The Chauffeur

  Chapter 24

  ~Jason~

  “Jason, darling, you need to quit pacing the floor. You’re going to make yourself ill,” my mother says from the middle of the room.

  “I am sick, Mother. I’m sick to the bone knowing they have her. I don’t know where she is, and I’m sick wondering what is happening to her.”

  “Jason,” my father shouts as he barrels into the room, “We’ve finally picked up a signal from the bracelet. Let’s go!”

  Between my mother, father and me, it’s a flurry of arms and legs as we run for the elevator.

  “Eric said that the latest transmission from the GPS signal has April located at the main library on the University campus. He’s dispatched the Alpha Team to that location to lock down and secure all points of entry to the site,” my father yells over his shoulder.

  “What the hell is she doing at the library?” I ask incredulously as my father’s phone rings again.

  “She’s on the move, sir,” Eric reports. “The signal is a little erratic; however, we’re re-establishing satellite link and should be able to pinpoint the signal with more precision. Are you en route to the designated location?” I can tell he’s running; probably to his car.

  “Yes, Eric, our ETA is twenty-three minutes, give me your coordinates.”

  “Sir, coordinates in flux, Target has exited the building. Delta Team is attempting to apprehend. Copy?” Eric barks.

  Dad looks at Mom and me before inquiring, “Eric, please explain to me how the Target managed to exit the premises without the detection of the members of the Alpha Team?”

  “Sir, all members of Alpha Team have been provided the full information packet concerning Target’s physical attributes. The target was not observed leaving the premises.”

  Dad shakes his head in complete consternation. “Eric, please notify air support to engage in operation. Copy?”

  “Affirmative, Sir, air support should be airborne in twelve minutes.” The next exchange doesn’t come for several minutes.

  “Sir, Target’s signal has been located at the mall three point two miles east of the last known location. Copy?” Eric says over the radio.

  “We’re approximately four point six miles from that location, Eric. Meet us at the north end entrance to the mall. Dispatch Alpha and Delta Teams onto the scene to cover all points of entry. Copy?”

  “Affirmative, Sir,” Eric acknowledges, then interrupts radio silence. “Sir, air support has detected a heat signature. The location is the food court of the mall, on the southeast side. We’re dispatching the undercover surveillance team immediately. Copy?”

  “We’re in the parking lot, about to enter the mall south entrance, meet us there before you move the teams into place,” my father says. My mother and I listen to the transmissions and prepare to follow his instructions.

  Just as my parents and I rush toward the food court, frantically searching the area for April, Eric’s voice sounds in my ear.

  “Sir … I’m … Sir, we’ve lost the signal, Sir.”

  “Eric?” my father whisper-shouts so no one around us hears the conversation. “What the fuck is going on? Are you taking us on a goose chase here?”

  “Sir, no, Sir. I’ll call headquarters. Stand by.”

  “Jason, you go left, and I’ll go right. Grace, you do another scan of the food court and surrounding area, and we’ll meet back here.”

  We head off to our respective direction, and I run into every shop in my path looking for her. She’s nowhere to be seen. After frustration sets in, I begin to re-evaluate this situation. April wouldn’t stage her own kidnapping, and she knows about the bracelet.

  “Command Center to Rowe, come in.” I come to a skidding stop to listen.

  “Rowe here, go ahead.”

  “I’m sorry, Sir, but the satellite we were utilizing was commandeered by NSA temporarily. We now have satellite possession once again. The current location of the signal of Target is at, 913 Feedwire Drive. Copy?”

  “Ten-four Command Center, redirect all resources to that location immediately. Copy?”

  “Affirmative, Sir. Attention all units redirect to the following location, 913 Feedwire Drive, you’re to take no unauthorized action.”

  Once we and all our resources arrive at the Feedwire address, all entry points are covered, and air support hovers above the location.

  “Sir, the Target is detected inside the residence,” Eric informs my father.

