"Who are you? Why do you have him?" I'm out of breath.
"We'll discuss that at a later time. Just do what I ask and I'll return what belongs to you. No harm no foul."
"What do you want me to do?" I slowly sit back down.
"Thank you for sitting back down. Now we can conduct some business." I listen closely trying to place the voice. "I need you to drop off the envelope on the back seat of your car at the Commonwealth Bank on Route 236 and Lee.”
“There’s no envelope in my back seat.” I’m screaming.
“Take a breath Sheldon. The deposit slip is all filled out and in your back seat. All you have to do is give it to the teller."
"Then I'll get Tommy?" I have never felt so anxious. My hands are trembling, but I’m trying to keep my voice steady.
"As soon as you complete that, check your phone and you'll see what I have. Then you can tell me if that's what you want back."
"If you hurt him, I'll kill you."
I hear nothing. "Easy…easy, no need to get so worked up. Just follow my directions and I'll return what's not mine in the same condition. Don’t follow my directions or talk to anyone, including those two nice detectives and I'll return what you want in not so good condition. You understand?"
I nod my head. "I'll do what you want. Please don’t hurt him. He's just a kid. He didn’t do anything wrong."
"Just do what I ask. The call ends. I’m still yelling and checking the phone, but he's gone. I can’t believe it. That was the guy that has Tommy.
Chapter 4
I jump up off the bleachers and run towards the parking lot and open the door of the Tahoe. Sure enough, on the back seat is a large thick manila envelope. I open it up and peak inside. It is full of cash. More than I have ever seen. I quickly leaf through the bills. They are all hundred's. I don’t even consider taking this to the police. I can’t take the chance of something happening to Tommy. I slam my hand down on the seat and take one more look at the money. I stare in disbelief and start the engine up. Ten minutes later, I'm seated in the parking lot of the bank. It's the same bank we use, but a branch I have never been to before. I think it might be the main branch due to the size and amount of cars in the parking lot. I gather up the large envelope and step into the bank. It’s not too crowded. I found the deposit slip earlier, so I wait in line for a minute or so behind an elderly lady and hand the slip to the teller. She looks young and refreshed. I watch her eyes as she gasps at the sum on the slip, 1.5 million dollars. She can't believe I have that much cash, but I hand her the envelope and about fifteen minutes later, she hands me a receipt and lets me know a currency transaction report will be filed due to the amount of money, but I just shrug. I quickly sign it and rush back to the Tahoe. As soon as I close the door, my phone rings and I see the same "private" message flash on my iPhone's screen.
"Very nice job Sheldon, you are now a millionaire. That money was placed in your account."
"What are you talking about? I yell into the phone.
"Just as I promised, you will receive a token of my thanks. Please check your email as soon as we hang up."
"What about Tommy?"
"Relax Sheldon. Take another breath. You will see what I have on your phone in a moment and let me know if that is yours. By the way, remember our deal about not telling the law enforcement officials or I might damage what you want. Also, you should enjoy the second email. Wonder what the police would say if they saw that. We'll be in touch."
