He was getting really discouraged, but had a sudden surge of faith when he thought about a Bible story. Yeah, but he wasn’t as rich or powerful as God, he thought. Goliath surely thought David was a puny little adversary that day in the Valley of Elah. Christopher wished he had David’s courage, but couldn’t help but wonder if David didn’t feel the same way at the time. His hope was that the police would go in and rescue Julia, and then he would simply drive her home. He had already had a couple of confrontations with Charles Morgan. He had seen him more than enough for one lifetime.
Chapter Twelve
Christopher was beginning to see more and more buildings, and in the distance, mountains. He knew they were getting close. His heart quickened. He didn’t notice at first that Dillon was stirring beside him.
“I got ‘em,” Dillon said, looking at his laptop and sitting upright. “I see his signature. I’ll guide us right to where they are.” He paused. “It looks like they are at a house in a neighborhood.”
“Should I call the police now?” Travis said.
“Yes, tell them they are at 407 Benbrook Street.”
Travis pulled out his phone and tapped on it. Christopher listened as he talked to the officers and told them the address.
Travis hung up. “Okay, they’re on their way.”
“I’ll be praying,” Christopher said. He silently prayed for Julia’s safety. He prayed this would end well and they would be headed back to Missouri in a couple of hours. The car fell silent for thirty minutes. Christopher didn’t have to wonder what was going through Travis’ mind, he knew this was agony for him. He was glad he and Dillon were here for him. Travis had already gone through the horror of thinking Julia was dead, and now this.
Travis’ phone broke Christopher’s concentration. “Yes, this is Travis. Yes sir. Okay, yes sir.” Travis tapped to end the call. “They are at the house now. He said they have it surrounded. He said for us to stay back and let them handle it.”
“I figured that,” Dillon said. “Well, it’s in their hands now.”
Christopher looked over at Dillon. “I guess I’ll get as close as they’ll let us. How far away are we?”
Dillon studied his laptop a moment. “About half an hour, I think.” He looked up. “We’re going to go north on Loop 470 in about five miles.”
Christopher made his exit and followed Dillon’s directions, zeroing in on their target.
They were nearly there when Travis’ phone rang again. “This is Travis. Really? So, what now? Yes sir.” He ended the call and leaned forward. “She wasn’t there.”
“Was Matt there?” Dillon said.
“Yes, they arrested him.”
Christopher turned onto Benbrook Street. He could see several police cars parked in the road up ahead. He pulled up to the roadblock and could see Matt’s house thirty yards or so behind it. Officers were leaving the scene. Christopher killed the engine and the three of them got out and began to walk up to the house.
Dillon stopped the first officer he encountered. “So, she wasn’t here?”
“No sir.”
“That’s my wife,” Travis said. “Who can we talk to that knows something?”
The officer looked behind him. “I would talk to that man in the suit right there.”
Travis led the way as they trotted up to the man. “Sir, can you tell us anything?”
“Who are you?” The agent said.
“I’m Travis Reed. I’m the husband.”
The agent extended his hand. “Michael Eaton, FBI. All I can tell you is we searched the house and the car, and there’s no sign of her. We arrested Mr. Douglas based on the video evidence from the store in Springfield, but he’s not talking. He says this is a set-up, and he had nothing to do with any of this.”
“We saw his face on the video,” Dillon said.
“Yeah, we saw it too.” He looked at Travis. “I’m sorry. We’ll do all we can.”
The three stood and watched officers coming in and out of the house for several minutes. No one wanted to move. This is where the trail had brought them. This was where she was supposed to be. They had driven all night to this house and she wasn’t here. Christopher didn’t want to think the worst and didn’t want Travis to think it either. Several minutes later the last of the officers got into their cars and left the scene. Now it was just Christopher, Travis and Dillon standing in Matt’s yard.
“So what do we do now?” Travis said.
Dillon turned and began to walk back to the car. “Let’s go pay Charles Morgan a visit.” He turned and looked at them. “It’s the only thing we can do.”
Christopher hoped Rachel wasn’t right, and this was a trap. His heart jumped at the thought of going anywhere near Morgan Corporate Headquarters. The last time he was there, he got hit over the head with a phone book and was in a helicopter crash. He was sore for months and still had headaches that he blamed on that incident. And the other time he was in the building, they had all run out of it with bullets flying behind them.
But they had to do everything they could to get Julia back safely. If they had to get in Charles Morgan’s face, then that’s what they would do. He got back into the driver’s seat. Dillon was already studying his laptop.
Travis got into the back seat and closed the door. “I can’t believe this. I can’t believe she wasn’t here? Where could she be? I’m so scared.”
“I know,” Christopher said. “I’m really sorry, Trav, but we’re not giving up, we’re going after her.” He started the car and looked over at Dillon. “We need to get some gas, then you can tell me where to go.”
“Okay,” Dillon said, looking up from his laptop. “There’s a gas station right up there. Then, get back on the loop and head west.”
Christopher gassed the car, and then followed Dillon’s directions and drove toward the corporate headquarters. Soon, he could see the familiar, shiny building reflecting the afternoon sun. His heart quickened as he drove closer.
