"How would I know?"
"What are your plans for her?
"What makes you think I even know her?"
Hugo sighed. "Our cameras picked you up in Buddy's garage. If you know about Buddy you know about Wish List. If you know about Wish List you know about his connection to Jinny Kidwell. Early this morning we learned that Jinny Kidwell was missing from her trailer. That means someone snuck past ten highly-trained perimeter guards and removed her from the premises without making a sound, something no one on earth could have managed. Except you."
"You consider those guys highly-trained?"
"It's what I was led to believe. In any event, what are your plans with regard to Ms. Kidwell?"
"I'm going to exchange her for Buddy."
"Easily done. Is she alive?"
"Is he?"
"At the moment, I believe he is."
"When last I saw her, Jinny was alive as well."
"Where is she?"
"Where's Buddy?"
"Look, Mr. Creed. Jinny is one of the highest profile people in the world. If she remains missing, or dies, there will be endless media coverage. Victor's plans could be compromised."
"If you can't handle the pressure, you shouldn't have accepted Jinny's wishes."
"You don't understand. We're trying to save her life."
"I fail to see how paying Buddy Pancake a million dollars for a roll in the hay could possibly save her life."
"That's the payment she had to make to stay alive. And a damn small one, I think you'll agree."
"What's wrong with her?"
"She's kept it quiet for months, but she's got an incurable disease."
"And you've got an antidote?"
"We do."
"Then what's the problem?"
"It's one dose."
"What, you can't make more?"
"The chemist died in an accident. His formula died with him. Our people have spent the past ten months trying to analyze it a drop at a time. We've made progress, but we're years away. Unfortunately, the serum breaks down over time, and when that happens the components can't be analyzed. The shelf life is short, less than a year, and we're closing in on that deadline. We've done all we can, but it's over. We can't duplicate or replace it. But we can save Jinny's life. She's had three injections, but needs one more, and she needs it today, if possible. Bottom line, there's only enough serum left for one dose."
"And you promised it to Jinny?"
"That's right."
"What's the disease?"
He paused. "I can't tell you."
"Why not? My line's secure."
"So is ours. But Victor hasn't authorized me to tell you."
"Victor?" I said. "Hello?"
"He's not here."
"He left the room? I didn't hear his wheelchair."
"It's a brand new one. Completely silent."
"Does he ever creep up on you?"
"All the time. Scares the shit out of me."
"What's he doing right now?"
"Meeting with our computer programmer."
"Can you interrupt him?"
"Not a good idea."
"Fair enough. I'll ask him when I see him. In the meantime, tell me about Buddy, starting with where he is right now."
"Arizona."
"Jinny's in Indiana," I said, letting him know I'll be more specific when he is.
"He's in a ranch house that borders twenty thousand acres of private land," Hugo said.
"Why?"
"He's a participant in a hunting game."
"Against his will?"
"I'd say so."
"What's the game?"
"They call it??Run, Son!'"
"Never heard of it."
"There are a dozen hunters with rifles, and Buddy and forty-nine other Wish List alumni are prey. They'll have a two-hour head start, but they won't escape."
"Why's that?"
"They've had monitoring devices planted in their backs, next to their spines, where they can't reach them."
"What if Buddy gets one of the other participants to dig it out?"
"It'll explode, rendering him paralyzed."
"Like Victor."
"Except that Victor won't be lying on the desert floor, helpless, when the hunters come."
"Tell me the rest of it."
"There's a point system. As prey, Buddy's worth seventy points to the hunter that bags him. The younger, stronger, faster targets are worth up to 250 points. When the last kill is made, the points are totaled and the winners receive valuable prizes."
"How do you verify the points?"
"The hunters dig the devices out of their backs."
"Each device is labeled with the points?"
"Correct."
"You think Buddy's head will wind up mounted on someone's wall?"
"I think we'll bury him with the others deep in the desert after the point count, unless you return Jinny to us. Where is she?"
"I left her chained to a tree in the woods."
"Her health won't permit it. You've got to get her to us immediately."
"I can do that. Provided you spare Buddy's life."
"Buddy's worth squat. There's got to be a catch."
"I also want you to leave his wife alone. Forever."
"Will that do it?"
"Nearly."
"What else?"
"They get to keep the million dollars."
"Done."
Chapter 12
When Jinny Kidwell and Harrison Ford heard me coming they broke into excited stage whispers. Poor things, that's all the vocal power they had left. Had I been searching a hundred yards away instead of knowing their exact location, I would have missed them.
As I made my way through the underbrush, their pleas became more urgent. But upon seeing me, they grew silent.
Jinny didn't look as frail as I expected, but she was pissed. She unleashed a torrent of curses at me like none I'd ever heard from a woman. And I've known some tough women! But curses are more effective with volume, and Jinny's invectives, though scathing, came across as comical.
I tried not to smile. She caught me and began another round.
"Relax, Jinny," I said. "You're about to be saved."
Calling over my shoulder, I said, "You too, Harrison. Hang on. I'll be there in a minute. You'll be back with your wife before you know it."
Jinny's steel wrist band was secured to a length of chain that wound around the tree. When I circled the tree to remove the chain I noticed something on the ground.
"Is that yours?"
She turned to look at me and followed my stare. Then she stopped cursing and lowered her head, embarrassed.
"I'll be damned," I said, grinning.
"A gentleman would pretend not to notice my droppings," she whispered. Then she grew angry again and whisper-shouted, "What the hell's wrong with you?"
"I was just trying to calculate what that might be worth on eBay, if I could get it documented."
It took her a moment to process my words. Then she whispered, " What? "
"Scarlett Johansson blew her nose into a handkerchief and sold it for fifty-three hundred dollars. The same buyer paid twenty-eight thousand for a half-eaten grilled cheese sandwich."
"That's disgusting. You're disgusting!"
"I suppose I could get one of those DNA testing labs to authenticate it. They might certify it came from you."
"You're joking! "
I was joking. But not about the value of Jinny Kidwell's scat in today's celebrity-crazed society. I had no doubt that her droppings would fetch a hundred grand, if marketed properly.
Really, I'm kidding. I mean, about actually doing it.
Later, in the car heading south, after two hours of angry silence and a couple of hot teas with honey and lemon, Jinny's voice was on the mend. She was hoarse, but I could understand her.
"Did you even stop to think about us?"
"What do you mean?"
"If something had happened to you, we would have died out there."
"I told someone where you were."
"You did?"
"Not the exact location, but yes, in general."
"I doubt that."
"No, really. I told my girlfriend."
She appeared, not surprised, but stunned. "You've got a girlfriend?"