The Spirit Survives (22 page)

“Perfectly clear,” muttered Petrov. The familiar click ended the conversation.

Chapter 51

I felt an urgency to leave the hospital immediately. Leah’s message convinced me that she was in danger, and that she was being held at the Residence Inn. I sat up to remove the needles from my arms and leave, when a familiar calm came over me. When I was a member of the Navy Seals, the adrenalin would be pumping powerfully prior to a mission. However, just before the action began, this same tranquil feeling would develop and my logic and training would take over. I would enter my world of complete focus, which I called my survival mode. I happily welcomed this sensation back. I calmly lay back down in the bed to shape a plan.

I played back the phone message in my head time and time again and finally came to some conclusions.

Leah said that she was at home in the phone message. That suggested the Residence Inn. When she referred to the non-existent pool table, she was telling me that something was wrong. When she revealed that the pool table was damaged, she meant that she was hurt and probably not in our suite. She also asked me to call her when I got the message.

 
I decided to act on these assumptions. I picked up my cell phone from the end table and pushed the speed dial button for Leah. I knew from calling her in the past that she had her phone set to go to voice mail after eight rings. Just as the eight rings were switching to voice mail, she answered.

“Hello,” she said a trembling voice.

“Leah, this is Ben and I’m okay. I know you’re in trouble, tell me quickly, are you at the Residence Inn and is someone with you?”

I heard her say yes but the noise of a struggle interrupted the conversation. The sound of a slap almost panicked me. Then a deep voice with a slight Mexican accent came on the line.

“Is this Ben Harris?” he asked.

“What did you do to Leah?” I asked in a composed voice. “I want you to listen to me carefully. If you harm one hair on her body, I will hunt you down and kill you. I’m trained in skills that will present a nightmare for you.”

“Just shut up and listen to me, you stupid bastard,” he shouted in the phone. “I don’t give a shit about your skills. If you don’t do exactly what I say, I will rape her and then kill her slowly. I might even cut off parts of her sexy body and mail them to you. You’re not dealing with a mealy mouth son-of-a-bitch. You are dealing with me!”

Anger flared in my mind but my voice remained calm. “Just calm down. What do you want?”

“If you hope to see her alive again, get $20,000, go to the convenience store parking lot at the entrance of Lookout Mountain. I’ll contact you with further instructions. Be there tomorrow morning at 5:00 a.m. If you attempt to get the police involved, she’s dead!”
 

He hung up before I could reply. I dialed the number again but got her voice mail. It didn’t make sense to me that this was a simple ransom deal. There had to be more to it than that.
At least she’s alive, and I’ve got a fighting chance to save her.

My concentration was broken by a tap on the door. It was the lady bearing lunch. I hadn’t eaten solid foods since ingesting the snake. The food she put before me didn’t look as appetizing as the reptile. On the plate were boiled carrots, unseasoned mashed potatoes, and a small piece of meat that vaguely resembled shredded chicken. It was accompanied by a glass of milk with a straw in it.

I thanked the lady and speared a carrot with my fork. It actually tasted good and I devoured the rest of the meal, drank my milk and rang the nurse to pick up the tray.

Nurse Lilly came in, beamed, and complimented me on eating all my food. I felt oddly proud that I had pleased her. “Lilly, I need to see Dr. Rosen. I have to get out of here.”

“Mr. Harris, don’t you understand you almost died? You need to rest and be under surveillance for a few more days.”
 

“I’m sorry I don’t have time to do that. Please get Dr. Rosen.”

Lilly just shook her head and left with the empty food tray. In about ten minutes Dr. Rosen hurried into the room.

“What’s this I hear about you wanting to leave?” he said. “Your health is basically sound, but you are far too weak to leave now.”

“Dr. Rosen, an emergency has come up and I need to get out of here with or without your permission. I’m sorry to put it that way, but I have to go.”

