pages 4 and 5
Remembering that she didn’t know when she would get out of the trunk, she stopped once her mouth felt semi-normal and saved the rest for later.
Suddenly, Eve felt the smooth pavement of the highway or interstate give way to the bumpier feel of a dirt road and had a sinking feeling that she wasn’t going to be staying in the trunk much longer. Bit by bit, she began to scoot herself around so that her body was no longer laying down in the trunk, but turned sideways with her feet pressing against the lid and her back against the back of the backseat. Tires crunched onto gravel and she was thrown sideways as the car made a sharp turn into a driveway or onto a gravel lane. When the car rolled to a stop after going only a few yards, she guessed it was a driveway and quickly struggled to get back into position.
The car door slammed and then quick footsteps approached the trunk. As the key was inserted into the locked trunk, Eve’s breath caught in her throat. The lid seemed to open in slow motion as inch, by horrifying inch, the black form of her abductor was outlined against the bright golds and blues of the sunrise sky. At long last, when the lid was almost open and she could see her attacker’s shoulders, she struck out with both feet. Hitting him squarely in the stomach, she watched as he cursed and doubled over in pain. Struggling to bring her bound hands up to grasp the edge of the trunk lid and lever herself out, she flailed desperately, her legs helplessly straining. She felt strong hands come around her ankles and then she was being pulled forward. As her attacker stood, pulling her from the trunk by the feet, time stood still for an instant and she was floating in midair. Then, with a crack, she landed hard on the ground and felt her head slam against the bumper so hard that her teeth clacked together. Then everything faded to black.
Chapter Seven
Alex was jerked from the blessedly blank darkness of the kind of sleep you only get when you are totally and utterly exhausted, emotionally and physically. Swatting blindly with one hand at the nightstand in search of his loudly buzzing alarm clock, he rubbed his eyes with the other. Blinking several times, he squinted across the queen-sized bed at the green, glowing numbers. 6:30 a.m. He was late. His brain slipped into overdrive as he jumped from the bed and headed for the shower, quickly shedding the clothing he’d fallen asleep in last night. Stepping under the hot spray, he turned on his wall radio. He quickly washed his hair and body as the fast beat of the music swirled around him. Checking his watch, he relaxed a little and let the hot steam help clear the cobwebs out of his head.
“You’re listening to 101.9, KWDR, today’s best country and this is your favorite DJ, Mikey Mike. Thanks for listening. We have another 45-minute mega sweep of your favorite music coming up after this break. It’s 5:35 and the current temperature is 45 degrees.”
Laughing, Alex felt the adrenaline leave his body just as quickly as it had come. It wasn’t 6:30. He wasn’t late. It was daylight savings time. He’d forgotten to turn his clock back last night. Oh well, there was no way he’d get back to sleep now. Stepping from the shower, he quickly toweled himself dry and dropped the sopping towel into the dirty laundry basket on his way back into the bedroom. He dressed in a pair of black slacks and a dark, steel gray shirt, rolling the sleeves up to just below his elbows and leaving his top button undone. Giving himself a quick once over in the mirror, he padded back into the bathroom. After brushing his teeth, running a brush through his damp hair, and shaving, he smiled rakishly at his own reflection.
Whistling, he headed downstairs to the kitchen. He was surprised at this sudden shift in his mood. Last night he’d been pretty low. Now all of a sudden, he felt like he was walking on air. Maybe I should start waking up earlier, he thought. He settled contentedly on the back porch with his newspaper and coffee to watch the sunrise. As the sky changed from the soft, steely blue of dawn to the bright golds, blues, and reds of the day, he smiled. Yeah, maybe he would start getting up early. This was great.
Chapter Eight
When Eve came to, she was lying on a rather lumpy metal cot. Looking around Eve took in the room. There was one window situated high up in the left-hand corner of the wall her cot was against. Next to the cot was a large desk with a lamp on it and a rickety wooden chair. The walls of the room were cement and of the type seen in unfinished basements the world over. It seemed to be a perfect square, measuring about 8 feet by 8 feet. The door was in the very center of the wall opposite her cot and appeared to be made of some kind of sturdy wood. Maybe oak. She leaned her back against the wall her cot was shoved up against and sighed. Drawing her knees up onto the cot she sat cross-legged and tried to think. As she gazed at the door, turning the situation over and over in her mind, a small panel slid back, leaving a space six inches wide and three inches high in the wood like a huge peephole. Then a face appeared in the slit. Well, she actually couldn’t see much of the face. It was her attacker again and he was still wearing his black ski mask. For a moment they just stared at one another across the room. Then Eve saw the glossy black barrel of a gun poke through next to the man’s head.
