Authors: Pamela Carron
The phone rang and Jacks pulled off the road to answer it. Thank God, it was Frank.
“Thanks for calling back. I tried to contact Cranford but forgot he was planning his retirement. Man, I need help!”
Frank was on another call when Jacks rang him and after he finished, he saw he had voice mail. Surprised it was Jacks and more surprised to hear he and Honey had a baby. What did not surprise him was that it
was taken
. Damn, if one of the sect he was after, got hold of this ‘blue moon’ baby! No doubt, it was the Garrett fellow. Now he regretted not educating Jacks on what was an enemy to the both of them. He should have warned him about his firstborn. It looked as if he would have to bump the devil up on his list.
“Looks like you do.
Bad news.
Any leads?”
“Just that it looked like one of the nurses who worked in the nursery took him. I am sure she was a plant.”
Frank made a quick decision.
“Will you promise not to come to New York if I promise you that I will find this creep and return your baby back to you?”
“Man, you know I cannot do that! If he has my baby, and I am
sure
whoever took him is headed that way. This man has ways of making a trip real short.”
“Look, I know more about these people than you and we cannot risk you bungling this. You are too involved. Listen to me. If we do not find that child in the next few hours…”
Jacks interrupted him.
“Okay, okay! I will give you twenty-four hours, but if you have not found him by then, I will be looking for Garrett myself. If he has my baby…”
Frank relaxed,
sure
now that Jacks would keep his word.
“Now, I want you to tell me everything about this guy and I mean everything!”
Jacks went back to the day Garrett came to his office, a mouthpiece for Abe Cannon and Morgan Belk. He left nothing out. When he finished, Frank was certain he knew nothing about the morbid details of child sacrifices and cannibalism these creatures practiced. It was best he did not know for if he did, there would be no holding him back and he could cost his newborn son his life if he interfered.
Immediately after getting off the phone with Jacks, Frank called Cranford. They had kept in touch after he retired the first of the year as he planned, and he knew he was still tying up loose ends before leaving the city. He conveyed everything Jacks told him and asked for his help. After Cranford assured Frank that he could count on him, Frank then made several more calls. Then he started preparing for what would be the most crucial act of his life and waited for the information he would need to carry out his plans.
The first call he got was not much help to him but the second one confirmed his suspicions that there were plans for a major meeting of the sect
being planned
for that very night. Frank only had to find out where and when it would take place and time was wasting. He would have to go underground to get the information. If this worked, he would accomplish in one night more than he could ever hope to accomplish in years.
Three hours later, he contacted Cranford with instructions and prepared himself to attend one of the sects gathering which only happened once every hundred years. A gathering, that would give the highest power to one of them
, making
him ruler of all demonic entities existing on the earth. If his plan worked, it would be the last one many of them would ever attend.
Darkness crept upon the city, causing lights to light up the skyline and cast shadows amongst the darkest alleys where Frank waited impatiently for the time to come. He was ready. Having secured a robe from a known member who would not be
needing
it any longer, he was dressed as the majority would be dressed. Underneath, was the weapon of mass destruction he planned to use when the time was
right.
He sure hoped Cranford would not let him down and be exactly where he told him to be. It had to be perfect if they were to save that baby.
Looking at his watch, he knew it could not be much longer before someone appeared. Scouts always came first to assure the place was secure. Finally, he saw two men moving toward the door, which was a side entrance into the building.
Not long now
.
He was counting under his breath. In a few minutes, several more came.
That will be the
candle lighters.
He counted six. More time lapsed, and they started coming from everywhere and Frank came out from his hiding place and walked toward the door, placing himself in the middle of others. Hoods were on and he could not recognize anyone, so was confident no one would recognize him either.
When he reached the door, he held his hand out so that the inside of his wrist was up. For an instant, he thought he
was steered
wrong about the pass code but to great relief, he was waved on through. Getting in was the easy part and he knew that now every second counted. He placed himself as close to a slab, similar to the one used the night he and Cranford witnessed. Keeping his head down, he made mental notes of the layout of the room. Having researched the building’s history beforehand, he knew where all the exits were located. The one he told Cranford to use
would be locked
and Cranford would have to use force to open it. He hoped he was quite about it too.
Okay, Frank, it is show time!
He said to himself as he watched as
a parade of red robed people enter
. He counted six again.
What if I am wrong and the baby is not here?
His nerves on edge, he questioned himself.
Stop it! You are not wrong about this!
Interrupting his thoughts, the sight of two more men entered and a path was made all the way up to the slab and behind those two came one who dressed in a flamboyant robe, looked to be made of spun gold, and dripping with flashing diamonds and in his arms was an infant child. When he walked through the parted way, the others bowed deeply and Frank followed suit. The man holding
the
baby raised it up over his head and spoke in a language Frank did not recognize. The rest of the crowd repeated after him. Frank mumbled something incoherent and kept his eyes on the baby.
What happened next, happened so fast that Cranford was almost afraid he would do something wrong. Having got in through the door Frank told him to use, he saw one minute the gaudy looking robed man holding the baby up, then place him on the slab. The instant that happened, Frank dropped the robe, snatched the baby and no one was moving. Not even taking the time to process what was keeping them still, Cranford was in his position to catch the baby as Frank literally threw him over the heads of the crowd into Cranford’s hands and yelled,
“Now get out of here!”
