Rick saw the horror on his wife's face as she said, "No, please don't hurt them! David and Carolyn haven't done anything to you!"
"No, except cause the death of my father! I want your family to pay, and pay big time. Unless you and Barnabas sign that contract and turn Collins Enterprises over to me by midnight tonight, the price will go up! I'll call you at 11 pm to give you the time and place to meet me. No police, or else."
Meeting Rick's eyes, Laurie nodded at him, then replied, "All right, no police, but I want to talk to them, make sure they're all right. Or no deal."
"I'll call back in one hour."
Click.
Holding on for a moment, the dial tone let the two Simons know the kidnapper had hung up. At once Barnabas shook his head.
"There's no way he'll let them live once we sign those papers, my dear. But ...we may yet be able to save them...If we sign the papers and add a clause that a final signature must be made by David and Carolyn, they would have to be alive to sign. He would have to take the papers to them..."
"And we would follow him to where he's holding them..." Rick finished. "That's a great idea, Barnabas, but ...what if we can trace that call?"
"On it, Rick." A.J. was calling Sheriff Patterson as they spoke.
Luckily they reached Patterson as he was ready to leave his office for the day. Explaining the situation, A.J. made a few notes, then handed the phone to his brother.
"Mr. Simon, I'm glad you called. I found out a few things about Mr. Stoddard and his motivations for wanting to take over your business. Seems he blames your family for the death of his father, and has been trying to sabotage some of the Collins recent projects." The younger man told him. Hearing of that, Barnabas answered, "He did, two of our contracts were cancelled. More importantly, we have to find my cousins before midnight, tonight. Is there anyway of tracking Stoddard's call?"
"I can, give me 5 minutes."
While they waited, Laurie and Linda went to the children and made sure Ricki and Ceci knew to keep inside the house. Mrs. Johnson made a cold supper and promised to call them if there were any phone calls while they were at dinner.
Just then Sheriff Patterson called back. "We traced Stoddard's call from the old Lighthouse off of Shipwreck Cove. You said he's going to call back in one hour?"
"Yes, Laurie told him she wanted to talk to her cousins or no deal, so he said one hour then hung up." Rick explained.
"All right, when he calls, have her keep them on as long as she can. Tell Mrs. Simon to agree to his demands, then find out where he wants the contract delivered. I'll trace the party line and if it's the Lighthouse again, we'll wait until he comes out for the exchange, then capture him, and rescue your cousins." At that point Barnabas spoke up.
"That's too dangerous, Sheriff...I think we should go to the lighthouse by the old coast road and set up a distraction, then rescue David and Carolyn."
"I'm sorry, Mr. Collins, but it's better if we wait. Now call me back as soon as you hear from Stoddard." Patterson insisted.
Rick took a breath, then told the Sheriff, "All right, as soon as we hear from him, we'll call you."
Hanging up, Rick turned to a mutinous looking Barnabas. "Barnabas, we'll play it by his rules for now..."
"I don't trust Stoddard; what's to stop him from ordering us to bring the contract and kill
David and Carolyn before we get there?" The older man interrupted, then he subsided as Laurie put a hand on his arm.
"Barnabas, we won't let him hurt them, I promise...let Rick finish."
Rick felt Barnabas's frustration. "We'll wait until Stoddard calls, then tell the sheriff he can wait, but that we'll head toward the lighthouse via the beach road and intercept him. The Sheriff can either help us or not."
The weary man gave him a wry smile. "Thank you, Rick. I'm sorry to be so abrupt, but I will not ...I cannot face anything happening to Carolyn and David.."
"Neither can I." Rick told him quietly.
The next 20 minutes dragged for them all, so Rick and A.J. got out their weapons, then a couple of blankets "as David and Carolyn might be cold". When the phone rang Laurie picked it up as Rick turned on the tape recorder.
"Collins residence".
"You've got 30 seconds."
Again, Laurie thought the voice she heard was not exactly that of Stoddard, but the menace was. "Please let me talk to them."
There was silence, then Carolyn's voice. "Laurie?"
"Carolyn, honey, are you all right?" Laurie tried to stay calm as her cousin's voice shook.