“Well,” he replied, “I can’t keep you against your will, but I strongly advise against it.” He looked dismayed. “Just stay the rest of the day and night, get a couple of meals under your belt, and I’ll check you out in the morning. Is that okay?”
 

I agreed, just to keep him happy, never intending to stay. I had to try to get the money and be at Lookout Mountain at 5:00 a.m. That meant that I had to leave no later than 3:00 p.m. today to prepare myself.

“There’s a policeman here to see you,” Dr. Rosen said. “He’s been waiting quite a long time. Can I send him in now?” I nodded and the good doctor left.

Immediately, Rex Herns entered the room.
 

“Man, you sure look better than the last time I saw you.” He extended his hand for me to shake. We shook hands and he sat down by the bed. “Can I ask you a few questions?”

“First, I need to thank you for saving my life. I was on my last gasp when you took me out of that cave. I also want to thank you for bringing the wolf out. I know it sounds crazy, but the wolf and I developed a bond in there.”

“I know, if the situation was reversed, you’d have done the same for me. By the way, the wolf is fine and in the care of a vet not far from here.” Rex put the vet’s card on the end table beside my cell phone. “He agreed to keep the wolf until he heard from you.”

I thanked him again. “I guess you want the details what happen on Lookout Mountain that day.”

“Yes, just start from the beginning. We know a girl was killed and later a cop was murdered. We believe the two are connected, but before we get into that, I need to notify you of a problem.”
 

I knew something dreadful was coming by the look of apprehension in his eyes. “What is it?” I asked.
 

“Ben, I don’t know how to tell you other than to just get to the facts. Apparently, your fiancée drove to Lookout Mountain to attempt to find you. She had several conversations with the Green Bay police and the Tomahawk police. A couple of days later her car was found abandoned on the mountain. A search party was sent out and that was when the cop was murdered. We didn’t find trace of her. I’m very sorry, but we are searching for her with the full force of law enforcement behind us. During the search for her is when we saw the smoke that led us to you.”

I lowered my head and put my face in my hands. I knew Leah had been abducted, but hearing the words from him that she was missing still distressed me.

Rex assured me again, “I know this is a shock Ben, but trust me, I will personally be involved, and I promise you, I’ll find her.”

I was silent for a few minutes, drank some more water, and attempted to calm myself.

I took a deep breath and said, “Okay let me tell you the details of what happened on Lookout Mountain.” I took a deep breath and began telling the story.
 

 
After I finished, I gulped some water, and felt like my spirit was dying. The trauma of the episode and now Leah missing, threatened my sanity. I reached deep for the calmness of my survival mode.

Rex was taking detailed notes and continued to write. When he finished, he said, “Okay, this helps a lot. I’m going to send the police sketch artist here tomorrow. I’d appreciate it if you cooperated with him. I’ll get this description out on the big guy and it won’t be long before we know his identity. You just rest and get stronger and leave the rest to me.”

I thanked him again and shook his hand. Rex left the room and I began plotting my escape from the hospital. I felt bad about not telling him about the ransom call, but I didn’t want to do anything to further endanger Leah.

I waited until I thought enough time had elapsed for Rex to be gone from the hospital grounds. I looked around the room and saw a bag in the corner, sitting on my hiking boots. I assumed it contained my clothes. Things were quiet in the hall, as most of the patients were taking an afternoon nap. I carefully removed the needles from both arms and laid them on the end tables located on each side of the bed. I swung my feet over the side and attempted to stand. Dizziness almost caused me to fall. I steadied myself until my head was clear and slowly walked to the corner of the room, picked up the bag, went to the bathroom, closed the door and locked it.
 

I opened the bag, which did contain my clothes. They had been freshly laundered. However, they were still a little ragged from my plight in the cave. I examined the pants and my wallet was in the back pocket. I opened the wallet and saw that all the cash was missing, also my watch and ring were missing. The hospital staff had apparently locked up my valuables, which included the cash and jewelry. All my credit cards and other identification were still in the wallet. I dressed myself, checked the mirror. My two day growth of beard gave me the scruffy look that most actors had. I brushed my hair to the side with my fingers and appeared almost normal. I unlocked the bathroom door and looked outside. There was no one in sight.
 

