A cold chill of fear ran down Nick’s spine as he remembered the very real threats Sal had made when he was attacked in his home. He struggled to get free of his bonds and gag but he had little hope of escape from his handcuffs. The ropes binding his feet were tightly tied, and the rag holding his gag in place had been wound around his mouth and neck several times and tightly knotted at the back of his neck. All Nick could do now was pray that he would be rescued before Sal began to seriously harm him.
Chapter 30
The Cavalry Arrives
(Friday)
After their morning briefing with Captain Garcia at 6:00 AM, Dominic and Martin started searching the area between the county park and Angelo’s house for abandoned mines. They had located about a dozen of these on the Geological Survey map. They then were systematically going to find the entrance to each one to see if there were any man-made improvement or signs of recent activity. They were working on the theory that the kidnappers were using an abandoned mine as an underground hideout.
Martin and Dominic had located three of the mines already but so far the mines were just as advertised — abandoned. As they were leaving the entrance to the third mine, Dominic heard a beeping noise in his pocket. His portable tracking monitor had just picked up a signal. Quickly taking it out of his pocket, Dominic saw that it was the device sewn originally into Jason’s pocket. However it could also mean that they had located Nick, because Jason had been instructed to give Nick that transmitter after he was found.
“Look, Martin! We finally have something. It looks like it is fairly close to where we are!”
“Let’s go! I am ready for some action. I’ll drive while you radio this in to Captain Garcia. Find out how far in he wants us to go.”
The two men were soon off in their SUV. Dominic got on the radio to Garcia. “We have a very strong signal on the second tracking device. We believe we are within a mile of the location already. How far can we go in?”
“Go in and scout everything out. Stay undercover. Find out how many people are there besides Nick or Jason. See if you can determine whether it is Nick or Jason that they have. We are getting the signal here also. I will send out a SWAT team to help surround the place. Only act if you see that someone’s life is in danger or the kidnappers are trying to escape. We should be there in fifteen minutes.”
Captain Garcia got up to go. Daniel was right there with him and was about to say something. “It’s okay, Daniel. You can come with me. But you will have to stay in the car until it’s safe.”
“Thank you, Captain. This past day has been agonizing for me! I am so worried about my friends!”
* * * * *
Back in Angelo’s subterranean basement, a dazed Jason was trying to get his head together. He had been very lucky after the man kicked him down off the ladder. He was able to grab onto the cart with the pulley, which help him to break his fall. Gradually he was able to focus on things and remembered that he had urgent business to complete. But first he had to figure out how to get out of the room. Slowly and carefully Jason climbed back up the ladder. He didn’t want to make a mistake or trip this time. When he arrived at the top he looked around for some sort of release mechanism. At first he couldn’t see anything. Then he thought to himself, “This can’t be that difficult. After all Angelo could get in and out of here!”
Then he saw it! A spring loaded brake lever at the edge of one of the tracks. He pulled on the lever and then he heard a clicking sound as it released the wooden cover from its moorings. Next to it was a short metal handle. When he pulled the handle to the right, he could feel the wooden covering start to move. As it moved toward the right, a second handle appeared, and then a third. The covering gained a little momentum until it finally clicked into another braking device. The passageway was open! Jason quickly climbed out and found himself in Angelo’s kitchen. He was free again!
Looking around, he marveled at the cleverness of the covering, which turned out to be a moveable cabinet. “No wonder nobody could find figure out where Angelo took his victims,” he thought. Then Jason thought about Nick. He realized that he had no time to waste. But first he had to meet a few human needs. He went into a small bathroom off the hallway and looked at himself in the mirror. “I sure look like a mess!” he thought. He then used the toilet and washed his hands and face. That would have to do for now.
As he walked down the hall he saw a telephone. When he lifted up the receiver, he heard a dial tone. Clearly his luck was changing for the better! Quickly Jason dialed 911. When the operator answered, he gave her his name, and explained his emergency. “Please contact the San Matthias police and connect me to someone in the missing children’s task force led by Captain Antonio Garcia. Hurry, a young boy’s life is at stake!”
The 911 operator was very skilled, and within 60 seconds Jason was talking directly to Captain Garcia. “Jason, it is so good to hear your voice. We have been going nuts trying to locate you for the past 18 hours! Where are you and what is your status? Do you need medical care?”
“I am at Angelo’s house. Underneath his house is a subbasement that led to a true cavern of horror. That’s where Nick and I were held captive. Whoever built this house was some sort of mechanical genius! The entrance was so cleverly hidden that unless you knew the secret, it was impossible to find. After a long period of captivity where I was kept tied up, I was able to get the upper hand on Angelo with two small pepper spray vials that were hidden in my clothing. I had been kept strung up to a chain but finally was given a break and allowed to use an outhouse. I caught Angelo by surprise when I exited the outhouse. I sprayed him with both vials and then beat him unconscious. I left him there taped up with his own duct tape! Then I went and released Nick. Angelo was just about to kill Nick and cut up his body! You will want to send a forensics team here. There is a box filled with kids’ shoes. I think that Angelo and his partner have been kidnapping and killing kids for a long time! It’s a horrible scene to say the least. I am okay physically, a little exhausted and sore, but I don’t need emergency medical care.
