CHAPTER ELEVEN 1

Groggy, Della Street tried to roll over, but her hands and feet were bound. Turning her head, she could see a figure on the bed next to her. The last thing she remembered was the red-haired nurse holding them at gunpoint and marching them out to a van. They must have been drugged.

The figure in the opposite bed groaned and Della realized it was Mildreth Faulkner. "Mildreth," she whispered, "Are you alright?"

"Della," it was a moan. "Where are we?"

"I don't know," the secretary replied. "The last thing I remember was going to that van?"

Her voice choked the florist asked, "what is going on?"

Trying to remain calm Della replied, "I haven't the faintest idea, but this must be part of the harassment we have been experiencing. I just don't know why?"

"You didn't find anything in your files?" the other woman wanted to know.

Trying to think clearly the brunette told her, "I thought there might be a possibility. I left it on my desk and was going to talk it over with Perry today. Then the news of their being shot came and I forgot everything. The file is lying on my desk."

"What made you suspicious?" Mildreth wanted to know.

"The file was out of order. I would never have done that. Perry and I always go over files after a case is over, to make sure we didn't miss anything. We are both methodical. The papers were all in the file but out of order. I wanted to talk it over with him and make sure the office staff didn't do something to it."

Before they could say anymore they heard arguing outside the room where they had been placed. They couldn't hear the words, but knew it was two women having an argument.

The room was dark and when the door opened the woman who entered was in silhouette. Thee voice sounded rough and gravelly, but the shape looked like the nurse from the hospital. "What do you want?" Della Street wanted to know.

The woman's harsh laugh rang out, "why to make your boyfriends suffer as they made us suffer."

Mildreth Faulkner, her voice tremulous asked, "what did I do?"

"You, my dear," she said with a sneer, "you got involve with that very clever Lt. Tragg. Oh, he seems like such a gentleman, but he is just as ruthless as all the rest of them."

"Who are you? the secretary inquired. "What are you going to do with us?"

"Why we haven't quite decided," the redhaired woman cooed. "I guess it depends on how cooperative your Mr. Mason and the good lieutenant are to our demands. Perhaps you will find out just how important you are to them."

"You have to know they will use all the resources at their disposal to find us. If you let us go perhaps they go easy on you. You haven't done us any bodily harm and we could testify to that." Della informed her.

She laughed, "You just worry about yourselves. Now I am going to let you go into the bathroom to freshen up. One at a time. I will have my gun pointed at your friend the whole time so don't try anything heroic."

As Della was cleaning herself up she realized the room they had chosen was done very carefully. There were no windows in the bathroom, one small window in the bedroom, and no way to escape. When she returned there was another person in the room wearing a mask and voluminous clothing to hide her shape. The nurse held the gun as Della was pushed into a chair. She motioned Mildreth toward the bathroom.

After they had cleaned up as best they could they were given a meager breakfast. To keep their strength up the woman had laughed.

The other person in the room Della had figured out was also a female from her hands and body shape as she untied and re-tied her. They were again given a hypodermic and told they would not gag them as long as they were knocked out.

As she was, once again, falling asleep she tried her best to send Perry messages they were alright, but please find them soon. In the other bed she could hear Mildreth crying.

When she awakened again she was completely disoriented. What little light came in through the one window made it seem late afternoon. They went through the same procedure as in the morning. They were allowed to use the bathroom, had a meal, and were then tied up again. Because both women were in the room again, there was no opportunity to talk to Mildreth privately.

Della was aware the florist was almost hysterical, and she wasn't so great herself. Not knowing if Perry and Arthur were alright and looking for them was so frustrating. If she let herself cry she would fall apart. Again, she began trying to send messages to Perry. "Please look at the file on my desk. Somehow, she knew it had to be related.

While they ate their kidnapper seemed to want to talk. To let them know how clever she was in kidnapping them. "I suppose you want to know this was not a random act. Your Mr. Mason thinks he is so clever."

"He is," Della said defensively.

The nurse laughed. "Well this time he outwitted himself. If he wants his precious secretary back or should I say his mistress..."

When Della looked surprised she went on, "Oh yes Miss Street we have had you two under surveillance. We know you two sleep together, how many nights you spend together. Soon the world will know your little secret. That is unless my mother and sister are released from jail,"

Trying to appear perplexed as facts started to fall into place the brunette inquired, "who are your mother and sister?"

"Don't play dumb with me Miss Street. You must remember your esteemed employer and the illustrious police officer sent my family to prison. Now they will find a way to release them or lose something precious to them"

Della started to say they couldn't get away with it but decided, wisely, to not press the point. "I still am not sure who your relatives are."

"As I said don't play dumb with me Miss Street. You know everything your boss does. He has said many times, even to my mother, you know everything about his business. We know you run everything and have privy to everything, including Mr. Mason."

"I will repeat to you we are still in the process of going through our files since the break-in, which I assume you had something to do with," Della explained. "Once, Mr. Mason and the Lieutenant were injured nothing else has been done. If you would like to enlighten me that would be helpful."

"How many cases have you had, Miss Street where both a mother and daughter were convicted?" she asked sarcastically.

Trying to keep her talking Della commented, "until you mentioned it I wasn't aware we were talking about the fate of two individuals. Having this information does narrow it down."

Bringing a phone over by the bedside the nurse said, "Then you will have no problems sending your lover a message that you and Miss Faulkner are alright, for now. It is very important that he be aware your fate lies in his hands."

"He will never agree to such a thing," Della informed her.

Looking unconvinced the redhead proclaimed laughing, "Oh I think he will. Perhaps you will find out just important you are to him. Now here is what you will tell him. We want a deal worked out where my sister and mother are released.

Trying not to panic the brunette told her, "there is no way Perry or Arthur has the authority to do any such thing. Once they realize who you are they will never give up looking for you, no matter what you do to us."

"Well what you don't understand Miss Street is that my mother gave Mr. Mason false information about me and where I lived. My birth was never registered, and mother had false paperwork made so I could have identification. It wasn't until I was older I even knew the identity of my father. Mother has led a false trail all through her life. She protected me in every way she could. Just as she protected Byrl and made up those stories about her background.

'So, I was right,' Della thought, 'she is talking about Abigail Esther and her daughter Byrl'. "What do you want from me?"

"You are going to call your esteemed employer and tell him unless he finds a way to set my family free he needs to find a new secretary."

Frantically trying to think of a way to give Perry a message that might give a clue as to what was happening she stalled by saying, "I would have to call him in the hospital. I don't imagine he has been released yet."

Smirking the redhead commented, "Oh he has left the hospital, I checked. Here's the phone. Now, make the call and no funny messages."

With a shaking hand Della phoned her apartment praying there would be no answer. That did not satisfy the woman, she demanded that another number be tried. Knowing the woman couldn't know their unlisted number at Perry's she tried that next. To her great relief again there was no answer.

The phone was pulled from her grasp as the women said harshly, "we'll try later and someone better answer. You ladies are lucky, no more drugs for now. I want you awake and coherent until we make contact with your lovers."