The Grey Zone

by Easton, Don

  “Diego! Shut up!” the woman yelled.

  Diego snarled at Jack some more, then slinked back under the trailer.

  The woman approached, not shy about giving Jack the once-over. She locked eyes with him and gave her upper lip a lick with the tip of her tongue, finishing with a pert little smile.

  Okay, so you like to play games.

  Normally Jack would’ve described her as attractive, in a sultry sort of way. She was tall — almost as tall as he was — and he guessed she was in her midthirties, with long, slender legs and a well-proportioned body. Her hair, which hung over her shoulders, was black with a tinge of red. She wore tight-fitting blue jeans and a frilly white blouse that exposed a black bra and plenty of cleavage. It was her demeanour that turned him off. I can see why Leo would’ve opened his door for you, though.

  Derek cleared his throat. “Celeste, this is Jack.”

  “Pleased to meet you, Jack,” she said, extending her hand.

  Jack shook it and felt her thumb stroke the back of his hand while she maintained eye contact. Wondering if I’ll squirm? He smiled, gripping her hand tighter and pulling her toward him slightly. A look of surprise crossed her face. She smiled, seemingly amused that he’d toyed with her.

  “I hear you lost a little bit of money?” she said, letting go.

  “Not a little bit to me,” Jack replied.

  Celeste tossed her hair back over her shoulder. “No, half a million isn’t a little bit to me, either.”

  “Jack,” Derek said, “this is Celeste’s partner, Skye.”

  Skye was exceptionally short for a man and at least a head shorter than Celeste. He was thin with pointed features and had short brown hair. Jack guessed him to be in his early forties. He’d been watching Celeste with a bemused smile, but then he looked at Jack and nodded politely.

  You’re not angry about how your girlfriend is acting. If anything, you seem happy. What’s the deal with you two?

  “And this is my brother, Peter, and that’s Horace,” Derek continued.

  Jack returned their nods. He knew that Peter was twenty-seven years old and guessed that Horace was a year or two younger than that. He had a massive chest and muscular arms. The sides of his head were shaved, leaving a short bristle of blond hair on top.

  “We’ll all stay together until we get the money,” Celeste said. “Nobody makes any calls to anyone or goes anywhere without my say-so.” She looked at Jack. “We’ve got a spare bedroom you can use. Derek can have the couch, and Peter and Horace will sleep on the floor in sleeping bags.”

  “Works for me,” Jack replied.

  “Good.” Celeste gestured to the van. “We’ll go for a little drive. I’ve got a phone that I’ll give you to use once we get there.” She gave him a hard look. “I obviously don’t have to tell you not to use any of our names.”

  “I’ve been around the block a few times,” Jack replied. “No worries.”

  “Tell her the ransom is one million dollars.”

  “One million!” Jack exclaimed.

  “Don’t you think she’s good for it?”

  “Oh, she’s good for it.”

  “Good.” Her eyes slowly drifted down toward his crotch, then back up to his face. “Why think small when you can think big?”

  First rule of undercover: don’t make enemies. Jack grinned, pretending to like her attention. “Good point, but what about my cut, then? I should get more than the two hundred and fifty that Derek and I talked about.”

  “I agree. And you will. My idea is that we get half the ransom, and you get the other half. It’s only fair that you get back what they took from you.”

  “Oh, man, that’d be great!” Jack replied enthusiastically.

  “Thought you’d like it. The mother will probably need a couple of days, although it would sure be nice if she could get it by tomorrow.”

  “It’s a lot of money to get together that quick.”

  “It’s just that tomorrow’s my birthday, and that’d be a hell of a way to celebrate. We’d have more than a few slaintes around the punch bowl, then.”

  “You’re Irish?” Jack replied.

  “You bet. Green will be the colour of the day.”

  “The green ones are only twenties,” Jack said. “The hundred-dollar bills are brown. Why think small when you can think big?”

  Celeste threw back her head and let out a short laugh. “Ooh, you sound like my kind of guy.”

  Jack frowned to try to restore some seriousness to the conversation. “I just hope everything goes as planned. Derek said you have some experience doing this?”

