The Nurse's Bodyguard

by Melanie Mitchell

  Bridgette nodded. “If they are still interested in finding you, they don’t know where you are,” she rationalized. “And even if they know you’re at Yongsan, they wouldn’t know if you left for a while.”

  Claire picked up her train of thought. “We could leave by walking out one of the gates and they couldn’t possibly know where we were off to.”

  Bridgette ended the discussion. “No, there’s no way they would know.” She stood and reached for her purse. “There’s this great little tea house where we can go for lunch after the shoes... I promise I’ll have you home by three—since I have to go to work!”

  “Let’s do it!” Claire copied Bridgette’s action, picking up her purse and heading to the door. “When Luke and I were walking the other evening, I saw this really cute bag in one of the windows that my mom would love. And her birthday is coming up...”

  * * *

  THE SHOPPING TRIP was a much-needed respite from Claire’s recent solitude. Bridgette proved to be an excellent companion and astute shopper, and by one o’clock, they had each bought a new purse. Claire also found a lovely silk scarf for her mother and Bridgette bought a pair of black suede half boots. At the Japanese tea house they stuffed their shopping bags under the table and talked about nursing, the men in their lives and Bridgette’s wedding plans.

  Between sips of almond tea and bites of salmon, Bridgette told Claire how she and Brad met. “He came into the emergency room after spraining his ankle sliding into home during a base-league softball game. We started talking and he asked me out right then.” She grinned. “He was cute and funny and crazy about me! That was in November. He proposed Christmas.” She studied her ring proudly.

  “Do you have a date?” Claire asked, as she munched on her shrimp salad.

  “June 30. Brad was just promoted to major and he’s been reassigned. In about a month we’ll head back to Missouri for the wedding and then we’ll be moving to Germany.” Her new friend’s happiness gave Claire a twinge of envy. That was quickly replaced by new resolve. She wouldn’t let Luke push her away without a fight!

  After lunch, it was time to head back to the base. As the women left the tea house they were laughing over an anecdote Bridgette had shared about a recent E.D visit from two brothers who had dared each other to put pebbles in their noses. Even though the distance back to Yongsan was relatively short, they decided to take a taxi so they wouldn’t have to walk while trying to carry their shopping bags.

  Standing by the curb, Claire raised her hand for a cab. Several sped by, each with passengers in the rear. They continued to wait as a late-model black sedan slowed down and pulled toward the curb. Assuming the vehicle was stopping to let someone out, the women stepped back a couple of paces and continued their conversation.

  Both doors on the passenger side opened wide and two men emerged, lunging at Claire. The man who’d been in the back seat grabbed Claire’s left arm, causing her to drop her shopping bags. Almost simultaneously, the second man caught her other arm and began pushing her toward the open rear door. Without conscious thought, Claire buckled her knees and dropped to the ground, landing hard on her bottom. Sitting on the sidewalk, she straightened her legs and pushed back against the men who were trying to force her forward.

  “No! Stop it!” she yelled, as she struggled to throw off their hands.

  Bridgette screeched, “Stop! Get away!” She gathered the neck of the shopping bag that held her boots and swung it as hard as she could at the head of the man closer to her.

  Claire heard a muffled “thunk” and suddenly the man on her right stumbled back toward the car. The unexpected blow caused him to trip as one foot teetered off the curb. Unable to stop his forward motion, he rammed into the rear car door, slamming it shut. The man pulling on Claire’s left arm let out a hoarse scream and abruptly let go of her. He’d been holding on to the car’s door frame, trying to gain leverage to drag Claire toward the vehicle. His hand was now caught and the other man—the one from the front seat—was trying to regain his balance. The slamming door and resultant scream evidently fractured the driver’s attention. The car lurched forward a couple of feet, dragging the guy whose hand was caught into the other man, causing him to trip and fall. The incident might have been comical, had the two women not been terrified by the attempted kidnapping.

