Lurching outside to the curb, Misty's contact hailed a taxi.
"Lower East Village---we'll let you know where to drop us off," the stranger said, climbing inside.
"Of course," replied the hack, rolling his eyes at the word "we." I get all of the nut jobs.
After the car had turned the corner and gone two blocks, the trench coat was swiftly unbuttoned to reveal Meouf perched on James' shoulders. The fiendish feline Pokemon jumped to stand beside the young man and exchanged a high five. Next, James used a cell phone to inform Jessie that "things are going ever-so-swimmingly at this end!"
Again, the cab driver rolled his eyes. "Ever-so-swimmingly"---I get all the cornball types.
Mercy Hospital, 12:00PM
A tall, solidly-built doctor led Munch and Fin down a hallway.
"He was conscious but unsteady when he arrived at the ER," informed the physician. "He was more than alert---babbling on and on about being kidnapped for his Pokemon and how he was about to 'shipped out.'"
"How is he now?" John wanted to know.
"Well, he's more sedate and still quite lucid," the doctor explained, arriving at the patient's door. "And he's very eager to speak to you." He opened the door.
The detectives entered the room and moved to the bedside of a preteen boy with short brown hair and blue eyes. He had an I.V. in one arm and bandages around both wrists.
"Are you the police?" he asked hopefully.
"Yes, Randy, we are," Munch replied as the men showed their badges. "I'm Detective Munch, and this is Detective Tutuola---"
"Just call me 'Fin,'" the other man interjected kindly.
"Hi Detective Fin, Detective Munch," Randy said with soft enthusiasm. "You wanna
know about who took me?"
"Just tell us everything, starting at the beginning," Munch prompted gently.
"Well, last night, I was walking home from the Javitts Center with my Pokemon stuff," the preteen stated. "I was the last person to leave, and I had a ton of books, CD's, and Poke Balls. I got 12 Pokemon back at home in Wildwood, New Jersey, and I wanna get 'em ready for the Garden State Pokemon Challenge at the Prudential Center in Newark. My Pokemon are the best in Cape May County, and I especially wanna beat all the North Jersey competition, so I spent even my cab fare on the things I need." He closed his eyes as he said the last part.
Eager as he is to talk, he's still feeling guilty. "It's not your fault, Randy," Munch reassured.
Opening his eyes, Randy continued. "I was struggling to walk back to my hotel in Midtown when this teenaged girl---she seemed nice, and I'd seen her in Center earlier---offered me a ride in her van, which was at a lot not far away. But when we got there, the back door opened, and some big guy pulled me in and covered my mouth!" He paused as his eyes glistened. "I was so scared I froze!"
"What did this man look like?" Munch asked.
"Well, it was dark," the lad said, "so all I can say is that he was tall, muscular, and he wore a dark sweatsuit---and he was bald with a deep voice!"
"And the van?"
"It was black with New York plates," he answered. "And after I got inside, the big guy taped my mouth shut and handcuffed my wrists real tight and stuck a bag over my face!" His tears streamed down his face.
"Take it easy, you're safe now," Fin said compassionately.
"And the girlfriend was tall with long red hair, and wore a white shirt with a long black vest and a black-and-white checked miniskirt with matching beret!!" The youth began sobbing at this point.
Bursting in with a nurse, the doctor ordered: "I'm sorry; you're going to have to leave now!" So Munch and Fin exited while the medical dual attempted to sedate their patient.
Munch sighed hard as the detectives walked quickly back up the hallway. "He lost it before he could give us a destination or how he escaped it!"
"Well, now our best bet is to check the parking lots within a four block radius from the Javitts Center," Fin said, "and hope that one of them has a camera that picked up the van's license plate."
Munch nodded in agreement. "Then maybe we can get a bead on the kidnappers before they grab another victim!"
