by Joe Conlan
“No, unfortunately, they haven’t.”
“I hope you don’t mind I took the liberty of watching a portion of the tapes this morning. I thought maybe I could be of some help.” Actually Spencer was thinking about covering his own ass. A kidnapping at the airport under his jurisdiction would require some reports and explanations. “I was able to identify the subject pretty easily based on your description. On the tapes I watched, the only interaction I saw between her and persons not employed by the airport was with a young man. I’m pretty sure he was an Orthodox Jew. I guess he could have been a priest or rabbi of some sort. They seemed to be getting along really well. They had a long conversation then boarded the plane together.
Funny though, I never got a good look at his face. I almost got the impression he was avoiding looking into the cameras. I could be totally off-base. I didn’t get a chance to see all the tapes. I just stuck to the ones at the gate.”
“I appreciate the input. Will you be available later if I have any questions? There may be other TSA agents we might want to talk to also, to see if they witnessed anything that could be important.”
“I’ll be on duty until nine o’clock tonight. Call any time. After that, you can talk to Agent Steele. He’ll be here till the last flight of the evening lands. That should be around midnight.”
It didn’t seem as though Daniel was going to be able to heed Rick’s suggestion to not spend his entire Saturday in the office. He had been watching the surveillance tapes for the last two hours and already collected a fair amount of disturbing information. Thus far, he observed the young Jewish man described by the TSA agent recorded on at least six of the cameras located in Terminal 3. He was captured entering the terminal, descending the escalator, making his way through the security line, passing through the food court, seated at the gate and boarding the aircraft. It was obvious to Daniel the man was aware of the location of each camera and was deliberately avoiding looking directly into them. Even more disconcerting, he was following Hannah Richards from the time she entered the airport until she took a seat at the gate. He didn’t have to see much more to pick up the phone and call Special Agent James Mancini.
“Jim, it’s Daniel. I’ve been looking at the Ft. Lauderdale Airport surveillance tapes. I don’t think we should waste any more time. We need to open up a full-scale investigation. Before I explain, have you gotten a hold of the LaGuardia tapes, yet?”
“I’m expecting them to be delivered any minute. I sent a runner to go pick them up more than an hour ago. I do have some information for you, though. I haven’t had any luck with the hospitals. As far as I can tell, no unidentified women were admitted in the last twenty-four hours. There have been no reported deaths of anyone fitting her description, either. What have you got?”
Daniel described what he had observed on the tapes. He continued, “We need to get an all points bulletin out...for Mrs. Richards and the suspect...the entire state of New York. Hell, let’s make it the entire Northeast. He’s got closely cropped blond hair, a muscular build, approximately 6’2” tall and at the time, he was wearing traditional Orthodox Jewish clothing. We also need to send out an abduction team over to her sister’s home on Long Island. There’s always the chance they’re going to get a ransom call. I’ll handle the call to Mrs. Stein.”
“I can get right on it. And I’ll call you as soon as I get a chance to look at the tapes. The time frame they would have been at LaGuardia should be much shorter, so I hope it won’t take me that long.”
Daniel wasn’t looking forward to his next call. He dialed Annie’s number.
“Daniel. I’ve been a nervous wreck waiting for you to call. Have you found anything?”
“I can’t be one hundred percent sure of anything yet, Annie. I can tell you Hannah met a man on her flight and had a long conversation with him. The part that has me concerned is that he was obviously following her from the time she entered the terminal until she sat down at the gate. It was also pretty clear he was avoiding looking directly into the cameras. We should know more once we review the New York tapes. You remember James Mancini. I trained at Quantico with him. He’s expecting them any minute.”
“That doesn’t sound promising, Daniel. Who was the guy? Were you able to identify him?”
“It’s gonna take a while before we’ll be able to get a name.” Daniel explained what had been done so far.
“I can’t believe this,” said Annie. “Hannah’s been missing now for more than twenty-one hours. I can’t imagine what she might be going through. Do you think this was a kidnapping?”
