Christopher couldn’t believe he was back in this building, waiting to see this man again. He had to tell himself to breathe. The thought of being back in Charles Morgan’s office truly frightened him. He wanted to jump and run. He looked over at Travis and settled down. It was ten times worse on him and he knew it.
Twenty very long minutes passed, then the receptionist spoke again. “He will see you now.”
Christopher couldn’t help but notice that no one had left the office. He saw why when he walked into the room: The FBI man they met in front of Matt Douglas’ house yesterday, Michael Eaton, was standing near Charles’ desk. Charles was standing next to him. And Julia was sitting on a couch.
Travis ran to Julia. She stood and they hugged and wept. “Are you okay?” He said.
“Yes, I’m fine.”
Charles walked over and waited for their embrace to end. He extended his hand to Travis. “Mr. Reed, I apologize for all of this.” He glanced back at Michael. “This was all just an unfortunate misunderstanding. I assure you no harm came to her. She has been well taken care of at my own house. I think she even went swimming with my wife yesterday.”
“Thank you for taking care of her,” Travis said.
Charles glanced at Michael. “I called the FBI myself when I heard what happened. I just needed to keep her location secret until I knew she was not in any danger.” He walked over and shook Christopher’s hand. “Reverend Forrest.” He looked back at Michael. “Reverend, I think you met Michael Eaton, with the FBI, yesterday.”
Michael extended his hand first to Christopher and then to Travis.
“Matt Douglas is out of control,” Charles said. “He’s in jail and he’s going to stay there awhile for this.” He glanced at Julia. “When I found out he took Julia, and was bringing her here in my helicopter, I told the pilot to fly her straight to my house and to keep him away from her on the way.” He looked again at Julia. “Isn’t that what happened Mrs. Reed?”
She nodded. “Yes, it is.”
“And no one harmed you did they?”
She shook her head.
“I’m just as upset about this as you are, Travis,” Charles said. “And if it’s okay, I’m going to fly you both back to Springfield right now.”
Travis wiped his face. “That sounds good to me.”
“Wait a minute.” Christopher couldn’t believe he had the courage to say anything, but he couldn’t help himself. “What does this mean?” He looked at Michael. “Aren’t you going to charge Mr. Morgan with anything?” He cleared his throat. “I mean, he held this woman against her will for two days. He didn’t let her call her husband–”
“I saved her life,” Charles said, stepping toward Christopher. “I kept her safe.”
Julia leaned toward Travis’ ear. “I thought you knew where I was. I thought–”
Michael interrupted her. “Would you like to press any charges, Mrs. Reed?”
She looked back at him a moment then shook her head. “No.”
Michael looked at Travis. “Do you?”
“No sir. I think I just wanna go home.”
Christopher could feel his cheeks turning red. This was their chance to go after Morgan. He was angry at Travis for a moment, but it subsided. He would probably do the same thing if he was in his shoes.
Michael turned to leave. “I’ll be in touch, Mr. Morgan. If we need a deposition, we’ll let you know.”
Charles shook his hand. “Very good, Michael. Thanks for your help with this.” He glanced back at Julia. “I’m just glad everything turned out okay.”
Michael walked out of the room and shut the door behind him.
Charles turned to Julia and Travis. “My helicopter is waiting for you outside. You should be safe at home in a couple of hours.”
“What is this about?” Christopher felt a surge of bravery. “Why did this happen?”
Charles shot a look at him. “Like I said, Matt Douglas is out of control. You’ll have to ask him why he did this.”
Christopher raised his voice. “But I want you to tell me why you didn’t let her call Travis and tell him she was okay.”
“I kept her safe. You should be thanking me for that.”
Christopher backed down. He could see he was getting nowhere trying to argue with Charles. He looked at Julia’s face, trying to read her thoughts. She really did seem okay. Travis looked more relieved than he had seen him in five years, after the first incident.
