K & R

A Cal McAffrey & Terry Thorne story

By Bailey

Chapter One

Della was waiting for him when he got back to his desk.  She smiled, “So what did Cam say?”  Cameron Lynne was their editor and chief pain in the ass.

Cal McAffrey smiled back at the pretty, young, blog reporter.  They had become good friends after they worked on the story about Congressman Stephen Collins and Pointe Corp.  She was smart and had recognized early on that she could learn a great deal from Cal.  As a result, they were always bouncing ideas off one another, even though her job called for less actual reporting than it did general dissemination of what she now considered ‘homogenized shit’.  She had been bitten by the “bug” that Cal had.  She wanted to tell the whole story and that meant looking for the facts not just gathering half truths and throwing them onto a blog for general consideration.  She didn’t just want to be a reporter either.  Cal was a full fledged, get-the-whole story, no BS journalist, and that’s what she wanted to be.

“She isn’t happy about picking at wounds,” he answered.  “She’s more interested in selling papers; you know the old song and dance.  She switched me.  I’m going to do a series about kidnap and ransom.  She wants me to go start to finish with a ransom expert.  This whole thing with Senator Gainor’s wife has her going on about how we can string this out for several weeks maybe months.  Anyway, I want you to keep in touch and sniff around Capitol Hill a little until I get back.  I have a feeling there’s more to this kidnapping than just terrorists snatching a wealthy American.”

“Going?  Where are you going?”  Della had resented Cal when they first met but during their investigation she realized how much she admired his intelligence and blood hound style for finding pieces to a puzzle.  She also began to see him as more than a colleague, mentor and friend.  He was fast becoming an older brother figure and it pleased her.  Because of this she was also becoming protective of him.

“Like I said, Cam wants me to be there with a K & R expert and go through exactly what he goes though.  She’s sending me to Tecala.”

“Where Gainor’s wife was taken?  It’s dangerous there, Cal!  And, this isn’t new; there was an article written several years ago about the kidnap and ransom business.  Why re-hash that now?This story is far more important.”

“Della, Cam’s under a lot of pressure.  I give her a hard time and push as much as I can, but at the end of the day Cameron Lynne bears a lot of weight on her shoulders and she’s trying to keep the paper in business and us in a job.  At some point we have to help her with her job, in order to keep doing the reporting we need to do.  Understand?  Besides, this story isn’t going anywhere just yet.  Now do what I said and do some snooping around while I’m gone.  I’ll e-mail you tomorrow.”

Della wasn’t happy but she understood Cal’s point.  When he walked out the front door of The Washington Globe she told him good luck and promised to do what he asked of her.

“Mr. O’Brian, this is Cal McAffrey of The Washington Globe.  I was supposed to meet with Mr. Thorne and accompany him to Tecala.”  Cal was at Dulles Airport and wanted to make contact with T & D enterprise’s American executive, one Dino O’Brian.  He called from his cell phone while waiting for his flight to South America. 

“Yes, Mr. McAffrey.  He’s on a connecting flight from London now.  He should be there shortly.  I’ve been told his flight is on schedule and will land in ten minutes.”  He hesitated a moment. “You know, I understand why your paper is sending you to Tecala, but I have to tell you it isn’t a place for foreigners.  You’d be smart to come up to our offices in New York and let me walk you through the process instead of going there yourself.  The story will be just as accurate and you won’t be in danger.  Think it over.”

Cal grimaced. The same thoughts had crossed his mind, but he was nothing if not willing to go where the story was.  He wondered for a moment what Mr. O’Brian was like as a person.  According to the background check, he was well trained, having been in Special Forces in the Army.  His military record was impressive and after leaving he worked as a very successful K&R specialist for several years with the same company, Luthan Risk, prior to forming T&D Enterprises with Terrence Thorne.  O’Brian, however, had left Luthan Risk before Thorne, something about the company ignoring excessive risks.

Thorne, on the other hand, was an Australian who managed the London office. Like O’Brian he was Special Forces trained and had an impressive military career.  His K&R career was equally impressive.  They had several employees who handled the field work and O’Brian and Thorne only went on assignment when the case needed special expertise or the negotiations were especially difficult.

