The Spanish-speaking bandits rushed Nancy. Before she could scream, one of them shoved a gag in her mouth. One of the others grabbed her hands roughly.
Nancy struggled, but it was no use. The three men had the element of surprise on their side. They quickly tied up Nancy's hands and feet. The largest bandit threw Nancy over his shoulder, then they covered her with a blanket before leaving the building.
"MMMMM! MMMM!" Nancy cried, hoping to catch the attention of a passerby.
"Silencio!" the bandit said, hitting her on the side. He said a few threatening-sounding phrases in Spanish, then hit her again.
Nancy could hear the gravel being crunched underfoot as the men took her away. She caught a brief glimpse of a black limousine with tinted windows, before they threw her inside like a sack of potatoes.
The man spoke to her again, but she only undertood one word: muerta. It was Spanish for "dead".
Nancy stopped struggling as they put a blindfold on her and drove off. Judging from the way the road felt, she guessed that they were on the same highway she took to arrive at the tournament. Which way were they going, though? Towards or away from Washington DC?
One of the bandits was talking in Spanish, presumably on a cellular phone. From the deferential tone of his voice, Nancy guessed he was speaking to his boss. There was a clicking sound and a small hum, and Nancy tried to focus on the words.
"Si, la tenemos. Aquí esta."
"Bueno...le trae—¿Eh? ¿Porque tienen una pelirroja?"
"Es...es Teresa."
"¡Teresa es rubia, idiota!"
"Ahhh!"
Nancy had no idea what they were saying, but the boss sounded upset. He started yelling in rapid Spanish, and Nancy recognized one or two of the insults. The car came to a sudden halt, then turned around.
What is going on? Nancy wondered.
It seemed that the bandits were taking her back to the tennis match. Sure enough, the car soon pulled off the road and onto...dirt? A field? The car stopped, and Nancy was soon forced out of the car.
Something cold hit Nancy's bound hands. A knife? They were removing the rope around her wrists! Nancy struggled, and the bandit smashed her from behind. She landed face first on the cold ground.
Doors slammed, and the car drove away. Carefully, Nancy reached up and undid the blindfold. Sure enough, she was back at the college, lying in the middle of a field!
No one else was in sight. Nancy undid her gag, as well as the wires around her feet. The wires had cut into her skin, and her feet had started to swell. After stuffing them in her purse, she unsteadily got up and walked towards the tennis stadium and headed straight for her assigned seat.
Nancy's seat was in between Bess and George. George was looking at the scoreboard, while Bess was looking at the tennis watchers. Bess was the first to notice Nancy's presence. "Nancy's here!"
"Hey! Where were you? You missed—what happened to you?"
Bess started rooting in her purse. "Your hair is a mess! I've got a brush in here somewhere..."
"We're going to see the senator. Now," Nancy said.
"But Teresa Montenegro is going to—" George fell silent, after a look from Nancy. "Fine. Let's go."
Nancy led her friends to Senator Kilpatrick's private booth. While Bess made eyes at the security guard, Nancy explained who they were. A half-minute later, they were let inside. The private booth contained a small buffet-style table and many empty chairs.
"Hello, Nancy," Senator Kilpatrick said, standing up to greet them. "It's nice to finally meet you."
"Hello," Nancy said. "These are my friends, Bess Marvin and George Fayne."
Senator Kilpatrick looked over them. "That's not a common name for a young woman," she commented.
"I know," George said, nodding. "But there's a story behind it. You see, Bess is short for Elizabeth."
Bess playfully hit George on the arm. "She was talking about your name, Georgia!"
The senator smiled and turned to Nancy. "You have good timing. Edward left for about an hour, so we shouldn't be interrupted. I presume you want to talk about the drop-off?"
"No, I wanted to tell you that I was just kidnapped by Spanish-speaking bandits," Nancy said.
The senator looked taken aback. Bess gasped, while George said, "What?"
Nancy reached into her purse and pulled out the wires, blindfold, gag and other materials used to abduct her. "Here's what they used to tie me up," she said, lifting up her leg and gesturing towards her swollen ankle, which still had a bit of blood on it. "They threw me in a black limo and drove off, until someone, I'm guessing their boss, started yelling at them. Then they returned me."
"Nancy, I'm...I'm sorry," the senator said. "I had no idea this could happen. I wouldn't have asked for your help, if I knew there was danger."
"I think we deserve an explanation now," Nancy said. "What is going on? Why was I kidnapped? Does it have to do with the drop-off?"
Senator Kilpatrick looked intently at Nancy, weighing her options. "I honestly do not know why you were kidnapped, Nancy," she said. "But if I had to guess, it is because of her."
The senator pointed towards the tennis court, where two players were stepping out. Nancy's eyes widened. One of the tennis players looked just like her!
Author's Note: In the book, Nancy is kidnapped, but she doesn't bother to tell anyone about it. I think it'd be more realistic for Nancy to demand an explanation after an ordeal like that.
