Antiphon

by B. L. Roberts

  Frederik had already made up his mind about the cash. He had expected this, had already discussed with his bank about getting money, and he was not surprised by the amount. He had concluded that an organised gang was behind the kidnap, it had been carried out too smoothly, with no clues left, to be the work of amateurs. He would pay the money. The thought of his sons heads on poles made his stomach convulse.

  “I do not want Maria to see this. I do not want word of this email to get out.”

  The other men nodded. Peters spoke.

  “Apart from any privacy matters, the last thing you would want, is for other crooks to see what they are demanding. One hundred million would get them all thinking. You would never be safe again.”

  Sorensen turned to the detective. “How will I respond? I will tell him I agree, of course, but I will also tell him I will have be satisfied that, when it is over, my boys are safe. Whoever did this, knows what happened to my parents, they have done their homework. They knew what to say to me. That reference to heads on poles was to frighten me, and it succeeded. Whatever happens next, I must not put my sons lives in any more danger than they are in.”

  Peters had listened carefully, and had picked up enough to understand what Frederik was saying. He was not aware of the history of Frederik’s parents, but sensed something terrible had happened.

  “Would you mind telling me the story of your parents?”

  When Frederik finished talking, Peters nodded sympathetically.

  “These people are professionals. From what I know so far, taking the boys has been planned meticulously, it was not a spur of the moment thing. So, they will have done surveillance, and had a plan ready in place. We first have to try to identify who we are dealing with. There are not that many gangs who have the capacity to do this, and I already have my suspicions, and that is where I will start.

  “You might be able to help, by checking any CCTV from around these parts, and see if you can identify motor vehicles acting funny over the past month or so, for instance, cruising around the area for no reason, or parked nearby, for long periods.”

  He directed the request to Hendricksen, who nodded.

  “We also have to have a good look at the most likely sponsor for this. Who has the most to lose, if your experiment turned out successfully, and there was a slump in world populations? Who would feel so passionate or desperate about it, they would hire a gang to do this? How did they find out what you are doing? Also, what happened after they picked up the boys? Again it’s a guess, but from the video, they are now somewhere where there is a sandy beach, which means, they must have been flown out of the country.”

  Peters continued, “Because of the planning in this, I think they would have been moved out, very soon after they were picked up, which would make sense, before the hullabaloo over their disappearance started. So, let’s have another good look at the airports, what planes took off that day, in the time frame. Is there a private airport around here? They could have been put into a private plane, we should check that out. There must be a record of flights out, registered with your air authority, let’s check them all.”

  Sorensen listened with only half an ear, his mind flashing back to the memory of his parents, a memory just refreshed by his retelling their story.

  “Whatever you do, nothing must jeopardise my sons safety. You must not take any chances that will bring their lives into danger. Keeping them alive, is more important than the money, or what we are doing on the island.”

  “Island! Now that would make sense. Putting the boys on an island, somewhere, to hold them, somewhere where there are no people, no one to help them. That would explain the sand in the picture. They have set up surveillance to monitor it, probably in a tree, that’s where the picture came from. To get that picture onto the internet would involve some sort of connection to a land line, or possibly a satellite phone, linked to a computer. I know some people who might be able to help here. I’ll work on that.” Peters made more notes.

  “I hope you are understanding me.”

  Sorensen stood abruptly in front of Peters, and looked at him, face to face.

  “Nothing, must jeopardise the boys safety. You must not do anything, that might trigger a reaction from these people, cause them to kill my sons, to hide what they have done.”

  “Mr. Sorenson, I heard you, loud and clear. Now, think back to the story you just told me about your parents. A ransom was demanded, you paid it, they still got killed. How can we be sure, after you pay up this ransom, the same thing won’t happen to your boys?

  “Think about it from the kidnappers point of view. I don’t believe they would have any compunction killing the lads, to save their own necks. Once they get their hands on the money, we have to be sure the boys stay alive, so the more we can find out, the better.

  “Most criminals are not that clever. They slip up somewhere or other, make mistakes, leave clues that give them away. We know whoever has your boys, is very capable, and well organised, but we have to look for mistakes, hope that they will have made a slip up, leave a sign we can home in on. Be assured, my team is professional, there won’t be any rushing about, making waves. You will have to trust us.”

  Sven Hendricksen was not happy with what Peters was saying.

  “I must make it clear Mr. Peters, that the Swedish police are conducting this investigation, and are pursuing certain lines of enquiry. You must not do anything, without clearing it with us first.”

  “Yes, right, you can be sure we will cooperate. Like I said, anything we find out, we will pass on, and I hope you will do the same. I have some contacts who can ask questions in places that maybe the police can’t access. I won’t be stepping on your toes.”

  The phone rang.

  “Mr. Sorensen, do we have an answer? Yes or No.”

  Frederik drew a breath. “Yes, I accept your terms. What do you want now?”