  Several people were staring at the altercation, and an older man stopped to help Claire to her feet. She thanked him, grabbed her bags and backed away from the curb.

  With her free hand, Claire grabbed Bridgette’s arm and pulled her toward the shops, into the growing crowd. “Let’s get out of here!” she panted. Her heart was racing and a now familiar fear settled on her as they ran quickly up the street, in the opposite direction of the way the car had been headed.

  Neither woman looked back and within a minute they had cleared the end of the block and turned the corner. Quickly, they covered another two blocks, winding through the narrow side streets before finally stopping in an alleyway behind some two– and three-story dwellings. Only a few people were in sight and no one seemed to be paying attention to them.

  Breathing heavily, Claire managed to say, “Are you okay?”

  “Yeah, fine... Scared the snot out of me though!” Bridgette gasped. “We need to call somebody... The police? Or maybe the embassy?”

  Claire had already pulled out her cell phone. “I’ve got it.” Not sure whom else to call, she dialed Luke’s number.

  * * *

  LUKE WAS IN a bad mood, which was unusual. About lunchtime, he told the duty sergeant he had some personal business to attend to and gave instructions to call should something come up. Noting Luke’s scowl, the sergeant had readily agreed.

  Luke first went to his apartment and tried to work. He found himself at the door of Brad’s room, staring at nothing in particular. The room was once again meticulously neat and bore no visible signs of its recent occupant. But he could still smell Claire’s lotion, and his mood degraded even further.

  Finally, he gave up his private struggle and went to Bridgette’s apartment, telling himself he would just check on Claire to see how she was doing. But when he got there, no one answered his knock. That led to a search of the base. He went by stores and restaurants, but the women were not to be found. Several times he thought about giving up and calling her, but he’d told himself that would be surrendering his previous resolve. Finally he returned to Bridgette’s apartment and sat on the front step of the building, waiting with escalating impatience.

  When his phone rang, Luke immediately recognized Claire’s number and answered the call before the end of the first ring.

  “Where are you?” His tone was brusque. “I went to—”

  “Thank God!” she said, wanting to weep with relief. “Luke, it happened again! Some men tried to push me into a car, but Bridgette hit one and then the other got his hand stuck, and then the car pulled up and dragged the first man into the second man and we ran away...” She didn’t realize she was babbling.

  Luke stood. “Where—are—you?”

  “We were on Itaewon. We went shopping and had tea.” She was still anxious but her panic seemed to be easing. “Luke, they found me! How?”

  He waited just a breath, considering her question. A notion occurred to him and he muttered, “Shoot! They must have accessed the GPS chip or managed to triangulate the location of the number.” There was a brief pause then his words became very distinct. “Claire, it’s your phone. You have to lose your phone...” Another second passed, then he said, “Claire, listen carefully. Where are you now?” His words were unemotional; he wanted to keep her calm.

  “Behind some buildings, several blocks off Itaewon.”

  “Okay, I’m going to come get you. Can you meet me at our restaurant—you know which one?” He started jogging toward his vehicle.

  “Yes, I remember where—”<
br />
  “Good, I’ll come pick you up there. But first, you and Bridgette need to change your appearance. Simple changes are fine. Just take off a sweater or put on a different color shirt.”

  “Okay—”

  “And cover Bridgette’s hair...”

  Claire glanced at her friend’s dark red hair and answered, “Yes, I see.”

  “Claire, you’ve got to lose the phone now—so they won’t be able to find you again. Try to put it on or in something moving, okay? Do you understand?”

  “Yes—”

  “I’m on my way,” he spat before hanging up.

  * * *

  CLAIRE TURNED TO BRIDGETTE, who was standing very close. “Did you hear?”

  Bridgette nodded. Heeding Luke’s instructions, she had already taken off her cream-colored sweater and stuffed it into one of her shopping bags. Claire dug through one of her own bags, pulled out the silk scarf and handed it to her friend. Bridgette threw it over her head, tying it under her chin.

