by Joy Ohagwu
Mike dipped the plane a bit, and Robert began studying the first location as they approached. He didn’t let them get too close, but instead, used binoculars. He bent toward Charlie, who came to sit next to him. “Ritz said where she was being held was quiet.”
Charlie nodded. “Yes. I heard that too. Any ideas?”
“Could be a newly developed property.”
“Maybe a barn? A basement in the city would still be loud enough.” Charlie turned his head and sneezed. “Excuse me.”
“It could be a tool shed. A foreclosed unoccupied home or an abandoned warehouse,” Robert continued. “Tell the team to scout among the thirteen which ones have these qualities or are located in a quiet neighborhood. Anything isolated we zero in on.”
He felt better and thanked God for Ritz’s clue. Maybe, it would cut their search time. If only they can narrow the locations down to a handful before sunrise… His temple ached, and he massaged it with a hand, wishing the pain away. He popped an aspirin from a handy sachet into his mouth and swallowed it dry, despite his dislike for swallowing pills. He wasn’t about to let pain stand in the way of finding and bringing his daughter home.
Three hours later around three a.m., the team returned to the SSPD to refuel and to re-strategize. It was still dark out. Despite his gloves, the cold chill bit into Robert’s skin. He hopped off, cornered the chopper, and entered the Windstar building, grateful for the warmth.
He couldn’t help his mind’s worried wander. How was Ritz faring? Was she warm and fed? His heart contorted.
If only he knew where she was…But it was only a matter of time. Both helicopter teams had examined more than half the locations, on the ground not just from air, and they had less than a handful to go.
He climbed the stairs, greeted the posted guard, entered his office, and shut the door. After making his way around his desk, he sat and replayed the audio of the conversation, seizing the opportunity while they refilled the choppers’ tanks. As he closed his eyes, the peace and quiet helped the audio become clearer.
He admonished himself to focus and then paused it toward the end, right before Ritz came on the phone the second time. Had he heard an odd sound in the background? He exited his office after texting Ruby that they were back at the SSPD to refuel. He took the steps two at a time to Randolph’s lab.
“Captain?” Randolph looked up from his desk with puffy eyes as he approached.
Robert handed him his phone with which he was listening to the audio recording e-mailed to him securely by the tech team. “I need you to enhance the audio at the 1.12-minute mark.”
Randolph took the phone, plugged it into his laptop, and set it to amplify. They both listened. Then he stopped it at the 1.10 mark. He adjusted the audio to play slowly while reducing extraneous sound. They both plugged on headphones and listened until the 1.14 mark. Randolph rewound and played it again, three times. Then he pressed Stop. Putting his headphones down, he looked at Robert. “A wind chime.”
“That’s what it sounded like to me too.” His heart rate picked up. “It has to be a farm or such. There are only two located in our search grid if I remember correctly.”
He patted Randolph on the shoulder. “I owe you one, man.” He raced out of the lab, up the stairs, and gathered his team as the refueling of both choppers was completed and they were ready to go.
“I just returned from the lab, and Randolph and I discovered something.”
After he relayed their finding, they all studied the map and, based on it, tried to decipher which one the two farms it could be. The distance between them was remarkable.
One was located closer to Pennsylvania, quite far. Another was in Upstate New York, much farther. “It’s two hundred and twenty-three miles from here to the Upstate New York location alone. To and from there would eat up much of the time we’ve got left.” He brushed an urgent hand through his hair and gritted his teeth. There was no way they could cover that distance and reconnect in time if they were wrong. Lord Jesus, please lead me.
He inhaled deeply then turned to the team. “Does anyone have a strong preference about the potential location between both farms?”
Silence and puffy eyes met his question.
Charlie sneezed twice and rubbed his nose—again. “Excuse me.” He blew his stuffy nostrils with a tissue. At Robert’s wary glance, he replied, “I’m fine. I’m not letting you face this without me, if you even consider such for a minute.”
