"Let's scout around," Frank instructed. "Girls, Tony, ask around in here," he instructed. "The rest of you, let's look outside."
Ten minutes later they converged back at the table. "Nothing," Frank said in disgust as his friends sat back down.
"Frank!" Tony came over and clamped a hand on his shoulder.
Frank turned to look at his friend whose eyes shone with excitement. "What is it?" Frank asked, feeling Tony had a lead to Joe's whereabouts.
"The guy at table fourteen, the one near the salad bar, said he saw Joe outside when he was coming in," Tony informed him.
"Did he see anything happen to him?" Frank demanded.
"He didn't say," Tony answered. "But I think he might have."
"Why?" Callie asked.
"He started to say something about the van but then paused and said he saw him outside," Tony answered.
"Probably just saw Joe get out of the van," Chet grunted.
"Maybe," Frank agreed. "But I want to talk to him anyway."
Frank approached the young man at table fourteen. "Hello," he said. "Tony said you saw my brother outside when you arrived."
"Yeah," the man replied, looking at Frank warily. "What's the big deal?"
"He's missing," Frank answered. The other three guys at the table were now paying close attention. "What was he doing?"
"Walking through the parking lot," the man replied a bit uncomfortably.
"Did you see anything out of the ordinary?" Frank pushed.
"No," the man answered, looking down at his plate.
"He was just walking?" Frank pushed, understanding why Toney had thought he knew more than he was saying. "You didn't see anyone near him?"
"There...there was a van," the man finally admitted. "The kid stopped to let it drive by but it stopped and two guys got out of the back, grabbed him and got back into the van."
"Why didn't you call the police?" demanded the man to his right.
"Because it all happened so fast; I thought that maybe I had imagined it," he snapped, turning to look at his friend. "It was like I blinked and he was gone."
Frank fought to keep his anger under control. The oaf should have called the police! "Can you tell me what the men looked like who grabbed him?" Frank asked, his voice obviously controlled.
"No," the man answered. "They moved too fast. But I did get the van's tag number. I have a photographic memory," he added.
You're fantastic! Frank's mind screamed. "What was it?" he asked.
"RKN 4139," the man said. "The van was a real dark blue and there was dirt on the tag but not enough to hide the number."
Joe was in the van and it was moving before he even realized he had been kidnapped. "Where are you taking me?" Joe demanded as the van pulled into traffic.
"Silence!" snapped one of his captors, pointing a gun at Joe and cocking the hammer expectantly.
Joe sat still and said nothing as the van rolled along. He had hoped his captors would at least talk among themselves but they remained quiet and focused. The two men in the back kept their weapons trained on him while the driver paid attention to the road. The man in the front passenger seat kept checking the side mirror as he held a revolver in his right hand that sat tense on the armrest.
Less than five minutes later the van stopped and Joe was hustled into the back of a limousine with tinted windows. His previous captors took off and he was left in the company of three more armed men with an unseen driver behind a partition.
"Whoa re you?" Joe tried again to communicate. "Why did you kidnap me?" The men ignored him. Joe reached for the handle on the door but froze as he felt a gun pushed into his side with just enough pressure for him to know the possessor was serious but not enough to cause him any discomfort.
Apparently, they had orders to take him alive and unharmed or dead. What a choice! Joe thought scowling as he leaned back against the seat. They rode in silence for almost half an hour before the car came to a stop. The door opened and Joe and the three men exited the back of the limousine. Two men were standing on the roadway. The limo drove away and Joe was escorted down a path to the edge of the ocean by the five men.
"Put this on," Joe was ordered as a wet suit was thrust into his arms.
"Why?" Joe demanded, his blue eyes narrowing, more to hide his fear than his suspicion.
Two of the men reached for Joe and began taking his shirt off. "I got it!" Joe shouted. "I'll do it myself!" he snapped. The men stepped back but kept a close guard on Joe as he stripped to his briefs before donning the wet suit.
A SCUBA tank was put on him as two men each donned suits and gear. Joe was then led into the water and pulled along by the two powerful divers down to a rock formation. Joe saw in horror the chains that had been welded to the rock. He began to struggle but the men were too strong and in no time at all Joe was chained to the rock and the divers swam away.
