The Tenth Cycle: A Thriller (A Rossler Foundation Mystery Book 1)

by JC Ryan

  The long silent wait had keyed Daniel up, so the ring of the cell phone made him jump. Instantly, he was flooded with disappointment. Despite his preparations, he had hoped it would be a straightforward meeting right here, with an exchange, and no runaround. The phone call told him that it wasn’t going to happen that way. He picked it up and answered. The same distorted voice from this morning, at least he thought it was the same, instructed him to listen and not speak until told to.

  “You will drive to the location I’ll give you. You have half an hour to get there or Sarah will suffer the consequences. Do you understand?”

  “Yes. What is the location?” He committed it to memory as it was spoken. “How about letting me hear her voice? How do I know she’s safe?”

  “I’ll consider it. You’d better get moving.”

  With no other choice, Daniel rang off and punched the new location into his GPS. Estimated time to get there was twenty-seven minutes. Daniel tore out of the parking lot as if the hounds of hell were after him, hoping to make up time in case of delays along the way. The kidnappers were taking no chances that he would have time to call in reinforcements. With a nervous eye on the GPS clock that told him his ETA, he swung from lane to lane to avoid being trapped behind slow-moving cars. A few people expressed their irritation with his tactics by honking at him as he passed them, but he ignored it. Normally, he hated people doing what he was doing. Today, he sent them mental apologies, and an occasional muttered ‘sorry, dude’. If they knew his errand was life and death, he thought they would understand. Daniel arrived with one minute to spare and breathed a sigh of relief to release his mounting tension. The phone rang.

  “Very good, you made it. I have Sarah here. Don’t ask her questions, just listen.” The distorted voice was the second most beautiful thing he could think of hearing in that moment, and in the next second the first most beautiful thing flooded his ear.

  “I’m all right. Please do as they say.” It was definitely Sarah, he’d know her voice anywhere. But, why didn’t she say his name? Maybe they had told her she could only say those eight words. Those eight precious words. His Sarah was all right. Relief flooded his chest and threatened to leak out his eyes, but he knew he had to keep it together to follow the next set of directions.

  The distorted voice was back. “Okay, go back to the original place. You have half an hour.”

  Now the relief was followed by irritation, but Daniel quickly suppressed it and started the car. He no longer needed directions to get back to the original meeting place, but he punched up “Recently Found” anyway, in order to have a time estimate for pacing. Once again he sped out of a parking lot, this time to retrace his route. As he drove, Daniel reflected that the side trip was probably designed to flush any police presence and ensure the kidnappers’ safety. Too bad they hadn’t trusted him to follow directions, because it was unnecessary. The police had no idea this was going down. Then he considered the first words of the kidnapper on the second call, ‘very good, you made it’. Did they have visual surveillance on him? But, he resisted the urge to stick his head out the window and look above. He had to trust that at least the drones were there. What technology the kidnappers had was beyond his ability of conjecture at the moment.

  This time when he pulled into the parking lot, there was only one other car parked there, a black Cadillac Escalade, whereas there had been perhaps two dozen before. So part of the pointless side trip had been to allow time for the place to become deserted. Daniel parked and waited, wondering if Sarah was just a few yards away in the other car. He had just turned off his motor when his cell phone rang again.

  “All right, you’ve done well so far. Continue to follow directions and your girlfriend will be released unharmed. Do you have the item we requested?”

  “Yes. It’s on a flash drive. I have it here.”

  “Get out of the car and walk toward the Escalade. Stop when you get halfway there. Keep your arms out to your sides or raised over your head, and make no sudden moves.”

  Daniel opened his door and, pocketing the cell phone, stepped out of the car with his arms extended to the sides. He began walking toward the other car, leaving his own car door open. When he reached the designated spot, a figure dressed all in black from his feet to the balaclava on his head got out of the Escalade and approached. The figure was probably male, from its gait and build, slender but with the hint of a gymnasts’ grace as he walked toward Daniel. When he got closer, Daniel realized that the stranger was almost a head shorter than he. But, he dare not make any heroic moves, since he didn’t know how many more were in the car with Sarah. He waited quietly. The figure stopped beside him, careful to stay clear of the line of fire from the car, should there be any. A genderless voice whispered, “Where is the item?”

