Стюарт Вудс - Barely Legal

“Where’s the girl?”

“Upstairs.”

“How do you know?”

“She’s locked in.”

“When did you see her last?”

“This morning. I took her to the bathroom.”

“Let’s go.”

Cousin Lou led the way upstairs and unlocked the door.

Melanie was sitting on the bed. She sprang up when the door opened, but shied back when she saw it was Mookie. He walked in, took ahold of her chin, and twisted her face up to look at him.

“Who are you?”

She pulled away and glared at him.

“Come on, honey. What’s your name?”

“Melanie Porter.”

“You’re Herb Fisher’s girlfriend.”

“No.”

“No?”

“No.”

“But you know him.”

“He’s my brother’s attorney.”

Mookie’s eyes widened. “Really? Who’s your brother?”

“David Ross.”

A grin spread over Mookie’s face. “Is that so?” He jerked his thumb at Lou. “Lock her up. Call your cousin. I want at least two guys here at all times. Preferably three. And stay awake.”

As soon as he was out the front door, Mookie whipped out his cell phone and called Taperelli.

“I think we just hit the jackpot.”

Jules Kenworth digested the information. “Run that by me again.”

Taperelli spoke with glee. “We got the councilman’s daughter. We thought she was the lawyer’s girlfriend because he’d taken her out. We didn’t peg her as the councilman’s daughter because she’s got a different name — Melanie Porter. You wouldn’t know her father was Ross.”

“She’s the councilman’s little girl?”

“Yeah. Isn’t that great? As long as we’re holding her, the old man’s going to do what we want. Now you don’t even need a verdict. We just hang on to her until after the vote.”

“That works this time, for this vote, but I need Ross to approve everything I do. I want his kid in jail so he always votes my way.”

“I understand.”

“Then do it.”

Melanie couldn’t get out. She’d come to that conclusion not without considerable experimentation. The window in the room was indeed nailed shut. There was no way she was moving the railroad spikes, even if she had something to pry them with, which she didn’t. If by some miracle she did manage to get the window open, she would face a two-story drop onto solid concrete. There was only a bare wall, nothing to climb down. As for smashing a pane and calling out, the window faced the back alley, not the street. There was no corresponding window in the house beyond, and the chances of anyone hearing her were nil.

The window was the only possible means of escape except for the door, which was always locked, except when that moron took her to the bathroom. Lou, as she’d heard them call him, wasn’t very big, but he had a gun. He always had it out when he opened the door, not like he needed it, but like he got a thrill out of carrying it. His lack of expertise was not comforting. He looked like he could shoot her by mistake.

Melanie was pretty sure she could overpower Lou if it weren’t for the gun. Just the element of surprise would give her the advantage, but she had to be a little more desperate before she tried it. And the longer she waited, the less he’d be expecting it.

The door opened and Melanie looked up from the bed. A thug stuck his head in the door and said, “Bathroom.”

It wasn’t Lou. It was another guy, slightly bigger, probably of equal intelligence. And he didn’t have a gun.

Melanie’s pulse quickened. If she was ever going to make a move, the time was now.

She got up from the bed, dispiritedly, and trudged out the door.

He walked behind her to the bathroom. She measured his steps. She spun suddenly, grabbed his wrist, and pulled down. Her other hand chopped down on his forearm.

He pulled back in pain and surprise.

She kicked him full out in the balls.

He doubled up in pain, and she dashed by him and darted down the stairs.

Lou was lounging on the couch. He lunged to his feet, grabbing for his gun.

She ran by him. The front door was unlocked. She flung it open, dashed out into the street, and yelled, “Help!” at the top of her lungs.

No one heard, no windows opened, no one came out any door, except for the armed thug who was right on her heels.

She reached the corner and turned right.

A car was coming down the street. There were two men in the front seat. Lou wouldn’t shoot her in front of witnesses. She ran straight at the car, waving her arms frantically.

The driver hit the brakes and skidded to a stop.

Chico and Gus got out of the car. Chico had a gun in his hand. He pointed it at her, looked at Lou, who was doubled up out of breath, and shook his head in disgust.

He swung the butt of the gun at her head and knocked her out.

Councilman Ross got the call on his lunch break. He’d have gotten it sooner, but he couldn’t take calls in court. He was just coming down the steps when his phone rang.

It was his secretary. She’d been calling him every five minutes.

“You’re about to get a phone call. Make sure you answer.”

“Of course.”

“It’s important.”

“I’ll take it.”

“Please. I’ve got a bad feeling.”

“What are you talking about?”

“A man called, insistent, asking to speak to you immediately. When I said you were in court, he didn’t seem to understand that your phone wasn’t on, got quite angry.”

“Maybe it was just a crank.”

“I don’t think so. This was scary. Answer your phone.”

The line beeped.

“This must be it.” Ross switched the call. “Yes?”

It was a male voice, hostile and threatening. “Councilman. I understand you’ve been in court. This is not good. The case should be over.”

“Who is this?”

“A fan. I like your work. I’d like to see it continue.”

“I’m hanging up now.”

“That would be a mistake. Do you care about your children?”

“What about my children?”

“Well, your son’s on trial, and your daughter isn’t. Who do you think is in the most danger?”

“Now, look here—”

“No, you look here. I’m telling you how it is, and how it’s gonna be. If you care for your children, you’re going to listen hard and you’re not going to get it wrong. Here’s the situation. It’s very simple, but it’s very important, so pay attention. This is a matter for you and not for the police. Should the police become involved, the story would be over, and it will not have a happy ending. The story will only have a happy ending if we keep this to ourselves. This is just between you and me.”

There was a pause, and then the ultimatum.

“Your daughter’s not coming home until your son’s case is lost. If he wins the case, she’s not coming home at all.”

Councilman Ross called his daughter. It went to voice mail. He left a message. “Melanie, it’s Dad. Call me back as soon as you get this.”

He hung up and called his secretary. “I need to speak to Melanie. She’s not answering her phone. Call the hospital, find out when she went to work and when she gets off. Leave a message for her. If you get her on the phone, I need to speak to her immediately.”

“Yes, sir.”

She called back in ten minutes. “She didn’t come in today.”

“At all?”

“No. No one’s seen her since last night. She was supposed to be on shift today but never showed. I left messages in case she does come in, but she’s not there.”

Councilman Ross hung up and hurried down the street to the little diner where he and Herbie had had lunch. Herbie was in a booth with David and Stone Barrington. They asked him to join them, but he waved it away.