This is something more than just a talking computer, Jack thought, awestruck.
‘T … that’s fine. Could you display the last project we worked on?’
‘Have you forgotten, Professor? You need to input the passcode and verify your retinal scan before I can display that data.’
Jack was stumped for a second. ‘Yes … of course. I was just testing your security,’ he bluffed.
‘Very well. Is there anything else, Professor?’
‘Not for the moment, thank you.’
‘Very good. I will take my leave now and continue with my computations. Have a good evening, Professor.’
Jack backed away as the computer switched to a power saving mode. He now realized that his father’s work was indeed, Top Secret.
Very C.I.A., he thought.
If only he could find that passcode, then maybe he could find out what his father was working on and somehow help him. He had a thought. What if his dad had the code written down somewhere? It was likely; he had a terrible memory. Totally forgetting about the retinal scan, he immediately began an intensive search, literally turning the study upside down. He continued his search for half an hour, even carefully rifling through almost every book his father owned. Finding nothing, he slumped down on the leather couch and scanned the room, his eyes flitting left and right for something he may have missed. Suddenly, a loud banging on the door jolted him from his seat.
‘Jack. Are you in there? Open up.’
It was Natalie. Not wanting her to see his find, he quickly replaced the laptop in its hiding place.
‘Jack. Open the door right this minute. What are you doing in there?’
His task complete, he walked to the door and opened it to find Natalie standing there with her hands on her hips.
‘Jack what are you playing at? You know you’re not supposed to be in here. Are you trying to make things worse, after all that’s happened? I can’t take any more -.’ Her eyes widened at the devastation Jack had left behind, after his search of the room. ‘What the hell have you done?’
Jack thought quickly. ‘I was ... looking for something. I’ll clean it up. I promise.’
‘Yes, you will. Why have you done this, today of all days? Have I not had enough to cope with, or are you deliberately trying to upset me?’
‘No, I -’
‘Consider yourself grounded. I am not putting up with this behavior. Especially now, and especially not from you.’ She grabbed Jack by the collar and shook him violently. ‘Don’t you realize your father is missing?’
‘I’m sorry, OK?’ Jack mumbled.
‘So am I.’ With that Natalie left him standing there, shocked at her behavior. He had never witnessed his stepmother act like that before, and it upset him.
Jack stood there for a few moments, stunned. But once he had recovered he decided to continue his search. He locked the door once more, when, like a piercing alarm bell, the telephone rang.
He turned and looked at it, then quickly moved to his father’s desk. He hesitantly lifted the receiver to his ear, and as he did so, he heard a strange clicking sound. ‘Hello?’
‘Jack. Is that you?’
‘DAD! How -’
‘No time Jack. Can’t talk long. Listen very carefully. My kidnappers are idiots. They let me get to my cell phone. I need you to do a very dangerous thing. Will you do it?’
‘Y ... Yes.’ Jack replied, so relieved his father was still alive. ‘I have a computer hidden in my office, behind a panel on the wall. I need you to take it to a man called Doctor Kymes at ACI Labs in Middleton. There’s a map in my desk drawer. Don’t give the laptop to anyone else. Do you understand? I wouldn’t ask you Jack, but this is life and death, and you’re the only one I can trust. My work is vital to national security, and must not fall into the hands of the people that are holding me. I’ll be fine; they’ll let me go when they hear that ACI Labs have my work.’
‘Don’t worry Dad. You can count on me,’ Jack said, tears streaming down his face at hearing his father’s voice.
‘Good boy. Now you remember what I said? Only Doctor Kymes.’
‘Yes.’
‘I’m sorry for dragging you into this Jack. You must not tell anyone what you’re doing. Not even your stepmother. She wouldn’t understand. There’s one m ... NO! No -’
Jack heard a thump, and then the cell died.
‘Dad? Are you there? What’s happened? Dad?’ Still, the telephone remained silent.
What could have happened? What was that thud? Why did the cell go dead? These and many other questions flew through Jack’s mind. He picked up the receiver and dialed his father’s cell, but all he received was a woman telling him that the phone was out of coverage or switched off.
Deep furrows of concentration and worry feathered his brow. He had been given this great responsibility, but now what was he to do? As he sat there and thought, the overwhelming desire to tell someone gripped him.
There was a banging at the door.
‘Jack. Who was that on the telephone?’
Jack so wanted to tell Natalie, to reassure her, but he had been told not to. Again he had to lie to her.
‘It was the press, they wanted an interview,’ he said, opening the door. He saw suspicion in her eyes as he said it.
‘Well I hope you told them no,’ she said, eying him curiously.
Jack nodded. ‘Is Allie still here?’
‘Yes, she’s in the garden.’ She turned, crossed the hall, and headed upstairs.
Jack left the study, locking the door behind him, and placed the key in his trouser pocket. He walked down the long hallway towards the kitchen. As he did so, he stopped at a family portrait, painted when he was thirteen. There his father, a proud looking man, stood next to a grand fireplace, with his stepmother and Jack at either side. They all looked happy, and he smiled, remembering the original portrait that he had put his foot through, causing the artist to have to start again. Taking one final look, he passed through the kitchen.
