72 hours Ch. 2
Johnny Wright stared at the phone in his hand in a mixture of disbelief and fear. Just seconds earlier he had ended a phone conversation with state police informing him that 3/5 of Nsync had been kidnapped and that the group’s bus driver and bodyguard had been found at a roadside rest area by a young couple.
As Johnny continued to sit, staring at the phone in his hand he replayed a portion of his conversation with Mitchell, Lance and JC’s bodyguard.
“Yes…we’re okay, Johnny,” Mitchell answered in a weary tone of voice. “They didn’t hurt me or James…just tied us up and left us on the side of the road.”
“What about…” Johnny began but he couldn’t find his voice to finish his question.
“I don’t know, Johnny…I’m sorry…I just don’t know,” Mitchell whispered knowing that Johnny had to be sick with worry over the fact that JC, Joey and Lance were somewhere out there, with strangers and in danger.
Several seconds ticked by with the only sound being heard were the unsteady breaths that both men were making. Finally, Johnny cleared his throat and tried to regain his composure. He realized that if he didn’t get a hold of himself, he wouldn’t be of any help at all to the boys, their families, or to the rest of the group. He also knew that he had to be thankful that although JC, Joey, and Lance were missing, James and Mitchell had been found unharmed with the ability to provide the police with some information that could help in finding the three young men.
“How long was it before you were found?” Johnny asked, trying to guess as to how much of a head start the kidnappers had over the police.
“At least an hour…maybe two and that was more than two hours ago,” Mitchell replied sadly. “We were kind of hidden behind some bushes…the road didn’t have much traffic so it took a while for us to be found.”
In all actuality, he and James had no real idea how long they had laid bound and gagged in the grass. Time had really held no meaning for the two men as they waited to be found by a passing motorist. Once they had been found, it had taken state troopers almost 15 minutes to make it to their remote location then it took at least another 30 minutes for them to ride with the authorities to the location where they now were. In Mitchell’s eyes, too much time had already elapsed…too much.
“What did they say, Mitchell?” Johnny asked, his voice laced with near desperation. “ Did they say anything that might tell us where they took the boys...what they wanted…anything?”
“No, sir…nothing, nothing at all,” Mitchell answered. “We didn’t push for much since they all had guns. We just figured that they were out for a joy ride or something until they asked us how many members of Nsync were on the bus and who they were.”
“So they knew that it was one of our buses?” Johnny asked incredulously. “How could that have happened? Very few people knew where they were going to be going and what they were doing.”
“I don’t know, Mr. Wright…I just don’t know,” Mitchell answered.
Those questions needed answers but as it stood, for right now, no one had a clue as to how things could have leaked out about their travel route, destination, or who was actually on the bus. Somehow, someone had to have known something and now, Johnny had to be concerned about the safety and well-being of Justin and Chris.
Johnny shook his head, trying to clear it then quickly began making phone calls. He needed to warn those bodyguards who had remained with Justin and Chris then he had some very difficult phone calls to make to three sets of parents.
JC laid blindly on his belly in the lounge area at the back of the bus…his eyes blindfolded, his mouth taped shut, his ankles bound as well as his hands, which had been forced behind him. He had no earthly idea how long he had been lying on the floor and he felt completely disoriented, confused and scared out of his mind.
Somewhere on the bus were individuals holding him, Joey and Lance against their will. He had no idea how many kidnappers there were for sure or where they were being taken. Even more heart wrenching was the fact that he had no idea how Lance and Joey were doing. He knew that the man who had tied him up had also tied Joey up then hit him over the head with the butt of his handgun. He could only assume that the same thing had happened to Lance near the front of the bus where he had last seen him some time ago before he had headed for the back of the bus to lay down for a nap.
For some odd reason, JC had been left otherwise unharmed. He finally came to the conclusion that at least one of them had to remain conscious and alert to maybe answer questions…provide the kidnappers information, as it was needed.
