Buried Emotions
DISCLAIMER - See...ah, not sure. But don't own.
Julie will be speaking in French in one scene. I am a native English speaker (or as close as we Americans come, LOL!) I can understand and speak some French thanks to relatives who came from Quebec. Julie, however, was raised just outside of Paris. Her French comes from Google translator, so hopefully I did ok. Pardon if I am blew it...
Chapter 15
Earlier…
Jeff Tracy watched his first born son, worry sketched across his face. Naturally, Jeff was concerned about his oldest grandson. Oldest or not, Jason was still only five. But Jeff couldn't do anything about his missing grandson at the moment.
He wasn't even sure what he could do about Scott.
"How are you doing?" John asked, coming up from behind and placing a hand on his older brother's shoulder.
"I'm fine," Scott said tersely as he pushed Tracy One to limits most wouldn't know the jet was capable of.
"No, you're not," John firmly said, squeezing Scott's shoulder. "But you will be. We'll get Jason back…"
"There hasn't been a ransom demand yet," Scott whispered, not even realizing Virgil had come up behind them. "If they wanted money, they should have left a note or something."
"Maybe hurting Robin wasn't in their plan and they were thrown off balance," Virgil suggested. "Maybe they want to make us sweat. Dad? Has Gordon sent word on any updates?"
Jeff shook his head. "Nothing. I alerted our banks to make funds available as soon as possible."
Scott continued to push the jet to past it's recommended capacity even as he acknowledged John for a moment. "Johnny, you shouldn't have come. We just got Emily and Keith home…"
"And Sarah has that covered," Virgil said. "I have a very clever wife you know. And Tracy Three is available if there is anything Sarah can't handle."
"And don't forget Mom and Dad are there as well," Tin-Tin said as she came up behind them.
"Katie," Scott murmured before biting his lip. "Kate sounded so…broken."
"Scott? Scott, they took him. They took our baby…"
Kate had fallen into hysterical tears and Jean Bates…um, Landman, had taken the phone. Daria Delgado was there, and since all kidnappings are automatically a federal crime, the FBI agent was taking point. Robin was still in the hospital, her blood pressure refusing to settle down and her distraught husband by her side, so Scott couldn't even be comforted by his in-laws being there for his wife.
"Nothing is more terrifying than being unable to protect your child," Jeff solemnly said as they prepared to land in the small airport near Bailey. (Technically, it was a crop-duster's take off point for the most part and was only used by Tracy Enterprises on occasion.) "Trust me," Jeff sighed. "I know that lesson way too well. But we'll get Jason back, Scotty. We will."
"We have to," was all Scott said as he landed the jet.
Alan approached the parking lot of the car rental place, knowing he usually would have laughed at a business called "Rent a Wreck". It struck him as odd that Kyle would want to meet somewhere that there would be a lot of traffic, then he realized with a cold chill that the usual sounds of a business day were missing from both this business and the gas station.
Passing by the front door, Alan spotted a neat sign. "CLOSED TODAY – COUNTY WATER AND POWER WORKING ON EXPANDED SEWAGE SYSTEM. THIS BUSINESS WILL BE CLOSED ALL DAY. PLEASE COME BACK TOMORROW."
Glancing at the gas station, Alan saw a similar sign, although he couldn't read the words from his location. He realized that with the exception of the hotel, all of the businesses in the area were closed, probably something that had been planned for weeks or even months. Kyle had actual been pretty smart about this.
Well, first time for everything.
Moving quickly through the alley, Alan kept a careful watch out.
"That's far enough, Golden Boy."
Alan froze, seeing Kyle climb out of a black pick-up truck.
"Where's Jason?" Alan coldly asked.
"What? No friendly greeting for an old classmate? A Wharton Brother?"
"I'd rather be an orphan."
"Maybe I should arrange that." Kyle smirked. "Hurting your family really hurts you, doesn't it?"
