The Grey Zone

by Easton, Don

  “I could go along with that.”

  “I’ll do the cooking. Sort of my way to thank everyone for helping me get my money back. We’ll need some balloons — green, of course. I have a delicious recipe for ribs, and I also make a great Caesar salad. If you’re real lucky, I might even make my secret punch, providing someone can pick up the booze for me.”

  Celeste looked pleased. “Write out a list of what you need when we come back from making the phone call, and I’ll have Horace get it all.” She raised an eyebrow. “Secret punch, huh? What’s the secret?”

  “It’s my version of a jade cocktail. I won’t disclose the exact recipe, but I can tell you that it’s jade green and a great aphrodisiac.”

  “Really?”

  “It really livens up the, uh, senses.”

  “Well then … that’s definitely something we’ll have to try.”

  * * *

  Sitting behind her desk at the triple one office, Laura glanced at her watch as Rose and Mason arrived. It was 12:00 p.m.

  Rose had added some grey to her hair and slapped on an abundance of makeup to make herself look older, old enough to portray Alicia’s mom when she delivered the money. Normally Laura might’ve teased her, but nobody was in the mood for humour today. Instead, she said, “You look good. Ten years older, for sure.”

  “Who knew that’d be a compliment,” Rose replied sardonically.

  All eyes turned to the door. Connie Crane, Ned Hawkins, and Inspectors Dyck and Crimmins had arrived together.

  Laura wheeled in extra chairs from Jack’s office.

  “I’ve obtained the money,” Dyck said as he sat down. “A million bucks, all in hundreds. It took nine banks to get it together. It’s in a safe at my office.”

  “And Ottawa?” Rose asked.

  “Spent most of last night on the phone. Approval came through this morning. The ransom can be paid with the hope of recovering it after our people are safe.”

  Laura exchanged a glance with Mason and Rose. They all breathed a sigh of relief that Jack and Alicia’s safety would come first.

  “I sincerely hope the money can be recovered,” Dyck added.

  Because your career will be over if it isn’t.

  “Any changes since yesterday?” Crimmins asked.

  “Not a word from Jack,” Rose said, sounding stressed. “Special O has had a watch on Derek Powers’s address. Neither he nor his brother have been seen. Same for his office. His surveillance van is still in the underground lot and hasn’t moved.”

  “We also have the tactical teams on standby,” Laura noted.

  “So they’ll be ready to go once our people are freed and can tell us where to go,” said Crimmins. He turned to Rose. “I still don’t like the idea of not having you in sight of any ground surveillance.” He glanced at Hawkins. “Having you up in the air is one thing, but a lot could go wrong that you wouldn’t be able to see. Constables Short and Dalton are prime examples.”

  “I’m not worried,” Rose said. “I’ll hide a pistol in my car, but even that I don’t think is necessary. It’s Alicia and Jack we need to protect. The best way to do that is to pay the money and hope the kidnappers follow through with their promise.”

  Crimmins nodded.

  “Or, with luck, to have the plane spot where they go and get ERT to do a raid. Hopefully one that doesn’t turn into a hostage situation,” Dyck said.

  Laura checked her watch. Forty minutes to go. You could cut the tension with a knife.

  “Anyone like a coffee?” Mason asked.

  Laura’s stomach felt acidic, and coffee was the last thing she wanted, but she decided that anything to pass the time until Jack called would be better than sitting in silence or trying to make small talk. Everyone else wanted a coffee, as well. Guess I’m not the only one.

  It was exactly 1:00 p.m. when Rose’s phone buzzed. She put it on speakerphone.

  “Before you say anything, shut up and listen!” Jack said harshly. “Is Ally’s sister, Laura, there?”

  Oh, man. Something’s not right. Why does he want to speak to me? Rose was looking at her for a response, so Laura nodded.

  “Yes, she’s with me,” Rose said.

  “Let me speak to her.”

  Laura pulled the phone toward her. “This is Laura.”

  “Ally tells me your mom is suffering from senility, so let me make this perfectly clear to you. If you deliver the money, your little angel in the full moon will be returned exactly as she is. Fuck with us and things will go real bad for her, do you understand?”

