Part 3
by the
lurker
Toronto, Ontario
Harry led the team of four men through the first of the security doors
at Gentech. It was as easy as pie; they had changed the passwords, but Harry
had designed the system. No one had ever removed the back door. One level
upon another, the four men made their way through the building. Harry had
kept only part of his attention on what his hands were doing; most of it had
been in his ear, in the com unit Jarod had given him. But he had heard nothing.
He looked at his watch; he couldn’t stall this thing much longer, or it would
arouse suspicion. Only two levels to go....
*********************
Stephen was uncomfortable. The handcuffs around his wrists were cutting into
his flesh, and his head was pounding in his ears. His wife’s whimpers next
to him were not helping. Jarod was standing at an easel, drawing a picture
with a pen.
“It’s all up to you, Stephen. I’m just waiting for you to tell me where they’re
keeping Ben.”
“How many times do I have to tell you, you stupid psycho; I had nothing to
do with it.”
Jarod turned around, smiling, “No? That’s strange. See, I uncovered some disturbing
little facts about you, Stephen. The whole time you were pretending to be
Harry’s friend, you were taking pay offs from the very man who set Harry up
to take the fall in the first place. Yeah, I know all about your dirty little
deal with Balducci.
“You helped put together the ‘evidence’ against Harry for the embezzlement
that you actually committed, and then you watched him lose his wife, his job
and you sat back taking money from the man who put him away. And it was you
who introduced Harry to Balducci’s money man; told him it was the only way
to save his son.”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about....”
Jarod pulled a chair next to Stephen’s and leaned into the man’s face, “And
it was you who let Balducci take Ben, when you realized that I was going to
bail Harry out of the money he owed.”
“My god, Stephen, say it’s not true.”
Stephen looked at his wife, “Shut up, Shelley.”
Shelley began to cry and Jarod moved in on her, “You shouldn’t have gone along
with this, Shelley; but then, I’ll bet you didn’t know that kidnapping Ben
was part of the deal. Too bad, because if Ben dies, you’re both going up for
murder....and I’ll see to it that you get the chair.”
“Shut up, just shut up........”
Shelley began sobbing, “I swear to god, I didn’t know about Ben; it was only
supposed to be Harry....”
“Shelley, shut the hell up!”
Jarod smiled and leaned in toward Shelley, “Tell me where Ben is, and I’ll
see to it that you’re cut a deal. You know, prison is terrible on a woman’s
age; hardens you right up, giving you ten more years on your face than you
already--”
“--He’s being held in the back of the Gypsy Rose. On Queen Street.”
Jarod smiled and headed toward the door.
Stephen yelled at him, “Hey, you can’t just leave us locked up here!”
“Wanna bet?”
*********************
Bozeman, Montana
They had the house surrounded. According to all their sources and research,
this was Jarod’s latest lair. Parker watched silently as Sam and his team
moved in. Broots stood behind her, waiting. There was no way Jarod would escape
this time. There was nowhere for him to go.
Parker nodded, and Sam broke down the door, Sweepers moving in as quickly
as they could. Parker and Broots brought up the rear. The house was completely
empty. Devoid of any life. There was no furniture, no trash, not even so much
as a match lying on the floor. Only cobwebs and dust, pointing to the fact
that no one had been there in quite some time.
“Damn it,” Parker yelled, “Broots!”
“I swear to god, I don’t--”
“Shut. Up. Just. Tell. Me.” She swallowed and then calmed slightly, “Where
did you get the information?”
“I told you, from the newspapers.”
“No, you moron, where did the file come from?”
“It came from Jester.”
Parker
rolled her eyes, knowing that she didn’t really want to hear it, but also
knowing she had to, “Jester?”
“Yeah, you know, the guy who works in communications; the one with the eye
patch.”
“Eye patch?”
“Yeah. He’s always complaining how the socket itches below the patch and so
he has to--”
Parker leveled her gun into Broots’ face, “I swear to god, if you finish that
sentence, I’m going to blow your head off.”
