CHAPTER 53
Richie looked up in the dim light when he heard a key rattling in the door. He'd been sitting on the single bunk in the stark cell for going on 6 days now, and during that time they'd brought in a gallon of some kind of fruit drink, a loaf of unsliced bread and a wedge of some strong smelling cheese.
"It's about time." He complained, thinking they were coming to replenish his provisions or at least tell him why he was here.
"Move back hot shot." One of the two guards assigned to watch him growled before shoving a very non-cooperative Amanda into the room and shutting the door.
"Hey! What about the food!" Richie pounded a few times on the door while the guards were still within earshot before turning to Amanda.
"Welcome to the Taj Mahal." He said before letting her pull him into a hug.
"We've been looking for you for weeks." Amanda said, holding his face in her hands and looking to see how he was doing, not missing the tiredness in his eyes.
"Well . looks like you found me." Richie responded. "Please tell me your being here is all part of some grand jail break idea of yours."
Amanda frowned. "Afraid not, but that doesn't mean I'm not all for improvising."
"Does Mac know where we are?"
"He knows I've been kidnapped, and will probably put together what happened to you now that Joe, Claudia have turned up missing." Amanda offered.
"Claudia's missing?" Richie's mind immediately began to fill with worry. "Since when? Did they take her with you?"
"I haven't seen Claudia since the last time I saw you. She did her week in Boston and flew to New York for her next concert dates and when you didn't show or call . she cancelled all of them and her European tour. Up until Duncan called me this morning to let me know he'd heard her being taken when she called him on his cell, she'd been holed up in the hotel in Manhatten waiting to hear from you."
"God I knew she'd be worried, but I didn't think she'd cancel her appearances. It sort of got me through imagining her on stage like that." Richie admitted. "It's killed me to know how worried she must be."
"Well I can't say I don't understand why she cancelled them, especially considering what we thought you'd done." Amanda told him.
"What I'd done?" Richie was confused.
"When you didn't show in New York, Duncan was afraid you might have gone to Chicago looking for Methos when he said he wasn't going to look any more." Amanda explained. "He knew you didn't agree with his decision."
"I don't, but I'm not that suicidal. I know with the way Methos is acting I'd find myself eating steel before I could get a word out." Richie replied. "Somebody jumped me when I went back to the house for my stuff. I was on my way to the airport to meet Claudia in New York."
"Well if I don't miss my guess, I'd say Claudia will be here soon . and Joe. Duncan talked to the bar right after he found out about Claudia. Joe hadn't been seen since closing the night before."
"Any idea where here is?" Richie asked. "I spent the first week in the cargo hold of some boat and it was dark when they loaded me first into a van and then a plane. I haven't got a clue where we are."
"We're somewhere either in or near Munich Germany." Amanda told him. "I was following a lead on Beth and Garrett that appeared to be a lot more hopeful than any of the one's we've had before . I think now I know why."
"You think it's all connected to them?" Richie asked, walking to the bunk and sitting against the wall on one side so Amanda could have room to sit as well.
"It all adds up." Amanda replied. "What do we all have in common? And why would I find you in the very place I followed the last lead?"
Richie couldn't disagree. It made sense. "So you think Garrett is behind this?"
"Garrett? No." Amanda replied. "He may be a part of it, but he's not behind all this. The boy isn't that clever. I've always suspected he had help getting to Beth and now I know a more sophisticated mind is behind it all."
"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Richie asked.
"If you mean do I suspect Garrett's teacher and Duncan's 'old friend' Rick, you'd be right." She replied. "And now that I really think about it, do you remember where Duncan said he saw Rick last before he turned up in Ridgetop?"
"Wasn't it somewhere in Germany?" Richie answered.
"University of Munich to be exact." Amanda said as she closed her eyes and leaned her head against the stone wall.
"He's after Duncan isn't he?" Richie knew the answer.
Amanda pulled her knees up against her chest and hugged them tightly. "Yes, and he's planning on using all of us to get to him."
"Then we have to find a way to make sure that doesn't happen." Richie replied. "We've got to find a way out of here."
Amanda studied the walls, ceiling and door in the low light. This wasn't going to be easy.
"You mentioned food? When do they normally bring it?" she asked, hoping that might be a time they could use.
"They've only brought food once. All I've got left is a little of the cheese and about a cup of that fruit drink." He nodded at the plate on the table and the large plastic jug.
Amanda frowned. It made her sick to think they were trapped in here and helpless to help or even get word to Duncan that this was a trap.
---------------
On board the plane as it crossed the Atlantic, Methos had a couple of opportunities to walk through the plane's cabin when he said he needed to use the facilities or get a bite to eat from the rear kitchen. But most of the time he was forced to sit in the co-pilot's chair and bluff his way through the whole experience.
