Hidden Threat (41 page)

He was horrified at the thought.

He rolled on the dusty floor again, still inside the Coke bottle, but somehow less so. Pain was coursing through his body as if along fiber-optic lines, unimpeded. He surmised he had been given some kind of painkiller earlier because presently he was awake and fully aware that he had some broken bones and serious lacerations.

He ran his tongue across dry, chapped lips that were cracked and bleeding. He felt the stubble of days of beard across his upper lip. Again he was surprised that he was not bound or gagged. Perhaps his captors understood his injuries to be so severe that he was immobile, which certainly seemed to be the case.

There was always the possibility that he was dead and simply hovering above his physical being prior to departing for eternal peace. He had so much unfinished business, though, with Amanda that he was skeptical of the notion. Plus, the sheer pain was an indication that he was still residing in the confines of his mortal tabernacle.

His focus shifted and he became alert as he heard voices. Hanging onto the prayer that all of this was worth something, he shuddered as he saw men with weapons come into the room.

CHAPTER 55

Spartanburg, SOUTH CAROLINA

Tuesday Evening (Eastern Time)

Nina’s wrinkled hand separated the miniblinds so that she could see Amanda sitting in the garden crying.

She watched Amanda open a box and extract something from it, though she couldn’t determine what the object might be. Her narrow eyes tried to squint in an effort to see better, but were unsuccessful because the Botox had frozen her face muscles in place.

Amanda's plight plucked no particular string in her heart other than to cause her to worry about the pending $500,000 in insurance money and whether the child might waffle on her commitment. Nina knew that she and Melanie could not close the deal on the mansion without the half million dollars. A child mourning her father was no big deal. A new house on the lake would soothe that wound, and soon there would be no memory, no pain.

And so as she watched Amanda in the garden, she felt no emotion whatsoever. Amanda’s father might have been a decent guy. It didn’t matter. With a soul as dry and dusty as a Kansas prairie, Nina Hastings had no sympathy.

The blinds flapped closed with a shattering sound as she turned and walked into her daughter’s bedroom. “Melanie, I think you’ve got problems.”

Melanie was staring in the mirror, applying the last touches of lipstick. She smacked her lips and looked at her mother. “Nope, mama, we’ve got the Army coming over right now, and then the real estate agent is bringing the paperwork. Amanda told me she wanted to knock it all out today.”

Though it didn’t square with what she had just seen, Nina accepted it.

“
You sure?” she replied curiously.

“
What’s not to be sure about? Her father’s dead, his house burned down, her boyfriend’s under house arrest, and her shrink’s comatose in the hospital. What else could this be but the capitulation? She’s got nowhere else to go.”

“
Well, something doesn’t feel right.”

Ever the skeptic, Nina walked from the room and answered the front door as the chimes rang.

The Army major and the chaplain entered. They produced the paperwork as
pleasantries were exchanged.

“
Amanda has to be the signatory on all of these documents,” Major Blair said to the two women staring at him. “I hope you understand.”

“
They understand,” Amanda called from behind the group. “Let’s go into the dining room.”

As the group began to move from the foyer into the dining room Amanda said, “Mom, Nina, I’ve got this.”

The two women stopped briefly and then continued on.

“
Amanda, you’re not even eighteen. As your guardian, I need to ensure what you are doing is legal and proper,” her mother said.

Amanda was unrelenting. “Major, is there somewhere else we can go?”

Major Blair stopped and replied, “Certainly.”

“
What are you doing, Amanda?” Nina inquired.

The five of them stood in a circle like a football huddle. Amanda was in the unfamiliar position of calling the plays. She was looking at the line of scrimmage, reading the defense, and calling an audible.

“
Do we need the money or not?” Amanda asked. Neither her mother nor Nina responded. “If you can’t trust me to do the right thing, then what good is any of this?” This play was a calculated risk, but in a sense she needed to be hiding in plain sight. “Besides, I’ve always trusted both of you.”

After a long pause, Melanie said, “Okay, we’ll be in the kitchen.” Amanda saw Nina snap her head toward her mother, uncharacteristically showing a hole card.

“
Thank you.”

Amanda sat at the dining room table facing the door opening to the kitchen. She motioned to the two Army officers, indicating for the tall and broad-shouldered Major Blair to sit across from her with his back to the door, to block their view. Major Blair reached into his briefcase as he was sitting.

“
Just sign right here, Amanda,” he said, pointing at the two documents he spread on the table. He only made his comment once, though. He looked at her as he did so.

She nodded in recognition. Harlan had mentioned the other document would be presented to her. She quickly signed her name to both documents. The chaplain leaned over from the head of the table with a notary stamp and pressed the seal into each signed document. Then the major and chaplain signed as witnesses.

The major smiled at her and nodded, then grabbed her hand with both of his. “It’s going to be fine.”

“
I pray that it is.”

He started collecting all of the paperwork, saying, in a voice calculated to carry, “I know it’s getting close to supper time, so let me get these copies to you in a couple of days.”

Standing, Amanda said, “That’s fine.” She noticed her mother and grandmother returning from the kitchen.

Amanda walked the two officers to the door and bid them farewell.

“
You didn’t even get to keep a copy?” Nina squawked.

“
They’ll get it to us,” Amanda said. “I’m just so glad it’s over, you know?”

She continued to stare through the open front door as the men drove away.

As Amanda closed the door, she noticed a Lexus SUV pull into the driveway. Not recognizing the vehicle, she turned to her mother, who was standing behind her and announced, “I think you have company.”

Her mother stepped onto the porch and waved hello to Tad Johnson, her real estate agent. Tad climbed the steps with an accordion folder tucked under his arm. Melanie introduced him to Amanda and Nina.

