Missing Maggie

chapter 7

         Kaylee lurched forward and started to slide down the embankment. I grabbed the back of her shirt and went down with her into the brown water. The shock of hitting it made me angry, so I yanked her up onto the mud just as Brian came running towards us. He started to reprimand us for the commotion but turned and saw Maggie, her eyes hollowed with mascara, her hair stringy and hanging over her face. I held tight to Kaylee.


         “Shut up! We only have minutes!” I roared in a hoarse whisper.


He lurched across the water and dove into her feet, sliding back and forth, trying to catch his balance. Brian tried to get the gag out of her mouth, but it was tied to tightly. She moaned and pushed against the cloth with her teeth, but no words would follow.


Brian scanned the ground below for something to cut the ropes and cloth. He picked up a rusty piece of metal, who knew what it was ages ago, and tried to make the freeing cut. It took several attempts but with one last snap it let go.


“Oh…” Maggie tried to say but Brian put his hand right back where the gag had been moments ago.


“Don’t make noise,” he warned. “They are seconds away and we have to get out. Quietly now, are there any weapons?”


He let go of her mouth, cautious to make sure she wouldn’t scream, and then relaxed when her tone was normal.


“They have guns,” she said slowly, her eyes low but still making contact. She went to catch a glance at her daughter when Brian pulled her face towards him.


“No, you’re with me, now. Pay attention. Are there any around here, that we can use. A knife?” He wasn’t playing.


“Not that I know. But, Brian, they mean business.”


“So do I,” he retorted. ”Now, don’t panic, but I’m going to leave for a minute. They will probably come back before I do. Just don’t panic. My plan is good.” He still held the rusty metal tool.


Brian waded across the water to us, as we sat on the bank, holding each other and watching the proceedings.


“I am going to be out of sight. Don’t panic. Don’t talk. Just stay here,” he commanded. He went into the brush about three feet and then I could not see him.


I saw a flash of yellow behind Maggie and my forehead started to sweat. I tightened my grip on Kaylee and jerked my head in their direction. Her muscles tightened and whispered softly in her ear, ”Sshh.”


The two men came jamming through the brush, pushing aside branched and kicking brush. When they had just about reached the bank, they saw us. The one in the yellow shirt said something to the guy in the blue one. The blue guy started to go around the embankment towards us, while the yellow guy came up behind Maggie slowly.


Suddenly, the blue guy was down, Brian standing in place of him. It was like watching a silent movie: I never heard a thing. But, I did see Brain coming up behind the yellow guy. He crept up behind him and hit him against the back of the neck with the rusty metal. It didn’t knock him down, but it did piss him off.


Brian and the yellow guy fought as Kaylee and I watched for a second, frozen in place. When I realized we could take this opportunity, we dove into and across the water to Maggie.


“I think the knots are under my knees,” she said as she shook her legs in a fruitless attempt to get free.


“I got it, sit still,” I said. Kaylee was crying and staring at her mother, her handsand knees sinking into the clay.


“I’m sorry,” Maggie cried to Kaylee,”Are you alright.”


Kaylee just nodded her head, tears streaming down, her voice hiccupping in a crazy crying laugh.


I could still hear the fight above us, praying that it would turnout in Brian’s favor.


I was able to undo the knots and pull Maggie to her feet. At that moment, I looked up and saw Brian, standing above us, blood on his hands and face.


I raised my eyebrows and asked, “Are you OK?”


“I’m good. Let’s go.”





On our way back to Dad’s, Brian called the police and told them what had happened. He didn’t know if either of them was alive or dead, so we hurried through the woods, not taking any path, just running for our lives. As we reached the backyard, we heard the sirens and knew we were on safe ground.





Maggie told us she had borrowed money many more times than we knew about and that Karan had reached the end of his rope. His intention was to hold the two of them ransom, but when they realized the family had no money to pay it, they were hemming about what to do next. Maggs and Kaylee had been separated out in the woods for four days with little but water and crackers to sustain them. They had had neither since yesterday afternoon.


“Maggie, don’t hide your stuff from us, please,” I had said. “If we can’t give you money, we can find a way to help you, somehow. You’re never alone.”


She hugged us both, and walked arm in arm with Kaylee into Dad’s livingroom. Brain and I sat on the stairs, waiting for the police.


“Thanks, Brian. See, women’s intuition and all that,” I treased.


“Yeah, I guess,” he mumbled and pulled out the half-eaten whoopee pie out of his pocket.


“You want half,” he asked.


“Sure, what the heck,” I said.





word count:





954





Word counts:


ch 1-  1181


ch 2- 1501


ch 3-480


ch 4-484


ch 5-806


ch 6- 536


ch 7-954