Page 102 of All You Want
Thirty-Four
~ Todd ~
I place a call to Shane on the way over to the hotel. “Update on the kidnapping victim?”
“We found her,” Shane says. “She’s getting first aid for bruises and scratches. Hungry and thirsty and getting cleaned up.”
“That’s good. How did Dillon and Randy react to being inside the tunnels?”
“Actually, I went by myself,” Shane replies. “Dillon and Al bought tickets to the Trickvenger Hunt and showed up late. Neil let them have an itinerary, and they refused to join the search. Said they paid their community service already. Randy was busy patrolling the area, and Chad didn’t want to leave his sisters alone to go between the stations.”
“Did you encounter the kidnapper? Were there any demands or ransom notes?”
“Nothing. It’s pretty disgusting in the coal bin, and the tunnel smelled of dead animals. I did pick up the furry glove that was part of your costume, as well as a few empty water bottles to collect any DNA.”
“Did Larissa recognize her kidnapper?”
“No, she insists he was wearing a Bigfoot costume, and that he was the man she danced with. She says the two of you went back to her room to make out, her words, and then when things got hotter, she said her room wasn’t private, so you suggested a trip through the basement.”
“Doesn’t sound believable at all.”
“I did catch her on a lie,” Shane says. “I asked if the kidnapper wore his Bigfoot mask the entire time he was down in the tunnel, and she said he did. She said she wouldn’t be able to pick out her kidnapper in a lineup.”
“The kidnapper might have worn a mask when he was with her,” I concur. “However, he couldn’t have worn the Bigfoot mask.”
“Unless he had another copy of one. I’ll ask her to describe the kidnapper’s mask. She’s in the dining room eating and asking to join her friends for trick or treating.”
“I’m on my way over to talk to Evan. Did you see him?”
“Not yet. Want me to hold him if I do?”
“Definitely. He’s still a person of interest because of the mask we found in his room tying him to the crime scene. I’d also like to interview Larissa, in case Evan is the kidnapper. Can you hold her there?”
“I can try, but she really wants to get her money’s worth. She said she paid for all the events including the complimentary cocktails, treats, and other prizes.”
“Guess Neil can help her find her friends. Is the trick or treating going all right?”
“So far so good. There are a lot of screams and other bloodcurdling sound effects. Tami’s parents quit early and went to the bar. I’ll go out and check on the others. I think they’re finishing up.”
“I should be there in fifteen minutes. Just getting by the traffic near the town square.”
“No emergency,” he says. “Take your time. I think I see Evan at the Hangman’s Hut with the newcomers from San Francisco. Looks like they’re about to finish and head back to the lobby.”
As soon as I get out of the police car, a red-haired woman I recognize as Larissa runs toward me. She’s no longer in her fox furs and green felt costume, but wearing jeans, a checked shirt, and a shearling jacket.
“Sheriff Colson,” she shouts. “I can’t find my friends. I went to every station, and no one’s seen them since the Screaming Tree of Souls.”
I notice the rest of the trick or treaters milling around the lobby area. They gather around me, sensing trouble.
“Thank God you’re here,” Tami’s father says. “Tami’s not answering her phone, and the last person to speak to her is Evan.”
Evan is standing with Neil, comparing notes. He looks over and says, “She was with her two friends. They were on their way to the station near the creek. When I volunteered to go with them, Tami said they wanted to figure it out by themselves and sent me back, so I joined up with Neil to reset the puzzles and treats.”
“Evan and I were together until Mr. and Mrs. King came back looking for Tami,” Neil says. “Officer Donnelly took some deputies out to look for them. Do you want me to ask the other trick or treaters what they saw?”
“Yes, that would be helpful. Write everyone’s answers down. Ask them which stations they visited, who was there, and who they saw as they wandered around. Do the same with the workers at each station.”
“Got it. I won’t leave a stone unturned,” Neil says. “I feel badly that we have missing trick or treaters, but maybe they wandered off and went to the Sixty Miners.”