JC couldn’t bear to think of what may have happened to their bus driver, James or to Mitchell, the bodyguard who watched over not only him, but also Lance. JC would only find out later that both men were no longer on the bus. For the moment, he knew that James couldn’t be driving the bus since the ride was not as smooth or effortless as he and the others were accustomed to and he had already heard several items come crashing to the floor after feeling the bus sway and lurch around turns in the road.
Surely, someone would notice the erratic driving and alert authorities, but then again, maybe not. JC realized that more often than not, rural, desolate routes were selected when moving from one location to the next and this trip had been no exception. Before he had laid down for his nap, JC and Lance had had the opportunity to look at the mapped route that James was taking them and, from what they could tell, they would officially be in the middle of nowhere for several hours during their trip to the Detroit area.
JC pushed those thoughts aside and for a short amount of time he struggled against his bonds but found that his fruitless attempts only exhausted him, causing him to feel even more helpless. He finally decided that the only thing he could really do was to just lay still and strain to hear any movements of the kidnappers or any signs that Joey and Lance were okay.
At the thought of his friends, JC choked back a sob. He was so scared for them and felt despair at their predicament. In an effort to remain calm, JC quietly prayed for their safety as the bus continued to travel to an unknown destination.
Justin had just finished with his portion of a meeting with several board members of well-known corporations. He was seeking donations for his foundation so that new goals for the 2001-2002 school year could be met. He was hoping to place musical instruments into the hands of area school districts as well as offer funding grants to districts wishing to improve existing music programs.
Just as he was answering questions, his bodyguard, Mike Headnot quietly stepped into the room and made his way over to Justin’s side. He placed his hand on Justin’s shoulder and the young man looked up questioningly at the large, black man and saw an expression that he had never seen before on Mike’s face...fear.
“Excuse me, ladies and gentlemen,” Justin politely apologized as he stood up, pushing his chair to the side. “This shouldn’t take but just a moment or two.”
Justin then followed Mike to a far corner of the room to speak with him.
“What’s wrong?” Justin whispered, his back turned to the men and women behind him. “I’m kinda in the middle of something here, Mike.”
“We’re leaving now,” Mike said, still grasping Justin’s shoulder, his grip a little stronger than before.
“What?” Justin asked in confusion. “Did something happen?”
“Not here, J,” Mike answered. “I’ll tell you once we get out of here.”
Justin numbly nodded his head as possible scenarios bounced about in his mind. Someone was Injured…or hurt…an illness…his or another member of the group’s family…their friends? He shook his head to clear it then turned around to address the men and women who were observing the strange interruption.
“I’m sorry, but due to some unforeseen circumstances, I’m not going to be able to answer all of your questions at this time,” Justin said quietly, trying to keep his voice calm and even as his eyes darted back and forth among the faces looking back at him.
“Please feel free to email or fax your questions to the addresses and numbers that I placed in the information packet. Thank you for your time and attention and again, I sincerely apologize for having to leave so abruptly.”
With those words said, Mike quickly hustled Justin out of the meeting room and into the hallway, keeping his one hand on Justin’s elbow.
“Mike? Mike?” Justin said quietly, trying to fight his growing fear as he and Mike stepped into an elevator to take them down to the parking garage. He had never seen this look on his bodyguard’s face before.
“Johnny wants to tell you,” Mike answered as the elevator doors closed. “I don’t know any details.”
Mitchell Lewis and James Havard had been sitting in a small conference room of an upper New York state police department for more than an hour…both silently lost in their own thoughts…neither willing to voice their fears for the three young men who had been kidnapped more than 4 hours earlier.
Mitchell was kicking himself for encouraging James to pull over when they had been told that there was something wrong with one of their back tires, while James was just as angry with himself for not acting more quickly when his gut told him something wasn’t quite right about the men who had told them to pull over.
Silence continued its reign in the room until the door opened and several men walked in. James and Mitchell immediately stood up and introductions were made before everyone took their seats.
“We have some questions to ask you both,” said a man who had introduced himself as detective John Carroll.
“We’ve already answered so many questions,” James said in frustration...his voice rising along with his anger
“All we’ve done is answer questions…someone needs to be looking for those boys!”