I throw the phone on the seat. He is gone again, but I immediately pick it up again hearing it begin to vibrate. There are two new emails, both with attachments. They are both marked private as the sender, something I have never seen before. I open the first one and click on the attachment. I can't believe it, there is Tommy. He's lying on a bed in a small room. He doesn’t look injured. He has a laptop in his hand and behind him I can see a large screen TV with what looks like a Wii and a few other gaming systems. There are also tons of books around him. The video immediately cuts out. I try to hit replay, but it doesn’t work. I go back to my inbox and try to open the email again, but it has been deleted. I can't believe this. I open the second email and again there is an attachment. I click on it and another video begins to play. It's me at the Commonwealth Bank handing the teller the envelope full of cash. I don't understand how he could have gotten that. He's right, what would the police think if they saw that the next day after my son was kidnapped? I quickly close the email and like the first one, the attachment and email vanish. I set the phone down and quickly pull out of the parking lot. I look in the rear view mirror and don’t recognize the guy staring back at me. I don’t know what to think. I'm happy seeing Tommy is okay, at least I think he is from that video, but I’m terrified because he’s in that monster's hands. I know I can’t tell the police or anyone, but I need to go home and see if there are any developments. I reach the house about twenty minutes later. There seem to be a few more people gathered out front. Some of them appear to be holding pictures. As I get closer, I can see they are carrying pictures of Tommy. I stop the Tahoe opposite our front lawn and roll down the window. I'm immediately attacked by a mob of people. Most of them holding microphones, but a lot of them are neighbors and colleagues from work. They must be organizing a search party. I want to get out and thank each one of them, but I just yell out the window thanking them and pull into the driveway and into our garage. Michelle's Accord is in there, so she must be home. I've been gone for hours, though I’m not really sure how long it's been since I don’t know what time it was when I left. I feel so confused with all that happened and seeing Tommy on that video. I keep replaying the ten or fifteen second video over and over in my head. I'm tempted to open the door to the house and tell everyone what happened, but I decide not to as soon as I enter and Michelle and the two detectives stare at me.
"Sheldon, where have you been all day?" I look at the clock and see it's after 4:00. Michelle quickly walks across the room and places her arms around me.
"Just looking for Tommy, did you guys hear anything?" Michelle looks at Stanton. I feel my stomach begin to jump around.
"We think we got a break on the vehicle. A parent coming to pick up her kid around the same time remembers seeing a light-blue Jeep Cherokee pulling out when she came in. We're searching for it now." He looks at Adams and the other officers seated in the living room. I see Mike seated by the phone. "We didn't hear anything yet, but like I said before they could be waiting until the feel more secure. I feel myself begin to have trouble breathing, like my throat is closing in.
"What's wrong Sheldon?" Michelle asks clutching me.
I cough. "I just thought we would hear something by now." I take a seat on the couch. The officer sitting there quickly jumps up to allow Michelle to sit next to me.
"You sure you’re okay Mr. Smith?" Stanton is looking at me very hard. I can see his pupils dancing around. I wonder if he can tell I'm lying.
"I'm fine now." I take a deep breath and stand up to show everyone I'm okay. I walk over to the window. "That's great they're looking for Tommy."
"Yes, they are going to search the neighborhood inside and out. I'm suggesting you go two go on TV and plead to the guy to bring Tommy back." He looks at Michelle first and then me. "I usually wouldn’t recommend this, but since we haven't heard from him maybe it will speed things up. This has become a national story."
I look at Michelle and she nods. "Who is going to do it?"
"The lady from Channel 7, Noreen," Stanton answers. He looks outside. "I'd like to do it as soon as possible, so whenever you guys are ready we'll call her in."
"Let's do it." I say. I can’t believe I haven’t told the police or Michelle about my phone call or the video that Tommy is alive, but I can’t risk anything happening to him. The guy sounded like he meant what he said.
A half hour or so later, we're seated at the bar in the kitchen; the one Tommy picked out and Noreen is sitting opposite us. She seems very genuine and concerned, so I
guess Stanton knows what he's doing and this isn’t all about getting ratings. I can’t take my mind off seeing Tommy in that room all by himself. I hope he isn’t being hurt or anything. He looked okay. At least he was surrounded by books and games, so he has something to occupy his time. I promise myself right then and there that I will do whatever it takes to get him back.
"Sheldon…Sheldon…are you okay?" I look at Michelle. Everyone is looking directly at me.
I nod yes. "I'm fine. I'm just thinking about Tommy." She puts her arm on my shoulder.
"We'll get him back I just know it. While you were gone all day, I had a dream about him that he was alive and well." I almost gasp.
"Hold on a second." I jump off the stool and head towards the bathroom. I walk back into the kitchen a few minutes later and everyone is looking at me nervously. I can’t look at Michelle or Stanton in the face. I feel like they will know I’m hiding something. Instead, I look at Noreen and the camera crew behind her.
