Chapter 20
Instead of waiting for the elevator, William and Tom ran down the stairs. Tom was still on the phone with 911. "Elizabeth Thatcher is wearing…" He looked at William as he was speaking to his daughter.
"Jeans and light blue top."
"She's wearing jeans and a light blue top. She has auburn hair. She's five foot nine and small to medium build. I believe she is hiding close by behind a building or dumpster. We're in route!"
"Do you know the make and color of the car, sir.?" The dispatcher knew this man was a cop or used to be by his language.
"No. Two men wearing masks has kidnapped my son. Where arriving in a black truck." Tom yelled as he reached his truck. It was close to the front door.
"All units. Kidnapping and attempted kidnapping at Jackson Ave and fifth. Two masked men with seventeen year old, Jack Thornton. A seventeen year old, Elizabeth Thatcher, on scene hiding behind a building or dumpster. Female victim is wearing jeans and a light blue top with auburn hair five foot nine and small build."
"Elizabeth…we're coming! Cops are on the way. Elizabeth…Bethie…talk to me dear." William implored as he got in the passenger seat. Tom was already starting the truck. The tires squealed as they spun against the pavement trying to gain traction.
"We're eight minutes out!"
"Copy sir. Police on the way." Tom disconnected the call.
"Daddy…daddy…"
"Bethie we are on our way. Stay where you are hiding. We'll find you. I love you, sweetheart. You're doing so great. Cops are on the way. Stay with me, sweetheart."
Elizabeth was curled up in a ball with her back pressed as far back against the building as she could get. She was still hysterical and scared out of her mind. She couldn't process anything other than trying to make herself as small as possible so no one would find her. While she couldn't speak, it was very comforting to her to hear her father's voice.
"You're such a strong person, Elizabeth. You're doing so great! I'm on my way and the police will be there very soon. Stay with me, sweetheart. I'll be there in a few minutes." William would just speak to his daughter. He tried to encourage her. If nothing else, she could hear his voice. He was only hoping it would bring her some sense of encouragement.
Tom took the turn onto a side street way too fast. The other drivers blew their horns when Tom ran through the red light. He swerved to miss a small SUV as he floored the gas pedal to the floor of his truck. The truck's engine immediately responded and began to gain speed.
"Bethie…I hear sirens in the background. The cops must be very close."
"Daddy…" Elizabeth cried. That was the only word she could speak.
"Thank you, Lord." Tom stated when he heard William say something about the sirens being close. His daddy's heart was not only hurting for his son, but also for Elizabeth. He heard the panic in her voice. William reached over and patted Tom's arm.
"Sweetheart, the sirens are loud now. The cops must be there. Can you stick your hand or your head out from where you are hiding so they can find you?"
Elizabeth was still unable to say anything. The weight of the situation was crushing down on her. She only shook her head no.
"Sweetheart…"
"Daddy…" Elizabeth's voice was weak and broken. William had to concentrate to hear her. If it wasn't for the fact of trying to encourage his daughter and give her all of his strength to help her, her would have broken down at the sound in her voice. His father's heart was shattered at the fear his daughter was living through at the moment.
"Tom, the cops are there but Elizabeth isn't capable of leaving her hiding spot."
Tom took a hard right turn and gunned the truck again. With the engine roaring and the tires squealing as they tried to hold onto the road, he picked up William's phone again and pushed the emergency icon. "Seventeen year old Elizabeth Thatcher is scared and hiding on scene. She is on the phone with her father unable to move. Find her!" He boldly commanded as he disconnected the phone.
…
Charles walked up the stairs and looked at the bike rack. He didn't see Jack's silly, little red bike. He also knew Elizabeth's car wasn't in her normal parking spot. He knew Elizabeth never missed school and was beginning to wonder if Jack was a bad influence on her. He shook his head as he walked into the main hall of the school. He noticed Steph, Connie, Steven, and Cory talking with the special ed group that Jack and Elizabeth always talked to. However, he still didn't see Jack or Elizabeth.
"Hey Charles…" Steph called out as she excused herself from the group.
"Hey Steph." He answered as she approached him.
"Have you seen Jack and Elizabeth this morning?"
"No I haven't. You don't know where she is?"
"No. She isn't answering any texts or calls. Have you spoken to her this morning?"
"No. She doesn't talk to me too much since she started dating that new guy."
Steph ignored the fact that Charles didn't use Jack's name. She was too worried about her best friend.
"I warned her that the new guy was bad for her. He made her break her dating rule. Now he has her skipping school." He shook his head in disgust.
"You wanted her to break her no dating rule with you." Steph shot back.
"That new guy is nothing but trouble for Elizabeth. Mark my words." Charles stated. "He's going to hurt her and cause a lot of trouble."
Steph just turned to walk back to the group. She was very concerned about her friend. Connie made eye contact with her as she approached the group. Connie saw every emotion from Steph, and she was becoming very concerned now. Elizabeth hasn't missed a day of school since the first grade when she had measles.