Broots swallowed, “Yes ma’am.”
“Where did Jester get it?”
Broots looked away, so Parker prompted him, “Broots?”
“Well, he sorta intercepted it from Mr. Raines’ office.”
Broots watched as Parker’s face turned from a scowl to understanding and then
finally to absolute panic.
“Miss Parker?”
“Oh my god....” Parker started to walk quickly back toward the cars, “Oh my
god, oh my god....”
Broots followed her, “Miss Parker, what is it?”
“Sydney.”
“What about him?”
Parker stopped and grabbed Broots by the shirt, “Raines sent us here to get
us out of the way, Broots. He wanted to get Sydney alone.”
“But why?”
“I don’t know, but Sydney knew it and allowed it, which means Syd was afraid
he’d take us down with him if he resisted.”
Broots was barely able to keep up with her as she ran for the car.
*******************
The Centre
It was so cold. And dark. He tried to move, but found he had no strength.
He rolled onto his side, and felt his head hit water. Somewhere in the recesses
of his mind, he could hear water dripping. He shivered uncontrollably. What
the hell happened? Then it came back to him in one wave of memory; Raines,
his office, the syringe. But that did not answer the question of where he
was at the moment.
Panic hit him like a lightening bolt. He could barely breathe, and he was
cold, so cold. The water kept dripping. He realized that he was cold because
he was damp. He was lying in a puddle of water, and on concrete. Wherever
he was, it was pitch black. There was a metallic taste in his mouth. It took
him a few minutes to understand that it was his own blood.
He needed to stay calm. He needed to think. Those would be the only two things
that might possibly save his life....
*****************
The Centre Jet
Miss Parker quickly dialed a number into the plane’s phone system, and
she waited. It rang once, twice....it kept ringing.
“Damn it,” Parker muttered as she put the phone down, “Sydney’s not answering
at home, the office or on his cell.”
Broots took in a deep breath, “Miss Parker, you don’t think that they’d actually.....”
“Kill him?” Broots nodded to her and she continued, “I don’t know, Broots.
I just don’t know.”
******************
Toronto, Ontario
Harry crossed the wires once again, and again, the door misfired. And of course
it would, he was crossing the wrong two wires, in a further effort to stall
for time. It was wearing thin.
“Hey, dickhead,” one of the men whispered, “I thought you was some kind of
security expert. You don’t know shit.”
Harry put the correct wires together and the door opened, “Yeah, well, at
least I don’t smell like it.”
The man thumped Harry on the head, and shoved him through the door. Harry
looked at his watch. They were running out of time. He was just going to go
through with it; obviously something had happened to Jarod, and now the only
thing that could save Ben was him.
******************
Jarod watched from his vantage point in the kitchen of the restaurant, as
three men had been going in and out of a door at the end of the hall. One
of them looked at him, and Jarod momentarily returned his attention to the
vegetables he was chopping.
The executive chef wandered by and pointed at Jarod’s carrots, “Those are
not matched. They’ll cook unevenly. Get with it.”
“Yeah, sorry, okay....”
Jarod watched the door cautiously, as he continued chopping. Two of the men
had gone into the restaurant, leaving only one in the room that he knew was
holding Ben. Now was his best chance. He opened a container of duck fat, and
leaned over the grill, emptying half of it onto the open fire. The flames
rose up alarmingly, causing shouts of warning and much movement in the direction
of the grill.
Jarod ran quickly through the kitchen and pounded on the door at the back.
The third man opened it, “Yeah, what?”
“Fire......there’s a fire.”
The man looked in the direction that Jarod pointed, and Jarod grabbed him
by the neck, shoving him back through the door. He smashed the man’s head
into the wall, and wasted no time moving further into the room. Ben was bound
and gagged on the floor toward the back. Jarod quickly untied him and carried
the boy through the kitchen and out the back door. At a dead run, Jarod carried
Ben to his car.
“Jarod....”
“It’s okay Ben, you’re safe now.”
