CHAPTER 26

The guys were sitting in the living room at Michaelòs house. óI want reports from those of you who checked out the hideaways.ô

óI went back and looked through, inch by inch. Nothing.ô Matt said.

óSame here,ô Hunter replied.

óDitto,ô Jeff said.

What about you, Bradshaw?ô

ôSorry, same here.ô

óLooks like we wait on Farooq.ô

In New York, Farooq and Suzanne were at the library checking on Global, Inc. They carefully scanned every inch of the microfiche; the companyòs beginnings, membership in the stock exchange, board members, etc. They found it to be legitimate. Farooq decided to check into the owneròs background. He saw that Vander had quite a few holdings but none seemed to stick out.

óThis is getting us nowhere,ô Farooq said, rubbing his chin. óThis guy looks about as clean as Mr. Clean himself.ô

Suzanne hit her forehead. óWhy didnòt I think of this sooner? I know someone who has worked for years for the company. If anyone could give us the lowdown, itòs her. Wait here.ô Suzanne found the nearest phone booth and took out the directory. She quickly found the number and dialed. She was back in five minutes. óLetòs go.ô

They arrived at a ladyòs (whose name is Kathy) apartment at seven. Suzanne introduced her to Farooq. Kathy was the executive secretary to Mr. Vander and had been with the firm for nearly 30 years. After the usual chatter, Suzanne asked Kathy what she knew about the Vander family. Kathy rolled her eyes. óWhat couldnòt I tell you? That is about as dysfunctional a family as you could ever find. Mr. Vander and his wife were never seen together except when absolutely necessary. I wondered sometimes if they were even married the way they acted around each other. It was though they had very separate lives.

Mrs. Vander was, how should I say, a very vain woman. She was dressed to the nines every time you saw her, never a hair out of place, make-up always perfect, and she was very social conscious. She loved to see her name in the list of whoòs who when it came to the social register. Mr. Vander was always traipsing somewhere, never staying in the office too long. I never saw a man have more reason to be out of the office than he. I stopped trying to keep up with his appointments a long time ago.

I can remember one day when she made one of her rare appearances at the office saying she was pregnant. You could hear him ranting and raving all over the top floor, saying there was no way the baby could be his. The reason was Mrs. Vander was, well, known for her ñaffairsò, although she tried to keep them a secret. Of course, Mr. Vander was no better. He would even have them here at the office. The reason I know is that some mornings I would find certain things left in the office. It was rumored at one time that one of his early affairs had produced a son a couple of years before Mrs. Vander became pregnant.ô

óHow did you find this all out?ô

óWell, up until a couple of years ago, the night watchman would tell me about his so called all nighters. I could write a book on what I know. Any way, when Mrs Vander had the baby, he was off somewhere with whoever. I believe he did that just to get back at her, just as she became pregnant to get back at him. Neither one were fit to be parents. I remember seeing the child, a girl, a few times. I believe Mrs. Vander named her Felina. The few times I did I could see she was going to be a beautiful woman when she grew up, but the way she was treated, itòs no wonder she turned out a brat. They never were there for her. She was raised by a nanny who only did it because it was her job. I felt sorry for her.ô

óIs there anything else you can tell us.ô

óI donòt know.ô

óPlease, itòs important. No one will now you told me.ô

óWell, for some time now, I would say the past three or four months, no one has seen Mrs. Vander. It was like she disappeared off the face of the earth. About the same time or shortly after, the daughter disappeared. It was rather odd because it was shortly before that she, Felina that is, and Mr. Vander had a terrible argument. The language was so bad you had to cover your ears. It was over the fact he was sending her to Colombia to run their branch office there. She put up a real fuss telling him that why open an office there in such a God-forsaken place. He told her had gotten sick and tired of the way she was acting and decided to send her there for her own good. She called him every name in the book, using words I had never heard before. By this time I, along with a few others, had had enough of the constant bickering and yelling that was going on and are getting ready to turn in our resignations and find something else where you donòt have to put up with that.ô

óDo you know if he owns any other businesses?ô

óNo, none that I can say. If he does, he doesnòt talk about them.ô

óDid they ever go anywhere together as a family? Did they have any private hideaways?ô

óThey had a few. Letòs see, there one in Key West, Aspen, Portland, and Las Vegas. Oh, and there is one that very few know about. Iòm the only one who really knew. They had a cabin up in the Adirondacks. Uh, Blue Lake I believe.ô Kathy looked at them. óI know now is a stupid time to ask, but why all the questions?ô

óItòs a legal matter and we canòt say why.ô

Kathy sat back in the chair. Farooq and Suzanne thanked her and left. When they got back to her apartment, Farooq immediately called Mark, who put him on the speakerphone. Farooq related all the information he had found out. Suzanne said that there was a train that went up to the Adirondacks, and it would leave around the middle of the morning. Mark told Farooq to catch the train and that he and the rest of the guys would meet him at Blue Lake.

CHAPTER 27

óInteresting,ô Mark said. óSomehow he found out she was on her way here. Now he has her and the briefcase. It was a good thing they made copies of everything. We do have a couple of things going for us. The most important being they donòt know about us, yet anyway.ô

óI take it I may need to acquire a jet to get us to New York?ô Rock asked, raising his brow.

