3.23 For My Sister

Watching the silent child the man frowned. He never meant to take the child. Hadn't thought it through. He was desperate to get that ledger. His sister's life depended upon it. If he failed she was dead. If that happened it would destroy his parents. Running his hands through his hair he sighed loudly causing the boy to jump in anticipation from where he sat huddled on the floor. "Sorry kid," he mumbled looking out the window "this isn't going as planned."

The ringing of his phone shattered the silence. Staring at it the man lifted it to his ear "hello" he said flinching in response to the loud bombastic voice hollering on the other end.

"Did you get the ledger?"

"She won't give up the information," he told the man.

"Make her tell you where it is," the man insisted.

The young man had no doubts he meant torture the information out of her. "How exactly? She's in prison."

"Use her children" came the ready heartless reply.

"She doesn't care about them," he retorted biting his lip as soon as the words rolled off his tongue. He shouldn't have said that. He was as good as dead if the man thought he was useless.

"I'm losing my patience" the deep voice grew more menacing with each syllable he spoke. Loud uncontrollable screams of agony filled his ears ending with ragged sobs of misery cut off by the man's callous words "how much more do you think your sister can take?"

"Don't hurt her. I'll come up with something. Just don't hurt her," he begged.

"Get the ledger or the next thing you hear will be your sister's dying breath."

Andrew watched the man. He didn't act like a bad guy At least not like the bad guys he saw on TV. They were always angry but he seemed...sad. He got to his feet and cautiously approached the man.

The man looked up "what do you want?" he growled.

"I...I..." he took a deep breath trying not to let the man intimidate him "my dad is really smart. I bet he could help you."

"Why would he do that kid?" he asked as most of his anger dissipated "I'm the guy who broke into his home.  Beat him up. Took  his kid."

"I'm sure if you explained to him why you did it he'd help you," Andrew insisted

"Sure he would kid," the man shook his head not believing him. He knew he wouldn't if he were in the other guys shoes. "You hungry kid?"

Andrew nodded knowing his idea had been dismissed. He went to to sit in his corner. The man was in trouble he was sure of it. Someone he cared about was being hurt. He could hear her screams from where he sat on the floor. He wondered if the man had an evil invisible friend like he did. His dad could help him get rid of it like he had done with his. He didn't like invisible friends. They made you do things you didn't want to do. If you didn't then they hurt the ones you cared about. He'd give the man some time to think about his suggestion before saying anything else. Sometimes it takes a while before you're ready to accept help. He knew that from experience.

***

"Should you be here?" Alex asked as Caleb limped into the room in obvious pain.

"Why shouldn't I be here?" he asked irritable at being treated like an invalid.

"I was..." Alex put his hands up shrugging "sorry I thought maybe you would still be in the hospital."

Caleb scowled at him "I can't lay in bed while my son is out there somewhere. I've got to do something." He felt Drew put her arms around him trying to calm him down. He smiled at her as he took her hand in his "I'm fine. Stop worrying."

Her dark brown eyes looked up at him as she nodded accepting his word for it. Glancing around the room she asked the assembled family "so what are we going to do?"

"I have an idea" Ambrose volunteered "but you're not going to like it." He looked directly at Drew and Alex as he spoke.

"You're not seriously considering ...." Alex began his voice breaking.

Drew stared at him for a moment before looking away "there has to be another way."

"If we work together we can pull it off. We can get that ledger and get Andrew home where he belongs."

"While that monster goes free," Drew cried burying her head on Caleb's shoulder.

Alex didn't take his eyes from his sister while he spoke "what assurance do we have that she'll tell us where the ledger is once she's free? I don't trust her. She's not just going to magically tell us what we need to know."

Caleb looked at his nephew "not to mention what your suggesting is illegal and if we got caught we would all go to jail."

"I've thought of that," Ambrose said peering into Caleb's eyes "all the police will want is a fall guy to take the blame. I'm willing to do that if it means getting Andrew home." He swallowed heard and maybe for the first time he realized the sacrifice his own dad made for  his family. He became the fall guy so that his brother-in-law wouldn't have to go to prison along with him. Strange how different his decision looked when he was the one contemplating it. If he could he'd go back in time and tell him he understood and that he forgave him.

Shaking his head firmly Caleb voiced what everyone else was thinking "absolutely not."

"It's the only way," Ambrose insisted "so quit arguing with me. We're only wasting time."

***

"Ms Jeffries" the young officer began as the old woman let him into her house.

"Come in young man," she smiled "I just made some cookies..."

"No," he started to decline when he heard his captains voice in his head and he smiled "I'd love some cookies."

She smiled as she made up a plate "coffee?" she asked when she handed him a plate of cookies.

"Yes ma'am" he murmured trying to keep his irritation from showing in his voice and manner.

Once she had served him his coffee she sat down opposite him at the small table. She watched him intently as he seemed to enjoy her baking. "How are they?" she couldn't keep from asking.

"Very good ma'am," he said loathing every bite. Molasses cookies his least favorite cookie in the world. He choked them down best he could. When the last one was finished he smiled his thanks as he asked "I'm following up on the call you made into the hot line..."

"Oh that poor sweet boy. His eyes were just pleading with me to help him," the woman went on in great detail of how he was dragged around the convenience store.

"Excuse me ma'am can you describe the man he was with?"

She frowned "youngish but then again just about everyone is young compared to me." She frowned as she tried to conjure up a picture of the man who was with the boy "I'm sorry I didn't " then she smiled suddenly "the man had brown kind of reddish short hair, blue eyes and freckles" she hesitated she had a feeling she was describing the wrong man. Something didn't feel right but the officers kind eyes and gentle manner encouraged her to continue with her inaccurate description. There was something else but she couldn't remember what it was.

