Excerpt

Page 15

            Jessy scanned her surroundings as they bumped along in silence. A blank space yawned between two benches where a table probably used to be. The camper rode high above the bed of the truck, and every rut and rock they hit swayed and jolted them. An old pin-striped mattress sagged over the edge of the elevated sleeping quarters above the truck cab. The whole place smelled of mold and old grease. Heavy sheets of aged plywood covered every window and conveyed the ominous message that these men had every intention of keeping them inside.

         Kevin got up and pounded on the would-be window above the filthy kitchenette, testing the plywood. “Anybody got a wrench? This stuff’s bolted in place. Maybe we could work these nuts loose.”

       “What could they possibly want us for?” Jessy ignored Kevin’s stupid request for a wrench. “And where’s the state truck? Did they take it?”

“No. That’s weird.” Conrad stood up and thumped with Kevin on the wood, pausing to examine the rusty bolts. “There’s thousands of dollars worth of equipment in there, not to mention the truck itself, and they just left it. At least I think they did. I guess I don’t know anything for sure.”

Jessy felt the truck slow down and heard the tick of twigs and stones on the bottom of the truck bed. A few minutes of rough travel and the truck stopped. She exchanged anxious glances with her friends as they heard muffled voices and the truck doors slam. Then the camper door jolted and swung open.

“Anybody need a drink?” Jessy recognized the voice of her captor and saw him for the first time. He was a fat man, his face peppered with freckles. She fought her inner smart-ass not to burst out laughing. Then she noticed the black handgun poking its head out of the waistband of his jeans, digging into his fat belly. Not so funny.

His red hair was pulled back into a frizzy ponytail held by a leather band. He stood at the top of the stairs and tossed two bottles of water on the bench next to Jessy. “It ain’t much.” He motioned around the camper with sarcastic pride. “But it’s home.”

Conrad spoke with his usual calm demeanor, but Jessy heard the underlying anger. “What do you want with us? Money? We’re a bunch of state employees. We don’t have any money. You plan on keeping us here? For what?”

“You sure ask a lot of questions.” The fat man stepped close to Conrad and must have realized how stupid he looked trying to stand face-to-face with him. His nose came only to the middle of Con’s chest. “We’re getting our gear set up.” He pointed a fat finger at Jessy. “And then it’s showtime.” He laughed with an anemic chortle in his chest and headed back down the steps. A heavy lock jammed into place on the outside of the door.

“Showtime?” Jessy’s blood froze in her veins. She rubbed her eyes, still trying to get fuzzy stuff out of her eyelashes from the cloak. Seated on one of the benches, she pulled her knees in tight and reached her arms around to hold herself. “What the hell could he mean by that?”

“I’m betting it’s not popcorn and reruns of M*A*S*H.” Kevin’s wry humor didn’t lessen her fears.

Suddenly she bolted up. “Do you have the phone, Con?”

“Nope. It’s sitting on the dash of the truck. Charging. I guess that means you don’t have yours, huh?”

“In my purse.”

“We probably would get shit for reception up here anyway.” Kevin patted Con on the back.

“So they whacked you on the head, cloaked Kevin and me, and brought us to this camper, and they think they are going to get blackmail money from our families?”

“I get the feeling this isn’t a blackmail job. They have something else in mind.” Conrad got up again and started opening drawers. “We need to get out of here.” Most of the cabinetry had been removed, and what remained they soon discovered was empty. There was nothing to throw, nothing sharp. Even the makeshift toilet was smooth and round.

Kevin ran his hand over the heavy plywood. “Do you think we could kick this out?”

“Not without breaking our legs. Damnedest thing. Look at that door. That’s not a regular camper door. It’s a solid steel security door. They don’t want us getting away.”

Jessy held herself tighter. This wasn’t good.