óHow long will it take?ô

óIòll call you when I get it.ô Rock left out.

Mark called the hospital. óWeòre going to fly up to New York, babe,ô he told her. óWeòll be leaving in the morning.ô

óI wish I could go with you.ô

óNo you stay right where you are. Thereòs a chance she might call you. You got my cell number. Call me if she does.ô

After cleaning up, Felina was escorted to the study. Mr. Vander had opened the briefcase and was now destroying the files and disks. When he had finished, he sat back down. óMy man tells me you and some other woman came out of the bank in Dallas. Now what were you doing there?

óShe was taking care of business,ô Felina replied.

He sat back. óWhat kind of business?ô

óI donòt know. I sat in the lobby. She went in the back.ô

He looked at the pile of disks and shredded paper. óYou didnòt by chance make copies of everything did you after looking at them?ô

óAs youòve told me so many times, I could never thing of doing anything that remotely resembled common sense. So why would I even think of that?ô she spat.

óMaybe not you, but your friend might be smart enough to, then put them in a safe place, say a safety deposit box?ô

Felina forced herself not to flinch. Somehow she would have to find a way to call Michael and warn her.

Mr. Vander rubbed his chin. óDobbs, didnòt you say you heard her say the name Michael?ô

óYes, Mr. Vander. She told this Michael to jump from the car. The woman opened the back door and jumped out. When I looked in the rearview mirror I saw her rolling towards the median.ô

óFly to Dallas. Take a couple of the guards with you. I think Ms. Michael needs to be paid a visit.ô

óYes, boss.ô

óAs for you, my dear, you are sequestered to your room till I say otherwise.ô

She got up, escorted by one of his men. When Felina heard the door lock, she paced back and forth. She had to warn Michael, but how? óThe phone is probably bugged,ô she thought, biting her nails. óIòll just have to take the chance.ô

Michael woke up from a short nap. Clarice and Brenda were there. The girls had decided to stay with her in shifts till she was released. Her cell phone rang. óMark?ô

óI canòt talk long. Youòve got to hide!ô

Michael heard a click. óHello? Felina?ô She put the phone down.

óWho was it?ô

óFelina.ô

óIs she alright? What did she say?ô Brenda asked.

óShe said to hide, then we were cut off.ô

óSounds like she was warning you,ô Clarice said. óThey must be coming here to get you.ô

óHe figured out we made copies,ô Michael said.

óWe have to get you out of here,ô Clarice said. óAt least they donòt know where you live.ô

óBut we canòt take that chance.ô

The doctor came in on his rounds. As he was checking Michael, Clarice got an idea. She got her badge out. óDoctor, Iòm Agent Meadows with the ATF. Agent Pollock and I have been working undercover. We have reason to believe that certain parties intend to do harm to Ms. McFee. We need to move her elsewhere.ô

CHAPTER 28

Felina had just gotten the words out when the door burst open. One of the guards grabbed the phone and yanked it out of the wall. He took her downstairs to the study.

óI figured you would do something like this.ô He smiled. óNow we have her number. It shouldnòt be too hard to find her.ô He back-handed Felina, knocking her to the floor. Felina put her hand to her cheek. óYou just signed your friendòs death warrant.ô

The next morning Rock called Mark and told him to get to the airport as he had acquired a small jet. The guys left and arrived twenty minutes later. óRock, you never cease to amaze me,ô Mark smiled, shaking his head.

óHey, itòs all in the smile.ô

Glen hadnòt said a word since they left hospital, letting Mark take over the planning. His mind was on Felina. óGod, what a mess!ô he mumbled, buckling his seatbelt.

óDid you say something?ô Mark asked as he sat beside him.

óThis plane canòt go fast enough for me. How long before we get there?ô

óIt will take at least a couple of hours. Rockòs checking for the nearest airport to Blue Lake. Farooq should there by the time we land and probably will be meeting us somewhere in town.ô

Mark watched him clinch and unclench his fists. óPard, weòre going to find her.ô

óAll those years of living along, thinking I would never find anyone to love, then finding her, only to go through this again.ô

Brenda and Clarice had the doctor move Michael to another room under a different name. She called Michaelòs house and told the girls what had happened. óBrenda and I are on our way. I have an idea on how to prepare for some unexpected visitors.ô

When they got there, Clarice had the girls gather round. óIòm going to be straight up. This is going to be dangerous. Our visitors are professionals and will not hesitate to do whatever it takes to get the job done. So if any of you feel you canòt handle this speak up now. You can stay with Michael at the hospital till this is over with.ô

óAfter what we just went through, I think I can handle it,ô Victoria said. The rest of the girls agreed.

óWe donòt have a lot of time as they are probably on their way here. Hereòs what we need. I need Summer, Bethany and Dinah to go to the hardware store for some items.ô She gave Summer the list. The girls raised their brows as they read. óNext I need Brenda, Ann and Victoria to check the house for bleach, ammonia and moth balls, and some spray bottles. Summer, pick up some extra just in case they canòt find any.ô

óWhat are you using the spray bottles for?ô Ann asked.

