A/N: So sorry it took so long to update. Life has been CRAZY due to elections going on at work. And also because yesterday was my BIRFDAY! So please, please make my day and give me a review and vote! Pretty please. Thanks so much for those who have kept up with this story!
Chapter 4: Suffocation and Dinner at the Worthington Estate
Shawn stifled a bored yawn as he leaned back in one of the chairs in the public library, while Gus was typing away on a public terminal. "So what're we doing here again?" He asked.
"I already told you," Gus said irritably. "I'm sending the file Kaylee sent us to Juliet, maybe she and Lassiter will have a better chance of decoding this than we can. I still can't make out what these numbers mean."
"So why couldn't you do this back at the office?"
Gus pushed away from the computer and turned to Shawn. "Because I don't want them tracing that email back to the office, then they'll definitely get suspicious as to why we have that file on our computer." Gus said. "Then how would we explain that Chance Worthington's daughter came to us, seeking us for help and you denied her. We're an accessory to her kidnapping, Shawn."
Gus' voice was louder than he intended it to be and ignored the heated glares and hushes around them. He knew they were in a public library and the noise needed to be at a minimum, but he couldn't help the anger that was flowing through him at the moment. They would have never been in this predicament if Shawn had just taken the case in the first place and the young teen that desperately needed their help would have never been kidnapped. For all Gus knew, she could've been dead.
"I said I'll fix this Gus," Shawn said. "We'll get her back, I guarantee it."
Gus sighed, then got wearily to his feet and started walking out of the library.
Shawn called after him. "Where are you going?"
"Back to psych, we have an appointment with Bradley Worthington in twenty-five minutes." Gus said.
Those were the last words Gus said to Shawn for twenty-five minutes, twenty-five long, agonizing minutes. Now they were finally at the psych office, where the Chauffeur awaited. The man standing there was over six feet tall with dark chestnut hair and ropy muscles that come from a lifetime of playing beach volleyball. Shawn had to guess he was a few years older than him and Gus.
"Mr. Spencer and Mr. Guster I'm here to take you to the Worthington estate." He said as he opened the door for Shawn and Gus.
"And we're ready." Gus smiled.
Gus grew weary when he noticed the chauffeur would sneak in quick glances at them through his review mirror. Since they left the psych office Gus had lost count how many times he'd glance at them. Finally summoning the courage, Gus swallowed back his fear and asked the question he'd been meaning to ask since they left.
"Is something wrong?" Gus asked the driver, trying to keep the quiver of fear out of his voice.
"Nothing's wrong." The driver said.
Finally, after what felt like hours but was probably less than thirty minutes, they reached an opening and turned onto a flagstone driveway into a courtyard.
At least Gus assumed it was a courtyard, although the night was so dark he couldn't see the building that enclosed it. But as the car stopped, strings of overhead lights flickered on, bathing the area in a warm yellow glow. The chauffeur opened the door and Shawn and Gus stepped out, only to be greeted by Bradley Worthington.
Bradley Worthington raised a hand in greeting. "Welcome gentlemen. I hope you haven't eaten already. It would be such a shame if all that delectable food went to waste" He said in a voice filled with warmth as he motioned for Shawn and Gus to join him.
Bradley gestured for Shawn and Gus to take their seats, and then sat down into his own. "We appreciate the faith you've put in us, Mr. Worthington, and we want to assure you we will find your niece." Gus said. "And if by any chance we don't, we want to assure you right now it's not through lack of desire or willingness on our part."
Bradley waved off Gus' pre-apology. "I have full confidence in the two of you." He said. "I've had a chance to look into your careers, and I'm convinced you're the right men for the job."
"So you had us checked out," Shawn said. "I have to say I'm a little disappointed."
"I do my research on anyone I hire," Bradley said. "It's one reason I'm a success."
Shawn was about to reply when they heard the sound of a throat being cleared.
"Dinner is served." The chef said.
There were three roast chickens, their skins perfectly browned, each resting on beds of crispy potatoes. Three cooks appeared at their table, each one lifting a silver platter holding an enormous lobster surrounded by a colorful array of deep-fried vegetables. The cooks deposited the platters in front of them, and then disappeared back into the kitchen.
Shawn was so hungry he started stuffing food into his mouth even before he was completely settled in his chair, and whatever he said for the next twenty minutes was completely incomprehensible, even to Gus.
"It might save us time and effort in our investigation if you could share with us whatever you know about Chance Worthington's murder or the disappearance of Kaylee," Gus said.
