Tangled Web

By Sarah & Lanie

Chapter 26

Enrique Cabalas's House - Tanquir

Grant paced the length of the study. What was he going to do with Vicky and Amanda? They were a liability he hadn't counted on. He needed to make some plans as to what he should do to keep himself and Kirkland safe. Grant knew it was only a matter of time before the FBI got involved in the kidnapping. The only comfort he had was that no one knew where to look for him, even if they did know that he was alive. He also knew that Logan only used the best and that they had covered their tracks expertly. Still, Grant didn't believe in leaving anything to chance.

Grant stopped pacing and went over to his desk. He'd laid out a map there. He thoughtfully tapped a finger against it, then picked up the phone. "It's me. I need you to get me some information about an island called San Cristobel. It's a small monarchy south of the Florida Keys. Specifically, I'm interested in the laws and political policies regarding extradition to the US. Also, find out if there's anyone in power who might be susceptible to bribery... Right, get back to me as soon as you can."

As Grant hung up the phone, there was a knock on the door. One of the guards stuck his head in and said, "The nanny wanted me to tell you that your son is awake."

Grant quickly stood up, giving the guard a rushed "thanks" as he passed. Grant took the stairs quickly and entered Kirk's bedroom. The nanny was showing him where his toys and new clothes were stored. Grant stood frozen, staring at his son. Kirkland must have sensed that he was being watched because he turned around. A wide smile crossed Kirkland's face, and he ran toward Grant. "Dad!" he called out happily.

Grant crouched down and held his arms out. Kirkland threw himself into Grant's embrace. Grant hugged the child against him and felt tears well up in his eyes. This was the feeling he'd missed more than anything: The overwhelming sense of unreserved, unconditional love that came over him when he held Kirkland. "My son," Grant choked past the tearful lump in his throat. "Oh, how I've missed you!"

Kirkland eventually leaned back in Grant's arms so he could look at his face. "Why did everyone say that you were dead? I missed you so much, Dad."

"I know, son. I missed you too. And don't blame anybody for telling you I was dead. They all thought it was true. You see there were some very bad men who wanted to hurt me, Kirkland. So, I had to pretend that I died so that they wouldn't be able to hurt me. Once I knew it was safe, I sent my friend to come and get you. Do you understand?"

Kirkland scrunched his face up a little. "I guess so. Does Mom know you're ok?"

"As a matter of fact, she does," Grant replied. "I'm sure she's happy that we're getting to spend some time together. She misses you, but she knows that this is for the best."

"Can I call her?"

Grant shook his head regretfully. "Not right now, son. We don't want those bad men finding out where I am." Seeing Kirk's crestfallen expression, Grant added, "I tell you what. I'll try to arrange a call later, ok?"

"Awesome!" Kirkland replied with a toothy grin.

"Good. Now I have a few things to take care of, so why don't you finish getting settled in, and we can go outside later and play catch, ok?"

"Cool! I love you, Dad." Kirk hugged his arms around Grant's neck again.

"I love you too, son." Grant released Kirk from his arms and stood up. Turning to the nanny, he said, "Let me know if he needs anything. I'll be back later." The nanny nodded, and Grant left the room.

Grant closed the door behind himself, then leaned back against it. "I can't put this off much longer," he said with a sigh. Grant moved away from the room and headed back down the stairs.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

September 8, 1999
David's Townhouse
9:00 AM

Cindy's eyes slowly drifted open. For a moment, she felt disoriented. Then a smile slowly spread across her lips. She turned on her side and propped her head up on her hand. She gazed down at David and thought, I wasn't dreaming.

Cindy closed her eyes briefly as she recalled everything that had happened between them. She had never been touched with so much tenderness before. It was more than passion with David. He cared about her, and Cindy had allowed herself to fall head over heels in love with him.

The power of it amazed her. Her love for Grant had been an all-consuming darkness. Cindy never dreamed that she could feel that intensely for anyone else, but now she did. And this time, she had found a man who would never intentionally break her heart. Cindy tried to be realistic - She might end up with her heart broken anyway. But with David, she was allowing herself the tiniest hope that this time, things might work out the same in her life as they did in her dreams.

For the moment, Cindy was content to watch David sleep. The steady rise and fall of his chest as he breathed was soothing to her. His hair was slightly mussed and a lock had fallen across his forehead. Cindy reached out and smoothed the hair away, careful not to disturb him. "God, but you are gorgeous," she whispered.

