Chapter 23

            "Where is he?"

            "He's at Mercy. They found him beat up in an alley last night."

            "Oh, God," Carter said, realizing the full implication of her words.

            Abby nodded. "They said they weren't with him," she added quietly, and Carter knew what 'they' she was talking about. Now, someone had beaten Eric, and that someone had probably escaped with their children.

            Carter closed his eyes and sighed. For a moment, they were both silent as their worst nightmares ran rampant through their heads. What had become of Jill and Riley?

            Finally, Abby said, "We should go to the hospital."

            Carter nodded. "Yeah. Let's go."

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            The doctor slowly examined Eric's chart, and Carter found himself infuriated with the man's slowness. Go faster, he wanted to yell. My children's lives are at stake.

            "He has a broken cheekbone and some bruises, but other than that, he's okay," the doctor finally said, raising his eyes from the chart to look at the wall about Abby's head.

            "What about the fact that he's in a coma?" Carter said sharply.

            The doctor frowned. He did not like being interrupted. "Well, yes, that of course, but other than that, he's just fine. If he ever wakes up, he'll be in almost perfect condition."

            He could stand to work on his bedside manner, Abby thought as the doctor excused himself. She walked over to Eric's bed and gazed down at him.

            The entire left side of his face was covered with bruises, and she saw scratches and scrapes going down his neck. It would take a sick person to do this, and that sick person probably had her kids. That thought made her heart pound with fear.

            Abby reached down and gently touched her brother's face. Did Eric have anything to do with this? She wouldn't know until he woke up. If he woke up. Abby commanded herself to stop thinking such negative thoughts. She had to think positively; it was the only way to keep herself from going crazy with worry.

            Abby realized that a man had entered the room while she was standing by Eric. He was talking to Carter, and when she walked over, he introduced himself.

            "Miss Whysenski? I'm Detective Paulsen, and I've been assigned to your children's case." He extended his hand, and Abby shook it mechanically.

            "Do you have any idea what happened to my kids?" Abby asked hopefully.

            Paulsen looked grave. "I do not, and I'm afraid that things do not look good. We think whoever attacked your brother probably has your children, so we want you to call us if you get a ransom note or any suspicious phone calls."

            Abby bit her lip. Ransom note? This was all like some horrible nightmare. She just wanted her children to be safe at home again. Was that too much to ask?

            "When was Eric found?" Abby asked.

            "Last night, around 8:45. It took us a while to ID him. His wallet was gone."

            Abby's eyes widened in shock. 8:45! That was less than an hour after Eric had left her house! She wasn't sure what that meant, but she knew it couldn't be good.

            "Is there anything we can do?" Carter asked. He had to do something, anything, to try and get his children back.

            "Just keep looking, and call us if anyone contacts you."

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            Four hours later, they got the call.

            When the phone rang, Abby launched herself like a rocket from the sofa. She had picked it up and answered before the first ring ended. "Hello?" she said breathlessly.

            "Hello, Abby," said a deep, quiet voice.

            Abby's hands tightened around the phone. "Who is this?" she asked, her heart threatening to pound out of her chest.

            "I think what you should ask is, who is this?"

            There was the sound of the phone switching hands, then, "Mommy?"

            "Riley!" Abby yelled into the phone, almost fainting with relief. Her son was okay! He wasn't dead! "Are you okay, baby?"

            "I'm fine, Mommy," the deep voice said mockingly.

            "What do you want?" Abby asked, her voice cracking.

            "Money. Plain and simple. I get my money, you get your kids."

            "How much do you want?" Abby said desperately.

            "Hundred grand, of course. At least, that's what I wanted originally. But I had to go to a lot of trouble to arrange all this. The price has gone up. So let's say...two hundred grand gets you your sweet little kiddies back."

            "Okay, okay." Abby said quickly, not thinking about how she was going to get the money. All that mattered was the twins' safety. "I just want my kids."

            "Okay, Get in your car- right now- and go to the McDonalds on the corner of Main and Palmer. You'll find instructions waiting for you there. And you better not call the cops. I'll have someone watching, and if I catch even the scent of a cop, you're never gonna see your sweet little kiddies again. Got it? Good. You've got ten minutes."

            "But wait a minute, how do I-"

            Abby realized she was talking to a dial tone.

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            "We can't risk it, Carter. It's too dangerous."

            "Oh, and following the instructions of a kidnapper isn't? I want the twins back too, Abby, but we should call the cops. What if we end up in some deserted alley, with no one but us and a bunch of kidnappers?"

            "But what if they see the cops? Police aren't foolproof, you know. All we need is for one kidnapper to catch one glance of one cop, and it's all over."

            "Not necessarily. They'll get mad, but they want their money. They're not going to kill the kids just cause they see a cop."

            It made Abby sick to even talk about someone killing her children. She held out her hand. "Fine, if you don't want to go, just give me your keys and I'll go by myself."

            Carter stared at her. "Are you crazy? I'm not letting you go meet these kidnappers by yourself, so they can kill you too." He stuffed his keys in his pocket.

            "Fine, I'll take my own car."

            "Without any gas?"

            Abby was so frustrated she felt like screaming. "I don't have time to argue with you, Carter!" she yelled at him. "These people are going to hurt Jill and Riley if I don't do what they say! I may not save them this way, but I have to try."

            Abby grabbed her car keys and walked outside. She would just get some gas and not pay for it; what were they going to do to her? She had just slipped the key in the ignition when Carter came running out of the house. "Okay, I'm ready. Just had to get my checkbook."

            Abby looked confused. "What for?" she asked.

            "We need some way to pay the ransom."