Lila Spencer - Wedding Ties CHAPTER ONE Sitting around the largest table at Okeechobee's Restaurant, Lila Spencer laughed out loud at another silly joke told by her second cousin, Freddy, who had a reputation as the comic at social gatherings. Katie Spencer, who sat next to her energetic younger cousin, enjoyed the ambiance of the evening as most of the Spencer clan was seated around, celebrating the impending wedding of her Aunt Caroline, her father's younger sister. The joyous event was just two days away, to be taken place at the gorgeous Silver Springs Resort located right outside of Clearwater, overlooking a breathtaking view of the Gulf of Mexico. Caroline really didn't want a big church wedding, so they got a Justice of the Peace overseeing the modest gathering family and friends attending. "So, Katie ... " Caroline spoke up before Freddy had a chance at telling another inane joke, "it's too bad that we didn't all get to meet Jake. From what your father has told me, he sounds like a really special guy." Katie tried to keep her mood up at the mention of Jake not being present for she wished that he was accompanying her. "Yeah ... the conditions of his parole still forbids him from traveling more than 100 miles, unless it's an emergency." Katie wasn't the least bit embarrassed at revealing that Jake has had a criminal history to her extended family, for Aunt Caroline was correct ... he was a special guy. "Speaking of men missing ... " Great-Uncle Conrad said in his husky voice, " ... where is that fiancé of yours tonight? The groom-to-be getting cold feet?" "Conrad! ... " his wife, Elaine, spoke up aghast, giving him a slap on his meaty arm. "It's okay, Aunt Elaine," Caroline interjected. "Brian's sorry he couldn't make it tonight, he had some last minute urgent business to take of, and wanted to get it done before the wedding." Brian Rowe was a criminal lawyer working for the district attorney's office in downtown Tampa. "I can't believe that my baby sister is finally getting married!" Bruce announced enthusiastically, "And I still feel honored that you asked me to give you away," he also said in a tender voice, which caused Caroline to blush a bit. After their father's untimely death in an automobile accident, Bruce as the eldest child, helped raised Caroline who was just a teenager at the time. "I'm still amazed at how fast this whole thing has been going for you," Charles spoke up in regards to Caroline's relationship to Brian. "Well ... Brian's a special guy," Caroline responded with a little nod to Katie, "After over a year of dating, I knew he was the man that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with." "Yeah ... better than that last one you dated ... " Uncle Conrad said brusquely again, which Aunt Elaine responded back with an even harder slap on his arm. "Really, Conrad ... " she spoke all flustered, "you don't know when to shut that big trap of yours!" "Uhh, Katie ... " Julie Spencer spoke up, wanting to quickly change the subject, " ... how's the family's famous detective doing? ... Solve any big crimes lately?" "Well, actually, I ... " Katie stopped suddenly as she felt her leg being kicked. Lila gave her a quick glare, which only she could notice. "To be honest ... there's nothing really going on back home now that requires my attention," she responded carefully to the family. Once the attention was shifted from Katie, she turned to her feisty cousin a bit perturbed. "Just what was that about?" she whispered softly. "Look, you're in my neck of the woods now," Lila also whispered back, "I don't want you stealing any of my thunder with your stories." Katie smirked knowingly as she had heard about Lila's two recent run-ins with the criminal world, but was very grateful that things turned out well in the end. "Now you know how I felt when you visited me last Christmas ... Don't worry, I'm not here to solve any crimes for I'm on vacation." "Good ... " Lila responded quietly with a tone that made Katie a bit suspicious that her little cousin was currently up to something ... CHAPTER TWO After dinner was over, the family dispersed to their respective destinations for the night. Katie and her folks were staying over at her Uncle Bruce's place, at his adamant insistence. Being that Julie was home for the wedding, and her Dad and Karen were staying in the lone guest bedroom, Katie was elected to stay with Lila in her room for she had plenty of space for the air mattress that they stored, and also thought it would be a good idea to bunk up the two junior sleuths together. Katie was fine with that arrangement""another payback from last Christmas. However, Lila was not too thrilled with it for she valued her privacy, particularly when she was investigating some mystery or crime. Stepping into Lila's bedroom, Katie sat on a wicker chair and kicked off her royal blue pumps, stretching out her tender feet as she was still getting used to wearing high heels ever since dating Jake. Lila, however, didn't bother to change out of her pale green summer dress as she went straight to her computer at the corner of the room and turned on the flat screen. Katie stood up in her nyloned feet and strolled over to Lila, curious to see what her younger cousin was involved with. "I thought you told me that you were on vacation," Lila uttered back at what Katie said to her during dinner. "Relax ... " Katie responded smartly as she stood over Lila's shoulder. Brushing back some of her long dirty-blonde tresses, she noticed a web page appear on the wide 19" screen. "MysteryChicks.com ... " she muttered to herself for she never heard of that web site before. "It's a forum for girls like us that have an interest in detective work," Lila replied frankly as she went into the chat room to see if any new topics were posted. She saw one of interest to her, a link for a private message, but was reluctant to open it. "Could I please have some privacy for a minute?" Lila barked at her nosy cousin. Putting her hands up, Katie walked off, "Fine, whatever ... " She grabbed her shoes and went over to her open suitcase at the other end of the room, pulling out a long pink nightshirt to change into from the lovely matching blue chiffon dress she wore. Katie realized that some of Stacey's influence was finally rubbing on to her for she really enjoyed dressing up for social gatherings now. Meanwhile, Lila silently read the message that was sent to her, and her blue eyes widen at what was written ... CHAPTER THREE The sun shined brightly through the white-frilled curtained window right on Katie's head as she began to awaken from her restful slumber ... Sleeping on an air mattress was surprisingly more comfortable than she would've previously thought. Rising up, she glanced over at Lila's unmade bed and noticed that it was empty. Looking over at her computer, she noticed that it was still on as Lila liked to keep it running for days at a time because of her high-speed connection. With a mischievous look in her green eyes, Katie got up and strolled over there. She sat down on the small chair, keeping careful watch for Lila to return as the door to her room was left open""she would have a cow if she saw me snooping around her things ... But that infamous Spencer curiosity kept tugging at Katie as she