When it goes Sour
-2-
Lisbon picked up the laptop, turned her back on the armed man, and strolled back to Jane, as if there were no problems in the world. "Open it and pres F3," the seemingly unarmed man called.
Lisbon flipped the lid up, but Jane called back to the man, "What should we call you? I'm Jane and this is Lisbon," he said, indicating Lisbon.
"We're not here to chat," the unarmed, apparently leader of the two, man called back. "You can call me Sir."
Jane grimaced and briefly turned his attention to the laptop. He froze and stared, as a surprisingly clear image formed on the screen. He was seeing a picture of the kidnapped child, bound to a chair. He saw that there was a TV behind her, scrolling a date and time, below a news cast. Lisbon and Jane realized, at the same time, that they were watching a life web-cast of the kidnapped girl.
"She is alive," Jane observed to Lisbon and the child struggled to find a more comfortable position.
Lisbon nodded. "We have to make this work."
In a very low voice, Jane communicated to Cho what they were seeing on the laptop. Cho tersely responded with a curt, "Roger," never losing his sight picture on the armed man. Jane straightened and addressed the two men. "What's next? We can see that she's still alive and we want her to stay that way."
"She will stay that way if you do what we say!" The unarmed man held up his right hand. "See this? It's dead man switch. I let go of the trigger, it sends a signal that triggers an explosion of the C4 that's under her chair. You can see that, can't you?"
Jane and Lisbon looked at the lap top, again, and they could see what appeared to be an explosive device, under the chair. "We see it," Lisbon responded. "He has to stay alive," Jane told Cho, his lips not moving.
"Roger," Cho replied, adjusting his scope so he could see what was being held. "It looks real, from here."
"You bring the money half way to me and return to where you are. I'll come and get it, drive away and within a half hour, instructions will display on the screen of how to get our little hostage." The man held up the switch. "When we are out of range, the switch will deactivate, but till then, you will leave us alone." He smiled. "And by then, we'll be long gone!"
"And why should I let you leave, at all," Lisbon said. "Suppose I just don't let you leave and solemnly promise you, you set the switch off, we shoot you on the spot."
"You could try that," was the reply, "but if you'll look at the screen, again, you notice in the lower left hand corner, a countdown timer. That's when the bomb goes off automatically. You fool around, and she goes boom, anyway. You don't want that, now do you?"
"Why should we believe you." Lisbon asked. "I need more than just your word."
"Well, my word is what you have. Once I'm out of range, there's nothing in it for me is she lives or dies. If she dies, the hunt for me will be a lot more intense than if she lives. So, that's what's in it for me. I walk, she walks."
There was silence then Jane asked, "What's your mother's first name?"
"What? Are you crazy? Why do you want my mother's first name?" The man looked confused.
"Oh, I don't want your mother's first name, but humor me and tell me."
The man nodded. "Oh, you're the psychic nut that the cops are using. So, how's this going to work out?"
"Tell me you're mother's name and I'll tell you," Jane replied.
The man smiled. "My mother's first name was Martha."
"And if you walk Cindy walks, right," Jane asked.
"Right," the man replied. "So how's this going to work out for me."
Jane smiled. "Actually, it's looking real good for you. Her family is stinking rich, as you know, and our instructions are to get her back by whatever means it takes. Looks like that's giving you the money."
"Jane," Lisbon hissed. "This is not a love fest."
The kidnapper smiled. "You aren't half as dumb as you look. Good man. Now, just bring the money to the halfway point, and we'll get this done.
Jane turned to Lisbon. "I believe him, Lisbon. They are a lot smarter than I gave them credit for, and he's right about having nothing to lose and something to gain by letting her go. He probably already knows what our instructions are, so I didn't tell him anything he didn't already know. We are between a rock and a hard place, here."
"If you get this little girl killed, I'll shoot you myself," Lisbon growled.
Jane nodded. "We don't have any good options, here. It looks to me as if going along with the exchange is our best chance. If you disagree, I don't blame you and it is your call."
Lisbon sighed. Looking at the kidnapper, "So how does this work? I just bring the money half way and hope you do as you said you'd do."
"That's about it," he said. "Other than that, you don't try to have us followed. We do have all of your communications monitored, and you'd be surprised what I have access to. No helicopters or planes, way up high. No multiple vehicle shadows. In other words, do not try to follow us. You have no idea of how my little switch works or it's range. What you do know is that you have," he looked at his watch, "about two and a half hours before she becomes a smear on the wall."
Lisbon shuddered and picked up the heavy bag of money and walked it to the half way point. When she returned to Jane, the kidnapper holding the switch walked to pick up the money, the armed man keeping close watch.
That's when it all went sour.
Three rifle shots echoed across the area. The guard jerked his automatic up, pointed it towards Jane and Lisbon and pulled the trigger. Cho heard the shots and saw the man raise his weapon and begin to fire. He fired, striking the man in the neck, almost taking his head off. He went backwards, all of the rounds he fired, harmlessly, going into the air.
The man going towards the money stopped dead, holding the switch in his right left hand, near his left ear, seemed to be reaching for a weapon with his right hand. Cho took a good sight picture, in a fraction of a second, and fired. Lisbon and Jane had thrown themselves prone.
The second man dropped, the bullet entering his right ear, leaving and exit wound that left most of the left side of his face missing.
Lisbon had held onto the laptop. She got to her knees and stared at the screen. Had the dead man's switch triggered the bomb?
oOOo