Chapter 3 - Ransom

The video started with the camera trained on both Jossie and Gracie, each of them hugging their puppies to their chests. Their eyes displaying the fear they were feeling at that moment.

Zoe was speaking for all of them when she whispered through the fingers of the hand that covered her mouth. "Oh my God."

A man's face with a ski mask on appeared next. "Good evening Miss Morgan. You don't know who I am, but you can call me Roy. Now let's get down to business. As you have noticed, I have your two beautiful little girls here with me and they are alive, but just a tad scared. That one over there . . . " he paused as he pointed to Gracie. " . . . is quite the little whiner and won't stop crying. You don't want her to keep crying do you, Mommy?" he asked as he leaned over Gracie and rubbed her back. Gracie shrank away from him and whimpered.

Trembling with barely contained anger, Zoe once more spoke for all of them when she said in a lethally low voice. "You bastard, don't touch her or I swear to God I will kill you myself."

"And that one over there . . ." Roy continued pointing to Jossie, " . . . she's a tough little nut. All hot air and false bravado . . . she's a little pistol isn't she?"

Zoe hugged herself harder as though hoping that some comfort would come of it. My babies, please hold on. Mommy and Daddy are coming. Zoe could see the little Jossie biting her lip so that she wouldn't cry. She could see her fear, but Jossie was stubborn. Just like me. Never let them see you cry.

"Here's the deal: if you wire two million to bank account number 8789021 by nine am tomorrow morning you will get to see your girls again. Once we have confirmed that the money is where it's supposed to be, we will contact you and let you know where to pick them up."

Then the screen went black.

"There wasn't even an attempt at a negotiation!" Fusco exclaimed. "The jackass thinks you're just going to hand over the two million."

"He's right," John spoke up. They weren't going to try to negotiate anything. They would pay whatever they asked for.

Her hand clamped tightly over her mouth, fighting tears Zoe suddenly felt hands on her shoulders and heard John's voice whispering comfort. "We're going to do what they say Zoe, okay? We'll get our girls back."

Zoe couldn't hold it in any longer. Excusing herself, she ran to the hallway bathroom and emptied the contents of her stomach which was precious little. Ever since she and John had come back from their honeymoon in the Bahamas, she hadn't felt 100%. Months of not being able to keep much of anything down and the stress of the past several hours had taken its toll.

Taking several deep breaths, Zoe felt John kneel beside her and a warm and gentle hand on her back. "Sweetheart, are you alright?" She looked over at him, she shook her head. "I will be as soon as we get them back, John."


Jossie glared at the one of the big men, keeping her small hand wrapped firmly around Gracie's. She wouldn't let them be separated. If they were separated then Mommy and Daddy wouldn't be able to find them and Jossie knew, she just knew they were going to come for them.

Gracie whimpered quietly behind Jossie, she was scared and nothing the big men said was making her feel better. She held on tightly to Jossie with one hand and the other held tightly to her puppy, Bear-Bear. Uncle Harold had given each of them a stuffed puppy when they were three. He said to always keep it with them, wherever they went. She was cold and scared and she was relieved that she had Bear-Bear.

"Keep it down Gracie; it's going to be okay. Mommy and Daddy will come for us," Jossie whispered to her as she gave her sister a hug. She needed the comfort of having her sister close.

"Mommy and Daddy and Auntie Joss, and maybe Uncle Lionel and Uncle Harold?" Gracie asked hopefully, snuggling closer into Jossie's arms. It was cold and dark in big room they were in and she hated the cold and hated the dark.

Jossie was scared of the dark too, but it would just make Gracie more scared if she said that.

"Yeah, we got both brats and sent the ransom email. What do we do now," the other big man said as he was talking on his cell phone.

Jossie knew that the other big man, Roy, was talking to the person who was giving orders. That person had to be connected to what her Mommy or Daddy did. Why else would anyone take her and Gracie, she reasoned. She kept quiet and did what her Mommy and Daddy always told her. Watch and observe. They said that if they were ever taken, to remember everything that made that person who took them different. Roy was ugly and he had a belly that hung over his pants, he had no hair on the top of his head, but he had a beard. And he had a drawing of an eagle on his arm. Jossie looked at the other big man, Roy called him Buddy. Buddy wasn't fat like Roy, and he didn't yell, but he was still creepy. He didn't have dark hair like her, or Daddy or Gracie, not lighter hair like Mommy; he had yellow hair just like their friend Ellie. He was tall like her Daddy, but thin.

Roy clicked off his cell and smiled down at the twins. Soon, he and Buddy would be going their separate ways with enough money to start over wherever they wanted to.