  “We shall speak again soon.”

  There was a click.

  “Okay, that was the contact. I will need somewhere to work from, a phone, and wi-fi for my laptop.”

  “Yes of course, you can work from here, we have spare rooms, and all are wired up. You can also stay here with us, if that is acceptable. I thought that would be better, than putting you in a hotel.”

  Peters nodded agreement.

  “Can you explain to me just what it is you intend to do?”

  “Mr. Sorensen, with great respect, it would be better if you would let me get started, there is a lot I want to get onto, immediately. We can talk later, and I’ll fill you in, but right now, time is pressing, so if you could show me this room, I will get going.”

  Frederik was not used to being brushed aside, but he did not argue. He already felt respect for this man, who spoke with such confidence. He led the American to his room, his mind numb, then came back to comfort his wife, and explain what had happened. He also made a call to his bank, and issued instructions.

  The tension in the house was palpable, as the waiting continued.

  23

  The four heads of family assembled once more at Matteo’s residence. Domenico Balboni was starting to get restless. They had held the two Sorensen brats for five days now, and he thought it was time to finalise things. Matteo Bramboni, however, would not be moved.

  “Dominic, you have to be patient. We knew there would be delay when we took the boys, before we got the rest of our money, or have you forgotten there is two parts to this contract? We have to make sure Sorensen closes down his laboratory, and trashes everything he has there, that is what we agreed. We won’t be getting paid before that is done.”

  “Okay, okay, I know that Matteo, but let’s get on with it, it’s taking too long.”

  “We are getting on with it, it’s going very good Dominic, better than I hoped. We have to be sure the laboratory is finished, and nothing they have done there, survives.
This means we have to have someone in the laboratory, to see to it, someone smart, who understands what he is doing.

  “Finding the right person has not been easy. Whoever it is must not know who is involved, and must understand what he is looking at, in that laboratory. He needs to be a scientist, who understands what is going on in that place. I have explained this to our sponsor, and he will help find this person. It is better if he makes the arrangements, keeps us out of it.”

  Matteo was tired of explaining things to Balboni. The man could be thick at times, it was a wonder how he had become head of his family, although Matteo knew how. A number of headstones in their cemetery bore testament to Balboni’s rise to power.

  “I have been watching our two guests, they seem to have settled down.”

  Matteo flicked his monitor over to the signal coming from Viktor and Michael’s island, which he did every couple of hours, to satisfy himself all was well. He had assigned Nicollo Abello responsibility for the boy’s wellbeing, and made it clear, he was to maintain a twenty four hour watch. The image he could see was restricted, but it was enough for him check on the boys. From time to time, one or other of them would come into the range of the camera lens. They did not show signs of any distress. They were coping, as had been anticipated. They were not babies.

  The brats were probably spoilt rotten, and soft, brought up in the home of a millionaire, with everything laid on for them. It would do them the world of good to have to take care of themselves. The food left for them was of reasonable quality, and there was enough to last a month. That should be more than enough to complete the job. They could chopper more in, if it became necessary. He switched the computer off.

  He would hear from his sponsor soon, set up the timetable for destruction of the laboratory, then it would be time to make the arrangements for the cash hand over. The brotherhood would also soon have a further one hundred million dollars, to add to the payment made by the church. It was too much money to distribute in a lump sum. The others could not be trusted to be sensible, and would splash it around, extravagantly, and that would be dangerous. It would draw attention to them, at the same time police from several countries would be looking for just this behaviour.

  No, he would dole out some of the money over the next few months, and the rest would be invested, to return a nice cash flow. They could live comfortably from the investment. He would find a safe place with good returns, that would not arouse suspicions, and that was not always easy.

  Matteo had developed considerable skill at using his computer. He had been trained by a young expert nerd, and he appreciated the advantages it offered, but he rued its down side. Before the age of computers, it had been a simple task to invest surplus funds, buying properties or businesses around the world, without the government knowing too much, but computers had changed all this. Today, the government could cross search in seconds whatever property deals were entered into, and also when large sums were transferred, even using false names. Moving cash around safely had become a problem.

  Their own bank did what it could to hide their funds, and the brotherhood’s accounts were a mystery to the uninitiated. Still, that was a problem he could deal with later. Concealing a large sum of money was a nice problem to have to deal with. Right now, his immediate worry, was making sure that laboratory closed down.

  24

  Cardinal DelZoto listened carefully to the report his emissary, father Zanus, had just delivered.

  “So, they are being held on an island, with no one guarding them. Is that safe?”

  The father smiled.

  “My dear Cardinal, it is perfect. It was very clever of our friends to have thought of that. The boys are stranded, they can’t escape. I am assured they have enough food and shelter, and while it may not be what they are used to, it will keep them alive, and healthy, until this is over. They are being electronically monitored.

