Entrance to Nowhere Read online

  “Thumb drive,” I said.

  “Whatever. How do we know he isn’t a part of all of this?”

  “I’m not,” he said. “What’ so important about a thumb drive?”

  “Again, none of your business.” Griz gave him a look that could wither a rose.

  Layne cleared his throat and closed his mouth.

  Pete sat down next to the young man. “Let’s talk about this embezzlement problem. What makes you think Trap’s secretary has been stealing money?”

  “She’s in a position to forge his signature, as I mentioned before, and it seems she’s living in the lap of luxury. Where do you think she got her money? She’s well paid, but not that well paid.”

  “And where does your money come from?” Pete asked. “You seem to be living in that lap of luxury you mentioned yourself.”

  “My money? What do you know about my money or my lifestyle?”

  “A lot, and I’m learning more all the time. Someone would pay a lot for that thumb drive we mentioned, and you have a map leading to this place.”

  “I’ll have you know I come from money. My family is quite wealthy, and I share in that wealth. I contribute to charities and all kinds of causes, out of my own pocket.”

  “Then what are you doing working as an accountant?” Aunt Martha asked.

  “Unlike some people in my family, I like working. I like feeling useful, and I understand Mr. Trapper better than most of his other employees. He needs me.”

  “He needs you?” Pete stared into Layne’s eyes. “Maybe you need him. There’s still the issue of the thumb drive.”

  Layne’s face drained of color. “Now wait a minute. I – “

  Pete’s cell phone rang and after checking caller ID, he held up his hand, cutting Layne off. He took his phone and headed for the security room.

  I turned and looked at the young man. His face had changed from pale to ruddy and sweat was pouring down his face and neck.

  “Either you’re with us or you’re agin us,” Aunt Martha said. “Are you a good guy or a hoodlum?”

  He stared at her as though she was out of her mind. “I’m a good guy, of course.”

  She sniffed. “That remains to be seen, and we’ll get to the bottom of this. This isn’t a game, you know. Andrew’s really in trouble.”

  I was developing a new respect for my aunt. She would have made a good cop. In a Good Cop/Bad Cop interrogation, I guarantee she’d push to be the bad cop.

  Things were surprisingly quiet for the next few minutes.

  I turned to Layne. “Would you like something to drink?”

  “Do you have espresso?”

  “No. This isn’t a coffee house. We’ve got iced tea, water, regular coffee or soda.”

  “May I please have some water – with ice in it?” I had a feeling he was beginning to feel out of his element around us.

  “Sure.”

  I glanced at my watch on my way to the kitchen. An hour had passed. This promised to be the longest day ever, and I’d had some lengthy days in my lifetime.

  Pete returned from the security room. “Layne, come with me. I want to show you the setup. Maybe you can help. Are you computer literate?”

  The young man stood up. “Of course. I work for Mr. Trapper, don’t I? He’s taught me a lot.”

  They left the room and my aunt turned to me. “I wonder why they want to show him the security room. I mean, why would they give their secrets away?”

  Initially, I’d wondered the same thing. “I don’t know if they really want his help or not, but I have a feeling this is one way for them to keep an eye on him. They need to figure out if he’s involved in some way or not.”

  “This is frustrating. You’d think the kidnappers would call or something. The waiting is so taxing.”

  “I know, Aunt Martha, but it’s a part of our business. Patience pays off in the end.”

  “I sure hope so. I remember Andrew as a teenager, and I ran into him once after graduation. He even wrote me a letter telling me about his plans for the future. Now I want to reconnect with him as a successful adult. I wonder if he’s ever had a girlfriend.”

  “I have no idea. Maybe Griz can fill you in,” I said.

  We sat quietly again for a few minutes.

  My aunt finally stood and took a deep breath. “I’m going to go see what’s going on in the war room.”

  “War room? Don’t you mean the security room?”

  “I’ve been thinking about all the preparation that’s gone into this house. Sure, Andrew is ready for a natural disaster and a lot of other things, but he’d be ready if there was another war, too. Did you notice how thick the doors are? Those aren’t regular doors. They’re made to withstand a lot of pressure, which makes me wonder how that man who attacked me got inside. He must have had a key or a remote control or something.”

  “You’re right, Auntie. He couldn’t have just picked the lock. This place is like a fortress.”

  “I’m surprised Andrew didn’t put in a moat.”

  I laughed. “If you see him, don’t give him any ideas.”

  “When I see him.” She walked away, heading for the security room.

  Chapter Sixteen

  I stayed in the living room, trying to sort things out in my mind. There wasn’t much else I could do at the moment. One of the hardest lessons to learn as a private eye was patience. Like any other person, I wanted things to fall into place without waiting around. Sometimes they did, but not in situations like this one.

  I walked out to the kitchen and poured myself a glass of iced tea. What could really be on that thumb drive? Stanley had some idea, but even he couldn’t know for sure. I…

  The lights flickered and went out.

  I didn’t move. We were in a Safe Room under the house. There wasn’t any light.

  Bubba started barking and Clementine whined.

  “Don’t panic,” Griz yelled. “They’ll go back on in a minute.”

