Gone at Zero Hundred 00:00 (25 page)

Seconds passed as she pondered
her decision. When she heard the sounds of sirens in the background, she knew
their fate was sealed. “John Wayne Airport,” she finally said with reluctance.
“We were supposed to meet there. He has a private plane.”

SIXTY-ONE

CARTER DROVE at a high-rate of
speed, traveling south on the 405 freeway and headed toward Orange County. The
airport was about fifteen minutes away. I was sitting shotgun, and attempting
to wrap my shoulder in a ripped shirt from his trunk. Cody was in the back.

“Can’t this thing go any
faster?” I whined.

Carter responded, “It’s the damn
L.A. drivers.” He rolled his window down and yelled at the vehicle blocking his
way, and driving less than the speed limit. “This is the speed lane, moron!”

“We’re not gonna make it,” Cody
said. “The plane’s scheduled to leave in ten minutes.”

Carter pulled into the emergency
lane, and stepped on the gas.

Cody and I held on for dear
life.

Thirteen minutes later, we
turned into the John Wayne airport. Carter sped past a line of cars waiting to
pick up, or drop off passengers; then pulled to a stop in the emergency lane at
the entrance. We bolted from the car.

Carter flashed his badge to the
security guys out front. “Show me the way to The Blue Sky. Aaron Grant is
wanted for kidnapping, human trafficking, conspiracy to commit murder and a
whole slew of other charges. He’s headed over the Mexican border.”

We followed airport security
through the maze of travelers. At an intersection, security pointed to an exit
at the end of a hall. We took off at full speed. At the exit, Carter pushed it
open and we ran outside, just in time to see: a private Cessna airplane taxiing
down the runaway. Seconds later, The Blue Sky lifted off the tarmac and carried
Aaron Grant into the night.

“Noooo!” I screamed at the top
of my lungs. Seconds later, weak from exhaustion and a loss of blood, I
collapsed to the ground.

WHEN I woke up, I was lying in a
hospital bed. My shoulder was wrapped, and an IV protruded from my arm. I
glanced around the room. Jaden’s huge frame was slumped uncomfortably in a
chair in the far corner. Cody was glued to his laptop in another chair. They
noticed I was awake.

“Hey,” Cody said. His grin lit
up his face.

“Welcome back, Syd,” said Jaden.

I tried to sit up. Pain shot
through my shoulders and face. “What happened? Everything is hazy.”

Cody approached the bed and set
his laptop down on the end; then poured a pitcher of water into a cup and
placed it up to my lips. I took a long gulp, not realizing how dehydrated I
was.

“Well, you were shot,” Cody went
on. “Thankfully, it only grazed you, but your collarbone took a hit when I
tackled you to the ground. Sorry ‘bout that. Doc said it would heal with no
problem, but you might need assistance for a few weeks.” He winked. “That means
I get to help you out with your showers.”

I glared at him. “As if…”

“You passed out at the airport.”

“Forget my injuries,” I said,
impatient. “What happened with Aaron Grant? He got away, didn’t he?”

Jaden and Cody glanced at each
other.

“Don’t worry, Syd,” Jaden said.
“They’ll catch him. Guys like him can’t blend into the woodwork. He thrives on
attention.”

“Yeah,” Cody added with a scowl
on his face. “His good fortune won’t hold out for long.”

I scoffed. “He’ll never be
caught. He’s got more money than God. He’s in Mexico. He has cars, boats, and a
private jet…probably a couple of them. He can hide for a very long time.” I was
suddenly despondent.

All in all, the injuries weren’t
as bad as they could have been. I was more concerned with the victims. Knowing
that the guy responsible for their abductions was still on the loose would definitely
have an impact on them. It did me, so I could only imagine what they would
feel. The doctor recommended we not disturb them. They had finally dozed off
after their long ordeal. They suffered physically, but thankfully, nothing that
would be long-term. Traces of drugs were also found in their system. Their
mental status was a concern. Specialists were being brought in to work with
them. Arrangements had been made for them to remain in the hospital for several
days. The City of Sutter Beach would handle the bill, and try to locate any
family members. They were needed as witnesses, so their health was critical.