…
Two cop cars pulled to a stop at the same time in front of Elizabeth's mini cooper. One on the driver's side and one on the passenger side. As the cops quickly got out of the car, they pulled their guns and had them ready by their chest in a tactical position. Two officers checked the car as the other two scanned the scene in every direction. They only found one backpack in the passenger floorboard and another backpack in the back seat. The passenger side window was a little over halfway down. The key was still in the car, and it was still in drive even though the car's engine was off. They were effectively blocking the road.
"You two, go that way!" The senior officer pointed north in the direction the mini cooper was heading. "One on each side of the street. She's hiding and scared. Holster your weapons so you won't scare her any more than she already is. Her name is Elizabeth Thatcher, and she is hiding, unable to move. She's wearing jeans and a light blue shirt. She's on the phone with her father. Have your batons out just in case." Each officer took one side of the street and began looking in every possible crevice where she could be hiding.
The third police car pulled up. "You two, tape this off…two hundred yard radius from the car." Seargeant Sampson commanded as the two officers opened their doors to get out of their vehicle.
"Yes Sarge."
The other two officers went south. Each holstered their guns and pulled out their batons. They began searching. The senior officer stopped walking when he was close to a small alley beside two buildings so he could listen more closely. He thought he heard someone or something. He heard a faint sobbing a few feet away.
He quickly approached the end of the building and slowly leaned out into the small alley between two buildings.
"Elizabeth…Elizabeth Thatcher?"
Elizabeth quickly pushed herself against the building afraid she was caught by the masked man. She buried her head in between her knees that were against her chest.
"Ms. Thatcher, I'm Sargeant Sampson. I came looking for you." The officer watched as Elizabeth coward a little more at the sound of his voice. She tried pushing herself against the brick wall to make herself smaller. Then he heard a voice on the phone.
"Sweetheart…I hear the police officer there with you. I'm three minutes away. You're safe." The police officer will keep you safe."
"Daddy…" Was only Elizabeth's faint reply.
…
"What are we going to do now!?" James stated in a loud voice as they zipped through the back streets of Hamilton.
James and Billy threw Jack in the back seat. He was laying down in the seat with his hands zipped tied behind him. His cheek and lip were hurting when the man punched him to get him out of the car. His shoulder was hurting too but he didn't know why. His ribs were also hurting on both sides.
"I don't know yet. Let's get this kid back to the safe house and we will figure something out."
"He's not that auburn headed chick."
"No, but you saw them in the car. He must be her boyfriend or something. I'm sure William or someone will pay good money to get him back."
"You think?"
"A rich girl like that isn't going to date some poor guy. Even if she did, her precious daddy would pay good money for him. Daddy's little princess will demand it."
Jack was trying to remember everything they were saying, but he was having trouble doing that. He was also trying to get his mind to function properly after everything that happened. His father always taught him to keep his mind. He should never let it run wild or freeze up. However, he was still in a little bit of shock. He didn't know where Elizabeth was, but he knew she wasn't with these two men. So that meant she was safe. He exhaled a sigh knowing she was somewhere else other than the back seat with him.
Jack was disoriented. He had no idea where he was. He has never been in this part of Hamilton. He couldn't see anything other than buildings and the sky.
…
Tom slammed on the breaks as they were half a block away from Elizabeth's car and the cop's cars. Traffic and bystanders were beginning to congregate around the area to see what was happening. The other police officers who arrived were keeping everyone back. William opened the door and began to jump out before the truck came to a stop.
Tom slammed the truck in park and immediately jumped out of the truck. He didn't even turn the engine off. He was five feet behind William as they ran toward the cops and Elizabeth's car.
"This is Elizabeth's father!" Tom yelled out as they approached the cop standing by the yellow police tape. The cop nodded his head and held up the tape so the two men could run under it. They didn't even slow down.
As they approached the cars, a man in uniform pointed in the direction of an officer that was sitting on the concrete sidewalk at the end of the first building on the right. William turned slight right and ran to the man. Tom stopped by the officer and the car.
"What do you have?" He questioned the officer as he was trying to catch his breath.
"I'm sorry sir, I can't tell you anything."
"I am Thomas Thornton. My son is Jack Thornton. He was kidnapped. I'm a retired detective from Buxton and I'm in charge of personal security for Mr. William Thatcher."
"Excuse me, sir." Tom turned quickly to look at a middle aged man in a suit. "I'm Detective John Stamps of Hamilton."
"Detective…what do you know?"
"Detective Thornton, I don't know anything yet. I just got here. This scene is less than ten minutes old. What do you know?"
Tom nodded his head at the respect given by Detective Stamps. Their communication was instant. Tom respected him at that moment. "I received a phone call ten minutes ago from Elizabeth…" He spent a few minutes telling Detective Stamps everything he could remember. Stamps was making notes of every word Tom said. He could tell Tom was a retired detective by his language and attention to detail. Tom could also tell this detective was good. He was making meticulous notes and paying very close attention to what was being said. He had Stamps full attention.
…
William had trouble stopping when he approached the sitting officer. He had to get to his daughter. He had to see her and touch her. He needed to know she was safe. The officer stood when he heard someone running.
