Authors: K. J. Janssen
Tags: #Fiction, #Crime, #Mystery & Detective, #General, #Thrillers
All that was on John Portman's mind was finding a way to make Susan Harrigan admit she was responsible for stealing the donor file, and to uncover the reason. He made the decision to hire some local help. John was on his way to a meeting with Dick Schaeffer. Dick's company, On Guard did bodyguard work in the greater Cleveland area. When called upon to do so, On Guard also engages in special jobs that require talents that are often beyond the scope of their bodyguard license. When John called, Dick chose Beefy's, a fast food place with outside tables, for their meeting. They both ordered their burgers and cokes and took them to a table at the back of the terrace for both shade and privacy. They had done business together a few years back when a group of punk kids broke into the local NRBA Lab. At the time, the police department suspected that a local gang was involved, but were unable to apprehend any of the gang members. John enlisted the help of Dick Schaeffer. Within a week, the case was solved when one of the gang leaders met with a fatal accident. After that, three other gang members were dumped, bound and gagged on the steps of a police station. They confessed to the break-in and told police where to find the stolen equipment. On Guard proved that they knew how to get a job done properly.
“It's good to see you again, Dick. How have things been going for you?”
“Not so good, lately, John. It's the economy.
“Then I think I have something for you. I'm having a problem with a woman out in Hudson. I'm positive that she was responsible for hacking into our computer files. I need to find out who put her up to it. The information can't be of any value to her personally, as least as far as I can see, so there has to be somebody else behind it. It has to be somebody big. I had a little chat with the lady this morning at her office. Of course, she denies knowing anything about it, but everything still points to her. The thing is, I don't have time to deal with her through the courts. I'm not even sure that I have enough evidence to convince a judge to grant a subpoena. I need answers right away. That's where you come in. I need her snatched, I need her to talk, and it has to be done today”
“Today? Thatâs not possible, John. I've got to have more time than that. This isn't something you can do on the spur of the moment. I have to have the right men for a job like this. It's way too risky to rush into. I need at least two or three days to do the job right. You know that.”
“I don't have that kind of time, Dick. Look, would twenty-five grand in cash change your mind? It will take you less than two days. You can take her to that warehouse on Patterson that you used last time. That office still has electric service, and the surrounding buildings are all vacant now. It's the perfect set-up for what we need to do. There is easy access and no one around to bother you. I just need a couple of men that can pick her up, bring her to the warehouse and make her talk. She will be of no value to me once I find out what I need to know, so there will be no loose ends left behind to connect you to her. It will be a clean job and some quick money. What do you say?”
Schaeffer looked interested now. “Well, I do know two guys. I've used them before for snatch and interrogate work. They come as a team, and they're very good at what they do. I'm sure that they would get the job done for you.” He thought for a minute. “Look, John, let me make a few calls to see if they're even available. Give me some time. I'm not promising anything, but I will do my best to put something together for you. Meet me back here in two hours, okay?” He reached out to shake hands.
“Sure, Dick, that'll work.” He shook Dick's hand. “You've never let me down. I'll see you back here at three, then.”
John threw his wrappers and cup in the trash barrel and went back to his car. He had time to kill, so he headed back toward his motel. He needed time anyway, to plan out his next move. On the way, it occurred to him that he had Susan's home address. This would be a perfect time to check out her neighborhood. It would probably be easier to grab her at her house than at a busy business complex where there would be dozens of witnesses. He made a stop at a gas station for directions to her neighborhood and drove to her condo.
Susan's condo development was called “The Withers”. Her ranch was at the end of a four-unit cluster. There was a ranch at both ends, with a pair of two story town houses in the middle. They were all connected with common walls. The siding was all painted the same beige color with a dark brown trim. Her double garage extended out from the front of the building on the left side, creating a wall up to the front door. John noted that it also provided a natural shield from prying eyes. Trees and shrubs on an empty lot next door shielded the right side. He couldn't have planned a better setup. It was a perfect setting for an abduction. It should go off without a hitch. John was elated.
Dealing with John Portman had drained Susan emotionally. She finally gave into the feeling of exhaustion She kept worrying about having involved innocent people in what was turning out to be a potentially dangerous situation. The project was in the “eleventh hour,” which for her was always the time when the adrenaline started pumping, adding to her edginess. She closed her eyes and tried to center herself, but she was too hyped-up to go there.
