Chapter 25 - Airport!
“Kate, where are we going? We have to go back to the hotel.”
“Yes, we do but we have to make a stop at the airport. I called your parents after they took you. Your dad told me to pick him and your mom up this afternoon around 2:45.”
“WHAT!! Dear God! They’re here already!” I sighed and shook my head. “Get kidnapped one time and they freak out. Steal $100,000 dollars from a crime scene and it’s here, have some banana pudding with your lasagna,” I said sarcastically.
“What? They’re worried about you. They had every right to fly out here to help find you. You should be glad you have parents who would do that. My parents laughed at the idea of me faking my death a few weeks ago.”
“Yeah, I didn’t want them to come out here and slow us down.”
“Slow us down? Sam Riley! You were just kidnapped by two serial killers wanted in a nation-wide manhunt by the FBI and all you can ask is why are my parents here?”
“No, Kate. That’s not what I meant. I didn’t expect them to fly out. Doesn’t mean I don’t appreciate them coming. That’s all. It’s fine.” I looked out the window. That’s not what I meant! What I meant was I didn’t want my parents to get involved and something happen to them. I’d never forgive myself if that happened. Or my wife—my beautiful, courageous wife. Needless to say, it was very personal at that point.
“Are you going to blame me for rescuing you?” Kate asked. “All tied up like some animal?”
“No, Kate. Don’t make me the bad guy here.” I looked at her with a serious look.
“I’m not trying to make you the bad guy. I want you to see the love people around you have for you. Jesus, Sam!”
“I realize that, Kate. But we have a job to do. We have to finish the game and put them in jail.”
“I’m telling you to slow down for a little while and recoup from what happened.”
“I will once we get back to the hotel.” I said with a somber tone.
“You will do what your parents and I say you will do and that’s final. Don’t make me pull rank, Sam.”
I shook my head and looked out the window. “Something tells me you already have.”
“I heard that, Sam!” Kate took the airport exit and found a spot in the short-term parking lot near the check-in terminal.
I told Celeste to stay with the truck until Kate and I returned with my parents.
“10-4, Captain Handsome!” Celeste said.
I shook my head. No, no, she’s not, I thought to myself.
We walked into the airport and stood by the baggage claim. I didn’t know how much time we had until they arrived, so standing in the middle of the airport instead of sitting down seemed like a promising idea.
Kate held her arms around my waist. She whispered, “I’m not letting you go.”
I looked into her eyes. “You better not. I’m not letting you go either.”
Kate hugged me tighter.
I checked the arrival screen and saw their flight from St. Louis was set to arrive in twenty minutes. “Great. We have to wait twenty minutes,” I pointed out.
“Just be glad you’re alive to see them again, Sam!”
I nodded. “I’m going to go sit down.”
“You’re over-reacting, Kate.”
“Good! Someone has to. You were kidnapped at gunpoint, Sam,” Kate replied. She followed me over to a row of seats and sat down. She rubbed my back as I leaned forward, staring at the floor. I had to work my anger out over the next several hours. I realized that by losing this round, I had to recover and regroup alone while doing it with everyone else. One of the worst positions I could be in, and I doubted my parents could make me feel any better. Don’t get me wrong, they’re great but they don’t understand. Fuck!! Now I have to deal with everybody else when I shouldn’t have to. And I got my powers back, which I’m as thrilled about but I want those killers in handcuffs. I’m glad Kate got me out of the room but nothing else matters to me right now except finding those pricks.
Kate called the Chief while she had time and told him that I was free and safe. “He’s with me now, Chief. I’m not letting him out of my sight.”
“Good! I can’t tell you how relieved I am that he’s okay and away from those damn people.”
“Thank you, Chief.”
“What exactly happened?”
I texted my dad and told him I was okay, and that Kate and I were waiting for him and my mom at the baggage claim.
Kate told Chief Williams that Riddle and Dockson called, like he said they would; to tell her they were letting him go and where to find him. “I drove over in Sam’s truck, cleared the room, untied him and left just as quick as I arrived.” Kate also told him what Dockson said on the phone.
“I see. Well, they wanted a game, and they have one now. That’s excellent work, Kate. I knew I could count on you. That’s exactly why I sent you. I won’t forget this.”
“Thank you, Chief. I know Sam would do the same for me.”
I looked over at her and nodded in agreement. “Of course I would, Kate. Without hesitation.”
“Yes, he would and more. What are you two going to do now?”
“We’re at the airport picking up his parents and going back to the hotel.
We’ll decide from there. I don’t think Sam’s happy about them flying out. He should be grateful he’s alive to see them. My parents laughed when I told them about me faking my death a few weeks ago.” She’s still mentioning that by reminding me. I still stand by it.
“Tread lightly, Kate. Let Sam deal with them. Just be there for him. That’s what he needs,” Chief said.
“What about that Jester fella?” Chief asked.
“I let him go. He was sitting in the hotel lobby when I left to go to the airport, before they called, and I went to get Sam.”
“Hopefully he’s history. Just focus on getting to wherever they’re going and let me know what the plan is. You two are safe with Gerald and Denise there. You know what to do.”
“Bye Chief!” Kate hung up the phone and rubbed my back a few more times.
“That feels great,” I said, looking at Kate with a smile.