óMimi and I are going to concoct our own type of repellant spray. Only this spray just could kill them. Catrina, look around for something we can use as weapons. Anything you can find. Letòs hop to it. We donòt have long.ô

Brenda, Ann and Victoria found the items needed for the spray. Clarice and Mimi began mixing the potent chemicals. óIòve concocted a lot of things, but never anything like this,ô Mimi said as she crushed the mothballs.ô

óYeah, but this isnòt edible. This stuff could be downright lethal.ô

óWhoosh! Youòre telling me!ô Mimi sniffed.

Catrina searched the house and garage for anything she could find. She finally found a ball bat and some tools and brought them into the kitchen. óHow about these?ô

Clarice stopped what she was doing and looked the items over. óA ballbat? I never would have thought Michael would have one of these.ô Clarice said. óTheyòll do perfectly.ô

Summer, Bethany, and Dinah returned from the hardware store an hour later. Clarice nodded her head. óPerfect. The spray is ready and in the bottles. The weapons are ready. Now weòll sit down and go over the plan.ô

CHAPTER 29

It took two hours of straight flying to reach upper state New York. Rock got on the radio and called for the nearest airport to Blue Lake. Twenty minutes later a reply came telling him of a small private airstrip outside of Blue Lake, big enough to allow a Lear jet to land.

Mark came up front. “Any luck?”

“Yeah. There’s a smalls trip outside of Blue Lake. We should be there in another half hour.”

Mark went back to his seat beside Glen, who was looking out the window. The entire trip Glen had not said a word. Everything was whirling inside his head. Felina, the daughter of a mobster. His first initial thought had been this was the ghost she had to settle, that she had known and didn’t want him to know. But after what had happened the past few days, he knew she had never known. Her own so-called father, having her kidnapped the first time and now again. People being murdered because of what they knew. What else was there?

“We’ll be in Blue Lake in half an hour,” Mark said.

Glen turned. “Think we’ll find anything?”

“We might get lucky.”

“I wonder, Mark, will Michael and the girls be okay. They might go after her if they think she knows anything.”

“Let’s hope we get to them before they can do any more harm.”

The airstrip fortunately was long enough to accommodate the plan. Quickly debarking, they went inside the small terminal. “Is there any place around here we can rent a couple of cars?” Glen asked.

“It so happens I own a car rental. There’s a couple of cars parked on the side.”

“How much?”

Glen paid the man. “Do you know a man by the name of Vander?”

The man eyed Glen suspiciously. “If I do?”

“We understand he has a cabin in the mountains. How do we get there?”

The man looked at the group of men stand there, especially Glen and Mark. “What’s your business with him?”

Glen looked at him levelly. “It’s personal.”

Something in the tone of Glen’s voice made the man step back. “All right,” he said, and gave him the directions.

“We have to pick up Farooq,” Mark said. “Where’s the center of town here?”

“It’s the grocery store. Everybody meets there.”

Farooq waited outside the store, looking at his watch from time to time. Just then two cars pulled up beside him. The driver side window opened. “Hey, use a ride?” Bradshaw grinned.

“It’s about time!” Farooq got in.

A half hour later they were in front of the cabin. “Okay guys, let’s starting looking,” Mark ordered as they got out. He told some to look around outside while the rest went inside. Three went upstairs to look around while Mark, Glen, and Rock searched the main floor. Rock searched the kitchen, Mark the library and Glen the den. Soon the first three came downstairs. “We did find some clothes. Looks like someone’s been living here,” Jeff said.

“There is where she probably was the whole time,” Glen sighed.

“I found a frig full of food and some dishes in the sink. Other than that, nothing,” Rock said.

Mark went back into the library and looked again through the shelves of books. Then the wall came open. “Hey guys, in here!” he yelled.

The men rushed in the room. “Well, look at this,” Rock said.

They saw the computer, some disks still there, and more file folders. Mark picked up the folders and began look through them. “This stuff must be coded.” He looked through the drawers. “There must be a book of some kind.”

“I bet it was with the stuff Felina had.”

“Shit!”

CHAPTER 30

“How did you find this?” Glen asked.

“I was tossing books from the shelf when it came open.”

“That’s how Felina found it,” Glen said.

“Keep looking. We might find more.”

Glen went back to the den and searched every inch. He was about to leave when he felt the floorboard slightly give. He looked down, noticing how loose some of the boards were. “Hey, in here!” he yelled.

The guys came in as Glen was kneeling on the floor. Mark knelt and helped him lift the boards. When the last board was taken up, they saw a floor safe. “It’s locked. Naturally,” Farooq said.

“Here let me open it,” Rock knelt , rubbing the tips of his fingers on his shirt, then set about turning the lock. Five minutes later he opened the door. Inside were more papers and a small black velvet bag. Rock dumped the contents onto the floor. Inside were a dozen or so emeralds. The guys whistled. “Today is our lucky day. First we found diamonds and now emeralds.” Glen put them in the bag and put them inside his boot, making a mental note to get another ticket to Switzerland.

Farooq looked the papers over. “These are personal papers.” He found one on the bottom, which aroused his curiosity.

“What did you find?” Glen asked.

“Remember when I told you that Suzanne and I talked with a woman who works for Global, Inc, and that she told us everything about them? This piece of paper is a doctor’s report confirming that Felina is his.”

“Then why did he want to get rid of her?” Glen asked.

“Who’s to say.”

“Where is Mrs. Vander then?”

Leaving the safe open, they exited the cabin, the rest of the guys waiting out front. “We’re going back to town. Somebody knows. We’ll start with the grocer.”

