All My Tomorrows

by Karen D. Badger

  "You're a wealthy man, Mr. Malone. If the kidnapper is after ransom, it would be in his best interest to keep her safe… at least until the ransom is paid, which I encourage you not to do without involving the police."

  "Miss Downs indicated you were interviewing bystanders. Do you have any witnesses?"

  "Actually, we do. We have three witnesses who recall seeing a man pushing a young girl in a wheelchair toward the parking lot. The girl appeared to be unconscious."

  "Did any of the witnesses do anything about it? I mean, an unconscious girl in a wheelchair should set off some alarm bells, shouldn't it?"

  "Mr. Malone, the bystanders had no way of knowing if that was normal for the girl."

  "Did they get a description of the man who took her?"

  "Yes sir." Detective Williams opened his notebook and read the eyewitness descriptions to Chuck. "Approximately five foot, ten inches, brown hair, average build, wearing blue jeans and a green polo shirt."

  "That description could fit countless men," Chuck said.

  "Exactly, Mr. Malone. Mr. Malone, may I ask where you are right now?"

  "I'm in California on a business trip, and soon to board a charter jet to get home."

  "I recommend you keep you phone line available in the event the kidnapper calls you, and please, do not negotiate with him without involving the police. We will do everything we can to get your daughter back, but you need to cooperate with us. Do you understand?"

  "What I understand, Detective Williams, is that I will do whatever is within my power to bring Jessie home safely — at any cost."

  * * *

  Chuck shut off the phone and handed it back to Jordan. "The police think she's been kidnapped," he said.

  "Kidnapped? Why?" Jordan asked.

  "Ransom."

  "Chuck, if Jessie was targeted, that would mean someone had to know Maggie was taking her to the auction today. Are you sure it wasn't just a random kidnapping?"

  Chuck ran a hand through his hair. "We'd better hope to hell it wasn't some murdering rapist who grabbed Jessie randomly. If Jessie was grabbed because of who I am and what I could possibly pay for her safe return, then they'd be more apt not to abuse or kill her."

  Chuck looked at his watch. "The charter jet should be ready to go in about a half hour. We need to get to the airport."

  * * *

  Maggie ran down the porch steps directly into Jordan's arms as she climbed out of Chuck's truck. She was crying hysterically.

  "Maggie. Maggie, sweetheart, please calm down," Jordan whispered as she held her close.

  "It's all my fault," Maggie said. "I shouldn't have left her alone."

  Chuck came up behind Maggie and took her out of Jordan's arms. He turned her around to face him and held her by the shoulders. "Maggie. This was not your fault. If someone wanted to snatch her, they could have done it anywhere. Hell, they could have taken her from the playground at school. We're here to pick you up before going to the police station. Please don't cry. We'll find her. I promise."

  "I'm so sorry, Chuck," Maggie said.

  "I know. I am, too. Come on, we should go." Just as Chuck reached for the door handle, his cell phone rang. He pulled it out of the holster on his belt and looked at the incoming number. "Who the hell can this be?" he said as he pressed the answer button. "Hello," he said.

  "Is this Charles Malone?" a voice said.

  "Yes. Who is calling?" Chuck replied.

  "I have your daughter."

  "You son of a bitch! Where is she?" Chuck demanded, intense anger evident in his voice.

  Jordan leaned in close so she could hear the conversation. Chuck pulled the phone away from his ear and pressed the speaker button.

  "Never mind where she is."

  "Why did you take her?" Chuck asked.

  "You have something I want. If you play nice and give it to me, I'll consider giving your daughter back to you."

  "If you hurt one hair on her head, I'll—"

  "Don't threaten me, Malone. You are in no position to make threats."

  "Is Jessie all right?"

  "She's fine… for now, that is."

  "I want to talk to her."

  "Very well."

  After a short pause, Jessie's voice came across the speaker. "Daddy?"

  "Jessie. Jessie, honey are you all right?" Chuck asked.

  "I'm scared."

  "I'm sure you are, sweetie. Daddy will do all he can to get you back. Jordan and Maggie will too."

  "Is Maggie okay?"

  Maggie stepped forward to assure Jessie she was all right, but Jordan stopped her and signaled for her to be quiet.

