Saturday evening 7:00:
Josh had just turned off the T.V. after watching the news about Nikki when his doorbell rang.
"Josh, I'll get it," Amanda called to him from the kitchen.
"Oh, Amanda, I wasn't expecting you," Lucy says, stepping inside. "Is that Josh's ex I saw on the news?"
"Yeah, it is."
"Well, that's a shame. Is Emma ready?"
" Yup, she's sitting with Josh in the living room."
Lucy marched into Josh's living room and held her hands out for Emma.
"Mummy's here, Poppet," Josh says to her, kissing her cheek. " Be a good girl, and I'll see you soon. Love you, baby girl," then he handed her to Lucy.
"See you next week," Lucy says as she leaves.
"Yup, see ya Sunday," Josh replies.
With Emma gone, he's already feeling empty. He always has that feeling when his time with her is over, but this week with Nikki's disappearance, he feels it even more so.
"Josh, we're ordering take away. You need to eat. What would you prefer, pizza or Chinese?" Amanda asked.
"I don't care. I'm not sure that I can eat."
"Josh, Mate," Jared says, "you need to try and eat something."
"Yup, ahh, yeah… pizza then."
Later, after dinner, Josh called one of his fellow search and rescue mates. He felt that he wouldn't be of any use to the team in his current state of mind. Sunday morning at 7:00, he was supposed to report for duty.
"Hey, Josh, Mate. What's doin?"
"John, I need a favour, a big one. I just found out that my girlfriend, well, ex-girlfriend, has been missing since Thursday night. She still means a lot to me, and I'm in no shape to work right now. Would you be able to cover for me? I know that you are just coming off your rotation, mate. I'll make it up to you."
"Josh, mate, no worries. My God, is she the one that's been on the news?"
"Yeah."
"I've got your back, Mate. Let me know after you talk to the captain. Just text if you don't want to talk."
"Thanks, John," he hung up and called his Captain.
"Captain, it's Josh."
"Yeah, what's up?"
"I have a personal problem…" explaining all that had happened and that John was willing to cover for him if that was okay.
"Josh, no worries. Take whatever time you need. Tell John that he doesn't need to report in and that he will be on call. I'll call him in only if we get a big rescue."
"Thanks, Captain."
"Good Luck."
After hanging up from speaking with his captain, Josh sent off a text to John telling him that they were all set and that he was on call only. He went back to alternating between pacing and laying on the couch.
Shortly after 11:00, after watching the news again, Amanda and Jared left for home. After they left, Josh had a shot of whiskey, a shower, another shot, and went to bed where he laid there staring at the ceiling.
Why would someone take Nikki...Why hasn't there been any demands… wrong place, wrong time? Dear God, please let her be alright. His thoughts continued going in circles.
Josh spent Sunday trying to stay busy with little projects around the house, trying to keep his mind off what was happening. It wasn't working. It was going on at 4:00, and he decided to go for a run. His usual route took him through the Gardens. Approaching the second half of his loop around the lake, in a secluded area of the track, he suddenly collapsed in a heap of excruciating pain, falling hard to the ground and twitching so violently he couldn't think.
"Hello, ET. It's been a while," the voice floated to him in a fog of pain.
"Fulton…" Josh managed to moan and then tried to sit up.
" Awe, call me Campbell, after all, we're old friends, right? Now, listen carefully. I have the pretty Lieutenant, and if you want her to stay healthy, you'll do as you're told. Get up slowly."
That was about all Josh could manage. Fulton got behind him and shoved a gun into his ribs. "Now, we are going to walk to my car. Two mates, just having a chat."
Josh did as he was told, trying to think of a way out of this. ( He has Nikki!… he has Nikki!) He kept thinking. Arriving at the car, Fulton shoved Josh into the back seat while still holding the gun on him.
He handed Josh plastic restraints, "Put these around your ankles." Glaring, Josh complied.
"Now, turn around, hands behind your back!" Fulton ordered then applied plastic restraints to his wrists. With Josh secured, he shoved him down across the back seat, "Now, shut up and don't move. Don't be stupid."
Fulton drove away from the Gardens and to the municipal marina next to the Navy Base. No one saw a thing. Parking the car in a remote area, he pulled Josh from the back seat, released his ankle restraints and walked him to the pier where he had a Zodiac waiting.
"Get in, and don't be stupid. Nikki doesn't have any water. If anything happens to me, they won't find her until it's too late. She'll die an awful death before she is found."