“Don’t move, sugar. And don’t freak out. I’m just bringing you breakfast. You should be pretty hungry after what you’ve been through in the last 24 hours.”
Eve heard a key scrape in the lock. Then the doorknob gradually turned and the door quickly swung open. Her captor was standing with both feet planted firmly shoulder width apart, gun leveled squarely at her chest. She studied him. This was the first time she’d seen all of him at once. He was a little taller than she’d guessed. Maybe 6’2’’. While his arms and shoulders were built, he wasn’t as muscular as she’d judged him to be originally. His neck wasn’t thick at all and while his legs were muscular, he wasn’t squat by any means. As she watched, he removed one hand from the gun, while still keeping it leveled at her heart, and reached out with the other. Seconds later, it came back into view, easily balancing a heavily laden tray full of food. A half smile tugged at the corner of Eve’s mouth as an image flashed through her head. His body was almost like that of a dancer. Hard, muscled, yet lean. For a moment she had pictured him suddenly turning a graceful pirouette while still balancing the heavy tray.
He frowned as he caught her expression.
“What’s so funny, sugar?” he drawled.
“Nothing.” Eve replied.
“You’re hungry aren’t you?” he asked.
Eve’s stomach growled before she could say anything.
“I’ll take that as a yes, then.” he said, chuckling. “Now, if you want this food you’ll do as I say so we can both get out of here sooner. You going to listen to me?”
“Yes,” Eve replied.
“Good. First, raise both of your hands above your head. Good. Now turn and put your feet flat on the floor in front of the cot, facing me. Okay. Sit like that and don’t move until I tell you to.”
When she was situated to his satisfaction, he quickly crossed the room to the desk. Unloading several paper plates with food on them, he smiled.
“I’ll let you eat on your own. Unless you know how to make a weapon out of a few paper plates, a paper cup, a plastic water jug, and a plastic spork, I don’t have anything to worry about.”
After he’d unloaded the tray, he picked it up and backed to the doorway.
“Bon appetite,” he said, and she could almost see him smiling through the ski mask. Then he slammed the door, locked it, and slid the peephole shut.
Eve knew she shouldn’t eat anything he gave her, but at the moment she couldn’t think of any other way she’d keep from starving. Her stomach rumbled, confirming her conclusion and she walked over to the desk. He’d brought her a little of just about everything: all kinds of fruits, pancakes, a sandwich, a jug of water, and some crackers. She ate everything that would spoil and saved the rest for later, not knowing when he’d come back again.
Chapter Nine
Alex strolled, still whistling, into the precinct. This was his first truly great morning since he and Eve had broken up. Even that thought couldn’t dampen his mood. He strode purposefully past the reception desk, flashing a smile at the intern taking down phone calls. Turning pink, she shyly returned his grin. Walking on air, he headed up the hallway towards the Vice department. Spotting Callahan walking toward him, he adjusted his path, intending to intercept him. Seconds later, Callahan spotted him and tried to turn down another hallway before Alex could get to him, but this just wasn’t his lucky day.
“Hey, Chief. Hold up a sec.” Alex called.
Pretending he’d just spotted Alex, Callahan replied gruffly, “Sorry Watson, I’m on my way to a meeting.”
“That’s okay, Chief. I’ll just drop by your office later. Say, around one o’clock?” Alex countered.
“Umm, well…” Callahan turned a bit red and finally managed, “well, um, I have a meeting – “
“I already ran by and checked with Maggie. She said you’d be free from one until two and I definitely don’t need a whole hour.” Alex smoothly interrupted him.
“Okay, I guess…I guess I’ll see you then.” Callahan replied and then strode off looking chagrined.
Changing directions, Alex strode back the way he’d come and then hung a left down a second hallway. Entering the homicide department he unconsciously scanned the room for Eve. Seeing Cole, he nodded at him. Cole gave him a slight nod in return and then continued flirting with a pretty, new intern as if he hadn’t been interrupted.
“Hey Mags. Could you do me a huge favor and pencil me in for a brief meeting with ‘El Capitan’ at one?” Alex said, grinning.
Alex watched in amusement as Maggie seemed to get rather flustered. Maggie never got flustered. She’d been Chief Callahan’s secretary for the last fifteen years or more. No one really remembered when she’d started, but she was everyone’s favorite. She saw the homicide department as her domain and ran it like a very strict mother would her household. More than once, she’d walked by Alex on her way to the filing cabinets across the room and told him to sit up straighter or he’d ruin his back. Nothing that went on in the department escaped her attention.
