Saturday, September 14

2:30 a.m.

        It was the sound that woke her--a shout, followed by the clang of metal on metal.  Tessa entered consciousness to a sharp pain piercing her skull, her face pressed against a scratchy and musty-smelling surface.  She tried to pull herself up, to answer the voice, but a wave of nausea rendered her attempt completely futile.  Fighting back the bile that rose in her throat, she managed to turn her head, her face brushing against a soft, damp cloth.  A vaguely familiar, sickly-sweet smell rose from the cloth, burning her nose, and she barely managed to shove it aside before the darkness took her again.

Six hours earlier…

September 13, 1985

Sleepyside Junior-Senior High School Gym

8:30 p.m.

        “Who decided to have the back to school dance on Friday the thirteenth?” Brian Belden groused good-naturedly.  “I swear they’re just asking for trouble.”

“Triskadekaphobia, brother dear?” Mart teased.  “I’d think such superstition was beneath you, oh scientific one.”

“I’m not superstitious,” Brian defended, “but a lot of other people are.  I’m more concerned about someone making bad luck happen.”

“You don’t really think someone would deliberately sabotage the dance, do you, Brian?”  Honey Wheeler turned concerned hazel eyes at her boyfriend.  “Maybe we should have just gone to the movies with Jim and Trixie.”

“I’m sure it will be fine, Hon,” Brian hastened to assure her.  “I was just thinking out loud.”

“True,” Dan Maypenny agreed as he joined the conversation.  “I could see some joker trying to make trouble—especially with this being a bye week for the football team--but I think Principal Stratton is pretty prepared.  He’s got plenty of chaperones.”  He moved his head in the direction of the snack table and the exit doors.  Sure enough, there were parents and teachers attempting to act unobtrusively while patrolling each location.

“Where are Tess and Di?” Honey asked. 

“Bathroom,” Dan and Mart said in unison.

“Ditched already?”  Brian teased.

“They had something important,” Mart made air quotes with his fingers, “to discuss.”  He shrugged. “There’s been something going on in their drama class.  Di’s been edgy since school started.”

“Tess, too,” Dan concurred. “I asked her about it, but she said it was nothing she couldn’t handle.”  He echoed Mart’s shrug.  “I guess she and Di are handling it.”

“They are,” Honey confirmed.

“You know about this?” Brian asked.

Honey nodded.  “Of course.  It’s an annoyance, but they have it under control.”

“What do they have under control?” Brian asked, his frustration evident in his tone.

“The situation,” Honey told him with a sweet smile.  “Oooh.  I love this song.  Let’s dance.”  She pulled Brian out into the crowd of dancers effectively stopping the questions she had no intention of answering.

Mart looked at his best friend, and they shared a laugh at Honey’s skillful maneuvering.  “She’s good,” Dan said.

“Who’s good?” Diana Lynch asked, slipping her arms around Mart as her best friend, Tessa Hart, slid her right hand into Dan’s left.

“Honey,” Mart answered, pulling her next to him.  “She just diverted Brian’s attention from whatever you and Tess are scheming.”

“We’re not scheming,” Diana protested.  “We were discussing.”

“And we’re still not sharing,” Tessa added with a smile that didn’t quite make it to her eyes. “Yet.”

“I’m here if you need me, babe,” Dan assured her, not liking the look reflected in her eyes.

This time, the smile was complete.  “I know.  But right now, I need to dance.”

“Your wish is my command.”  Dan bowed as he spoke, gripping her hand tightly as he led her out on the floor--Mart and Di close behind them.  None of them noticed the dark stare that followed their every move.

10:05 p.m.

“I understand your point,” Tessa said, “but I have a different perspective.”

“Based on what?”  Tad Webster leaned forward as he asked the question.

“Based on my heritage,” Tessa told him, raising her chin as she stared at him.  “My grandfather’s family was from Japan.  I don’t carry his blood, but I do carry his spirit and traditions.  What happened at Hiroshima and Nagasaki was horrible.  It was a horrible, horrible, tragic travesty.  Innocent people died for the sins of their government.”  She shrugged, leaning back against the bench.  “That’s just wrong.”

“But...’ Tad started to argue, but the pretty blonde girl sitting next to him stopped him with a manicured finger to his lips.

“Hush,” Marnie Le Brais said to her date.  “She’s not saying the action was unjustified.  She’s saying it was immoral.”

“But...” Tad lost his train of thought, focusing instead, on a pair of big brown eyes and bouncing curls.

Dan grinned and shifted his arm out from behind Tess.  “Sorry,” he murmured, “I think my arm fell asleep.”  He shook the offending limb, clenching and unclenching his fist to get his blood circulating again.

