Snow Angels

Kelly felt badly that her grandparents would be asked to give up several million dollars of their own hard-earned money to get her released. She tried to think of another way to get away, but with her ankles and hands bound tightly with duct tape, she knew she wouldn't get far.

  Before going to sleep, she was allowed to use the bathroom. Steve helped her walk to the bathroom and then waited outside until she was finished. He helped her back to the couch.

  "Thank you," she said, looking in his eyes. He looked away quickly. His guilt was evident on his face, and she realized that perhaps Steve was someone she might be able to reason with.

  They put two more logs on the fire and gave her a pillow and another blanket. She was comfortable, but believed she wouldn't sleep no matter how comfortable she felt.

  The two men went to the bedroom and closed the door. She could hear them talking in muffled voices. Eventually, it became quiet, and the only sounds came from the fireplace where yellow, orange, and blue flames danced across the hissing logs. Occasionally, sparks popped out and landed on the flagstone hearth.

  Kelly lay in the silent darkness, staring into the fire. She prayed once more for God's protection and declared her trust in Him. He would help her get through this. Of that, she was sure. She remembered how she had trusted Him when her mom was ill. Although her mother had died in the end, she and Kelly were able to spend time together telling each other how much they loved one another. Kelly thanked her mother for being such a great mom, and her mother told her how much she meant to her. When her mother died, she went peacefully in her sleep. Kelly understood that sometimes people have to die, for reasons that are not understood. But she knew her mother was safe in heaven with the Lord, and that she was watching over her now. That comforting thought helped her drift off to sleep.

  When Kelly didn't call Keith as she had promised, he called her house to see if she had decided to go back to Westfield. He left a message on the phone, and Mr. Carlson had called him back from the Randolph police station. When Mr. Carlson told Keith that Kelly was missing, he was alarmed.

  "I'm coming up there!" Keith declared.

  "The police have had a search party out all night looking for her, and there's no trace so far. No one saw her leave the train station, either. If anyone did see anything from the train, they're long gone by now."

  "Maybe we should tell the newspaper reporters and television stations-"

  "The Sheriff would like to avoid that publicity for Kelly, and quite frankly, so would I," said Mr. Carlson, "If she hasn't been kidnapped, someone may decide to do that if they find out she's a member of the Carlson Hotels family. I've always tried to keep that fact quiet for just this reason. I'll agree to let the media know only as a last resort, Keith."

  "Oh, I see," Keith said. He had known that Kelly's family was wealthy, but he had never given much thought to it. Long ago, when Kelly admitted to being related to the Carlson Hotels family, she made Keith promise to keep it a secret. The only other people who knew about it were Jan and Cindy. She trusted them to keep her secret safe. Keith understood that her safety depended on others not knowing the secret. However, Mr. Carlson had revealed that she was his daughter when he made the reservations at the ski lodge. He had trusted the hotel manager because he wanted him to make sure that the three girls had a good room and access to all the services of the hotel. Unfortunately, the hotel manager shared Kelly's secret with his administrative staff so they would do everything possible to make sure the three girls were given the best guest services. But one of the staff had told Sam about Kelly, and now she was in danger.

  "I want to come up there, anyway," Keith told Mr. Carlson.

  "Keith, it's a long trip and when you get here you'll be doing what I'm doing: sitting around waiting for something to turn up. There's nothing you can do here because the police are handling the situation. My advice to you is what I told my son, Brian, an hour ago: stay where you are. If anything develops, I'll call you and then you can decide whether coming up here is warranted."

  Keith said he understood and would wait for his call.

  Mr. Carlson hung up the phone and resumed pacing the floor of the Sheriff's office. Every time the phone rang, he jumped, hoping it would be some word about Kelly.

  He spent the night in a soft chair in the waiting area, occasionally dozing off, but mostly awake and praying. He gazed at his watch. It was just after 8:30 a.m. He got up and poured himself a cup of the Sheriff's brew.

  The phone rang again, and this time the Sheriff looked straight at him. His brow knitted together.

  "Yes, he's here," the Sheriff said, "It's for you!"

  He handed the phone to Mr. Carlson.

  "Hello?"

  "Mr. Carlson?"

  "Yes, this is he."

  "You have a daughter named Kelly?"

  "Yes!"

  "I know where she is."

  Mr. Carlson was enraged, "Who is this?" he demanded.

  "I have your daughter, Mr. Carlson," Sam said.

  Carlson shouted, "If you have even touched a lock of her hair, I'll-"

  "Calm down, pops! Kelly's fine. Nobody's touched her. We don't want to hurt her, we just want to do a business deal. You can have her back as soon as you send four million dollars to a bank account in Mexico. When I get word that the money is there, she'll be released."

  "Four million dollars!" cried Mr. Carlson. The Sheriff was listening on an extension and he gave an encouraging nod.

  Mr. Carlson got control of his emotions.

