Milton practically skipped to the car, making the other two boys quicken their steps to keep up. Jerry was driving because Jack was nearly catatonic and Milton was too safe a driver to make it there quick. Milton made a call to Bryn asking her to do something, although what specifically escaped Jerry's and Jack's understanding. When they arrived at the mansion, Milton ran to the situation room, wide eyed, and demanded that Bobby let him see his emails and media accounts. He was checking something, muttering along the way, until Jack could not take it anymore and grabbed Milton by the shoulder and demanded an explanation.
"It's something you said Jack. How Bobby wanted to play pretend dad to Kim," at this point Bobby had made an apologetic face at everyone in the room. "You see... D-A-D. Everybody thinks that Bobby is Kim's dad. So does the kidnapper." Milton stopped with a triumphant look on his face.
"So? How does it help us?" Chuck was unimpressed.
"We all assumed that the first attack on Kim came after the story about Kicky. But, what if it came after the story about Bobby being her dad?" Milton's proposition was met with silence.
"You see, the first truly hateful message that Kim received was after the poisoning and it expressed the hater's wish for her and her DAD's demise. It is weirdly specific. Consider, there were only three messages and two of them mentioned Kim's dad. Assumed dad. Bobby." Jack's face scrunched up as he processed this information.
"So you think that her hater and the kidnapper are after her because they think Bobby is her dad. And they really are trying to get to Bobby through her, is that it? Then the kidnapping is not for ransom, but to cause Bobby pain, because they think taking his daughter would do that... That's still does not help us identify them or locate them." Jack's expression was grim. He imagined that if Milton was right, then Kim's safety and well being were truly in danger. What better way to hurt a parent, than to hurt their child?
"This is why I want to check Bobby's messages through my algorithm, but I don't have enough time. I have a hunch though..." Milton trailed off, when he found something and he had the "a-ha" look on his face.
"I knew it!" Milton exclaimed and then turned again to face the room. "Jack, Bobby, Jerry and I, all got various disparaging messages in the last six months. This is not conclusive right now, because I don't have enough time to run the full check; but I believe that all of these messages and the attacks on Kim are related. You three all got the food poisoning around the same time. I now suspect that it was not food poisoning, but the same deliberate attack on you, as it was on Kim. The reason they are focusing on Kim now, is because she is dear to the two of you and it is a public knowledge."
The four martial artists looked at each other uneasily and Chuck lowered his head and pinched the bridge of his nose. Kim's mom jumped in, "Is there a way to trace those messages? There has to be a way to find that person, right?"
"Unfortunately, we had trouble tracking them. According to our acquaintance, who has a better understanding of computers, the hater used the public access devices. Different ones at different times. The only thing we know for sure is that it started six month ago and originated in the San Luis Obispo."
Bobby, who was standing, visibly shuddered and then sat down heavily. "Are you sure, Milton?" he said with an unsure voice, as if wishing for a negative answer.
"Pretty sure. Why? Do you know something?"
"Leona... The Black Belt Widow... She pleaded insanity and was put in the heavily guarded psychiatric facility in San Luis Obispo. She should still be there though... We need to check where she is. If she got out, I was supposed to be notified..." Bobby turned to the FBI agent who was already on the phone.
"It makes sense... She blames you and us for foiling her plans and getting her arrested. Kim wasn't there for the wedding, so Leona would not think to harass her. Until the whole Kim Wasabi story blew up. There was a message after the dog incident. It was kind of gloating, like you are hurt because she is hurt. And poison is kind of her thing..." Jack was frantically pacing and muttering as he processed what Milton and Bobby revealed.
Kim was not sure how long she was sitting there waiting for something to happen. Without knowing who and what she was facing, Kim was riddled with anxiety. Her head hurt a lot and she suspected that she had a concussion, but thankfully, it did not seem like she had other injuries other than some bruises. Finally, she heard footsteps and prepared herself.
Kim's eyes widened when she saw her. It was Leona, Bobby's almost wife. Kim never got to meet her because she was away for the cheerleading competition when Bobby decided to marry. She knew the story of course. She thought that Leona was in prison, but obviously she got out.
Leona came closer and Kim gasped. Leona didn't look like the gorgeous beauty queen she was when she was arrested. From the distance she looked very much like before, but up close you could see that she was gaunt, her hair more silver than gold, her skin pulled tight over the thin face. Under the light of the Edison bulb her face looked skeletal. But it was her eyes that were the biggest difference. Kim never saw anyone who was insane, but she knew that Leona was insane. She was holding her one arm very still and Kim figured there was something wrong with it.
"Hello, Kim. I do realize we haven't properly met, my dear," she stated, her crazy eyes traveling over Kim and she felt like prey. "I am sorry we have to meet like this. You and I, we have something in common."
Kim drew her eyebrows together in confusion.
"Bobby," Leona said, eyebrow raised, waiting to see her reaction.
"Granted, he obviously did not think much of me since he did not introduce us before. Don't you find that interesting? Or was it that he did not think that his future wife was important enough to mention to his daughter? I think he wanted to keep you as safe as possible. Who would have thought that such a selfish man would have one pure thing in his heart?" She asked as she uncrossed her legs, fluidly moving to her feet.
Kim's muscles tensed as Leona took the first few steps towards her. Her eyes glanced at the nearest weapon she could find but the room was bare.
Leona continued to talk as she moved, slowly like a cat circling their prey. "It was only after he was almost dead that he acknowledged you in public. Such an interesting situation, don't you think? So secretive, no? And when you came under attack? Oh, he came quickly to your side, didn't he? " here Leona laughed throwing her head back.
Kim's heart beat loudly in her chest as Leona was only a few steps away from her now. "It was a misunderstanding. He was sick and I was a familiar face," Kim said, her voice steadier than she thought it would be in that moment. "The articles were an honest mistake."
