The Impossible Prize Read online

  “I’d leave now, but I need to do some business deals. Anyway, my plane is gone. My pilot took it north to get out of the storm. I couldn’t see an expensive airplane being destroyed. What about yours?”

  “My pilot flew my plane back to Houston.”

  “So it looks like we’re stuck with no airplane and no tournament.”

  The other man laughed. “Don’t worry. We’ll make the most of it. It’ll be one big party for a couple of days and we might get some deals done.”

  They arrived at the third floor and the men left the elevator as one said to the other, “See you in the bar.”

  The door closed and the elevator continued to the fourth floor and Amy and Jack went to their room. It was next door to the first room they had been in, the one occupied by the man in the suit. Only this one had two big beds.

  Jack said, “Those guys must have a lot of money to own their own airplanes.”

  “You better believe it,” she replied.

  Jack picked up the remote for the television, turned it on and began flipping through the channels.

  “Wait, stop there,” Amy cried out.

  “No. That’s the boring weather channel. I’m looking for something fun.”

  “Just give me a minute.”

  He left it on the channel.

  The weatherman was talking about the Hurricane and he pointed at a map. It was the first one of the season and had started out as a tropical storm. The storm had gone past Cuba and the original prediction was for it to end up in Mexico. However, it had gained force over the warm waters of the Gulf and then turned into a swirling hurricane. Then it had made a sharp turn and headed north off the east coast of Florida.

  From the projection on the map, it looked like the center of it would pass over Tallahassee.

  Amy walked to the window of the room and looked down at the golf course, now soaked by pounding rain. It was night and lights illuminated the grass and trees. The trees rustled from the high wind.

  She again questioned if the fourth floor of a hotel would be safe in a Hurricane.

  Then she looked at a parking area on the side of the hotel where there was a cover over a walkway. The large man in the suit was talking with several people.

  Because of the darkness and force of the rain, she could not make out their details.

  Chapter 4

  Amy and Jack left their room and went down to the ground floor to the clothing shop. It was closed. Then saw Robert the porter pushing an empty trolley.

  She walked up to him and said, “Thanks for helping us get the room.”

  “No problem. I’d hate to see you two stuck in some community shelter.”

  “The clothing shop isn’t open. Is there anywhere else?”

  “What do you need?” Robert asked.

  “Anything. Maybe t-shirts to sleep in and underwear, and jackets. This is all we have.” She pointed her finger up and down at what she was wearing.

  Robert looked both ways and spoke softly, “Come with me.”

  They walked down the hallway and came to a door that said, ‘Employees Only’. He opened it and motioned for them to come inside. Then he led them to a room and they entered.

  The room was full of racks of clean sheets, pillowcases and towels. He pointed to a large metal box, about half the size of a dumpster. It was full of clothing.

  “Go ahead and take what you want. This is clothing left behind by guests. If we can’t find out who it belongs to, then it ends up here..”

  “We can take it?” Jack asked.

  “The hotel gives it away to charities and needy people. Your clothing was stolen, so I figure you are needy.”

  Jack went to the box and dug through the clothing. Most of it was adult size but he found a shirt and handed it to Amy. “This might fit you,” he said.

  Amy tried it on over her clothing and said, “It’s perfect.”

  Jack found a shirt for himself and several t-shirts for both of them.

  Then he found jackets, a bit too big, but they would do.

  Amy said, “We can stop. I’m sure we can find something tomorrow in the clothing shop.”

  “Well, at least that gives you a start. Where were you two headed?”

  “Houston,” Amy answered.

  “Going home or on a visit?”

  “Home.”

  “It’s too bad about the storm,” He said.

  “I know. How long do you think it will last?”

  “They’re saying up to forty-eight hours. It’s not a strong one but you never know.”

  “I saw the sign for the golf tournament and we heard that it was cancelled.”

  “Yeah, that’s too bad. Every year a bunch of rich guys come here for a few days to play golf. This hotel is full of them and you were lucky to get a room.”

  “In the elevator we heard a couple of them talking,” Jack said. “They owned airplanes.”

  Robert laughed. “They own a lot of stuff. All I know is that the tips are crazy-good when they are here. Now with the storm they’ll be leaving early and we won’t be making as much.”

  “I’m sorry for you,” Amy replied.

  “It’s okay. You win some and lose some. At least they are prisoners of the hotel for the next day or two. They won’t be on the golf course so will be forced to spend more money here.”

  “Then maybe it’s not so bad,” she said.

  He laughed. “We’ll see. I better get back to work and you better get out of here.”

  “Thanks again,” Amy said. “You’ve been a great help.”

  “Happy to help.”

  They went back to the public hallway and Robert pushed his trolley toward the reception area. Amy and Jack went to the restaurant where it was noisy. They found a table for two and sat down.

  Well-dressed men and women sat at the tables laughing and talking loudly. It seemed like many people knew each other, as they talked across one table to another.

  Amy suspected these were the rich people here for the golf tournament. She saw the two men from the elevator get up from the bar and head to a table with a couple of women who wore clothing like out of a fashion magazine.

  Amy felt like an ugly duckling with her jeans, t-shirt and tennis shoes. They put the clothing given to them by Robert on the floor and that made her feel odd.

  Then she saw the big guy in the suit. He was in a booth talking with a woman and a man. Their heads bent forward and they were speaking in low voices. She wondered what secrets they discussed.

  “Don’t make it too obvious, but look over there in the far booth,” she said.

  Jack had a menu in his hand and he glanced up from it toward the corner of the room. “It’s that guy,” he whispered.

  “Yeah. He’s there with two people.”