He kept his ears open, trying to gather any information he could. A few things were said that might be of help, but nothing specific as of yet.
The second time he'd walked back, they were six hours into the flight. It was the first time he could make eye contact with Joe, who had finally calmed enough so that his captors felt he could sit unbound in a passenger seat.
He fixed himself a cup of coffee and spread some kind of fruit on a bagel as he stood where he could see Joe. Two of the guards were dozing, and the others were awake but not paying close attention.
"That looks good. Do you think I could get one of those?" Joe asked, nodding at the bagel.
Methos glanced at one of the guards who appeared not to care and then walked the few steps to give Joe the bagel and coffee he'd just made for himself.
"Nice night for flying." Joe commented as he stared into the eyes of his friend.
"If you say so." Methos replied, looking over to see if they were being observed.
"Thanks for the coffee." Joe said, and then noticing Methos wasn't going back to pour another cup for himself asked if he'd given him the last cup.
"I'm more in the mood for a beer." Methos replied dryly.
"The next one's on me." Joe said in a tone too low to be detected.
"Aren't they always?" Methos replied before he noticed the guards beginning to pay attention to his time near the back of the plane. "Don't burn yourself. There could be turbulence ahead."
Joe knew there was a message there someplace, but couldn't figure out exactly what Methos meant. But at least he'd had a chance to at least to talk to his friend, and although the ancient immortal looked pretty rough, he was here and his eyes showed he was going to help. "I'll keep that in mind."
Claudia watched the exchange from her seat near the front, and wished she knew when and how Methos was going to get them out of this. She fumbled with the headset built into her seat, turning the knob and trying to find something soothing to listen to as her eyes casually kept following her teacher. She knew better than to keep staring when he walked past her to the cockpit, so she averted her eyes.
Methos saw how well she was handling all of this and her efforts not to give away their connection. Claudia was showing more courage than he'd given her credit for as she bravely squared her jaw and looked away. He didn't know why, but since the guards didn't seem to be paying that close attention to his movement, he let his hand brush slightly against the top of her hair as he walked by. For some reason unknown to himself he felt like she needed reassurance, and he surprised himself by giving it to her.
"If it keeps her in line and her confidence up, then a little show of support is really only a part of surviving all of this." He told himself as he passed through the curtain and took his seat.
Richie looked up in the dim light when he heard a key rattling in the door. He'd been sitting on the single bunk in the stark cell for going on 6 days now, and during that time they'd brought in a gallon of some kind of fruit drink, a loaf of unsliced bread and a wedge of some strong smelling cheese.
"It's about time." He complained, thinking they were coming to replenish his provisions or at least tell him why he was here.
"Move back hot shot." One of the two guards assigned to watch him growled before shoving a very non-cooperative Amanda into the room and shutting the door.
"Hey! What about the food!" Richie pounded a few times on the door while the guards were still within earshot before turning to Amanda.
"Welcome to the Taj Mahal." He said before letting her pull him into a hug.
"We've been looking for you for weeks." Amanda said, holding his face in her hands and looking to see how he was doing, not missing the tiredness in his eyes.
"Well . looks like you found me." Richie responded. "Please tell me your being here is all part of some grand jail break idea of yours."
Amanda frowned. "Afraid not, but that doesn't mean I'm not all for improvising."
"Does Mac know where we are?"
"He knows I've been kidnapped, and will probably put together what happened to you now that Joe, Claudia have turned up missing." Amanda offered.
"Claudia's missing?" Richie's mind immediately began to fill with worry. "Since when? Did they take her with you?"
"I haven't seen Claudia since the last time I saw you. She did her week in Boston and flew to New York for her next concert dates and when you didn't show or call . she cancelled all of them and her European tour. Up until Duncan called me this morning to let me know he'd heard her being taken when she called him on his cell, she'd been holed up in the hotel in Manhatten waiting to hear from you."
"God I knew she'd be worried, but I didn't think she'd cancel her appearances. It sort of got me through imagining her on stage like that." Richie admitted. "It's killed me to know how worried she must be."
"Well I can't say I don't understand why she cancelled them, especially considering what we thought you'd done." Amanda told him.
"What I'd done?" Richie was confused.
"When you didn't show in New York, Duncan was afraid you might have gone to Chicago looking for Methos when he said he wasn't going to look any more." Amanda explained. "He knew you didn't agree with his decision."
"I don't, but I'm not that suicidal. I know with the way Methos is acting I'd find myself eating steel before I could get a word out." Richie replied. "Somebody jumped me when I went back to the house for my stuff. I was on my way to the airport to meet Claudia in New York."
