Chapter 3
"So you're basically saying that these guys are kidnappers," Vicki shouted, "You must be joking. I haven't heard anything about these sort of happenings since last year." She was still having a hard time believing their story, but was trying to pay attention anyway.
"We're not kidding," Joe said, "That's why we're down here now. This used to be an operation base."
"Whatever," Vicki said and stood up, "I don't want to hear anymore about this. It's crazy. Come on C. J." C. J. didn't move, but looked up at her friend.
"What is up with you," C. J. asked, "This could be another case for us. Why are you not interested?"
"Because it's stupid," Vicki said, "This place has been abandoned for years by the look of it. Why would kidnappers be based here?"
"Wait," Frank said, "You were mentioning something about a case. What's with that?"
C. J. glared at Vicki, "Great, you made me bring it up again. You know that I hate talking about it."
"Serves you right," Vicki said, laughing, "You told them what they wanted. That's just like you, going by what your mind thinks. What about your instinct? What does that tell you?"
"Well," C. J. continued, turning back to Frank and Joe, and ignoring Vicki, "We solve cases up here in Maine. We're from Sport and have nothing better to do with our time. So basically, we are detectives."
"Oh," Frank said, "Why didn't you just say that? It would have gotten you off earlier. We're detectives ourselves."
"Vicki," C. J. said, looking at Vicki now, "Come on, I said I'm sorry about it." Vicki didn't turn back around, "You know, it's tough being best friends with that girl." All three of them watched as Vicki moved out of sight, "She's never been this mad at me before."
"You…and her," Joe said, keeping hard from laughing, "are best friends. You have to be kidding. You two are nothing alike. How can you stand each other?"
C. J. shrugged, "I don't know. We've been friends since third grade. I think her temper is the worst I've ever seen. It gets to her sometimes. I better go after her before she gets in more trouble. I'm not sure if she can get out of any other fights."
Joe glanced down now, spotting the bruise he had taken from her earlier during the fight. He was pretty sure she could handle herself, "I think she'll be fine," he said, "I've seen it close up. She can." C. J. laughed, 'What?"
"It's just…" C. J. said, "that you seem so much like Vicki. You even got the best of her, but of course the score wasn't even."
"She reminds me of you," Frank told Joe, "except she can put up a better fight than you can. I've never seen you go down under a girl's punch."
"So what," Joe said, "I still came out in the end, didn't I? She seems like someone who can handle herself. I bet she's taken lessons."
"Yeah," C. J. said, "She's had them since ninth grade every Thursday after school. Maybe I should let her go. It'll take her a while to calm down now."
She sat back down and looked at the brothers, "Tell me some more about this place. I heard about the fire a couple of years ago, but didn't know where it was until now."
Frank and Joe told C. J. about the place's history, until she seemed to be glancing at her watch every couple of seconds, "Is something wrong," Frank asked, seeing this, "Is it Vicki?"
"Yes," C. J. said, "She's been gone for two hours now. She might not be the smartest, but she always comes back earlier."
C. J. stood up now and walked to the doorway, "Is this place really that old," she asked, "Why wasn't it destroyed after the fire?" She pushed the door aside and stepped inside the place. Pitch darkness greeted her inside and she held it open for the brothers.
A long empty corridor stretched out in front of them and the brothers stepped forward cautiously, not wanting to go forward. C. J. walked ahead now and waited for them to join her, "Come on, if anyone was here maybe they left something."
She walked forward and pushed the first door open, glancing in and closing it behind her. The room in front of her looked like it was a movie set. Two chairs were in the middle of the room, straps on the places where the arms and feet would have been. Four holes in the walls showed where hidden cameras used to have been. Objects were scattered everywhere, obviously from the explosion.
The room was immediately recognizable to the boys. They had been here once before, on another case. They had both hoped that they would never see this room again. At that moment though, the brothers entered the room. It was exactly like they remembered it, but there was something that felt wrong. Frank came in and bent down to look at something on the floor. A small card had been dropped there and he turned it over. It was a driver's license and it read 'Vicki Silver.'
"C. J," he said, "I think you should come over here. Look what I found," C. J. came over and took one glance at it before looking up at him.
"This is Vicki's," she said, "but what's it doing in here?" They all stopped talking as a sound startled them and made them jump. Voices were echoing down the hall!