“I can’t answer that question right now. The longer we go with no word from her, kidnapping becomes a best case scenario. I don’t want to speculate on that yet.”
Annie began to cry softly. She said, “This is awful. I don’t even want to think about Mrs. Stein. I don’t know if she can handle all this. Does she know, yet?”
“I haven’t called her. I wanted to talk to you first. I’ll call her right after we’re done. We’re sending a team over to her house in case she receives a ransom call...or note.”
“Who would want to hurt that sweet woman? It would have to be a monster. Wouldn’t he have been in touch by now if it was a kidnapping?”
“First of all, Annie, don’t assume the worst. There’s a lot we don’t know, yet. If it is a kidnapping, there’s still a chance we’ll get her back unharmed. To answer your question, sometimes they’ll wait a day or two... to let the family stew.”
“You know, Hannah’s husband was an Orthodox Jew.”
“I didn’t know that. That’s very interesting. Hmm...If this guy is involved, he obviously did his homework. You’re pretty close to her, right?”
“Yes, she calls me her best friend.”
“I want you to take a look at these tapes. You may recognize something or someone that could be helpful. It’s certainly worth a shot. Do you think you can come to the office?” Daniel hesitated before expressing his next thought out loud. Throwing caution to the wind, he offered, “I guess I could come to your place. Do you have a VCR? They still record this stuff on tapes.”
“I’d really rather not drive, Daniel. I don’t think I’m up for it. Do you think you can come here?”
Daniel thought seriously about what he was suggesting. Several times, he had resisted Annie’s invitations to come to her apartment. Tonight, he almost preferred it. Dangerously, it had been a while since he last had sex with Deborah. The reasons were varied. He could truthfully say that a good part of it was due to his chaotic work schedule. By the time he got home late in the evening, he was exhausted. If he wanted to be real with himself, he would have to admit the more accurate explanation involved his sexual attraction for her. It wasn’t what it used to be. He would never dare talk about it out loud or even really give it much opportunity to germinate in his thoughts. Just entertaining it as a possibility made him wriggle in his office chair. Though he loved her dearly, he wasn’t in love with her. Now, thinking about going to Annie’s, he felt a stiffening and tightness in his groin. If he went through with it and she was receptive, he knew he wouldn’t be able to resist. He always knew it would be impossible to just say no to the woman who stole his heart so many years ago.
As quickly as he invited the idea of sex with Annie into his head, his self-critical, guilt-ridden side took over. He would have to be a real dick to try to take advantage of a woman in grief. Sex would be the furthest thing from her mind. Fighting against his male hormones now flooding through his system, he decided he would go to Annie’s apartment, but exercise the discipline to behave like a normal human being.
“I’ll come to your place. You do have a VCR, right?”
“Yes, I still have my old one. Are you coming now?”
“I have a few things to do before I leave the office. Would it be ok if I show up around seven o’clock?”
“That’s fine. I won’t be going anywhere. Thank you so much for everything you’re doing. I’ll see you at seven.
”
Daniel was about to make his next call to Robin Stein then thought better of it. The poor woman deserved much more than an impersonal phone conversation to notify her that her sister could be in serious trouble. He decided to request that New York send an agent to her home to deliver the news. As worried as Annie was about Mrs. Stein’s reaction, someone should probably be there. He called Mancini back and voiced his concerns. Jim agreed he would have one of the ransom team members explain everything to Mrs. Stein. He didn’t want to leave the office because the LaGuardia tapes had just arrived. He promised to call Daniel back shortly to brief him on his findings.
It actually took Agent Mancini one hour and sixteen minutes to watch the tapes showing Hannah and the suspect from the time they disembarked the plane at Gate 24 of Concourse B to the time they left the counter of the Avis rental office and exited the terminal. He called Daniel immediately after the last tape ended.
