His voice was low but threatening and Sandra decided it was probably a good idea to do as he said, but not before folding her arms across her chest like a sulking child.“Fine,” she said with as much venom and irritation as she could summons. “But I don’t think your partner would want to know you’re afraid of my husband.” “I told you I’m not afraid of anything, especially that farm boy.”“Prove it. Stop and let us out. You can go find Creighton for yourself. I’m sure the two of you can take him…or at least give it a good attempt.”“We’re not ready to take him on just yet,” the man snarled with a sickening grin. “His time will come soon enough.”“Whatever,” she said again. “It just seems like a waste of time to me. This whole scenario is like a late-night movie. You’re the muscles, he’s the brains and between the two of you, you may manage to shake things up a bit, but only until the cops find you.”“What do you know about any of this?” he asked in an angry tone. “He’s not the brains,
It was late night when the car pulled off the main road and into the parking stall of a small hotel, a short distance past a sign that read Beauvais. Sandra frowned. She had no idea where they were or why they were stopping, but the thought didn’t last long as Bachmeier checked his phone again, then climbed out of the car. He pulled the door open next to Sabrina so quickly, she nearly fell out, then grabbed her by the hair and stood her up.“Get out,” he told Sandra, who bent over momentarily and picked up something from the floor as she scooted across the seat. He shut the door to the car and walked around the side of the building. He reached up above the small light hanging over a door with a faded brass letter F and smiled as he took the key from the top of the jam and unlocked the dirty handle.“Inside,” he told them, shoving Sabrina in after Sandra, nearly causing them both to topple to the floor with the impact.“Where are we?” Sandra demanded as he shut the door and flipped on
Sandra slipped a reassuring arm around the younger woman’s shoulders and hugged her to her chest. She needed to convince her to remain calm and try to relax as much as possible. There were plenty of times they could have escaped. Bachmeier really wasn’t as keen of a kidnapper as he would like to think, but she was determined to find out who this other person was.“What happened to your parents?” she asked.“He caught Dad outside and they struggled by the back door,” Sabrina said, wiping the tears from her cheeks. “He shot Dad, but I don’t think it was very bad. It just looked like he caught his shoulder.”“Thank God,” she whispered.“Please, Sandra, let’s get out of here. I’m really scared.”“I want to leave too, but we can’t,” she said in a hushed tone. “We need to stay with him for a while longer. Remember, I’m armed, I can take care of him if we need to.”“How is that possible when we’re handcuffed like common thieves?” Sandra smiled brightly, raising her arms up to show Sabrina th
“I swear to God, she’s not going to walk for a week when I get my hands on her,” Creighton growled as he paced the floor of his private jet. Sitting on one of the sofas was Inspector Morris, her partner Boden Tabor, a small stalky man in his mid-thirties with bright red hair and a mustache, and Andrew. They watched in stunned silence as Creighton walked back and forth, running his large hands through his messy hair. Morris and Tabor had joined with the two after veering off their tail, allowing a second team to take their place to avoid raising Bachmeier’s suspicions. She had relayed the information Sandra told her and how she refused to leave until she knew what was happening. The news, however, did not set well with her husband.“Monsieur Ashford,” Morris began, her tone calm, hoping to gain some sense of control in the room. “Your wife seems like a very intelligent woman. She picked up on an excuse immediately when that jerk interrupted us in the bathroom. Your sister said that sh
“I would be happy to if we were unfastened.” Sandra smiled to herself as he moaned a bit louder, then walked to her side and slipped the small key through the lock and tossed it to the bed next to her. She was surprised that he hadn’t realized they were fake cuffs, and it made her wonder again where he had picked them up at.“There, now shut the hell up.” He lay back on the bed and pulled the pillow over his head. Sandra stared at him in amazement. They could walk right out the door and he wouldn’t bother trying to stop them. He had a hangover that would likely stun an ox, but she still was not in the mood to escape. Not just yet.“We need to eat,” she said, perhaps not as loudly as she would have preferred, but the words caught his attention, nevertheless.“How the hell much does one person eat?” he growled, tossing the pillow aside.“We haven’t had any real food since yesterday afternoon,” she began. “What do you expect?”“I suppose silence from you is too much to ask for?”“Let u
“Go call your parents,” she told Sabrina quickly. “Tell them to let Creighton know we changed cars.”“But he’ll catch us.”“I’ll stand watch. Now hurry. I’ll start getting the things he wants.” Sabrina nodded, swallowing hard then went to the small payphone on the wall beside two video games. Sandra collected the juice for her and Sabrina and several bags of chips, crackers and chocolate before going to the cooler with the beer. There were single bottles, cans and cartons with glass or aluminum cans, she just didn’t know which one to get. Thinking about how the coffee affected him, she smiled and took a carton with a dozen twelve-ounce dark brown bottles and carried them to the counter. Sabrina joined her barely five seconds before Bachmeier stepped up behind them. She placed a package of gum on the counter when he narrowed his gaze to her, covering her absence from Sandra’s side.They paid for the items with Sandra’s card and carried them back to the car and once again climbed into
