"She's not going to tell us anything Suzy" Janeen Martelli said to her friend & roommate, Suzy Santos.
"Trust me"
The two pretty Co-eds were trying to find out where their professor, Erica Weston was. The girls then came to a door marked MISS PRESCOTT. Suzy opened the door & the girls walked inside the office. At her desk sat Cynthia Prescott. Cynthia was a graduate student & an assistant faculty administrator. The brown-haired girl looked at Janeen & Suzy.
"Well well if is isn't two of my favorite students, what I can I do for you two?"
"Do you know where Miss Weston is?" Suzy asked
"Didn't you read the note girls?"
"Yes Cynthia" Janeen added, "We read the note"
"Well then I think it's pretty self explanatory then"
Suzy couldn't believe she was being distant
"Do you know where she went then?"
"No sorry, can't help you. Now if you don't mind, I have work to do"
"Come on Suzy, I told you this was a bad idea" Janeen said as she pulled her friend almost through the door.
"She's not telling us everything"
"No kidding"
"I just wonder who's going to take over the class" Suzy quizzed
"With my luck, it will be her" Janeen answered her back, rolling her eyes
Suzy then realized that the girls' other roommate Melissa Ferguson hadn't joined them yet, Melissa had a good reason. She was lying bound & gagged in the trunk of a car & being kidnapped! The car had just taken off for who knows where when she heard her phone ringing. Obviously the crooks had taken her purse & books with them
"Damn! That's the chick's phone," said one of the men
"Let it go, we got to get Weston's honor student hid & out of our hair for now. I just hope she doesn't know too much"
Melissa was hearing all of this. Too much? She hardly knew anything. All she knew was Erica & Janeen were tied up by somebody last night with Erica's house ransacked. Now Miss Weston was on a so-called leave of absence. Melissa just knew that the men probably kidnapped Erica & she was about to join her. But didn't they find the film? Or was there another set of crooks? And & how did they know to grab her? All she knew is that she somehow had go get out of the predicament she was in. But how? She was locked in a trunk with hardly any room to try & free her hands, if that was even possible & where in the world was she being taken?
"She's not answering Suzy" Janeen said trying Melissa's cell again
"Let's get back to the apartment, maybe she left a message there, or maybe her phone died or something"
"I hope your right. This has been too strange"
"I know," answered the young Latina "I think there's a big mystery here, come on"
As the girls hustled along back to their apartment, a shadowy figure was watching them from behind some trees
Melissa felt the car turning & then coming to a stop. Then it backed up. The brown-haired co-ed then heard her captors get out & walk to the trunk & start to open it.
"Get the door open," said one of the men "I'll get her out"
Melissa's heart was pounding as the trunk opened. Then she saw the man, he had a ski mask on as he took a large blanket & threw it over the co-ed.
"Got to get you inside safely my dear" he sneered as he covered her with it & started to lift her out.
"Mmmmppphhhh!!! Grrrrmmmpphhhh!!!!" Melissa squealed as he carried her quickly over his shoulder. She was hoping to attract attention, but quickly realized she was inside a room. She then was flopped on what seemed to be a bed. Melissa squealed again into the gag.
"Okay young lady" The man warned, "Consider this a warning to stay away. We'll leave you here to get loose, but I warn you, no cops or else your teacher…well, I think you get the idea"
"Put her things up there, out of her reach"
The men then quickly left with the sound of a door locking behind them. Melissa then squirmed & struggled & was finally free of the blanket covering her body. She looked around the room & realized she had been left in a hotel room. Fighting the ropes on her wrists was futile. She was tightly tied up hand & foot. The gag was drying out her mouth also. She mmmpppphed loudly as she could, but gave up. She noticed her purse & bookbag on a shelf near the bathroom. "If only I could get to it," she thought "Maybe I could use a nail file or something to hopefully open the knots" Then a different idea entered her head. The phone! Rolling off the bed, Melissa hopped over to it & noticed the front desk number was 0. Backing up, Melissa picked up the receiver from the phone & then hit the zero key with her nose. It worked! Melissa could hear the front desk person on the other end.
"Mmmmppphhh!!!! Mmmmpppphhhh!!!!"
The front desk person knew something was wrong as Melissa could hear her tell somebody to check out room 15. A few minutes later, Melissa heard the door open.
"Oh my God!" the man said. He seemed to be a hotel worker "Are you okay Miss?"
The man went over & freed the gag from Melissa's mouth. She then spat out the packing.
"Thank you" Melissa gasped
"What happened? We need to call the Police," He said as he started to free Melissa's wrists
"No, no Police. My teacher's life might be at stake"
"What? How?"