"Elizabeth!" He yelled several times as he reached the detective. His father's heart broke as the scene in front of him.
Elizabeth was curled up in a ball with her knees to her chest. Her head was buried between her knees and chest with her cell phone still to her ear. Her back was against the building, and she was rocking slightly back and forth.
William ignored the pain in his heart at the sight of his terrified daughter. He also ignored the tears of relief in his eyes. He slowly approached his daughter softly saying her name.
"Elizabeth…Elizabeth sweetheart…it's me. It's your daddy. Bethie…I'm here…Daddy's here…I'm here sweetheart…"
Elizabeth stopped rocking and very slowly raised her head. The phone was still to her ear.
"Daddy…?" She questioned with her eyes still tightly shut.
"Yes sweetheart. I'm here."
When he gently touched her shoulder, she opened her eyes for the first time in a long while. She looked up and immediately connected with her father's eyes.
"Daddy!" She yelled as her father went to his knees embracing his middle daughter. His tears matched hers.
"You're safe sweetheart. You're safe." He kept repeating to her trying to convince her she was ok. "I'm here. You're safe."
Elizabeth held onto her father like her life depended on it. She wasn't letting him go for any reason. William was having trouble breathing but he wasn't stopping the hug. He determined at that moment that he was not going to be the first one to release the hug for any reason. He was going to hold his daughter for as long as she needed him too.
…
Jack noticed the SUV stopped at an old looking warehouse. He saw broken windows on the second floor of the building. It looked vacant and very old brick. Before the two men got out, Jack reached in his back pocket and pulled out his cell phone. He dropped it on the floor and used his foot to push it under the seat as best he could so no one could see it. When he brought his foot back up, the driver side door opened.
"Let's get this snot nosed kid inside before anyone sees us."
"Fine. Then we need to call that old guy."
"We will in a little bit. Let's stick to the plan. I still say we ask for the amount we were going to ask for that auburn headed girl."
"I doubt we will get that much for him."
"Maybe, but we need to start somewhere."
"Come on boy!" Sneered the man. He pulled Jack up to a seated position. "Are you going to walk in or are we going to have to carry you in?"
"I'll go. What do you want from me?" Jack asked.
"Your cell phone."
"My what?"
The man to Jack's right punched Jack in the stomach. "Your cell phone!" The man demanded.
"It's in my backpack." He gasped for air as his body coughed. "We're not allowed to have it in school. I always have it in my backpack. It's still in the car. What do you want with me?" He continued to gasp from the punch.
"We didn't want you. We wanted that auburn chick, but you had to play hero." The man stated as he yanked Jack out of the SUV and slammed his back against the SUV. He felt in Jack's pockets for the phone.
"Why did you want her?"
"We didn't want her. We wanted her father, but she was the closest thing we could get to him. Now, shut up!"
"Then why take me?"
The masked man on the right punched Jack again in the face. "Boy…I told you to shut up!" The man huffed. "Now, you are about to make us a lot of money."
"How can I make you money? My father is in charge of security. We don't have money."
"Oh…so it's your old man's fault we couldn't get to that old guy." The masked man on the left stated as the other man punched Jack again across his cheek out of frustration.
"You shouldn't have played hero."
We don't have money to…" Jack was stopped when the man hit him again. This time in the stomach. He fell to the ground gasping for air.
"Shut up!" He yelled. "You shouldn't have gotten in that car this morning."
He jerked Jack's arms to pick him off the ground. Blood was seeping down the corners of his mouth and over his eye. "Come on boy!" The man sneered. He led him to the old wooden doors. They closed the doors and walked about thirty yards to an old looking office space against the wall of the open floor plan. They tossed Jack into an interior room and zip tied him to an old folding chair that was in the middle of the room. There were no windows and only one door. The men closed the door. There was a small light that was on in the room. Jack looked around and knew there was no way out except through the door he just wanted through. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He was so grateful this wasn't Elizabeth's destiny. He thanked God for that one small victory.
…
William nor Elizabeth knew how long she held onto her father. She just wouldn't let go. She finally released her death grip on her father but wouldn't release her hold on him. He was her safe place. "Father…they took him." A new wave of tears flowed. "They took him…"
"Who, sweetheart?"
Elizabeth wouldn't talk other than to say that the men took him. She was gasping for air in between the words.
The officer that was with them began to speak to Elizabeth trying to get her to tell him what happened. She just kept repeating that one phrase and holding onto her father. She wouldn't look up from her father's chest and shoulder.
…
"Charlette, I don't know very many details, but I do know that Jack was kidnapped. Evidently, two men tried to kidnap Elizabeth and Jack. Somehow she escaped. I don't know anything else."
"Tom! Are you telling me my son is missing?!"
"Yes, dear. I don't know anything yet. Elizabeth is hysterical and she is with her father. It just happened a few minutes ago."
"Tom…"
"I'm working on it. I will have our son back to you soon! I promise you that!"
Charlette took a moment to try and calm herself. She had no idea what was going on. Tom knew very little but none of it was helpful in knowing where her son was. She couldn't calm herself down very much, but she did just enough to function.
"How's Elizabeth?"
