any further here."
"You are not in a position to make demands, Harrison," the voice said, which despite the distortion, was obviously male. Edger flinched slightly when he heard his full name being said. He couldn't remember the last time someone had called him Harrison. Only his parents ever used his full name, and they were both dead. "You will do as I say first, then you will hear from your daughter."
"What the hell do you want?" Edger asked, glancing briefly at Rankin, who was writing something on a notepad.
"You will find out soon enough," the voice on the phone said. "For now, you should know that you had this coming, Harrison."
Edger frowned. He had no idea what the kidnapper was talking about. "What have I ever done to you?"
"More than you know at this point. But don't worry, you will find out soon enough."
Rankin held up the notepad he was writing on for Edger to see. On it, he had written the word: RANSOM?
"Is this about money?" Edger asked, although he knew it wasn't. This was personal, for reasons he had yet to understand.
"This has nothing to do with money, I can assure you," the kidnapper said. "You will find an envelope waiting for you at your apartment. Inside will be a burner phone. That's how I will contact you from now on. I will call the phone in exactly thirty minutes. If I don't get an answer, I start cutting bits of off your daughter. Understand?"
Christ.
"I understand."
"Good. You had better get moving then."
There was a click and the line went dead.
Edger and Rankin looked at each other for a moment, both of them slightly stunned by the situation. Then Rankin asked, "Any clue as to who that was?"
Edger shook his head. "None."
"Well, whoever it was, they think you've wronged them somehow."
"No shit," Edger snapped, jamming his phone back in his coat pocket.
"I'm just saying, Harry. Think hard about who that might be and we might be able to get ahead of the bastard."
Edger nodded. "I have to go."
"I'll go with you."
"No. I'll do this myself."
Rankin stood up. "Come on, Harry. You can't sort this out by yourself. You'll need help. You'll also need to inform the cops of the situation."
Edger was hardly listening as he went to walk out of the office. "I need to find out what the kidnapper wants first. I'm not putting my daughter in any danger by involving the cops."
"She's already in danger, Harry," Rankin shouted after him, but Edger was already out the door and sprinting down the hallway to the stairs. He had less than thirty minutes to get home to his apartment. Depending on traffic, he could be there in ten, fifteen at the most. As he bolted down the stairs of the office building, all he could think about was Kaitlin, and whether or not he was ever going to see her alive again.
Saturday afternoon traffic was heavier than he would have liked as he sped his way towards the south of the city where his apartment was located. The kidnapper's countdown had started at 1:15 p.m. and it was almost 1:40 p.m. by the time he made it to the Stranmillis Road, and then the Lockview Road where the apartment block was. He sat impatiently tapping the steering wheel, continually glancing at the clock on the dashboard as he waited on the security gates opening that would give him access to the private car park on the side of the apartment block. When the gates finally opened wide enough, he sped through and screeched the car to a halt in the first free space he found, then he jumped out of the car, slammed the door behind him without bothering to lock it and bounded inside the apartment building, heading up the stairs to the top floor and his apartment.
When he got inside, there was an envelope on the floor by the front door, just as the kidnapper said there would be. It unnerved Edger that the kidnapper obviously knew everything about him, and for the umpteenth time since Kaitlin was abducted that morning, Edger berated himself for not acting on his instincts when he first got an inkling that
"You are not in a position to make demands, Harrison," the voice said, which despite the distortion, was obviously male. Edger flinched slightly when he heard his full name being said. He couldn't remember the last time someone had called him Harrison. Only his parents ever used his full name, and they were both dead. "You will do as I say first, then you will hear from your daughter."
"What the hell do you want?" Edger asked, glancing briefly at Rankin, who was writing something on a notepad.
"You will find out soon enough," the voice on the phone said. "For now, you should know that you had this coming, Harrison."
Edger frowned. He had no idea what the kidnapper was talking about. "What have I ever done to you?"
"More than you know at this point. But don't worry, you will find out soon enough."
Rankin held up the notepad he was writing on for Edger to see. On it, he had written the word: RANSOM?
"Is this about money?" Edger asked, although he knew it wasn't. This was personal, for reasons he had yet to understand.
"This has nothing to do with money, I can assure you," the kidnapper said. "You will find an envelope waiting for you at your apartment. Inside will be a burner phone. That's how I will contact you from now on. I will call the phone in exactly thirty minutes. If I don't get an answer, I start cutting bits of off your daughter. Understand?"
Christ.
"I understand."
"Good. You had better get moving then."
There was a click and the line went dead.
Edger and Rankin looked at each other for a moment, both of them slightly stunned by the situation. Then Rankin asked, "Any clue as to who that was?"
Edger shook his head. "None."
"Well, whoever it was, they think you've wronged them somehow."
"No shit," Edger snapped, jamming his phone back in his coat pocket.
"I'm just saying, Harry. Think hard about who that might be and we might be able to get ahead of the bastard."
Edger nodded. "I have to go."
"I'll go with you."
"No. I'll do this myself."
Rankin stood up. "Come on, Harry. You can't sort this out by yourself. You'll need help. You'll also need to inform the cops of the situation."
Edger was hardly listening as he went to walk out of the office. "I need to find out what the kidnapper wants first. I'm not putting my daughter in any danger by involving the cops."
"She's already in danger, Harry," Rankin shouted after him, but Edger was already out the door and sprinting down the hallway to the stairs. He had less than thirty minutes to get home to his apartment. Depending on traffic, he could be there in ten, fifteen at the most. As he bolted down the stairs of the office building, all he could think about was Kaitlin, and whether or not he was ever going to see her alive again.
Saturday afternoon traffic was heavier than he would have liked as he sped his way towards the south of the city where his apartment was located. The kidnapper's countdown had started at 1:15 p.m. and it was almost 1:40 p.m. by the time he made it to the Stranmillis Road, and then the Lockview Road where the apartment block was. He sat impatiently tapping the steering wheel, continually glancing at the clock on the dashboard as he waited on the security gates opening that would give him access to the private car park on the side of the apartment block. When the gates finally opened wide enough, he sped through and screeched the car to a halt in the first free space he found, then he jumped out of the car, slammed the door behind him without bothering to lock it and bounded inside the apartment building, heading up the stairs to the top floor and his apartment.
When he got inside, there was an envelope on the floor by the front door, just as the kidnapper said there would be. It unnerved Edger that the kidnapper obviously knew everything about him, and for the umpteenth time since Kaitlin was abducted that morning, Edger berated himself for not acting on his instincts when he first got an inkling that
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