Chapter 4
"In other news, noted Arizona author Laurel Light Simon was the opening speaker at the National Book Fair. Appearing upbeat despite a racially motivated "pie" attack in Chicago yesterday, she spoke to over 3,000 independent book store owners and managers."
Watching the local news affiliate, Robbie and his father both grinned at the sight of Laurie, wearing her favorite turquoise and denim suit. "Pop, there's Robin, I knew Mom would have her sit where we'd get to see her!" he laughed, watching Rick's expression.
"Your sister sure does look grown up, too bad Ian can't get a glimpse of her with her hair up!" he replied. "Yeah, right!" came the sarcastic rejoinder from his son.
"Rob, what's that for?" surprised, Rick turned to see his chagrined face.
"Pop, I promised Robin I wouldn't tell Mom, but that jerk gave her a huge guilt trip about canceling their weekend together. Seems he had arranged for some of his fellow knights to meet her at a big get-together today. When she called him about having to cancel; he told her he obviously took a back seat to her family. Robin was so upset, Pop, she told him when he grew up to call her and hung up. I wouldn't have gotten involved, but she was crying," his son gulped, "and, well, I was so proud of her standing up to him like that."
Rick put an arm around his son. "Robbie, you and your sister are the ones I'm proud of. Your mom and I try not to interfere in your life, and for Robin to give up her time to make sure your Mom's ok, well, you two couldn't be more special to us!"
Robbie hugged his father back. "Thanks, Pop, it means a lot. You know, I keep thinking about what Uncle Rudy said last night, Robin and I have been spared some of the racial stuff others have put up with. I now realize how Mom reinforced how we should stand up for what we believe in, by refusing to settle for second-class treatment. I think that's why it was such a shock to her. I just don't want Mom to get discouraged!"
"Don't worry, son, that's not going to happen with us around. I think your mom was right to stick it out with the tour, at least her speech seems to have gone well!" he added. As the newscast ended, Rick glanced at the clock. "I know your mom and Robin were going to be in early tonight, I'll give them a call so we can say good night!"
As if on cue, the phone rang, and picking it up, Rick was instantly pleased to hear his wife's voice.
"Sweetheart, I was just about to call you, how are you?" he said
"I'm ok, Rick, but something's weird. Robin and I were getting ready for bed and I kept hearing a noise out here in the entry, but nothing's here!" she told him. "Where's Robin now, darlin"? he asked, worried. "In her room, let me get her. Honey!" she called, then heard a noise like breathing in back of her.
Panicked, Laurie half turned, only to be seized from behind.
A hand went around her mouth, as her arms were crushed against her body. She dropped the phone, and then a voice snarled "stop struggling or I'll strangle you!" As if to reinforce the threat, an arm dropped to her throat, then wrenched her neck, sending a shooting pain down her back.
"Rick!" she tried to cry out, but the hand of the assailant forced the sound back in her throat. Unable to move even an inch, she heard rather then saw Robin's scream, then the man's voice threatening her. "One sound and I break her neck, now get in there and shut up!"
The sound of her daughter's door being slammed then locked gave her a measure of strength. Laurie twisted in the man's grip, trying anything to break free, then gasped, the pain in her neck turning to numbness. She felt everything go, then slumped unconscious in her captors arms.
"Laurie! Laurie!," Rick yelled into the phone, as his son frantically grabbed his transmitter and called the sheriffs office. "Andy, call the Heritage Heights hotel in Denver, tell them to call the police as my mother and sister have been attacked in Rm 350. Have their security go up to the room and break in if they have to!" he told him.
Horrified, Rick heard the sounds of his wife's struggle, then his daughter's scream and the vicious threat. He kept calling to both Laurie and Robin until the sound of a door breaking then, "Mom!" He called Robin's name again, thankfully his daughter came on the phone.
"Pop, someone, someone took Mom!" she sobbed. Taking a deep breath, he tried to calm her. "Honey, are you all right? Did he hurt you?"
"No, but he was going to kill Mom, he forced me into my room and locked the door. These guys just broke in, they said Robbie called, that we were being attacked." she said, her voice breaking.
"Robin, it's all right, sit down and let me talk to one of the security people, ok?" he asked.
After a moment, a man's voice came on, identifying himself as an Officer Martin, Denver PD. "Mr. Simon, your daughter appears unhurt, we have the hotel doctor checking her now. I'm afraid your wife was assaulted and taken by force from the room, we have signs of her struggle around the entryway. It appears her assailant or assailants took her down the back elevator to a van, I have an officer trying to follow a possible trail.
