Katie Spencer - The Snatched Starlet CHAPTER ONE She was a girl of about nineteen years of age, with her long chestnut-brown hair and sparkling blue eyes illuminating a charming girl-next-door face. The big blue orbs particularly lit her troubled face at the moment, for she sat against a thick steel-tube post in a dank, dark basement, her slender arms pulled tightly behind the post and bound at the wrists, her mouth covered with a wide strip of cloth tied over it, accentuating her desperately flashing eyes. The blouse and skirt she wore was mildly disheveled from her struggles against the rope which bound her hands behind her and her feet stretched out before her on the dirt floor of the old basement in which she was being held captive. As she struggled to free herself, whimpering and mewling against her gag from her increasingly feverish efforts, the needle on a pressure gauge on the old boiler with which the frightened girl shared her basement prison was rising rapidly, past the green "safe" area and through the yellow "caution" zone, inexorably rising toward the red region marked "DANGER" in bold letters. In her struggles, the girl discovered a nail on the floor beneath her bound hands. She gathers it up, and begins sawing fiercely at her bonds while the needle rises close to the top of the gauge's scale and the boiler wheezes ominously, her eyes round with rising horror ... Suddenly, the struggling girl's gagged face was replaced by a couple of teenaged boys stuffing their mouths into the latest burger sensation from Wendy's. Commercial break ... Katie Spencer, sitting with her legs curled up on the sofa was a little bundle of nerves. She managed to pry her eyes away from the TV screen as the commercials ran through. Her father, Charles Spencer, was lounging in his recliner chair, engrossed with his daily ritual of reading the newspaper after supper. He glanced over to his only daughter. "My Katie, I haven't seen you this excited since the school closed down for a whole week when the septic system overran the place." "Well, you'd be too if you got the chance to meet one of your favorite TV stars!" she spoke with a giddiness in her voice that was normally uncharacteristic of her. "Now don't get your hopes up too high, pumpkin. I'm sure that a ton of girls signed up for that contest." The 'contest' he was referring to was from the show Katie watched religiously every Friday evening, The Secret Life of Jenny Dare, Girl Detective. The local TV station which carried the show was sponsoring a contest where one lucky winner would get to spend a day as the guest-helper of young Lisa Covington, the girl who played Jenny Dare herself, on the upcoming on-location shoot right in the city of Albany, and every single local Jenny Dare fan, it seemed, had sent in their postcards to the station in the hopes of being Jenny's helper-for-a-day. This was the day of the drawing and the winner was being chosen right after the show, which explained Katie's jittery state. "Just promise me that you won't be disappointed if ... " Charles was interrupted as Katie shushed him when the show resumed ... Jenny Dare was still bound tightly to the post, twisting her bound wrists desperately against the nail she had discovered on the floor while the boiler whistled and the pressure gauge swung inexorably toward the red danger zone. Finally, with a sudden snap, the ropes gave way; Jenny frantically untied her feet and ran to the heavy basement door, only to find it immovably barred by the villainous innkeeper who had imprisoned her in his inn's basement. She despaired, whimpered, then spotted a pile of lumber and plywood stacked beside a wall. With the noise of the boiler screaming in her ears, she lifted a plywood sheet with a frantic effort and curled beneath it""the pressure gauge blew off of the boiler ... The scene quickly cut to a knoll near the deserted lodge, where yet another girl stood hesitantly. Every good sleuth needs a sidekick, and any Jenny Dare fan immediately recognized the mousy, bespectacled curly-redheaded girl in the picture as Jenny Dare's bookwormish classmate, friend, and sleuthing sidekick, Marybeth Harvey. Even as Marybeth dithered theatrically, the old lodge erupted into a rising ball of flame, with accompanying screams by Marybeth, who began running toward the burning ruin of the lodge ... Katie couldn't help but cringe involuntarily, for Jenny's fictitious peril mirrored her own real-life horrifying experience when she too was bound and gagged in a dark basement, about to be burnt to a crisp ... Meanwhile, Marybeth, still screaming Jenny's name, picked her way into the now-open and miraculously not-burning basement. She squealed as a charred piece of plywood slowly rose from the floor ... "I was right," a slightly disheveled Jenny announced as she emerged from a hidden compartment beneath the basement floor, a shaken, frightened little girl of maybe eight years emerging shakily with her. "They weren't really building anything with that lumber; they just used it to hide a trap door to where they were hiding little Ashley!" "But why?" young Marybeth peeped, fulfilling her purpose as Jenny's means of explaining the solution to the mystery. "They knew they could blow up the lodge and kill me without hurting Ashley and throw off the search. After all, why would they blow up the place they were keeping their hostage? And the ransom would more than pay to rebuild the lodge, and everyone would think their insurance paid for it! It was an almost perfect plan! Now all we have to do is wait for Mr. Weener to come back to get Ashley, and we've got him!" she explained to her less-enlightened friend as she dialed her cell phone""also undamaged""to call in the police ... "Jenny Dare saves the day again," Katie spoke quietly. Along with Nancy Drew, Jenny Dare had been a favorite of Katie's since the second grade as she read all about her exploits. When the show premiered two years ago, Katie hadn't missed a single episode. Jenny was one of her inspirations at being a detective in the first place. After the end credits finished flashing on the screen, the host of Kids TV, Alyssa O'Rourke, appeared. "Hi everyone it's Alyssa O'Rourke, here to tell you to stay tuned for in a couple of minutes we'll be announcing the lucky winner of the Jenny's Buddy contest!" The roaring sound of kids clapping and shouting in the studio audience were heard in the background. "Anyhow, I've got right here on stage the production manager of Jenny Dare, Don Kurtzman, who will reach into the barrel for that winning postcard! Tell us again, Don, about the big prize!" Katie was fairly bouncing in place with her fingers crossed ... "Well, the winner gets to help out our star, Lisa Covington, for a whole day at our shoot next week up in the great city of Albany," he explained, "with snacks, pictures, gifts, and all sorts of fun stuff! And you get to see just how our star lives out on the road when we go on location!" He then extends his arm into the virtual sea of postcards and extracts one out. "Looks like you have the winner