Taking Tiffany (20 page)

Angela

“WAIT!” DOTTIE CALLED to Stefan. “Just wait a minute.” She turned to Jerome. “Do you believe this?”

He shook his head.

Mom shouted at me, “You’ve really blown it this time, Angela! You’ve gone and confessed. You’ve always been a selfish girl, and now you’ve made it so we can’t protect you. They’ll put you in prison!”

My dad, still angry, added, “She’s right. We thought by sending you here, you’d learn some values. Now, you’ve ruined your life. We aren’t going to pick up after you anymore. Mr. McKenna, let’s go.”

“We’ll have to tell everyone she’s disowned.” Mom turned to Dad and asked, “We won’t get dropped from the country club for this, will we?”

Stefan’s mouth dropped open.

Welcome to my life.

“I said wait a minute!” This time Dottie shouted it. Everyone stopped what they were doing and turned toward her.

“Angela?” Her voice gentled. “I know you. You might not think I do, but I know people. The Angela I know would never do something like this.”

Probably the hardest part of all of this wasn’t letting my parents down—they expected it—it was disappointing this wonderful woman who’d taught me so much. I didn’t want to look into her eyes, but I knew I had to.

“I contacted a man a few weeks after I arrived.” I glanced at Stefan. He wore a scowl.  “I know it was wrong, illegal, but I couldn’t help it.”

My mom gave me a bitter stare. “You’ve been a disappointment to us ever since you were born!”

“That’s enough!” Stefan said through clenched teeth. His hands were fisted and he visibly shook. “No wonder she turned out the way she has. Look at her role models. The two of you are the worst sort of parents imaginable. You’re worried about your country club status at a time like this? She would have been better off without parents at all. I can’t condone her actions, but she never had a chance with the likes of you.”

“Everyone stop! I’m the one who’s broken the law.” I turned toward the agents. “Can you please just arrest me so I can get out of here?”

“We need to question you first. We’re working on a tight time frame here,” one of the attachés answered.

More torture with my parents and Stefan
. I couldn’t bear the look of disbelief on Dottie and Jerome’s faces.

“Angela, why don’t you tell everyone what happened. From the start,” Dottie requested. She said to the group, “I think there’s something we don’t know here. I’m telling you, this girl has earned her name.”

My heart sank. She believed in me until the end.

I might as well get it over with. “I purchased a satellite phone when I was in London. At first, I bought it so I could use it to get myself out of the year-long commitment working here if it became too hard. I would come into your office at night and charge it.” I looked at Dottie and mouthed, “Sorry.”

She said, “Go on.”

“I thought I could hire someone to come get me. I’d escape at night, through the fence, giving me a few days to disappear.” Stefan stood staring at me with his arms crossed. His look wasn’t as hostile, but it wasn’t his usual warm expression.

“As you know, I became close with Ivy, so I ditched that plan.” I took a breath. “After I bought the phone, I contacted the guy who’d sold it to me. I thought he might have some contacts, and he did. I then contacted a forger and asked him to make me a couple fake IDs and passports.”

“Why did you need more than one ID and passport?” asked Hubbard.

“I needed the documents for the kidnapping. Sometimes I hate this country!” I started to cry. “Everything is slowed down by red tape. It takes so long!”

“Red tape? Can you explain what you’re talking about Miss Bartholomew?”

I asked Dottie, “Do you remember when I asked you about the operation for Ivy’s cleft lip? You told me she was on a wait list and it might take up to a year?”

“Yes, I remember,” she answered.

“Well, I couldn’t stand it! I even offered to pay, but they told me I couldn’t. Ivy would have to be processed like everyone else.” I felt ashamed, but I continued. “So, I did what I always did. I used money, because I was impatient. I couldn’t stand that Ivy had to wait an extra minute. I didn’t want her to feel differently because of the way she looks.”