  “That we do,” Celeste assured him. “Don’t worry. This isn’t our first gig.” She waved her hand toward the hangar. “When the money drop is being made, Skye and I will be watching from the air.”

  Thought so. No wonder our people got burned when Chung tried to pay the ransom.

  “We’ll put the mother through lots of hoops,” Skye said. “The old lady won’t realize it, but Derek will scan her to make sure she isn’t carrying anything she shouldn’t be. If she did go to the cops, we’ll know it.”

  Celeste studied Jack’s face. “You told Derek that you’re certain the mother won’t call the police.”

  “Of course I’m certain. That’s why I have no qualms about phoning her.”

  Skye glanced at Celeste. “So we won’t need to be giving her a reference.”

  “A reference?” Jack asked. As in David Chung.

  “Never mind. It’s not important.” Celeste then gave Jack a hard look. “We’ll be keeping a close eye on you. If I think for a moment that you’re getting any ideas about leaving and trying to take all the ransom for yourself … well, that isn’t going to happen.”

  “No worries. All I want is my half mil back. You guys deserve to get the rest.” He paused. “So what time is it going to happen?”

  “Right now. We’ll all go in the van, and you’ll call the mother when we’re about twenty minutes away from here. After that we’ll toss the phone. You’ll use a different one for each subsequent call.”

  “Now? Don’t we have to grab Mason first?” Jack asked in confusion.

  Celeste looked at Derek. “You didn’t tell him?”

  “This was your idea. I thought you should be the one to explain things,” Derek replied.

  “I see. Come with me, Jack. We’ll go in the trailer for a moment.”

  Jack followed her up the steps, and Skye tagged along. Upon taking his shoes off and entering the trailer, Jack saw the kitchen in front of him, with a table, four chairs, and a bench. The living room to his right contained a sofa and two upholstered chairs. Celeste motioned for him to follow her down a hall to his left.

  The first room they passed on the right was a washroom, followed by a bedroom that contained a bed butted up against the wall and desk against the opposite wall. On it was a computer with two monitors.

  The next room was the master bedroom, which took up the entire end of the trailer and had an ensuite bathroom. A king-sized brass bed decked out in red satin sheets with black pillowcases was butted up against the wall to his right.

  Jack tried to act nonchalant when he noticed the mirrored ceiling above the bed and the black leather riding crop on the dresser. To each their own. Consenting adults and all that.

  “Take a look,” Celeste said, unlocking the padlock of a storage trunk beside a tall dresser.

  What’s she keep in there, sex toys?

  Celeste opened the lid and stepped back, watching Jack with curiosity.

  Oh, fuck, it’s a body!

  A woman had been jammed into the fetal position in the trunk. Her wrists were fastened behind her back with zip ties, as were her ankles. Strips of duct tape covered her eyes and mouth. She moaned and twisted her head.

  Good … still alive. Then Jack gaped in horror as he realized who the woman was.

  Alicia!

  CHAPTER FORTY-SIX

  Laura had arrived at the triple one office at 8:
30 a.m. Her undercover part of the operation was over, but her excitement at the prospect of the kidnappers being arrested had made for a sleepless night.

  Her first call was to the Emergency Response Team commander to ensure they’d be hidden in position at the Silver Hills Cemetery no later than 10:30 a.m. Mason wasn’t detailed to arrive at the cemetery until 3:00 p.m., but in the event the kidnappers arrived earlier, she didn’t want to take the chance that they’d spot ERT setting up. She was pleased to discover that ERT had already scouted out the area and would be on their way shortly.

  She then called Hawkins to confirm that he’d be the spotter in the airplane and airborne by noon. Moments later, Special O confirmed that, as per instruction, they wouldn’t risk doing any mobile surveillance on Derek Powers, but they would put someone in position to monitor the storage facility where he kept his van.

  Her next call was to Rose to let her know that everything was set to go, with arrests anticipated at the cemetery around 3:00 p.m.

  She thought about phoning Jack, but knowing he’d likely had less sleep than her, she decided to leave it a while longer.