there," Alyssa bubbled, "so just let me see that ol' thing! The winner is""give me a drum roll!""the winner is ... " Katie's shriek of joy could literally be heard at the other end of the neighborhood. CHAPTER TWO Arriving on the set of Jenny Dare in the morning hours of a frigid January day, Katie was escorted to the trailer of executive producer, Don Kurtzman. Stepping inside the spaciously-sized trailer, Don currently had his back turned and was busy talking""more like arguing""on his cell phone. "I don't care how cold it is, I want those cameras ready to roll or you could find yourself looking for another job!" he screamed as he hung up the line. "E-excuse me, Mr. Kurtzman," said the pretty female assistant. Don twirled around in a flash, obviously embarrassed that he was being overheard. "This is the winner of the contest, Katie Spencer," she spoke and allowed Katie to step forward. Don reached over with his arm and shook Katie's hand firmly, but gently. "I have to apologize for my behavior like that, producing a TV show can be quite stressful with all the planning and deadlines that occur. You understand, right?" Katie looked a bit bewildered at him. "Yeah ... sure." "Anyway, I know what you're here for. Lisa is getting her makeup done now, so she should be out momentarily. If you'll please excuse me, I need to make sure that our crew is ready, they're not used to this brutal winter you guys get here. I guess were sort of spoiled by the warm Southern California weather. It was very nice meeting you, Miss Spencer, and congratulations on winning." And with that, he hurried off the trailer. "Well, he seems nice," Katie said to the assistant. "Don't let him fool you. He's only nice to people outside the production crew. He can be a real bastard when he wants to be, please excuse my French," the assistant replied dryly. The door then opened and stepped in was a girl that Katie recognized instantly, Lisa Covington! She smiled warmly at Katie as she approached her. "Hi, you must be Katie. I'm Lisa, Lisa Covington," she said, and shook Katie's shaky hand. "It's great to finally meet you, Lisa. I've been a really big fan of your show from the start. Excuse me for saying this, but you look shorter than you do on the show," she said as Katie stood a good two inches taller than the petite girl. "TV will do that to you. I get that a lot that I'm beginning to consider wearing high heels now." Katie smiled at her sense of humor; she can tell that she's going to like Lisa. "Listen, if you're nervous about being here, please don't be. I'm just a regular girl like you, and to me this is only a job." Yeah, but some job! "I'm sorry ... it's just that I still can't believe that I'm here on the set of Jenny Dare! But I promise I'll behave like I was in the company of my friends." "Good, because just between us, I'm gonna need someone that I can just talk to casually, if you know what I mean." Katie nodded to Lisa. "Yeah, I think I do." Just then, a crashing sound was heard from outside and then someone yelling. "Uh oh, looks like ol' Don is fuming again. We better get to the set pronto before he has an aneurism." Katie chuckled as the two girls left the trailer ... CHAPTER THREE Despite the freezing temperatures outside, Katie didn't mind it all for she was still in awe and having the time of her life at actually seeing a Jenny Dare episode being made right in front of her. As dictated in the rules of the contest, Katie was Lisa's personal assistant for the day; getting whatever she needed in order for Lisa to stay focused on her work. Katie definitely got a different perspective on the show with the crew and equipment all strewn around that it took away some of the 'realism' from the show""not that Jenny Dare resembled any sort of realism anyway. One person that Katie couldn't help notice on the set was Lisa's domineering mother, Natalie. She was Lisa's personal manager ever since Lisa started her acting career at age six. Natalie was like those bad Hollywood moms that you hear about, and she was the epitome of that for it seemed that poor Lisa couldn't do anything without her mother's approval. But Katie gave Lisa a lot of credit for always presenting herself in a professional manner no matter what the circumstances. The episode being shot was from another story that was loosely based off the Jenny Dare book series, this one titled, The Waterfront Mystery. In this particular case, Jenny stumbles upon a diamond smuggling ring and her investigation leads to an export shipping company. The crew was on location at the Empire Shipping Yard on the coast of the Hudson River. As predicted in about every other episode, Jenny gets herself caught (again) by the bad guys and ends up being bound and gagged (again) until they decide what to do with her. Lisa sat there on a wooden crate all trussed up trying not to look like she was cold""which everyone was""but she still took it like a trooper. Katie could tell that Lisa will have a successful career in acting. It was then that a bell rang, signaling that it was time to break for lunch. The prop master went over and untied Lisa, then she went to her trailer to get freshened up again. Being that it was Saturday, the shipping company was on minimal staff, so they graciously loaned the TV crew the use of their cafeteria. The warmth of the spacious room was a welcome change for everyone. Katie was sitting down all set to dive into her bacon cheeseburger and fries, when Lisa walks up to her and sits down across from her. She places her tray on the table, Katie could see that Lisa's lunch consisted only of a garden salad and bottled water. "It's my mom's 'advice' that I eat light and healthy, don't want a fat Jenny Dare stopping the bad guys ... " "But Lisa, you're about as thin as most girls I've seen, including me," Katie said astonished. "I know, but what can I do? It says in my contract that I have to maintain my weight, and besides, my mom is like a hawk when it comes to me and my career." "So I've noticed. Look, I know it's not my business for saying this, but you could try talking to her, I mean you just turned seventeen, it won't be too long before you're an adult and making your own decisions." Lisa sighed. "I hear what you're saying, I really do. But my mother can be so difficult to reason with that it's just best that I maintain the status quo. But I really do appreciate the advice, Katie." "You can snitch some of my fries if want, no one's looking," Katie offered in a discreet whisper. "No ... I can't," Lisa said nervously. "I'm already in trouble for being a little overweight last week. But thank you for the offer." Wanting to change the subject, Katie spoke, "I noticed something that sort of bothered me on the shoot." "What was it?" Lisa said and took a forkful of lettuce in her mouth. "The scene in which you were tied up really doesn't look all that convincing. I mean the shoddy thick ropes used, and that gag, I bet you could talk right through it." "Well that's what the director calls for. I guess they want to make sure that I stay comfortable even in