by Jeanne Tosti
They drove in silence as Jordan crisscrossed his way across the Northside of Chicago changing directions every couple of blocks. His eyes darted back and forth searching the roadway and sidewalks for anything that looked like a threat.
He knew a killer was scouring the city for him. He had been so careful. He couldn’t believe anyone had tracked him to that basement flat. It rattled him. All was not lost though. He only had a couple of things left to do, but he needed to move fast.
Once they were outside the city limits Jordan started to relax. He saw no signs that anyone was following them. He turned his attention to Sarah. In an apologetic tone he started, “I know I owe you an explanation.”
Here it comes, she thought, but she was ready.
“When I was in Los Angeles some criminals approached me and wanted me to steal financial data for them. When I refused, they threatened to kill me. I had to leave. I came here to Chicago to hide from them and thought I could start over. I was naïve; they found me.”
He’s probably expecting some expression of emotion on my part, thought Sarah. O.K., here goes. “Oh, Jordan, how terrible!” She hoped she was showing the proper mix of adoration and rapt attention that would flatter his ego and prompt him to continue.
The response was just what Jordan wanted. He resumed his story, “That man I shot at our townhouse, he was a hit man sent by a crime syndicate in Los Angeles.”
Sarah gave him an appropriate look of horror and disbelief, but said nothing. She waited for the rest of his fabricated tangle of truth and lies.
“I thought it was over after he was dead. I thought the crime syndicate would be afraid that his death could be tracked back to them in L.A. and they would stop. I was wrong. The night of the play I saw another hired killer sent by the syndicate. I had to leave and draw them off. I couldn’t take the chance that they would hurt you.” Jordan finished with an anguished expression meant to impress her.
So he wants me to believe that he left for my safety! she thought in disgust. She sat quietly, as if trying to take in everything he was saying. In reality, she was trying to figure out what to do next. She still didn’t know why he needed her.
“But what can we do?” she replied hoping he would divulge his plan for her.
“I have it all figured out. I’ll explain later, after we arrive where we are going.”
“You haven’t told me where that is.” She knew, but wanted to hear it from him. Maybe it would give her some hint as to what he wanted.
“It was supposed to be a surprise, our own private get-a-way.”
“A get-a-way? For us?” Her irritation was hard to cover up, but she forced herself.
“You kept saying we needed more time alone. You know, just the two of us. I had some bonus money from a deal I closed and I used it to buy a vacation cottage for us.” He looked in her direction expecting to see an adoring gaze.
Bonus money? A vacation cottage? She could hardly believe what she was hearing. The lies just tumbled out of his mouth so effortlessly. It made her sick. And worst of all, he turned everything around to make it sound like she was the reason he did it! She forced an indulgent expression and waited to hear the rest.
“The place was a little run down and needed some work. I bought it for next to nothing. I was fixing it up—then all this happened.”
“You mean when you said you were out of town on all those business trips, you were working on this vacation cottage?”
“Well, some of the time. I fit it in around my work schedule. I wanted it to be perfect. It was going to be my gift to you.”
And there it was! His secret hideout had just transformed into a love nest, all for her. She marveled at his ability to bend and twist the facts to his advantage. But this wasn’t telling her anything helpful. Why did he need her now? It had nothing to do with the faux marital bliss he was spouting. He wanted something. She needed to keep him talking.
“Jordan, we should go to the police. That’s the only way you’ll be safe,” she pressed.
“No, not the police! Not yet. These crime organizations have ears everywhere. I have evidence that will put these guys away, but I need time to put it all together. If the crime syndicate learns what I’m doing before I have all the evidence to bring them down, I will be on the run forever.”
But what part do I play in all this? she thought. All she could do was keep asking questions, “I don’t understand. What are you trying to tell me?”
“I need to disappear for a while, until I can work everything out. It won’t be for long, maybe a few weeks until I have enough evidence to turn over to the police. Then we will be safe. We can be together and these criminals will be in jail where they belong.”