  "I-I don't know if I can get that kind of money-"

  "Come now, Mr. Carlson. I know who your family is. That's chunk change for them. Call your daddy and tell him the deal. Have him wire the money to this account number. Got a pen?"

  Mr. Carlson looked at the desk and the Sheriff handed him a pen and paper.

  "Go ahead," said Carlson.

  Sam read him the bank account number and had him repeat it back. Then he said,

  "I'll check the account by tomorrow morning. If the money is there, I'll call and tell you where to find your daughter. Goodbye."

  He hung up the phone. Sheriff Hogan turned to one of his deputies who was listening with headphones and a tape recorder.

  "Did you get it?"

  "Yeah," the deputy nodded, "but he wasn't on a cell phone...probably a pay phone somewhere.”

  "Damn!" the Sheriff cried and sat down. He looked at Carlson.

  "Can you get the money wired there by tomorrow?"

  "I will do all I can," said Mr. Carlson, "Is there any hope of finding Kelly before then?"

  "We're doing our best. In the meantime, you make the arrangements to transfer the money. I'll find out the location of the bank in Mexico from the account number and call them. We can ask them to have the Mexican police arrest these guys when they come to claim it."

  Mr. Carlson felt a heavy weight pressing upon him. He was hopeful that the caller had said that no one had hurt Kelly and that she would be safe as long as he followed instructions. But he knew the caller was not to be trusted. It was best to let him think that he would get away with the kidnapping in the hope that Kelly would soon be released.

  Back in the cabin, Steve was making breakfast. The aroma of fresh coffee and sizzling bacon awoke Kelly. She looked around and saw that the dining table was set for two. Sam was nowhere in sight.

  "You're awake!" Steve declared, and set two plates down on the table.

  "Are you hungry?" he asked, pouring two cups of coffee.

  She sat up and pushed off the blanket. The chill that had pervaded last night was gone. The morning was bright and hopeful. She looked at her watch. It was eight-thirty.

  “Breakfast is ready," Steve said. He pulled out a chair for her. Slowly, she hobbled to the table and sat down, smoothing her hair and tucking it behind her ears. Steve saw her hands still tied in front of her, and he used a knife to cut through the duct tape so she could eat.

  "Thanks," she said appreciatively, "Where's Sam?"

 
"He took the car to find a public phone and call your father. With a little luck you may be out of here by tomorrow morning."

  "What do you mean?" she asked.

  "Sam's having the ransom money wired to a bank account in Mexico. As soon as it's transferred, you'll be released."

  She sat, thinking as she sipped the coffee. Steve looked much happier than he did last night.

  "Why should I believe you?" Kelly asked, "What makes you think that Sam will let me go? Now that I can identify both of you, he may decide to kill me instead of letting me go."

  "No! I won't let him do that!" cried Steve. Kelly was surprised at his reaction. He went on, "That wasn't the plan! He promised that you wouldn't be harmed!"

  "And you believed him? Is that why you agreed to do this?"

  "No, it wasn't like that!" Steve protested, "I didn't want to have anything to do with the kidnapping! He made me do it!"

  "He made you? How?" she asked.

  "He told me that if I didn't help him do this, he would turn me in. He caught me lifting a couple of bills out of some guy's wallet. I only wanted twenty bucks to put some gas in my car. The guy left his wallet in the bar at the hotel and before I turned it in to the manager, I took some cash. There was plenty left over. He wouldn't have even missed it!"

  "And Sam saw you do this?"

  "Yeah. He was staying at the hotel at the time. He had been there before, sneaking around and stealing jewelry and cash. When Sam caught me, he told me I had to help him or he would turn me in and I'd get fired, and probably arrested. I told him that I could do the same thing, but he said I had no proof. He was right. So I kept a lookout for guests who might have stuff to steal, you know, rich people with jewelry and fat wallets. I found out what rooms they were in, and then when they were out skiing, he'd sneak in and rob them."

  "How long have you two been doing this?"

  "Since October. I had just got hired at the hotel and was flat broke. I needed some money to buy gas so I could get to work."

  "Did you steal at other places before that?" she asked.

  Steve looked down at his plate and shrugged, "Not really. I mean, maybe some money out of my mom's purse once in a while if she was too drunk to notice, but not like this."

  Kelly thought while eating her eggs, and then said, "Steve, look at me."

  Steve glanced furtively at her from under his brows.

  "I believe you. I think you really don’t want to be involved in a kidnapping. You could go to prison for the rest of your life! Listen to me! Just help me get away to a phone so I can call the police or my dad. If you don't have a criminal record, you won't be in the police files. Only Sam knows your identity," she concluded.

  "No he doesn't. I gave him my fake ID name. I found a driver's license one day and instead of turning it in, I used it to put my own photo onto it. I laminated it so it looked real. I'm really from Canada, but I don't have a green card or visa. With the American driver's license I was able to get a social security number and get hired at the hotel."

  Kelly moved closer and looked into his eyes.

  "Then no one will know! You can go back to Canada and start over again! Just help me, please!" she pleaded.