"Thank you," David murmured, his eyes still closed.

Cindy's eyes flew wide, then she laughed. "You sneak! How long have you been awake?"

David opened one eye, then the other and smiled. "Not long. I was watching you watch me."

"You're just full of surprises, aren't you?"

"Who, me? When else did I surprise you?"

"Quite a few times over the past several hours, as I recall," Cindy replied with a glint in her eyes.

David grinned back at her. "It's good to know that I can keep you on your toes." David leaned forward and placed a quick kiss on Cindy's lips, then got out of bed.

Cindy watched him cross to the closet and grab a black and silver robe. As he pulled it on, she asked, "Where are you going?"

David tied the belt and walked back over to sit on the edge of the bed. "I'm going to go grab something to eat. I'm starving."

Cindy played with the lapels on his robe. "I'm not ready to let you out of bed yet," she replied as she looked up at him through her lashes.

"I won't be gone long. And if I don't eat something, I won't be any fun at all."

Cindy slowly trailed her hand up the length of David's leg. "All right, I suppose I do need to make sure that you keep your strength up. After all, you are still a growing boy."

David trapped her wandering hand when it reached his thigh. He leaned over and took her lips in a passionate kiss. "You are insatiable," David said with a laugh.

Cindy grinned unrepentantly. "I know. It's a gift. So, have I convinced you to stay yet?"

"I tell you what. I'll go down, put some things on a tray, and bring it back up here. How does that sound?"

"Eating in bed? It sounds very decadent."

"Good. I'll be back."

Cindy watched David stroll out of the room. Once he was gone, she hopped out of bed and shuffled into the bathroom. She grabbed a bottle of mouthwash from the vanity and gargled with it. She ran her hands through her short-cropped hair and shrugged. Without her makeup kit or her purse handy, it was the best she could do. Recalling the fact that her purse was down in the living room, Cindy went back into the bedroom and grabbed David's shirt from the floor. She slipped it on and buttoned it, smiling and shaking her head as she noticed the shirttails hanging well below her knees.

Cindy went to the coffee table in the living room and retrieved her purse. As she passed the kitchen on her way back, she heard David say, "What in the world?"

Curious, Cindy went in and asked, "What's up?"

"Hmm? Oh, I was just wondering about these things in the refrigerator. I don't remember buying them."

Cindy looked around him and saw that he was holding a can of pressurized whipped cream in one hand and a jar of hot fudge in the other. Cindy boosted herself up onto the counter and replied, "Oh, I had Winnie pick those up for me."

David looked over at her in surprise. "You bought this stuff."

"Yeah. What about it?"

"Well, after eating several meals with you, I was under the impression that you ate nothing other than rabbit food."

Cindy took the jar of fudge out of his hand and unscrewed the lid. "When you were gone so long without calling, I got lonely. I needed some comfort food." Cindy dipped her finger into the jar and scooped up some of the fudge, then licked it off her finger.

David smiled and shut the refrigerator door. He set the can of whipped cream on the counter and placed his hands on either side of Cindy's hips. "I take it as the highest compliment that you missed me enough to allow empty calories to pass your lips."

Cindy smiled back at him and dipped her finger in the jar again. She held out her chocolate-coated finger toward him. "Do you want some?"

As David leaned forward, Cindy quickly moved her finger and smeared the chocolate across his lips. Then she leaned forward and kissed it off. "Umm, I like tasting something sweet," she commented slyly.

While David licked the remaining fudge off his lips, Cindy stuck her finger in the jar again. She held out her finger again and David raised a brow at her. "Where is that going to end up this time?"

Cindy leaned forward with a glint in her eyes. "Come and get it," she replied with a giggle. As she laughed, some of the fudge dripped off her finger and landed on the exposed skin above her collarbone.

David's eyes traveled from hers to the chocolate on her skin and back again. "I see that your mother never taught you not to play with your food." David leaned forward and licked the sauce off Cindy's skin, then ran a line of kisses from there up to her ear, where he whispered, "Remind me to thank her for that."

Cindy sighed and leaned her head back as David continued kissing her neck. "You should be grateful that I didn't get it on your shirt."

David leaned back and examined her attire. "Yes, I suppose I should be. I can't say that I've ever thought this shirt enticing until I saw it on you. Then again, I think my shirt covers more of you than ninety percent of your own outfits do."