“Well, lets see here Alex, um, I think the Chief mentioned something about a meeting or something,” she said, uncomfortably. Maggie hated to lie.
“Its okay Maggie. I already cleared it with Chief Callahan on my way over,” he said, rescuing her.
Maggie’s coloring returned to normal and she quickly penciled him in.
“So, how are you?” she asked. Now that she didn’t have to worry about her boss, she was her old self again, always having to know what was going on around her.
“I’m good. How are you doing?” he replied. Then, before she could ask him about Eve, which she invariably would, “You know Martha, over in Vice, is retiring next month. If you ever get sick of these Homicide guys, we’d love to have you.” Shooting her a grin, he continued, “Just think about it. I gotta go. Talk to you later Mags.”
He could almost feel her slight frown boring into the back of his neck. He couldn’t help feeling like he’d just dodged a bullet. It wasn’t often that Maggie let people get away without finding out exactly what she wanted to know.
The rest of the day seemed to pass without much action. Alex ran by the lab to talk to Tina and then ended up spending most of his morning writing up reports. He ate lunch by himself at a little sub place he liked that was near the station. He only thought of Eve three times the entire morning. That was much less than was usual. Each time he wondered if she’d shown up for work today. Still, nothing could diminish the overwhelming sense of satisfaction he’d had all morning.
At exactly 12:59 he showed up for his meeting with Callahan, hoping to avoid any questions from Maggie. Fortunately, his good luck held true and she was over filing papers when he showed up. She had just started back towards her desk when Callahan called him into his office.
“Sit down, Alex.” Callahan directed, when Alex came into his office. “I think I know what this is about, so before we begin I’d like to remind you that, while I am your friend, I am also your superior. Keep that in mind before you decide what you’re going to say to me,” he continued.
Alex had been debating all afternoon over whether he should be blunt or subtle in talking to Callahan. He was relieved that the Chief had taken the decision out of his hands by cutting through all the bullshit and being frank with him.
Taking a deep breath, Alex asked, “Why did you withhold your recommendation for my placement with the Bureau?”
“Well, this is hard to put into words, son, but I don’t think you’re FBI material.” For a moment Alex didn’t know how to respond. It felt like someone had slammed him in the chest with a sledgehammer. He had assumed it was something personal about Callahan that had kept him from recommending him, not something about himself and definitely not something about his job performance. “But sir,” he finally managed, “I have more experience than anyone else in the department, I’m in
Suddenly, Eve felt the smooth pavement of the highway or interstate give way to the bumpier feel of a dirt road and had a sinking feeling that she wasn’t going to be staying in the trunk much longer. Bit by bit, she began to scoot herself around so that her body was no longer laying down in the trunk, but turned sideways with her feet pressing against the lid and her back against the back of the backseat. Tires crunched onto gravel and she was thrown sideways as the car made a sharp turn into a driveway or onto a gravel lane. When the car rolled to a stop after going only a few yards, she guessed it was a driveway and quickly struggled to get back into position.
The car door slammed and then quick footsteps approached the trunk. As the key was inserted into the locked trunk, Eve’s breath caught in her throat. The lid seemed to open in slow motion as inch, by horrifying inch, the black form of her abductor was outlined against the bright golds and blues of the sunrise sky. At long last, when the lid was almost open and she could see her attacker’s shoulders, she struck out with both feet. Hitting him squarely in the stomach, she watched as he cursed and doubled over in pain. Struggling to bring her bound hands up to grasp the edge of the trunk lid and lever herself out, she flailed desperately, her legs helplessly straining. She felt strong hands come around her ankles and then she was being pulled forward. As her attacker stood, pulling her from the trunk by the feet, time stood still for an instant and she was floating in midair. Then, with a crack, she landed hard on the ground and felt her head slam against the bumper so hard that her teeth clacked together. Then everything faded to black.
Chapter Seven
Alex was jerked from the blessedly blank darkness of the kind of sleep you only get when you are totally and utterly exhausted, emotionally and physically. Swatting blindly with one hand at the nightstand in search of his loudly buzzing alarm clock, he rubbed his eyes with the other. Blinking several times, he squinted across the queen-sized bed at the green, glowing numbers. 6:30 a.m. He was late. His brain slipped into overdrive as he jumped from the bed and headed for the shower, quickly shedding the clothing he’d fallen asleep in last night. Stepping under the hot spray, he turned on his wall radio. He quickly washed his hair and body as the fast beat of the music swirled around him. Checking his watch, he relaxed a little and let the hot steam help clear the cobwebs out of his head.
