Chapter 3

Roger Paulers led the E & A Group team into the house and into a large parlor off the grand foyer. It was decorated with deep colors, large, leather clad furniture and dark wood wainscoting and trim. Bookcases lined one wall and they were filled with antique leather bound tomes that while completely free of dust or dirt, were far too orderly to have seen much recent use.

Paulers sat down in a rich green leather wing chair, while the rest of the team settled themselves into the small couches and chairs that surrounded a walnut coffee table covered with several large books of Renaissance art. "Would you care for something to drink or eat," Paulers asked.

"Sure, something to drink would be great. I don't think any of us would object to some coffee," replied Sarah.

"Of course," said Paulers as he waved to the servant that had unobtrusively followed them into the parlor. "While we wait for the coffee, perhaps we should continue our discussion. The sooner my daughter is back the sooner I'll be able to function again."

"Right," said Sarah. "Before we came in, we were about to start talking about who else besides Darcy could possibly be behind the kidnapping. We all know that given your position and wealth there are plenty of people who would view you as a target, but is there anybody who has recently done anything that would make you think they are after your money or have a personal beef with you?"

"Well, I doubt very much that it is anybody other than Darcy, but let me think a moment."

The team surreptitiously examined their surroundings while they quietly waited for Paulers to continue. Just as Paulers was about to open his mouth the servant returned with a large tray containing coffee service for the six people seated in the room.

As the servant stared pouring and passing out the delicate China cups of coffee, Paulers started sharing the results of his ruminations, "Actually, the last people I had a heated discussion with were Cindy and that shiftless, bastard boyfriend of hers. She's only been seeing this guy two months and she thinks he's The One. I haven't been able to talk any reason to her at all about him. I'm convinced that he is just looking for a free ride through life, but she won't even consider the possibility.

"Last week, he was here and she and I got into it and then he got into it and we were all shouting at each other. It wasn't pretty. By the end of the weekend it seemed like things had settled back down and there was an uneasy, unspoken détente, but Cindy and I haven't talked much since that night. This is part of what's making this so hard. We were both so mad at each other and if I don't get her back this is going to be my final memory of her — the awkward silence after a huge argument. You have to get her back!"

"Roger, that's exactly what we're going to do. You know that we are the best there is at this kind of thing and if anybody can get her back to you, we can.

"So," continued Sarah, "a huge fight with Cindy and the boyfriend. What can you tell us about the boyfriend?"

"Felix Vander is a student at the University of Chicago. That's all well and good, but he's not doing something useful, like business or economics, he's an English major. How the hell would he be able to take care of my baby with an English degree? I wouldn't be surprised if he spends his time writing smut and giving it away online.

"There really doesn't seem to be too much info out there about him. I've had a cursory investigation of him done, but it didn't turn up much. He transferred into U of Chicago last year as a junior. The report I got either didn't mention or I don't remember where he went his first two years. He is originally from New York City, from the Bronx or Brooklyn. I never could tell those two boroughs apart. His family and upbringing seem totally unremarkable. No arrest records at least. I really don't know much more; he just seems like your everyday average college student with dreams of a fast track to easy street through my daughter."

"Okay, we've got people looking into him as well. Let's move on to other possibilities," said Sarah. "Wait a minute, have you seen or heard from the boyfriend since Cindy disappeared?"

"Yes, he called this morning for her. I told him she had already left for the day. I didn't mention the kidnapping to him."

"Good. We need to locate him." Sarah took out her Pink Phone and opened it up. It automatically dialed and after a very short pause she said into it, "This is command, get me the current location of Felix Vander. Don't have anybody approach him, but keep him under surveillance until we can get to him."

Sara closed the phone and turned back to Paulers, "Okay, let's get back to other people who may have a motive to get at you."

"You know there are plenty of people I've pissed off in business. You'd think those chumps would thank me for the lesson when I beat them on a deal, but they choose to get mad at me instead. It's their own damn fault. If they had been smarter or done their work better, they could have gotten the better of me. It's happened before; I'm not invincible.

"Anyway, the last big deal that really upset some folks was the acquisition of that timber company out in Oregon. Tall Pines, Big Pines, Large Pines, something like that. Man did I pull one over on the former owners. They were pissed and so were the environment whackos.

"Before that, there were those new oil and natural gas platforms we put in the Gulf. The environment whackos of course raised holy hell, but there was a small depot on the coast that we pretty much ruined when we shifted some existing lines to merge with the new lines and cut them out of the loop."

Paulers spent the next fifteen minutes rehashing the people he'd out maneuvered or just plain cheated for the last couple years, while Sarah and the team drank their coffee and observed their surroundings.

Once he ran out of past conquests to gloat over, Sarah moved things along, "Roger, can you take Hock, Mike and me to Cindy's room and show us the note? Sophia, you and Tracy get Analysis going on the leads that Roger has given us and then catch up with us when you're done."

"Okay, Boss. Oh, Roger, I have one more question," said Sophia.

"Yes?"

"What was the argument between you, your daughter, and her boyfriend about?"

"She wanted to go to Hawaii with her boyfriend for her fall break. Not only did she want my permission to let her take a trip to Hawaii with her boyfriend, but she wanted me to pay for it as well. I certainly wasn't in favor of the idea even if it wasn't with my money. From there it degenerated into what I assume is a typical teenager vs. parent fight."

"Thank you. Come on Tracy let's go out to the van to call Analysis."

"This is Cindy's room. The upstairs maid found the note on her pillow and her bed didn't appear to have been slept in last night."

"Has anybody disturbed the room since the note was found?"

"I came in and looked around a little. I wasn't trying to preserve the scene or anything, but I don't think I touched too much. Other than me, I ordered the staff to stay out of the room until I told them otherwise."

"Okay, let's see the ransom note and then we'll look around the room."

Paulers opened up the folder that he had been carrying the whole time and pulled out a piece of plain white paper with cut up magazine letters pasted to it. It looked like something out of a cheesy TV show. In the crooked rows of mismatched type that would be expected in just such a TV show ransom note it said, "Paulers, If you expect to ever see your daughter alive again, you will refrain from notifying any law enforcement authorities and you will follow the instructions that you will receive later. Don't doubt our commitment. If you don't do as instructed, your daughter will be killed."

"A bit long winded for somebody who's typing by mutilating magazines. Mike, do your thing with the note and see if there's anything there to help us. Hock, check the closets. I'll go through this room and then the bathroom."

Paulers just stood there thinking dark thoughts about his ex-wife while he watched them as they set about their tasks. He knew they were professionals and trusted that they didn't need his assistance.

They had only been investigating the room for a couple minutes when a servant knocked at the open door and said, "Mr. Paulers, the mail came a few minutes ago and I think there is something that you need to see right away. I think it's about Cindy."

Three heads snapped around to look at the servant, while a fourth popped out of the closet door.

Felix was in a good mood after he got off the phone. "My friend tells me that everything went as exactly as planned and our letter should be in with this afternoon's mail to your house."

"Great. Let's go back to bed. Or the beach. Or the living room couch. Or right here on the floor for that matter."

"Patience, sweetie, I still need something to eat if I'm going to maintain enough energy to keep up with your libido. Don't worry, I'll make us something quick and easy, so we can get back to keeping you from exploding from need."

"Right. No exploding with need, just with coming."

After devouring some hastily thrown together sandwiches and chugging a couple of beers, the two lovers decided to make their way out to one of the beaches that ringed the small island. Being the only humans on the island, they didn't feel the need for clothes and were walking together naked, holding hands, along a path through the lush tropical plants that covered most of the interior of the island.