Mancini explained, “I just finished watching the tapes. There’s no question you were right. This bastard knew the location of every camera from the arrival gate to the point when he left the terminal at the baggage claim level. We don’t get one good look at his face. I can’t give you any more of a description of him than you gave me. Either he put his arm or hand in front of his face or some other object he had in his hand or simply turned away. Mrs. Richards was with him the entire time, except for a short stretch when he separated himself to make a phone call. It’s possible there are others involved.
We’ll need to get a hold of Avis’s parking lot surveillance tapes. I think we’re getting closer to being able to at least call this a kidnapping. There’s a minute chance he dropped her off somewhere, but his avoidance of all the cameras can’t be coincidence. I’ve already contacted Avis and they’re working on getting me the tapes. I’m hoping to have them by this evening. Oh and one final thing. Avis tells me he rented the vehicle under the name Dwight Adelman. I’m sure it’s got to be an alias. Do you want me to stick around?”
“That would be great if you could, Jim. If this is our guy, he’s a pretty cool customer and extremely well prepared. He went to great lengths to develop a complicated plan to abduct Mrs. Richards. I’m starting to wonder whether he was playing games with us in the process. A smart, calculating criminal doesn’t expose himself to so many surveillance cameras without an ulterior motive. He may be challenging us. Obviously, that’s not a good sign. Hopefully, she’s alive and being held captive somewhere in the New York area. It’s still possible this was a kidnapping for ransom. I think we also have to consider he may have had worse plans for her.
You mentioned he made a phone call. We need to act quickly. I know you have a pregnant wife at home, but, if you could wait for those tapes or have someone else from the office take over, I’d appreciate it. I’m going to talk to your A.S.A.C. and see if we can get you assigned to this case for now. Once we know what we’re dealing with, we can come up with a more detailed plan.”
“Donna is having dinner with her mother and then they’re going baby shopping. They won’t be home until later tonight. I don’t mind waiting.”
“You’re a good man, Jim. Thanks a lot. Let me know when you have the Avis tapes.”
“Will do. I’ll get back with you.”
Chapter 11
The aroma of Italian sausage and garlic wafted through the apartment as Annie prepared Maria Falcone’s secret, family recipe for spaghetti sauce. Maria shared it with Annie during the years Annie lived with Daniel. Annie developed a close relationship with his mom, who seemed as devastated as Daniel when she refused his marriage proposal. Annie figured that since he was scheduled to arrive at dinner time, the least she could do was to fix him a decent meal. His mom’s spaghetti was one of his favorites and it would keep her mind off of Hannah’s disappearance for a while. She added a pinch of red pepper flakes and a handful of grated Romano cheese to the sauce, then retreated to the dining room.
Annie was never really the domestic type. She always appreciated good food, but until she met Daniel, she had no real experience in the kitchen. He was a much more skilled cook than she, his specialty being Italian food. In their first several years of dating at George Washington University, Daniel often cooked dinners for her and her roommates. It was usually Annie’s responsibility to find a fine wine that suited the meal he was preparing. They both liked to think of themselves as amateur connoisseurs.
As Annie waited for Daniel, she scanned her dining room wine rack and chose a bottle of red she had procured on her most recent visit to the Santa Inez Valley. She uncorked the bottle of Sangiovese to allow it to breathe having decided it was the perfect compliment for a spicy Italian tomato sauce. Since she had a moment to relax, she poured herself a glass of Cake Bread Chardonnay from a bottle she opened earlier in the evening. When she sat down to enjoy it, the events of the last eighteen hours came charging back to the forefront. Thoughts about what Hannah might be feeling turned her mood south in an instant. She prayed her good friend was still alive and unhurt. As the tears welled and threatened to spill over, the telephone rang rescuing her from her morose reverie. It was Daniel. She picked up the phone and greeted him.
“Hi Annie, are you alright? You don’t sound great.”
“I’ll be ok. Are you on your way?”
“I just left the office. I should be there in about fifteen minutes.”
“Any more news?”
“You sure you don’t want to wait till I get there?”