"Are you sure you’re up for this?" Noreen asks in that voice only a reporter can do.
"Yes. Let's do this." I speak as calmly as I can.
"Here's how it's going to work. I'm going to talk first, and then you two are going to look right at that camera." She points at the camera few feet away. It's mounted on a tri-pod opposite one of the kitchen counters. "And then you tell them how much you want him back and plead with whoever has him to please bring him back or contact you." She looks at Stanton who nods in agreement. "Ready?"
We both nod. I wonder if Tommy knew he was being videotaped when I saw that attachment. He looked so innocent just sitting there on a bed. It looked like it could be any typical teenager's bedroom anywhere. I look down at my cell phone and wonder if there is any way to retrieve the emails. I could ask the guys at work.
"Sheldon…Sheldon. You’re doing it again. Are you sure you're okay?" I nod just as Noreen points at us. It's our turn to speak.
"Please…please if you have Tommy out there. Please let him come home. He didn’t do anything wrong. He's a great kid. If you've seen anyone with him please call the police." I see the tears rolling down Michelle's face as she is speaking. I place my arm around her.
"Whoever you are…please send him home. I'll switch places with him right now. Please let him go if you have him. He hasn’t done anything. He's just a kid…please…please." I hear Noreen begin talking as Michelle and I embrace each other. Tears are flowing down our faces. I can feel the camera's glare infringing on us, but I don’t care. I just want to run away. How could this happen? And how can I not say anything? I quickly jump off the stool and run out into the living room causing the officers seated in there to suddenly look up. Who is this guy? I pull out my phone and try and click redial of the private number, but there is no number or anything in the recent calls list. I fall onto the couch and bury my head into my hands. A moment later, I feel Michelle clutching my shoulder telling me everything is okay.
"You guys did a great job." I look up and Noreen and Stanton are standing in front of us pointing at the TV. I watch as they show a collage of pictures of Tommy and then our kitchen comes into focus with us seated on those bar stools pleading for Tommy's return. We look so much older than before. They cut the footage before my leap off the bar stool and into here. Instead, Noreen is seen in our kitchen continuing our plea to return Tommy safely.
"She's right. Good job guys. Hopefully, we'll hear from someone soon." Stanton says causing me to cringe again.
"How do we know he's even alive?" Michelle sobbingly asks.
Stanton quickly answers. "It's just too much effort to take him for no reason. Not to sound bad, but there are plenty of kids walking down our streets every day if someone wanted to just take a kid. This was a planned effort. The driver's license, the signing out Tommy with your brother's name; it goes on and on. This is no ordinary abduction." He stops and looks at both of us. "I suspect we will be hearing something soon." I quickly turn my head. "I have some specialists coming in from the FBI very soon."
"Why aren't they calling? It's been a long time."
"I wish I had the answer. They usually call within twenty-four hours. But like I said this is different, but that's a good thing. Try and keep positive."
"I'm trying. Do you have any kids?"
Stanton closes his eyes and looks at Michelle before answering. "Yes, I have two boys a few years older than Tommy and believe me this is affecting me too."
"At least you have them." She cries.
"We're doing the best we can Mrs. Smith. I promise you I won’t give up until we get him back." I pull Michelle close to me, pulling her head into my shoulder.
"Thanks Detective." He slowly walks away and speaks with Mike near the phone.
"What are we going to do Sheldon? I can't go on knowing he might be out there lying hurt somewhere or dead." I rub her back.
"He's okay. I know he is. We'll get him back. You heard Stanton."
"I hope you’re right Sheldon."
"So do I," I whisper. I replay the video again in my head trying to see if there's anything I missed.
