Logan's Mistake

The media was having a field day. The third female celebrity in the last two years had just been reported missing. Speculation was that Sherry Barr, an award-winning pop singer, was abducted by the notorious "Logan." There was no way to prove it, but the signs seemed to point that way. The circumstances surrounding the abductions seemed to stir up tons and tons of public interest. The limelight again started to shine on the first two victims, who both quickly hurried out of the country, to get clear of the attention.

Angel Torres, the action adventurer movie star, left for her private retreat somewhere in the Yucatan, south of Merida. Maggie Copeland, the author and playwright, was speculated to be back in Scotland. Neither one of them needed or wanted any more attention.

So what makes this situation special? The abductions were unspectacular; it was hard to even determine when or how they happened. It was almost a week until they were determined to be of a criminal nature. Sherry's disappearance was the same as the first two. Her housekeeper finally decided that something was not right and reported it. There was still no way to prove that it was another 'Logan' episode, but it was the best and only explanation that the authorities had.

There was a common thread between the three victims. However, the word victim does not fit this situation. Maggie was a widow. Angel was never married, and Sherry was divorced. There were no children. All three of them also had personal emotional problems. All of them were in the LA area.

Angel Torres had always been active in sports and various martial arts. Unfortunately, broken bones and sprained muscles came with the job. So did the painkillers and narcotics. Several trips to various rehab centers and hospitals did nothing to help. When she started to supplement her drugs with alcohol the problems escalated. Then Logan found her.

Maggie Copeland's career military husband died, after almost twenty years of marriage. He was the love of her life. She gradually lost interest in almost everything, especially food. She had been hospitalized a few times for not eating and was under constant physiological care, but nothing seemed to work. Maggie was in San Francisco, on a publicity tour when she disappeared. Her weight was under one hundred pounds. She didn't really disappear, however; Logan just found her.

And now Sherry Barr seemed to have joined the group. She didn't have a weight problem until about five years after she married. She had wed one of those 'Boy Band' singers early in her career, more or less as a publicity stunt. Unfortunately, her betrothed had a wandering eye. As his cheating became more pronounced, she started to compensate with food. As her weight went up, so did the humiliation. He got great pleasure out of degrading her whenever he could. This caused her to eat more. The final blow was when he very publicly divorced her. She weighed over three hundred pounds when she vanished. Or did she?

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The first thought that came into her mind was, 'I'm not in Kansas anymore'. The second thought was, ' Where the hell is the bathroom? Sherry scanned the room carefully, trying to be as inconspicuous as possible. As the fog in her head lifted she started to analyze her surroundings. It was a bedroom. It appeared to be in an upscale but rustic cabin. Is that an oxymoron? In any event, there was indeed a bath across the room. All other thoughts disappeared as she headed towards it. She had socks on and a casual exercise outfit, or sweatsuit. She hadn't seen them before. The cotton underwear and sports bra were also new. The facilities were all modern and fashionable. An array of grooming products and make-up was on the counter. She quickly noted that all of the items were brands that she normally used. She was a bit confused, mainly because she was not anxious or upset over the situation. She found herself to be far calmer than she thought she would be, under the circumstances.

"Ah! I see that you are up. You slept I bit longer than I had anticipated. Welcome back to the world." He was of average height, average build, and had average looks. You could say that he was a bit generic. She did not feel threatened at all. His presence and appearance seemed to put her at ease. She quickly wondered if she might be under the influence of some sort of drug or narcotic.

Her host stood in the doorway and motioned her to come into the next room. It was a great room, that was appropriate to the cabin ambiance. At the far end was a kitchen/eating area. Opposite that was the traditional floor-to-ceiling stone fireplace. The sunroom at the end of the lodge held a complete exercise room. The whole thing was like a living cliché. Even under the circumstances, she found herself snickering at her surroundings. Why wasn't she afraid? Why wasn't she quaking in fear? What the hell were his intentions? As her brain fog cleaned up, the questions were coming hot and heavy.