Blah, blah, blah, more of his drivel, she thought. He was stalling for time for some reason. Whatever he was planning was going to happen at the cottage. For the rest of their ride she tried to elicit more information, but he refused to reveal details of his scheme. He admonished her in paternalistic tones that he was withholding the information for her own protection.
She would have to wait until they arrived at the cottage to learn his real reasons for spiriting her off to rural Wisconsin.
Chapter 31
LIEUTENANT CASSIDY’S PHONE sounded a text message alert. He looked at the screen trying to decipher the message. It was from Sarah Lawrence. He sat up with a start when he read the incomplete text, With Jordan. Taking me to Wis—
Cassidy called Sarah’s cell phone. It immediately went to voicemail. He called Ben Taggert. His phone rang, but then went to voicemail. Cassidy punched Nora Castle’s extension into his desk phone.
“Come in here. I think we have a problem.”
Nora was in his office immediately. Cassidy showed her the partial text.
“Sarah isn’t answering. Neither is Ben. She’s with Jordan and we need to find her. Have both of their cell phones pinged and see if you can get a location for them from a cell tower.”
Nora nodded and left immediately.
Cassidy made another call and posted a BOLO alert for Sarah Lawrence and Ben Taggert. He then dispatched a patrol unit to Ben’s apartment.
* * * * *
As Ben regained consciousness, it was hard to breathe. The air reeked of putrefying garbage fermenting in the summer heat and his lungs objected to the fetid assault with a violent bout of coughing. It was dark and he could see a sliver of light coming from over his head. His brain was starting to clear and he remembered being grabbed in the alley. It didn’t take long for him to figure out he was lying inside a dumpster on mounds of trash.
His mouth was covered with duct tape and his arms and feet were so tightly trussed with the same tape that he could barely move. He tried to yell, but all he could generate was a muffled sound unlikely to carry through the steel dumpster walls. He rolled from side to side trying to reposition himself so his feet were against the dumpster wall. Then he kicked the metal wall repeatedly hoping to attract someone’s attention. His efforts went unnoticed.
He rested for a moment trying to regain his energy before starting another barrage of kicks. Just as he was about to attack the steel sidewall again, he heard a familiar sound. It was the ring of his cell phone; it was still in his pocket! He was surprised. He expected his wallet, cell phone and wristwatch all to be gone after the alley mugging. Unfortunately, his phone was just out of reach from his bound hands, but it gave him another idea.
He positioned himself on his back and forced his head and shoulders down into the trash. The smell wasn’t as bad as it was a few minutes ago. Maybe he was getting used to it. He hoped this worked because he was out of ideas. He snaked his bound feet up the wall so his body was now in a slanted up-side-down position. He maneuvered his duct taped arms behind his back to as close to his right pocket as he could. Then he started flexing and extending his knees hoping to shake out the contents of his pockets. He heard coins tumbling out and then a set of keys. His cell phone was wedged in his right pants pocket, but with continu
ed jostling it finally fell onto the pile of trash. He maneuvered his hands to trap it before it slipped down between the bags of garbage.
He felt pretty good about what he had accomplished until he remembered that his phone had a virtual keyboard and he couldn’t make a call without seeing the on-screen number display. The garbage smell once more became oppressive and the rising heat of the morning made it worse.
As he contemplated his next move, his phone rang again. This time it was in his hands. He blindly swiped his fingers across the screen. The ringing stopped. A faint sound of a voice broke the silence, but he could not make out the words. He yelled through his taped mouth, and kicked viciously at the side of dumpster hoping that the person on the other end of the line would hear him. He stopped to listen and the voice was still talking.
As he kicked the dumpster wall, the crack of light over his head started to expand. The lid of the dumpster lifted slowly and a pair of eyes peered warily over the metal edge. Then the dumpster cover flew open and the flood of light blinded Ben. His eyes adjusted and he could make out a shaggy head of red hair leaning over the edge. It was a restaurant worker hauling bags of trash to the dumpster.
“Holy shit! What happened to you? Let me get some help.” The redhead disappeared below the edge of the dumpster.
