Missing Maggie

chapter 6

         “It’s Mom’s friend, Karan. He took her but I don’t know where,” Kaylee sputtered. Her hand never left mine.


         “I saw two people Kay, who’s the other one” I pried. I didn’t want to frighten her anymore, but things had to get done.


         “I don’t know. I’ve never seen him before,” she said.


         Brain interjected, ”OK. We’ve got to figure out where Maggie could be and what they want. Kaylee, did they say anything?”


         She was staring at her shoe, not seeming to pay attention, but I knew better.


         “Kay, you need to be in on this with us,” I took her chin in my hand and brought it towards my face. “This is life or death here. Time to snap out of it. What do you know? We don’t have a lot of time.”


         Kaylee looked up at me, stole a glance at Brian and said to him, “It’s her boyfriend.”


         I knew Maggie had a friend that was her “business partner” as she said, and I also knew he had lent her money, but I never thought it had gotten this bad. I really had to think for a moment, but time wouldn’t let me.


         Time was “a-wastin’”, as they say, so I took things in my own hands.


         “Alright, we need to follow them. Brian, let’s take the Sloop Path. That should bring us to the marsh, where I think they have her. Do you remember Gilligan’s Island?”


         Brian perked up and said, “Yeah, of course. We can get there behind the cabin. They were headed right for it.”


         “Right. OK, everybody, down low. Quiet. Brian, you lead the way.”


         We headed down Sloop Path, keeping low, trying to avoid the rustle of the brush above us. When we reached the cabin, Brian took one more chance to check it out, but no one was there. I figured they went to Maggie first and didn’t even know Kaylee was gone.


         When we got within 30 feet of the island, we stopped beneath a hanging birch tree. It was the perfect cover for us and yet, we could see through it’s shimmering canopy.


         There were two men coming up on a tangle of roots we used to call “the spiders den”. It had been long since overgrown with dogberries and scrub pine, but it was still there. It made my skin itchy as I remembered the snakes and spiders that we used to uncover in its lair.


         “I’m goin’ in,” Brian pronounced. “You stay here and yell if I’m getting ambushed.” My instinct was to grab some berries as ammo, but I thought better of it, remembering my age and the dire circumstances. This wasn’t a plastic machine gun fight, for God’s sake.


         Brian headed towards the den through the thickets of raspberry bushes. I took Kaylee’s hand and led her over about ten feet to get a better look.


         In hindsight, I wish I hadn’t because we finally got a clear shot of Maggie, my beloved sister and mother of the teenager who screamed when she saw her mom.


         Maggie was bound and gagged, entwined in the roots that were still remaining. Maggie and Kaylee made eye contact and all hell broke loose.