  “Let’s go,” Claire prompted. “When we pass a shop, I’ll pick up something to cover my shirt.”

  They hurried to the end of the alley. Traffic on the narrow cross street was moving slowly and Claire ventured into the street, creeping behind a small delivery truck that was loaded with wooden crates. Without pausing, she dropped her cell into the bed of the vehicle, which edged forward to the stoplight.

  Bridgette had followed her and the two women crossed the side street and continued to make their way back to bustling Itaewon, all the while being wary of black sedans. As they got closer, they ducked into a small ladies’ clothing store and Claire quickly pulled a black cotton blouse off a rack and took it to the counter. She paid cash and slipped the garment over her yellow silk top as they walked out the door.

  Back on Itaewon, the women’s confidence grew a little. Claire pointed down the street. “That’s the Starbucks we went to the other night. I think the Italian restaurant is this way.” Calmer now, they made their way up the busy street, staying as far from the cars as possible, practically hugging the buildings and trying to hide among the crowds of people.

  * * *

  FIFTEEN MINUTES AFTER Luke answered the terrifying phone call, he pulled up in front of the Italian restaurant in a borrowed Toyota. It was a minor miracle that he’d managed the short trip—swerving wildly through heavy city traffic—without getting into an accident. Not caring about collecting a fine, he parked illegally, and left the vehicle.

  During the short drive, he’d been only marginally successful in managing his panicky thoughts. His mind had raced through all sorts of scenarios. What if he was too late? Claire could be injured... She could be bleeding on a back street... She could be locked in a car with strange men taking her someplace where he’d never find her...

  She could be dead...

  His heart pounded painfully as he tried to curtail the vivid images. She’s all right, he told himself over and over. Please, he prayed repeatedly, please let her be okay!

  He was furious with Claire for leaving the base and putting herself at risk. Alternating with the terrified thoughts, he considered all the things he would say and do when he found her safe. He would rant, scold, chastise. He wanted to yell at her for putting him through this awful fear. He wanted to crush her to him, hold her and never let her out of his sight again.

  He scoured the street in front of the restaurant, but the women were nowhere to be seen. In short order he rushed through the door, hoping they’d be inside. Trying to tamp down his terror, he hurriedly searched the patrons, but Claire and Bridgette weren’t there.

  Oh, no, he thought, they should already be here! Cold sweat drenched his body. Reluctantly, he retreated onto the busy sidewalk and scanned all directions again. He had decided to re-enter the restaurant when he caught sight of Claire and Bridgette. They had turned a corner from a side street onto Itaewon—directly across the street from where he stood. Claire spotted him simultaneously and waved. Seeing her left him weak-kneed and dizzy.

  Clutching each other and looking harried, the women waited for the light to change before hurrying across to meet a very relieved and very angry Luke. The moment Claire set foot on the curb, Luke crushed her to his chest, reveling in the joy of actually touching her. He closed his eyes, buried his face in her hair, and gave a quick prayer of thanksgiving.

  His heart was still beating erratically and his palms were sweating, but he managed to rein back his fury for a moment to assess both women. Pulling away, he noticed that Claire was wearing a too large dark shirt over her jeans and yellow blouse, both of which appeared to be stained with dirt and grime. Her black hair was mussed, and she pushed it back with a trembling hand. He didn’t detect any obvious injuries and reluctantly let her go, turning to Bridgette. Other than her rapid breathing and still frightened look, she also seemed to be all right. Her hair was covered by a printed scarf of gray and pink silk which clashed dreadfully with her light green blouse.

  “Are ya’ll okay?” he finally asked. Both women nodded, but Bridgette looked very pale.

  “Let’s get out of here.” Luke motioned to the Toyota compact parked nearby. He ushered Bridgette into the back seat, then placed Claire beside him in the passenger’s side. Within a minute he’d folded himself into the driver’s seat and pulled the vehicle into traffic.