They entered the store just before closing time. Mark went up to the counter. “Is the owner here?” The clerk looked the man over. Backing away from the counter, he went to the back. Shortly the owner came out. “Do you need me anymore?” the clerk asked, anxious to leave.

“No you can leave,” the owner told him.

The clerk hurriedly left. The owner turned to the men. “How may I help you?”

“We’re looking for someone, and we were told this was the place to find out anything one needed to know,” Mark replied.

“Depends on who you’re looking for.”

“We’re looking for a woman. About 5’6”, dark hair, her last name is Vander.”

The owner coughed. “I’ve heard of the name.”

“We understand they have a cabin in the mountains.”

“True, but no one’s been there in nearly a year.”

Glen pounded his fists on the counter. “That’s a fuckin’ lie! We were just up there. Someone’s been there recently and it was her!”

The owner started to back up, but Glen caught him by the collar, lifting him over the counter. “Now, tell us again.”

The man’s eyes grew large as he took a big gulp. “All…all.. right,” he stammered. “She was here.” Glen put the man down. “She came here a couple of months ago. I haven’t seen her since.”

“What about supplies?”

“She would have them delivered.”

“Do you know anything about Mrs. Vander?” Mark asked.

“Only that she had been here a few months before.” The man swallowed again.

Unknown to the owner, Mark had signaled Jeff to hide in the store. Jeff silently slipped behind a pile of cartons.

“Come on, guys, let’s get something to eat,” Mark said.

CHAPTER 31

The owner waited till he was sure the guys had left the store. Getting a book out of the drawer, he immediately dialed.

“Boss, it’s for you. It’s from Blue Lake.”

“Yeah.”

“Mr. Vander, there were some men here today.”

“What men?”

“I don’t know who they were, but they came in the store saying they were looking for Ms. Vander. Then they asked about your wife.”

“What did you tell them?”

“I told them that she had been there some months before.”

“YOU IDIOT! You shouldn’t have told them anything!” Vander took a couple of deep breaths to calm down. “What did they look like?”

“There were about 10, maybe 12 of them, all pretty good size, especially two of them. One of them had long red hair, the other had brown hair. Both stood close to seven feet. You’d remember them once you saw them.”

“Where did they go?”

“They said something about getting something to eat. What if they come back?”

Vander bit his lip. “Close the shop for now. I’ll think of something?”

The owner hung up. Looking around to make sure everything was okay, he put on his jacket, turned out the lights and left. Jeff waited a few minutes, then slipped over to the door. Making sure no one was around, he slipped out and headed to the restaurant. He entered and found them sitting in a back room.

“After you left, he got on the phone. He called Vander and told him about us. He gave a description of you and Glen.”

Vander went upstairs to Felina’s room. Felina looked at him with hooded eyes, wishing she had something to hit him with.

“I just got a phone call. Seems a bunch of men are looking for you. Two of them, it seems, stood out from the rest. They were described as one with red hair, the other with brown, both were nearly seven foot.”

Felina knew exactly who they were. She kept a blank look, doing her best not to give any indication she knew.

“You wouldn’t happen to know who they are, would you?”

“No, I wouldn’t,” she replied as calmly as she could. “No one I know knew I was here.”

“Then how did they find out about the cabin?”

“How do I know! Maybe one of your goons told them. After all, they don’t look too bright.”

Vander furrowed his brows, then left, slamming the door. Felina breathed a sigh of relief and closed her eyes. “Glen, please find me!”

CHAPTER 32

Back in Dallas, Clarice was putting the finishing touches on her disguise. She had secured a wig similar to Michael’s real hair, painted bruises on herself, and had the doctor put a fake cast on her arm. She went to Michael’s room to have Michael check her over.

“Not bad,” Michael observed.

“It’s not exact, but they’ll think I’m you,” Clarice said.

Michael got a worried look on her face. “Do you think it will really work?”

“I’m positive. The girls and I have gone over the plan. They know what to do. Vander’s goons won’t try anything until late, so we’ll be ready.”

Vander’s men sat in a small coffee shop not far from the airport, having previously checked the phone book for a list of hospitals.

“I would guess she would have been taken to one close by.”

“From what you say, she was either taken to St. Francis or Dallas General, the second man said.

“We’ll split up. You two take St. Francis. I’ll take Dallas General. Just go to the front desk and ask to see if she’s there. There’s a good chance she might have gotten released already.”

After inquiring, they met back in the coffee shop parking lot. The first two men said they were told no such person was at St. Francis. “I had better luck,” Dobbs said. They said she had been released earlier. Looks like we pay Ms. McFee a visit later tonight.”

About midnight the phone rang. Clarice picked up the phone. “Hello?” There was a click.

“Who was it?” Brenda asked.

“I believe it was our visitors checking to see if Michael was at home. Get ready girls.”

The girls went to their stations to wait. Clarice went to the living room and lay on the couch, a blanket covering her.

After checking to see if the coast was clear, the three men crept to the house. As quietly as possible they checked the windows, then went to the patio door. One of the men pulled out a small wallet-sized object, opened it up, and took out a small file. He inserted it and turned the file till he heard the lock click. They eased inside, tiptoeing from room to room. Just as they were at the bottom of the stairs, one of the guys looked in the living room and motioned for them to follow.