Robert huffed then turned to the others. “These two farms are our last strongest leads before time runs out on us. I doubt that these people, whoever they are, will be patient past eight a.m.” His voice lowered. “And I doubt that my wife and I, or any parent in our shoes, will be patient past then while our daughter remains missing. We’ll proceed to New York first, then Pennsylvania. Let’s go find Ritz and bring her home, God-willing.”
“Yes, sir,” echoed around him.
“No matter what happens out there, I want to express my gratitude for your sacrifice. Everyone else is in bed asleep right now while you’re all here with me. I couldn’t have asked for a better team to face this challenge with. God bless you all.” Robert shook hands with each of them.
Nods followed, and Charlie led a team to go get ready. After they had prepped their gear, they all went out to the chopper again, with Robert leaving the building last. He looked back as they entered the chopper. Lord, the next time I return, let me come back with Ritz. Thank You, Jesus.
Faith rose in him, and he already imagined their homecoming. God was faithful. He chose to believe that if God had not wished Ritz to return, He would not have allowed them all the clues they had stumbled upon. They just needed to be sure not to mess things up.
For this to work, it was going to take cooperation on their part. He leaned over and prayed once again. Lord, I’m not sure what this is all about. If it’s really about The New Rulebook, please let me know. But if it has to do with something else, please show it to me.
He wasn’t willing to work in darkness any longer. He had to preempt and overtake his enemy. He could not fail.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
“And Isaac dug again, the wells of water…”- Genesis 26:18
Awhile after the choppers were airborne and had checked in with the base at the SSPD, Robert finished praying. It was possibly four a.m. At this point, he was eager to arrive at their destination. He texted Ruby to pray. She replied that she was. He admired her resilience, toiling in prayer for two of her own, enduring without sleep for two consecutive days while pregnant.
He pocketed his phone, snug into a slot on his bulletproof jacket. He should’ve also brought some warm clothing, in case they found Ritz. That would have been high faith, but he couldn’t care less right now. He would rather believe that than not believe at this point. A thick jacket hung idly off a hanger at the back with some dust on it. That would do. “Is anyone using this?”
When the men and lady all shrugged a no, he unhooked the jacket and tied the arms around his waist, securing it twice. He took a water bottle from Charlie and pocketed it too. Then he leaned his head against the chopper and allowed its hum to fill the silence. He had planned to take his family on a surprise vacation this year. However, it had not happened yet, and here he was fighting to save one of their lives.
“Sir, would you like to eat something?” An officer offered him something.
He accepted the granola bar and pocketed it, for Ritz, when he found her. His faith was growing by the minute. “Yes, thank you.”
Soon, they hovered over their New York site, landing a mile away from the location. The environment was not as chilly as he had expected from stories he had heard. Low-lying tufts of grass enclosed the farmhouse’s entrance afar off. He and his men stepped off the chopper as soon as it landed, and they crouched low.
A truck was parked beneath a spreading oak, and light shone inside the farmhouse. Soft curtains swagged the windows, and empty flowerpots lined the porch, lending the look of an occupied home. But he w
asn’t about to allow himself be deceived by appearances. Ritz could be held hostage there. She was brave to have shared the information she had, and he simply wouldn’t ignore that she could be in imminent danger once her captors realized he wouldn’t hand over The New Rulebook. They would even be more miffed to know he had no access to it, and yet wouldn’t give it over even if he did.
The soft brushes of the grasses glided at the foot of his black tactical uniform. He engaged his night-vision goggles after checking the time. Five a.m.
He pointed to two of his men and nodded toward the back of the property. They circled around. Then two followed him as they neared the front door. In the breeze, the window curtains parted and flapped a bit. Someone, like a little girl, sat on the carpeted floor watching a movie. She was maybe eight.
He scanned the room for any adults but saw none. A scream tore toward the back, and he sprinted there. A woman and a man sat on a back porch with Robert’s men’s flashlights streaming on them.
