Driving through this neighborhood really put Harry on notice. As he past houses, he saw old rusted and broken down cars in the driveways. The houses were all close to each other and many yards were unkept. Most houses desperately needed a paint job while other houses needed the junk in the yards to be cleared away.
This was something Harry wasn't used to. And he wasn't used to Louis living in an area like this either. Going from a secured building to a neighborhood like this where he was more vulnerable to crime had to be a shock to Louis. There was no doubt in Harry's mind that he could be desperate enough to kidnap his husband and even go as far as threatening to kill him. Money made people do crazy things.
Your destination is on the right.
Harry was reading the numbers in the mailboxes. When he came up to the one that was written on the sheet of paper he was given, he pulled up into the driveway, parked the car and turned off the engine.
You have arrived.
He didn't even stop to think about what he was doing. He had no plan. He didn't even know if Louis still lived here or not. All he knew was that he was angry and he wanted his husband back. It was all he could think about.
He snatched up the envelope that had been stashed between the driver seat and console and opened the door. As soon as he got out of the car, another car pulled up in the driveway behind him. He recognized it right away as Amos' and frowned hard.
"What the hell?!" He asked.
Amos jumped out immediately.
"Stop!"
"Were you following me all morning?!"
"I had no choice! I can't let you hurt someone who didn't do anything!"
Harry scoffed and turned up the pathway. So Amos, leaned back in the car and quickly turned off the engine. By the time he caught up to Harry, Harry was already banging on the door like a maniac.
"Open the door!"
"He didn't do it!"
"Open the damn door, Louis! Open up!"
Amos tried to pull at Harry, but he was pushed away and he fell off the short porch into the Holly bushes. As he was trying to climb out of the bushes, the door opened and Harry grabbed a man by the collar with his free hand, then forced his way inside. He threw the envelope in the man's face.
"You want money? Here it is! NOW WHERE IS HE?!"
"What?"
"Where is he, Louis?!"
Harry slammed Louis against the hall wall and gripped his neck with both hands now.
Louis made a weird sound that meant he was struggling for air. "Who?"
"ZAYN! WHERE'S ZAYN?! WHERE IS HE? What have you done with him?! Hm?!"
"I've... done nothing."
He reached up, and tried to pry Harry's hands away but Harry was too strong.
"Harry." He managed to get out.
Suddenly, Harry felt something hit his ankle.
"Ouch!"
"Stop it!"
"Stop hurting my daddy!
"No! Daddy!"
"Go away!"
The hits kept coming with each cry, and he turned sideways to see two little girls kicking at his ankles and another little girl trying to help Louis up. He was totally surprised and was so dumbfounded that he had to be yanked away by Amos who finally came in.
"Okay, okay. I'm stopping."
Louis was still coughing and rubbing his neck but he called the girls over to him.
"Girls, Girls. Come here. Everything is okay."
"He hurt you." One of them said.
"No... No. We were just play wrestling. That's all."
"That's all?"
"Yeah. That's all. But I'll tell you what. Why don't you three go cook in your play kitchen while daddy talks to the visitors, okay?"
"Okay."
"Okay, daddy."
"Make me something tasty."
"Yeah."
The girls started to walk away and Louis waited until they disapeared to scowl at Harry.
"What the hell is your problem? You come banging on my fucking door asking me about Zayn and then you try to kill me in front of my girls?"
"I... I'm sorry."
"That's all you have to say? I should call the police right now."
"Believe it or not, it wouldn't be the first time I've been threatened like that today." He mumbled.
Louis folded his arms. "Why are you here and why are you asking me about Zayn?"
"You don't know where he is?"
"No. I don't. Luckily it isn't my job to keep up with him. What did he do? Run out on you and take all your money?"
"No. He didn't."
"Well, that's a surprise."
"Louis."
"I can't believe you tried to kill me."
"I know, I know. And I'm sorry. I was in the heat of the moment. I'm all flustered and confused. I- I don't know."
He grasped at his hair and Louis looked down at the yellow envelope that had been thrown at him.
"Confused enough to throw that in my face?"
He picked up the envelope and held it close. "Yeah, Sorry. If you don't know where Zayn is, it's not for you."
Louis was looking at him curiously. He could see in Harry's eyes that he hadn't gotten much sleep. He looked awful.
"Hey, why don't you come into the living room and sit down. You look stressed."
"No. I can't sit. I can't rest."
"Yes you can."
Harry faced Amos. "No. I said I don't need to."