Allie was sat on a chair, wrapped in a blanket and sipping a cup of hot cocoa when Jack walked up to her.
‘How are you?’ she said softly.
‘Okay, I guess.’
Jack paused a few moments, not taking his eyes from her. ‘Listen. I … I need to talk to you about something important. But you can’t tell Natalie, okay?’
‘What is it?’ she asked.
‘Not here,’ he said, taking Allie’s hand and leading her indoors.
Jack unlocked the study door and ushered Allie inside. Locking it again, he turned to her with a look of anxiety on his face. ‘Can I trust you with something?’
‘Of course.’
‘No, I mean real trust. I … I mean what I have to tell you is so serious that it mustn’t leave this room.’
‘Okay.’ Allie said, puzzled.
‘I’m serious. I’ve been told not to tell anyone, but I have to…I need your help. But I have to make sure that what I’m about to do is kept secret. I know this sounds ridiculous, but it’s a matter of life and death,’ Jack continued, echoing his father’s words.
Allie took his face in her hands. ‘I promise that whatever you tell me, I’ll keep it a secret.’
Satisfied, Jack led her to the leather couch and sat her down.
‘What I’m going to say might shock you. But please just listen, okay?’
‘Yes.’
‘I’ve just received a phone call from Dad -’
‘How? Where is he?’
‘Allie, please.’
‘Sorry, but that’s good news, right?’
‘Yes and no. He’s still kidnapped. But he managed to get to his cell phone and call me.’
Jack began to pace the room, biting his nails.
‘Calm down Jack. What else did he say?’
Jack stopped at his father’s desk and splayed his fingers on the glossy surface. ‘He asked me not to tell the police or Natalie. He wants me to deliver a package to a Doctor Kymes in Middle
ton. The thing is, I promised him I would. I’m not supposed to tell anyone because the men who kidnapped him want the package. I don’t know who else to turn to, and I need money. Will you help?’
Allie pondered it for a moment. ‘I’ll help if you answer a few questions.’
Jack turned and nodded.
‘This could be really dangerous. Middleton is over sixty miles away. How are you going to get there?’
‘I know it could be dangerous, but I have to help him. I can’t just sit here.’
‘If you ask me, the only way you can help him is to hand the package straight to the police.’
‘I can’t do that. He said he couldn’t trust anyone.’ Jack paused. ‘Will you give me some money so I can catch a train?’
‘On one condition.’
‘What’s that?’
‘I’m coming with you.’
‘No, you can’t.’
‘I want to help your Dad just as much as you do. But if something happened, and I wasn’t there, I wouldn’t ever forgive myself, especially now I know. I’m coming, and that’s final. Of course, if you don’t want the money -’
‘Okay, okay! You can come,’ Jack agreed. ‘But we need to organize a few things first. If something happens, the main thing is to get the package to ACI Labs. It’s the only way I can save Dad.’
‘I understand. We need to find train times, fetch my money and a change of clothes. You locate the train schedule. I’ll head home, and I’ll bring some food and meet you back here at midnight.’ She stood up, kissed Jack on the cheek, walked to the door, opened it and left the room.
Jack stood there in admiration. That girl’s awesome!
While searching the study, Jack had noticed a train schedule in one of the desk drawers, and after retrieving it from underneath a pile of scattered papers, he sat at the desk and opened the booklet. He pored over it, and a short time later, he rose, finally having deciphered the cryptic numbers inside.
The train to Middleton didn’t leave until six thirty the next morning. This was good. It gave Jack time to organize things.
*
Allie felt cold and lonely on her journey home. It was now well after ten at night, and the shadows seemed more frightening than usual, especially in the light of recent events. It seemed to her that every shadow held an invisible foe, ready to pounce.
The streetlights offered little comfort, in fact, the light accentuated the shadows and made everything worse.
Had she taken notice, she would have been panicked to learn that a large black sedan had been following her since she had entered her estate. They had been lying in wait for her return. The car coasted along behind her, lights off, and inside sat two men, both of whom were rather shabbily dressed.
As she approached her street, the car moved quickly and pulled up in front of her with a screech of tires. A man in a mask jumped out of the car, grabbed her, and twisted her around. Before she could scream, a hand was placed over her mouth, and then the man’s companion blindfolded her. She was bundled into the back seat of the car, which then sped away with further screeching of tyres that left a trail of dark rubber on the grey asphalt road.
The car made its way quickly through the back streets of the town, with Allie struggling to free herself, all to no avail. She felt a needle enter her arm, and after a few moments of disorientation, she became drowsy, before finally slipping into a state of unconsciousness.
The car sped through the night, further and further away from Hopewell and her home.
*
Waking hours later, Allie lay in darkness, feeling drowsy and disorientated from the effects of the drug administered to her. Not knowing where she had been taken, or by whom, was terrifying, and she shook with fear.
It took a few moments for her eyes to adjust to what light there was in the room. She could see a barred window high on one wall, and nothing much else. There was no decoration of any kind on the walls that she could make out, although she could now see that she was laid on an old mattress, which smelled rather like horses.
