The Case of the Disappearing Co-eds
A Kenneth Hall Mystery
Chapter Five
Tom and George arrived at their history class the next day, and Robyn pounced on them.
"Joy hasn't shown up yet, and Carol told me about your visit." She spoke so fast, the boys could hardly understand her. "I wish I had been there. I may have some pertinent information."
"Talk," George commanded.
"Joy told me that she was going to have dinner with Ahmed at the Old Union Hotel. I did everything I could to talk her out of it. She just laughed at me. She said that not only was she going to have dinner with him, but not to expect her to return to our dorm that night. I asked her what she meant, and she told me that Ahmed's family owned a country home just outside of Binghamton, and he wanted to show it to her. He said that he spent so many happy summers there, it was the reason he chose to go to college in Binghamton. She was sure that the invitation was for a night of love-making."
"Whether he owns a summer home or not," Tom said, "he was going to take Joy somewhere nearby. I've got to get this information to Ken."
He reached Ken, who along with Joe, was at the police station. Ken listened intently and then turned to the chief.
"Do you know of any fancy summer homes nearby owned by any Arab millionaires?" he asked.
"Are you kidding? If it wasn't for the university, Binghamton would be a dot on the map. All you'll find along I-81 are a few abandoned farmhouses."
"One of those deserted buildings would be a perfect spot for a helicopter landing. They could whisk the girls away during the night, and nobody would be the wiser." Joe said.
"I don't know if they have a full complement of girls or not, but they know we are closing in on them. I wouldn't be surprised if they plan on transporting the girls tonight. We've got to find them before dark," Ken said.
"I'm sure you're right," Joe said. "We have one of their men, and they will have to move quickly now."
Both Ken and the chief were shocked to hear that "we have one of their men." Joe gave them warnings before, and they both decided not to ask any questions.**********
Even after having two thumbnails removed, Mohammed failed to be broken. The `consultants' were not discouraged.
"Okay, Mohammed, here's what's happening next. We're going to cut your balls off, and then we'll let you live. How'd you like to spend the rest of your days castrated and unable to function as a man? I sure wouldn't like it."
"Please," Mohammed begged, "don't do this."
"We don't have to hurt you any further, just tell us where the girls are being held."
"Will you place me in protective custody?" he asked. He completely forgot that these men were not policemen.
"Done!" one of them assured him.
"They're in an abandoned farmhouse along I-81."
"That's pretty sketchy. There are several out there. Which one is it?" "I don't know," Mohammed whined, "but I can tell you that it's less than a mile from the city line."
Joe's cell phone rang. He looked at the caller ID and didn't even say hello. He listened intently, and then he spoke. "We've figured out about the abandoned farmhouse, but this narrows the search considerably. Thanks. What are you going to do with him?"
"We've already taken care of this scumbag. It's best you don't know anything about it, Boss."
"Whatever you say."
Joe passed on his information to Ken and the chief.
"Within a mile of the city limits," Chief O'Conner mused. "I know exactly where they are."
"Do you need to call your `consultants'," Ken asked Joe.
"My men have done that already."
Ken could only shake his head and smile.
Within the hour, four unmarked police cars and a dozen `consultants' had the farmhouse surrounded. They didn't like what they saw. There were no cars anywhere in sight. Ken feared that they had already taken off with the girls.
He and the chief crept up to the house. Joe followed close behind. Ken had warned him not to follow them, but he disobeyed orders. The other men stood ready to jump in and assist them if need be. Ken turned the knob on the front door. It was unlocked. With weapons drawn, he and the chief burst in.
The house was deserted. There was no sign of life anywhere. Ken's stomach flipped, and then he remembered an old movie he had seen. The situation was similar. The police burst into an abandoned house, with the intention of rescuing the heroine and her daughter. There was no sign of life, but the hero had a hunch and he found the hostages in the storm cellar.
"These old houses all had storm cellars," he told the chief. "Let's find it."
They located a trap door in the old, run-down barn. They opened it and found seven whimpering girls.
The chief called for ambulances, and Ken cursed. "The bastard got away."
"Not necessarily," Joe said.
After having dinner with his mother at The Old Union Hotel, Ahmed dropped her off at her hotel. Early the next morning, she entered a chauffeur-driven-limousine and headed back to her apartment in New York.
Following closely, in two separate cars, were Joe's `consultants.'
When Mohammed did not return from his mission to murder the two college men, Ahmed suspected that he might have been apprehended. He didn't dare try to reach his flunky on his cell phone, for fear his captors would trace the call.
Ahmed had always believed that Mohammed was too weak for his job. In fact, the order to kill Tom and George was a test of his abilities. Ahmed had every reason to believe that Mohammed would break, and reveal all to his captors.
"Forget about the girls," he said to his remaining assistant. We have to get out of here quickly. We'll lay low for a few days in case they are watching the airports. When I think it's safe, we'll return to Saudi Arabia, where we can regroup, and begin another job."
"What will we do? Where can we go?" the henchman asked.
My mother has an apartment in New York. She rents under a fictitious name. We can hide out there until I feel that it's safe to fly home."
One hour after Ahmed's mother reached her apartment, Joe got a call. "The woman's name is Esme Fortune, a phony name if I ever heard one. She lives at 6414 Park Avenue in the penthouse."
Joe gave the information to Ken.
"I'll leave a couple of my guys here to look after the boys," he said to Ken. "We're going back to New York," Ken told the police chief. "He'll figure that we'll put him on the do not fly list, and he'll hide out for a while. When he thinks that things have cooled down he might attempt to fly back to Saudi Arabia. There is a possibility that he has more than one passport with different names. We've got to get him first and fast."
Ken and Joe returned to the motel where they were staying. They intended on packing and checking out. It was late in the afternoon and they found Tom and George in the room.
"We're checking out and heading back to New York," Ken said. "It's important that we get there as soon as possible."
"It's way past check out time," George said. "Could we spend the night here and check you out in the morning."
"Why?" Joe asked, knowing full well why.
"We'd appreciate the privacy."
"Don't you guys have anything else on your minds besides sex?" Ken laughed.
To be continued ......