Chapter Four
Vera and Vanessa DiAngelo were in separate rooms of the DiAngelo estate. Brian was in the Room with Vera and Risa was in the room with Vanessa. Brian and Risa had decided to question them separately. If they did have something to hide, it wouldn't be so easy for them to back each other up that way
"Alright Vera," said Brian, "I've got some questions for you and you might as well tell me the truth because I'll know if you're lying."
"I've got better things to do than listen to you," snorted Vera as she headed for the door,
"I think you'd better answer my questions Vera," said Brian calmly, "unless…"
"Unless what?!" snorted Vera defiantly
"Unless you want me to tell mom what really happened to her favorite pair of earrings." Replied Brian
Vera stopped dead in her tracks! She turned to see her brother smirking at her.
"You wouldn't?" she said looking at her brother.
"In a minute!" he replied
"Fine," she snorted knowing he had her over a barrel, "What do you want to know?"
"Did you and Vanessa go backstage after the concert?" asked Brian
"No, we didn't." said Vera, "We were hungry so we went to the Brick Hearth for a steak dinner."
"You do realize that'll be pretty easy to check out, right?" said Brian
"Go ahead!" retorted Vera, "Why are you giving me the third degree anyway?!"
"One of Jamie O's favorite necklaces was stolen after the show and someone's trying to frame Risa for it." Replied Brian
"Hmph," snorted Vera smirking and growing sarcastic, "How do you know it's a frame up?"
Brian glared at Vera, knowing what she was implying.
"That's strike one." He said warningly, "Three strikes, and I tell mom what happened to her earrings."
The smirk of Vera's face disappeared.
Having had enough of his sister for one afternoon Brian turned and walked out the door.
A few minutes later he found out that Risa had gotten the exact same story from Vanessa.
"Doesn't it seem strange that their stories match so closely." Commented Risa
Brian nodded
"Very strange." He replied, "Come on we'd better find Matt and Evie and compare notes."
Matt and Evie had already returned to the camp and had gone out for a ride.
"Evie," said Matt after a few minutes of companionable silence, "I believe that we should consider Justin a suspect."
"I figured you would say that, Matt," Replied Evie, "Before I agree with you, I want to know what Jamie meant when she said that you and Justin have never gotten along?"
Matt sighed before he answered.
"Do you remember I said that Jamie and I have known each other all our lives?" he asked
Evie nodded
"Well, that's very true," said Matt, "to the extent that I was there when Jamie was discovered. Right after her first single became a hit, This Justin character came swooping in like Don Juan and swept her off her feet. Right off the bat, I just felt that he was a little too perfect. A few weeks after they first got together, I saved Justin from getting his kneecaps broken by a couple of muscle-heads in the alley behind the concert hall Jamie was playing that evening.
It turned out they worked for the boss of an underground casino that Justin was in hock to. You see Justin is compulsive gambler."
Evie nodded in understanding.
"What did Jamie do we she found out?" she asked
"The same thing she's done every other time he's been caught gambling, she paid off his debt." Replied Matt
"What!?" said Evie incredulously
"Somehow he's managed to charm her into forgiving him every time…well… almost every time." Said Matt, "After the last time, when she had to shell out $150,000 to save his neck, she lowered the boom and told him that if he ever gambled again, she'd throw him out on his ear."
"What was his reaction?" asked Evie
"She's says, he swore off gambling and she believes that he hasn't gambled since." Replied Matt
"It doesn't sound like you believe him, though." Said Evie
"I don't." said Matt, "I mean I hope I'm wrong, but something about that guy has always hit a false note with me. I just can't bring myself to trust him."
Evie nodded in understanding and was about to say something when suddenly she flinched like she had been hit and her hand shot to her neck.
"Evie, what's wrong?!" said Matt
Instead of answering Evie went glassy-eyed and began to slump and slide out of the saddle.
Matt jumped off Wisteria and barely managed to catch Evie before she hit the ground. As he laid her on the ground, he spotted a small tranquilizer dart sticking out of her neck.
As he was reaching for it, he became aware that someone was sneaking up behind him. he whirled around just in time to block a blow from a club. As he shoved the guy to the ground he was clubbed from behind and slumped to the ground unconscious.
Matt stirred and opened his eyes. Evie was facing him and breathed a sigh of relief when she saw his eyes open.
"Oh, thank goodness your awake!" she said
"How long was I out?" he asked
"I don't know," she said, "I just woke up a few minutes ago myself."
Matt looked around. They seemed to be in a rectangular concrete pit loaded with scrap metal. They were sitting facing each other tied hand and foot on piles of junk.
"Where are we?"
