The Ghost Who Stayed Home Read online

“Because she’s not family.”

  Studying his son a moment, Edward rested his weight on his right arm as his right hand propped against the mattress. “Don’t you like Carol Ann?”

  Evan shrugged. “She’s okay, I guess. But she isn’t family.”

  “You know, Evan, I might decide to get married again someday. And if I do, my new wife will be part of our family.”

  “Are you going to marry Carol Ann?”

  Edward smiled. Moving his right hand, he sat up, no longer leaning against his arm. “I don’t know. Would that be such a bad thing?”

  “Would I have to call her Mom?”

  Edward gently brushed his hand over Evan’s brow again. “Only if you want to.”

  “I wouldn’t want to.”

  “WHAT TIME ARE you leaving in the morning?” Brian asked Joe. The two sat together at Pier Café, having dinner.

  “They’re going to pick me up at seven in the morning.”

  Just before popping a French fry in his mouth, Brian said, “You don’t sound too excited about this trip.”

  “It just feels odd, going with Danielle and Chris. Especially knowing Chris is basically paying for the trip.” Joe picked up his beer and took a drink.

  “So why are you going?” Brian ate another French fry.

  “Kelly is so excited. I’d sound like a jerk if I told her I wasn’t going.” Joe set the beer on the table and reached for his burger.

  “Granted, I can see how it might be awkward, you and Danielle, considering everything. But you two seem to have gotten beyond all that, and you’re with Kelly now. Not to mention the fact I don’t see how you can avoid any of those people—not as long as you’re with Kelly. So why not go on an all-expenses-paid trip?”

  “I like Kelly’s brother. I like Lily too. And yeah, you’re right, no way I’m going to avoid Chris and Danielle, not as long as Lily is dating Ian, and I’m dating Ian’s sister.”

  “Being with a woman can get complicated.” Brian started to put another fry in his mouth, but paused. “So what about Chris? You okay with him now?”

  “If you mean do I feel better knowing he didn’t kill Anna Williams, certainly. Do I suddenly like him? If I give you the real answer, I’ll sound like a major jerk, considering he’s paying for this damn trip.”

  “I take that to mean you don’t like him.” Brian chuckled and then ate the French fry he had been holding.

  “Something about the guy just rubs me the wrong way. I don’t know what it is, but he irritates the hell out of me.”

  “It wouldn’t have anything to do with the fact he’s worth billions? That he never has to work a day in his life, yet can still afford to play big shot and charter a plane and take a bunch of his friends on a vacation?”

  Joe took a bite of his burger and shook his head. After he swallowed his bite, he picked up a napkin and wiped off his mouth. “The thing is, while he rubs me the wrong way, I don’t get the impression he is trying to play big shot. From what Kelly told me, he bought the tickets more as a donation, never intending to use them. But when Danielle had some free time, he thought it might be fun to go.”

  “So is it the fact he got the girl?”

  “What do you mean?” Joe frowned.

  “The reason he rubs you the wrong way. Is it because he got Danielle, and you didn’t?”

  “Are you suggesting I might be jealous,” Joe asked incredulously.

  Brian shrugged. “Maybe not jealous exactly. I know you’re with Kelly now, and you two seem good together. But I also know your thing for Danielle lasted months. I know what it’s like to be crazy about someone and then have them choose some rich guy over you.”

  “You’re thinking of Darlene?” Joe asked in a quiet voice.

  Brian nodded.

  “It’s not the same thing. I know you cared for Darlene, but she didn’t choose Stoddard over you. She chose Stoddard’s money over you. Danielle doesn’t care about the money. She would have chosen Chris over me even if he was just an employee of the Glandon Foundation, like he now leads people to believe.”

  “I suppose that might actually be worse,” Brian muttered.

  FIFTEEN

  “This is the first time I’ve really gone anywhere since I moved to Oregon,” Danielle told Chris as she waited for him to remove their suitcases from the back of the vehicle. “Except for when I went to California for Cheryl’s funeral. But that was hardly a vacation.”

