Hostage! Read online

  "We hide out," Jessica said solemnly. "We'll be covering him, you see, to make sure no one comes and captures the getaway car while he's making the delivery."

  "It's like being in a James Bond movie!" Elizabeth exclaimed.

  "Our biggest job is going to be hiding the car, come to think of it," Jessica remarked.

  "Why?" Elizabeth demanded.

  Jessica dissolved into a fit of giggles. "Have you ever heard of a delivery boy driving around in a black Porsche?"

  Elizabeth started to laugh too. But she had a feeling that underneath her merriment, Jessica was as scared as she was. This wasn't kid's stuff they were fooling around with. And Elizabeth had an uneasy suspicion they might be putting their necks on the line the minute they tried to help. But they had no choice. They'd just have to plunge ahead, no matter what. If they didn't save Regina, no one else would.

  Four

  It was Wednesday afternoon, and the twins were with Bruce in his black Porsche, driving to the Morrows'. Elizabeth was in the front, and Jessica sat in the back, a box of groceries on the seat beside her.

  "Here we are," Bruce said, slowing the car down as he rounded the last curve before the Morrow estate. "Do you guys know exactly what to do if something goes wrong?"

  "I think so," Elizabeth said uneasily. "Jess and I are going to stay with the car just out of sight of the house while you drop off the groceries. If you run into any sort of trouble, you're going to whistle twice, and we'll drive over to your house and wait for you there."

  Bruce turned the car down the Morrows' long driveway and stopped about fifty yards from the mansion. He expertly maneuvered the Porsche in a tight U-turn to face the road. "That should do it," he remarked. "I don't think anyone'll be able to see the car from the house. Here are the keys," he added, handing them to Elizabeth. "And remember, if you hear me whistle, don't wait. Just take off! And," he added darkly, "if I don't show up back at my house in half an hour, call the police again and tell them there really is trouble up here."

  Elizabeth swallowed as she watched the handsome, broad-shouldered senior walk toward the house, the box of groceries in his arms. "I hope he'll be all right," she whispered to Jessica.

  "I hope so, too," Jessica said. "I have to admit, Bruce is pretty devoted to Regina," she added after a minute or two. "I'd never have believed it in a million years, but he's actually taking a risk for someone!"

  Elizabeth nodded without saying a word. She felt a lump form in her throat as she watched Bruce disappear up the drive.

  Elizabeth was trying her hardest to hide her anxiety, but secretly she was apprehensive about that afternoon's adventure. There were so many things that could go wrong! What if "Aunt Claire" didn't give Regina the magazine? Worse, what if Claire found the note they'd written? There was no telling what she might do to Regina if she knew Bruce and the twins were trying to get in touch with her!

  It made Elizabeth's heart sink to think about it. All she could do was stare down the long driveway, waiting for Bruce to come back into sight.

  Jessica spotted him first. "There he is!" she cried. "Start the car up, Liz! It looks like he's running!"

  Her heart pounding, Elizabeth fumbled with the metal ring as she tried to find the right one to fit in the ignition. At last she turned the motor on. Bruce was panting as he tore down the last stretch of road and yanked the car door open. Elizabeth scrambled over to the passenger side as Bruce hopped into the driver's seat.

  "Are you all right?" the twins cried in unison.

  Bruce pulled the gearshift into drive and pressed on the gas pedal. "I'm fine," he said tersely, shifting gears again and accelerating. "I dropped the groceries off," he continued, wiping his forehead with one hand. "A woman opened the door. She must be the same one you saw, Liz. About thirty-five, with grayish hair. She looked really mean."

  "That's her!" Elizabeth cried. "That's Claire Davis."

  "Well, she took the box from me and said thanks. Nothing else. I couldn't get a good look inside, but there wasn't anyone else around as far as I could tell." Bruce laughed. "She gave me fifty cents. I guess she isn't much of a tipper."

  "Why were you running, then?" Jessica demanded. "We thought someone was chasing you!"

  Bruce shrugged, his face reddening a little. "She was really weird. I just wanted to get away from her." His expression darkened. "Just thinking about that woman . . . if she's done anything to hurt Regina . . ."

