The Grey Zone Read online

  CHAPTER FIVE

  David drove into Queen Elizabeth Park at 4:15 p.m. He’d been keeping an eye on his rear-view mirror ever since he’d left home, but hadn’t seen anyone following. He arrived at the parking lot early, so he waited in the car for about ten minutes, still looking around for anybody suspicious. He removed the satchel from the trunk and five minutes later was sitting on the bench the kidnappers had marked on the map. The only other people he could see were in the distance playing golf. He took out his cellphone and stared at it, willing it to ring.

  Thirty minutes passed before he finally heard a ring — but it wasn’t coming from his phone. The noise came from the crook of a tree behind the bench. He leapt to his feet, then stood on his tiptoes to grope around the branches. The ringing cellphone was in a Ziploc bag. He fumbled to open it and put the phone to his ear.

  “Follow my instructions exactly,” said a man’s harsh voice. “Throw your own phone over the fence into the golf course, then go back to your car and drive north on Cambie. Cross the Cambie Street Bridge, take the Smithe exit, and keep going to Seymour. Turn right and you’ll see public parking on your right side. Leave your car there, take the money, and walk down Seymour to Robson. Go right on Robson for a block and wait at the northwest corner of Robson and Richards, in front of the IGA. Stand close to the curb and be ready to toss the money into a passing car. Got it?”

  “Cambie to Seymour, turn right and park, walk to the corner, go right for a block, and wait in front of the grocery store on the northwest corner of Robson and Richards?”

  “You’ve got twenty minutes. Go!”

  “Twenty? That’s —” David realized the man had already ended the call. The location wasn’t all that far away, but it was Friday and rush hour. I’ll never make it! He grabbed the bag and started to leave, then remembered his own phone, ran back, and threw it over the fence before sprinting back to his car.

  His heart beat wildly as he drove through traffic, cursing at every red light he came to. When he arrived at the parking lot on Seymour, he quickly pulled in. A moment later, he stood panting and trying to catch his breath in front of the grocery store, clutching the satchel in one hand and the phone in the other. He’d made it with two minutes to spare. Anxiously, he looked around the intersection. Which direction will they come from?

  Throngs of people engulfed him, alternately waiting for traffic lights and swarming across the crosswalk. It was twenty minutes before the phone rang.

  “Change of plans. Walk south on Richards to Nelson, turn right, then go six blocks to Nelson Park and find a bench to sit on. You’re looking at a little less than one and a half kilometres. I’ll give you another twenty minutes, which will make it six p.m. Go!”

  Again, David made it with two minutes to spare. He sat panting on a bench in the park, hugging the satchel to his chest. The trees were sparse; he could see people and cars going past the park. At 6:10 p.m. he received his next call.

  “You run fast. That’s real good,” the voice said mockingly. “Now go back to your car and drive to the Highstreet Shopping Centre in Abbotsford. Park in the lot.”

  “Abbotsford?” David questioned.

  “Are you deaf? The Highstreet Shopping Centre in Abbotsford.”

  You piece of shit. I want to choke the life out of you so bad.

  “Repeat it to me!” the voice snapped.

  “The Highstreet Shopping Centre in Abbotsford. Yes … sir,” David replied, remembering Alicia’s advice to act subservient.

  “Sir … I like that.” The tone was less harsh. “Take your time. No speeding tickets. I expect to see you there by seven forty-five p.m.”

  “I’m on my way,” David replied as he rose from the bench.

  “One more thing. Quit looking in your rear-view mirror. It annoys me.”

  David found the comment chilling. Am I being watched every second?

  He arrived at the shopping centre at 7:30 p.m. and parked in the lot. An hour passed. It was getting dark and he was bordering on panic when the phone finally rang again. “I’m here,” he said, anxiously. “Why — why didn’t you call me?”

  “What’re you so worried about? Have you done something you shouldn’t have?”

  “No! I — I … you said seven forty-five p.m. It’s —”

  “I know the time. We’re almost done. Keep your phone on and listen to what I say, but don’t repeat anything aloud.”