the bondage scenes, of which I'm now a pro at. You certainly have a sharp eye there, Katie." After swallowing another bite of the greasy, but tasty burger, Katie said, "I sort of have some experience at being tied up. You see I'm an amateur detective for real." Lisa's blue eyes grew wide as saucers. "Really!? Wow, that's so cool! Tell me what it felt like being actually tied up; I bet it must've been pretty scary." "Frightening is more like it. When the bad guys tie you up for real, there's no way that you can get loose on your own. And the gags are so thorough and uncomfortable, I almost choked on one." After Lisa was filled in on the details of Katie's first two cases, she sat there stunned. "Wow, Katie ... you certainly live a dangerous life. I only play a girl who likes solving mysteries; I never met anyone who actually does it for real. You have real guts there." Just then, another girl walked by with a tray of food in her hands, being purposely oblivious to them. Katie glanced over and saw that it was Chloe Webster, better known to Jenny Dare fans as Marybeth Harvey. And the only thing more surprising to Katie than Lisa's grounded pleasantness was discovering that on this set, the sidekick was the diva. Her outfit didn't seem to fit right. Then her glasses pinched (Katie was a bit surprised to find out Marybeth actually had 20/20 vision and non-corrective prop specs). Then she pouted that her skin was drying out in the freezing outdoor air. The sunlight hurt her eyes, her bottled water tasted funny, and how could they ever expect her to give a good performance, especially with Lisa acting so stupid? Katie at one point during the shoot felt like throttling the young co-star when she caught Lisa's rolling eyes and patient grin, which told Katie without words that this was just Chloe being Chloe, and it was best just to roll with it. "She's only sixteen," she said to Katie, "and she's kind of spoiled. It's not really her fault." The two girls continued on chatting with one another while they finished their lunch. The remainder of the day's shoot went along almost without a hitch, with the exception of Chloe's usual complaining. Even though Katie could understand and put up with Chloe's whining attitude, Natalie was another story entirely. She was the real diva, as she always seemed to get her way when it came to what happened on the set. Katie could see the strain it had on poor Lisa even though she kept smiling along. Someone ought to put that woman in her place ... When the production wrapped for the day, Katie finished packing up her gifts she received from Mr. Kurtzman in her brand new Jenny Dare backpack. Her father was on his way from the hospital to pick her up; the two of them were going to dinner at Red Lobster for some shrimp scampi and those heavenly cheddar biscuits. Katie contemplated on inviting Lisa, knowing full well that she'd love to go, but knew better not to for Natalie would never stand for that. "Hey, Katie?" Katie spun around and saw Lisa standing there shivering in the cold. "Listen, I know this goes against the rules of the contest, but I talked with Mr. Kurtzman and my mom, and I've managed to arrange it for you to come back here tomorrow, that is if you want to." Katie smiled brightly at Lisa's generous offer. "Yes, of course I'll come back. Thank you so much for doing that." "No, thank you. Ever since I've been involved with my acting, I've been so busy that I never made any real friends. But today I think I have." Katie smiled back at her, nodding in agreement. "So have I." "Good, then I'll see you tomorrow bright and early at six then?" "I wouldn't miss it for the world," Katie waved as Lisa headed back to her trailer. CHAPTER FOUR On the next day of shooting, per Lisa's request to Don Kurtzman, the abduction scene was to be re-shot for Lisa wanted to be tied and gagged more thoroughly in order for her to really get into the moment of the scene. She selected police-issued plastic ties to be used to bind her hands and feet, and a knotted strip of white cloth was also chosen to gag her effectively. Katie looked on pleased that Lisa stood up and took some control, even her mother was taken aback at her daughter's firm stance. Before the shooting commenced, Lisa secretly gave Katie her private email address, and Katie in turn gave Lisa hers so the two 'sleuths' can keep in contact with one another. Lisa appointed Katie as her unofficial technical advisor when it came to the finer details of the script. As Lisa was finished being tied up, she struggled vigorously to test out her new restraints. Even the gag worked very well for Lisa couldn't move her tongue at all as she bit down on the thick knot lodged in her mouth. She nodded over to the director with her approval. "Okay, let's get started then. Re-shoot scene eight, take one. And ... action!" The scene played out like before with 'Jenny' sitting demurely while the trio of bad guys talked amongst each other on deciding her fate. Natalie walked over near Katie with a disgusted look on her face and said, "I don't like her like that. She looks so, I don't know ... pornographic. What possessed her to come up with such extreme measures in tying her up like that, I mean this is supposed to be a kid's show for crying out loud." Katie smiled quietly to herself at hearing that. "You must have done this to her, didn't you," she said this time directed at Katie. "What other filthy things did you tell my daughter?" "Look, I only made an innocent comment on the ineffectiveness of her tie-up scenes, that's all. And believe me I'm not the only fan that's noticed that. Besides, I didn't tell her what to use in tying her up." Don quickly moved in between them. "Can we please break it up here, ladies? We have a scene to re-shoot and I don't want to get further behind schedule," he said in a whispered tone. Natalie gave Katie a harsh look and walked off in a huff. "I apologize for her candor; she's only a mother, albeit a psychotic one at that." Katie lightened up at Don's amusing remark. "I didn't mean to step on anyone's toes around here, I was only just trying to help," Katie spoke humbly. "And I do appreciate it. After all you are a fan of the show, and your insights and comments do benefit the authenticity of it." As the scene continued to play out, Lisa was then grabbed by a bearded guy that was standing guard off to the side. He lifted her in his arms and was carrying her to a non-descript white van that was parked close by. Lisa began writhing and squealing when the action started, but as she was being carried, for some reason she was doing it much more frantically. "Wow, she sure is giving such an energetic performance," the director commented. "Maybe we should have her tied up like this as the standard." Katie was watching the scene play out as well, and couldn't help but feel that something was oddly wrong. Lisa was now placed in the rear section of the van, all the while trying desperately to leap out. Her muffled cries were so unpronounceable, that no one understood what she was trying to say. Looking into