( sick, twisted, sociopath), Josh thought, trying to contain his rage, he believed him.
Motoring quietly along the Navy piers and over to the maintenance docks, Fulton kept a careful watch for the patrols. He timed his approach for just after the patrol went by. Josh was stunned as he pulled up to the stern of the old Hammersley. It was near 6:00 now as Fulton tied off the Zodiac well out of the view of the docks.
Leaning forward, "turn around and on your knees," Fulton ordered, then he cut Josh's wrist restraints. "Get out," pointing the taser at him. Then Fulton carefully followed. Still holding the taser on him, "go to the bridge,' he ordered.
Josh climbed the stairs up and onto the bridge. There, sitting on the floor chained to a support column near the helm, was Nikki. She cried out through her taped mouth when she saw him. Josh dove for her before Fulton could react, removed the tape from her mouth, and then pulled her to him.
"Nikki, are you alright? Did he hurt you?"
"I'm okay, Josh," crying quietly.
"Touching, now get your ass over here now before I have to use this again," Fulton says, wagging the taser at him. "Sit down there, near that column. Take the cuff at the end of the chain and put it around your ankle. Now sit there and shut up, or I'll shut you up."
"Fulton, what do you want?"
"I want you to SHUT UP!"
Amanda had been calling her brother since 4:00, wanting to check on him and wasn't getting an answer; the call just kept going to voicemail. She was concerned about how he was doing, and that he's not answering his phone was disconcerting. After trying for almost two hours, Amanda decided to go over to his house.
"Jared, I'm worried. I've been calling Josh for almost two hours,s and he's not answering his phone. I'm going over there and check on him."
"Do you want me to come with?"
"No, I think that it's best if the kids stay here."
"Alright, keep in touch, babe."
"I will."
Amanda pulled into Josh's driveway and saw his car. She hoped that he was just sleeping and had just not heard the phone. (Maybe he took something to sleep?) Amanda went to the front door, knocked loudly, tried the door and found it locked. Digging the key from her pocket, she let herself in.
"Josh!" she called out loudly. "Josh! Why didn't you answer your damn phone?" Amanda walked throughout the house, checking rooms, then the garage and back garden, no Josh. He wasn't there. It was almost entirely dark now, and she was very concerned. She called Jared.
"Jared, his car is here, but he isn't. It's been over two hours!"
"Maybe he went for a run?"
"Jared, it's going to be almost dark. The park will be closed."
"Amanda, he's a big boy. I'm sure that he's not afraid of the dark."
"Jared! Something's wrong! I can feel it!"
"Alright, alright, Hon, I'll be right there."
Jared got their neighbour to stay with the kids and headed to Josh's.
Twenty minutes later, Jared pulled up to Josh's townhouse, and Amanda met him at the door. Hugging her husband, "Jared, it's been three hours. He's not running! Somethings wrong!" she says worriedly.
He had to agree, and they called the police. Because of Josh's connection to Nikki, the Federal Police responded as well.
The doorbell rang, and Amanda answered the door. Amanda opened the door. There were two Federal Agents on the stoop who showed their badges "Come in, officers."
"Lead Inspector Alicia Hahn and Inspector Greg Callaghan, Federal Police," Alicia said as they entered the house. "And you are?"
"Jared and Amanda Ramsey," Jared answers. "Amanda is Josh's sister."
"I see. So, Mr Holiday is unaccounted for?"
"I've been trying to reach him for over three hours now. His phone just goes to voicemail." Amanda tells her. "And his car is here."
"Could it be that he just doesn't have his phone on him? Maybe he went out and took a taxi?"
"If he didn't have it with him I would have heard it ring in the house. Josh always has his phone because of Emma. Why would he take a taxi?"
"I don't know; maybe he wanted to drink?"
"No… it's not like him."
"When was the last time you saw or spoke to him?"
" Last night, Lucy picked Emma up at 7:00, and we stayed with him until 11. I called him this morning, and we spoke briefly. He said that he was going to try and keep busy around the house. Then I started to call him again at 4:00."
"Could be that he's with LT Caetano. Maybe they're planning on doing a runner together," Callaghan said.
"NO! NO! NO!" Amanda exclaimed, frustrated. "He would NEVER leave Emma. You must have seen them together." As she started to cry, Jared came over to her and put his arm around her shoulders. She was getting angry and was frustrated as it appeared that they weren't listening to her, not taking his being missing seriously.
