Authors: Paul Watkins
The Smith brothers have just called in possible activity at coordinates identifying the old Jenson place. It’s an abandoned farm consisting of a house and barn, with the barn in better shape than the house. I vaguely remember the buildings. Weathered lumber, no glass left in any of the windows, but pretty good roofs on both buildings. The place is about eight miles from town and no more than five miles from here… that would seem about right. a good place to hole up until the heat dies down.
The Smith brothers noticed fresh tire tracks going down an old path leading from the road to the barn. They have requested an open line while they check it out.
Every security man carries two weapons on his person. The pistols are either .357’s or .44’s with magnum loads. These weapons are chosen for their stopping power. All have Uzis for volume fire. Sniper rifles are stored in the car trunks. While some of the guys are better shots than others, all are very good marksmen. No one expects a gunfight. Little Jeff’s safety is our primary concern, however, standing instructions are to stop the quarry at all costs. If we spot the boy we will never lose sight of him because of any concerns for the kidnappers. Negotiation is not an option.
All security men are wearing military-style utility clothing. Flak jackets are part of their standard uniform for this type of assignment. No one here is a reluctant participant. This is part of their duty… they signed on to protect this family. Further, little Jeff’s kidnapping is an insult to their professionalism. No effort will be spared to get him back. And no effort will be spared to get the people responsible for this.
Whispered updates are coming in over the line. Jerry is using a cellular phone. Right now they are advancing on the barn before going on to the house. If they are right and this is the place, the vehicle would be hidden in the barn.
Jerry reports that Ralph hears something, possibly voices, in the barn.
“Stay put. We’re on the way,” I instruct him as
Hudson, John Cosentino and I run for our car.
***
It takes about fifteen minutes to make it to the site, including running the last quarter mile to keep the noise down. We don’t want to alert anyone by coming to a screeching halt on the road right outside the property. If they are there, they are probably listening to car engines as they pass by. A car slowing down or stopping would certainly get their attention. The weeds make a light swishing sound around my legs as I run down the path towards Jerry. He’s about fifty feet from the barn. Trying to stay low and still make any kind of time is tough to do. I pull up next to Jerry and I’m sucking air like a Hoover.
It seems it’s always harder to catch your breath when you’re trying to be quiet about it.
We have six people in place or getting to their assigned positions. Hudson is using hand signals to direct them. He doesn’t need any help from me and I focus my full attention on Jerry.
“Any activity?”
“Nada,” he whispers. “There’s Ralph… see him?” I follow his gaze and see Ralph standing motionless at the side of the barn.
“Yeah. Okay, I’m going in there. It looks like the big door is open wide enough for me to slide through.”
I look back to Hudson and he gives me a thumbs up… all entrances are covered. I scan the area one more time to check the men in their positions. Hudson is looking directly at me and I signal him that I’m going in. He nods.
“Once I’m in,” I tell Jerry, “I want you to follow… then Ralph. The others will stay in position until we signal clear. Then they will check out the house. Any questions?”
“No questions.”
The look in Jerry’s eyes is all business… he’s like an attack dog straining at the leash.
I move quickly towards the door. Since I can’t tell anything from out here I immediately slip through the space and move directly to my left to get away from the light at my back. There’s a van to my front and as I step to the side I see two men sitting on old hay bales in the center of the barn. They both look up at the sound of my entrance. I don’t think I’m what they were expecting. Bear is to my right. The man on the left is unknown to me. He’s big with a heavy build and his right hand is reaching behind him. I lower myself into a two-handed shooter’s stance.
“If your hand goes anywhere but straight up in the air… you’re dead.”
Bear’s hands go straight up in the air. The big man to his right pauses and then follows suit.
“If you even flinch… same thing.”
Jerry and Ralph rush forward, staying to the side to keep out of my field of fire and maintaining their owncoverage at the same time. Jerry walks behind the stranger, picks up a gun and tosses it to the side.
“Cuff him,” I command.
Jerry whacks him in the side of the head with the back of his fist. Every group needs a comedian and Jerry is our resident entry.