the crew of people shooting her, her eyes found Katie and locked onto her. Katie noticed that and saw what looked like panic in Lisa's big blue eyes, which now was scaring her. "Uh, Mr. Kurtzman ... " Katie spoke warily, "I think there's something not right with Lisa." "What are you talking about; that is perhaps her best performance yet." "I don't think she's acting ... " Katie then began running past the camera crew towards the van. "Hey, someone stop that girl, she's getting in the way of the shot!" the director yelled. The 'bad guy' noticed Katie sprinting towards him, and quickly shut the door sealing a terrified Lisa inside, he then jumped into the driver's seat and drove off so fast that the tires squealed. The van headed for the predetermined spot to stop at, but instead it just kept going, rounding a corner and smashing through a chain-linked fence. Katie stopped running as she saw the van grow smaller as each second went by. Don was right behind her as he too stopped. "What's going here? Where the hell is that van going?" he yelled out in total confusion. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say that Lisa has just been kidnapped ... for real." CHAPTER FIVE Katie had just given her statement to one of Albany's finest that arrived at the scene shortly after Lisa's shocking abduction. Taking note of her name, the officer asked, "Are you that girl that exposed the con artist scam in Schenectady?" Katie looked surprised at hearing that. "Why yes, you guys have heard of me here?" "Sure, it's not everyday you hear about a teenaged girl bringing two wanted criminals to justice." Despite the sorrowfulness of the situation at hand, Katie couldn't help but feel pleased with herself that she was now gaining a reputation. After the officer left, Katie sat down on one of the crates of the shipyard and reflected on the startling event that just occurred. Why couldn't I have seen it sooner that Lisa was in trouble ... The truth was that no one could've seen that coming, for that's exactly what the kidnapper had counted on. Katie was appalled by the boldness of Lisa's abductor, snatching up her like that right in front of everyone. A twisted rendition of life imitating art. It wasn't long after the police arrived that the extra that was replaced was found in a dumpster nearby"" bound and unconscious. He was quickly revived, but sadly had no recollection of what happened or who did that to him. A dead end ... The crying sounds of Natalie were heard as she gave her tearful statement to another police officer, even Chloe was upset too as she sat with her head down. She noticed Don talking on his cell phone, no doubt explaining to the heads of the studio of what just happened. When it comes right to it, this was initially my fault, for if I hadn't mentioned to Lisa about her tie-up scenes in the first place, her kidnapper wouldn't have been able to snatch her so easily up like that ... Katie realized though that if Lisa was the target of a kidnapping, then most likely she still would've been taken at some other point in time. The only motive Katie could come up with that made any sense was for a ransom. Lisa was a nationally-televised teen star and was certainly worth a good amount of money, enough to at least satisfy the appetite of a would-be abductor. When Lisa acted erratically like that she must've realized that the extra who carried her was obviously someone else. And she couldn't warn us because again I put it in her head to improve her tie-up scenes. Katie needed to stop feeling guilty for herself and stay focused if she stood any chance of finding Lisa alive, which she was now determined to do. She was fully aware of the awful reality that even if the kidnapper gets their money, there was still no guarantee that the victim would be released unharmed. And being that this crime scene was in Albany gave Katie a disadvantage right from the start for she didn't know any of the police there. She was going to have to investigate this on her own, but at the moment she didn't know where to begin. Taking a chance, Katie walked over to the detective. "Excuse me, detective. I'd like to know what's been going on with the investigation, have you guys found the van yet?" The detective, a tall middle-aged man with a full moustache looked a bit surprised at Katie's remark. "I'm sorry, miss, but civilians are not privy to details when it comes to a crime scene." Katie thanked the detective anyway and headed over towards Lisa's trailer where Don was consoling Natalie. "I just want to say that I'm very sorry for what happened, Mrs. Covington," Katie said with such deep remorse. She glared at Katie with daggers in her hazel eyes. "If anything bad happens to my daughter, I'm holding you responsible, you here me!" she began breaking down again. Don got up and escorted Katie away from Natalie before the woman decided to do something nasty to the teen girl. "Katie, I know it wasn't your fault about what happened to Lisa. None of us are." Once they were far enough from Natalie, he stopped and spoke quietly, "Look, I really don't want the press to get wind of this, so I'm asking you not to call anyone about what happened until we know more, okay?" Katie nodded, "Okay. Listen, would it be alright if I stuck around here for a while, I promise I'll keep my distance from Mrs. Covington and the police." "I guess there'd be no harm in that. And thank you again for your cooperation," he said and walked back over to Natalie while Katie's little mind was trying to figure out a strategy in finding Lisa alive and well. CHAPTER SIX Lisa was scared out of her mind while she sat securely bound to a wooden chair. The room she was in was small and dimly lit because of the boarded up window to her left. The sounds of cars speeding along can be heard in the distance, like from a freeway. Judging by the decrepit conditions of the room she was in, Lisa guessed she must be in some abandoned building, like the ones in those run-downed sections of the city. Being kidnapped for real was a new and frightening experience for her. She recalled what Katie had told her of what it was like being held captive, but all the horrifying details that Katie laid out couldn't possibly prepare her for what she was now going through. The room she was held in was very reminiscent of an episode that she did recently. Except this time it's no fantasy; no one coming to free her of her restraints when the director yelled cut. After she was taken from the shooting set and whisked away in that van, her kidnapper had then switched vehicles, tossing her into the cramped trunk of another car. He then torched the van, destroying any possible evidence the police could use. Once her little car trip was over, a sack was placed over head, and with the removal of the plastic tie that bound her ankles, she was led through a building of some kind for she must have climbed up for what seemed like a hundred stairs. After she was seated on a chair, the sack was removed and there she was, held captive for some unknown sinister purpose. Lisa was alone at the