Cindy gave him a challenging smile as she seductively licked the remaining chocolate off her finger. She raised her hands to the buttons of the shirt and began to slowly unfasten them. "If you don't like the way it looks, I guess I'll just have to give it back to you."

David watched Cindy's hands for a moment, then his intense gaze flew to hers. David wrapped his arms around Cindy and took her lips in a passionate kiss. He swept her forward on the counter so she was pressed tightly against him, and Cindy locked her legs around his waist. As David reached under the shirt to caress the skin on her back, Cindy said, "I thought you were hungry."

"Food is the last thing on my mind right now," David replied before taking her lips in another breath-stealing kiss. Cindy moaned in the back of her throat and undid the belt of his robe. As she clung to his shoulders in ecstasy, David set about showing Cindy exactly what he was thinking.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Foster Park

Joe supervised the forensics team conducting the day's search. They had called it quits at nightfall, but were back at the scene with sunrise today. Everyone involved knew that with a kidnapping case, the longer there was no word the worse it was. A kidnapper who wanted money would probably have tried to contact the family by now, but nothing had come through on the taps they'd placed on Jake's, Donna's, and Marley's phones. Joe was becoming more concerned with every second that passed.

Joe saw a familiar car pull up in the parking lot. Josie got out and came jogging over to him with a report in her hand. When she arrived, Joe held out his hand and asked, "Is this what I hope it is?"

Josie nodded. "It's the forensics report on the tire impressions we took from the side of the road. Two of them were sedans, expensive ones based on the type of tires. The third set was probably made by a van."

"So if we can assume that the forensics team is right and those cars were all in that spot at the same time... this was carefully planned out, Josie. This was no spur of the moment thing."

"Captain! Captain, we got something!"

Joe jogged over to the man who was flagging him down. "What is it, Walters?"

"We did the visual of the bushes next to the road and got nothing, so we decided to send the dogs in. One of them found this."

Walters handed Joe a plastic evidence bag. Joe looked at the item and said, "Great work. This is our best lead yet. You guys keep at it."

Joe walked back to where Josie was waiting for him. "Josie, I need to follow up on this. Can you keep an eye on things here?"

Josie looked at the evidence bag, then nodded. "Sure, Joe. I'll call you if they find anything else."

"Thanks, Josie," Joe said before quickly running to his car.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

David's Townhouse

Cindy sat on the bed waiting. She had put David's shirt back on. Cindy turned her face into the fabric and inhaled the scent of David's cologne. She sighed with contentment and leaned back against the pile of pillows behind her. This was without a doubt the best day she'd had in a long time.

David entered the room wearing his pants and carrying a tray. Cindy smiled as she watched him cross the room. He caught her eye and smiled in return. "Breakfast is served," he said as he placed the tray down on top of the bed.

Cindy scooted forward and took stock of the tray. "Fresh fruit, bagels, coffee, and orange juice. Nice spread, but where is the hot fudge?" she asked with a grin.

David tapped her on the nose and then shook his finger. "Ah, ah, ah. We're going to eat this time. I thought it was best to leave the... distractions down in the kitchen." David popped a grape in his mouth and chewed on it.

Cindy retrieved a piece of pineapple from the fruit salad and held it out to him. "Just because we need to eat, that doesn't mean that we can't have a little fun with it."

David's lips quirked up. He leaned down and took the piece of fruit from Cindy's fingers and ate it, then picked up a strawberry and offered it to her. Cindy took the piece of fruit and David's fingers into her mouth. Their eyes locked together as they chewed. David swallowed and said, "I think I'm going to enjoy having breakfast with you." He reached out and slowly ran his fingers along the frame of her face, then leaned over and gently placed his lips on hers.

A loud banging on the front door interrupted their love play. "Ignore it," Cindy implored.

"I'm planning on it," David replied as he took her lips again. The banging resumed, and David pulled away with a growl of frustration. He shot out of the bed and went into the closet to grab a shirt. As he quickly pulled it on and buttoned it, he said, "I'll take care of this. Stay put."

"I'm not going anywhere," Cindy replied. She rubbed her hand across the bed cover. "Hurry back."

David grinned at her before leaving the room. He bounded into the living room and headed toward the door, which was once again being beat upon with insistent force. "Keep your shirt on! I'm coming!" David pulled the door open and snarled, "You!" in a voice of total disgust.