Sherry moved towards the eating table as if she had done it many times before, although this was the first time. It all felt comfortable. She sat down and quickly found a mug of hot coffee in front of her; black just as she preferred it. Her host sat across the table from her.

"Hi! My name is Logan. Welcome to Kernow." He seemed relaxed and self-confident. Sherry just looked at him as she blew over the top of the hot coffee. They sat that way for several minutes. She did not respond and he offered nothing further. The coffee was good.

"You kidnapped me!"

"Sort of!" Logan reached for the coffee pot and topped off the mugs.

"What the hell do you mean 'sort of'?"

"Well, you are not being held for ransom and I have no plans of violating you in any manner. Think of it as an unplanned vacation of sorts."

"That's bullshit and you know it. You abducted me for some weird purpose and now you are trying to make me believe that it is something other than a kidnapping." He didn't argue with her. He just sat and smiled. That made her feel uncomfortable.

"Are you hungry?"

"Don't change the subject." He just sat quietly.

After a few moments of silence she replied. "yes, I could eat. I am hungry."

He knew his way around the kitchen. As she waited, she studied the inside of the cabin, which actually was more of a lodge. It had plenty of windows with sunshine on one side and shade on the other. The outside, that she could see, appeared to be almost all wooded with some open spots, but no grass or lawn. She glanced over at her abductor frequently, noticing that he was moving like an experienced TV chef. He reeked of confidence, which she found attractive even under the adverse circumstances. She felt confused. She was in a dire situation and felt no fear. It must have given her some sort of drug.

Her reverie was broken when he put the plate in front of her. Fluffy scrambled eggs with bacon and sauteed mushrooms. She recognized a slight taste of mirin in the eggs. She noticed that there was no toast or other bread. She didn't care; she was too hungry. He topped off her coffee again.

"I think it is time for you to stretch your legs a bit. It was a long flight to get here. There is a pair of sketchers and a light jacket over by the back door. I'll be with you in a second." he said, as he cleared the table.

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The area around the cabin was covered with tall pines. There were a few deciduous trees scattered about, but it was mostly evergreen. On the North side was a lake with a long dock, longer than it appeared that it had to be. She noticed how odd that seemed. A large array of solar panels covered one side of the roof and she also noticed a small enclosure at the rear that seemed like it would or could hold a generator. Where did the fuel for the generator come from? There was no road. A utility shed, off to the side, held a Snowmobile and a utility vehicle. Where did the gas come from?

Several trails lead away from the cabin in different directions. For some reason she found herself surveying the area. To the East was a large swampy area that ended with an escarpment that seemed to rise several hundred feet in the air. The same swampy situation existed on the West side, except that it seemed to go on forever. The Southside appeared to be just miles and miles of rolling woods. That was a guess because she actually could not see anything other than the dense growth in front of her. She noticed a contrail overhead but heard no traffic noises.

The entire time that they were strolling around the area he was quiet. It was as if he was letting her take in everything on her own. He knew that she would have a lot of questions. There was a lot of time to answer them. The afternoon Autumn chill was just setting in.

After about thirty minutes, Sherry slowly walked back to the cabin and Logan followed. They did not speak until they entered.

"You have a complete wardrobe and hopefully everything that you will need to be comfortable. If I missed anything please let me know. You have a couple of hours to relax, maybe take a shower. We are having salmon for supper. Tonight, I will answer all of your questions."

"You are Logan, right?" she asked. He just nodded. "Everybody thought that you were a myth. Why me? Why would Logan take me?"

"Tonight! I will explain everything tonight." She turned to walk away but paused.

"Why am I so mellow? I should be enraged and defensive as hell."

"Incense. Psilocybin incense. Don't ask."

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The grilled salmon and asparagus were perfect; what there was of it. She was still a bit hungry. Logan was quite capable in the kitchen. She helped him clean up and then they retired to the living area with fresh coffee.

