“Definitely call Miller and Beem and let them know he’s made contact with you on your wife’s phone. My guess is he’ll dispose of it now, but it’s worth the call.”
Chapter 53
“Well, I’ll be damned,” Jim exploded, looking through Roman’s things. Nothing they could use in this search would be admissible as they’d entered without a warrant. In all truth this call should have been handed over to Theft as it was tantamount to a stolen cell phone. However, Jim and Lawrence both needed the last bit of confirmation that Ovan was not just some wildman chasing a phantom. “Roman,” he said watching a DVD that was clearly from his stash of medical meanderings. They’d found many unrelated items in the room—clothing, books, pictures of Rashawn Ams and other beautiful women but the DVD just called Jim to the player that sat under the television in the room.
“Said his name was Smith ... Dr. Smith ... had ID and such. I had no reason to question him,” the hotel manager explained looking on with Jim and Lawrence at the operation being performed on the DVD. “What the hell is that?” he gasped at the bloody sight.
“Kidney’s my guess,” Lawrence said, grimacing at the sight before shutting off the TV. Jim pulled out his phone to call Maravel. Maybe she could make some sense out of some of the stuff in this room. Maybe something here would help Ovan and Chance find Reggie and Junior before this maniac preformed the same surgery on them.
Chapter 54
The train pulled into Klamath Falls. It was not the stop they were even planned to notice let alone where they planned detrain. How did dude get a gun on here? So much for Amtrak security , Reggie thought, feeling the hard barrel of the gun pressing against his spine as dude pushed him out the door with the others who were scheduled for this top. Dude had moved them though the cars discreetly and up to the car that would be unloading at this stop. No one seemed to notice as they must have appeared to be a nice family out to celebrate Christmas in the snowy mountainous region of the Pacific Northwest.
Reggie glanced over at Julia who stepped off before him, still holding tight to his backpack and Junior whose eyes were red from strain and the fight with emotions. Dude must have figured Reggie would be less of a threat with both his hands free and he was right because had the chance—Reggie would have busted dude’s head in with that heavy backpack and then tackled him down for that gun. But no, dude held the gun on him the whole time as if to use him as a warning for the rest, and it was working.
Reggie could tell Junior and Julia were scared, and what was worse—he was scared too.
For the past few hours that they had sat in the observation car, listening to the voice of the man who was no doubt planning to kill them—and for what—Reggie had no clue. For now it just seemed to be no real good reason. Reggie knew he didn’t have any money—and neither did Junior. Dude was mistaken if he thought he was kidnapping kids who could pay off. Juanita didn’t have a pot to piss in unless Chance had recently given her one ... and as far as his mom went, she hadn’t even pulled down her first pay check yet and even then, this job was all title ... even he knew that.
And Julia? Who knew why she had gotten caught up in all this, but she seemed to be a victim as well.
“Let’s go,” Dude said, as they pulled into the Klamath Falls station. He’d not even made a phone call to anyone. This was all too surreal. But then again, his aunt Trina wrote mysteries for a living and this wasn’t any stranger than some of the things she’d come up with—once her story plot had even landed her in jail for being too crazily realistic. She’d written a murder and not to long after her ex had died the same way . . . so, strange things could happen. Reggie’s mind drifted on to some of her stranger plots to see if perhaps a kidnapping of teenage kids had ever been tapped by the workings of her twisted mind.
“We’re getting off here? It’s the middle of nowhere!” Junior finally said, noticing the snow on the ground. His plea brought Reggie’s mind back. He had never seen anything like this place outside of photographs. He was a born and raised city boy. Klamath Falls was beautiful and would have been even more so under different circumstances.
“Come on, Roman is waiting,” Dude said.
Roman? It was a familiar name. Reggie couldn’t place it but he wanted to. He also wanted Junior’s backpack. No, he wasn’t hungry, he needed his BlackBerry. It was a new one and so surely he’d be able to get a signal—even out here. Surely he’d be able to text a note, even if it went through on a delayed signal—
“I’m hungry,” he lied. Julia looked at him with an odd expression.