  Unsure why the kidnapper was whispering, Daniel also whispered, “In my side pocket, your side.”

  The kidnapper reached a small hand into his pocket, and only the seriousness of the situation kept Daniel from asking Red Skelton’s famous question, “Do you feel nuts?” It was difficult to suppress it, and Daniel realized in that moment that his peculiar humor served to relieve his tension at times. Meanwhile, the kidnapper had retrieved the flash drive, and whispered again, “Is this all?”

  “Yes,” he said. “Will you let Sarah go now?”

  “In good time,” whispered the figure. Again with difficulty, Daniel suppressed a surge of rage. He was prepared for this, he understood they would examine the flash drive in a computer before turning Sarah over.

  “Should I wait here?” he asked calmly.

  “Yes. Wait here. Keep your hands away from your pockets. When we are satisfied that this is what we require, your friend will be released.”

  Daniel had never felt so exposed before in his life, not even on the fringes of a Middle Eastern battle zone. He spread his legs in a stance that would be more sustainable for several minutes wait. Without thinking, he put his hands in his pockets. Immediately there was a report from the direction of the Escalade, and he felt the passing of a high-speed projectile near his right ear. Jerking his hands out of his pockets, he held them high. These people weren’t kidding; it would serve him better to remember it and stay alert. Slowly, he lowered his hands, but kept them loosely held away from his pockets. He wouldn’t make the same mistake twice. He wasn’t sure whether the bullet had been meant to miss him or not. Testing it twice wouldn’t be a great idea.

  As minutes passed, Daniel curbed his impatience. He refused to worry that Raj’s subterfuge hadn’t worked. But he did worry a little that the kidnappers wouldn’t keep their word and release Sarah. Daniel kept having to turn his thoughts away from doomsday conjecture, that they had killed Sarah right after she spoke to him, that they had no intention of releasing her in the first place, that they would keep her long enough to discover his ruse.

  He was well aware that most kidnap victims are dead before the ransom demand is presented. But, he had heard her voice, less than an hour ago. That meant she was okay, right? Or did it just mean the kidnappers had recorded her statement before killing her? Daniel’s posture began to slump, not only from the fatigue of holding his arms out awkwardly, but also from the pessimistic thoughts that he couldn’t control. When he realized it, he made an effort to straighten up again, and raised his eyes from where he had been gazing at the tarmac toward the Escalade.

  The door was opening, and, as if in a dream, Sarah stepped out, blindfolded, and assisted by another figure dressed all in black. Daniel didn’t think this was the same person; he seemed bigger. Sarah staggered a little as the figure gripped her arm and started to lead her toward Daniel. He started forward, the natural impulse being to save her from a fall, but the figure that gripped her arm steadied her while holding up his hand in the universal sign for Stop! Daniel froze. It seemed to take an eternity as Sarah stumbled her way toward him, guided and supported by the iron grip on her arm. At last, they were next to him, the kidnapper still avoiding the line of fi
re, Daniel noticed, while Sarah was directly in front of him. With his jaw clenched, he said, “Permission to touch her.”

  Sarah flinched, but Daniel had no time to wonder, as the kidnapper thrust her into his arms and ran for the Escalade. Daniel immediately wrapped her in his embrace, saying, “Sweetheart, are you okay? Did they hurt you?”

  Before she could answer, a shot rang out and to Daniel’s horror, the kidnapper fell to the ground. “Come on!” he shouted, and dragging Sarah with him, sprinted for his car, expecting a bullet at any second. When they reached his car, he thrust Sarah in through the open driver’s side door and pushed her to move over into the passenger seat. Slamming his door, he peeled out with a squeal of tires, stopping only blocks later to still his heart and help Sarah, who was sobbing loudly, still blindfolded, and only now did he notice, handcuffed.

