Paying The Piper (3 page)

S
cott expected a horde
of FBI agents to pour into his home. This was a Piper kidnapping, after all. Instead, he got Sheils and three agents. Sheils seemed to read Scott’s expression and moved quickly to dispel any fears.

“Sammy’s abduction isn’t being taken lightly. We’re the tip of the iceberg. The public, the press, and the Piper won’t see the FBI machine at work. This investigation’s heavy lifting will be taking place back at the division office.”

Sheils introduced the three agents who would be assigned to the family—Shawn Brannon, Terry Dunham, and Lucy Guerra. Brannon, a tall and serious-looking guy around Scott’s age, was Sheils’s second-in-command. Sheils dismissed them, and they swept through Scott’s home with the might of an occupying force. They commandeered the entire first floor with the exception of the kitchen, and set up their command post in the dining room. In a matter of minutes, his home was no longer his. There was little for his family to do except stay out of their way.

He, Jane, and Peter took refuge in the kitchen. They sat around the table as usual, except for the unoccupied chair. Peter stared at the space that should have been filled by his brother.

“It’s going to be okay,” Scott said to his son.

He and Jane explained to Peter what would happen. They
put the most positive spin on events that they could. If they could convince Peter that everything would be okay, then maybe they could convince themselves.

Sheils came into the kitchen and sat in Sammy’s seat, unaware of the sacrilege he’d committed. Scott felt like telling him to get the hell out of his son’s chair.

“We need to talk,” Sheils said. “A lot will happen before the night is through.”

“The ransom demand?” Jane asked. “There will be one, won’t there?”

“Yes, and in the next few hours, while we’re still mobilizing. That’s why we have to work fast. I need to ask you more questions. Okay?”

He received a round of nods.

“Good. Peter, I’d like you to help identify the type of minivan you saw. Can you do that?”

“Okay.”

Agent Guerra shook hands with Peter. She was a slim, attractive Hispanic woman who looked to be in her late twenties. She immediately won Peter over with her warm smile and good looks. He took Guerra’s hand, and she led him from the room.

Jane stiffened and Scott recognized her fear. She’d lost one child to a stranger today, and she didn’t want to let her remaining child out of her sight. He leaned in and whispered, “It’s okay.”

“Normally, we’d have a negotiator coach you on phone techniques, but he won’t be here for a few hours, so I need to prep you,” Sheils said. “With today’s technology, it’s very easy to trap and trace a phone call, but it’s still important to keep the Piper on the phone. I expect he will want to talk to you, Scott, so I want Jane to answer the phone to buy us some time before you take the call. Any requests he makes, ask for them to be repeated or say you don’t understand. Ask questions. Even if the Piper doesn’t answer, you’ve bought us vital tracking time.”

“Okay,” Scott said.

“An even more important factor is to build a rapport.
If the Piper starts to bond with you, it will make it hard for him to hurt Sammy.”

“The Piper isn’t like most kidnappers. This isn’t even a typical Piper kidnapping. He’s not here for the money. He’s here for me. He’ll look for any excuse to hurt Sammy.”

“Oh, God,” Jane moaned.

“That’s an even bigger reason to build a rapport with him,” Sheils said.

“
Rapport
? With the bastard who took our boy? I don’t know how well we can do this,” Jane said.

“That’s okay. Whatever you can do will help. I might not need you to deal with the phone calls at all. When the negotiator arrives, we can have him take over, pretending to be a close relative.”

Jane looked relieved at the news.

“Our negotiators are trained to string the conversation out, listen for inflections and background noise, and ask for proof of life.”

Scott knew Sheils had said the wrong thing the moment the words left his lips. Panic ignited in Jane’s eyes and spread across her face.

“You think Sammy’s dead,” Jane whispered.

“I’m not saying that. It’s a term that you’re going to hear a lot. Don’t let it frighten you.” Sheils smiled to settle her nerves. “If the Piper has Sammy with him when he calls and we trace his location, then we’ll find Sammy at the same time.”

Jane chewed at her lip and glanced over at Scott. He could tell she was trying to believe in the agent’s optimism. He nodded at her to reassure her despite the paralyzing fear they both felt.

