by Lee Wood
In the distance, a train whistle blows. It seems the 7.42 is trying to make up time.
Mick steps onto the track. His two dogs follow.
"What are you doing?" James asks.
"If you're going to stand on the track so am I."
"Don't be a fool. The train will be here soon. Get off."
"Indeed. Not until you do."
"Walk away. Leave me alone. You don’t need to see this."
"Mr Sheldon. You won't remember me. Your charity gave us the house on Asbury Park. We'd been in a depressing two-bedroom flat with damp on the walls and a water supply that didn't work half of the time. My wife and I argued all the time. We were miserable and desperate in that flat. We nearly split up.
“Your charity offered us a beautiful three-bedroom house at half the rent of what we were paying for the flat. You saved my marriage. I can't stand by and see you do this. So I'm staying right here. Yes indeed. What happens to me is now your responsibility."
Both men feel the rumble of the tracks. The train is getting very close.
Twenty seconds later it thunders over the crossing and on into the distance. The two men stand yards from the track watching it continue its journey.
"Phew. Indeed. That was close," Mick said. "Come on, mate. My wife and I are parked across the field in our caravan. Please come and say hello. I'm sure Tammy would like to thank you for what you've done."
"I appreciate the offer. But best I go home."
"Will you promise me you won't do anything rash?"
"Yes. I promise I'll reconsider. Thank you for the words of encouragement. I didn't realise the houses had made such a difference. I appreciate what you said."
"Mr Sheldon, as I told you, you've changed a lot of lives for the better. Please stick around and I hope you sort out whatever is troubling you."
"I will. I promise." James gives a faint smile.
"Mr Sheldon, I'm not sure what the problem is and it's none of my business but perhaps you might consider getting a dog. They can be a great comfort."
James looks across at the two small dogs at Mick’s side, sitting and looking up at their owner with pure love in their eyes.
As he walks back across the field, Mick stops and waits until he sees James reach the crossing and head in the direction of where he said he left his car.
When he is sure the man won't return to the tracks, he continues his walk. He thinks, All that money and he's still not happy. I hope he finds peace with whatever it is. Yes indeed.
Chapter Twenty
Every pair of male eyes within thirty feet is virtually popping out of their heads as the bubbly blonde eighteen-year-old twins wiggle their shapely backsides from the luggage terminal, through the ‘Nothing to Declare’ channel and across the arrivals terminal, in a way that would make Marilyn Monroe proud.
After seven sun-soaked days and humid nights in Ibiza, they have come home to be greeted by the same drab weather as when they left. Their holiday had been amazing but sadly over.
It seems the press isn’t aware of their return and no paparazzi are around. The only people to notice them are a lot of men and a bunch of delighted young fans who happened to be at the airport. Several have asked for selfies and the girls are more than happy to oblige.
As the twins walk towards the exit, they see a man wearing a chauffeur’s uniform and cap. He is holding a white placard with their names ‘Erica and Leona Mitten’ neatly written on it. He smiles as one of the twins waves to him.
“There’s a special VIP limousine waiting to take you home, courtesy of your father." He picks up the larger two of four pieces of luggage and says, “Please follow me.”
“Wow! How exciting. I can’t believe Dad would organise this,” Erica says.
“Perhaps he’s getting more generous in his old age.” Leona giggles.
“Fat chance of that. He’ll probably send us the bill next week.”
The two girls follow the chauffeur as he leads them to the multi-storey car park.
“The car’s over here.” He points to the pure white shiny Mercedes S-class limousine parked up ahead. As they approach, the chauffeur presses his key toggle and the boot of the Mercedes opens. The girls stand next to him as he places the first two pieces of luggage in the boot.
Parked in the adjoining bay along is a black eight-seater Vito Tourer minibus with blacked-out windows. It’s parked the opposite way round to the limousine with the front of the vehicle close to the boot of the Mercedes. There is a man with a beard and dark glasses sitting in the driver’s seat.
Without warning, the sliding rear door of the minibus opens and two men wearing ski masks jump out. Before the girls realise what is happening, the men grab hold of the girls and bundle them into the back of the minibus.
It’s all over in less than ten seconds. Leona manages a brief scream before a dirty rough-skinned hand covers her mouth.
As this takes place, the chauffeur calmly carries on loading the rest of the luggage into the boot acting as if nothing is happening. He walks round and gets into the Mercedes, reverses out of the space and drives off.
The minibus waits for a few seconds before following the Mercedes down the slope towards the exit. It turns onto the lower level as a lady in a wheelchair drives herself across the pathway.
One of her wheels gets stuck in a pothole. The minibus comes to a halt and waits.
No-one notices the man who has been observing the entire proceedings get out of a nearby car and attach a tiny device underneath the rear of the minibus and return to his car.
The minibus speeds off with the two petrified girls cowering together on the back seat.
Chapter Twenty-One
After hearing the twin’s mother on the local radio station giving details of when they were arriving back from their holiday, Daniel makes sure he is at the airport in plenty of time to check all the flights arriving from Ibiza.
