‘Jack……we have a problem, a huge problem!’
The phone that sat upon Jack’s desk crumpled into several pieces as it connected with the far wall. The news of William Lime’s current threat had hit him hard. He had finished cursing as the communication device was launched with fury, his head now sat in his hands as he leaned upon the oak table top.
‘Fucking Lime’ the words muffled as his palms absorbed them.
‘Jack, what are we going to do?’
‘We don’t have much of an option, do we?’ Jack stood and patrolled the office, his foot gently kicked the handset of the phone as he passed its remains.
‘Nathan, we can’t let this obstruct the case. I know it may sound harsh, and your my friend and stuff, but this is a huge cluster fuck…..a cluster fuck that shouldn’t have re-surfaced. How did he find out?’
‘I’m not sure, he didn’t say. He must have seen the files Jack, he had a printout of them. If the files were in your personal folder, then he had access to it.’
‘Which means he was given the authority from higher, the sneaky little shit’. Jack interlocked his fingers behind his silver hair and paced back to his chair. Nathan sat upon the guest seat, his elbows balanced upon his knees.
‘We know how this is going to end, right?’
‘I think so Jack, there’s not really another option’
Jack played with the scenario in his head, it was early in the morning and he still had the report to finish writing.
‘Here’s what we can do’ he started. ‘The hotel room is still being paid for, you use that as your office, a secret hide-away. The updates that the team receive will be delivered to you so that you are kept up to speed. If I need your assistance with anything, I’ll call you on the mobile. Nathan you can still help me, I need it. You’re just going to be out of sight’.
Nathan pondered the idea, he didn’t want to pack up and leave, the case was feeling more like a personal vendetta that he needed to finish. But another part of him toyed with the idea of calling it a day and going home to Elle, back to the tranquillity of his Spanish Villa. He looked Jack in the eyes.
‘Okay, I’ll do it’.
***
He stopped the van at the entrance to his new girl’s street. He had a clear sight of her safe place. He sat patiently, deciding on the way that he would remain static for thirty minutes at a time. Once his watch beeped that the time was up he would complete a lap of the estate, parking in a different location but still keeping his eyes on the target. He set the stop watch and made himself comfortable. The clock in the dashboard displayed the numbers sixteen and twenty two, he gazed up to the darkening sky and hoped that his choice of time for the abduction was not a bad one. He sat in silence, the small furry creature in the back scurried in its cage.
‘Sshhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh’ he whispered, the finger placed upon his lips.
The children threw snowballs at each other, the white balls erupting as they made contact with the receiving child’s body. He watched them play, jumping happily and rolling in the glistening powder. The guardians would gradually appear from their homes and beckon their children inside, the kids pretending not to hear and would carry on playing. The streets slowly began to empty as the night pulled closer. The engine sprang to life as his watch beeped, it rolled from its position and drove slowly down the road. His eyes observed Megan’s home, the lights were on…..they were home.
The lap took only several minutes and he was back on the street, moving the vehicle closer to the house. He parked it and killed the engine, his passenger unaware of its planned use. He set the timer as before and gazed upon the front of her safe place, noticing movement in the bottom left window. The darkness began to move in over them, he started to doubt his decision to act sooner than later.
The front door was pulled open and he seized all thoughts of doubt. He watched as the man stood at the entrance and shut the door. The flame from the lighter lit his face as the cigarette burned. The Wolf timed the man’s habit.
Her father entered his home and closed the door behind him. Russell now had to make a command decision. It would mean throwing the tactics and rules that he gave himself and going off instinct, something he had yet to try. He started the engine and began another lap, driving slowly to look into the windows.
The van stopped short as he turned from the road, the small back street sat to his left. He manoeuvred the large vehicle and tucked it tightly on the pavement and up against the wall. He climbed from his seat and gave a quick look in his surroundings. All was quiet as the night engulfed them. He patrolled the thin street as it ran through the back gardens of each home, several bins had been left by the wooden doors, the entry points to the back of the house. He stopped as he reached the bin with the number twelve painted upon it in a murky white. He gave another check for prying eyes and slowly pulled himself up the wall. He peered over into the garden, the ground was dull as the moon was yet to appear. He reached down to the dead bolt fixed at the top of the door and slowly shook it from its home, the gate was now open. His boots gave a low thud as they connected with the ground, he moved quickly back to the van.
The back door clunked as he opened it slightly, attempting to save time when the snatching occurred. He retrieved his bag from the passenger side and gathered the chosen weapon, the clear liquid swayed from left to right as he moved it. The black rag was soaked in the Chloroform and he tucked it deep into his coat pocket. Everything was ready, he double checked to ensure.
The light snow fall began as he stood at the end of the street, his eyes fixed on the front of the house. He waited eagerly, his heart racing within his chest. This was not an option when he planned the abduction’s. He preferred everything to be in order, precision was a key factor and so far it had worked. Tonight was a by chance abduction, it was also one that could jeopardise the future takings. He waited, his body shaking with anticipation.
***
The collage of evidence was pulled from the wall. Nathan rolled the sections and secured them with elastic bands. He and Jack had decided upon the option to re-locate him. It was obviously breaking the rules that Doctor Lime had set in place, but he could remain on the case as a ghost. His face still ached from the fist that William threw at him, he was still slightly stunned by what the Doctor did. His hatred for the man had maximised and he looked forward to being out of sight from the obnoxious little man. He could work freely and best of all sleep in a real bed, his body yearned for it. The taxi had been booked by Jack and he gave Nathan half an hour to collect the necessary items. He didn’t realise that all he had in the building was the evidence, no spare clothing, no wash kit of sorts, it made him feel un-clean.
He stopped by Jack’s office as he departed the building. They shook hands and Jack placed a full packet of cigarettes into his pocket,
***
The light from inside was cast upon the front garden as her father exited for another smoke. Russell came to life, his legs moving like coiled springs released. He waited a second or two until the tip of the cigarette glowed. He moved with speed along the previously selected route and arrived at the door he had unlocked. He pushed it open and walked cautiously through the garden, hoping that no security lighting was poised ready to light him up. He peered through the back window, there she was, playing on the carpet with a slack handful of toys. He stepped to the door and tested the handle, the small clicking sound told him the catch had been opened and he could now