“I realize I am taking a risk going to Tecala, but I expect to stay close to Mr. Thorne.  I’m sure he is well versed in where not to go in order to keep from becoming a hostage.”

Dino sighed, “Mr. McAffrey, there isn’t anywhere in Tecala that isn’t hostage territory.  The fact that Terry and I have never been hostages ourselves has nothing to do with knowing where not to go.  The people who do the kidnapping want money.  If they want to take you, you’ll be taken.  Just because things changed for a short while down there doesn’t mean those people are worried.  They came back stronger than ever and they aren’t concerned about the military or anyone else.”

“I understand.  I consider myself warned.  By the way, I don’t have a picture of Mr. Thorne in my file.  Can you describe him for me?”

Dino thought for a moment.  He recalled his friend of twenty years.  “He’s six feet tall, medium brown hair and well built.  He has greeny-blue eyes and an Aussie accent.  I have a picture of him and me together.  I could send it to your phone.”

“That would be very helpful, thank you.”

“I’m the one on the right, the good looking one.”  Dino laughed and added, “Good luck with your story.”  With that he hung up.

Cal punched ‘end’ then waited for Dino to call back on his cell and send the picture.  When it finally came over he stood looking at the faces of Dino O’Brian and Terrence Thorne.  Dino was slender with red hair and an impish grin, Terry on the other hand made Cal stop and squint.  If Cal were 20 pounds lighter with a shave and hair cut, he could double for the man in the camouflage next to Dino O’Brian.  True, he looked to be maybe ten years younger, but the picture might be older too.  As he contemplated this new development he heard, “Pardon me; are you Cal McAffrey?”

The baritone voice sounded just like Cal’s. 

Cal slowly turned to meet his look alike.  “Terrence Thorne?”

Terry stood there stunned for a moment.  He was looking at himself, albeit, a more run down copy.  “Who are you?”

Cal recovered enough to extend his hand. “Cal, Cal McAffrey, from the Washington Globe.”

“Right.”  Terry shook Cal’s hand.  “I’m sorry, but if I didn’t know better, I’d say we’re related.”

“Funny, I was thinking the same thing.”

They both stood looking at each other until Terry broke the reverie.  “Listen, I appreciate your need to do a story.  Dino said you wanted to be with me every step of the way while I negotiate, but you can follow what I’m doing from our office in New York.  I make regular reports daily if anything is available.  There’s no need to place your self in that kind of danger.”

“I appreciate what you’re saying but I already had this conversation with your partner and he made the same offer.  That leads me to the reason I need to go.  Mr. Thorne, I’m a journalist, not just a reporter.  I intend to write this story from first person, not just from reports.  I need to be there in order to do that.  I promise not to get in the way.”

Terry nodded, realizing that nothing would dissuade this man. “Well then, I guess there’s nothing to do but wait for our flight.  I still can’t understand how we resemble each other so much.  Where was your family from originally?”

They didn’t have time to delve into the possibilities of a family relationship.  The loud speaker announced that their flight was ready to board and they put the conversation on hold for the moment.  They made their way to the ramp and Terry was allowed to board first since he was in first class.  Cal, on the other hand, had to wait since his seat was in ‘tourist’.  Cal muttered to Terry on the way through First Class toward his seat in the back, “That’s the Globe for you, second class all the way.”

When they finally arrived in Tecala, Terry made sure they found their luggage together and got into the same cab.  Terry had reservations at the Hilton and convinced Cal that he needed to get a room there as well.  Although Terry was in no way responsible for Cal McAffrey, he felt an affinity for him as possible family. 

Once Terry got settled in, he went to see if Cal wanted to get something to eat.  He found him unpacking.  Cal answered the knock on his door and smiled as Terry walked in.

“Hey, Mate, shall we go get something to eat?”

“I could eat something.”  Cal finished putting his clothes in the drawers and placed his suitcase in back of the tiny closet.