went onto that web page Lila was looking at from last night. MysteryChicks ... I gotta remember that when I get back home ... Entering the chat room, she saw a message that simply said, To "L". Katie guessed that it was for Lila since she loves using her first initial on things like keychains, bookends ... However, upon accessing the private message, the site prompted for a username & password to be entered. Katie let out a defeated sigh for she was stumped as Lila could've selected anything. Just then, her acute hearing detected the faint sounds of footsteps walking up the stairs. Quickly shutting down the site, Katie removed herself from the computer and hustled back onto the air mattress. Lila entered the room just as Katie was pretending to get up. "Good morning," Katie said with a yawn, which was real by the way. "Morning ... " Lila replied and sat down next to her cousin looking remorseful. "I want to apologize for my behavior last night. I had no right treating you the way I did. I just didn't want you to ... " " ... steal my thunder," Katie finished her sentence, then smiled at Lila's heartfelt apology. "That's okay ... we're cousins, we should be aggravating each other on occasion." Lila smiled back as well as she still looked up to Katie. "Listen, about this 'case' you're working on, I know that I said I didn't want any part of it, but I want you to know that I'm here if you need any assistance," Katie offered sincerely. "After all, this is your neck of the woods." Lila thought for a moment if she should divulge to Katie what she had learned so far, but under the present circumstances, she decided that it was best not to ... at least for now. "Thanks ... " she replied earnestly. Just then, Katie's nostrils flared as she started to get a whiff of something appetizing in the air. "Is that pancakes I smell?" "Yeah ... I was just downstairs and saw Mom making her homemade blueberry pancakes, which she hardly ever does now," Lila replied as she too was getting hungry just smelling them. "Well, let's not keep Aunt Susan waiting ... " Katie spoke heartily as she rose up to her feet. "First one down gets the biggest one!" Lila yelled and bolted out of her room. Katie was going to follow after her at first, but realized that she wasn't a child anymore for she just turned seventeen two weeks ago, and was going to finally be a Senior in the Fall. C'mon, Spencer ... you're not that old ... After breakfast was over, Katie can't remember the last time she had homemade blueberry pancakes""perhaps her last visit over here. After finishing that wonderful meal Aunt Susan cooked up, she helped with the dishes by washing them while Lila towel-dried them. "So, Katie ... " Susan said while cleaning the breakfast nook table, "I understand that you're going shopping with Caroline in the city today." "Yeah ... " Katie responded, " ... she wants to buy a belated birthday present for me, and to get some last-minute favors for the reception." "Mom ... " Lila spoke up, "I want to go also ... " "Lila, you're supposed to be going to the dress shop with me today, remember?" Susan said for Lila's new dress for the wedding needed some alterations done, and she had to be there to try it on before tomorrow. "But I really need to see her ... " she protested. "Sweetheart ... " Susan said in a gracious tone, " ... you see your Aunt Caroline whenever you want, let Katie have a day with her this time, okay? You'll be seeing her tonight for the rehearsal dinner anyway ... " "Alright ... " Lila grumbled softly and continued with her task at drying. Katie eyed her cousin's peculiar behavior carefully, wondering if that private message she got had perhaps something to do with Caroline ... CHAPTER FOUR The waiter came by gently setting down two plates of grilled chicken Caesar salad. Katie dug her fork into her lunch, taking a delicious bite of garlic & parmesan cheese. Caroline sat across from her at the cozy table for two at Panini's bistro café enjoying the spectacular sunny day out on the dining patio. "I'm so glad that the weather is going to hold up for the wedding tomorrow," Caroline spoke favorably. "Me too ... " Katie agreed. "I hear that the place you're getting married has spectacular grounds." "Oh, wait until you see it; all of the flowers there are now in full bloom. I'm going to have trouble deciding where I would like pictures to be taken." "Aunt Susan told me about your little mishap with the photographer," Katie said in reference to Caroline's comment. "Talk about getting added undue stress ... like I don't have enough of that already," Caroline responded lightly. "I'm just so glad that Philip was available to do it on such short notice, otherwise I would've probably gone ballistic on the whole thing, which is something that poor Brian doesn't need right now." The original photographer got suddenly sick with the flu and was laid up in bed for two weeks. Philip Barstow was a staff photographer at the Tampa Tribune where Caroline works there as an assistant editor, learned of what happened and was gracious enough to help out at the last minute. "Thank you so much for the gift," Katie said in reference to the diamond-shaped emerald pendant she wore around her slender neck, " ... but you really didn't need to get anything for my birthday." "Nonsense ... " Caroline interjected kindly, "I don't see you enough, so when my favorite niece comes down here for an overdue visit, I want to show my warm admiration." "I thought Lila was your favorite niece," Katie responded before taking another bite of her salad. "She is ... but only when you're not here," Caroline responded genially. "Just don't tell her that, okay? She loves to monopolize my time whenever she can." "I have no problem keeping secrets from people ... especially Lila," Katie said smartly. "And I know just what you mean about her habit of latching onto people she reveres." The two ladies spent a brief, quiet moment as they enjoyed their lunch. During that time, Katie noticed subtleties in Caroline's body language as she was glancing around with a slight nervousness in her hazel eyes. "I don't mean to sound pushy, and I'm not here to play detective, but is everything alright?" Katie asked cautiously. "Of course ... " Caroline responded quickly, " ... I'm just a little jittery because of the wedding." Looking at her carefully, Katie could tell that Caroline's subtle behavior was not wedding jitters at all, but something more sinister in nature ... "Lila told me yesterday about what's going on," Katie bluffed for she really hated having to manipulate her aunt, but if there was something serious going on that no one was willing to divulge, then Katie will take whatever steps necessary to uncover the truth and help out, for that's what she does. Caroline looked at Katie right in the eye confirming that her hunch was indeed correct. "Lila promised me that she wouldn't tell anyone ... " she said faintly. "Look, if it helps any, I tied her up and applied a water torture on her to make her talk," Katie replied jovially trying to break up the somber mood a bit. Caroline smiled a bit at the thought of Katie playfully tormenting Lila for she would like to see that, but now was not the time ... "Aunt Caroline, I'm here to help ... " she said sincerely, placing