Tears streamed down my face, and I turned toward the group. “Do you know what the ironic part of it is? She has more beauty than anyone I know. She doesn’t even notice her cleft lip. She is different, but better.”

I took a deep breath and went on. “My plan was to sneak Ivy out with the forged documents, take her to the States, and have her surgery done.” I turned to Dottie. “I promise, my plan was always to bring her back.”

“It all changed on Christmas Eve.” I couldn’t look at Stefan. “I know it’s not an excuse to kidnap a child, but I knew she’d get the best care in the States. But I also knew it was wrong. I left a message and canceled everything with the forger on Christmas.” I dared a look at Stefan. His expression went blank. “Did you uncover the forgery ring? Is that how you found me?” I asked McKenna. He sat and stared at me with a puzzled expression. I looked around the room, and everyone seemed to share his confusion. Except Dottie. She wore a slight smile on her face. Stefan looked guilty.
What was that all about?

“Miss Bartholomew, are you telling me you had nothing to do with the kidnapping of Tiffany Thompson?” Agent McKenna asked.

What the hell?

“Tiffany? Why would I want to do that?” I asked. I looked from person to person. Stefan wouldn’t meet my eyes.

“We received an anonymous tip that you hired someone to kidnap her from her home in Seattle,” he replied.

I shook my head. “No, of course not!”

“I knew it!” Dottie clapped her hands. “Angela would never do such a thing.”

She turned and stared at my parents. They had the good grace to look ashamed. Stefan still wouldn’t look at me.

“What about the transfer of the twenty one million?” asked another attaché.

“That was supposed to be a surprise. I deposited it into your account a few days ago, Dottie. I thought this place could use some paint.”

She covered her mouth. “Twenty million,” she gasped.

“I wanted to use a little of the money to build a small house on the east side of the property for me and Ivy to live.” I asked McKenna, “I don’t know if I can do that now?”

“If your story checks out, and if money didn’t change hands to the forger, we won’t have any charges to press.”

“Okay.” Relief swept through me stronger than a rip tide on the Pacific Coast. I put my head in my hands and tried to absorb it all. But then it hit me.

Forging documents so I could get Ivy’s operation was one level of bad, but kidnapping a friend was a whole different level of horrible. Stefan believed I’d put a living, breathing human-being in danger. He thought I was capable of that type of treachery, just like my parents.

I turned to him and said, “You never really saw me, did you? Yeah, I did plan to break the law, and I’m very sorry about it, but you assumed the worst. A lot worse. You didn’t believe in me. Only Dottie and Jerome did.” I wiped my tears as they fell. “I expected this from my parents. I was never good enough for them.” I stopped to steady myself. “But I didn’t expect it from you.”

“Angela,” he started.

“No. I don’t want to hear it. I’m leaving this place today.” I put my hand on the doorknob and faced him. “Don’t try to talk to me again.” I turned and left the room.

Tiffany

I MUST BE dreaming. The voices were muffled, but came under the door like a rising tide.

She doesn’t deserve to live. She ruined his life.

That wasn’t the deal. You lied to me!

I gave her a second chance, and she didn’t take it.

You told me this was about the money, about getting back what should have been yours.

It was. It still is. The money will help my Fletcher. He’s suffered for ten years because of her. You should see him now! He’s only a shell of the man he was. It’s all her fault! She wouldn’t forgive him, and it ruined his life.

Our plan was foolproof. Don’t ruin it by hurting her! We’ll have the money in a few hours, and everyone can go back to their lives.

This isn’t only about Tiffany; it’s her mom, Clara. I hate her! All she’s done for the past ten years is gloat about her beautiful daughter and rub my face in it. I’ve bitten my tongue for years. I’ve scrimped and saved every penny while they’d jet-set around the country. They took my son and his dreams away, and now I’m going to take their daughter. There will be no more bragging from Clara.

I won’t allow you to hurt her.

