Chapter 8
Deanne and Stanley had gone home. The Angles and Moss met in front of Natalie's house. Moss had the SWAT team at the ready. Natalie was driving towards her house. She saw the crowd and muttered an expletive under her breath. She parked several houses away, and watched. Moss knocked on her front door. No answer. Moss signaled to his men to surround the house. One of them knocked on the back door. Still no answer. "Alright, we're going in, " Moss declared. He stood aside as several of his men took the battering ram and busted the front door down. Natalie gasped and watched in horror. The police entered the house, with the Angels right behind them. They fanned out through all of the rooms, looking for clues of Jennifer's whereabouts. The Angels found the basement door and clattered down the stairs. Lisa flipped on the over head light, and saw the door directly across from the stairs. She opened it and turned the light on.
"Oh, my gosh. Look in here, guys."
"What is it?" Sarah asked. Lisa pointed. On the floor, directly across from the door, was the plate of uneaten french fries and hamburger. The can of soda was right next to it. There was also some rope near by.
"It looks like Mrs. Hart was held here," Sarah said. The Angels proceeded towards the plate and rope. Kianna pulled out some tweezers and an envelope. She looked at the area around the food very carefully.
"Aha! Strands of red hair!" Kianna picked up a couple of strands and put them in the envelope. "Let's get these to Lt. Moss right away." The Angels ran back up the stairs and burst through the door.
"Lt. Moss!" Kianna cried. "Look what we've found!" She handed him the envelope.
"Where did you girls find this?"
"Downstairs in the basement," Sarah told him. A couple of Moss' men went downstairs for fingerprints and photographs.
"Good work, Angels. As soon as Mr. Hart gets back into town, we will have him give us some strands from his wife's hair brush and match them. As it is, it looks like we may be able to arrest Natalie Miller."
The police and Angels went back outside with their evidence. Moss taped yellow crime scene tape to what was left of Natalie's door. If she wanted to know what happened to her house, she would have to come to the police station to find out. Moss turned to the Angels. "There isn't much more we can do tonight. Why don't you girls go home and grab some dinner and rest up a bit? We have big day ahead of us tomorrow."
"Will we still need to be undercover at Hart Industries?" Lisa asked.
"I think so, until Natalie is caught. If you see her in the morning, don't let on that you know anything."
"Yes, sir."
The next morning, the Angels reported to their undercover jobs at Hart Industries. There was no sign of Natalie. They kept an eye out for her all day. During the night, Natalie had slipped back into her house and grabbed some clothes and food, and a few other items. She had taken some food to Jennifer, who still refused to eat. Now Natalie was hiding where no one would think to look for her.
Jonathan's plane landed at LAX. He, Max, and Stephen disembarked, and went to the Hart residence. Jonathan took a quick shower and shaved while Max fixed breakfast for everyone. Jonathan ate quickly.
"First," he told Max and his father in law, " I am going to go over to the police station and see what happened after the search warrant. Then I will go over to the office and see what I can find out there."
"We will be here waiting to hear, Mr. H. Be sure to call us if we can come help."
"I will, Max." Jonathan clapped his old friend on the shoulder, smiled at his father in law, and left.
"How about a game of poker while we wait, Mr. Edwards?" Max asked with a twinkle in his eye.
It was very hot and stuffy in the closet next to the boiler room. Jennifer was finding it harder to maintain consciousness. She hadn't eaten or drunk in the last 48 hours, and it was beginning to take its toll. Her head felt fuzzy, and it was hard to think. Jennifer closed her eyes, opened them, and tried to focus. It was so hot in here. Jennifer heard footsteps. She looked up to see Natalie standing in the closet doorway. Natalie put a plate of food down in front of Jennifer, and removed the gag from around her mouth. "Eat, Jenny," she said.
Jennifer just looked at her.
"I think it is about time to free Jonathan from you. The longer you stay here, the bigger burden you become. If you won't eat, I'm going to quit wasting food on you."
Jennifer tried hard to stay focused. Natalie grabbed a handful of hair and yanked her head back. "Look at me when I am talking to you!"
Jennifer closed her eyes. The end was coming, and she knew it. Jonathan, Max, Freeway, her father, would all miss her. Jennifer's head slumped forward as Natalie let go of her.
"Time to say goodbye, Jenny," Natalie said as she stepped out of the closet and closed the door. Natalie took some fuse cord out of her pocket. She went over to the cleaning closet and found some old rags. She saturated them with turpentine. She put one can of turpentine on its side, and loosened the lid until it dripped out steadily. She put one end of the fuze cord into the turpentine pool that was forming. She put the other end several yards away, and lit the end. Then she left. She went over to the service elevator and pushed the button for the top floor. She would be waiting when Jonathan returned.