"Yes you do and you will. Do you see this?" He held up his arms so Harry could see the back of them. There were scrape marks up and down them. "Unless you want me to sock you in the nose, then you'll sit down and get yourself together. You hear me?"
Harry wasn't afraid of being socked in the nose but he did feel really bad about hurting him. That wasn't his intention at all.
"Okay. I guess I'll sit."
"Good. Living room is this way."
Amos and Harry sat down on the couch while Louis went to get glasses of water for them.
Harry sighed. "How did you know it wasn't him?"
Amos sat back on the couch but the pain had him quickly sitting up again. "Because you were given a clue."
"Huh?"
"I told you from the very start, your husband's kidnapper is very calculated. I was there for every eight o'clock phone call so far. They're always right on time and they're always short and to the point. He never says more than is needed and always sticks to the same general script. But somehow this time, he takes the time to give you a clue? No. That's not a clue. It's a diversion."
"What? But why? Why would he need a diversion? It's not like I have a clue who he is."
"Because it's not for you. It's for him. I'm almost one hundred percent sure he won't ask for more than the thirty thousand he's had you get."
"Is that good or bad?"
"Not sure. But what it does mean is that the drop will be soon. That's why he purposely tried to lead you to Louis. He's planning to get away and if your focus is on Louis after all this, then it gives him and whoever he's working with time to escape."
"And what does that mean for Zayn?" Harry asked frantically.
"I don't know."
"Here's your water." Louis sat two glasses down in front of them. "It's clean filtered."
"Thanks."
Amos drank out of his glass. Harry didn't touch his.
"So... how'd you find me?" Louis asked. He took a seat adjacent to them in a recliner chair.
"I went to your old building and saw Ms. Lauderhill."
"Oh, really? How is that lady?"
"Still really sweet. I hadn't had coffee before I went to see her. So she made me coffee."
"Ah."
"Yeah."
Louis cleared his throat. "Are you going to tell me why you were looking for me? Because if I'm being honest, it doesn't look too good. You obviously came here to kill me. I presume that in your hand is an envelope full of money since you said so and on top of that, you have no idea where Zayn is. I'm sensing that something is wrong. Something bad has happened. Am I right?"
Harry wasn't sure if he should say it. After all, he wasn't even supposed to tell the man beside him anything either. But he knew Louis was confused. His former best friend had shown up out of the blue after not seeing him for five years and tried to kill him. That surely deserved an explanation.
"Listen, Louis. I'm really sorry about earlier. I actually had no right to barge in your house and do that to you. I deserved to be kicked in the ankles."
That made Louis chuckle.
"Secondly, you are right. I am stressed. I'm going through a lot right now."
"You want to talk about it?"
"Yes. I do. But... what I am about to say cannot leave this living room."
Louis rubbed his thighs. "Is this about drugs? I mean, because you can't find Zayn and you're carrying a large amount of money. Just be honest if it is because if it is, I can't listen to this. I have three daughters."
"No, no. It's not about drugs. Gosh, no. I would never get into something like that. Neither would Zayn."
"You promise?"
"I promise."
"Okay. Then go on."
Harry gulped and then finally began to let it spill from his mouth.
"Zayn has been kidnapped."
"What?"
"It's true. It happened last Wednesday."
"Whoa. Did you see it happen?"
"No. I was at work. But I got a phonecall from Zayn's phone and it was some man with a distorted voice asking for money. And now I've been collecting ransom money over the last few days."
"How much does he want?"
"I don't know. He's just been asking for a little bit at a time. This last portion equals thirty thousand dollars and Amos says they're probably going to stop there and request a drop soon."
"Who's Amos?"
Amos raised his hand.
"Oh. Who are you?"
"I'm Harry's security consultant. I was hired in case something like this ever happened. I'm also a former police officer."
"Hmm. And... how do you know this man is going to stop there? Harry is filthy rich. If it were me, I would've asked him for millions."
"Yes. I know. But I've been profiling him as I go. Even though it's clear the plan has been in motion for a while, this man did not simply choose Zayn for millions. In fact, it was never about Harry being a billionaire at all."
"It wasn't?"
"No."
"Then why choose Zayn? What was it about?"
"He chose Zayn for two reasons. One, he has knowledge of your relationship with Harry and was able to use that to his benifit. And two, he knows how much Harry loves Zayn."
Harry paused to think about those last words. He didn't understand. What did Amos mean by that and what did it have to do with his husband's kidnapping? But before he could ask, Louis spoke.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Knows about my relationship with Harry?"