The foursome had tired of the heat and noise of the gym and ventured into the slightly less crowded courtyard.  Sipping on sodas from the school vending machine, they had occupied an empty bench and settled in for friendly chatter.  When Tad had brought up the recent ceremony marking forty years since the dropping of atomic bombs in Japan, the conversation had escalated into a genial but fervent debate between Tad and Tessa, leaving Dan and Marnie as amused observers.

Flexing his fingers again, Dan dropped his arm back around Tessa’s shoulders.  “You can discuss this until sunrise, Webster.  You won’t change her mind, and she won’t change yours.  You’re both as stubborn as mules.”

“Hey!  Who’re you calling a mule?”  Tessa pulled away from Dan, her eyes dancing with mock anger.

“Tad,” Dan said, pretending to cringe away from her.  “Tad.  I was saying that Tad is a mule.”

“Good answer,” Tessa grinned, leaning back against him.

Marnie laughed, and Tad scowled with good-natured acceptance.  “Fine,” he said, turning his back on Dan and Tess.  “Be that way!”  As he turned, his elbow hit his can of Dr Pepper, splashing it down the side of Tessa’s dress.

“Gleeps!” Tessa bolted to her feet, trying to avoid the stream of sticky liquid.

“Sorry!”  Tad jumped up, too, trying to dash away the soda and succeeding only in spreading it around.  “Tess, I’m sorry.  It was an accident.”

“I know.”  Tessa looked from the wet skirt of her dress to the dark liquid trickling down her leg and into her sandal.  With a sigh, she turned to Dan.  “I need to go clean up.”

“I’ll walk you in,” Dan told her, rescuing her palm frond purse from the spill.

“No.”  Tessa took her woven daisy shaped bag from him, and eyed the mess on the bench. “I’ll only be a few minutes, and we really shouldn’t leave the bench like this.  I’ll clean me up; you clean this up, okay?”

“I’ll go with you,” Marnie volunteered.  “I’ll bring back some towels so Tad can clean up his mess.”

Two Miles North

Friday, September 13

10:45 p.m.

“Don’t panic.  Don’t panic.”  The words were spoken out loud by the hooded figure in the borrowed Buick, a mantra designed to keep the situation in control.  It wasn’t working.  The situation was very definitely out of control.  It was one thing to plan and scheme.  It was quite another to seize an opportunity without a contingency plan.  “Don’t panic.  Stay calm.  Figure it out.”  Getting to the safe place was key.  In the remote safe place, everything would be easier.  The driver increased the speed, chanting quietly, “Don’t panic.  Don’t panic.”

11:35 p.m.

The runner panted, his breath coming in pained rasps.  He knew he needed to stop.  He’d told his grandmother he was going for a walk to clear his head, but his walk had become a run.  Running from his fear--from his confusion.  His lungs were burning.  He needed to stop.  After all, bitter experience had already taught him that running away didn’t solve his problems.  Forcing himself into a slower pace, he reached into the pocket of his zippered sweatshirt.  The inhaler felt cool and comforting in his hand, reassuring him.  He could do this.  He had to. It might be a matter of life and death.  He forced air into his lungs and turned himself around.

The roar of an accelerating engine startled him.  He stopped, flinching back from the headlights that suddenly appeared over the ridge, blinding him as they hurtled directly toward the place where he stood.

“It’s nice up here,” Trixie said.  “Although I bet Brian would freak if he saw us snuggled up on the hood of the Bob-White station wagon.”  She giggled, leaning back against Jim’s chest.

“Brian would freak if he knew we were parked up here,” Jim reminded her.  “I still don’t think he believes you ‘forgot’ to get me a guest pass for the dance.”

“He might suspect something, but he knows I’m forgetful—and there’s nothing wrong with coming up to the river after a movie,” Trixie told him.  “It’s a time-honored tradition.”  She snuggled closer.  “Besides, all we’re doing is looking at the moon and the water.  It’s not even all that isolated, either.  There’s a whole subdivision just a block behind us.”

“True,” Jim agreed, kissing the top of her head.  “But Brian... you know.  He’d point out that there isn’t a moon tonight.”

“Yeah.”  Trixie turned her face toward Jim, kissing his chin.  “Big brother syndrome.  He is getting better though.  You have to admit that.”

“True.” Jim grinned at her.  “But only because he knows he’s a hypocrite when he gripes at me.”

Trixie giggled and pulled Jim’s head toward hers. “My curfew is midnight.  Let’s give him something to fret about.”  Their lips met, and all thoughts of Brian faded away.

Their quiet “moon gazing” was interrupted by the roar of an engine and the flash of headlights, followed by the squeal of tires skidding on pavement.  Jim looked up, his arms instinctively tightening protectively around Trixie, but the danger was some three hundred yards away.  He watched in horror as a car spun, flipped and disappeared over the edge of the road and into the river below.  “Get help!”  With those words, Jim released Trixie and gave her a gentle shove in the direction of the housing development.  Wrenching open the rear door, he rummaged for the emergency kit and flashlight and started running toward the crash site.