“
Let’s have a seat,” she said.

They discussed the asking price of the mansion. One point four million dollars.

“
I thought it was one point two million,” Melanie said.

“
There’s another offer coming,” Tad replied. “It’s for one point three. The owners said they’ll sell it to you for one point four if you decide today and close by Wednesday.”

Melanie leaned back in her chair, despondent.

“
It’s okay, Mama,” Amanda said, reaching out to her mother. “I just signed away the entire five hundred thousand, and I think with this house sold you’ve still got the money.” Amanda chose her words carefully as she spoke.

“
Well, we’ve only got two hundred thousand in equity in this house. I think Mama’s talking about providing two hundred thousand.”

“
All I’ve got,” Nina Hastings muttered.

“
Yes, but it’s still a four hundred and seventy thousand dollar mortgage. At these rates it’s going to be about three thousand a month in mortgage payments.”

“
Well, maybe I can get a job, you know, instead of going to college right away. That would help, wouldn’t it?” After making them go into the kitchen while she signed the insurance paperwork, she needed to reel them back in quickly. Forgoing her college career for her mother and grandmother was an indicator she was willing to sacrifice for them.

Nina and Melanie exchanged glances. If nothing else, it told Amanda that she was back in the fold. They trusted her. She felt the constant allure of their twisted affection. Much like battered women return to an abusive husband, Amanda could sense the ease with which she might come back to the only thing she knew, submissive capitulation to the whims of her matriarch. She struggled with these feelings as she objectively tried to set the conditions for her plan.

“
I think we can work something out,” Melanie said, triumphantly.

“
Okay, well, let’s sign the paperwork and get an earnest check. They need one hundred thousand dollars by tomorrow,” Tad thumped cheerfully.

Melanie pondered the thought, looked at her mother and then turned to Amanda.

“
How soon did those Army guys say you can get that money?”

“
It won’t be tomorrow,” Amanda responded. “You probably want to close on the house first.”

“
This is all happening so fast.” Melanie leaned back in her chair again.

Tad, ever the salesman and smelling 3 percent of $1.4 million, quickly summarized. “The nature of this market, Melanie, is that you either act immediately or not at all. I had two houses sell yesterday in the same neighborhood. One went for 1.7 million and the other for 2.5 million. This market is sizzling. In a year you can probably turn around and sell this house for anywhere from a five hundred thousand to one million dollar gain. It’s a no-brainer. We’re doing these quick closings all the time. Banks prefer them, actually. Saves all the hassle. I can have an inspector at the house tomorrow. He’ll give you a punch list that we attach to the contract, and you’ve got a fail safe.

“
I do have to advise you that this sale is final. There is a clause on the contract, as all of them are stating nowadays, that affirms the contract. It is not revocable once you sign. Both homes I sold yesterday were the same way. So there’s no way that your buyers can back out and leave you hanging. We can get all the paperwork done in less than three days, and then it’s up to you to get the movers rolling you into your dream home. That house is a gold mine.” Perry Mason had never made a better closing argument.

“
Please, Mom? Can we just do this before any of us changes our minds?” Amanda’s emerald eyes were pleading as she leaned forward and placed her hand on her mother’s arm.

Tad leaned back in his chair, letting Amanda do the work. A good salesman, as Tad was, knew that when a family member began to do his job, rule number one was to not get in the way.

“
It’s a lot of money for a house,” Nina chirped. “But if we can make some money on it, I’m in. Amanda will probably have to work, though. Are you sure you want that?” She was talking to both Melanie and Amanda, eyeing each of them with her blackened marbles.

“
It’s just a year, Mom. It would be so cool for all of us to live up there.” Again with the pleading emeralds. She had known coming into this discussion that she would need to be the counterpoint to every obstacle Nina established.

“
Okay,” she sighed, leaning forward. “I must be crazy, but where do I sign?”

Tad produced the paperwork quicker than David Copperfield could pull a rabbit from his hat. As Melanie was reading, he went back into his closer role.

“
Now, Melanie, if you or Nina have a checkbook handy, I can take the down payment check tonight. We can get a day’s head start on this.”

After an uncomfortable pause, Nina uncharacteristically came forward and remarked, “I’ve got a checkbook. Let me write it, and we can just get this over with. If it keeps Amanda here another year, well, then it’s worth a hundred thousand.”

“
A hundred and forty thousand,” Melanie corrected.

“
Whatever, once you get over five thousand I lose track. Why don’t you go get us some water, Melanie?”

Needing a quick break, Melanie walked into the kitchen. As she returned, her mother was handing Tad the check. He folded the parchment and placed it in his shirt pocket.

“
Again, this document,” Tad joined in as he watched Melanie sit and lift the pen, “is irrevocable once you sign it. The house becomes yours.”

Amanda watched with satisfaction as her mother closed her eyes and signed, the sharp edge of the Mont Blanc cartridge pen sounding like a scratching claw.

CHAPTER 56

Kunar Province, Afghanistan

Wednesday Evening

Matt felt the MH-47 helicopter settle onto the rocky landing zone along the Kunar River in the province that bore the same name. Asadabad was a way-point along this ancient trading route at the mouth of the Hindu Kush Mountains. To the west and north, spires of granite angled upward, touching altitudes of fifteen thousand feet like randomly constructed temples of nature. Here, shepherds and traders could lay tithe or prayer. Certainly such raw beauty and perfection must have been personally carved by God. As if to counter the point, jagged edges jutted upward and outward from sheer cliffs. Boulders and slabs of rock crouched menacingly in the crevices, ready to avalanche on call as if evil was prepared to offset the cleansing power so clearly resident in these mountains.