moment, but she suspected that wouldn't last for too long. The not knowing of what will happen to her was probably more terrifying than being trussed up like some prize turkey. The duct tape that held her to the chair was pressed firmly against her chest, as were also the ones that wrapped around her knees and ankles. She shivered in the frigid air of the dilapidated room despite the wool coat she wore. Suddenly, Lisa barely heard the sound of someone close by. Not knowing if it would be her kidnapper returning, she took a chance and started screaming loudly over her packed gag. "AAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!" she yelled out, seeing some of her breath escaping through the knotted cloth wedged in her mouth. The footsteps grew closer and the door opened to reveal her abductor walking in. Lisa noticed that he was suddenly clean-shaven, which confirmed her suspicions that his beard was a fake. When she was carried to the van, Lisa saw his moustache falling on his upper lip. That was when she knew that he wasn't Charles, the hired extra who had an actual beard. He also changed out of the gray coveralls he had on in favor of his regular clothes. Realizing that she must've noticed that, he spoke, "You like my new look, or should I say old look? Lucky for me that glue managed to hold on as long as it did, wasn't planning on it being this cold." He then approached her and knelt down in front of her. Lisa cowered from him as he went to reach out for her. "Relax, I'm just going to take off your gag. Now no screaming or goes right back on, understand?" Lisa nodded timidly and the cloth was removed from her dry mouth, allowing her to finally take in a deep breath of air. He held what looked like a mini tape recorder over to her face. "I need you to say to your mother that you're alright and to get the money quickly." "Money ... ? You mean I'm being held for ransom?" Lisa asked in disbelief. "Yes, and as soon as I get my money, the sooner you'll be returned. Now talk," he spoke and Lisa recited as calmly as she could what she was instructed to say into the small contraption. After she was finished, he smiled approvingly. "Very good, Lisa. Now if you'll excuse me, I've got to make an important phone call." "Please let me go, and I promise ... uuuunnnnghhh ... " Lisa said urgently in mid-sentence as the knotted cloth was placed back into her mouth. The man then quickly left the room, closing the door behind him. Sitting there all alone again, Lisa began to feel somewhat better that her captivity would be short-lived. However, he had allowed her to see his face, thus providing an identity to the police. Lisa began to cry softly, hoping that she'll make it through this ordeal alive. CHAPTER SEVEN Katie was close by as she overheard Natalie's conversation with Lisa's kidnapper regarding the details of the ransom. She heard that he demanded $500,000 by 6 PM with more instructions coming later. Natalie then cried as she no doubt heard Lisa's voice on the other end, probably from a recorded message. She then hung up the cell phone as the authorities were now scrambling at trying to come with the money in the allotted time. Katie was going over again the events of Lisa's abduction in her head and the one thing that kept bothering her was how the kidnapper knew that that scene was going to be re-shot and that Lisa would be tied up more realistically, unless ... somebody on the set told him! Her green eyes grew wide as she now contemplated the real possibility that Lisa's kidnapping was in fact an inside job. She decided to have a talk with the actor, Charles, who was attacked by the kidnapper to see what she could learn from him, since it seemed like the best place to start. He was currently resting in Don's trailer and Katie quietly stepped inside. "Excuse me, I didn't mean to bother you, but would it be alright if I asked you some questions?" Katie asked politely. "Ah ... sure, I guess," he said as he sat up still a bit sore. "Hey, you're that girl that won that contest aren't you?" Katie nodded in response and took a seat next to him. "How're doing?" she asked with concern. "I've been better. It's not everyday that you get shocked with a stun gun and thrown in a dumpster. So what do you want to know?" "I know that you already spoke with the police and wasn't able to give a description of who assaulted you, but was there anything else that you can remember leading up to the assault, no matter how inconsequential it may be?" He sat there for a while as he tried to recollect the events of the last few hours. "You know come to think of it, Chloe did ask me something." "What was it?" Katie asked with all ears. "She wanted to know where the spare costumes were located since she was apparently unhappy with the shirt she had on." Katie wasn't too surprised at hearing one of Chloe's endless complaints. "Is that all?" she asked him. "Yeah, pretty much. I wish I knew something more that could get Lisa back," he said dejectedly. "Don't feel so hard on yourself, we all were taken by surprise. Anyway thank you, you've been a great help," she said and promptly exited the trailer. Standing out in the cold, Katie pondered for a moment on what her next course of action would be. Thinking about what was said in regards to Chloe, Katie decided that she was going to have a chat with that little diva ... CHAPTER EIGHT Chloe insisted that she have her own trailer while traveling on-location, so the production company forked up the cash and rented one at only half the size of Lisa's, much to her dismay. Katie remembered which was one was hers and headed over there. Opening the door slowly after knocking first, Katie noticed that it was unoccupied at the moment. She started to leave when she got another one of her crazy ideas, and instead went inside to do a little snooping around. The small interior was cluttered with clothes strewn all around. Katie found it a little hard to imagine that the actress that played Marybeth Harvey was in fact a slob, since the character was such a meticulous neat-freak. I guess that's why they call it acting ... Katie didn't know what she was looking for, that is if there was anything that was worth finding to begin with. Seeing a small desk in one corner of the trailer, Katie headed over there. Looking at the various items that were haphazardly placed on top of it, she found one that caught her interest, a cell phone she presumed belonged to Chloe. Picking it up, she flipped it open and noticed that it was still on. Katie began going through the various menu options, searching for anything that was potentially suspicious. In the text message screen, Katie noticed a message that was sent to a "Lars Beckert." Accessing it she read it softly to herself, "Kidnap scene to be re-shot tomorrow morning, will have costume for you." Katie stood there stunned at what she just read. "What are you doing in here?" a high-pitched voice was heard from behind. Katie whirled in complete surprise at the presence of Chloe standing there with an irritated look on her freckled face. "Ummm ... I was waiting for you to come back, it's too cold to wait outside," Katie spoke in an even tone and casually placed the phone back on the desk. "I see ... What did you want to talk about?" Chloe said as she slowly advanced towards Katie. "Oh, just some questions about the show. What's it like to be on TV ... " "I thought you already got that from your friend, Lisa." Chloe got right in front of Katie and noticed the cell phone nearby. Katie did her best not to look nervous. "Look, I can see that this is a bad time to talk right now. I'm terribly sorry for intruding like this, so I'll just go now," she said and proceeded to leave. As Katie opened the door, she was suddenly stopped as she felt a towel wrap itself securely over her nose and mouth. "Mmmmphhh!" she grunted out, her green eyes grew wide in shock. Katie struggled frantically to remove the towel to keep her from suffocating, but it held on tight. Over in the distance she could see Don talking with that detective, but unfortunately both men had their backs to her. Katie tried to yell out, but the towel muffled her cries just enough for them not to hear her. As Katie was dragged back inside, the door closed on its own for it was spring-loaded to keep the cold out. She continued fighting against Chloe, but the girl was surprisingly strong for someone her age. Katie did her best trying to pry the towel away from covering her mouth and nose. However a hard kick to the back of her knee made her drop forward, she then felt a sting of pain surge through her skull as Chloe punched her hard in the back of her head. Her world twirled around as she slowly sank to the floor and then blacked out ... CHAPTER NINE Katie opened her eyes to the throbbing pain on the back of her head and the pounding sound of rap music. Her vision soon focused and noticed that she was sitting on the carpeted floor of the trailer with her back resting on one of the walls. She saw Chloe kneeling down in front of her, tying her ankles together with a torn strip of cloth. "Mmmmmppphhh ... " Katie tried to speak out in protest, but realized that she was gagged with a wad of cloth stuffed in her mouth, held in place by a wide strip of cloth firmly situated over her lips. Trying to reach for the gag, Katie discovered that her hands were tightly bound behind her back as well. "Don't bother to struggle, you're not going anywhere," Chloe said sinisterly quoting one of the lines the villains had used numerous times on the show. Hearing the music being played Katie ascertained that it was used to further muffle her screams should someone happen to be close by. Despite Chloe's pronouncement of her skills at binding, Katie tested the strength of her cloth restraints, and sure enough they were on tight. Chloe too must have noticed the shabby rope work the film crew did on her and Lisa ... Katie noticed that Chloe looked nervous as she began pacing around no doubt trying to figure out what to do with her. If only she wasn't gagged Katie could try reasoning with her into letting her go, of course with her mouth free, she would wail so loud, the entire shipyard would hear her. "You had to go and interfere with things that didn't concern you. I should've known better that a Jenny Dare groupie like yourself would want to pretend to be her and go snooping around. Except this is no TV show, don't you understand what could happen to you now?" Katie gave Chloe a spiteful look, as she knew all too well the consequences of being nosy. Chloe then grabbed her cell phone and dialed a number. "It's me, Chloe ... I know you told me not to call you, but we have a problem. It seems that someone found out about our plan, but I was able to stop her and I have her all tied up in my trailer." Chloe looked visibly upset as she heard something that she didn't like. "Look, it's your problem too, if I get caught holding her captive, I'll tell the police everything I know about you. I may be young, but I'm not stupid," she responded back sharply. After a moment's wait she said, "Okay, my trailer is the only small one, and we're gonna need to be really careful because the police all over the place." Finished with her call, she placed the phone back on her desk and looked over at her helpless guest. "It looks like you're gonna get to be with your idol after all." She tore off another strip of cloth and began wrapping them around Katie's knees. "I'm sure I know what's going on in your pretty little mind, 'What's a girl like me involved with kidnapping Lisa.' Well I'll tell you ... " she spoke as tied the ends of the cloth in a neat little knot. "I was the one that was supposed to get the part of Jenny Dare, but that stupid Lisa with her pretty looks and cute smile stole it from me. And now she's become like this big superstar while I get to be just a simple co-star," she spoke with a rage rising in her voice. "Yes, I hired someone to kidnap Lisa so she can be killed." Katie shuddered at the sound of that word, knowing full well that that will most likely be her fate as well. "The ransom is being done because I could afford only half his fee, so the money he'll get will pay what I owe him plus some extra. And I get the satisfaction of knowing that that little witch will get what she deserves!" Katie sat there motionless after hearing everything that Chloe said, and it frightened her. She knew that Chloe was a spoiled brat, but she was shocked beyond belief to learn that she was also a psychotic bent on the elimination of not only poor Lisa ... but her as well. CHAPTER TEN Driving to the shipyard disguised as a florist, Lars Beckert was fuming behind the wheel of the delivery van he 'acquired.' "I should've known better than to accept a job from a twelve-year-old, what the hell was I thinking?" he muttered angrily to himself. He was forced to leave Lisa all by herself at that abandoned apartment complex and hoped that no one would happen upon her like some homeless person seeking shelter from the cold. "Has it come to this where I'm now desperate enough to take on a job from just anyone? I'm better than that." Despite his frustration regarding this mess that needed cleaning up, Lars smiled evilly to himself for he had his own plans for little Miss Webster ... Pulling into the shipyard it wasn't long until he saw the police tape marking where he was just hours ago. Lars sort of felt like a gazelle entering the lion's den, but maintained a calm composure of self-assurance for he was a professional when it came to infiltration. He stopped the vehicle just outside of the marked boundary. An officer standing guard next to his squad car noticed the marked van and the man stepping off of it, and headed over to him cautiously. "Excuse me, but this is a crime scene, I'm afraid you're going to have to leave right now," the officer announced. "I have a special delivery for a Lisa Covington," Lars said in a mock European accent as his face was disguised yet again with a grey-haired wig, glasses, and a moustache. "I'm sorry, but no one's allowed to enter," the officer responded evenly. "Oh, I see ... Could you then