Sheils said he needed statements and sent Jane off with Agent Brannon, then drew the door shut. The move unnerved Scott. Eight years ago, Sheils had warned Scott that he couldn’t be held responsible for his actions if they ever found themselves alone
with each other.

“Thanks for playing this down with Jane,” Scott said.

“Playing it down?”

“We both know this kidnapping is about revenge. And what finer revenge would there be than to kill Sammy?”

“At least you’re being realistic.”

“This is no time for delusions.”

“I agree.” Sheils leaned against the countertop. “There’s something I want to ask you, Scott. Is this your first contact with the Piper?”

The snide remark dug deep. “What’s that supposed to mean?” Scott asked.

“After Nicholas Rooker was killed, did the Piper get in touch with you?”

“Don’t you think I would have contacted you?”

“I don’t know. You were pretty lax about picking up the phone the first time.”

“Jesus Christ. Do you really think I wanted that kid to die?”

Sheils’s hands balled into fists at his sides. “You know what? I don’t know. You seemed as hung up on being a headline as on writing them. I’m not saying you wanted the kid dead, Scott, but if it bleeds, it leads. Isn’t that what you bottom-feeders say?”

“You’re unreal, Sheils. Do you know that?”

“Enough about me. Back to the Piper. Has he ever contacted you?”

“Why would he?”

“You got his story wrong. Maybe he wanted it told the right way.”

“Okay, say he did, why kidnap Sammy now?”

Sheils smirked. “It would make for a great publicity stunt for you. Ever finish that book on the Piper?”

Scott lost his fingernail grip on his temper and threw a punch. Sheils easily sidestepped Scott’s fist, but not his charge. Scott dropped a shoulder and drove it deep into
Sheils’s stomach, smashing him into the countertop, its edge cutting into his back like a knife. Sheils yelled out, then thumped a fist down on Scott’s spine between his shoulder blades to loosen the reporter’s grip. He trapped Scott’s head under his arm and peeled him off.

Jane ripped open the kitchen door. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

Sheils held Scott in place while Brannon appeared in the doorway behind Jane.

“Grow up!” Jane shouted. “Settle your grudges later. My son—
our
son—is in danger. Deal with that first.”

Sheils released Scott. He slumped onto all fours.

Guerra forced her way past Brannon. “Sir, we’ve got an incoming call.”

T
he brawl forgotten, Sheils
ushered Scott and Jane back into the living room. There was no fancy equipment on show; Scott and Jane just had to answer the phone. FBI technicians were monitoring all calls from the division office, though a second handset had been plugged in to allow Sheils to listen.

Scott looked around for Peter. He was with Guerra in the dining room. He’d taken to the woman and was acting like he was her sidekick, which was great. It kept him involved and out of the way of the more difficult decisions.

The phone rang again. Scott went to answer it, but Sheils stopped him.

“Let Jane answer it. Remember what I told you about keeping the conversation going,” Sheils said.

“Yeah, we know,” Scott said. He didn’t want to lose the call if it was the Piper.

“Brannon, you’re playing the part of the relative,” Sheils said.

Brannon nodded.

“We’ll do our best,” Scott said to Jane and smiled at her. She smiled back, but it broke in the making.

The phone rang again.

“Jane, if he asks for Scott, tell him he’s too upset and hand the phone to Agent Brannon. Okay?”

Jane nodded nervously at Sheils, then snatched
up the phone. “Hello?”

Scott leaned in next to Jane to listen.

“May I speak to Scott?”

The familiar sound of the Piper’s doctored voice leaked from the receiver. Scott glanced over at Sheils. His expression had turned grim. Jane tried to respond, but all she got out was a whimper. Scott wanted to tell her it was all okay, but he couldn’t break his silence.

Finally, Jane pulled herself together. “We know you took Sammy to get at Scott. He’s not up to speaking right now.”

“Is that right?” The Piper’s contempt for Jane’s lie punched through the electronic device disguising his voice. “You don’t sound up for it, either.”