Clarice waited underneath the blanket, her ears listening for the slightest sound. Catrina, Summer, Victoria and Mimi were by the doorway to the kitchen, each holding a bottle of the lethal concoction. Brenda, Bethany, Ann and Dinah were in the hallway closet.

Dobbs crept to the couch, bent over the still figure, then quickly grabbed Clarice, putting a hand over her mouth. Clarice pretended to put up a struggle till she felt a piece of cold steel against her cheek.

CHAPTER 33

After the guys had eaten, they returned to the cabin to spend the night. Farooq sat on the couch and opened the manila envelope found earlier. He shook his head. “Who is Rebecca Morrison?” he asked out loud.

“What?” Mark asked.

“I’m looking at these papers. They’re commitment papers to have a Rebecca Morrisson committed to Briarwood. Must be a sanitarium. There’s expense receipts telling what kind of medication and how much.”

“What does this woman have to do with this?” Glen asked.

Farooq noticed the date. “Didn’t the guy at the store say Mrs. Vander hadn’t been seen in a few months?”

“I remember him saying that.”

“That’s exactly what Vander’s secretary said also.” Farooq looked at Glen. "Mrs. Vander suddenly disappears then this woman shows up.”

Glen and Mark looked at each other. “You thinking what I’m thinking?” Mark asked.

Bradshaw had been looking around the cabin to see what else he could find. He happened to look in the closet by the front door. He saw some boxes on a top shelf and began looking through them. Opening the last one he found a photo album. He went back to the living room.

“Look what we missed. I found this in the closet by the front door.”

Mark took the album from Bradshaw. Glen saw the pictures of young Felina. As he looked at each one, he noticed a look in her eyes, as if they were saying, “Please love me.” He and Mark continued looking through the album till they found one of Felina and a beautiful woman. “This has to be Mrs. Vander,” Mark said.

Farooq took the picture. “That has to be her alright. This was how she was described.”

“Farooq, call Briarwood. Tell them that a small group of three or four is coming for a visit. Tell them they maybe getting a new patient. I’m going into town in the morning to check out the grocer again. The rest of you stay here, but don’t let yourselves be seen, just in case some unexpected visitors arrive. Let’s get some sleep.”

Mark pulled out his cell phone. “Hi babe. Did I wake you?”

“Mark! Am I glad you called!”

“You sound scared. What’s happened?”

Michael told him of the call from Felina warning her and what Clarice had planned. Mark’s jaw dropped. “They can’t handle those guys!”

“Well, Clarice said the girls are not backing down. What about up there?”

“We found more disks and files, and a floor safe with more papers inside. It seems he had commitment papers done on a Rebecca Morrison.”

“Mark! That’s really Felina’s mother! He had her committed under a different name! Felina said when she saw her, she was in a padded cell, trussed in a straight jacket. When she looked at Felina, she didn’t know her.”

“Sounds like they have her drugged! She too must have found his hiding place and was caught. Glen, Rock, and Bradshaw are going there in the morning. With any luck, they just might see where they are keeping her.”

“Please be careful.”

“Don’t worry. I love you.”

“I love you, too. Call me.”

“What’s going on down there?” Sean asked.

“Vander sent three of his goons to Dallas to get the other disks and files from Michael. They must have deduced that Michael and Felina had made copies. Michael said she’s been moved to another room. Clarice concocted a scheme to catch those guys. I hope they know what they’re doing.”

All the guys were speechless. “Our girls are taking on three of his goons?” Christian asked astounded. Mark nodded.

“She also said that Rebecca Morrison was really Mrs. Vander. She’s been drugged and kept trussed up in a straight jacket and put in a padded cell.” Pointing at Glen, Bradshaw and Rock, “The three of you have to get her out of there. And take Jeff with you also. He just might come in handy.”

CHAPTER 34

Clarice froze at the first touch of the gun barrel. “Now, Ms. McFee. I’m going to take my hand away so don’t scream. Understand?” Clarice nodded her head. Slowly the hand left her mouth.

“What do you want?” she asked in a hoarse voice.

“We want the copies of the disks you made. And don’t play dumb. We know you put them in a safety deposit box.”

Summer went to move but Mimi held her, shaking her head.

“We’re going to stay here the rest of the night. When the bank opens, you will go and get those disks. One of us will go with you to make sure. Because if you don’t, I’ll call and your friend will meet with a very untimely accident. You got that? Now, lay back down and rest while my friends and I make ourselves comfortable.”

“Got anything to eat?” one of the mean asked.

“There’s some food in the fridge,” Clarice replied, pointing to her left.

The girls leaned back and waited. As soon as the man entered, Catrina sprayed the concoction in the man’s face. “AAAAHHH!!!” he screamed, his hands covering his face.

“What the fuck….!” Dobbs yelled. Clarice clutched the bottle she had hidden under the pillow. When he turned toward the kitchen, Clarice quickly brought up the bottle and sprayed it directly in his eyes. Dobbs screamed in pain and dropped to the floor. The third man pulled his gun from his jacket. The other rushed out of the closet and sprayed him.

In the kitchen, the first man was writhing in pain, running into everything in the room. Mimi raised the wrench and hit the man in the back of the head. Summer and Catrina pushed him quickly down to the floor and sat on him to be sure he stayed down. In the living room, Clarice kicked Dobbs in the groin, then gave him a quick karate chop to the neck, sending him to the floor.