The officer closed his note book. This time it was filled with notes regarding the kidnapping suspect. Handing her his card "if you remember anything else don't hesitate to call." He watched her nod wondering how many more times she would be calling him and dreading each one already. 

"I'll do that," she said taking the card from his outstretched hand. Her eyes were troubled as she followed him to the door. She was about to admit she might be wrong about the description when she thought better of it. If she did that he would think she was unreliable and wouldn't come back the next time she called.

After the officer left she looked around her silent house sighing. It had been nice having someone here to share her evening with. She picked up the dishes from the table when her eyes caught the numbers she had written down. That was when she remembered what it was. It was a licence plate number. Why would she have thought that was important?

***

Patricia lay on her bunk alone in her cell. A slight smile played upon her face. Her revenge was almost complete. Ricky would know what it felt like to be helpless in the face of the enemy. He helped his father keep her imprisoned all those years ago. If it weren't for him she could have returned to Robert before that purple haired whore had gotten her claws into him.

She laughed harshly into the silent confines of her cell remembering the horrified expression upon her son's face as she told him the price he would have to pay for the ledger. Her freedom. They'd never get the ledger. Whoever was kidnapped would be dead long before they discovered she no longer had it. Did she care? Not really. She was past caring what happened to the brats she birthed or their spawn. The misery she could still inflict upon them was her sole source of pleasure in this hell hole. She knew she was never getting out and derived great pleasure from knowing they were suffering along with her.

There was a small flicker of recognition that the pleasure she received was all shades of wrong. In a way it was an academic exercise for her to analyze that flicker of guilt and reject it in the end. She had long since given up pretending she was anything but this shell of hate. She enjoyed this small aspect of being in control of their happiness or misery knowing they couldn't do anything about it.

After feeding the kid the man took the rest of the food and threw it away. After three days of eating the same slop he couldn't face it again. He stood on the porch not wanting to go back inside the small cramped cabin. He didn't want to feel the eyes of the small boy watching him. He shouldn't have taken him. He knew that now.

Maybe he should just leave him here. Make an anonymous phone call to the police and leave the area. The boy would be found and returned to his family. But.....it all came back to that ledger. He couldn't go home until he had it. Without it his sister was good as dead. Could he live with himself knowing he had let her down? Let her die. He closed his eyes imagining what she would think of him if she knew he had kidnapped a frightened little kid to save her life and knew she would be disappointed in him. He knew she would think he was no better than the men who took her.

With trembling fingers he took his phone out "papa?"

"Son," came the quick response.

"I don't know what to do papa," he cried "I've failed. Maribel is going to pay for my failure..." he couldn't keep the tears from falling "I'm sorry...."

"Son you haven't failed," Ricky told him in a firm clear loving voice.

"I haven't gotten the ledger" he gulped for air "I've done things I promised I wouldn't do."

"What have you done?" his father held his breath waiting for his son's confession.

"I...I...kidnapped a little kid." he sniffed into the phone wiping tears from his eyes "I threatened his family with violence. You told me to be careful to not become like the people who took Maribel..." he sighed hating himself even more "I'm just like them papa. I don't know what to do..."

"Son listen to me. You made a mistake. That doesn't mean your like them. Your not a bad person," Ricky tried to reassure him as his son's sobs filled his ears "arrange to return the boy in exchange for your freedom."

"What if they won't agree? What if I have to go to jail?" he cried working himself into a dither.

"Trust me they want their child back same as we want Maribel. We'll come up with something else. 

We'll get her back and you'll come home." Ricky said infusing his words with confidence. "Do as I say son."

"Ok papa" after finishing the call he sat on the porch listening to the crickets as they started up a chorus as the day darkened into evening. He peeled himself off the porch and went back inside the house. He knelt in front of the boy. "Kid do you know your phone number?"

Andrew nodded "dddaddy tttaught us."

"Good" he smiled at the boy. He couldn't help but cringe at himself. Who takes a child without making sure he could contact the parents again? Someone who didn't plan on returning the child in the end. His mind shied away from that troubling thought. "Can you show me?" he held the phone out to the boy.

With hands visibly shaking Andrew took the phone keying in the numbers. He held the phone towards the man waiting for him to take it. "Go ahead make the call" the man told him. Hitting send Andrew waited a moment before someone answered.

***

"Andrew" Drew screamed into the phone startling everyone in the room "where are you baby?"

"Mommy the man says I can come home now," Andrew informed her "Please come get me. I don't like it here."

"Where is here baby?" Drew spoke loudly so that everyone could hear as they huddled around the phone she had put on speaker so that they could all hear.

"I...I don't know," they could hear someone rustling around then a man's voice came on the line.

"All I want is time to get out of town. No police" the man spoke in a subdued voice that held a note of fear in it.

"Why the change of heart?" Caleb asked.

"I made a mistake. I thought...I hoped you had the ledger." The man sighed before continuing "I was desperate. Still am but Maribel wouldn't want me to do this. So I'm returning your son for her."

"Please tell us what this all about," Caleb requested "why do you need the ledger so desperately?"

"The ledger contained by grandfather's contacts. The new drug overlord need the information it contains to take over. The bitch stole it when she left. Now the boss is demanding we get it back." There was a pause while the young man gathered his thoughts "I'm sorry I had no choice. It's return the ledger or lose my sister."

At this point Andrew chimed in from the background "please daddy help him. His sister is in a lot of trouble. I heard her crying and screaming because the bad men were hurting her. You can help can't you daddy?"

Author's Note: For more information on Ambrose Gray and Caleb Gray read A Graying World both were created by legendofsim. It's an awesome story and well worth the read.