by Roger Hayden
The glass full of water dropped and burst into pieces on the tiled floor, ice cubes sliding away, water spreading everywhere. Her nails clawed and gripped at his arms but had little effect. Everett pressed the rag against her nose and mouth. Her every gasp was met with more fumes. He body trembled and shook against his, and before Everett knew it, Bonnie went limp.
22
Heinous Plot
Harris and Knight scoured the Caldwell article from top to bottom. The pieces were beginning to fit together in a sea of uncertainty. All they had to go on was a hunch. There was no concrete evidence linking Everett Caldwell to the recent kidnappings, bombings, and murders. The former family man hardly fit the profile, but his strange disappearance pointed to a possibility that grew more plausible by the minute. He and his wife, Belma, had virtually disappeared. Their last known address was a mansion within the gated Hillsdale Heights community.
No current employment data existed, and no vehicles were registered to their names. To dig any deeper, they were going to have to enlist the aid of the Feds to perform an extensive background check on the elusive couple. Some red flags already existed, and just maybe they were on the right track.
“Listen to this,” Harris said, preparing to read from the article. “Everett Caldwell, an influential hedge fund manager from New York City, moved to Florida looking for a low tax state and quiet town in which to raise a family. Accompanied by his wife Belma and son Brian, they found the quiet life he so desired in Melville. But it wasn’t long before Caldwell’s dreams were stripped away by a local welder named Lee Strickland, who kidnapped their son and demanded the ransom of one million dollars. Strickland, who suffered from mental illness, kidnapped Brian Caldwell on his way home from school and then made his demands in ominous typed letters, which gave several conflicting clues and demands.” She paused and turned to Knight, engrossed in the material.
Knight had almost completely forgotten about the Caldwell saga, which had happened years before his arrival in Melville with Bonnie and Holly. The name lay dormant in his mind for so many years. He’d figured the couple might be dead or committed to some psychiatric ward far from Melville. Following the tragic death of their son and the subsequent dismissal of their civil suit against the county, Everett had disbanded his company and moved away with his wife to a secluded cabin in the woods, according to rumors.
The article Harris read from didn’t specify that part of the story, but it did mention Belma Caldwell’s suicide attempt. She had ingested an undisclosed poison and nearly died. After a lengthy recovery in the hospital, it was discovered that the poison had caused internal damage, eliminating her ability to have more children. The story didn’t end there. The article continued: The Caldwells disappeared once again and had cut off all ties from their friends, family, and associates.
“An unnamed psychiatrist who saw the couple in several grief counseling session following the death of their son alluded to what he believed to be an acute psychological imbalance the couple shared. He described it as something that had attracted them to each other early in their relationship. The psychiatrist couldn’t have been more correct. Further investigation into their pasts described a chance meeting between Everett and Belma as teenagers, both committed to the New England Center for Mental Health. From there, the young couple had become inseparable.” Harris stopped reading for a moment and took a deep breath. “Holy smokes. This thing just keeps getting weirder and weirder.”
Knight leaned back in his chair, flopping his arms to the side. “You said it. I mean, they could both be crazy, but how does any of that explain how they managed to get away with it?”
Harris scrolled down the article further. “This might help. Everett Caldwell graduated at the top of his class at Cornell University. He majored in physics and business, soon establishing one of the most successful investment firms in the city. But signs of distress were evident even then, as Caldwell gained a reputation for being abusive and erratic toward employees and investors alike.”
“I think that’s enough,” Knight said, rising. “We need to find these two and at least bring them in for questioning.”
Harris nodded, keeping with her eyes on the screen. “Working on it.”
Knight began to pace the room, fidgeting with his hands. “Maybe we can get this info to the chief before his next press conference.” He turned toward the inside window, opening the blinds to see a busy row of cubicles beyond, just like the old days. It was almost like he’d never left. The Caldwells hadn’t completely registered in his mind. To think that the man who had plagued him for years was a well-known public figure was stunning in its ramifications. Part of him couldn’t accept the idea.
