Ch. 20
Emma called David back immediately to let him know the plans had changed for the drop and that they were driving to the LaBouff Estate to meet the families. She tucked her phone back into her pocket and pulled out her small notebook to review her notes. She looked at Killian's serious expression as he was staring out onto the road. He was so handsome and that little crinkle on his eye let her know he was in deep thought. "Killian, did you think it was odd that Al was picked up by the police and that the kidnappers have changed their drop time. I'm not sure that is just a coincidence."
Killian nodded. "I thought the same thing, although the lad seemed surprised that he was being arrested. He also seemed surprised that his jacket was found in Tiana's car." He said.
Emma took a breath. "I think someone deliberately drugged the kids at the party. What do you think? "she asked.
He grinned. "Love, even the worst party of my sea faring days did not produce that many people who forgot the total night. The only exception was when Jimmy Hawkins thought that HGB was CBD and he accidently drugged his buddies, including himself. That was quite a morning for the lot of them." He recalled.
Emma laughed." That's some mistake when your friends think they are getting high on pot and end up roofied.
Killian nodded. "He didn't live that one down for quite a while. The team was so mad they made him do the dirty jobs for a month. He was also lucky that they were his friends, he would have been in so much trouble."
"I think someone knew that they were having this party and took advantage to kidnap Lottie." Said Emma.
"I agree Love, but do you think Al had something to do with it? He seemed surprised and he was drugged too." Said Killian.
"I don't know what to think now. He and Jazzy said they went off together. He is now telling us he lied and doesn't remember the night before." Said Emma.
"He also woke up in the living room with Naveen sleeping. Jazzy wasn't there." Killian questioned.
"So, if the boys were lying so was Jazzy. What reason would she have to lie?" Said Emma.
"I don't know Love. Either Al is trying to make us think he lied or Jazzy has actually lied too." Said Killian.
"One thing we do know is we need to talk to Jazzy again." Said Emma. She looked up from her notebook as they were pulling up to the estate. This time they had to pass through a security clearance before entering the drive around. A large man dressed in a pressed clean black suit named Cobra Bubbles stopped them to check their credentials. She was glad to see Mr. LaBouff had hired security.
They walked in the room and saw that Mama Odi and Auntie Izma had joined the family in the waiting room. Nairobi came rushing forward. "I'm glad you are here. I brought the Aunties here too. They were getting too worked up to stay at the house on their own. Mr. LaBouff thought it was a good idea to let them come here. He also hired security as you probably saw on your way in. "she said.
"Yes, he's quite menacing. I'd think twice about approaching." Said Killian.
"Emma, Killian, I'm glad you are here." Said Mr. LaBouff loudly as he walked towards them. "We might get my little girls back tonight."
"What time did they ask you to do the drop?" asked Emma.
"1:13 am." Said Nairobi.
Killian raised his brow. "What an odd time." He said.
"Same location?" asked Emma.
"Yes." Said Nairobi.
"The whole thing is very odd. They took one of the guys from the Frat in to the station for questioning." Explained Emma.
"Really? I'll kill the sonofabitch if he hurt my little girl." Said Mr. LaBouff.
Killian held up his hand in a stop motion. "Sir, we don't know if the boy has had anything to do with it. As of now all of the evidence is circumstantial but the Feds are now involved." He said.
"Feds! No. No. No. The Kidnappers said no police. If they step in they could get my little girl killed." Said Mr. LaBouff with worry running all over his face.
Emma put her hand on his shoulder. "We will be discrete. We will be careful. We will get your girls back." She said.
He turned to face them, tears forming in his eyes. "I've done everything they asked. I just want them back." He said very frustrated.
"Can I see the note?" asked Emma.
Mr. LaBouff pulled the photo with the note scribbled on the back from the breast pocket of his jacket and gave it to Emma. She took it and winced when she saw the photo. The girls were inside some sort of metal container, could be the trailer of a truck or maybe a shipping container. The doors were pinned open. Charlotte appeared to be closest to the door. She was sleeping with her hands bound in front of her with tape and her feet also appeared to be bound. She could see Tiana was about 6 feet back from the opening, her hands didn't appear to be bound. She was lying on top of some sort of blanket and also appeared to be sleeping. She would have to examine the minutia of the photo later. She needed to see the note. She flipped it over and read the note.
Bring the money to Gideon Park and walk to the third bench on the bridge. Put the case under the right side of the bench. Get up and leave. When you are seen leaving the park you will be texted with the location to pick up the girls. No Cops! No Funny Business if you don't want the girls to be hurt. If you do not follow the rules you will never see them again.
Emma examined the writing. She took out her phone and looked at the other notes she'd photographed. "Killian, it's the same writing." She said.
