Chapter 11
Tony Sanders called her about the same time as the police showed up at her door. She put the call on speaker so everyone could hear their conversation.
“Holy crap, Tony. What were you thinking—going on TV!”
“Wait a minute before you go all commando on me. I was following orders from our General Manager. He’s dealt with things like this before. He said TV was a great tool.”
“God, Tony, Clover is your daughter, not theirs. They just care about ratings. Of course, TV is their friend. Are you that stupid?” Gretchen had worked herself up and was not going to back down to him now.
“I’m doing the best I can. So lay off me, Gretchen.”
“How could you let Joanie—”
“Joanie is real sorry about all this.”
Gretchen’s stomach churned at Tony’s Bimbo Defense.
“I’m beyond that, Tony. They say they want the money tomorrow. And they’ve upped their price to a million five, thanks to your good judgment following the instructions from your ‘handlers.’ Are they going to provide the cash, too?”
She was surprised at her control. The last thing she wanted to do was show Tony how scared and helpless she felt, even with the SEALs at her side.
The police were questioning the men on Trace’s team, but looking in her direction. She interrupted her ex’s response. “Tony, the police are here.”
“They’ll accompany you and give you a vest to wear.”
“A vest? You volunteered to send me out there with a vest?” She felt her blood pressure rise again. “Did it ever occur to you I might be the next victim here?”
“Don’t get all crazy on me, Gretchen. What the hell was I supposed to do? Not like he gave me much choice.”
“Nice of you to offer me up. You coward. What happened to your balls, Tony? You sure got ‘em when you go clubbing, especially when there’s a blonde you haven’t banged within a ten block radius.”
“That’s not fair. Look, the team’s got insurance. I can’t deliver the cash. And yes, they’re paying most of it on a loan to me.”
“Oh, that’s right. They own you. The team before family, right? Well, if Joanie had been on time, none of this would have happened!”
“Oh yeah? Well, perhaps she would have been taken hostage as well. Did you for once ever think about anyone but yourself?”
Gretchen was livid. “You complete asshole. You are a worthless human being. A worthless husband and less than worthless father. You don’t even deserve to have the company of those three beautiful girls, and if I have my way, you’ll be not spending any time with them soon.”
She knew it was wrong, but the pressure of the events had set her off. His lazy attitude added fuel to the fire.
“Okay, big shot. I’m going to bring you one-point-five million dollars in cash tomorrow after the banks open. Let’s see how well you do suing me for custody. I think you’re a reckless mother to go off on an island vacation, screwing who knows how many guys, leaving your daughters behind. Angela is only four!”
“And she doesn’t like spending any time with you already. And I was with Kate and Tyler and their friends.”
“At an orgy house, I hear.”
She was going to object, but she saw Trace and a detective walk toward her. She’d gone way over the top and now had dug herself a big hole.
“I’m not sure where you get your facts, Tony, but as usual, you’re completely wrong.”
“Check the morning paper, Gretchen. Mother of kidnapped daughter on romantic Tropical Tryst in Hawaii.”
Her face turned bright red.
The detective extended his hand. “I’m gonna have to jump in here. Let me talk to him.”
Gretchen agreed. Trace kept his distance, which was a good thing. Right now, she didn’t want anyone’s hug. She was looking for the sledgehammer in her fantasy life.
The detective turned off the speaker, introduced himself, and then gave Tony a sage piece of advice. “Son, luckily, I don’t have to do a lot of these types of things on a daily basis, but I’ll tell you what. It makes no sense to accuse and abuse those around you who are only trying to help. I think you need to keep your mouth shut, and that goes for any more television interviews.”
The detective listened to Tony give some explanation.
“Yeah, well, you let the coach do his job with the Trailblazers and their organization. We’re trying to save your daughter’s life, and that’s a whole other thing. Now, if they contact you again, you let me know. You have my card.”
He listened to Tony again, shaking his head and rolling his eyes. Gretchen liked the detective immediately.
“Well, that’s fine son, but these leaks to the paper are not going to do your girls any good when they go back to school. Just think about it. For their sake, keep your fuckin’ mouth shut.”
Without allowing Tony to give more excuses, the detective hung up the phone and handed it back to Gretchen. He warily looked at the four SEALs standing in front of him.
“I’ve got a hunch none of you is going to get much sleep tonight. We’ll patrol the warehouse area where you think they are holding her, but we don’t do anything until tomorrow morning. Understood?”
Gretchen knew the SEALs were lying when they shook their heads yes. He addressed Gretchen. “You need to get some sleep, Mother. Tomorrow is going to be a very big day. I’ll post a guard, and we’ll patrol your neighborhood. We’ll be in touch if we get any breaking developments, and I’ll tell you the same thing I told him. Focus on your daughter. Try to think about how she’s feeling tonight, all alone, stuck with a bunch of strangers. Let’s not do anything to jeopardize our success tomorrow.”
“Thank you, Detective,” Gretchen whispered.
He started for the door and then stopped. “I have to say this one more thing, sweetheart. Everyone in town knows who your husband is. You can tell him after the fact that he’s the reason they went after her. He’s the goose that laid the golden egg. So let him do his job and you don’t speak to him anymore unless you got one of your boyfriends here to chaperone. Am I getting through?”
“They’re not my boyfriends.” She saw Trace bite his lip. “Only one is. But that’s sage advice, Detective. Thanks for your time. I’ll let you know if they make further contact.”
She accepted his card and then shook his hand, and again, he headed for the doorway. He gave the SEALs a long conspiratorial look.
Gretchen suspected he understood just what they were going to do tonight. Tomorrow was indeed going to be a very big day.