If they were wrong, it would be back to square one. His cell phone suddenly vibrated in his pocket. He reached for it and saw that Harris was deep into her work on the computer. Bonnie was calling. She probably wanted an update on when he was coming home. With everything so close to them making a connection, he had no idea what to tell her.
“Hey, hon. What’s going on?” he said quietly in the corner, phone against his ear.
He was startled and apprehensive when a man’s voice came on the line. “Hi, Charley. Before you say or do anything, listen very carefully. You act normal. Hear me? All I want to hear you say is yes. Nothing else. Got it?”
Knight opened his mouth, ready to rush out the door yelling and screaming, ready to tear the caller to pieces. He then stopped himself and said the only word the man wanted to hear.
“Good,” the man said. “Here’s the deal, Charley. You listen to everything I say without bringing attention to yourself. Tell no one. You so much as give a hint of what’s going on, you lose. Now, tell me okay.”
Knight turned, glancing in Harris’s direction. Her focus remained on the monitor screen with no idea what was going on. “Okay…” he said.
“I’m the man you’ve been looking for,” the caller continued. “My leverage, as you’ve probably guessed, is your wife, Bonnie.”
“Listen, you—”
“Not a word until I say so!” he shouted. “You fuck up again, I’ll take a finger. Am I clear?”
Knight gritted his teeth as rage consumed him, though he did his best to stay calm. “Yes…”
“Great. If I even suspect that you’re giving someone a hint of what’s going on, your wife is going to pay. For her sake, don’t try me. Don’t ask what I want. Don’t say anything. Now say, Yeah, that’s good, honey, and I’ll be home soon from the station. Say it.”
Knight felt flushed, dizzy, and overwhelmed with adrenaline. Despite his emotions, he tried his best. “Yeah. That’s good, honey. I’ll be home soon from the station.”
“Good job,” the caller said. “Now let’s see if you can continue to follow instructions. From now until you get home, you stay on the line. If the call drops, I’ll have no choice but to harm her. And we both know what I’m capable of. Now lower your phone and tell whoever you’re with that you’re stepping out for a moment. Do it.”
Awash in confusion, Knight did as the caller said and told Harris he had to step out for a moment.
She turned from her computer, just as confused. “Is everything all right?”
“Yes, yes,” Knight said, waving her off. “I’ll be back.” He opened the door and slipped outside the office, closing the door behind him. He had to trust his instincts and assume that the caller wasn’t bluffing. Staff at their cubicles paid him no mind as he hurried past them and down the hall. In his haste, he realized that he had left his cane in Harris’s office. But for whatever reason, he felt nothing in his legs despite his limping. “I’m alone now. What the fuck do you want?” he seethed into the phone.
“Easy, Charley. I’m a patient man, but I won’t abide insolence. If you care about your wife’s fate, you’ll keep your emotions in check. Now, here we go. Are you listening?”
Knight reached a central lobby and leaned against the nearest pillar. “Yes. Talk to me.”
“I’m at your house right now. Your wife is fine for the time being.”
“Put her on,” Knight demanded. “I want to speak to her.”
“That would only waste valuable time. You’re going to have to take my word for it.”
“For all I know, you already killed her,” Knight said in his first show of defiance. “Leverage doesn’t work that way. You let me talk to her, and I’ll do anything you say.”
Knight waited through a crippling pause. “Very well,” the man said in a conciliatory tone. “This is the only time I’ll be deviating from the plan. Only because I think you make a good point.” Another pause followed, and Knight heard some shuffling in the background. A moment later, Bonnie’s terrified voice came over the line. “Charles. He’s in the house. I’m so sorry. And I’m so scared.”
“Okay, that’s enough,” the caller said, taking the phone away. “There, happy?”
Knight balled his fist, and it seemed that every muscle in his body had tightened, ready to spring. “I’ll kill you, you bastard.”
“I don’t doubt that you’d like to,” the caller said. “Now get home. You have twenty minutes.”
