. Civilization was only moments away. Nick missed the turnoff, continued around the circle and took a sharp left. The truck bucked under the poorly maintained side road. Caitlin’s hope of escape dwindled. This road led behind the golf course of the resort, a shortcut that bypassed the airport and city traffic. Within seconds they’d be on the isolated road that led to the Black Rocks. Caitlin said nothing but observed all of her surroundings.

Nick broke the silence with a cheery voice. “After all of my meticulous planning, you didn’t think I’d be stupid enough to take the main roads did you? Everything has gone just perfectly. You people have no idea who you are dealing with. I have concocted this plan to the point of perfection, right down to Ian Yates.”

Caitlin flinched inwardly at the name, one of the several she heard for the first time yesterday. She refused to show any reaction. She let Nick continue his monologue. The more he talked, the better chance she had to figure out a way to stay alive.

“Yeah, poor Ian, all he wanted to do was take a vacation and fish for a couple of weeks this summer. Three months ago he put down a deposit for a cabin in Maine. That move thrust him into the center of this. You see, I make it my business to keep up with my neighbors. I don’t like any unsavory individuals invading my space. I have a hideaway house in the mountains of Maine. I like my privacy but welcomed my new neighbor, even if he stayed only two weeks. Why? Let me explain. Ian was different. We used to work together and sort of look alike. Of course I’m much better looking. When I found out he travels to Nevis on business frequently, I couldn’t wait to see him again. I made a point to re-introduce myself to the man when he first arrived. He thought I was Michael Holmes.” Nick paused for a moment and cast a glance in Caitlin’s direction. “Ever heard of Michael? Oh well, never mind all of that. Your father can tell you about Mr. Holmes. That is, if you see your dad again. Lukas should have gotten my subtle signal by now. He’ll be on his way to rescue you.”

Caitlin cringed. She had no idea how Nick’s mind worked or what he was thinking. She decided to ignore everything he’d just said and engage him in some sort of conversation. She might be able to ascertain a clue she could use to stay alive. She blurted out the first thing she could think of. “Why would Lukas care about me? I’ve never met the man.”

Nick sneered, the gun still pointed at Caitlin. “That’s where you’re wrong. That man has been paying me for the past twenty–five years to keep his dirty little secrets. Now I’ve found his Achilles heel, you.”

After stifling the shock, Caitlin forced an impassive look on her face and tried to form some sort of bond with her captor. “What do you mean, Uncle Nick?”

The smoldering glance informed Caitlin that she chose the wrong words. She once again provoked the disturbed man. He held her destiny in his hands. One hand held a gun, the other the steering wheel. “Now I’m Uncle Nick again, huh? I’m so sick of you and your mother it isn’t funny. Neither one of you has a clue about what happened. Don’t you think it’s odd that I just disappeared one day?”

Gulping, Caitlin fought to catch her breath. “Of course I think it’s odd, Nana was really upset the night you stormed out of our house. You were her only son.”

Nick calmed a little at the mention of his mother but then broke into a creepy laugh. “Nana was upset. Was she now?” Caitlin realized Nick wasn’t speaking to her but talking out loud to himself. “What a joke that is! All she ever cared about was Constance after our father died. Constance got the good grades in school, Constance never got into trouble, and Constance became a lawyer.”

Caitlin realized the root of all the anger festering in her uncle, causing him to snap. “Nick, Nana and even my mom aren’t that great. Do you know how much Nana used to nag me when she would stay at our house?”

Evidently curious, Nick asked, “Nana, my mother, nagged you, about what?”

Caitlin forced a laugh. She might have broken the damn that held the evil forces inside this man. She looked out the window, noticed their location, and realized within five minutes they’d be at the Black Rocks. “Oh she used to nag me about everything! When I came home from basketball practice on a Friday night I’d jump in the shower, not blow dry my hair, and run out the door to go to the movies with my friends. All the way down the driveway I could hear her shouting ‘You can’t go out with wet hair. It’s January you’ll catch your death of a cold’. I ignored her and went on my way.”

The muscles in Caitlin’s tense body started to unwind. Her uncle chuckled and she continued to speak. “One time I about blew my stack. I came home from the beach, it was the middle of a heat wave in New Jersey, about ninety-nine degrees. I took a shower and went to meet my friends at a restaurant. Once again, Nana bitched at me about wet hair.” Caitlin sincerely laughed at the memory. A twinge of remorse at bashing her Nana bothered her but relief outweighed the shame when Nick laughed too. Certain that Nana, up in heaven, had already forgiven this slight indiscretion.

“That was your Nana alright, always overprotective.” The tables once again turned, they were not in Caitlin’s favor. “She never gave a damn about me and treated me like a sissy. I could never play football or basketball! For Chrissakes, she used to have a shit fit if I went roller skating.” The conversation broke off. Nick pulled the truck to a stop and announced, “We’re here. Better hope Granddaddy shows up soon.”