The Unconventional Detective

Chapter 12

A few hundred miles away, Craig had gone very pale. He and John and Harv were sitting in the hostage negotiators van outside the gates of the house, and watching the news.

"No, Tracy, no," he whispered in agony, "not you too."

"I think I'm going to be sick," John said and jumped out of the van and to the bushes. He was devastated. First, his dad was kidnapped, and then he finds out his cousin is burned up in her house. It was a very bad day.

Craig climbed out after him and patted his shoulder. "I am sorry John."

"I am too," he whispered. "How did this happen? They must have caught her by surprise."

"Obviously, because they found ropes tied to the bed as if she had been tied down."

John shook his head in agony. "Craig, that was my cousin, why?" he cried.

Craig patted him awkwardly. "I don't know John. But what matters now is that we get your dad out safe and sound. I can't believe it was Roger this whole time. He had us all fooled."

"Yes, even Tracy, and that is probably why she is dead."

"She promised me she would come back home," Craig whispered.

"Maybe that isn't her body," John said hopefully.

"They won't really know for a few days," Craig said. "I will call and hurry up the process so we can find out."

"Thanks, Craig, and I am sorry. I know how much you liked her."

"Yes, we had a thing for each other," he sighed. "I will really miss her."

"Me too," John said and headed back to the van.

Craig felt like the whole thing was his fault. He had left the doctor alone while he had taken Tracy to the airport, thinking that the doc would be safe with Roger. He had been very wrong. Roger had taken the opportunity to kidnap the doctor and incapacitate the officers that were on duty. He had been holed up inside for the last twenty-four hours with the doctor, only demanding food. Craig wanted desperately to know what was going on, and he knew they needed an expert who could wire the cameras who could see inside. But the only ones he knew of were dead, like Tracy, or a kidnapper, like Roger.

He sighed as he climbed back in the van. So far there had not been any ransom, so they sat there and hoped that Roger would talk to them.

In the house, Tracy's uncle had tears on his cheeks. He was sitting in front of a piece of metal, that Roger was making him work on. "Why did you have her killed?" he asked, feeling crushed. Roger had just shown him the news.

"She had to die, she was a terrible nuisance," Roger told him.

"But you liked her."

"No, I didn't. She was always in the spotlight. Tracy did this, Tracy did that, and when the Chief gave her the job that I wanted? That was it. But I have to admit that girl was hard to kill. First I tried pushing her out the window, but that didn't work. She was tied to that rope too well," he grinned evilly.

"You did push her on purpose."

"Of course I did, do you think I am that jumpy? I'm not, and I would have untied her and let her fall if Craig hadn't been there to interfere."

"You are insane," Scott hissed to his captor.

"No, I'm a genius. No one knew what I was capable of, it's too bad that your other piece of equipment made it safely to the government. That is why I am having you build another one, a better one. Now get to work, I have a deadline."