Jarod put Ben in the car, started the engine and quickly drove away, just
in time to see the fire trucks pulling up to the scene.
“That should keep them busy for awhile.”
“Where’s my dad?”
“Let’s find out.”
Jarod pulled over and stopped the car. He pulled out a titanium case, opened
it and donned the com unit.
“Harry? Harry, you with me? If you can hear me, cough into the com unit.”
A
rather large cough rolled into Jarod’ ear, causing him to smile.
“Harry, I have somebody here who wants to say hello to you.” Jarod handed
Ben the com unit, “Just speak into it, he’ll hear you.”
“Dad? It’s me! I’m with Jarod. I can’t wait to see you.”
Jarod took the equipment back, “Harry, Ben’s safe and sound, and with me.
By now the police have picked up Stephen and Shelley, and they have the envelope
of evidence I left them, proving that it was Stephen who embezzled the money.
It’s your turn now, Harry. Do your stuff, and we’ll meet you back at your
place. Good luck.”
*******************
Harry tried to hide the big, dumb smile he knew was threatening to overtake
his face. He opened the last door, and they were inside the biochem lab. The
men followed him as he made his way to the large refrigerated unit at the
far end of the room. He attached a device to the lock on the door.
“Okay guys, here we go....” Harry cycled the lock, and it popped open. He
smiled at them, holding the door open, “After you, gentlemen.”
The men walked through the door, and Harry slammed it shut, locking it with
a new code.
“Happy icicles, fellas....”
Harry walked out of the lab without looking back.
********************
He walked into his apartment and Ben ran to him, jumping into his arms.
“Dad!”
“Hey cowboy. Thank god you’re okay.”
Jarod smiled at the father and son, and somewhere deep inside, he really was
happy for them. Closer to the surface, he fought against his own emotions
of loneliness and separation.
Harry extended a hand to Jarod, who clasped it warmly.
“Jarod, I don’t know how to thank you for this. You saved us in more ways
than one.”
“The best way to thank me, is to enjoy your son, and your life, Harry.”
Jarod headed for the door.
“Jarod? Isn’t there anything tangible I can do for you?”
Jarod smiled, “Seeing you two together is more than enough.”
Without waiting for a response, Jarod walked out the door, and like he had
done so many times before, out of people’s lives.
***************
The Centre
It was becoming harder and harder to breathe. Soon, he knew he would lose
consciousness. He couldn’t focus his mind. It wanted to wander, and he could
no longer force it to work his will.....
May, 1960
He couldn’t take his eyes off of her, she was the most beautiful woman
in the room. She was talking to a few trustees across the room, and she looked
over, catching him in the act of watching her. She smiled at him, and it reminded
him of feeling the warmth of sunshine on his face. He grinned back at her.
The moment was broken when he felt a strong hand grip his shoulder.
“Sydney....I’m a little surprised to see you here.”
He didn’t need to turn around to recognize Mr. Parker’s booming baritone.
Sydney exhaled a mouthful of air, and turned to face the man slated to take
over the Centre.
“Mr. Parker, good evening.”
“Escorting Catherine, I take it?”
Sydney looked away, embarrassed. Even though Catherine had broken it off with
Mr. Parker weeks before, Sydney still felt uncomfortable in these situations.
Parker knew it, and purposefully served up these little moments of intimidation.
Exactly where they were headed this time, Sydney wasn’t sure.
He looked back into Parker’s face, “Yes, Mr. Parker, I am. It’s her twenty-fifth
birthday, you know.”
“Yes, I know.”
Parker glared at Sydney, and to his credit, Sydney stayed with him. The silent
contest of wills was broken by Catherine sliding her arm through Sydney’s.
“What are you two boys doing?”
“Good evening, Catherine,” Parker smiled, “you look quite lovely.”
“Thank you......may I offer my congratulations on your recent appointment
by the trustees to head the Centre? I think it was an excellent choice.”
Parker smiled, “You appear to have made a choice as well.”