“What?” she asked, perhaps thinking she didn’t hear him right.
“I’m hungry. I need my backpack. I have snacks in there,” Reggie continued. Julia looked at him and then at dude, who shook his head.
“No. Not right now. If you’re hungry you can just wait. Besides, I’m sure there’s more than snacks that you want in that backpack,” he growled. “Where’s your cell phone?”
“I ... I ... ” Reggie bluffed. Hap grabbed the backpack from Julia and tore through it, finding Reggie’s old cell phone. The one he used only to store his phone numbers. He shoved it deep in his pocket before dropping the backpack on the bench near the entrance of the building. He then ripped open Junior’s backpack and saw it filled with goodies. He zipped it up and threw it at Reggie.
“Okay, Mr. Hungry Man, you are now in charge of carrying that heavy-assed snack bag! You need to eat anyway. Keep up our strength. But the cell phone, it’s history! Come on,” he said, after watching Reggie shrug Junior’s backpack on his shoulder. “Don’t try anything funny because now the gun is on little brother here.”
“They call me Junior,” Junior spoke up now. It was as if Junior could tell Reggie was up to something and was willing to play along, no matter how scary it seemed.
“Whatever,” Dude answered.
“You gotta name, dude?” Junior asked.
“Sure do ... We’ll get all that out of the way once we get to the cabin.”
“Cabin?” Julia asked.
“I told you I had a cabin, sweetie. You were all eager to see it before.”
“That’s when I thought it was in Eugene. Don’t even think I was trying to let you get near me,” Julia began, jerking her neck from side to side and swaggin’ her finger. British or not, she had all the moves of an angry black woman right now.
“Riiight!” Hap retorted smartly.
They walked toward the lot where a dark SUV was waiting. He pressed the unlock button on his key ring as they approached. “Get in. Julia, you’re gonna drive.”
“Me?” she asked, nervously. “I don’t have a license.”
“You don’t have your license?” Junior asked sounding almost as if taunting.
“Shut up, Junior,” she snapped.
“Hey, I just finished driver’s ed ... and ummm,” Junior blew on his nails as if that meant he was all that.
“Then you drive!” Hap snapped showing a loss of patience growing.
“What?” all three kids yelped in unison. Julia rolled her eyes.
“Yeah, you are the only one I have no problem with today ... matter of fact, I kinda like you ... Junior. So you drive. You’ll be our chance to get away. Chance is your father right? Or do you share a mother ... must be because you two look just alike. Or is ...” Hap pondered for a moment and then shook his head. “Can’t be.”
“No we don’t share anything,” Junior answered with a smirk. “And yeah, my father is Chance, thus the Junior ... duh.” Chance climbed in behind the wheel of the big vehicle. “Chance to get away... ughhh lame. If this is gonna go on all day, I say kill me now!”
Hap laughed. “Yeah I knew I liked this kid.”
Julia climbed in the front passenger seat and Reggie and Hap climbed in back. “Let’s roll,” he ordered. Chance started the roaring engine and off they went, jerking slightly until Chance shifted his weight in the seat and adjusted the mirrors. Reggie would have laughed at his step brother if his life hadn’t
depended on him at this time.
Chapter 55
Shelby was actually pretty excited about her nephew visiting for a couple of days. If he liked the university there she would offer him a place to live—rent free—while he finished his education and hopefully made the team. She had talked about the opportunity with Chance and it all sounded good earlier in the month. But still this visit seemed so unexpected. So far she’d not been able to reach Rashawn with any of it. Even now, it was strange that Rashawn had been unavailable to talk about it. She’d called her sister a few times but as Chance had told her, Rashawn was not near her phone.
It would be great for him to play some pro ball. Even though she and her husband had made their career in the NBA and WNBA, football was fine for a boy his size—probably a better choice. Besides that, playing a sport wasn’t the worse thing he could be doing with his life. So many kids were all methed out right now. Oregon had seen a rough couple of years with the methamphetamine epidemic. More white kids than black ones were drugged out on the junk but that was just because of the demographics . . . per capita the problem was even worse for black kids simply because there just weren’t that many there. Reggie’s positive presence would make a difference in her day and her nurturing and mentoring would help make a big difference in his life as well.