  Now that Luke’s fear had been alleviated, his anger returned. He glared at Claire and said, “What were you thinking leaving Yongsan? You knew better.” His jaw tightened and his voice intensified. “I told you to stay on base. You knew better than to go somewhere without a bodyguard!”

  The rapid transition from abject terror to profound relief had left Claire stunned. Faced now with Luke’s wrath, she was unable to contain her emotions. “I...I’m so sorry, Luke... We...er...I thought it would be okay.” Tears slid down her cheeks. “I was, er...I wasn’t...” Her voice trailed off and she barely managed to stifle a sob.

  A subdued Bridgette spoke up from the backseat. “We wanted to get out. I thought a shopping trip would be fun... Luke, we didn’t have any idea there would be a way the...er...bad guys could find Claire.”

  Luke glanced at Claire’s stricken face and his temper abated. He reached over to gently rub away a tear and he sighed audibly. “Look, we’ll discuss that later. Right now, I need you to tell me exactly what happened.”

  The women took several minutes to recount the events of the afternoon. They explained how everything had seemed perfectly fine until the two men jumped out of a black car and tried to abduct Claire.

  Luke was watching the traffic, but he could feel Claire watching him throughout their recitation of the events. When they detailed how she’d dropped to the ground as the two men pulled on her arms, he couldn’t help tensing his jaw. When Bridgette described how she’d used her boots as a club, he could feel one corner of his mouth turning up slightly. Then he actually snickered upon learning that the last thing Claire and Bridgette saw as they ran were the two men being dragged in the gutter as the driver rolled forward.

  After they’d finished describing the incident, he just shook his head and sighed. Glancing at the redheaded nurse in the rearview mirror, he said, “Bridgette, that was fast thinking. Thank you for having the guts to use your boots as a weapon instead of running away.” His attention moved to Claire and he muttered, “And thank God you’re so stubborn. If...” His eyes returned to the street and he refused to finish the comment.

  Bridgette suddenly noticed their surroundings. “Where are we going? This isn’t the way to the base.”

  “We’re headed to the police station by Seoul National University. I called Detective Kang on my way to pick you up... We’ve got an appointment.”

  * * *

  CAPTAIN CHOI AND Detective Kang were waiting when the trio arrived. As they had the previous week, Luke, Claire and now Bridgette to
ok seats in the detective’s office. The women related the story they had just told Luke and the two policemen peppered them with questions.

  Luke was quiet and somehow managed to maintain his composure throughout. As they were concluding the interview, Captain Choi said, “We will put out an alert to all of the area emergency departments to watch for men with the injuries you describe. We may get lucky. I will also have officers search the area stores to see if there are any security cameras pointed in the direction of the altercation. Most likely there will not be, as the cameras are usually focused near their shop’s doors and don’t scan all the way to the street. I will let you know if we find anything.”

  “There is another development you might want to look into,” Luke told the officers. “We may have learned why Claire is being targeted.”

  With Luke’s encouragement, Claire explained how she had contacted the adoption agency after her arrival in Seoul. She provided them with her birth date and the name of the agency in Seattle. Her voice was quiet, and she was subdued when she finished.

  Both Detective Kang and Captain Choi seemed to be relieved that a potential motive had been identified. “Detective Kang will contact the agency today to see what he can learn about your adoption, Ms. Olsen.”

  As they rose to leave, Luke addressed Choi. “One more thing, Captain. This is the third attack. They are obviously determined and capable enough to obtain her personal information and use sophisticated electronic tracking. Ms. Olsen needs to go where she will be safe. When will you pull the hold on her passport and allow her to leave the country?”

  The captain returned Luke’s stare and answered politely. “Lieutenant, I understand your concern. This attack and the new information makes us even more resolved to find out who wishes her harm. But if we are not successful, I will remove the hold one week at the latest.” He shook his head and frowned at Claire. Still speaking to Luke, however, he said, “It was my understanding that she would remain with you at Yongsan. She should not have left where she was safe without an escort.”