  "Maggie is fine, sweetie," Chuck said. "Try not to be afraid, Jess. We'll do everything we can to get you back as soon as possible."

  "That's enough," the man's voice cut in.

  "Who are you?" Chuck demanded.

  "Never mind who I am. Now if you want to see your daughter again, you'll do as I say."

  "What do you want?"

  "I want the device."

  Chuck looked at Jordan. "What device?" he asked.

  "You know damned well what I'm talking about Malone. If you fail to deliver it, your daughter dies."

  "Deliver it where?"

  "You'll know that soon enough. Oh, and I want it delivered by Lewis."

  Jordan frowned.

  "Why Lewis?" Chuck asked.

  "No more questions. I will contact you tomorrow with a location."

  "You'll get nothing if Jessie isn't part of the drop-off."

  "I make the rules, Malone, not you. I will contact you tomorrow." The line fell silent.

  Chuck immediately checked his incoming calls and saw that the number was blocked. "Fuck!" he cursed.

  "Did you recognize his voice?" Jordan asked.

  "No. It was probably disguised anyway."

  "Maybe we should call the police," Maggie suggested.

  "No. Not yet," Chuck said. "I don't want to take any chances that he'll harm Jessie. It's bad enough she'll be spending the night with that monster. I hope to God he doesn't do something stupid." Tears filled Chuck's eyes as he struggled to continue.

  "Jessie is a strong girl, Chuck," Jordan said. "You're right, as long as he doesn't do something stupid, she'll be okay."

  "You're welcome to stay here tonight in case he calls back in the middle of the night," Maggie suggested as they entered the house. "Anyone up for a beer?" she asked.

  "Soda for me," Jordan replied.

  "I'll take a beer. Thanks," Chuck said. He paced back and forth across the living room. "Who do you think it is?" he asked.

  "My money is on Hollinbeck," Jordan replied.

  "Do you think so?" Chuck said.

  "I don't know who else it could be. I mean, he knows about the device and he knows how powerful it is."

  "You could say the same about each and every member of our development team," Chuck pointed out.

  "True."

  Maggie brought them their drinks. "Jordan, I don't like the idea of you being the one to deliver the device to this guy," she said.

  "I tend to agree with her," Chuck added.

  "What choice do we have? Like it or not, he holds all the cards here."

  "Not all of them," Chuck said. "We still have the device. All we need to do is find a way to get Jessie back without giving it up."

  CHAPTER 41

  Chuck was awakened early the next morning by his cell phone. "Jessie?" he said eagerly as he answered.

  "Malone," a man's voice said. "I want Lewis to bring the device to 1248 Flynn Avenue at ten this morning. She is to come alone. If you involve the police I will kill your daughter and Lewis. Is that clear?"

  Jordan appeared in the doorway of the guestroom. "I heard your cell phone. Is Jessie all right?" she asked.

  Chuck covered the receiver. "He's set up a meeting time. He wants you to go alone. You don't have to do this, Jordan."

  "Like hell I don't. Tell him I'll be there."

  Chuck held
the phone to his ear once again. "Before we agree to anything, I need to know that Jessie is okay."

  "Hold on," the man said.

  "Daddy?"

  "Jess, honey. Are you all right?"

  "When are you coming to get me?"

  "Very soon, love. Very soon. Baby, are you okay? He hasn't hurt you, has he?"

  "No. I'm okay, Daddy. Please hurry. I love you, Dad."

  "I love you too, sweetie. Be brave."

  "That's enough, Malone. I expect to see Lewis here at ten."

  "Ten o'clock," Chuck said out loud as he looked at Jordan. A moment later, the line fell silent.

  Jordan looked at her watch. "Ten o'clock is only four hours away. We need to get to the lab."

  "What are we going to do?" Chuck asked.

  "We're going to get him a device."

  Jordan turned to go back to her bedroom and ran headlong into Maggie.

  "I'm going with you," Maggie said.

  "You can come to the lab with us, Maggie, but I'm on my own for the drop-off," Jordan said. "You'll need to wait, out of sight, with Chuck."

  "Jordan, I can't let you do that. You're pregnant, for Christ's sake."

