During the month of May, my Monday post will be doing double-duty. I will be sharing photos from the archive according to Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge (Locks, Keys, Knobs and Handles) and I am going to attempt to publish a story inspired by a door offered in the Thursday Doors Writing Challenge. The gallery for Cee’s challenge is under the story.
When I first saw the image of a lighthouse that Noelle Granger contributed to TDWC, I thought, “You’ve written stories about lighthouses twice before during TDWC.” Still, there was something compelling about this structure.
Kidnapped!
Bobby rolled over, straining against the rope binding his hands and feet. The blanket they had put over him had fallen off and the cold from the stone floor permeated the air mattress. He was trying to avoid the stress. They had taped his mouth, and he didn’t have his asthma inhaler—not that he could use it if he did.
“Rest now. Breath slow.”
There was barely any light in the room. He wasn’t sure where he was, having been blindfolded when they brought him here. He remembered them forcing him to climb a ladder—forty two steps, straight up to some sort of landing. The blindfold had worked its way off. He could see two windows far up on the walls along a circular staircase.
“I must be in the lighthouse.”
Remembering scenes from TV shows and movies, he shimmied and sguirmed to get his bound hands below his feet. The rope around his hands snagged on the heel of one shoe. He pulled and pushed, finally slipping the shoe off and bringing his hands in front of him. He quickly untied the ropes around his ankles.
Bobby rolled over on his stomach then got up on his knees. He stood and quickly leaned against the wall to steady himself. He pulled the duct tape off of his mouth and took several deep breaths. High above, he saw a sliver of light around the door to the lamp room. He wiggled his foot back into his shoe and began climbing the stairs.
─●─●─●─
“Martin Palmer?”
“This is Mr. Palmer’s assistant. May I tell him who’s calling?” Regis delayed as directed by the police.
“Tell him it’s the person who’s holding his son.”
“This is Martin Palmer. Where’s my son? I want to talk to Bobby.”
“All in good time, Marty. First, you have to bring me the money, and then I have to get away.”
“You said we would meet and exchange the money for my son.”
“I also said to keep the police out of this, but you ignored that instruction.”
“I didn’t call the police—the bank did. You can’t withdraw two-hundred-fifty thousand dollars without raising their suspicion. I told the police to stay out of this.”
“Yeah, well, they’re not going to do that, so we need a change in plans.”
“What do you want me to do.”
“Put the money in that blue car of yours. Drive it to Lantern Street. That’s over by Walmart, although I’m sure you’ve never been. There’s a used car lot about half a mile up the road, Mickey’s. Back your car into an empty spot close to the entrance. Leave the money and the keys in the car. Once I’m clear of the area, I’ll let you know where your son is.”
“I want to speak to Bobby first.”
“If you want proof that I have your son, I’ll send you one of his ears. Just follow my instructions.”
─●─●─●─
Brian Reimann returned to the motel where his partner, Shawn Burdon was waiting.
“Did you make the call?”
“Yeah. I told him to put the money in his car and leave it at Mickey’s. You can drop me off near the woods between Mickey’s and Walmart. I’ll bring the car back here and switch to the van.”
“Back here? What if they follow you?”
“I’m sure the police will put a tracker in the car, but I’m guessing they won’t follow too closely. They’re probably tracking whatever the money is in, too. I’ll put the cash into some plastic bags and leave their bag at Mickey’s.”
“You want our stuff in the van or my SUV?”
“The SUV, and get it packed before you drop me off. Don’t come back here after you leave Walmart. Head west on the highway. I’ll meet you in that strip mall off Exit-42, after I get the boy.”
“Why get the boy? That’s crazy. Let’s just get the hell out of here. We can leave the van at the mall. Call the father and send him to the lighthouse.”
“We might need the kid as a hostage.”
“What? Are you going to take him to Nassau with us?”
“No. We’ll leave him in the van as soon as I’m sure they aren’t following us. We’ll call them from the highway, get off and head for the boat.”
─●─●─●─
Bobby climbed the stairs as far as the first window. He could see the entrance road, but nothing else but woods. He kept climbing. At the top, he pushed against a thick wooden door, but it didn’t budge. It was slightly ajar, but it was stuck with the bottom wedged against the floor. He shoved into it with his shoulder until it broke free.