  “Okay.”

  “Pull out of the lot and drive south on Mount Lehman Road. Your next destination is inside the Abbotsford Airport. Bring the bag with you. You’re about seven minutes away, so get going. Tell me when you’re inside the terminal. In the meantime I won’t say much, but I’d better hear you breathing. If I hear you talking, even to yourself … well, you don’t want to think about what’ll happen.”

  David did as instructed. Once inside the airport he said, “I’m here, inside.”

  “Good. Keep your phone on and go to one of the car rental agencies. Doesn’t matter which one. Rent a car and put the bag on the seat beside you. Let me know when you’ve done it.”

  Minutes later, David toted the bag out to the car he’d rented, tossed it in the front seat, and said, “I’ve done it.” By now it was after 9:00 p.m. and dark.

  “Sounds like you got a Chevy Impala.”

  “Uh, yes.”

  “What colour?”

  “Blue.”

  “Okay, pull out and drive south on Mount Lehman Road. In about a block you’ll come to a T-intersection. Get going.”

  “I’m at the intersection,” David said two minutes later.

  “We’re almost done. Turn right and drive for about five or six minutes. On your left you’ll see the entrance to Aldergrove Park. The gate will be closed, but there’s room to park in front of it. Wait there and I’ll call you back.”

  * * *

  For Hawkins, the investigation was proceeding as he’d expected. When David first bolted out from under a tree in Queen Elizabeth Park and ran to his car, Hawkins guessed that the kidnappers had provided another cellphone. From his vantage point up in the sky, he was able to see most of David’s movements and relay that information to the surveillance teams on the ground, to ensure they kept their distance.

  His job became even easier when darkness fell. The ultraviolet paint made the X on David’s Cadillac stand out like a beacon. Likewise, Hawkins wasn’t fooled when he caught sight of the satchel being placed in another car.

  “Okay, everyone,” he yelled into his phone over the noise of the aircraft. “This could be it. Our man is parked at the entrance to Aldergrove Regional Park. It’s a little east of 272nd Street on 8th Avenue.”

  Moments later, the surveillance teams on the ground got into position. Alicia was assigned to wait at the Abbotsford Airport, approximately six kilometres away. The closest surveillance member was Corporal Bradley, who’d found a residential area to park in a kilometre from where David waited.

  * * *

  At 10:00 p.m. David got the call. A call he’d never forget.

  “You obviously care a lot more about your money than about your own kid,” the man snarled.

  “What? What do you mean? I’ve got the money. It’s right here beside me.”

  “Yeah … along with the cops!” the man yelled. “We told you not to call them or your kid would face the consequences.”

  “I didn’t call them! I swear I didn’t.”

  “Bullshit. Tell the cop in the blue station wagon with the Baby on Board sign in the back window that he might as well go for a doughnut. You go home to your wife. The two of you can enjoy spending your money. We’re not touching it.”

  “Oh, God, no … please! Give me another chance! Please don’t hurt him.”

  “We’re going to make an example of you, David. Goodbye.”

  CHAPTER SIX

  “Okay, something’s happened,” Hawkins reported. “Our man is heading back. It’s possible he made the drop. Too hard for me to see; he was parked
under the trees. Everyone hold your positions. The bad guys might have a motorcycle stashed in the park — it’s something that could go around the gate. Doesn’t matter, though, I’ll still see when it leaves. If David has made the drop, once his son is safe, we’ll send in the dog master.”

  He’s got to have made the drop, Alicia thought.

  “David’s driving like a bat out of hell,” Hawkins reported. Moments later he added, “Almost lost it coming around the corner back onto Mount Lehman. Okay, he’s driving back into the airport. Any chance you see him, Alicia?”

  “I can hear his tires … I see him,” Alicia responded. “He’s parked behind his own car. Out of the rental … into his own car. Maybe he forgot something. I’m about a block away, using the binocs, but it’s hard to see —”

  “Hello! Hello! Hello!” David’s voice screamed over the emergency audio transmitter in his car. “Help me!” he pleaded. “I don’t know what to do!”

