Chapter IV

urry up you imbecile," the voice rasped.  Move her head upright or she'll suffocate.  We need her alive for the moment."

The owner of the voice directed the other white uniformed attendant of the ambulance to help lift her into the vehicle, strap her down, and put a mask over her face.  "Careful you don't give her too much.  That stuff gets lethal right away."

The ambulance pulled out onto the highway with the Mustang following closely.  The drive wouldn't take but a few minutes, and she would be lodged within a few feet of her husband, but neither would be aware of the other.  

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Len was confused at the signal received from the agency dispatch alert office.  It came on for about five minutes, then was cancelled.  He waited while the attendant there checked the log.  

"Well it came on from Sharon's phone, then cancelled within five minutes, then, it alerted again, from an unknown phone.  Again, it cancelled within five minutes.  What to you make of it Len?"

"I don't know at the moment.  From what location was Sharon's phone when she first alerted?" Len asked.

"The Red Lobster on Myrtle Ave.," came the reply

"That's where we were to meet William, but he never showed.  Let me know if you hear anything else.  Which direction was the signal of the unknown phone proceeding when it came in?" Len asked.

"It was heading west sir," was the prompt reply.

"Thanks Joe."  Len immediately dialed Melinda's number which rang right behind him.  He hadn't seen her come from the ladies room, and was now getting impatient.  "What's up?" she asked.

"I don't know as of yet, but something is definitely wrong." Len replied. He finished with a "hurry the waiter up for the check while I get the car."  He drove like a mad man while explaining the situation to her.

After their arrival back at the Red Lobster, they immediately saw Sharon's car.  An inspection showed the butt of her Springfield protruding from under the seat.

"Something is definitely wrong," said Melinda.  She has stuck her gun under the seat, and if I'm not mistaken, that's the strap of her purse.  Here, pick this door.  I don't care if the alarm sounds, we need to retrieve her stuff to see if she left any clues," she finished.

When the alarm sounded, Len quickly retrieved the spare key and unlocked the driver door shutting down the alarm.  They went through her coat pocket and found the note that was taped to her steering wheel as well as the abandoned phone through which she received her second set of instructions.

"Well, it's not much, but at lease we know she has been taken against her will,"  Melinda said.  "She would never leave that Springfield voluntarily.

They soon learned the phone was a throw away, but where was Sharon's phone?  Melinda had walked back into the restaurant to talk to the waiter and the cashier.  She was given Sharon's phone and told "she answered her phone, a weird expression came over her face, she rifled through her purse and flung down a hundred for a forty dollar meal and almost ran out of the restaurant to her car.  Very strange indeed!" said the cashier.

"Oh, one more thing.  She pressed some buttons on her phone as she went by, didn't speak to anyone, but she was white faced and tight lipped as she went out.  She sat in the car for a second, before driving off.  She looked as if she was reading something.  Less than five minutes later, her car pulled back into the parking lot out of sight of the cash register."

I didn't see who drove the car back.  I'm sorry I don't have more," apologized the cashier.  Then added, "I hope everything is OK."

At that, he turned toward some impatient people who were standing by to pay their bill.  Melinda went outside and reported to Len.  "It doesn't look too good Len."

"Yeah, you're right about that.  Listen."  He held the little voice recorder up and her words of the instructions she read from the list, as well as the phone ringing, and her repeating, "drive west in the red Mustang.  Len, Melinda, I've got news about William and I'll try to keep you apprised of what's going on.  Love you."

With that, she was gone.  By this time the GPS log of Williams car had turned up it's location, and they were heading toward it with lights blazing and hammer down.  They came to the location, and, stopping well back from Wills car, looked around.

The tracks told them Sharon wasn't walking, but two men were carrying something to a vehicle somewhat akin to a truck judging by the tires.  There were tracks that a car, possibly the Mustang, had pulled out behind the truck.

With that, Sharon and William were gone out of Len and Melinda's life.  The intense search for the couple would go on for what would seem like and eternity.

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