The last man was being beaten by the rest of the girls. Clarice had Bethany take the ropes, which had been bought earlier, and tie each man separately. The girls in the kitchen dragged the first man into the living room where Bethany tied him up also.

“We did it!” Brenda exclaimed

. “That’ll teach ‘em not to mess with us,” Dinah added sternly.

“Don’t worry about the knots coming undone,” Bethany assured everyone. I tied them up so tight that the slightest movement will cut off what circulation they have.”

Clarice got on the phone and called the police, who arrived in a matter of minutes. She told them who the men were and why they had broken into the house, and how the girls subdued them. One of the officers called for the EMT’s to come and treat the men. The police looked at the men then the women and shook their heads, not believing that three large men could be taken down so easily. After they had been treated, the men were taken to jail.

“I don’t know about you, but I’m tired,” Victoria said. “This has been enough excitement for one night for me.”

“Let’s all get some sleep. I’ll call Michael in the morning and then the feds,” Clarice said.

The girls left the mess and went upstairs. The next morning Clarice called the local ATF office about what happened, then called her boss, who said he would be there in a couple of hours.

Michael couldn’t sleep all that night, worried that something might have gone wrong. At the sound of the first ring, she quickly picked up. “Morning,” Clarice said.

Michael sighed in relief. “Thank God, Clarice! How are the girls?”

“We’re all okay. It went as planned. The police took the goons into custody. I called the feds and then my boss, who will be here in a couple of hours.”

“Thank goodness,” she said. “I just hop we haven’t made things worse for Felina.”

“I don’t think so. Once my boss gets here, I’m sure the authorities down here won’t do anything to jeopardize her. He’ll see to it the men are held incognito so that no one will find out.”

CHAPTER 35

Glen, Rock, Bradshaw and Jeff found the directions for Briarwood. Parking a ways down the road, they surveyed the area surrounding it.

“Looks easy enough,” Jeff observed.

“They might be watching her room a little more closely than the others,” Glen said.

“Let’s get the show on the road,” Rock said.

Glen cleared his throat as they stood in front of the receptionist’s desk. Upon looking, her eyes grew wide upon first seeing Glen. “May I help you?”

“We called yesterday about touring the facility,” Glen replied, and gave her a phony name.

The receptionist looked through the date book. “Oh, yes. I’ll have the administrator come and give you a tour. Just sit in those chairs over there,” she said pointing to the other side.

“Looks like they take very rich clients, judging from the surroundings, “ Bradshaw said.

A rather pudgy looking man entered the reception area. The girl pointed to the four men. The man adjusted his coat and went over to meet them. As soon as Glen and the others stood up, the man took a step back. Clearing his throat, the man extended his hand. “How do you do? I understand you wish to tour the facility. I think you will find we are well up to your standards. I’m Doctor Shalwitz, the administrator of the facility.

The first area they toured was the east wing. Doctor Shalwitz explained this wing housed those patients who had minor mental problems. He told them each patient received excellent psychiatric care and that the ratio of doctor to patient was four to one.

While they walked, Jeff paid close attention to the windows, exits and nurses’ stations. He also looked at the names on the doors. He slightly shook his head no.

“Do you take patients that are, shall we say, hard to handle?” Glen asked.

The doctor understood. “Yes we do. Follow me.”

They went back, past the reception area, down another long corridor and found themselves at the back of the building. Here the guys observed heavy mental doors with large locks on them, with only a small sliding window at eye level. “These are where we keep our special patients,” the doctor said. “The rooms are completely padded, even the bed is padded so that they do not harm themselves. Of course, the patients are not allowed to have anything that could cause them or others harm.”

“What about extreme cases?”

“In unusual cases it is necessary to put restraints on them. And in rare cases, we do administer a medication to keep them calm.”

“I notice there are no names on the doors.”

“We do that to keep the patient’s anonymity.”

“Would you mind showing us what one of the cells looks like?” Bradshaw asked.

The doctor took them to the end of the wing. They noticed a large man seated at each end of the wing. The doctor opened the cell and took them inside. “As you can see, the walls and floors are heavily padded, as well as the bed. We strive to keep the patient’s safety in mind. Is there anything else you would like to see?”

“No, I think we’ve seen enough. I’ll call to let you know what we decide. Thank you.”

As they exited the cell, Glen noticed a door being unlooked, a nurse carrying a tray and one of the large men going in with her. As they walked past, he looked inside. A woman was being unbuckled from the restraints. He heard her singing a non-sensical song, as if she were in another world. She turned, a far away look in her eyes. He quickly looked at the number on the cell.

“Doctor, I do have one more question. Have any patients ever escaped?” Glen asked.

The doctor stopped and turned. “I am proud to say we have a perfect record. None of our patients have ever escaped. We have excellent 24-hour a day security. There are guards at the front and back doors. The men you see in the hallway are trained to restrain anyone that gets out of line. The guards are change every three hours.”

“Thank you doctor. We’ll be in touch.”

The doctor escorted them to the front door. “Please come again.” The men drove about a couple of miles down the road and pulled over. “I saw Mrs. Vander. I don’t think she’ll give us any problems. “

“I saw one the guards open the back door. There’s no fence in the back. We shouldn’t have much trouble getting in.”