her hand gently on her aunt's. Knowing what a terrific sleuth Katie has become, Caroline didn't seem too upset that she also knows. "I just wish that he would leave me alone ... " "You mean Joe ... " Katie guessed correctly at Caroline's ex-boyfriend, Joe Davila, who she broke off their relationship of three years after discovering that he was routinely cheating on her. "I have not heard one word from him in almost two years and now he decides to start calling me, saying that he loves me with some ridiculous creepy voice ... I mean what's his problem?" "How long has these phone calls been going on?" Katie asked wanting to know more. "About two weeks now. The calls came randomly on my cell phone and Joe knew that number back when we were dating ... I should've gotten it changed before." "Have you contacted the police about this?" Katie suspected that she didn't. "No ... " she replied firmly, " ... and nobody else knows for I don't want to have anything spoil the wedding, not when it's this close. Besides, hopefully after I'm married he'll finally take the hint and leave me alone once and for all ... " CHAPTER FIVE Returning back to her uncle's place, Katie went straight upstairs to Lila's room""who was now home from the dress shop""for she needed to have a discussion with her. Opening the door, she saw her sitting at the computer browsing on the internet. Lila glanced over to her older cousin, sensing that something was wrong. After closing the door behind her, Katie took a seat next to her. "Why didn't you tell me that some creep has been harassing Aunt Caroline?" she asked a bit annoyed. "Because ... I'm handling this case for her myself," Lila replied openly. "Case ... ?" Katie responded flabbergasted. "Did she ask you to look into this for her?" "Well ... no," Lila said simply. "But I was with her when Joe called, and I noticed that she was clearly upset from that." "Do you know for certain that it was her ex-boyfriend making those calls?" Katie challenged her for she still found it a bit odd that Joe would just suddenly resurface after two years of silence. Lila looked puzzled at Katie's question. "Of course it is ... Aunt Caroline seems to really think so. Besides, who else would call her like that?" "One thing I learned in the detective business is that not everything is always what it seems on the surface, sometimes you have to dig deeper to uncover the truth," Katie commented, imparting some of her wisdom to her young protégé. "Well, if it isn't Joe that's been calling her, then how're we gonna find out who else it could be?" Lila asked with some uncertainty. "For starters, we're gonna need to look at her incoming call log on her cell phone and isolate that mysterious number, assuming she hasn't deleted it." Lila nodded in silent agreement with what Katie said. "One thing I don't understand is that how were you able figure all this out?" she asked amazed at Katie's prowess for she knew that Aunt Caroline wouldn't just blab it out to her. "A lot of it was intuition really," Katie responded. "The message you received from that web site seemed to fire up your interest, and your insistence at wanting to see Aunt Caroline right away had later confirmed my suspicions." "I guess I was kind of obvious this morning, knowing that I would see her later tonight anyway," she replied a bit embarrassed. "That's alright ... you were just eager to tell her something of importance," Katie said. "And speaking of importance, just what was on that PM you got last night, if I may ask." "Well since you know enough already, it seems pointless now to try and keep you in the dark," Lila said. "That message was from a girl who lives in Tampa. Her father is a cop, and so on a hunch, I asked her if he can find anything at all about Joe. She replied back to me telling me that Joe has had a criminal history of violence against women, which was something that no one in the family ever knew about. So don't you see, if he's capable of hurting women, who knows what he might do to Aunt Caroline!" Katie was really beginning to understand the gravity of the situation for she now understood Lila's urgency, and seriously wondered if the police should be involved ... CHAPTER SIX A modest gathering of family & friends assembled in a private room at Markel's Restaurant, located in Clearwater, to observe the rehearsal dinner. Katie casually walked around holding a sampling of delectable finger food from the appetizer table. Lila went to speak with Caroline in private regarding Joe's illicit background. Even though this was a happy occasion, Caroline needed to know the truth as soon as possible for Katie suspected that these 'prank' calls could possibly lead to something dreadful with the wedding only tomorrow. Strolling over to Caroline's table, Katie spotted her purse hanging on the chair. Reaching out for it, she noticed a tall man approaching her. "So, this must be the famous Katie Spencer I've been hearing all about ... " he spoke with adoration in his well-spoken voice. Katie blushed at his rather bold comment for she was starting to get tired of being treated like a celebrity ever since arriving here. "And you must be Brian Rowe, it's a pleasure to finally meet you," Katie placed down the small plate she held and extended her hand out to shake his. "The pleasure is all mine," he graciously responded by accepting her kind gesture. "Look ... I'm sorry for being dramatic with my greeting ... " he humbly apologized, " ... habit of being a trial lawyer." Katie smiled for she can see why Caroline was so fond of him""the dark dreamy eyes, the perfectly-chiseled face, the broad shoulders, the well-built form ... "It's quite alright ... " she replied happily, "I guess I should be used to it by now." "I'd really love to hear about your exploits sometime," he said to her genuinely. "That could be arranged ... " she replied back. "I'm in the process of assembling a little memoir of my cases, perhaps I could give you a first draft copy to see if it's any good, and to get your legal opinion on it." "It's a deal ... " he said heartily. "So, are you enjoying yourself this evening?" "Very much. I heard that this was the place where you two first met." "Yes ... a mutual friend set us up on a blind date, and the rest as they is history. We both felt that we should celebrate our impending nuptials by returning to very location where it all began ... " "That is so romantic ... " Katie spoke warmly for she took an instant liking to him, and can tell that he will treat Caroline with the love and respect that she deserves. Brian's attention was then diverted as he noticed Caroline signaling to him. "Will you please excuse me Katie, it seems that my fiancé requires my immediate attention," he said politely. As Brian walked off, Lila approached Katie with an uneasy look on her freckled face. "So, how did it go?" Katie asked her cousin anxiously. "She took the news of Joe's criminal past surprisingly well, considering ... " Lila replied. "Is she gonna call the police then?" Katie wondered hopefully. "No, she still won't ... but I did manage to convince her to tell Brian at least," Lila said as she looked back to see the two of them talking amongst each other in a quiet corner. "Well, that's good at least ... " Katie said somewhat