The only part of his plan that wasn’t fool proof was getting the three women into the back of his van. He parked next to the tiny woman’s flashy convertible. He figured he would hide behind his van and nab whichever one of the three girls came around the back of the van first. Once he had her at gunpoint, it would be easy to force the other two girls to get into the back of the van. He would threaten to shoot the one he was holding if they screamed or tried to do anything crazy.
His only hope was that this time there would be no males escorting them to their vehicles. After almost three hours of waiting inside his van, he spotted the three women walking alone on the sidewalk towards the parking lot. He scanned the rest of the parking lot and only saw one person clear across the lot. It looked like they were walking to their vehicle and the timing looked good. This man should be able to get into his car and pull out before the girls arrived at their vehicles. There would be no witnesses to his abduction of the three ladies.
He mopped the sweat from his brow using a napkin labeled with the insignia of the company where he worked. Happy Helpers Catering. He had been able to get a job with them a year and a half ago with fake identification.
It had been pure luck that the woman named Julie Hurt hired that company among the dozens in the Riverton community to cater her event. It was fate. He and Monica were meant to be together. And after his long dry spell, he was anxious to get underway. First, the one called Fiona, then Julie, and finally Monica. That was the plan.
He saw the car with the man in it pull away and quickly hopped out of the company van. The owner let him borrow the vehicle because his car was being repaired, he’d told him. He used that excuse twice this week, but the old man still bought it. He used his own car to follow Victor and Monica, but for this threesome, he needed the van.
He had his gun in his hand. He was ready, and his pocket contained another company napkin and a vial of chloroform.
He was in luck when the first girl came around the vehicle. She was distracted and speaking to the two other women. She only let out a squeak when he grabbed her.
“You scream and I shoot Julie.” His whisper was fierce. Deadly. Exactly as he intended it.
Fiona’s hand quickly covered her mouth. She wouldn’t scream and put Julie at risk. But Monica’s eyes went round. Her world stopped turning. The man before her was vile and worse, she recognized him instantly. It was her biggest nightmare, only it wasn’t a nightmare. It was very real.
“Open the door and get in. Now!” he commanded fiercely. Burt tried to keep the excitement from his voice. This was going to work, but he had to move fast.
Fiona squashed the panic that immediately threatened to overtake her. This man was holding Julie and if she didn’t do what he said he might shoot her. One mistake and she would be dead. Their best bet was to get into the van and figure a way out from there. She followed the man’s directions and reached for the handle to the back door of the van.
Monica felt her knees buckling beneath her and almost collapsed, but Fiona had her by the crook of her elbow with one hand while she opened up the back of the van with the other.
“Come on, Monica,” she coaxed. “He’s got a gun and he has Julie. We need to do what he says.”
Julie’s eyes were closed and she was shaking her head in the negative. Tears were seeping from her eyes. The man was holding her very tightly and the gun was pressed against her temple. She felt the power in his arms and though Patrick had taught her some things, she didn’t know if she was strong enough to disarm him before he fired a shot.
“This is all my fault,” Monica cried as she crawled in behind Fiona into the back of the delivery van. Tears were coursing down her face.
“No, it isn’t!” Fiona whispered fiercely. “This is all on him.” Fiona’s statement was for herself, and Julie as much as it was for Monica. Rape survivors eventually figured that out. She didn’t want to forget it. She knew they all needed to keep their wits about them.
“But I know him,” Monica cried. “He’s the man who raped me before.”
Fiona’s look was one of shock, but she kept crawling forward to make room for the others. When she turned, she saw their kidnapper place a cloth over Julie’s face. Within a few seconds she ceased struggling and it was clear she was unconscious. “Now girls, don’t either one of you scream,” he said as he crawled in behind Julie. He pointed the gun at Fiona. “I need you both to fall asleep until I take you to a special little place I have. Monica you first.”
Monica crawled forward on her hands and knees, trembling. The idea of this man touching her again was so vile, but there were the others to think about. The tears were flowing down her face in rivers and she didn’t know if she could survive this again. “We will get out of this Monica,” Fiona promised just as the cloth was placed around Monica’s mouth and nose.
“You keep thinking that, pretty girl. And just maybe you’ll get out of here. Or maybe you won’t. But not this one. Not Monica. She’s mine,” he stated as he pushed Monica over to get closer to Fiona. His brown eyes were feral. He still had a gun pointed at her. He crooked his finger at her beckoning her to come closer, but she was trying to think. Find a way out before it was too late.
She didn’t have much of a choice she thought as she scanned the contents of the van. She made her way over to the vile creature who was still by the open door. Her friends were unconscious and she knew she couldn’t leave them and bolt out that door as tempting as it might be. She saw nothing that could help her, but vowed to herself that as soon as she woke up, no matter where this man had taken them, she’d find a way out. For them all.
She, who had battled against all odds and finally found a man who loved her for herself and a father she never knew she had, she wasn’t done living yet. She wasn’t going to let a man make her a victim again. She pushed a long strand of hair away from her face and felt for her earring as he reached for her. As the man named Burt covered her face with the cloth, she yanked out the earring hiding it in her hand. She threw back her hand as he cupped her face with the cloth and surreptitiously dropped it so that it fell outside of the vehicle. It was one of the small studs that had been given to her by Cookie two years ago for Christmas. She struggled a bit while he covered her face and with her other hand got the other stud out. She palmed that one, too. Hoping it would fall free of her hand while she was unconscious. She wanted it to stay in the van so that it would be the next crumb on the trail. It was asking a lot, but she had nothing left to lose as everything began to blur.
* * *
Burt did not even notice the earring on the floor of the van as he closed the rear door. He didn’t notice the other one on the pavement as he quickly hustled to the drive side door either. Time was of the essence, and he wanted to get the girls far away from the golf club before anyone noticed they were missing.
The only thing on his mind was getting them to the marina and his boat before they woke up. With any luck, he would have them inside his boat and covered and be on his way to the fish camp. It was the perfect spot. They could scream all they wanted there. No one would hear them.
He’d found the old dilapidated structure six months ago on one of his fishing trips. It clearly hadn’t been used in over 30 years. Surprisingly, it still stood. It was about a quarter of a mile out from the coast line and tucked inside a little inlet about 15 miles away from Riverton. But it was far away from any other signs of civilization. That was why it was so perfect. It was there that he planned to have his fun. He couldn’t wait.