Cameron saw David's face and lost it. He barreled into the room, grabbed the fabric of David's shirt, and shoved him hard against the wall. "Where is she?" he yelled into David's face.

"Where is who? Take your damned hands off me!"

Matt came racing through the open door and found the struggling pair. Matt went directly to Cameron's side and tried to calm him. "Let him go, Cameron."

"Not until he tells me what he's done to Amanda."

David rolled his eyes in disgust. "Oh for Pete's sake, I haven't seen the woman for weeks, let alone 'done' anything to her. Now get the hell out of here!"

Cameron pulled David away from the wall and slammed him back against it again. He used enough force that the plaster buckled. "Don't lie to me, Halliday! Tell me where she is right now, or I swear, I'll snap your neck like a twig."

Matt grabbed hold of Cameron's arm. "Cameron, you're not going to do Amanda any good if you get yourself arrested! Just calm down."

Cameron completely ignored Matt. "I suspected all along that you were faking. This 'transformation' of yours was one big fat smokescreen. You never stopped going after Amanda, did you, Stark?"

David finally lost the tenuous hold he'd had on his temper. He brought his hands up and shoved Cameron away, finally managing to dislodge his grip. Matt immediately jumped between the two of them before either of them could take a swing at the other. David's eyes gleamed with fury and he pointed a threatening finger at Cameron. "I let you get away with barging in here and pushing me around because it's clear that you've lost whatever mind you had in the first place. But I'm warning you, if you touch me again, I'll make you regret it."

Cameron moved forward a step. "Is that threat supposed to scare me?" he asked in a menacing tone.

Matt had had enough. "Both of you, back off! We're not getting anywhere this way!"

Cameron breathed deeply a few times, trying to get himself under control. He paced a few moments, then turned back. David was glaring at him with irritation and barely controlled anger. "I'm going to ask you one more time, Halliday. Tell me where you took Amanda."

"Why is it my problem that you can't keep track of your wife?"

Cameron lunged toward David, but Matt stepped in the way and held him back. Matt shot David an annoyed, slightly hostile glance over his shoulder. "You want to cut the wise-cracks? My sister is missing, and we're all worried about her."

"Yes, I can see that," David replied while rubbing his shoulder. "So does the plaster on my wall. I hope you plan on fixing that."

Cameron tried to push forward toward David again. "Come on, Matt. Let me go, and I'll get some answers from him."

"Unconscious people don't talk much, Cameron. Please, for Amanda's sake, just back off and let me handle this."

On some level, Cameron knew that Matt was right. He held up his hands and backed away several strides.

Seeing that Cameron had himself back under control, Matt turned back to face David. "You're saying that you didn't see my sister at all yesterday?"

"No, I didn't. I was here the whole day."

Cameron folded his arms over his chest. "That's convenient. Why should we believe a word you say?"

"Because he's telling the truth," Cindy said as she strolled into the room. "I know you're not too familiar with the concept. You seem to think that lying is the only way to fly."

Cameron gave Cindy a scathing look. "I'd be insulted if that was coming from anyone else. From you, it's just a joke."

Cindy glared back at Cameron as she walked over to shut the front door. "Are you alright?" she asked David as she walked to his side. "I heard all the yelling and wanted to make sure this nutjob hadn't hurt you."

"I'm fine. The wall needs a little work, but nothing irreparable has been done."

"Well isn't this sweet?" Cameron intoned sarcastically. "Boy, Halliday, she really has you snowed. I personally think the two of you deserve each other, but I thought that someone would have told you that this sadistic bimbo destroys every life she touches. Just ask Josie, my brother, -"

"Hey!" Cindy interrupted indignantly. She started toward Cameron, but David caught her arm. She looked back at him as he said, "Let me handle this."

David turned an infuriated glare on Cameron. "You burst in here, throw me against a wall, and hurl unfounded accusations at me. That was bad enough, but I won't have you talking about Cindy like that. Not in my house and not in my presence. Are we clear?"

Cindy looked from David to Cameron with a triumphant gleam in her eyes. Cameron rolled his eyes in disgust.

"Can we please get back to the reason we're here?" Matt asked impatiently. "Cindy, how long have you been here?"

Cindy shot a glance at David. "Why are you even talking to these two? Just throw them out or call the cops."

