Chapter 108 - Plan Charlie

"Activate Plan Charlie," Alexander yelled over the phone anxiously.

Mr. and Mrs. Martin's vineyard was located deep inside a valley and there was only one road back out to the main highway. 20 minutes down the same road, their son ran the family winery and their daughter owned a small farm. Both of these properties were perched on hilly land and had to be passed to reach the highway.

So, Plan Charlie was an emergency plan in case of a kidnapping like this or if someone was trying to escape.

First, the car would be blocked off by a herd of cows owned by Mr. and Mrs. Martin's daughter. Cows were big sturdy creatures, so the car would have no choice but to stop or plunge off the hill. While the cows bought time, Mr. and Mrs. Martin's son and workers would build a barrier with wine barrels and hide behind them with rifles. By the time the kidnapper reached them, he would be forced to surrender.

If worse came to worst, it would at least buy enough time before backup from Interpol arrived.

It was a flawless plan.

Or, so they thought...

Amelie sped down the country road as fast as she could. The kidnapper had a huge lead on her, but she knew he would eventually be blocked by a herd of cows, so she was confident she'd be able to catch up. Even though they had a plan in place, she had to ensure that Jackson was safe. He wasn't just a witness she had to protect, he was her friend. "Hold on, Jackson. I'm coming," she whispered under her breath.

The road was rocky and it made the car bump as it went. However, Amelie had her crystal blue eyes focused ahead as her blond ponytail bounced in the air. Even though Jackson had rejected her, he was still her friend; she didn't have many friends.

Finally, after 20 minutes of driving, she saw a herd of cows in front of her as planned.

But...something was wrong...

There was no car!

Amelie panicked. There was only one road out of the valley. Where did Gogh's car go? Most of the road was lined with hedges, so the car couldn't have turned off without being noticed. Moreover, the properties along the way were sealed off by locks. If he wanted to get in, the car would have had to smash through the gates or Gogh would have had to spend some time picking the locks. Amelie would have definitely seen something along the way - but she didn't.

At that moment, Amelie suddenly heard 3 gunshots echo from the valley. "Jackson..." she whispered as her heart sank.

Amelie quickly got back in her car and drove back down the road looking for signs of suspicion. She had to find Jackson before he disappeared forever. But, nothing looked out of the ordinary.

Just as she was falling into a panic, she suddenly received a phone call from Alexander, "Interpol intercepted a call for help from a nearby farmhouse. An old couple heard gunshots from their barn."

"I'll be right there," Amelie replied as she immediately drove to the farmhouse where the call was made. But...the driveway was sealed by a gate with padlocks and there was no car around.

Were the gunshots definitely related to Gogh and Jackson? If so, how did Gogh get into the property?

Amelie couldn't waste time standing​ around guessing, so she jumped the gate and started running down the driveway. Eventually, she spotted a little barn beside the main house. An old couple could be seen, peeking out of the window of their house curiously.

Amelie pulled out her badge and gestured for them to hide. She then snuck up to the barn carefully. As she got closer, she spotted Gogh's car parked nearby and her heart sank. This was not a good sign.

She crept up to the door and tried to listen for noise, but all she heard was the neigh of a horse.

Carefully, she peeked inside. Her heart was pounding so hard, it felt like it was jumping out of her chest.

But...her heart quickly stopped when she saw the bloody scene inside.

Her entire body froze as she held her breath.

"Jackson!" she cried as she dropped her gun in shock and ran towards a body lying in a pool of blood.