"It's a long story. I just got to call my friends," She added as she pulled her hands free from the ropes. Rubbing her wrists for circulation, Melissa then freed her ankles. After that she got up & grabbed her belongings. The man then escorted Melissa outside
"Look are you sure you're okay Miss"
"Positive, but thank you" she said as she got out her cell phone. As she suspected there was three calls from Janeen's cell phone.
"Well she's not here Suzy" Janeen said as she looked around the apartment.
"And no message either"
Just then Janeen's phone rang again. The brunette looked at the number. It was Melissa
"Melissa! Are you okay? Where were you?"
"I was a little tied up, can you guys pick me up? I'll tell you what happened"
Janeen looked shocked. Something was definitely wrong
"Sure where are you?"
"The Starlite Hotel out on Highway Sixty"
"What are you doing way out there?"
"Look, it wasn't my choice you know"
"I'm sorry. Sure we'll be right there"
Janeen hung up & looked at Suzy
"Is she all right?"
"Yeah I think so, but I think you're right Suzy…. There is a big mystery here. Come on we have to get her & put our heads together & find out what's going on"
Suzy was stunned as she saw her friend take charge of the situation for once. The girls then went out to Janeen's Honda & drove to pick up Melissa. Little did they know they were still being watched.
A little while later, the girls had picked up Melissa. Janeen was driving & Suzy was in the front passenger seat talking to Melissa who was in the back.
"So what happened?"
"I was just out the door when someone grabbed me from behind & put this chloroform stuff over my nose
"Oh man!" Janeen exclaimed
"Next thing I knew, I was bound & gagged in a car trunk & then taken to that hotel. Luckily I got the attention of the front desk & a worker freed me"
"What about Erica?" Suzy added
"I don't know where she is. They just warned me to stay away or else she would be hurt"
"That means they have her right?" Janeen added
"I don't know Janeen, it might be a bluff"
"We have to find out where she is & also find those negatives," Suzy said
"But where?"
"You guys," Melissa added, "This is really getting weird"
"Tell me about it. Somebody or somebodies does not want us snooping around. I'm more determined than ever to find out what's going on""
Janeen & Suzy agreed with her
"Now what?" Suzy asked, "Cynthia Prescott seemed like she was hiding something"
"You know I don't like her," Janeen added
"She might know something, if we go about it the right way"
"Like how? Suzy quizzed
"You two can sneak into her office as the other one sneaks into Erica's. Then find anything that looks incriminating or anything to where Miss Weston might be"
"I thought you would say that"
The girls then drove on to the apartment unaware of a vehicle still watching their complex.
About an hour later, twilight was setting in on campus as Janeen, dressed in a T-shirt & running shorts, made her way to the office buildings. Suzy was going to meet her friend in about a half-hour or so. Hopefully the girls would throw off any suspicions of their actions. Melissa meanwhile was busy trying to keep in contact with them & also trying to piece together the entire situation that had gotten weirder & weirder.
Janeen entered the building & looked around. She could hear some people down the hallway, but nothing coming from the direction of Erica's office. She then saw a light on in Cynthia Prescott's office. Janeen then forgot her place when she saw Cynthia sitting at her desk. The sexy brunette walked in & announced herself
"Hello Cynthia" Janeen said sarcastically. Janeen's presence made Cynthia' drop her pencil on the floor.
"Janeen Martelli, you scared me half to death!" she answered, "What the hell are you doing here at this hour?"
"Where's Miss Weston? I know you know"
"You girls are unbelievable"
"Where is she Cynthia?"
"Do I have to call security?"
"I'm not leaving until I know something"
Cynthia had pushed something on the underside of her desk, some kind of buzzer. A few moments later, a security guard snuck into the room. Janeen was totally unprepared for what was next. The guard snuck up behind her, clamping his right hand over her mouth tightly.
"Mmmmppphh!!!!" Janeen tried to say. She was startled to say the least as her heart was pounding. Cynthia then pulled out a handgun & pointed it at her!
"You best be quiet Miss Nancy Drew wannabe, or else. I just know your friends, Santos & Ferguson are sneaking around too." Cynthia sneered as she pulled rope out of a drawer.
"But for right now, we better bind & gag you. Let's take her to Miss Weston's office"
Janeen couldn't believe it. She was staring at Cynthia Prescott holding a gun on her while she was held in the vise like grip of a security guard…or was he? A bad feeling swept over the co-ed as she was forced out of the room. Was Cynthia Prescott behind all of these strange things going on? And worse, Suzy was due to meet Janeen at any moment. And indeed at that moment, the pretty Latina was entering Erica Weston's office. Suzy had snuck in from a side entrance, unaware of the danger that was just around the corner!