"Mmmph." Shawn agreed gesturing with the piece of shell whose previous occupant was crammed into his mouth and preventing him from forming syllables.
"I'm sure you are familiar with his recent career," Bradley said, then waited for a response. Shawn and Gus nodded. They spent all night Googling Chance. They were surprised by his field of profession in the quaternary industry and hi-tech research. He was well known for developing new medicines, mobile phones, software and information networks. He was a busy and powerful man.
"Good, then I don't need to go into details about his career." Bradley said. "All I know is that Chance was in some sort of trouble."
"What kind of trouble?" Gus asked curiously.
"Chance loved to gamble and drink." Bradley said. "He was slowly falling into debt and was very close to losing Worthington Enterprises. There had been several occasions where Chance would call me and beg for my help. Just last week, I received a phone call from Chance, claiming he was in deep water. He apparently lost a major bet and couldn't come up with the expenses, so they gave him so much time to come up with the money. Or they would kill him."
"Just out of curiosity, how much did Chance Worthington owe?" Shawn asked
"5.6 million to be exact." Bradley replied. "Hence why we need to retrieve Kaylee as soon as possible, there is no messing around with these men. They will go to any lengths necessary to retrieve their money. All I'm waiting on is the call that will end this horrific nightmare."
"So you already have the money?" Shawn asked curiously.
Bradley nodded. "Yes. Once my niece is safely returned, they will receive their money and we can go on with our daily lives, that simple. Like I stated earlier, I don't want word of this slipping to the public. Do I make myself clear?"
"Yes, sir," Gus said quickly. He could see that Shawn was running through a list of possible responses, but a gentle nudge with his foot persuaded him to supply a simple nod.
"Good," Bradley said. He thudded his hands together, and the chefs returned to whisk the platters away.
"This meal is now concluded."
"What no dessert?" Shawn said.
"I do not intend to guide your investigation, but I assume you will want to begin with her room. It's located on the second floor, third door to the right." He said. "My only request is that you leave everything exactly as you found it. If she returns home, I don't want her to feel as though her privacy has been violated. Is there anything else?"
"Just one question," Shawn said, moving his leg out of the way in case Gus was planning another assault on his ankle. "What do you do for a living Mr. Worthington?"
Bradley's eyes narrowed as he stared at Shawn. "I'm an Investment Banker. I assist individuals, corporations and governments in raising capital. I also provide advice for my clients such as mergers, acquisitions or advice on specific transactions," He said. "As you can see, I'm a pretty busy man. But I'll offer you one bit of advice gentlemen, if you even idly speculate that I am in any way responsible for the disappearance of my niece. I will be displeased."
Shawn and Gus shook their heads and stood up from their seats and began their investigation for young Kaylee.
~PSYCH~
Kaylee always knew when an attack was coming on so she knew when to get her medication. It always started with a tight chest followed by wheezing before the full on attack started. This usually gave her time to grab her inhaler and stop the attack before it got out of hand, but she made a crucial mistake. She didn't bring her inhaler with her this time. When she made it home the night her father was murdered, she immediately went to her bedroom and took a few puffs of her inhaler and set it down on her dresser.
She opened the mini fridge next to her bed and grabbed a few of her epi-pens and threw them into her backpack along with a few other necessities and left the room, leaving her inhaler behind. She was diagnosed as a severe asthmatic when she was just a child. She had vague memories of being held in her mother's arms as she struggled to breath. While her mother used soothing words to calm her down until the medication took effect and she was able to breathe once again.
After she died, everything changed for her. Even more so for her father. Although her father didn't dismiss her asthma completely, he was hardly ever home when an asthma attack occurred. Ever since her mother passed away, he'd constantly bury himself in his work to distract his mind from his beloved wife.
Lastly there was Scott, their Chauffeur. He was the one who'd make sure her medicine was with her at all times. And he knew exactly when she felt an asthma attack coming on. The look on her face was evident. He could read her like a book and she loved and missed him terribly. If she had one wish, it would be to tell him she was sorry, sorry for saying such terrible things to him that night. She didn't mean one word. She knew he was just doing his job.
So instead she lied curled up in the dirt floor, in the freezing room, gasping for air, trying to comfort herself through the painful attack. In truth, she really didn't care if she died. She didn't want to live like this. She didn't want to go through this for another minute, but something in her mind was telling her to hold on, to keep fighting. That help was coming soon.
She fought as hard as she could, but she was no match against the man. He got what he wanted. He found the card in her back pocket and she feared for the safety of Shawn Spencer and Burton Guster. If they destroyed that piece of evidence, there would be nothing left. Sure, she still had the heart shaped necklace around her neck, but what good would that do if she was dead? Maybe they had already decoded the file? Did they figure out who her father's murders were? Did they realize those were coordinates she left? Did they notice the hidden video camera?