relieved. "So, did you get the phone number?" Lila asked impatiently. "I was just about to when Brian came over to talk to me ... He's sure one fine looking man ... " Katie spoke softly. "Oh, what would Jake think if he saw you acting this way towards another man, and an engaged one at that who's gonna be your uncle ... eewww ... " "He's not going to do anything, because he doesn't need to know ... right, cousin?" Katie responded back teasingly with her fist raised. "Besides, I'm not saying that I want him ... I just find him rather attractive, that's all." Lila reached into Caroline's purse retrieving her cell phone, while Katie pulled a pen and paper from her small purse as she came prepared. Accessing the incoming call log, Katie was relieved to see that Caroline hadn't deleted it yet. Skipping through calls made by family and friends (their names were listed in lieu of a number), and ones that were toll-free, Katie spotted one number in particular that was displayed several times""she strongly suspected that had to be their mystery caller. She quickly scribbled it down, and placed the phone back to its proper place. Katie's green eyes narrowed as she stared intently at the ten-digit number, determined to learn the true identity of her aunt's stalker ... CHAPTER SEVEN Katie typed away at Lila's computer as the two of them were now back in her bedroom. All of the adults stayed behind at the restaurant for some "grown-up" socializing once dinner was over, so the two junior sleuths were escorted home by Julie, who also went out tonight meeting with some old high school friends. Lila sat next to her cousin, keeping a watchful eye as she mentally took notes at what Katie was doing on the internet. She went into the National Telephone Database""of which you needed to enter a password to gain access. Katie dodged Lila's question on how she knew that, telling her instead that it was better she doesn't. Entering the number they got from Caroline's phone, Katie waited patiently as the site was searching through its massive amounts of phone numbers listed. About five minutes later, a match came up. "Abigail Conner? ... " Lila said perplexed at the name displayed on the screen, for she was expecting to see Joe's name, or at least a male one. "Have you ever heard of that name before?" Katie asked her younger cousin, who responded quietly by shaking her head 'no'. "I don't get it ... maybe that site you're on has some glitches," Lila said for it didn't make sense that a woman would be stalking Caroline. "Maybe the number is listed in her name only, there is an address assigned to it," Katie reasoned noticing that the residence shown was located in Tampa. "Or, it may not be the stalker at all ... " Lila suggested worriedly. "For all we know Aunt Caroline could've deleted that number already." Katie sat there with a defeated look in her green eyes wondering if Lila was correct in her assumption ... CHAPTER EIGHT "Can you help me with my zipper, please?" Lila asked as she faced her backside towards Katie. Strolling over from her suitcase, Katie carried a shoe box and placed it down to assist her. She gently pulled up the small zipper on Lila's new soft pink short-sleeved dress with white lace trim. Finished with it, Katie stepped back and admired her younger cousin's lovely attire. "Lila, you look beautiful ... " Katie spoke warmly, " ... that dress really does flatter you." Lila's cheeks blushed almost as red as her auburn hair, which was curled slightly. "Thanks, I picked it out myself after going through about of dozen of them at the dress shop." "I know what you mean ... " Katie interjected, "Stacey's mom couldn't decide either on which one of seven dresses she pre-selected would be appropriate to wear for the wedding." Katie wore a gorgeous lilac silk dress with a low neckline and skirt resting just above the kneecaps. Her long hair was styled up in an elegant bun""courtesy of Julie""with some strands dangling softly along her ears. "And I have to say you look stunning in yours," Lila returned the compliment. Sitting down on the wicker chair, Katie opened the shoe box and produced a pair of white peep-toe sling-backs. She placed the alluring shoes on her nyloned feet and stood up carefully on the four-inch-plus tall stiletto heels. "Wow ... awesome shoes," Lila praised as Katie towered over her. "Thanks ... Stacey loaned them out to me, she says they go perfectly with this dress." "Well she's certainly right about that ... " Lila agreed heartily as Katie looked just as good as Julie ever did. Glancing over at the clock hanging on the wall, Katie noticed the time was 10:06 AM""three hours before the wedding commences. They needed to get to the ceremony a bit early for Caroline had selected them to hand out white & pink roses to the female guests attending. Lila stepped her petite white stocking feet into a pair of white pumps with two-inch heels and a small decorative bow. "Katie ... I've been thinking ... " "What?" she asked not knowing if she wanted to hear what was coming next. "Why don't we check out that address ourselves?" "Hello ... it's down in Tampa; we won't be able to make it back to the ceremony in time." "I thought of that too, but Tampa is only like forty minutes from here and just a twenty-minute drive to Clearwater by highway," Lila responded confidently, "plenty of time to still make it for the wedding, and besides, this is for Aunt Caroline." Katie stood there and thought for a moment""we do have enough free time on our hands to check this lead out quickly ... "You're forgetting one thing though ... how're we gonna get down there?" "You have your driver's license now, just borrow your dad's rental car," Lila suggested plainly. Katie laughed out loud at hearing that one, "Yeah right ... like he'll just let me take it out on a little joyride." "I didn't say to ask him ... " Lila said purposely with one eyebrow raised slightly ... CHAPTER NINE Katie drove the black Lincoln Town Car very cautiously as if her life depended on it""which it did. Lila printed out directions from Mapquest and guided Katie carefully through the residential streets of Tampa. To ensure that their fathers would be out of the house so that they can take the car, Lila sabotaged her Uncle Charles' tuxedo pants so that they would rip at the posterior, which would force them to go back to the rental shop for a replacement pair. With just having Karen and Aunt Susan remaining at the house, Katie was able to convince them that Aunt Caroline had called and wanted her and Lila to pick up the roses at the florist for the ceremony and bring them to the resort. "That's the road up ahead on your right," Lila said pointing in that direction. Katie turned the car slowly onto Farm Hill Road, which their destination was located at. Parking the car near house number 182, Katie turned off the engine. "Well, we're here ... " Katie said noticing the nice, quiet neighborhood they were at. "Remember, let me do the talking," she reminded Lila firmly. Both girls stepped out of the vehicle and walked casually over to the modest-sized two-story white house. Stopping at the front door, Lila rang the doorbell. A moment later, it opened revealing a small, grey haired woman that appeared to be in her late 50s to early 60s""Katie