Natalie got out of the service elevator, and hid around the corner from Deanne's desk. She watched until Deanne left, then she slipped into Jonathan's office. She found the small overnight bag that she had left there earlier, and pulled out a very tight, very revealing evening gown. Natalie took off the clothes she was wearing and put on the evening gown. She slipped on the high heels. She then went into Jonathan's private bathroom and freshened her hair and makeup. She put her clothes back in the overnight bag. Natalie then opened the picnic basket she had brought with her. She pulled out a table cloth, and spread it in the middle of the floor. She set out a bucket of ice, champagne, cheese, grapes, and crackers. She then put two tall candles in the middle of the tablecloth. Now there was nothing left to do but wait. She settled herself in
one of Jonathan's chairs. She picked up the remote to the tv, and watched it for awhile with the volume on low. She was soon lost in the fantasy world of her and Jonathan together.
Jonathan rode up to his office in the elevator. He went down the hall, and through the glass doors to his office reception area. "Good morning, Deanne," he said as he passed her desk.
"Good morning, Mr. Hart."
Jonathan opened up the door to his office. Natalie, lost in her reverie, jumped up in surprise.
"What the...?" Jonathan said.
"Hello, darling," Natalie said as she lit the candles. "I've been waiting for you."
"You must have me mixed up with someone else," Jonathan told her.
"No, it's you. Come, sit down and have some grapes. I'll feed them to you."
"No, thanks. I just ate."
"But, darling..."
"Don't 'darling' me. Only one person calls me that, and it isn't you. Where is Jennifer?"
"Somewhere she won't bother us. I'm going to free you from her. Then you can be with me." Natalie stood up from the table cloth and moved toward Jonathan. She tried to put her arms around him. Jonathan pushed her away, and she stumbled over the cloth, and knocked over one of the candles.
"No," Jonathan said. He moved towards his desk to reach for his phone.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you, " Natalie said as she pulled a gun out of the picnic basket and held it on him. Jonathan reached for the phone anyway, and Natalie fired. She shot him in the arm. Jonathan staggered, and collapsed on the floor in front of his desk. The candles were now burning the rug and table cloth. Natalie took one look at the fire and Jonathan on the floor, and ran out of his office. Deanne saw her run by, and picked up the phone to call the police, just as Jonathan staggered to the door.
"Deanne, she shot me. She has Jennifer hidden somewhere. Call the police and the fire department. My office is on fire. "
Deanne pushed the fire alarm. Soon employees were running from offices on all levels, and causing traffic jams on the stairs. Stanley came out of his office to see what the commotion was about. He saw the smoke coming out of Jonathan's office and grabbed the fire extinguisher. He ran into the office and put out the blaze before it touched the walls or furniture. Deanne's voice came over the intercom. "Please return to your work stations. The fire is out." Employees calmed down, and started to go back to work. A few moments later, the fire alarm went off again.
"Deanne, clear the building. She must've set another fire somewhere!" Jonathan ordered.
Deanne picked up the intercom. "Attention, employees. Please evacuate at once. This is an emergency. Please try to stay calm." Employees once again flooded the halls and stairways. Supervisors started to make order out of the chaos, and helped the employees evacuate in an orderly manner.
The Angels saw the panic, and knew Natalie had to be behind it. Natalie ran past Sarah, who was preparing to clean yet another bathroom. Sarah grabbed her walkie talkie and ran after Natalie. "Lisa, Kianna. I see her. She's heading for the basement! I'm going to follow her!"
"We're right behind you!" They answered. Sarah was in hot pursuit. She saw Natalie run through the basement doors. Sarah ran after her. The thick smoke almost drove her back. She pulled her shirt up over her face and continued. "Natalie! Where are you?" No answer. "Mrs. Hart?"
Sarah continued to look. She saw the boiler room and the closet next to it. She ran to the closet and opened the door. "Mrs. Hart!" Sarah reached down and started to untie Jennifer. Natalie sneaked up behind her and whacked her in back of the head with the butt of her gun. Sarah slumped over Jennifer. Natalie was going to move Jennifer, but there was no way she could now, with Sarah on top of her. She tried to push Sarah over.
"Hold it right there," said a voice. Natalie turned around to see Lisa and Kianna behind her, with guns drawn.
"HEEEEEEEEEEYYAAAAAAAAA!" Natalie tried to kick at them. The tight dress made it impossible, and she fell over. She got to her feet, and moved toward Sarah and Jennifer. She held her gun on them. "Back away, ladies. They're mine. Go away. Now."
"Natalie, we can help you," Kianna began.
"I said, NOW!" Natalie fired into the air. Lisa and Kianna ran and hid behind some pillars.
"Now what?" Lisa asked.
"We hope the cops show up," Kianna said. "I don't think we can take her by ourselves."
"Not unless we get the drop on her."
"Want to try it?"
"Let's do it." The two Angels kept the pillar between them and Natalie. She moved Sarah over, and was dragging Jennifer out of the closet. The girls watched for their chance and rushed Natalie. Kianna grabbed Jennifer as Lisa grabbed Natalie's arms. Kianna untied Jennifer and tossed the rope to Lisa. She tied up Natalie. Lisa pulled Natalie over to a pillar and sat her down. Kianna tried to sit Jennifer and Sarah up, with no success. They were both out. The flames and smoke continued to billow around them. The girls began to cough.