  “I’m so excited!” Carol Ann gushed. “I’ve always wanted to go to a dude ranch.” She stood between Danielle and Edward, next to Chris’s vehicle.

  Just as Chris pulled the first suitcase from the car, Ian drove into the parking spot next to them. With him were Lily, Kelly, and Joe.

  “I didn’t even know this little airport was here,” Lily said as she got out of Ian’s car, slamming the door shut behind her.

  Ten minutes later they stood in the small office of the charter company. Yet instead of being greeted by the owner of the company, Chris found himself shaking hands with a bearded man wearing a pilot’s uniform.

  “You must be Chris Johnson? I’m Tom Brown. I’ll be your pilot today.”

  Chris frowned. “I don’t understand. I expected Mason Murdock to be here.”

  “Mason called me up late last night. He got sick about an hour after he went to bed. He’s pretty sure it’s food poisoning, but it might be the flu. Either way, he didn’t think he would make it, so he asked me to take the flight. I want you to know I’m very familiar with Mason’s plane. In fact, I may be the only pilot he has ever loaned it to. You’ll be safe. Trust me.”

  After introductions were made, the pilot suggested they all use the restroom before takeoff, as they would not be able to use the onboard bathroom until the flight was well under way, which might be forty minutes or more.

  THIRTY MINUTES LATER, the eight passengers had fastened their seatbelts and were prepared for takeoff. Instead of traditional airline bucket seats, two sofas provided the seating. There were two of them, facing each other and slightly curved to bend with the contour of the plane. There were no stewardesses or stewards asking them if they wanted a cocktail. The door to the cockpit was closed, but the pilot was able to communicate to them via intercom.

  As the plane taxied down the runway, the passengers eagerly discussed their upcoming trip. Chris sat on the end of one sofa with Danielle next to him, Lily next to her, and Ian on the other end. Across from them sat the remaining four of their party, with the chief sitting directly across from Chris.

  Chris was about to say something when he noticed Carol Ann yawn. “You aren’t sleepy, are you?” he teased.

  The next moment, Carol Ann’s head dropped onto MacDonald’s left shoulder, her eyes closed. Chris intended to say something in response to her impromptu nap, but his vision began to blur.

  Twenty minutes later the pilot’s voice came over the loudspeaker. “Is everyone okay back there? Hello?” The voice sounded somewhat garbled, yet if anyone was able to hear it, they would understand what he was saying.

  No answer.

  The pilot’s voice then asked, “I showed you where the intercom is, someone please push it and let me know everything is okay back there.”

  Still no answer.

  “Let’s get this done,” said the pilot’s voice as he remained in the cockpit.

  The bathroom door opened and out stepped Clay. He wore a gas mask; it covered his face. Looking into the passenger area, he was fairly certain everyone was unconscious. He would need to move fast. But first, he would check on Sky.

  In the cockpit he found Sky, who also wore a gas mask.

  “I’ll take care of things back there,” Clay said before heading to the passenger section of the plane. Like Sky’s voice earlier, his was also somewhat garbled because of the gas mask.

  He used handcuffs instead of tape to secure the hostages’ wrists. For their feet he affixed shackles. When they were secure, he brought out the hypodermic needles.

  “Thi
s will keep you out of our way,” Clay said as he pushed the first needle into Chris’s arm. After each hostage got a turn with a needle, he brought out the heavy scarves. He wrapped one around the head of each prisoner.

  The plane changed course, taking a slight detour. Mindful of the airspace, Sky did what was necessary to reach his ultimate destination without attracting unwanted attention.

  THE FIRST THING CHRIS WONDERED—Why are my hands behind my back? He opened his eyes, but it was still dark. He knew instantly the darkness had nothing to do with a lack of lighting in the area, but because something was wrapped around his head, covering his eyes. When he tried to sit up, he felt metal weighing heavily on his ankles.

  “Chris? Lily?” came Danielle’s panicked voice in the darkness.

  Over the next thirty minutes, voices called out as each of the hostages regained consciousness. Confusion and fear permeated the cabin space.