Maybe I’m on a farm, she thought.
Allie’s hands had been tied behind her back, and this prevented her from standing up unaided. She had to roll on her side to get to her knees and found this more challenging than she had ever thought possible, but she managed it in the end. With the aid of her head, she was able to stand, by using it as leverage against the wall.
Successfully completing her task, she concentrated on getting her hands from behind her. Slipping her bottom, and then each leg through her arms, she eventually did it. Then began the task of freeing her bonds. It was difficult at first to try to untie the knots from the rope, however, using her teeth to loosen them, she eventually achieved it. The release was a major relief. Her wrists were very sore, and she spent quite a time rubbing them, trying to bring back the circulation.
Now that she was free, she looked around to try to find a way out of the room. Taking a cigarette lighter from her jacket pocket, she lit it. It cast dark shadows that flickered across the room, to reveal a door in one corner. She began by checking the door, to see whether it was locked, and to her surprise, it wasn’t. She took this as an opportunity to escape.
The door was made of thick oak, and the hinges barely squeaked as she opened it. They must have thought I’d be out for some time, she mused to herself, half enjoying the experience of escaping from her prison and putting one over on her captors.
She moved very quietly, so as not to alert her kidnappers of her presence.
Although it was dark in the building, she could see where she was going, thanks to streams of moonlight coming through barred windows lined along a corridor on the other side of her prison. Shards of light highlighted dust particles in the air, and it was all she could do not to sneeze.
Creeping by another closed door, she heard snoring and what sounded like a cartoon playing on a television. With great care, she quietly opened the door a crack and could see someone sleeping on makeshift bedding, while another played a computer game with his back to her.
Closing the door to her captors, she began to systematically check all the other rooms in the hallway, looking for a way out. There were quite a few rooms to check, and then she came to the last door, only to find it locked tightly with a good strong padlock. Out of hope, she tried to open it, but it didn’t budge.
Something in the back of her mind told her that Professor Simpson was on the other side of that door. She didn’t know why she just knew she had to open it.
Allie moved back down to a room she had previously checked that turned out to be the kitchen of the house. She began a quiet, but thorough search of the cupboards in an attempt to find something to prise open the door.
Under the sink, she found a small chisel. She hurriedly left the kitchen, but she’d taken no more than two or three steps when a noise froze her to the spot. Up ahead, one of her kidnappers had left the room and stretched with a loud yawn. The sounds of the television kept playing, and she figured that the other man must be still playing his game. She checked about her for a means of escape and saw none, so she backed up quickly and retreated into the kitchen.
What if he comes in here? She panicked.
At first there appeared to be nowhere to hide until she realized she could hide behind the door. She slipped quickly behind it, desperately hoping that it wouldn’t creak. To her horror, it did just that and attracted the attention of the kidnapper.
‘Who’s there?’ he called.
Through the crack between the frame and the door, Allie stared terrified as a gruff, unshaven man with bloodshot eyes stepped into view. He listened, and Allie held her breath, frightened that he would hear it. Even so, she was convinced her heart would give her away, as it felt as if a jack-in-the-box was attempting to escape her chest.
The kidnapper pushed the kitchen door further and unluckily struck Allie’s foot. He pushed harder, and she knew then that he would investigate. With all her might she thrust her shoulder agai
nst the door, and felt and then heard a thump and cry, followed by a second thud.
Breathing quickly, and with wide eyes, she peered around the door and saw her abductor laid unconscious on the slate floor of the kitchen. She had evidently caught the man by surprise, and he had struck his head on the doorframe and passed out.
There was no time to waste, and she stepped over him and raced to the locked room, more determined than ever to see what was on the other side. Placing the chisel under the hasp, she put all her strength behind it, and with surprising ease and quietness, the lock gave way from the rotten wooden frame.
CHAPTER FOUR
Jack had said goodnight to his stepmother, whom he found lying on her bed staring at the ceiling. This incensed him, and he was now even more determined to deliver his father’s package.
Jack loved the outdoors and would often go camping with his dad, and this gave him the idea of taking his survival kit. The small metallic tin contained numerous items he felt he might need on his journey. His father had always told him to be practical in any situation, and not to panic; to allow fear to be an aid in difficult circumstances. Jack didn’t often show concern, appearing strong and resolute, but he had the feeling the next few hours would test him.
He grabbed the tin from his desk drawer and checked the contents, satisfied that everything was there. Shoving it into his backpack, he spotted a chocolate bar wrapper on his night table, and it dawned on him that he hadn’t eaten anything since breakfast. As he headed down the stairs, he hoped Allie would have time to make a sandwich or two.
He returned to his father’s study and packed the laptop into the backpack. Again sitting at his father’s desk, he studied a map he retrieved from his backpack pocket.
‘When we get to Middleton, we need to follow Landridge Lane, turn off at St. Paul’s Road, then go down Middleton Row, and keep following Marsh Road. ACI Labs should be on that road,’ he muttered.
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