  Angel in the full moon? Laura stared blankly at Rose as her mind raced. That’s the English translation for the name of the Vietnamese girl Jack and I tried to save years ago. She ended up being murdered. Pay and Alicia will end up exactly as she is … murdered. Laura swallowed the mixture of bile and coffee which slid up her throat.

  “Are you listening to me?” Jack yelled. “Do you understand?”

  “Yes, yes, but it takes time to get that much money. Our investments require a minimum of two or three business days.” Crimmins poked her arm and turned his palms upward, asking what she was doing. She glared at him and mimed slashing her throat with her index finger, then continued. “We also have to go to different banks because we don’t want anyone to know how much we’re taking out or for what reason.”

  “I’ll give you until one p.m. tomorrow. After that, for every hour you’re late, Ally will lose a finger. After ten hours we start on her toes. You got that?”

  “I’ll have it by tomorrow. Please, please don’t hurt her. We’re doing our best. Honest. We —”

  Laura stopped talking after Jack had ended the call.

  “What the hell are you doing?” Crimmins demanded. “We told you, we’ve got the money!”

  Laura explained what Jack meant when he’d mentioned an angel in the full moon.

  “So he’s saying that they intend to kill Constable Munday once the ransom is paid?” Crimmins said.

  “Yes, I believe so.”

  “If Sergeant Taggart is warning us that they’re going to murder Constable Munday, I believe we can rest assured that he believes they’re going to murder him, as well,” Dyck stated. “There’s no way he could even pretend to go along with it. His resistance would mean he’d be killed, too.”

  “I agree,” Laura said. “I’m sure his script was laid out for him. When he squeezed in the bit about the angel in the full moon, I think he was taking as much risk as he dared.”

  “So where does that leave us?” Mason asked. “If we pay the ransom, they’ll both be killed, yet if it’s not paid by tomorrow, they’ll start cutting off body parts.”

  “It doesn’t leave us with much choice,” Rose said. “Tomorrow we’ll have to pay the ransom, then try to follow whoever picks it up.”

  “I see another potential problem,” Hawkins said. “Whoever picks it up could be some chump who doesn’t even know where Jack and Alicia are.”

  “So what are we supposed to do?” Rose eyed Laura. “You know Jack the best — what do you think?”

  “Jack stalled for a reason … perhaps only to give themselves time. I think we need to be prepared to pay tomorrow and make the arrests, but I’ve got a feeling that Jack and Alicia’s survival is dependent upon whatever he plans to do between now and then.”

  “Maybe he has a plan or is hoping an opportunity will arise to call for help,” Crimmins suggested.

  “Maybe,” Laura replied.

  “I’d better call Assistant Commissioner Lexton and let her know,” Dyck said. “She wanted to be kept up to date.”

  Especially if any bodies turn up, which is quite likely. Laura felt nauseous. Was it from being pregnant? Who am I kidding? It’s from worrying that the bodies that turn up might be Jack and Alicia’s.

  CHAPTER FIFTY-SEVEN

  Celeste looked surprised when Jack handed her the cellphone back.

  “Aren’t you going to delete the number first?” she asked.

 
“It’s time we started trusting each other.” He winked, then added, “I want you to know I’m a stand-up kind of guy.”

  She looked amused for a second, but then her face grew serious. “I think the issue of trust will resolve itself after we get the money.”

  Meaning the status quo remains in effect. “I’m sorry that they couldn’t come up with it in time for your birthday.”

  Celeste seemed indifferent. “I expected it to take a couple of days. It usually does. What’s this angel in the full moon bit?” she asked curiously.

  “I wanted something to pull at their heartstrings a little, so I asked Ally what pet names her mom had for her. She said ‘the angel in the full moon’ was from a family camping trip. Something to do with her going out at night and pulling the pegs out of Mason’s tent.”

  “I see. That was a good idea. It’ll make them think fondly of her and provide further motivation.” Her face hardened. “However, don’t do anything like that again without running it past me first.”

  “Sure, no problem.”

