“Yes.”
After a moment, a familiar voice emerged from the cell phone. “Did you find her? Is she all right?”
“What’s going on, Mom?” asked Kate, trying to sound as normal as she possibly could.
“Kate,” said Barbara. “I didn’t recognize the caller ID. I thought it was the police.”
“The police?” said Kate. She felt her jaw muscles tighten. The son of a bitch kidnapped my little sister. She squeezed the steering wheel tightly.
“We didn’t want to worry you, Kate. We went to the mall to shop for clothes. We were coming to surprise you with dinner. Your sister Amelia disappeared at the mall. She went to look for my cell phone. It’s all my fault.” Kate heard her mother weeping, and tears began to flow down her own cheeks.
She perceived at that moment that her mother passed the phone to her father. “Hi, honey, it’s Dad.”
“What’s happening, Daddy?” said Kate. “Tell me everything.”
“We called the police. They’re looking for Amelia. They told us to drive home and wait.”
“Why didn’t you call me?”
“There’s nothing you can do, honey,” said Bill. “We didn’t want to worry you.” There was a moment of silence. “Yet.”
“Oh, Daddy. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.” Kate began to cry. “I love you.”
“We love you, too, honey. I’ll keep you in the loop. You let us know if you hear from her,” said Bill.
Deep inside Kate, emotions of fear and disquietude were quickly overtaken by rage and disgust. She could just explode. She wished she could strangle the mysterious man, the monster, the instigator of all this. Her teeth clenched; her jaw muscles tightened. The noise in the background, mostly Barbara crying and sniffling, was suddenly interrupted by dead silence. A few seconds later, the man spoke, his voice engendering a deep horror. Kate hungered for an opportunity to squeeze the life out of him, kick him, stab him, and rip his genitalia out. Anything that would cause him physical pain to the degree of emotional discomfort he was causing her and her family.
“Now, will you cooperate?” questioned the man, his words calm.
“I want to talk to my sister. Now.”
“You will soon. Not now.”
“When? I want to know she’s all right.”
“You’ll talk to her when I say so.” There was a moment of silence. “Now, are you going to cooperate?”
“Yes.” Kate’s voice was engulfed with fury. “What do you want?”
“I will call you back. If you discuss any of this with anyone, I will kill Amelia first, then Maggie, then your parents. Then Frank. You last,” he said ruthlessly.
“Tell me what you want from me. Then let my sister go and leave us the hell alone.”
“Keep the phone. I will call with instructions soon.” The phone went dead.
Kate couldn’t move for several minutes. Her fists were tight, and she had a taste for blood. The blood of this son of a bitch who would use a child to get what he wanted. He better not harm her. If he does, I will find him and kill him. A phone ring interrupted her thoughts. This ring was familiar to her. Her hands trembling, she opened her purse and fished out her cell and saw that it was Frank. She was in no shape to talk to her fiancé. She feared her words would give away her emotional state at this time, and that would be dangerous to Amelia. She needed time to think. With each ring, rivulets of tears flowed down her cheeks and inflamed the fury inside. She sat behind the steering wheel of her Honda, feeling impotent. The phone finally ceased.
Should I go to the police? she mused, her mind racing. Should I tell Frank? She shook her head and took a deep breath. Should I ask Dr. Norris for help? He has experience with this sort of thing, and I know I can trust him. He would help me through this. Her thoughts were crowded in her brain. Images of Amelia tied up, frightened, and crying overwhelmed her reflection. How do I communicate with Dr. Norris without the bastard knowing?
CHAPTER 11
Kate couldn’t fall asleep. Numb, she lay in bed, scanning the ceiling of her bedroom and plotting revenge on the monster who stole her sister. She sighed. Her thoughts shifted to the remote past, when things were simpler. Uncomplicated. She smiled, her anger ever so slightly beginning to melt away.
• • •
“It’s my turn, Daddy,” exclaimed the twelve-year-old girl, taking the rifle.
“Be careful, Kate. This is not a toy. Guns are serious business,” said Bill for the umpteenth time.
Little Kate was proud. As the oldest daughter, she was given the opportunity to go into the woods with her father and learn about guns. About shooting. The targets had no prayer, and soon, one by one, they would be hit by shrapnel and crumble into smithereens. This was the third time Kate had gone shooting with her dad, and the fear of the first two times was now well behind her.
Three large cans rested on a large rock, each about four feet from each other. The exhibit stood approximately five feet up from the ground, roughly sixty feet away from where they were about to shoot. A loud bang resonated throughout the canyon at about the same time as the first can was hit, disintegrating it as multiple pieces rushed in the direction away from the shooter. The second can suffered the same fate, the hit more on target, showing signs of improvement. The third can now stood alone, awaiting the loud bang.
• • •
Kate envisioned one day soon grabbing the fiend who took Amelia and forcing him to where that can was perched, taking a few steps back, and firing a bullet right at his forehead. With grinding teeth, Kate imagined his head exploding to smithereens in every direction and the pleasure the spectacle would bring her.