"She's hysterical but ok."
"Praise the Lord for that."
"Yes. When she called me, the tone in her voice broke me, Charlette. I know this sounds silly, but I felt like two of my kids were stolen from me. She was so scared."
"But she's safe now."
"She is. William is holding her."
After a few moments of silence.
"Tom…" Charlette stated in a determined voice he knew all too well. "…do your job!"
Tom knew exactly what that meant. When his Charlette was scared, she became very determined. She would block out all unnecessary things and only focused on what was essential to accomplish want was needed to have the outcome she desired. His Charlette was a very determined woman. He knew she would break down later after everything was settled, but she was a rock for everyone to draw strength from in the middle of the emergency.
"I'll have our son home soon."
"I'll call Grace since William is with Elizabeth."
"They are taking her to Mt. Sinai Hospital for observation. She may have some bruising but nothing major. It's just to check her out."
"I'm on it. I'll be there too."
"Charlette…"
"Get to work Tom! You have a job to do! Find my son!" He wasn't shocked when the line went dead. His Charlette was focused on the job at hand. Tom was grateful for his Charlette in moments like this. He knew she would be strong. She would take care of everything at home. It gave him the ability to be strong and focus on the problem at hand.
…
"Grace, I need you to drop everything you are doing and head to Mt. Sinai Hospital right now."
"Charlette…what's wrong?"
Charlette spent two minutes relaying all the information she had. It wasn't much, but it was all she knew. Grace gasped at the news.
"She's alright?"
"From my understanding. Now Grace, you need to leave. I'll meet you there."
"And Jack…?"
"He's missing but my Thomas is on it. Now I'll meet you there."
"Charlette…"
"Grace, your daughter needs you. You need to be strong for Elizabeth. She will need her mother. I would like to be there with you and for her if you don't mind."
"You should be with your family…for Jack."
"Thomas is working on it and Tom is in school. If I'm with you, I will be doing something. When I know something, you will know it too. Now, I'll meet you there. I think of you as my family and Elizabeth as the daughter I never had."
Charlette smiled when the phone went silent. She knew Grace's mother's heart kicked in. She had to be there for her daughter.
…
Detective Stamps and Tom walked up to the officer and William and Elizabeth.
"She's hysterical still. She's not answering any questions."
"Of course she's hysterical." Tom huffed at the officer's frustration. "She has just gone through a traumatic event. Don't you know anything?"
Tom slowly walked to where William and Elizabeth were standing. She was still holding onto her father. Tom gently placed his hand on William's back. William turned his head just enough to see his friend's face. William nodded.
Tom slowly reached and placed his hand on Elizabeth's back. He gently rubbed his hand up and down very slowly. For the first time, Elizabeth raised her head off her father's shoulder and looked at Tom.
"I'm sorry."
"Elizabeth…you did nothing wrong. You were so brave and strong in calling for help. Thank you for that. Now, you and your father are going to Mt. Sinai to have you checked out. You will be fine, but we would like to make sure you are ok. Is that alright? Your father will go with you and your mother will meet you there."
Elizabeth paused for a long moment. Fear was still in her eyes, but it was beginning to disappear. She was safe in her father's arms. She was also looking into the eyes of a man she trusted. Those eyes looked a lot like Jack's eyes. The man's voice sounded a lot like Jack's voice. For some odd reason, that was comforting to her.
"They took him, Mr. T!"
"I know sweetheart. I promise you…you will see him very soon."
"Sir, you can't make that promise." The officer stated.
Elizabeth looked toward the officer and then back to Tom. She was comforted by his gentle facial expression and his next words. He never broke eye contact with her.
"Elizabeth, I promise you, you will see your boyfriend very soon."
She knew he couldn't make that promise. However, she also knew she trusted him. His eyes were telling her that she would see Jack very soon."
"Now, go with your dad to the ambulance. Grace and Charlette will be at the hospital to check on you. Jack and I will be by later." Tom leaned forward and gently kissed Elizabeth on the forehead. It was a very fatherly thing to do. In that moment, she felt like she had two fathers. Her and Tom were growing closer as she was with Jack, but now she had a second father.
After Tom kissed her on the forehead, he turned to walk out of the small alley. He needed to find his son.
"Tom…" Elizabeth barely spoke.
Tom stopped walking and turned to look at Elizabeth in her eyes. He grinned when he saw the determination oozing from her that Jack often spoke about.
"There were two men. One man grabbed me and one grabbed Jack. They were dragging us to their black SUV. Somehow, Jack tackled the man that was carrying me. He held the man down the best he could. He pushed me away a couple of times and yelled for me to run. He screamed it several times. When I did begin to run, the man that had Jack started to come after me. Jack was still fighting with the one that had me. Somehow, Jack tripped the second man and held them long enough for me to get away. He kept yelling for me to run. Somehow, I ended up here. I finally peeked around the corner and saw them zip tie Jack's hands and carry him to the SUV."
Elizabeth may have had tears falling down her face, but she was strong in telling everything she knew about what happened. She never released her hold on her father, and she never looked away from Tom's eyes.