Around four o'clock, she made the decision to go home early to jog. Earlier that morning, when Susan returned home from her computer room, she had set her alarm for six, determined to stick to her usual routine, but her heart wasn't in it. Maybe a run would be different. She got into her car and drove directly home. She parked her car in the garage, closed the garage door and walked down the driveway to pick up her mail. She stood at the mail box for a minute while she made a quick scan through a stack of envelopes and ads. When she entered the house, she laid the mail and her handbag on a small table in the hallway and went directly to the bedroom to change. She didn't want anything to delay her from the three-mile run she felt she needed. It took her only a few minutes to change into her running gear, get a bottle of water from the refrigerator and start out for the running path. As Susan ran, she went over the events of the day. She was mostly satisfied with the way she handled things with Portman, although she wished that she had not provoked him as much as she did. Nothing was gained by that. It was just that he was so arrogant, so cocksure of himself. Unfortunately, the truth of the matter was that he was right. She was the guilty party. What she really hated most of all was the fact that he was on to her. In a classic “cat and mouse” game, she was the mouse and she was trapped in the corner. However, in the cartoons, the mouse usually got away. She felt certain that that would be the case here, too. Then her mind moved to how they discovered what she had done. What a fluke it was that their internal people had been testing the same processing run on the exact day and time she chose to break into their files. Again, the odds of that occurring fascinated her, as did most things mathematical and intellectual. All the mental activity made the run pass quickly, but when she returned to her condo she realized that she felt worse and more fearful than when she had started. The run failed to mellow her out as it usually did at the end of a trying day.
It was around six on the hallway clock when she got back. Sue headed directly for the shower. After she dried off, she put on some casual clothes and headed to the kitchen for a glass of Chianti and some cheese and crackers. An hour later, she was feeling a little better. She turned on the TV hoping to be distracted while she waited to call Mark. She knew that she needed to present a calm take on the situation. He was already edgy over the news about Portman's arrival, and she knew that he would completely flip out if he knew the full story of Portman's visit. She needed time to figure out how to sugar coat the news before she made the call. Susan turned on the local news and settled back with the wine and cheese. The news was depressing. Story after story of soldiers dying, earthquakes and storm damage. She closed her eyes for a minute to ponder a world where everybody got along and Mother Nature blessed the world with pleasant, non-threatening weather year round.
It was almost seven when the wine glass was empty and the crackers were gone. It was time to head to the kitchen for refills. She was feeling much more relaxed.
During the ride to Susan's condo, George and Karl went over the details of their assignment. It was after seven when they drove down Sue's street. They drove by her condo to check out the street and pulled out of the “The Withers” east entrance. On the first pass, things looked all right. They turned around and drove down the street again, this time parking by the lot next to her unit. There was no activity in the street, no dogs, no children and no one out walking a dog. That was all good. George removed a small bottle of chloroform and a large gauze pad from a satchel and put them in his pocket, while Karl took a blackjack from the glove box. These were, of course, tools from a bygone era, but the two thugs seemed to be very comfortable with them. “Let's go and get it done,” George said, as he exited the car. They hurried up the front walk and George pressed the doorbell. There was no answer. He waited only a few seconds and rang it again.
After the second ring, Sue called out, “Who is it?”
George flashed a fake badge in front of the peep hole.
“Detectives Paine and Marshall. We need to speak with you about some burglaries in the neighborhood in the last two weeks.”
Sue released the chain and opened the door a crack. “I haven't heard anything about any burglaries.”
That was all she was able to get out before her world caved in on her.
George threw his shoulder against the door and the force pushed Susan back into the hallway. Before she could recover her balance, Karl rushed in and his blackjack caught Susan on her left temple. She went straight down. George quickly closed the door. He unscrewed the cap from the chloroform bottle and poured some on the gauze pad. He held it over her nose and mouth for about twenty seconds. “That should take care of her for now. I'll get the car and back it into the driveway. It will make a perfect cover when we carry her out. Letâs make this quick, now.”
While George backed the car into the driveway, Karl found Susan's purse and removed her keys. Out of habit, he also removed the ninety-three dollars she had in her wallet and put the money in his pocket. He didn't mess with the credit cards because they could be traced.
George returned. “Okay, let's get her ready to travel.” He rolled a sock into a ball and shoved it into her mouth. He used duct tape to seal across her mouth and eyes, and taped her hands behind her. While he did that, Karl taped her legs at the ankles. George checked to make sure she was breathing all right.