"Yes. Harry and I were just talking about this. During his last phonecall with the kidnappers, Harry asked him why he kidnapped Zayn. His exact words were 'you should have thought about that before you fired me and chose him over me.'"
Harry and Louis locked eyes. "And you thought that was me?"
"I'm sorry."
"You can't blame him, Louis. It's exactly what the kidnapper wanted us to think. He's being extra careful about covering his tracks. He wants us to believe it's you because when it's all over and he's gotten his money, he wants us to go after you so that he will have time to get away. Clearly there's something greater out there that links him to Zayn's kidnapping and he's trying to steer us away from it."
"What? Are you serious?"
"Unfortunately."
"So do the police suspect me then? Is someone coming to arrest me soon?"
Amos fidgeted. "Um... No. You see, this isn't an official investigation. Zayn's life has been threatened to be taken if he called the police and Harry won't risk it. We are conducting our own investigation. An illegal one."
Louis raised his brow. "And you're a former police officer?"
"Yes. I know I should know better. But Zayn is a friend too. I understand why Harry feels he has to do this. But after what happened today, this is why I say we must do it my way."
He looked at Harry pointedly and Harry looked down guiltily.
"I know. Sorry."
"But nevertheless, I am glad we're here with you. You appear to be the missing link between Zayn and his kidnapper."
"I am?"
"Yes. You are."
"Why not Harry? It's his husband."
"Harry is the one they want money from. You are the one they're setting up. It says a lot that they know enough about you to try to set you up for this. Listen, I know about your beef with Zayn. And whoever is pointing us to you knows about it to. So this tells us that man on the phone or whoever is working with him knows you personally or knows about the incident."
"But who?" Harry asked. "Till this day, I haven't told anyone what happened. Neither has Zayn. Except for Niall. But he hates to bring it up as much as Zayn. So who else would know?"
Suddenly they heard Louis exhale. "Oh no."
"What? Did you think of something?"
Louis sat back in the chair and shook his head. "I'm so sorry, Harry."
"What?"
"This is my fault. This is all my fault."
"How?"
"I'm the one who told someone."
"You did? Who did you tell?"
"Just my ex."
Amos pulled out his phone. He didn't have the yellow notepad with him but he did have a notepad on his phone.
"Her name is Kelly Brookmire. I met her around Christmas time last year. It was a couple years after my fiancée died and I was ready to start dating again. We were out on Valentines day. We had dropped by the store to buy a bottle of wine and when we got out to the parking lot, we just looked up and there you were."
Harry gasped. "Yes. I had bought hot chocolate so my family and I could have some while we watched a home movie. I saw you in the lot and you were about to get in your car. You were with a girl. A redhead."
"Yep. That was kelly."
"I didn't know you saw me. I assumed you didn't."
"I didn't know you saw me either. But anyway, she asked me what I was looking at and when we got in the car, I ended up telling her everything about Zayn and what happened between you and I and how our friendship ended."
"And how did you sound when you were explaining it?" Amos asked. "Angry? Upset? Calm?"
"Calm, I think. By then, I had gotten over it. I wasn't upset anymore. Although it felt good to finally tell it to someone since I had been holding it in so long. Not even my fiancée knew about it. I was too ashamed to tell her."
"You said she was your ex, right?"
"Yes. We broke it off before February ended. I just couldn't take it anymore. I'm looking for a wife that will also be a great mother to my girls. Kelly just wasn't it. She can't think for herself at all. She expects the person she's with to make all the decisions for her. But that's not the sort of role model I want Lily, Daisy and Rose to have. I want them to be strong women. Just like Dahlia was."
Harry smiled. "Your daughters are named after flowers like their mother?"
Louis smiled. "Dahlia's idea. Her mother's name is Violet and she wanted to keep the tradition going. Not complaining though. She was a very smart woman. I loved her. And I'm not just saying that because she used to cook me dinner and make me coffee just the way I liked it before I went to work."
When Louis said that, Harry's smile faded and he touched Amos' shoulder.
"What?"
"I just thought of something."
"What?"
"I can't believe it."
"What?"
"I think it really is kelly. I think she's definitely in on this kidnapping."
"What makes you think that?"
"Because Zayn's been trying to tell me all along."
"He has?"
"Yes. Remember when you asked me if we had any strange encounters with anyone recently?"
"Yes?"
