Taken for a Ride

Richie sat in the passenger seat of the satellite TV van with his eyes front. He was shaking inside from what the man had said to him, “if you want to see your wife alive again you’ll do as I say.” Richie had felt the gun in his back when the man moved in on him. He couldn’t say anything now his mouth was covered in duct tape. The man wasn’t bothering to cover his face and that told Richie he was going to kill him. That thought didn’t upset him it was the thought that something had happened to Toni. His hands and feet were tied tightly with nylon rope.

He’d asked the man” where are we goin’ who sent you?”

“Goin’ for a little ride, you remember little rides don’t ya Richie Roberts?”

“Where’s my wife?” then the tape went over his mouth.

As near as Richie could tell they were near Wade’s property the van had pulled off onto a dirt road and after bumping along for awhile the man pulled the van off the dirt road and into a small clearing surrounded by rock and trees. There was a ditch maybe four feet deep washed out by the recent floods that ran along the edge of the rocks. That’s where the man drug Richie and put him on his knees. He ripped the tape off Richie’s mouth.

“Got any last words maybe some regrets you’d like to say?” he asked

“Where’s my wife?”

“Not far,” he answered.

Toni was in the back of the van covered in a dark tarp. She began stirring when the van was bumping over the dirt road. Her mouth was taped and she was tied up hands and feet in almost a fetal position. She began struggling as soon as the van stopped but to no avail. Tears streaked down over the gray tape covering her mouth.

“You haven’t hurt her, please don’t hurt her.” Richie cried

“She’s fine, just sleeping when she wakes up she’ll be a widow.”

Richie closed his eyes.

Miss Peeg left Richie’s Rover on the dirt road and set off on foot toward the little copse of trees. That had to be where they were everything else was open land. It wasn’t long she spotted the van and crept up quietly to the side of it. She heard the voices and peeped around the van to see Mr. Roberts on his knees and a man with a gun pointed at him. She pulled the gun from her purse and placed the purse on the ground. Moving out from the van where she had a clear shot she took a stance and with both hands held the gun pointed toward the man who was about to fire. Both guns exploded at once. Richie fell forward and rolled to his side. The man went into the ditch. Miss Peeg dropped the gun and ran over to Richie.

“Miss Peeg,” he croaked get me out of this rope.

“Mr. Robert’s you’re hurt,” she cried

“He’s got Toni somewhere,”

So panicked and enraged was Richie he didn’t stop to think what Miss Peeg was doing there with a gun.

“Where is he?” he cried.

“Oh sir I’m afraid I’ve killed him, he’s in the ditch.” Her voice a bit high pitched.

“Call, call the police,” he panted reaching for his phone as soon as his hands were free and tossed it at Miss Peeg.

She dialed the Glen police station, “Hello Sheriff Biebe? This is Miss Peeg of Mr. Roberts’s office, I’m afraid sir that I’ve shot and killed a man. We’re ah off a dirt road by the road that leads to Mr. Wade’s ranch. Yes sir if you could sir.”

“Mr. Robert’s they’re on their way. What are you doing sir?”

Richie climbed down into the ditch and jerked the man around, he was still breathing, “where is my wife?” he yelled. The man was out cold and Richie kicked him before turning around and facing Miss Peeg.

Back in the van Lying in the dark underneath the tarp. Toni was convulsing with silent sobs. She’d heard the gun go off and thought Richie was dead.

Miss Peeg peered over the ditch at least the man wasn’t dead. Oh well she thought and tucked her hair back into its knot on the top of her head. She supposed she’d be arrested, fingerprints, mug shots. Oh dear she could do with a cup of tea.

“Miss Peeg what in hell are you doing here?” Richie shouted.

“Well sir I saw you in the van didn’t I and I couldn’t let him take you away.”

“Where did you get that gun?”

“It’s yours sir I took it from your desk when I picked up your keys, I saw you didn’t I patting down your pockets and ran back for the keys.”

“Why didn’t you call the police?” Richie asked climbing out of the ditch.

“I know I should have sir but it seemed an urgent matter didn’t it not to let the killer get away with you and If I’d stop to chat with the police I wouldn’t have known where you were would I and then sir I quite possibly wouldn’t have been able to save your life.” She looked at him brows raised.

Richie looked at her, “all your heroics may have cost Toni’s life, I don’t know and you don’t know how many of them are here. You didn’t think about that did you? I have no idea what kind of set up they’ve got goin’. A phone call at a certain time, some kind of signal that’s what they do Miss Peeg and if it don’t happen they kill the victim. That son-of-a-bitch you just shot knows and now he ain’t talking.” Richie held his head in his hands one bloodied.

“I’m sorry Mr. Roberts I was only trying to help. You’re bleeding sir.”

Richie looked at his hand a throbbing pain gushing blood.

“Please sir let me,” Miss Peeg removed the scarf from around her neck and bound up his hand as best she could tying it tightly.

“If you’d called the police they could have been here maybe arrested him I coulda got it out of him.”

“But sir he’s not dead you did say.”

“He will be he’s shot through the neck, you aimed to kill.”

“I didn’t have time sir to aim properly I only meant to shoot him in the shoulder, to stop him.”

Richie lifted his head listening to the siren in the distance. Tears threatened his eyes and he blinked several times, Toni, he’d never felt so helpless.