deduced that this had to be Abigail Conner. She looked at the two well-dressed girls standing there very carefully through the screen door. "I'm not interested in whatever Word of God you're selling," she said brusquely, figuring that they were probably Jehovah Witnesses or something like that. She was about to close the door on them when Katie stopped her, "No, please ... we're not selling anything. We just came here to talk with you." "What about?" she asked rather harshly. Katie could tell that this woman doesn't like visitors very much. "Well, I ... " she began to speak, but suddenly realized she didn't know quite what to say that wouldn't make this woman shut the door in their faces again. "Could I please use your bathroom? ... I really need to go ... " Lila spoke up quickly with doleful eyes, pretending she needed to relieve herself. The woman paused for a moment, then opened the screen door allowing them to enter. Walking into the living room, she gestured toward the stairs, "The bathroom is upstairs to your left." "Thank you so much," Lila replied urgently and quickly trotted upstairs. Katie was amazed at Lila's quick thinking for she got them inside sure enough. Looking around the sparsely decorated house, Katie noticed that the television was on, broadcasting some kind of morning talk show. "So what did you want to talk about? ... " she suddenly asked Katie again. As Lila reached the top of the steps, she turned left, but instead of heading to the bathroom, she continued further down the hallway. She was glad that the flooring was carpeted, which kept her footsteps very quiet for she didn't want to alert the lady of the house that she was snooping around. Peering through a door, Lila saw that it was most likely the master bedroom. Seeing nothing of interest in the scantily adorned room, she turned to another door at the opposite side of the hall, and stepped quietly inside ... It was another bedroom, which had a twin bed in it, and judging by the décor, a male lived here""perhaps her son. Lila spotted some papers lying on the small desk situated there, and a closer inspection of it revealed it to be flight information. American Airlines ... Tampa Int'l Airport ... Flight 365 with today's date ... Philip Barstow ... She read the printed name again ... Philip Barstow? That's Aunt Caroline's co-worker who's filling in as the photographer ... Lila was beginning to suspect that something was not right here when she turned around and gasped at what she saw at the other end of the room ... A large cork board was mounted on a wall, and covered all over it were various photos of Caroline, most of which seemed to be taken without her knowledge. Lila stepped closer at the makeshift shrine when she came to the realization that Philip was in fact the stalker ... and he's at the wedding! "I see that you found my son's soul mate ... " a voice suddenly spoke from behind. Lila twirled around instantly to see Abigail standing there holding up a large kitchen knife in one hand, and right next to her held by the hair with the other hand, was Katie with her arms tied securely behind her back and packing tape wrapped firmly over her mouth! CHAPTER TEN Lila sat on the soft, carpeted floor of the bedroom as Abigail finished wrapping brown packing tape around her white stocking ankles. Her back was pressed firmly against Katie's as the two snoops were bound tightly to each other back-to-back. Lila tried using her tongue in an effort to remove the tape that was wound securely over her mouth and around her head, but that packing tape was just too sticky to open up her sealed lips. "Of all the things that could possibly go wrong with this plan, never in a million years would I've expected to be subduing a couple of teenage girls," Abigail said roughly as she got up from tying up Lila. Katie's green eyes bulged out at what their captor just said. Plan ... what plan? ... "Judging by the fancy dresses you're both wearing this early on a Saturday, it looks to me that you're going to a wedding." Lila just looked at this cruel woman with contempt in her blue eyes. "You wouldn't by any chance be attending that wedding my son is working at, huh?" The crazy woman started chuckling softly at the expense of her two captives sitting there silently. Katie cursed at herself for turning her back to that woman when she was downstairs. After she had told her about those prank calls originating from here, she was seized from behind as a hand clamped over her mouth and a knife pressed to her throat. And now with Lila taken prisoner, there was no hope of any rescue as nobody knows they were even here. Just then, the sound of a door opening and closing was heard coming from the main floor. A few moments later, Philip Barstow entered the room, carrying a large rolled-up wool blanket over his shoulder. He was taken aback at the unexpected sight of the two cute captives sitting meekly on the floor. "What the hell is this? ... " he asked flabbergasted. He then quickly recognized Lila, and smirked at her, "I have someone here who would very much like to see you ... " He gently placed the blanket down on the floor and unrolled it revealing a very frightened Caroline in her wedding dress""bound and gagged with duct tape! The three imprisoned females looked at one another with panicked expressions at the direness of their situation. "Why is she here?" Philip asked in reference of Lila to his mother. "She managed to trace those stupid calls you had to make as you wanted to play stalker!" Abigail shot back harshly. "I told you that would be risky ... we're just lucky they didn't bring the police with them!" "It's okay, mother ... " Philip spoke in a calming voice, " ... we still got away with it. We'll just have to dispose of them before we make our getaway." Lila peeped through her tape gag at hearing his dreadful words. "Mmmmm ... mmmmmm ... " Caroline struggled desperately in her bound state, trying to plead with Philip into letting them go. Philip dragged over a large brown trunk from a corner of the room. He opened it, then scooped up Caroline writhing in his arms. "Now, to have my beloved ready for our trip so that we can spend the rest of our lives together far away from here." He lowered a panic-stricken Caroline into the trunk as Katie and Lila began crying at seeing their aunt being taken away from everything she holds dear""it was a fate worse than death. Once she was securely inside, Philip closed the trunk lid, locking it in place. Katie could see small air holes positioned around the center of the trunk for Caroline to breathe through. Her muffled wails for help can barely be heard through the heavy trunk. "So, what do we do with these two now?" Abigail asked as Lila and Katie kept on weeping for their aunt. "Burn the house down ... with them in it ... " he replied coldly. CHAPTER ELEVEN Brian was driving his blue Nissan Sentra like he was on the NASCAR circuit. Sitting next to him in the passenger side was Andrew Sherman, his Best Man, who clung onto his seat for dear life as the car weaved dangerously through traffic on Route 19. After Caroline told him about her stalker last night, Brian made some phone calls and had Joe Davila picked up to be detained until after the wedding, just in case. When he tried