  “Grace,” my dad turns to face my mother, “you’re the least intimidating. Jason and I will hide on either side of the door. You ask for admission, and once you’re inside, we’ll join you.”

  My father and I hide out of sight and my mother smiles, ringing the doorbell. Once the door opens, I follow my father’s lead and enter the home, when we see a petite brunette, maybe no older than seventeen years, nearly fall backward when we rush in.

  “What’s your name?” my mother asks, pulling at the wrist that is wearing April’s tennis bracelet.

  “Cheryl,” she says, shaking. “W-what did I do?”

  “Where did you get this bracelet?” I ask, stepping up in front of her.

  “I found it,” she answers defiantly, jerking her arm out of my mother’s grasp.

  “Where?” I continue to interrogate her.

  “It was in the parking lot of my doctor’s office. I was getting out of my car, and I found it on the ground. There was no one around, so I took it home, and my father fixed it so it would fit me. Is-is it yours?” she asks my mother.

  “No, it’s my,” I choke, “my girlfriend’s.” I hold my hand out to her, palm side up. “Give it to me.”

  “No! I found it, it’s mine!” she says defiantly, hiding her hand behind her back.

  I don’t have time to say anything before my mother grabs Cheryl’s arm, pushes it behind her back, between her shoulder blades, and removes the bracelet from her wrist.

  “Thank you, dear,” my mother says as Cheryl rubs her shoulder.

  “I’m telling my father!” she shouts at us. “He’ll sue you for everything you have.”

  “You do that, dear. We have enough money to keep your family in court so long they’ll need to spend your college tuition,” Mother says with a gleaming smile.

  Taking the bracelet securely in my hand, we get into my father’s SUV, and he dispatches the Sector teams back to command. We head home.

  I climb into the back seat and stare at the delicate band of diamonds, running the polished stones over my finger. She lost it. April most likely lost it in her struggle while being taken. I know she wouldn’t go easily. She’d go kicking and screaming. That vision alone tears my heart out of my chest.

  “We’ll find her, Jason. Trust me,” my mother says.

  Just as we’re about to pull into the drive to talk to Kate and Helen again, dad’s cell blares Kyle’s ringtone.

  “Kyle,” my father says placing the call on speaker.

  “Hi, Dad. I ran a trace on Kathryn’s car over the past several days, and oddly enough, she drove past MileHigh. She then went further down the road about a quarter mile and stopped for about twenty minutes, then returned in the same direction going back to her office.”

  “Okay, Son, good work. How’s Emily by the way?”

  Emily. I totally forgot all about her. She has to be as upset as me. I’ll have to make it a point to visit her when I get home tonight.

  “Not good. I’m seriously worried about her. She won’t sit, she won’t eat, she stares out the window all the time, and I try to talk to her, but she won’t say a word to me. And when we got home, she got into a fight with Rita. Rita of all people. Who fights with Rita?”

  “I’ll talk to her when we get home, Kyle,” my mother volunteers.

  “I wish you would because if she keeps this up, I’m afraid I might have to take her to the doctor for meds or something. I know she won’t sleep; she’s too high strung over all of this.”

  “Okay, we’ll see you in a few hou
rs,” Dad says, cutting off the conversation.

  Once he hangs up, I speak up, “That location Kyle said Kate went to is where I found my fuselage. I’m going to head out there. I want to see if we can find something—anything.”

  “We’ll all go, Jason,” my father says, placing his hand on my shoulder.

  Ninety minutes later, we pull into the parking lot of the abandoned warehouse where we confiscated my fuselage and begin to search the perimeter. Behind the building, at the rear door, we observe fresh tire marks and several sets of footprints.

  “Rowe to Sector One,” my father says into his watch.

  “Sector One. Copy?”

  “I need forensic assistance at 4345 Industrial Road. Copy?”

  “Roger. Assistance on the way.”

  As my father and I are surveying the fresh tire and footprints, I glance in the direction of the building and see my mother on her knees picking the lock to the rear entrance, and it is only seconds before she’s off her knees and through the door. My father and l look at each other, shake our heads and follow her inside.

