Chapter 25: So, Where's Richards?

“So, let me get this straight,” said Morris.  “You not only knew about Richards, but you knew about the Purple Porcupine as well?  You know where all his victims are?”

Auburn nodded.  “They weren’t actually kidnapped.  They just disappeared so Richards couldn’t get to them, and their relatives wouldn’t have to keep committing crimes.  You’ll see that all those names are on the list!”

“Astonishing!” Morris remarked.  “But where are they?”

Auburn shook her head.  “That must remain a secret until Richards is arrested.”

Lauderdale came in.  “Sir, his car hasn’t been spotted anywhere in town.  I’m contacting the Oklahoma State Police with the description, as well as the Kansas State Police.”

“Very good,” said the chief.  “Also, contact those banks in Africa Hardaway gave us the names of.  See if they’ll back up his story.”  He turned back to Auburn.  “Are you sure you can’t—”

“Trust me,” said Auburn.  “They’ve been fine for a couple weeks—they’ll be fine for a little while longer.  Just keep your eyes out for Richards.  Only then will they be safe.”

Brittany poked her head in at that moment.  “Lauderdale’s through with my interview!  I can take Auburn home whenever you’re through with her.”

“That’s probably all for now,” said the chief.  He looked at Auburn firmly.  “You understand that if it takes longer than 24 hours for Richards to turn up, I won’t be able to wait any longer for their whereabouts?”

“That makes sense,” said Auburn.  “Thank you for giving me this chance.”

“No, thank you,” said the chief.  “The man had me and everyone else in town completely fooled.  If you hadn’t found him out, I don’t know who else would’ve.”

Auburn and Brittany were silent as they walked out to Brittany’s Camry.  As Brittany started the motor, she gave Auburn a curious glance.  “Won’t your parents be wondering where you are?”

“Oh, them?” Auburn shook her head.  “I left a note that I was going to bed at five.”

“And they won’t check on that?”

“No.  I have a reputation of being a light sleeper.  My mom always waits at least four hours before checking on me if I go to bed early.”

“I see,” said Brittany.  “Tomorrow, though, they’ll have to find out you’re a hero.”  She frowned.  “I just hope they catch Richards before then.”

“And find those other four members,” said Auburn.  “The ones that were missing.  Who were they?”

“It was Helen, Trevor, Zechariah, and Fred.”  Brittany bit her lip.  “We didn’t help any of them out.  They still have to do what he tells them.”

“Which is what he was banking on.”  Auburn sighed.  “I guess Hardaway and Olson’s arrest tipped him off.”

“The question is, what is this final job he’s pulling?” Brittany said.  “And where did he go?”

Auburn shrugged.  “You’ve been to the meetings.  Any idea?”

“Let me see,” thought Brittany.  “He said he wanted to burn the library—but the police are patrolling that—he wanted to hold up the Braum’s off I-35—there was even a bank in Deer Creek he wanted to rob—”

“Those all sound like pretty much the usual business,” said Auburn, “and Richards had a flair for the dramatic.  Seems to me that for his last crime, he’d try to do something bigger.”

“He had a strange penchant for arson,” said Brittany.  “I think we burned—or tried to burn, you stopped him in time to save the baseball field—about ten buildings.  Then, there was that fire at the theater tonight—”

“Good thing we got it extinguished,” said Auburn.  “That theater looks like a classic.”

“I’d assume so,” said Brittany.  “Those old American theaters are showpieces.  If that had burned down, it might’ve taken one or two other buildings next to it, if the fire was bad enough.  He’d get two for the price of one lighting that up.”

“You know what’d be worse,” said Auburn.  “A gas station.  If that caught on fire—”

“Now that’d take a while to put out,” said Brittany.  “Not as bad as a refinery, but still—”

“Refinery!” said Auburn.

Brittany looked at her.  “Yes.  You know, the places where they treat oil—”

“Richards said something about one when I met him the other day!”

“You met Richards?!”

“Yes, the day Leila disappeared—oh, didn’t I tell you?  It was scary!  He was taking a walk, and he came this close to spotting her!  I thought the game was up for us then!  He said something about a refinery, though.  I think it had to do with an oil man wanting him to do a project—”

“Well, that couldn’t be in Blackwell, then,” said Brittany.  “The closest one’s in Ponca City.”

Suddenly, she looked at Auburn.  “You don’t think—”

“—maybe he has!” Auburn said.  “It’d be huge—”

“—it’d be spectacular!” said Brittany.  “Wreak a lot of chaos—”

“If that oil man worked for a rival company—”

“He’d probably get paid a lot to do it!”

“Stop and find a phone!” ordered Auburn.  “Let’s call the police and have them ask Hardaway and Olson if they heard from any oil man.  If they have—”

But Brittany was already pulling onto the side of the road.  She flipped out her cellphone and dialed the police station.

“Hello?  Police?  Oh, hello Porter.  Yes, this is Brittany, I’m doing fine.  I need you to ask Hardaway or Olson a question, though—the prisoners, yes!  Did an oil man try to meet with Richards at any time recently about something, and if so, what?”

The girls stared tensely at the phone.  Minutes passed slowly on the clock, and no reply came.  Four—five—six—Brittany tapped her foot impatiently.

“Yes?  [Pause.]  What?  [Pause.]  You’re sure.  [Pause]  Can you repeat that?”  She pulled the phone away from her ear and put it on speaker, just in time for Auburn to hear Porter say:

“Hardaway says he remembers a guy in a suit leaving Richards’s office one day.  When he walked in, Richards was stuffing an envelope full of money into his jacket pocket.  He didn’t say anything about a meeting, but Hardaway saw him folding up the map of something that looked like a refinery—”

“It was a refinery!” shrieked Auburn.  “The Ponca City one!  And Richards is going to blow it up!”