"Thank you, Elizabeth. That helps."
"Mr. T…"
"Yes sweetheart."
"I took a picture as I was hiding. I don't know why but I did."
"You took a picture of them?"
"I did." She took her phone in her hands that were still shaking a little and pulled up the picture.
"Oh Elizabeth…that's great!" He looked at the picture. "I'm going to text that to me, is that ok?" He did when she nodded. "That was great, sweetheart. You were so brave to do that."
William was very appreciative with how Tom was speaking and handling his daughter. He was able to get her to open up about the whole terrible ordeal. He never released his hold on his little girl.
"Because of you, I will be able to do my job and find my son."
Elizabeth had the beginning of a smile form on her lips. It never did, but it was a beginning. She was so appreciative of Tom's kind words.
Tom leaned toward her again and kissed her on the forehead. Before pulling back completely, he spoke to her looking directly into her eyes.
"Jack is right…you are one of the strongest people we know. Now, go get checked out and we'll see you soon."
"Thank you, Mr. T."
"Thank you, Tom." William stated just after his daughter spoke.
…
Tom immediately began to walk up the road toward Elizabeth's car. Detective Stamps matched his steps.
"Great job back there. She was frozen with fear and the officer couldn't get her to open up to him."
"He was doing it all wrong. He was too pushy. I gave Elizabeth something to focus on other than the scary incident. I never once asked her about it. When she focused on something else, she calmed down enough to tell us everything she knew."
Stamps looked at Tom for a few moments. While he wasn't allowed to have this man working the case, he freely welcomed his help. Tom knew what he was doing. He determined at that moment to allow him to be part of the investigation, but he knew he wouldn't let him be part of the arrest.
Tom looked at his phone that he got back from William. He pulled up the picture. He stopped walking when he noticed the two men was carrying his son toward the SUV. He took a moment and closed his eyes. He needed to focus on the job at hand…and that was getting his son back to his mother. He could be emotional later. He opened his eyes and focused on the SUV.
"That's the SUV that's been following Mr. Thatcher." Call Chris at Thatcher Shipping, extension 5990. He can get you a better picture of the SUV."
Tom enlarged the part of the picture of the SUV but couldn't see anything out of the ordinary. Then he zoomed in on the two men. The man on the left had a tattoo on his wrist. He couldn't make it out because of the distance away.
"Text that to your forensic people. That man has a tattoo on his left wrist. They should be able to enlarge it without distorting it." He handed the phone to the detective. Then he walked immediately to Elizabeth's car.
He stopped walking when the ambulance pulled up. He watched William escort Elizabeth to the ambulance. She looked at him just before she stepped in the back.
"We'll see you soon." He waved as she waved back to him.
For some odd reason, she believed him. She knew where Jack got his calming presence from.
…
Grace was grateful Viola was still in town. She was to head back to college later in the morning. She went with her mother to the hospital. They were about three minutes from the hospital.
"Mother, father just texted. He and Elizabeth are about to leave the scene. They should be at the hospital in ten minutes."
Grace nodded her head. She was determined to be there waiting for her daughter. Her face was going to be the first face Elizabeth would see when they opened the back of the ambulance.
…
Tom and Detective Stamps walked around the mini cooper. Tom noticed the key was still in the ignition and the car was still in drive, but the engine was off.
"Did anyone touch this car?"
"No."
He noticed what he expected was Elizabeth's backpack in the back seat. He glanced and noticed his son's backpack in the floorboard of the passenger front seat. Instead of sitting upright, it was laid over on its side. It made sense since Elizabeth said that they were both pulled out of the car. Both doors were wide open with the passenger window partially down. He also knew Elizabeth was driving. He turned to the detective.
"They were after Elizabeth. My son doesn't normally ride to school with her. She picked him up today because it's supposed to rain later. He always rides his bike to school."
"How do you know he wasn't driving?"
"If he was, his backpack wouldn't be in the passenger seat. They wanted her, not him."
"How do you know that?"
"The engine is off, but the transmission is in drive. If Elizabeth had turned the car off, she would have placed it in park. The men didn't want her to put the car in reverse and get away. From what Elizabeth told us, they were carrying her more securely. Plus, the passenger side window is down some. A teenage, young lady wouldn't want her hair messed up before school. She was the target. My son just happened to be with her. They didn't want to leave anyone behind as a possible witness."
"Why?"
"Put a bug on Mr. Thatcher's phone. He'll be getting a phone call soon. They want money."
"Who?"
"I think it is Billy and James Hamilton, they're brothers. They were fired from Thatcher Shipping a couple of months ago."
"I thought I have heard that name before." Stamps stated.
"I think they really wanted William for ransom. He has beefed up his personal security. He has two individuals who drive him home and to work as a precaution. They must have realized they couldn't get to him. So, they went after the next best thing for him to pay for her return. He has a daughter in Hamilton East. You may want to send a couple of officers to the school but don't cause a scene. You don't want to start panic, but you should let the principle know. She can make the call on what the school wants to do." Tom stared at Jack's backpack for a few moments.
"What?"