Charles walked over to his desk and pushed a button on his phone. “Vanessa, have my helicopter ready to go in ten minutes. Oh, and get Mr. and Mrs. Reed’s phones and personal belongings. Make sure they get them before they board.”
“Yes sir.”
He turned and faced Travis and Julia. “You’re all set.”
Travis extended his hand. “Thank you, Mr. Morgan.” He walked over and hugged Christopher and looked at him for a moment. “Thanks for bringing me here. I’ll see you back in Springfield.” He lingered for a couple of seconds like he wanted to say more, but he didn’t. Julia hugged Christopher, then she took Travis by the hand and the two walked out of the office.
Charles watched them leave, then turned to face Christopher. His demeanor changed. He walked right up to Christopher’s face. “Don’t ever try to bring down my company again, Reverend Forrest.”
It startled Christopher. He didn’t know how to respond.
“I’m watching you.” Charles got even closer to Christopher’s face. “You better remember that.”
Christopher felt angry. “If you’re referring to what happened five years ago, I was minding my own business.” He paused. “I kept burying your workers. I didn’t want any part of it.”
“But you are part of it,” Charles said. “You got me thrown in jail, and you cost me a lot of money.” He raised his voice. “No one is more powerful than me!”
Christopher could feel the heat coming from Charles’ breath. He backed up a step. “Sir, that was a long time ago.”
“I don’t easily forget.” He waved his hand around the room. “How do you think I built this empire? You think I don’t know who my enemies are?”
His demeanor was frightening to Christopher. Where was he going with this? “Sir, we just came to get Julia. I appreciate you taking care of her and giving her back.” He backed up another step. “I’ll just be on my way now.”
Charles grabbed him by the arm. “It’s not that simple.” He let his arm go. “Where’s Dillon McGee?”
Christopher hated to lie, but he didn’t hesitate. “I don’t know.”
“I think you do.” He looked over at one of the giant screens on the wall. “Dillon’s signature disappeared two hours after Julia was taken.” He turned and looked at Christopher. “Then you turned up here. Are you telling me Dillon’s not with you?”
“No sir. Travis and I came.” He paused. “I’m his preacher, I just came to support him.”
“What does God think about lying?”
Christopher didn’t respond.
Charles pointed at him. “You’re not leaving this building until I find Dillon, so you better hope he turns up soon.”
“Give me my phone back and I’ll call him for you.”
“No, I don’t think so.” Charles walked toward the door. “Follow me.”
Christopher followed him out into the reception area, then to the elevator. A security guard joined them as they got into the elevator. Charles pushed the button for the first floor. Christopher tried to keep up with where they were going in case he had to find his way out. They walked across the hall, near the front lobby and into a large conference room. Charles shut the door behind Christopher once he was inside.
His heart-rate went up again when he saw what room he was in: the conference room where the man had hit him over the head with the phone book five years ago. He remembered how mad Charles was as he sat across from him, and how he had threatened all of their lives. He hated this room. It made his head and neck hurt again just being
in there.
He began to look around. There was no phone, but he found an empty jack. A large table with chairs all around it dominated the room. Large paintings of the headquarters adorned the walls. There was a restroom off to one side. That was good to know. And it had a large couch where he could sleep if he stayed that long. He hoped he wouldn’t. He stood at the door and listened. He could hear faint voices out in the hall. Should he yell out? He couldn’t believe it was turning out like this. This was the very thing he feared. Moments passed and he tried not to panic. He began to feel claustrophobic. He tried the door several times.
He sat on the couch and thought about what he should do. He was so glad that Julia was safe, and that she and Travis were on their way home. He looked at his watch. They should be home anytime now. Maybe they would call Rachel and fill her in. That made him feel a little better.
He walked over and banged on the door. It was so thick, he wasn’t sure anyone could hear him, or would dare open the door if they did. He yelled out. Nothing.