  Chaos had broken out in the SUV, with the shooting of one of the kidnappers. Two others jumped out of the vehicle, rifles swinging from side to side as they searched nearby rooftops for the sniper who had shot their colleague. Finding no one, they got back into the car and drove toward the fallen man. He had fallen forward, so they kept a sharp eye on the buildings to which his back had been turned, rifles covering the two who got out to retrieve the body.

  ~~~

  “Shh, shh, sweetheart, you’re safe, I’ve got you.” Gently, he worked to remove the blindfold. Sarah blinked at the light, though it was twilight and not strong. Daniel was examining the handcuffs for a way to get them off without a key, when Sarah spoke through her sobs.

  “Thank you. Who are you?”

  Daniel froze in shock. His eyes flew to Sarah’s, which were looking at him in a mixture of gratitude and puzzlement that in turn confused him. “Sarah, it’s me! I haven’t changed that much in three days, have I?”

  No sniper showed, but another bullet rang out, winging one of the kidnappers. Hurriedly, they withdrew into the SUV and the driver circled around to head toward the exit. That was when two more bullets pierced the windows, one on the driver’s side, killing him instantly, and one on the passenger side.

  She was examining his face curiously, her eyes seeming to focus more as each second ticked by. “You’re him, aren’t you? Daniel something.” His mouth fell open. “They told me I had a boyfriend, Daniel. Are you Daniel?”

  “Oh, my god, Sarah, what have they done to you! Don’t you remember me?” Daniel’s heart was breaking, shattering into a million pieces. His Sarah was safe, but it seemed she may no longer be his. She didn’t remember him. Her eyes dropped, unable to bear the grief in his.

  “I’m sorry. I think they hit me over the head. I don’t remember anything.” And then she wept.

  Daniel didn’t know whether to gather her into his arms or not. Would she be afraid of him? Would it help her remember? God willing, this was just temporary amnesia, but he needed to get her to a doctor right away. He settled for a comforting hand on her shoulder. “Sarah, we’re going to figure this out. I’m taking you to a hospital, is that all right?”

  Still sobbing, Sarah nodded her head.

  ~~~

  Neither Daniel nor Sarah would know it for some hours, but the Trunchbull woman would never again terrorize a kidnapping victim, nor direct the payment of a ransom in a distorted voice. Two kidnappers remained in the vehicle, one wounded, among their dead colleagues. They were afraid to get out. As the wounded man slowly bled to death, the other considered his options. He was relieved to see Daniel put Sarah in the car and leave, after which he simply walked away, flash drive in his pocket, sirens wailing in the distance.

  Chapter 35 – I Can’t Remember You

  “Ryan, bring Luke and get to the hospital right away. Sarah’s okay physically, but she...” Daniel lost his composure for a moment, upping Ryan’s anxiety, then continued. “She seems to be suffering from amnesia. I don’t know how deep or how serious, but Ryan,” again he took a moment to regain his composure, his voice cracking as he went on. “She doesn’t remember me.”

  Ryan’s heart sank, but he rallied for Daniel’s sake, “She will. We’ll be right there.”

  Signaling Luke to follow, he went to the room where David was monitoring the equipment. “Daniel just called, he’s taking Sarah to the hospital. She seems to have lost her memory. Do you want to go with us?”

  David turned a neutral face toward them. “No, I’d better stay here and monitor. Something went wrong, the drones started firing. I’m afraid all the kidnappers are dead.”

  Just then Ryan called, “Luke, let’s go!” Luke left with only a backward glance.

  Ryan and Luke arrived at the hospital to find a distraught Daniel pacing in the lobby. He rushed over to them. “They took her to the Emergency Department, but they won’t tell me anything because I’m not family!”

  Ryan went to the reception desk. “I’m here to see my daughter. Her boyfriend just brought her in, and he says she’s suffering from amnesia. I’d like to speak to her doctor.”

  “I’m sure that can be arranged. The young woman who was brought in with head trauma and fugue symptoms has no identification. Can you prove you are her father and provide ID?” Ryan was on the verge of an uncharacteristic temper tantrum when Luke stepped up and flashed a badge. “This is a police matter. I will personally guarantee that this is the young woman’s father. Will you cooperate, or shall I come back with a warrant?”