  “Alicia! Drive past him and see what the hell’s going on!” Hawkins ordered.

  Alicia’s phone rang as she was backing her car up. She snatched it up.

  “It’s me, David!” he said shrilly. “They spotted you! They told me to keep the money!”

  “Okay, David … you need to try and calm down,” Alicia replied, pulling back into the parking stall.

  “Aren’t you listening? They know! They told me to go home!”

  “This could be a ruse to see what you do, test whether a bunch of police cars show up.”

  “No, they know it’s you,” David said adamantly. “They told me they saw you!”

  “We talked about this. I told you, they’ll be paranoid about everyone they see. It’s no big surprise that they got spooked. I’m sure they’ll call back.”

  “What should I do?”

  “Return the rental. I wouldn’t be surprised if they call you while you’re doing that.”

  “But what if they don’t?”

  “Then get into your own car and drive home. Just unlock your trunk before you go back inside the airport. I’ll sneak inside and go home with you.”

  “Okay. Okay. Should I phone Jia?”

  Alicia sighed. “I’ve been updating her, but she might feel better hearing your voice.”

  “Not if I don’t have Tommy with me.”

  “Not warning her before you get back isn’t a good idea. Call her, and keep it short in case the bad guys are trying to call you. Tell her the bad guys got spooked. They might even make you sweat for a while, then call you back tomorrow.”

  “You think so?”

  “Yes, I do,” Alicia replied, doing her best to sound confident.

  Her conversation with Hawkins was terse. “David called. The bad guys said they spotted our surveillance and told him to keep the money and go home.”

  “Christ. I don’t believe we were spotted,” Hawkins replied. “This has got to be a test. Either that or some citizen spooked them and they thought it was a cop.”

  “He’s returning the rental now. I’m going to sneak back into his trunk and go home with him.”

  “Good idea. You should be there for support. I’ll follow from above until you get home. We’re running on fumes up here, so we’ll have to land after that. I’ll have Bradley and the rest of the team get to within a few blocks of the house until you’re ready to call it a night. Let’s hope we hear back tonight — and if not, let’s hope they get over their jitters by tomorrow.”

  But the kidnappers did not call back. At 11:30 p.m., David and Alicia walked inside the house to meet Jia and Constable Vern Wales, who’d been detailed to stay with her.

  Alicia gave them a moment to hold each other. “David, I’m sorry, but this is really important. I need you to go someplace quiet, without any distractions, and write down everything that happened. Or you can type it, if you like. Try to remember what they said to you, word for word. When you’re done, initial every page and sign the last one. Also note the date and the time you start, as well as the time you finish.”

  David and Jia held each other a moment longer, then David headed upstairs. Alicia sat down on the sofa with Jia, and Wales sat across from them.

  Jia turned to her angrily. “David told me they saw you. You promised you wouldn’t be seen!”

  “I told you that they might get spooked. Once they calm down, greed will take over. I’m sure they’ll call back.”

  “If they don’t, I’m holding you accountable!” Jia said, pointing her finger at Alicia’s face.

  Okay … let it go. She’s upset and lashing out. Who could blame her?

  * * *

  “We told the sitter we’d be home by midnight,” the woman said.

  “Seven minutes to go. We’ll make it,” her husband replied. The car tires sounded briefly as he rounded the corner onto a residential street.

  “Hey, how much have you had to drink?”

  “I dunno. Three or four glasses of wine.”

  “Bet it was more like six.”

  “You’re the one bellyaching about the sitter.”

  “Being a few minutes late won’t — look out!” she screamed. Their headlights shone onto a pathetic-looking figure directly in front of them. She saw the silver bands of duct tape across his eyes and mouth as he stumbled toward them, his hands tied behind his back. She heard the screech of tires and smelled burning rubber as she shut her eyes.

  * * *

  It was 1:30 a.m. when David handed Alicia his several pages of typewritten notes. She flipped through to check that each page was initialled, then started reading.