He sat on the couch again. Lunch had come and gone and his stomach was telling him so. He tried to think about something else. Charles’ story didn’t add up. If he called the FBI when he heard she had been kidnapped, why didn’t the FBI tell Travis? And why was it safer for Julia to not call anyone? Charles was in on the kidnapping, plain and simple. He was letting Matt Douglas take the fall for it, but it was his doing. So why did he just let them go home?
He wondered what Dillon was doing. Dillon! He remembered the microchip in his sock. He took it out and held it in his hand, still wrapped. Should he unwrap it? He wasn’t sure. If he did, the guards might see it on their screens and simply come take it from him. But it would let Dillon know where he was. He thought his best course of action was to keep it wrapped for now and sit and wait. He looked for something to occupy his mind. There was a magazine promoting the company beside him on the couch. He sat all afternoon and read every page.
Chapter Fourteen
Christopher must have dozed off, because it startled him awake when the door opened, sometime late in the afternoon. Charles walked into the conference room with a couple of boxes of food and water bottles.
“Hope you like chicken,” he said as he sat at the head of the table.
Christopher rubbed his eyes, quickly put the microchip in his pocket, got up from the couch, and joined Charles at the table. “Yes, thank you.” He opened his bottle and took a drink of the water, then began to devour the chicken. He was thankful for it.
Charles didn’t say anything for several minutes, but ate his own meal. Then he spoke. “This is the first thing I’ve had today. Not bad.” He took a swig of his water.
Christopher looked up at Charles. “So, what do you want with me? Why are you keeping me here?”
“I don’t want you here, you can go home. But I want McGee. Just tell me where he is and you’ll be on your way.”
Christopher stared at him for a moment. “You know, my wife knows where I am.”
“Of course. And I know where she is.” He pulled out his smartphone and adjusted the screen with his thumbs as he studied it. “She’s at her mother’s. Your son is there too.”
Christopher could feel his cheeks burning. He wanted to throw his fists into this man’s face for even mentioning his son in a threatening way.
“I normally don’t get involved in this stuff,” Charles said. “But when I see a threat to my company, I like to oversee it myself.”
Christopher raised his voice. “What threat?”
Charles shouted right back. “You nearly ruined me. Do you realize that?”
“We’re still talking about five years ago?” Christopher lowered his voice. “I think you’re doing just fine now.” Why was Charles still obsessing about something that happened so long ago?
Charles slammed his fist on the table. “I just don’t want you or your buddies to think you can hurt me and get away with it.”
Christopher stood to his feet and counted on his fingers. “So, let’s see, you got me knocked out of the pulpit at my church, you sent an old boyfriend to steal my wife, you got Dillon moved to the overnight shift.” He paused. “And you scared the daylights out of Travis and Julia. What more do you need to do?”
Charles slowly took a drink of his water. “Just one more thing. I want Dillon McGee.” He gestured for Christopher to sit down. “How is he hiding from me? I can’t have that. I can’t have my employees blocking their chips.” He stared at Christopher for several minutes.
Christopher could tell he was thinking about his next move.
Suddenly Charles stood to his feet. “You can go. I don’t want to see you in my office again.”
That was music to Christopher’s ears. He had stayed in this room long enough and loved the idea of getting into his warm car and heading east. He followed Charles out of the room and to the reception desk. The lady handed him his phone, wallet and keys. He turned to speak to Charles, but he had disappeared. He walked across the lobby, past the waterfall, over the logo, and out of the building. It felt so good to be outside again. The warm, late afternoon sun felt good on his face. He paused just for a moment to breathe the free, mountain air.
He started the car and turned on the air conditioner. He wanted to call Rachel and Dillon, but mostly he wanted to get out of that parking lot. So he backed up and drove free of the premises. He sighed with relief, seeing the building looming in his rearview mirror. He pulled into a parking lot of a nearby convenience store and called Rachel. “Hey sweetie, you okay?”
“I’m fine,” she said. “Did you find Julia?”
“Yes, she’s safe and sound. She and Travis should be home by now. They flew back. I’ll have to tell you about it, but she was at Charles Morgan’s house this whole time.”
