certain that I was going to dodge this bullet, but had no idea what I was really doing. Also, I had no idea that someone else might be interested in me or what I was doing.
Julie and I had gone to bed. We were asleep when my phone rang. I picked it up off the night table and looked at the name. It was Marilyn. Thinking that something might have happened to one of the kids, I answered her call sleepily. “Hello, Marilyn. Is it one of the kids?”
A deep male voice said, “If you want to see your wife and kids ever again, do exactly what I say.”
I was standing up by the bed. Julie was up staring at me. I said, “What? What are you talking about?”
He said, “First, don’t call anyone, don’t speak to anyone; just do what I tell you and your family will be fine. Do anything else and they will be found face-down in the river, with their necks broken.”
I had my wits about me now. “Okay, what is it that you want? I have money. I will give you money. just don’t hurt them.”
The deep voice laughed. “You’re not the brightest rock in the quarry, are you? Well, that is okay; just do what I tell you to. Get dressed and go to work. Get the specs and all the documents that you are working with on the new spacecraft and bring them to your house. I will be waiting with your family, tied up. If you do anything else, I will start with the boy and snap his neck like a toothpick.”
I was staring at Julie. There was horror on her face. I said, “I should be there in an hour. I have to get past security. If I am a little late, don’t worry. I will have them for you.”
I could almost see the nasty smile on his face. He said, “I am prepared to die for my cause. Are you prepared to lose your family?”
It only took five minutes to get dressed, and Julie was constantly hounding me. “What is it, Brandon, what is going on?”
She grabbed me by both arms. I shook myself loose and said, “Someone has my family hostage. I have to go to work and get some documents. Don’t do or call anyone, even me. Just wait for me or go back to sleep.”
She was irate. “Go back to sleep? Hell no, Brandon. I am worried to death about you. Don’t get yourself killed.”
I said, “The man will kill Marilyn and my kids if I don’t do this, so wait for me, please!”
The drive to work took almost fifteen minutes. I went into my office and unlocked the safe. I got all the classified documents out that were in it, and it more than filled up my briefcase. I went into the main office and took Gloria’s briefcase. The rest of the documents filled her briefcase up. They weighed close to forty pounds apiece.
I walked to the front lobby and signed out with the night security guard.
He looked at the brief cases. “Mr. Thompson, you need any help with those cases?”
I smiled. “No thanks, Jordan, I got them. I couldn’t sleep and thought I would do some work at home. I probably will be late tomorrow coming in.”
He smiled back at me. “Yassir, I will let the boss know that you will be late.”
With that I was in my car. I had spent fifteen minutes in the company and I was going to be late.
I drove at the speed limit all the way to my old house. It took twenty-two minutes. When I got to the house, it was completely dark, and I didn’t have a flashlight.
I got out of the car and carried both briefcases to the porch. I knocked on the door and got no response. Figuring the worst, I tried the door handle and opened the door. The house was totally dark inside, and very quiet too. I flipped on the light switch and the place looked like it had been ransacked. Furniture was knocked over; paper was all over the floor. Pictures had been knocked off the wall. Broken glass seemed to be everywhere. I dropped the briefcases and ran though the house, but there was no one in it.
When I got to the kitchen I saw the note on the table. It gave a ten-digit number that I assumed was a phone number.
I pulled out my phone and punched in the numbers.
The same man’s voice answered, “Did you get them?”
I was shaking. “Yeah, I have them. Where is my family?”
He said, “Get back in your car. Take I-20 west and take the Bowman Springs Exit and go two blocks north. There is a park there. The gate is locked. You can climb over the gate and leave the documents on the first table that you come to. Then get back in your car and go home. I will call you after I have the documents and tell you where to pick up your family at.”
I frowned. “No, you meet me there with my family, and I will trade you the documents for them.” I was trying to play tough guy like I had seen on television.
There was a brief silence. “I have your son’s head in my hands. You either do what I told you or I will snap his neck right now, do you understand me?”