I spotted my parents making their way down the escalator to the baggage claim area. “There they are. Let’s go!”
We strolled over towards them as I waved at my parents as other passengers walked by, rolling their suitcases across the floor.
My mother gave me a big hug as I expected and hoped she would. “Thank God you’re alright, Sam! I had to twist our father’s arm to get him to tell me what happened to you. This whole flight, not a peep. All I heard was “Sam needs us, Denise. Once we got off the plane, that’s when he told me what was really going on.”
Dad looked at my mother. “I didn’t want you to be a nervous wreck. I needed you to be strong for me and for Sam.
“I’m stronger than you give me credit for, Gerald. How many years have we been married?” Mom asked.
Dad grasped Kate’s hands in his hands. “Thank you, Kate, for bringing Sam back. I’m in your debt forever.”
Mom then hugged and thanked Kate for being there to help me. “You’re an amazing partner for my son, Kate.”
“Thank you, Denise. Yes, I am,” Kate said as she smiled at me. Kate teared up seeing her partner hug his parents, knowing she made it possible.
“What did you do to make them let you go? Talk their ears off?” Dad said with a laugh, as he shook my hand, patted my arm and pulled me closer for a hug, like some dads do with sons.
As unsettled as I was, I really needed that. I smiled. “Nothing really, except telling them to go screw themselves.”
“I’m glad you made it out okay, Sam. I prayed the whole way here almost, aside from the drinks I had on the plane,” Denise said.
“Thanks, mom. I’m okay.” I shook my head. “Enough chit chat. You guys have bags coming off the plane?” I asked.
“Nope. This is all we need for now,” Dad said, as he pointed to their small, black and red suitcases. “We figured we could get what we needed along the way.”
“That’s how you travel. Alright, let’s get them loaded up in the truck. We have work to do,” I said.
“Yes, we do,” Dad said.
We maneuvered around the crowd of other passengers as we walked over to the exit doors. My parents dragged their small suitcases behind them—wheels rolling across the pavement to the truck. Once everything was loaded up in the back, we piled into the truck. One big angry family.
I shot Kate a glance while going back to the hotel and I must admit, she looked pretty damn sexy driving my truck. And a little comfortable but that’s a different conversation altogether.
“Alright Sam, where are we going?” Dad asked.
I told my parents we were going back to the Embassy Suites hotel. “Unless you need to stop somewhere, dad?”
“Not me. What about you, Denise?”
“No, I’m fine. We can go to the store later, together. All four of us.”
“I got us a room for the night so we can decide what to do next,” Kate stated. “They have a small storeroom that has snacks and stuff.”
“I haven’t decided if I want to go to Vegas today or tomorrow morning. It’s only nine hours away, give or take. The sooner the better,” I declared. “They screwed up kidnapping me.”
“Either way, we’re going back to the hotel for a while. You need a hot shower and some rest, Sam.”
“With all due respect, don’t tell me—” I snapped.
Kate laughed. “Oh, Sam! I’m driving and we’re going back to the hotel. That’s not up for debate.”
Kate had a point. I do need those things. I know she means well but that was kind of cute how she took charge.
“Listen to her, Sam,” My mother declared from the backseat.
“We need a plan. The more we know about them, the better our chances of finding their weaknesses. They’re cultists. We know that. They’ve killed people before. That makes them as unstable as uranium before an atomic explosion. Not very smart, very naive and convincing but their leader is very smart, convincing and charismatic. Looking for anyone to hear them. See them. Value them. Love them even,” I stated.
Dad agreed with me. “It’s not like you can walk up, knock on the front door, ask them to surrender and we all go home. It won’t happen that way. They’ll kill themselves before that happens. Which is what we don’t want either, Sam.”
“Or kill cops to avoid being captured. But no, we don’t want anyone killing anyone. I’m not suggesting that we kill anyone either. But if it comes to me or them, I will do what I have to do to protect myself, Kate, you, mom, anyone else in their line of fire. I hope it doesn’t come to that, but we have to be ready,” I said.
“I hope it doesn’t come to that either,” Dad said.
I felt a little sick to my stomach when my mother heard me and my dad talk about taking another person’s life, right in front of her. Maybe she didn’t hear what we said or totally ignored us? I watched the road, trees and buildings fly by on their way back to the hotel. I couldn’t help but rethink all those hours being tied up in that chair in room seven. The slaps, being punched and Betsy’s kiss, which felt like a damn lizard licking your cheek. I knew I had to set all that aside for the good of completing our investigation. I don’t want to snap at anyone because I’ve ignored my anger towards Riddle and Dockson. I have to be clear, clever and calm. Resourceful. That’s the only way I can play the game without someone getting hurt or killed. If I’m not careful, I could very well make a costly mistake and get someone I love killed.
Sorry for ease dropping but I couldn’t help overhearing your thoughts, Mr. Riley, and forgive me for saying anything. But I have faith in you and Kate to find our killers and put them in jail for my murder and any other murders. I’m glad I found you and Kate.
“Thanks, Celeste. Glad you found us too,” I said.
“Sam, who’s Celeste?” Mom asked.
Kate and I looked at each other and smiled. “I’ve got something to tell you, Denise, when we get to the hotel. You’re not going to believe this,” Kate said.
I was relieved when Kate stepped up and fought whatever fears she had of my party trick.