Fatal Decision

by John Greenwood

  "Nice work Sheldon. Sorry about the extra key you needed. I figured the master you had would be enough, but I see you overcame the situation. Not exactly the way I would have handled it, but likewise you have the file." For a second I forget there are people around me and I begin to yell before heads start to turn in my direction so I stop.

  "Now let me have Tommy. I did what you said."

  "I promised you would have a communication and I will live up to that promise. Remember our word is the most important thing we possess."

  I pull the phone close to my ear and lean forward. "Look, I don’t care about your word or my word or anyone's word anymore I just want Tommy back. This has gone on long enough. I did what you asked."

  "As you wish. Just remember the property doesn't know why it's in my possession, so I would prefer to keep it that way so as not to disturb it."

  "Just let me talk to my son."

  "Stand by." I hear the call end and I begin to look around. I know I’m not going to see Tommy, but just in case. I feel my phone vibrate. I click "accept" on the little window and I see Tommy looking back at me. He's in the same room as I saw him before only this time he's looking directly at me.

  "Dad…are you okay?"

  "I'm fine Tommy. How are you?" I feel my head spinning. I don't know what to say.

  "You don’t look so good Dad. Are you sure you’re all right?" I look at my face in the small window on the top right part of the screen. The image that he sees, and he's right I don’t look good. My hair is all over the place, I haven’t shaved in days and there are bags not only under my eyes, but all over my face.

  "I'm good Tommy. Just a little tired. Look, I'm going to get you out of there very soon. Just hang in there." I watch him nod his head and then look around him. The camera pans the room. I see pizza boxes, soda bottles and all the media equipment I saw before.

  "Really Dad, it's not too bad. I think I can make it. I want to make you and Mom happy."

  "Tommy. We are happy. We love you so much and miss you. I promise I'll get you out of there."

  "It's okay Dad. Take your time. You can see I have everything I ever wanted here. I just wish I could call you guys or email or something more often." I can’t get over how calm he is. It's like he doesn’t even know he's being held captive. I stare at his face focusing on what I have seen and loved ever since he was born. It hasn’t really changed that much. He still looks like the little boy who Michelle and I dropped off at Kindergarten so many years ago and cried all the way to the car together. "Where are you? That looks like a McDonalds." He smiles. I decide to go along with whatever is going on and smile back.

  "It is a McDonalds. It's the best I could find at this hour."

  "Where's Mom?"

  "She's home. She was tired."

  "You sure you guys are okay?"

  I nod my head and begin to say something but the screen goes blank. I slam the phone onto the table, jump up off my seat and throw what's left of my food away. I'm suddenly not hungry anymore. I get back in the Tahoe and feel my phone begin to ring again.

  "How was that for a reward Sheldon?"

  "Look, I don’t know what kind of sick and twisted game you’re playing here, but this better end soon. What did you tell him?" I pull out of the parking lot.

  "Relax Sheldon. As you can see I take care of things that aren’t mine that happen to be in my possession. As long as you continue to follow my instructions, everything will be returned as I guaranteed you. One word to anyone about anything and our business partnership will end and you know what that means."

  "You make me sick."

  "Now have an enjoyable rest of the evening and I'll be in touch shortly for our next venture and I promise a greater reward as well." The phone goes silent.

  I drive onto the busy road despite the late hour and head back towards our house. I wish I didn’t have to face the police again about where I was, but at least I know Tommy is okay at least for now. I need to come up with a plan on how to get him back immediately.

  Chapter 7

  Somehow I actually got a few hours of sleep last night, despite all the events. The young officer didn’t even question me when I came inside last night, maybe my agitated expression made him back off. He just looked up and wrote something in his notebook as I walked by and headed upstairs. Michelle was asleep and didn’t even wake up when I got into bed. We are actually having a regular breakfast this morning. Michelle and I are seated in the kitchen drinking coffee. We still don’t say much to each other. What can really be said when your child is gone missing, but I can feel her company and I know she can feel mine. I still haven't told her anything either. I have an overwhelming sense of guilt not saying anything, but I think she would agree with my decision if she knew it could mean the difference between Tommy living or dying. We both look up as Stanton and Adams enter the kitchen and sit down at the table.

  "Coffee?" I ask; both of them shake their heads.

  "We may have a break or at least a lead to go on in finding Tommy." Stanton says. He leans slightly forward. Last night there was a break-in at Douglas Sorenson's office."

  "Who is Douglas Sorenson?" Michelle asks.

  "Remember, that's the house where the car was found and the name under your husband's model car." I visualize the typed address.

  "So what does that mean?" She asks.

  "We're not really sure, especially since it looks like the only thing stolen was a file. We're trying to figure out what file was taken." Suddenly, I feel a lump forming in my throat. "Another thing, someone stole one and half-million in cash from Sorenson too, so something is going on with this Sorenson and where the car was found. It doesn’t sound like a coincidence." I take a big gulp of coffee to keep the vomit from coming up.

  "Where does Sorenson work?" I ask.

  "He's in a law office over on Birchwood Ave." I'm going to lose it at any minute. I quickly get up from the table.