I was shaking again. “Yes, sir, I understand. I am on my way. Please don’t hurt my son.” I caved in completely. I got in my car and headed for Interstate Twenty.
As I was driving down the Interstate, I wondered why he had gone to my old house. Then it dawned on me. I had not notified my company personnel office that I was divorced and remarried. He thought that Marilyn was my wife. That is why he went to my old house. This man had access to my company’s files. If he was an employee, why hadn’t he just broken into the safe and got the documents himself?
It was then that I realized that I had made a terrible mistake; I had forgotten to bring my handgun.
I was at the Bowman Springs Exit when I got the idea. I smiled to myself.
I arrived at the park and took one of the briefcases. I left it on the first table and got back in my car and drove two blocks and made a right turn. I parked a hundred feet down, got out, locked the car and began running back to the park. I was just in time to see a van pull in. A man got out of the passenger’s side and ran to the gate. He climbed over it and came back with the briefcase. He got in the van and then drove off. I was still a good hundred yards from them when they left. So much for surprising them. I watched the taillights until they were completely out of sight. I had not been able to read the license plate number.
Now I didn’t know what to do. They would be calling me when they realized that I had tricked them. There was no specification in their briefcase, just our responses, and they weren’t completed. At best they might figure out what the spacecraft was, but not how to make it or use it.
I walked slowly back to my car and waited on the phone call. It would take them some time to figure out what I had done to them.
I got in my car and began driving home. I needed my gun.
It took nearly forty-five minutes to get back to our pool house. Julie was awake and sitting on the sofa. She was drinking coffee. She ran and fixed me a cup, and I brought the briefcase in with me. I went straight to the nightstand and took my small pistol out. I put it in my back pants pocket and put a box of shells in my shirt pocket.
Julie looked at me. “Okay, Brandon, what happened?”
I told her nearly the entire story, but was interrupted when my phone rang.
I answered, “Let me speak to my daughter.”
The man said, “No. I do believe that you tricked us. One member of your family must die. You can pick, or I will pick for you.”
I said, “I just left you the one briefcase to let you know that I have the documents. The part that I gave you is worthless to you. You leave my family alone and meet me somewhere and we will make a trade. I want my entire family, alive and untouched, and you get the rest of the documents.” I looked at the clock; it was four in the morning. We had time to get this done before the sun came up. Then what was I going to do?
I looked up and Julie was dressed and standing up. The man said. “Okay, you have a deal, but I want all the documents. All of them!”
I smiled. “You will get all of them, if I get my family back.”
He said, “Meet us at the same park.”
He hung up and I started for my car. Julie was right behind me. She said, “I’m
going with you. Don’t argue with me.”
I said, “Okay, but you stay in the car and keep your head down.”
She nodded, and we were off and headed for Interstate Twenty.
Neither of us said a word until we were on the Interstate.
Julie asked, “How much trouble are you going to be in for this?”
I shrugged, looked at her. “I don’t care, honey. They have my kids. I will do what I have to to get them back!”
She pulled a small twin-shot derringer out of her pocket and said, “I have a gun too, and I know how to use it.”
I started to take it away from her, but decided that she might be a good back-up.
Then she startled me. She pulled out her cell phone and pushed in eleven digits. I asked, “Who are you calling?”
She said, “The FBI. I looked up their number while you were gone. We are going to get some help!”
I grabbed at her phone, nearly side-swiping a car. She turned her back to me and switched ears. She spoke into the phone. “My name is Julie Thompson. I live in Dallas, Texas. Someone has kidnapped my husband’s children; they are after us and want us to exchange classified documents for his family.” Then she looked at me and said, “They put me on hold!”
I grabbed for the phone again, but she was an agile thing; she wiggled all over her seat. I couldn’t get the phone without stopping, and I wasn’t going to stop.
I yelled, “Hang up that damned phone.”
Then she began talking again. She told the same story, added where we were at and