In the restaurant they ordered both dinner and drinks.  Once that was done, Terry returned to the possible link in their heritage.  “So, where did your family come from originally?”

“I’m not certain.  You see I was adopted.  From what my adoptive parents told me my real father was killed in Vietnam.  He left my mother pregnant and unmarried.  She raised me alone until she became very ill.  She went to the hospital, they admitted her and she died two days later. I was up for adoption once the state could find no evidence of any family.”

“So you weren’t one of those obsessed adoptees who look for their families?”

Cal thought for a moment.  “Yes, I was at first.  But all I had to go on was my birth certificate.  It listed my mom’s name, Elaine Carter, but my father was listed as just ‘Jaime’.  No last name.  That leads me to believe that my parents weren’t exactly a step away from marriage.  You know, the sixties, flower power, love-ins.  I’m probably the result of an evening of sex and not much else.  I started thinking that maybe my real family wouldn’t be interested in meeting a one-night-stand mistake.  So I left it alone.”

“I can see how you might feel that way, but for my own part I would really like to know if we are related.  I don’t have much family, and what I do have is in Oz.  I don’t see them much. They emigrated there from England.  The only rellie I know of left in England is my son, Henry. He lives in London with his mum.  It would be nice to know I had a cousin or some such closer than Australia.  My father’s brother’s name was Jaime and he died in Vietnam.  Who knows?  Maybe we are related.”

“Maybe.”

Terry was an only child, but he gave Cal information about some of his relatives in Oz and names of some of the English relatives from years ago that his mother had mentioned.  Cal wrote it all down and once they finished eating it was time to turn in.  Terry had to make contact with the victim’s family early the next morning and he wanted to be well rested when he did. 

The day dawned sunny and humid.  Here in the valley between 3 mile high mountains all the smoke and smog gathered making the humidity even more unbearable.  Terry called Cal’s room and agreed to meet him in the restaurant’s dining room in 30 minutes.

Cal was already seated and had tea waiting for Terry.  “Good morning, mate!  Thanks for the tea.”

Cal smiled.  He’d thought for sometime last night about how to find out if he was related to Terry Thorne.  He was thrilled that Terry was open and interested too.  He had gone on FamilyTree.com last night and started with Terry’s name and information.  Perhaps knowing about Terry’s family might point out a possible connection to Cal.  The program would take time to run and Cal was under no illusion that he would find what he was looking for anytime soon.  But that was okay. He had plenty of time.

“So, Terry, what exactly do you do when you meet the family?”

“First off I try to reassure them that their loved one is alive and that eventually we’ll get him or her back.”

Cal grimaced, “And if you don’t?”

“I can only do the best I can, Cal.  There are no positives.  But the kidnappers gain nothing by killing the hostage.  It’s to their advantage to keep him or her alive and in reasonable health.”

“Have you ever lost one?”

Terry looked down into his tea.  “Yes, I’ve lost three in twenty years; two because they became ill and didn’t receive treatment until it was too late and the other one escaped and they killed him.”  Terry looked up.  “Cal, this is a dirty business.  I try to give the family hope.  It isn’t an iron clad guarantee.  Now, are you sure you want to go through with this?”

“Absolutely.”

They arrived at the Ramos home just after 9am.  Mr. Ramos and his mother greeted them and introductions were made.  Once they settled in the living room Mr. Ramos began asking questions and Terry did his best to answer them.  He also explained how kidnap and ransom worked in Tecala. The ransom was negotiable, not like ransoms which depended on the reason for the kidnapping in the first place.  The kidnappers here would start high and then negotiate downward depending on how well trained the victim's negotiator was.  It was about getting as much for the victim as the victim's family or company would pay.

Even though the family name was Hispanic, Mr. and Mrs. Ramos were third generation Americans from Mexico.  Emilio Ramos was CEO of the Tecala branch of a large American Bank.  He had known that kidnapping was a possibility when he moved his family here.  The bank had cautioned him and told him that they carried a good deal of K& R insurance in case anything happened.  However, he always thought that he would be the victim, not his wife.  The fact that he had his mother and three children living here, who were potential victims as well, convinced him to send them back to the states to live with his brother in Miami.  They would leave tomorrow.