  * * *

  Once they were back at the trailer, Alicia was removed from the trunk and tied to the chair in Jack’s room. Jack didn’t have a chance to speak to her alone, but did tell her that he’d spoken to Laura and had been told they’d have the money tomorrow.

  He then sat down with Horace and Skye at the kitchen table to write out a shopping list for the party. Celeste sat on the sofa watching television with Derek and Peter, but from her furtive glances and smiles at him, Jack could tell she was pleased about all the attention she’d be getting.

  Some of the items Skye said they had on hand, but not others, including romaine lettuce, pork ribs, hoisin and honey garlic sauce, a birthday cake, and balloons. For his punch, Jack requested a bottle of crème de menthe, a bottle of white rum, a small bottle of Cointreau, lime juice, and six fresh limes.

  Skye reviewed the list and stated he’d pay for everything. He handed a wad of cash to Horace.

  After that, Jack found a chance to talk to Alicia.

  “It’s me, I’m alone,” he whispered.

  “Did they go along with your party idea?”

  “Yes, Horace is picking up the stuff. He said he’d be back in an hour.”

  “So you’re going to do it in an hour?”

  “I need to prepare the ingredients, plus get the poison. It’ll take time.”

  “What if you’re caught?”

  “I’ll tell them my plan was to take the money for myself. There’s still a possibility that they’d let you live.”

  “You know they wouldn’t.”

  “I know. I was hoping you didn’t.”

  “I’m not as naive as you think,” she said bitterly. “If you do get away with it, once everybody starts getting sick, they’ll know something’s up.”

  “It takes a couple of hours to take effect, depending upon the person’s size and how much they drink. Skye is small. If everyone drinks the same amount, he’ll be the first to feel the effects. At about the time I think he’s ready to pass out, I’ll take Celeste to the bedroom. I’m sure that at that point, Skye will use this room. Then all I need to do is stall a little with Celeste to ensure he really is passed out and won’t come in on us, then I’ll slap a sleeper hold on her. After that, I’ll gag her and tie her up, then look for the gun. If it looks like Skye has it, I’ll slip back and take it from him.”

  “What about me?”

  “I’ll come up with something to cut the zip ties. I’m betting we’ll also find a cellphone somewhere in the master bedroom to call in the cavalry.”

  “Do you think this’ll kill them?”

  “It takes at least twelve hours for actual death to occur, but again that depends upon size and the quantity drunk. If my idea works, they can be saved if they make it to the hospital in time.”

  “If that happens, do you think Celeste and Skye will confess to … everything?”

  “Possibly. They’ll probably play the blame game and point the finger at each other, try to make themselves look like the victim somehow. They’ve done other kidnappings, so a good defence lawyer would worry about that coming out in court. It would be better to cut a deal to get their client a reduced sentence in exchange for testimony.”

  “Oh,” Alicia replied, sounding even more sad.

  “Is there something you’re not telling me?”

  “No,” she answered bluntly. “Nothing.”

  “Then why ask only about Celeste and Skye? Don’t you mean all of them?”

  Alicia paused, then explained, “They’re the only ones who’ve dealt with me since I’ve been here, and Celeste is the ringleader. I guess her name popped into my head first.”

  You’re not telling me something. Perhaps something you feel too much shame or embarrassment to talk about? Oh, shit, those fucking animals … what did they do to you? He looked at Alicia and sighed. I’ll leave it for now. You’re under enough stress.

  * * *

  After Horace had returned with the shopping, Jack prepared the salad dressing at the kitchen table under the close scrutiny of Skye while Derek washed the lettuce. His next step was to make the punch.

  “Some ingredients need time to blend,” he said, using a measuring cup to pour two cups of rum, half a cup of Cointreau, and a generous splash of lime juice into a bowl. “It also needs to be refrigerated before you add the rest.”

  “Did you forget that?” Skye asked, pointing to a cup of crème de menthe that Jack had set aside.

  “I’ll be putting that in the freezer and turning it into a green slush.”