As the passengers come through from the second flight of the day, he notices the girls and he stands as close to the arrivals gate barrier as he possibly can. He’s already seen the chauffeur and the placard with their names on it. He hadn’t expected that but now they are famous, he assumes this is normal.
As the chauffeur greets them and leads them to the car park, Daniel follows at a discreet distance. He sees them stop by the Mercedes. Luckily, his car is parked on the level below.
It means as they leave, it should be easy to follow in his rental car. All he has to do is wait for the Mercedes to drive down the ramp and past where he’s parked and follow them.
As Daniel watches from his secluded spot on the lower level he can’t quite believe his eyes. He watches, helpless, as the two men wearing masks step out of the minibus, grab the girls and bundle them into the back. It makes him scared and excited at the same time.
What can he do to save them? The girls are being abducted exactly as he had seen in the movies.
He makes a decision. He cannot confront two large men. It is more important than ever he follows the minibus without losing it. The girls’ lives depend on it. His mind begins to race. This is his chance to show them he’s just like Ethan Hunt. He is the only person who can become their hero and save them.
The chauffeured Mercedes has just driven past Daniel’s parking space. He sits in his car waiting. As the minibus drives past, he is about to pull out when without warning it stops a couple of yards in front.
Seeing the lady in the wheelchair, this is Daniel’s chance. He grabs the GPS tracking device, jumps out of the car and crouches behind the minibus and lets the magnet do its work.
It makes a small clink as it connects with the underside of the vehicle but he doesn’t think with everything going on in front that they would have heard. Now, if he loses the van in traffic, he can track its location.
Chapter Twenty-Two
After being forced into the black minibus, Erica and Leona were blindfolded and their hands tied behind their backs with threats of what will happen to them if the
y ‘try anything funny’.
They are aware of three men in the vehicle. One is the driver. The other two are in the back with them. One of the men is loud and verbally abusive. As he puts on her blindfold and ties her hands, he keeps brushing against Leona’s breasts. And it doesn’t seem like an accident.
The man handling Erica is more gentle and careful with his hands.
The van drives off down the slope of the car park and stops abruptly.
The girls hear the driver shouting.
“Get out the way, you stupid woman.”
After a few seconds, the van moves off, and soon they feel it speed up. They must be on the motorway.
Both girls feel the rough hands as their mobile phones are taken from the back pockets of their jeans. Then a rush of air as the passenger side window opens and shortly after it is closed again. They realise their mobile phones have been thrown out to avoid them being traced.
They both sit quietly as they had been told, wondering what their fate will be.
It is over an hour before the vehicle makes another stop. They can hear as the driver gets out and open what sounds like a squeaky gate, then he gets back in and the vehicle moves forward a few feet before the engine is turned off.
“Keep your blindfolds on and no funny business.”
The girls are bundled out of the vehicle.
Erica is led along by a man who gently holds her arm to guide her. Leona is not so lucky. This man has bad body odour and pushes her along with his hand rubbing and squeezing her backside as they walk.
They are made to sit on two chairs. Their hands are untied.
“Okay, you can take your blindfolds off now.”
As their eyes adjust, they see they are in a dingy room that had once been used as an office. It has two windows along one wall. Both have strong metal bars across. The floor is made up of green carpet tiles so dirty they stick to the girls’ shoes.
“When your parents pay the ransom you will be released. Be patient.” The voice is foreign but sounds calm and almost friendly.
The two men walk out and the door is locked.
The girls hear the men talking to a third man.
“What did you tell them that for?”
“It’s true, isn’t it?”
“It depends.”
“Depends on what?”
“On what I decide is best. You don’t need to know.”
“Know what. Is there something else going on?”
“Listen. Take heed of what I say. I’ve put this together for my own reasons. You’re getting paid more for a few days of work than you can make in a few years so do as I say or else.”
The girls can't help but overhear. Even at their young age, they've had to deal with all types. And their intuition is telling them they should be very afraid of this man.
Chapter Twenty-Three
There are four men in the kidnapping gang.
The mastermind calls himself Mr Gee. His partner and second-in-command is Chris.
The hired help are Kronid and Dragos.
Mr Gee has told them the plan is to demand a ransom of one million pounds to be paid in forty-eight hours.
He says the parents have plenty of money and can afford to pay. Once they have collected the ransom, the girls will be dropped off at a remote location and their parents told where to find them.
This seems strange to Kronid as the day of the drop off is a Saturday and banks don't open on a Saturday. However, Mr Gee and Chris seem to be highly knowledgeable. Perhaps they have inside information and know the family keep a lot of cash in the house?
Like thousands of his fellow countrymen, Kronid moved to the UK in search of a better life and soon found out the streets are not paved with gold as he had been told.
And everything is so expensive. He works long hours doing two jobs but never seems to have any money left. Whatever he does, it always seems like things just don’t work out as he expects them to.