"Roy, quit scaring the kids. You girls must be hungry and tired. Would you like some Happy Meals?" Buddy said as he hunkered down to where the girls were huddled together.

"Can we see our Mommy and Daddy please?" Gracie asked politely, her Mommy said to always be polite, she got more answers that she liked when she was polite.

Buddy shook his head, "Maybe in a little while. Roy and I have to keep you guys for a few days . . ."

"We want to see our Mommy and Daddy," Jossie said defiantly.

"Soon. Until then we're going to get you some food. Maybe even some ice cream. You guys like ice cream don't you?"

Jossie still wasn't sure she liked these men, and she knew not to trust them like Mommy, Daddy, Auntie Joss, and Uncle Harold had taught them, so Jossie slowly nodded. It had been hours since she and Gracie had goldfish for snack and her tummy was rumbling.

"Good, I'll go get our food, so why don't you two get cleaned up?"

Jossie narrowed her blue eyes at Buddy and tightened her grip on Gracie's hand.

Gracie looked at her sister wide-eyed, knowing what the jut of the chin meant. Jossie was going to get mad.

"We want to talk to our Mommy and Daddy, now!" Jossie demanded.


"How is Zoe doing, John?" Harold asked, a tremor ran through his voice as he failed to shut out of his mind the image of Jossie and Gracie, staring at the camera with big eyes full of fear, each clutching the puppies Harold had given when they were thee.

"She's barely hanging in there Finch. I know she hides it well, but the few months have been rough on her. The stress of the last several hours just added to that and she's making herself physically ill. She is more than willing and ready to wire the two million to the account," John replied, the concern for his wife's mental and physical health was clear.

"If you need help with the money . . ." Finch offered.

"Finch, you know that money is just pocket change. Between our investments and property, we can easily afford it," John said staring off into space seeing the image of his little girls, frightened, over and over in his mind's eye.

"Did you notice anything unusual about the ransom request?" Finch queried. At John's negative shake of his head, Finch continued. "The man said Miss Morgan, you, or rather the father of the girls was never mentioned."

"This was personal. They didn't just happen to be watching this house because it was a well off neighborhood. Whoever took the girls wants something from Zoe, something more than the money."

"I'm afraid so," Finch agreed.

"She knew it too. When I got home, she was in her office going through every scrap of information she had on her clients current and past . . ." John said, amazed at his wife's instincts. "But so far nothing in her client files has stood out."

"There is something I must confess to you John," Finch began with trepidation. The look on his face clearly said he had done something that he didn't think John would have approved of. "I realize it was a clear invasion of privacy, but I really thought it would help in situations such as this. I'm just beside myself that I didn't remember it sooner."

"What is it?"

"Do you remember the puppies I gave the girls two years ago?"

"Of course, they don't leave home without it . . ."

"I had them specially made. They have tracking devices stuffed into them. I never really tracked them because there wasn't a need to. They were either at home or with one of you every time. I only remembered when I saw them both holding those puppies close in the video. John, I know exactly where they are. . . "


In the darkness of the bedroom, Jossie shifted in the bed and tried to get more comfortable. After she demanded to talk to her Mommy and Daddy, Buddy turned out to be not so nice and hit her hard in the face. Even though the pain was awful, she stood her ground and didn't cry. But secretly, it had scared her, her Mommy and Daddy never hurt her or Gracie ever. They didn't even get spanked. Making sure that Gracie was still asleep, Jossie wiped the tear that ran down her face.

Jossie could clearly hear the T.V. from the next room. Then she heard a couple of thuds followed by complete silence.

"Gracie? You awake?" Jossie asked, shaking her sister who was sleeping next to her.

"Yeah, Jossie, are you okay? Does your face hurt?" Gracie asked, her concern for her twin was evident.

Not wanting to worry her sister, Jossie waved it off. "It's not so bad. . . " Jossie was hoping that she could find a way out of here. She had no doubt her Mommy and Daddy were coming, but just in case, she had to find a way she and Gracie could sneak out. That's what Mommy and Daddy would want them to do.

"Gracie, let's go try and hear what they are saying and see what they are doing. Maybe we can figure out a way to get out of here." Jossie told her twin as they both scooted off the bed.

"You mean, like reconi - reconis -" Gracie struggled with the word her Daddy sometimes used when he went to work for Uncle Harold.

"Reconnaissance, it's when we check out the lay of the land . . ." Jossie said confidently, remembering what her Daddy had said one time. Quietly they both crept to the door and wedged the door open just enough so they could hear what they were saying.

They both screamed as a hand clasped each of their arms.


AN: Dun-dun-dun! rut-roh! What did you think? Yes - No - H-E (double hockey sticks) NO, or Meh? *hand wiggles side to side*