We'll have your daughter give us a description as soon as she's able. Can you tell us what you heard?"
Rick managed to give an account of the conversation he had with his wife, then the threats made to her and Robin. Just then a knock was heard on their door, and Robbie crossed the room to let Oscar and Rudy in. Both men looked stunned, having been woken by Robbie's call on his transmitter.
Turning the phone over to his son, so he could give what information he had gathered, the older Simon emotionally told then what had happened, then found himself burying his face in his hands. "Son, it's all right, we'll find her. At least Robin's safe, I'll call Steve and see if he can't get us there tonight!" Oscar assured him, putting his arm around his nephew's shoulder.
Unashamedly wiping his eyes, Rick looked at his friends. "Thank God you two are here, I just can't bear the thought of what's happened to Laurie! She was so happy earlier with the speech. I was going to get there in time to have lunch with them. Robbie, are you still on with Officer Martin?" he looked over at his son.
"Yes, Pop, do you want Robin to wait for us at the police station? He says they can take her and all their stuff there and she can wait with the Family Services people." he replied, wearily. "Yes, tell him we're on our way and that we'll meet them at the hotel first, then pick her up at the station."
The next several hours passed in a blur, as Steve and A.J. got the colonel's plane ready and fueled. Canceling Rick's commercial flight, Oscar got special permission for a priority flight and landing at the main airport in Denver, with a car from the Denver OSI office to be waiting.
Rick talked to both his mom and Towne before they left, Cecilia was horrified when she learned that Robin was almost a victim. "Rick, you bring her home to stay with me until you find Laurie, my poor baby!" He cleared his throat, "Mom, we'll get her back, I promise! You're right; Robin will be safer with you and Linda. I'll call you when we have anything!"
Towne offered to come meet them in Denver, but Rick asked him for an even bigger favor. "Would you start hunting among Willowby's properties, the ones he openly owns and the shadow company one's; see if there are any in the Denver area? I have a feeling he can't have taken her too far. I'm hoping she was wearing one of her transmitters, Oscar's getting them turned on now."
"Sure, Rick, I'll start now. Listen, why don't Temple and I come to Phoenix, I can make my calls and start the hunt then meet you guys at your office." As he hesitated, Towne told him, "Look, I want to do this, no one kidnaps our girl." Rick sighed, "Ok, thanks! Listen, the plane's ready, I'll call
you guys from Denver!" Rick ended the call, then rushed out to the gate.
As the five men climbed on board, a Phoenix police car screeched up, and Captain Ron Johnson got out and hurriedly joined them. "Rick, I just talked to Captain Martin, he's got some witnesses that may have seen the van that took Laurie. Plus, a source I have with NYPD just confirmed what you were thinking; one of the publishing agents at Linden House was on Willowby's payroll. They just picked him up for questioning, he might have something on our visitors to Johnson and Minor."
Rick reached out and shook his hand. "I don't know what to say, thanks Ron! Listen, Towne's going to be here later today, would you make sure he gets into our offices, he's going to go through the property records of Colorado and Arizona for any of Willowby's unused properties." "Sure, you just go get Robin and see what you can find in Denver, call as soon as you know anything!" Captain Ron ordered, patting Robbie on the back and going back to his car.
Steve looked at Rick as he came up the steps. "Laurie's going to be all right, I know it, Rick. She's tough, and as soon as she can she'll get a hold of us!"
Rick glanced at him, "Do you read anything from her?" The big man shook his head. "No, except she's in some kind of pain. The fact I can pick that up means she's not that far away, at most a couple of hundred miles!"
As they took off over the slowly lightening skyline, Rick activated his watch for the umpteenth time, then gasped as it gave off a beep and gave off a coordinate. "Oscar, we got something, quick, I got a reading!" he said excitedly.
Writing down the geographical coordinates, Oscar determined that Laurie's transmitter was within one hundred miles of the Arizona/Colorado border.
Calling Denver P.D., Robbie got a hold of Captain Martin, then learned that although Laurie wasn't wearing her watch, her pendant was not in its case when Robin checked and that meant she hopefully had had it on when she was abducted.
Relieved, Rick spent the rest of the flight going over the paper trail from Willowby's informant at Linden House to the prison convicts.
As they went into a landing pattern, Rick gazed down at the city below, then silently promised," Sweetheart, I'm going to find you if it's the last thing I do!"
