by Don Aldrin
“No, I have no idea. I’ve been nice to everyone.”
“I figured it is so. It baffles me who could it be. When are you going to leave?”
“In a few minutes. My manager already bought the tickets and I’ll be there in 5 to 6 hours.”
“Okay. I’ll pick you up at the airport.”
“All right, Trance. See you there.”
“Got it. Take care. See you in a few hours.”
After the conversation between Trance and Bridgette, a call came in on the captain’s phone.
“Yes? This is Captain Pickett of the Small City Police Department. Who’s this?”
“Hey, captain. This is Mr. X.”
“How nice of you to call. What can we do for you? How’s Mrs. Bischoff?”
“She’s fine and well. But if Ms. Heart doesn’t show up in the next few hours, she won’t be.”
“What’s the purpose of your call?”
“Glad you asked, captain. I am under the notion that Ms. Heart’s detective boyfriend is on his way to meet her at the airport. Therefore, there’s been a slight change of plans. I want both of them at the West Gold Tower as soon as they meet up. No cops. I am watching you. One wrong move and I’ll make my move in turn. Understood?”
“Look, what do you really want? Why Ms. Heart?”
“I said, ‘Do you understand?’ Don’t make me repeat myself.”
“I understand what you want us to do but why are you doing this?”
Mr. X hung up the phone.
“Officer, were you able to trace the call?”
“No sir. This guy is good. Our triangulations are off the charts and the signal seems to be coming from all over. He must have a device that jams our tracking systems.”
“He’s good. We have no choice. Lieutenant, call Trance. Tell him what happened and what he needs to do.”
“Got it, captain.”
Lieutenant Mulroney calls up Trance.
“Trance, can you hear me?”
“Yes, Eva. What’s up?”
“Where are you now?”
“I’m still at home. Bridgette won’t be arriving until a few more hours.”
“Okay. The kidnapper called the captain and his demand changed.”
“Oh, he doesn’t want Bridgette to go there anymore?”
“No, no, no. He still wants Bridgette to go to the West Gold Tower, but this time, he wants you to be with her at the 2nd floor restroom.”
Trance was shocked at the current turn of events.
“What do you mean?”
“You have to go there alone with Ms. Heart in exchange for the deputy mayor’s release.”
“This is getting out of hand. Okay, I’ll cooperate. I’ll tell Bridgette as soon as she arrives. We’ll go there immediately.”
“Okay, good. Take care, both of you.”
“All right. Thanks for the call. Later.”
Bridgette arrived around an hour and a half afterwards. Trance told her what happened and that they must go to the West Gold Tower together. They rode the limousine and went to the tower immediately.
“Trance, I’m scared.”
“I know, Bridgette. I’m here, don’t worry.”
“Do you know what will happen to us?”
“No. But let’s hope for the best.”
The couple made it to the West Gold Tower. It was empty and the limo driver drove off to a nearby mall. Trance and Bridgette entered the building. It was too quiet. They went up to the second floor and headed straight for the restroom area. As soon as they alight the elevator, Trance passed out.
“Trance? Trance! What happened? Wake up!”
Trance had a very brief daydream. It was just for a few seconds and as soon as he regained consciousness…
“Bridgette!!! Run! Go to that room over there and hide behind the counter. Quick!!!”
As soon as they ran towards the room at the end of the hall, they heard beeping sounds that went faster and faster. As soon as they got behind the counter in that room, a huge explosion occurred at the restroom. It was so strong that the building shook and the rooms were destroyed instantly.
The good thing is that the counter was reinforced therefore, Trance and Bridgette were safe. However, they were both fazed by the explosion and their ears were ringing.
“Bridgette! Are you okay?”
“Yes, I’m fine. But I can’t hear too well.”
“I know. It’ll come back after a few minutes. Let’s stay here for a while until it is safe. Let’s wait for the rescue team and the police to get here.”
“Okay. Are we safe here?”
“Yes, I saw this in my short dream. This is the best place to…”
A second equally powerful explosion was heard. This time, it was the elevator. It was completely destroyed. It is now unusable. The same goes for the building. The support of the building was damaged. It was deemed unsafe.
Trance and Bridgette were both safe, but they’re obviously disoriented from the powerful blasts. Almost every cop in town came. The first who came in was the bomb squad. They checked the building and cleared it from further explosions.
The crime scene investigators came in and the rest were there to check on the damage as well. The captain and the lieutenant were on the scene as well.
“Has anyone seen Trance or Ms. Heart?”
Everyone in unison, “No, sir.”
“Can anyone confirm that they were here in the building?”
“Yes, captain.”
“Lieutenant?”
“Yes. A bystander across the street saw the limousine drive by and Trance and Ms. Heart was seen entering the building a few moments before the blasts.”
“So, where are they now? Are they safe?”