  "You okay Mr. Smith?" Stanton asks.

  "Just getting some more coffee." I wonder if they know it was me. My forehead is full of sweat. I can't let them see me. I pretend to fiddle with the coffee maker.

  "The good news is the office is full of surveillance cameras, so we should be getting a copy soon." Now I’m convinced they're playing with me. It's an old trick cops do. I wonder if should run. I decide to stay put until I hear them get up.

  "We'll be in touch as soon as we hear anything. I just wanted to keep you up to date and let you know we're working on this." He pauses. "By the way, what happened to your hand Mr. Smith?" I look down at my hand. It is wrapped with several bandages I found in our bathroom last night. I feel adrenaline kick into my veins causing my heart rate to at least double.

  "Oh this,” I point at my hand. “I hit my hand out of frustration at the field yesterday." I softly tap my hands together. That seems to satisfy them and they both walk out of the kitchen together. I slowly walk back to the table and sit down next to Michelle.

  "Is your hand okay Sheldon?" She touches my bandage. "Sorry I didn’t even notice before."

  "It's fine. I just cut it on something on the field."

  "Why do you keep going there?"

  I shrug my shoulders. "I don’t know it just makes me think about Tommy."

  "I hope this break-in has something to do with Tommy. Maybe they have the guy on camera."

  I want to tell her it is me on the camera, but instead I nod my head up and down. "Let's hope so. We could sure use a break."

  "My parents are coming in tomorrow to help us out. I woke up last night to answer the phone when they called and you weren't home. The officer said you went to get something to eat."

  I touch my hand again. "I went to McDonalds. I didn't realize how hungry I was until I got there." I take a sip of coffee. "That's great your parents are coming. I talked to mine the other day and they said they would come east if we needed them. I told them to hold on for a while."

  Michelle nods her head. "That's probably a good idea. I'll
make up the guest room before they get here." She holds my hands in hers. "I think he's out there and safe. I can feel it Sheldon. I really can. I think I would know if he wasn't."

  "I think you would too. I'm sure we'll get him back real soon. The police seem to be doing their jobs." I slowly stand up and take one last gulp. "I'm going to go take a shower and then head out for a while."

  "Okay. I love you Sheldon."

  "I love you too." I run through the living room and up the stairs. I don’t even look to see what officers are in our house. I go into the bathroom and throw up. I can’t believe I didn’t tell Michelle our child is alive and well He has no idea what is even going on. I don’t even think he knows he's in danger. I stay in the shower for I'm not sure how long. It just feels good letting the hot water hit me. It feels like I'm cleansing all the guilt and worry from my body. Finally, I get out when I fee l the water turning cooler. I step out into the hallway. I can hear Stanton and Adams talking to Michelle downstairs, something about the surveillance footage. I wonder if I should make my get away now. I look toward the windows. I don’t even know what I’m going to say when they confront me. I can’t tell them the truth because it may put Tommy's life in danger, but if I don’t say anything I'll go to jail and not be able to get Tommy back. I don’t know what to do. I sit on Tommy's bed for a while and come up with a plan. I decide to confess when they tell me and say I was investigating Douglas Sorenson on my own. I quietly head downstairs feeling a little better about everything. As soon as I step into the living room I see Michelle seated on the couch looking upset. She must have just found out I'm on the video. Stanton and Adams are on the other side of the room by the TV talking on their cell phones. I sit down next to Michelle; she doesn't even look up. This is not looking good. Finally, Stanton walks over to us. He doesn’t look happy. Maybe I should just tell the truth. He sits down next to me.

  "I just got off the phone with our technician and it doesn’t look good." I feel my stomach begin to move upwards again. "The footage was completely deleted."

  'What? You didn’t see the footage?" I take a deep breath.

  Stanton shakes his head.

  "It's not a good thing Sheldon." Michelle nudges me. "That means we aren’t any closer to seeing who took Tommy."

  I sit back. I can’t believe it. "How did he do it?" I say thinking out loud.

  "That's what we're trying to figure out. The whole sequence is gone; about two hours of footage. This was on a secure server too." Stanton says.

  "Just like the driver's license." I say.

  "Yes, exactly. Whoever this is has access I have never seen before. I think we need to look into this Douglas Sorenson some more. I think he's the key to the whole thing."

  "Who exactly is he?"

  "He's a big time trust lawyer. He used to be a D.A. somewhere down south a few years ago, but with the million and a half stolen the other day it leads me to believe this is all connected to something he's working on now. He looks at his notepad. "Somehow the money was taken out of an account he was working on and just disappeared. I have officers checking all the local banks for any large deposits, so we should get a hit sooner or later." I gulp. "I can’t believe they haven’t called."

  "What are they waiting for?" I look at Michelle.

  "I wish we knew. I thought the news bit might have helped. Maybe we should try that again."

  We both nod our heads. "Let's do it." Michelle answers.

  "I'll get a hold of Noreen. It will be good to let the public know he's still missing. It's like he has taken him far away or he's holed up somewhere out of sight." I quickly turn my eyes away from him. "By the way, how's your hand?" I look down. I just have one large band aid covering it now.