Mitchell flinched at the harsh tone of voice coming from the usually quiet, mild-mannered bus driver, but he had to give the detectives a great deal of credit. None of the men tried to calm the distraught man down by using placating phrases. Instead, they sat in their chairs, quietly waiting for James to calm himself, which happened minutes later with him apologizing for his words and actions.
“We know that both of you are very upset with what happened to you and you’re scared for Joshua, James, and Joseph,” Detective Baines said quietly.
“JC…Lance…and Joey,” Mitchell corrected him. “Their names are JC, Lance and Joey.”
“Thank you for correcting me,” the detective replied as he wrote the three names on his pad of paper.
“The questions are frustrating and we apologize for that gentlemen,” Detective Jeffrey Merchant said. “Many of these questions you have already answered, but they need to be asked again. We’ll be recording your answers and we need for you to answer the questions as specifically as possible.”
“Yes, sir,” Mitchell said as he watched another one of the officers push a button on a tape player before sitting back.
“State your names, please and your relationships with the three victims.”
“Mitchell Lewis. I’m one of the members of the security team assigned to protect members of the music group, Nsync.” At those words, Mitchell had to take several deep breaths in order to calm himself. He had failed at his job and the consequences for that failure might be high…too high.
“Take your time, Mr. Lewis,” Detective Keith Gerard said quietly understanding the emotions that had to be going through the bodyguard’s mind.
Mitchell nodded his head then quietly completed answering the question.
“Specifically, I’m assigned to watch over James Lance Bass and Joshua Scott Chasez.”
James took another deep breath, keeping his gaze on his hands, which were folded on the tabletop.
“I’m James Havard and I’m a bus driver for Nsync. I share duties with three others in driving the bus assigned to Joey Fatone and JC…or Joshua Chasez.”
“Where had you left, Mr. Havard and exactly where were you heading and why?” Detective Ryan Baines asked as he wrote on a notepad.
“We had just left Albany and were heading for the Detroit area for a private engagement in four days with some friends of the group’s manager, Johnny Wright. Two of the other members of the group, Justin Timberlake and Chris Kirkpatrick had to continue with some business in the New York City area and would be meeting us in Detroit late tomorrow evening.”
At the mention of Johnny’s name, Mitchell cleared his throat and looked down at his hands resting in his lap. He had been the one to call Johnny to tell him what had happened. It had to have been the most difficult phone call he had ever made in his entire life. How can you tell your employer that three young men that he considered as sons had been kidnapped in broad daylight…just whisked away?
Mitchell was so lost in his thoughts that he did not hear the next question that had been asked until James placed a hand on his shoulder.
“What? Did you ask me something?” he asked in confusion as he wiped his hands over his face.
“That’s okay Mr. Lewis…we understand,” Detective Gerard said with a sad smile. The question was repeated and for the next two…two and a-half hours, Mitchell and James answered the detective’s questions to the best of their abilities in the hopes that their answers might somehow help speed up the investigation into JC, Joey, and Lance’s kidnapping.
Johnny paused outside a hotel suite’s door. On the other side of that door would be two young men whose lives he would be turning upside down in the next few minutes with his words. Johnny brought a shaking hand to his face.
‘How am I going to do this? What will I say? Dear Lord…please help me…please give the words,’ he quietly prayed before knocking at the door.
Minutes later, Johnny was sitting on a couch in the suite’s living area. Chris came walking into the room and saw the back of Johnny’s head.
“Hey, Johnny…what’s going on?” he asked as he entered the kitchen area. “Weren’t we supposed to leave like more than an hour ago?”
“Where’s Justin?” Johnny asked in a quiet voice, ignoring Chris’s question.
“Um…he’s in the shower,” Chris answered. “He said that you had something to tell us. Is everything okay?”
Chris came around to the front of the couch and was surprised to see that the group’s manager was unusually pale and instantly became nervous.
“Johnny…what’s going on?” Chris asked as he attempted to sit down beside Johnny, but was waved off.
