“Hello.”
“Hi, this is Dawn from PCPS in London. Is that you Scott?”
“Aye, hey Dawn, thanks fer calling me back.”
Scott had spoken with her a few times the previous year when he worked for them. He was glad it was her that called him back.
“Scott, you left a message about wanting to contact Tom Schultz. He doesn’t actually work for us anymore. He left a few weeks ago, and actually left us a bit short over in the Middle East.”
“Och, I had nae idea. Sorry tae bother yer Dawn, and thanks fer calling.”
“I don’t suppose you’re interested in working again are you Scott?”
“Nae, sorry. I have a few things going on at the moment.”
“Okay, I didn’t think so but it was worth a try. Take care Scott.”
“Bye, Dawn.”
Scott looked at Jim. He was quite surprised Tom had quit PCPS.
“Jim, what was the financial arrangement between yer and Tom?”
“We paid him some money up front to cover his expenses and we arranged to pay him the rest when the job was done. Why what’s wrong?” Jim asked.
“There’s nae anything wrong. I called my old company. The company Tom worked fer tae see if they had another phone number fer him and they said he resigned a few weeks ago. I’m sorry tae ask Jim, but how much were yer paying him?”
“We gave him fifty thousand up front to cover his flights, hotels and other expenses. And we agreed to pay him another two hundred thousand when it was over.”
“Two hundred and fifty grand fer a week’s work?” Scott answered, looking astonished.
“Yes, that’s what he asked for.”
“Okay, at least we now know why he quit his job.”
“I had no idea Scott. I didn’t know what the going rate was. This is not something I have a lot of experience in.” Jim said.
“It’s nae a problem, it was a personal arrangement between Tom and yerself, nae any of my business. More importantly, do yer have any idea what yer want tae do? Do yer want tae contact the police?”
“I don’t think so Scott, we can’t risk them hurting Kyle if they find out. What do you think Linda?” Jim said, turning to his wife.
“I really don’t know,” she replied, as her voice quaked.
“Yer two have tae decide. It does nae have tae be straight away, but yer will need tae come tae a decision soon. We’ll leave yer tae talk,” Scott said, as he stood up and motioned for Tiffany to come with him to the kitchen.
“What would you do Scott?” she asked him, as they reached the kitchen.
“I really dinnae know. I’m so sorry this is happening.”
“It’s not your fault. Do you really think there’s a chance that contacting the police could be dangerous.”
“It’s nae the police here that’s the problem. They could nae do anything but contact the Russians. And yer just never know in that part of the world. We dinnae know anything aboot the group that has Kyle. They could have people on the inside.”
“So, paying is probably safer.”
“Aye it could be, but it does nae necessarily mean it is safe. Like I just said tae yer Dad, unless we physically have Kyle, they could just keep asking fer more money.”
“This is horrible. What do you think? Do you think they’ll hurt him?” she asked, as she reached for Scott’s hand.
“I dinnae think so, he’s very valuable tae them. I just hope we can sort this oot quickly. The longer it drags on, the worse it could get.”
“Do you still think getting in to Kyle’s computer could help?”
“Aye, it could. I have a friend who could get in tae it. He could also tell us where the hostage takers email originated from. He’s back in Scotland but I know he’d come over and help, if I explain the situation.”
“Then please ask him, Scott. We’ll pay for his flight to get here.”
“I’ll ask him as soon as yer parents decide what they want tae do. If they do decide tae contact the police though then there’ll be nae point in him coming. The police will want tae have their own people dealing with everything and they will nae want outsiders getting involved. I’ll have tae back off too. I’ll still be here tae help support yer but I will nae be able tae do much else.”
“And if they don’t want to involve the police?”
“Then I’ll call him and he’ll come straight away. And then, I’ll have tae start working oot a way tae make sure we have Kyle safely with us when any money is transferred.”