  Jordan took Maggie by the shoulders. "I know that love. Believe me, I know. I have no intention of putting our child or myself in danger. I'll be careful. I promise. I just need to get in there, give him the device and get Jessie out."

  * * *

  It was seven thirty before they stepped into the lab.

  "Where's Tom?" Jordan called out as she walked through the lab.

  "Right here," Tom said as he poked his head out from behind a piece of test equipment.

  "Tom, we have a delicate situation on our hands. I know you've been working on prototype packaging for the computer chip. How quickly can you pull something together that might look authentic to a non-computer person?"

  "Jordan, what's going on here?" Tom asked, drawing the attention of the rest of the team. Soon all six team members were gathered around waiting for an explanation.

  Jordan looked at Chuck who gave his permission for her to speak. "Okay, I'll be honest with you. Chuck has a thirteen year old daughter named Jessie. Jessie has been in a wheelchair for three years after a car accident took away her ability to walk. As you may have guessed, she is our test subject for the human trials on the new device. Yesterday, she was kidnapped and is being held in exchange for the device. We think whoever is behind this is also the one responsible for the hack job on my back a few months ago."

  "So, you want me to create a bogus device to give him in exchange for the girl," Tom said.

  "That's exactly what we want to do."

  "How much time do I have?" Tom asked.

  "We meet him in less than three hours in the south end of Burlington."

  Tom glanced at the clock on the wall. "I'll do the best I can."

  Jordan grabbed Chuck's phone out of his hand and threw it to Jackson. "Hey, Mr. IT expert, I need you to determine the origin of the blocked call in Chuck's cell phone. Don't hesitate to ask Carrie for help if you need to."

  "Right away," Jackson said.

  Julie stepped forward. "Is Jessie okay?" she asked.

  "I talked to her this morning," Chuck said. "She's scared, but we think she's unharmed. So far, anyway."

  Julie placed her hand on Chuck's arm and squeezed. "I'm going with you for the exchange," Julie said. "If anything goes wrong, it will be good to have a doctor on hand."

  "I agree with Julie," Maggie said.

  "Okay, but you'll have to stay out of sight. I won't have anything interfering with getting Jessie back safely."

  "I understand."

  * * *

  At ten sharp, Jordan walked into the lower level of the warehouse and looked around. It was empty.

  "Hollinbeck," she called out. "Show yourself."

  A man appeared at the top of the stairs leading to a loft. "How did you know it was me?" Hollinbeck asked.

  "I've been suspicious of you for a long time. I'm pretty sure you're the one who butchered my back a few months ago."

  "I have to admit I was surprised to find the device had already been removed. All of this could have been avoided if it had still been there."

  "You're one sick son of a bitch, you know that? What I want to know is who is working with you. That wasn't your voice on the phone yesterday," Jordan said.

  "You're right. It wasn't. Did you bring the device?"

  "I did."

  "Jordan? Jordan is that you," Jessie's voice came from above.

  Jordan walked quickly toward the stairs, but stopped short when Hollinbeck pulled a gun out of his coat pocket. "Stop right where you are," he said.

  "I need to see her. I need to know she's all right," Jordan insisted.

  "Not until you give me the device."

  Jordan pulled the device out of her pocket and handed it to Hollinbeck. He turned it over in his hand, a smug look on his face as he inspected the casing and the wires protruding from each end. Jordan's gaze never left Hollinbeck's face.

  After a few moments, Hollinbeck stepped aside and allowed Jordan to ascend the stairs. He followed close behind with the gun trained on Jordan. The moment Jordan saw Jessie, she ran to her and fell to her knees in front of her. Jessie threw her arms around Jordan's neck and hugged her fiercely.

  "Are you okay?" Jordan asked as she held her close.

  "I'm okay. I just want to go home," she said.

  "I'm afraid that won't be possible for either of you," Hollinbeck said as he paced back and forth in front of a ceiling to floor window overlooking the yard below.

  Jordan stood and faced him. "What the hell does that mean?"

  "It's really very simple. I can't allow the girl to go because she can identify me. I can't let you go because I need your expertise to make this device work."

  "You made a deal, Hollinbeck."

  "No I didn't. You made a deal with Robinson, not me."

  "Robinson?"

