Nina And Other Stories | ✔

Madman of Suvrey - Heaven Help Her

I was more than delighted when Mr Crazy von ScrewedUp brought me a phone and inputted Raphael's number exactly how told him.

It'd been two days after my kidnap and I was sure that Raphy had noticed I was missing.

Mr Insane held the phone in my face and put it on loudspeaker.

"Remember," his gruff voice snapped me back to the present. "If you as much as mention you were taken I'll slit your throat while your cousin listens, got it?"

I nodded.

"Hello?" Raph's voice filled the room.

"Hey Raph," I swallowed a lump in my throat. I didn't realize how much I missed my cousin until now.

"Tasha? Baby girl, are you OK? I've been calling you but your phone's not going."

"I'm fine," the lump returned with tears. "Raph, I won't be coming back for a while so I'm going to give you instructions to run the hotel until you find a replacement, so listen carefully."

"Tash, what are you ..."

I took a deep breath and started the instructions I'd already memorized when I heard I could talk to him. "The hotel's ceiling isn't working, so now you can hear the echoes. Lima's papa came over and his footsteps echoed. Mike told him about the echoes even though they could both hear it. Mike's dogs, Alpha and Delta bit Mike yesterday. I talked to him about Alpha's sickness last November. I found out the foxtrot is banned in India in November around the delta. Did you know Mike's is a Yankee fan? Yeah, Charlie too. Don't forget to fed Alpha, that adorable dog and Romeo came by. Charlie and Lima wore their uniforms today and that echo's still a problem. Tango should be allowed in the hotel, what do you think? But that blasted echo will stop Romeo, fix the blasted echo. I love you, Raphy."

He was quiet throughout and five seconds after I'd finished. "I love you too, Tasha."

Mr Mentally Unstable cut the call and with the confused look still on his face he exited.

I let out a sigh of relief and slumped on my chair.

I can only hope Raph got my message.

* * *

Back in the hotel Lolly and Chris were staring strangely at Raph.

"What the bloody hell was that?" Lolly finally asked.

He smiled and thanked the heavens he'd bothered with pilot training. If he didn't he'd never understand Natasha.

"It's a secret message," he finally told them. "You recorded it, right?"

Chris nodded.

In less than a minute he decoded it.

"Holy crap!" he muttered to himself.

The message read: Help me. Madman. Find my car, clue there.