"Alright, Mrs Ramsey. If he had gone for a run, do you know his route?"
"I know that he likes to run through the Botanical Gardens, around the lake."
"Okay, we'll take some officers and head over there," Alicia Hahn said.
Alica called for more officers to canvas the trails at the gardens.
Hahn, Callaghan and a half dozen police constables with torches walk the path around the lake in the gardens. They stopped the few stragglers that were still running, showed Josh's picture, and asked if anyone had seen him. No one had.
"Inspector! Over here!" one of the constables called out.
"A mobile…" Alicia picked it up using gloves and turned it on. Josh Holiday's phone. There was a picture of Emma on the home screen.
"Alright, people! Listen up! We now have another official missing person case, and they appear to be connected, and it appears that foul play was involved. Canvas the area, check the car park." Then Hahn and Callaghan went back to Josh's place to give Amanda the news. She was devastated, and she called her mum.
"It's a pleasure to have you both here," Fulton remarks. "We have unfinished business. It was very considerate of you not to press the attempted murder charge, ET. However, Lieutenant, not so nice of you to accuse me of sexual assault. Cost me my job and possible jail time. Maybe we'll just have to make that charge real, then."
"It was real, Fulton."
"Come on, Nikki, I barely touched you, and you practically broke my balls for it. Well, this time it is going to be different, and your boyfriend gets to watch. Do you get off on that sort of thing, ET?"
"YOU FUCKING CRAZY BASTARD!" Josh screams. "YOU'RE A DEAD MAN!"
Fulton laughs, "says the man chained to a pole. "We're gonna have some fun!"
Monday,4:00 pm Josh has been missing for almost 24 hours, Nikki for four and a half days. Fulton had been ranting practically non stop. He was going on about how he was treated and what he planned on doing to Nikki. And that he was planning on killing them both when he was done. He was going to make it look like a murder-suicide. Getting bored toying with them, Fulton decides that it's time to move things along.
" Let's see… ET never got over Nav, so he kidnaps her and brings her here to the old Hammersley, brings her to where they first met. Poetic, don't ya think? She rebuffs him. He gets enraged and shoots her. Then realising what he's done, he writes a note and shoots himself… Yeah, I think that should work fine. Things should be pretty messy by the time you are found. Nasty even. That'll just confuse things." Fulton rambles, pacing back and forth.
Fulton decides that it's time and brings out more chains. When he approaches Nikki with the tape, she starts fighting him, kicking and flipping her body. Fulton hits her hard in the face then stuffs the rag of chloroform over her nose. As soon as she's unconscious, he places a chain on her other leg and stretches her legs apart.
Josh is screaming and roaring at Fulton, shouting expletives and pulling on his leg chain, freaking out as there isn't anything he can do. He's about to be sick.
"SHUT THE FUCK UP AND SIT DOWN! I'LL TURN THIS THING UP AND STOP YOUR HEART IF I HAVE TO TASE YOU AGAIN!" Then taunting, laughing, "Do you think you can help her, ET, sailor boy? What are you going to do, chained to a pole, huh?"
Fulton cuts Nikki's clothes off, leaving her in just her underwear. Now he moves over to Josh, who appears to be numb, sitting helplessly on the floor with his face buried, refusing to watch.
Fulton finished setting up Nikki, and now he moved over to Josh, planning on restraining his hands and taping his mouth. "I should have shut your mouth hours ago…" Fulton mumbles as he approaches Josh.
Josh had spent the last twenty-four hours trying to think of a way out of this mess. As Fulton approached, Josh started acting up, swearing, yelling, causing a ruckus. "You think that you are going to get away with this? You think that they won't figure out that your plan is bull shit? Forensics will be crawling all over this place. They'll find you and throw away the key."
Fulton laughs, "Dream on, sailor, boy. When I'm finished with you, I'm outta here. Leaving the country."
Sitting on the floor, Josh was just waiting and hoping for the right opportunity. Finally, Fulton, being overconfident, made a huge error in judgement... Fulton bent over him to secure his hands and tape his mouth. Moving with lightning speed, Josh grabbed his leg chain in two hands and wrapped it around Fulton's neck before he knew what had happened. Fulton had used long chains to allow them to move to the bucket that he left for them. That would prove to be his undoing. Fulton tried to fight him, but Josh is strong from working out with the search and rescue squad. His legs are powerful from running. He pulled the chain around his neck and wrapped his powerful legs around Fulton's lower body while he choked the life from him.