He looked at Sydney, and it was not lost on Catherine, “Yes, that I have.”
Parker extended his hand to Sydney, “You have a good evening now.”
Sydney shook his hand and Parker moved on to greet some other people.
Sydney turned to Catherine, “What the hell was that about?”
“He’s just jealous, Sydney.”
“Do I have something to worry about?”
Catherine leaned in and lightly kissed his lips, “No, he has no say in the
matter.”
Sydney smiled and took her hand, “Come on, there’s something I want to give
you.”
Catherine let Sydney guide her through the crowded room, and out onto a balcony.
He gently pulled her close to him, wrapping his arms around her.
“Mmmm.....I always feel so safe with you, Syd.”
He smiled at her, “So, I’m the safe guy?”
“No. You’re the right guy.”
Catherine kissed him, and after a moment, he pulled away slightly, smiling.
Reaching into his jacket pocket, he extracted a jewelry box.
“I have something for you.”
The Centre, present
Sydney moaned in pain. His chest was burning, and he felt his muscles
cramping.
What had Raines injected him with?
*********************
Parker practically ran through the Centre and down the corridor to Sydney’s
office. Broots followed as best he could. She entered the room to find absolutely
nothing. There was no sign of Sydney, and no signs of anything being amiss.
Broots entered at a run, out of breath, and bumped into her. She glared at
him.
“Uhm, sorry.”
Parker moved further into the room, and turned on the light, which for some
reason, didn’t illuminate. She looked at the bulb, and that was the problem;
there was no bulb. Parker pulled a small flashlight from her jacket and switched
it on, flashing it about the room. There was nothing on his desk, save for
a few notes he had scribbled about Angelo and a new experiment in empathic
experiences. Broots looked through the file cabinet, but there was nothing
out of the ordinary.
Deflated, Parker plopped in Sydney’s desk chair, only to promptly fly right
back out of it, “Ow....shit!”
Broots looked over, “Miss Parker, you all right?”
“Yeah, something stuck me though.....”
She pulled a piece of glass from her jacket, and held it in the light. It
was part of a tumbler. She aimed her light on the floor around the desk, and
saw no more glass, but did find a small splatter of blood on the bottom drawer
of the desk. Sloppy Cleaners.....
Parker knelt down and examined the stain. She looked over at Broots.
“Five’ll getcha ten this is Sydney’s.”
Once again Broots found himself running to catch up with her.
*****************
Parker threw the doors to Raines’ office wide open, and just as she expected,
he was sitting in his chair, waiting for her.
“Miss Parker......what a surprise.”
Parker pulled her gun out and leveled it in Raines’ face, “What have you done
with him?”
“Done with whom, Miss Parker?”
“Sydney.”
“Sydney? He’s on leave, Miss Parker. He’ll be gone for the next week or so.”
“Really.....I don’t ever remember Freud asking for a vacation in all the years
he’s worked here.”
“Why
Miss Parker, he didn’t need to request it. Surely you must have noticed how
tired he was looking? That was what I needed him for, I wanted to send him
on a vacation.”
“I’m not going to ask you again. Where is he?”
“I’m sorry Miss Parker, but he didn’t say where he was going, so there’s nothing
else I can tell you.”
“Why don’t you tell me about the broken glass and blood in Sydney’s office?
Your Cleaners have gotten sloppy, Raines.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about, Miss Parker.”
“You always know everything that transpires around here, Dr. No, and this
time you have no clue? How convenient.”
Raines smiled at her, “For all I know Miss Parker, Sydney is using his leave
to lie on some beach somewhere in the Bahamas.....”
Knowing she would get nothing more, Parker put her gun away, “If anything
happens to him, Raines, I’m popping you first, and asking questions later.”
Mr. Raines smiled at her. Parker stalked out of the office, Broots in tow.
Raines’ smile disappeared as soon as he was alone. He picked up the phone
on his desk and dialed a series of numbers.
“It’s me. We have a problem.......”