“My big concern right now is Nick. As we were starting to come out of the subbasement, a man was there, who we at first thought was a policeman, but turned out to be one of the kidnappers. He helped Nick out, then kicked me back down into the subbasement. I was lucky enough to grab onto a cart used to haul supplies in the opening which helped break my fall. But this man now has Nick! I did remember to give him the other tracking device.”
“We are on that right now, Jason!” Captain Garcia answered. “Once Nick was above ground, his tracking device began transmitting. Martin and Dominic were the closest to its location. We are en route right now and soon will have the location surrounded with our SWAT team. We will get whoever grabbed Nick and rescue Nick as soon as we can!
“Have you made contact with the two officers that have been watching the house, Jason? We have had a patrol car there since yesterday.”
“I haven’t seen anyone yet, but I haven’t gone outside. They could be in trouble or hurt since someone was able to grab Nick and take him out of here.”
“I am ordering a complete team to the house right now. In the meantime see if you can locate the two officers. Then call me back! Daniel is with me, by the way, and I am sure he would like to talk to you when you call back.” Garcia gave Jason his number and then rang off.
Jason went outside to check on the police officers and soon found them outside the house where they had been left handcuffed. One of the officers was just starting to regain consciousness. Jason asked him if he had the key to the handcuffs and then located it in the officer’s shirt pocket. Jason then was able to unlock the handcuffs and release the two officers. He then hurried back inside the house to phone Captain Garcia.
“Both of the police officers are okay now. They were surprised by the man who grabbed Nick, knocked unconscious, dragged to the side of the house, and left handcuffed to some utility poles. It must have been after he took them out that the man c
ame inside, opened the concealed entrance to the subbasement and kidnapped Nick.”
“We are pretty sure now that the man is Salvatore Butera,” Captain Garcia replied. “We haven’t been able to locate him yet. His work supervisor told us that he was on vacation this week.”
“That makes sense. I think that this guy must be the brains behind the whole operation! I think he is the one who attacked Nick at his house and now wants to seriously harm Nick! Based on what I saw here, I think that Sal is acting alone right now. After all his partner is still tied up in the cave of horrors!”
“That’s good to know, Jason. As soon as we can isolate him away from Nick, we will take him! For now I want you to stay at the house and give the team that is coming in a complete briefing on what has happened, what you know about this case, and how to access the subbasement and cave. Then I will have you brought up here to be reunited with Daniel and Nick when we are successful in capturing Salvatore Butera. Hang on for one more minute, Jason. There is someone who wants to say hello!”
“Daniel!” Jason exclaimed. “Is that you? It is so good to hear your voice!”
“I’m the one who should be saying that, Jason!” Daniel replied. “I was really scared there for a while that we would lose you, but then I figured if anyone could get out of a tight situation, it was you! I’m so glad you are safe! Now we are going to do what it takes to rescue Nick!”
After disconnecting from Jason, Captain Garcia drove his car closer down the road to the location on the transmitter and stopped the car. He had several more of the task force units encircling the area on other roads. Slowly the net was closing on Salvatore Butera.
About ten minutes after Garcia had parked, he received a text message from Dominic. “We are outside the house. Everything is very quiet inside. We can’t see inside as all the windows are covered with shades. There is a man here working outside. It looks like he is digging a trench. He is by himself. He matches the description of Salvatore Butera, young in his twenties, medium height, dark Italian features, and well tanned skin. Should we take him out?”
“Can you take him alive?” Garcia text messaged back.
“Piece of cake!” was the reply.
“Go for it, then, and signal when you have him!”
In ten minutes, everything was over. Martin circled in on Sal, who was engrossed in his shoveling work thinking about what he would do to Nicolo when he was done working outside. Sal never even noticed Martin coming until it was too late. With three accurate and forceful blows, Martin stunned Sal, knocked the shovel to the ground, and then brought Sal down to the ground. Martin then put his foot on Sal’s back and held a gun to his head. “You make one move and I will break your body apart bone by bone if I don’t blow your head off first! Say yes if you understand!”
Salvatore whimpered a ‘yes’.
“Well that is good for you and bad for me. There is nothing more satisfying to me than beating the crap out of a pervert predator like you who picks on kids!” Martin whistled to Dominic, so he would come over. He took his foot off of Sal’s back. “I want you to slowly, and I mean slowly, move your arms above your head. Lie completely prone on the ground.” Sal complied and his whole body was stretched out on the ground.
By then Dominic had come over to where Martin and Sal were. “Contact Captain Garcia to come in and arrest this sack of shit! Have you seen any sign of the boy yet?”
“I think he is probably held somewhere in the house. As soon as I get off the horn to Garcia I will go take a look.” Dominic called Antonio on his cell phone with the news that they had captured Sal Butera. As Garcia was parked down the road he was literally up the driveway and at the house within two minutes.