"Yesss, but I'm scared, he ...Please, do as he says."
"We will, I promise. Just hold on." Rick was furious as he saw his wife's face turn white.
"Tell Barnabas...no, don't!" Carolyn cried out, then a scuffling noise sounded over the speaker.
"Carolyn!" Laurie called, then David came on the phone.
"Laurie...tell Barnabas to do as he says...he's going to kill Carolyn!"
Rick had had enough, he took the phone from Laurie and told David, "It's okay, David.
We're going to bring you and Carolyn home safe...nothing's worth you being hurt."
"Thank you, Rick...tell Barnabas we love him, but don't sign any contract!" David's voice rose suddenly, then he yelled out in pain and was silent.
"David! Carolyn! Stoddard, you coward, talk to me!" Rick shouted.
"All right, you got to talk to them, now you've got until midnight to sign that contract, Barnabas...both you and Mrs. Simon. Bring it to Shipwreck Point and park in the turnabout, with your lights out. If there are any police around, I'll shoot your cousins in front of you, then turn the gun on you!"
Barnabas reached over and took the receiver from Rick. "What guarantee do we have that you'll release David and Carolyn when we sign?"
"When you come with the contract, I'll hand you four plane tickets to Arizona, and drive you to Bangor, where you will fly to Arizona. The Simons will remain behind. Once the three day rescission period has passed, you may return and get your family and clear out. If you don't, I'll kill everyone at Collinwood. By midnight, or else."
At that a dial tone sounded, and Rick let out a swear word.
"I'm sorry, but that evil...okay, let's go. Sweetheart, you and Barnabas stay here, we'll call as soon as we find David and Carolyn. As soon as we leave, call the Sheriff and tell him A.J. and I will meet him at the beach near Shipwreck Point." Rick saw she was going to protest and embraced her.
"Please, Laurie."
"Yes, Rick...I'll stay with Barnabas..."she promised, kissing him almost desperately. "Be safe, please darling."
"I will, angel...I love you." He whispered, then hugged Barnabas as Laurie and Linda embraced A.J..
"I'll take care of your families, Rick...if there's any problem, call and I'll do as he says." The older man said gravely, his emotions showing in his eyes.
Saying goodbye to both Rick and A.J., Laurie and Linda stood at the entry door and watched as the two brothers drove away. Barnabas went to the phone and called the sheriff.
"Collinsport Sheriff Station, Deputy Davenport speaking."
"Deputy, may I speak to the sheriff, it's very important." Now it was Laurie's turn to see her cousin act startled.
"Are you certain, Deputy? I see, thank you...no, I'll find him myself."
As he completed the call, Barnabas turned and told Linda and Laurie. "According to Deputy Davenport, Sheriff Patterson left the station this afternoon and hasn't returned. Something doesn't make sense here."
"Linda, here..." Laurie handed her watch transmitter to her sister-in-law. "Barnabas and I are going to go to the lighthouse via the old beach road, see if we can catch up with Rick and A.J.. See if you can get a hold of them and tell them what we found out, we'll meet them at the beach below Shipwreck Point, where they wanted to meet the sheriff."
Putting on their coats, Barnabas stopped long enough to ask Mrs. Johnson to keep the house locked up.
"You can be sure, Mr. Collins, Mrs. Simon and the children will be safe." She told them.
"Be careful sis, Barnabas..." Linda said as they prepared to leave.
"We will, Linny, go ahead and call now." Laurie reminded her, then she and Barnabas headed out.
At once Linda turned on the transmitter, then called, "A.J.? Rick? Come in."
There was static, then A.J.'s voice. "Linny? Is everything okay?"
"Something's wrong, A.J.. Barnabas called the sheriff, and according to the deputy, he hasn't been in the office all afternoon. Barnabas and Sis want to meet you at the beach below Shipwreck Point, they just left."
"Okay honey, we'll look for them...wait a minute..." the younger Simon paused then told Rick, "Pull over, Rick.. I just saw a light in that cave."
Doing as his brother asked, Rick killed his motor, then silently pulled off the old sea road and parked behind the rocky face of the caves near Smuggler's Cove. Just as they got out of the car and took cover, a figure came out of the caverns.