So many questions ran through her mind as she slowly felt herself slipping into darkness. Her eyes slowly opened as she heard the wooden door open. She wanted to cry. Was he coming back to inflict more pain on her? Did he not get enough of her screaming earlier? Did they finally get tired of waiting, and decided to kill her?
"It's time to eat." The man said as he gently sat the plate down on the floor. A lone tear trickled down her cheek as she realized the voice belonged to the man named Kevin. She liked Kevin, though she had no idea why. He was holding her against her will and for all she knew, he could be the one to kill her. But every time he came in the room he would give her a faint smile. Though she could tell by his eyes he seemed scared or lost.
Kevin noticed something was wrong. He kneeled down and turned the young teen onto her back and realized she was having problems breathing. He muttered a curse and quickly stood up, rushing up the steps to inform the others, A few seconds later she heard footsteps running down the stairs. "God dammit Jake, what the fuck did you do to her?" The leader shouted. "She's no good to us if she's dead,"
He shrugged. "Not much, I just smacked her around a little bit." Jake defended. "She was fine when I left the room."
Kaylee summoned enough strength and slowly moved one of her hands to the leader's leg. "Air…my chest…Can't breathe." She gasped. "B-Bag…Medicine.
"Get off me." He scoffed before kicking his leg free from her grasp. "What bag are you talking about?"
"Man, she had a bag on her when we took her." Kevin said, as he darted back up the steps.
It felt like an eternity for her before she heard him return. He kneeled down and opened her bag and pulled out an epi-pen. "Do you even know how to use one of those Kev?" Jake asked, as he crossed his arms over his broad chest.
Kevin nodded. "Uncle Frank used to use one of these when he had an allergic reaction." He said, removing the cap and jabbed it into her outer thigh. She flinched from the pain of the needle penetrating her skin, but made no other response.
"Come on, kid." Kevin urged, as he continued to hold the EpiPen in place against Kaylee's thigh. Silently counting to ten, making sure the medication was fully injected into her system.
Jake kneeled down and tried to feel a pulse on the girl's neck, but Kevin swatted his hand away. "Don't touch her." He hissed. "Give her a minute."
When the ten seconds were over, Kevin released a shaky breath as he pulled the epi-pen away, allowing it to fall on the floor as he assessed her condition. She remained motionless on the ground and her chest barely rose and fell. Kevin ran his hands through his hair nervously waiting for the medication to take effect.
"Is she dead?" The leader asked.
"Hey kid," Kevin called, shaking her shoulder. "Is that better, do you need more?" He asked.
When she didn't respond, Kevin reached into her bag once more and pulled out another epi-pen. He repeated the same process and removed the grey cap and jabbed it into her other leg, hoping the second injection would do the trick. Suddenly the wheezing had significantly decreased and she took a deep breath and began to cough violently as her lungs fill with much needed oxygen. "Good girl." Kevin praised, feeling a wave of relief was over him as the medication helped.
Kaylee took deeps breaths and turned on her side. Kevin frowned and turned to the other two men. "How come we didn't know about this asthma thing?" Kevin growled. "How could you miss that Talon? I don't like it."
"Like I give a shit about what you like Kevin," Talon growled. "It's time to call Brad. I don't want her to croak before I get what's mine."
Kevin watched as Talon and Jake walked back up the steps and sighed, the plan was quickly falling apart. He looked down at the young teenager who lied curled up on the floor and grabbed her bag, "You only have one epi-pen left. Use it wisely, or you could die."
She glanced over her shoulder. "Thank you." She gasped. "You saved my life. You didn't have to, but you did."
He shook his head. "If you're dead, then everything would have been for nothing."
Kaylee didn't bother to move from her position. She was tired and far too weak to make any small movements. "What're you even doing with them?" She whispered. "You don't belong here. You're not like them…at all."
"That is none of your concern." He snapped.
Tears welled in her eyes. "I saw you." She sniffled. "You cried as you watched my father die."
Kevin clenched his teeth, not wanting to think back to that horrid memory he spent a lot of time burying. "You shut your fucking mouth little girl." He spat bitterly, throwing her bag in front of her. "You don't know a damn thing about me."
She wiped away a few stray tears as she heard him stomp back upstairs and slammed the door shut, locking the dead bolt one again. She reached for her bag and pulled it close to her chest and cried her heart out.
Please, someone help me.