Chapter 20:
Clint basked in his triumph over his cheating ex-wife Nora and his younger brother Bo. He explained he still seethed whenever he thought about them sneaking around behind his back. He vowed vengeance against them.
After careful planning, preparation and pawns to do his dirty work, he finally had them trapped like rats in a cage.
"How could you hurt Matthew like this? Letting him think he killed Eddie all of this time! What did Matthew ever do but idolize you?" Destiny demanded.
Clint looked at Destiny over the breakfast the chauffeur brought for them. "Matthew is collateral damage. I made that decision long ago. There was no way to keep him segregated from the pain so I gave up trying. Besides, his pain increases his parents pain."
She scoffed "You're gonna pay for this. Matthew will figure out Dani is working for you. He'll save me."
"From a jail cell? Get your head out of the clouds Destiny... Well, I must be on my way to the police station. It's time to reap what I've sown." Clint announced rising from the table. "If I were you I'd get on Eddie's good side. He"ll be taking care of you."
Taking care of me? I don't like the sound of that at all... Destiny shuddered. "You can't leave me with this maniac!" Destiny stood up.
Eddie Ford stood up and gripped Destiny's shoulders pushing her back down in her seat. She felt her hair stand on edge when he began to rub them. She pushed his hands away "Don't touch me you creep."
Destiny wanted to cry but wouldn't give Eddie Ford the satisfaction. She knew that's what fueled him, to see fear in his victims' eyes.
Eddie dramatically feigned hurt, "You think I'm a maniac? He's the mastermind behind this whole thing, sister. He wanted to sweep into that hotel room, "shoot" me with those blanks and be this BIG hero in Nora's eyes."
"Not just her this whole town. Everything was perfect until you let Nora escape. Things just went downhill from there when Matthew frantically called me. He didn't know I was already on my way to try to clean up your mess Ford." Clint sneered pointing at Eddie.
"Oh here we go again. This whole plan of yours had holes in it from the start. Especially that damn needle full of mumbo jumbo that had me declared legally dead by those clueless cops. It hurt like a mofo when I woke up in that cold morgue." Eddie complained.
Clint barked back "You idiot, you let Matthew shoot the last blank in the gun and you punctured that bag of blood we taped to your chest. That mumbo jumbo was a secret formula called VDF -Vital Decelerating Fluid- developed by Buchanan Enterprises. It made everyone think you were dead. Once you were brought to the morgue I replaced your body with a decomposed corpse and anonymously paid off the coroner to forge your death certificate."
While they argued Destiny saw a lone cell phone forgotten on the table. She reached for it with her fork and stuck it between her waistband and back." I have to pay the water meter!" Destiny yelled interrupting their shouting match.
"Tony take her to the bathroom and keep your eyes on her." Eddie ordered the chauffeur around, taking out his frustrations on him. Once that Buchanan kid was in jail, he could finally get outta this backward town with all the cash Clint paid him.
Destiny walked with Tony trying to look as inconspicuous as possible. He opened the bathroom door looked around then stepped aside and let her in. She walked in and turned around to lock the door. She grabbed the cell phone and saw there were no bars! She couldn't call out, damnit! Destiny wracked her brain and hit the map function hoping it showed the last place he looked up, praying it was the house they were in. The map showed she was somewhere in the northwest of the Llantano Mountains. Lucky yeah right, she thought sighing sitting on the toilet seat. Even if I escape I have no idea where I am. There are no major roads on this map either. If I leave I'll be wandering around lost!
Destiny decided to send Shaun an email of everything she heard while here. Inevitably, whoever leaves with this phone will end up in an area with reception. She just hoped the message will automatically send, like her phone does. By the time that happens, they'd have no idea what she'd done...
After she hit 'send', she really used the restroom and washed her hands to keep up the facade.
She exited thanking Tony and sitting back down at the table. She dropped the phone on the rug and kicked it away when she heard Clint complaining about misplacing his phone.
Tony looked under the table, "It's right here boss, it must've fallen." He handed it to Clint.
"Good man. Tony let's head to the police station. I can't wait to see the anguish on their faces as they rot in those cells" Clint laughed.
"You'll all pay for this" Destiny sneered.
"Watch her Eddie and don't screw this one up!" Clint ordered walking out the front door.
Shaun and Brody were comparing notes in his new rental. They were miles from town where he stashed his car.
Brody had bad news, "The limo was at the far end of the block in front of a convenience store. There's always hospital staff going in and out so they never bothered to install cameras. The last thing we see is Destiny walking out of the camera's range."
Shaun hit the steering wheel in frustration "Damnit!"
Brody sympathized, when his son Liam was kidnapped by Marty he was going crazy too. "We still have Danielle's phone records. She's been texting a number we traced to a prepaid cell phone. If we can find out who that cell belongs to we can identify her accomplice."
Shaun finished the takeout Brody bought "Yeah but we have to wait until the store opens tomorrow to find out who that is and we both know time is ticking. The more time passes the less likely our chances of finding her alive."
Brody knew Shaun was right but he had to bolster his spirits "I'm not gonna sit here and listen to you give up. Do you want to go home and take a nap?"
Shaun frowned "Don't make me hurt you Brody, I'd never give up on my sister."
Shaun's phone alerted him to a new email. He checked his Inbox but there was nothing new. He went to his Spam folder and started to delete the junk: Chase bank (geez he didn't even have an account with them), dating websites, Logan department store sales... The last one caught his eye, 'Shaun it's me Destiny.'
Shaun's face lit up "Good job Lil D!"
Brody looked at Shaun "What's up?"
Shaun was reading and responding to Brody simultaneously, "Destiny got her hands on a phone and sent me an e-mail. She got the drop on those kidnappers. I'm forwarding it to McBain, he has to verify all Destiny heard. You won't believe who's behind this..." Shaun handed the phone to Brody while he started the car. "Don't worry Destiny I'm coming."
Matthew sat on the upper bunk, leaning against the wall with his face on his knees. He hadn't touched the food the guards brought, he was too worried about Destiny and the baby. The worst scenarios ran through his mind of her suffering because of him!
Dani hadn't sent any news about releasing Destiny even though he confessed last night. What was she waiting for? She could have been lying about releasing her. He just hoped she had a shred of honesty left.
"This Buchanan family reunion just gets better and better. Look who's coming to breakfast" the guards joked as they allowed Clint access.
Clint looked at Bo trying to comfort Matthew in their cell. Nora had her head against the bars wishing she could do the same. The sight brought joy to Clint's evil heart, "I can't believe this. You all were arrested? I came to offer my support. How are you holding up?"
Matthew lifted his tear stained cheeks "Uncle Clint?"
McBain was in his office scrambling to get permission from one of the Fords to exhume the body. That would take the longest amount of time so he wanted to get the ball rolling. He couldn't believe Eddie Ford was alive this whole time. He and Clint made his whole department look like rookie chumps.
He wanted Clint to take his time gloating downstairs while they gathered the evidence needed to take them down. "This is McBain" John rasped, "I need copies of the property plans of the northwest region of the Llantano mountains. Ready the helicopter, I want to be airborne in 20 minutes." He'll rendezvous with Shaun and Brody to rescue Destiny once they triangulated the location.