  “Thanks,” I yelled back. “Anybody got a flashlight?”

  Before anyone could answer, the lights went back on and the dogs quieted down, but Bubba started to pace. He knew something wasn’t right.

  Pete hurried out to make sure I was okay.

  “What happened?” I asked.

  He shrugged. “I don’t know. Someone monkeyed with something, but the generator kicked in.”

  “I want a flashlight in case it happens again.”

  He smiled. “Did it scare you?”

  “Surprised would be a better word. With all of the electronics and Trap’s knowledge of things, I’m surprised this even happened.”

  “Nothing is perfect,” Griz said, walking out to the kitchen, “but we’re as close to it as possible out here.”

  He glanced at Pete.

  “We’ve got some action outside. Come back to the security room.”

  I followed behind the two men.

  My aunt stood beside Scott and Layne, watching the computer screen.

  One by one, some of the images shut down. I got a glimpse of someone just before the last image disappeared, but it was too quick and the intruder was wearing a baseball cap pulled low on his forehead.

  “He’s the same height and build as the attacker,” my aunt said.

  “Too bad we didn’t get a better look at him.” I didn’t know what else to say at the moment.

  Scott was ignoring all of us while he tapped the keys on the keyboard, trying to get ahead of the intruder.

  Griz sat down at another keyboard and started trying to help.

  I glanced at my husband. “Pete? What’s going on?”

  “As far as I can tell, someone is taking out the security cameras. I guess he tried to shut down everything, but the generator kicked in.”

  I turned to Layne and saw that he was taking it all in, with his jaw in the dropped position. “This can’t be happening.”

  “I told you this isn’t a game,” my aunt said. “Someone wants that thingamajiggie in the worst way
.”

  “Thumb drive,” I said once again, reminding her of what it was called.

  “Whatever. Will we be able to hear him when he comes into the house?”

  “No,” Pete replied. “It’s soundproof down here. He won’t be able to hear us, either.”

  “He’s using something to disable the cameras,” Scott said. “I don’t know what it is. I wish Trap was here.”

  “If Trap was here, we wouldn’t be having this problem,” Griz reminded him.

  “Yeah. There’s one camera I installed in the front door that he probably won’t know about.” Scott switched the screen to the front door.

  Bubba nudged the back of my leg.

  “Go lay down, sweetie.”

  He ignored me and Clem started whining again.

  “It’s a good thing they can’t hear us,” Aunt Martha said. She gave my big mutt a scathing look, as if that would do any good.

  The camera on the front door was working and we saw someone approach. He had a remote control, probably Trap’s, and he opened the door. We still couldn’t get a look at him because at some point he’d donned a ski mask.

  Scott stood and started out of the room. “Okay, Griz and Pete, follow me. The rest of you stay here. Keep the dogs quiet.”

  I watched them hurry up the stairs, and my aunt started to follow.

  “No, Aunt Martha. You stay here and help me take care of the dogs.”

  “But – “

  “I said no, and I meant it. Let’s check the screens and see if we can still see the rooms in the house.”

  Layne sat down in one of the chairs. “I can help with that. I have a security system at my house.”

  I glanced toward the stairs and saw that the men had quietly opened the door and left the Safe Room. I saw Clementine at the top of the stairs. She’s laid down and she was whining, sounding as though she had a broken heart.

  Standing behind Layne, I asked, “Anything yet? I know they’ll head straight for the office.”

  “Office coming up,” he replied, tapping on a few keys.

  The camera in the office sprang to life while the image from the front door disappeared, and I watched the intruder. The system had sound in the house, too. I could hear the noises as the man opened and closed drawers, and I could see the entire room.

  He stopped rooting around and looked toward the door, apparently thinking he heard something – which he probably did. He shrugged, thinking it was his imagination, and walked to a painting hanging on the wall. He pulled it away from the wall, and there was a safe.

  Didn’t Trap have any imagination? A wall safe behind a painting?

  The man pushed some buttons and the safe door opened, allowing him to take out what appeared to be some heavy boxes. He set them on the desk and made his way to the coat tree and Trap’s slippers.

  Okay, he was definitely the thug, or one of the thugs, who held the wealthy computer genius against his will. He knew about the toe of the slipper.

  Layne stood up. “I’m going up there. They’ll need my help.”

  “No they won’t. They’re experienced. You’re not. Now sit down, young man!” My aunt could be intimidating when she wanted to be.

  “Look!” I said.

  Bubba sat in the doorway of the office, not out in the downstairs living room where I thought he was.

  The man turned and my mangy mutt grinned at him.

  The man spoke gently. “Okay, pal, take it easy. Good dog. I don’t want to hurt you, so just stay there.”

  Bubba continued to smile menacingly.

  Where were the men? Waiting outside the room? Had they taken Bubba as a distraction?

  I saw Pete in the doorway. He nudged Bubba with his toe. “Move.”

  The dog sat quietly and continued to grin.

  “Move, I said. Get out of the way.”

  Bubba moved, but instead of walking into the room, he stood and backed up, almost knocking Pete over.