please deliver it, otherwise my boss will have me fired if I don't get this bouquet to Miss Covington, for you see his daughter is such a big fan of hers and ... " "Enough! All right I'll take the bouquet," the officer interrupted. Leading him to the back of the florist van, Lars opened the doors and the officer looked surprised at seeing the actual delivery person sitting on the floor bound and gagged with duct tape. The young pretty woman mumbled urgently to the officer, but it was too late as he was jolted by an intense shock of electricity from the stun gun that Lars jabbed into the back of his neck. The officer collapsed and fell to the ground. Lars placed the unconscious officer, who was now bound and gagged also with duct tape, alongside the woman florist who still pleaded at him in mewled moans. "Don't worry my dear, you'll be found soon enough," he smirked back at her and closed the van doors shut. Lars removed the same gray coveralls he wore from before, revealing a policeman's uniform underneath for he came prepared for the next phase of his plan. After putting on the officer's thick jacket, Lars headed slowly in the direction of Chloe's trailer. CHAPTER ELEVEN Walking casually through the shooting set, Lars mentally laughed at the cops around him as none of them had even the slightest clue that the very man they were looking for was right under their collected noses. The police just don't have the imagination of what criminals are capable of doing. He soon spotted the trailer that Chloe described. Seeing that it was a Winnebago, Lars smiled as he realized that this was going to be easier than he thought. Inside the trailer, Chloe was so anxious at waiting that she was biting her nails that she just had manicured. Suddenly a knock was heard on the door. "MMMMMMMMM!!!" Katie shouted out through her gag, and Chloe quickly grabbed her bedspread and threw it over the teen sleuth. Stopping nervously at the door, she stammered, "W-who is it?" "It's Beckert," a voice replied from the other end. Chloe gingerly opened the door, and Lars pushed his way inside and closed it shut. Chloe was taken aback at his appearance. "Wow, they actually let you just walk in here?" Lars rolled his eyes at her, "Of course ditzy, I'm dressed as a cop." "Hey, I'm not ditzy ... " she said hurtful. "Okay so where is this problem you mentioned," Lars said impatiently. Chloe went over to the bedspread and pulled it off the floor revealing a thoroughly bound teenaged girl. Katie looked up at the cop standing next to Chloe and quickly realized that this had to be Lisa's kidnapper, Lars Beckert. This guy certainly is a chameleon ... "I must say very good job at binding her like that," he said impressed with Chloe's handiwork. "Thanks, I had some practice at tying up my kid sister. She was always such a pain ... " Lars gave her another dirty look. "Anyway, how are you gonna get her out of here without anyone noticing?" she asked with uncertainty. Just then the sound of an explosion was heard close by and the force of it rocked the trailer briefly. "That ... " he replied, and revealed his stun gun from underneath his jacket. Katie saw that and tried to warn Chloe, who was distracted at the moment by the explosion, as Lars shocked the unsuspecting girl into unconsciousness. She dropped lifelessly to the floor with a thump. After turning off that dreadful music that played, Lars moved fast as he pulled out a small roll of duct tape from one of his jacket pockets, and very quickly wrapped the sticky tape over Chloe's wrists and ankles. "I have this little saying ... " he snickered lightly as his chocolate brown eyes gazed at the powerless teen sleuth sitting close by. " ... Girls should be seen and not heard, that's why I keep a gag handy," and with that he forced a foam ball into Chloe's mouth and sealed it shut by wrapping more tape around her head. Katie mumbled out some kind of profane remark at the vile rogue as she struggled vehemently in nothing more than a futile attempt at freeing herself. After he was satisfied that his 'cargo' was set for transport, Lars stood up and headed right over to the driver's seat of the trailer. He bent down over to the ignition in an attempt at jumpstarting the vehicle, when he had an idea and sat down in the seat. He pulled down the overhead visor and the keys to the trailer landed in the palm of his hand. "Works every time ... " he said pleased. Looking out through the windshield he could see everyone scrambling over to where his timed explosion had just detonated, allowing him the necessary distraction to escape undetected with two more additions to his growing collection of cute little captives. CHAPTER TWELVE The drive back to the hideout went very smoothly as Lars did not encounter any cops, much to his confidence. He could hear the blonde girl grunting through her tight gag in a vain effort at getting free. It's a pity that these young pretty girls were going to get iced, but business was business, and Lars was all that. He never allowed his personal feelings (if he even had any) get in the way of his work, for he was a true professional, lending his unique services for a fee. Driving towards the abandoned apartment building, Lars decided to pull into the small garage located in the basement away from prying eyes that may be present. He looked at Katie still struggling for all she's worth; it's as if she knows that she's going to die. Lars approached her and noticed little Chloe was still passed out from the stun gun. Thinking for a moment on what to do next, Lars picked up the limp girl in his arms and threw her petite body over his shoulder. He then looked back at Katie with this piercing look in his cold, brown eyes, "You just stay where you are ... I'll be right back." After he left the trailer, Katie again continued to struggle, but she was nowhere closer at getting loose than when she was first tied. She then stopped and started pushing with her legs, lifting herself up against the wall into a standing position. Once she was fully erect, Katie looked around the trailer and then hopped over to Chloe's desk. She quickly scanned the various contents that lay there, hoping to find something that she could use to free herself. Not seeing anything suitable, Katie carefully opened the top drawer and found something""a pointed metal nail file! Grabbing it gingerly with her bound hands, Katie began the slow process of sawing through the strip of linen that held her wrists tightly together, praying that she'll get free before he returns ... CHAPTER THIRTEEN Lars was climbing down the steps of the building after leaving Chloe in the company of Lisa, who was very surprised at seeing her co-star in the same predicament as she was; he considered telling Lisa the ugly truth about her sweet little co-star's insanely jealously of her. He quickly checked his watch and saw that he had about three hours before his next call on instructions for delivering his money. Once he gets it, Lars planned on taking a very long overdue vacation to the South Pacific, and then perhaps do some