Ch.9 iGet Blackmailed
"Melanie Puckett?" Melanie turned, and seeing a strange girl tower over her, began shaking in fear. The people who had kidnapped her and took pieces of her hair to set Sam up must have sent someone to finish her off. Jocelyn had to get this girl somewhere safe. She was so scared, she tried to bolt. "It's alright, I'm a friend of Sam's," Jocelyn said. Melanie stopped in her tracks. This girl knew Sam? "You know Sam?" Jocelyn smiled. "I do, and we need to talk." Melanie shook her head. "I know what you want, but I can't help you. Carly's life is on the line if I do."
"Sam's life is on the line if you don't. Come with me." Jocelyn took Melanie to Grace Hospital. "We're here to see Freddie," she said to the receptionist as they entered. When they reached Freddie's room, Melanie's face fell. There was Freddie, in a hospital bed. "Those bastards!" Melanie yelled. She had attempted to resist when the kidnappers tried to cut her hair. They hadn't told her why. To get her to cooperate, they told her that for every time she resisted, someone close to her would die. Freddie was just the first person they named.
"Carly's in danger," Melanie said. At the present time, Carly had just got home from the library. She had spent the last few months researching everything she could about how capital punishment was carried out in the U.S. She went upstairs to her room, and was surprised to see Nevel Papperman sitting at her desk. "Carly Shay, I've been expecting you," he said smugly. Carly's face got hard. "What the hell are you doing in my house, Nevel?" This kid had creeped her out since the first day she met him. His behavior over the five years she had to put up with him was borderline stalking. You'd think the kid would learn.
"Carly, Carly, Carly," Nevel said in a tone that dripped sweetness. "Can't two friends just have a civilized conversation?" Carly wished she were more like Sam at that moment, so as to beat some sense into him. "We're not friends, Nevel. We'll never be friends. Now answer me," Carly angrily demanded. Spencer wasn't home, and Nevel showing up in this way made her feel uneasy. "I've come to summon you to a meeting." Carly's expression went from one of anger to one of confusion. "What meeting?" she asked.
Instead of an answer, Missy Robinson grabbed her from behind, and put a cloth to her face. "Don't fight, Carly," Nevel said as he watched her slip into unconciousness. The two kidnappers put their masks on, put Carly in a suitcase, and left the apartment. They were long gone when Jocelyn and Melanie arrived fifteen minutes later. They arrived to find the front door left open. Jocelyn entered and went straight up to Carly's room.
It was in disarray. Carly was not a messy person, but the room looked like Sam had been there. "We're too late," Melanie wailed. They had to know she'd talked. "This is all my fault. Carly and Sam's deaths will both be on my concience." Jocelyn was tired of this. Without warning she spun Melanie around to face her. "Look, none of this is your fault. We don't know they're gonna kill Carly, and there's still time to save Sam if you go to the authorities with what you know." Melanie's face began to light up for the first time since she'd been abducted herself. They heard footsteps downstairs. "Stay here," she instructed. She went down to see if the kidnappers returned.
Spencer realized something was wrong as soon as he saw the door to his apartment wide open. He dropped the bags he was carrying and ran inside. He almost got hit coming in by an angry Jocelyn. "Whoa," he said surprised. He had been used to seeing the girl around since Sam was imprisoned. As a matter of fact, he had noticed that in the almost two years since all this began, the two girls were almost as close as Carly and Sam had been. "Did you break in to my house?" he questioned. "Look, Carly's been kidnapped." Spencer immediatly switched gears.
It was then that Melanie came downstairs and revealed herself. "Sam?" he asked confused. "No, It's me, Melanie," she said. Spencer had no idea Sam had a sister. "How?" he asked. "She's Sam's twin sister," Jocelyn suplied. "Look, you have to tell Spencer everything you can about who kidnapped you. It might get Sam at least a stay." Melanie nodded. It was obvious that the two weren't going to stop. If bringing them down helped Sam, She was only too happy to help. Jocelyn exited, and went back to Freddie's room in the hospital.
