The judge held the briefcase firmly in his right hand. In his left hand he pushed his cell phone into his ear carefully while listening to every word. The robotic voice said," Where are you at now?" The judge nervously glanced around at all the perky families mingling around in the lobby." I'm in the hotel lobby. I'm coming out the front doors."
The judge walked out the front entrance and stood under the green canopy hovering over the entrance." What do you want me to do now?" Asked the judge while trying to peer into every window of every car driving up and down the street.
The robotic voice said," Okay, good, I see you. Now make a left and start walking up the street. I'm going to call back in a few minutes and you better still be walking. Don't stop walking or I kill the girl."
Before the judge could respond Vinny hung up the phone. The judge duteously wended up the busy street walking at a steady pace. He looked to his right and saw a man standing on the street corner reading a newspaper give him a slight nod. Although the undercover agents were keeping a safe distance the judge could still feel their presence lingering in the air around him.
The Gadget Man quickly entered a new mathematical formula onto his lap top. He was a math teacher and not supposed to make these kinds of mistakes but he had overlooked something. Vinny had lied to the judge when he said that he had seen the judge coming out of the hotel. He hoped the judge was still walking up the street like he told him to do. Perhaps the threat of killing Tina would make the judge more conscientious and prevent him from pulling any last minute stunts. Vinny started the boat's motor and took the boat out further across the lake. It was a perfect spot far away from other boaters and just where he needed to be. He pushed the indiglo button on his watch and read the time. If his calculations were correct, he should be calling the judge in 6 minutes.
Carter and Paul sat in the hot van transfixed to the computer screen watching the judge saunter through the busy streets of Chicago. They could see the faces of passing pedestrians giving the judge funny faces probably wondering why a man was carrying a briefcase so late at night. Paul captured some of the faces of the suspicious looking pedestrians and enlarged their picture on the computer screen. The equipment they were using was working great and they could see and hear everything the judge was experiencing. Since the kidnapper had said he could see the judge coming out of the hotel, agents were thoroughly searching all the buildings across the street of the Majestic Hotel.
"This guy looks kind of suspicious." Said Paul zooming in on a man with too many gold chains around his neck. They had surmised that the kidnapper might just blend in with passersby and snatch the briefcase and then run. The annoying doo-wop music echoed inside the van. Paul picked up his cell phone and answered it without even checking his caller ID.
"Yes this is detective Paul Newman."
When Paul recognized the voice he moved to the far corner of the van away from Carter." Look, I really can't talk right now. I'm in the middle of a hot pursuit."
Carter couldn't hear what the person talking to Paul was saying but he could hear a man's voice." Okay, I love you too." Said Paul and hung up the phone.
"Who was that?" Asked Carter.
"Oh that was my girlfriend." Said Paul all too quickly. But Carter knew Paul was lying. His first instincts about Paul's sexual orientation were correct. Paul was a homosexual.
The billowy waves had come to a lull. Tina couldn't relinquish the song Vinny had played earlier from her mind. I'll steal the flowers from their graves. I'm gonna smash their wedding cakes. What kind of song was that? Obviously Vinny had been a disturbed individual, even in his early youth. Vinny pushed the indiglo button on his wrist watch and checked the time. Exactly 10 minutes had passed. It was time to call the judge.
The judge huffed and puffed as he sauntered down Shoreline drive. The bullet proof vest felt heavy and he was sweating profusely. The howling gusts of wind blowing in his face seemed to take the edge off things. He was getting worried again because the kidnapper said he would call back in a few minutes and nearly 10 minutes had passed. He had already walked half a mile down the busy street and he didn't feel the undercover agents were doing a good job with staying out of site. The helicopter flying above him must have circled him at least 6 times already.
The cell phone shook vigorously in his left hand. The judge answered it before it could ring a second time." Yes, I'm still here walking down the street as you instructed me to do." Said the judge sounding out of breath.
The robotic voice said," Good. Have you passed a doughnut shop on your left?"
The judge anxiously looked around and spotted the doughnut shop behind him." Yes, I just passed it." Said the judge stopping dead in his tracks.
"Keep walking and don't stop. Okay, I see you now." Said the robotic voice. Vinny couldn't in fact see the judge at all but he knew his exact whereabouts. Part of his plan was to fool the FBI into thinking that he was close by." Okay, do you see the big neon sign that says Eagle's Nest?" The robotic voice said.
"Yes, it's right in front of me." Replied the judge. The robotic voice said," Good, you're being watched Mr.Anderson. Come up the fire escape of the hotel alone and stop on the 3rd floor."
The judge ascended up the stairs while undercover agents entered the hotel through a back entrance. Meanwhile across the street snipers were setting up on the roof ready for action.
"Okay, I'm on the third floor." Said the judge. He looked up and saw the helicopter making another pass. He prayed to God that this would not get ugly.
"Alright. Come inside and walk down the hallway until you see a dark blue turtle neck hanging on the door." Said the robotic voice. The judge walked with caution checking every door until he finally spotted the turtle neck hanging from the door knob. A drunk teenager ran past him almost knocking him over and scaring the daylights out of him.
Carter and Paul sat in the hot van feeling perplexed watching and listening to everything on the computer screen." What do you think he's going to do next?" Asked Carter. Paul had a sullen look on his face." I honestly don't know."
The judge looked up and down the hallway to see if any agents were about to blow his cover. He could hear the sounds of people having a party but the coast was clear. The judge stopped at the door with the hanging turtle neck." Okay, I see it." Said the nervous judge.
The robotic voice said," Put the turtle neck on and come inside. If I see you come in without the turtle neck on I kill the girl." The word "kill" shook up the judge. He couldn't bare the thought of his daughter getting shot in the head because he tried to pull a fast one. Since the kidnapper had never said that he had to take any of his clothes off, the judge decided to wear the turtle neck right over top of his vest.
The judge donned the dark blue turtle neck and stepped through the door. He almost fainted when he saw the dead man lying on the floor.