“I meant put handcuffs on him,” I add, playing the straight man.
Ralph chuckles and shakes his head.
“What an asshole… put the cuffs on him and then hit him, you jerk. Boy, wait ‘till the critique. I’m goin’ to be all over your sorry ass.”
Jerry does as he is told. Ralph tosses him another set of cuffs and Bear is now manacled as well. As soon as the men are secured I immediately begin to look around. My heart sinks as I spot a pile of dirt near the far corner of the barn. I walk over and find several planks that have been removed from the floor. A large hole has been excavated, big enough for a body. I feel the dirt and it is still moist, telling me the digging activity took place within the last hour or so. If this is to be the grave or the holding tank, then there’s a good chance the boy is still alive. He’d better be.
I look at Ralph and hook my thumb towards thevan.
“Check it out.”
I continue to look around the barn but it’s difficult to see in the murky interior of the building. The only light in here is coming through the opening between the doors and various holes and cracks in the wooden walls. There’s a bag of chips lying on its side, along with a couple of empty soda cans. Evidently the boys were taking a snack break after a morning of hard work.
“Philip!”
I turn and see Ralph reach into the van. He’s holding Jeff-Jeff in his arms. Ralph is smiling… he must be okay. Ralph sets him down gently on the floor of the barn. His arms are bound behind him with some sort of heavy tape. His legs are taped at the ankles and there is tape across his mouth and eyes as well.
I turn and look at the two men. Bear drops his head, avoiding my stare. The stranger continues to look me in the eye… the smirk on his face telling me he’s enjoying this. It won’t be long before his attitude undergoes a major overhaul.
I reach down and pick up Jeff-Jeff’s small frame and carry him off to the side.
“It’s okay, Jeff-Jeff,” I whisper. “It’s Philip… you’re safe now.”
There’s not much Jeff-Jeff can do. The large strips of tape practically cover his tiny face and the tape around his wrists is so tight the skin is bulging outward and has a slightly blue cast around the edges. Whoever did this must have thought he was tying down a steer. I find a clear space and set Jeff-Jeff down tenderly.
“I’m going to take the tape off now, partner. You’re going to have to be a big boy, because this might hurt a bit… but I’ll try to go easy. Let me know if it hurts too much. Okay?”
Little Jeff nods his understanding. I’ll remove the tape from his hands and feet first. Since I’m going to use a knife to cut it, I don’t want him watching me… he might move at the wrong moment and get hurt.
The tape is coming off fairly easily, but leaving angry red marks on his soft skin. I take the tape from his eyes and mouth in short, sharp jerks. I hold my thumb as close as possible to the tape to keep his skin from stretching, but there’s no way to do it that’s completely painless. Jeff-Jeff’s eyes are watery, but he’s toughing it out without a sound… a regular little Rambo.
I feel the rage building within me as I survey the kidnappers’ handiwork. What immense courage and bravery there must have been on the part of the men who took this frail, little boy. It’s very difficult for me to stay here and finish this before I begin my next task. One thing is certain: someone is going to pay this bill in full.
I stand him up and look him over, slowly turning him around… I have to be sure he is completely unharmed. Two men’s lives depend upon it, although they probably don’t know it yet… but they soon will. The tape took off most of his eyebrows, but other than that, I think he’s going to be fine.
“You’re quite a little man, Jeff-Jeff,” I tell him. “I don’t think I could have had that tape taken off me without me yelling. I’d have howled up a storm.”
“Really?” he asks with wonder in his eyes.
He wipes away the tears on his shirtsleeve and manages a small smile. I continue to kneel next to Jeff-
Jeff and he puts his hand on my shoulder as if to make certain it’s me and that he’s now back in the company of his friends.
“Really,” I reply, giving his head a brisk rub. “Let’s go back to the others.”
Hudson pokes his head in the door.
“The house is clear.”
“Okay,” I acknowledge. “Post lookouts by the road until we get out of here. I want two men to take little Jeff back. Bring one of the cars up to the barn… make it fast! There’s no telling how many others are involved… they could return any minute.”
“You got it!” Hudson’s head disappears.