He looked at the photo samples and the new note. "I agree. Whoever wrote the first note also wrote the others. They all match." Said Killian.
Emma showed the photos of the notes to Nairobi and Mr. LaBouff. She also explained what they found so far during their investigation. "I feel like we are getting close. I think that may be why the pushed up the time of the drop." Said Emma.
"That would explain this." Said Nairobi.
"They could have planned it all along and just wanted to keep you on your toes." Said Killian.
Emma nodded." He's right. We just don't know."
"I had my security officer, Cobra, escort us after we went to the bank. I didn't want to have this much cash sitting with us unguarded." Said Mr. LaBouff.
"That was an excellent idea. I think he would definitely deter anyone from trying to steal from you." Said Killian.
Emma took a picture of the photo so she could look at the details. "Killian, let's look at this to see if we can find any clues about where this container is located." She said.
"Mr. LaBouff, do you have a computer we can use?" asked Killian.
"Sure, in my office. Ray can show you where it is. I'm going to have a drink. Anyone else want one?" He asked holding up his glass.
They followed Ray down to Mr. LaBouff's office. Emma emailed the file to herself so she could open it on a wider screen.
"Let me know if you see anything that could help locate them." Said Emma.
Emma expanded the photo to fill the screen and began looking at the edges. It was definitely outside. They could see a think blue line around the top of the photo. "It's outside somewhere." Said Emma.
Killian looked intently. "Do you see that in the corner? Can you make that bigger?" he asked.
She expanded the picture bigger. "See, right there. That's a naval flag in the background. They are near the water." He said.
Emma looked up at him. He was definitely brilliant. "They are in a shipping container on a vessel." She said.
"If they don't get the money, there's a chance the girls will shove off and we won't find them until it's too late." Said Killian.
She shook her head. "We have to get down to the pier, see if we can find them."
"I agree, there's nothing that says they won't let the girls shove off anyway." He said.
Emma looked at the time. They had two hours to find the girls before the drop. "Come on, we have to go." She said.
They rushed into the other room to talk to the families. "It looks like they have the girls in a shipping container near the water. Killian recognized the flag in the upper corner of the photo. If we can get down there and find the flag, we might be able to pinpoint where the vessel is that they are being held." She said.
Mr. LaBouff looked alarmed. "What about the drop?" he asked.
"Sir, take your security agent with you and follow the plan. We are going to scour the waterfront to find them. You need to call us if they contact you. You should also call the police the minute you get the message. " said Killian.
"Greta and I will go with you." Said Nairobi.
Emma looked at Killian. "I don't know." She said.
"Emma, please. Let us help. We can't just sit and do nothing." Said Nairobi.
"It could be dangerous." She said.
Greta was quickly to her side. "I don't care. If we did nothing and they were lost I wouldn't be able to forgive myself." Pleaded Nairobi.
"Love, it may not be a bad idea to have assistance for the search." He said.
"Alright. You two can come. You have to listen to us and most importantly don't do anything stupid." She said.
"You got it. "said Nairobi.
"Killian, can you talk to Cobra and let him know what is happening?" she said.
"Aye, I'll go out now. You call David and let him know." He said.
Emma picked up her phone and called David. "Hey, we think the girls are in a shipping container on a vessel by the harbor." She said.
David: You want me to come down and help you search?
Emma thought for a moment. They could use the help but she was worried that if they had too many people searching or if there was some sort of protection on the girls that people could get hurt.
David: Emma are you there?
"Yeah, I'm here. I would love the help but I'm afraid of getting someone hurt. We already have Nairobi and Greta coming with us." She said.
David: I'm going to ask the guys. I know some of them will help us.
Emma hung her head and thought about it. If they had the extra hands, they would be able to find them faster but the danger worried her. They still didn't know who they were dealing with. "David, make the call but be on standby. Let us go down there and triangulate the area first to see if we can figure out which vessel to search. Once we have an idea which vessel they are on, we will scope it out to make sure it's safe and call you guys to help." She said.
David: Alright. You got it.
"David, can you bring the jaws of life, bolt cutters, anything you can think of to break into a shipping container." Asked Emma.
David: No problem. I'll be ready.
"Thank you. I'll talk to you soon." She said.
Emma went outside and let Killian know the plan. He knew that the squad would show up and help if they were called. Cobra was fully armed and prepared to do whatever they needed. Killian learned that Cobra was a very skilled gun for hire. If they were able to find the girls before the drop, Cobra was going to target the kidnappers. They were just about to leave when Mama Odi came to the door. "Emma. Bring back my baby." She called.
She turned to face her and nodded. "I will." She said hopeful that those words would be true.