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Alex stood by her door for several minutes after Tracy and Andy left. Was she doing the right thing? Or was she endangering Tracy and everyone else?
Finally, she picked up the tray at her feet and carried it to the table. She removed the top and found a beautifully baked chicken breast with some kind of seasoning, mashed potatoes, fresh green beans, two bottles of water, the cup of tea, and a bowl with what looked like chocolate pudding. She stared at it all a minute, then got up and opened the upper panel in her door. All three women responded when she called out into the hallway.
“I have more questions,” Alex said. “When you went on your dates, did he cook for you?”
“Yeah,” Merrie said.
“Was it like the meals we get in here?”
“No,” Amy said. “It was just hot dogs and fries. And then there was cotton candy and popcorn. And soda.”
“Why do you want to know?” Marla asked.
“I’m just trying to profile this guy. He’s a really good cook. But on the dates he falls back on the kind of food you’d find at an amusement park or carnival. Those things don’t go together very well, do they?”
“No, but he said he thought simple food was appropriate for the park,” Amy said. She hesitated a moment. “You know, now that you bring it up, I don’t think the food was his choice.”
So maybe Andy made the decision?
“And he never gave you his name?”
The women all said no.
“I asked,” Amy said, “but he told me it didn’t matter, and I didn’t want to push it.”
“Was Andy ever around during your date?”
“No,” Merrie said. “Andy took me to the patio and told me to wait. He never came back. The dark-haired guy came for me then. He called Andy once, though. At least I assume it was Andy. The small train that runs around the perimeter of the park was out of gas. He apologized to me, then told Andy to fix it.”
“And none of you asked him to let you go?”
“I did,” Marla said. “But he told me not to talk about that or everyone would be punished. He seemed to feel bad about it, though. It was almost like he was trying to protect me. I know that sounds nuts, but that was my impression at the time.”
Alex digested that for a moment. “Okay. Can you remember anything else ... unusual?”
“One thing,” Amy said. “When we rode on the Ferris wheel, he wouldn’t sit close to me. Kept some distance between us. In fact, it was that way the entire evening. I was afraid this whole date thing was a setup for rape, so I was watching him closely. But it was like he didn’t want to touch me. I found that weird.”
“Okay, thanks. Any of you who pray, please pray for me. I’ll probably only get one chance at this. It has to go right.”
“Hey, I’m not a praying person,” Amy said, “but in this situation, I’d be happy to. I ... I just want to get home to my family.”
“We all do,” Merrie said. “I’ll pray for you. Haven’t done that since I was eleven, but since I’ve been here, my prayer life has certainly expanded.”
“Same for me,” Marla added.
Alex smiled. At least something good was coming out of this. “Hey, thanks,” she said. “I don’t intend to drink my tea until Tracy gets back. I want to hear what happened.”
“But what if Andy notices?” Amy said. “I don’t want you to make him angry while Tracy’s out there with the other one.”
“Even though he seems solicitous toward us,” Marla said, “it could be an act. It’s not worth putting Tracy in danger.”
Alex sighed. “I’ll think about it. But in the meantime, don’t worry. Our days here are limited. We’ll be rescued.”
“I hope you’re right,” Amy said. “I don’t know how much longer we can take this.”
Within a few minutes the French doors swung open, and the man who’d abducted Tracy in the park walked out. Anger flared inside her, and she wanted to hurt him, but she knew the women downstairs were counting on her. She took a quick breath and pushed down the rage burning in her chest.