  He sighed, "It's too late. I'm already in too deep-"

  "No you're not!" she argued, "There's always a way back. If you're truly sorry for doing this, then God will forgive you and help you! But you have to trust Him! He forgives everyone who seeks his forgiveness, no matter what they've done! He'll help you to start over! Think about it, Steve! You can make this all go away if you help me now!"

  He frowned and looked at her.

  "You believe all that stuff about God?"

  "Yes!" she exclaimed, "I do! He helps me all the time because He's real and He cares. God sent his only son to help us because he loves us so much! But you have to trust Him and have faith!"

  Steve put down his fork and sighed, "I don't know. If Steve sees us, he'll be so angry, he may just kill us both!"

  "Then we'll disguise ourselves!" she said, "There must be some clothing around here! We can stay clear of the road and go down through the woods! But we'll have to leave before he gets back! Is the main road far from here?"

  Steve's head came up, "Not really. It's just down the mountain. There's a truck stop there next to the main highway."

  "Then let's go! Maybe you can get a ride up to Canada and I can call my dad from there. Do you have some money to pay for your ride?"

  Steve nodded eagerly, "Yeah, I got paid last week and cashed my entire check!"

  "Then let's go now!" she said getting up, "This is your only chance to escape prison, Steve! If we go together, God will help us, I know He will!"

  Steve got up and looked out the back window. There was no sign of Sam or the car. Kelly seemed so sure that it would work that Steve began to wonder if she could be right.

  "There are some hunting clothes in the bedroom closet," he said. He left the table and went to the bedroom. When he came back, he held two large camouflage jackets, caps, and hunting boots.

  Kelly's heart leapt. He was going to help her escape!

  Quickly, he used the knife to cut the tape from around her ankles. He handed her some clothes and she put them on. The boots were so big they fit over her shoes. The jacket came down over her knees, and the large hat hid her hair and face. Steve put on the other camouflage jacket and grabbed a knapsack with his things in it. Opening the door slowly, he searched the area for any sign of cars or people. He led Kelly outside into the snow.

  "We need to stay away from the road," she reminded him. He nodded and led her around to the other side of the cabin. They climbed over a wooden rail fence and set off into the surrounding woods. There was no time to erase their tracks, and if Steve returned, he would probably follow their tracks. Kelly prayed that they would get far enough away to reach safety before Sam caught up with them.

  They had gone about a mile through the woods, keeping the road in sight, when they heard a car. Quickly, they ducked down behind some snowy briars. They waited until the car passed, and then Kelly asked,

  "Was that Sam?"

  Steve shook his head, "No. That car is red. Mine is dark green. Come on!"

  They took off again, moving as fast as they could. Kelly stumbled in her over-large boots and Steve helped her up several times.

  They headed straight down the mountain, and carefully crossed the road twice. Kelly was beginning to feel exhausted. She hadn't slept well the night before, and the oversized clothing was heavy and difficult to manage, but she did her best.

  "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me," she murmured, repeating one of her favorite Bible verses. She closed her eyes and prayed for courage and guidance.

  The mountain proved to be much bigger than Kelly had expected. It was a steep slope covered in pine trees.

  Suddenly, she lost her footing and slipped, sliding down the mountain like an out- of-control skier until she landed up against a fallen log. Steve rushed down to her.

  "Are you okay?" he asked breathlessly.

  "Yeah, I think so," she said, moving her limbs gingerly.

  "I don't think anything is broken," she added, but when she went to stand up, pain shot up her right leg.

  "Ow!" she cried, and fell.

  "What's wrong?" he asked.

  She reached down and rubbed her ankle.

  "I think I sprained my ankle. I can't put any weight on it!"

  He looked down and then gently pulled off her boot. He scooped up some snow and held it against her ankle. They both looked around to see if anyone was near.

  "I'll be all right," she assured him, "Put my boot back on. I'll manage somehow."

  He replaced her boot, but soon realized that she was unable to walk on her right foot. Steve went over to a tree and broke off a large branch. He snapped off the end and brought it back to her.

  "Here, use this to help you walk. I'll give you a hand."

  He put his arm around her waist and she u
sed the stick like a cane. It was slow going, but at least she was able to move.

  "It shouldn't be much farther now," he said, "I think-"

  Suddenly he stopped and pushed Kelly down into the snow behind a fallen log.

  "Shh!" he cautioned, "The car is coming! It's Sam!"

  They both lay flattened, not moving. A dark green car drove straight up toward them. Kelly hadn't realized that they were so close to the road. She held her breath and prayed silently, 'Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I shall fear no evil for Thou are with me'.

  The car roared closer and closer. Kelly squeezed her eyes shut and held her breath. Suddenly, the car turned right, speeding past them up the mountain. They waited until the car disappeared before sitting up.

  The car roared closer and closer.

  "That was close!” Steve said, “But when he finds the cabin empty, he'll be after us! Come on!”