UNSEEN (5 page)

"
This note was tucked between your fridge and the wall.”

"
Yes. That's where I keep my paper bags. I wasn't hiding it. I've never seen this before...”

"
We're not implying that you have.” She pointed to the plastic bag. "Do you see those numbers? Do you know what they are?”

She looked around at all the faces staring at her, then down at the note. "I don't know.” She paused. "Sh- should they mean something to me?” As she stared, a terrifying thought pecked its way through the fog of shock surrounding her brain. Why would this image of blocks be glued to one of her grocery bags? Her eyes flitted up. "Did the person who took my son make this? Was he in the grocery store?" The thought of him stalking her and her son sent a streak of terror rippling through her gut.

"
Stay calm, Holly."

"
Has he been following us? Has he been watching us?"

"
I know this is hard, but I need you to answer my question."

Holly struggled to reign in her thoughts. She had to be strong. "I don't know. I don't know what the numbers are."

Agent Grant pointed with her pencil. "The top two numbers are a time. The bottom four are an IP address, a location on the Internet. The man who has your son is going to post something there at 9:00 a.m. And...”

Holly's eyes shot reflexively to the clock on the living room wall. It was ten till nine. "What’s he going to post?” Her eyes snapped back to agent Grant's. "What’s he going to post on the Internet?"

"
If he does as he has the last three times, he will post a video of your son.”

Her belly tightened, followed by an involuntary groan of despair.

"
We need you to watch it with us. We need you to look for anything...”

"
No. I can't. I can't do it.”

"
We need you to look for mannerisms, speech patterns...”

"
I can't. I can't watch it.”

"
Your son is counting on you, Holly. You need to do this for him.”

Her eyes lit with fire, her hands clenched in desperate fists of rage. "I CAN'T WATCH HIM BUTCHER MY SON!”

Agent Grant's voice was even and tender. "He won't. It’s not like that.”

A tear trickled down the side of Holly's nose as she gripped her gut. Her voice was barely a whisper. "I can't... I just can't.”

"
We’ve seen this before. He's just going to talk to you. He isn't going to hurt your son on the video.”

The room was eighty degrees, yet she couldn't stop the shivering in her middle.

"
We'll let you leave if he does anything. I promise.”

Holly rocked. The tears were flowing and she couldn't stop them. The thought of seeing that man with her son—what he would say. How could she watch it? How could they ask her to watch it?

Officer McConnell interrupted. "We only have a few minutes.”

Agent Grant lifted a hand to silence him. "You can do this, Holly.” She looked at her notepad. "Do this for Gabe.”

Holly struggled to compose herself.

"
If you give in to your fear—he wins. Help us get this guy.”

Anger boiled in Holly's heart. She wanted this man to pay for what he had done. She wanted to hurt him with her own hands. What kind of monster preys on little children? Who could slaughter a child?

"
Help us, Holly. Do it for Gabe.”

She bit her lip and wiped her tears with the back of her hand. Gabe needed her to be strong. If ever she had a reason to be strong, this was it. This was not a problem she could run away from. She sat up straighter, and, with the little strength she could muster, gave a firm nod.

Officers flooded into the room, and a laptop was turned so all could see. One of the officers placed a small mounted camera in front of the laptop to record the message.

Holly looked confused. Why? She thought. Why make me watch this if it’s going to be recorded anyway? Do these people lack the compassion to at least view it first, to shield me from the worst of it?

After what seemed like an eternity, the black video box came to life on the screen. In the middle of a nondescript room stood a lean man wearing a white prom tuxedo with ruffles on the chest. His bow-tie was bright red and the jacket pocket had a handkerchief of the same color poking out. Dark black eyes peered at her through a white porcelain mask. The emotionless expression made Holly feel sure she was looking into the face of a cold and calculated killer. No sympathy, no remorse, only emptiness. The sight made her recoil.

"
This is not the first time we have spoken,” said the man in a digitally-effected voice.

It was unlike anything she had ever heard in movies or on television. The sound sent tremors of terror through her bones.

"
I have told you before. You are not allowed to tape these broadcasts. You know what happens when you tape them.”

Holly looked at Agent Grant with pleading eyes. "What happens when you tape them?”

Grant held her hand up. "It's okay. He's bluffing.”

"
Am I bluffing?” said the man on the screen.

Holly's eyes grew wide. "He can see us?!” Her hands shot toward the camera. "Shut it off! Shut it off!” She screeched.

An officer grabbed her by the arms and held her back.

"
Shut it off! You're killing my son!”

Grant reached out and grabbed the camera. "All right!" she said, with an intensity Holly had not yet seen in her. "All right," she said again, with less emotion. "But you need to watch! You hear me? You need to remember. Without that camera, we only get one chance...”