“Getting in is one thing, but getting us and her out will be another. It’s a long way from that back door to her door cell.”

“The guards should be easy. It’s those guys in the hallway. There’s no telling when they walk about,” Bradshaw said.

“Well, that’s the chance we’ll have to take. Let’s get back to the cabin,” Glen said.

CHAPTER 36

Michael was sent home the next morning. The girls had the house decorated for her and Mimi had cooked a delicious lunch of chicken, tossed salad, asparagus in hollandaise sauce, and macerated fruit for desert. The girls retold the story and what their part was in it. Michael laughed. “I can just picture what you did to them. Imagine being captured by women.”

“You should have heard what my boss said,” Clarice chuckled. “He’s on his way here to question the men.”

“Do you think they’ll talk?” Dinah asked.

“I don know. They probably won’t knowing if Vander ever found out, they’re lives wouldn’t be worth a damn. I wonder how the guys are making out?”

“Mark called me last night. I told him what you girls were planning. I could picture the look of disbelief on his face.”

“I bet the guys did the same,” Bethany said.

Mark had gone back into town to ask the storeowner more questions. When he arrived, he saw a closed sign on the door. As he turned to go back to the car, he overheard two women passing by, talking about a man being found dead this morning. He walked over to them. “Pardon me, but will the store be open this morning?”

“It maybe sometime before that happens. They found the owner dead. The police say he was strangled,” was the reply. “Poor man. He didn’t have an enemy in the world.”

As they walked away, Mark said to himself, “He had one alright, and I think I know who it was.” He got in the car and drove back to the cabin. When he got back, Glen and the others were sitting on the porch. “Bad news,” Mark said as he got out of the car. “The grocer was found strangled this morning. Did you have any luck?”

“The administrator showed us around. I asked him about severe cases. He took us to the back of the place. He even showed us a vacant padded cell. As we were leaving, I notice one of the nurses and an attendant going into a cell. As we went by, I saw they were taking a woman out of her restraints. When she turned, I recognized her. It was Felina’s mother. They had her so doped up, she didn’t know where she was. We’ve come up with a plan to get her out of there.”

“Then what?”

“There’s a private home just outside of Knoxville that handles cases like this. I know the doctor who runs it. I’ve already called. They’ll have everything ready when we get her there.”

Mark nodded, taking his phone from his shirt. “I’m going to call Michael to see how she is and see if she’s heard from the girls.”

CHAPTER 37

“Hi, honey,” Michael said.

“Hey, how are you feeling?”

“I’m fine. Just got home a couple of hours ago. The girls had a big welcome for me.”

“The girls are okay?”

Michael handed the phone to Clarice. “Hi, Mark.”

“Everything alright?”

“Oh, great!” Clarice said excitedly. “The plan went as expected. The goons are in custody. My boss flew in and is now interrogating them. I told him what you and the guys are doing. He said he would stay out of it and let you handle it. Here’s Michael.”

Mark, how is it going up there? How is Glen holding up?”

“We found where Felina had been all this time. We talked to the local grocer, who called Vander after we left and told him about us. Glen and some of the others found Felina’s mother and are planning to get her out tonight. As for Glen, well, he’s holding up so far but for how long I don’t know. Every day that passes he keeps getting more agitated although he keeps calm about it. I went back into town to talk to the grocer again and found out he was found strangled.”

“You think Vander had anything to do with it?”

“Definitely.”

“Mark, he’s getting worse. I have a feeling Felina might be next. I pray Glen can get to her in time.”

“If we can ever find out where he’s at. I’ll call you later. Miss you.”

Michael hung up the phone and told the girls what Mark said. There was a knock at the front door. Clarice cautiously opened it. It was Suzanne. Clarice hugged her.

“I had to come,” Suzanne said as she entered the living room, each of the girls hugging her. “I see you’re doing well,” she said to Michael.

“Girl, you should have been here,” Bethany giggled.

“Yeah, the fireworks were hot and heavy here,” Dinah added.

“Oh?”

They told her all that had happened the night before. Suzanne’s mouth dropped as she heard the details, then she started laughing. “Those guys will think twice before messing with you girls again. Any news on Felina?”

“No, there’s been no news,” Michael replied. “I just got off the phone with Mark. They’ve found her mother in a sanitarium. Glen and a few of the others are going to get her out tonight.” Michael shook her head. “I just hope her father doesn’t hurt her.”

“This is getting more complicated. When will this end?”

Glen, Rock, Bradshaw and Jeff went over the plan to get Mrs. Vander out. Once they got her, Rock would fly her to Knoxville. Jeff would go along to watch her. Once they had her in Knoxville, they would fly straight back.

Mark and Glen were resting in the den as the others were busy getting ready. “What are you thinking?” Glen asked.

“Vander has to be close by. The grocer talked to him the night before he was found strangled the next morning. He can’t be that far away.”

“Not necessarily. They could have flown in from anywhere.”

“I don’t think so. I have a hunch they aren’t but a short distance away. I think we need to do some more talking to the man at the airstrip.”

“And when we leave, he’ll call Vander. We could tap into his line.”

“I was thinking of that. But where would we get the equipment around here without arousing suspicion?”

