~Felix~
"I'll send the final instructions to the school", my manager was saying.
"I'm looking forward to seeing the kids. Make sure to let them know we are really happy to have them here", I said, packing up my desk. That should have signaled to my manger that the meeting was over, but she wasn't moving a muscle.
"Will you be here?" she asked.
"I will be in for an hour or so to do the introductions and welcome. My daughter is turning 1 on that day so I can only be available for a short period. Have fun with the teenagers", I said with a smug smile and finished packing up.
"I still don't know why I agreed to do the tour", she said.
"Because you know everything about everything that's in here?" I said. "I have to go now; Marie is having her check up today, and all those painful vaccinations".
"Good luck", she said and followed me out of the office.
*
The drive to the hospital was uneventful, except for some mild traffic. I was a few minutes late. I had just parked at the hospital parking lot when I received a call.
"Felix?"
"Hello Mr. de la Cruz. You are speaking to Charlotte from Lakeview memorial. This is about an appointment that was made with the resident pediatrician Dr. Eisenberg for Marie de la Cruz for 12:30 pm. We wanted to know if you will still make the appointment or if you'd like to reschedule", the person on the other side of the line said.
"Unfortunately Marie is not with me at the moment. Have you tried calling my husband? He should be at the hospital by now", I said.
"We have tried to get in contact with Mr. de la Cruz, but his phone is on voicemail", she said.
"I'll get back to you in a moment", I said and hung up.
That Archer was late was surprising. That his phone was off was alarming. In our relationship he was the organized one.
I dialed his number and waited, only to be greeted by his mailbox. I tried again and got the same thing. I dialed the home telephone. It rang and rang but no one answered. I was starting to become agitated. My last resort was to call the cab company and see if he'd asked for one at all.
"Cab connect, how can we help you today?"
"Hi. I have an informal request to make. It is possible to check in your records if a cab was requested today for 113 Faraway Street, Brentwood?"
"Yes. It was requested about 40 minutes ago".
"And? Did it pick up the people there?" I asked, with all sorts of scenarios running through my head. What if Archer and Marie had been in an accident?
"I cannot give up that kind of information", the person said.
"Please! It's an emergency. Those people are my husband and daughter".
There was a sigh. "No. The cab was dispatched, but no one was home".
That didn't make sense. Why would Archer call for a cab and then leave before it got there? He couldn't have possibly decided to drive instead. I told him his ankle might not take the strain. He wouldn't take such a risk, not with our daughter with him.
"Thank you", I said and hung up.
My next call was to Stella, Clark and then our neighbor Francis. Stella and Clark hadn't heard from Archer and Francis hadn't seen him at all that day.
I put my head in my hand, tapping slightly on my forehead. I knew for certain Archer wouldn't take the risk of driving with a sprained ankle. I also knew for certain he hadn't decided to walk to the hospital. Something must have happened. Either he was still at home and incapacitated or he'd left the house for some reason.
The only way I could know was if I went to the house.
I was about to reverse when my phone rang. My heart quivered slightly in excitement before I saw the caller id. It was disappointingly the hospital calling.
"Hi. I haven't been able to get hold of my husband, so if he isn't there just cancel the appointment", I said quickly.
"Okay"
I transcended the speed limits on my way to the house, driving in a way Archer would never approve of. Speed was exhilarating for me, but that day it wasn't. I barely noticed how fast I was going. My only thoughts were of Archer and Marie and their safety.
I parked skewed on the driveway and ran to the door to find it locked. I unlocked using my own keys and walked inside. Everything was in place. There were no signs of a struggle. I went through the bedrooms while calling Archer's name. I called Marie's too, pausing to listen for a reply.
There was nothing.
I called Archer's phone again and sent numerous texts.
Something just didn't make sense. If they weren't home, then where were they?
I immediately thought of something. Months earlier Archer had granted me the permission to install cameras around the property. If he exited the house, maybe the cameras spotted him. Maybe they had a view of what car he got into and the direction it took.
I immediately went to the house computer and accessed the CCTV footage. I rewind to minutes early and watched a view of our driveway until I spotted Archer walk into the camera's view. He had Marie in his arms and Marie's bag on his shoulder. I could see a cab with the Cab Connect log parked next to the sidewalk in front of the house.
I paused the footage for a few seconds when I finally realized something. The same company that owned the cab had told me just minutes earlier that they hadn't picked up my husband and kid. Clearly it was one huge conspiracy.
I resumed the video and watched as Archer got into the cab with Marie and it drove away. I rewind the video and paused, zooming in on the cab's number plate. I took the details down and rushed to the company's dispatch headquarters.