I knew you wanted to get back at Braydon for taking Jain away. Anyone with eyes could see you pining away for her. But she was never yours, was she? It was easy to get you to do what I wanted. You thought you were manipulating everyone by making sure those two broke up, but it was me who pulled the strings. I have it all planned. When the authorities get here, it will look like a kidnapping gone wrong.

Whoa! You brought a gun?

My heart soared while panic ripped through me. Erik orchestrated the break up with Todd. And, I had to get out of here if I wanted to see him again.

HE KNEW SHE had ulterior motives, but nothing like this. When she’d approached him about the kidnapping, telling him she’d fallen on hard times and needed the money, he should have suspected something more sinister was at play. There’d been something off about her from the beginning. He hadn’t put his finger on it until now. She was desperate for revenge, and it was much worse than what he planned. He was convinced she’d make good on her threat to kill Tiffany and was sure she would turn the gun on him soon after.

He’d been so obsessed with the mechanics of the plan, he’d lost sight of all else. Ever since he’d lost Jain to that pompous jerk, Braydon, he’d wanted to get some sort of revenge. Any revenge. He knew the kidnapping was wrong, but the feelings of hate had overcome him. When Deanna approached with her idea, he thought it would be the perfect opportunity to make Braydon squirm, bring him down a few notches. Sixty million would only be a small dent in Braydon’s portfolio, but he’d hoped the money, combined with his good friend being kidnapped, would be the punch he looked for. He demanded the ransom from Braydon instead of Tiffany’s dad, hoping Jain would think it was one of his jilted lovers. She would be forced to see him as he really was. A no-good player whose past life could harm their family, their baby.

 Now, because of him, Tiffany was in danger. He should have seen the signs in Deanna’s odd behavior. He believed it was because she was precise, a perfectionist. Now he saw her psychosis.

At first, their meetings were brief, almost pleasant. Once they hatched the kidnapping plot, she changed. Subtly, at first. He attributed it to nervousness, a concern about getting caught. He never shared those concerns. Now he did. She would ruin everything because of her festering hatred.

The idea was to take Tiffany out for a day of boating, and when the police came, both he and Tiffany would say it was a spontaneous trip. They’d ask Tiffany if he forced her, and she’d tell them the truth—no.They would think whoever hatched the kidnapping plot looked for moment of convenience. He would be cleared. To make sure her stay was extended by a few hours, he’d slipped a mild sedative into her lemonade. It would be in and out of her system within a few hours. Even if the authorities went so far as to test her blood, it wouldn’t be detected.

 He’d also hatched a backup plan to remove the spark plugs from the boat motor, giving them even more time. This could also be blamed on the ‘real’ kidnappers. He’d covered his tracks well. It was the perfect plot.

He’d never intended to keep the money; he hated wealth and all it brought. He planned to donate it anonymously to ALS research, his true passion, and now, his only one.

When Deanna pulled out the gun he recognized his life, as he knew it, would be over. He was supposed to be an innocent bystander—unaware, as Tiffany was—of the kidnapping.

But now, with Deanna holding a gun, threatening her life, he couldn’t stand by. She tricked him. He thought he’d laid out a foolproof strategy. But he was the fool. She had been motivated by greed and hatred. Blinded by the opportunity to get back at Braydon, he’d missed the signs.

Deanna figured him out long ago. He didn’t know when she’d put it together, but she had. She also knew about Angela, and her failed attempt to break-up Braydon and Jain. A few red herrings were thrown in her direction, but now he figured that was probably only for his benefit. Deanna would make it look like it’d been him all along. Maybe it was even her plan to make it look like Angela hired him.

She was smart, vindictive, and calculating, that was for sure. His survival and Tiffany’s would depend on him getting the gun from her.

Todd

“SIR, WILL YOU tell your security to give me everything? Access to your house, their records.” I asked.

Jerry was on the phone before I ended my sentence.

We’d moved our operations to the Thompson home, where we could take advantage of his security team without alerting the police or kidnappers.