  Once he regained his balance, Pete walked into the room followed by Griz and Scott. Unfortunately, they were followed by two more men who carried some nasty looking guns.

  Bubba growled, but Pete told him to stay.

  They’d been taken by surprise, thinking there was only one intruder. Two ex-cops and an ex-military expert, and they’d been bamboozled.

  “We’re on,” Aunt Martha said. “They don’t know there are more of us in the house so we can surely do something.”

  “She’s right,” Layne said. “Aren’t there some extra guns or something down here?”

  “Do you know anything about guns?” I asked.

  “No, but – “

  “Just follow us and do what we tell you. We don’t need guns. Everyone grab something heavy and come with me.”

  I was surprised when they complied. Layne snatched up a heavy over-sized flashlight and my aunt grabbed a large can of pinto beans off the countertop.

  “We didn’t need beans for dinner anyway,” she said.

  I’d seen a baseball bat in the security room and I picked it up.

  At the top of the stairs I picked up Clem so she’s stop whining, and pushed a button to open the heavy door. It was soundless other than a slight whoosh.

  The men were all in the office, and Bubba paced in front of the doorway. He turned at the sound of the whoosh. Thankfully, dogs have better hearing than people.

  I patted my chest, which in doggie commands means come.

  The dog glanced in the office before turning and coming to me.

  “Go get Pete,” I whispered. “Hurry.” I didn’t know if the dog would understand or not until he took off at a dead run toward the office.

  The three of us ran after him, wielding our makeshift weapons.

  I started yelling, trying to create as much confusion as possible, and my aunt and Layne followed my lead.

  Before we reached the office we heard the sound of a scuffle or three. After all, there were three of them and three of our men.

  I ran into the office, swinging the baseball bat. Someone grabbed me from behind and shoved me down.

  I heard my aunt yell. “Hands off my niece you scuzz ball!”

  I glanced up and saw the can of pinto beans go flying by, followed by the large flashlight. One of the weapons missed its target, but it served a purpose. They both distracted everyone except Scott, who’d grabbed one of the men.

  The man broke away when the beans hit Scott’s shoulder.

  Before we could regroup, the three intruders pushed their way past us and ran out the front door.

  Although there’d been a lot of grunting and groaning, I never heard the men say a word.

  “They’ll be back,” Scott said, “as soon as they figure out that’s not the right thumb drive.”

  “And now they know how many of us are here,” Griz added.

  Pete looked at me, my aunt and Layne. “Good work. But don’t do anything foolish again. You could have been killed.”

  Layne dropped to the floor and sat, suddenly realizing what he’d been involved in and looking frightened. After all, he was an accountant, not someone who was used to dealing with bad guys.

  Chapter Seventeen

  “It didn’t go the way we planned.” Scott didn’t look too happy, and I couldn’t blame him.

  When the intruders ran out the front door, we heard a car pull out quickly with the rear wheels kicking up gravel and spraying the building.

  “Obviously they thought they had the house to themselves or they wouldn’t have driven right to the front door,” I said. “On the bright side, it doesn’t seem they know about the Safe Room – or at least that’s how it appeared. They probably thought we’d driven away and walked back when we caught the one guy.”

  “Small favors,” Pete said. “The one who was in the office didn’t know where we came from.”

  “I like the way Bubba smiled at him,” Aunt Martha said. “I think it confused him, and maybe it scared him, too.”

  Pete smiled at the big mutt and
patted his head. “Good boy. Keep up the good work.”

  “They were armed, but they didn’t seem to know what to do with the guns,” I said. “I’d think the guy in the office would have turned his gun on Bubba to protect himself, but I’m glad he didn’t.”

  Pete looked at me since I’d made the comment. “They probably figured they were alone in the house until we surprised the one in the office. Don’t underestimate them, though. They might be packing and ready for action next time they come. And there will be a next time.”

  I thought about that for a moment. “You know, we don’t know if these guys are really experts or not. On the one hand they seem to know something about electronics, like putting the surveillance system out of commission and dousing the electricity, and yet they didn’t seem prepared for a confrontation just now.”

  Scott watched me intently.

  “Okay,” I said. “We thought they might have military experience, but on the other hand, maybe they’re computer geeks who’re trying to pull something using Trap’s expertise.”

  “They’re in pretty good physical condition for computer geeks,” Griz said, rubbing his arm. He must have hurt it in the scuffle.

  “Maybe they’re computer geeks who exercise?” Aunt Martha suggested. “If I had to sit at a desk all day using a computer, I’d want to do something physical once in a while.”

  Scott had his own thoughts on the subject. “I’m going to climb out on a limb and say that at least one of them has military experience, and he’s telling the geeks, or whatever you want to call them, what to do. I doubt if he was with them today, though, but he’s probably behind this whole thing. Now that I think about it, since they’re after information about hacking and breaking security, I don’t think I’d underestimate them and call them geeks. I think these are professionals, each in his own way.”

  “Could be,” Pete said. “I wish Stan would call back with more information about what’s on that thumb drive. That information could answer a few questions.”

  “Call him,” I said.

  “He asked not to be bothered. Apparently Trap is an expert at encrypting files. I don’t want to rush him.”