  There are at least four sets of footprints in the dirt, and at least two are female. “I think they brought her here,” I say. “One woman had heels on and the other flats. April had flats on the day she was taken, with a tank top and jean skirt.”

  My father nods. “Let’s take a look around and see if we can find anything. Try to recall what it looked like when you were here last, Jason. Try to remember if there’s anything new or different.”

  “Carl?” my mother calls from across the warehouse. We quickly walk toward where she’s staring at a cloth, light blue in color, lying on the floor. I bend over to pick it up, and the smudged lipstick on it is unmistakable.

  It’s April’s baby pink lip gloss. I clench my eyes shut and new visions enter my mind of her being abducted; bound and gagged. No doubt, she was lying on this cold, hard floor.

  I gently fold the cloth and place it in my back pocket for the forensic team to look at later and start to look around the room when it hits me like a fucking freight train.

  “Dad?” I say, my eyes huge with recollection as he and my mom look at me, waiting.

  “4345 Industrial?”

  I watch as the significance finally hits them.

  “The third beam to the left of the entrance,” I say, repeating the words of the kidnapper. “There’s the entrance,” I point and then begin counting the beams.

  “There,” my mother says, referring to the steel beam where we found the cloth. I wonder if April was tied to it, or leaned against it, so I rush over and squat down to look for any clue I can find. When I don’t visually see anything, I turn on the balls of my feet as my eyes scan the area. It’s then that I see a bright shiny glare in the middle of the floor and slowly rise, my eyes hone in on the object.

  The closer I get to it, the more the distinct color and design come into view.

  “Oh, my god,” I say out loud. “She was here.” I stand to look at April’s beautiful ruby and diamond navel ring, turning it over between my fingers.

  When my dad and mom reach my side, it’s my mother that speaks first.

  “That’s April’s belly ring!” I slowly nod, confirming her statement.

  “She said she never takes it off. Her grandmother left her a ring with this stone in it and April had it redesigned into this. She wanted me to know she was here.”

  I wrap my fingers around the jewel and hold it to my chest.

  “I’m going to kill them.”

  ~.~

  After spending the remains of the afternoon with the forensic team, my parents insist we go home to get food in our stomachs and some rest so we can return to visit our mother and daughter team bright and early in the morning.

  Once we arrive at the house, we discover Rita has left a spread of food on the kitchen counter, but she’s nowhere to be found. I load a plate of lasagna and garlic bread then pour a large glass of milk and head out of the kitchen.

  “I’ll be in my room,” I say as I walk toward the stairs. Feeling both the physical and emotional strain, I plan to sleep in my room tonight. The thought of sleeping in April’s bed without her would be too much.

  “We need to debrief, Jason,” my dad shouts to me.

  “I’ll be down after I shower,” I reply. I need to be alone. I need to think.

  I need to know April is safe.

  After entering my bedroom, I set my meal on the table near the fireplace, and after lowering myself into the chair, I do nothing but sit there and stare into space.

  I think about my last conversation with April and how she told me she loved me before the phone went dead. I lower my face into the palms of my hands. Before I heard dead air, I heard an unf, and I know someone hit her. I didn’t want to believe it then, but I do now. I know it.

  I’m so sorry, April.

  After spending too much time wallowing in self-pity, I sit up and begin to eat my dinner. Draining my glass of milk, I push the plate away and get up to take a much-needed hot shower.

  Standing under the steamy spray, I place my hands on the wall for support and lower my head between my shoulders, feeling the heat on my neck and back.

  Again for the umpteenth time today, I feel the burn behind my eyes as I release the dread I’ve been storing inside. I know that fucker hit her. Does she need medical care like she said, or was that a ruse? I can only remember how it was when I found her on the side of the road after being run down by the car. I thought my heart would stop beating.