  At 10:00 a.m. she put on a pot of coffee. Fifteen minutes later, she was feeling irritated that Alicia still hadn’t arrived at work. The night before, Laura had told her she didn’t have to start until 10:00 a.m., but when Laura mentioned she’d be in by 8:30 a.m. herself, Alicia had eagerly said she’d come in early, as well.

  Laura phoned Jack, but was immediately switched to voice mail. Probably in the shower.

  She looked out the window at the parking lot. Alicia’s own car was there, but not the BMW she was currently driving. Okay, Alicia, where are you? This isn’t the day to be goofing around. She called Alicia’s number and listened to the ringback tone before she was forwarded to voice mail. The message she left was curt. “You’re late!”

  At 10:45 a.m., after another unsuccessful attempt to reach Alicia, Laura called Connie.

  “Hey, Laura,” Connie said cheerfully. “We all set?”

  “Yes, as far as I know. Haven’t talked to Jack yet, but Derek called him last night and said everything is still on.”

  “Great. I’m going to be in my office, so call me when it goes down. We’ll be getting search warrants for everyone involved.”

  “Listen, Alicia should’ve been in to work by now. I left her a message, but she hasn’t returned my call. I’m worried. Is she the type to be late?”

  “No, quite the opposite. Usually arrives early. Are you at your new office?”

  “Yes.”

  “Any chance she misunderstood and went to your old office?”

  “She should still be answering her phone. Would you happen to have her address?”

  “Yeah, I’ve been to her place. It’s a townhouse in Langley.”

  Laura jotted down the address. “That’s only twenty minutes away. I’m going to drive over for a look.”

  “It’s probably nothing, but let me know, will you? I’ve got a soft spot in my heart for that kid.”

  “I didn’t know you had a heart, Connie,” Laura teased. “Maybe she forgot her phone at home, realized it on the way over, then went back to get it.”

  But Laura was more than a little concerned twenty minutes later, when she reached Alicia’s townhouse and saw the BMW parked in the carport. She got no response to either ringing the doorbell or pounding on the door.

  Laura called Alicia’s number again and this time heard ringing close by. She discovered the phone inside Alicia’s purse, along with her gun and police identification — underneath the BMW.

  Oh, man, oh, shit! She phoned Jack immediately. Still no answer? What the hell happened?

  CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN

  “What the fuck?” Jack yelled, turning to face Celeste as she flipped the lid of the trunk shut. “Who the hell’s this? What’s she doing here?” he spluttered.

  Celeste seemed taken back at how enraged Jack was. She glanced at Skye before clicking the padlock closed and motioned with her head for Jack to go back down the hall.

  Jack strode down toward the kitchen, followed by Celeste and Skye. Peter and Horace stuck their heads in from the porch while Derek looked from behind.

  Jack turned to face Celeste. “Who’s she?” he asked, jerking his thumb toward the bedroom while trying to hide his panic.

  “Her name’s Ally,” Celeste replied. “She’s Mason’s sister, and from what I’ve heard, she’s mommy’s favourite.”

  “How — how’d you find her?”

  “Skye and I were up in my Cessna helping Derek when Mason met her two nights ago. It wasn’t difficult to follow her home. Her car was basically the only one on the road. This morning, Derek, Peter, and Horace caught her when she was about to leave.”

  “I thought we were going to grab Mason,” Jack said.

  “The sister is better,” Celeste replied. “First of all, she’s an innocent pawn, so mommy dearest is more apt to comply. Second of all, it leaves Mason free to collect some of the money he stole, or at least to contribute whatever his take was, along with the cash he got for selling his car.”

  Jack glanced at the people around them, wondering how many of them were packing guns. What are my chances? Not my chances — our chances. He eyed Celeste. “What you say makes sense.”

  “It’s the best way.”

  Jack looked at Derek, Peter, and Horace. “What did she say when you grabbed her?” You obviously didn’t look in her purse, or we’d both be dead already.

  “Not much,” Peter replied. “Horace and I hid alongside her carport, and when she came out to her car, I stuck a gun in her ribs and told her to keep quiet. Derek drove up in the van and we shoved her in and taped her yap shut. She didn’t really get a chance to say anything.”

