Chapter 27: Getting away
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Frank slowly turned around raising his hands. He saw a young, brown-haired woman holding a gun to Tony Prito's frightened face.
'Tony?!' Chet gasped.
'Shut up! You!' the woman turned to Frank, 'Tell them not to follow or...'
-'I get it' Frank said. He bent over and looked down through the trapdoor, to the freedom. 'Hey guys, you can't come up here, there's a...problem...' he said to the men and pulled up the ladder.
'What...?' he didn't hear more because the hatch fell in it's place.
'Ok' he said to the woman 'I've done this, will you let him go?'
Julia didn't answer. Two people appeared in the shadows behind her. They were carrying a thick steel pipe which they placed on the top of the trapdoor and stuck it so it couldn't be opened from below.
After the people disappeared back in the shadows Julia spoke:
'All right. Now I'll let him go' she said.
Frank was confused by the tone of her voice. He looked at Biff who stood next to him. He shrugged.
Their eyes widened when Julia suddenly let go of Tony and put the gun in his palm.
'That's it. I've got a flight to catch. Take care of my darling, ok?' she said to Tony.
'Will do' he answered. 'Go.'
And she ran off and disappeared.
And then Frank lost it. 'Tony! What the HELL IS GOING ON HERE!!!' he yelled angrily.
Tony seemed very calm. 'It would take me all day to tell you the story so...'
-'Where is Joe?!' Frank insisted.
'Oh, yeah. You're about to meet him in a moment' Tony said and lowered the gun. 'Follow me. Be careful with this pipestuff here.'
Too shocked to say anything the three followed their 'friend' through a narrow corridor. Tony shone a flashlight before them and the beam revealed all the disgust in the attic. After seeing a few rats, Chet tried to stay close to the group but he kept sticking his head into the pipes in the ceiling. The end of the corridor widened into a small hall. The first thing they saw was a dark dressed, muscular man, tied to a chair. There was a little candle on the floor that gave some tiny brightness.
Frank ran past Tony and to the man.
'Joe!'
Chet and Biff hurried over to them too.
Surprisingly Joe didn't seem scared or angry ,only slightly annoyed. He eyed Tony with even more annoyance.
Frank lifted his chin but he jerked back.
'Joe...what have they done to you' Frank asked brokenly. He turned to Tony. 'You've got some explaining to do' he rasped out.
Tony approached with a knife in his hand. He cut Joe's bounds.
'We're gonna have to talk someday, anyway' he said.
Joe crossed his arms. 'Sure, you go ahead' he said, 'Talk.'
'This isn't working, she's gone, Joe! Please, realize it...it's over.'
'Tony?' Frank glanced from his brother to Tony. 'What's this about?'
'You would have thought a smart guy like you would have found out by now' Joe said dryly.
'Joe, please! Tell me!' Frank begged, seriously startled to see how Joe was acting.
'And then what?' Joe asked.
-'We'll work out the problems...'
'Where is Julia?' Joe asked Tony.
'I don't know, Joe, I don't even know if she made it past the police but she's gone, they're all gone. We two are alone now' Tony answered patiently.
'Screw you' Joe murmured.
'We were only looking after your best interests' Tony said.
'I don't get this Tony' Biff said angrily, 'We thought you were our friend.'
'I am' Tony said, 'I've been watching Joe. I was going to talk to you, Frank, when he'd reached the limits, I had to join him to get his trust...' Tony explained.
'Well, you don't have that anymore, that's for sure' Joe said.
'Why Joe?' Frank asked and tried to look at his brother in the eyes but he always looked away and he didn't answer.
'Don't try this, we have, he won't say anything' Tony said impatiently 'We need to figure out what comes next.'
'And I bet you've planned everything' Biff hissed.
Tony nodded. 'Yes, we have, actually.'
'We?' Chet repeated.
'Me and Julia' Tony explained.
'Oh, damn...' Biff sighed.
Tony looked seriously at Frank.
'You wouldn't send your own brother to prison, would you?'