  “Quiet!” an unfamiliar male voice called out. They all stopped talking.

  “I want you to listen very carefully,” Clay told them. “If you do exactly what you’re told, no one will get hurt, and you’ll be back in Frederickport before you know it.”

  “Who are you?” Carol Ann blurted out.

  “Shut up,” he snapped. “If anyone says another word—asks a single question—one of you will find the toe of my boot shoved in your gut. And you don’t want to do that. I’m not exactly a small man. And I’ll start with the nosey little blonde who just asked that question. You hear me? One question from anyone and the blonde gets the first taste of my boot.”

  They were so quiet, one might suspect a few were holding their breaths.

  “That’s better,” Clay said. “So here’s what’s going to happen. As you might have suspected, we have already landed the plane. We will be removing you one by one. If you don’t want to get hurt—if you don’t want to get one of your companions hurt—then do as you’re told and this will go smoothly.”

  The temptation to blurt out a question was unpalatable, but they each resisted.

  “Each of you is blindfolded. It’s for your own good. Once we get you to where you’ll be staying while you’re with us, we’ll remove the blindfolds and handcuffs, but your ankles will remain shackled.”

  The hostages silently listened.

  “As you might have already figured out, you have been kidnapped and we are holding you for ransom. As soon as your friend here—Chris Glandon—transfers fifty million dollars, you will all be free to go. But until then, keep your mouths shut and do as you’re told.”

  In the next moment, Chris felt hands grasping his right and then left arm before being jerked violently to his feet.

  “We’re taking Glandon first. While I’m gone, don’t anyone make a move or say anything. If you do, one of the other guys will introduce his boot to your friend.”

  Chris found himself being dragged across the plane, he assumed toward the door. It was difficult to walk with the shackles on his ankles, but he was afraid to complain or ask them to slow down, for fear Carol Ann would be punished for his request.

  The moment he reached the doorway, he felt a shift in the air—as if the door was open and letting in some of the outside. Wherever they were, it felt sunny and warm. Not hot, but much warmer than it had been back in Frederickport.

  Whoever was helping him down the stairway from the plane was no longer standing next to him, holding his arms. He could feel one of them behind him, gripping his shoulder while telling him to keep moving. Yet that was not as easy as his captor thought. With Chris’s hands secured behind his back, he was unable to hold onto a handrail, much less maintain his balance, and with his feet shackled, it was impossible to maneuver the steps.

  Chris was on the verge of telling them he was going to fall when he did just that. Stumbling headfirst toward the ground, the person behind Chris was unable to stop the fall. Before landing on the concrete—headfirst—Chris let out a panicked cry.

  DANIELLE and the others heard Chris’s scream. She felt as if her heart had literally stopped. No one asked what was going on, but she could hear two male voices in the distance. They were shouting at each other. She was fairly certain one of the voices was the pilot’s, and she was positive the other voice belonged to the man who had threatened Carol Ann.

  “What’s going on?” Carol Ann dared ask. When there was no answer, she shouted the question.

  “Your friend had a little trouble getting down those stairs. He fell, but he’s going to be alright. Which one of you is the nurse?” came the pilot’s voice.

  “I am,” Danielle heard Carol Ann say.

  “Stand up. You’re coming with me.” The man didn’t offer further explanations, yet by the sounds around her, Danielle guessed Carol Ann was being taken to Chris.

  The minutes ticked away. Inside the plane it was deadly quiet. With Carol Ann no longer on board, Danielle dared to ask a question. If one of the kidnappers chose to kick her in the stomach, so be it.

  “May I ask a question, please?” Danielle asked in a timid voice.

  There was no answer.

  She tried again. “Hello? Are you there?”

  “I think we’re on the plane alone,” Lily said.

  “Is everyone here?” Danielle asked.

  “Quick roll call, say your name if you’re here,” MacDonald ordered in a low voice.

  The responses came in whispers.

  “Joe.”

  “Ian.”

  “Kelly.”

