Chapter 12

"What happened?" Magnum asked, breathless as he burst through the French double doors that led into the den, where everyone had gathered.

"I'll tell you what happened," Jack said, jabbing his index finger into Magnum's chest and getting in his face. "They got Janet and Frank. Great job protecting her. You should get PI of the year for this one."

"Magnum, where were you?" Higgins asked.

"I went to the Big Island on a tip that Rick got. I don't know," he said, raking his hands through his hair, "maybe it was ruse. I'm just not sure. Did anyone see anything?"

"No," Terri said. "None of us was here."

"Exactly the way they wanted it," Jack said in disgust.

"Has there been any communication? Any phone calls, notes, anything?"

Jonathan shook his head. "I'm sorry to say, Magnum, but we've had no word at all. Yet."

With their hands tied behind their backs and their mouths gagged, Janet and Frank were thrown, unceremoniously, into an old abandoned warehouse that looked to be near the piers.

Once they were safely inside, the two men removed their gags but did not untie their hands.

"Why are you doing this?" Janet demanded, trying to show some spunk so they wouldn't think she felt totally defeated.

"You'll be of some use to us," Melinda informed Janet.

"You'll never get away with this," Frank said. "I'm sure the police are combing every inch of this island right now."

"Good," Melinda said. "We'll make their search even more interesting when your friend receives our ransom call."

On Kona, Enrique Pineda met Tyrone, Ernesto's brother, in a discreet location.

"I did what you told me to do. I implicated my brother and my nephew in your sick little scheme."

"Good," he said, "that means you get to live for another day. They nabbed your brother's pretty little assistant. She'll talk soon enough."

"I told you she doesn't know anything."

"We'll see about that. But the main thing is it's only a matter of time before Magnum comes looking for her. And when he does, we'll be ready."

"Magnum, where are you going?" Higgins asked.

"To my place. I need to sort a few things out. Let me know if you hear anything."

Jack started to go after him, but Terri stopped him.

"Please, Jack, I know you're beyond livid, but verbal sparring is not going to help Janet."

Jack nodded and tried to rein in his anger.

"I know. You're right. I'm just so frustrated."

"I am, too. And I'm also scared beyond belief."

"That makes two of us, Terri, because I'm terrified."

"I know you probably won't agree with this, but I'd like to go talk to Thomas. I don't know how much help I can be, but I'd like to try. For Janet's sake."

"If you want to go to him, go."

She gave her friend a half smile and then excused herself from the room.

After she'd gone, Jack looked out the doors onto the dusk that was beginning to settle on Honolulu.

I wish I could go to Janet, he thought, and then offered up a silent prayer for her safety.

"At least they're not keeping us tied up," Janet said to Frank, as they both rubbed their sore wrists.

Melinda had ordered their hands untied a few minutes earlier.

"Yeah, makes me wonder why," Frank said.

"Don't question anything too much," Janet advised. "Let's just be thankful they're being this civil towards us."

"I guess you're right."

Janet slid down to sit on the concrete floor with her back against the wall. She stared at her windowless surroundings and berated herself.

"I should have listened to Jack," she said, speaking softly but out loud.

"That friend of yours from LA?" Frank asked.

Janet looked at him in surprise that he had heard her but then she nodded.

"What was his advice?"

"To go back with him to LA. We should have boarded the first plane. Why did I hesitate?"

"I'm not sure that would have been the wisest thing to do," Frank said, trying to offer her some comfort. "At least with you still being here, the people involved know what's going on. What if this trouble had followed you?"

"And what if it hadn't?" Janet countered. "What if I had been able to make a blissful escape? I don't know anything about anything, so why am I here? I don't get it. But if I had left with Jack, maybe things would have worked out. But now, we'll never know, will we?"

"I wouldn't say that," Frank said. "I really think we're going to come out of this just fine. I have to believe that, and so do you."

Janet nodded, but she knew if Frank felt even half as confident as he sounded, that was still way more confident than she felt. What if she never saw Jack again?

"Is it okay that I'm here?" Terri asked Thomas, when she found him sitting on his sofa with a pen in his hand and a pad of paper on his knee.

"It's fine. Do you have some news?"

"No. I just thought it might help if you had someone to bounce ideas off of. I'm a very good listener."

Magnum gave her a wan smile. "Thanks for the offer. I wish I had some ideas to share."

"Why don't you tell me what your thoughts are? You must have some idea of what you think happened."

"The only thing I think I know for sure is that Enrique Pineda is either involved with this gang or is indebted to them. Very indebted to them, and is doing their dirty work to buy himself some time. For what, I don't know."

"Who do you think kidnapped Janet and Frank?"

"Someone associated with either the gang or Enrique or both. I talked to Carlos. I still don't believe he's involved, but I wouldn't be surprised to find out he is."

Terri nodded. "That's been bugging me, too. This all seems to revolve around him."

"But what's the connection?" Thomas asked, almost to himself. "That's what I can't figure out."

"Do you think he's running some kind of shady operation, and these people think Janet knows something or, worse yet, is involved with him?"

"That thought crossed my mind, but I still don't get the gang connection. Why would they rough up his son?"

"Do you think it was a set up to make us believe someone was after him when maybe he was in on it the whole time?"

"But he accepted police protection. Why?"

"To continue his cover," Terri suggested.

Thomas looked at Terri and gave her a small smile. "Do you read a lot of mystery or detective novels?"

"Maybe one or two," she said and offered him a hopeful smile. "Is any of this making sense?"

"Possibly."

The harsh jangling of the phone startled both of them. Magnum quickly picked up the receiver and said "hello". Within seconds, he knew this was the call they had been waiting for.

"$100,000, Magnum. That's for starters."

"Where and when?"

"Pier 21. Midnight tomorrow. Come alone, Magnum. Or you won't find your lady friend and her so-called bodyguard alive. Got that?"

Clear as crystal, Thomas thought, and then in a moment of uncontrolled anger, he threw the phone against the wall.