"Logan, your magic mushroom seems to be wearing off. It is time for you to spill the beans before I start getting pissed off. You don't want to see me mad." Sherry sat on the cedar-framed couch with her legs tucked under her.

"It appears that you have an idea of who I am and what I am supposed to have done?" It was a statement posed as a question.

"You are Logan; the abductor. You kidnap vulnerable women and then brainwash them, so that they do not accuse you. You infuse them with so much 'Stockholm Syndrome' that they simply refuse to turn against you. Since I am fully aware of what you do, it will not work on me."

"Why would I do such a thing?"

"I don't know. I guess it is some kind of wicked game. Yes! That's it. You must get some sort of satisfaction out of it. It's evil. You use innocent women, who you don't even know, to play your wicked game. You are a despicable human being."

"Do you realize how ridiculous that sounds? You can't be serious. Do I seem to be wicked to you?" She paused slightly.

"No! But the game that you are playing is wicked. I won't play!"

"Do you play Parcheesi?"

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"I'll get out the Parcheesi board; you get some more coffee."

"You promised me an explanation."

"I'll answer three questions in the morning, after breakfast. Now! It's Parcheesi time." She gave him a low growl as she went for fresh coffee. Sherry did play a good game but had a difficult time concentrating. She was still probing for information, and Logan would just smile and continue playing.

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Breakfast was poached eggs with avocado slices and some fresh berries. Sherry gobbled it down and was looking for more. They gravitated to the front porch with coffee and Logan just looked at her and nodded his head. The breakfast conversation had been limited to the weather and what wildlife was in the area. Now it was time for the real thing.

" I was awake half the night thinking about it all. I have figured out quite a bit of what is happening, but I need you to fill in the blanks. Before I present my questions, let me tell you what I think is going on. You can correct me at any time." Logan smiled and nodded.

"First! You abducted two other girls before me and each of them had a personal problem that was causing them public grief and humiliation. Angel had a drug problem, caused and aggravated by the injuries that she acquired filming. Maggie was near death from anorexia. She was unable to cope with the death of her husband. The media was using every opportunity to exploit her condition. How am I doing so far?"

"Not one hundred percent, but go on."

"What didn't I get right?"

"There were three before you, not two."

"Who the hell was the third one? They only ever mentioned two; Angel and Maggie."

"The third one was not a public figure. She was just a normal lady. The media wasn't interested in exploiting her, but she still needed help."

"Okay! I assume I was selected because of my weight. After I went over three hundred pounds, I spent half the day crying and the other half eating. You have no idea how many times I contemplated just walking into the ocean. That was the nice part about having a house in Malibu. The bad part was all of the paparazzi waiting for me to step outside. I have only been here a day, but it is quite obvious that you are determined to get me on some type of Adkins or Keto diet. I tried them! It didn't work."

"Did you cheat?"

"Of course!" She actually giggled.

"What are your three questions?"

"Can I go home now?"

"No!"

"Are you going to rape me?"

"No!"

"Do you have any chocolate?"

"No!"

We just sat there for a few seconds, not saying anything.

"You wasted your three questions. Why did you do that?"

There was no reply.

"Go put on some comfortable clothes and walking shoes. We are going to see a Bald Eagle?"

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Sherry took control of the walk, and Logan just trailed along behind her. Occasionally she would ask a question. Is this area swampy all year around or is it seasonal? There are no power poles. Where do you get your electricity from? What happens in the winter? Does the lake freeze over? How do you get your supplies? Where do all of the trails go? Logan continued to supply superficial answers as long as she asked them. Every once in a while she would slip in a trick question such as 'What is the closest town' or 'What is the closest FM or TV station'. Logan just smiled and ignored those inquiries.

There was a large propane tank and also a liquid nitrogen tank. The solar panels, she saw the day before, covered the entire South roof area. Sherry wasn't sure but it looked like there was also a cistern water collection system. That answered many of the questions that she had from the previous day's walk.

