“Put a smile on that lovely face of yours, or do you want people to think we’ve been fighting?” he asked.
I manage a half-hearted upward turn of my mouth as we walked closer to his waiting vehicle. Once near the car, the chauffeur opened the rear door. He took my suitcase and my purse, placing them inside the trunk. Before I could look around, Vernon gave me a slight push into the back seat of the black car. He slid in beside me just as the driver shut the door. I caught a glimpse of Larry’s large frame with Trisha walking toward the restaurant, towing their luggage behind them. I didn’t see anyone following them, but then Mr. Big here might have his friends sitting nearby at one of the tables. It happened so fast before our car took off.
—-
Larry and Trisha, who didn’t plan on returning to their hotel room, pulled their rolling luggage with them until they found a table in the restaurant. They chose the location near the open air part of the establishment where they could be seen. Larry kept looking at his watch.
“Maybe you should call her. She might have forgotten to set her alarm last night,” he said.
“I’ll wait a few more minutes and then give her a ring. Oh look, there’s that David person over there.”
She stood up and called his name as she waved him over to their table.
“Hi, uh, I thought Susan would be here,” David said. “I knocked on her door, but no answer. I called her last night and told her I’d be here.”
“I’ll call her,” Trisha said, reaching into her purse to pull out her cell phone.
“That’s funny. She’s not answering. Larry?”
“Try again. Maybe she couldn’t get to the phone,” he said.
Trisha called again. “Nope, she’s still not answering.”
“I’d better check to make sure she’s okay.”
Larry rose out of his chair and started trotting toward the hotel open-air lobby. David sprinted after him. Trisha put her phone away and rolled their luggage over to the hostess station.
“Would you mind holding onto these until I return?” she asked the well-dressed woman.
“Sure,” the lady said and Trisha trailed after the running men.
Larry tried to get an elevator but they were busy.
“Trisha, you stay here in sight of the registration desk and watch, just in case Susan comes out. I’m taking the stairs,” her husband said.
David rushed after Larry as they both entered the stairwell and began running up the carpeted steps.
The men arrived at Susan’s door. Larry knocked loud enough to wake the dead.
“Susan, Susan,” he called.
Receiving no answer, he backed up and took a position to run at the door.
“Wait, there’s housekeeping. Let’s get her to open it and you won’t have to hurt yourself.”
David ran over to the little Hawaiian woman by the laundry cart.
“Please, we think our friend is hurt and can’t answer the door,” David implored.
The lady reached into her pocket and took out her master key card to open the door. Once the door was unlocked, Larry and David ran passed her into the room. They looked around and spotted the linen on the bathroom floor.
“Damn,” Larry said. “We missed her.”
He was about to leave when David looked around and noticed something in the small trashcan and on the carpet under the hanging mirror.
“Damn,” Larry said. “We missed her.”
He was about to rush out when David looked around and spotted something in the small trash can and on the carpet under the hanging mirror.
“Larry, look at this,” he said, picking up trashcan.
“What did you find?” Larry asked, clenching his fists.
“Hair, some are black and some are silver.”
Larry reached down for a small scrap of paper under the desk.
“That man was here,” Larry said, holding the square picture in his hand.
“What man?” David asked.
“The man that held Susan captive on the ship. He came back for her.”
“But why? She can’t help him now. What is it you have there?”
“I just found this on the floor. That’s odd. This is a copy of Henry’s picture. I know she wouldn’t leave this here and it looks like a photocopy.”
“Henry?” David asked.
“Her late husband. Come with us. I have to get Trisha to the airport and notify the police,” Larry said and hurried out into the hallway.
This time the elevator was cooperative and opened right away.
Larry could see Trisha was still waiting on the first floor. When Larry and David stepped out, she ran over to her husband and gave him a big hug.
“Every time an elevator door would open, I would hope Susan would be one of the people walking out. But the longer I waited, the more I was worried. Where is Susan?” she asked him.
“I don’t know. I think McCarthy has her. David, take Trisha to the airport. I’m going to talk to the police and see if we can locate Susan.”
Trisha looked at David and back at Larry. She gave her husband a big hug.
“Please be careful,” she said.
“Take care of her, David.”
“I will. Come on Trisha, my car is parked over there,” he said.
“I left our suitcases with the café hostess,” she said.
—-
They walked back to the small restaurant and tipped the lady before they grabbed the suitcases. Trisha carried her smaller carry-on bags.
“What was in Susan’s room? Did you find anything?” she asked, hurrying after David.
“Looks like she slept in the bathroom and we found black and gray hairs on the floor. I think the man shaved off his beard. You didn’t hear anything last night?” David asked.
Trisha stopped and looked at him.
“Oh no.”
“What?”
“You said she slept in the bathroom?”
“There were pillows and a blanket on the floor,” he said.
“That’s what we heard. I know the toilet flushed several times but I thought I could hear a couple of knocks, oh, then a pause, and a knock. Oh, my God, that was Susan’s call us for help. Oh, how could I be so stupid,” she wailed.
They stopped at David’s car and he opened the trunk. Trisha helped him lift