“I’m alright. It’ll make me more stressed to wait and wonder.”
“Ok, well Mancini reviewed the LaGuardia tapes. I’ll fill you in on the details when I get there, but it’s looking more and more like an abduction. It seems Hannah accepted a ride from the man she befriended at the Ft. Lauderdale airport. If we don’t hear anything from her soon...and the chances of that are getting less and less likely, we have to figure out if this was a kidnapping for ransom. I don’t want to jump to conclusions, though. Just in case, I sent a kidnapping team out to Mrs. Stein’s several hours ago. No calls yet.”
“I know. I spoke to her a little while ago. She’s a mess.”
“I called to assure her we were doing everything we could and to explain procedures. She was sobbing through the entire conversation. It’s good she’s not alone.”
“I guess it’s just a waiting game now. How long will you wait before you give up on the kidnapping theory?”
“It can take up to three or four days. On very rare occasions, it’s taken more than a week to hear from the perps.”
“Damn, I don’t think I could handle that. And I know for a fact Mrs. Stein can’t.”
“Like I told her, Annie, we’re doing everything we can. Hannah even gets the benefit of an investigation that was started earlier than normal. Besides the APB, we got a photo of Hannah from Robin. It’ll be scanned so every law enforcement official in the New York area and northeastern United States will be on the lookout for her. It’s also been distributed to all airports, train and bus stations. We’re working on getting a photo of the suspect from the tapes that’ll at least show his size, body type and maybe a profile. Once we have one, we’ll put it out.”
“Thank you so much for getting things going right away. I’m sure the family really appreciates it too. By the way, have you eaten?”
“I’m famished. I’ve been so busy today I haven’t eaten a thing since breakfast. Maybe we could order something while you watch the tapes.”
“Not necessary. I fixed your Mom’s spaghetti.”
The idea that Annie had cooked for him sent another erotic charge directly to his loins. “Annie, you didn’t have to do that. I’m sure you were in no mood to cook.”
“Don’t be silly. It’s the least I could do. Besides, it took my mind off things for a while.”
“Well, I can’t say I’m disappointed. Thanks. I should be there in a few minutes.”
“Ok, Daniel. See you then.”
The crisp, invigorating fragrance
of a blast of arctic air was a welcome stimulant to the sleep-deprived Shem as he huddled against a palm tree on Ft. Lauderdale Beach. It was a good thing he still had the parka he wore on the trip to the Catskill Mountains. It would come in handy this evening. Ft. Lauderdale was under a freeze warning and the temperatures were expected to plummet below thirty degrees by the following morning.
The beach was as deserted as it was earlier in the day and the darkness afforded him cover he wasn’t able to enjoy that afternoon. He replaced his daytime binoculars and camera with special infrared photographic equipment that allowed him to take pictures in spite of the blackness of the night. Annie hadn’t left her apartment the entire day. He wondered if she were aware of the disappearance of the Jew slut. This wouldn’t be her last experience with losing someone close to her. In the end, he would be the only person who mattered in her life.
Most evenings, Annie sat on her living room sofa opposite the picture, floor to ceiling windows to take advantage of the view of the beach below and the steady stream of pedestrian traffic. He had not seen her yet that night and was beginning to question whether she was at home. This time, he checked to find her BMW parked in the garage. Still, there was always the possibility that a friend or her nuisance of a boyfriend could have picked her up before he arrived. He was pretty sure that wasn’t the case because he saw the lights in her bedroom switched off and the light in the kitchen was on since sunset.
His decision to stick it out was rewarded five minutes later when Annie appeared before her living room window staring out into the black emptiness that was the Atlantic Ocean. He gazed through his zoom lens to see her goddess-like silhouette as if she were standing on the beach directly in front of him. He absent-mindedly reached out with his left hand to touch her bare shoulder when he realized that Annie seemed to be dressed to go out. He snapped a picture, quickly packed his equipment then hurried to his parked car to wait for Annie to come down.