“Who would pay it if the entire family is kidnapped? Do they have other grandparents still alive? Siblings?”
“I’ll ask for more data,” Gavin said.
Shane asked, “I understand there’s a chat system too?”
“Yes. But I’ll give you a number, and you can text into that.” Gavin quickly gave him the number he used for information gathering. “Just be aware that whatever you ask for tends to come.”
Shane looked up, an eyebrow raised. “So, like a whiskey at ten o’clock for a nightcap?”
“If they can get it to you, they will,” Gavin said, in all seriousness. “So we try not to waste it on trivialities.”
“Message received,” Shane said. “But since when is a nightcap trivial?”
Gavin shook his head, but he couldn’t tear his gaze from the image of the beautiful woman in front of him. She wore a white lab coat, and her arms were crossed over her chest, as if impatient for someone to take the picture so she could move on. Instead of a flirtatious look in her eyes, he saw more of an intelligence, questioning the wisdom behind wasting five minutes of her time to do this photo op. Or maybe it was just her reaction when someone took her photo. He shook his head. “There’s a definite tilt to her jaw that means she’s not the easiest to deal with.”
“Who?” Shane asked, looking up. But then he caught Gavin staring at the image.
“Her name is Rosalina Rennert,” he said.
Gavin continued to go through the paperwork until he understood exactly what had happened in Honolulu. But, regardless of the stacks of paperwork he had been given in the envelope, the relevant information was very slim. The family had gone out for dinner, and, on the way back to the hotel, all four had been shanghaied into a van.
The hotel security cameras had picked up the actual occurrence and had tracked the license plate, but the vehicle itself had been ditched a few blocks away, and they’d switched to a different vehicle with no license plates. Gavin suspected, very soon afterward, that vehicle had probably been ditched as well. In other words somebody was moving and moving quickly and efficiently.
“Well, I don’t have a problem going to Hawaii,” Gavin said, “but I would like to know the motive behind this kidnapping before I get there.”
“We should be there within twelve hours of when they were snatched,” Shane said, “and the Mavericks at command central are collecting as much information as they can get for us.”
“Twelve hours is too long,” Gavin chafed.
“Maybe,” Shane said, “but we’re moving as fast as we can.”
And, sure enough, they landed on another carrier and were moved to another helicopter. They pretty well were hopscotching their way from one to another. “We should be in Hawaii sooner than we expected,” Gavin said, looking at his watch.
“We’ve cut off a good two hours from a commercial airline flight,” Shane said. “Interesting mode of travel.”
“Yeah, just missing the food,” Gavin said. “As soon as we land, we’ll need a place to stay and food at some point.”
“The paperwork states we’ve got accommodations in the same Marriott. Plus we have a liaison set up with local police—someone from one of the military bases is waiting for us,” Shane said, frowning. “They’ll be attached to our mission.”
“I don’t like that,” Gavin said, as he stared at Shane, shaking his head. “Okay, the additional download is complete, or I just lost internet service. Let’s get through the paperwork first, share any usable intel. Then one of us can sleep for two or three hours while the other reviews the data on my phone. Then we’ll switch up, compare notes. See what leads we can find to pursue once we’re on the ground.”
They approached the Oahu airport, off to the side where the private planes were. A large helicopter hangar was here as well. Gavin hopped out as soon as he could, then bent down and walked away from the helicopter.
“I don’t think we’re supposed to go in this direction,” Shane called out.
“I don’t give a shit,” Gavin said. He was a part of the Mavericks for a reason. No more ridiculous red-tape rules that made no sense. He enjoyed avoiding all that and getting down to work. Plus he appreciated his Maverick buddies, and they hadn’t been working with anybody else so far, and Gavin didn’t plan on signing up for that extra baggage to restrict him now. “Nobody attaches themselves to us or to our mission, much less dictates what we do.”
He could feel Shane’s surprise. Looking at his buddy, he said, “I just want to make sure that we’re free and clear to do what we need to do,” he said. “I can’t operate effectively with someone trying to tie my hands all the time.”
“They said you’d be difficult,” a voice called out.
Gavin turned to look, his eyebrows going up. “Steve?”
The man walked toward him with a lazy grin on his face, his hand outstretched to shake. The two men shook hands as Gavin introduced him to Shane.
“Steve Arbrey, what are you doing here?” Gavin asked.
“Whatever I need to,” he said. “I was told to meet you and to take you to your hotel first off.”
“Why can’t we go on our own?” he asked.
“Because I’ll debrief you,” Steve said, sounding exasperated. “You’re still the same go-go Gavin, aren’t you?”
Gavin shrugged. “Well, we’ve got a whole family missing,” he said, “and it doesn’t seem like taking our time is a very good option. We’re almost halfway into those first critical twenty-four hours.”
“Which is why I’m debriefing you on the way,” he said, as he pointed out a black SUV ahead of him. “Come on. Let’s go.” As they hopped into the vehicle, Gavin looked around and asked, “Why you?”
“Because Melinda is my fiancée,” he said. “And I damn well want to get her back alive and well.”
“Interesting,” Gavin said. “You know the military likes to keep you guys a hell of a long way away from any personal involvement in an investigation.”
“Yes,” he said, “but I asked to drive you in so I could talk to you and to give you some personals about the family.”
“Well then, let’s hear it,” Gavin said and put his phone on Record.
“The two daughters were raised almost as if separate families,” he said. “Melinda is early forties, Rosalina is early thirties. With a decade between them, the sisters didn’t have a whole lot to do with each other. There were a lot of problems and jealousy until they became adults and came together, working on a common goal, which is working for the company.”
“Problems in the company?”
“No. Not that I know of.”
“Either of them angling to take over the company?”
“No. Not that I know of.”
“Do you have shares in the company?”
“No,” he said, “but obviously Melinda does.”
“Yes. Each sister has 10 percent according to our intel,” Shane added.
“What are the board members like?” Gavin asked.