“Chris…see if Justin can come in here now.”
“In a minute, first I want you…” Chris began but was interrupted.
“Now, Chris…now.”
Chris stepped back, surprised at the unfamiliar tone of voice that Johnny was using. With a slight frown he answered.
“Okay…be right back.”
Chris left the room and Johnny sank further back into couch. He dropped his head into his hands and shook his head and realized his hands were trembling and damp with sweat. He took a deep breath in the hopes that he could somehow find the strength to explain what had happened to JC, Joey and Lance without breaking down as he rubbed his hands over his pants to dry them.
‘Father…please…give me strength…give me the words…be with me…the boys…please,’ Johnny quietly prayed. He was so lost in thought and prayer that he hadn’t realized Chris and Justin had entered the room.
Chris gave Justin an “I told you so” look.” He had told Justin that Johnny had seemed pretty upset. He had never seen Johnny seem so lost or sad before. As Chris looked at Justin, he could see that Justin was sporting a confused, almost scared expression of his own.
Chris then crossed the short distance between Justin’s bedroom door and their manager and placed his hand on his shoulder, startling him then sat down beside him.
“What’s going on, Johnny?” Justin asked in a small voice before Chris had the chance to speak.
Johnny cleared his throat then looked up at Justin then at Chris with red-rimmed eyes.
“There’s something that I need to say…it’s not going to be easy,” he began.
Suddenly, Chris’s stomach dropped as he realized that what Johnny needed to tell them had to do with JC, Joey, and Lance.
“What’s happened to them, Johnny?” Chris asked in a scared yet demanding tone, his face revealing just how nervous he was becoming.
Justin stepped closer to the pair. He had never seen Chris this upset before…or Johnny…those facts scared him badly.
“Who…who are you talking about, Chris?” Justin asked his voice breaking as fear set in. He didn’t know what was scaring him more…Chris’s tone of voice and words or Johnny’s expression.
Chris ignored Justin’s question, as did Johnny.
“Get it together, Johnny,” Chris said, his tone becoming more demanding…more fierce as his fear began to turn into anger.
“Tell us…what happened to them?”
“They’ve been kidnapped,” Johnny answered, barely above a whisper before putting his hands back over his face.
Chris leaned back against the couch cushions, feeling as if Johnny’s words had kicked him in the stomach while Justin took one staggering step backwards into the doorway he and Chris had just moments before stepped through.
“Who?” Justin asked as he leaned heavily against the bedroom’s door facing. Johnny’s words had drained him of all strength.
“JC…Lance…Joey…” Johnny answered as he brought his hands back down to his lap.
“How…when?” Chris asked in disbelief.
Johnny once again cleared his throat before speaking.
“Four men…um…tricked James into pulling their bus over…said that one of their rear tires was messed up,” Johnny said quietly as he continued to gaze at his hands.
“Um…James and Mitchell were…uh…forced off the bus and left on the side of the road…tied up, but they weren’t harmed. That was about 5 hours ago.”
As Johnny finished, Chris felt himself come unglued.
“And we’re just now hearing about this?” he yelled at Johnny as he stood up from the couch. “Why are we just now hearing this, Johnny?”
As Johnny tried to calm Chris’s ranting and raving, Justin remained silent in the background struggling to comprehend what Johnny had just told them.
‘Kidnapping…they’ve been kidnapped…oh no…no…no.’ Justin’s thoughts were fast and furious and he slowly found himself becoming dizzy…woozy. He suddenly couldn’t draw in a breath and along with this difficulty, Justin also found that his hearing was being replaced with a roar…his vision slowly beginning to tunnel in until there was only a pinprick of light then nothing. He never felt his body hit the floor.
‘Don’t cry…don’t cry,’ JC told himself as he tried to shift his restrained body into a more comfortable position, but found that it was impossible to do so. In growing frustration and fear, JC realized that if he did happen to begin crying, he wouldn’t be able to breath since a thick layer of tape had been placed over his mouth. As a result, he tried to moved about but the futility of his current situation caused tears to prickle the back of his eyes so he stilled all movement and concentrated on his breathing in an effort to stay calm.