Knight stood against the column, unable to speak.
“Better start moving.”
“But, I… What do you want?”
“No questions. The countdown starts now. And don’t you hang up!”
Knight clutched his chest as his heart thumped wildly. He felt desperate and debilitated by shock, unable to move. For years he had been waiting for the culprit to come after him. And the moment he let his guard down, it finally happened. “I’m… I’m moving okay. Leaving right now.” He pushed away from the pillar and continued through the lobby with his head down. The last thing he needed was to run into a familiar face and be delayed. He limped down another hall and through the double doors into the front lobby. Moving through clusters of people, he only looked at their shoes, and nobody interrupted him, with the phone pressed against his ear.
“That’s good, Charley. You keep moving. Say nothing to anyone.”
He pushed through the exit and hobbled under the outside pavilion. Sunlight hit his face as he reached the parking lot. His Jeep was in view and parked a few rows down. Pain surged up his legs and through his back. He was pushing himself too far but couldn’t spare a moment to recover. He moved between cars, using them for balance, and finally reached his Jeep as he spoke into his phone. “You still there?”
“Yes, I’m here,” the caller said. “You’re wheezing like a fat man going up six flights of stairs.”
Knight dug into his pocket for his keys, pulling them out. Once inside the Jeep, he immediately started the engine.
“Time’s a wasting. Drive carefully, though. I wouldn’t want you to get into an accident.”
Knight switched the phone into speaker mode and backed up. He drove with purpose, but cautiously, out of the parking lot, taking a hard right at the first intersection. Homeward bound, he thought of the firearms he had at home in the bedroom. There was a Smith & Wesson .38 right in his bedside nightstand. If he could stall and get to it in time, he could save Bonnie from the madman before anything happened to her. Gripping the wheel with one hand and holding the phone in the other, he watched as residential homes swept by both windows, where people watered their lawns and washed their cars, unaware of what was happening in the passing car.
Finally, knight said, “You’re Everett Caldwell, aren’t you?”
A long, troubling pause told Knight everything he had to know. The caller was stunned into silence.
“Impressive work, Detective,” the voice said. “How’d you find out?”
“It was a joint effort, Caldwell,” Knight said. “It’s only a matter of time before they close in on you.”
The caller responded in amusement. “Doubtful. My wife and family are living off the radar. I know what I’m doing. There’s no way they’ll track us down. Not for a while, anyway.”
“What is this all about?” Knight asked. “Is it because of your son? How many lives have you destroyed since it happened?”
“I’ve asked myself the same question. I’d be lying if I didn’t say I enjoyed watching you fools run around like Keystone Cops. But I’m done with it all now. It ends with you. And you’re going to take the hit.”
Knight held the phone closer, baffled. “What are you talking about?” He drove fast, swerving down one street to another, closing in on his neighborhood. Though it felt like he wasn’t driving at all. His mind was scattered, his emotions propelled by panic.
“A simple frame job, Charley. I’ve left evidence throughout your house, linking you to every crime we’ve ever committed. They’ll clear you eventually, I’m sure. But it will forever stain your reputation.”
“Where are the girls?” Knight asked. “Are they still alive?”
“Brittany and Crystal are. Sarah and Jenny are another story. It wasn’t what I wanted. Sometimes these things just happen.”
“They don’t just happen.” Knight tried to think of a way out. He searched for anything he could say that would convince Caldwell to abandon whatever plan was in store for them. “You want to frame me, fine. Leave my wife out of this.”
“Tsk-tsk, Colombo. All the pieces aren’t aligned yet. You follow my instructions, and I won’t harm a hair on Bonnie’s pretty little head.”
Knight turned down a back road toward his neighborhood, pressing the gas to the floor. His Jeep raced down the road at top speed. Nothing was going to stop him from getting to Bonnie. And there was no way in his mind that Everett Caldwell was going to get away again.
