by C. L. Brees
Carol Jones was packing up her items and about to head for home. The rest of her day was grueling; seeing patient after patient left her not even a minute to herself, let alone time to check her voicemails. She closed her office door behind her and walked down the now calm corridor towards the elevator. As she passed the nurse station the overnight nurse waved goodbye. “Have a great evening Dr. Jones. See you in the morning.”
“Thanks Alexa, have a great night yourself.”
She approached the elevator and pressed the down arrow. A few seconds passed and before she knew it the elevator doors opened and she stepped on. She thought to herself, this is silly, I could have just taken the stairs down one floor.
As the elevator doors opened onto the fifth floor of the parking garage, a strange, eerie sensation fell upon her. She clutched her purse closer to her body as she scanned the empty parking garage. She kept feeling that someone was watching her, but after looking around quickly cleared the thought from her mind. She continued walking, her high heels clacking with each step that she took towards her SUV which was only thirty feet away. She pulled out her keys and jiggled them until she found the unlock button on her key fob. The car beeped indicated to her that the car was unlocked. She opened her door and threw her purse into the passenger seat. Sitting down for the first time in hours, she slouched into the black leather seats. She closed her eyes and smiled. Her happiness was short lived as she abruptly heard the sound of revolver being cocked. She slowly opened her eyes as the cold metal pressed against the side of her face. Frozen in her seat, she was hesitant to move. A soft female whisper echoed from the backseat. “Just do what I say and I won’t kill you.”
“I’ll do whatever you ask me to. Please just don’t hurt me.”
“We’ve been looking for you a long time now. I am finally going to get the revenge my family deserves. You can thank that piece of shit husband of yours for all of this. You think you lost someone important—well, I lost someone more important. Now put the car in drive and get us out of here.” “Whatever you say. I have to warn you though that you’d better get down. If the security guard sees you with a gun to the back of my head, he’ll surely alert the police. I don’t think that’s what you want.”
The intruder lowered the gun from behind her ear and warned, “I’m watching you, so no sudden moves or you and the security guard are done for.”
Carol arrived on the ground level and pulled up to the gate. She was met by a young, handsome guard in his mid-20’s. He waved at her before she even arrived at his window. As she got closer, she rolled the window down.
“Good evening Dr. Jones. It looks like you’re having a late night.”
“Oh you have no idea, Joe. Sadly, it’s not over yet.”
“I’m sorry to hear that, Dr. Jones. Well, let’s get you on your way. Just need you to input your code so I can let you out,” he said as he handed her a keypad.
“Oh, thanks, Joe. I’ll see you tomorrow night,” she said as the gate lifted.
“Sounds good, Dr. Jones. Sleep well tonight.”
Carol slowly drove through the exit and breathed a sigh of relief. The presence of the assailant weighed heavy on her as she could feel the piercing eyes watching her every move. She felt more nervous as the seconds ticked by. Once they were away from the hospital, she heard an all too familiar voice from the backseat.
“You got one thing right—it’s going to be a very long night for you and your son.”
“I don’t understand what you’re talking about. Who are you, and what do you want with me and my son?”
“Your husband sent my father away many years ago. Yeah, sure, I was able to go visit him at the federal penitentiary, but what kind of life is that, huh? I barely knew my father, and then your husband goes and takes him away from me. And what are you and Alex up to? Living it up in your big house, driving your fancy cars in the fancy suburbs. What did I have, hmm? Nothing, that’s what I had, except heartbreak.”
In a whimpered voice Carol replied, “I’m sorry. I truly had no idea. My husband’s work was none of my business, so I didn’t ask questions as long as he was providing for me and my son.”
“Oh sure, you’re going to play the I didn’t know card. And what makes things worse is that my father was murdered last year in prison. I blame all of this on your no good husband. So guess what, I’m going to kill you and your son and anyone else who stands in my way,” the assailant said as she climbed over the center console and plopped in the passenger seat.
The abductor kept her face hidden by a hood she draped over her head, however Carol knew she had heard the voice before and she kept trying to place it in her mind. They continued on passing intersection after intersection. Carol kept glancing over at the passenger seat, and suddenly the assailant began removing the hood from her head. Carol gasped as she finally realized that the person who sat next to her was no stranger; it was someone she trusted the most.
***
Meanwhile, Mike was just stepping out of the shower. A quick five-minute shower was all he needed to perk up. Unlike Alex who spent at least ten minutes fixing his hair, Mike had a short military style haircut so that saved him a lot of time. He stood at the vanity and wiped the palm of his hand across the mirror. He barely saw his reflection through the fogginess, but he saw enough to see his worn face. He was exhausted, but knew that he had to get back out there and rescue Alex and his friends. He had no idea where to even start looking for him, but he knew that the life of his boyfriend was more important than his own.