work in Europe for a while until things cooled down here. He knows a friend in Amsterdam that would put him up for a few months. Returning to the trailer, Lars stepped inside and his eyes went wide at seeing no sign of the trussed up blonde girl, just some strips of the white cloth that was used to bind her were scattered over the floor. Sensing a presence, he instantly spun around with his outstretched arm, knocking the stun gun from Katie's trembling hand while she stood from behind the door. She looked at him in complete shock for her element of surprise was just squashed in an instant. Katie tried to attack him but he easily avoided her kick aimed to his groin and replied with a hard punch to her gut. The impact made her belly sink inwards and Katie gave a pained yelp as she staggered backwards. "Well, well ... you do have some spunk there," he spoke with just the slightest hint of regard in his voice. "Now give it up little girl or I will hurt you." Katie gulped in apparent defeat, pressing herself up against the wall as Lars approached her. Just then the sound of Chloe's cell phone started to ring this cute little jingle. Lars was momentarily distracted by the noise as Katie suddenly dove to the floor for the stun gun that was nearby. In one fluid motion, she grabbed it in her hand and turned her body towards him, jabbing the gun against his socked ankle. Lars' body began to shake uncontrollably and his teeth gritted together at the shocking feeling of jolts of electricity carousing through his body. He teetered for a moment then collapsed to the floor face down. Katie breathed heavily as she stood up slowly with the stun gun still pointed out for she was taking no chances with this dangerous thug. Lars began to shift a little, he managed to lift his head up a bit and look right at Katie. "Y-you think ... you've won ... " he stammered out weakly, and Katie noticed his hand taking out something from his jacket pocket. It looked almost like a small TV remote, and he pressed a button before passing out. Confused by what he just did, Katie ran out of the trailer. With no electricity in the building, the parking garage was almost pitch black, except for a small yellow light in the distance. Moving closer to it, Katie gasped at seeing that it was a digital timer counting down, like the ones that were placed on bombs, and this one was set to go off in just under ten minutes! CHAPTER FOURTEEN With no time to spare, Katie ran up to the main floor of the building and began screaming, "Lisa!! Lisa, where are you!?" Knowing that she was obviously gagged, Katie quieted down and listened very carefully over the pounding sound of her own heartbeat. She could detect a faint noise coming from above. Running into the stairwell, Katie shouted again, "I'm coming Lisa, just keep screaming so I can find you!!" Lisa did just that as Katie followed her muted cries to the fourth floor of the old building. Upon reaching it, the sounds grew louder and were coming from the end of the hallway. Katie opened a door and saw Lisa sitting in one corner of a small room and Chloe lying on the hardwood floor next to her. Chloe started moving a little as the effects of the stun gun were finally wearing off on her. Katie rushed over to Lisa and pulled the knotted cloth from her mouth. "Oh, Katie ... please help me get out of here!" Lisa cried out in tears. Katie took out the nail file from her coat pocket, figuring that she may need it, and used it to cut the plastic tie from Lisa's wrists. With her hands free, Lisa worked on releasing herself from the chair as Katie then went onto freeing the still dazed Chloe from her bonds. "We have to get out of here right now; the whole building is set to explode!" Katie shouted. "Whaaa ... ?" Lisa stammered at Katie's chilling pronouncement. "He has the entire foundation wired with explosives, and in about five minutes they're set to go off!" Katie then looked at the frightened Chloe. "Chloe, can you walk?" She nodded weakly in affirmative. Both girls helped Chloe to her feet and the trio began climbing down four flights of stairs, some two at a time. All the while she was in the building, Katie tried to maintain a mental clock in her head to try and gauge how much time they had left, and her best guess was that they had only seconds left! Reaching the main floor the girls scrambled for the exit doors. Chloe was now fully awake as her adrenaline had kicked in. Katie practically plowed right through the double doors and the three of them ran as fast as their legs would take them. A thunderous BOOM was heard from behind and a rush of wind blew right past them. The ground began to shake as the six-story brick building started crumbling with a deafening ROAR! The girls managed to hide behind a large pile of garbage just as the building finished crashing down onto itself. Katie breathed a big sigh of relief for that was way too close. The dust began to settle a bit and the entire building was reduced to rubble. Lisa and Chloe were shell-shocked at what had transpired, knowing they were prisoners in there just a few minutes ago. Katie concluded that Lars was indeed dead, for the trailer was crushed under tons of debris; a fitting end for someone so cruel and heartless. Katie then heard the sounds of sobbing and turned to see Lisa and Chloe crying in each other's arms. Even though Chloe had wished for Lisa to be dead, Katie could see now what she really was, a scared twelve-year-old who learned the hard way of how precious life is. CHAPTER FIFTEEN The next day, Lisa along with her mother, walked out of the Albany police headquarters building after concluding their business with them regarding this whole ordeal. Don had decided to scrap the rest of the shoot and go back home for some much needed rest as Jenny Dare was going on hiatus for a few weeks. Katie waited outside to see them off before they headed to the airport. Lisa walked over to Katie, giving her a warm hug. "Thank you again for saving my life, you're really some detective." "You're very welcome. I'm just glad that I was able to help," Katie replied back sincerely. "What's going to happen to Chloe?" she asked all concerned for Katie felt really bad for her. "She's going to be just fine for she's getting the help she needs to cope with her anger issues. In some ways I think it was partly my fault for I never took the time to really get to know her and to be her friend. When she's ready, I told her that I would be there for her." "You truly are a good person, Lisa. Most people would have nothing to do with poor Chloe." "Anyway, before I go," Lisa spoke on a more cheerful note, "I have proposition for you. Instead of getting a reward for rescuing me since the production company was planning on doing that, I suggested that I have you as a guest star in an upcoming episode of Jenny Dare, playing an old friend that helps out on a mystery. What do you say?" Katie stood there for a moment thinking, and then smiled. "I say only if they tie us up with those shoddy ropes." "Believe me, it's a deal," Lisa stated with a smile as well.