"Yeah, let's call the cops," Cameron interjected. "Maybe ol' David will be more forthcoming if he's taken downtown."

"That's why I haven't thrown them out. I had a small hope of talking some sense into them before this whole thing got blown out of proportion."

"With that one? " Cindy said, angling her head toward Cameron. "Fat chance."

"Then how about talking to me," Matt said. "Cindy?"

"I was here yesterday morning, left for a few hours, and came back at lunchtime. I've been here ever since."

Cameron moved forward a few steps. "That would have given you plenty of time to snatch Amanda. What were you doing while Cindy was gone, Halliday?"

"Most of the time I was on a conference call with a broker in Tokyo. Check the phone records. Better yet, I'll give you the number, and you can call him yourself right now. I was speaking to Taki Yoshimura. He'll verify that we were on the phone for two hours arranging a deal."

Cameron's gaze landed on the phone next to David's feet. He walked over and picked it up, closely examining the frayed end of the cord. "This looks like the signs of a struggle to me," he commented in a dangerously calm voice. Cameron's eyes slowly rose to David's.

David chuckled. "Actually, I did that myself. Damned tele-marketers won't quit calling me."

Matt walked over, took the broken phone from Cameron, and set it on the table. "I think we've heard enough. Let's go, Cameron. He doesn't know anything about Amanda."

"No way, Matt! Just because he has an alibi that doesn't mean he wasn't involved. He could have hired someone to do the dirty work for him."

Matt glanced over at David. If he'd been thinking rationally, Cameron would have noticed that David was far too calm to have had anything to do with Amanda's disappearance. David looked irritated and angry, not nervous or guilty. "Somehow, I don't think so. Come on, Cameron. We should be looking for Amanda, not wasting our time here."

Cameron hated to admit it, but he knew that Matt was right. They were wasting time that would be better spent looking for other leads. Cameron got up in David's face. "If I find out that you had anything to do with this, I swear, I'll make you wish you never even heard my name."

David waited until the door closed to remark. "Too late. I made that wish weeks ago, and it hasn't come true yet."

David turned to see Cindy examining the large indentation that his shoulders had made in the wall. He walked over as she said, "Wow. He must have been wound pretty tight to do this. Are you sure you're ok?"

David nodded. "I'm fine. I'm irritated more than anything else."

Cindy walked behind David and began rubbing his shoulders. "Are you sure you don't need any first aid? I was a nurse, you know."

"Now that you mention it, my shoulders are a bit sore," David replied with a slow smile.

Cindy took David's hand and began leading him back toward the bedroom. "Just put yourself in my very capable hands. Soon, you'll feel like a new man."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The McKinnon Cottage

Paulina sat with Jake on the couch. She was doing her best to keep him calm. Sean had taken Steven outside to play in an attempt to keep things as normal as possible. A technician from the police department had set up a tracer on the telephone. Jake alternated between pacing like a caged animal and sitting deathly still on the couch staring at the phone. Paulina could sense him trying to will it into ringing.

When a knock sounded at the door, Jake immediately sprang to his feet and ran to get it. When he opened the door, his face fell slightly. Jake couldn't seem to stop himself from hoping that every knock on the door was Vicky. "Joe, do you have any news?"

Joe walked in and nodded. "We found something in the park I need you to identify for me." He held up a clear plastic evidence bag and said, "Is this Vicky's?"

Jake stared at the cell phone and shook his head. "No. That's not Vicky's."

Joe looked surprised. "You're sure, Jake?"

"I'm sure, Joe. Vicky's phone is bigger than that, and it doesn't have nearly that many buttons. Why were you sure that it was hers?"

"Well, besides the fact that it was in the same place where you and Nick found Kirkland's compass... look at the display."

Jake leaned down so he could read the small digital screen. The digits 9-1-1 had been entered. He straightened and asked, "What are you thinking now, Joe? That someone else might have been there and tried to call for help?"

Joe nodded. "If this isn't Vicky's phone, then we may have a witness to the kidnapping. My number one priority will be to track down the owner of this phone. They may be able to give us a vital clue as to what happened to Vicky and Kirk."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Gary and Josie's Apartment

Gary heard a knock on the apartment door and walked over to open it. "Cameron... come on in."

Cameron walked into the apartment and Gary closed the door. "Josie told me about Amanda. Has there been any word?"