By then I knew Archer and Marie had been kidnapped. The only motive I could think of was money. Someone knew we had a lot of money and he/she was going to use my family to get a sizeable amount from me.
I did think of getting the police involved, but just for a fleeing second. Involving the police meant sitting back and being a passenger. It wasn't something I could do. I couldn't wait and do nothing, it wasn't in my nature. What if the police made stupid decisions that put Archer and Marie's lives in danger?
It was up to me to rescue them. They were my family.
When I parked outside Cab connect, I removed my gun from the glove compartment and cocked it before hiding it behind my blazer.
*
The building was old and positioned in the middle of downtown. It wasn't big, with a front glass exterior. The words Cab Connect were written in bold. I walked straight to the door, checking outside for signs of police and security guards. There were none.
It was slightly chilly inside as opposed to the outside. I could spot several offices from where I was standing, positioned opposite each other. All the doors were closed. On my right near the door was a small desk where the receptionist sat. I walked further, ignoring her. On my left I spotted the dispatch office, a small room guarded by a mesh-wire. The dispatcher was clicking on his computer and talking on his mouthpiece. He was a guy of probably 27 at most, neat with long hair.
"You have 30 seconds to tell me where my husband is and what you want with him", I said to him.
My voice was calm, but inside I was raging. I had to control my voice so I didn't raise any suspicions or garner attention.
The man behind the desk looked at me with a confused expression.
"25", I said firmly.
"Um. I don't know where your husband is. I don't even think I know your husband", he said after covering his mouthpiece and chuckled slightly. "Maybe you should talk to the receptionist"
I raised my blazer so he could have a good look at my gun.
"Take that off. You have 20 minutes. And you dare try to get anyone's attention, I'll kill you"
He took off his headset, disconnected it and shrugged, but seemed to take me seriously now.
"I have no idea what you are talking about".
"My husband requested a cab from your guys. You picked him up and now he's nowhere to be found. 10 seconds", I hissed.
"You are the guy who called, right? Dude I..." he said and swallowed thickly. "We sent the cab and there was no one. I told you".
"1TYE233, who drives it?"
"I..." he said.
"Your cab was in front of my house about an hour ago and my husband got into it. You are going to tell me who was driving it at that time or I will make sure your kneecaps are history. I might look neat, but I'm not afraid to get my hands dirty".
"Um, just give me a second", the man said and clicked away on the keyboard in front of him.
"Victor", he said after a few seconds.
"Victor what?"
"Victor Kreisler".
Kreisler
My heart skipped a beat and it wasn't pleasant. If the man who kidnapped Archer and Marie was who I thought it was, money was not the motive. He had a far sinister motive.
"Where can I find him?"
"He's off duty at the moment. He was supposed to bring back the cab 2 hours ago", the guy said.
"The cab...where is it? I know you put a tracker on all your cabs".
"Just wait a few minutes. It takes a few minutes to load", the guy said.
"What do you know about this Kreisler guy?"
"Um, not much...what is in his employment profile really. 45, Caucasian, born in Austria, moved to the US 7 years ago, employed here just 6 months ago, excellent record...which is why we don't worry much when he doesn't return the cab on time. Friendly, but keeps to himself", he said. "His cab is in 22 Seravie street, Wilmington"
"Call him and you are dead. Call anyone and you are dead" I said before walking out.
I had barely taken 10 footsteps outside before my phone rang.
"Felix?"
"Hey. I got a call from Stella. Did you find him?" It was Marx.
"No, but I'm about to".
"Call me if you hear anything".
"Sure".
"Felix?"
"Yeah?"
"Why do I have a feeling you know more than you are telling me?"
"I don't know. You feelings, not mine", I said in a monotone.
"The last time you were like this Archer was kidnapped and you..."
"I have to go".
"Felix! Don't do anything stupid".
"22 Seravie str, Wilmington" I said. "No one gets there before me, got it?"
I had made a decision. If things came to a blow between the Kreisler guy and me, I may need backup. Kidnappings were outside Marx's jurisdiction, even more so now that he wasn't a field agent. I gave him the option of calling the local police, but only when I was certain I was at the right place.
"Got it", he said.
Marx and I had an understanding. He could read my mind and I could read his. He afforded me power to do things, turning a blind eye to some deeds. Such "ignorance" could ruin his career. He'd let me lead the raid into the Vasiliev territory and now he was letting me go somewhere knowing if needs be there would be bodies.
"Be careful", he uttered a last-minute instruction and hung up.
I got into my car.