Cranford looked at him in disbelief, turned and ran with Jack and Honey’s baby. He never even whimpered throughout it all and Cranford knew he
was probably sedated
. A good thing, for they were not out of the building but a few seconds when the explosion came. It was loud, but Cranford kept running as per his instructions until he came to a main street with cabs coming and going. He slid into one with the little bundle and gave Anna’s address. Sirens were screaming from all directions and the cab driver had to pull over several times but they finally made it there. Climbing out of the cab, he handed him a bill, told him to keep the change, and made his way up the stairs to Anna’s apartment. She was waiting for him. He called and asked for her help as Frank suggested. She would have everything arranged. She held the door open and shut it as soon as he came in.
“Here, let me see if he is okay. I have a bottle ready and
there are some diapers and clothes you will need for the trip
. I also have a birth certificate for him. It is a good fake so it should get you on the plane with the story you have, everyone will be too busy feeling sorry for you to suspect anything. Are you all right? What happened? Something went wrong, didn’t it?”
Anna placed the baby in the car seat she purchased for the trip and turned her attention to Cranford.
“What happened?”
Cranford just kept shaking his head and now that he was not holding the baby, she could see his hands shaking too.
“Frank…that crazy, lunatic Frank.
He never told me that was his plan.”
“What plan, Cranford, what plan?”
He looked up at her and when she saw that he was actually crying, she put her arms about him and hugged him.
“You do not have to tell me. I know it must be bad. Come on, we still have a plane to catch. If we leave now, we will have time to relax at the airport before the plane takes off.”
Cranford nodded, thankful not to have to put into words what Frank had done. Maybe later he could talk about it, but not now.
“Where is the bag I brought to you earlier?”
“Right here.
Now, are you going to be able to carry two shoulder bags and that car seat?”
“It will be fine. I can do it. Poor little thing here has no idea what almost just happened to him.”
“Ready? Let’s go!”
“Anna?”
“Yes?”
“Thank you for your help. I don’t think I could have pulled it off without you.”
“You know you are welcome, now we better get going.”
It was a good thing Anna was driving for Cranford did not believe he could have. The horror of Frank standing on that slab with explosives strapped all around his body would not leave him. Would he have agreed to help him if he knew what he was going to do? Then he looked at the infant sleeping in the car seat behind him and remembered what Frank said to him after they witnessed the cannibalism of the young child. They could not save that one, but he gave his life to save this one and how many others would live now that he took so many perpetrators with him.
“Turn on your radio, will you? 101news channel.”
Anna did as he asked and the next few minutes they listened to news of the city. When it got around to the explosion, Cranford listened intently. He found it hard to believe that they could get something so wrong unless it was on purpose. That meant there were more out there like the ones in the building. The story told was that there was a meeting held to discuss renovating the building into a teen center and a gas leak caused the explosion. It
was estimated
there were at least fifty unidentified bodies found so far.
Cranford reached over and turned it off.
Anna glanced over at him.
“Is that where you went tonight?”
“Yeah.”
“I am sorry for you. It must have been bad.”
“It was.”
“But you saved this baby and you should be proud.”
“Detective Frank Dear saved this baby and it cost him his life.”
“He is dead?”
“He is dead. I had no idea what he planned until I saw him with those explosives strapped on his body. I would have talked him out of it, there had to have been another way.”
“Maybe he did not think so.”
“I think he wanted to die.”
“Why would you think that?”
“Because they took away his will to live a long time ago.
I should have seen it coming to this. Why didn’t I see?”
“Maybe you were not supposed to stop him. Let it be. Let him be. Just get this little one home and forget all of it.”
Cranford looked at her curiously.
“I wonder if I will ever be able to let it go. It makes me want to spend the rest of my life looking for the scum buckets that do this to innocent children. You do know there are more out there. No child is safe. Not this one, not any.”
“You are a good man Cranford and good
will always overcome
evil.
Always!”
They arrived at the airport and Anna helped him in and went as far as she could. When they got to security, she sat the bags she was carrying down, after a slight hesitation, reached up, and kissed him on the cheek.
“You will be fine. Take this baby back to his parents and be the hero that you are. When you come back to the city, call me. I will be waiting to hear the rest of the story.”
“When I get back, maybe I will share it with you. Do not forget, wait two hours, call Jacks and tell him to meet me at the airport to get his baby. Take care of yourself, Anna.”
He picked the bags up and made his way through security with the still sleeping baby.
35
J
acks sat by Honeys bed holding her hand. After he talked to Frank, he went on to see his mother and Jessie. Knowing how fast news traveled in the small town, he did not want to chance them hearing from someone else. He was to the point and both women were upset and worried that he was right about who he thought was behind it. Millie cried and Jacks left Jessie to console her. He hated to leave but wanted to be with Honey, even though the doctor said she would most likely sleep through the night. He almost wished he could sleep the hours away until hearing from Frank but he knew there would be no sleep for him.