As the moonlight hit his face, both Simons saw it was James Stoddard. At once Rick pulled his weapon.
"Stoddard, freeze!"
Taken by surprise, the younger man whirled around, then made as if to run back into the caves.
Immediately Rick fired into the sand at his feet, and he stopped dead in his tracks.
"Wait a minute, I can explain..."
"You can explain right now where Carolyn and David are, for starters." Rick growled, gesturing with his gun.
"Sure, I just found them myself, but I didn't take them, I was just going to split my take, that's all." The man babbled, turning and leading them in to the caverns.
"Never mind that now, they'd better be all right, or you're going be floating back to Collinsport." A.J. told him.
As they followed the narrow corridor, Rick yelled out, "Carolyn! David!"
A muffled cry answered them, and turning right, the three men found themselves in a small cavern with water dripping everywhere. A small lantern showed the two cousins, bound and gagged, tied to a wooden post driven into the sand floor of the room. Water had started to puddle around their feet.
"A.J., keep him covered." Rick undid the gags on Carolyn and David, then pulled out his knife and cut them loose.
"Thank God...Rick, A.J...I thought we were going to drown in here." Carolyn choked, as David nodded, his right eye swollen and bruised. "I knew you guys would come, I just didn't know if it would be in time...I tried to stall him."
"And you did, son, but it looks like you went a few rounds. I'm going to take you guys into town to have you checked out. Honey, are you all right?" Rick asked Carolyn, seeing her wincing.
"He slapped me around when I tried to tell Barnabas not to sign anything... And he let him do it!" she answered, her voice gaining strength as she glared at Stoddard.
Helping the two of them up, Rick suddenly caught what Carolyn said.
"What do you mean, he let him...who else is involved?"
Before she could reply, Linda's voice crackled over the transmitter. "Rick, A.J.? Come in."
Hustling Stoddard out of the cave ahead of them, Rick helped the cousins out of the caves, then once they were clear of the rocks, spoke into the transmitter.
"We found David and Carolyn, Linda...they're safe. We also have Stoddard in custody,
did Patterson call in?"
At the name of the sheriff, Stoddard burst out, "I won't take the fall for him, he's the one who planned this!"
Suddenly it all became clear; how "Stoddard" was able to plant his notes and knew where
the Simons and Barnabas would be.
"Linda, call the sheriff station, tell the deputy what happened and that Sheriff Patterson needs to be taken into custody as accessory to kidnapping and extortion." Rick explained, as A.J. tied Stoddard's wrists with one of the ropes from the cave.
At once Rick "called out " to his wife, then felt her presence in the area.
"Laurie, sweetheart...tell Barnabas, Patterson's behind your cousins kidnapping, don't go anywhere with him!"
In a flash he 'heard" Laurie's voice, "He just showed up, we're on the beach near the lighthouse...I've got to warn Barnabas!"
"Quick, put Stoddard in the back. Carolyn, David, climb in. A.J., Patterson's met up with Barnabas and Laurie, we got to help ..." He started, then a scream froze the words in his mouth.
"Barnabas, look out!" Laurie's voice carried from somewhere above them, and Rick took off at a run. Climbing the rocky slope of the jetty, he came up onto the tide pools, then saw Barnabas collapsed on the ground about twenty feet in front of him.
"Barnabas!"
Rick moved quickly to his side, then saw he was merely dazed. "Barnabas...can you stand?"
"Yes...Rick..I'm all right...we must hurry, Patterson's chasing Laurie!"
Helping the older man to his feet, Rick looked up to see a man running down the jetty, then he "felt" his wife's panic.
"Laurie, hide, we're coming!" he "told" her as they dashed along the path. Rick carefully scanned the area ahead of him, then saw a shortcut through the rocks leading to the beach.
"Barnabas, wait here for A.J. and the others, I see a way to stop Patterson." He told him.
"Be careful, Rick, he's dangerous." Barnabas warned as Rick nodded, then went down some broken steps and ran down the beach.