"I said no. But I didn't know at the time that the answer was yes. When Zayn walked in my office with coffee for me last Monday, he told me a story about a lady with beautiful red hair that knocked his coffee out of his hand. He said he thought she did it on purpose but didn't want to assume. So he offered to buy her more coffee since she too had dropped hers. But she refused and just left."
"Okay?"
"You know how every time I ask for proof of life, Zayn keeps saying he got me coffee on Monday? It's a clue. He's trying to tell me the person who kidnapped him was there at the coffee shop. It was her. Kelly was the redhead."
Amos smiled. "See? I told you, Harry. I told you you'd be able to think. And look. Now we have figured out a huge part of this mystery. We are that much closer to Zayn."
"Can we look at the camera footage?" Louis asked. "I'd be able to confirm if it's her or not."
"Not without a formal investigation."
"Why?"
"We'd need a subpoena to obtain footage of someone else. So the courts would be involved."
"Oh... But we can't do that. So now what?"
"Well, based on all that we've put together so far, all signs do point to Kelly Brookmire."
"Eh, but trust me, she is not your mastermind. Not only does she not think for herself, she doesn't have a reason to want to frame me. Granted, she falls in love too easily and I just up and broke it off out of nowhere but she was very understanding of our breakup. No way would she even conceive a thought to frame me for a crime like this."
"No. But she could be the accomplice. Let's say sometime in the last three months, she told someone what you told her. Whoever she told, he would be the mastermind. He is the one who decided to frame you. So now we just have to figure out who he is."
"And how do we do that?" Harry asked.
"Simple. Surveillance. We're going to have to stake out in front of her house and see where she goes. She'll lead us right where we want to go. Louis, do you still rememeber where she lives?"
"Yes."
"Do you mind giving us the address?"
"No. Of course not. But if you're going to stake out her place, I want to come with you."
"Are you sure? You have children." Harry said.
"So? Aren't you a parent too?"
He sighed. "Yeah. I am."
"So then I'm going to pay my babysitter down the street and I'm coming along. After all, this is my fault. If I can make it right, that's what I want to do."
Amos thought for a moment then nodded. "Alright. I guess so. Three heads is better than two. But there are five children whose lives can be changed from here on out, depending on how this goes. That means I need full cooperation."
"Absolutely."
"No investigating without me and no hothead decision making without me."
"Of course."
"I'm talking to Harry."
Harry nodded. "I agree."
"I mean it. You keep saying you'll listen but then you go back and start doing things without me again."
"But not this time." Harry replied. "I enlisted your help. I will willingly accept it fully now. We'll do it your way."
Amos studied him for sincerity and when he saw it, he stood up from the couch. "Okay then. Here's the plan. Harry and I will go have some lunch and calm down a bit. Then he will go back to his place and put the money someplace safe again while I go home and pick up supplies. All three of us will dress in dark but neat clothing and be back here at four thirty. Then we'll leave for the stakeout until about seven fifteen. After that, we will return here and wait for the eight o'clock call. Sounds good?"
"What about Charlie and Nema?"
"Can't the Nanny watch them?"
"No. I'd rather not let her do that. I think she's been just as suspicious of me coming home early as Marie has been suspicious about Zayn being gone for so long. I'd rather send her home at her usual time if I can."
"And you can." Louis said. "Just bring your kids with you and my sitter can watch them too."
Harry perked up. "Really?"
"Of course. It's no problem. Plus my children will get to meet your children."
"Yeah. Thanks, Louis. I appreciate it. And don't worry about paying the sitter. I'll cover it for all five."
"Harry."
"I said I'll cover it. Don't fight me."
He sighed. "Fine."
"Great. So that's settled. All five kids will be here with the sitter. But we'll take my car to the stakeout since it will be the only car they won't recognize. We can't guarantee anything but we can hope that it all leads to something good."
"Yeah."
They stood up from their seats and Louis walked Amos and Harry to the door. When Harry stepped outside, he turned around. "Thank you so much, Louis. After all that's happened between us, this was the last thing I expected from you to be honest."
"That's okay. I get it. It's the last thing I expected from me too. But at the same time, I know how much you care about Zayn. I want to help you as much as I can. Let's catch these bastards and bring 'em to justice and bring Zayn home alive."
"Amen to that."
"Oh, and Harry."
He turned to him again. "Yes?"
He swallowed thickly. "I, uh. About everything that happened before... I'm just... I'm really..."
"I know." He said. "Me too."
There was only a small smile shared between them before Harry was gone.