  Jack looked again. “They don’t look like rich golfers.”

  “I know. We don’t either.”

  “Let’s find out who they are,” Jack stated.

  “Are you crazy? What for?”

  Jack grinned. “Just for the fun of it.”

  “No way. Until we get out of here, we keep a low profile and stay out of trouble. Do you remember how scary it was when Larry and Nalf were chasing us?”

  “For sure, but it was fun.”

  “Jack, you better listen to me and do what I say. “We don’t want to get into trouble . . . period.”

  Jack looked back at the menu and said, “Okay.”

  Jack ordered a hamburger and Amy ordered a Caesar salad. When the hamburger came, it was much bigger than those served in fast food restaurants. Jack attacked it and did not say anything through the entire meal. They finished with ice cream for dessert and charged the meal to their room.

  Then they went upstairs to their room and went to bed.

  Jack fell asleep the moment he put his head on the pillow, but Amy was lost in thought. She heard the pattering of the rain against the window and thought about the coming storm. The detour to Tallahassee was unfortunate. They should be in
Texas.

  The notion of Texas gave her a strange feeling. It was in the direction of California, a place where they should not go. Texas was big and surely it would be possible to find a safe place for her and Jack.

  On the west coast, evil men would be looking for them, if they even knew that Amy and Jack were alive. On the east coast, there was Larry and Nalf. Somewhere in the middle of the U.S. was the best for them.

  All they needed now was to ride out the storm, keep a low profile, and then resume their search to find a new home.

  Chapter 5

  In the morning, Amy opened her eyes and looked at the clock on the nightstand next to her bed. It was seven forty. There was a low howling noise outside. The hurricane was getting stronger.

  She looked across at the other bed and Jack was still asleep so she went to the bathroom, took a shower and put on her jeans and the shirt that Robert had given them from the cloths box.

  When she went back into the main room, Jack was awake and sitting up on the bed.

  “Good morning,” she said.

  “Good morning,” he responded with a groggy voice.

  “Did you sleep okay?”

  “Yeah. It’s a real comfortable bed.”

  “You could put ten people in those beds,” she stated.

  He smiled. “I know. I’ve never slept in something so big.”

  “Did the storm bother you?” She asked.

  “Not a bit. And you?”

  “I slept like a baby.”

  “What’s that noise?” He asked. “It sounds like a tractor.”

  Amy went to the blinds, opened them and looked outside. Sheets of rain hit the golf course and the trees tilted. Large puddles of water were on the golf course, like lakes.

  “Wow, that’s amazing. You should see this.”

  Jack got out of bed and went to the window, which was wet from the driving rain. It made noise, a thousand rainy fingers tapping on the glass.

  “That’s crazy,” he said. “It’s like swimming pools everywhere. And, look at those trees. Any more wind and they will break.”

  “We certainly don’t want to be out there today.”

  Jack went back to his bed, sat on it, took the remote and turned on the TV.

  “Watching TV already?” Amy asked.

  “The Weather Channel,” he replied.

  “I thought you said it was boring?”

  “Not today,” he said.

  On the TV, the weatherman talked about the hurricane. A map showed a large circle approaching the Gulf States, from Florida to east Texas. The previous day they were predicting a Category 1 storm with winds up to ninety-five miles an hour,

  The weatherman said it may develop into a Category 2 hurricane. That meant that roofs and doors could be damaged and windows in skyscrapers broken. In addition, power outages were expected.

  Around ten o’clock the storm would reach its maximum strength and then maintain that for the next twenty-four hours or more.

  Amy looked out the window and again she had a feeling of doubt. Were they safe on the fourth floor of the hotel?

  The weatherman explained that a Category 5 hurricane would knock down buildings. Luckily, this storm would not be so forceful.

  Jack turned down the volume on the TV and said, “This is amazing. I’m glad we’re at the hotel rather than sleeping on the floor of a gym.”

  “I agree, although I’m not so sure about being in this room on the top floor.”

  “This room is cool. We can see everything.”

  Amy looked again out the window. Leaves from the trees flew across the golf course. “I’m not so sure about being here,” she stated.

  “Let’s order some breakfast to be brought to our room.”

  “I’d feel better if we went downstairs,” she said.

  CLICK HERE TO GET ‘THE WICKED STORM’

  A Note from CASS TELL

  I hope you enjoyed the second book of The Adventures of Amy and Jack.

  These are two resourceful kids who use their wits and courage to face insurmountable forces.

  Amy is a thoughtful and strategic older sister while her brother Jack is a quick thinking sidekick.

  The initial release of their adventures is in three parts with more to come.

  The first books of The Adventures of Amy and Jack are:

  Book 1: The Impossible Prize

  Book 2: The Dreadful Intimidator

  Book 3: The Wicked Storm

  Book 4: The Outrageous Truth

  Book 5: The Unbearable Hope

  Go to my website to get more information on my books and sign up to get news of future releases.

  http://www.casstell.com/amy-and-jack.html

  And, if you like this series, please tell your friends so they can enjoy the fun.

  Happy reading,

  Cass Tell

  About the Author

  Cass Tell is a full-time writer and most of his books are action/thrillers. He also writes short stories.

  He lives much of the year in a small Spanish village on the Costa Brava where his home overlooks the Mediterranean Sea. This provides a quiet place to focus on his work.

  He attended university in the U.S. and Europe. After working for a number of years for a large multinational corporation, he left the corporate world, started a company and eventually sold it. Then, he went into full time writing. His business experience is reflected in many of his stories.

  You can find out more about Cass Tell and his books at his website at www.casstell.com.