"My nephew, Westcott," Alan growled. "Now."
Alan noticed the other door open and Jackson Mitchell emerged, carrying Jason. Alan's heart clenched at the tear streaked cheeks.
"Jason, it's going to be ok, kiddo, got it?" Alan called, smiling at his nephew.
Mitchell set the little boy down but held onto his shoulders.
"I'm here," Alan breathed out. "What do you want?"
Kyle pulled out a knife. "I could kill him right in front of your eyes," he murmured, tapping the tip of the blade to Jason's head. "What do you think of that idea, Unca Alan?"
Alan began to move forward only to freeze when Kyle grabbed Jason and yanked him in front of himself.
"Nope. Step forward, very slowly. When you are here, I let the kid go."
Alan shook his head. "No. When I hit the half-way point, you let Jason go. Let him start moving away. He's just a kid. He couldn't get far."
Kyle smiled sickly. "Yeah, he can't can he? OK, move on up."
Alan began to slowly move towards the brothers, absently wondering what deity he had pissed off to have his life once more balancing on a precipice.
Julie cursed herself once more for having forgotten her cell phone. She had followed Alan as quickly as she could and had hoped to have people around to help. But there was no one.
Easing through the alleyway that she had seen Alan disappear into, Julie moved as quietly as she could.
"OK, move on up."
Julie positioned herself behind a large dumpster, grateful for her diminutive stature as she slid between the container and the wall. From her position, she could see a terrified Jason being held by two men and Alan carefully walking towards them. When Alan was more than half-way there, the man with the knife lifted his hands and roughly pushed the little boy who began to jerkily walk away from them and towards his uncle.
The man not holding a knife reached out and grabbed Alan, quickly securing his hands behind his back with a zip tie. Once Alan was restrained, knife guy began to run towards Jason.
"Jas!" Alan screamed. "Run, baby! Run!"
Jason glanced back and froze.
At that moment, Julie burst from her hiding place, running as fast as she could. Snatching up the little boy, she turned and began to run back towards the hotel.
A cry of pain made Julie look back and her blood froze at the sight of Alan on his knees, a bloody knife being pulled from Alan's shoulder. The two men roughly grabbed the wounded, restrained Alan and dumped him in the back of the truck. Through tear-filled eyes, Julie saw the men speed away, even as she continued to run towards the hotel. Her last glance back over her shoulder showed no sign of the truck, the kidnappers or Alan.
Clutching a shaking Jason close, Julie continued her frantic journey. They had Jason back…
But at what price?
Kate gently lowered a sleeping DJ into his crib. Her youngest was still just a baby, but he knew something was desperately wrong. The usually happy-go-lucky infant had been being fussy, way beyond his teething.
"He asleep?" Gordon asked from the doorway.
Kate nodded. "Finally," she said, looking back at her brother-in-law with a sad smile. "Thank you for everything you've done today. I couldn't have gotten through this without you."
Gordon stepped forward and pulled his taller sister-in-law into a hug. "We're family. That's what family does."
"Family also protects," Kate whispered. "I was supposed to protect my babies and I failed."
"We're going to get Jason back," Gordon began only for Kate to cut him off as she stalked back out to the main room, startling Jean and Daria who had been talking quietly.
"Gordon, I've worked sex crimes," Kate said furiously. "I handled kidnappings. I know the percentages. If there was going to be a ransom demand, we should have gotten something by now. We may have to consider there could be a reason for stealing a little boy besides money."
Gordon looked frantically at Jean and Daria. "She's wrong, right? This is just about money, about our family."
Daria sighed. "We don't know. Kate's right – kidnappings for ransom usually have a quick demand for money. And even if it is a kidnapping for money, every minute we don't get Jason back decreases the odds of ever getting him back safely."
"You hear stuff," Gordon said, running his hands through his hair. "About people rescued – days, weeks, sometimes even years later."
"And how messed up are those people?" Kate harshly spat. "What is happening to my baby?"
