"The Return"
"You were held for three days by a group of armed men and freed by the FBI in a dramatic rescue. What can you tell us about your experience?"
"Well, Matt, it was something for me to hear their voices as they came through the door! But my perspective is a little skewed. At the time I was hooded and tied to a chair."
"Tell me about those moments."
"There were four men. They rarely talked to me. They asked no questions and mostly kept to themselves. I was brought food once a day and given a few minutes to walk around before being tied up again. At the end there was a sudden argument. They were speaking some foreign language that I didn't understand. They got to fighting amongst themselves. It got so bad my chair was knocked over. I could hear them scuffling all around me. Suddenly there was a blast and in came the cavalry."
"Were you able to meet those men?"
"Briefly. They brought me back to headquarters so I could call my family and let them know I was ok. I was debriefed there."
"I'm afraid those men were not available this morning, But we are pleased to have as our guest FBI director Bill Torres. Bill, I understand there was a surprising twist to this story."
"Yes, there was. This case is most unusual in that the kidnappers made no effort to contact us with any demands. We didn't and still don't know their identities or who put them up to it. That put us at a severe disadvantage until we got an anonymous tip that led us to the right place..."
Franks turned the TV off. He knew what was coming next. Lies. Why is it that the big dogs leave all the work to the underlings, then, when a camera crew shows up they swoop in to take the credit? Well, no matter. The public would probably never know the true story...
The boy rarely looked up and never answered a question directly. His dad did all the talking. They lived alone a couple of blocks from the old Fulton River District. Even though large parts of the area had been renovated in recent years, there were still a few abandoned and lifeless buildings. Franks got the gist pretty fast. The boy had wandered away from his home one evening and was hiding when a van drew by.
"Three men were carrying another out of the van into the building."
"But it was dark, how could he have seen it?"
"They were back-lit by a streetlight nearby."
"Why wasn't he seen?"
"Come on, he's pretty small. Besides, it was night and he was hiding under some stairs."
"How was he able to tell you this when he doesn't speak?"
The man pulled out his cell phone and opened an app. "Here. This is designed for autistic children. I talk to my son using these symbols. They give me an avenue into his world, and to him it's a game. I save all our conversations so I can learn to better communicate with him."
He showed Franks a series of symbols. A sad face, a man, the number 4, a horse with a rider, and a stick.
"He was sad because to him, the man they were carrying was sick. He doesn't have a symbol for 'carry' so he substituted 'ride'."
"What about the stick?"
"I'm not for sure about that one. I think he means - guns." He whispered.
"When was this?"
"Two night ago, late."
"Does he remember where it was?"
"Of course."
"Tell the boy we want to help the sick man, if he can show us the place. Will he do that?
The father touched a couple of icons on his screen. In a moment the boy responded.
The icon was a happy face.
"Yes."
"Let's go."
It took a while for them to arrive at the building. Chicago traffic being what it was. They approached from an angle they knew wouldn't tip the kidnappers off to their presence. The team formed up at the end of the building and the boy verified, through video cam, the doorway. Franks had some other agents quietly take the boy and his dad away. He took one last look at his men.
"Showtime!"
They were quick and deadly. Each man carried at least three weapons and a couple of other tricks too. Like a little fiber-optic camera that allowed them to peek around corners without being spotted. The hallway was empty. Quietly they checked each room using the camera. It didn't take long. The men used silent gestures so each would know his assignment, which kidnapper to take out. Right then everything went south. Screams burst from inside the room. The agents thought they were made and Charles' life was in imminent danger. Franks set the charge and blew the door. Seconds later it was over.
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