Outside her apartment, an ambulance sped by, sirens blaring. The hullabaloo brought Kate out from her daydream. She sat up in bed, wild eyed, a cold sweat swathing her body. The reality of her sister’s predicament suddenly punched her hard, and she began to sob, the need for vengeance coursing through her veins.
What did Amelia and I do to deserve this?
Kate looked at the bedside clock. It was 5:33 a.m. She got up and went to the bathroom. She walked to the kitchen and started to make coffee. She took a shower and returned to the kitchen.
The cell phone rang, not the chime she was accustomed to, but the ringtone that sent ghastly sensations up her spine.
“Good morning, Ms. Fanning,” said the now-familiar vile voice.
“I want to speak with Amelia. Now!” said Kate.
A long moment went by. Kate looked at the cell phone. Did he hang up on me?
Then she heard her little sister’s trembling voice. “Katie.”
“Amelia. Are you OK? Did he hurt you?”
“No. I’m OK. I’m scared, Katie.”
Amelia’s words weakened her determination, and Kate felt her own tears again begin to pour from her eyes, bathing her face. Kate suddenly held her breath when she heard a commotion and then several cries by Amelia. A door thumped loudly.
“As you can tell, your sister’s OK. For now. Are you ready for my demands?” asked the man.
“Yes,” said Kate, muscles tightening, teeth grating, all culminating in a trembling rage. She squeezed the cell phone in her hand. “What do you want?”
CHAPTER 12
It was lunchtime, and armed with Jack’s Starbucks card, Shalyn arrived with the orders of coffee.
“Thank you, thank you,” said Jack, receiving his grande cappuccino and his Starbucks card. “I really needed that.”
Shalyn nodded and smiled as she distributed the orders to the others.
Jack took a sip of his drink. “Kate, didn’t you want Starbucks? You’re usually the first in line.”
“I haven’t been in the mood for anything.” Kate got up and began walking away.
The last thing she wanted to do was to publicly demonstrate the turmoil inside her. It was imperative that she appe
ar normal. It was required that she go about her business as usual. Just another day in paradise.
Frank emerged from one of the cubicles and approached Jack, who gave him a nod. “Before I tell you about my patient, you’ve got to help me out with that riddle. It’s driving me crazy.”
“What’s the point if I just tell you the answer?” said Jack. “This is an exercise in problem solving.” He smiled. “How far have you gotten?”
“I have a wolf, a rabbit, and a carrot on one side of a river, and I’m trying to get them to the other side. I have to carry them one by one. How do I do it?”
“How do you do it?” reiterated Jack.
“I figured out the first step, but I’m stuck after that,” said Frank. “First, I take the rabbit across.”
“Good. That works, since the wolf and carrot are left alone, and they’re safe together. What’s the next step?”
A long pause of silence. “That’s where it gets hard,” said Frank.
“Well, think about it, and let me know when you figure it out.”
Frank presented the case to Jack, and they discussed the management options for his patient. Frank then left with his marching orders, and another doctor in training approached Jack.
Jack listened intently to the details of the patient, and they determined that hospitalization was necessary. They readied the paperwork and summoned the transport team to take the patient from the clinic to the hospital.
In a few more minutes, hospital security arrived. Nai Trepur, with two others in tow, walked into the area where the doctors were talking.
“The paperwork is almost finished. The wheelchair is on the way here from upstairs. We’re almost ready to transfer the patient,” said Kate pleasantly.
“What’s happeening?” asked Nai.
“We have a man in heart failure. We need to tune him up in the hospital for a few days,” said Jack.
“Hees doctors are geeving the wrong medeecations again?” asked Trepur.
“You got it,” said Dr. Frank Hanes.
“Do you ever poot patients on the wrong medeecations?” asked Nai.
“Sure,” said Jack with a smile. “When I start a medication that turns out to give the patient side effects. When I make human errors. Not because I don’t know the medical literature.” An uncomfortable moment of silence ensued, broken by the commotion of an orderly who arrived with a wheelchair. The patient called home to inform his family he was being hospitalized, and soon the patient, an orderly, a nurse, and the security team departed. The office buzz returned to its normal activities.
Several hours later, the outpatient clinic wing started to empty out, first of patients and then of secretaries and doctors. Finally, the nurses walked out in small groups discussing this and that. It was Kate’s turn to lock up again. She began her routine end-of-day work. She also embarked on her commanded, untraditional labor of espionage.
I’m doing this for you, Amelia, Kate thought. People are going to suffer, but I have no choice. I will bring you home soon, sis. Real soon.
CHAPTER 13
Kate entered her apartment, used the bathroom, and then washed her hands. As she reentered the living room, the phone rang, the dreadful familiar ringtone giving Kate a wave of nausea and disgust. She picked up right after the first ring.
“Ms. Fanning, did you gather the charts and information I requested?”
“I want to see my sister!” she demanded.
“You will see her when I—”
“Now! I will see her now!” she said, snarling. “I have to know she’s OK. I have to see she’s OK.” There was a long pause.
“OK. I’ll let you see her. After dark. Tonight,” said the man. “Meet me at Gavin Park at ten o’clock by the soccer fields. Come alone.”
“OK.”
“Do I need to remind you of what’ll happen to Amelia if you try anything I don’t like?”