“Who are you guys?” The man stood, shielding the woman with his hand.
“We’re police officers. Do you live here? Who else lives here with you?” Robert strode forward, weapon drawn and braced Weaver-style. He wasn’t taking any chances.
“Officers, this is my wife and our daughter is inside.” His silvery hair shone against the light, and his back curved slightly.
Robert estimated his age and that of the woman beside him, then aimed the gun higher. “You said she’s your daughter?”
“She’s adopted,” the man replied, correctly guessing the source of Robert’s suspicion.
“Mind if we search the property? We’re looking for a missing person, and time is critical. We could go back for a warrant.…”
The man waved them in. “No need for a warrant at this time of the day, though you scared us. Feel free to take a look inside. There’s no one here but us and our daughter.”
Robert tentatively lowered the gun, nodding to his men to move in. He pocketed his weapon while they held theirs. They approached the house, entering through the back door. He reached the little girl and smiled at her scared face. “Hey, little one. Don’t be scared. I’m only here to—”
Her shrill scream jarred his ears till they rang. “Daddy!” She ran past Robert, out the back door and rammed into her father’s arms. She clutched the end of his shirt tightly and peered with rounded eyes from beside him. “Who are they, Daddy?”
The father’s lips thinned. “Honey, you’re fine. They won’t hurt you.” He squatted to her level. “They just want to take a look around the house. They will be gone soon. Right, officers?”
Robert nodded. “That’s right, sir. If we find nothing incriminating, we’ll be out of here soon.”
The man, his wife, and daughter stepped aside, and Robert imagined his own family, just like theirs. He wanted so badly to see him, Ruby, and Ritz safe again, that it made his heart throb. He could never imagine a life without any of them. They had to find Ritz.
He led the team inside, and they started searching, aware of the passing time. They combed through the farmhouse. Overturning the chairs, beds, clothing, closets, and the garage turned up nothing. They climbed to the wine cellar and came out empty.
A half hour later, they thanked the family.
“Sorry for any inconvenience. But if I might ask, why are you and your daughter up this early in the morning?” Robert asked.
The man glanced at his wife. “We like to watch the stars. And our daughter sleeps early and sometimes, wakes up in the middle of the night or early in the morning. Instead of forcing her back to sleep, we put on movies. Sometimes, she sleeps while watching, and we can take her back to her room then. She woke up about an hour before you got here.”
Robert nodded and led his team away. It was five forty-five a.m. when they lifted off again. One location left, two hours away—ETA, seven forty-five a.m. Fifteen minutes from their deadline and their last hope of finding Ritz. He swallowed hard and exhaled long as the chopper flew steadily toward Pennsylvania. Lord, take complete control in Jesus’ mighty name, amen.
Ritz felt the boards behind her back with her palm and stopped cold. This was the third time she had sat there and dozed off. Every time she woke up and felt that edge against where she leaned, it felt colder than the other side. She rubbed a hand on it, and it squished like paper. Curiosity gripped her like a tightly fitted glove. She twisted and scratched at the space with her fingernails. A minute later, she chipped off a piece and uncovered yellow flowery wallpaper completely different from the coffee-colored paint on the rest of the walls.
She turned fully, kneeled on the table with both knees, and using the tail of an exposed cable wire, peeled off the mismatched wallpaper. It chilled at her touch.
A ridge indented the square curve it revealed. Her eyes widened as she traced the curve with her fingers, carefully peeling the wallpaper by its edges until it flapped downward. She gawked at the other side of it.
Dawning daylight streamed in with a reddish hue through a square sliding-glass window. She blinked at her discovery and chuckled with delight, casting a glance back into the room to be sure she had not been spotted.
She immediately covered it back up, using her saliva to force the wallpaper to stick. She pressed her fingers around the edges, thankful she had not torn it completely off. Her tongue was dry by the time she finished, but she was mildly successful. Only a close examination would reveal the tear, while the middle part bulged forward with a telling crease. Lips pinched tight and hands trembling, she piled on clothing and equipment to hide it.