“I’m not. Do you mind speaking to my brother?”

The line went dead. The burr of the disconnected line sounded like the end of the world.

Jane jumped up. “What just happened? He’s gone. He’s gone!”

Scott embraced his wife to calm her.

“It’s okay,” Sheils told her. “He’ll call back.”

“He knows,” Brannon said, defeat thick in his voice. “He knows we’re here.”

“Of course he does,” Scott snapped. He locked stares with Sheils. “He’s dealt with you guys seven times before. Why would this time be any different?”

“It was worth a try,” Sheils said.

“It’s okay, Jane.” He kissed her. “He’ll call back. He wants me.”

Everyone retook their seats and clustered around the phone, waiting for it to ring. Peter broke away from Guerra and jumped into Jane’s arms.

The minutes ticked by.

“Why hasn’t he called back?” Jane asked.

“He’s testing us,” Sheils replied.

“He’s punishing us,” Scott corrected.

“He’ll call.”

Dunham, a slight and fresh-faced guy, removed his
cell phone from his ear, frowned, and hung up. He had been on the phone since the Piper had called. “The call’s been traced to a broadband Internet provider.”

Sheils cursed.

“What’s wrong?” Scott asked.

“He’s calling in through the Internet, and more than likely, he’s using a wireless connection.”

“Are you saying you can’t trace the call?” Jane asked.

“No. It’s just going to take longer. We need to nail down the IP address, then triangulate his position using cell phone towers.”

This act was all supposed to instill confidence, but Scott knew it was a crock. They might be buying it, but he wasn’t. The Piper was on top of things. He knew the Feds would be in charge of the case. He knew a negotiator would be flown in and how long that would take. He also knew if he called now, they wouldn’t be ready. Scott couldn’t help but feel like the Piper was toying with them.

After ten minutes, the phone rang again. Sheils started reeling off instructions, but Scott snatched up the phone.

“Hello?”

“Good,” the Piper said. “We don’t have to play games. Let’s keep things honest. You have the FBI with you, yes?”

Scott tried a delay tactic. “Screw the FBI. What about Sammy?”

The line went dead again. The Piper wasn’t going to fall for Sheils’s tricks. They had to play it his way. Any deviation resulted in punishment.

“I don’t think he likes your tactics.”

Sheils didn’t respond.

The Piper’s time-out lasted exactly fifteen minutes. Scott answered the phone again.

“Answer my questions, and I’ll stay on the line,” the Piper said. “The FBI is with you—yes or no?”

“Yes.”

“I want two million dollars in nonsequential
bills.”

“I don’t have that kind of money,” Scott interrupted. He wasn’t employing one of Sheils’s hopeless delay tactics; it was just the truth. Regardless, the Piper hung up.

“Dammit!” Scott shouted and threw the phone down.

“Stay calm, Scott,” Jane pleaded. “He’s doing this to irritate you.”

“Well, it’s working.”

“For Sammy, please try.”

And for Peter
, he thought. The poor kid was clinging to Jane. He looked petrified. “Okay.”

The Piper called back thirty minutes later. Scott reported for punishment.

“Two million dollars in nonsequential bills. I will call in twenty-four hours to confirm you have the money.”

Having learned his lesson, Scott kept quiet.

“Do you understand?”

“Yes.”

“Good. Good night.”

“Sammy…” Scott paused for a second, expecting the line to go dead at his interruption, but it didn’t.

“What about him?”

“I want to speak to him.”

“When you have the money. Start breaking open your piggy banks.” The Piper hung up.

The Piper wouldn’t be calling back tonight. Scott felt his tenuous grasp on the situation slither out of his hands. He surveyed the agents entrenched in his home. They’d yet to come to this realization. They were surplus to requirements and didn’t even know it.

“You did well,” Sheils said. “Okay, we need to discuss the ransom. I’m assuming you don’t have two million.”

“No,” Jane said, shaking her head. “Even if we sold everything, we wouldn’t come anywhere close. He has
to know we don’t have that kind of money.”

“I’m sure he does. This is where our negotiator will come into play. He’ll bargain the price down.”