"We're in one of the sorting pits at the Willow creek foundry." Said Evie
The expression on Matt's face became one of concentration. He gave a small shudder as his adrenaline went coursing through his veins and into his muscles. Then he snapped the ropes around his wrists.
After freeing his legs, he freed Evie and helped her to her feet.
"Now let's get out of here!" he said
"That might not be so easy." Said Evie pointing up
Matt looked up and saw what she was talking about. The top of the pit was covered with a steel grate and the large door in the middle of the grate was closed and padlocked on the outside.
Evie began rummaging around in the junk like she was looking for something.
"Um Evie," said Matt curiously, "What are you doing?"
Evie suddenly straightened up with small piece of metal wire in her hand.
"Looking for something like this." She said, "Now, if you can give me a boost, I think I can pick that lock. Matt nodded and bent down so she could climb on his shoulders. Then he stood up and she set to work on the lock. Within seconds she had the lock picked.
"Okay brace yourself," she called down to Matt, "I'm going to try to lift this door."
Matt nodded and set his feet.
"I'm ready," he said, "Go for it!"
Evie pushed with all her strength and she guessed a little adrenaline because was able to shove the gate open. In slammed into the ground with metallic bang. Evie climbed up though the opening. Matt jumped up and caught the edge of the opening. Then he pulled himself up and out as Evie grabbed ahold of him to make sure that he didn't slide back.
They stood up and looked around. They were both thinking the same thing, they were grateful their kidnappers hadn't come running when Evie opened the grate and it slammed down. Thankfully the noise of the running machinery had drowned out the crash. Then suddenly they heard Wisteria start whinnying frantically and it sounded like she was thrashing around.
Evie and Matt climbed up the walkway and raced to the other side of the foundry's scrapyard. When they got there, they saw that several figures in ski masks down below them had ropes around Wisteria's neck and were trying to get her under control.
Evie and Matt vaulted over the railing in front them and down on top of the men. Evie began throwing kicks and punches at the momentarily stunned men, and so did Matt. Suddenly. Evie grabbed a sheet of metal that was laying on the ground and turned just in time to deflect another tranquilizer dart that was fired at her by one of the men.
She grinned at the man before she clubbed him with the sheet metal knocking him out.
"Matt!" she called
When he turned, she picked up the tranquilizer gun and tossed it to him. he caught it and busted the stock off of it.
Matt used the metal barrel of the gun to block an attack with a club, then with a lightning fast move he whirled and clobbered the guy running up behind him.
Then he turned back to the other guy with the club.
"We don't fall for the same tricks twice!" he grinned.
"We need help!" yelled the man. more men in ski masks came running around the nearby building. but at the same time Evie's family and half her clan including Jason and Brian, Led by Gustdance, burst from the tree line. Rafael, Lisa, and Risa jumped off their horses and raced over to where Evie and Matt were now standing back-to-back.
"Gustdance brought help!" said Evie happily
With the tables now turned, the ski masked men turned and ran for it. Evie sprang forward and tackled one of them before he got too far. Matt helped by pulling the guy up and pinning him against a nearby wall.
Evie reached up and pulled his mask off.
Risa gasped.
"Nico Scarletti!" she exclaimed
"You know this slimeball?!" asked Matt surprised, as two of Rafael's men grabbed Nico and held him.
"Yeah," said Risa, "he's a member of the Sundance Clan."
"Wait, he's Romani and he kidnapped a fellow Romani?" said Matt
"The members of the Sundance clan would double-cross their own mothers if you paid them enough!" said Evie by way of explanation.
Risa nodded.
"And Nico here," she continued, "showed up at our camp a month or so before I met Brian. He was posing as a member of the Blue Star clan, friends of ours, looking for a job. Dad gave him one and he quickly became one of several guys trying to date me at the time."
"That was until we caught him cheating customers in the game he was running on the midway, discovered who he was, and found out he was just trying to get close to Risa to find out where the Moondance treasure is." Finished Lisa
"Now he's going to tell us who he's working for!" snapped Risa getting in Nico's face
"I don't know what you're talking about!" retorted Nico
"Wrong answer!" snapped Risa
She promptly drove the heel of her boot into Nico's instep and twisted his thumb back sharply.
Nico cried out in pain!
"Okay, Okay," he whined, "I don't know exactly who hired us, it was done by message, we were promised 10,000 dollars if we put Matt and Evie out of business for a while. We got a letter with a five thousand dollar down payment."
"Where's the letter?" growled Risa taking another step forward
"In my jacket pocket, in my pocket," cried the terrified Nico
Evie reached into his jacket pocket and pulled it out.
When she opened the letter, Matt's eyes widened.
"That's Jamie's personal stationary!" he said, "What is going on here?!"
TO BE CONTINUED…PLEASE REVIEW