"Hey detective, look inside that backpack. In the very front pocket. Is there a cell phone in it?"
Stamps looked at the bag for a second and walked around the car. He used gloves to pick it up and open the zipper. He felt inside of it and then looked in it. Then he ran his hands into every pocket the backpack had.
"No. It's empty." Stamps couldn't miss Tom's growing smile.
Tom pulled out his phone from his front pocket. He pulled up the message app and sent his wife a text message.
T – Found our boy. About to go get him. Let you know as soon as I can.
He looked down and saw that his wife sent him four heart emojis.
"Detective…I need six of your best men to make an arrest."
"Tom, I can't let you go."
Tom placed his concealed sidearm on the hood of Elizabeth's car and then removed his ankle holster with his second sidearm on the hood. "Can you get them ready in five minutes? I need to get my son to his mother."
…
Grace and Viola were standing at the ambulance entrance of the hospital waiting for Elizabeth and William to arrive. Grace smiled when she noticed her friend's car pull into the lot and parked.
"Have you heard anything about Jack? I'm so worried about him."
"Thomas just texted me. He said he is going to get him, and they will be here soon."
"How?"
"Thomas can be a very strong and determined man when his family is in need of him. That man would move mountains for his family." Charlette stated with pride in her voice.
"Have you heard what happened?"
"I haven't learned anything other than what I have already told you."
Their conversation was cut off when an ambulance pulled into the emergency lot with its lights on but no siren. They watch it back up to the loading dock. They moved to be standing in front of the doors when it opened. Grace was front and center with Viola and then Charlette standing behind her. She knew she wasn't family, but she felt like Elizabeth was her daughter and Grace was a dear friend. She was determined to be there for them.
The ambulance stopped. A few moments later, the back doors opened and an EMT stepped out. She was followed by William who was holding his little girl close to him.
"Mother!" Elizabeth stated as she finally released her father and walked straight into her mother's arms.
The sight of Elizabeth tore at her heart. Elizabeth shirt was ripped in two places. Her hair was disheveled. There looked like small bruises were forming around her wrists. All of that anger and fear instantly fell away when Elizabeth stepped into her open arms.
"There's my girl." Grace soothed as Elizabeth wrapped her arms around her mother. The same gesture she did with her father earlier. "You're safe. Mommy has you." She whispered into her daughter's ear. She gently rubbed her back. She would often do that when Elizabeth was little to calm her down. Elizabeth found it relaxing and comforting. "You're safe, my girl. You're safe." She kept whispering in her ear. "Tom just texted Charlette and told her he knew where Jack is and was on his way to get him."
"They took him mother."
"I know dear. I know, but Tom is going to get him."
"How?"
"I don't know, but Tom said he is on his way. Now, we need to get you inside so they can check on you. We want to make sure you are ok." Her voice was very calm and even. Her mother's tone was shining through.
Elizabeth shook her head no.
"Your father and I will be with you every moment…understand?"
Elizabeth looked into her mother's eyes. Grace nodded and offered a smile. Elizabeth then looked at her father. He did the same thing as Grace. Elizabeth finally nodded her head. Before she took her first step toward the hospital door, she saw Charlette standing a few feet away.
Elizabeth broke down crying. "I'm so sorry, Mrs. C. I'm so sorry…" She cried the words as she stepped into a hug from Charlette.
"Elizabeth, thank you for helping Tom find my boy."
"They took him, Mrs. C. They took him…"
"I know, but Thomas is getting him back. Tom is on his way to get him. Thank you for helping him."
"It's my fault…"
Charlette leaned back so Elizabeth could see her face.
"That's enough of that silly talk. This is not your fault anymore then it is Jack's. Two men did this for whatever reason. You did nothing wrong. Without you, Thomas wouldn't know where my boy is. Thank you."
"Mrs. C…"
"Elizabeth Marie Thatcher…You…Did…Nothing…Wrong…" Charlette emphasized each word with great emphasis. "Do you understand me?"
"Yes ma'am." Elizabeth offered a small smile.
"Now, go with your mother and father. They need to make sure you are ok. I'll be in the waiting room waiting for you. Thomas will be here soon with Jack." Charlette squeezed Elizabeth in a tight hug and kissed her on the cheek. "Now go."
Grace walked beside Elizabeth and placed her arm around her. She mouthed 'thank you' to Charlette and followed the EMT into the hospital.
…
"How do you know where he is?" Stamps asked.
"Are your cops here?"
"The swat team is three minutes out."
"Jack's phone. He's not allowed to have it in school. We always tell him to put it in his backpack. I seriously doubt he ever does that."
"Ok…?"
"He has Life360 on it. It's a location app. We can track him to where he is."
"Smart." Stamps thought for a moment. "Tom, you may come with us, but you understand you cannot be the first through the door. You must remain in the van and let us do our job."
Tom most certainly wanted to be the first person through the door, but he understood he couldn't.
"I understand. Thank you for allowing me to be there."
"No problem."
…
The SWAT team van pulled to the entrance of the alley and parked just out of sight. Tom looked at his phone and knew Jack's phone was two hundred yards in the alley.