Dominic arrived back at the house just as Garcia and Daniel were getting out of the car. “Antonio, you may have the pleasure of arresting Salvatore Butera. Martin is over there holding him at gunpoint. Better hurry before Martin gets too worked up!”
“Thanks for the heads up and quick action! Yeah, we don’t want another beaten up perp although I think that I might look the other way after the preliminary report I received from Jason about their cave of horrors at Angelo’s house.” Captain Garcia hurried over to where Martin was to put handcuffs on Sal and formally arrest him.
Daniel then said, “Good to see you Dominic! I talked on the telephone to Jason. He is safe and he sounds in good spirits. Now we need to find Nick!”
“I think he must be inside the house, Daniel. Let’s go check it out.” Daniel and Dominic walked quickly to the front door of the house. Dominic tested the latch but the door was locked. “Stand back, Daniel!” Dominic ordered. With a flying kick he busted through the door. With his pistol in his hand, he quickly looked side to side with his gun aimed. There was no one there. “Come on inside, Daniel. It’s all clear.”
“Nick are you inside here?” Daniel yelled. Immediately there were muffled cries from the kitchen. Daniel and Dominic quickly hurried into the kitchen where they found Nick still bound and gagged in the wooden chair. Daniel worked on loosening the knots on Nick’s gag while Dominic untied the ropes binding Nick’s feet to the chair.
“I’m sorry I don’t have a handcuff key with me,” Dominic said. “I will go get one from Captain Garcia.” Dominic hurried out to get the key.
Daniel finished loosening the knots, unwound the rag around Nick’s head, and pulled the handkerchief out of his mouth. “Nick, I am so glad you are safe! Hang in there! In a minute we will be able to remove those handcuffs!”
“I am so happy to see you, Daniel! I take it that Sal has been captured.”
“Oh yeah, my friend. He will never be able to harm you again!”
“That is such a relief to hear. I have been so close to death and disaster these past couple of days, first from Angelo, and then from Sal.”
Daniel gripped Nick’s shoulders with his hands and looked him in the eyes. “All of that horror is over for you now, Nick! You made it! You survived! You are free!”
“What about Jason? The last I saw of him, Sal had just kicked him back down into that subbasement at Angelo’s house.”
“I just talked to him on the phone a little while ago. He managed to escape from the subbasement and is doing all right. Apparently he was able to grab onto something to break his fall, so he wasn’t seriously hurt, just dazed with a few bruises. Now he sounds like he is getting back to his old self again. I think that he is being brought up here after he briefs a forensic team on what he found in the cave.”
“God, that place was such a nightmare! When Jason rescued me I had been strapped to a metal dissection table, all prepped to be killed and cut up into pieces! And then I think of the kids before me who did have that fate!” Nick’s voice was becoming distraught.
Daniel tightened his grip on Nick’s arms for a minute. “Nick, you have been very brave. You have been through a horrible experience! It will take a long time for you to fully recover. But don’t worry about it! Jason and I and all of your friends will be there with you every step of the way. Jason’s foundation will cover whatever you need to heal. He has already arranged private medical care and more sessions with Dr. Agoura. You will have music back in your life! You know that has healing power!”
As Daniel was finishing his reply, Dominic came back in with Sergeant Malone who had the handcuff keys. Within thirty seconds, Nick was free from his handcuffs. Nick got up from the chair and rubbed his wrists. Then he gave Daniel a big hug. “Thank you! Thank you! I’m so tired of being bound and gagged, abused, and threatened with death!”
“There is a whole task force that has been working on your rescue, Nick! Let me introduce you to some of the others who helped. This is Dominic Sanchez, a retired Navy SEAL who also helped us rescue Tim last spring. And this is Sergeant Jim Malone, of the Silicon Valley Police, a fine officer we have known since the time of Jason’s kidnapping.”
Nick shook each of their hands and thanked them for their help.
Daniel then said, “Nick, h
ow about your personal needs. Do you need to use the bathroom? Would you like a drink of water? I don’t know how long you were tied up, but I know it makes it hard to take care of business!”
“Yes I would like a drink and the use of the facilities,” Nick said.
“There is a bathroom down here,” Sergeant Malone called from down the hall. He had started to check out the other rooms of the house for evidence. Daniel went to get Nick a glass of water while he used the bathroom. Nick had just taken a few sips of water when Jason and Captain Garcia walked into the house.
“Jason!” Nick exclaimed. He ran over to Jason and gave him a hug. “Are you okay? How did you manage to get out of that basement?”
“Nick, it’s been quite a day! I’m doing fine now that we are out of that hellhole. I was so worried about you when after all we went through to escape from Angelo and his chamber of horrors, you fell right back into the hands of Sal Butera.”
“It was very scary when he told me he was my half-brother and he had a family reunion of torture and abuse planned for me!”
“You boys have broken open what appears to be a huge case!” Captain Garcia exclaimed. “If what Jason has told me already is verified, we have captured two serial predators who have been responsible for many kidnappings and murders over the past six years! Parents and kids all over the state will be grateful for what you have accomplished. I am very proud of you for your bravery and selflessness under a lot of duress.”
Family Matters Page 22