Frank didn't answer. Of course he would never ever send Joe to prison and suddenly he felt so bad for sending other criminals there, felt sorry for those who cared for them...he shook his head to get rid of those thoughts.
'No' he said partly to Tony and partly to himself.
'No, I didn't think so' Tony assured. 'How about me?'
Frank glanced at him. 'No' he answered quietly.
-'Right. So, obviously, we must think of something to get out of this mess.'
Everyone were silent.
'How's your idea, then?' Chet asked at last.
Then Tony explained his simple plan.
'Does Joe approve?' Chet asked.
Frank turned to his brother who sat silent all the time. 'Joe?'
'You must, this is the only choice you've got' Tony said.
'What about Julia?' Joe asked.
-'She's fine, she'll take care of herself and the others and she'll contact us, ok?'
Joe shook his head in surrender. 'Whatever.'
'Good...try to look a little weaker, all right...' Tony said.
Joe gave him an evil glare. Then turned to Frank.
'You caught Luise?' he asked.
Frank swallowed. 'She caught me...then she killed herself, the people you left behind surrendered...'
Joe nodded and stood up. 'Fine. Are we gonna stay here all day or what?'
'No, we should get going' Tony said.
'You know' Biff said, 'I should really kick your butts for all this.' --------------------------------------------
Joshua Mitchell was almost bald from ripping his hair for over 30 minutes. His men had picked up a ladder but the hatch just wouldn't open, something heavy had been placed on it from above and there seemed to be no other entrance to this attic.
Suddenly he heard some noise from the ceiling. He jumped up from where he sat and run to the corner of the room where the trapdoor was. It opened and Frank's face appeared.
'Hey, guys, hope I didn't keep you worried' he said.
'Oh, no, no, of course not...' Mitchell said relieved and pulled the ladder under the trapdoor.
Frank climbed down and his brother followed. Frank had put his jacket over Joe's shoulders.
'Hey, isn't this your brother?' Mitchell asked.
Frank nodded. Chet and Biff came down and Tony was the last.
'And this is our friend Tony' Frank said.
Joshua nodded. 'Right, good you're all right, but, listen...was there anybody else up there?'
Frank and Tony looked at each other. 'Well...um...' Frank began.
-'No' Tony said, 'We were just left there.'
'Joe, this is commissioner Mitchell' Frank introduced.
Joe and Joshua shook hands. 'Have you caught anyone?' Joe asked.
'No...not yet, I'm afraid, but don't worry. Where ever they are, they can't get far, I assure you' Joshua said.
'I wouldn't count on it' Joe thought and tried very hard not to smile.
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It was dark outside.
Nancy came running towards Frank. 'Frank, baby are you ok?!' She squeezed him but moaned when it hurt her rib. 'And Joe...?'
'I know everything' Frank whispered to her.
Nancy nodded and tried to smile to Joe but he didn't repay her smile.
'Where is Julia and the other people?' she asked.
Frank shrugged. 'I don't know but they've made it past the police.'
'Good' Nancy said, 'I don't think Julia Walker should go to jail...I probably would try to revenge if my dad was killed...'
'Yeah...me too.'
'This is called the Stockholm syndrome, I think' Chet said in a low voice with a grin on his face.
Frank looked at his brother. Joe wasn't looking happy and it was breaking to see how sad he seemed.
All of a sudden Frank heard a cell phone ringing. It took him a moment to understand that it came from his own pocket.
'Strange' he thought and pulled up the cell phone, 'This isn't my ringing tone.' Then he realized that it was his father's phone. He hadn't given it back when he called Jack earlier that day.
'Hello?'
-'Frank?'
-'Dad?'
-'So that's where I left my cell phone. How's going?'
-'We're done. We found Joe and Tony. Julia and some other people escaped.'
-'Well, if your brother is safe then nothing else matters. Now, hurry home.'
-'Yes, sir.'
-'Do not call me that!'
-'Sorry dad. See ya!'
-'Bye, bye.'