Suddenly, Kate seemed to crumble. "Oh, God – what is happening to my baby?"
Scott Tracy was out of the rental car before John could even fully put it in park, Virgil quickly behind him. Jeff and John hurried to keep up with them. Tin Tin nodded at Jeff, heading in through the main entrance to secure more rooms for the newcomers. As the only unrecognizable one, she would be able to slip past the media who had gathered at the entrance, but with proper ID she could still get into the hotel.
Suddenly, Ana Nevada stood between them and the side entrance to the hotel they had been told to use.
"Scott? Scott Tracy, how are you holding up?" the reporter breathlessly asked. "Has there been a ransom demand for your son Jamie yet?"
"She can't even get the kid's name right," Virgil muttered angrily.
"Is it true your mother-in-law was all that was between your innocent little boy and armed desperadoes?" Ana questioned. "And that she is lying close to death in a local hospital? Where was your wife, Jamie's mother? Why wasn't she with your son? Do you blame her for his abduction?"
Scott froze, furious that anyone could suggest Kate was in anyway culpable in this latest family tragedy. He knew his wife would readily die to protect their children and that this was tearing her apart.
"Where are you getting you information from, lady?" John spat out, pushing himself between Scott and Ana.
"A good journalist protects her sources," Ana smugly responded, making sure her portable camera was still getting her good side.
"Yeah, so that means you can tell us," John snapped.
Ana looked ready to boil over but so did the Tracys when they heard a frantic voice cry out.
"Monsieur Tracy! Monsieur Tracy, j'ai le bebe!"*
John – the only one besides Alan who could speak French beyond a few pick-up lines – whirled around. He knew Julie the least but he knew those words.
"Jason!" Scott cried out, having followed his brother's gaze. Pushing Ana away, he ran the few steps and took his son from Julie's grasp, clutching him desperately to his chest.
"Oh God," Scott breathed. "Thank you God, thank you, thank you," he desperately gave thanks as he peppered his son's head with butterfly kisses.
"Julie," Jeff said, pulling Julie into a one-armed hug, if only to stop the trembling girl from collapsing on her shaking legs.
"What happened?" Virgil asked, quickly examining his nephew who remained in his father's arms, clutching desperately to Scott's shirt.
"Allaine!" Julie cried, completely forgetting her English in her panic. "Ils l'ont! Les hommes, ceux qui ont enlevé Jason. Ils ont appelé l'Allaine et il a rencontré avec eux. Il se échangé pour le bébé. Maisaprès qu'ils lui avaient ligoté, ils ont essayé de reprendre Jason. Je l'ai attrapé. J'avais suivi Allaine -alors je suis Jason si ces hommes ne pouvaient pas nouveau. Mais ils blessent Allaine et sont partisavec lui!"**
John had quickly paled, worrying his father and brothers who couldn't follow the rapid commentary. But they could pick out one thing in Julie's frantic words – Allaine.
French for Alan.
"Let's get inside," John said anxiously. "Julie can explain, well in English this time."
"Who are you?" Ana burst in. "Are you one of the kidnappers? Are you returning the Tracy heir in hope of a lighter sentence?"
"Come on," Jeff firmly said. "We better get inside." He lightly ruffled his grandson's hair with a smile. "I'm betting someone's mom wants to see him." He glanced at Julie and John, nodding tightly. Explanations could wait until Jason was safely ensconced in Kate's grasp.
"Jamie," Ana pushed forward, trying to grab the little boy's arm to make him look at her. "Remember me? How about you say something for the camera?"
Julie's last never snapped as she pushed the woman away from the distraught child. "Reculer, conchon odieux!"***
John followed his family into the hotel, glancing back at Ana Nevada who was picking herself up off the ground, cursing at her smashed equipment. Making sure the others had Jason and Julie, John allowed a small smirk as he quipped, "Yeah – what she said."