“Wake up, Sheils,” Scott said. “The Piper purposefully picked a figure out of our reach. This isn’t a normal Piper kidnapping—or haven’t you gotten that yet?”

“Can’t the FBI lend us the money or something?” Jane asked.

“Sorry, no. It’s against government policy to fund ransoms, but we have connections with banks that can assist you.”

Scott looked over at the clock. Time had slowed. He would have sworn it was deep into the night, but it wasn’t even nine p.m. Scott knew the Feds were doing their job, but it was starting to get claustrophobic. Their house had never seemed so small.

“I’d like to speak with my family—alone.”

“Sure. Good idea.” Sheils got up and directed his agents into the dining area.

“Time for bed, buddy,” Scott said to Peter.

“Okay, Dad,” Peter said, almost in a daze. For once, there was no argument about bedtime.

He hopped off the couch, and Jane took his hand as they climbed the stairs. Scott and Jane helped Peter change into his pajamas and watched over him while he brushed his teeth, like they had done when he was small. Scott expected difficult questions from his son that he wouldn’t be able to answer, but Peter said nothing about his brother. Like all of them, he needed a break from the nightmare. Scott found himself wanting Peter to ask him about Sammy. He needed the pain. Pain gave him drive.

Scott and Jane walked Peter to the room he shared with his brother. Without Sammy, the room seemed cavernous. His empty bed was a nasty reminder of his absence.

“Are you going to be okay in here?” Jane asked Peter.

The boy stared at Sammy’s side of the room.
He nodded and climbed into his bed. Scott and Jane sat by his side.

“Do you want to talk about anything?” Scott asked.

“No.” He rolled over, and within minutes, he was asleep.

Scott led Jane to their bedroom and closed the door.

Jane fell into his arms. “Where are we going to come up with two million dollars?”

He’d been totting up their assets in his head, converting their possessions into dollar figures. They had savings, stocks, bonds, and pension funds. Their cars were only a couple of years old. Their house was a million-dollar asset in the current housing market, but the mortgage ate into a large chunk of the equity. The plus side looked rosy, but the total came nowhere near the Piper’s figure. “We’ll come up with it.”

“How, Scott?” She pulled away from him. “How?”

He sat her down on the edge of the bed and knelt before her. “We’ll mortgage the house.”

“It’s already mortgaged.”

“We’ll sell it, then.”

“Be serious, Scott. Even if someone bought our house tomorrow, it’s not worth two million.”

He looked her directly in the eyes. “I’ll raise the money. I don’t know how, but I will. If I have to sell everything I own and live in a box for the rest of my life, I’ll do it to get Sammy back.”

Jane pulled him to her, kissed him, then hugged him. “I love you so much.”

Scott had desperately needed to hear this. Sheils could promise the might of the entire FBI, but it didn’t compare to his wife’s support. He hugged her tight to prevent her from slipping away.

“Can they do it? Can they get Sammy back?”

Scott pulled back from her. Her desperate need for reassurance was etched into her face. As much as Scott recognized this and wanted the same, he couldn’t lie. He hoped that was enough for her.

“I don’t know. I have to believe Sheils and his people
can get Sammy back.”

“Believe? That’s not enough, Scott. They’ve never even come close to catching this bastard. He killed the last child. I don’t know if these people can save Sammy.”

What Jane said scared him. He feared for his son’s life, but he had hope. If they complied with the Piper’s demands, Sammy would be returned to them. The only danger came from an FBI screwup. He couldn’t let that happen.

“What are you saying?” Scott asked.

“We can’t rely on the FBI.
We
have to get involved.”

“No, we can’t do that. It’s too dangerous.”

“So we’ll sit back and do nothing, is that what you’re saying?” Jane’s voice had risen. He shushed her in case someone overheard.

“No, I’m not. The Piper has targeted us because of me. I’ll do everything possible to get Sammy back.”

Jane latched onto his words and fixed him with a burning stare. “Do you promise that? Do you promise to bring him home?”

“I promise,” Scott said. “It’ll happen. Whatever it takes, I will make it happen. There’s nothing I won’t do.”