Rated: I'm not sure so I will
probably choose a higher one than necessary. Lets just say R to be
on the safe side.
Classification: Not real sure
about that either. How about general for a change.
Authors note: This is a little
bit different style than most of my work. I still belive in SBR but,
today, this one just appeared. Hope you like it.
'Kidnapped'
By Tarrant
"So you think that our guy knows
his victims?"
"Yeah, I do. Look at the violence,
its personal, Bailey. He feels he has a reason to kill these people."
"We've gone over all of the victims,
we can't find one thing to link them together. It doesn't appear
they know each other."
"But he knows them. Somehow,
he feels a connection to them."
"Okay, we'll keep working that angle. Anything else?"
Sam shook her head and grimaced
a moment. "Sorry, that's all right now."
Bailey smiled a bit. "Its
okay, its a good start."
They were having lunch in a small
cafè near headquarters. As the conversation began to lull
a bit and they moved on to lighter topics, the food arrived. When
they had finished lunch, Sam excused herself for the bathroom. When
she returned, she stood at the table, "Ready to go?"
"Uh, Sam, sit down for a minute."
She looked a bit surprised but complied. "What's up?"
"Sam, I just got a call from the
Director. He has a case he said needs your attention."
"I have a case that needs my attention."
"It's a kidnapping, Sam. A
four year old girl."
"What do we know?" Sam asked
instantly, already switching gears mentally from the other, now forgotten,
case.
"Small town, right outside of Chicago. Elmhurst. Fairly wealthy area, but still a working mans area. White collar. The mother was taking the child to a dance lesson late
yesterday afternoon. She stopped at a stop light the back door opened
a young male reached in unhooked the seatbelt and she was gone. This
morning the family received a note demanding money."
Sam had leaned closer to Bailey
trying to hear every word in the now crowded cafè but now she sat
back a little. "Seems pretty straight forward to me, Bailey. Why me? The field office usually handles this kind of case."
"Sam, the note was attached to a
video tape. It contained some... graphic pictures of both little girls
and boys. She is in a lot more danger than just not coming home."
Sam nodded her understanding. "When do we leave?"
"Now. We go back to the VCTF
and grab a chopper there. The Director is having copies of the files
faxed to George now. You should have them before we take off."
Sam fished around in her purse for
a moment and then held up her phone. Bailey nodded and waited while
she called home. He could tell the news she wasn't coming home, wasn't
being welcomed easily.
"I know Chlo, I know. I said
we would make them tonight, but it will have to be tomorrow. I'm
sorry baby, please wait, I want to help you, okay?" There was a moment
of silence, and then Sam smiled. "Thank you Chlo. Tell Angel
I'll call her later okay? Oh and Chloe, I love you."
Sam turned off the phone and give
Bailey a sad look. "What were you supposed to make?"
"Chocolate chip cookies. And you
know what, I think I need them more than she does." She said
sighing heavily.
Sam scooted out of the booth and
Bailey followed her. He paid the check at the register and then turned
towards Sam. He guided her out the door and they walked briskly back
to the office.
Half an hour later Sam, John and
Bailey were on the helicopter, taking off. Sam had left off her headset
while she looked through the file. The noise of the pilots talking
to the tower and to each other as well as other conversations were not
welcome when she was trying to concentrate. After a little bit she
glanced up and rolled her shoulders and neck. Bailey tapped her knee
and she reached up and put on the headset.
"Anything?"
"Not really. I need
to see the tape and I want to talk to the mother."
"I'll set it up."
Sam nodded and then took off the
headset again. She spent another hour looking over the file and then
she closed her eyes and let her mind work. She was just about to
talk to Bailey again when she felt the chopper shudder a bit and then take
a very sudden left path. About that time, Bailey reached out in time
to keep her from cracking her head on the wall of the chopper. He
steadied her a bit and when she could she reached up and put the headset
back on.
"What was that?" Sam asked,
with a twinge of fear cracking her voice.
"Sorry Dr. Waters. Seems that
there are a few new pilots in the air today. Had to make a sudden
move to avoid a collision with one. I hate flying near Chicago. The pilots fly as badly as they drive on the ground."
Sam let out a sigh of relief as
they finally touched down. There was a car waiting for them and the
trip to the victims home was quick. While John went to look at the
area where the kidnapping took place, Sam and Bailey sat down to interview
the mother. She was really beyond distraught and unfortunately not much
help. Sam decided that she would try again later when she could be
alone with the mother. So, she motioned to Bailey and they left the
house.
"She can't give me much now."
"Yeah."
"Let's go look at the scene."
Arriving, they saw john crouched
down on the sidewalk next to the road.