Ana cursed more as the Tracys disappeared from sight.
Daria watched helplessly as Gordon knelt next to a sobbing Kate. This wasn't the Katherine Eppes Tracy she knew. That woman was strong, decisive...not this wreck. Then again, the Kate she knew had never had her son abducted. Thinking of her own little boy back in New York, Daria knew she would be as much of a wreck, especially since she knew what was out there.
"I told Scott no more kids," Kate sniffled. "Emily was willing to risk her life to have Keith and I told my husband no more kids because we already were too busy with the two. That maybe if he could guarantee me a girl but otherwise forget it because I'm too busy. I was too busy to be with my children when I was supposed to be on vacation. If I had been here..."
"Kate, would you have carried a gun down to the pool?" Daria asked. "And all that would have happened is the kidnappers probably would have shot you straight out, and then they could have gotten both Jason and Elizabeth."
As if saying her name produced the child, Elizabeth opened the door, one of the sheriff's deputies behind her.
"She was looking for someone," Gage explained as he followed her in.
"Hey, Elizabeth," Gordon smiled, blocking the sight of Kate who was quickly wiping at her face.
Billy walked out of the bedroom where he had been calling Millie, making sure that Charlie was alright.
"I woke up," Elizabeth said quietly, her usual exuberance gone. "I wanted some water and there was no one to get a glass for me."
"What do you mean no one was there?" Billy asked, glancing at his wife in alarm. "I left you with Alan and Julie."
Before anyone could say anything, the door popped open again and the Tracy men strode in.
"Jason!" Kate screamed, running forward and being pulled into Scott's embrace so that they were holding each other and their son together.
John picked up his daughter, cuddling her closely, as Virgil steered a still distraught Julie towards Daria and Jean.
"How? What?" Jean gasped out in shock.
"Julie brought him back," Jeff said with a concerned expression.
"OK," Daria said, retaining her calm. "Can someone tell me what happened?"
Julie sat, shaking, Gordon beside her as she chewed her lip.
"In English, Julie," John said with a false show of calmness, not wanting to upset his daughter any more than she had been – or soon would be.
Julie took a deep breath and began to speak.
"I went with Alan over to the suite, across the hall. He wanted to get some space because he was upset and I wanted to get some dry clothing."
"Julie jumped into the pool to save Mrs. Eppes and Elizabeth," Gordon explained. "I was trying to catch the kidnappers. She had more luck than me."
Kate looked at Julie, grateful beyond words. This girl had saved both her mother and her child.
"I heard the phone ring in the main room. I started to come out because I did not want Elizabeth to wake up and I wasn't sure if Alan was still out there. But when I opened the door, I saw he was talking on the phone. I was about to leave him alone when I heard Alan's voice. He was angry. And I realized from what he was saying that it was the kidnappers – and that Alan knew them."
"How do you know Alan knew them?" Jean asked. "And where is Alan?"
Julie bit her lip before continuing. "Alan called him "Westcott"?" She paused when she saw how pale they had become. "I could tell Alan heard Jason for a moment and when he asked what they wanted, he listened and said he would be there. I was in shock, I froze for a moment but I was afraid for Alan and there wasn't enough time to get anyone, so I followed him."
She stopped, the shaking from the shock had gotten so bad. Virgil poured a glass of scotch from the bar and handed it to her. Julie quickly knocked it back, ignoring Jean's raised eyebrow at the young woman drinking a glass of twenty year old scotch like it was ginger ale.
"I got there – down the road, between two businesses..."
"What two businesses?" Daria briskly asked.
"A, um, a gas station and an auto rental," Julie responded before she continued. "So I hid – behind a, um, poubelle..."
"A trash bin?" John offered.
"Oui," Julie sighed. "Yes. A big one. Anyhow, Alan was exchanging himself for le bebe – for Jason." She looked around at the horror stricken family before forcing herself to continue.
