Voices From Within (Book 2)

Chapter Thirteen

"Last night, Kaiser's barking roused my husband, Clyde, out of our slumber about midnight. There was a man in the carriage house trying to harness his horse to a carriage."

"Who was it?"

"He didn't say. The man told him it was for Senator Randolph."

"Did Kaiser growl at him?"

"Oh, Kaiser raised such a fuss."

"How did he get out?"

"When Clyde opened the door for the carriage, Kaiser shot out of the stable and ran into darkness."

"I'll bet Kaiser followed her."

"Did the carriage come back?" asked his father.

"Yes, but the horse had been bitten by the neck and was bleeding. The carriage was left outside the carriage house, and Clyde found it tied to the hitching post this morning."

"You don't suppose that he took her out to Ivan's place, knowing the place would be empty?" asked Reggie as he thought out loud.

"That would be my first guess," said Gordon.

"Let's get Sheriff Davis and arrest that bastard for murder and kidnapping."

"Slow down. One step at a time," said his father.

"Marge, you need to send a servant boy to get Sheriff Davis," said Reggie, as he handed her a silver coin to give to the messenger. "Tell Clyde to saddle my horse and bring it around the front of the hotel. Once Mr. Albright is locked up, I'm leaving for Ivan's place to find Charlotte."

"Have Clyde meet us in the dining room. He may have to identify the man who took the carriage last night," said Gordon.

Reggie grabbed the bloody pillowcase and stuffed the coat into the bag to give to the Sheriff. The men went into their rooms to gather their belongings, and Marge went down the back staircase to the carriage house.

* * *

The dining room was full of Senator Randolph's staff, and their luggage sat in the lobby, waiting to be loaded. Several landowners were having breakfast before hitting the road to their estates. The Thanturnam men went into the dining room to wait. The waitress brought their coffee to their table.

Reggie saw Tristan and his steel-black eyes narrowed in on him, not wanting to him to leave his sight, in case he tried to run. Tristan met Reggie's stare, and the disheveled aide looked away as his body reacted with nervousness. He grabbed his coffee cup with his left hand, downed the cup, and asked for a refill.

The hotel clerk appeared at their table and handed Gordon a letter.

"Sir, this message was left for you at the desk. I found it this morning," said the clerk.

"Thank you," said Gordon.

He quickly opened the letter and read the message. Needed at the estate. Come home and bring Reggie. I need help right away. Gordon handed Reggie the letter and his eyes opened wide.

"Read again and tell me what is missing," said his father.

Reggie looked at the message and then he realized the error. "The code word is missing."

"That's right. Whoever kidnapped Miss Randolph wants us out of here."

Their family code word was "Drake", meaning 'drop everything and come.' It was a code word used by Gordon's father whenever help was needed. Reggie's grandfather always feared for the safety of messages, and he insisted all messages sent include the code word "Drake" to let the recipient know it was legitimate.