The next morning the group gathered to begin their search again. Dominic began asking questions of the staff to figure out what her routines were like, and where she could have been taken from.
"Maria, when was the last time you saw Alannah?"
Something in his tone made Maria stop what she was doing. "She normally goes to the mill to watch the sunrise with Patrick before breakfast."
"Her routine….Thank you Maria," he said as he made a quick escape out the back door, scanning the grounds for any sight of her. Dominic turned his search toward the mill, something he saw caused hesitation, and then her ran for the barn, moments later he emerged ontop of his favorite horse, El Diablo, a black spirited Arabian stud. Dominic took off at a gallop towards the mill.
There in the mill he found Patrick bound and gagged at the very back of the mill. Dominic went to where he was, undid his bindings, and then Patrick managed to get the gag out of his mouth. "She is gone Señor, they have her. She was wrapped up in a blanket and taken away."
"Who has her?" Dominic demanded, "where have they taken her?"
"The men are not from Los Linga demonios!" Patrick told him. "I have only seen one of the men before, he is a fisherman who shows up in Port Lira every once in a while. He goes by the name Martin - I believe."
Dominic was furious at this, he thought that he had gotten through to that man, obviously not. "Come Patrick," he said offering his hand to help Patrick up off the cold ground. "Go and get your horse! We leave for Port Lira - immediately."
"But Senor, what about the others, surely we can cover more ground if have everyone searching for her."
Dominic was not happy about the churn of events, but he knew his old friend was right. The harbormaster arrived an hour later to find Patrick, Alannah's brothers Dominic and the Senorita sitting in the drawing room. The days events played out in his mind, and he told the portmaster everything. They made a plan for the search and when they were to meet up next.
While Dominic was gone a little boy arrived at the house with the ransom note in hand. Senora Beringer read it, when she got to the end she was so furious that she balled both her hands into fists, balling up the ransom note at the same time.
Senor Beringer,
I have your wife, if you want to see her alive again you must deliver two million pesos to the pier on the other side of the island by midnight two days hense. If the money is not there, if there are any signs of Policia anywhere we will kill her and dump her body in the shark infested waters.