to call his fiancé a short while ago and received no answer on her cell phone, he panicked as he feared the worst. He didn't want to leave Caroline's sight for a minute before the wedding, but she wanted to keep the tradition of not seeing the bride before the ceremony, and besides, she felt safe now that she knew Joe was in police custody. Arriving at the Silver Springs Resort, Brian stopped the car right in front of the main entrance. Both tuxedo-clad men exited the vehicle, making a mad dash into the posh resort. Brian remembered which room the bridal party was getting dressed and headed straight over there with Andrew following close behind. Opening the double doors of the spacious room, he noticed to his dismay that it was empty. "Caroline!" he yelled out loud only to receive no answer back. Brian tried his best at keeping himself together for he was very good at maintaining a cool head under moments of stress, but this situation was far different from anything he ever experienced before. "Caroline!" he shouted again fearfully. "Brian, wait ... I think I hear something," Andrew said while listening carefully. Faint noises were coming from the direction of a door at the far corner of the room, and Brian rushed over there. Opening it, he and Andrew both gasped at the shocking sight of Caroline's three bridesmaids sitting on the floor of a closet, tied up and gagged with duct tape. Brian bent down on one knee and reached over to Caroline's Maid of Honor, Elizabeth McMillan, and gently peeled the sticky tape her from trembling lips. She spat out the piece of cloth that was stuffed in her mouth and coughed a bit. "He took her!" she yelled out. "Who did? ... " Brian asked with panic in his brown eyes. "The photographer ... " she replied between sobs, " ... he came by to start taking pictures when he pulled out a gun and tied us all up ... then he carried her out of here!" Andrew made his way inside to go about freeing the other two terrified women. "I'm so sorry ... " she said softly with tears running down her face. "It's not your fault, Elizabeth ... " Brian replied surprisingly calm despite the extreme anger he was going through right now for he felt that he should've done more to ensure Caroline's safety, even though he thought he had their man already. The thought of losing her forever was unbearable to take. * * * It's been roughly ten minutes since she heard them leave and already Katie can feel the floor beginning to heat up from the fire that was quickly spreading downstairs. If they didn't get free of this tape really soon, after struggling to release themselves of it, they will perish in this house for certain. "Hhhmmm ... mmmmmmm ... " Katie mumbled over to get Lila's attention as she kicked her shoes off by rubbing her heels together to undo the strap. Lila quickly understood what she was attempting to do and kicked her pumps off as well, then lifted herself up along with Katie onto their bound stocking feet. Looking quickly around the modest-sized bedroom, Katie began to hop over towards the desk with Lila assisting. Arriving there, Katie just managed to move her bound hands over to the small drawer and opened it""inside she spotted a letter opener! Grasping it with the use of her fingers, she carefully positioned the pointed end to the tape that held her wrists together. Even though the tape was strong enough to bind them securely, it seemed flimsy when using a sharp object to it. "Mmmmmmmm!" Lila murmured worriedly as she saw smoke creeping in through the bottom of the door. The sound of the raging fire can be heard like it was just right outside the room! Katie couldn't tell from her vantage point if she was having any success with cutting her binds so she kept at it with a feverish pace. Just then, she felt her wrists separating and pulled them apart, breaking the tape off! Without a moment to spare, she used the letter opener to cut the remaining stripes of tape from her torso, waist, knees, and ankles, then quickly went about freeing Lila. Katie tried to remove the tape from her mouth, but proved awfully difficult to get off so she left it on for the time being. Once Lila was free of her bonds, she worked intently at getting her gag off, while Katie went to the door and touched it. It felt hot, which meant they weren't getting out through there. Lila managed to just pull the sticky tape from her lips, and began coughing as the bedroom was quickly filling up with dense smoke. Katie hurried over to the lone window and opened it. Lila rushed alongside of her taking in a breath of fresh air into her choked lungs. "Here, let me help you with that ... " Lila said and assisted Katie with her gag as she managed to grasp the end strip of the tape, and unwound it off completely. "Thanks ... " she said, breathing in deeply as well. "I didn't know what would suffocate me first, the smoke or that gag." Lila spotted an elderly woman walking her dog in the distance. "Help us! We're trapped in here!" she screamed out to her. Katie went back to where their shoes were and grabbed them. Tossing them out the window, she sees a man rushing towards them with a ladder! In a flash, the top of the ladder perched itself squarely on the window sill, and Lila began climbing it down while Katie remained where she was for she needed to wait her turn. Turning her head back in the room, she could now see flames begin shooting up from the bottom of the door as the fire was getting ever so closer ... After Lila was off the ladder, Katie began descending as quickly as she could without falling off. Just as she reached the ground, the bedroom window suddenly exploded in a shower of smoke and debris for the fire came into contact with the oxygen inside the room causing a backdraft. "That was too close ... " she said softly while Lila hugged her, thankful that they were still alive. "Are there anymore people inside?" the man with the ladder asked urgently. "No ... just the two of us," Katie responded to him. "And thank you for saving us." "What happened?" the woman that was walking her dog asked immediately. "The people that live here intentionally set the fire," Lila replied. "But why? ... " the woman asked aghast for she knew Abigail fairly well. More neighbors began showing up watching in shock as the two-story house was now completely engulfed in flames. The wailing sounds of fire trucks approached in the distance. "We better make a quick exit before the authorities detain us for questioning," Lila said softly for they still needed to save Caroline before she was gone forever. Taking their shoes, the two cousins discreetly made their way over to their parked car. Sitting inside after leaving the doors unlocked, Katie had a stunned look on her grimy face. "Oh, shoot! ... I left my purse back in that house. I don't have the keys, or my license!" Lila grinned as she opened her small purse, which she left behind in the cup holder, and pulled out a car key. "I took the liberty of taking the spare ... just in case." "Lila, I could kiss you right now!" Katie beamed and started up the engine. "Let's just pray we're not too late ... " and they drove off just as the fire trucks arrived. CHAPTER TWELVE The entire Spencer and Rowe families were assembled at the resort totally distraught over the heart