“I know what I think they should do. Would you wait here for a minute, I’m going to talk to them,” she said, as she let go of his hand and went back towards the living room. Scott just gazed out of the window. He couldn’t believe what had transpired in such a short time. He was happy to do anything he could to help, but he didn’t want to influence their decision either way. He knew that it must be a terribly difficult decision to have to make. But, the decision had to be theirs.
A few minutes later Tiffany returned to the kitchen. She took Scott by the hand and led him back to the couch and sat down.
“They don’t want to get the police involved Scott. They want to cooperate and pay to get Kyle back,” Tiffany stated, looking at her parents.
“Okay, are yer both sure aboot this?” Scott asked.
“Yes, we just can’t risk it. Please, help us get our son back Scott,” pleaded Jim, as Linda grasped his arm.
“I will. And I think yer making the reet decision. The first thing I have tae do is call Chris and get him over here tae look at Kyle’s computer. Someone needs tae call Alexei. We need him back here tae answer a few more questions I have fer him. But dinnae say anything tae him aboot the ransom demand. Let’s see if he mentions it and gives himself away. Also, let’s nae mention this tae anyone else fer now. I know yer probably want tae call yer other daughter but apart from that, let’s keep it quiet.”
As much as he didn’t want to be in this position, Scott needed to take charge. He called Chris and as he expected, his friend agreed to immediately fly out to help. It was too early to call Alexei, but Tiffany agreed to do that later in the morning. Scott advised Jim to send a reply to the kidnappers email. Just simply saying that they would be paying, they would not involve the police and they would await further instructions as to where the money needed to be sent. Scott thought that should be good enough for the time being to ensure Kyle not be harmed. Not long after the email had been sent, Scott’s cell phone rang again. There was no number on the caller ID.
“Hello.”
“Scott, this is Tom.”
“Tom, where have yer been? We’ve been trying tae call yer fer two days.”
“My phone’s been out. Scott I can’t find Kyle. Everything was going to plan but he didn’t get on the plane to go home. He went to Moscow.”
“We know Tom, his friend Alexei told us. What else happened?”
“I managed to get on the same flight to Moscow on Saturday morning. I tailed him to his hotel, and I managed to get a room there too. He went out on Saturday night on his own, I followed him but he went into a huge disco and I lost him, I waited by the entrance but he never came out. He has not been back to the hotel either. What the hell do I tell his parent’s?”
“Tom, it is nae guid. He was kidnapped. I’m at the Robinson’s now. They received a ransom demand.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me!”
“They are paying it. But, we need tae make sure Kyle is safe afore we send any money.”
“Have you called the police?”
“Nae, they did nae want tae. The message said if they found oot the police were involved then it would nae be guid fer Kyle.”
“So do you want me to meet them to make sure Kyle is okay before they send any money?”
“Aye maybe. But, we need tae try tae find oot more aboot who has him. I have a computer expert coming tomorrow. He’ll trace the email and hopefully we can learn more. And if need be, then I’ll come over too. Yer pro
bably should nae tangle with these people on yer own.”
“Okay, well my phone seems to be working again now, so you should be able to reach me from now on. I’m on the hotel phone at the moment. I have a couple of contacts around here, so I will see what I can find out. I’ll talk to you later Scott. Please tell the Robinson’s that I’m very sorry, and that I’ll do my best to find him.”
“Aye, I will do Tom. I’ll call yer a wee bit later tae keep yer updated.”
Scott let the others know that Tom had called. He passed on Tom’s information about the chain of events on Saturday, as well as that he would be trying to help find Kyle. Later that morning, Tiffany got her call through to Alexei. He said he planned to be traveling back down to L.A. on Wednesday morning, so he would stop in then. Scott needed to make a call back to Ohio, to tell his employer that because of a personal emergency, he wouldn’t be able to teach his classes that week. There wasn’t much more that any of them could do for the rest of the day, apart from wait, and hope.
Chapter 15
Everyone was up early the following morning. None of them had gotten much sleep. Chris’ plane was due to arrive at LAX early in the afternoon. He managed to get a direct flight from Manchester, England. Tiffany had arranged for a driver to pick him up from the airport. Everything had been taken care of.