"Freddie, tell me everything you remember before you were hit," She demanded. "Ok, I followed the girl to a two story house on 5th and Stone. I crouched under a window, and then she took her mask off. The last thing I remember was seeing that she had red hair." Freddie couldn't remember anything else. It was surprising to him that given he was in a four month long coma, he'd remembered that much. "We don't have much time. Carly's been kidnapped. I'm going to rescue her." She gave Freddie a tazer. "If anybody comes who isn't me, Spencer or a doctor, use this."
3 days till execution
"Puckett, you have a visitor," a guard announced. Her cell was opened, and her visitor entered. "It's been a while, Sammy," the girl said. Realization took hold as Sam realized who she was talking to. "Missy!" she yelled angrily. Missy smiled. "You know, I was just gonna let it be and have you die, but that Benson boy, he was persistent." Sam wanted to strangle the life out of the red head who stood before her. "What did you do to Freddie?" she questioned, her voice wavering in fear. Missy smirked. It made her happy to know that she exerted this control over Sam. "Oh, I did nothing, my associate however, was forced to hit him in the head with a baseball bat." Sam bit her lip. "You know, I heard he was in a coma," Missy gloated. She didn't know that he had come out.
"If it's the last thing I do, I swear-" Sam was cut off by Missy slapping her in the face. "You'll what? Face it, you don't have time. But that's not the reason I've come." Sam was tired of this. "If you didn't just come to gloat, why did you come? And what's to stop me from going to the warden as soon as you leave and telling her it was you." Missy laughed. "You know, I thought you might say that, so I brought something you should see." She handed her a series of pictures. They were all of Carly, gagged and tied to a chair.
"You must really care about Carly, am I right? You know, we'd both hate to see anything bad happen to her." Sam seethed. The last picture showed Carly standing at a makeshift gallows, a noose around her neck. "What do you want? What can you possibly need from me?" Sam angrily demanded. She would do anything for Carly, and Missy was cruelly taking advantage of that fact. "It's simple, Sam," she said. "Your execution is in three days. And all prisoners are entitled to last words." Sam's heart sank. She had a feeling she knew where this was going.
"So here's what's going to happen. When the warden asks if you have any last words, you are going to have a sudden attack of concience." Sam shook her head no. She'd been fighting for this long. When she went to her death, it would be maintaining her innocence with pride. It was, after all, the last thing she had left. "Oh, yes, Sam. You will," Missy said, breaking her thoughts. "If you want Carly to be safe, you will. And who knows, maybe my associate and I will finish off your precious Freddie," she said with contempt in her voice.
Missy smiled. "How did you ever call yourself Carly's friend?" Sam questioned. This was the lowest of the low. Sam would never do this to anyone, especially not someone who she called friend. "So I'm supposed to throw myself on my sword, is that it?" Missy nodded. "Oh, and so you know, my associate will be watching your execution on tv. If he doesn't hear you confess, Carly hangs. If I don't walk out of here, Carly hangs." Sam had no idea her execution would be televised. She had no choice. She had to agree, if only to hope that Spencer was able to get a stay.
She looked at Missy with hatred, and stuck her hand out. "I want your word, that as soon as I'm executed you release Carly," she angrily demanded. Missy shook her hand "You have a deal, Sammy," she said. Of course, Sam would be dead, so she'd have no way of knowing weather or not Missy kept her word. This is perfect, Missy thought as she left the prison. She had Sam right where she wanted her, and afterwards she would take revenge on Carly for rejecting her. Then, she'd decided, she'd make it a clean sweep, and finish the Benson boy.
Jocelyn easily found the house that Freddie had described. Spencer had taken Melanie in to tell the authorites what she knew, and if everything went to plan there would be no execution. She knew she had the right place because next to the back door, she found a bat with a large stain of dried blood on it. She would come back at night, to catch whoever was there by surprise.