Tabor pulled the Suburban into the parking stall of the convenience store a little while later as Creighton and Andrew jumped out of the back, before he had a chance to put the vehicle in park. Morris was right beside them as they approached the cashier, flashing badges and speaking in French to him. The young man identified the pictures of Sandra and Sabrina and grimaced at the one of Bachmeier. He told them all that happened, and that Sabrina had used the phone. Creighton began pacing the floor while Morris went around the counter to check out the security cameras.Just a half hour earlier and they would have been able to catch up to them. Why was Sandra doing this? Why didn’t she leave when she had the chance? He was angry at her relentless insistence that she stay with him. He was angry that she was keeping Sabrina in the midst of this and he was angry at himself for allowing any of this to happen. He swore, when he got her back, he was locking her in the house and never letting h
Creighton sat in the back of the Suburban and watched his phone. The swirling green dial assured him Sandra was still in contact with him and somehow that made him feel better. He knew where they were and knew who was responsible for the murders at their farm. Now all he had to do was get her back in his arms and lock both her and Sabrina in a gilded cage.“We’ll be there, but probably not before them,” Andrew said, checking his own phone. “Just get us there. I have a score to settle with that son of a…”“As much as I agree with you, I can’t let you touch him,” Andrew interrupted. “It would cause problems with the courts. Just let us take care of him and you worry about keeping that wife of yours safe.” Creighton glared at his brother, but knew he was right. As much as he wanted to break Bachmeier’s neck, he wanted him to suffer in jail even more, along with his accomplice.“I have a blueprint of the clinic from Miriam’s contractor,” Andrew said with a smile. “With this, we’ll be ab
Sandra hung up the phone with a slam, then glanced to her grandparents who were sitting at the kitchen table. She was starting to get angry with all the rejections and dead-end avenues. She called Davies and told him she wanted him to get the plane ready to go to France, only to be told the police had restricted his flying. They were concerned that whomever it was that had killed her husband would try and sabotage the jet.She was getting frustrated and felt like she was being held back. If she didn’t know better, she would think she was being placed under lockdown. She could understand the police’s concern, but she had more men around her then they had at Fort Knox, and she would be willing to take all of them with her if she needed to.“I can’t leave the house, I can’t go to France, I can’t even gather eggs,” she grumbled as she joined the older couple. “What am I supposed to do? I can’t sit here and wait until doomsday to find out what happened to my husband.”“Honey, you’re going
The room was warm as the setting sun shone through the blinds. Two detectives sat on the sofa, watching as the man continued to pace the floor. Trying to keep him calm was growing increasingly harder with each hour.Creighton could only assume the horror his family was going through, not to mention Sandra. They had been having difficulties, but this made all of that seem trivial. He had to call her, he had to contact her somehow and let her know he was alive, but the police were refusing to allow him the chance. They had to keep him concealed for the time being, though it was steadily becoming impossible. The man was acting like a caged animal, anxiously trying to find a means of escape.“How much longer do we have to sit here?” he growled, looking to those gathered around.“We need you to remain patient for a little longer,” a bald-headed man told him. “Monsieur Ashford, we understand what you’re going through…”“Like hell you do,” Creighton snapped. “I have a pregnant wife at home w
“I know she’ll be happy when it’s over,” Emma said, returning to the room, her eyes red from the tears she’d been wiping away. “She can’t let Brandon go to school, and she has to keep the children inside instead of letting them go out to play.”“I’m sure they are going stir crazy,” Cathy said with a frown. “Especially Grace. That little girl is used to having the freedom of the farm to run and play.”“The only good thing is the weather,” William told them. “It’s been really wet, and she doesn’t like getting her dresses dirty.”“Sounds like her aunt,” Andrew said with a soft chuckle.“Maybe we should take this meeting over to my sister’s,” Cathy suggested with a sideways grin.“Let me call Derek and Kristin,” William said, standing and walking to the phone on the wall. “They wanted to know what you found out.”“Just have them meet us at Sandra’s,” Andrew told him. “We can discuss this all there.”“I thought Sabrina and Irena would be here,” Cathy said, looking at Emma who was wrapping
Parker and Harvey held off the reporters for as long as they could alone, then eventually had to call NHT’s security. Within a few short hours, there were enough burly looking men to scare off anyone trying to get near the house. Sandra kept her children inside, though it really wasn’t difficult. The rain had eased by supper, but just like the past several days, it picked up again this morning.Max growled as he laid of the entry. The noise of cameras clicking, and the soft hum of voices mingled among the breezes of the day. She had tried to watch television, but every station was reporting on the accident. Eventually, she had no choice but to surrender and put on Grace’s favorite princess movie. At least it kept them from listening to those who insisted that there was no hope in finding any answers this soon.Sandra drew a deep breath as she wiped the moisture from her forehead. She had decided to keep herself busy and baked two apple pies, along with nearly a hundred sugar cookies.