“There are no traces of them sir. The restroom is a total wreck. The blasts punched huge holes. You can even see the third floor and the ground floor because of the huge holes. The structure is also unstable because the blasts damaged the building’s main support.”
“Okay. Are we safe here?”
“We’ve had engineers take a look at the place. They said that it is still relatively safe, but it is advised that the building not be used further until inspection and repairs are done.”
“All right. Everyone, look for traces of…”
An officer ran towards the captain.
“Captain, we saw a torn piece of cloth between the elevators doors and the restroom. It was Trance’s.”
“Are you sure about that officer?”
“Yes, sir. His name is written here.”
The officer shows the captain Trance’s handwritten name on the piece of cloth. They were devastated. They weren’t even able to find their bodies.
“Everyone, make sure we get this bastard who did this to Trance and Ms. Heart. We won’t stop until we catch him. We will…”
The captain was interrupted once again.
“Captain, over here! Quick!”
“What now!?”
The captain was already mad, but was astounded when he saw the deputy mayor.
“Deputy mayor!? What happened? Why are you here?”
“Captain? Oh, it’s you. The kidnapper left me here before the blasts happened. He told me to stay in this room and that I’m free to go after the blasts. I didn’t know that the damage could be this big. Did Trance and Ms. Heart come here?”
“Yes, we believe so. However, the kidnapper’s main objective seemed to have been their demise. We aren’t able to find them anymore and we found pieces of their cloth exactly where the explosion happened.”
“Oh my. That’s terrible. I feel terrible.”
“It’s not your fault deputy. You were just doing what you were told. The important thing is you’re safe.”
“I am thankful that I am still alive. But I feel really bad for them.”
“I know ma’am. They were our friends as well.”
Everyone was really sad that day. They tried to look around the place and wasn’t able to find any clu
es as to who or where the kidnapper was. The deputy had no information as well. Since she was blindfolded most of the time, even during her transit with the kidnapper, she wasn’t able to see the kidnapper’s face or where he held her before bringing her to the tower.
They searched and investigated through the rubble hoping to find any clue as to who did this terrible act and where the two were. Hours passed and their hope waned. They accepted the fact that Trance and Ms. Heart were already gone.
The news of the death of the couple spread like wildfire. It was Bridgette Heart after all. She is the most loved celebrity in the entire world. People from all over the world, from all walks of life and from different countries, mourned for their loss. She was a really nice person and still very young. Trance’s success as a detective has not gone unnoticed as well. They prepared a tribute to the couple a few days later at the police station. Almost everyone came to honor them and it was televised worldwide.
Chapter IX: Breakthrough
The police haven’t heard anything from the kidnapper since the incident. They assumed that it was his intention to kill the couple. The captain pursued the investigation so that they could bring justice to what happened to the young couple. However, the person that they needed in this situation is the victim. They were really struggling to find clues.
Meanwhile, nobody knew what really happened at the tower. The couple was able to escape. In Trance’s short dream, a path laid before them leading them down the stairs immediately after the second blast. He knew it was coming, but he knew someone was watching so he feigned.
He made it look like he didn’t know a second blast will happen and as soon as the cameras were destroyed by the explosions, he took Bridgette with her to the stairs and down the basement. There was an exit leading to the substation. It was a secret passageway that only a handful of people knew.
Trance wasn’t really an idiot after all. He thought that he and Bridgette would make it look like they were killed by the blast to catch the kidnapper off-guard. In his last dream, he also knew that the badge was indeed from a cop from their precinct. He immediately though that this all ties back to him.
The past few cases he had involved someone from his precinct and these were the cases that he dreamt of. There’s a huge possibility that it all boils down to a single person in the precinct, but he has yet to see and prove it. They went to Indiana to hide for the meantime.
“What are we gonna do next, Trance? Are we safe? What if someone sees and recognizes us? I am Bridgette Heart you know.”
“I know, I know. We have to hide out here for the meantime so that we can catch the kidnapper and the mastermind off-guard.”
“The mastermind? You think somebody had plotted against you or us?”
“Yes. And I believe that person is in the force and is related to the dream I’ve been having for so long now.”
“I see. Are there any new developments since?”
“Unfortunately, no. Hopefully, this will be over soon. I am also thinking of telling the captain that we’re okay and what I am planning.”
“I guess that would be for the best. And we should let our relatives know we’re safe too. I’m sure they are worried.”
“I know. We’ll do that too. Let me call the captain first.”
“Captain Pickett? It’s me.”
“Holy moly, is that you, Trance?”
“Shhh! Not too loud, captain. Yes, it’s me.”
“Where in the world are you? We thought you got caught in the blast. How are you doing? Are you safe?”
“Yes, captain. We’re safe. I’m with Bridgette. We’re hiding out here somewhere.”
“What do you intend to do? And how in the world did you escape the blast?”
