Caitlin was escorted downstairs into a room no larger than a prison cell. The room had freshly painted white walls and a mattress in the corner. Since the mattress wasn't on a frame and she was still in her dress, Caitlin couldn't sit down so all she could do was walk around the room and keep an eye on her watch as it ticked by the minutes.
One-hundred and eighty two minutes later, Caitlin's cell door opened and a man stood in the doorway holding a gun. She was getting really tired of the guns.
"Come with me," He said after entering the room.
"No, thank you, I'm waiting on my date."
"Now!" The man bellowed and pointed his gun at her.
"Fine," Caitlin said. She allowed herself to be guided down the hall and into another room. It was much bigger than her cell and in the center of the room was a tripod holding a video camera. Caitlin was pushed into a chair and another man helped the bellower ducktape her to the chair.
After she was ducktaped, the door opened again and Horn walked in.
"She's already, Mister Horn," The bellower said. Caitlin noticed he had a nice voice for a kidnapper and bellower.
"Not quite yet," Horn ripped off a small piece of the ducktape and sealed it around Caitlin's mouth. "Now she's ready."
He turned to the camera and nodded. The man behind the camera turned it on. Caitlin focused on the red dot.
"Hello, Hawke, I'm glad we can finally meet. . "
9:00 THE NEXT MORNING
Hawke had taken a position outside of the cabin to play his cello. Tet was staring at a ripple in the lake that had been made by a fish. He had his head cocked in a state of confusion for no sooner had the fish jumped up in the water, then he had disappeared.
Hawke watched his dog and ran the bow over the strings of his cello producing a beautiful piece of classical music known as Beethoven's 'Ode To Joy'. It was one of his favorite pieces. He was just getting to the crescendo when Tet ran past him barking.
Hawke stopped playing and carried the cello into the house. His radio was crackling to life. Hawke set his cello down and picked up the receiver.
"This is Hawke, over."
"Hawke, it's Chris. A package just came for you marked for your eyes only and urgent. Over."
It wasn't Michael, because anything urgent would have warranted a visit from him personally. Maybe it was the parts for Airwolf.
"Okay, Chris, I'm on my way back. I'll see you in an hour. Over."
"See ya then. Over."
The radio stopped crackling and Hawke turned it off. He turned to Tet who was stretched out by the fireplace. "Well, boy, looks like my vacation's over before it started." He went upstairs to grab his jacket and his office keys.
True to his word, Hawke pulled up in the jeep an hour after he finished speaking with Chris.
Chris was sitting on the ground outside the hangar when Hawke got out of the Jeep. He stood, handed Hawke the package, and then left. Hawke unlocked the door with one hand while he studied the box. It was a simple brown packing box addressed to Stringfellow Hawke with the red letters 'FOR YOUR EYES ONLY' written on it. It had come express mail.
As Hawke took a seat in the office, he noticed the package was too light for helicopter parts, especially for a lady like Airwolf. He used a knife to slit the box open and pulled out the packing paper. A video tape with the words 'PLAY ME' on it looked up at him.
Hawke pulled the tape out of the box, turned on the TV, and popped it into the VCR. Darkness filled the screen and then Hawke saw Caitlin tied to a chair. He stood up.
Caitlin's image was only on for a few seconds before Horn walked between her and the camera blocking her from Hawke's view.
"Hello, Hawke, I'm glad we can finally meet again or at least you can see me again. You've seen Caitlin tied up in the chair. Don't worry, she's fine. A little angry, but unharmed. Now, let's get down to business. The moment you receive this tape I will get a confirmation call from the delivery person. The clock began the moment I received the phone call. You have twenty-four hours to bring me Airwolf. We'll call the trade the lady for a lady. Once you're in the air, travel south keeping your radio on channel six. You'll be contacted on a meeting place when you're in the air." Horn stepped out of camera range and Hawke could see Caitlin again. "Twenty-four hours, Hawke, or you watch Caitlin die."
Hawke pulled the tape out of the VCR, stuffed into his jacket, locked up the hangar, and got into his jeep. He had people to see.