There was no further contact from the kidnappers through the night, so once again, they waited. Later that morning, Scott received another call from Tom, he said he was still trying to find out information but so far, without any success. Everyone in the house suffered from a lack of sleep and stress, especially Linda. She was close to breaking point. Jim tried to spend most of the day comforting her. Tiffany was doing her best to hold herself together too. And she was doing what she could to help Scott. She was not used to dealing with situations like this, so she too began to feel the strain. Soon after lunch, they received a call from the driver to say that Chris was already in the car and they were on their way to the house.
An hour and a half later the car arrived. Scott greeted his friend on the driveway. He thanked him for coming and took him inside. After quick introductions, Chris sat down on the couch. He was tired. He’d traveled for nearly sixteen hours. But, he insisted on getting straight to work. Scott told him about everything that had transpired over the past few days and Chris was eager to help.
After a quick rest and a cup of coffee to help keep him awake, Chris looked at Kyle’s computer. He told them he thought he could get information from it but it may take a while. He asked if there was a printer he could use, so he could print off information as he found it. Tiffany showed him to her Dad’s office, which was upstairs. It was a small room but it contained everything Chris wanted. Soon, Chris was hard at work. About two hours later he emerged from the office and came down the stairs. Scott and Tiffany were sitting on the couch. They both sat forward in anticipation as Chris approached them.
“Where are yer Mom and Dad?” Chris asked.
“Mom is trying to sleep and Dad is up there with her. Did you find anything?” she replied.
“Aye, lots of things. Look at this Scott,” he said, as he sat down and handed Scott some papers.
“Yer dealing with the Russian Mafia!”
“Aye, I suspected as much. So are these all emails?” Scott asked, as he looked through the pages.
“Aye, the first email came through tae Kyle aboot a month ago. From a girl called Tatiana. She told him she got his details from his online profile but she never said which one. I checked and Kyle has profiles on all the popular social media sites, so he probably thought she was genuine. She sent him a photo too, she’s a gorgeous blonde. That probably had something tae do with him replying. They exchanged a lot of emails, and he sent her a photo too. He told her he was coming to Russia on a business trip but did nae ever mention a Casino. He did tell her he was visiting Sochi. And they talked aboot her coming doon there tae see him when he was there. There is even an email that mentioned her coming back tae visit California with him.”
“Tatiana does nae really exist, does she?” Scott asked, already knowing the answer.
“What do you mean she doesn’t exist?” Tiffany asked.
“Aye, he’s reet Tiffany, it’s just a mob trick. Obviously the lass in the photo is real but it’s nae the person who was sending the emails.”
“Why would they do that?” she asked.
“Tae try and lure him in, so they could take him,” Scott answered.
“Aye, pretty much. Last Wednesday she emailed him tae say she would nae be able tae come doon and see him in Sochi. And, that she was getting harassed by her ex-boyfriend. She asked if Kyle would go tae Moscow tae help her.”
“So, where did the messages originate from Chris?” Scott asked, hoping he had an answer.
“All of these emails come from different locations around Moscow; most of the IP addresses show up more than once. But, one is more popular than the others. It shows a location just west of Moscow. Believe it or nae, it’s the same location yer ransom note came from. They did try tae encrypt the information on that email, but it was fairly easy tae uncover.”
“Do yer think this is unusual, Chris? I thought groups like these usually focused on money laundering, drug trafficking, counterfeiting, that kind of thing.”
“Aye, I suppose it is a bit unusual. But, I guess yer just never know with people like this. Any chance they see tae make easy money, they’re going tae take it.”
“What I don’t understand is how did they know about Kyle in the first place?” Tiffany said, as she stood up.
“We dinnae know fer sure. But it has tae be something tae do with Alexei. Either he or someone in his family knows something,” Scott replied, standing up next to her and reaching for her hand.
“And this is the kid who’s coming here tomorrow, reet?” Chris asked.