"Did you find something?" Bailey asked.
"I don't know, what do you think,
Sam?"
It was a small pile of cigarette
butts. "Looks like maybe he was waiting here for a while. So, maybe
it isn't a random kidnapping. I think maybe he knew who he wanted.
I'd say he has been planning this. He contacted the family pretty
quickly, the cigarettes suggest he waited. Bailey, find out if anyone
has seen anyone watching the preschool this child attends."
Bailey nodded and reached in his
pocket for his cell phone. In minutes George was searching police
reports.
Bailey, Sam and John went to check
into the hotel. Sam threw her ready bag in a chair and shed her shoes. She took the file over and lay down on the bed. After a few moments
she pulled the tape out and moved over to the VCR. She popped the
tape in and looked around for the remote. She crawled back on the
bed and finally pressed the play button. The dective that gave her
the tape, had warned her of the contents but she still had to look at it. After a few minutes she stopped the tape and looked around for some tissues. She hated this part of her job. She didn't want to know about how
dark things could become.
After a bit she started the tape
again and watched as long as she could. She had just stopped the
tape again when there was a knock on the connecting door. Sam wiped
her eyes again and then said loudly, "Come in."
Bailey was not really surprised
to find Sam upset. He gave her a sad smile. "You done yet?"
"No. I.. Uh... I had to stop the
tape a couple of times."
Bailey nodded. "You want me
to come back?"
"I guess."
"Okay."
When Bailey was gone, Sam sat quietly
for a bit before she pushed the play button again. When she finally
finished the tape she had a sudden urge to take a shower. She was
just coming out of the bathroom, drying her hair with a towel when Bailey
again knocked on the door.
Sam opened it and then turned away
from him. "You about ready for a break?" He asked.
"Do we ever stop relating our work
to our personal lives?" Sam asked suddenly.
"I don't think that's possible,
Sam."
"Yeah well, it doesn't help me concentrate
when all I can think about is going home and putting my arms around Chloe
and never letting her go."
"You're allowed to be human, Sam. You are allowed to want to protect your child and want to be with her."
"Yeah, well, while I am busy being
human, this child is being subjected to things not at all human. I can't get any read on him. But I don't think he will return her
if the ransom is paid. He really isn't after the money, the demand
is just there to buy time."
In the morning, Sam set off alone
to meet again with the victims mother. Gently and slowly she led
the woman through the events of the day when her daughter disappeared. She spend several hours talking with her and asking questions. Finally
she moved to sit next to the woman. "Mrs. King, I know you have told
me what you could. And I am going to do everything I can to find
Cathy. Try to hang on, she's going to need you when she comes home."
The woman nodded and Sam softy touched
her arm.
When Sam met back up with Bailey
and John at the police station, she was full of new information and ideas,
but not ready to talk about them yet. She wanted to look at the tape
again and she needed a computer expert. She needed George.
"They have the money ready to deliver. They are waiting for a call for instructions."
"Good but as I said, I don't think
the money will help. He doesn't really plan to let her go. Bailey, some of the children on that tape, they didn't survive. I don't think he plans to return Cathy alive. Look, I have some ideas,
but I need George and I need him here. I want to do a frame by frame with
that tape. I want to see what's in the background."
"I'll call him. I should be
able to get him here in a few hours."
Sam and George spent hours working
on the tape. Back and forth and frame by frame they worked. They tried hard to concentrate on the background of the tape and not the
subject. But after a while they couldn't ignore it. Sam was
about to give up and take a break. She didn't think she could stand
looking so closely at the children anymore when George pulled up another
frame. Sam glanced at the screen again and then she grabbed George's arm. "Look, in the right hand corner. George, blow that section up."
He furiously punched away at the
computer for a moment and then the right hand corner zoomed in and took
up the screen. "We got him, George. We got him."
They looked at each other and smiled.
Sam nearly danced over to the phone
and called Bailey. "George is faxing you a picture, Bailey. We ran it with the NCIC already. I have an address."
It only took about an hour to recover
Cathy and bring her home to her mother and father. She was going
to need a lot of counseling but she was alive and safe. Sam and Bailey
decided to celebrate over dinner.
"So, where did you find the picture?"
"On the tape, a mirror in the room
caught his reflection. One frame, can you believe it?"
"You all did a good job today. I
know it wasn't easy."
"She's home, Bailey. That's
all I need. Well, almost all. Do you think you would
mind if we took off tonight, I would really like to have some chocolate
chip cookies."
"Is seven o'clock okay?"
"Perfect, we can have warm cookies
and milk before bed." Sam smiled. "Thanks, Bail."
