§ § § -- September 29, 2004
Roarke's gaze grew urgent and Maureen exclaimed, "What? What in heck are you talking about, Leslie?"
"One moment, Maureen," Roarke requested. "Leslie, how did you come to this conclusion? Here, sit down and tell us." He brought her to the sofa, shifting Tattoo's paintings where she'd propped them against it, and sat down beside her.
Maureen leaned aside and peered at the photograph. "Hey," she said, "that's the wedding portrait of you and Teppo! I didn't know you still had that. What're you going to do with it?"
"I d-don't know," Leslie said, hugging herself and shivering. She shifted her gaze to Roarke, then to Maureen. "Bring me the picture, please…"
Maureen stooped, lifted the portrait and carefully handed it to Leslie, who turned it to face Roarke. "Father, take a good look at Teppo's face in this, and then tell me what you remember about my description of the two women who were killed at the castle."
Roarke took in the image of Teppo, then frowned and met his daughter's gaze with a look of recognition. "I see precisely what you mean, child."
"I don't get it," Maureen protested.
Roarke turned to her and briefly explained what had happened during Christian's re-crowning ceremony and how Leslie had had the opportunity to look at photos of the faces of the dead assailants. Maureen nodded and said, "Okay, I see. But what does that have to do with this portrait?"
Leslie looked up at her and began to shiver again, letting the ruined frame fall to the floor and pushing it away from her with one foot as if it were contaminated. "The faces of those two dead women looked very much like Teppo's, with the cleft chins and the lean jaws. Maureen, they were two of Teppo's sisters—Kerttu and Ilta."
Maureen eyed her in confusion for a long moment, trying to process this, then shook her head sharply once or twice. "Why on earth would Teppo's sisters want to kill you?"
Leslie blinked, surprised by the question, and Roarke said gently, "You've never really told us much about your life in Finland during your marriage to Teppo, child. I don't know how much you may have told Christian, but I know little about it, and I'm certain your friends are as much in the dark as I. Perhaps you would summarize for us."
"I guess you're right," Leslie murmured after a moment's thought. "I did tell Christian about some of it last year, but…I guess maybe I didn't even see it clearly till then, and that's why I never told you." She looked up and drew in a breath, still shivering. "Teppo and I had to live in a little basement apartment in his parents' house, and that meant we also had to live with all his siblings—four sisters and two brothers, all younger than he was. The oldest girl was my age, and she and I sort of became friends; at least, she seemed to tolerate me. The others outright hated me. They were chilly to me from the beginning, although at first they pretended to make friends. But as time went by, their dislike of me started to show more and more. I think they blamed me for the fact that their father died on this island, while Teppo and his parents were here back in 1985. They knew Teppo was possessed by this ancient Finnish god, but no matter how much it was explained to them, they preferred to blame me because they said I hadn't done enough to try to save him."
"How vindictive," Maureen said indignantly.
"Oh, but there's more," Leslie said, nodding at Maureen's incredulous look. "After about three years, when I still hadn't gotten pregnant, they started taunting me about it—and their mother was pretty much the ringleader. I figure she probably established her view of me in their minds, and she was going insane, so the crazier she got, the more she hated me, and the more she encouraged her children to hate me. When Teppo was killed, his mother lost her last grip on sanity. I blacked out at his funeral and was out for two days, and during that time Teppo's mother was committed to an insane asylum and his brothers and sisters kicked me out. By then his oldest sister had married and moved out, and she and her husband got my things out of the house and let me stay with them for a while, till I got myself together enough to decide I needed to come back to Fantasy Island."
"My God," Maureen breathed in disbelief. "So which two sisters were these that died at the castle? Did you say he had six brothers and sisters?"
"Yup. Mielikki was the one who was my friend. Antti was the next one, the second boy. Then there were Kerttu and Ilta, the two who were killed, then Niilo, the last boy, and finally the youngest, Liisa."
Roarke asked, "How long has it been since the oldest girl ceased writing to you?"
"Oh, ages," Leslie said. "The last letter I got from her was about a year after Teppo died, and it was only a few lines long. I sent her a Christmas card that year, but she didn't respond, and that was that."
"Do you think she could be in on this thing too? If it's been that long, maybe she's had a change in attitude," Maureen suggested.
"I don't know," said Leslie uneasily. "I guess anything's possible, but I don't know. It was never clear exactly how many people were in on whatever they were trying to do in Lilla Jordsö. There were at least four of them. Kerttu and Ilta were definitely involved. The security people saw someone fleeing the scene, and Christian and I and some other people saw someone in the great entry run out through one of the south-wing corridors. He sent some servants after that person, but they didn't find anyone."
Roarke frowned and said, "The fact that you have realized that the dead women were Teppo's sisters doesn't prove that it's the Komainen children who are now on the island, nor that they have kidnapped the triplets and Christian. Incidentally, why do you assume they have done so?"
