Chapter 16
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Zack's associates were getting ready to deliver the ransom to the agreed upon spot in the woods. Anna and Gary would be nearby. The drop was scheduled to occur at 3am, it was now almost 8pm. The Pine Valley didn't have the resources to watch every suspect at this time, it was assumed that most of them would be asleep at this time. The priority was the kidnapping, to make certain that Zack was found alive, and ideally to arrest the kidnappers. But Anna and Gary did decide to pay Bianca a visit before the ransom drop. Her lawyer Jackson was here as well, but it was possible she would say something that could shed some light on their investigation.
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Jackson: Why do you wish to speak with my client?
Fredo: Have you heard about Zack's kidnapping?
Bianca: Yes.
Fredo: It is possible that the killer has a grudge against the entire Cambias family. If that's the case, they might target you and your unborn child.
Bianca: I want nothing to do with that family, or any of their money. I made that very clear to Zack.
Anna: He offered you money?
Bianca: Yeah. I don;t know how he found out, maybe he just made an educated guess. He said that his father's will left all his money to his descendants, including children and grandchildren. I denied that I was pregnant, and said I wanted no money from the Cambias family.
Fredo: I'm sure that's true, but we can't rule out the possibility that the killer would target you anyway.
Bianca: Uncle Jack, you don't think she'd...
Jackson: No, she wouldn't.
Anna: Who are you talking about?
Bianca: My mother. I never saw her kill anyone, she never told me that she'd killed anyone, but I do wonder. When I told her I was pregnant, she strongly advised me to have an abortion. And if the killer really wants to wipe out the Cambias bloodline. I've heard that people can drug pregnant women to induce abortions against their will, is that true?
Anna: It happens, mostly abusive boyfriends who want to get out of paying child support.
Jackson: I don't think Erica would drug her own daughter.
Bianca: Maybe I should have gone through with my original plan.
Fredo: What plan would that be?
Bianca: My plan was to leave town before I started showing, have my baby, and then come back and tell everyone that I adopted.
Anna: I can't really advise you to leave town right now.
Jackson: But unless my client is under arrest, you also can't stop her.
Fredo: True, but a lot of people would assume she's the killer if she flees town now.
Jackson: My client could be in danger, you said so yourself. The tabloids are already speculating that my client is guilty, my main concern is what can be proven in a court of law.
Fredo: Fair enough.
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Neither Jackson nor Bianca admitted to killing Michael and the others, but Bianca did admit she feared her own mother. Maybe she had reason to fear her, or maybe she was trying to deflect suspicion away from herself.
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November 13th 3am
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Zack's lawyer Lydia was in the woods waiting for the kidnappers. Gary Fredo and Anna Hayward waited nearby, along with other cops. Then a man wearing a ski mask and a hood approached Lydia. The man tried to disguise his voice, but Anna and Gary were both certain it was JR Chandler. But it was dark, no court would say that they could positively identify that it was JR.
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Lydia: Where is my client?
Kidnapper: Safe, for now. Do you have the money?
Lydia: Yes, four million dollars in bearer bonds. It's good as cash and easier to move.
Kidnapper: Hand it over and I leave. Me and my associates will count the money. If it's all there we let Zack go.
Lydia: How do I know he's not dead yet? How do I know you won't betray your associates and just take the money and run?
Kidnapper: Give me the money now or Zack dies, trust that.
Lydia: Fine, take the money and return Zack.
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Lydia handed the kidnapper the briefcase with the money. He took it and ran away. The police tried to follow this kidnapper, but he used the cover of darkness to elude them. During the chase Gary and Anna lost track of each other. It was shortly after this that Gary heard a gunshot in the woods. The police went in the direction of the gunshot, as best they could in the darkness. They soon found the body of this kidnapper, the same man who had taken the money from Lydia. He was shot in the head. They removed the mask, sure enough it was JR Chandler. So JR had been involved in the kidnapping, and he was apparently betrayed by his partner, whoever that was. But the question remained, was Zack alive, or had the killer and JR already disposed of him to tie up loose ends. Surprisingly the briefcase with the money was still here, it was never about money for this killer, it was about revenge for the girl murdered at the Sunrise Club. The police searched the woods and eventually they found Zack. He was in an old shed, drugged, and handcuffed to a cot. But Zack was alive. Maybe the killer didn't want him dead, or maybe they wanted him to suffer first. Detective Fredo did the math. Thus far everyone who the killer targeted was involved in the unknown girl's death. Ryan set the fire, Michael payed him to do it, JR made certain the investigation didn't go anywhere, and Greenlee covered it up financially. Everyone know to be involved was dead. Maybe the killer was done, ideally they'd even turn themselves in, but somehow Gary doubted that part. And he couldn't help but think the killer wasn't done yet, that there was still at least one person on the killer's hit list to be eliminated. He was right about that, the killer had one last target, detective Fredo just didn't know who the last person on the list was.