“I’ve got to find something to cut this rope.”
The mechanism occupied the center of the room below the lamp. He scoured around the perimeter for any signs of a phone or anything he could use to cut free and defend himself if the men returned. He found a toolbox.
He couldn’t find a knife, but he found a small pair of cutting pliers. They weren’t big enough to cut the rope, but he was able to use one hand to nibble away at a section until he got through. He quickly cut through the rest of the rope and freed his hands. He searched the rest of the room for a phone or a radio. He found what appeared to be a control panel—ancient compared to anything he had ever seen on television.
“Maybe I can find some way to signal someone with the lamp itself, or maybe there’s a radio feature in there. First, I need to find a way to lock that door downstairs.”
Bobby closed and latched the toolbox. It was heavy, but he wasn’t sure what might be useful, so he carried it down the steps to the level where they dumped him. He rested at each of the two windows and scanned outside for any signs of people or cars. Once at the lower level, he pulled that door open. The tide was still in. Going down the ladder would put him in the water. He looked at the way the ladder was supported and got an idea.
─●─●─●─
Brian and Shawn were ready to leave. They got in the SUV. Once they were sufficiently far from the hotel, Brian called Bobby’s father.
“Did you deliver the money?”
“Our butler is dropping the car off as we speak. I wanted to stay here in case you called.”
“Must be nice to have people.”
“Whatever wealth I have, I earned. I didn’t obtain it by abducting children and threatening to kill them.”
“Yeah, well, I’m working with a limited skillset.”
“When will you tell me where Bobby is?”
“I told you. When I’m convinced that no one is following me. Your son is safe. He’s uncomfortable, but he’s safe, and I have no desire to hurt him. I just want the money.”
“The car should be in the lot in a few minutes.”
“Good. Make sure your people get the hell out of there. I want to see them driving away.”
“We’re not interested in any heroics. I just want my son.”
“You’ll have him soon enough.” Brian hung up and turned off the generic cell phone he was using.
Shawn had pulled down through the last row of parking at Walmart. “Is this close enough?”
“Yeah, no sense drawing more attention to us than I feel like we already have.”
“Alright. I’m out of here. I’ll see you in that strip mall.”
“Don’t sit in the car. Get some breakfast or something. Wait in a place where you can watch the car. I’ll park next to it.”
“Got it. Good luck.”
“Thanks. Leave that burner phone on. I’ll call you when I get to the lighthouse.”
“I wouldn’t do that. I’m sure they’re tracing that phone by now.”
“I bought six of these. I took a new one out before we left. I’ll leave this one in their car at the hotel.”
─●─●─●─
Bobby fumbled through the toolbox. It was packed with common tools and miscellaneous items, most of which he took out and put on the floor. Several items caught his attention, a variety of wrenches, pliers and black wax marking crayons.
He opened the door and climbed out onto the landing. He found a wrench that fit the nut on the bolt holding the ladder to the support bracket. He took the wrench and a pair of plumbing pliers, along with the cutting pliers and one of the crayons. He climbed down below the first intermediate support bracket He tried loosening the nuts holding the ladder to the support bracket. The nuts and bolts were rusty, but he finally got the nut to break free. He removed the bolt. He used the cutting pliers to cut a segment off one of the crayons. He forced the nut onto the segment and slipped it into the hole, in place of the bolt.
After replacing both bolts, he climbed back to the landing. From inside the lighthouse, he replaced the bolts on the upper bracket. He pulled the door shut, leaving himself enough room to work on the final bolt. When he had replaced both bolts, he closed the door and climbed back up to the first window.
─●─●─●─
Shawn settled into a booth at a small diner. He took a booth near the windows.
“Do you need a menu, hon?”
“No. I’ll have a cup of coffee, and a western omelet please. I’m waiting for a friend but I’m early.”
“No problem.”
Brian watched as a tall man in a suit stepped out of a blue Toyota Camry. The man shut the door and walked over to the BMW that had followed him in. The BWM pulled out of the lot and sped away. Brian looked around one last time and then walked through the woods to the back of the lot. He walked up between the rows of cars. Seeing a duffle bag on the back seat, he opened the back passenger side door.