Shelby was lonely. With her husband always on the road with his team, she was left alone at home to fend for their daughter and herself emotionally. Diversity did not run long in Eugene. She missed her five sisters terribly. She could only imagine her crazy acting ghetto fabulous sisters invading this uptight ultra white city. The thought made her laugh. They were all older now—but still, age had not changed them much. The thought of them all in Eugene made her cringe slightly—but no fear of that—there’s absolutely nothing to bring them here, she thought.
Shelby glanced at the clock. It was time for the train to come rolling in. She’d called the Amtrak station and the coastline eleven was actually running on time today—the first time in months. Shelby and her daughter often, during season, traveled up to Washington State to watch her husband’s basketball team play tournaments in Seattle, so she knew the Amtrak schedule well.
It had been drizzling all morning, so, gathering up her light jacket and umbrella, she and her daughter headed out to the car. They made it downtown in about fifteen minutes, just as the train pulled in. “Good timing, Mom,” her daughter complimented. “Will I know him when I see him?” she asked, not having ever seen Reggie in person. Shelby realized then how long she’d been away.
“Yes, you’ll know him. He looks like an Ams,” she said, knowing the truth of the matter—that actually Reggie looked like his biological father—but nobody would ever want to repeat that one out loud.
Excitedly, Shelby and Stacy climbed out of her car and headed into the station to greet the arriv-ers. She assumed he’d have bags and Junior too. She’d only met Chance’s son Junior a few times, but despite how crazy acting his mother, Juanita was—she’d met Juanita—Shelby was totally fine with Junior being part of the family. As supportive as Rashawn had been, receiving Chance Jr. as if he was her own child, the least Shelby could do was replicate the love.
The people poured into the station, and Stacy grew excited. Her head darted this way and that as she quickly scanned the crowd for her cousin. Shelby had to admit she had thought she too would have spied him by now, as tall as she’d heard he was. The crowd eventually thinned out, with each person unloading, meeting their connections. Shelby felt strange suddenly wondering why amidst all the people there was no sign of a tall handsome young black man—or two. She pulled her cell phone from her bag while heading to the information counter, as the train pulled off. “Where is he?” Stacy asked. Shelby didn’t answer but waited for Chance to pick up.
Chapter 56
Thank God for new phones, Reggie thought, feeling the phone vibrating silently in his bag. He’d had it on vibrate before his mother snagged it and apparently she hadn’t changed the setting. Good thing too because surely, his phone blasting Lil Wayne or some other rap singer’s ringtone, would have been disastrous. It had been vibrating non-stop since clearing the area of no reception. But noting the many turns this weird guy was sending Junior in, Reggie knew there would soon be no signal to be found again.
Junior was doing well behind the wheel and if it had been a driving test he would have passed. Reggie could see him sweating though and he was sitting all up on the steering wheel. When they got to the hills with all the tight turns, and with all that snow on the ground, Reggie had to admit, his forehead began to moisten as well. Julia was as silent as a mouse.
“I have a couple of questions,” Junior began as if out of the blue.
“What’s that?” the man answered.
“Since we’re probably not coming out of this thing alive,” Junior went on. Julia groaned. “What is your name?”
“Fair question. It’s Hap.”
“Hap? Interesting name. Well, Hap,” Junior began, “you have three teenagers and I can’t believe that this was on your list of things to collect today ... so my question is this: who were you actually trying to kidnap in this caper?”
“Another good one.” Hap chuckled as if absolutely amused by Junior’s inquiry and wittiness. “Reggie,” he answered flatly.
Reggie turned and looked at him. “Why me?”
“You’ll see,” Hap answered.
“We’ll all see,” Julia added.
“Exactly. Turn here,” Hap instructed.
Junior made the sharp turn onto a narrow road that ended at a wooded cabin. Snow covered the porch and the cabin looked cold and unlived in. Reggie looked at Hap who now motioned with the gun for him to get out of the car. He obeyed reluctantly, feeling the icy air embracing him.