“You know what? We need a plan,” Dillon said. “Let’s stop at that diner right up there and discuss how we should do this.”
“I’m not hungry,” Travis said, “but I bet you guys are.”
“Not really,” Christopher said. “But we all need our strength.” He braked and pulled into the parking lot. The men went inside and sat at a table by the window.
Dillon waited until the men were settled, then spoke. “I think we should separate before we get there.” He waited again to say more until their waitress took their orders and disappeared behind the counter. “The thing is, they’re looking for me.” He looked over at Travis. “I want to go in there with you, you know I do, but they would grab me at the guard gate, and then I couldn’t help you at all.”
Christopher nodded. “Yeah, he’s right.” As bad as he wanted his friend to stay right by his side, he knew Dillon couldn’t go in there with them. “Travis and I will go.” Christopher was trying to put on a brave face but he was not sure if he was succeeding. He wanted to crawl under the table. He looked out the window at the corporate building and then back at Dillon. “Okay, we have our phones. We’ll go in and get her, and then come back for you.”
“I just hope she’s in there,” Travis said.
“I’d put money on it,” Dillon said, looking at him. “If that plan is okay with you, I’ll stay here. I have my laptop and can monitor the building to some degree.” He reached into his pocket and brought out the foil-wrapped microchip. “Christopher, hide this somewhere, maybe in your sock. Keep it wrapped for now, but if something goes wrong in there, uncover it, and I can use it to track you.”
Christopher took it from him and shoved it into his left sock, under his foot. The men grew quiet. The waitress brought their lunch and set it before them. Christopher wasn’t hungry, but the smell of the bacon awoke his appetite and he was able to eat. He knew he needed his strength. Travis mostly picked at his meal and he didn’t blame him.
Dillon ate his lunch, then studied his laptop. Af
ter a few minutes, he turned it toward Travis and pointed to the screen. “I found Matt Douglas again. He’s in the county jail.”
“That’s good to know.”
Dillon hugged Travis at the car and gave Christopher a firm handshake. He took the bag of guns out of the car and held it at his side. “I’ll be right here.”
“We’ll see you in an hour or so,” Christopher said. He got into the driver’s seat, and looked over at Travis, “You ready?” He put the car in drive and made his way out of the parking lot and onto the street, and headed for the building. He was nearly at the entrance when his phone rang. “Hello.”
It was Dillon. “Just tell them at the guard gate who you are and that you want to see Charles. I think he’ll see you.”
“Okay, we’re pulling up to it now. I’ll keep you posted.” Christopher could feel his heart in his throat as he pulled up to the guard post. A crossing arm was down in front of the car so that he could not proceed until the guards raised it. One guard was in the kiosk and another stood out beside the crossing arm.
The man in the kiosk glanced at his clipboard, then at Christopher. “May I help you?”
Christopher cleared his throat. “Yes, I’m Christopher Forrest and this is Travis Reed. We’re here to see Charles Morgan.”
The man looked at Christopher like he had lost his mind. “Sir, Mr. Morgan doesn’t receive visitors unless they are on his schedule.”
Christopher felt his face turning red. “Please, just tell him who we are. I think he will see us.”
“No, it doesn’t work that way.”
“Call his secretary,” Christopher said. “Tell her we’re here from Springfield, Missouri, and we want to talk about Julia Reed.”
The man looked at Christopher for a moment. He clearly didn’t want to make the call. He pressed his lips together. Christopher stared back at him, not breaking his gaze.
The man picked up a phone on the wall. “Yes, I have a Christopher Forrest and Travis Reed from Springfield, Missouri, here. They say they want to speak to Mr. Morgan about Julia Reed.” He looked at Christopher as he listened. “Oh, I see. Okay, I’ll tell them.” He hung up the phone. “Okay, that was Mr. Morgan’s secretary. She said he is out of town today, but will be back tomorrow. She said she scheduled you for a visit at ten in the morning.”
Christopher’s heart sank. He looked at the guard for a second. It wouldn’t do any good to protest. They couldn’t go in and see a man who wasn’t there. Christopher looked over at Travis and then back at the guard. “Ok, we’ll be here at ten in the morning.”
The guard leaned out the door. “Be here fifteen minutes early so we can check you in and get you up there on time.” He gestured behind the car. “Just back up please. You can’t go forward.”
Travis called Dillon as they drove back to get him. “Hey, we’re on our way to get you.”
“Wow, that was fast! Do you have Julia?”
“No, we didn’t get past the gate,” Christopher said. “Morgan is out of town, but they said we could see him in the morning.”
Dillon was standing outside the diner when Christopher pulled up to get him. “Well, we tried. At least we have an appointment now.” He got into the back seat.
“I can’t believe we couldn’t even get past the gate,” Travis said. “Now, I have to wait another day to see if she’s okay.”
“So where do we go?” Christopher said, putting the car in reverse.
“I saw a hotel a couple of miles back,” Dillon said. “I guess that’s our home for the night.”
“It could have been worse,” Christopher said. “They could have said Morgan was gone all week – or all month.”
“Let’s check in and rest up this evening,” Dillon said. “We’ll be fresh in the morning.”