"Frank!" Tony came over and clamped a hand on his shoulder.
Frank turned to look at his friend whose eyes shone with excitement. "What is it?" Frank asked, feeling Tony had a lead to Joe's whereabouts.
"The guy at table fourteen, the one near the salad bar, said he saw Joe outside when he was coming in," Tony informed him.
"Did he see anything happen to him?" Frank demanded.
"He didn't say," Tony answered. "But I think he might have."
"Why?" Callie asked.
"He started to say something about the van but then paused and said he saw him outside," Tony answered.
"Probably just saw Joe get out of the van," Chet grunted.
"Maybe," Frank agreed. "But I want to talk to him anyway."
Frank approached the young man at table fourteen. "Hello," he said. "Tony said you saw my brother outside when you arrived."
"Yeah," the man replied, looking at Frank warily. "What's the big deal?"
"He's missing," Frank answered. The other three guys at the table were now paying close attention. "What was he doing?"
"Walking through the parking lot," the man replied a bit uncomfortably.
"Did you see anything out of the ordinary?" Frank pushed.
"No," the man answered, looking down at his plate.
"He was just walking?" Frank pushed, understanding why Toney had thought he knew more than he was saying. "You didn't see anyone near him?"
"There...there was a van," the man finally admitted. "The kid stopped to let it drive by but it stopped and two guys got out of the back, grabbed him and got back into the van."
"Why didn't you call the police?" demanded the man to his right.
"Because it all happened so fast; I thought that maybe I had imagined it," he snapped, turning to look at his friend. "It was like I blinked and he was gone."
Frank fought to keep his anger under control. The oaf should have called the police! "Can you tell me what the men looked like who grabbed him?" Frank asked, his voice obviously controlled.
"No," the man answered. "They moved too fast. But I did get the van's tag number. I have a photographic memory," he added.
You're fantastic! Frank's mind screamed. "What was it?" he asked.
"RKN 4139," the man said. "The van was a real dark blue and there was dirt on the tag but not enough to hide the number."
Joe was in the van and it was moving before he even realized he had been kidnapped. "Where are you taking me?" Joe demanded as the van pulled into traffic.
"Silence!" snapped one of his captors, pointing a gun at Joe and cocking the hammer expectantly.
Joe sat still and said nothing as the van rolled along. He had hoped his captors would at least talk among themselves but they remained quiet and focused. The two men in the back kept their weapons trained on him while the driver paid attention to the road. The man in the front passenger seat kept checking the side mirror as he held a revolver in his right hand that sat tense on the armrest.
Less than five minutes later the van stopped and Joe was hustled into the back of a limousine with tinted windows. His previous captors took off and he was left in the company of three more armed men with an unseen driver behind a partition.
"Whoa re you?" Joe tried again to communicate. "Why did you kidnap me?" The men ignored him. Joe reached for the handle on the door but froze as he felt a gun pushed into his side with just enough pressure for him to know the possessor was serious but not enough to cause him any discomfort.
Apparently, they had orders to take him alive and unharmed or dead. What a choice! Joe thought scowling as he leaned back against the seat. They rode in silence for almost half an hour before the car came to a stop. The door opened and Joe and the three men exited the back of the limousine. Two men were standing on the roadway. The limo drove away and Joe was escorted down a path to the edge of the ocean by the five men.
"Put this on," Joe was ordered as a wet suit was thrust into his arms.
"Why?" Joe demanded, his blue eyes narrowing, more to hide his fear than his suspicion.
Two of the men reached for Joe and began taking his shirt off. "I got it!" Joe shouted. "I'll do it myself!" he snapped. The men stepped back but kept a close guard on Joe as he stripped to his briefs before donning the wet suit.
A SCUBA tank was put on him as two men each donned suits and gear. Joe was then led into the water and pulled along by the two powerful divers down to a rock formation. Joe saw in horror the chains that had been welded to the rock. He began to struggle but the men were too strong and in no time at all Joe was chained to the rock and the divers swam away.