"Because when I got home with Maureen, the babies weren't here," Leslie explained. "Christian didn't answer his cell phone. I called his office and they hadn't seen him since he left for lunch. Maureen and I called everyone we could think of, but no one knew anything about it. Even Anna-Kristina hadn't heard from him, and Mariki said no one showed up here after you and I left."
Roarke nodded acknowledgement. "That doesn't completely rule out vehicle trouble or some other cause, but the longer they go missing without word from Christian, the more likely it becomes." He considered for a moment or two, then said, "Why don't you take Maureen home. If there is no message from Christian at your own home, make arrangements for Ingrid to stay with Mateo and Anna-Kristina, where she will be with someone who speaks her own tongue and will be safe, and come back here. If you notice anything suspicious—someone following you, or a person you recognize who should not be here—don't stop for any reason, just come straight back here and let me know about it. At this time there is very little we can do except to wait and see if we hear from someone. If Christian and the children have indeed been abducted, we will be contacted."
Leslie nodded listlessly and got to her feet, stepping carefully around the ruined wedding portrait. "I'm sorry about the glass…" she mumbled.
"I'll see that Mariki takes care of it," Roarke said. "Go ahead now, and thank you for your help, Maureen." In smiling acknowledgement Maureen helped Leslie gather the paintings and followed her downstairs and out to the jeep. They laid the paintings in the back seat and climbed in front, and as Leslie was fitting the key into the ignition Maureen cleared her throat delicately.
"What is it?" Leslie asked.
"I don't like to be gross, but…um…you're leaking." Maureen grinned sheepishly when Leslie looked down at her shirt front.
"Oh no," Leslie groaned. "What'll I do? If I can't feed the triplets…"
"Don't worry," said Maureen. "My mother bought me a breast pump when I had Brianna, and believe me, those things really come in handy. If you pump the milk into bottles and freeze it, you'll have extra milk for later, so that whatever triplet isn't feeding directly from you can still have your milk from a bottle. I'll lend it to you, and you can use it as long as you have to, till Christian and the triplets…well, come back."
"You've been a real lifesaver today, Maureen," Leslie said, her eyes beginning to sting. "I really appreciate it."
"What're friends for?" Maureen said and squeezed Leslie's forearm. "Let's get back home. I'll get you the pump and we'll see what else I can help you with. At the very least I think we should let Grady in on all this."
Leslie nodded, somehow feeling relieved at the thought, even though she knew Grady couldn't help any more than anyone else. By the time she pulled the jeep into her own driveway, her fear for her husband and children was sharing space with a slowly burgeoning rage and loathing for the ones responsible for their disappearance.
Grady listened to Leslie and Maureen's story after sending Brianna off to keep an eye on her baby sister, and shook his head when they finished. "I don't believe in sugarcoating things, and I won't say it sounds good," he said, "but I can give you some hope, Leslie. There's a chance that they're hoping for money, and since you and Christian and Mr. Roarke are all well off, they know you'd be a good source of the stuff. If ransom's their motive, they won't kill anyone."
"I don't think that's what they want," Leslie said, and Maureen shook her head.
Grady looked at his wife. "How can you be so sure?" he asked.
"Actually, Grady," Maureen told him, "Leslie said her first husband's siblings all hated her, and she realized that two of the people who tried to get to the royal family back in Lilla Jordsö were his sisters. I know it's not proof that there's some kind of family plot against Leslie, but I think that's the likeliest scenario here."
Grady eyed her. "You sort of forgot to mention that," he remarked.
"That," Maureen said, playfully bopping him in the upper arm, "is because it's Leslie's tale to tell, not mine. Go ahead and give him the particulars, Leslie, and I'll go find that pump." She left them, and Leslie briefly explained Teppo's siblings' animosity toward her and their probable reasons for it.
"Okay," Grady said slowly, frowning. "But why now?"
"I have no way of knowing that," Leslie said, pulling her T-shirt away from her and grimacing. "I really need to change clothes."
Grady chuckled and said, "Well, to tell you the truth, I think there's safety in numbers. Maureen'll go over with you and get your helper, just in case anyone might be watching the house. Just because they've got Christian and the triplets—if in fact someone does have them—doesn't mean they'll leave you alone."
Maureen returned with the pump. "Okay, here we go. Be back in a bit, Grady." She and Leslie left the Harding house and crossed the street to the Enstad home; Leslie's head was down while she dug in her jeans pocket for the house key, and thus it was she who saw the prints. She stopped short and Maureen bumped into her, grunting.
"Sorry," Leslie mumbled. "But look at that." She pointed at the ground. In the flower bed along the front of the house were several distinct shoe prints.
Maureen peered at them. "They could be Ingrid's."
"Maybe," Leslie said slowly, kneeling to get a closer look at them. But seeing them from this angle told her differently. The print matched the one she and Christian had seen in the police photo—a series of narrow horizontal lines from toe to heel, interrupted near the bottom by a small rough-edged circle. "No," she said, "they're not Ingrid's shoes." She told Maureen about the stolen items at the hospital and the photographed shoe print.