“No, it’s about assuming you knew what I would want. You did this, claiming it was for us when it was for you. You can’t stand the idea that your little sister has something you never would. It was bad enough when I felt like I was competing with Creighton for your attention, but now I’m watching you compete with Sandra for the mother of the year award.”“Stop comparing me to Sandra!” Cathy screamed. “It’s not my fault she’s perfect. She’s always been everyone’s favorite. I can’t tell you how many boyfriends I’ve dumped after I found out they were using me to get close to her. I didn’t want Creighton, but after he chose her over me, it made me angry. I was competing with her again, and she was too stupid to realize it. He chose that simple, no makeup, no fuss girl over me. She shares his bed, when I’m a better lover then she would ever be. She has his money, his admiration, your parents’ admiration, even my grandparents enjoy spending time with her over me. She even has a perfect body
“Maybe Michelle heard from him,” the boy said hopefully.“I haven’t spoken with her, but I want to call in the morning. She may know something more than the police do.”The two were silent for a long time as they considered their own thoughts, until Sandra realized the tea was gone. She looked to Brandon who looked like he was finally able to fall asleep, then stood and took the cups to the sink.“Come on, son,” she told him, wrapping her arm around his shoulders. “Let’s see if we can get some sleep.”“Mum, can I come sleep with you?” Brandon asked once they reached the second floor of their house.Sandra smiled and hugged the boy, nodding as he looked up to her.“You can sleep on your daddy’s side,” she told him. “Just don’t tell him I let you in our bed. He may get jealous.”Brandon smiled as he walked with her into the bedroom. Sandra helped him between the covers and tucked him in, then left to check on Grace. The house was silent and soft snores of her little girl could be heard
Sandra paced her bedroom trying to stop her mind from racing through the events of the day. Derek had come home after his mother called him, insisting on picking up Brandon from school. Sabrina called to say the reporters were going crazy with the news of the Tornado’s fire and that she and Giovanni would be home as soon as they could get there.Irena spoke with her parents and insisted on calling in a prescription for Sandra’s nerves, though she refused to use it. She needed to stay alert and concentrate in order to determine what was going on. The last thing she needed was to surrender to the effects of a drug.After speaking with Andrew, William informed the rest of the family about Cathy’s surgery, though he wouldn’t go into detail. He assured them he would check into the reports from his end and stay abreast of the investigation. Once Cathy felt like traveling, they would drive out to Yorkshire to be with the family.Nana tried to get Sandra to let her stay overnight, but she was
Sandra opened her eyes and looked around. She was in her bedroom, yet she couldn’t remember laying down. The house was silent and the soft pattering of rain outside reminded her that the dog had made a muddy mess of the entry. Then she remembered her grandfather and William coming over, and slowly began to piece together the last thing she remembered.There had been an accident on the Tornado and three bodies were found. She knew in her heart it wasn’t Creighton. She couldn’t even begin to guess who would have been on their ship, or how it ended up at sea, but she knew her husband wasn’t the one killed. Now all she had to do, was convince the others into believing her.Sandra stepped down the stairs to hear Grace talking to her great-grandfather, the dog running from one room to another as he chased his rope and the smells of food drifting out of the kitchen. She stepped into the living room and saw Papa sitting beside Grace, one of her own books open in front of him as he listened to
Sandra stared at the two men for a long moment as their words began to sink in. When she spoke with her husband earlier that morning, he was still at the hotel. He didn’t mention having plans of returning to the yacht. Why would he go back there when he told her he was packing to come home?Then she thought about the bodies found. One was female. Who was it? Did Creighton lie to her about not being involved with Garcon’s assistant? Had he gone there to meet with her, perhaps a final rendezvous before coming home to his family?“Did you hear what we said?” Papa asked her.“It’s impossible,” she began, her anger taking over her words. Sandra looked down at Grace who was trying to wipe the muddy water from her little dress. She hadn’t understood what her grandparents were saying. All she cared about was her soiled outfit.“Sweetheart, go upstairs and find a clean dress,” Sandra told the little girl. “Put that one in the hamper and warsh your hands. We’ll make lunch when you’ve finished.