The rest was simple. I merely walked out of the room, sauntered to the elevator, and pushed the down button. When the elevator door opened, there were several people inside, including a couple of doctors. I just smiled and got on. No one paid any attention to me. After one stop, the elevator arrived at the ground floor. I walked out the door and into the parking lot.
 

I looked to the left and there was the always present Burger King on the corner. I walked through the parking lot and proceeded to the restaurant. I still felt shaky and figured I needed some real food. I ordered a whopper meal and paid with my credit card. In the self-service drink area, I filled my cup with ice then pushed the button for Diet Coke. As soon as the beverage filled the cup, I took a long drink, and filled it to the top again. I needed the caffeine.
 

I sat in a booth, took out my cell phone and dialed 411 to get the number of the nearest Enterprise rent-a-car location. Their slogan, “We pick you up,” was certainly a service that I needed. The information operator connected the number for me. I gave the rental service my name and credit card number and told them my location for the pickup. They vowed to be there within twenty minutes. I hung up, picked up the huge burger and took a bite, chewed it slowly and took another big bite. My stomach rumbled, rejecting the grease. I laid down the burger, ignored the fries and drank the rest of my diet coke. I picked up the top of the bun, cleaned the catsup and mayo off with a napkin and ate the bread. That appeared to be okay with my moody stomach. I did the same thing with the bottom part of the bun and sat back satisfied.
 

A small boy about six years old was watching me scrape off the burger and cheese and just eat the bread. There was a look of wonderment and disgust on his face. He apparently thought I was a brainless adult. I just smiled at him, got up and put my trash in the can, refilled my Diet Coke and walked outside to wait for Enterprise.

It was a nice August afternoon with a temperature of about eighty degrees with low humidity. From May to September the weather in Green Bay is ideal. However, in September winter shows its ugly face, much like Chicago, but colder and with more snow. The only compensating factor in the winter time in Green Bay is, of course, the Packers.
 

After only a ten-minute wait, a light blue Toyota pulled into the lot. I waved and the car drove to my side. A smiling young man with a crew cut rolled down the window. “Mr. Harris?”
 

“Yes, I’m Ben Harris. I’ve been waiting for you.”

“Thanks Mr. Harris, get in. We need to drive to the office to sign some paperwork, and you can be on your way. I’m Bill.”

I opened the passenger door and got in. It was a very brief ride to the Enterprise office and Bill was extremely efficient. I was out the door and in my Toyota in less than five minutes. I immediately drove to my bank to make the $20,000 withdrawal. Our savings account contained about $75,000 dollars that we had transferred from the bank in Chicago. We had taken this amount out of our investments for necessary items like new furniture and electronics for the new home. Leah and I were also considering an inside pool. I had a sick sensation thinking of this. If I had just not gone to Lookout Mountain on that day, none of this would have happened. Leah and I would have been moving into the new home and beginning our new life together in Green Bay.
 

“You can’t change the past!” I said aloud as I pulled into the parking lot at the bank.

I walked into the bank, went to the nearest teller and told her I needed to make a withdrawal. I presented my identification and explained that I wanted to withdraw $20,000 dollars. I don’t know if my disheveled face or the tattered clothes rang a bell of alarm in her mind, but she looked startled. “Sir, could you want for a moment? I need to get a manager for you.”
 

I nodded. Almost immediately a voice behind me said, “Hello Mr. Harris, it’s nice to see you again.” I turned and recognized the lady who had opened the accounts for Leah and me when we initially arrived in Green Bay. I recalled our conversation, her name was Susie, the branch manager. “It’s nice to see you again Susie,” I said as I shook her hand.