The team pulled up to an old white farmhouse set far back from the road. It had the look of being empty. They exited the SUVs and surveyed the area.
"Wordy, you and Spike take the back." Ed said. He and Greg headed for the front entrance, their weapons ready. Ed tried the door and found it unlocked.
"Entry clear, white wall." Ed said quietly.
"Copy that." Came Wordy's reply. "Entry locked, black wall. Working on it now."
"Everyone make sure the doors are clear before entering. This guy is bomb squad. He may have left some surprises." Greg said.
"Copy that."
Ed eased the front door open and carefully checked for trip wires. He signaled for Greg to follow as he moved into the hallway. To the left there was an unfurnished parlor, its wood floor showing a fine layer of undisturbed dust. Greg headed down the hall towards the kitchen. Another door on his right before the kitchen door led to what looked like a formal dining room. There was a rug on the floor, and there were footprints and other signs of disturbance in the dust. Ed joined him, and took in the scene.
Greg signaled to head for the kitchen. They entered the kitchen and were joined by Wordy and Spike from the rear of the house. Wordy pointed at a door with a lock. Spike headed to the door and examined it. He gave the thumbs up and unlocked the door. He pulled it open, standing aside to let Ed and Greg descend into the cellar.
Ed flipped the light switch on his way down the stairs and saw a second door standing open at the foot of the stairs. He moved through the door and to the left to allow Greg and the team to follow him. The light lit the odd shaped cellar. Ed moved towards the rear of the cellar, around a corner. He stopped when he saw the chains hanging from the ceiling.
"Oh, boy." Spike said.
Greg lowered his weapon. "Well, we know they were here. These chains match the marks on Sam's wrists."
"Now what?" Spike said.
"Let's head to the cabin Carol described." Greg responded. "Winnie, mobilize Team Three. Have them meet us at the entrance to Kawartha park."
"Will do." Came Winnie's reply over the radio.
"Let's move out." Greg said.
Jules carefully pulled at the nail. It came out of the old board slowly. She estimated it was about halfway out when she heard the car return outside the house. She shifted so that she was hiding the nail from view and leaned her head against the wall. Closing her eyes, she feigned sleep as she listened to the footsteps of her captor as he reentered the house.
"Wake up!" He said, kicking her in the hip. Jules jumped and let out a cry of surprise.
"Water." He said gruffly. He held a bottle to her lips but she turned her head away from the bottle, refusing to drink. He cuffed her on the side of the head, and forced her to look at him. He pinched her nose and waited for her to open her mouth, then poured the water into her mouth. She choked and spluttered, and eventually swallowed. He poured some more into her mouth, waiting for her to swallow a second time. Finally he released her. Her head fell forward and she gasped for air.
He retrieved a chair from the table near the door and placed it in front of her, it's back facing her. He sat down, facing her. He stared at her in silence for a time. She said nothing. Carefully, she started working on the nail again. She used only her fingers, hoping to hide what she was doing from his gaze.
"You're just like my wife." He said. "Stubborn as a mule. And you think you know it all." Jules held her silence.
"What? Nothing to say from the famous Jules Callaghan?" He derided. "No attempts to profile me? Get inside my head and try to negotiate your way out of this?"
Jules still stayed quiet. She continued working at the nail behind her back.
"Well, that's a change." He said. "Perhaps you are finally starting to realize your place in this world."
Jules couldn't resist that challenge. "My place in this world?" She said. She knew it was dangerous to provoke this man, but she also needed to distract him so he wouldn't detect her efforts to free the nail.
"What exactly is my place in this world?"
"What, you expect me to say 'barefoot and pregnant?'," he replied. "Better if you were meek and silent. Learn that the man does the heavy lifting. You just sit and look pretty. And. Don't. Think."
Are you kidding me? Jules thought. When did we time warp back into the dark ages?
"Is that what you think a woman is good for?" She shot back. "Arm candy? Well, you have a lot to learn." She said.
"No wonder you didn't make the cut." she muttered.
"What's that you said?" he demanded, rising from his chair. "Did I hear you right? 'No wonder I didn't make the cut'?" He moved forwards toward her, his entire body tense. "Are you suggesting that I am not as good as you? That I have some flaw that kept me off the SRU team?"
"Candidates are tested physically, mentally, and psychologically." Jules replied. "A weakness in any one area would disqualify someone from the team. You know that!"
Her captor's face flushed red with anger. He towered over her. She refused to cringe away from him, meeting his glare with her cool stare. He stood over her, his fists balled by his side. Finally, he bent down, until his face was nearly level with hers. Without warning, he slapped her. Her head snapped to the left. She bit her lip, took a deep breath and turned her head back to face him. She stared at him stoically. He slapped her again. This time, when she turned her head back to him, he backhanded her and she fell over to land heavily on her right shoulder. She expected him to continue, but instead he stood over her, rage clear on his face.
She lay there for a few moments, waiting and watching him to see what he would do next. He finally stalked away from her and left the cabin, slamming the door behind him. She continued waiting and listening for a time, but she heard nothing. She finally smiled slightly, the nail clasped firmly in her fist.
Sitting up slowly, she moved herself as close to the point where the chain met the wall as she could get. She worked her hands below her and then down towards her ankles. There was enough slack in the chain to allow her to get her hands in front of her. Carefully, she maneuvered the nail into the hole locking the leg irons and started working on the lock. She paused each time she heard a noise. If he returned now, then all would be lost. In this position, she wouldn't be able to hide what she was doing from him.