Junior and Julia climbed out of the car and stood close by each other for warmth. “Let’s go!” Hap barked at them, motioning both of them to walk ahead of Reggie who was now being led by Hap and his gun, up the icy steps. Junior slipped on the ice but quickly regained his footing. They went inside the cabin which was surprisingly just the opposite inside. Inside it was inviting and well lived in with many feminine touches.
“Now, I can tie you all up or trust that you respect Mother Nature—realizing that there is nowhere to go if you run away. You’ll die out there.” Hap took the keys from Junior’s hand and shoved them deep into his pocket.
“Can you please tell me what’s going on?” Reggie asked.
“Sure. I’m Dr. Hap Washburn and I’m working for a client who is in need of some medical attention. And you, Reginald Ams, have the cure for what ails him.”
“Excuse me?” Reggie asked nearly gasping at what the words implied.
“My patient needs a new part, you could say,” Hap stammered as if enjoying the game he was playing with Reggie’s emotions.
“New part! And he plans on taking one of mine?” Reggie’s voice cracked while pressing his hand splayed out over his chest.
“You plannin’ to take something off of him?” Junior yelped.
Reggie stepped forward aggressively. Hap again raised his gun threateningly. “Reggie don’t,” Julia warned.
“Don’t make me shoot you. My client would be furious! Killing you would really put a time crunch on things!”
“You’re out your mind! I’m out,” Reggie said, breaking for the door. Hap fired the gun over Reggie’s head. He froze. Julia screamed.
“Reggie stop!” Junior hollered. “Don’t kill him!” Junior begged Hap.
Reggie spun on his heel. His face felt twisted and by the look on Junior’s upon seeing his expression, Reggie had to figure he looked unrecognizable. Fear, anger, and growing rage consumed him. “Dead or alive Reggie, it doesn’t matter to me. Dead would just make things complicated ... on one hand.” Hap said coolly. “Now just calm down. This will be over tomorrow.”
Motioning for Julia to assist him, Hap pointed toward a straightjacket lying on the large dining table. “Get tha
t and put it on Mr. Hulk over there,” he told her. Julia picked up the heavy jacket and headed Reggie’s way.
“Get away from me!” he growled.
“Reggie, please, he’s going to kill you if you don’t,” Julia tried to reason. “Trust me,” she mouthed.
“You’re not putting that on me!” he fought, jerking away, pushing Julia so hard she fell flat on her butt. At that Hap aimed the gun at Junior, who quickly raised his hands and closed his eyes wincing in anticipation of the worse. “Don’t. Just ... don’t,” Reggie said, speaking slowly and determined to be understood while he reached down, helping Julia to her feet and then taking the jacket from her. He began to put it on himself, allowing her then to pull the straps and buckles, tying him in securely.
“Interesting. They say only blood is thicker than water, well, looks like step blood is too.” Hap smiled wickedly before instructing Junior to sit in what appeared to be a dental chair and then instructed Julia to clasp Junior’s hands in the medical restraints. While she tied him up, Hap moved over to a tray, unveiling an assortment of hypodermic needles, choosing one, while watching Reggie out of one eye. Reggie didn’t move an inch. His heart was racing fast, his mind was too cloudy. He’d not thought this completely out so he just stood stiff and ridged, tied up and helpless—for now. But that wasn’t to say that before this night was over, he wasn’t planning to take this maniac out, some kinda way. There were three of them and one of him ... Some kinda way they were getting the hell outta there tonight.
Hap called Julia over. “You ever give yourself a shot.”
“No,” she whimpered.
“It’s not hard. Hold the thing up ... thump it until you see no bubbles. If you get a bubble ... you could be dead within seconds.” He smiled. Julia’s eyes widened as if she totally understood what he was saying. “Squeeze the bottom upward until just a little of the juice comes from the top,” he explained. “And then ...” he patted his waistline. “Right there in your belly. It won’t hurt as much and it will work faster.”
Blood Relations Page 18