  A moment later, Jack shut the refrigerator. He turned to the counter and tore open the packages of ribs. “If someone would hand me a butcher knife to cut these into sections, I’ll wrap them in foil with a couple of ice cubes and steam them in the oven for a couple of hours.” He gestured to the limes on the kitchen table. “Also I could use a paring knife. I forgot to cut up a couple of the limes for the punch.”

  “I’ll cut the ribs and wrap them in foil,” Skye informed Jack, giving him a gentle push on the shoulder to move away.

  “Do you really think I’d run amok with a butcher knife? Give me a break,” Jack said sarcastically, returning to the table.

  “Like Celeste said, everyone will feel better once we get our money,” Skye retorted. “I’ll section the meat, you slice the limes.”

  Jack examined the paring knife Skye handed to him. The blade was no longer than his little finger. “Are you sure? This looks pretty deadly. Could be a weapon of choice in a gunfight.”

  Skye didn’t seem amused, but Derek flashed a smile.

  Jack sliced up two of the limes and dumped all the slices into the bowl in the fridge. The other limes he set aside for later, then watched as Skye put the ribs in the oven before washing the butcher knife and putting it in a drawer.

  “I’ve got a little time before I need to add more stuff to the punch,” Jack noted. He looked toward Peter and Horace in the living room watching television with Celeste. “Anyone up for some arcade games?”

  Upon receiving an affirmative response from Peter and Horace, Jack picked up the bottles of rum, crème de menthe, and Cointreau. “These need to be put in the freezer,” he commented, going to the refrigerator.

  This was a risky part of his plan, as he knew Skye would be keeping an eye on him to ensure he didn’t go near the knife drawer.

  What Skye didn’t notice was that Jack put only the bottles rum and Cointreau into the freezer. Nor did he notice the slight bulge in the front of Jack’s pants and under his shirt when he excused himself to go to the bathroom.

  Despite having turned on the bathroom fan, Jack was relieved that nobody else went in immediately after him. The smell of the crème de menthe he’d poured down the toilet lingered.

  He glanced at Celeste as he followed the others out onto the porch, knowing she was the most likely one to spot the bulge of the hidden bottle.

  She flashed him a smile. “How’s that
secret punch of yours coming along?”

  “Hopefully, it’ll do the trick,” he replied with a wink. The thought of leaving you two alone with Alicia makes my skin crawl.

  “When can I try some?”

  “In about an hour and a half. I’ll be back shortly to work on it some more. Dinner will be ready an hour after the punch is.”

  “Sounds great.”

  “I suggest you get some rest,” Jack replied, “because you’ll need it once the party starts.” He grinned.

  “I’m really, really looking forward to it,” she replied, then mimed a kiss.

  Jack caught the eager look on Skye’s face as he flirted with Celeste. Guess what, you sick bastard, you’re the smallest. With luck, you’ll be the first to die.

  * * *

  “Man, I’d love to learn to fly someday,” Jack exclaimed upon entering the hangar. He pretended to admire the Cessna and turned to Derek. “Do you think it’d be okay if I sat in the cockpit for a moment to see what it feels like?”

  “Yeah, go ahead. The keys aren’t in it, but don’t touch anything, anyway.”

  Derek, Peter, and Horace were distracted by the arcade games and didn’t notice when Jack grabbed a jug off the bench on his way to the Cessna. Three minutes later, he left the crème de menthe bottle in the cockpit — only now it was filled with antifreeze.

  Antifreeze was a deadly poison. Three ounces was enough to kill most people, and the initial symptoms were similar to being drunk. It also had a sweet flavour, but that was something Jack hoped to mask with the other ingredients.

  He’d already done the math in his head. There’s enough in the bottle for each of them to have five ounces. The lowball glasses hold about four ounces, along with ice. If the drink is half antifreeze, I’ll need them to drink two glasses each.

  There was a problem with this plan that Jack was well aware of. It’d likely be several hours before anyone lost consciousness or went into a coma, but before that, some of them might be vomiting or displaying other signs of poisoning. If everyone got sick, they’d suspect him. What he wanted was to convince Celeste and Skye to drink more, then separate them from the others before any suspicion was roused.