"I'll run for help. Will you be alright?"
"Yeah, I'll be fine." Lisa kept her gun on Natalie, as she pulled her shirt up over her mouth and nose. Kianna ran back up the stairs. The first person she ran into was Harry Moss.
"Lt. Moss!"
Moss hurried over to Kianna. "What is it?"
"We found Mrs. Hart. She's in the basement. We have Natalie down there. Lisa is watching her. The basement is on fire."
"What about your third partner?"
"She's down there too. Natalie knocked both her and Mrs. Hart unconcious. We need to get down there quickly. The place is on fire."
Moss radioed the fire department. He grabbed a few men to help him, and followed Kianna down the stairs. She led them to Lisa and Natalie. Then she went back upstairs to the main desk while Moss read Natalie her rights. Kianna got into the elevator just as the fire department arrived. She pushed the button for the top floor, and wished the elevator would go faster. It finally reached her destination. She got out and ran to Jonathan's office.
"Is Mr. Hart here?" She asked Deanne. Deanne indicated over by Stanley's office where Jonathan's arm was being patched up. Kianna approached him. "Mr. Hart?"
"Yes, Kianna?"
"Mr. Hart. We've found Mrs. Hart. She's in the basement. Natalie knocked her unconscious and set the place on fire."
"She tried to do the same thing up here. Is Jennifer alright?"
Kianna nodded as she noted the burned office. "Natalie's been busy. Lt. Moss radioed the fire department. Sarah and Lisa are with her now."
"And I will be soon." Jonathan got up and led the way to the elevator.
The paramedics tried to hold him back. "Mr. Hart, take it easy."
Jonathan would have none of it. "My wife is down there. She's been missing for two days. Out of my way!" He pushed past them and headed for the elevator.
Lt. Moss' men led Natalie away in handcuffs. Natalie was screaming obscenities the whole time. The firemen put out the fire. The paramedics looked over Sarah and Jennifer. Both of them started to come to. Jennifer was the groggier of the two. Sarah winced and put her hand on the back of her head. "What hit me?"
"Natalie's gun," Lisa told her.
"Man, this is so different from tagging along behind the big girls. Ouch."
Jennifer started to stir. "Jonathan?" She croaked. Sarah and Lisa were immediately by her side. "He will be here in a moment," they told her. The paramedics put an oxygen mask over her face. They handed masks to the Angels. Jonathan ran down the stairs. Kianna was right behind him.
"Jennifer! Jennifer!" He reached Jennifer's side and took her in his arms. "Time to wake up, darling," he said as he kissed her forehead. Jennifer opened her eyes briefly, saw Jonathan, and smiled. Everything was going to be alright now.
"Mr. Hart, we need to take your wife to the hospital. She's breathed in a lot of smoke, and from the looks of things, hasn't had any food or water for the last couple of days. We need to get another look at that arm of yours too."
"Of course, but I am going with her."
The Angels watched as Jonathan followed Jennifer's stretcher outside, and they both got into the ambulance. "You ladies need to come to the hospital too, especially you, Miss, " the paramedics told them as he nodded to Sarah. "You've all breathed in some smoke, and we need to look at that lump on the back of your head."
"Ok, " The Angels agreed and got into another ambulance.
Jennifer was wheeled into the emergency room on a stretcher. The doctors immediately put IV's into her to get some nourishment in her. They continued to monitor her oxygen levels. Jonathan refused to leave her side. He stayed with her and stroked her hair as the doctors worked over her. "Jennifer, I was so afraid I was going to lose you. I am so thankful we found you in time. " Jonathan shuddered to think what could have happened if the fire had continued to burn, with his beloved Jennifer in it.
"Mr. Hart, we'd like to take you into the room next door so we can take care of that arm," one of the doctors, Dr. Adams, told him.
"I'm not leaving my wife."
"Then we will take care of it here. Take your shirt off, Mr. Hart."
Jonathan hardly noticed as the doctors got the bullet out of his arm and stitched him up. All of his attention was focused on Jennifer. "Can we get a phone in here?" he asked. A phone was brought in. Jonathan dialed his home number. "Max? Bring Mr. Edwards and come to the hospital. We have Jennifer. She's in the emergency room right now, but will be moved to a private room soon."
"That's great, Mr. H!" Max shouted into the phone.
Sarah sat on the exam table with an ice pack on the back of her head. Lisa and Kianna were with her. Dr. Adams came in with her chart. "Good news, Ms. Munroe. No concussion. Just some slight swelling. It should go down in a day or two if you take it easy. Maybe have someone come and stay with you for a bit. I understand you live alone?"
"Yeah, most of the time, except when my sister comes to visit my fridge, " Sarah said as Dr. Adams looked at her strangely.
"We'll make sure you have food," Lisa told her.
"You are good to go, Ms. Munroe. Please sign here. I assume one of your friends will drive you home."
"Yes, sir." Sarah signed. "Let's go phone Charlie," she said as soon as the doctor was out of the room. LIsa and Kianna laughed as they helped her down from the table and out the door.