***
“Philip… there’s something you should know.”
I turn to see Hudson’s grim countenance. Something is very wrong.
“What’s up, Hud?” I ask. “I’m about to open discussions with this one.”
I nod my head towards Bear’s partner who sits somewhat serenely with his ever-present smirk plastered across his face.
“It’s little Jeff.”
“What about him?” I ask.
“When I put him in the car he winced… then he tried to sit sort of on the side of his hip. He was shaking a little bit so I picked him up and put him on the ground and asked him if he hurt. He pointed to his butt.”
“His butt?”
“Yeah. I turned him around and pulled his pants part-way down to see if there was a problem… and there was.”
“What kind of problem?”
“Someone burned him. Looked like a cigarette… two or three times on each side… one a little farther down on his right leg. They were pretty good burns… very fresh.”
Nodding my head towards the big man, “Take the cuffs off him,” I tell Jerry, “and get Bear out of here. I want to talk to this one for a few minutes.”
Jerry doesn’t know Bear, but he has heard me make one or two comments about him. Nevertheless, he looks over at me before taking the cuffs off the stranger. I nod and look at Jerry and Ralph who are waiting patiently for further instructions.
“Take Bear outside. If this guy comes out without my signal… kill him. No questions, no warning, no discussion… just do him.”
They nod their understanding and turn away, pushing Bear along in front of them.
I turn back to the stranger and smile as I remove my .22 caliber pistol from my jacket and proceed to screw the silencer into the barrel… one of my souvenirs from the bad old days. The guns Hudson and I used on Espy and company are now at the bottom of the Hudson River. I never thought I would have any more use for this particular weapon, but it just goes to show you… life can be full of surprises.
“We’re going to have a little talk,” I begin, “but first I want you to understand the rules.”
The very idea of taking a child away from his parents for any reason is abhorrent to me. I have seldom felt the anger that’s in me now in my entire life. I’m just grateful to have found one of the men responsible for all this. otherwise I’d probably have an ulcer in about another twenty minutes. I take a deep breath in an effort to compose myself and begin my interrogation. The sonofabitch actually tortured a little boy. In the absence of any other reason, I have to believe he just gets off on inflicting pain.
“It’s important that you listen closely, because I will not repeat any of this,” I begin.
The fine machine work on the silencer requires a lot of turns to fit the device securely to the barrel. I continue to turn it slowly, taking my time.
“This is not a debate or discussion,” I continue, “I will ask the questions and you will answer them. If you move or cause me concern… I will hurt you. If you do not cooperate, or if you piss me off in any way… I will probably kill you.”
The silencer is secure.
“Bear was wrong in what he did,” I begin, looking him straight in the eye, “but he did it because he’s stupid… he made a mistake. You’re something worse. You and your kind do things for money… like kidnapping children. There’s no limit to your greed, your disregard for human life and the rights of others. You dug that hole over there and you intended to use it to bury a little boy. But before you were going to doanything… you decided to use your sick mind to hurt him. I see you’re a smoker… I know Bear isn’t… so you’re the one who worked him over. I’m so pissed at you people I can’t think straight.”
“What’s your name… am I supposed to know you?”
“Fuck you!” he snarls, his eyes flashing with hate and anger.
“Strange name for a mother to hang on her child,” I reply, “or is that what your friends call you?”
He laughs.
“Who the hell do you think you are? You asshole, my lawyer will… “
I hold up my hand. “Don’t even start with that shit. I don’t want to hear anything about your lawyer… I want to hear about your friends… the people who are in this with you.”
“Then I’ll tell you again … fuck you!” He laughs. “Go to hell. I ain’t talking to you or anyone else. I found that kid by the roadside and no one can prove any different. As far as you giving the orders, put down that gun and we’ll see how long you get your way.”
He finishes with a wad of spit that misses my leg by inches. He looks around the barn, no longer interested in talking.
“Much as I would like to accommodate you, I’d kick your ass by the way, I just don’t have the time to play around right now. But while you’re checking the place out, tell me if you see any witnesses around anywhere.”