"
Yes,” said the man on the screen, "remember.”

Officers scrambled in the background, searching for the wire tap, but Holly kept her eyes rooted on the screen.

"
I want you to remember,” said the man in the porcelain mask, "remember who it was that saved your son's life.”

Saved his life? What did that mean? Would he spare Gabe?

"
I want you to see something, Holly.”

Agent Grant leaned toward her. "Remember how he says your name. Watch how he walks. Study it all.”

The man disappeared from view, and the camera wobbled.

"
Watch and listen, Holly," said the agent, her voice almost a whisper.

An open door came into view, and just beyond was a bright room with primary colors. As the camera entered the room, terror gripped Holly's chest. In the corner Gabe was playing with action figures on the floor. Children’s music played in the background.

"
You see,” said the man from behind the camera, "he is safe.”

Holly screamed at the screen. "Gabe! Gabe!”

"
He can't hear you, Holly.”

"
Please don't hurt him!”

"
Do you see how happy he is?” A hand reached out and the door closed. "You know, I find it ironic that you are worried that I will hurt him.”

Holly tried to wrap her brain around his words. Again he was implying that he would let her son live. Was her son different from the others?

The camera was returned to its original perch, and the man reappeared in the frame. "How could I possibly hurt him any more than you?” Even with the digital effect, she could hear the contempt in his voice. "What kind of life did you have planned for him, Holly? Oh, that's right, you don't have a plan. How many years will he suffer because you decided to bring him into the world? If I were to butcher him in cold blood, he would suffer less than what you have in store for him.”

The words sliced at her heart like a hot knife. It was true. What kind of life was she giving him? What kind of mother was she? Gabe deserved more—but she needed him.

"
Look at you, Holly. You can barely take care of yourself. What made you think you were fit to raise a child? What made you think you could be a good mother?”

Tears flooded her eyes. He was right. Everything he said was true. She had considered not having him—saving him from a life of poverty and shame. She knew what life she was bringing him into, but she chose to have him anyway.

"
You had your chance to make the right choice. Now I'm going to do what you were unwilling to do, I’m going to make the choice for you."

What choice? She struggled again to unravel his riddles, but her brain was numb with panic.

"
Fortunately," he said, "I will be more humane than you have been."

His words bored their way into her head like a worm, cutting through dead tissue until they found a nerve. He would do what she was unwilling to do? Kill her son! Holly lurched forward. "No! Please don't kill my son! I'll do anything you want, anything!”

But even as she said it, she realized—she had nothing to offer, and no one to turn to for help. She had burned every bridge and broken every promise she had ever made.

"
Will you still be selfish? Even now? Look at yourself!” said the digitally warped voice. "Do you want me to tell the nice police officers what a fine upstanding mommy you are?”

"
Please...” she whispered. "Don't." Tears poured down her nose and cheeks. He was right. Everything he said was true.

"
Do you want me to tell them that you are only one hypodermic needle away from exiting this world and leaving your son alone in a filthy run down apartment, wondering when his mommy will return? How does a six-year-old recover from something like that? I'll tell you how. He doesn't!”

She quaked as his words resonated through her.

"
Or better yet, maybe he'll grow up. Maybe he'll have the fun of hiding his dirty little secret from all the kids at school for fear they will discover that his mommy sells her body for drugs.”

Holly's eyes pleaded with the officers in the room. "It's not true. I would never...” She could never do such a horrible thing. It would never get that bad. She would give him to the State before she ever let that happen.

"
I'm not the criminal here. It's you who should be locked up for bringing this poor creature into the world. He didn't ask for this life. What did he do to deserve this life of pain?”

"
Please, just let my son live. I'll find a home for him—a better home.”

"
Do you know how they put down sick animals?”

The imagery was more than Holly could bear. She wanted to retreat, but where could she hide? She felt the agent's hand on hers and looked up. Agent Grant's face seemed like the face of an angel in the refracting light of her tears. "I know this hurts, but you must be strong—for Gabe. Try to remember every detail.”

"
They stick them with a needle, and the animal drifts off to sleep. One pin prick and their suffering is over. What is the greater evil? One pin prick, or years of horrible suffering?”

Holly could not respond.

"
I promise you, your son will not suffer. He won't even feel the prick of a needle. He will simply go to sleep and never wake up.”

She grabbed her ears. "Noooooo! I can't listen anymore. I can't!”

The figure stood silently staring, as if he could see Holly rocking back and forth—her eyes squeezed shut—her hands clutching her ears. He waited for her. He watched her like a lion watching its prey, waiting for the moment when it is most vulnerable.

Holly gasped for breath and slowly lifted her eyes to the screen.