“Well, for starters, we called up to let you know that we’re safe. Please do not tell anyone. We’ll also call our relatives to let them know that we’re safe. Only our closest relatives and we won’t even tell our friends that we’re okay for now.”
“Okay. I’ll do my best not to tell anyone.”
“All right, thanks, captain. As for the blast, well, I had one of those day dreams again. It showed me that there would be a second blast, but it also showed me where we could hide from it and get out of the building.”
“Very nice. I’m glad you made it. What are you going to do now? Do you know who did it?”
“Unfortunately, no. But I have a hunch that whoever’s behind the bombing could be related to the dream that I’ve been having for so long now.”
“Yes. That dream of yours has been recurring for some time now, right? Hopefully, it’s for the best and you find out everything you can before something bad happens.”
“Yes, and hopefully, the dream gets clearer and nobody gets hurt, unlike the girl in my dream.”
“Yes, I hope so too.”
“Okay, captain. Oh, by the way, how’s the deputy mayor?”
“She’s okay. She’s still in trauma after all that happened. I’m sure she’ll be fine.”
“That’s great to hear. We’ll get to the bottom of this. For now, please keep this a secret. We’ll contact you if there are any developments.”
“Got it. Take care, both of you. Keep me updated. I’ll try to help as much as I can if you need anything.”
“All right, captain. Thank you.”
The two got off the phone.
“Now, Bridgette, call your parents and your brother. Just them, okay? Do not call anyone else and tell them to keep it a secret.”
“Got it. Thanks.”
Bridgette called up her parents and told them that she is safe and that she is with Trance. She made it clear to her parents that they do not tell anyone that she’s alive and safe. As for Trance, he called up his parents too and the lieutenant.
“Eva, it’s me.”
“Trance! Oh my God. You’re safe? Glad you called me. I was worried sick. You haven’t been talking to me lately. How are you and where are you?”
“I’m okay. I’m hiding here in the woods somewhere. Do you have any update on the kidnapper? I believe the deputy mayor is safe.”
“Yes, she’s fine. She’s just resting. She’s got a couple of wounds, but they’re mostly scratches. We have no updates so far. How about you? Are you okay?”
“Don’t worry, I’m fine. Look, please don’t tell anyone that I’m still alive. I could get in trouble if more people know that I was safe from the blasts.”
“Sure. No worries. Your secret is safe with me. What do you plan to do next?”
“I’ll go after the one who did this.”
“Do you have an idea who it was who did this to you?”
“No, not yet, but I believe I may be able to.”
“Okay. Hope you get that person. Where are you headed off to now?”
“Not sure. Hopefully, I’ll get a lead soon. I’ll rest a bit for now.”
“Okay, sure. Take care and keep me posted, okay?”
“Okay, thanks.”
Trance and Eva got off the phone.
“Trance, where are we going now?”
“Well, I just needed to confirm one thing before we leave. We’ll spend the night at a nearby hotel and hopefully, I could put all things together and make the kidnapper pay for what happened.”
“Do you know who it is?”
“If I’m not mistaken, based on my dreams, I know who it is.”
“Hopefully, we’ll get the kidnapper soon and why we are involved in this.”
“Yes, I’m praying this will all be over soon. Let’s go.”
“Right.”
They were just in the outskirts of the city, not too far from the city center. They were walking towards a nearby hotel when they noticed two SUVs speeding toward their location. Trance had a very eerie feeling that something’s up so he and Bridgette quickly ran towards the hotel.
The SUVs stopped near where Trance and Bridgette where and there were a couple of men who alighted the vehicles. They were wearing casual clothes, but
they had guns and were clearly looking for someone.
Meanwhile, at the nearby hotel, the couple was able to secure a room.
“Trance, those men were looking for us, weren’t they?”
“Yes they were. I know it.”
“What? You know who it is that wanted us dead right? You think that person sent those men to hunt us?”
“Yes.”
“We’ve only called the people that are closest to us. You think it’s one of them?”
“I just have a hunch as to who it is, but I was still unsure who it really was. There is a likelihood that the person is indeed someone who we called or possibly, someone who listened in to our conversations.”
“That’s scary. What shall we do next?”
“I’m not sure. Well, let’s rest for now. I’ll take care of you. We’ll be safe here.”
The two stayed at the hotel for the night. Something weird was about to happen.
“Good morning, Trance.”
“Good morning, Bridgette.”
“You look pale. Are you okay?”
“Yes, I’m fine. But…”
“But what?”
“I did have a dream last night.”
“So? That’s good right? That means nothing will happen, right?”
“I’m not sure. Usually, if I don’t have a case, I’d dream about the tower and all, but this time, nothing.”
“That’s weird.”
“Let me try and take a short nap.”
“A nap? We just slept. Will you be able to?”