  "We'll just have to hope that Regina gets our note," Elizabeth said quietly. "What time should we meet you tonight, Bruce?"

  "My parents are away, remember? Whenever you two can get away is fine with me."

  "Why don't we meet at nine o'clock at your house?" Jessica suggested. "It'll be good and dark by then."

  Elizabeth shuddered. Good and dark, she thought anxiously.

  Who knew what they'd find waiting for them beneath Regina's window—a note from Regina or a surprise of some sort from the mysterious "Aunt Claire"?

  Regina was sitting listlessly on her bed, tracing the flowers on her bedspread with her finger. Four o'clock, her alarm clock said. But Regina didn't care what time it was. Time seemed to have stopped from the minute she got out of the taxi at the airport in Bern eight days earlier.

  She had gone to the airport to meet her parents, who had written saying that Mr. Morrow had some urgent business in Geneva and they would stop in Bern first to visit her. They had asked her to meet them at gate one in the main terminal at one-thirty, and Regina had been there, beside herself with excitement. She couldn't wait to see her parents and to show them how much better she was. Dr. Friederich was amazed by her progress. She could already distinguish almost all the words in conversations around her. She couldn't wait to be able to hear her parents speak!

  She hadn't suspected anything was wrong until the woman was right next to her. The woman was alone. She put her hand on Regina's arm and looked Regina straight in the eyes. "I have a gun," she'd whispered. "It's in my bag, and I'm going to ask that you not make me use it. I want you to listen to me very carefully and do exactly what I say. That way there won't be any trouble."

  "My parents . . ." Regina had faltered, backing off.

  The woman had tightened her grip on Regina's forearm. "Let me introduce myself," she had whispered hoarsely. "I'm Claire. Aunt Claire. And I'm going to take you back to Sweet Valley with me this evening. But first we're going to go to your apartment to pack a bag and get your passport. You will phone your doctor and tell him that your parents want you to come back to Sweet Valley for a couple of weeks."

  Regina couldn't believe this was really happening. It was like something on television—or some kind of terrible nightmare. "Where are my parents?" she had demanded.

  Claire's eyes narrowed, her fingers digging hard into her arm. "Just do as I say," she said smoothly, pulling Regina forward, "and there won't be any trouble. Your parents are being held hostage," she added. "If you make things difficult, if you give me any trouble at all, your parents will be killed. Do you understand?"

  Regina's eyes filled with tears now as she remembered Claire's words. How many times since that moment had she thought of trying to escape or trying to call the police? Each time, however, Claire's sickening words would come back to her. "Your parents will be killed." Regina had never felt so helpless in her entire life. She had to do everything Claire told her to do, no matter what. Her parents' lives depended on it!

  Nicholas, Regina's eighteen-year-old brother, was the only one she knew for sure was safe. He was in San Francisco, visiting a friend named Buddy Ames. Her parents had written her in Bern, saying that he was taking a vacation while they were in Europe and was going to be spending a couple of weeks in San Francisco.

  Regina still didn't know what was going on. When she and Claire had arrived at the Morrow estate, a thin, mean-looking man was waiting in the living room for them. He told Regina that her parents were safe but well hidden and they'd be fine as long as she cooperated. He hadn't told her much—just what he expected her to do.

  Apparently her father's plant had just designed a microchip that would revolutionize the computer industry. Mr. Morrow had spent the better part of the past five years perfecting this chip and had just manufactured a single working prototype. It had been the crowning achievement of his work in the computer industry and had taken thousands of research hours and endless expense.

  And this man wanted the prototype.

  That was where Regina came in. Using Regina, he planned to get the chip prototype from the plant. He was going to force Mr. Morrow to call Walter Frank, the plant manager, and tell him that he was detained in Europe. He would then instruct Walter to give the chip to Regina when she showed up at the plant. This man would get the chip, and her father's business would be destroyed.

  That was all Regina knew. She had no idea when the chip was supposed to be stolen. She hadn't been able to figure that out yet. She was almost beginning to wish it would happen soon. Living like this was unbearable. Whatever came next would have to be better, she thought.

