Chapter Four

Delinda Deline pulled her car up in front of the Belvedere Elementary school and checked her watch. Realizing she still had a few minutes before school let out, the woman reached over to the passenger seat and picked up the magazine that she brought with her and thumbed through it, not really involving herself in any of the editorials.

After killing a few moments, she tossed the glossy mag into the backseat and got out of the car. Locking the car, she enabled the security system and walked into the school and waited as the children filed noisily out into the halls. Getting nervous when she didn't spot Jasmine, Delinda walked into the school office and looked at the receptionist. "I am here to pick a little girl up and I haven't seen her come out of the classroom."

The woman looked at her, "What's the child's name?"

"Jasmine Marquez," Delinda responded as she waited.

The receptionist reached for a clip board and read it, "It looks like a Delinda Deline picked her up earlier, about three hours ago."

Delinda's face registered shock, "That's impossible. I'm Delinda Deline and I haven't picked her up. I'm here to do this for my father, he didn't even ask me to do it up until an hour ago."

The secretary's face became a mask of horror. "Have a seat."

"No," she refused, "I have to call my father," Reaching into her purse, Delinda realized she left her cell phone in her car. "I need to use a phone,"

"What?" The receptionist asked, not hearing her.

"A phone!" Delinda raced around the counter and picked up the phone and quickly dialed her father's cell phone number. "Come on, Daddy," she said softly, "please pick up."

Ed reached for his ringing cell phone as he whizzed down Las Vegas Boulevard. Passing the Mirage, he picked it up and answered it, "Deline."

"Daddy," Delinda said frantically, "I'm at the school and they said that somebody used my name and picked Jasmine up three hours ago."

"What!" Ed demanded, quickly pulling the car over. "What do you mean somebody picked her up!"

"I don't know!" She said as she began to shake, "Oh god, Daddy, I got here on time, I even got here a few minutes early."

"Okay," her father said as he sighed deeply, his own hands trembling, "I'll meet you at the school. I'm going to call Sam and have her meet us there, okay?"

Delinda nodded, "Okay, do you want me to call the police?"

"No," Ed stated as he pulled back out onto the road and drove into a parking lot so he could turn around. "No police, not yet. If we have to, I'll get Luis to help us."

"Yeah," she said as she sighed.

"I'm gonna call Sam," Ed said as he hung up the phone. Quickly turning it on again, he placed a call to Sam, getting her voice mail. Cursing, he said, "Sam, it's me. Call me ASAP, it's Jasmine." Hanging up the phone he pressed his foot on the gas pedal, going faster.

Sam stalked back into the Montecito and immediately felt her phone vibrate at her side. Grabbing it, she read that she had a voice mail waiting for her and she called to listen to it. Upon hearing Ed's message, she felt herself go numb. Quickly dialing Ed's cell phone number, she waited for him to answer.

"Deline."

"Ed, it's me, what's wrong? Is she sick?"

"Oh, god, Sam," Ed began, "get your ass to the school, okay? Please hurry, honey."

"What's wrong!" Sam demanded as she sprinted out of the hotel towards the employee parking garage. Once she reached her car, she got in and turned it on.

"I'll tell you when I get here, I don't want you to get into an accident."

"Ed," the woman began, frightened at the sound of his voice, "please tell me," she begged him as she pulled out of the garage.

In frustration, Deline ran a hand through his hair as he pulled up in front of the school. Cutting the engine, he said quietly, "She's been snatched, Sam."

Sam turned white as a sheet. Her voice got eerily calm, "I'll be right there," Disconnecting the call, she didn't allow herself the luxury of panicking until she was at the school, where she knew Ed could keep her from becoming unglued.

Speeding down the streets towards the school, Samantha Jane Marquez simply prayed that there were no police officers around who would dare try to pull her over. Knowing that she wouldn't stop until she reached the brick school, Sam felt herself going faster. "Please let her be okay," she said quietly.

The woman looked over at the sleeping child next to her. She couldn't help but grin smugly at herself as she reached into her purse and fished her cell phone out. Dialing an international number, she waited for an answer. "It's me," she said, "yeah, I have her, she's still pretty knocked out." The woman laughed quietly as she nodded, "It wasn't as hard as I thought it would be," Glancing at the child again, she said, "We should be there by this time tomorrow." She paused as she listened, "Yes, the girl will wake up thinking I'm her mother and you are her father. I'll see you soon." Disconnecting the call, the woman chuckled to herself, "You'll pay for the problems you inflicted on us... Both of you."