"In other news, noted Arizona author Laurel Light Simon was the opening speaker at the National Book Fair. Appearing upbeat despite a racially motivated "pie" attack in Chicago yesterday, she spoke to over 3,000 independent book store owners and managers."
Watching the local news affiliate, Robbie and his father both grinned at the sight of Laurie, wearing her favorite turquoise and denim suit. "Pop, there's Robin, I knew Mom would have her sit where we'd get to see her!" he laughed, watching Rick's expression.
"Your sister sure does look grown up, too bad Ian can't get a glimpse of her with her hair up!" he replied. "Yeah, right!" came the sarcastic rejoinder from his son.
"Rob, what's that for?" surprised, Rick turned to see his chagrined face.
"Pop, I promised Robin I wouldn't tell Mom, but that jerk gave her a huge guilt trip about canceling their weekend together. Seems he had arranged for some of his fellow knights to meet her at a big get-together today. When she called him about having to cancel; he told her he obviously took a back seat to her family. Robin was so upset, Pop, she told him when he grew up to call her and hung up. I wouldn't have gotten involved, but she was crying," his son gulped, "and, well, I was so proud of her standing up to him like that."
Rick put an arm around his son. "Robbie, you and your sister are the ones I'm proud of. Your mom and I try not to interfere in your life, and for Robin to give up her time to make sure your Mom's ok, well, you two couldn't be more special to us!"
Robbie hugged his father back. "Thanks, Pop, it means a lot. You know, I keep thinking about what Uncle Rudy said last night, Robin and I have been spared some of the racial stuff others have put up with. I now realize how Mom reinforced how we should stand up for what we believe in, by refusing to settle for second-class treatment. I think that's why it was such a shock to her. I just don't want Mom to get discouraged!"
"Don't worry, son, that's not going to happen with us around. I think your mom was right to stick it out with the tour, at least her speech seems to have gone well!" he added. As the newscast ended, Rick glanced at the clock. "I know your mom and Robin were going to be in early tonight, I'll give them a call so we can say good night!"
As if on cue, the phone rang, and picking it up, Rick was instantly pleased to hear his wife's voice.
"Sweetheart, I was just about to call you, how are you?" he said
"I'm ok, Rick, but something's weird. Robin and I were getting ready for bed and I kept hearing a noise out here in the entry, but nothing's here!" she told him. "Where's Robin now, darlin"? he asked, worried. "In her room, let me get her. Honey!" she called, then heard a noise like breathing in back of her.
Panicked, Laurie half turned, only to be seized from behind.
A hand went around her mouth, as her arms were crushed against her body. She dropped the phone, and then a voice snarled "stop struggling or I'll strangle you!" As if to reinforce the threat, an arm dropped to her throat, then wrenched her neck, sending a shooting pain down her back.
"Rick!" she tried to cry out, but the hand of the assailant forced the sound back in her throat. Unable to move even an inch, she heard rather then saw Robin's scream, then the man's voice threatening her. "One sound and I break her neck, now get in there and shut up!"
The sound of her daughter's door being slammed then locked gave her a measure of strength. Laurie twisted in the man's grip, trying anything to break free, then gasped, the pain in her neck turning to numbness. She felt everything go, then slumped unconscious in her captors arms.
"Laurie! Laurie!," Rick yelled into the phone, as his son frantically grabbed his transmitter and called the sheriffs office. "Andy, call the Heritage Heights hotel in Denver, tell them to call the police as my mother and sister have been attacked in Rm 350. Have their security go up to the room and break in if they have to!" he told him.
Horrified, Rick heard the sounds of his wife's struggle, then his daughter's scream and the vicious threat. He kept calling to both Laurie and Robin until the sound of a door breaking then, "Mom!" He called Robin's name again, thankfully his daughter came on the phone.
"Pop, someone, someone took Mom!" she sobbed. Taking a deep breath, he tried to calm her. "Honey, are you all right? Did he hurt you?"
"No, but he was going to kill Mom, he forced me into my room and locked the door. These guys just broke in, they said Robbie called, that we were being attacked." she said, her voice breaking.
"Robin, it's all right, sit down and let me talk to one of the security people, ok?" he asked.
After a moment, a man's voice came on, identifying himself as an Officer Martin, Denver PD. "Mr. Simon, your daughter appears unhurt, we have the hotel doctor checking her now. I'm afraid your wife was assaulted and taken by force from the room, we have signs of her struggle around the entryway. It appears her assailant or assailants took her down the back elevator to a van, I have an officer trying to follow a possible trail.