wrenching news of Caroline's shocking abduction. The Clearwater police were busy on the case trying their best in locating her quickly. And as an added anguish, Katie and Lila were nowhere to be found for they weren't answering their cell phones. Charles was thinking that Katie might have found out about his sister's kidnapping and was out there somewhere looking for her with young Lila in tow. Bruce seemed to suspect the same thing with his daughter, and the two brothers quietly comforted each other, hoping that their girls were alright during this very difficult time. Suddenly, Susan's cell phone began to ring. Looking at the caller ID, she saw that it was Lila! "Honey, are you alright?" she said trying hard not to cry. Everyone converged around Susan listening for any news that could hopefully bring Caroline back home safe. "I'm okay, Mom ... and so is Katie. I'm sorry for not calling you earlier, but we ran into some ... trouble." "Katie is with her, and she's alright too," Susan announced happily to the family. Karen held Charles' hand tightly, thanking God that their daughter was safe. "Where are you?" she asked her impetuous daughter. "Your Aunt Caroline has been kidnapped here at the resort." "We know, Mom ... Katie and I are heading for the airport to save her." "Airport? ... " Susan asked all confused, which caused a stir from the people gathered around, " ... what do you mean?" "Philip is taking Aunt Caroline to Tampa International to fly off somewhere with her ... he's insane, Mom!" Brian heard that as he was leaning very close to Susan's ear. "Lila, you listen to me, I want you and Katie back here right now, let the police handle it," she spoke with her firm maternal voice, which Lila usually complies to. "There's no time for they could be ... " "Lila ... are you there?" Susan asked frantically, but heard no response as the line was now dead. She dialed her number, but got just her voice mailbox instead. Brian, Charles, Bruce, and Andrew all started leaving. "Tell the police what Lila just told you, and keep trying to reach her," Bruce said to his wife. "Where are you all going?" she asked him. "To get my sister back ... " he responded determinedly. * * * "Great, the battery just died on me ... " Lila said agitated, putting the phone back in her purse. "At least they know we're alright for they have enough to worry about now," Katie responded as she tried her best to maintain the speed limit for she was driving without a license, and the last thing they needed right now was a cop pulling them over for speeding. "What would drive a person to act so ... erratically for someone, especially when it's not shared?" Lila spoke with puzzlement in regards to Philip's insane behavior towards her aunt. "I still don't know ... " Katie trailed off as she conjured up that dreadful night last year when she and Stacey were held captive by another psycho stalker ... "I think it would be safe to say that Aunt Caroline's photographer didn't get sick on his own," Lila surmised, for Philip being a photographer as well; found the perfect chance to get close enough to Caroline at her own wedding so he can snatch her. "The world can be a frightening place for at almost every turn there's someone who's out to hurt you for no apparent reason ... " Katie spoke forebodingly, which made Lila a bit uneasy but knew that she was right. "There's the exit ramp for the airport," Lila suddenly spoke up. Katie eased the car off the highway as she was glad to be back on the local roads. She followed the signs for short-term parking, and soon after pulled the car into one of the numerous spots of the massive parking lot. "I should've brought a more comfortable pair of shoes with me before leaving your house," Katie grumbled outside the car as she placed her high heels back on her feet for shoes were required in public places. "If you still had your purse, you could buy some sneakers in one of the shops here at the airport," Lila said usefully, but didn't help with Katie's footwear dilemma at all ... she just liked giving her older cousin a hard time. "You still remember the flight information?" Katie asked as they made their way over to the entrance. "Yes ... but I didn't see a departure time, so with any luck they arrived here well before the boarding call," Lila replied hopefully. "Or maybe not, for if they came here shortly before the flight on purpose, they might be able to bypass security for their checked bags," Katie said as she was figuring out at how Philip would successfully smuggle a captive person on board the plane. Stepping into the spacious lobby, they quickly found a display screen showing a list of flight departures. Lila carefully scanned through them and found the correct one""it was leaving for Buenos Aires ... in just thirty minutes! The status read: boarding. "I think we're too late!" Lila exclaimed fearfully. Seeing the gate number, Katie grabbed Lila's hand, "It's not over yet ... " CHAPTER THIRTEEN Running to the gate as fast as her stiletto heels would allow her, Katie realized that they won't make it in time for it was located way at the other end of the airport! Lila seemed to be having no problems at all with running in her pumps, if they had shared the same size Katie would insist that they swap shoes. Katie stopped for moment and sat on one of the numerous chairs dispersed around the airport. "This is no time for a rest!" Lila exclaimed heatedly. Taking off her shoes, Katie massaged her aching feet. "There's no way to stop them before they leave for they're most likely on the plane now," she said dismally, then her green eyes lit up. "But we don't need to stop them, we just have to prevent that plane from taking off." "How? ... " Lila asked, " ... tell them there's a woman being held captive among the checked luggage? They'd never believe us." "Well, we got to think of something besides making a bomb threat, for I do not want to spend the next year of my life in a jail cell." Standing back up, Katie didn't bother putting her shoes back on as she walked over, with Lila trailing, to the nearest ticket counter that was empty of people in line. The lone man standing behind the counter noticed the two fancy-dressed girls approaching. "Excuse me ... " he spoke to Katie, "but I'm afraid that shoes need to be worn at all times." Katie narrowed her eyes as she gave him a seething look that could make a man's heart stop beating. "My feet are killing me ... Let's see how long you would last wearing high heels!" The ticket clerk gulped as he gave an irate Katie a nervous look. "I-I'm sorry, miss ... but I don't make up the rules. One of the shops here sells some sneakers, why don't you ... " Katie gave him another nasty glare. "Okay then ... " he said wanting to change the subject, " ... how may I help you?" Calming down, Katie spoke, "I need for flight 365 to Buenos Aires not to take off." He looked at Katie puzzled, not expecting to hear that kind of request. "I'm sorry ... you want me to stop the flight?" Katie nodded affirmatively. "May I ask why?" he asked carefully. Katie exhaled realizing that the truth wouldn't hurt to tell since she really couldn't think of anything else to say. "I know this may sound totally crazy, but my aunt has been kidnapped at her wedding by some stalker