  “They’re bound to be back any moment. Don’t provoke them. But pay close attention to everything. What you hear, smell, feel,” MacDonald told them.

  After the kidnappers returned, they took the hostages from the plane—one by one. However, unlike with Chris, they removed the handcuffs from the remaining hostages when each one was taken off the plane. This allowed them to utilize the handrail while going down the steps. It was still a precarious exit, as the blindfolds and ankle shackles remained in place.

  Once off the plane, they walked about ten feet and were led up several more steps before being told to sit down. The last thing Danielle remembered before everything went black was someone pushing a needle into one of her arms.

  When Danielle regained consciousness, she was still wearing her blindfold, and someone was tugging on her arms, telling her to stand up. Still somewhat groggy, she managed to get to her feet and stumbled along with her captors, fearful that she might fall should they release hold of her arms. A few minutes later someone removed the blindfold, and she found herself standing in what appeared to be an empty warehouse. The others were with her, yet they were scattered around the large building. They had shackled her foot to a piece of bent rebar coming out of the concrete floor. She suspected her friends were similarly chained.

  Lily was the last to be brought in. The two men with her each wore a ski mask. By his voice, Danielle was fairly certain one of the masked men was the pilot. She wondered why he bothered wearing a mask.

  Danielle silently watched as the two men dragged Lily around the building. It appeared they were looking for something they couldn’t find. She heard one of them curse. The one she suspected was the pilot pointed to her, and she watched as they pulled Lily in her direction. In the next minute the two friends were shackled together.

  After the men left the building, Danielle and Lily quickly hugged.

  “Have you heard what happened to Chris?” Lily whispered in Danielle’s ear.

  “No.” Danielle couldn’t help it; she began to cry.

  An hour later, one of the men returned, bringing them each a supply of bottled water, boxes of granola bars, and a bucket.

  “It shouldn’t be too hard to figure out what to do with the bucket.” The masked man laughed. Danielle thought his physique resembled that of a professional football player. By his voice she knew he was the one who had threatened Carol Ann.

  “There’s a bathroom over there.” The man pointed to a door on the far side of the building. “You’ll e
ach have an opportunity to visit the bathroom twice a day. When you do, you can empty your bucket. If you try anything when it’s your turn at the bathroom, you won’t be punished, but one of the ladies will be.” The man laughed.

  Danielle, who had been holding Lily’s hand, squeezed it tightly.

  Their spring vacation had begun.

  SIXTEEN

  “I can’t believe you let him fall!” Sky cursed at Clay. They stood together on the far side of the room, watching Carol Ann. She attentively cared for Chris, who lay unconscious on the cot.

  “I told you we should remove the handcuffs so he could hold onto the rail,” Clay countered.

  “You were supposed to steer him down those steps. I thought you could keep hold of him.”

  “If you thought it would be so damn easy, then why didn’t you do it?”

  Carol Ann looked over at the arguing men. “He’s alive, but he needs to go to the hospital.”

  “Just take care of him,” Sky snapped. “We’ve come this far, you don’t actually think we’re going to drop him at some hospital and walk away.”

  “What are we going to do?” Clay asked Sky when Carol Ann turned her attention back to Chris.

  “We wait until he comes to. He has to be conscious. I can’t believe this is happening. Everything was going perfectly…and then this!” Sky kicked a nearby folding chair in frustration. It slammed against the wall and toppled to the floor. The unexpected sound made Carol Ann lurch.

  She looked at the two men. “I need to see my friends. Let them know what’s going on.”

  “You need to take care of him,” Sky ordered.

  “There’s nothing I can do right now but wait and see. But I really do think we need to get him to the hospital,” Carol Ann told them.

  “That’s not going to happen.” Sky then turned to Clay and said, “Go ahead, take her to the others, but bring her back in fifteen minutes.”

  POLICE CHIEF EDWARD MACDONALD’S eyes had grown accustomed to the lack of light. He could see the others—at least their shadowy forms. Like him, they all sat on the concrete floor, each one chained and confined to a limited space.