“That sounds good,” Christopher said. “We can check in with our wives and give them an update on–” He looked over at Travis. “Sorry.”
“No, it’s okay,” Travis said. “You guys need to check in with Rachel and Gabby to make sure they’re okay.”
Christopher wanted to go home. He wanted to put his arms around Rachel and hear her say she was okay. He wanted to sleep in his own bed. What were they doing out here in Denver anyway? Who did they think they were? Did they really think they could march into Charles’s office and demand he give her back? Did they really think she was even there? What if Matt had simply killed her? No, he would not let his mind go there. He knew Travis was thinking these same thoughts and he needed to be strong for him. Christopher pulled into the parking lot of the hotel and drove under the awning in front of the office.
The men checked in and found their room. Christopher and Travis agreed to sleep in one bed and let Dillon have the other. They reasoned Dillon was the biggest of the three and needed more space.
The room was dark and the window unit humming when Christopher got out of the shower. It was late afternoon and the other men were already lying on the beds. He lied beside Travis, on top of the covers, and tried to make his mind shut down. He must have been really tired because in a few minutes, he was sound asleep.
At supper, the men were mostly quiet. Christopher wanted to be cheery for Travis, but it was an effort. It had taken all the courage he had to drive up to that guard post at Morgan, and now he had to do it again in the morning. They talked to the local police and FBI before they went to bed, but there was nothing new to report. Travis paced the floor and called his son, Jonathan, and daughter, Karen. He sounded assuring to each of them, although he cried when Jonathan put Travis’ grandson on the line.
Around nine, Dillon turned off the television. Christopher was glad. He was exhausted. He just wanted to sleep. He wanted morning to come so he could get this over with. He could hear Travis and Dillon breathing heavily before he drifted off. Soon he joined them.
Chapter Thirteen
Christopher gritted his teeth as he drove into the driveway of the Morgan Corporate Headquarters. Travis looked exhausted and tense sitting next to him. Christopher had already called Rachel to tell her he loved her. They had left Dillon and the guns at the hotel, as per the plan. Checkout was at noon, so Dillon planned to return the room key, then sit in the lobby and wait for their return after that. Christopher was hoping that wouldn’t be necessary. He was hoping they would go in and get Julia, then go pick up Dillon before noon. But he knew better.
Christopher pulled up to the guard kiosk just before 9:45. The same security guard came out of the door with a clipboard. He nodded at Christopher, then asked him to pop the trunk. He looked inside, then opened the back door on Travis’ side. Another guard stepped up and ran a mirror under the car, then he got down on the ground beside the car and looked under the carriage of the vehicle and in the wheel wells. He was holding some type of scanner that Christopher had never seen before.
“Step out of the car please,” the first guard said.
Christopher and Travis got out and stood beside the car.
The guard frisked both of them. “Okay, you can park in that visitor’s spot next to the door.”
Christopher was already sweating as they pulled up and parked in front of the building. He was glad and a little surprised that the guard hadn’t asked him to remove his shoes. He still had the microchip in his left sock. He could see beads of sweat on Travis’ cheek too, even though the mountain air was crisp and cool and dry.
They got out of the car and Christopher didn’t bother to lock it. They walked into the cavernous lobby and memories began to flood back. Christopher could see the balcony, way up at the top, where Charles Morgan had thrown Merrill Brandies over the railing to his death. The waterfall looked like it had been renovated since they were last there. It still flowed down through tropical plants and palm trees to a marble pool at the bottom, making a soothing sound as it flowed. People were speaking to each other as they entered and exited the lobby area. It looked like such a pleasant place to work, but Christopher wondered if these workers were frightened like he was. He w
ondered if any of them had dealt with kidnappings and deaths at the hands of the company. He wondered if any of them remembered Merrill’s body lying on the inlaid Morgan logo they were walking across. They walked up to a welcome desk at the back of the lobby.
The receptionist looked up. “May I help you?”
Christopher cleared his throat. “Yes, we have an appointment with Charles Morgan at ten.”
She looked at her computer screen for a moment. “May I see some ID?”
He pulled out his wallet and showed her his driver’s license.
She studied it for two or three seconds. “Ok, Mr. Forrest, you are going to take that elevator over there to the eleventh floor. They’ll help you when you get up there.” She reached under the desk and brought out a square, plastic container. “You need to empty your pockets. I’ll keep your belongings safe for you until you get back.”
Christopher didn’t like this at all. He didn’t want to give her his cell phone. But he knew he had no choice. He and Travis put in their phones, wallets and keys. He looked over at Travis. “Ready?”
They walked to the elevator and Christopher pushed the button for the top floor. He had to remember to breathe as they ascended into the building. He looked over at Travis and he looked as though he had lost all the color in his cheeks. Christopher clinched his fist as he waited for the doors to open. When it finally did, they faced another receptionist. Two guards flanked her.
“Mr. Forrest?”
“Yes ma'am.”
“Mr. Morgan has someone in his office. Please take a seat and I’ll let you know when you can go in.”
The Dead Peasants' Contract: A Sequel to The Dead Peasants File (The Dead Peasants' Series Book 2) Page 9