  When she reached the last page, she recoiled in horror and looked at David and quoted his notes: “‘Tell the cop in the blue station wagon with the Baby on Board sign in the back window that he might as well go for a doughnut’?”

  “Why are you looking so shocked?” David asked. “I told you they saw you.”

  “When you said you I thought you meant us, the police. Not me specifically.”

  “Well … it had to be you. Their description matches exactly what you said you were driving. Although he did say he instead of she.”

  Oh, God. Did I blow this?

  “Was there a guy with you?” David asked. “Or did someone else drive the car sometimes?”

  “No. I was alone the whole time,” she admitted.

  “Then it was you who tipped them off,” David said, sounding matter-of-fact. “We trusted you. What —”

  The flash of headlights through the drapes alerted them that someone was coming down the driveway. The four of them exchanged glances.

  Alicia speed-dialed Bradley as she peeked through the curtains. “A vehicle is driving up to the house. What’s going on?”

  “It’s not one of us,” Bradley said hurriedly. “We’re parked at least three or four minutes away.”

  “Wouldn’t make sense for the kidnappers to come here,” Alicia said. “Hang on, it’s parking out front. Christ, it’s a marked police car! I’m going out. Stay on the line with me.”

  “What’s happening?” Jia said in a panic. “Are they bringing Tommy home or — or …” She couldn’t finish her sentence.

  Oh, please don’t be a next-of-kin call. “Stay here,” Alicia ordered, rushing out the door. “I’ll find out what’s going on.”

  Two uniformed officers were getting out of the patrol car. “Hello, are you Mrs. Chung?”

  “Constable Alicia Munday, Major Crimes,” she said, showing her identification.

  “Looks like the left hand doesn’t know what the right hand is doing,” the officer replied. “We didn’t know you were already here.”

  Alicia felt a lump in her throat so big that she didn’t think she’d be able to talk. Then the words came out. “Why are you here?”

  “You don’t know?”

  “No, I don’t fucking know! Is it about Tommy?”

  “Yes.”

  “Is he alive or dead, damn it?”

  The officer exchanged a glance with his colleague. “Okay, take i
t easy. He’s alive.”

  Oh, thank God.

  “He’s been admitted to Langley Memorial Hospital. All we know is that someone found him in the middle of the street all tied up. Apparently he was almost run over. He’s in shock, but gave his name as Tommy Chung and said some men took him from his mom Wednesday afternoon. We’re here to take his parents to the hospital.”

  “They’re both inside. I’ll take them myself.”

  “We were told Major Crimes is being called in to interview them when they arrive — but you already know?”

  “Yes.”

  “So this really is a kidnapping? How come we weren’t told?”

  “I don’t have time to explain.” Alicia didn’t wait for an answer as she ran back inside.

  David and Jia were waiting inside the foyer. Their eyes desperately searched Alicia’s face.

  “He’s safe!” she yelled jubilantly. “We’ve got him!”

  They burst into tears. Alicia gave them a moment to collect themselves. “He was found tied up on some street. Apparently he’s in shock and he was taken to Langley Memorial. I don’t think either of you is in any condition to drive. Lend me your keys and I’ll drive you there myself.”

  David immediately held his keys out.

  “Alicia! Alicia!” a far-off voice sounded.

  She’d forgotten that she was still on the line with Bradley. She put her phone back to her ear. “Did you hear?”

  “Yes, he’s been found and is at Langley Memorial!” Bradley replied.

  “You got it! I’m taking David and Jia,” Alicia said, giving them a thumbs-up. “We should be there in about thirty minutes.”

  “Good. I’ll have Hawkins meet us there.”

  * * *

  Hawkins was waiting when Alicia, David, and Jia rushed inside Emergency. His face was grave. The jubilation Alicia felt quickly evaporated.

  “Where is he?” Jia asked excitedly. “I want to see him.”

  Hawkins paused as Bradley arrived after them. He turned to Jia. “Tommy’s in surgery.”