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Frank slowly turned around raising his hands. He saw a young, brown-haired woman holding a gun to Tony Prito's frightened face.
'Tony?!' Chet gasped.
'Shut up! You!' the woman turned to Frank, 'Tell them not to follow or...'
-'I get it' Frank said. He bent over and looked down through the trapdoor, to the freedom. 'Hey guys, you can't come up here, there's a...problem...' he said to the men and pulled up the ladder.
'What...?' he didn't hear more because the hatch fell in it's place.
'Ok' he said to the woman 'I've done this, will you let him go?'
Julia didn't answer. Two people appeared in the shadows behind her. They were carrying a thick steel pipe which they placed on the top of the trapdoor and stuck it so it couldn't be opened from below.
After the people disappeared back in the shadows Julia spoke:
'All right. Now I'll let him go' she said.
Frank was confused by the tone of her voice. He looked at Biff who stood next to him. He shrugged.
Their eyes widened when Julia suddenly let go of Tony and put the gun in his palm.
'That's it. I've got a flight to catch. Take care of my darling, ok?' she said to Tony.
'Will do' he answered. 'Go.'
And she ran off and disappeared.
And then Frank lost it. 'Tony! What the HELL IS GOING ON HERE!!!' he yelled angrily.
Tony seemed very calm. 'It would take me all day to tell you the story so...'
-'Where is Joe?!' Frank insisted.
'Oh, yeah. You're about to meet him in a moment' Tony said and lowered the gun. 'Follow me. Be careful with this pipestuff here.'
Too shocked to say anything the three followed their 'friend' through a narrow corridor. Tony shone a flashlight before them and the beam revealed all the disgust in the attic. After seeing a few rats, Chet tried to stay close to the group but he kept sticking his head into the pipes in the ceiling. The end of the corridor widened into a small hall. The first thing they saw was a dark dressed, muscular man, tied to a chair. There was a little candle on the floor that gave some tiny brightness.
Frank ran past Tony and to the man.
'Joe!'
Chet and Biff hurried over to them too.
Surprisingly Joe didn't seem scared or angry ,only slightly annoyed. He eyed Tony with even more annoyance.
Frank lifted his chin but he jerked back.
'Joe...what have they done to you' Frank asked brokenly. He turned to Tony. 'You've got some explaining to do' he rasped out.
Tony approached with a knife in his hand. He cut Joe's bounds.
'We're gonna have to talk someday, anyway' he said.
Joe crossed his arms. 'Sure, you go ahead' he said, 'Talk.'
'This isn't working, she's gone, Joe! Please, realize it...it's over.'
'Tony?' Frank glanced from his brother to Tony. 'What's this about?'
'You would have thought a smart guy like you would have found out by now' Joe said dryly.
'Joe, please! Tell me!' Frank begged, seriously startled to see how Joe was acting.
'And then what?' Joe asked.
-'We'll work out the problems...'
'Where is Julia?' Joe asked Tony.
'I don't know, Joe, I don't even know if she made it past the police but she's gone, they're all gone. We two are alone now' Tony answered patiently.
'Screw you' Joe murmured.
'We were only looking after your best interests' Tony said.
'I don't get this Tony' Biff said angrily, 'We thought you were our friend.'
'I am' Tony said, 'I've been watching Joe. I was going to talk to you, Frank, when he'd reached the limits, I had to join him to get his trust...' Tony explained.
'Well, you don't have that anymore, that's for sure' Joe said.
'Why Joe?' Frank asked and tried to look at his brother in the eyes but he always looked away and he didn't answer.
'Don't try this, we have, he won't say anything' Tony said impatiently 'We need to figure out what comes next.'
'And I bet you've planned everything' Biff hissed.
Tony nodded. 'Yes, we have, actually.'
'We?' Chet repeated.
'Me and Julia' Tony explained.
'Oh, damn...' Biff sighed.
Tony looked seriously at Frank.
'You wouldn't send your own brother to prison, would you?'