Cameron shook his head as he took a seat on the couch. "They found her car at the airport in Oakdale, but there was no sign of Amanda. The car was wiped clean, Gar. It's starting to look like... like she was kidnapped by professionals."

"Kidnapped? Why would anyone kidnap Amanda?" Gary asked as he sat down next to Cameron.

"At first, I thought Halliday was behind it, but now I'm not so sure. We went to his place and ... he didn't seem like he knew anything. I was so furious I had a hard time seeing that before. Maybe I didn't want to believe that it could be anyone other than Halliday..."

"Why?"

"Because... if it wasn't Halliday, then who else would take her? The only other thing I can think of is that... it's because of me."

"What do you mean?"

"What if my cover was blown somehow? What if Amanda's life is in danger right now because someone figured out that I work for the FBI? I couldn't take it if she was in danger because of me."

"Hey, there's no reason to think that."

Cameron shot off the couch and started pacing. "What other explanation could there be? Amanda didn't just vanish into thin air. Until we get some sort of clue what happened to her, we're flying blind. At least with Vicky and Kirk, we know who's responsible."

Gary shook his head. "Grant. How did he manage to take them right out from under the FBI's nose?"

"Grant has good connections. We had a guy on Kirk, but the kidnappers took him out. These guys were professionals, Gar. They had the whole thing planned down to the second. We don't think they planned to take Vicky too... It's all just speculation right now."

Gary stood up and walked over to Cameron. "If you need anything from me, all you have to do is ask."

"Thanks, bro. I might end up taking you up on that offer."

Gary saw the fear and weariness in Cameron's face. All he could think to do was hug his younger brother... and pray.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Bay City Police Department

Joe strode quickly into the squad room. "Adams! Get over here!"

The officer rushed over and Joe handed him the evidence bag with the cell phone in it. "Get this down to forensics and have them run a full scan on it. Fingerprints, fibers, the works. It was outside so there might not be anything, but it's worth a shot."

Adams nodded and took off. Joe rushed into his office, looked up a number, and dialed the phone. "This is Captain Joe Carlino from the Bay City Police Department. I have a serial number off the back of a cell phone found at the scene of a kidnapping. I need you to trace the owner for me... The number is X900076T4. I need a rush on that id. As soon as you have anything, call me at 555-9184. Thanks."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Main Street, near Carlino's

Cindy walked out of Carlino's holding a large carryout bag. David had needed to make some business calls, so she'd decided to go out and get lunch for them both. She had gone to her apartment first to shower and change clothes. She'd also packed a small overnight bag and thrown it in her trunk, just in case. As she headed for her car, she passed a newsstand and her eye caught on the front page of the Herald. She picked up the paper and stared at the headline. When she distractedly started to walk away with it, the man in the booth called out to her. Cindy quickly dug in her purse and handed him some money.

Cindy stood stock-still on the sidewalk. She stared at the headline: Kirkland Harrison Disappears From Foster Park - Police Search For Missing Boy. An all too familiar feeling began swirling in the pit of her stomach. She could think of only one person who would have a reason to kidnap Kirkland... "Grant" she whispered tremulously.

Cindy walked to her car on shaky legs. She slid behind the wheel and put the takeout bag on the passenger seat. She quickly read the entire article on Kirkland's disappearance, then tossed the paper onto the seat beside her as well. Cindy placed her hands on top of the steering wheel and stared blindly out the windshield in front of her.

In her mind, Cindy went back to that night of the party in Tanquir. The man in the darkened room, swirling brandy in a snifter. Instinctually, Cindy had known the truth all along, but out of self-preservation, she'd convinced herself that she was imagining things. But this... Kirkland disappearing erased all doubts. Grant was alive.

Cindy frantically tried to think. What should she do? She looked over at the police station and opened her car door. She immediately slammed it shut again. "Yeah, right. Like Joe Carlino would believe a word I say." She needed proof, but how could she possibly get it?

Cindy resolutely turned the key in the ignition. She had some investigating to do.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Logan's Office

Logan was looking through some paperwork for the club when the intercom buzzed. "Yes, Tiana?"

"It's Mr. Kirkland on the phone for you again, sir," his secretary replied, sounding frazzled. "Do you want me to take another message?"

Logan chuckled to himself. "I've kept him waiting long enough. Go ahead and put him through."