His large library was warm and welcoming with its rows of books, fireplace, and overstuffed furniture. But today, it felt empty, because Tiffany was gone. Would anything ever be the same?

I shoved down the desperation that clawed at my insides, and the fear and negativity that called to me.

She’s gone.

 No!

I fought against it. I wouldn’t think about losing her. My mind rejected it.

“Your security at the house said she went with a friend on some boat?” I asked her dad.

“Yes, they’re bringing their paperwork and video surveillance now. We document all coming and goings, through the front gates and from the shore. Tiffany would have to give permission for someone to dock. I’m not aware of any of her friends who own a boat.” He looked around our group. Colin, Jain, and Braydon all shook their heads.

A knock at the door broke into our thoughts. “Mr. Thompson, I have the records.” The head of security, Mr. Pettit, entered the room and gave Tiffany’s dad a stack of papers.

Jerry grabbed the paperwork out of his hands and read, “At eleven a.m. a boat requested docking. The owner is Erik Harper. Who’s that?”

A sigh of relief came from Jain. “That’s my co-worker. He’s a friend. That’s great news! If Erik’s with her, he’ll make sure she’s safe.”

Braydon’s eyes narrowed. “I’ve never trusted him, Jain. You know that.”

“Erik? He’s a doctor! He would never be involved with a kidnapping.”

“He’s a doctor who made a play for you and failed. Remember, they didn’t ask Tiffany’s parents for the ransom.” Braydon’s face began to cloud.

“You think he’d go to such lengths to get back at you? No, Braydon. He might’ve had a small crush on me once, but he backed off like a gentleman.” Jain shook her head in disbelief.

“What do we really know about him?” Braydon asked pointedly.

“I work with him every day!” Jain put her hands on her hips. “This is ridiculous. The kidnappers probably waited for an opportunity. Erik’s innocent in this. When we find Tiffany, she’ll clear him.”

I watched the conversation closely. Jain would never want to believe one of her friends capable of kidnapping, but I also trusted Braydon’s instincts. Jain wanted to believe the best in people, whereas Braydon saw the reality.

I asked Petitt, “Can you give us the description of the boat and the direction they headed?”

He flipped through the pages. “It was a fifty-foot Sea Ray Sundancer. They headed south.”

“Great. They could be anywhere by now, especially if they went through the locks, even as far as Friday Harbor,” Braydon groaned.

I asked, “What’s the boat’s name? Did your security note that?”

Mr. Pettit flipped through another couple of pages. He smiled, because his crew had done a thorough job. “Yes! The name of the boat is ‘Jump’.”

Jain gasped.

Braydon’s face turned red. He looked at Jain. “How many people know about that name?”

“No one. No one knows! Well, except for us and… Wait, they’d be in my work file.”

“Bastard!” Braydon yelled and his fist punched the open air.

“What? What?” I asked.

Braydon tried to calm himself by taking two large breaths. “Jain’s initials – Jain Udele Mary Parker. Jump.”

The room became eerily quiet.

“This is my fault then! He took her to get back at you, Braydon! But why? I don’t understand!” Jain cried.

“He probably felt powerless, and this was the only way he could think to hurt me. He probably thought I’d care about the money, which, of course, I don’t.”

“He told me he hated the things money did to people. He would complain about the events his parents would drag him to. Oh, wait.” Jain’s eyes widened.

“What?” we asked.

“He once told me he went into medicine to avoid the lifestyle his parents pushed him into. He likes the peace of the lab without a lot of people.”

“What does that have to do with the kidnapping?”

“He’s isolated himself. But recently, he’s been showing up at all sorts of the events. He was at the Breast Cancer Fundraiser, the Clean Water for Africa fundraiser. He even attended my baby shower last week.”

“Yeah. I remember. He was with some older woman for most of the party.”

“Oh, shit.” Colin breathed. “I know that woman. Tiffany pointed her out. She’s Fletcher’s mom. Fletcher was her boyfriend from high school.”