A few minutes later he caught sight of the uniformed man slipping in and out of shadows around the outbuildings at the foot of the abandoned tower, then saw his wife dart out of a hiding place and scramble out onto the jetty. Too late he realized she was coming to a dead end, and "called" "Laurie, run back to the lighthouse...there's no way off the jetty there!"
As he saw her pause, then start back, he realized with horror Patterson had spotted her, and was now stalking her, darting back and forth.
With renewed speed, Rick clambered back up the rocks, then saw the sheriff had cornered his wife.
"No way out this time, Mrs. Simon. Now you will pay for the trouble the Collins family caused my dad. He had a nervous breakdown from all the stress you people caused him...now I'll break your family by disposing of you!" he shouted, then dived forward and grabbed her up in his arms.
Running toward them, Rick heard Laurie scream "Rick!" then try to break loose of her captor as he carried her toward the edge of the jetty. A mist of fog suddenly came up out of nowhere, and for a moment he lost sight of them.
"Let her go!" Rick yelled blindly, then the fog dissipated and he saw a startled Patterson lose his grip on Laurie, as she struggled free and dropped to the ground.
Before Rick could advance on the man, he dropped to his knees, then yelled "You're dead, you can't be here!"
"I'm not dead, but you're going to wish you were!" Rick ran at him, then wrestled him to the ground and using his belt, tied his hands behind his back.
"Rick...he hurt Barnabas, we have to find him!" Rick turned and found his wife trying to get up. "Laurie..." he said, then picked her up and held her tightly in his arms.
"Darling Rick..." she whispered, as he kissed her. "I was afraid...he was going to drown me."
"Safe, you're safe, sweetheart. So's Barnabas," he assured her, as she started to speak.
"Thank God. If you hadn't told us...I never knew Patterson wanted revenge...he fooled so many people." she sighed, then rested her head against his for a moment. Only the sound of a siren made them look up.
"Finally!" Rick groused, then chuckled as Laurie told him, "Makes you miss our little town, doesn't it?"
"Never going to complain again." He laughed, as familiar voices called to them.
Hours later, a weary group of cousins and friends sat around the formerly staid library at Collinwood, the fireplace lit and helping warm the recovering David and Carolyn, still wrapped in blankets.
"I should have called Mr. Dawson's office directly to speak to one of you, but when Patterson said Barnabas had had an accident and for us to hurry, I didn't even think to let Linda or Mrs. Johnson know..." Carolyn explained ruefully. David nodded, an embarrassed smile on his face.
"And I got caught up in Carolyn's being upset, so when we met Patterson in back of the hospital, he was able to take us by surprise and force us into his cruiser."
"Well, you're both safe, and that's all that matters, my boy." Barnabas assured him, a bandage on his forehead his only visible reminder of the attack on his family.
"What I want to know is who Patterson was yelling at after the fog showed up." Rick said, laying haphazardly on the sofa, with Laurie stretched out against him. She sat up, astonished.
"I thought I saw a mist come up, and there was a person..I almost told them to run for help, then it was gone."
"Well, whatever it was, I'm glad they were there-it was a good distraction..." Rick pulled her down next to him, as A.J. snickered.
"Speaking of distractions, ..." he added, then ignored the groan from his brother as he
called Linda over and made room for her next to him.
"Well, I think it's high time we went to bed, Mrs. Johnson promised to fix us a late breakfast, guys, so if you'll excuse us." Carolyn got up, then helped David to stand as Barnabas stood and hugged each of them.
"Thank you, Barnabas. We know if you hadn't come after us..." David started, then Barnabas put an arm around the young man.
"I'm very proud of you and Carolyn, standing up against Patterson like that."
Tears were in Carolyn's eyes as she hugged the older man again. "We had a good role model."
Rick felt his own emotions slipping, and seeing his wife's eyes get very bright, yawned and said, "Speaking of bed..."
Laughter broke them up, and two by two the Collins and Simons went upstairs. As Laurie and Rick started for their room, Laurie turned toward the portraits of her Aunt and Uncle.
"If that was you who saved us tonight, thank you Aunt Elizabeth, thank you Uncle Roger..."
A beam of moonlight came through the curtains at that moment, and she thought she saw them smile.