  As I begin to lather my chest and abdomen, I decide to focus on the good things I remember about her. How she giggles when I tickle her. How she likes to wrap her arms and legs around me in her sleep. How her eyelashes flutter when she’s about to tell a lie. How her lips only have to touch mine before I instantly want her. How my stomach feels like I’m on a downhill roller coaster ride when I enter her. And how responsive she is when we make love.

  “I love you so much, baby.”

  After dressing in sleep pants and a white T-shirt, I forgo shaving and head downstairs to my father’s office. Besides my parents, Nicole and Kyle are also in the room. As soon as I enter, Nicole runs over to me, wrapping me in a sisterly hug.

  “How are you, Jase?” she says into my ear.

  “As good as can be expected, I guess,” I whisper back, holding her tight to me. I needed a good hug.

  “Okay, kids, let’s get this show on the road,” my father begins. “Jason, forensics came up with the make of the vehicle that matches those tire tracks. It’s the same brand of tire that comes on the Mercedes E550 series.” He reads off the size of the tires and gives Sector the job of running a check, narrowing it down to the area.

  “Fingerprints were also taken at the warehouse, but I don’t hold out any hope that we’ll find anything significant there. We’ll know more when the results come back.” He looks through the papers in his hands before continuing.

  We’re startled when there’s a loud knock at the door. Emily, pale as a sheet, stands there, tears just waiting to break free.

  “Emily?” Kyle says, running over to her. “What’s wrong?”

  When she turns toward me, my stomach falls into my shoes. She knows something. I rush over to her taking her hand and guiding her to an overstuffed chair.

  “Mom, would you get Emily a drink, please?” I ask, never taking my eyes from her.

  “What is it, Emily?” I ask gently, and she starts shaking her head, taking the glass my mother offers. When she looks at the amber liquid, she opens her mouth and pours it in, shivering when she swallows it.

  “She told me not to tell. She said our friendship would be over if I said anything. I can’t lose her, Jason,” she says in a sob.

  “What is it? Is she in trouble? Is she hurt? What the fuck is it?” I yell, frightening her. The scowl I receive from Kyle lets me know I need to chill out.

  “Emily,” my mother interjects. “You’re making yourself ill, and if it’s that b
ad, it must be bad enough that we need to know.”

  Emily clutches her stomach and begins to rock back and forth, her face nearly meeting her knees.

  “Emily,” my father says forcing her to look at him. “Tell Jason what you’re hiding. We’ll deal with April when we find her. Tell him now.”

  It’s like my father is the almighty Oz or something because Emily sits back in her chair and looks at me straight in the eyes. Her mouth begins to open then closes tightly.

  “Emily,” I start, kneeling next to her chair, “I know you made a promise to April never to reveal any of your secrets. But if this secret is something we need to know to protect her, you need to tell me.”

  “A-April’s,” she stammers. “Jason, April’s pregnant.”

  The gasps in the room come from all of us.

  “Wait, what?” I stand up, keeping my eyes on her. My mind is thinking about a million different things right now, and my heart is nearly beating out of my chest.

  “Earlier this week I went to her house thinking I was pregnant,” she began, looking over at Kyle, “but I’m not.”

  “Anyway, it was then that April realized that her shot was due at the time she was run down by that car, and she forgot all about it. She was at the doctor’s office, confirming the results of the store-bought test weren’t a false positive when she was kidnapped. She was on her way to tell you. She didn’t want to tell you until she was sure.”

  “April’s pregnant?” I ask out loud.

  “Yes.”

  “Oh, I’m going to be a grandmother. Finally!” my mother says with her hands over her heart.

  “You have to find her, Jason,” Emily begs.

  “Of course, I’ll find her,” I say with confidence.

  “Okay, let’s do it.” My father rubs his hands together. “Let’s go over the phone call word-for-word. She asked if we had the money and when you didn’t answer, she started asking the same question again, so she was clearly reading a script.”

  “Yes, but before I answered her, I hear that silly Love Boat horn in the background. I swear it sounded like a ship or yacht.”