He was back in seconds with an older man and a knife. The younger man leaped over the wall of the dumpster and landed in the garbage pile next to Ben. He pulled the tape from Ben’s mouth and began sawing at the tape that bound his hands and feet.
The older man was on the phone calling the police. Within seconds a police patrol car pulled into the alley. Ben’s redheaded rescuer cut the last piece of tape from around his ankles and Ben was free. He scrambled to his feet, but remembered his keys were lost somewhere in all the rubbish. He scanned the refuse pile and found a data drive Ruth Abbot had given him containing designs for his apartment. He picked it up and put it in his pocket. His loose change was gone forever, but he caught a glimpse of his keys just as they disappeared into a crevasse between the bags of trash. Despite the stench he reluctantly plunged back into the garbage and retrieved them before they slipped deeper into the foul smelling abyss. When he emerged all he could think about was how badly he wanted a shower.
As he climbed over the side of the dumpster a second police cruiser pulled into the alley. Two uniformed officers jumped out and charged towards him. Ben knew immediately that they were not responding to a downtown mugging dispatch.
“You need to come with us,” said one officer from the second cruiser. When he was within a few feet of Ben he made a sour faced and added, “Man, you really smell ripe!”
Ben shrugged an embarrassed apology. “What’s going on?” His mind was racing. He knew something was wrong.
“Lieutenant Cassidy put a BOLO out on you. We’re supposed to bring you in to the station. Tracked your cell phone and got a hit in this area. Couldn’t pin point you until you answered Detective Castle’s call.”
“A BOLO? Why would he be looking for me? Has something happened?” All he could think about was Sarah.
The officers had no other information. After making sure he did not require medical attention, they escorted him to the cruiser and headed to the precinct station. The dumpster investigation was left to the patrol unit that initially arrived on the scene. They told him they would get his statement later.
Ben took a seat in the rear of the squad car, apologizing again for the stench that followed him. He knew that it would linger long after they dropped him off at the station. The officers opened the cruiser’s front windows hoping the rush of air would flush the foul odor from their vehicle. It didn’t help. They would be stuck with it for the rest of their shift.
The officer driving hit upon a solution. “I think I hear a really bad knock in this engine. Can you hear it? I think this vehicle needs to go to the service garage—soon!”
The officer sitting in the passenger seat nodded in agreement and responded, “Yeah, real bad knocking. We’ll have to pick up a replacement as soon as we drop Taggert off.”
At least I won’t have to feel bad about ruining their whole day, Ben thought. He located his phone. It had some unrecognizable slime smeared across the screen. He wiped it on his shirt and called Sarah’s cell phone. His call went immediately into voicemail. He called his apartment and heard his recorded greeting on the answering machine. When the greeting finished playing he said anxiously into his phone, “Sarah, it’s Ben. Pick up if you’re there.” There was no answer.
He started to call Ruth Abbot next, but noticed he had a voicemail message. As he listened to the message, a feeling of dread filled him. God, no! She went out to meet Ruth. He dialed Ruth’s number and it went to voicemail. He then dialed Eric’s number.
Eric answered, “Hi, Ben. What’s up?”
“Eric, this is important. Did Ruth go to meet Sarah this morning?”
“No. I don’t think so. I just talked to Ruth. She was with one of her clients. She misplaced her cell phone and was having a fit about it. She’s going to drive back home to see if she can find it.”
“I hate to ask you this, but is everything O.K. between you and Ruth?”
“That’s a strange question! Sure, couldn’t be better. She’s making me one of my favorite dinners tonight and then we’re taking the kids to the park. Why do you ask?”
“I can’t locate Sarah. I have a message from her saying that she was going to meet Ruth at a deli this morning. Sarah said Ruth wanted to talk about some problems you two were having.”
“Couldn’t be this morning,” Eric countered. “Ruth went directly to her client’s after dropping off the kids. And hey, I resent the inference that I could be the problem,” he said with a laugh.
“Do you know when she last saw her cell phone?”