Bonnie sat on the couch, unable to move. Her hands were cuffed behind her back, and her ankles were zip-tied together. Her captor loomed over her in the shadows of the darkened room. Her head pounded as she tried to control her sobbing. She had been unconscious for at least an hour. Her memory of the attack was hazy. The man had called himself Ron. He had told her about a check owed to her husband from his pension fund.
Before she knew it, he was on her, smothering her face with noxious fumes. She then came to on the couch, barely able to process what had happened as her attacker called Charles on the phone. The clock near the entertainment center told her how much time had passed, but what had the man been doing from the time she passed out until now?
The man paced from one side of the living room to the other, seemingly eager for Charles’s arrival. He held the phone out on speaker, occasionally talking to Charles with a countdown.
“Ten minutes, Charley. Better make it count.”
“I’m almost there!” Knight responded in panic.
“I certainly hope so,” Charles said, glancing at Bonnie with a smile that gave her chills.
She had heard Charles refer to him as Everett Caldwell. The name didn’t mean anything to her, but as the situation became clearer, she began to recall having heard that name before and realized who he was. The man in her living room was the murdering, letter-writer kidnapper that the police had been pursuing for years. She felt foolish, even ashamed to have let him into the house. Her arms ached with her every movement.
She twisted and turned, trying to get free, but there was no chance. She tried to stand as he looked away but nearly fell. Their eyes met, and she froze. He slowly muted the phone and then approached her. His coat and tie were off, and his sleeves were rolled up. He stopped at the coffee table where his briefcase lay open, revealing zip-ties, duct tape, a crowbar, unmarked bottles, and several knives. Her stomach was twisted into knots. Tears streamed down her face as she looked away from his leering grin.
“Don’t worry. He can’t hear us.”
Trembling, Bonnie said nothing and wasn’t sure she could have said anything, her voice frozen.
“Come on,” he said, drawing closer. “You must be somewhat pleased to see me. I left those notes at your door all that time ago. I thought we were getting to be friends.”
She turned to him but couldn’t meet his eyes. “Please
let me go.”
He jerked his head back, irritated. “Have you been listening to a word I’ve said? Everyone has a role in this thing, including you. Some might say you’re integral to the entire operation.”
“There’s still time to do the right thing,” she said, her voice quivering.
“Oh?” he said with his hands on his hips. “What’s the right thing? Let everyone win? Go back into hiding with my wife and children while the stain that is this town goes about its business?”
He paused and took a deep breath, controlling himself. “We don’t have a lot of time. Charley will be here soon. I’ll be taking you into the bedroom—” Bonnie gasped and recoiled, annoying Caldwell. “Not for that, don’t worry. That’s where your brave knight will find you. And I have no doubt that he’ll rush to your aid. From there, I’m going to make him a bargain, and it will be entirely up to him.”
He clasped his hands together and told her that it was time to get ready. “I’m going to carry you. If you so much as flinch, I’ll conclude that you’re being uncooperative, and then you’ll have to be punished. Understand?” Bonnie adamantly nodded her head and sniffled as tears streamed down her cheeks. Caldwell complimented her ‘good sense’ and then moved around the table to grab her. Bonnie couldn’t help but scream.
The Jeep barreled down Knight’s street, zooming past houses. He slowed at the sight of a station wagon parked along the curb across from his home. Turning into the driveway, his Jeep bounced as he slammed on the brakes and came to a screeching stop. The garage door was closed, and the front window blinds were drawn. Knight shut off the engine, phone in hand and sweat pouring down his face. “I’m here, you son of a bitch. Release Bonnie and let’s talk.”
Caldwell chuckled cynically. “Right on time. I’m proud. This isn’t a negotiation, Charley. You will do what I say. That’s all.”
Knight muted the phone and slammed his hands on the steering wheel, shouting, “Mother fucker!” He wanted Caldwell dead. He’d skip the arrest and trial and go right for a shot in the head. He swung open the Jeep door and limped outside. Looking around, he didn’t see any neighbors, but there was a lawn maintenance team working the yard three houses down. Knight knew he was walking into a trap.