I wasn't terribly enthused about attending the political fundraiser the Campbells had organized at our country club, but my husband was out of town for the week and boredom combined with indolence tipped the scale in favor of having someone serve me canapΓ©s and wine rather than cobbling together a meal at home. Besides, Jenny Campbell was always a good soldier for me whenever I hosted my own charity events at the club, and it was a good excuse to wear the new Black Halo sheath dress I found at Nordstrom the week before.
The dress was a gray knit that really fit me well and I paired it with my black Louboutin pumps and 16-denier sheer Wolford tights. I put my hair up in a quick bun and surprised myself by being ready ahead of schedule. Since my route would pass right by the mall, I decided to stop by the jewelers where I had dropped off a watch to be repaired ages ago. I had been meaning to pick it up, but simply could never find the time and the text message reminders they sent me seemed to be getting a little snippy. Why not kill two birds with one stone and grab the watch on my way?
I turned on our security system and backed my silver BMW out of the garage before cranking up a Bruce Springsteen playlist on Spotify. I figured I'd be back within three hours at the most and would finish the evening by the pool. It would be nice to end the day alone for a change and I looked forward to the solitude.
As I pulled into the mall, I saw a group of mailboxes that reminded me I had my car registration renewal in my purse ready to post, so I parked in the stall closest to the outgoing mail slot. Over the stereo Bruce was reminding me I was born to run as I switched off the car and got out with my envelope. It was a glorious evening with violet and scarlet hues above the canopy of maple trees that were ubiquitous in this neighborhood.
I dropped the envelope through the slot and ordinarily would have driven to the mall entrance to complete my errand at the jewelry store. However, that morning I had bailed on my regular Pilates session and the notion of walking the short distance to the mall seemed fair penance. It was a quiet and warm evening and I saw two mall cops standing by their security van nearby, giving me all the reassurance I needed to navigate the almost empty parking lot solo.
As I approached the van, one of the young officers motioned to me with a friendly wave and said, "Ma'am, if you've got a second, could you help us out?" The sliding door of the van was open, and I could see the glow of a screen inside. When I got closer the young men explained they were looking for a little girl who had been last seen in the mall food court. They knew it was a longshot but thought it would be worth having me look at the girl's photo in case I saw her inside.
Of course, I was more than happy to help out. I pictured a frantic young mother going store-to-store knowing most of the establishments would be closing within the hour and I could only imagine the anxiety such a crisis would trigger. The two young security officers looked like freshly scrubbed college underclassmen and they impressed me as being sincerely worried about the missing girl. They both were nice looking fellows too. I idly speculated they would be heartthrobs for the high school girls prowling the mall when classes let out each afternoon.
The way they were so deferential and polite to me made me think of a phrase my mother used when I was growing up. She would refer to overly polite boys as "Eddies" after the name of a television character from the sixties who was a scoundrel hiding behind a well-mannered facade. She used to say, "Beth, don't fall for those Eddies out there!"
*Sigh* ... I should have listened more closely to my mother.
The two boys introduced themselves as Mac and Michael and thanked me profusely for cooperating. Officer Mac leaned into the van to activate the screen of an iPad that was mounted on a stand just inside the sill of the sliding door. He swiped through a series of photos while I stepped closer to get a good look. Just as I began to ask him some questions about the case everything went black. Some sort of rough material with a musty smell was pulled over my head and down to my hips. It was so unexpected and surreal I was frozen as equal measures of outrage, disbelief, and panic swept over me.
"Help! ... Help me!" I tried to shout. God, what was happening?
A palm was violently clapped over my mouth and one of the faux officers warned me to keep my fucking mouth shut. I felt myself pushed forward and unceremoniously lifted into the van. I dropped my purse and felt one of my shoes fall off during the proceedings and they maneuvered me into a sitting position on the carpeted floor of the van. I heard the door slam, and they pulled the bag off of me and immediately tied my arms behind my back with tight knots at the elbows and wrists.
I couldn't see much as my eyes had not had time to adjust to the dim windowless interior of the van. What felt like an enormous rubber ball was forced between my teeth and secured behind my neck with a strap. The way the two young men worked to restrain me with such casual efficiency and no talking suggested I was not the first woman to find herself tied up in this van.
I tried to keep myself calm so I could pay attention to any clues that might help identify the little bastards. I memorized their faces and noted Mac had a shoulder tattoo with a geometric design that was striking and quite identifiable while Michael had a stud earring through his left earlobe. I said a silent prayer that someday I would be pointing those items out in a police lineup.
They went through my purse and found my iPhone, bypassing the password by holding it up to my face. My stomach churned as I listened to them casually discussing me while they perused my photos and skimmed through emails and text messages. Until now I assumed this was a kidnapping for ransom given how elaborate and well-planned their subterfuge was, but their conversation indicated they didn't know me and were trolling for a suitable victim. I was just unlucky and foolish to walk into their trap.
Then my blood turned to ice when I overheard them referring to my being sold! More than once they referred to me as a trophy catch and I listened to them argue whether it would be smarter to take multiple bids for me or whether to curry favor with their best client by offering me to him through a private sale. I couldn't believe this was happening. I scolded myself for being so gullible and letting my guard down. Apparently, I'm so trusting a fake badge and smile was all it took to have me trussed up like a turkey ready for sale to the highest bidder.