Glen picked up the receiver on the desk. Ten minutes later he hung up. “It’s set. Rock will have all he needs.”

CHAPTER 38

At midnight Glen and the others arrived at Briarwood. Watching the grounds from across the road, they observed the security guards as they patrolled the grounds, noting the frequency of their rounds. Dressed in black clothing and wearing black faces, they got behind some bushes and crawled to the backside of the sanitarium. “Okay, Jeff, you’re the quickest,” Glen whispered.

Jeff crept to the back door, testing it. He stared at the lock for a couple of minutes while the others kept watch. Finally the lock moved. Cautiously he opened the door. Peering in he saw a guard sitting near another door,, which led to the padded cells, his back to Jeff, snoring. Jeff crept up behind and put his arms around the man’s neck. Soon the man went completely limp. Jeff quickly tied him up and gagged him. Looking around to be sure, he went to the door and motioned the others in.

As soon as they entered, Glen tried the door that led to the inside hallway. Slightly opening the door, he saw one of the attendants coming down the hallway on his rounds. Quickly closing the door, Glen calculated when the man was in front of the door. Glen threw open the door which caused the attendant to be thrown to the wall. Grabbing the man, Glen punched him in the jaw, then put the man in a sleeper hold. Bradshaw and Rock took the man to the nearest closet and put him inside, tightly securing him with rope and putting taping over his mouth, then locked the closet.

“Bradshaw, stay here and keep a look out,” Glen whispered. “You know what to do.”

Bradshaw nodded as the others crept down the hallway. Turning to their right, they were now in the wing where Mrs. Vander’s cell was. While Rock kept look out, Glen and Jeff went down the hallway and were soon in front of her cell. Jeff concentrated on the bolt lock, finding it took longer than the first. Soon it began to move. Glen opened the creaking door as quietly as possible. Not wasting any time, Glen quickly scooped up Mrs. Vander and left. Jeff closed the door, moving the bolt back in place. All three men ran down the hallway as fast as they could, Bradshaw at the back door holding it open. They exited and ran to some nearby bushes. They were about to move when they heard the security guards coming. Mrs. Vander softly moaned. Glen put his hand over her mouth as all four men held their breath.

One of the guards turned. “Did you hear something?”

“Like what?” the second guard asked.

“Like someone groaning.”

They waited. “I don’t hear anything,” the second guard shook his head. “Let’s go. There’s no one out here.” They left to finish their rounds.

All four men let out a silent sigh. Jeff peered over the bushes. “It’s okay. They’re gone.”

Glen put Mrs. Vander over his shoulder as they crept along the bushes. When they got to the end of the drive, they ran across the road and eased into the car. Bradshaw put the car in gear and coasted down the road before turning the ignition and headlights on. Two hours later, Glen watched as Rock and Jeff took off for Knoxville.

It was nearly 3:00 when they got back to the cabin. Mark was waiting on the porch.

“She’s on her way,” Glen said after getting out.

They went inside. “Now we wait for Rock and Jeff to come back, and then pay a visit to our friend at the airport,” Mark said as they turned in for the rest of the night. “Oh, just who did you call?”

“Oh, I called a man I knew who worked for the phone company in Knoxville. He owed me a favor and I decided to call him on it.”

CHAPTER 39

Vander’s men had each been sequestered in separate rooms, wearing bandages over their eyes and various parts of their bodies. Agent Johnson had Dobbs brought in first for questioning. “Okay, Dobbs, where is Vander hiding out?”

“I don’t know anybody by that name,” Dobbs replied.

“Don’t give me that shit! We know you’re the one who assaulted and kidnapped Felina Vander and attempted to kidnap Michael McFee upon his orders. You then were sent back, along with two others, to force Ms McFee to give you the original files and disks of all his operations.”

“I ain’t tellin’ you nothin’ without my lawyer,”

Johnson snorted. “Do you really think he’ll send a lawyer down here. You’re just another body that’s expendable.”

“Like I said, I ain’t tellin’ you nothin’.”

Johnson continued questioning Dobbs for another couple of hours. Dobbs remained stubborn, refusing to say anything. Johnson called in one of the agents, telling him to get Dobbs out of there and bring the second man. Johnson grilled the man for two hours but got no answers, he too refusing to say anything. Johnson had him taken away and the third one brought in. The last prisoner was a young man who looked to be about 25 years of age. Johnson noticed he was shaking as he was being led in.

“How old are you?” Johnson asked.

The young man turned his head. “Who are you?”

“My name is Johnson, son. You seem mighty young to in this line of work.”

“I’m twenty-five. I just started not too long ago.”

“What made you?”

“My brother said it was a good way to make some quick money.”

“You realize you could go to jail for the rest of your life. Vander’s not going to help you or your two cohorts. But, you could help yourself.” Johnson started walking around the room. The young mean moved his head. “How?”

“I could get your sentence reduced if you just cooperate.”

“You mean rat on my boss. I can’t do that. He would have me killed if I did.”

“He’ll kill you anyway when he finds out you and your cohorts have been arrested. He can’t take the chance that you won’t.” Johnson paused. “We could offer you protection in return for testifying against him. You would be placed under the witness protection program. You’d have a new ID, maybe even a new face if you want. Think about it.” Johnson motioned to have him taken back to his cell.

Part 4

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