After applying lotion to his face, he walked out of the bathroom and walked towards the reach-in closet. He sifted through the clothes and pulled out a fresh uniform. He quickly changed and rushed back towards the front door. He quickly shut the door behind him and raced down the stairs back towards the parking lot. He ran his hand along the hood of the Escalade; it was still warm to the touch. He jumped in the driver’s seat and turned the engine over. He placed the vehicle in reverse and drove back towards Apple Valley. The storm outside was finally beginning to let up and he sighed with relief.
He thought aloud, “Maybe now we can get some helicopters up to search for them.”
As he arrived at the intersection near Apple Valley, his phone which sat in the passenger seat began to ring. He reached over and picked the phone up off the seat. Without hesitation he answered the phone.
“Mike here.”
“The one and only Mike Temple, I assume?” the distorted voice asked.
“Yeah, the one and only; who’s asking?” “I’ll cut to the chase—if you want to see your boyfriend and his friends alive again, you’ll do exactly what I say. If you tell anyone about this conversation, they’ll all die.”
“What have you done with them?”
“They’re all alive…for now…and if you don’t do what we say, that will soon change. We’re tracking your location; so don’t think you can divert anywhere. And your cell phone has been cloned so we know who you’re talking to as well.”
“Seriously, who in the hell is this?”
“Drive past the subdivision and continue until you reach highway 36 north. Take a left and drive to Lyons. I’ll contact you again when you arrive there with further instructions.”
“How do I know they’re still alive?”
“You’ll just have to take my word for it. Remember, do not contact anyone or deviate from my instructions in any way, or they die.”
“I’d like to take your word for it, but before I do anything I want to talk to Alex,” Mike demanded as he pulled the SUV onto the shoulder.
“Not going to happen. Now do as I say. The more you stall, the longer this ordeal will last.”
“Fine, I’m on my way,” he conceded.
Mike hung up the phone and angrily chucked the phone into the empty passenger seat. He pulled back onto the asphalt and did exactly as he was told. He blew past the entrance to the subdivision and drove out to highway 36. Turning right he drove out of Ridgewood H
ills. His blood was boiling with anger, but he knew he had no choice in the matter. The brightly lit streets of Ridgewood Hills quickly turned into darkness as he drove out of the city limits.
What am I getting myself into? This goes against everything I have ever been trained to do.
***
About an hour and eighty miles later, tucked away in a forest covered valley, Alex slowly lifted his head and opened his swollen eyes to find himself tied to a chair. He tried to wiggle his hands loose from the binds, but he quickly gave up as he saw a blurry figure approaching him in the distance. The figure walked closer towards Alex. He tried to turn his head away from the unknown person. The man reached for him and squeezed his large hands around his cheeks. Alex could smell the stench of tobacco as it radiated from the man’s mouth.
“Your boyfriend better show; otherwise you and your friend here won’t see tomorrow morning’s sunrise.”
Whimpering aloud, he pleaded with the man as a drop of blood fell upon his button down shirt: “I can’t help you if I don’t know what it is you want. Please, just tell me what you want.”
“Your father really screwed us years ago,” the man said as he slowly released his hold of Alex. “This is just payback for what he did.”
“My father’s been dead for a long time, over half of my life. Besides, he was doing his job by taking that organized crime ring down. Maybe you and your thugs shouldn’t have been doing the things you were doing,” Alex blurted out as the man suddenly smacked him in the face with the butt of the .38 special.
“Don’t ever talk back to me that way again—you’re not running the show here. I am.”
As the man exited the room, Alex sat there in the chair. He continued to fight to break free from the restraints. It was no use, and he stopped struggling after a few seconds. He hung his head down again towards the wooden floor, when suddenly he heard a familiar voice from behind him. “Alex, stop trying to get out. It’s impossible. I’ve been trying and it’s not working.”
“Amy…Is that you?”
“Yes, I’m here with you,” she affirmed. “Are you injured at all?”
“I can barely see, but there is blood dripping from my face. I’m going to go out on a limb and say I’m injured somewhere.”
“This isn’t the time to be a smart ass. How are we going to get out of this?”
Alex sat there in silence. That was the all mighty question. How was he going to get them out of this one? He thought about possible scenarios in his mind, the flashes of thought racing on and on. He slightly turned his head to the left and whispered to Amy. “I’m sorry for getting you mixed up in this. I’m going to get us out of here alive. I promise,” he swore as he turned his head back to the right, catching a glimpse of a fireplace along the wall.
“Where’s Brandy at? Have you seen her or heard her?”
“I haven’t seen or heard her since I woke up.”
“Maybe they already killed her. Whoever these people are they mean business. I’d really like to know myself what they are after. I don’t think your father could have done anything that terrible that justifies kidnapping us.”
“I have no idea what he could have done that would have put us in the position we are in today,” he insisted as the man re-entered the room they were being held captive in.
They sat there, being as still as they possibly could, while the man scrutinized the room for a few seconds and then began walking back towards the door. Alex interjected and the man stopped a few feet shy of the door. “Alright, so, I’m sorry I pissed you off. I’m not sure what my father did or took from you, but please have some compassion and start a fire for us. We’re both freezing over here.”