“Last night sometime. She thought she put it in her purse. I told her to check the car. It might have slipped between the seats or maybe one of the kids took it to play with. It will turn up somewhere. She didn’t go anywhere between last night and this morning.”
“Could you contact Ruth and see if she knows where Sarah might be? Tell her to call me if she hears from Sarah. I’m worried, Eric.”
“Of course.” Eric’s tone sobered. “I’ll see if I can catch her at home right now. Let us know when you locate Sarah.”
The call ended and Ben had a sickening feeling. He knew why Lieutenant Cassidy was looking for him.
Chapter 32
THE TWO OFFICERS escorted Ben into the district station and guided him upstairs to a familiar conference room.
After Ben took a seat, one of the officers said, “We’ll tell Lieutenant Cassidy you’re here. Just keep the door closed. Everyone will appreciate it if you don’t share your dumpster cologne with the rest of the squad.”
Almost immediately Alec Cassidy appeared in the doorway followed close behind by Nora Castle. As soon as Nora entered the room the overpowering reek of decomposing garbage filled her head. She looked at Cassidy, but he seemed to be unfazed and was all business.
“Glad to see you’re alright, Ben.”
By now Ben had figured out that the alley incident was not a mugging and it was connected to Sarah.
“Where is Sarah? Is she alright?” he asked anxiously.
“We were hoping you could tell us that,” Cassidy said.
Ben’s worst fears were realized. Someone had put him out of commission to get to Sarah. He filled Cassidy in on everything that had happened that morning including the voicemail from Sarah and his call to Eric Abbot.
Cassidy produce his cell phone and pushed it across the table to Ben. “I received this message from Sarah’s phone. Does it mean anything to you?”
Ben looked at the message: With Jordan. Taking me to Wis—. He knew exactly what it meant. “He’s taking her to a place in southern Wisconsin.” He quickly explained finding the property tax information at the townhouse and then Sarah’s on-line research. He scrolled through the photo
s on his phone and found the image he had saved of the County Recorder’s property document. He showed it to Cassidy.
“We need to go there now.” Ben said anxiously. “Call the Wisconsin State Police and have them set up road blocks and a perimeter around the property.”
“Slow down. You aren’t going anywhere. We’ll take care of this. You are a civilian, remember? I am going to have some uniforms take you to your apartment and you are to stay there until you hear from me. Do you understand?”
“I should be there, I can help. You know I can handle myself.”
“Absolutely not! This is a police matter.”
Cassidy leaned over to his desk phone and made a call. Two uniformed officers appeared almost immediately in the doorway. “Please escort Mr. Taggert to his apartment. Take him to his door so that he arrives safely.” He then turned to Ben and added, “And once you get there, stay there!” The two uniformed officers ushered Ben out of the office. Cassidy then made another call.
A few minutes later Mark, the office assistant, appeared in the doorway. “I located a map of the area like you asked.” He handed Lieutenant Cassidy a large fan folded paper map.
“Thank you, Mark. Could you get the Wisconsin State Police on the line for me?”
Mark took off like a flash.
Alec Cassidy opened the large map on his desk and Nora took up a position at his side. She traced a route to the property with her finger and then looked at the area surrounding it. There was a maze of unimproved dirt roads crisscrossing the rural properties in that area.
“A roadblock is not going to work. There’s too many alternatives. Someone could go off the main road and thread their way through this network of unimproved back roads and never be seen,” she concluded.
“I’m afraid you’re right. If we are going to capture Jordan Lawrence, it is going to be at the cottage on that property,” Cassidy said.
Cassidy’s phone buzzed. It was the Wisconsin State Police. Cassidy explained the situation to the officer on the other end of the call and requested state police assistance. The state police were to set up a perimeter around the property. Cassidy made sure that they were aware of a potential hostage situation involving Sarah Lawrence and that Jordan Lawrence may be armed. They were not to advance onto the property or engage the suspect until Cassidy arrived on the scene. He also warned that an armed and dangerous hired killer targeting the Lawrences may be in pursuit and to stay vigilant.