"Logan!" Grant growled furiously. "What were you thinking sending those two down here?"

"You're welcome, Grant. I'm sure you had a blissful reunion with your son."

"Yes, of course, I appreciate you getting Kirkland to me. But why would you send two of my ex-wives down here?"

"Because they got in the way, and it was your mess to deal with, not mine. I have enough problems with the FBI sniffing around me. This one is definitely yours to handle."

"What the hell am I supposed to do with them?"

"I don't know. Start a harem?" Logan replied with sarcastic humor.

"This isn't funny, Manny-"

"You're right about that," Logan interrupted with earnest malice in his voice. "You wanted your kid, I got him for you. I'm wiping my hands clean of this entire thing as of now. As to your two extra visitors, do whatever you want with them. Just keep me out of it. This conversation is over." Logan slammed down the phone receiver. The thunderous expression on his face suddenly gave way to a brilliant smile and a laugh. "Enjoy your harem, Grant."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

David's Townhouse

Cindy walked in with the take-out bag in her hand. She'd purposely left the newspaper in the car. She cleared her throat and called out, "Lunch is here!"

David walked out of the study and headed toward Cindy. He took the bag from her hand and gave her a quick, tender kiss. "Thanks for running out to get this. I'm starving." David headed into the kitchen and Cindy followed him. She leaned against the counter and watched while David pulled some plates out of the cupboard. As he was transferring the food from the takeout containers to the plates, Cindy said, "David, can I ask you something?"

"Sure, what is it?"

"Did anything... strange happen to you while we were in Tanquir?"

David shot her a curious look. "Strange? Can you give me a little more to go on?"

"I don't know, like ... did you get any weird phone calls? Did you feel like someone was watching us?"

David's brow furrowed as he thought about it. "Now that you mention it, I did run into a pretty strange character at the bar. This guy was a walking talking stereotype of a tourist: camera, loud clothes, the works. And he had the most bizarre accent I've ever heard. Sort of a cross between a Southern drawl and an Irish brogue."

"Really? Did you notice anything else about him?"

"Well, he was wearing this signet ring. It was onyx and gold. Seemed very upscale for the bumpkin behavior he was displaying."

Cindy turned away for a second so David wouldn't see her reaction. She knew that ring and whose hand it was always on. Any remaining doubts disappeared. Grant was definitely alive and living it up in Tanquir. He'd obviously had Mr. Cabalas approach David with that business deal so that he could keep tabs on them. With her back still to David, she asked, "What did he say? Do you remember?"

"Not specifically. I do remember thinking that he was very bold with the way he was questioning me. And he told me his name was ... Jason?... No it was Justin, Justin Kirkland."

Cindy suppressed a shudder. This was like a nightmare come to life. What was she going to do?

David glanced over in Cindy's direction. She was facing away from him. He put down the fork he'd been holding and walked over to her. When he placed his hands on her shoulders, she jumped. "Cindy, what's wrong? Where are all these questions coming from?"

Cindy closed her eyes. She could tell David. He would believe her... No, that wasn't the point. No one else would believe her, not without proof. And she didn't want the baggage from her relationship with Grant to taint what she had with David. Cindy swallowed hard and turned around to face him. "I guess I'm just being paranoid. I was thinking about Mr. Cabalas approaching you out of the blue to make that business deal, and it got me spooked. I just don't want to see him take advantage of you, that's all."

David caressed her face with the backs of his fingers, then kissed her on the forehead. "It's very sweet of you to worry about me, but I can handle anything Cabalas throws at me. I went into this deal with my eyes wide open. If something illegal was going on, I'd know about it."

Cindy forced a casual laugh. "Ok. I'll try not to worry so much." Cindy backed out of David's embrace and said, "I need to run some errands. I'll be back in a little while."

"But you just got back from running errands. What about lunch?"

"I forgot a few things and... I've lost my appetite. I'll see you later."

As the front door closed behind Cindy, David stared after her and said, "What are you hiding from me, Cindy?"

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Bay City Police Department

Joe heard his phone ring and snatched up the receiver immediately. "Joe Carlino... Thanks for getting back to me so fast. Do you have an id on that cell phone?" Joe's eyes widened when he heard the name. "And you're sure about this... Ok, thanks."