Satisfied, she eased down, heart pounding, and woke Lori. She had no idea what had happened to the third girl who never returned, but she doubted it was good. With the man’s temperament, she didn’t want to take chances with him or kill any hope of returning home alive.
“Hey, wake up.” She nudged the younger girl. Lori roused with heavy eyelids. “I found something. Come and see,” Ritz whispered. That swept sleep away from Lori, and the girl rose to sit.
“What?” Lori asked, appearing almost too eager to return to sleep. She pushed some loose hair off her face. Ritz led her to the discovered window and placed a hand on her lip to indicate silence. The girl’s eyes rounded. She reached toward it and tried to touch it, but Ritz stopped her.
“I just put back the wallpaper. I don’t want it to fall. It looks like we’re on a farm or something. I saw only crops but no houses around.”
“What do we do?” Lori inched forward. “Can we go now?”
Ritz shook her head. “Sorry, we can’t.”
The other girl’s shoulders fell. “Why?”
“We have no food in our bellies, Lori. There’s no telling how far we will need to go before we reach help. Plus, we need the energy to survive the weather. We don’t want to escape only to be recaptured or killed.” She pointed to the door. “We will wait until he comes with food. Then after he leaves, we jump through the window after eating.”
She just hoped they landed on something hard but comfortable. Getting broken legs would end their escape attempt before it began.
She piled more stuff on top of the other to disguise the window further, in case the wallpaper came loose after drying. That way, it would stay on the window and not flap over. She returned and climbed up to the top bunk and sat.
Her dangling legs kicked back and forth as though already running, tinging with energy, anxious to escape. Resolve pulsed through her, but she had to wait. All she had in her heart was thanksgiving to God. Now, she would escape captivity and head home, by God’s grace. She just had to wait for the right time.
Robert called his team at the SSPD to update them, letting them know the farm in Upstate New York had come up empty, but they were closing in on the second location, east of Philly. He texted Ruby to let her know they were out of state but didn’t say where. She mentioned that President Jacobson had called.
At that, Robert’s eyes narrowed as he replied. Is he all right?
I got a message from one of my men earlier. He hoped everything was okay with his brother. She said he said Robert should contact him at his earliest convenience. I’ll call him when I return home. With Ritz. He added by faith. It was starting to sound crazy, but he had to keep his faith alive. He couldn’t give up.
He pocketed his phone and focused.
“Fifteen minutes out,” Mike called.
Robert leaned back, readied his gear, and uttered another desperate prayer—his final one until they were proved either right or wrong.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
“Behold, God is my salvation. I will trust and not be afraid.”- Isaiah 12:2
Ritz sat up the moment the door opened. The man elbowed his way in, canned beans and water bottles balanced in the crook of his arm, a plate with an empty bowl and a sandwich occupied each hand. He then planted two plates on the ground, popped the bean cans open, and poured the contents into the bowls, plunking plastic spoons into them. He dropped two bottles of drinking water, gathered the empty bean cans, and stomped out.
As soon as he shut the door, Ritz rushed down from the bunk bed and handed the other girl her share of the food, then took her own and sat beside her. “Eat fast,” she encouraged.
They finished their meals soon since it wasn’t that much to begin with, but Ritz halted the girl from drinking her water. “We don’t know how far we would have to trek. Take only a sip and save the rest, okay?”
Lori complied, keeping the water bottle close.
“Have you ever run before? I don’t want to stress you, but I want to know how fast you can go,” Ritz asked.
The girl shook her head. “I always wanted to, but no, I don’t. How do I escape if I can’t run?” Her face turned ashen. She gripped Ritz’s hand and hissed, “Please don’t leave me here, Ritz!”
Ritz motioned for her to lower her voice. “Don’t worry, I won’t. But I need you to make an effort. Let’s give it a couple of minutes for our food to go down a bit, to avoid belly cramps when running. Then we leave.”
