Let me start off by telling you a little about what it is that I do. I am a gatherer, a finder of lost things, or a collector. My clients are usually hunting for that car that they sold before they got married, a lost painting, a loved one who dropped off the map a few years ago or are looking for something a little more special. Thats what I am doing tonight. Getting my client something a little more special than the usual request.
Before you make any rash judgments about me, let me say that I do have standards when it comes to the special things I acquire. First off, he or she must be able to take care of themselves in every way. I stay away from custody battles, parents with underage kids, the elderly, handicapped, or any prominent person who will result in a major searching for. I also do not end life nor will I acquire someone if that is the plan. I have other standards as well, but at the moment those are the biggest ones.
Jessie is an office assistant in a big law firm downtown. She is under appreciated and overworked to say the least. I have been studying her for the past three months to gain an idea of her routine and to make sure my client is legit. Ask the local cop, about how well I check out potential clients. He tried to bust me a few years back, I turned the tables on him and he is serving a few years in jail on a kidnapping charge. Back to Jessie, she is around five foot seven in heels with dirty blond hair that she usually keeps pinned back in a single pony tail. This is not a good look for her, but that will change soon. I am not good at guessing weights, bust size, or anything like that, but lets just say that with the right wardrobe Jessie could turn a mans head without makeup. Give her a professional makeup job and she would most likely cause a few good men to leave their wives with a nod of her head.
It seems that every Friday night her routine has been the same for the past three months. The firm has her taking a huge pile of paperwork home to process, file, sort, or whatever it is she needs to do with it. She lives in a rent controlled apartment in a building owned by one of the senior partners in the law firm she works for. Probably a company benefit, I could not find out for sure on that one. One perk she does not get is a company car. Lets just say that battered heap she has been driving has seen better days. Now its sitting in the parking garage on a flat tire. I need a way to keep her in the parking garage for a few extra minutes.
Most of the lights down here were working, by taking out certain ones, I can be assured that Jessie will follow a certain path on her way to her car. What I have found is that most people are afraid of the dark. Not really because of the dark, but because of the danger the darkness hides. If people knew what the true monsters in the world looked like, the darkness would be the least of their worries.
I am waiting in the shadows for my target to appear from the elevators. Its pushing ten pm about the usual time for her to be done with work at the office. My ears perk up when the bell sounds alerting me that the elevator has arrived. Jessie steps off the car and right as planned follows the lighted path. I check all my gear and make sure everything that I have is easily accessible. I have one shot at getting this right. Jessie is licensed to carry mace and a taser. Neither device I want to deal with, so catching her at the right moment is crucial. Any mistakes on my part will result in no second chance or worse.
Jessie cusses aloud when she spots the flat tire. Setting her bags on the trunk she fumbles through her purse for her cell phone. After realizing that there is no reception here, she puts the key into the door and begins to turn it. I toss a metal can off to my right to create a distraction and pounce. Jessie jumps and faces the direction of the noise. With a quick motion, I wrap my left arm around her stomach and clasp a chloroform soaked rag over her mouth. Lets just say that Jessie is no softie around the middle and she will fight me hard for her freedom. Unfortunately for her, it will be of no use. I pull back on her midsection and slightly raise her off the cement floor. Doing this along with the chloroform will weaken her as she is forced to change her breathing patterns. I am always amazed at how much any creature will struggle at this point. Even faced with overwhelming odds, the struggle to hold onto life is increased. Jessie attempts to kick me, but the rag over her mouth is taking effect. I am glad she set her purse on the roof on the car before I grabbed her. She seems like she has enough sense even in her weakened state to be able to find anything in there. I watch as she reaches out towards the purse on the roof. Too bad for her I have been slowly pulling her back into the shadows away from the car.
With one last mighty attempt to free herself from my grasp, Jessie drops into my arms. Her struggle is over for now. Only a few more steps and we are now in the darkness of the garage. I pull the sliding door of the van open and lay Jessie inside. Making sure to adjust the rag over her mouth so she continues to get the full effects of the chloroform. I laid everything out in here as I waited for her to get done with work. I cross her ankles and wrap a leather strap around them and tie it off to one of the cargo hooks inside the van. Another strap around her thighs, just to make sure she isn't escaping too easily. Had one get away once, took me nearly two months before I could nab her again, that time it was successful.
I roll Jessie onto her stomach and lay her arms into the small of her back, carefully arranging her hands so that each one is cupping the opposite elbow. Duct tape goes around her arms from left to right with a couple of extra wraps for good measure. A leather strap wrapped around her biceps nearly halfway to the shoulders just adds to the mix. Jessie rolls her head and moans as the effects of the chloroform begin to wear off. Got to work faster. A canvas drawstring bag goes over her head and in a few minutes my job here will be done for now. I roll Jessie onto her back and unlock a wooden box bolted to the floor next to the passenger side wheel well. I place her head inside the padded box and make sure the air hoses are working properly and secure the lid. The box is just slightly larger than her head, keeping her basically immobile, but providing her with a fresh supply of air.
Stepping out of the van, I close the door behind me and walk back to her car. I put all the paperwork and everything on the back seat as Jessie would have and closed the door. I gather up her purse and other personal effects and leave a note on the seat. They will find that Jessie typed it up on the office computer before she left for the day. Basically it says she is through and will be long gone by the time the note and car are found.
I step back into the darkness and put all of her stuff in the rear door of the van. Just before I close it up, Jessie begins to stir even more now. She will soon find her struggles to no avail. Sliding into the driver seat, I prep myself for a three hour drive. The parking garage quickly becomes a memory as the lights of the city appear at the end of the alley. On the street and in a few minutes I will be on the interstate and long gone.
My van has the logo of a nonexistent delivery company on the sides. Even if anyone did spot me, most folks are not alert enough or fast enough to get a good description of the vehicle or the driver for that matter. Too bad for them, but good for me. I catch a few whimpers from my cargo every now and them over the din of the traffic. Even at this late hour, the trucks and people that keep this city alive and well are out and about doing what it is that they do best. Turning left, I head up the ramp and onto the interstate. Three hours from now, I will have the rest of my pay and Jessie will be starting her new life. Its too bad that she didn't give my client the time of day when she had the chance.
I pass the time wondering how he will break her. Jessie is pretty independent and strong willed to say the least. Being just twenty six and living alone in the cold city on her own like she does tells me a lot about her. Drugs are just one of the many ways used, but the side effects of addiction is a common problem. Starvation and isolation usually work better, although the isolation thing tends to take a little time. Most of the folks in the world would do anything for anyone after missing two meals in a row. Its sad really, that society would completely come unglued if there was an interruption of the food supply at any level. I have heard too that some folks will use pain and other means of convincing to break a persons will. Oh well, it really doesn't matter at this point as I am now off the interstate and headed towards the industrial complex to meet with my client.
He is standing next to a long black formal looking sedan with three body guards around him. No doubt they are armed. He is carrying half a million in cash after all. One cannot be too careful these days. I toss him the keys to the van and he hands me a large case filled with cash. I nod and walk away into the shadows. As I walk away, I hear the engine of the van fire up and it begins to pull away. He can have it, they are cheap and easily replaceable anyways. A car across the parking lot flashes its lights at me and begins to roll towards me slowly. I slide the case into the trunk and slide into the passenger seat as Pet proceeds to drive out of the area and back towards the interstate. I will introduce you to Pet in a story to come soon. In the mean time we are going home after another job is completed. Maybe to watch some television or just to get some much needed rest.
30.01.12