Chapter 12
“Hello?” Harold Littrell II’s voice sounded hollow
and drained, but it quickly energized when he heard the garbling voice on the
other end of the connection.
“Harry?”
“Yes, this is Harold,” Harold said curtly, “Is my son
alright?”
“Your son is fine..
For now. Are you listening
Harry? Is everyone in your home right
now listening? Good, then maybe you
won’t have to write this down. You and
your wife are to purchase plane tickets and fly to Evanston, Illinois. You are to check into the Radisson Hotel
under the names Lynette and Charles Benett.
You will receive further instruction from there... come alone.” The line disconnected.
“Come alone,” Jane Carter repeated.
“But Jane,” Bob was pleading his case.
“No, they know about the FBI! They don’t want them! Lets just go by ourselves!” Jane was packing
her suitcase, “Why can’t we? Do you not
think that we can deliver a suitcase full of money to...”
“Jane, please...
We can do everything those monsters want, but we can at least let a few
FBI tag along...” Bob pleaded.
“No!” Jane put her foot down, “I won’t have
them. I want my boy, and if you insist
on having them along then I’ll just make sure I leave before you. Then maybe I’ll have a chance to save my son before you do something stupid
and get him killed!”
Bob’s mouth fell open. Her son? She spoke as if
Bob had no part of Nick, “Are you implying that I...”
“Want Nick dead?
No. I’m just pointing out that
your stupid actions are going to lead to it!
Bob I want my boy, and I’m gonna do exactly what those people want. I’m going to the bank after I finish packing
and emptying my account.”
Bob blinked at her, “Jane, do you know how much money
is in your account?”
“Yes Bob, I manage my money, your money, the kids’
money, I know exactly how much money everyone has... And if I need to, I have
access to Nick’s account, I can get his money out,” she shrugged, “He never
really bothered to try to get an account of his own after he turned 18, I guess
he didn’t have the time.. Or cares. He’s lucky to have me.”
Bob was quiet as he zipped up his suitcase. Jane was lifting her bag and about to tote
it out of the room when she felt Bob’s hand on her arm, “You don’t have to go
alone, Janie.”
Jane looked at him serenely, “Why Bob, I never
planned on going alone...”
Bob smiled, his wife adored him!
“...BJ’s coming with me. In fact I think she’s already in the car,” Jane shrugged and
smirked at her husband. Bob’s mouth
hung agape. He jogged after his wife
quickly as she left the room and traveled down the stairs into the FBI flooded
living room.
“No FBI,” Denise McLean spoke firmly to the FBI agent
in front of her who was trying to convince her to let at least him come along
with her. “No, Alex is my only
child. I want him back, and I take no
chances. They said they’ll give him
back, and I have my faith in God that they will.” She ran a comb through her hair and adjusted her sunglasses. She was scared as hell, but hid it
well. To everyone else around her she
seemed poised and confident. Not at all
how they had found her at first when she first learned that her son had been
abducted. “I’m going. Follow me if you want, but I’ll let you know
that I will never cooperate to let you help me, so there will be no point in
your coming.” She draped the strap of
her bag over her shoulder and left out the front door, “I’ll trust you good
people to lock up after you leave.”
“I’ve always hated airplanes,” Hoke Dorough muttered
as he concentrated on not looking out the portholes of the plane to see the
clouds they were now soaring above,” especially ones that take you to a town
where your sons been taken hostage, so you can pay with all the money in your
retirement fund to get him back.”
Paula glanced at him sharply, “We should have let the
FBI come. We might have been there by
now, if we had only gone along with them.
And they said they could help us get the money if those crooks ask for
too much.”
“Paula, when we get there, then we’ll decide what we
need, and complain about what we should have done, ok?” Hoke said irritably,
“Ok?”
Paula turned to look out the window, saying
nothing.
Hoke sighed, it would be a long flight. He glanced over to see his 3 other children
sitting in the seat across the isle from them.
All of them looking weary and worried.
He shut his eyes. He should try
to sleep. Lord knows when he was going
to get another chance to.
“Mom, I’m missing a suitcase,” Leslie said holding
one suitcase for her mother to see and waving her free arm around like, hello? Something’s supposed to be here.
“Why did you pack so much anyway?” Jane snapped,
nerves shot. Her knees knocked together
as her mind and body realized at the same time that they were in the town where
her child was abducted... and could very well have been killed in too.
“Here Leslie,” Aaron shoved the small suitcase at his
sister.
Bob counted heads to see if he had all four
kids. They were there. “Ok, lets get out of here. Aaron where’s your hat?”
Aaron’s eyes grew large, he had forgotten about it,
“I left it, lets just go!” he didn’t think anyone would recognize him here
anyway. It wasn’t like he was Nick, he
thought bitterly. Then erased that
nasty thought from his head. No, he was
not jealous of his brother... Ok, maybe just a little.
“The taxi van is gonna pick us up in...”
“Jane, Bob!” Both adults’ heads turned to the
direction their names were being shouted from.
Harold and Jackie Littrell, along with Ann Richardson were running up to
them. Their children, Harold III, Tim,
and Jerald, were dragging the luggage along behind them.
Jackie wrapped her arms around Jane, comforting her
and trying to stifle her own tears, “I have to keep telling myself he’s still
alive...”
Jane rubbed her back, “They’ll be fine, honey.”
“For heaven’s sake, lets just get out of here before
those vultures known as the press somehow finds out we’re here and come to pick
at us!” Ann Richardson hustled everyone along.
They ran into Denise McLean and the Doroughs standing outside the
airport waiting on cabs. Their
suitcases surrounded them like a mote.
“Denise, Paula, Hoke,” Harold greeted them
calmly. They turned. Paula Dorough was immediately met with the
embraces of the other mothers, as was Denise Mclean.
“Radisson Hotel?” Hoke questioned all the parents who
nodded.
“Maybe we should rent a party bus?” Harold III said
with a small smile. It made Jackie
begin to cry again, that was something Brian might have said if he were here...