Kristina filled me in on everything happening back home. I want to find out why Mariia was wearing a vest too small for her, it sounded like it was meant for Mandy, but it should not have been with the adult vests. Every vest is clearly marked since each one is specially fitted to each team member. I can’t do anything right now anyway. Mandar went over to talk with Trapper. “You have something in common with that other guy,” said Trapper, “you both like to travel with lots of women.”

“That is all we have in common,” said Mandar, “but he is unimportant, a small time PI that works on small cases. The troublesome men are Matt and his Knight Riders. They are a rough bunch and have cost me too much money, always taking ‘business’ away from me. He is trying to do so again.” “What is he after now?” asked Trapper. “Some leader of a drug gang, whom I also want,” said Mandar, “but he has the advantage over me again, he knows who the man is and I do not. I was wondering if you might know where I could find him.”

“Why ask me?” asked Trapper. “You appear to be the leader of a gang also,” said Mandar, “so I thought we could make a deal.” “It will cost you old man,” he said. “Very well, shall we say $10,000,” said Mandar. “I was thinking more like $25,000,” said Trapper. Meanwhile, we need to have a meeting and get things ready for tonight. Sabina, the girl we bought from the hotel owner, has been inside every room of that fortress. I would rather not bring her along but we need her help and she is willing to come. I also found out from her that the hotel owner is the leader of a large drug gang here, though he certainly doesn’t seem like.

Apparently he is quite hard and ruthless and just likes to put on his timid act to fool people. Trapper knows who he is which is why he never tried to kidnap Sabina. She had actually sold herself to the hotel owner for protection from Trapper, so all he could do was try to buy her. The hotel owner, whose name is Chester, wanted her to start being “available” for certain guests at night, but she refused. However, he was becoming quite insistent lately until we came along and bought her. She told me that I paid double her debt to buy her. And that did not include the extra 5% I gave him too.

Oh well, it is still worth it, though I asked her to stop saying that I bought her, that sounded so bad. “Okay,” she said, “I will do that. But you still did buy me, so I belong to you.” I can just imagine what Sky would say when I tell her I bought a woman to bring home with me. “Think of me as a souvenir,” she said smiling. Jennifer nearly burst out laughing again, as did Dawn, Beryan and Samantha. Sigh. “Maybe we should stick to making our plans for tonight,” I said. “Good idea,” said Jennifer.

I asked Matt for some muscle to come with us and he sent Burk and Bear over to us. Both of them are great at working in the dark, and that is what we need. We will have Kat and all of her Wildcats, which is good, since that gives us Cathy who is an excellent electrician and we will definitely need her help tonight. Matt and his Riders will make themselves visible a bit earlier tonight to get Trapper’s attention at the front of the fortress. We will come in at the back, although that is the most difficult way to get at the fortress, but likely the safest way as well.

It was a nice, hot night, which meant windows upstairs were mostly open. There was no air conditioning in this place. Sabina told us that the open windows were in bedrooms, so that made them too dangerous to use. But there was one window, open only slightly that she said was an office of some kind. Good, that is where we enter this large place. Hopefully anyway. Cathy, Catalina and Ginnifer were in position to cut the electricity to the place, but not until we were mostly in place at that office window. We were standing on a ledge outside that window and I peered inside to see if Sabina was correct, and she was.

No one was in the office and the lights were off which was perfect. The windows were an old style kind that just slide upward. However, this window did not want to slide up any more than it was. I guess that is why it was not completely open. I did have just enough room to squeeze myself through and get inside, though Jennifer protested. She tried next and did manage to get through as well. We then tried to open one of the other windows, but that idea did not work very well. Then Cynthia tried her way by putting a suction cup on the window and using a glass cutter to cut around the edge of the window frame.

A couple of jiggles with the suction cup and the glass was off, which she then lowered to the ground and one of the girls removed the suction cup and Cynthia hauled it back up. The rest of the group came in. Meanwhile, at the front of the fortress. “They still out there Gord?” asked Trapper. “Yep, just keeping an eye on the place it seems,” he replied, “wait, a couple of them are coming up to the gate now.” Trapper and his men watched carefully and suddenly there were two explosions! The gate and it’s two posts went flying!

Then Matt and the Knight Riders came running in and stopped, hiding among some shrubs along the driveway. Then they began shooting and also fired some small rockets at the side of the fortress, smashing through windows and exploding inside with heavy smoke so Trapper and his men could not see. That is when the electricity was cut and everything went dark. That was our cue to get moving. Sabina said there were two places where Acadia might be kept and she figured the most likely was the next floor, which was only a partial floor and she said there were large iron hooks in the walls and chains.

That does sound like a likely spot, but she said there was a secret way of getting up there, something her friends had known about, but she didn’t. We had to move fast and find that hidden door. The cats were sent looking for it and Storm found it quickly, but how do we open it? The door was on the wall at the end of the hallway and on the side walls of the hall there were small pictures, two on each wall. Jennifer tried moving them and discovered that all were fixed in place, except for one which she turned on its side.

The secret door opened and we went up the stairs, Jennifer going first, then Bear and Burk, followed by me and the girls. Acadia was there, chained to the wall, but she was still able to lie down on her bed. I explained that we had come to rescue her and take her back home. “Whose home?” she asked, “If Timothy hired you then I would rather stay here.” “Yes, he did hire us,” I said, “but he did not mention why he wanted you back. It sounded like he was just interested in your safety, but I know differently now. He wants you to tell him where you hid the loot that was stolen.

We also know your mother doesn’t care about you either, she only wants that loot too. We are private investigators, I promise we will take you back to safety so that your mother and Timothy will not be able to harm you.” “Why should I trust you?” she said. “Well, I can’t prove what I say right now,” I said, “can you use a gun?” “Yes, I can,” she said. So I handed her my gun. “You can kill me at any time,” I said. Bear then snapped the chain that was holding Acadia. She smiled and handed my gun back…

To Be Continued.

©2024 Steve McLeod.