"Well if I don't miss my guess, I'd say Claudia will be here soon . and Joe. Duncan talked to the bar right after he found out about Claudia. Joe hadn't been seen since closing the night before."
"Any idea where here is?" Richie asked. "I spent the first week in the cargo hold of some boat and it was dark when they loaded me first into a van and then a plane. I haven't got a clue where we are."
"We're somewhere either in or near Munich Germany." Amanda told him. "I was following a lead on Beth and Garrett that appeared to be a lot more hopeful than any of the one's we've had before . I think now I know why."
"You think it's all connected to them?" Richie asked, walking to the bunk and sitting against the wall on one side so Amanda could have room to sit as well.
"It all adds up." Amanda replied. "What do we all have in common? And why would I find you in the very place I followed the last lead?"
Richie couldn't disagree. It made sense. "So you think Garrett is behind this?"
"Garrett? No." Amanda replied. "He may be a part of it, but he's not behind all this. The boy isn't that clever. I've always suspected he had help getting to Beth and now I know a more sophisticated mind is behind it all."
"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Richie asked.
"If you mean do I suspect Garrett's teacher and Duncan's 'old friend' Rick, you'd be right." She replied. "And now that I really think about it, do you remember where Duncan said he saw Rick last before he turned up in Ridgetop?"
"Wasn't it somewhere in Germany?" Richie answered.
"University of Munich to be exact." Amanda said as she closed her eyes and leaned her head against the stone wall.
"He's after Duncan isn't he?" Richie knew the answer.
Amanda pulled her knees up against her chest and hugged them tightly. "Yes, and he's planning on using all of us to get to him."
"Then we have to find a way to make sure that doesn't happen." Richie replied. "We've got to find a way out of here."
Amanda studied the walls, ceiling and door in the low light. This wasn't going to be easy.
"You mentioned food? When do they normally bring it?" she asked, hoping that might be a time they could use.
"They've only brought food once. All I've got left is a little of the cheese and about a cup of that fruit drink." He nodded at the plate on the table and the large plastic jug.
Amanda frowned. It made her sick to think they were trapped in here and helpless to help or even get word to Duncan that this was a trap.
---------------
On board the plane as it crossed the Atlantic, Methos had a couple of opportunities to walk through the plane's cabin when he said he needed to use the facilities or get a bite to eat from the rear kitchen. But most of the time he was forced to sit in the co-pilot's chair and bluff his way through the whole experience.
He kept his ears open, trying to gather any information he could. A few things were said that might be of help, but nothing specific as of yet.
The second time he'd walked back, they were six hours into the flight. It was the first time he could make eye contact with Joe, who had finally calmed enough so that his captors felt he could sit unbound in a passenger seat.
He fixed himself a cup of coffee and spread some kind of fruit on a bagel as he stood where he could see Joe. Two of the guards were dozing, and the others were awake but not paying close attention.
"That looks good. Do you think I could get one of those?" Joe asked, nodding at the bagel.
Methos glanced at one of the guards who appeared not to care and then walked the few steps to give Joe the bagel and coffee he'd just made for himself.
"Nice night for flying." Joe commented as he stared into the eyes of his friend.
"If you say so." Methos replied, looking over to see if they were being observed.
"Thanks for the coffee." Joe said, and then noticing Methos wasn't going back to pour another cup for himself asked if he'd given him the last cup.
"I'm more in the mood for a beer." Methos replied dryly.
"The next one's on me." Joe said in a tone too low to be detected.
"Aren't they always?" Methos replied before he noticed the guards beginning to pay attention to his time near the back of the plane. "Don't burn yourself. There could be turbulence ahead."
Joe knew there was a message there someplace, but couldn't figure out exactly what Methos meant. But at least he'd had a chance to at least to talk to his friend, and although the ancient immortal looked pretty rough, he was here and his eyes showed he was going to help. "I'll keep that in mind."
Claudia watched the exchange from her seat near the front, and wished she knew when and how Methos was going to get them out of this. She fumbled with the headset built into her seat, turning the knob and trying to find something soothing to listen to as her eyes casually kept following her teacher. She knew better than to keep staring when he walked past her to the cockpit, so she averted her eyes.
Methos saw how well she was handling all of this and her efforts not to give away their connection. Claudia was showing more courage than he'd given her credit for as she bravely squared her jaw and looked away. He didn't know why, but since the guards didn't seem to be paying that close attention to his movement, he let his hand brush slightly against the top of her hair as he walked by. For some reason unknown to himself he felt like she needed reassurance, and he surprised himself by giving it to her.
"If it keeps her in line and her confidence up, then a little show of support is really only a part of surviving all of this." He told himself as he passed through the curtain and took his seat.