Constable Alicia Munday looked up from her desk in the bullpen when Sergeant Ned Hawkins came to the door of his office. She was a member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police attached to the Major Crimes Unit working out of Surrey, British Columbia, which was a thirty-five-minute drive from their headquarters building in Vancouver.
Alicia had joined the RCMP seven years earlier, after obtaining a degree in political science. Her first five years were spent in uniform, until she was transferred into Major Crimes. She was the most junior member of the unit, but had a reputation of having the determination and ability to solve difficult crimes.
She was also single and spent much of her off-duty time working unpaid hours to bring criminals to justice. The fact that she seldom dated was her choice. She was an attractive brunette, and men were drawn to her like a magnet, but her advanced intellect sometimes limited the pool of people she’d want to spend time with.
“Everyone into my office!” Hawkins ordered with a wave of his hand.
Alicia and the six other officers in the bullpen glanced at each other, then got to their feet. She could tell from the look on Hawkins’s face that it was more than the usual armed robbery or sexual assault. This is something different.
“All right,” Hawkins started once everyone had crowded into his office. “I’ve had a call patched through from a David Chung, who says his eight-year-old son was kidnapped about twenty minutes ago.”
“Has an all-points bulletin been issued?” asked Corporal Devon Bradley.
“No, I’ve decided not to put out an APB. The situation is dicey. Let me say first that this does not appear to be a domestic issue. He was calling on his way home from work and said his wife had just called him. She was apparently driving their son to piano lessons when her car was bumped from behind by a white van. When she got out, she discovered two men in the van, both wearing masks. They took her son and told her if she called the police, she wouldn’t get her boy back in one piece. She was too rattled to even get the plate number.”
It was probably stolen, regardless, thought Alicia.
“If we start stopping vans, it’ll tip them off that we’ve been called,” Hawkins continued. “Besides, it’s probably already been dumped.”
An eight-year-old kid. God, the parents must be sick with worry. How do you handle stress like that? “What’s the boy’s name?” Alicia asked.
“Tommy Chung. He’s their only child.”
“Where’d it take place?”
“A residential area in White Rock a few blocks from where they live on Marine Drive.”
“Demands?” Alicia persisted.
“Getting to that, let me speak. The wife was given a map with a location that the husband is supposed to go to this Friday at four thirty p.m. He’s to bring two hundred thousand dollars in hundred-dollar bills.”
“Two hundred thou,” Bradley commented. “Can he come up with that much money in two days?”
“The family moved into their home four years ago after paying fourteen mil for it, so there’s no doubt he can pay. He’s the chief executive officer of a company called Gamebest Technologies that makes computer software. He wants to pay, and I assured him we wouldn’t make any overt moves until his son is safe.”
“Fourteen million!” Bradley exclaimed. “Jesus, I’m surprised they only asked for two hundred K.”
“Perhaps they were thinking the family would find that smaller amount easier to come up with without arousing attention and not worth the risk of calling the police,” Alicia suggested.
“Same idea crossed my mind,” Hawkins said. “The bad guys told his wife they were giving her husband two full business days to get the money. They made it clear that if he tried to stall, things would not go well for their son.”
“Do you know what the location is?” Alicia asked.
“His wife just said it was in a park somewhere.” Hawkins glanced at each of their faces. “There’s no doubt they’re going to run him through the hoops before making the actual drop-off. His wife was also told that they have scanning equipment to detect bugs and trackers. They said that if the police get involved, if anyone tries to follow them or to use bugs or GPS tracking equipment, they’ll know.”
These guys sound professional. What the hell do we do?
“I questioned Chung about the house and the staff,” Hawkins continued. “They don’t have any live-in help, but two maids come to the home Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. Today’s Wednesday, but he says the maids will have left already. I tried to press him for details so we could start background checks, but he was anxious to get home to his wife. I did learn that his house is on one and a half acres of land, beachfront property. He says it’s fairly secluded, but neighbours on the west side of his house can see part of his home. The entrance to the driveway is a different story. He says anyone can see who’s coming and going to the house.”
“So what do we do?” Bradley asked.
“We’ll gain entry from the ocean. It’ll be dark soon. He’s going to slip outside to phone me. Later he’ll meet us down by the water. I told him that any communication with his wife about us is to be in writing only until we’ve checked out his place for bugs. Providing we get the okay to talk, I’ll interview him then.”
“Could the maids be in on it?” Bradley suggested.
“Who knows.” Hawkins paused, then addressed Alicia. “I want you with me in the Zodiac when we go in. If the house is clear, you’ll stay to provide emotional support to the both of them. Bring a change of clothes and whatever else you need. You’ll need to gain their confidence to allow us to do our job, and prepare the husband for what to expect when he delivers the money. Try as best you can to keep them from panicking and ensure they don’t do or say anything stupid — like telling anyone else about what’s going on.”
Emotional support? Alicia frowned. Crap. I’d rather be on surveillance when the time comes to take these scumbags down.
Hawkins seemed to read her mind. “You’re the only one who thought to ask Tommy’s name. You care … and it’ll show.”
Everyone cares. You can see it in their faces.
“Your role is vital. If you’re good at it, the parents will look to you over anyone else. In fact, they’ll likely demand that you take part in supervising the money exchange because you’ll be the one they’ll trust with their son’s life.”
Alicia thought about her responsibility. With her limited experience, she wouldn’t have a supervisory role, but the parents would be counting on her for their son’s safety. “I understand. Thanks.”
“Emotionally, it’ll be difficult for you,” Hawkins warned. He glanced at the other officers. “It will be for all of us, so keep a tight rein on your feelings and be professional. Our top priority is to get this kid home safe. Don’t do anything to jeopardize that, even if it means letting the bad guys get away.”
The idea that someone could get away with this made Alicia want to puke. But he’s right. Make sure Tommy’s safe … then get the bastards.