‘I’m okay…I’m okay,’ he told himself. ‘Stay strong…stay strong for Joey and Lance…stay strong…you’re alive…stay that way.’
JC’s thoughts were interrupted when he heard approaching footsteps and he looked in the general direction of where he thought the person might be coming from.
JC cringed when he felt a heavy hand tightly grasped his right bicep and pulled him up.
“Sit up, Mr. Chasez,” a disembodied voice said roughly from above JC.
JC gritted his teeth as he struggled to comply with the order then felt the ropes binding his ankles together being untied. Once he felt the ropes drop away, JC was pulled into a standing position and both his upper arms were grabbed as he struggled to keep his balance. JC shook his head slowly and apparently the man holding him up realized that he needed a few seconds to regain his balance and the pair remained standing still for a short amount of time until JC appeared to be steadier on his feet.
“We need you up front,” the voice said while pushing JC ahead of him, allowing him to take small steps as he continued to hold onto his upper arms.
Seconds later, JC was pushed into a chair in what he knew to be the dining area of the bus and his ankles were rebound then another voice was heard.
“I’m going to remove your gag, Mr. Chasez. You will not speak unless you are spoken to. If you can not comply with those instructions, I may have to punish your friends for your actions.”
JC shuddered at his sudden responsibilities and prayed that he would be able to remain silent when he needed to.
“Do you understand?” another voice asked.
JC mutely nodded his head in answer to the question, then, without warning, he felt a hand on his face causing him to cringe, but a hand held his head in place as someone gently pulled away the layer of tape covering his mouth causing him very little discomfort.
“Water?” a voice asked from in front of JC.
JC cleared his throat. “Yes…please,” he answered then heard the sink’s faucet being turned on and off.
Seconds later, JC felt a straw at his lips and he slowly sipped the water offered to him until there was none left. He pulled away from the straw and heard the glass being placed in the sink behind him.
“Thank you,” JC quietly whispered, hoping that by his being polite and cooperative would help him and the others in remaining somewhat healthy.
“You will answer some questions for us, Mr. Chasez. If your answers are satisfactory, we will put you and your friends together.”
JC nodded his head, almost too fearful to speak up now as the weight of his responsibilities set in. He was sure that the questions would be money related, but he was wrong and greatly surprised with the first question asked.
“Are there any medical conditions that we need to know about with you, Mr. Bass and Mr. Fatone?” a different voice asked.
‘Oh no…they didn’t mention James or Mitchell,’ JC’s mind screamed but he quickly calmed himself as he realized his answers might possibly keep everyone safe.
“Lance has a heart condition…an irregular heartbeat, that he takes a pill and aspirin for daily,” JC said quietly before moving on to Joey.
“Joey is taking benadryl for some pretty severe sinus headaches. His head has been stuffy and he’s fighting the beginnings of an earache.”
“And you, Mr. Chasez?”
“Nothing…I’m fine right now,” JC answered inwardly grimacing at his answer. Sure…he was alright…tied up, kidnapped and being taken to who knows where.
“Where are these medications?” the voice asked interrupting JC’s thoughts.
“Lance keeps his in his shaving kit under his bunk and Joey keeps his in his bunk under his pillow,” JC replied.
More questions were asked, but these were concerning the group’s finances and they were answered by JC as carefully as possible in the hopes that he was giving just enough information to satisfy the kidnappers, but not too much to give them help.
Finally, after the questions had been asked and answered, JC heard the sound of tape being pulled from a roll, signaling to him that he was about to lose the privilege to speak and he wasn’t ready for that yet. He had a few question of his own, but he knew that if he did happen to speak out of turn, Joey and Lance could possibly be hurt.
‘What do I do?’ he asked himself, before deciding to take a chance.
“May I ask a few questions before you gag me…please?” he said in a small voice as he moved his head in the general directions of where he had heard the voices coming from.