  At first Regina had been too frightened to think. Now the fear was wearing off a little, and she was getting angry. Really angry. She hated Claire and the strange man with all her heart. She couldn't stand what they were doing to her and her parents. Why would anyone want to hurt them so badly? It made her sick to think about it.

  A sharp knock on her door jerked Regina out of her reverie. "The delivery boy just came," Claire said, sticking her head in the door. "They put in a magazine by mistake." She threw the magazine unceremoniously on the bed, closing the door again without another word.

  Regina sat perfectly still, staring down at the spot where the magazine had fallen. It wasn't her imagination. A square of paper had shaken loose when the magazine hi
t the bed. It was a piece of notebook paper, folded several times.

  Picking it up with trembling fingers, Regina unfolded the paper and began to read.

  "Well, that ought to do it," Regina said to herself that evening, folding the letter she'd written and quickly scanning her bedroom for something heavy to weight it with. Her eye fell on a silver compact on her dresser, and a minute later she had tucked the letter inside the compact. Opening the window, she leaned out into the darkness and dropped the compact onto the soft grass below. Now all she could do was wait—wait and pray that Bruce and the twins would be able to do something.

  Despite her anxiety, Regina felt better knowing they were trying to help. If anyone could save her and her parents, she thought, it would be those three.

  She just hoped they could—and soon. Because she had a terrible feeling that time was beginning to run out.

  Five

  "Liz!" Jessica exclaimed. "God, you scared me half to death," she hissed, dropping her voice. "I thought you were . . . I don't know who I thought you were!"

  "Keep it down, you two," Bruce whispered hoarsely, turning the beam of his penlight over the damp grass.

  "It's so dark out here," Jessica whispered. It was nine-thirty, and the three had climbed over the fence and crept stealthily across the grounds of the Morrow estate in the moonlit darkness. The twins' Fiat was hidden in a thicket of grass near the entrance to the estate.

  "There isn't anything out here," Jessica said mournfully, rubbing her arms a little to warm herself up. "She must not have gotten our letter."

  "Wait a minute!" Elizabeth cried excitedly. "There's something in the grass over by Bruce!"

  Bruce dropped to his knees, searching the thick grass with his penlight. "Liz is right," he said, picking up the object. "It's Regina's compact, and there's a letter inside!"

  "What's that?" Jessica said uneasily, cocking her head in the direction of the driveway. "Did either of you hear something, or am I just—"

  "Shhh!" Elizabeth said warningly, listening hard. It did sound as though something was moving in the bushes, but the only sound she heard was the wind. "You're hearing things," she scolded Jessica.

  "Let's not stick around, anyway," Bruce said, slipping the compact into his pocket and turning off his penlight. "Come on, you two, let's head for the car!"

  The next thing she knew, Elizabeth was running behind Jessica and Bruce across the dewy grass.

  Elizabeth had never run so fast in her life. Beside her she could hear Jessica panting as they raced across the dark lawn. It seemed as though they'd been running forever before they reached the wrought-iron fence surrounding the Morrows' property.

  Bruce helped the twins get safely to the other side before pulling himself up and over the fence. "Let's get to the car!" he shouted. He rushed into the thicket, toward the Fiat.

  Jessica brushed her hair back from her perspiring forehead as she crowded into the passenger seat of the sports car with Bruce. "I'm not so sure this is a good idea anymore," she gasped, her face flushed from exertion. "You guys, I don't like this. I think we've got to go back to the police!"

  "We can't," Bruce said grimly. "Not unless we want to risk Regina's life—and her parents'."

  "What are you talking about?" Elizabeth said, her eyes widening in horror.

  Bruce had turned on his light and was reading the letter he'd found beneath Regina's window. "Take a look at this if you really want to get scared," he muttered, tossing the folded paper and penlight onto Elizabeth's lap.

  Elizabeth read the letter as quickly as Jessica's interruptions would allow. In it Regina explained that she and her parents had all been kidnapped. So far, her parents were safe; the kidnappers had allowed them to write her a note. She outlined the plan to use her to steal the precious microchip from her father's plant. "They made my father call the servants and tell them all to take a vacation, but I don't know for how long," she went on.

