Bones of a Feather - Carolyn Haines [20]
I knew Tinkie was traveling the same mental road I was. The ransom demand sounded professional and well thought out. It was reasonable to assume there was more than one kidnapper. One to guard the hostage while the other picked up the money.
“We should contact the police chief,” Tinkie said.
“Absolutely not.” Eleanor jolted up like someone had hit her with a hotshot.
“We’re not equipped to handle a ransom situation.” Tinkie rose slowly. “Gunny will bring in the FBI.”
“No!” Emotion mottled her pale face. “I will not risk my sister’s life by calling in the police, the FBI, or anyone else. If you won’t help me, I’ll take care of this myself.”
“Be reasonable,” Tinkie said. “Your sister’s life is at stake. Let the professionals handle it.”
“That man threatened to kill Monica slowly and painfully if I didn’t do exactly what he said. I believe him.”
Tinkie waited for my response, but I couldn’t support her. If someone snatched her or Cece or Millie, I wouldn’t call the FBI. I would handle it myself.
“Do you think the insurance company will pay out tomorrow?” I asked. Tinkie shot me a look that would curdle milk.
“If you and Tinkie turn in your report, I might be able to push it through.”
“The FBI can get marked bills,” I said. “You’ll stand a better chance of recovering the money and putting the kidnappers behind bars.”
“I don’t care about the money. I want Monica home safely. I’m sure once she’s back, I’ll want to punish these lowlife thieves, but now, the only thing I care about is my sister.” She grasped each of our shoulders. “Please, will you help me?”
5
“Give us a minute.” Tinkie motioned me out of the room.
When we were in the hallway, she whispered, “We can’t do this. We don’t know a thing about handling a ransom. Monica’s life is on the line, Sarah Booth.”
“I agree.”
“You can’t be hardheaded…” She stopped. “You agree?”
“I do. Eleanor should call the FBI.”
Tinkie blew out her breath. “Thank goodness. I thought you were going to want to sign on to handle this.”
“She needs to call the FBI, but she isn’t going to.” Tinkie was right, but so was I. If we didn’t help Eleanor, she’d take matters into her own hands. As unprepared as we were to deal with this kind of situation, Eleanor was worse.
“Look, we came here to do a report for an insurance claim. Finding a thief is one thing, but dealing with a hostage situation is another. This is way out of our league.” Tinkie tapped her toe on the hardwood floor. Normally, she’d be wearing high-fashion shoes, and the tap-tap-tap would be very effective. The walking shoes she wore diluted the effect. “I don’t like this.”
I put my arm around her shoulders. “I don’t, either, but you know I’m right.”
She stepped away from me. “If we can’t convince her to call the police when it’s time to make the drop, then we walk out. I won’t be part of a ransom gone wrong.”
Anything other than trying to advise Eleanor was way out of our depth. “Let’s try to move her toward calling Gunny.” The Natchez PD might not have the manpower or training to handle a sophisticated kidnapping, but I felt certain Gunny was the kind of officer who would recognize his limitations and call in the feds.
We returned to the parlor, where Eleanor sat on the sofa staring out the front window at the glorious vista of a perfect morning. A robin’s egg sky capped the lush green foliage of a Southern summer. I sat down beside Eleanor.
“Tell me everyone who has access to the house and your personal business,” I said. “Everyone.”
Her shoulders visibly relaxed. “Then you’ll help me.”
“To a point.” Tinkie perched on a wing chair. “You should call the authorities, Eleanor. They have experts who handle these situations. Our best advice is for you to put this in their hands.”
“They mess up as often as not.” She dared Tinkie to deny the statistics. “Monica is all I have in the world. We’re the last of the true Leverts. I have to get her back, no matter the cost.”
“Which brings us to another list we need to make,” I said. “Who inherits Briarcliff after you and Monica