“No,” said Kate.
“What about Frank Hanes? Won’t he be suspicious if you leave home?”
“Frank’s on call tonight. He won’t have a clue that I’ve left.”
“Now, how’s the project going?”
“It’s going just fine. I’ve reviewed five charts, and I have all the information you requested. I’m ready to go make house calls.”
“As long as you cooperate, Amelia will stay healthy and happy.” And the call terminated.
Kate felt she accomplished oodles, getting the man to agree to let her visit her sister. This little bit of control gave her a sliver of hope. She needed that.
She sat on her couch and wrinkled her forehead. How does he know what I’m doing? His call came exactly after I was done in the bathroom today. She looked around the room. He called right after I was done taking a shower, not during. She stood up and walked to her bedroom, spying all corners of the living room. For that matter, how did he know when I got into my car after work when he first called me?
Her inquisitive mind very much wanted to know. She pondered the possibilities. Does he have others working with him? Are my car and apartment bugged?
The notion brought shivers up her spine. She returned to the living room and picked up a magazine perched on a coffee table. She sat down on the couch. While pretending to read, her eyes wandered clandestinely around the room, scanning for possible hideout spots.
If I were installing a spy camera in this apartment, where would I put it? She visualized the four corners of the living room in her mind’s eye. The optimal site would allow viewing of the whole room. Two corners were unadorned by furnishings and were unlikely possibilities to hide a camera. A third corner faced the entrance door into a guest bedroom. He had known I was done in the bathroom and called the second I entered the kitchen the last time and the living room this time. That leaves only one spot with these vantage-point characteristics. That corner had a large bookcase ornamented with teddy bears and several picture frames. Kate got up and took her magazine there. While feigning she was searching for a book, she perused furtively for the spy camera. Here you are! She smirked, appreciating the stealth device in the corner of her eye. The unit was tiny and was well hidden in between two teddy bears. I bet you’ve bugged my car, too!
Kate walked to her bedroom with the book in hand. As she entered the room, she placed the book on the bed and walked to the closet to get a sweater, all along spying for additional hidden cameras. None found. She then walked to her vehicle outside in the parking lot. Again, pretending to pick up a bag with workout clothes, she discerned both the video transmitter and the GPS bug. She returned home to wait for the right time to go meet the monster.
At nine o’clock, Kate was in the Honda, ready to go. The night was dark, given the scarcity of moonlight. It would take less than thirty minutes to reach the meeting location, but she wanted ample time to think and consider her situation.
“I’m here,” she spoke into the mobile phone after the first ring.
“Get out of the car, lock it up, and then put both hands on the hood. Speaking of hoods, when I arrive, I’ll throw you a hood, which you will immediately place over your head. Got that?” His voice was callous.
“Yes.”
The man ended the call. She took a deep breath and got out of the car. She glanced around the parking lot next to the soccer fields. It was dreadfully dark. No soul in sight. Quiet. Eerie. Spooky. In contrast, her inner turmoil was anything but quiet; it felt as if gallons of acid were splashing inside her stomach.
A few seconds later, an eternity to Kate, headlights appeared on the opposite side of the parking area. As the vehicle approached, high beams penetrated through the darkness of the moonless evening and fixated on her car. Kate stood there still, her hands on the car, her own shadow expanding at her side as the mysterious vehicle loomed.
The man exited his ride as Kate looked away. “Put this over your head,” he said. He t
hrew an object onto the hood of the Honda, hitting her right hand. Kate slowly placed the hood over her own head, immediately changing from being blinded by the headlights to complete darkness.
“Put your hands back on the car,” he said. “Are you carrying any weapons?”
“I’m a nurse, not a thug,” she said with rancor. He frisked her from behind. As his hands rubbed over her breasts and abdomen, all her muscles stiffened in disgust. Her fists tightened as his hands entered her pockets.
“I don’t have any—”
“Quiet,” he said, his hands frisking down her legs, one at a time, culminating in a thorough feel around her ankles. He stood up behind her and grabbed her right arm forcibly, pulling her away from the Honda. He led her, stumbling, to the back seat of his nearby vehicle and cuffed both her wrists to the armrest on the passenger door behind the driver’s seat. So anchored, she was unable to sit up comfortably and chose to lie down on the backseat.
“Where are we going?” she asked.
“No talking,” he said insolently.
The trip was approximately thirty minutes, all in silence. Under the darkness and stillness of the hood, Kate appreciated the smoothness of the ride for the first fifteen minutes. The vehicle traveled first at a speed consistent with city driving with several stops, presumably at red lights. A quick spot of rough, bumpy road was traveled slowly, consistent with a railroad-track crossing. After a turn to the right, the ride sped up significantly, and Kate deduced they were traveling on a highway. After a few minutes, the vehicle turned left and slowed down considerably. Soon thereafter, they entered a road that became progressively rougher.
We’re now in the country, reasoned Kate as the road turned even bumpier. The smell permeating into her hood had turned from polluted smog to clean and pure country scent, accented here and there by odors of distant farm animals. These whiffs Kate knew well, having been raised on a farm.
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