Jim skidded to a stop in front of the flattened bushes that marked the place of impact.  He dropped the emergency kit and swung the beam of light down the embankment and into the river.  The tide was on its way out, the water of the estuary that was the Hudson still only about ten feet below. The light struck the undercarriage of the car, the only part above water, the tires bobbing in the waves.  Jim quickly pulled two flares from his kit, activated them and placed them on the edge of the road.  That done, he ran down the embankment and directly into the river.

The river was black in the moonless night sky, and Jim was thankful for his heavy, waterproof flashlight.  He waded toward the car, the cool water moving from his ankles, to his knees, to his chest.  Then, he swam. As he approached the car, a shape bobbed to the surface, gasping for air.  Jim stretched out the light toward the figure.

“Grab on,” he ordered.  “I’ll get you out!”

“No!” The voice was breathy and scared.  “The driver’s in ... the car.  I can’t get him ...out! I tried to... break the window, but... it won’t break, and ... the doors are... locked.”

“How did you get out? Jim asked.

“I wasn’t... in it.  Please...”

Jim flashed his light on the swimmer’s face.  “B.J?” he asked.

“Jim?”  The boy nearly slipped under the water, but Jim grabbed onto him, keeping him afloat.  “Jim, I can’t...get the... guy out.  I can’t...breathe...”

Without a second thought, Jim dragged the asthmatic teen out of the water and half way up the bank before diving back into the river.  The car was filling with water.  Jim wrenched on the door to no avail.  He could see someone still buckled into the driver’s seat.  The driver was conscious, struggling to get away from the rapidly rising water.

Out of air, Jim surfaced, filling his lungs with air before diving down again.  Just in that amount of time, the water had risen over the driver’s head.  Panicked eyes in a glowing pale face turned toward Jim, and he gestured with the flashlight, before reversing it and slamming the metal base into the window.  The glass cracked.  He struck again and again.  Finally, as Jim’s lungs burned with the effort, the glass gave way.  He reached in but didn’t have enough air left to get the driver free.  He had to surface.

Breaking through the water, Jim inhaled sweet air into his aching lungs.  Filling them, he dove back into the dark water.  The driver was no longer conscious, and it took only seconds for him to unfasten the seat belt.  It took considerably longer to wrestle the body from the car.  With the dead weight of the driver half in and half out of the car, Jim felt his strength giving way.  His lungs were on fire, the edges of his limited sight dimming and fading.  This is not good, he thought.  Not good at all.  He tightened his grip and pulled harder.

B.J McClendon crawled up the muddy bank toward the road, dripping wet and gasping for air.  His inhaler was in the pocket of his sweatshirt, but he had stripped it off before entering the water.  Right now, he didn’t know if he had the strength to reach it.

“Jim?  Jim!”

B.J. recognized Trixie’s voice, and called out, “Down here,” with what little breath he had left.

“Who... B.J?  What are you doing here?  Where’s Jim?”

“I was out…walking... saw the car... tried to help... Jim’s in ... there.” B.J. pointed to a flash of light in the water, and Trixie followed his finger, watching as Jim’s head popped up briefly, before disappearing again.

“Are you okay?” Trixie asked, her eyes trained on the water.  She could hear the sirens in the distance, moving closer.

“Asthma,” he managed to choke. “Inhaler...pocket.”  Again he pointed, and this time, Trixie swung her gaze up toward the streetlight.  A black sweatshirt rested on the ground beside it.

Trixie scrambled back up the embankment, grabbing the discarded shirt and rifling through it.  She pulled out an envelope, cramming it impatiently into her own pocket, and shook the sweatshirt until the inhaler brushed against her fingertips.  Grabbing it, she raced back to B.J. even as the lights from the emergency vehicles lit up the night.

The first officer approached them as B.J. huffed, trying to clear his lungs.  “Help!” Trixie exclaimed.  “The car went in the water.  My boyfriend is out there, trying to get the driver out!”

Within seconds, three men were in the water, and Trixie was answering questions in a distracted voice, one eye on the water--waiting. 

“No, sir.  Neither of us was in the car.  He’s asthmatic,” she told him.  “That’s our car over there.  B.J, well, I’m not sure what B.J. was doing. He said he was out for a walk.”  She looked anxiously at the river.  “Where are they?”

Just then, there was a huge splash, and one of the rescue divers broke the surface, pulling Jim, who was also dragging a body.

“Jim.” The name slipped from Trixie’s lips like a prayer, even as fear gripped her heart with icy fingers.

Exercising superhuman self-control, Trixie barely kept from rushing the rescuers.  She held her breath, watching as they exited the water, releasing it in a rush as Jim rose unsteadily to his feet and staggered toward her. 

“Jim!  Oh, Jim, I was so worried.” Trixie flung herself into his arms.  “Are you okay?”

