Chapter 13 - The unexpected rescue

After they finished breakfast, they sat down in their recliners to take a nap. Jill had slept late because she had taken a personal day, and she was up late with her parents discussing the plan. After waking up, she played her messages. She was shocked that her dad found the knife, but she was also relieved. When she tried to return their call, it went to their voicemail, so she left a message for them to call her back.

Cindy had finished most of the food, that Jill dropped inside the well to her, with only a piece of fruit and half a bottle of water to drink. She was asleep when Jill's father dropped the extra food and water in the well. When she woke, she saw extra food and water. She realized that whoever the good Samaritan is, was also the person responsible for her being inside the well. Cindy started to wonder if she was ever going to be rescued, or if the person had any intention of getting her out.

The smell of her waste no longer bothered her as much as it did the first time she had to do it. And because her legs were injured, she wasn’t sure if she was going to be able to walk again. Cindy no longer cried about being stuck in the well, but she was very sad and tired. There were many times when she thought about her parents and Jack.

Her parents still had hope that Cindy was alive and well, but they weren’t sure if she had been kidnapped or decided to leave Thornsberry. Every day they had hope of her coming home soon or at least calling to let them know she was okay. There were some of her friends and other family who came to assist Cindy’s parents in the search for her. They continued to go out and hand out fliers with her picture on it, hoping someone would soon locate her or who may know where she was.

Later that day, Jill and her parents finally got a chance to talk about the next move they were going to make in rescuing Cindy from the well. They met at a diner in Summerville for lunch.

“I vote we start a rumor, but in disguise with a random stranger.”

“Well, I was thinking about this entire situation also. My suggestion is, we go to a pay phone and contact Detective Scott. Even if they trace the call, there’s no way they would know who called, as long as we make sure there are no cameras around in the area.”

“Okay. That’s a great idea Mom. But what if someone sees one of us using the pay phone? What if Detective Scott has only given his number to only a few people? He would probably suspect the caller to be connected to someone he interviewed unless we contact the police department and then leave an anonymous tip. Everyone in Thornsberry already knows the story about Cindy’s disappearance.”

“What do you think honey?”

“OK. Let’s leave an anonymous tip by pay phone. But which one of us is going to do it?"

“Mom, I think you should be the one to do it.”

“Why me?”

“Remember that play you did a few years ago, when you played an old woman and you disguised your voice to sound elderly?”

“Oh yeah! I forgot about that. Alright, I’ll do it. I will disguise myself but one of you has to be with me.”

“Then we all agree that it’s the elderly lady voice you will use to leave the message. We will find a pay phone in Thornsberry and make the call at night. Just remember honey, don’t linger on the phone call, and don’t let them put you on hold. You tell them: “There’s someone in the Thornsberry Hill well”, then you hang up the phone immediately.”

After they finished putting together their plan, they ordered their lunch, and later they went to see a movie. Jill and her parents were content with their plan to rescue Cindy Von and never spoke about the situation again. But Jill’s conscious was still feeling guilty the longer Cindy remained in the well. Her parents slept over so they could go over everything again and make sure they all stick to the plan.

“Mom, I have some old clothes, a scarf, and some shades we can use to disguise you. I’ll add some bleach to fade out the clothes, with some old sneakers then make everything look dirty and tattered. I’ll stuff some pillows in the pants and under your shirt to add extra weight, to make you look unrecognizable.

"The next thing we need to do is to find a secluded phone booth in Thornsberry because a call from Summerville will only make it all look very suspicious.”

“I’ll handle finding a secluded phone booth in Thornsberry, then you will drive your mother to the location to make the call. Wait until after sun down before you take her to the phone booth, then once the call is made, you return to Summerville and I will meet you there. Once we put everything into action, we can use your car to drive out of town while everything is going on. And no one will suspect us because we’ll already be out of town.”

Before going to bed, Jill got everything ready for her mom to wear, and an old cane. The next morning, her dad got up early to drive back to Thornsberry in search of a local pay phone. When he got to the city limit, he got off at the first exit where there were a couple of gas stations and a small restaurant with a truck stop. There was a pay phone outside, but in the midst of people going in and out, he realized that he didn’t want it to be too close to Summerville.

He continued to drive until he was about 2 hours out from within Thornsberry city limits. There was a pay phone near the roadside, across from a mom and pop type store and gas station. Jill’s dad got out of the car to casually survey the area for cameras and any suspicious cars or people, then he went inside. A bell attached to the door alerted the man and woman inside. There was an old woman sitting in a corner behind the counter. She looked up with a toothless smile on her face, eating chili with cornbread mashed in it. The old man at the counter looked grouchy, but he was very polite as he smiled also.

“Howdy mister. Welcome to Thornsberry.”

“Hello, sir. Thank you, but I live in Thornsberry, and I was just on my way back home.”

“Oh, alright. Let me know if you need any help.”

Mr. Clancey grabbed some chips, a candy bar, and a beverage then went to the counter.

“I never noticed your store in this area. How long have you been here?”

“We’ve been here for 32 years and we’ve met a lot of interesting people. There’s not much excitement around here and most people are passing through or moving out of the city. But us, we are content where we are.”

“Do you stay open all night? I was wondering, in case I’m passing through during the late evening hours?”

"No sir. We close at 7 pm and we go home after we lock up. We live about 20 minutes down the road.”

Mr. Clancey had exactly the information he needed. He thanked the couple and hurried on his way. He drove home, but when he passed by the park, he saw Detective Scott and other law enforcement on the hill. There was a fire truck and an ambulance parked in front of the hill. There were news cameras and lots of people standing around watching. Mr. Clancey parked his car and got out. He saw his neighbors in the crowd and went over to talk with them.

“Hey Ted. What’s going on? Why is everyone standing out here?”

“Hey Steven. You didn’t hear. It was on the news that the kids were playing near the well and they heard someone screaming for help. They’re thinking it may be the young lady named Cindy, who has been missing for a while. They’re trying to get her out right now. They contacted her parents, so I guess they’re on the way.”

“I’m going to call my wife and daughter to see if they saw it on the news also.”

Mr. Clancey got back in his car to call Jill and her mom.

“Hey dad. I guess you heard the news. Mom and I are watching it right now. I’m glad we don’t have to worry any more about Cindy being rescued. It seems that the children were the ones who found her in the well after hearing her scream for help."

"Okay, dear. I’m going to stay out here and wait for them to get her out. I saw Detective Scott and his team on the hill. I’m glad I found the knife before this happened.”

“Me too dad. I hope there’s no evidence to track any of us. But if they do find out anything, I will confess so you and Mom won’t get in any trouble because of me."

“It’s going to be OK honey. You won’t have to confess and we won’t be getting in any kind of trouble.”

“Thanks Dad. I love you and Mom so much for understanding and being here for me.”

“We love you too honey. I will talk to you and your mom later when I come back.”

Just when he was hanging up the phone, Mr. Clancey could see Cindy Von being lifted out the well, covered with sheets, and tied to a gurney.