She did. “Where’s my sister?”
The voice was distorted, gravelly. “I told you no cops. I need you to bring money. Your sister’s safe… for now.”
Astrid glanced at Jake, who was listening intently as he drove down the highway. He mouthed ‘Ask him where.’
“Where are you?” she said, trying to keep the fear from her voice.
“Philadelphia.”
“How did you get there? I only just saw you in New York.”
The voice breathed heavily. “This isn’t Simon. Bring fifty-grand in cash and you can have your sister back.”
“Let me speak to her!”
“I’ll call again with more instructions…”
The line went dead. Astrid dropped her phone into her purse. “Can we trace that call?”
Jake nodded. “When we stop in Philadelphia I’ll contact my guy at the telecoms company. He should be able to help us.”
“So we’re driving to Philly right now?”
“Sure. And hopefully we’ll shake off Daniel there too. Soon as we cross the state line, he’s obligated to get the Feds involved, which I know he won’t because he hates them almost as much as he hates me.”
“Daniel hates the FBI?”
“He likes to keep all the glory himself, you know? He thinks the Feds take the hard work of local cops and make it look like their own.”
“Who cares – as long as the crimes get solved? Surely that’s the point of being a cop?”
Jake chuckled. “I know. It’s his small-minded ego that causes all his problems. And ours. We’ll ditch this car as soon as we can and find something more subtle. Just in case he puts out an ‘all-points’ alert on us.”
“I just want my sister back.”
“We’re going to get her back, Astrid. I promise you that.”
“What about the money? The guy just said he wants fifty grand.”
“You got fifty grand?”
“Of course not.”
“Then we can’t give it to him, can we?”
Astrid let this notion sink in – Jake planned to confront the kidnapper without the ransom. But there was something she was wondering about… “Do you really have the treasure map on you?”
“Sure. I carry it everywhere. Never let it out of my sight.”
“And you think the treasure’s still there?”
“I think so.”
“Well then let’s rescue my sister, find the loot, and head to Mexico!”
He laughed and squeezed her knee. “That’s what I like to hear. A great plan.”
They drove through the night. Astrid called her parents to let them know she was okay and warned them not to tell Daniel anything. Her dad said he wasn’t surprised Daniel was that corrupt – he’d never trusted him.