"Alright everyone. There is a black SUV just like the photo in the alley two hundred yards west halfway up the alley. The building to the north of the SUV doesn't have any openings in either direction for one hundred yards. The building to the south has an opening directly across from the SUV. The building is empty. On the left side one hundred feet in, is a set of offices. The suspects and victim should be in those offices. Stanton, you and Franklin go with the heat detection and see if you see any heat signatures. We will wait here for your return."
"Yes, sir." Were both men's replies.
In less than three minutes, the two men returned.
"We have two heat signatures in an outer office and one stationary heat signature in an inner office to the right of the two suspects."
"Perfect. Now, let's do this right. We take the two suspects quietly and quickly. We do not give them an opportunity to make this turn south. Understand?"
"Yes sir. He heard five distinct responses.
"Now, you two go in fast and low. We will be right behind you going in high. We do this quickly. Any questions?"
"No sir."
"Mr. Thornton, you stay behind the group. When we give you the 'all clear' call, you may come in then. If you come in before the call, we will assume there is a suspect coming in behind us. We will take all precautionary actions. Understand?"
"Perfectly, sir."
"Great. We move in thirty seconds."
…
Tom leaned against the outer wall of the old building. He knew he had to wait out the operation. If he went in before the 'all clear,' there was a good chance he would be shot by accident. The waiting was the worst thing. It may have only been less than a minute, but it felt like an eternity. He heard a very loud 'all clear' call by the SWAT supervisor.
Tom immediately ran into the warehouse and noticed the four SWAT officers and Detective Stamps standing over two men handcuffed that was on their knees.
"Pa…" Tom heard his oldest son's voice call out. His voice was weak and soft. He looked past the officers to see his son standing beside the other SWAT officer. His eye was black and there were a few cuts on his face. His face also had a few streams of dried blood.
"Son…" Tom called out as he ran toward his son.
…
Charlette reached for her phone and immediately looked at the screen. She opened the attachment and saw her husband standing by her son. She did notice the cuts, torn shirt, blood on his face, and the black eye. The text stated. "We are on our way soon."
She jumped to her feet. She walked to the nurse's station and asked for Elizabeth's room.
…
"Elizabeth is doing fine. She will have a few bruises around her wrists. She has one bruise on her stomach. Other than that, she will be physically fine."
"Thank you doctor."
"I wanted to give her a mild sedative, but she is doing really well. I don't think she'll need it. However, I would recommend keeping a very close eye on her emotionally. Something like that has to leave its mark. I will send some light sedatives home for her if she is having trouble sleeping tonight."
"Thank you."
"You should be able to take her home within the hour."
William, Grace and Elizabeth smiled at the doctor's words. They were grateful everything was fine. William turned and opened the hospital room door when he heard the knock. He gave Charlette a huge smile.
"She's going to be fine. Just some bruising on her wrists and stomach. She'll be released soon."
"Oh Elizabeth, that is great news!"
"Have you heard anything about Jack? What's going on?" Elizabeth's voice was quick.
Charlette walked toward the hospital bed where Elizabeth was propped up in bed. She handed Elizabeth her phone. Elizabeth looked at the screen and saw the picture of Tom and Jack. She read the text. A tear fell down her cheek. "He found him." The statement came out as a question.
"Tom is on his way here now with him. He'll be here in a little while."
"Oh Mrs. C…that's great news." Elizabeth exclaimed with her mother and father nodding their heads.
…
Tom sat in the back of the ambulance intently watching his son. The EMT hung the IV bag on the pole and checked to make sure the tube wasn't restricted. Jack laid back with his head resting on the pillow. Tom had already told him the highlights of Elizabeth escaping and she was safe. Jack seemed to relax when he heard his Elizabeth was safe. He could tell the emotions of the morning were building and laying squarely on Jack's shoulders. He noticed he kept rubbing his wrists. He had a distinct red mark where the zip ties were cinched around his wrists. Tom wasn't sure if Jack knew he was doing it. The EMT sat down on her little seat making notes in the folder. She was pleased with Jack's condition.
Tom moved to Jack's stretcher and took his hand. He brought it to his lips and kissed the back of Jack's hand. Jack gave him a smile.
"Son, you went through a very traumatic event today. Whatever you do, please do not wall yourself off from the world."
Jack nodded his head. Tom didn't buy the fact that his son heeded his advice. He was never one who shared too much about his job to his family. He knew they were always worried about him and his safety. He didn't want to worry them needlessly.
"My second year on the force, long before you were born, I answered a call about a domestic violence issue. The call came in at two in the morning. This man was beating his wife, and it was reported that she was unconscious. When I arrived at the scene, the house was quiet. I thought the woman was still unconscious and the man left. I approached it cautiously. I found her lying on the bedroom floor just as she was described. I didn't see or hear the man come in. He took me hostage. For three hours I was in the middle of a standoff between this guy who held me at gun point and the police outside trying to talk him down. Our situations are not the same, but they are very similar. I struggled with it for months. Every domestic call after that for months caused me to break out in a deep, cold sweat. It got better and I no longer thought about it after a while. Don't put this squarely on your shoulders and lower your head and bulldoze your way through the next few months. Talk to your mom or me. Pastor Frank. Elizabeth. Talk to anyone that will help you work through the struggles. That doesn't mean you're weak…it means you are human. You are strong but everyone needs assistance every once in a while. Too many people love you for you to carry this burden by yourself. Allow those who love you to help you carry that burden."