Nikki had come around, heard the scuffle and saw that Josh had Fulton. She watched with eyes wide as tears ran down her cheeks, thinking that they just might get out of this alive or die if Josh loses control of him. Then it was over. Fulton was dead. Josh shoved him off of him and immediately crawled to Nikki. Lying on his stomach and stretching, he could just reach to pull the tape from her mouth.
"Is he dead?" she asked him as her voice hitched with a sob.
"He's dead. I'm going to search him, see if the key is in his pocket."
"Okay," she said, sniffing.
Josh went through Fulton's pockets, no key. Looking around, he spotted it on the navigator's console. (That's ironic), he thought. ( What to do now…) He kicked Fulton's body away from him so he could think.
"Josh?"
"Yeah?"
"What are we going to do now? How are we going to get out of this?"
"I'm working on it. Nikki, I'll think of something, hold on, okay?"
"I'm alright… Josh… I'm sorry."
"Not now, Nikki."
Fifteen minutes went by when he spotted Fulton's torch, just out of reach, of course. Removing Fulton's belt, he started tossing the buckle end at the torch, hoping to snag it enough to pull it closer.
By this time, the full moon was bright and shining through the windows and with the lights from the dock, he could see reasonably well. After about a frustrating ten minutes and what felt like one hundred tries, he was finally able to move the torch within reach, snagging it with his foot and dragging it close.
"Nikki, the security patrols go by, what, every fifteen minutes?"
"They're supposed to."
"I have an idea."
Josh watched out the window for the next pass of the patrol. Perfect, they pass by facing the port side of the ship. The side windows that he was able to access would be facing them. Now he waited, sure enough, about fifteen minutes later, Josh could see the lights of the security cart. He turned on the torch and started flashing a signal out the window, SOS, three short blinks, three long blinks, and then three short. He kept repeating the sequence.
"Nikki! They're stopping!"
"Hey, Paul, do you see that? Up there in the bridge window."
"Looks like morse code...SOS," his partner Ryan replied.
Guns out, they called it in and then boarded the old ship quietly, not knowing what they were going to find; then they heard Josh and Nikki as they started yelling.
"UP HERE! ON THE BRIDGE! WE'RE ON THE BRIDGE!" Josh Bellowed.
"Holy shit!" Paul said as they entered the bridge. " Ryan," he radioed his partner, who was cautiously searching the ship. "We've got the missing LT! Call it in!"
"We're going to get you out of her, Ma'am." Getting his handcuff key, he tried it on the leg shackle, and it worked. He then released the rest of her restraints. His partner arrived on the bridge and was releasing Josh at the same time. As soon as he was free, Josh grabbed the fire blanket from the wall and covered Nikki.
"Thank you," she said, shaking and Josh pulled her into his arms.
Paul shined his light on Fulton, "Jesus," seeing his purple-blue face and the chain marks around his neck. Backup arrived, and they notified the Feds.
Paul and Ryan moved them to the aft deck to wait for the feds. Sitting on the deck, Josh held onto Nikki, who was still wrapped in the blanket. Inspectors Hahn and Callaghan arrived.
"Lieutenant, are you okay? Any injuries? Alicia Hahn asked.
Nikki nodded, "I'm alright." Crying again, "I didn't think that we would get out of this. I couldn't see how."
"Shhh, Nik," Josh tried to comfort her. "We're okay; it's over."
"Mr Holiday? You're okay?"
Josh nodded, "yup."
"First, you'll be taken to the hospital to be checked over. Then we're going to have to go to the station and take your statements."
"Yeah, of course," Josh answered for both of them, knowing that it was coming but still not happy about it. He just wanted to go home.
"Where were you held?" Inspector Hahn asked.
"On the bridge," Josh answered.
Paul, the sailor with the security detail, approached Hahn, "Inspector, we have a deceased on the bridge."
Leaving a couple of constables with Josh and Nikki, she and Greg followed Paul to the bridge. She noted the chains and the strangled man. "Crikey. Greg, call forensics we have a DB." Then she returned to Josh and Nikki.
"Let's get you to the hospital and to the station to get your statements so we can get you both home."
"Please, I want out of here," Nikki said.
"I'll call for the rescue," Hahn said.
