Jonas Saul - The Hostage

Parkman got down on his knees and brought his head close to the ground to see as far into the basement as he could. He looked at Sarah. “All I see is the front of two prison cell like cages. In the one on the left it looks like Rod. The one on the right is empty.”

“You don’t see Drake?”

He shook his head.

Sarah stepped past him and started down the stairs. Parkman grabbed her arm.

“Hey, wait, let me go first.”

“The car is gone. Drake is gone. That means Elmore’s not here. We’re safe.”

A cacophony rose from the front of the house. Parkman and Sarah turned to see a line of uniformed police officers entering the front door.

“Backup’s here.”

Sarah stepped away from Parkman and down the stairs. She reached the open door to Rod’s cell and ran to him.

“Where’s Drake?”

Rod eyes opened halfway. His skin was pale and he looked very sleepy.

“I need an ambulance in here,” Sarah shouted toward the stairs. “Now!”

She turned back to Rod and lifted his head. “It’ll be okay. We’ll get you out of here. You did good. You saved Drake’s life. We’ll find him, we’ll find him.”

Parkman came up behind her. “Paramedics are coming in now.”

She nodded at him. Then she leaned in closer and asked Rod if there was anything he could tell them that would help. She caught the slight nod of his head. She leaned in closer to his mouth to listen.

“They left… ten minutes ago. He has… Drake.”

Sarah turned and looked at Rod. “Okay, I’ll get him. You take it easy. Here come the doctors. Go get healthy now, okay. We’ll see you when you’re better.”

Two paramedics rushed in. Sarah held his head a little longer and then got out of the way.

Parkman started for the stairs and Sarah followed, leaving Elmore’s basement behind. Just before she reached the top of the stairs she looked back at the cell she had been in and saw the brown box of panties in the back corner that Elmore had given her to wear when she had arrived.

Disgusting.

She knew the police would dig up everything they could on Elmore. That meant digging up the property surrounding his home and letting his victims have proper burials. Maybe then they could rest in peace.

In the kitchen, Spencer was on his cell phone asking someone on the other end for everything they had on an Elmore Justin Ackerman. He said he needed it yesterday and then dropped his phone into his suit jacket’s inner pocket.

Parkman and Spencer debated where Elmore would’ve taken Drake. Sarah listened as they covered public transportation like trains leaving Toronto, the Greyhound Bus or even the Toronto International Airport.

We’re running out of time. Drake’s life hangs in the balance.

Sarah hadn’t eaten since she had gotten to Elmore’s. Her stomach growled and she bent a little at the pain. She had to eat soon, but she wouldn’t eat anything from Elmore’s kitchen.

“This is such shitty luck,” Spencer said as he slapped the countertop beside him. “Drake just got away from Monika and her sick family with his life, only to be kidnapped by a psycho. Now he’s a hostage somewhere and we can’t even catch a break.” He stopped talking when his face lit up with something. “Maybe this has something to do with Ferenci? He may be still involved.”

Sarah looked down at her shoes. She’d completely forgotten about the guy who wanted to kill Drake at the baseball game.

“Sarah?” Parkman said.

She looked up at him.

“Can Vivian help us on this?”

She shook her head. “I haven’t heard from Vivian in days. She’s been strangely silent.”

“Why’s that?”

“I don’t know, but I’m sure she’ll tell me soon enough. What I do know is,” she held a finger up, “where Elmore took Drake. I think I’ve figured it out. Parkman, Spencer, bring a couple men and let’s go. I’ll tell you everything on the way.”

Spencer drove south toward Toronto, the car’s lights flashing on the roof. He took liberties with his driving that only cops could, driving on the wrong side of the road at times and running red lights.

Sarah observed from the backseat, a place she hated to be under any other circumstance. The backseat of a cop car always sucked.

“Are you sure Elmore didn’t say anything about the location of his studio?” Spencer asked.

Sarah shook her head. “No, I’d remember. He said nothing about where it was, only what he did there to the girls.”

“I called it in,” Spencer said. “I’ve got my best guys working on Elmore’s public records to find what properties or businesses he may own and where they are.”

“All I remember is that it’s downtown Toronto.”

“We’re hitting the top of the 427 south, so we’ll be downtown in five to eight minutes. Hopefully my guys get me something by then.”

Parkman sat beside her. He leaned closer. “You doing okay?”

She nodded. “Yeah.”

“You know, after what happened in Europe, I was pretty scared when you didn’t come off that plane. I called everybody I know and I called in any favors I could, but came up empty. It wasn’t until you showed up at the Rogers Centre when I heard anything about you being in Toronto. How could Rod be that powerful?”

“That’s the crazy thing about people like Rod. Too much power and no accountability, no consequences. Rod has no governors, nothing holding him back.”

Parkman nodded and looked out the window. After a moment, he glanced back at her. “Why do you think Vivian has been silent? In Europe, she was getting even more involved. She made you pass out just to keep you from being shot.”

“I know. It’s confusing, but I have a theory.”

“What’s that?”

Sarah looked down at her hands. “Her original goal has always been to catch Armond Stuart. She gave me a couple safe tasks to accomplish before going after Armond. Once I’d boosted my confidence, I was ready and she knew it. Now that Armond is dead, she’s done. She can rest in peace.”

“Okay,” Parkman interrupted. “What’s next?”

“That’s just it. There’s been a lot of danger along the way. Many times she’d lead me to the fight, but it was me who did the fighting. I just feel that her job is over now that Armond is gone.” Sarah met his eyes. “I might not hear from her again.”

“You really think so?”

She nodded.

“Then why send you after Drake? How does he fit in?”

“Because, he would’ve been another casualty of the fraudulent immigration ring that Armond was a part of. If she could save one more life…”

“I disagree,” Parkman said. “She did send you to save Drake, but it also netted you Elmore, who from what we’re gathering, is quite the disgusting psychopath. He’s preyed on women for too long. If you didn’t come to Toronto, Elmore would still be doing what he’s been doing for years.”

Sarah thought about it for a second. “Maybe you’re right. And maybe I came not just to save Drake, but to be with Drake.”

“ Be with Drake? What does that mean?”

Sarah looked away. What she felt inside was so foreign to her that she didn’t know what her face would show Parkman.

The radio in the front seat crackled. Spencer clicked a button and talked rapidly.

“Got it!” he shouted.

“Got what?” Sarah asked.

“We know Elmore’s studio is in the Entertainment District at the corner of Duncan and Richmond Street. Units are on their way, but they’ve been ordered to stay back a few blocks until I give the go-ahead. We’ll be in that area in minutes. Hold on.”

Elmore slapped the steering wheel hard.