“You’re listening to 101.9, KWDR, today’s best country and this is your favorite DJ, Mikey Mike. Thanks for listening. We have another 45-minute mega sweep of your favorite music coming up after this break. It’s 5:35 and the current temperature is 45 degrees.”
Laughing, Alex felt the adrenaline leave his body just as quickly as it had come. It wasn’t 6:30. He wasn’t late. It was daylight savings time. He’d forgotten to turn his clock back last night. Oh well, there was no way he’d get back to sleep now. Stepping from the shower, he quickly toweled himself dry and dropped the sopping towel into the dirty laundry basket on his way back into the bedroom. He dressed in a pair of black slacks and a dark, steel gray shirt, rolling the sleeves up to just below his elbows and leaving his top button undone. Giving himself a quick once over in the mirror, he padded back into the bathroom. After brushing his teeth, running a brush through his damp hair, and shaving, he smiled rakishly at his own reflection.
Whistling, he headed downstairs to the kitchen. He was surprised at this sudden shift in his mood. Last night he’d been pretty low. Now all of a sudden, he felt like he was walking on air. Maybe I should start waking up earlier, he thought. He settled contentedly on the back porch with his newspaper and coffee to watch the sunrise. As the sky changed from the soft, steely blue of dawn to the bright golds, blues, and reds of the day, he smiled. Yeah, maybe he would start getting up early. This was great.
Chapter Eight
When Eve came to, she was lying on a rather lumpy metal cot. Looking around Eve took in the room. There was one window situated high up in the left-hand corner of the wall her cot was against. Next to the cot was a large desk with a lamp on it and a rickety wooden chair. The walls of the room were cement and of the type seen in unfinished basements the world over. It seemed to be a perfect square, measuring about 8 feet by 8 feet. The door was in the very center of the wall opposite her cot and appeared to be made of some kind of sturdy wood. Maybe oak. She leaned her back against the wall her cot was shoved up against and sighed. Drawing her knees up onto the cot she sat cross-legged and tried to think. As she gazed at the door, turning the situation over and over in her mind, a small panel slid back, leaving a space six inches wide and three inches high in the wood like a huge peephole. Then a face appeared in the slit. Well, she actually couldn’t see much of the face. It was her attacker again and he was still wearing his black ski mask. For a moment they just stared at one another across the room. Then Eve saw the glossy black barrel of a gun poke through next to the man’s head.
“Don’t move, sugar. And don’t freak out. I’m just bringing you breakfast. You should be pretty hungry after what you’ve been through in the last 24 hours.”
Eve heard a key scrape in the lock. Then the doorknob gradually turned and the door quickly swung open. Her captor was standing with both feet planted firmly shoulder width apart, gun leveled squarely at her chest. She studied him. This was the first time she’d seen all of him at once. He was a little taller than she’d guessed. Maybe 6’2’’. While his arms and shoulders were built, he wasn’t as muscular as she’d judged him to be originally. His neck wasn’t thick at all and while his legs were muscular, he wasn’t squat by any means. As she watched, he removed one hand from the gun, while still keeping it leveled at her heart, and reached out with the other. Seconds later, it came back into view, easily balancing a heavily laden tray full of food. A half smile tugged at the corner of Eve’s mouth as an image flashed through her head. His body was almost like that of a dancer. Hard, muscled, yet lean. For a moment she had pictured him suddenly turning a graceful pirouette while still balancing the heavy tray.
He frowned as he caught her expression.
“What’s so funny, sugar?” he drawled.
“Nothing.” Eve replied.
“You’re hungry aren’t you?” he asked.
Eve’s stomach growled before she could say anything.
“I’ll take that as a yes, then.” he said, chuckling. “Now, if you want this food you’ll do as I say so we can both get out of here sooner. You going to listen to me?”
“Yes,” Eve replied.
“Good. First, raise both of your hands above your head. Good. Now turn and put your feet flat on the floor in front of the cot, facing me. Okay. Sit like that and don’t move until I tell you to.”
When she was situated to his satisfaction, he quickly crossed the room to the desk. Unloading several paper plates with food on them, he smiled.
“I’ll let you eat on your own. Unless you know how to make a weapon out of a few paper plates, a paper cup, a plastic water jug, and a plastic spork, I don’t have anything to worry about.”
After he’d unloaded the tray, he picked it up and backed to the doorway.
“Bon appetite,” he said, and she could almost see him smiling through the ski mask. Then he slammed the door, locked it, and slid the peephole shut.
Eve knew she shouldn’t eat anything he gave her, but at the moment she couldn’t think of any other way she’d keep from starving. Her stomach rumbled, confirming her conclusion and she walked over to the desk. He’d brought her a little of just about everything: all kinds of fruits, pancakes, a sandwich, a jug of water, and some crackers. She ate everything that would spoil and saved the rest for later, not knowing when he’d come back again.