“Hey, check it out,” Cody said,
trying to cheer me up. He turned his laptop around for me to see. “I edited a
bunch of footage and put an action trailer up on YouTube. The hits and comments
are going wild.”

I groaned. “You already put it
up?” I said, clearly agitated. “Without checking with me? Carter will be deep
in the investigation and prepping for a trial. You could hurt that. Do you think
I care about the comments on YouTube?”

Cody just smiled, and ignored my
outburst. “Just look, Syd.”

I appeased him and glanced at
the screen. He edited the film footage he took of us over the last few months,
and showcased our skills using splatter effects and action music that ended
with a bang. He didn’t show either of our faces, or give any information about
the case, but put together some of our unusual methods while working on the
case, and added his own fictional plot finale. The teaser could work to attract
clients on the website, but it was also a cool trailer to showcase his
filmmaking skills on his resume.

“It’s good,” I said with
reluctance. The last thing I wanted to do, right then; was feed Cody’s ego.
But, I was impressed. I hit the replay button to view it again. “It’s really
good.”

He saw the admiration on my
face, and smiled. “Did you really think I was so insensitive that I would put
something up that could hurt the outcome of what happens to those victims?”

“No, I just wasn’t thinking
straight,” I said. “I’m sorry.”

He sat down on the edge of the
bed, and got emotional. “It’s okay. You’ve been through a lot in the last
couple months. You know … when you collapsed, I thought we lost you.” He leaned
over, and brushed a kiss on my lips; then pulled back, unsure.

“I - I’m, sorry,” he said. “I
didn’t mean…”

He and I looked at each other,
stunned by his sudden show of affection. I squirmed on the hospital bed. He and
I have been pals since like, forever, but we’ve always kept any guy, girl feelings
out of our friendship. He was the player who could have any cheerleader he
wanted, and did. I was the tomboy who he was comfortable rolling around in the
mud with. His little display of affection caught us both off guard. We were
both struggling with how to deal, when two of the cheerleaders sauntered into
the room.

“Cody!” the lead cheerleader
squealed.

Cody backed away from me, and
stood, flummoxed at the sight of the cheerleaders.

“You’re okay,” one of them went
on to say. “We were so worried.” They hurried up next to him, and draped their
arms around him to let him know how concerned they were.

I turned my head away from the
sight of them hanging all over him. I was suddenly filled with feelings I’ve
never experienced before.

Cody peered over at me, with a
look that said: “I’m sorry”.

I ignored him.

Thankfully, Carter walked in and
saved me from myself.

“Did I come at a bad time?” he
teased when he walked through the door, and sized up the scene. As a seasoned
detective, all he had to do was see the look on my face to get a clear image as
to what was going on.

“No. Your timing couldn’t be
more perfect” Jaden said. “Our boy Cody was getting all mushy, which was
totally out of character for him, and making me uncomfortable. But now, I’m
kinda liking the show.” He smirked at Cody who was now trapped by the girls.

Carter walked over to the side
of the hospital bed. The closer he got, the more worried he got. Until now, he
hadn’t seen my bruises. “How are you feeling?”

“I’ve been better,” struggling
to find my voice. I didn’t know what hurt more, the injuries, or the mixed
emotions I was suddenly dealing with.

He squeezed my hand.

“What happened with Summer Klein
and Diego?”I said, hoping to keep things on the business at hand. One, I didn’t
want them anywhere near the victims, and two, I was worried Aaron would somehow
get to them, and set them free.

Carter must have sensed my fear.
“Don’t worry. They’re in police custody. They were transported over to Mercy
Hospital in Los Angeles with round-the-clock guards. We didn’t want them being
treated in the same facility as their victims.”

“How bad were their injuries?”

“The bullet was a through and
through on Diego, so he’ll pull through in a few months. Summer has several
bruises and welts from the pellets, but it’s her disposition that’s suffering.
She’s sorry she ever met McSwain & Beck.”

“Good!”

“Once they get the all clear,
medically, they’ll be transported to the county jail. Syd, there’s something
else.”