  The receptionist’s face went white, then flushed bright red. “I’ll call someone to help you right away, sir.”

  The three waited another five minutes before a tall young Pakistani stepped up to them and said in a musical accent, “Are you the family of the young woman Sarah?”

  All three answered “Yes” at the same time, causing the doctor a little confusion. He decided that Luke was the calmest-looking, so he addressed his remarks to Luke. “Your daughter?”

  “Niece,” replied Luke, and then, indicating Ryan, “His daughter.”

  “My apologies.” Now addressing Ryan, he continued, “Your daughter is fine physically except for a little dehydration and an area of bruising behind her right ear. It appears that someone struck her rather hard there with a blunt object. She tells me she remembers her name and that some people who held her captive for several days showed her a picture of her parents that she recognized, although she cannot tell us her last name. She is resting comfortably, and I will be happy to take you to her for a short visit. I must insist that you do not distress her, though. Due to her condition, I do not want to have to sedate her.”

  Ryan said, “I understand.” Bidding the others to wait, he followed the doctor down the hall. Daniel began pacing again, but Luke put a restraining hand on his arm.

  “Settle down, son. We’ll get this straightened out so that you can see her as soon as possible.” A grateful Daniel nodded, and took a seat to wait.

  In Sarah’s room, Ryan’s heart clenched again to see his baby girl looking so small in the hospital bed. What was it about hospital beds that dwarfed the patient and made her seem waif-like? Her eyes were closed and Ryan thought she might be sleeping, but when he sat down in the visitor chair, it creaked, causing her eyes to fly open, wide with alarm.

  “Shh, honey, its okay,” he soothed.

  “Daddy?” Sending up a prayer of thanks, Ryan covered her hand with his.

  “Yes, honey, it’s Daddy. How do you feel?”

  Sarah’s eyes flooded with tears as she said, “Daddy, I can’t remember anything. Where am I? What happened? Why can’t I remember?”

  Squeezing her hand, Ryan said, “Don’t worry, honey. The doctors are going to try to help you remember. Meanwhile, you need to stay calm. You hit your head, that’s why you can’t remember. But we’re here with you, and you’re going to be fine.”

  “Is Mommy here?” Ryan realized then that Sarah’s memories were from a much younger time, when she still addressed them as Mommy and Daddy. He would have to call Emma soon, and he’d ask her how old Sarah was at that time. In fact, he’d better ar
range for her to fly out, and ask Luke if he wanted to stay and have Sally come out as well.

  “No, sweetheart, not yet, but she’ll be here soon. Do you want to rest now?” His voice was tender, and Sarah’s response was to close her eyes.

  “Yes, Daddy, I’m sleepy.”

  “Okay, darling. When you wake up, I’ll be here, or someone else who loves you will be here. We won’t leave you. But, I need to call Mommy to tell her you’re okay, and get her to come here. Okay?”

  “Okay, Daddy.”

  Ryan left, his mind already swirling with everything he needed to get done. First on the agenda was ensuring that both Luke and Daniel would be given access to Sarah, even though she didn’t remember Daniel. He didn’t know if she would remember Luke or not, but had hope that the deeply-held memory of the little girl she had been would include her beloved uncle. Next, get Emma on a plane, and Sally, too if Luke agreed. Ryan didn’t know much about amnesia, but he figured that if more people were around that she should remember, her memory would start to return. Finally, talk with the doctor on what specialists to bring in. He went in search of Dr. Kassar to arrange for permission for himself, Luke or Daniel to sit with Sarah at all times.

  Daniel took the first shift, grateful to Luke for being patient. He eased into the visitor chair without waking Sarah, wanting to touch her but afraid to wake her, lest she become agitated and Dr. Kassar kick him out. He gazed at her beloved face, and castigated himself again for not staying with her after Simms’ death. His obligation to his employer had put the woman he loved in grave danger, and he wouldn’t let that ever be the case again.