Maureen scowled, knelt beside her and gave the nearest print some study. Then she pointed. "Look—more of them, and not by the same shoe." These prints were simply flat shoe-shaped depressions in the soil, with no distinguishing marks at all.
"Christian said last weekend that he saw flattened spots in the grass," Leslie recalled with a frown of her own. "He didn't get the opportunity to mow after we got home, and when he told Father and me, Father advised him not to mow just yet. I guess he was thinking that it could help in case whoever it was came back."
Maureen surveyed the overgrown yard. "I see what you mean," she said, nodding slowly. "Brother, you've already got all sorts of things to tell Mr. Roarke. Let's get inside before you turn into a gusher, Leslie, you're all wet."
"Blast it," Leslie muttered irritably, and Maureen giggled, eliciting a reluctant grin from Leslie. She shoved the key into the lock and let them both in, calling, "Ingrid!"
Almost instantly the servant girl appeared at a run from the other end of the house and curtsied to Leslie. "Good, you're not hurt," Leslie said mostly to herself, giving Ingrid a quick once-over. Then, in her limited jordiska, she advised Ingrid that she was going to call Anna-Kristina, and Ingrid nodded, waiting quietly while Leslie punched out three digits and Maureen set up the pump at the kitchen table.
"Hi, Anna-Kristina, it's me again. Listen…Father and I think something's probably happened to Christian and the triplets, and I wonder if you and Mateo would do us a real favor and give Ingrid a safe place to stay for a night or two?"
"Herregud, Aunt Leslie…of course! What do you think happened?" Anna-Kristina asked, instantly alarmed.
"They might've been kidnapped. It's a long story, and we'll try to explain it later. For the moment, would you please let Ingrid know she needs to pack some essentials and tell her what's happening?" Leslie requested.
"I will, yes. Is there anything else you want me to tell her for you?"
"Just tell her Christian and the babies are missing and we're afraid it might be a kidnapping. We'll get her over there sometime in the next hour."
"All right," said Anna-Kristina, and Leslie handed Ingrid the phone so Anna-Kristina could explain the events in jordiska. Maureen had finished setting up the pump, and Leslie darted around the kitchen gathering all the baby bottles she could find. Maureen helped her get started and talked her through the use of the pump, and in about half an hour Leslie felt much better and was able to change into a dry shirt. She tucked the four filled bottles into the freezer and went up to pack as she might do for a weekend.
Maureen came up with her and watched. "Leslie, does Christian have a digital camera?" she asked. "I thought it might be a good idea to take pictures of those shoe prints in your flower bed, before it rains or something else happens to them."
"Actually, he does, yes," Leslie said, blinking. "Geez, Maureen, you're wasting your talents in catering. Did you used to be a Nancy Drew freak or something?"
"Well, I was definitely a Nancy Drew fan in my middle-school years," Maureen admitted with a laugh, "but I'd sure hate to be a sleuth for a living. Funny how all that stuff comes back to you sometimes. If you find the camera for me, I'll go get the shots."
"Should be here in the library," Leslie said, dropping a pair of slippers in her weekend duffel and crossing the room. "Considering Christian and his love of anything computer-related, I expect it'll be in a nice, neat, safe spot. Aha, I was right, here it is." She lifted it off a bookshelf over the monitor of Christian's computer and handed it to Maureen.
"Nice one," Maureen said, turning it over and inspecting it. "Trust Christian to have the latest in computer gadgets. Okay, be right back." She headed downstairs while Leslie finished packing; now that she was alone she found herself stewing, alternating between desperate hope that the babies and Christian were unharmed and a titanic desire to cave in the skulls of Teppo's siblings. Despite that Grady and Roarke had both said there was no proof they were on the island, she was certain they were the culprits.
Maureen came back. "These came out great," she said. "I expect the police would be interested in them. Here you go." She handed Leslie the camera, and Leslie tucked it safely into a pocket of her duffel. "Need anything else?"
"I guess we're all set," Leslie said, scanning the bedroom to see if there was anything she might have overlooked. The paintings she had brought home leaned against the side of the dresser, and she found herself stricken by the simple need to show them to Christian. "I think I'd better get Ingrid out of here before I go ape."
"Okay," Maureen said and gave her a swift hug. "You're holding up really well, Leslie. If it really is Teppo's brothers and sisters who took Christian and the babies, you'll hear from them. How else are they going to get whatever they want?"
"True," Leslie agreed with a deep sigh. "Let's get going."
At the main house about forty minutes later, Leslie brought up the photos Maureen had taken and handed Roarke the digital camera. "I recognized one of the prints," Leslie said. "The one with all the lines on it—it's the same one the police found at the hospital."
"I see," Roarke said, gazing at the shots. "Since there are two different sets of shoes represented here, I daresay it's wise that you and Ingrid left the house."
"Has anyone called?" Leslie asked hopefully.
"No, my child, no word has come," Roarke said with a sympathetic smile. "It's still quite early in the game, however. Perhaps tomorrow will bring word from someone."