  “What we have been asked, now, is to provide an expert, to oversee destruction of the laboratory, someone with scientific knowledge, to ensure everything that has been developed in that place has been irretrievably trashed. That is why I have requested this meeting. I thought, with your contacts, you might be able to suggest someone suitable.”

  DelZoto reflected on this statement.

  “I might. The problem is how to approach this person, without disclosing our involvement. It is all over the news media now, about the kidnapping of those two Sorensen boys, and it would not be difficult to connect that to the laboratory. Whoever we get, must be very reliable.”

  The other man stood up to leave.

  “Yes, this is tricky. I will leave it with you to think about. Give me a call when you have an answer.”

  The man departed, and the Cardinal decided he had better pray, before making any decisions. The scientific community were a funny lot. There were a number of prominent scientists who were devout enough, but entrusting someone with the knowledge that the church was behind the kidnapping, was fraught. It would be disastrous if it got out, that the church was implicated with the kidnapping of those two Swedish lads.

  He had no sympathy at all for their parents. It was that evil fool, Sorensen’s own fault this had happened, he had brought it on himself, setting himself up to play God, and trying to manipulate the natural order of the world. He deserved whatever happened to him, but the boys were innocents, and if anything happened to them, and the church was found to be responsible, there would be an outcry that would echo around the world. That must not be allowed to happen. Perhaps there was another way to handle it? He would give this much thought.

  The Cardinal’s devious mind found a solution an hour later, which came, no doubt he thought, in answer to his prayer. He summoned his emissary, and when the father arrived, outlined the idea, which was simple enough. They would hire a scientist. It would cost the church his fee, which would be a small price to pay, only it would not be the church doing the hiring, it would be be a major corporation. The mafia had accepted they were doing business with Coca Cola. No doubt the scientist would do the same.

  The emissary nodded, smirking.

  “The Coca Cola corporation would be most upset to lose a big slice of its world market. It would cost them, perhaps hundreds of millions of dollars. They will be happy to pay his fee to supervise the closing down of the laboratory. I will attend to it personally.”

  Father Zanus was called on, from time to time, to carry out assignments that were unusual, at least to anyone not familiar with the inner workings of the Vatican, but he realised God’s work took many paths, and that to defeat the devil, one sometimes had to resort to the devil’s methods.

  This was one such assignment. He did not approve of the kidnapping, but he had impressed on his Sicilian contact that no harm should befall the Sorensen boys, if at all possible, and that made him feel a little more comfortable.

  He had no such qualms, arranging for destruction of that infernal laboratory of Sorensen. Cardinal DelZoto had given him the name of someone qualified to oversee the work, a good devout catholic, who also happened to be a professor of biotechnology, at the Spienza Universita di Roma. If professor Bordicelli was not available, he would be in a position to recommend a suitable substitute, perhaps one of his Phd. students.

  The church would be reasonably generous, as was befitting an offer from a company as wealthy as the Coca Cola corporation, so perhaps Bordicelli himself would be tempted. Professorial salaries in Rome were not particularly large. He need not have worried.

  Father Zanus decided to make the approach in person, rather than risk briefing an intermediary. Dressed in a smart business suit, dug out of his wardrobe for the occasion, he presented himself as a representative of the famous American soft drink company, and outlined the nature of the assignment to the professor, giving him the impression the laboratory was working on a competing product.

  “My dear professor, our company has inves
ted millions of dollars in its products, and wishes to protect them. Your job will be to see everything that has happened in that laboratory is finished, kaput, destroyed, and the company will pay you well for your work.

  Zanus was pleasantly surprised how quickly Bordicelli agreed.

  “One million lira per day. Yes, that sounds very fair.”

  It was as much as he would normally earn in a month.

  “I am sure I can get time off from the university, perhaps starting in a few days. And you will also pay my air fares and accommodation? Yes, that is all satisfactory.”

  Father Zanus left their meeting happy, mission accomplished. He had impressed on the professor the importance of keeping the good name of Coca Cola suppressed, who understood completely this need for discretion. Zanus would have been less happy, had he been present when the professor greeted his plump wife, Margaretta, on arriving home that evening.

  “Margaretta, you are not going to believe this.”

  He told her all about his meeting. He never kept secrets from his wife, and she was excited at the news.

  “Maglio, one million lira a day! That much? We can buy a new car. You make sure this job lasts a long time. Can you take me to America with you?”

  Maglio promised he would see what he could do. Margaretta was so happy, she couldn’t wait to tell her best friend, Yvette, the good news. Yvette would be so jealous.

  She telephoned her friend straight after their evening meal, and she was correct. Yvette was jealous, especially at the thought that Margaretta might be going to America, with one million lira a day to spend. Had father Zanus known how quickly social media worked in Italy, he might have rethought his strategy. What Yvette posted was not particularly flattering, but within an hour, hundreds of people throughout Rome knew of the professor’s pending, well-paid, trip to America, to shut down a laboratory for Coca Cola.