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“She wasn’t there,” Rosa Martinez said, standing. “I was one of the women, but Isabella wasn’t with us.”
“And no one remembers seeing her?”
Just then the station manager from the depot came running. He held a woman’s straw hat in his hand. There was a piece of paper pinned to the band. “I just found this at the train station.” He waved the hat. “There’s a note addressed to you pinned to the hat.”
Daniel motioned for him to come up and bring the hat.
Helena snatched it from the station manager’s hands. “This is Isabella’s hat.”
A heavy feeling settled over Aaron. “What does the note say?”
Daniel unpinned and unfolded the paper. He looked up at Aaron, a look of horror on his face. “They’ve taken her.”
“Who? Who has taken her?”
Daniel handed him the note. Aaron scanned it quickly and read it aloud. “‘We have Miss Garcia. Leave $100,000 in the rocks by the Garrison’s Chute tonight, and we’ll return her tomorrow.’” Aaron looked at Daniel. “Who could have done this? Do you have any enemies?”
Daniel shook his head. “Only one person comes to mind.”
Aaron nodded. “Diego Morales.”
Isabella had no idea what was happening except that she had been taken from the party and then thrown facedown over a horse. Every step was jarring and painful. She wasn’t able to breathe very well because someone had tied something around her mouth over the sack they’d put on her head. She tried her best to fill her lungs, but it was nearlyimpossible. More than once she moaned, hoping her captor would take pity on her, but no one ever did.
Finally, she fell silent in order to better pay attention to the situation. They were moving at a fast clip, and there was the clear sound of another horse beside them. Whether or not it had a rider, she was unsure.
She tried to figure out how long they’d been riding, but the pain made it seem like hours, and she couldn’t be sure. After what seemed like forever, they slowed and began an upward trek. They were clearly climbing into the mountains, but she had no idea where they were.
The sack over her head was thick enough that she couldn’t see through it, but not so thick that she couldn’t tell it was now completely dark. The light had already been fading when the man snatched her away from Silver Veil, and that had been around suppertime.
Isabella tried to think, but the lack of air was making her dizzy. What if she passed out? She fought against that, doing her best to take deep breaths whenever she could. What had happened? Was this a joke? This entire situation was so outrageous. It left her in a state of shock, and that alone made thinking difficult.
Who would want to steal her from the party? She thought of Aaron, but he’d never pull a prank like this. No, this was clearly someone who had bad motives—but what? She tried not to think of all the ugly things that could happen.
The horse misstepped, and Isabella felt herself falling. She was sure she would hit the ground, but the man on the horse grabbed her by the waistband of her skirt and pulled her back across the saddle. She cried out as she hit hard against the saddle horn, hard enough that she might have broken a rib.
They rested two different times, with the man dragging Isabella off the horse to sit on the cold ground. She was sograteful for the change that she wasn’t about to protest. Not that she could. She listened carefully, hearing two people whisper to each other. She presumed from the sounds that it was two men. No doubt they were discussing the situation. Before her muscles could even fully relax, the trio was back on the road. This time the pace was much slower.
Isabella began to pray. She chided herself for not having done that first thing, but in her defense, this was new to her. She’d only reinvested her trust in God over the last month or so. She was certain, however, that God understood.
I don’t know what’s happened here, Lord, but I sure need your help. Please keep me safe and unharmed. Well, no more harmed than I already am.
She paused. It was hard to pay attention to her surroundings as well as pray. Still, there was really nothing to see or hear. Nothing had changed in some time. They were climbing. It was cold. And she had no idea who had taken her hostage.
Please, God, don’t let my mother and father worry too much. This might rob Papi of the little strength he has. Please help him. I know Aaron will be looking for me, so maybe just help him and whoever else he might get to look for me. The people really don’t know or care for me as they do my parents. I didn’t give them any reason to, and for that I’m sorry.
I’m actually sorry for so much, Lord. Please forgive me and help me.
Daniel Garcia briefly mentioned to the people what the situation was before nearly everyone in the audience volunteered to look for Isabella. Groups of women with theirchildren in tow went from house to house, checking inside and out. They went together, figuring there was safety in numbers, while their men gathered at the Garcia house to form search groups and make a plan.
Aaron formed a group of searchers on horseback. Daniel suggested they use the Garcia horses. They were shod and would probably have better traction and distance capabilities. Within an hour of finding the note, Aaron was organizing the search while Daniel and the sheriff tried to figure out what to do.
“The drop for the money is in the middle of nowhere. You can see folks coming and going from a long way,” the sheriff said. “Except on the back side coming in from the east. I could slip in there around the rocks and wait for them to come for the pickup.”
“Someone might be watching, though,” Daniel said from his bed, fearful that it could cost his daughter her life.
“Daniel, you know me,” Zed Jones replied. “When I want to, I can be downright invisible.”
“It’s true,” one of the other men said. “He’ll never be seen.”
