anything more sinister than clothing, CastleGrayskull and an assortment of Star Wars figures. The intruder was not in the house.
Bryn turned back to tuck in Keith's covers. He was alreadysound asleep again. She walked over to the bunk and adjusted Brian's covers, then bent to do the same for Adam. Except that there was no Adam in the bottom bunk. For a moment she didn't believe it; she was sure she just hadn't looked in the right place. But it was the right place, and no matter how she ran her hands over the sheets, she couldn't find a little boy.
Bryn rushed over to the wall and turned on the light. She stared about frantically,then raced to the closet, tearing apart the clothing, throwing toys around haphazardly. She lowered herself to the floor and checked under the beds. There was no Adam.Anywhere. "Aunt Bryn! The light hurts!" It was Brian, starting to stir.
"Brian," Bryn began, desperately trying to sound calm. "Honey, did you hear anything tonight? Did you see anything? Do you know where your brother--''
She didn't finish her sentence, because the phone began to ring. "Go back to sleep, Brian," she said, her tone faint as a feeling of sickness clutched at her abdomen and almost doubled her over. "I'll turn out the light."
She hurried to do so, then gathered her failing strength and rushed back into the hall to race down the stairs. Barbara was ready to reach for the phone. "Don't answer it!" Bryn shrilled out.
Barbara paused as she took a look at her friend's panicked face. Bryn swept by her, half sobbing.
"Barb, we have to do it my way! They've got Adam!"
She picked up the phone, shaking too badly to speak for a moment. The caller wasn't deterred. "Miss Keller? Answer me--quickly." "Yes! Yes, I'm here!" Bryn screamed. "And I want him back! I want Adam back right now. You bring him back, or so help me God I'll call the police! I'll kill you with my bare hands--''
"Shut up, and don't get carried away. Yes, we have Adam. And do you know what? He's just fine right now, Miss Keller. He just had a nice fudge sundae and curled up to sleep. We'll continue to take real, real good care of him, Miss Keller. But you don't get him back. Not until I get the pictures. You messed up tonight. I knew you would. You weren't taking me seriously enough. Now you'll take me seriously--and maybe you'lldo it right."
"Oh, God!Don't you understand! I can't get the damned pictures! Condor won't--"
"You are going to get them back from Condor." "I tried...."
The whispered voice suddenly turned to a growl. "You didn't try hard enough. You ran away. You see, Miss Keller, I know your type. I know what you did. I even know how you think. I see everything. So don't mess with me, eh? And keep your mouth shut, you understand? I wouldn't want to have to return your little boy in bits and pieces."
"I tried!" Bryn pleaded again. "I would have done anything--''
"Like I said, Miss Keller, try harder. It's rumored that Condor has a real thing for you. And I have faith, Miss Keller. A woman with your obvious assets can get a man where she wants him. Do it.And soon."
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"You knocked out my friend," Bryn charged the caller bitterly. "She wants me to call the police--"
"If she's your friend, she won't."
"But--"
"Get the pictures, Miss Keller.Quickly. You're running out of time."
The phone went dead in Bryn's hand.Dead. What a word. Oh, God, what was she going to do?
She felt a hand on her shoulder and she almost jumped through the roof. It was just Barb. Bryn covered her face with her hands and burst into tears.
Barbara put an arm around her and led her to sit at the kitchen table. "Where's the brandy?"
"Under the sink."
Barbara stuck a snifter full of the fiery liquid beneath Bryn's nose. "Drink it all down at once. All of it."
Bryn did as she was told. She choked, and her throat burned, but she managed to stop crying.
"Okay, now. Let me hear this whole story."
In a dull monotone Bryn told Barbara everything, starting with the strange man who had appeared on her porch offering her five thousand dollars for the photos. She told her about the darkroom, and about all the phone calls--and about her catastrophic efforts to win back the proofs that night.
"It's simple," Barbara said. "You've got to tell Lee."
"No!" Bryn wailed. "I can't! That's one of the main things this person keeps telling me! Not to tell Lee."
"Because he's probably afraid of Lee.Honey, when he's got Adam, he has you by the nose. But if you just tell Lee, he'll give you the pictures back. He'd never jeopardize the life of a little boy."
"But he might try! He might be furious about all this and determined to catch these people. Oh, Barbara.
I can't take the chance. Not now! They have Adam!"
"Lee's no fool, Bryn. He'd handle things discreetly."