"One had a, um, a couteau -"
"One had a knife?" Daria asked, stopping when the rest of the room looked at her in surprise. "What? Only Space Case here can know French?"
Julie let out a nervous giggle that became a small hiccup.
"Please continue," Daria encouraged the younger woman.
"So the man without the knife grabbed Alan, tying his hands with, um, plastique?"
"Plastic?" Daria murmured before pulling out a zip tie. "Like this?" When Julie whispered "oui", Daria nodded, before muttering to Jean "I need them sometimes. You only get issued one set of cuffs."
"The man with the knife went to grab Jason again and, and – I couldn't let him. I came out and grabbed Jason and ran as fast as I could back to the hotel," Julie continued.
Gordon squeezed his arm around Julie's shoulders, shocked that his timid girlfriend had gone up against a knife-wielding escaped convict like Westcott.
"And what about Alan?" Jeff said in a broken voice.
Julie began to cry, almost hysterical. "I looked back when I heard...When I heard Alan scream in pain."
The Tracys all looked as if they were going to be sick.
Julie cried, "That – that...he poignarde..."
"He stabbed Alan?" John sat down on a nearby chair, clutching his daughter tightly to him.
Julie nodded, crying harder. "Then they put him in the back of the truck and drove away."
"Don't you mean van?" Jean asked, confused, thinking that Julie's English was slipping away again. Looking at the Tracys, she explained, "They were driving a yellow van that they stole from the high school. The annual clean up of the trails was going on and Rick Kripke, the science teacher, thought it was a good idea to leave his keys in his unlocked vehicle under the visor."
"Non," Julie said firmly. "It was a black truck – a pick-up. I saw no yellow van."
The door had opened when Jean was talking and Gage was there again. "That's what I wanted to tell you, Sheriff. They found Rick's van – burnt up on the side of the road. My sister's gonna be ticked. They were going to trade that in for a new minivan for when the baby comes."
"OK," Jean groaned. "So they have a new vehicle, one that literally hundreds of people in the county drive and could be anywhere with an injured adult victim that if it is Kyle Westcott, and, presumably, his brother, that they actively hate. Just when I thought the day couldn't get worse."
"Alan?" Tin-Tin's trembling voice could be heard from the doorway. She looked at the Tracys, tears filling her dark eyes. "They hurt Alan? My Alan? And they have him still?"
Virgil moved over to Tin-Tin, pulling her in and hugging his honorary little sister closer as she broke down into tears.
"We'll get him back, sweetie," he murmured as he brushed a hand over her long black hair. "I promise we'll get him back."
Kate hugged her son closer, not wanting to look at Tin-Tin, knowing that the young woman was just as likely to never see Alan alive again. Looking around at the rest of the family was thinking the same thing.
Jeff was sitting with his head in his hands. Any joy at the recovery of his grandson had been washed away with the sheer terror of Alan being in the hands of two escaped convicts, both who had reasons for wanting Alan to suffer. He barely heard his cell phone ring and he looked at it absently before quickly answering.
"Alan? Son, are you alright?"
A cold chuckle filled Jeff with dread.
"Sorry to disappoint you, Boss," Jackson Mitchell drawled. "But let's have a quick business meeting...let's see what you are willing to put on the table to get one of your "true treasures" home."
A/N - OK, there is this week's update. I'd have Alan speak to you, but he is a little tied up right now. OH, and I have a relative who does that - when she gets upset, she forgets her English and starts to "think" in French. As a consequence, her words sometimes become a hodge podge of French and English.
Translations:
*Mr. Tracy! I have the baby! (aka Jason)
** Alan ! They took him! The men, the ones who abducted Jason. They called Alan and he met with them. He exchanged himself for the baby. But after they had him, tied him up, they tried to take Jason again. I grabbed him. I had followed Alan - so I got Jason so those men couldn't again. But they hurt Alan and drove off with him!"
**Back off, you obnoxious pig.