Frank didn't answer. Of course he would never ever send Joe to prison and suddenly he felt so bad for sending other criminals there, felt sorry for those who cared for them...he shook his head to get rid of those thoughts.
'No' he said partly to Tony and partly to himself.
'No, I didn't think so' Tony assured. 'How about me?'
Frank glanced at him. 'No' he answered quietly.
-'Right. So, obviously, we must think of something to get out of this mess.'
Everyone were silent.
'How's your idea, then?' Chet asked at last.
Then Tony explained his simple plan.
'Does Joe approve?' Chet asked.
Frank turned to his brother who sat silent all the time. 'Joe?'
'You must, this is the only choice you've got' Tony said.
'What about Julia?' Joe asked.
-'She's fine, she'll take care of herself and the others and she'll contact us, ok?'
Joe shook his head in surrender. 'Whatever.'
'Good...try to look a little weaker, all right...' Tony said.
Joe gave him an evil glare. Then turned to Frank.
'You caught Luise?' he asked.
Frank swallowed. 'She caught me...then she killed herself, the people you left behind surrendered...'
Joe nodded and stood up. 'Fine. Are we gonna stay here all day or what?'
'No, we should get going' Tony said.
'You know' Biff said, 'I should really kick your butts for all this.' --------------------------------------------
Joshua Mitchell was almost bald from ripping his hair for over 30 minutes. His men had picked up a ladder but the hatch just wouldn't open, something heavy had been placed on it from above and there seemed to be no other entrance to this attic.
Suddenly he heard some noise from the ceiling. He jumped up from where he sat and run to the corner of the room where the trapdoor was. It opened and Frank's face appeared.
'Hey, guys, hope I didn't keep you worried' he said.
'Oh, no, no, of course not...' Mitchell said relieved and pulled the ladder under the trapdoor.
Frank climbed down and his brother followed. Frank had put his jacket over Joe's shoulders.
'Hey, isn't this your brother?' Mitchell asked.
Frank nodded. Chet and Biff came down and Tony was the last.
'And this is our friend Tony' Frank said.
Joshua nodded. 'Right, good you're all right, but, listen...was there anybody else up there?'
Frank and Tony looked at each other. 'Well...um...' Frank began.
-'No' Tony said, 'We were just left there.'
'Joe, this is commissioner Mitchell' Frank introduced.
Joe and Joshua shook hands. 'Have you caught anyone?' Joe asked.
'No...not yet, I'm afraid, but don't worry. Where ever they are, they can't get far, I assure you' Joshua said.
'I wouldn't count on it' Joe thought and tried very hard not to smile.
-----------------------------------------
It was dark outside.
Nancy came running towards Frank. 'Frank, baby are you ok?!' She squeezed him but moaned when it hurt her rib. 'And Joe...?'
'I know everything' Frank whispered to her.
Nancy nodded and tried to smile to Joe but he didn't repay her smile.
'Where is Julia and the other people?' she asked.
Frank shrugged. 'I don't know but they've made it past the police.'
'Good' Nancy said, 'I don't think Julia Walker should go to jail...I probably would try to revenge if my dad was killed...'
'Yeah...me too.'
'This is called the Stockholm syndrome, I think' Chet said in a low voice with a grin on his face.
Frank looked at his brother. Joe wasn't looking happy and it was breaking to see how sad he seemed.
All of a sudden Frank heard a cell phone ringing. It took him a moment to understand that it came from his own pocket.
'Strange' he thought and pulled up the cell phone, 'This isn't my ringing tone.' Then he realized that it was his father's phone. He hadn't given it back when he called Jack earlier that day.
'Hello?'
-'Frank?'
-'Dad?'
-'So that's where I left my cell phone. How's going?'
-'We're done. We found Joe and Tony. Julia and some other people escaped.'
-'Well, if your brother is safe then nothing else matters. Now, hurry home.'
-'Yes, sir.'
-'Do not call me that!'
-'Sorry dad. See ya!'
-'Bye, bye.'
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