"Now you are just like him. Pretending that you are nothing to him," she replied, tilting her head to the side. "Are you trying to convince me you not special to him?"
Kim didn't reply, and apparently, Leona wasn't really interested in the answer. Instead, she continued talking, as she walked her circle around Kim. Well trained by Rudy, Kim tried moved with her (never allow the opponent to get behind you). Leona seemed to notice this and smiled knowingly.
"The little Wasabi girl has grown up Wasabi," she crowed, eyes alighting a little manically. "You may not look like him, but he trained you, didn't he? Precious girl..."
"What did you do to Jeremy and Michael?"
"Who? Oh, the useless men that your useless dad hired? I left them there. I have not interest in them. Although one of them was better at this bodyguarding thing... Oh, well, he may survive, he may not. I don't care. You, on the other hand..." Leona trailed off inspecting Kim again like a peculiar exhibit.
Kim bit her tongue on the retort she felt building up within her. She didn't want to give too much away to Leona.
"What do you want with me, Leona?" Kim bit out, suspecting she knew Leona had a purpose for being in Seaford, and she was sure it had something to do with her presumed father.
"It's nothing personal, you understand. I just need your father and boyfriend to pay attention."
"Well, I am strapped here to the chair. It feels very personal right now. What are you doing with me?"
"You know exactly what I'm doing here," Leona barked, the smile falling from her lips as she stepped closer. "I want you father to suffer. He and your little boyfriend put me behind bars in the loony bin. You know how much dignity you get to keep in a place like that? Ha, what could you possible know? Little spoiled karate princess, beloved by her father and her boyfriend. Just killing them isn't good enough. I want them to feel the pain, I want their little hearts to wither. You will help me, like you did before."
Leona grabbed Kim's face and leaned over, her breath hot on Kim's face.
"It was fascinating and felt so-so good to see them fall apart when you almost keeled over from those cookies. Jack was so distraught: he punched the wall. And Bobby.. Well, that man has money instead of emotions, but I guess you're used to it. Yes, that was a success. I only made one mistake: you almost died, the dose was too strong. I guess you are a bit smaller than the guys... And that yippy dog! Pure serendipity! Were you upset? Did you cry your eyes out? And Jack? Was he holding you, feeling useless because he could not help you? Tell me!" Leona's voice rose sharply and her eyes were lit with manic fire. "Of course that ugly flesh bag that is your father just threw money at you as usual. And he is milking it all for attention. You realize that, don't you? He does not love you! He loves his reflection in you."
She let go of Kim's face and stepped back. "It does not matter. They care about you. Killing you is too easy and too quick. You, suffering and in pain, on the other hand, is delicious. One stone, two birds." Leona was grinning again, her face a grotesque mask of joy and her eyes bright and wide.
She pulled a phone from somewhere and pointed it at Kim. "Smile, my dear, make it pretty. Your dad and boyfriend would want to see that. They must have missed you terribly these past two days."
Next thing Kim knew, Leona slapped her across the face disturbing the bruises and scabs on the side of the face. The pain that flared in her head was blinding and Kim was left blinking white spots.
Despite the new energy that Milton's information brought on, they results were slow to come. The FBI agent did not confirm their theory. According to official records, Leona was still in the facility and a flimsy theory by a high schooler was not enough to make anyone go check on the facility in person. In fact, the FBI was now questioning them all in that suggested they thought the attack came from someone close to Kim.
Jack was ready to scream and punch people and only the knowledge that he needed all the help to bring Kim back stopped him. He and Bobby agreed that Leona, or someone connected to her, were behind the kidnapping. Milton was working through Bobby's messages to confirm his theory and Bryn was on hand, although she refused to come near anyone with a badge. She was currently trying to break into the server of the psychiatric facility to see if Leona was really there. Unofficially, the dojo became a secondary situation room and that's where Jack was when he got the message.
It was a picture with a small tag line, "Are you missing anything? I think I found something of yours." With shaking and clammy hands he opened the picture and stopped breathing. It was Kim. She was tied to the chair, her hair messy and her face was dirty with blood and grime. It was all on one side of her face. It must be where she hit her head. Jack could see that she was already bruised, the skin on her temple already a dark purple.
She was looking, no, glaring at camera and for a second Jack's eyes softened because it was so Kim, brave and defiant.
He stood there like this for a suspended moment until he heard Milton call his name. "Jack! Jack! What is it?"
Jack simply passed the phone to Milton, whose eyes widened and he immediately passed the phone to Bryn. She started typing and mumbling along her progress.
"If I get in trouble, will FBI take into consideration that I am helping to find a kidnap victim?" she asked and waived her hand off when Milton looked at her slack jawed.
Jack ignored her as he was already calling Bobby.
"Did you get the message as well?" Jack said without preamble.
"So, will the FBI do now?"
"OK. I'll come as well, but it does not sound promising."
"Yes, yes, she is working on it already."
He hung up and confirmed what others already understood. "Bobby got the same message. The FBI is looking to trace it too right now, but it seems like they still don't buy into the Leona theory. I am going there now with my phone. Bryn, do you need anything from me to complete your trace? Do you need Bobby's message as well?"
"Your's should do, unless they are very clever."
Jack left the dojo. On the way to the mansion he was mulling the situation and available options. It was not much, but he had to try. He picked his phone again and placed a call.
"Sledge. I need help. We have some information on who took Kim and caused the accident."
"Yes, I am sure."
"No, FBI is not buying our theory."
"Milton figured it out..."
"Yeah, he is brilliant."
"I need help, but it is..."
"Yes, I understand. So far, it is just me and maybe some of Bobby's guys..."
"OK. Talk to you soon."
Just hold on Kim. I am coming for you.