When he unzipped the bag, the sight of so much cash overwhelmed him. “This is going to work,” he muttered to himself. He transferred the cash into two trash bags he had brought with him. He threw the duffle bag under the car, walked around and got in the driver’s seat. He drove a circuitous route to the hotel so that, if they were tracking the car, they wouldn’t be able to guess his destination.
Once at the hotel, he quickly transferred the bags of cash into his van and left. Again, he weaved around back roads before getting on the highway heading to the shore. He drove by the entrance road to the lighthouse because there were cars coming in both directions. He pulled into a small parking lot and waited for a break in the traffic. Once clear, he drove to the entrance quickly and turned in.
Bobby saw the car pull up as he peeked out from the corner of the window. He recognized the man as the one who had abducted him. He ran down the stairs to the lower level and waited by the door.
Bobby heard the ladder as the man started climbing. With each step there was an annoying squeak. Bobby counted the squeaks. He would wait until the man was above thirty steps, but not close enough to grab the landing. When he heard the thirtieth squeak, he pulled the door open and pushed hard against the top of the ladder. The crayons snapped as planned and the upper section of the ladder fell back away from the building, snapping the second set of wax bolts as well.
Brian Reimann was knocked unconscious when he landed hard on the moist soil,. When he regained consciousness, he realized the extent of his injuries. Bobby watched from the open door. He saw Brian struggle beneath the ladder to reach into his pocket. Bobby backed away from the door, thinking Brian was reaching for a gun.
Brian turned on the cellphone and called the burner phone Shawn was carrying.
“Shawn. I need your help.”
“What happened?”
“The kid disconnected the ladder somehow. He pushed it and me away from the lighthouse. I fell about forty feet. I’m hurt, I can’t move my legs, and my left arm is tangled in this ladder—the top of which is stuck in the mud.”
“Yikes! I’ll be right over.”
“Shawn left the diner and ran to his SUV.”
Sharon Hanscom was bringing Shaw’s omelet to the table as she watched him speed away. She called the police.
“9-1-1, what is your emergency?”
“A guy just ran out of our diner without paying.”
“Who is this, please.”
“My name is Sharon. I work at Tasco’s Diner. A guy was here, he ordered breakfast. He said he was waiting for a friend. He got a phone call, jumped up and ran out.”
“He left without paying?”
“He left without even eating. It seems odd to me. I got most of his plate number—H B K 2 7…and then he was too far gone.”
“Did you see where he was heading?”
“It looked like he was going to the highway. He was in the left lane, maybe going east.”
─●─●─●─
The 911 dispatcher notified the local and State Police to be on the look out for a dark gray SUV. She identified the car as belonging to Shawn Burdon. A State Police officer radioed in that he had the car under observation and asked for instructions. By this time, other officers were involved. They told him to follow the car and report on its location but not to try and stop it.
After twenty minutes, the office radioed that the SUV was getting off the highway at Exit thirty-five. Police were waiting near every exit, and a local police car began following the SUV after it left the highway. He drove by as the car turned onto the access road to the lighthouse.
“Suspect turned onto the access road to the lighthouse. That’s a dead end. Do you want me to follow?”
“Yes, backups are on the way.”
By the time Shawn got out of his car, he could hear the police car coming down the road. The officer stopped quickly, got out and drew his weapon. Shawn gave up without a fight. The officer handcuffed Shawn to the pit bumper of his cruiser and radioed in.
“Suspect in custody. I’m continuing to the lighthouse.”
Bobby was watching from the window as the officer approached Brian who was still under the ladder. He heard sirens from emergency vehicles approaching in the distance. He opened the door and called down to the officer. The officer yelled back to him. “Hang on son, we’ll get you out of there.”
All five of my current books are now available in audio book form thanks to Amazon KDP’s Virtual Voice process. The voice is AI generated, but I can honestly say, it’s pretty darn good. The audio books are reasonably priced (all below $7 US) and, if you already own the Kindle version and want to add an audio version, you can do that for $1.99. There is a five-minute sample on the book page for each book. If you’re interested, click on any of the Dreamer’s Alliance book links below the image or on the link below for my latest book.
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