The trails were not worn from a lot of use. They all looked fairly new and manually maintained. It was as if someone, probably Logan, had spent many hours keeping them clear. Today she spend most of the time on the West side trails. It was all wet, marshy swamp. The gnats and skeeters were merciless. It was not a pleasant area. She knew that the East area was similar, but she would have to check that out on another day.

They did not see the eagle.

They made their way back to the lodge and Logan had snacks and appetizers laid out in no time. She was breathing a bit heavy. It was the most exercise she had had in over a year. It wasn't really exercising, just slow walking, but it was still a task for her overweight body. The cheese and meat he presented, was so obviously keto that Sherry had to snicker a bit. Who was he trying to fool? The cherry tomatoes and avocado were another matter. How was he handling the food under these circumstances? She would figure it out.

"I have a lot more questions." Sherry made herself comfortable on the couch with a mug of coffee.

"You wasted your questions yesterday."

"Okay! I got that out of my system. Now I want to get serious. I assume that you brought me here to somehow help me get my head straight. The result of my severe depression, of course, has been my extreme weight gain. You must have recognized my inability to take control of the situation and decided to help. I assume this is the same thing that happened with Maggie and Angel."

Logan just smiled and nodded.

"I am guessing that the third mystery woman also had a similar problem."

He nodded again.

"You kept them here about five months. Will I be here that long also?"

"That's the plan, but things change. Nothing is based on time; it all depends on results."

"Did any of them try to leave; to escape or just run away?"

"Angel did one time. She was gone for one day and night. She didn't have to come back because of the physical demands, she came back because she realized that it was the best thing for her, even though she didn't like it. She had the strength and tenacity to get away, but decided to stay instead."

"I don't have any of her physical capabilities, but you know I am going to try anyhow."

"That's okay. I hope that you will at least stay until you are in better shape. While you are losing some of your excess, we will also be building you up physically. Tomorrow we will be starting your exercise routine. I don't think it would be a good idea to think of escaping until you lost at least a hundred pounds or more. Does that make sense?"

"I wasn't expecting that answer, but I will consider it."

"What else do you need to know?"

"Do we have any news or media; Facebook, YouTube, or e-mail? Any outside communication at all?"

"Nope! Let me clarify that. You don't! If any emergencies arise, I can take care of it. Do you see that door?" Logan pointed to the wall in the center of the room. "The keypad opens a door to the basement. I have complete control of everything from there. You will have no access to it. If you have a medical emergency, you will be taken care of. I also control all of the lodge facilities from down there."

"You have a generator outside, but I haven't heard it running. How are you operating this place?"

"Heating, hot water, and cooking are with the propane. The tank holds enough for six months. The refrigeration and freezer run off of the nitrogen. All of the lights and such are LCD and run off of the solar panels. Food and supplies are delivered every two weeks by boat. Don't even think about it."

"Other than exercising how do we entertain ourselves."

"You have an unlimited Kindle library as well as Netflix and Prime Videos. All the board games are in the hall closet. Sorry, but there are no phones or computers." It appeared that she had no other questions for the time being.

"Okay! That's it for a while. Now let's get out there. We have the whole East side to check out today. Next week we will start exploring the South side. That will be limitless."

"Oh! Before we go out. Why do you call this place 'Kernow'?"

Logan laughed. "Because it is magical! You'll see."

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The newness quickly wore off. Sherry decided not to fight it. There was not much of an alternative available, and she started to look at her situation in a different light. The food was good. The facilities were good. The privacy was good. The company was yet to be determined.

On the downside, she was still fat. She was always hungry. She felt that she had no control over anything. The uncertainty of everything made her feel uncomfortable, but she was not afraid.

By the time winter had set in, Sherry was on a daily routine. It was demanding but doable. It quickly became a bit boring, but also familiar. After a morning start in the exercise room, she had breakfast with Logan, and then they spent the rest of the morning outside, weather permitting. Actually, they seemed to enjoy the bad weather as much as the good. Hiking in freezing rain and snow was highly stimulating. She grew to love it. The lake froze over, but never enough for her to feel comfortable to venture out on it.