Chapter 5
Somehow another night goes by with no phone calls. I check my iPhone almost every five seconds, causing Michelle to give me some odd looks. I try not to make it too obvious when Stanton is looking. I watch the sun breaking through the windows. I'm not sure if we slept or just sat here, but we are both still seated on the couch in the same position. Stanton left an hour or so ago and Adams took his place. Apparently, they are taking shifts now as we go into the third day of not having Tommy. I make my way into the kitchen; hard to believe just last night we were sitting here talking to the reporter from Channel 7. I hope that my message had some kind of effect on Tommy's taker, although I'm pretty sure it won't. I sit down at the table and pour a bowl of cereal. I don't even taste it. I just go through the motions. I never thought anything would ever make me not feel like living, but with Tommy out there in the unknown; I feel as though life has no meaning except to get him back. I don’t know how much longer we can keep this up. I think I’m wearing the same clothes I was wearing two days ago, or three days ago. I don’t even know what day it is. It's like the world has stopped. I look up and see Adams coming through the door.
"Good morning Mr. Smith."
"Good morning." I shrug. I look at my cold and mushy cereal. He sits down next to me.
"I think we need to begin eliminating anyone connected to Tommy to get a better grasp on this."
"What's that mean?" I look up.
"It means. Unfortunately we need to look at his family, his parents, relatives or anyone closely associated with him."
"I thought you already checked out Lawrence." I take another bite.
"We did, but we need to talk about anyone else here who may have any kind of relationship with him."
I look back at the bowl of cereal. It is Cheerios, Tommy's favorite. "Look, we told you there is no one else. Both of our families are not local and our closest friends are outside conducting search parties. It sounds like a waste of time."
"You're probably right, but we need to rule out all possibilities. How about Lawrence? Is he in any kind of relationship?" I take to large of a bite and feel it stick to the back of my throat as I swallow
"Lawrence? You're still going on about him?" Adams leans back slightly.
"Look, we don’t have much to go one and as you probably know, most missing children are the result of a family member."
"I can assure you no one in our family is capable of anything like this. You saw the guy on the video and it clearly wasn't Lawrence."
"How about teachers? Or Coaches, parents or anybody pay close attention to Tommy?" He opens his notepad. It looks just like Stanton's.
"If I knew of anyone I would tell you. Now please forget about our family and look into who really took him." I feel sweat building up on my forehead.
"I'm just trying to do my job."
"I know." I quickly stand up and drop my bowl in the
sink. It makes a loud crash. "Any leads on the car?"
He shakes his head. I walk out of the kitchen and head upstairs. I think I hear the water running. Michelle is probably in the shower. I decide to get changed. I throw on a pair of old sweats and a sweatshirt and head back downstairs. I go directly to the garage and fire up the Tahoe. My eyes suddenly look in the backseat. Tommy's baseball hat is sitting there. He always wears to it to and from school. I reach in the back scoop it up and squeeze it. Suddenly my phone rings. It's the same private number.
"Hello Sheldon. Nice performance on TV last night. I couldn't have done better myself."
"Where's Tommy?" I look at the door leading to the house to make sure it is closed. "Please tell me where he is. I did what you asked."
"Yes, you did a fine job and I rewarded you with a video treat did I not?" It almost sounds like he has a slight accent now, but I can’t make it out. I'm trying to gather as much information as I can. I back the Tahoe out of the garage weaving around the police cars and media vans. There seems to be less media vans around now.
"Please let me talk to him…please."
"Oh, I see you are in your vehicle. Did you enjoy the little surprise in the back seat?"
"I swear I'll kill you when I see you." I turn up at the end of the street and pull onto Lee. I check behind me to see if anyone is following me. I don’t see anyone, but I make a few more turns just to be sure. "I don’t know how you’re doing this, and I really don’t care just give him back to me. I'll give you whatever you want."
"That you will Sheldon. You will give me whatever I want. You have already done one thing with the money yesterday. I just have a few more easy jobs for you and then I will give you back what is yours. You have my word. One's word is the most valuable thing wouldn’t you agree?"
Fatal Decision Page 3