“Aye, we need tae talk tae him again. The lad could be innocent but someone connected tae him knows something.”
“So what is going to happen now? And, how are we going to get my brother back?”
“I’m going tae go tae Russia and personally get him. And, hopefully I can take Alexei with me. If he’s with me, we’ll have someone they want, he could be very useful.”
“That’s a guid idea, Scott. I’m in if yer want me tae come with yer.”
“I was hoping yer’d say that. We’re going tae have tae keep an eye on him.”
“Hang on you two! I don’t want you going over there, Scott? You’re still recovering from your head injury.” Tiffany said, as she hugged Scott.
“Dinnae worry aboot me Tiff, I’ll be fine. And we dinnae have much choice if we want tae get him back. I cannae let Tom meet these people on his own. And like I said, if Chris comes with me, and we have Alexei, we’ll be fine.”
“Damn Scott, I don’t’ like this. We better get Dad and let him know what’s happening.” Tiffany said, as she left the room and went upstairs to talk to her parent’s.
Scott looked at Chris.
“Thanks fer offering tae come tae Russia with me, mate.”
“Yer welcome, I could do with some excitement.”
“That’s nae really why I think we should go. I just dinnae see that we have much choice.”
Just as he finished talking, he saw Tiffany coming back down the stairs with Jim.
Linda had fallen asleep, so they left her to rest for a while. Tiffany told her Dad what Chris discovered on Kyle’s computer, and that the two men were planned on traveling to Russia to bring Kyle home. Jim was concerned, but liked the idea of Alexei accompanying them. He never trusted his son’s Russian friend.
Scott further explained to Jim, it was imperative that they not let Alexei know that they suspected him. It was important to make him feel they trusted him and needed his help, if he was going to agree to accompany them on the journey to Moscow.
Just over an hour later, Jim checked his email and discovered another message from the kidnappers. It gave details
of a bank account where the money was to be paid. Chris checked deeper into the message and once again it had come from the same IP location. Scott told Jim to send an email back, and told him exactly what to write:
‘WE AGREE TO YOUR DEMANDS AND WILL HAVE THE MONEY FOR YOU BY THE END OF THE WEEK. HOWEVER, WE WILL NOT WIRE THE MONEY WITHOUT SEEING THAT OUR SON IS ALIVE. WE HAVE A FAMILY FRIEND WHO WILL TRAVEL TO RUSSIA TO MEET YOU. HE WILL HAVE A CODE THAT WILL ENABLE HIM TO COMPLETE THE TRANSFER, AND AS SOON AS HE SEES KYLE IS UNHARMED, THEN YOU WILL GET YOUR MONEY. WE WILL SUPPLY YOU WITH A CONTACT PHONE NUMBER TO REACH HIM AND YOU CAN CHOOSE A PLACE WHERE THE EXCHANGE WILL TAKE PLACE.’
Scott wanted the message to sound confident, but didn’t want it to sound like they were making demands. He talked it over with Chris first, before asking Jim to send the email.
Within half an hour, there was a reply.
‘VERY WELL. WE LOOK FORWARD TO MEETING YOUR ‘FRIEND’. REMEMBER ANY TRICKS OR POLICE AND YOU NEVER SEE YOUR SON AGAIN.’
Scott was happy that they managed to get the kidnappers attention. And that they seemed not to have a problem in a face-to-face meeting to complete the exchange. He believed it meant, Kyle was still alive and unharmed. He explained to Jim that he would need to set up an offshore account. He needed to make sure the exact amount was in there. Then, to arrange with the bank for a special code or password that allowed the money to be transferred. Jim made a few calls and said that his friend would help him do it the following morning.
After Jim returned from his call, Scott also told him that they would need to purchase a cell phone. Something without a contract, that would work overseas. More importantly, something that could not be traced back to them.
Details seemed to be falling into place. Just one major thing remained to be done. Persuade Alexei that they needed him to come along on the journey. They all hoped he would agree.
KILTED DESIRE 2 - Russian Roulette Page 13