We'll have your daughter give us a description as soon as she's able. Can you tell us what you heard?"
Rick managed to give an account of the conversation he had with his wife, then the threats made to her and Robin. Just then a knock was heard on their door, and Robbie crossed the room to let Oscar and Rudy in. Both men looked stunned, having been woken by Robbie's call on his transmitter.
Turning the phone over to his son, so he could give what information he had gathered, the older Simon emotionally told then what had happened, then found himself burying his face in his hands. "Son, it's all right, we'll find her. At least Robin's safe, I'll call Steve and see if he can't get us there tonight!" Oscar assured him, putting his arm around his nephew's shoulder.
Unashamedly wiping his eyes, Rick looked at his friends. "Thank God you two are here, I just can't bear the thought of what's happened to Laurie! She was so happy earlier with the speech. I was going to get there in time to have lunch with them. Robbie, are you still on with Officer Martin?" he looked over at his son.
"Yes, Pop, do you want Robin to wait for us at the police station? He says they can take her and all their stuff there and she can wait with the Family Services people." he replied, wearily. "Yes, tell him we're on our way and that we'll meet them at the hotel first, then pick her up at the station."
The next several hours passed in a blur, as Steve and A.J. got the colonel's plane ready and fueled. Canceling Rick's commercial flight, Oscar got special permission for a priority flight and landing at the main airport in Denver, with a car from the Denver OSI office to be waiting.
Rick talked to both his mom and Towne before they left, Cecilia was horrified when she learned that Robin was almost a victim. "Rick, you bring her home to stay with me until you find Laurie, my poor baby!" He cleared his throat, "Mom, we'll get her back, I promise! You're right; Robin will be safer with you and Linda. I'll call you when we have anything!"
Towne offered to come meet them in Denver, but Rick asked him for an even bigger favor. "Would you start hunting among Willowby's properties, the ones he openly owns and the shadow company one's; see if there are any in the Denver area? I have a feeling he can't have taken her too far. I'm hoping she was wearing one of her transmitters, Oscar's getting them turned on now."
"Sure, Rick, I'll start now. Listen, why don't Temple and I come to Phoenix, I can make my calls and start the hunt then meet you guys at your office." As he hesitated, Towne told him, "Look, I want to do this, no one kidnaps our girl." Rick sighed, "Ok, thanks! Listen, the plane's ready, I'll call
you guys from Denver!" Rick ended the call, then rushed out to the gate.
As the five men climbed on board, a Phoenix police car screeched up, and Captain Ron Johnson got out and hurriedly joined them. "Rick, I just talked to Captain Martin, he's got some witnesses that may have seen the van that took Laurie. Plus, a source I have with NYPD just confirmed what you were thinking; one of the publishing agents at Linden House was on Willowby's payroll. They just picked him up for questioning, he might have something on our visitors to Johnson and Minor."
Rick reached out and shook his hand. "I don't know what to say, thanks Ron! Listen, Towne's going to be here later today, would you make sure he gets into our offices, he's going to go through the property records of Colorado and Arizona for any of Willowby's unused properties." "Sure, you just go get Robin and see what you can find in Denver, call as soon as you know anything!" Captain Ron ordered, patting Robbie on the back and going back to his car.
Steve looked at Rick as he came up the steps. "Laurie's going to be all right, I know it, Rick. She's tough, and as soon as she can she'll get a hold of us!"
Rick glanced at him, "Do you read anything from her?" The big man shook his head. "No, except she's in some kind of pain. The fact I can pick that up means she's not that far away, at most a couple of hundred miles!"
As they took off over the slowly lightening skyline, Rick activated his watch for the umpteenth time, then gasped as it gave off a beep and gave off a coordinate. "Oscar, we got something, quick, I got a reading!" he said excitedly.
Writing down the geographical coordinates, Oscar determined that Laurie's transmitter was within one hundred miles of the Arizona/Colorado border.
Calling Denver P.D., Robbie got a hold of Captain Martin, then learned that although Laurie wasn't wearing her watch, her pendant was not in its case when Robin checked and that meant she hopefully had had it on when she was abducted.
Relieved, Rick spent the rest of the flight going over the paper trail from Willowby's informant at Linden House to the prison convicts.
As they went into a landing pattern, Rick gazed down at the city below, then silently promised," Sweetheart, I'm going to find you if it's the last thing I do!"