“What?” From the look on his
face, I knew I wasn’t going to like what he had to say, but I was pretty sure I
already knew what it was.

“We got the ballistics. Those
slugs we found at the crime scene when Tamara was killed, they match the slugs
from your mom’s crime scene.”

“It was Foley, wasn’t it?” I said,
resigned.

“How’d you know?” He said.

“There were some coincidences
along the way, but when I found the pension fund files at the club, I knew they
were involved. I just didn’t know who actually pulled the trigger. Then I
realized that Foley worked vice, so he dealt with Marty Cole, the guy that was
arrested on the day she was killed. I knew with a hundred percent certainty
that it was Foley, when the dirt bag brought her up while he was smacking me
around. I went into a rage and kicked him in the balls.”

“He was a former sniper with a
money problem. Aaron and Summer Klein met him and Marty Cole at a bar in Los
Angeles some time ago. They met Diego on one of their many trips to Mexico…”

“And they all came together to
form The Privileged Ones at a secret club called The Devil’s Door,” I said
without feeling.

We both just stood there for a
moment, not knowing what else to say. I thought I would feel better once I knew
who my mom’s killer was, but I didn’t. To tell you the truth, I just felt kind
of numb. And, I couldn’t help but think about what Foley said; that there was
something in the DVD that I missed. When I got out of the hospital, I was going
to have to give it another look, but I had to come to terms with the fact that
I may never know.

“Your mother would be proud of
you,” Carter said, bringing me back to the present. “I know I am.”

“Talk about mushy,” Cody said,
finally breaking away from the girls. “Man, you guys are gonna make the whole
room weepy.” He sat down on the edge of the bed.

Carter said, “When you get out
of here and feel up to it, you and Cody can come in and we can go over all the
evidence to prep the D.A. for trial. We’ve got plenty of time…Anything you
need, magazines, something better than hospital food?”

“I’m only here overnight,” I
said. “But some peanut butter M’M’s might be good.”

He grinned at me. “You and Cody
did a helluva job tonight.”

“Kudos to Syd,” Cody said with
all sincerity. “I just followed orders, and went along for the ride. Of course,
Jaden helped out a little. Where’s my camera, by the way?”

Jaden laughed. “It’s secure in
the car. You think I’d lose your precious lifeline?”

Carter looked at me like a
concerned father. “Well, don’t think just because you’re injured, that gets you
out of Sunday dinner and helping with the dishes.”

I laughed. Then I had to grab
myself because it hurt.

Then we all laughed.

And that is when a large man
filled the doorway. “Sydney McSwain?”

We all looked in his direction,
and immediately stopped laughing. I adjusted myself on the bed, as if I should
stand at attention, or salute. He wore a full-dress military uniform covered
with medals.

“Do I know you?” I said.

He cautiously entered the room.
“I’m sorry to disturb you. I understand you’ve been through quite an ordeal and
probably need your rest. My name is General Harry Wells. I wonder if we could
have a moment in private.”

I glanced toward the guys for
assurance. Carter clasped my hand. “These are my friends. You can speak in
front of them.”

The General nodded; then said,
“I am here to talk to you about Jake Logan…”

JADEN WHITE stood in
front of a run-down hotel in the seedy section of Tesoro Island, waiting for
his contact to arrive. Men, women and children roamed the dust-filled streets while
locals peddled their goods nearby. Dinged up Toyotas and taxi-cabs, came and
went kicking up a cloud of dust. If it wasn’t for the Ray-Ban Aviator
sunglasses and the Blackberry he used to text his buddy, Cody, he could have
been pegged as a local with his dark hair and bronzed skin.

Jaden had never traveled
outside the State of California, until now. He was the star that led his high
school hockey team to two consecutive championships, and now had hopes of going
pro. Between five a.m. practices and the hours spent pumping iron, there hadn’t
been time for anything else. When his parents unexpectedly divorced, Jaden was
told he’d have to give up hockey, or find a job to help pay the fees. There was
no way he was giving up hockey, so when he was offered a part-time job that
wouldn’t interfere with his ice time, he jumped at the gig.