Chapter Three: GONE!
It had been three months now and everyone seemed to be doing alright . Jonathan was so glad he finally gotten Fiona to understand about God and Heaven. Well, she understood as well as was expected from a four year old.
But one night as Jonathan was climbing into bed, a blood curdling scream filled the big house and Jonathan and Alex bumped into each other trying to get to Fiona's room. They scrambled down the hallway, both of them arriving at her door at the same moment, and tried to open the door, but it was locked.
"Fiona? Fiona!!" Jonathan called and beat on the door. They could hear her crying inside. Alex kept jiggling the door knob as if it would magically unlock itself any minute now.
"Stand back Alex!" Jonathan commanded, and Alex did. With a look of pure determination, he stepped back and threw himself into the door. It didn't budge. He did it twice more before Alex joined in.
"On the count of three. One...two...three!" They flew into the door at the same time and it flung open and they both fell to the floor. After a moment they jumped up and scrambled to the bed where Fiona hid crying under the covers.
"Fiona?" Jonathan pulled the blanket off, despite protests from the four-year-old, and pushed her hair back. To his horror he noticed dark bruises on her throat.
"Oh my God!" he said astonished, "Fiona baby, what happened?" As Fiona cried and cried to speak Alex noticed the window open, where it had been closed before.
"Uncle Jon, the window's open," Alex said, becoming a little frightened. "It was closed before and Fiona's too small to open it herself." Jonathan examined his niece's neck, then looked helplessly at the open window. "What the bloody hell is going on here?"
It took hours to get Fiona calmed down enough to sleep, and once she was out, Jonathan tucked her in, kissed her on the forehead, and closed the window, making sure to lock it. Fiona's bedroom door was left halfway open.
Jonathan and Alex walked together down the hallway, both of them deep in thought and slightly disturbed.
"Uncle Jon, I'm really worried. I want to know what happened, but if she's that scared we won't be able to figure out anything."
After another moment of deep thought Alex said "Are you sure it was right to leave her alone?" Jonathan thought about his and then started back towards Fiona's room.
"No," he said, "I don't."
But when they reached her room the bed lay empty, the closet door was open and so was the window. A rope hung from the sill. Jonathan looked frantically around the room for his niece and found nothing. Nothing but a scribbled note laying on the dresser. He picked it up and read it aloud: "I have the girl. If you ever want to see her again...alive, bring half a million pounds to the old Fisher warehouse at midnight tomorrow night. No cops."
"Someone's taken her?" Alex said, panicked. " We gotta get her back Uncle Jon! We gotta!" He broke down crying and clung to Jonathan, who hugged him tightly.
"Don't worry, don't worry." Jonathan said, "I'll get her." A dark glaze came into his eyes and his face hardened.
"Come hell or high water, or by my death, I'll get your baby sister back alive."
It had been three months now and everyone seemed to be doing alright . Jonathan was so glad he finally gotten Fiona to understand about God and Heaven. Well, she understood as well as was expected from a four year old.
But one night as Jonathan was climbing into bed, a blood curdling scream filled the big house and Jonathan and Alex bumped into each other trying to get to Fiona's room. They scrambled down the hallway, both of them arriving at her door at the same moment, and tried to open the door, but it was locked.
"Fiona? Fiona!!" Jonathan called and beat on the door. They could hear her crying inside. Alex kept jiggling the door knob as if it would magically unlock itself any minute now.
"Stand back Alex!" Jonathan commanded, and Alex did. With a look of pure determination, he stepped back and threw himself into the door. It didn't budge. He did it twice more before Alex joined in.
"On the count of three. One...two...three!" They flew into the door at the same time and it flung open and they both fell to the floor. After a moment they jumped up and scrambled to the bed where Fiona hid crying under the covers.
"Fiona?" Jonathan pulled the blanket off, despite protests from the four-year-old, and pushed her hair back. To his horror he noticed dark bruises on her throat.
"Oh my God!" he said astonished, "Fiona baby, what happened?" As Fiona cried and cried to speak Alex noticed the window open, where it had been closed before.
"Uncle Jon, the window's open," Alex said, becoming a little frightened. "It was closed before and Fiona's too small to open it herself." Jonathan examined his niece's neck, then looked helplessly at the open window. "What the bloody hell is going on here?"
It took hours to get Fiona calmed down enough to sleep, and once she was out, Jonathan tucked her in, kissed her on the forehead, and closed the window, making sure to lock it. Fiona's bedroom door was left halfway open.
Jonathan and Alex walked together down the hallway, both of them deep in thought and slightly disturbed.
"Uncle Jon, I'm really worried. I want to know what happened, but if she's that scared we won't be able to figure out anything."
After another moment of deep thought Alex said "Are you sure it was right to leave her alone?" Jonathan thought about his and then started back towards Fiona's room.
"No," he said, "I don't."
But when they reached her room the bed lay empty, the closet door was open and so was the window. A rope hung from the sill. Jonathan looked frantically around the room for his niece and found nothing. Nothing but a scribbled note laying on the dresser. He picked it up and read it aloud: "I have the girl. If you ever want to see her again...alive, bring half a million pounds to the old Fisher warehouse at midnight tomorrow night. No cops."
"Someone's taken her?" Alex said, panicked. " We gotta get her back Uncle Jon! We gotta!" He broke down crying and clung to Jonathan, who hugged him tightly.
"Don't worry, don't worry." Jonathan said, "I'll get her." A dark glaze came into his eyes and his face hardened.
"Come hell or high water, or by my death, I'll get your baby sister back alive."