“Oh my goodness. I’m so glad she’s okay.” She paused. “I was getting worried, I hadn’t heard from you.”
“Well, I got held up at Morgan Headquarters. But I’m out now.”
“So, are you headed home?”
“Not yet. I’ll keep you posted, though. I better not talk about it right now. I’ll call later. I love you.”
“Love you too.”
He ended the call, then sat and looked around him. What should he do? Morgan clearly let him go so he would lead him to Dillon. Someone probably followed him out of the parking lot. Or maybe they bugged him. They could have bugged the car – or his phone. Or they may have a telescope on top of the building and were simply watching him. He looked up in the sky out his window. He wanted so badly to call Dillon, but thought it was too dangerous. He killed the engine and went into the store to go to the restroom and get a soft drink. He saw something in there he hadn’t seen in a long time: a pay phone. He put in some coins and padded Dillon’s number.
“Hello?”
“Dillon, how are you?”
“Is this you, Chris? I was beginning to panic a little.”
“Yeah, you’re not the only one. Morgan locked me in the conference room all afternoon. He let me go, though, because he wants me to lead him to you.”
“What about Julia?”
“She’s fine. She was in Morgan’s office when we got there.”
Dillon’s voice went higher. “No kidding?”
“Yeah, I think she had been at Morgan’s house, believe it or not. Anyway, Charles had his helicopter take them home to Missouri. They left this morning.”
“Wow. Ok. So where are you right now?”
Christopher looked over his shoulder. “I’m at a convenience store right down the street from you.”
“So he’s after me?”
“He’s mad that he can’t find you.”
“Yeah, I’m sure.” Dillon paused. “I want you to come get me.” He paused again. Christopher could hear him exhale. “But I guess you can’t.”
“I will if you want me too. What do you think I should do?”
Dillon was silent for a moment, then he cleared his throat. “I want you to go ho
me.”
“But what about you? What are you gonna do?”
“I’ll think of something. I’ll get a cab to the airport. I’ll be home before you get there.”
“You got money for all that?”
“Barely, but yeah. I’ll move some from savings.” Dillon paused. “I’ll have to figure out what to do with these guns.”
“Maybe leave the bag somewhere near the motel and I’ll come get it.”
Dillon was silent for a moment. “No, I think I’ll hang on to it.”
“Ok, if that’s what you want.” Christopher looked out at his car. “I’m about to head east then. I’ll stop in a couple of hours and call you again.”
“Sounds good.” He paused. “Be careful Chris. I’ll talk to you soon.”
Christopher hung up the phone, bought a cup of coffee, and got back in his car. He pulled onto the road and began his journey east. He knew he had a long night ahead of him, but at least he was in his car and heading home, a free man. He pulled out his cell phone and called Rachel.
“Hey Chris, everything okay?” She said when she answered.
“Yeah, for me anyway. I had to leave Dillon here, but I’m heading home. I should be there about daybreak.”
“Why did you leave Dillon?”
“I better not talk about it on this phone, but I’ll tell you the whole story when I get there. But he’s okay, so don’t worry.”
“Oh Chris, I don’t like the sound of this. I’m afraid you’ll fall asleep, driving by yourself.”
“I understand. I want you to call me every couple of hours and make sure I’m awake.”
She sounded nervous. “Okay, I will.”
He knew that didn’t satisfy her. He pulled onto the interstate. “I’ll drink lots of coffee,” he said.
“Good.” She paused. “I’ll call you around ten to see how you’re doing.”
“Sound’s good.” He accelerated. “So, are you still at your mom’s?”
“Yes.”
“I think it would be okay for you to go home if you want to.”
“Yes, I would like that.”
“Just lock the doors and windows.”
“Stephen will be with me,” she said. “And Rox will bark his head off if anyone comes around in the night.”
The Dead Peasants' Contract: A Sequel to The Dead Peasants File (The Dead Peasants' Series Book 2) Page 10