“Why should I do anything for you?”
“You don’t have to do anything for us. Remember, though, that you’re pissed at my father, not us. I was only five when my father was murdered—what could a five-year-old possibly have done to deserve this? You don’t want us dying of hypothermia up here, do you?”
The man contemplated for a minute and began walking towards the fireplace. “You make good point. I should not do this, but I will start a fire for you. I feel that your last few hours should be peaceful.”
The man knelt down at the fireplace and within a few moments it came to life with a beautiful flame. He huffed as he walked back towards the door. “You’re welcome.”
After hearing the door close and sound of the lock twisting, he sat there regaining his strength. The warmth from the fireplace helped him refocus his energy on saving them instead of shaking from cold.
Think Alex…think. How are you going to get out of here?
“I need you to help me with something.”
“What is it?”
“When I say go, I need you to pick your chair up off the ground with your legs and make your way over towards the fire,” Alex said.
“What are you talking about? You’re going to get us killed.”
“I have a good plan…trust me on this one. I’m not going to sit here and just die. If I’m going to die tonight, I’m going out with a fight.”
“I hope you know what you’re doing,” she noted, as he began counting down from ten.
Alex felt unsure of his plan – but had to make it work at all costs. Regardless, he didn’t really have many options at his disposal. On the count of ten, the two of them quietly lifted the chairs from the floor and slowly moved towards the fire that glowed brilliantly in the distance.
“I hope whatever thoughts are going through your head at this moment are going to get us out of this,” she moaned.
Catching his breath, he groaned, “Have a little more faith in me. You’ve always trusted me, and now is the time I need you to trust me the most.”
Twenty seconds passed and they reached the hearth of the fireplace. They slowly lowered the legs of their chairs back onto the floor and exhaled in relief.
Standing beneath the canopy of the command post, Sergeant Reed scanned the vicinity around him. He could see Detective Scott in the distance, speaking with a crime scene technician. He hollered at him. “Scott, get over here.”
Ending his conversation, he quickly jogged over towards Reed. “What’s going on, Sarge?”
“Listen, have you heard from Temple since he left earlier?”
“Now that you mention it, I haven’t.”
Pulling out his cell phone he called Mike. It rang several times with no answer. He hung up and dialed again—he received the same response.
Puzzled he looked at Detective Scott. “It’s going to voicemail. I have a bad feeling about this. I need you to head over to his apartment and see what’s going on. Call me once you find out anything.”
Detective Scott ran at top speed towards his unmarked Crown Victoria which was parked a few yards away. He whipped down the street back towards town.
Sgt. Reed picked up the phone again, only this time he called the police department. There had to be a way to find out where Mike was. The phone rang twice and was answered.
“Ridgewood Hills Police, Robert speaking. How may I assist you?”
“Oh, Robert, you’re working late tonight. This is Sgt. Reed.”
“Good evening Sgt. Reed. Yeah, I need to get a few more hours in for my internship this week. What can I do for you?”
“Is anyone still hanging around in the crime lab?”
“I’m not sure, sir. I know almost all of the technicians were called in with that debacle going on out at Apple Valley. But hang on a sec, I’ll go and have a look.”
“Thanks,” he said as the silence was filled with elevator music.
The intern returned to the phone a few moments later. “The lab director is still in his office. I’m going to transfer you there now.”
“Thanks Robert. Don’t stay too late tonight.”
“I won’t, sir. Just a moment.”
The phone rang once and was quickly answered. “Stevens speaking.”
“Stevens, it’s Sgt. Reed. I need a favor
that maybe you can help me out with.”
“Pretty tied up at the moment, Sergeant. I’ll see what I can do. What do you have for me?”
“Mike Temple isn’t answering his calls and I find this odd. Can you run a location trace on his cell phone?”
“Depends on what type of phone he has. If his carrier has switched over to digital, not a problem. What’s the number?”
Stevens jotted down the number and placed him on hold. Sergeant Reed stood there with the phone to his ear for what seemed an eternity.
“Sir, I’m back. Shouldn’t we get a warrant for this? I mean, we’re invading his privacy here.”
“Stevens, there is no time for a warrant. Can you run the trace or not?”
“I can.”
“Then run it; I’ll take the heat later.”
“I’ll need a little bit of time. I’ll call you back as soon as I have some information for you, sir.”
“I’ll be waiting,” he bellowed as he disconnected the call.
Just as he hung up the phone, it rang again in his hand, “Sgt. Reed.”
“Good evening, sir, this is Sgt. Simpson from the Denver police.”
“Denver Police? What can I help you with?” “I have some information regarding a Dr. Carol Jones—I understand that you are working a crime scene at her house.”
“We are indeed. What information do you have regarding her?”
“Well, when she left the hospital tonight she entered her distress code upon exiting the garage.”
“That is interesting. Have you issued a BOLO on her vehicle yet?”
“We have sir, however, no one has seen it as of yet. We’ve advised that no one stop the vehicle. They are to only follow it once it’s located.”