Chapter Nine
Alex strolled, still whistling, into the precinct. This was his first truly great morning since he and Eve had broken up. Even that thought couldn’t dampen his mood. He strode purposefully past the reception desk, flashing a smile at the intern taking down phone calls. Turning pink, she shyly returned his grin. Walking on air, he headed up the hallway towards the Vice department. Spotting Callahan walking toward him, he adjusted his path, intending to intercept him. Seconds later, Callahan spotted him and tried to turn down another hallway before Alex could get to him, but this just wasn’t his lucky day.
“Hey, Chief. Hold up a sec.” Alex called.
Pretending he’d just spotted Alex, Callahan replied gruffly, “Sorry Watson, I’m on my way to a meeting.”
“That’s okay, Chief. I’ll just drop by your office later. Say, around one o’clock?” Alex countered.
“Umm, well…” Callahan turned a bit red and finally managed, “well, um, I have a meeting – “
“I already ran by and checked with Maggie. She said you’d be free from one until two and I definitely don’t need a whole hour.” Alex smoothly interrupted him.
“Okay, I guess…I guess I’ll see you then.” Callahan replied and then strode off looking chagrined.
Changing directions, Alex strode back the way he’d come and then hung a left down a second hallway. Entering the homicide department he unconsciously scanned the room for Eve. Seeing Cole, he nodded at him. Cole gave him a slight nod in return and then continued flirting with a pretty, new intern as if he hadn’t been interrupted.
“Hey Mags. Could you do me a huge favor and pencil me in for a brief meeting with ‘El Capitan’ at one?” Alex said, grinning.
Alex watched in amusement as Maggie seemed to get rather flustered. Maggie never got flustered. She’d been Chief Callahan’s secretary for the last fifteen years or more. No one really remembered when she’d started, but she was everyone’s favorite. She saw the homicide department as her domain and ran it like a very strict mother would her household. More than once, she’d walked by Alex on her way to the filing cabinets across the room and told him to sit up straighter or he’d ruin his back. Nothing that went on in the department escaped her attention.
“Well, lets see here Alex, um, I think the Chief mentioned something about a meeting or something,” she said, uncomfortably. Maggie hated to lie.
“Its okay Maggie. I already cleared it with Chief Callahan on my way over,” he said, rescuing her.
Maggie’s coloring returned to normal and she quickly penciled him in.
“So, how are you?” she asked. Now that she didn’t have to worry about her boss, she was her old self again, always having to know what was going on around her.
“I’m good. How are you doing?” he replied. Then, before she could ask him about Eve, which she invariably would, “You know Martha, over in Vice, is retiring next month. If you ever get sick of these Homicide guys, we’d love to have you.” Shooting her a grin, he continued, “Just think about it. I gotta go. Talk to you later Mags.”
He could almost feel her slight frown boring into the back of his neck. He couldn’t help feeling like he’d just dodged a bullet. It wasn’t often that Maggie let people get away without finding out exactly what she wanted to know.
The rest of the day seemed to pass without much action. Alex ran by the lab to talk to Tina and then ended up spending most of his morning writing up reports. He ate lunch by himself at a little sub place he liked that was near the station. He only thought of Eve three times the entire morning. That was much less than was usual. Each time he wondered if she’d shown up for work today. Still, nothing could diminish the overwhelming sense of satisfaction he’d had all morning.
At exactly 12:59 he showed up for his meeting with Callahan, hoping to avoid any questions from Maggie. Fortunately, his good luck held true and she was over filing papers when he showed up. She had just started back towards her desk when Callahan called him into his office.
“Sit down, Alex.” Callahan directed, when Alex came into his office. “I think I know what this is about, so before we begin I’d like to remind you that, while I am your friend, I am also your superior. Keep that in mind before you decide what you’re going to say to me,” he continued.
Alex had been debating all afternoon over whether he should be blunt or subtle in talking to Callahan. He was relieved that the Chief had taken the decision out of his hands by cutting through all the bullshit and being frank with him.
Taking a deep breath, Alex asked, “Why did you withhold your recommendation for my placement with the Bureau?”
“Well, this is hard to put into words, son, but I don’t think you’re FBI material.” For a moment Alex didn’t know how to respond. It felt like someone had slammed him in the chest with a sledgehammer. He had assumed it was something personal about Callahan that had kept him from recommending him, not something about himself and definitely not something about his job performance. “But sir,” he finally managed, “I have more experience than anyone else in the department, I’m in
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