" We don't need a resume. Can't we just get out of here?" Josh asked.
"Alright, we'll drive you."
At the hospital, Nikki was found to be somewhat dehydrated and other than some bruising, she was fine. There appeared to be no untoward effects from the chloroform. She was given a set of scrubs to wear and then discharged with instructions to drink as much water as she could for a day or so.
Josh, not having been held that long was in better condition; however, he was dehydrated as well. They did an ECG because of the tasing, and it was normal. He was also was discharged.
The two federal agents brought them to their car and headed downtown to the local precinct. At the station, Nikki and Josh were led to two separate interview rooms and given phones to call their families.
"Mom?" Nikki cried when her mother answered the phone.
"Nikki? Nikki! Are you home? Are you alright? What happened. We've been worried sick! DOM!" Sophia yells. "DOM! Nikki's back!"
Nikki's father rushed to Sophia's side, and Sophia put the phone on speaker.
"Mom, Dad, I'm okay. Just a little dehydrated and very hungry and tired. But, I'm alright."
"Nikki, do you want us to come up there?" Dom asked.
" I don't think so. I'll be okay… I am okay."
"If you're sure," Sophia added. " We can get the next flight and be there in a few hours."
"I'm sure, Mom. When I am done with the police, I'm going to go home, shower until there's no hot water, eat and go to bed."
"Please call if you need anything. Regardless, call tomorrow."
"I will, promise."
Josh called Amanda…
"Sis?"
"My God! Josh! What happened.?"
"That mongrel, Fulton, grabbed me when I was running in the park. He tased me and dragged me off."
"Are you alright? Were you with Nikki?"
"I'm fine, and yes, I was with Nikki. She's okay too. I'll explain more when I see you. Does mum know that I was missing? Did you call her?"
"I did. I'll call her. You can talk to her later when you get home."
"Okay. I'll be home in an hour or so when they're done with me at the station. I'll tell you everything when I get home."
"Okay, brother. I love you. I was so worried."
"I love you too, Sis. See ya soon."
While Josh and Nikki were making their phone calls, Inspector Hahn called NAVCOM and reported that Nikki was found. Commander Marshall then notified Mike, who then sent out a blast text to the crew.
Inspector Hahn joined Josh in his interview room while Callaghan went with Nikki.
Nikki explained how Fulton had abducted her from the pub's car park and what had happened over the four days that she was captive.
"It was horrible. Fulton never touched me, but the threat was always there. He left me alone for hours at a time, hands tied and mouth taped."
"Do you know where he went when he left?"
"No, he just made snide comments and rude remarks. Now that I think about it, he had probably been stalking Josh. He kept telling me that I was going to get a surprise and how much I was going to like it." Then Nikki told him about Josh's arrival on the bridge, what Fulton was planning on doing, and then how Josh was able to stop him, saving her from rape and then being murdered.
"Thank you, Lieutenant. I'll get this typed so you can sign it, and we can get you home." Callahan said.
In the next room, Inspector Hahn was questioning Josh. "So, Mr Holiday, how did you end up a guest of Mr Fulton?"
"Late Sunday afternoon, I went for a run, trying to settle my head. I was running near the backside of the lake, in the gardens, when the next thing I knew, I was on the ground twitching and in serious pain. Standing over me with a taser was Fulton. He told me to cooperate, or he would hurt Nikki. He dragged me off, tossed me his car, and put me in restraints. He drove to the municipal marina and put me in a Zodiac that he had tied off there and brought me to the old Hammersley."
"Tell me what happened to Fulton on the bridge."
"Things were getting out of control. He had just knocked Nikki out with something on a rag, chloroform, I think and cut off her clothes. Then he restrained her legs…," looking uncomfortable, "ahh... spread eagle. He came over to me, planning on gaging me and securing my hands. He got careless, and I got lucky. He bent over in front of me, and I was able to wrap my leg chain around his neck and restrain him with my legs."
"We found the fake suicide note that he wrote. He was planning a staged murder-suicide?"
"Yeah, he said he was going to make it look like I killed Nikki in a rage, realised what I had done and then killed myself. He was going to make it look like I was the one that took Nikki hostage."
"Okay, I'll get this typed up for you to sign. I don't expect there to be any charges filed against you for Fulton's death. It's pretty cut and dried self-defence. After your statements are signed, I'll get someone to drive you and the Lieutenant home.