Joe hung up the phone and shook his head. He blew out a heavy breath and picked up the receiver again.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

David's Townhouse

Cindy walked in and called out, "David, I'm back!" She swallowed hard and waited for David. She had made her decision and all the preparations. This was going to be the hardest part.

When he didn't answer her call or come strolling into the room, Cindy called out again, "David?" She still got no answer. She went into the kitchen and saw a note tacked onto the refrigerator with a magnet. Cindy walked over and read it:

Cindy,

I was called into a last minute meeting
with the contractor. I shouldn't be gone
long. I'll see you soon.

David

Cindy held the note against her and said, "I hope you're right. I hope we're both right." Cindy put the note into her purse, then took out a pen and quickly jotted down a message. She put the note up on the refrigerator and left the house before she could lose her nerve.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Bay City Police Department

Cameron rushed into the station and headed straight for Joe's office. When he knocked, Joe called for him to come in. Cameron opened the door and went to stand in front of Joe's desk. "You have some news about Amanda?"

"Yes, I-"

Joe stopped speaking as Jake rushed through the open office door, saying, "I came as soon as you called... Cameron? What are you doing here?"

"Joe asked me to come. He said he had news about Amanda."

Jake looked over at Joe. "I thought you had something on Vicky and Kirkland?"

Joe stood up and held out a hand, asking for patience. "Jake, why don't you close the door?" Jake pushed the door shut and Joe said, "This information affects both of you, so I wanted to tell you at the same time. Cameron, this morning the forensics team was scanning Foster Park for clues on Kirkland and Vicky's disappearances. They found this."

Joe held out the evidence bag containing the cell phone. Jake said, "That's the phone you showed me earlier. It's not Vicky's"

"It's Amanda's," Cameron provided. He looked at the read out and saw the digits 9-1-1 displayed on the screen. Cameron closed his eyes and swallowed hard, trying to fight down a wave of panic. He had to stay clear-headed for Amanda's sake. "You said that you found this in Foster Park?"

Joe nodded. "It was in the same area where we believe that Vicky and Kirk were taken."

Jake looked back and forth between Joe and Cameron. "What are you saying, Joe? You think that Amanda was kidnapped by the same people who took Vicky and Kirkland?"

"That's exactly what I think," Joe replied. "I wanted to let you both know that we're reclassifying the two separate cases as a single crime."

"Do you have any other leads?" Cameron asked. His mind was spinning. He needed to let the team know as soon as possible about the connection between the disappearances.

"Nothing concrete yet. We're still canvassing for witnesses."

"Thanks for keeping us informed," Jake said. Cameron and Jake were both turning for the door when Joe said, "There's one more thing." Once they were both paying attention, Joe continued, "I also wanted to caution both of you against pursuing this on your own. If either of you come across some information, bring it to me. You are both too close to this to be involved. You will end up putting yourselves or your wives in danger. If I find out that you're playing vigilante, I won't hesitate to throw you into a jail cell. Are we clear?"

Jake and Cameron both nodded. "Good," Joe said in a relieved voice. "Just let us do our jobs, and we'll find all three of them. Hang in there."

Jake walked out of the office with Cameron following behind. As they crossed the parking lot behind the police station, Jake stopped, placing a hand on Cameron's arm. "Did you mean it when you told Joe you'd stay out of this?"

"No."

"Me either."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

David's Townhouse

David walked into the townhouse and looked around. "Cindy? Are you here?" Thinking that she might not have returned from her errands yet, David went into the kitchen to see if his note was still there. It wasn't, but in its place was another message. David pulled the piece of paper from underneath the magnet and read it:

David,

I have to go out of town for a day or two.
I'm sorry for the last minute notice, but
I'll call you as soon as I can.

Cindy

David put the note down on the counter. There was a small crease of confusion between his eyes. Something had been wrong with Cindy when she came back from getting lunch. She'd been on edge and she'd seemed like she was hiding something. David hoped that whatever she was doing, she would tell him about it when she called.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Cindy buckled herself into her seat and anxiously awaited the take-off. She didn't even bother with the pretense of flipping through a magazine. She just stared blindly out the window and tried to keep from jumping out of her own skin.

After what seemed like hours, the plane began taxiing down the runway. As they reached cruising altitude, the pilot came over the loud speaker. "Good evening ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to flight 507, non-stop service to the beautiful island of Tanquir..."

(click here to continue on to chapter twenty-seven)

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