  "Carl Robinson. He's the CEO of the Spine Institute. You see, he's not as smart as he thinks he is. All he cares about is making a fortune with this device. I, on the other hand, care about the medical industry finally realizing how brilliant I am. When I release this device to the world, not only will I be rich, but I'll be famous. Robinson threatened to destroy me if I didn't get this device for him, but I've turned the tables on him."

  "Whatever happened to your Hippocratic oath? Whatever happened to 'first, do no harm'?"

  "Think about it, Lewis. Think of all the people I can help with this device. Sometimes you have to sacrifice a few to save many. Unfortunately, you and the girl over there will become collateral damage. You, I need to keep around long enough to get this device working. The girl, on the other hand can be eliminated immediately."

  Hollinbeck leveled the gun at Jessie.

  "You son of a bitch," Jordan said as she lunged forward and grabbed his arm, thrusting it high in the air. The firearm discharged into the ceiling. They wrestled with the gun for a few moments until Jordan managed to lift her foot and place it in the center of Hollinbeck's stomach. She pushed as hard as she could in an attempt to wrench the gun away from him, but only succeeded in sending him backward into the window.

  "No!" Jordan screamed as Hollinbeck grabbed her shirt in an attempt to save himself as they both crashed through the glass pane and fell to the ground below.

  "Jordan!" Jessie screamed as she wheeled her chair over to the broken window.

  * * *

  "Jordan!" Maggie threw the car door open and ran across the yard when she heard the gunshot. She was halfway across the parking lot when Jordan and Hollinbeck fell to the ground. Jordan landed on top of him then rolled off onto her back.

  "Jordan. Oh, my God, Jordan," Maggie cried as she threw herself on to the ground beside her.

  "Maggie, don't move her," Julie yelled as she ran across the yard behind her. "Don't move her, please."

  Maggie cried uncontrollably as she rocked herself back a
nd forth. "Jordan, sweetie, please don't die," she cried.

  Jordan's eyes opened. "Maggie," she rasped.

  By this time, Julie was by her side and kneeling on the ground beside her. "Don't move, Jordan. Chuck called for an ambulance."

  "Maggie," Jordan said again as she slipped her hand into Maggie's and squeezed.

  "Do as Julie says, love. Please don't move."

  "Hollinbeck?" Jordan said.

  Julie felt for a pulse on the man lying beside Jordan. "He's gone, Jordan."

  "Jessie?"

  "Jessie is fine, thanks to you," Chuck said as he carried his daughter out of the building and put her on the ground beside Maggie, then went to kneel at Jordan's head. "Hang in there, my friend. The ambulance will be here in no time."

  "Maggie, this is all my fault," Jessie cried.

  "No. Stop it. This is his fault," Maggie said, pointing to the dead man.

  Jordan squeezed Maggie's hand once more. "Maggie."

  "I'm here, love,"

  "Maggie, I can't feel my legs."

  CHAPTER 42

  The EMT's secured Jordan to the back board and carefully lifted her onto the stretcher, then loaded her into the ambulance.

  Maggie grabbed Julie's arm before she climbed in behind her. "Julie, Jordan is pregnant. I'm worried about the baby."

  Julie's eyes widened. "She's pregnant? Sheesh, Maggie, drop another bomb on me, why don't you." Julie looked at the EMT's. "Go ahead and start the drips."

  "Is that safe for her and the baby?"

  "It's a Ringers Lactate. It's perfectly safe for both Jordan and the baby. How far along is she?"

  "About two months, that is, if she didn't lose it in the fall," Maggie said, her voice breaking with emotion.

  Julie took Maggie's hand in hers. "I'll check her out as soon as we get her stabilized. "Are you coming with us?"

  "Yes," Maggie said as she climbed into the ambulance behind Julie. She sat on the bench next to the stretcher and took Jordan's hand.

  "The baby," Jordan said.

  "Don't worry about that right now. I love you, Jordan, no matter what. Always remember that. Just focus on recovering from this mess, okay?"

  * * *

  Maggie paced back and forth across the emergency room while she waited for Julie to give her an update on Jordan's condition. Chuck arrived about an hour into her wait. He took Maggie into her arms and held her close.