Karl stood up to admire their work. “Hey,” he said, “This is some hot looking dame. I'm going to enjoy this.”
“Keep your mind on the job, Karl.”
“I am. I was just saying what a looker she is.”
They quickly carried her to the car and laid her in the open trunk. As they were about to close, it a man stepped out of the shadows. “I'm John Portman.”
They were expecting him. George and Carl just nodded.
John looked into the trunk. There was a big smile on his face. “Good job, men. Close it up, and get going. Who has her keys?”
Karl stepped in front of George and handed them to Portman. “Here they are.” “Good. Now get her to the warehouse. Dick's going to give her a shot to make sure she's quiet until tomorrow morning. If she should come to, I don't want you to speak with her. Keep the blindfold on her at all times. You can give her a little water, but no food. I want her weak and scared. Do you understand what Iâm saying?”
George responded, “Yes, sir, we do. Perfectly!”
“I'll be out there around noon tomorrow. I want someone in that room with her at all times. No exceptions! It's okay to keep the lights on at night. The windows are completely sealed off. Do you have any questions?”
“No sir. Dick told us what we'll be doing. Everything will be done exactly the way you want it.”
“Good, then get going. Iâve got some work to do here.”
They drove off as Portman headed up the walkway to Sue's condo. He had a lot to do before he visited the warehouse tomorrow. He already had a plan all worked out. He was planning to take out a little insurance.
On the way to the warehouse, George took out his cell phone and pressed a speed dial code. “We'll pick you up in about three minutes.”
Minutes later, they stopped at a street corner to pick up Dick Schaeffer. They drove directly to the warehouse.
“Let's get this done,” Dick said as they approached the rear of the warehouse. “I'll open the door. Give me that flashlight. The only light is in the office at the other end of the building. Be very careful carrying her, we do not want to damage the merchandise. There is crap on the floor all the way to the office.” He unlocked the door as they removed Susan from the trunk and hustled her into the warehouse. Dick led them across the warehouse floor until they came to a door on the far wall. He was right about the floor. It was like moving through an obstacle course. Dick fumbled with the ring of keys until he found the right one. He finally opened the door and stepped inside. He flashed the light around the room and found a wall switch. An old fluorescent fixture flickered on. Two of the four bulbs were burned out, but the two that were left lit up the room sufficiently. On the far side of the room there was a queen-sized mattress on the floor. Next to it was a hospital bedpan, a roll of toilet paper and an unopened bottle of water. George and Karl carried Susan's limp body over to the mattress and set her down. She was still unconscious, but was breathing normally. Dick went over to check out the closet. There was nothing inside but broken mops, some brooms, two spare bulbs and bottles of disinfectant. He returned to the mattress and removed a small box from his pocket. It contained a hypodermic needle. “I'm injecting her with a sedative that John gave me. It'll keep her quiet for the night. You two get all the rest you can. Tomorrow you get to do your stuff.”
“What are we supposed to sit on?” George asked.
Dick answered, “That's a good question.”
Karl piped in, “There were chairs on the floor where we came in. They were torn, but at least they will keep our butts off this cold floor. When you leave, Dick, I'll go with you and bring a couple back with me. I need to bring in our stuff from the car anyway.”
“Okay, but don't you guys forget, someone has to be with her at all times. She's going to be a big payday for us; don't screw it up. And you guys remember, keep your hands off the merchandise. That's not part of the deal unless John says so. Is that understood?”
“Don't worry, we know what to do. We won't do anything to screw this up, but it's not going to be easy. She's one hot looking piece of ass.”
“We'll see,” said Dick. “The bag I brought with me has some burgers, fries and pop. They might not be too warm right now, but they will fill your stomachs for tonight. I'll bring them in and help you with the chairs, then I'm out of here until ten tomorrow. I will call you before I come. I'll have some coffee and doughnuts with me. You keep this flashlight, there's another one in the car. You never know when the juice might go off or when either of those light bulbs may give out. If you need them, I saw two spare bulbs in the closet before. They looked new. That should do it.”
Twenty minutes later, George and Karl were settled in for the night. They took three-hour shifts watching Susan. It was a long night for them. The off-duty guard slept on the mattress, being careful to keep a safe distance from Susan. The on-duty man sat on a rickety armchair with a split plastic seat. They dreamt about the five grand each that Dick had promised them. This would be the best payday in a long time for both of them. The money was as good as spent.