“I... think... so,” Jim told her, hugging her tightly.  “But I nearly blacked out before...” He turned back to the paramedics trying to revive the driver.  “It’s a girl,” he told Trixie.  “I couldn’t get her free.”

“She’s breathing.  Let’s get her out of here,” one of the rescue squad shouted, and Jim collapsed against Trixie.

Trixie tightened her hold, but Jim’s weight was too much for her, and they both slid to the ground.

11:35 p.m.

“Honey?” Dan asked, tapping his friend on the shoulder and diverting her attention from Brian.  “Have you seen Tess and Marnie?”

“Not for a while,” Honey replied, her hazel eyes teasing as she said, “They were headed to the bathroom and grumbling something about dumping boyfriends who can’t control their soda.”

“That was Tad.” Dan tried to grin, but it was tight and insincere. “So, you haven’t seen them lately?”

“Seen who?” Diana asked, as she and Mart joined the conversation.

“Tess,” Honey answered.  “Dan seems to have lost her.”

Diana started to laugh but stopped when she took a good look at Dan’s face. “You’re worried!” she exclaimed.  “What happened?”

Dan’s eyes were troubled.  “We were in the courtyard with Tad and Marnie.  Tad spilled his Dr Pepper on Tess, so she and Marnie came in to clean up.  They never came back out.”

“How long ago?” Di asked.

“Over an hour, now,” Dan replied.  “Tad and I waited about thirty minutes, because we figured it could take a while to wash up and dry... you know... girls and the bathroom.  Then we came in to find them.  We’ve been through the school twice, but they aren’t here.”

Mart frowned.  “Did you check the car?  Maybe Tess decided to go home and change.”

Dan shook his head.  “First, both the truck and the Queen are still where we left them.  Tad’s truck, too, and Marnie doesn’t have keys to it anyway.   Second, Tessa wouldn’t leave without at least telling me.”

“That’s true,” Brian chimed in, squeezing Honey’s hand.  “Something isn’t right.  Are you sure you looked everywhere?”

“Yes!”  Dan blew out a frustrated breath.  “I even had Ruth check the girl’s bathroom.  They aren’t there.  They aren’t anywhere.  Tad went to get Mr. Stratton.”

“Did Ruthie check all the bathrooms?” Honey asked.  “Because there are four in this area.  The one in the locker room, the one on the East side of the gym, and one in each hall.”

Confusion crossed Dan’s face. “Four?  I...I don’t know...”

“We’ll do it,” Di said decisively.  “Honey, you take the gym.  I’ll check the ones in the halls.”

“Wait.”  Brian held up his hand.  “I don’t want you to go alone.  I’ll wait outside the door while you check the inside, but I’m definitely going with you. Mart?”

His brother nodded.  “I’ll do the same with Di.  Dan?” He grasped his best friend’s shoulder.  “You wait here for Mr. Stratton and Tad. We’ll be right back.”  Dan nodded his assent, but as his friends set off, leaving him to wait, he felt more alone than he had in a long while.

Tad arrived with Principal Stratton in tow.  Dan was halfway through explaining what had happened when the four Bob-Whites returned, empty-handed and worried. “We need to call the police, Mr. Stratton,” Brian told his former principal.  “I called home and the Manor House.  No one has heard from Tess.  The Wheelers are in the city, but Regan and my dad are on their way to the school.”

Diana reached for Dan’s hand, her violet eyes welling.  “She hasn’t called or been to my house, either,” she said,  “but Daddy is picking up Mr. Maypenny and they’re coming in to help us look.”

“I called Spider,” Tad spoke up sheepishly.  “He and Molinson are on their way over.”  At Mr. Stratton’s sharp look, Tad defended himself.  “We’ve known Marnie for years.  There’s no way she’d just disappear.  Something happened to them.  Both of them.”

“You did the right thing, Tad,” Stratton assured him.  “I would have done the same in a few minutes.  I’d just like to keep things orderly.  I don’t want to panic anyone.”

“Too late,” Honey told him.  “My cousin is missing.  I’m already panicking.”

First, a genuine “thank you” to Susan, Mary and Wendy for editing.  Any mistakes are mine--they did a great job.

I’m sorry it took so long to get this up.  It’s been written for a while.  I sincerely hope you enjoy it.

This story starts off the Senior year of High School for Mart, Dan and Tessa.  In this story, there will be some returning characters--most of them original--and situations that have been mentioned in the past.

The first one is B.J.  B.J. (aka Benny) is Dan’s old gang leader, Luke’s, younger, half brother.  B.J. appeared in Spring Dance, when he was being used by the gang.  B.J. lives with his grandmother in Sleepyside, and tries to forget his time in the city.

Marnie is named for our own Marnie.  Love you, MarnHon!

Winds of Change

Kidnapped part 2