Then he met Chris who told him he was looking for someone who wanted to make a lot of money fast and didn’t care what they had to do. Kronid decided this could be his chance of a better life. He agreed, not really knowing what he was getting in to.
Now he is involved in the kidnapping of two girls. He has been promised he will be paid one hundred thousand pounds. Not bad for simply babysitting two young girls for a few days.
And he knows exactly what he is going to do with the cash. His plan is to return home and open a little coffee shop. He worked in several before coming to England.
Kronid is a kind gentle laid-back person who rarely gets upset. He doesn’t care as long as he gets his share and nobody gets hurt.
On the other hand, Dragos is bad news. He doesn’t like people. He barely tolerates them. He’s a dangerous man, not long out of prison for attempted murder and assaulting a police officer.
If something gets in his way, he will smash right through to the other side. He is angry and frustrated. Especially now, guarding these two young sexy girls.
Given half a chance, he could teach them a thing or two, except he has been warned he won’t get paid if he interferes with them. For the moment he is prepared to wait but he knows his chance will come and they will get what’s coming to them.
He is a friend of Chris and knows things that Kronid doesn’t. He believes he is superior to Kronid.
The four men are standing in what was formally an old car repair workshop on Tennis Court Road, which has been empty for several years. Chris seems to know the place quite well.
It consists of three parts. The area in the centre where the men are standing is about twenty-five feet square.
The centre section has been fitted out with an old sofa, an armchair, and a TV. Along the front wall are a sink and fridge. In the corner are two inflatable camp beds. At the rear is the entrance door leading to a spacious yard.
To one side there is an office, where the girls are being kept locked in. Next to that are the toilets. The door to the ladies is from the office. The entrance to the gents is from the central area.
The other side of the central area leads through to the old repair shop with a deep inspection pit used by the mechanics to check underneath the vehicles.
Mr Gee is addressing the hired help.
“Take heed of what I say. Other than to give them food, you don’t go into that room. You don’t speak to them or do anything until we’ve got the money. All you have to do is keep an eye on them. Kronid is in charge of giving them food. Watch TV or play cards or something. They should only be here for a few days. I don’t want anything to upset our plans. Those girls are worth a million pounds. Understood?”
Kronid and Dragos nod.
“I know we’ve gone over it before, but one last time so you are totally clear. I’ll make the call to let the parents know we’ve got them. We give them forty-eight hours to find the cash. Once they’ve made the drop off we’ll come back here and split the money up as agreed. After that, we go our separate ways and disappear. If you do something stupid and get caught, that’s up to you. You keep your mouth shut. Chris and I will take the girls to a remote location. One hour later, I will phone the parents and tell them where the girls are. That clear?”
Kronid and Dragos nod again.
“Right. It’s five o’clock. We’ll leave the Merc parked at the rear. It can’t be seen from the street. Right now we need to dispose of the minibus. It will stand out if we leave it here. And besides, it contains DNA evidence. Chris and I have a way to dispose of it. Then I’ll phone the parents and tell them the good news. I’m sure they’ll be delighted to hear from me.”
Mr Gee gives out a chuckle.
He is thinking, If the parents are frightened after the call I’m about to make, just wait until my second call. Then they will really know what fear is.
Chapter Twenty-Four
After Mr Gee and Chris leave, Kronid turns to Dragos.
“When I put the girls into the office, I told them after their parents
pay the money they will be released. But the boss said it depends. When I asked, he said I didn’t need to know. What did he mean?”
“Best you don’t know.”
“I’m here for the money. No-one gets hurt. That was the deal.”
“Yes, that’s right. No-one gets hurt.”
Kronid is not convinced. He’s beginning to realise his associate is not a nice man. Something is going on he is not aware of. Something is not right. He will observe and wait.
The girls have been listening to the conversations and trying their best to stay calm, although inside they are terrified.
“Shit. What do you think, babe? Are we in trouble?”
“Let’s look on the bright side and try not to panic. If they wanted us dead they wouldn’t have kitted out this place with the beds and other stuff. I think we know what’s happening, don’t we?”
“It sure looks like it, Lo.” Erica always shortens her sister’s name.
“You don’t think Miles is behind this, do you?”
“I bloody hope not. If I find out he is, he’ll be speaking with a squeaky voice by the time I’ve finished with him.”
“No. I don’t think he’d be that stupid.”
“I think you’re right.”
“They only want money. Dad will pay won’t he?”
Erica nods. “Yes, of course he’ll pay. You know Dad, he’ll sort this out. We’ll be home before you know it.”
“Saturday’s Mum’s fiftieth birthday. This isn’t the sort of surprise she was expecting.”
“Just our fucking luck. One minute we’re on the verge of becoming famous from the TV show. The next we’ll be famous when they find our bodies. At least if we do end up dead, we’ll be on the front page of the newspapers rather than page three.”
“That’s what I love about you, babe. Always looking on the bright side.”