I’d felt a little relieved when we figured out it was Erik. He was a respected doctor. Maybe he’d had an unhealthy obsession with Jain, but he wouldn’t hurt her, right? With this new twist thrown in, anything could happen. I didn’t know anything about Fletcher’s mom. Why would she be involved? If she was, had she harbored a grudge for ten years? That would be a long time to fester. And what about Fletcher? Did he hire his mom to help him?

Clara had gone into the kitchen to make us some snacks. “Jerry, we’re going to need to talk to Clara about Fletcher and his mom. Also, can you ask your team to get Erik’s parents, the Harpers, home number? We’ll need to find out where he might have taken Tiffany.” I added, “And I’ll need a gun, a helicopter, and a fast boat. Can you make that happen?”

“Yes. Take two of my security men with you,” he suggested. “I still want this to remain quiet. No police or official FBI involvement yet.”

“Okay. I agree. We can form a plan on the way.”

***

Tiffany

TODD DIDN’T BREAK up with me.

There was a crazed woman with a gun outside my door, and that’s all I could think about? If I didn’t make it out of here, at least I had that. Warmth seeped backed into my heart.

Oh, Todd.
 

Strong feelings of determination spread through me. I wouldn’t go down without a fight. I went to the window and discovered it was painted shut. I could break it, but it would alert them. For now, I’d pretend I was asleep.  I needed an escape plan though. Deanna made it clear, I wouldn’t be able to talk my way out of this.

 
She blames me for all of Fletcher’s troubles
.

 She’d probably witnessed his decline into drinking. All this time, I’d thought of her as a typical mom, someone who cared deeply about her son. When Fletcher and I broke up, Deanna and I both cried. I thought it was because she loved me; that’s what she told me at the time. Now, I realize that both Fletcher and his mom thought of my family as their golden goose. When it fell through, they must have blamed all lifes’ problems on my family. I wondered if Fletcher was in on this. I wouldn’t put it past him.

“You need to listen to me. You don’t want to spend the rest of your life in jail. If you leave now, we can carry on with the plan. You’ll get sixty million dollars! I don’t care about the money. I never did. I was going to donate it anyway,” Erik pleaded with her.

“You want me to let her go? After what she and her family have done? For ten years, I’ve watched my son live in misery. I’ll take their precious daughter because that’s exactly what they’ve done to me. He’s an alcoholic because of her! He lost his job, and our family home will foreclose next month. That’s what she’s done. She’s to blame for all of it. I’m not going to let you stand in my way.” Her acidic tone conveyed her hatred.

If I didn’t get out of this room, I had no doubt she’d carry through with her plan to kill me. My eyes searched every surface—floors, walls, ceiling—looking for a way to escape. Panic tore through me. There was no way out. This room was like a jail cell. Just as the defeated feeling almost took control, I noticed a flash of fabric sweep past the window.

***

Todd

WHILE TRANSPORTED BY helicopter to the Quartermaster Marina on Vashon Island, we formulated our plan. First, we needed to reach Erik’s house without being detected. With Tiffany’s life at stake, and we couldn’t take any chances. As soon as it landed, our group jumped out of the helicopter and onto the boat Tiffany’s dad arranged for our use.

We moored the speed boat down a few docks from where Erik’s cottage was located, and the four of us made our way onto the property via deep-set, manicured lawns and eight-foot hedges separating each lot.The residents in this area were laid back and unconcerned with gates and security, thank goodness. I brushed the leaves and dirt off my pants and continued around to the back yard. It was quiet.

“You sure this is the house?” Braydon asked

“Yes. Here, look at this picture.” I held my phone. The Harpers supplied the address and admitted they were concerned about their son. He’d been quiet and withdrawn for a little over a year now and would barely acknowledge them. The only time he’d agree to see them was at the events Tiffany attended. It all started to add up.