Jack looked intently at his father as he spoke. He heard every word. He was shocked his father shared the story, but he did think it was helpful. He nodded his head and gave his father a small smile. Jack squeezed his father's hand and laid his head back on the pillow.
"I was so scared…" Jack's voice was soft as he looked at the roof of the ambulance. Tom could barely hear it.
"I know you were. You had to be. From what Elizabeth told us, you were very brave."
"I don't know…"
"Being brave doesn't mean you're not scared. It means you do what you have to do while being afraid. You pushed Elizabeth away and kept the two men from getting her. She called me and we were all there in minutes. She took a picture of the SUV that led us to the men. All of this was finished in just under two hours because of your bravery."
"But what if…"
"Jack…you can't live your life in the 'what ifs'. Life is meant to be lived here…now in the present. We live…we learn…we grow. You did great today son. You're safe and Elizabeth is safe, and the bad men are going to jail for a long time. You did great today."
With a broken voice, Jack barely spoke. "Do you think so?" There was a pause after each word. The uncertainty filled each word to its fullest.
Tom didn't say a word. He squeezed his son's hand and slightly nodded his head. Jack gave him a reassuring smile and settled into the pillow. Tom took the sheet and pulled it up to his son's chest. The rest of the ride to the hospital was quiet and Tom never let go of his son's hand.
…
As the ambulance pulled into the parking lot of St. Sinai Hospital, Tom broke the silence. "You know your mother is going to hover over you for the next few days. She will be in super protective mode."
Jack chuckled. "Yeah…she'll be like nothing ever happened and life is perfectly normal to worrying I may stub my toe getting out of bed."
Tom let out a loud laugh. Jack knew his mother well.
"Has she had her moment yet?" Jack asked.
"Not yet. She will tonight. You know her."
"The strongest person I know until it's all settled. Then she has her crying moment when things get quiet."
"You know your Ma…but I would have to put Elizabeth up there too. She was very strong today."
"She looks all dainty and soft, but there is a fire inside of her that burns with great intensity."
"A lot like your mother."
"Yeah…"
Tom looked at Jack for a second. "Son, when the time is right, you have my blessing to ask her to marry you."
Jack only nodded his head. He couldn't help the smile from forming on the corner of his lips.
"You know where your Ma is…don't you?"
"Sure do Pa…outside those doors." Jack nodded toward the ambulance doors. He placed his head back on the small pillow. He was exhausted.
...
Charlette was standing like a statue outside on the dock where the ambulances unload patients. She was in the same spot Grace was at about an hour ago. She intently looked past the parking lot waiting for the ambulance to appear. She was growing a little impatient. She felt a soft hand on her shoulder. She knew who it was long before she turned to see her friend.
No words were shared between the friends. They smiled and nodded at each other. Charlette placed her hand on top of Grace's and held it for a moment. Then she turned her attention back to the road in front of the Emergency Room entrance.
Grace, William, Elizabeth, and Viola stood behind Charlette. They wanted to support her like she supported Grace and Viola earlier. Everyone kept vigil over the parking lot except for William. He couldn't force himself to look up. Since they received word Jack was ok, he had also spoken to Detective Stamps by phone. Billy and James Hamilton folded as soon as they were placed in the back of the police car. They told the cops about the whole plan. How they wanted to kidnap William but had to settle for the auburn haired girl. Then Jack had to play hero. William felt responsible for the whole mess. His family, and Tom's family, were at the hospital living one of the worst days of their lives because of him.
Charlette turned from her spot and walked the few steps to Elizabeth. She took her by the hand and returned to her perch to look for Jack's ambulance with Elizabeth standing beside her. She continued to hold Elizabeth's hand, not willing to let it go.
"Mrs. C…I don't…" She stopped speaking when Charlette turned to face her.
"My dear…we are long past the Mrs. C thing. You do not get to call me that again. When I learned what happened this morning, I was just as scared for you as I was for Jack. I couldn't breathe until I knew both of you were safe. I know you are not my daughter, and I will never cross that line with your parents. But Elizabeth, in my heart you are my child. No matter what happens between you and Jack, you are my daughter. So, no more of this Mrs. C stuff. Got it?" Her voice was loving and caring. It was also stern enough to let Elizabeth know there was no further discussion on the subject.
"Got it…Mrs…" Elizabeth smiled when Charlette's face turned very serious.
"You're sassing me…aren't you?"
Elizabeth looked at her mother for a second and noticed her slight nod.
"Now mom…would I do that?" The sassy smile was unmistakable.
"Perfect." Charlette's face softened. She reached up and lovingly patted Elizabeth's cheek. Her eyes were drawn to the road in front of the parking lot when she saw the flash of red lights of the ambulance.