Page 60

“Are you kidding me?” I knew he was just saying that to get my goat. But I couldn’t help but remember the strange man’s office. “He had three inches of dark roots!”
Mark grinned at me. “Maybe he’s looking for a new stylist.? They can be hard to find, a lot like an OB-GYN.”
I snorted. “His hair was shoulder length, half of it was bleach blonde and the other half almost black. He had a lifesized cut out of his son who was in college and he sang while he walked.”
“You can’t blame the man for being musical,” Candice added from the back seat.
“Cher, he was singing Cher.”
Mark cracked up and I couldn’t help but join in.
“I don’t think it would have been as bad if his voice wasn’t so high pitched.” Mark reached over and took my hand. “We will find the right one. Don’t worry, sweetheart.”
It was times like these when I knew I had hit the jackpot.
We spent the rest of the drive in relative quiet. But about five minutes before we hit Otterville Falls, the phone rang. I grabbed my cell and answered. “Knox, we don’t want any more bad news.”
“Then it’s a good thing I called,” he said dryly. “Can you guys swing by the hospital?”
**
“I’M FINE, HONESTLY!”
I heard her voice before I rounded the corner.
“Maggie!”
She turned her head and gave me a smile. “Hey there, Sutton.”
She looked thinner and I could see bags underneath her eyes, but otherwise she looked good.
“What happened?” I gasped, coming forward and taking one of her hands.
“They decided to let me go.” She shrugged and looked over at Knox.
He nodded. “I got an anonymous call that there was something of interest out by the property where your trailer was. I drove out there and there she was, trussed up like a Christmas goose.”
I sank down into the chair next to the bed,.“. “Do you know where you were? How did they get you?”
Maggie’s brows knit together in concentration. “I always had a blindfold on, but it felt dark. I don’t know how else to describe it except that I thought I was in a cellar or basement? There was a cot that I slept on and the floors were cold. I had a smelly sleeping bag that I could slither in and out of to keep warm. But my hands remained tied behind my back and my feet were cuffed.”
“How did you go to the bathroom?” I asked in horror.
Maggie blushed. “You don’t want to know.”
Knox cleared his throat. “They have been able to get her cleaned up and the doctor on staff did an exam. He wanted Maggie to do some fluids but she is resisting. He also doesn’t think a round of antibiotics would go amiss.”
Brian stormed into the room. “Thank God you are alright.”
Natalie followed him inside. “We searched the basement underneath the church. That’s where they had her. Father Montgomery is gone.”
“Dead?” Candice gasped.
Brian turned. “We can’t see any sign of foul play. His car and belongings are gone, and we think he’s the one that dropped Maggie off at your property.” He turned back to Maggie. “You need to tell us every detail of your kidnapping. Father Montgomery was at the church during the funeral when you were taken. In order to figure out who was working with him, we need to know everything you can remember.”
Maggie nodded. “Of course, it’s stupid really. I feel like an idiot. This all could have been avoided if I wasn’t so damn embarrassed.”
I reached out and took her hand again. “Embarrassed about what?”