The silence following his question was oppressive…almost suffocating in nature causing JC to fear that he may have overstepped his bounds so he quickly tried to correct his move.
“I know I wasn’t supposed to speak out of turn, but it’s just a few questions about my friends…please,” JC said in a pleading tone of voice that caused him to inwardly shudder at the sound of his desperation, but that was exactly how he was feeling at that time…desperate.
“Okay…go ahead,” a voice said from in front of JC and he slumped in relief before drawing in a shaky breath to speak.
“Please…tell me…did you hurt James or Mitchell?”
“Who are they?”
“Our bus driver and bodyguard.”
“No, we didn’t.”
“Where are Lance and Joey?” JC asked next.
“Joey is in a bunk and Lance is on the couch behind you.”
JC nodded at the answers, feeling more relief in just knowing where his friends were.
“Please…can you tell me why you are doing this?” JC asked quietly, not knowing if he wanted an answer or not.
“Just because,” was the answer. “Now…close your mouth.”
JC complied even though he had other questions…he didn’t want to push his luck. As JC closed his mouth, he felt hands firmly pressing a strip tape over his lips, effectively sealing them shut.
“Your answers were good, Mr. Chasez. You will be joining your friends momentarily when we switch vehicles.”
At that bit of information JC felt his stomach plummet…if they left the bus for another vehicle, the police’s job of finding their whereabouts would be made even more difficult.
As if on cue, JC could feel the bus slowing down then come to a halt. Strong hands gripped his shoulders while hands released his ankles from their bonds. JC was then pulled into a standing position and pushed toward the front of the bus. Hands guided him down the steep steps and JC was quickly propelled forward where another pair of hands grasped his upper arms and pushed him toward the sound of a running vehicle.
Seconds later, JC was lifted off the ground and placed within what he thought was a van. He was then forced to lie down on his stomach and his ankles were rebound.
He could hear voices in the background and one in particular seemed to sound strained, as if he was carrying a heavy burden and JC’s heart lurched into his throat. That could only mean one thing, either Joey or Lance…maybe even both of them were too injured, and incapacitated to walk on their own.
JC flinched when he felt a body being placed beside him. He wanted to reach out and touch the person knowing that he would be able to identify them that way, but his bonds would not allow him that movement. Seconds later, JC felt the vehicle dip once again as another body was placed into it.
One of the kidnappers had to have been reading JC’s mind and began speaking to him.
“Mr. Fatone is lying beside you and Mr. Bass is on the other side of Mr. Fatone. They are both unconscious for the time being, but doing well.”
JC choked back a sob and nodded his head. His friends were with him…now he could concentrate on getting them out of there.
As JC became lost in his thoughts, he did not realize that there was another individual in the vehicle near his head.
“Before we get under way though, we must do a little housekeeping as far as you are concerned, Mr. Chasez,” a voice said, startling JC with how close the person was. JC felt one of his shirtsleeves being pushed up and he slightly protested to the intrusion but stilled his movements at the next words spoken.
“Remember, Mr. Chasez…what you say and do will determine the health of your friends,” the voice said as JC felt something wet or damp being moved across his bicep and he smelled the distinct odor of alcohol. Suddenly, he knew what was going to be happening and it involved something he feared most...needles. He desperately tried to move, but knew that he couldn’t if Lance and Joey were going to remain unharmed.
“That’s much better, Mr. Chasez,” the voice said when JC again suddenly stilled his movements.
“You’re going to feel a sting, then in a few seconds, you will be falling into a deep sleep that you will awaken from in about 8 hours. By then, you will be in your new home that you and your friends will occupy for the next 72 hours.”
JC felt the prick and moaned as he felt waves of what could be described as warm, heavy darkness beginning to ease its way up his body. As JC began to give into the darkness, he felt the tape covering his mouth being removed and replaced by a cloth gag, which allowed him to breath easier. Then, just as JC could feel himself falling into unconsciousness, the vehicle that he, Joey and Lance were laying in lurch forward, taking them to an unknown destination further away from friends and family.