  “Any chance you could’ve been seen?”

  “Naw, there are hedges up the sides of her property. Plus we wear masks that make us look like old people. Even if anyone did see, they’d think we were taking her to church or something. The plates on the van were hot, and we switched them after we got back. No worries. Took us less than a minute from the time she walked out the door.”

  Jack looked toward the master bedroom. “Can she get enough air in there? What if she suffocates?”

  “We’ve used it before,” Celeste said. “Enough air gets in.”

  “Are you sure? She looked really stuffed in. If she gets a blood clot or something, her mother will go berserk. Probably spend every dollar she has to track me down. I think it’d be better to tie her to a kitchen chair.”

  Celeste appeared to mull it over.

  “Maybe he’s right,” Skye said. “The ones we kept in there before were a lot smaller. They could squirm around. She can’t.”

  “Okay, but not until after we make the call,” Celeste replied. “That should only take about an hour. She’ll be okay until then.”

  “Also, it’d be best to let me deal with her after that,” Jack said. “They obviously know I’m involved, so there’s no point letting her hear anyone else’s voice.”

  Celeste nodded. “Good idea. The less she knows, the better.” She grinned at him. “So you want to deal with her, do you?”

  “I mean, she’ll need food and water.”

  Celeste looked annoyed. “She can last a couple days without it.”

  “Yes, but the better we treat her, the more inclined her mother will be to sweep everything under the carpet afterward. Not to mention she’ll probably need the toilet, otherwise it could get smelly.”

  “He’s right about that,” Skye said. “Remember how much it stank before?”

  Celeste made a face. “Okay, you can babysit her when we come back. You’ll be sleeping in the room next to us, so we’ll tie her to a chair in there. I don’t mind you taking the tape off her mouth to see if she needs something, but I’ll be the one to cut the ties on her hands and feet and go with her if she’s using the toilet.”

  “Sure, I understand,” Jack replied.

  Celeste gesture
d toward the door. “Let’s go make the call.”

  Okay, Rose, you might be in for a surprise. You’re about to play the mother of a twenty-seven-year-old kidnap victim. Say the wrong thing and there’ll be two more vacancies to fill in the office.

  CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT

  Alicia felt immense relief, if not joy, at the sound of Jack’s voice when the trunk was opened. He knows I’m here. A quick call when he gets a chance and I’ll be rescued. Everything will be okay … everything will be okay.

  She recollected the events a few hours prior. She had taken the keys from her purse, admiring the BMW as she approached, wondering if she could afford to buy it.

  Then the force of a gun being jammed into her ribs had made her gasp.

  “Don’t scream, you stupid bitch, or you’re dead.” The man spoke in a whisper, but his tone was deadly.

  Another man grabbed her wrist, and she dropped her keys as a black van pulled into her driveway.

  “Turn around like everything’s okay and get into the van,” the man with the gun ordered.

  She glimpsed their faces and saw their masks. Masks that had been described to her by Jia Chung when her son was kidnapped.

  It’s them! My gun … my badge! If they see that … She dropped her purse to the ground and kicked it underneath the BMW.

  Her action caused one of the men to chortle. “We’re not fucking purse snatchers, you dumb broad. Hurry up, bitch, and get in the van.”

  She had done as she was told and been relieved when the two men did likewise, leaving her purse behind.

  A sudden cramp sent a stab of pain through her leg, bringing her back to her current situation. She tried to press her feet against the side of the trunk to alleviate the cramp, but there wasn’t any room.

  Jack will get help. It shouldn’t be long.

  CHAPTER FORTY-NINE

  Horace drove the van, with Peter in the front passenger seat. Jack sat on the bench seat behind, and Celeste made a point of sitting beside him. Derek and Skye sat in the row behind them.

  “I don’t want the mother to start giving us any proof-of-life bullshit,” Celeste said as they drove toward the Trans-Canada. “All that does is help the cops try to find her. Make it clear to her that if she wants proof of life, we’ll send her some fresh body parts. Got it?”