  "Please be careful," the letter continued. "These people are really dangerous. You've got to find out where they're holding my parents and rescue all three of us at the same time, or they'll kill whoever's left. They really will. And whatever you do, don't call the police. A patrol car came over the night before last, and 'Aunt Claire' was so mad she locked me in my room and threatened to tie me up and gag me."

  "Oh, no," Elizabeth groaned. "That was my fault!"

  "Keep reading," Bruce said tersely.

  Elizabeth cleared her throat and read the last part of the letter aloud. "Nicholas is staying with a friend of the family in San Francisco. His name is Buddy Ames, and he lives on Delaney Street. Please call him and let him know what's going on. Promise me you'll all be careful. I am so frightened. If I never see you again—"

  "Stop!" Bruce groaned. "God, this is torture!"

  "Where to now?" Jessica asked as Elizabeth started the Fiat.

  "Back to Bruce's," Elizabeth answered grimly. "I want to get Buddy Ames's number right away. We've got to get Nicholas down from San Francisco to help us, and we haven't got a minute to lose!"

  Fifteen minutes later Bruce had gotten through to Nicholas. "I don't want to scare you," he said in a low, controlled voice, "but you've got to get back to Sweet Valley as soon as you can. Is there any way you can get a flight down tonight?"

  Nicholas sounded alarmed. "Tell me what's going on," he demanded. "Is it my parents? Has there been some kind of accident?"

  "There's been some trouble," Bruce said evenly, "but they're OK, Nicholas. Everyone's OK. But we need your help. I can't go into it on the phone," he added. "But the sooner you can get yourself back in town, the better I'm going to feel."

  "I drove up, I didn't fly," Nicholas said grimly. "If I leave right now, I can be back in the Valley before breakfast."

  "That's perfect," Bruce said, breathing a sigh of relief and giving the twins a thumbs-up sign. "One more thing," he added. "Come straight to my house when you get into town."

  "What are you talking about?" Nicholas demanded. "Why can't I just go home?"

  "It's a long story," Bruce said. He sighed heavily. "And one that I think will be easier to go into in person."

  Elizabeth caught her sister's eye and shook her head. How in the world were they going to tell Nicholas that Regina was being held hostage in her own house and his parents were being held somewhere else—God only knew where!

  Poor Nicholas, she thought sadly, trying to imagine how confused and apprehensive he must be right then.

  "Well," Bruce said, replacing the receiver on the hook, "I guess we'd better call it a night. There isn't much else we can do before Nicholas gets here tomorrow."

  Jessica looked up from Regina's letter, which she had been reading and rereading while Bruce was on the phone. "What do you suppose Claire meant by saying 'Money is heaven'?" she asked. "Regina says here that that's the only thing she couldn't make out when Claire was talking on the phone about when they were going to steal the chip. 'Money is heaven.' What could she possibly have meant by that?"

  "It's probably a code," Elizabeth said. "She'd hardly just announce when the deal's supposed to be carried through with Regina standing around, would she?"

  "If it is a code," Bruce said, "it may be our strongest clue so far—if we only knew how to crack it."

  "Poor Regina," Elizabeth whispered, her face draining of color as she tried to imagine what her friend must be going through. "Bruce, do you really think we'll be able to help rescue the Morrows without any help from the police?"

  "We've got to try," Bruce said, getting to his feet. "You read the note, Liz. You know we can't risk having another squad car show up."

  "Bruce is right," Jessica said. "Regina's counting on us, Liz. We've got to come up with a plan to save her."

  "Maybe Nicholas can help," Elizabeth said. "What time should we meet you tomorrow, Bruce?"

  "Let's make it right after school," Bruce suggested. "I'm going to stay home tomorrow so I can let Nicholas know what's going on. Why don't you two come over here as soon as you can?"

  Elizabeth and Jessica exchanged uneasy glances. "Tomorrow afternoon." Elizabeth sighed. "It feels like ages and ages away!"

  Jessica looked anxious. "I'll have to skip cheerleading, but I guess if—"

  Bruce silenced her with a look. "We're all going to have to skip things for a while. We're working against the clock."