who worships her, and he has her stuffed in a trunk that's being loaded on that plane as we speak." The clerk looked at her carefully, then began to chuckle at what he just heard. "Wow ... that's some story. I've heard some good ones before, but yours reads like something out of a crime novel." She looked at him dejectedly figuring that he was not going to be of any help now. "Now if you'll please stop wasting anymore of my time, I've got some work to do." "Please, you have to believe me!" Katie yelled back as she began to lose her temper, which was rare for her, but under the circumstances ... "Lila, help me out here," she said and turned to where her cousin stood only to find no one there. "Lila? ... " she called out. * * * Lila crawled through the narrow passageway where luggage being checked was sent through. While Katie and that man were verbally duking it out, she quietly slipped by them for if Katie couldn't stop the flight from taking off, then she was going to have to try and rescue Caroline herself. Coming out at the other end, Lila was astonished at the sight before her ... Numerous conveyor belts with all sorts of baggage filled the immense room she now stood in. Great ... now how am I gonna find her? ... Making her way cautiously through, she spotted two men walking close by. Lila took off her shoes and quietly hid behind a large steel post for she didn't want to get caught for trespassing and thus ruin the one chance at getting Aunt Caroline back. Once the coast was clear, she headed for one of the conveyors moving at ground level and hopped on. As the belt she was on began to elevate, Lila got a much better view of the entire room. She looked frantically all around her trying to locate that large trunk, hoping that it wasn't already on the plane, for it would surely stand out despite the abundant array of bags and suitcases present. Then, at the corner of her eye""she spotted it! However, it was riding on a conveyor at the far end of the room, heading in the opposite direction. Lila noticed another conveyor just below her traveling in the direction where she needed to go. Standing up carefully, she timed it just right and jumped off landing squarely on it. She kept her eye on the trunk as she moved closer to that conveyor. But to get to it, Lila figured that she would need to make two more conveyor jumps; one moving upward on an angle, and another just below that which would then get right alongside her target. After successfully making both leaps, one of which she almost missed, Lila hopped over to the right one. She then began moving past pieces of luggage""some of which knocking over in the process""in a frantic effort to reach that trunk before it disappeared from her view. "You up there, stop!" a voice yelled out and Lila realized that the fallen luggage must've alerted him to her presence. The entire conveyor system suddenly stopped as that man had shut everything down. Lila continued with her effort at reaching the trunk. She could hear more men below rushing over to where she was. It was now a race to see if she could reach the trunk before getting caught. No longer caring about moving around the bags anymore, Lila just started hauling all of them over to the side. "I said stop!" the man yelled closer now and Lila turned seeing him on the conveyor running right towards her! She was about fifteen away from the trunk when she was grabbed from behind and tackled onto the rubber surface of the belt. "Please, I'm trying to save my aunt!" Lila pleaded desperately to him. "She's in that trunk right in front of you!" "Sure there's someone in there, now come on Miss for you're in a lot of trouble right now." As she stood back up, Lila quickly spun around, kneeing the man right in the groin as she caught him by surprise. He fell onto his knees in extreme pain as she ran past him finally reaching the trunk! She quickly unclasped the four latches and opened the lid, seeing the terrified face of Aunt Caroline bathed in sweat. Lila gently removed the tape and dislodged the cloth that was stuffed in her mouth. Caroline cried out so loud that everyone in the room heard her ... CHAPTER FOURTEEN "It's now time for you single ladies to get here on the dance floor as it's time to throw the bouquet," the DJ announced through his microphone. A dozen women got up off their seats and grouped together at one end of the dance floor, while Caroline positioned herself at the other end. Katie stood up front and noticed Lila coming over next to her. "What are you doing here?" she asked her younger cousin. "I know I'm only thirteen, but I still could get married someday," Lila replied in her defense. "And look who's talking, Miss seventeen-year-old ... " After Caroline was rescued, the airport officials immediately grounded the plane and had taken Philip and Abigail into custody for the Clearwater police to come and arrest them. They were both soon charged with kidnapping, arson, and attempted murder. Despite the horrific ordeal Caroline went through, she still wanted to get married today more than ever for she almost lost her beloved and didn't want to wait a minute more at being his wife. Susan knew a friend whose husband was an amateur photographer""but took great photos""and arranged it at the last possible minute for him to take the pictures at the wedding. Even though the police wanted Caroline around for questioning, Brian""being a very influential man""set it up for her to be available after the Honeymoon for she needed to be with her new husband right now. Katie and Lila will be spending part of their day tomorrow at the Tampa police station, however, answering questions. Caroline was still shocked that Philip, someone she knew for several years, would be capable of doing all those atrocious things he did today for he always seemed so nice and polite, in a shy sort of way. "Before I throw this ... " Caroline spoke up to the crowd of family and friends gathered around, "I just want to extend my heartfelt appreciation to my two special nieces ... " her green eyes began to tear up. "Lila ... Katie ... thank you so much for what you did today ... " Everyone began to sob in the room, even the DJ sniffled a little. " ... you've given Brian and me a second chance, and we will be forever grateful for that ... " Katie and Lila rushed over in tears, hugging their aunt lovingly. The whole room began clapping in a thunderous applause. "Thank you to the bride for that heartwarming speech," the DJ said as he regained his composure. "And now it's time to throw that bouquet ... Ladies, are you ready?" They nodded in jumping anticipation. Caroline turned her back to them and tossed the beautiful arrangement of white, pink, and lilac roses high up near the ceiling, sailing down towards the multitude of outstretched arms. It landed squarely into Katie's hands, who was the only one that didn't reach out to grab it. She looked completely surprised that she actually caught it. "Okay, let's here it for the next girl to get married!" the DJ announced happily, and everyone applauded again. "I better text Stacey, tell her she has a wedding to plan," Lila quipped as she clapped along. Katie just stood there with a forced smile on her face, wondering what Jake will say when he finds out about this ...