  "Much better."

  "Be careful. We don’t need you getting hurt or anything." I nod. "All right, why don't I go make it happen? I'll get back with you. Don’t give up."

  "Never, "Michelle responds and squeezes my other hand. After a few minutes, both detectives leave again. I stand up and stretch.

  "I'll be back in a little while."

  "Where are you going now?"

  "I can't just sit here and wait. I need to be out there in case."

  "In case of what? "She is looking at me oddly.

  "I don’t know. I just need to be."

  "Okay. Just be careful this time." She rubs my bandage. It feels good to get out again. I'm really beginning to hate being at home. It's just too difficult to see Michelle and not tell her Tommy is okay, but I’m not taking any chances. I think he must have the house bugged and who knows what else. I'm still feeling a little shook up after the close call with the break-in last night. I was sure I was going to be in trouble and not be able to help get Tommy out, though I'm beginning to wonder if I’m just playing a game and no matter what I do he's not going to come home. I make the usual turns through the neighborhood to make sure no one is following me. I even pull over and check under the car for some kind of GPS device. I'm not really sure what they look like, but I don't see anything that seems out of place so I continue on. I decide to head to my office for a change of scenery. I usually do my best thinking at work. I pull into the parking lot. Luckily, it's a Saturday so there aren’t many cars here. I use my key and head up to my office. It feels odd not having been here all week. I'm usually the type who doesn’t miss much work. I really don’t enjoy going on vacations anywhere except for maybe a night or two. I just never sleep well, and I always look forward to getting back home. Michelle is the same way, so we rarely go anywhere. I unlock my office door and the first thing I notice is the flashing red light on my phone causing a weird glow throughout the room. I'm sure I have a thousand messages by now being gone for so long and the problem with the servers. I don’t even know the status of them and I’m not really sure I want to know. I haven’t even thought about getting back to a normal routine. As long as Tommy is gone, there's no way I can go back to work and just act like everything is okay. Suddenly, I start to feel really dizzy and my head starts aching. I sit down at my desk and just let the tears flow. I want him back so bad. I grab a family photo from a shelf behind my desk and clutch it as tightly as I can. I stop when I see Tommy's cleats hanging on the back of one of the extra chairs in my office. There's no way they could have gotten in here. They were in the Tahoe last time I checked. I quickly step up and wipe the tears from my face and pick them up. They are definitely his. How is this happening? I can't believe it. Who is this guy and why is he doing this? What did we ever do to deserve this? I bring the cleats over to my desk when I hear a noise outside my door. There is definitely someone out there. For a second I wonder if it's the kidnapper until I see Randy, our CEO peek his head around the corner.

  "Hey Sheldon, any news on Tommy?" I watch him step into the doorway. He's wearing jeans and a sweatshirt. He looks very different from his usual dark suit. He's somewhere just over fifty, but he could probably pass for thirty-five with his dark non-receding hairline and trim frame.

  "Nothing," I shake my head. I'm holding the cleats.

  He steps in and sits in the chair that the cleats were hanging on. "You don't have to be here. Please take as much time as you want."

  "I needed somewhere to go besides waiting at home." I look around my office. I never realized how plain it is. There are only the family pictures behind my desk and a few chairs and almost nothing on the walls.

  "Have they gotten any leads? I have been following the news, but they haven’t been saying much lately."

  "They thought they had a few times, but they have turned out to be nothing." I look down at the cleats. There is mud caked on the bottom from practice the other night. It seems so long ago.

  "There were a few officers around here yesterday asking if anyone knew anything, but as far as I know, no one here knows anything." I thought about Stanton and Adam's poking through here and getting another dead end. I wonder if the cleats were here when they came in.

  "Did they come in here?"

  "Your o
ffice?" I nod. "I think so. They weren't here very long." He looks down. "I just wish there was something we could do. I know a lot of us have been passing out posters with Tommy's picture. I have been driving around just looking for anything."

  "You guys are great."

  "Your team has been doing some stuff on the Internet. I think they came up with a website called "Findtommy.com" I haven’t seen it yet, but I think it is full of pictures and things about Tommy." I try and smile. "They cleaned up all of our servers. They all worked overtime to get them going. They really support you."

  "They're good guys." I look at the computer screen on my desk that used to be such a big part of my life and now it is just sitting there dark. I watch Randy stand up. He walks over to me and taps my shoulder.

  "You hang in there and we'll get him back to you I promise." I nod as he slowly walks out. I turn my computer on and go to the website "Findtommy.com". It is just like Randy said. There are about twenty or so pictures of Tommy and even the news clip of Michelle and me pleading for him to come back. They have a picture of Detective Stanton with his number. I start clicking on thumbnail pictures of Tommy and just stare into his face trying to imagine I'm talking to him in real life. I click on one of him wearing his baseball cap and I almost fall over in my chair when the link brings me to a cartoon picture of Tommy's body lying in that same bedroom from the video with his head separated from his body.