Cal watched Terry as he tried to reassure Ramos that his wife would eventually come home. He saw sympathy in Terry’s eyes when Ramos cried.  Even though he was very professional, it was also apparent that Terry Thorne cared a great deal for the people he helped.  In fact, Cal was surprised to find that many of the people that Terry had already helped still remembered him in cards and letters sent to his prior company, Luthan Risk.  It was mentioned in the dossier he had on Terry.

They discussed the fact that Mrs. Ramos had heart problems and was on medication for it.  Without the medication she ran a high risk of heart failure.  Terry made a note of that and explained that he would start with that at the outset of the negotiations.  After all, the kidnappers would run the risk of losing a hostage if they played the game too long.

Mr. Ramos asked, “Would you care to stay here with me during the negotiations?  With my family gone, the house will seem too large, too empty.”

“Thank you for your generous offer, Mr. Ramos.  But both Mr. McAffrey and I need complete privacy when we analyze the information we receive from the kidnappers.”

“What information?”

“Everything.  I will be able to derive information…from the background sounds to the way in which the negotiator speaks.  Mr. Ramos, I’ve done this for twenty years. Believe me when I say I know what I’m doing.  I need you to trust that.”

Ramos nodded.  “I understand, but it is hard to trust when my wife’s life is at stake.”

“I realize that.  But I will keep you informed and we will handle the negotiations here so you can be a part of it.  I expect that they will contact you in the next day or so and as soon as they do, call me.  Here’s my cell phone number.”

Later at the hotel Cal took an hour to write his first report and send it to The Globe.  Back in Washington D.C. Cam read it and smiled.  She was certain the story Cal would write would keep the public reading their paper.  He was already well on his way to an award winning report.

Once he finished, Cal checked his email.  There was a short report from Della saying she was following a lead that might indicate that Senator Gainor encouraged his wife to go to Tecala hoping she would be kidnapped while there. It was nothing concrete at this point but Della would pursue it just the same.

There were other entries mostly jokes and such from friends.  The last was from FamilyTree.com. 

Cal knocked on Terry’s door.  Terry opened it and invited Cal in. Terry went back and sat at the little desk near the bed. 

“Am I disturbing you?”

Terry turned and smiled, “No, mate.  Just making some notes.  I’m nearly done.  Have a seat.”

Cal waited while Terry finished.  When he did, he smiled and asked, “So, what’s up?”

“I was wondering; do you know anyone by the name of Thornby?”

“No, but my family home is called “Thornby”. Why?”

“My birth date is April 7, 1964.  What's yours?”

Terry hesitated a moment, “April 7, 1964.”

Cal nodded, “I just had information sent to me from FamilyTree.com.  It indicates that you had an uncle who died in Vietnam in late 1963.  He had an American wife, Elaine, who gave birth to identical twin boys in America. She died right after she gave birth and one twin was taken by the wife’s sister, Elly Carter, and the other was taken to England by Jaime Thornby’s brother Elmo.”

Terry grimaced, “As you already know, my father’s name was Elmo but as far as I know our family name was always Thorne.  Why would he change it?  Why would they separate twins?  And why didn’t they list my uncle’s name on your birth certificate?  Obviously someone had that information if FamilyTree.com can find it.”

“I imagine, Terry, that when they adopted me out they didn’t want complications.  Since my ‘mother’ was dead and if I had no last name for my father, I wouldn’t have enough information to track down my real family.  Besides, it was assumed that my father was American.  Usually adoptive parents don’t want to face telling the truth or perhaps they didn’t want to face the real family if the child eventually found them.  It can be a pretty upsetting experience for everyone involved.  So I imagine they re-issued my birth certificate without my father’s last name to sever that connection.  Since my mother’s name was Elaine and her sister’s name was Elly they probably assumed that anyone looking for family ties would assume they were one in the same.”

“But they would have had different birthdates.”

“No, they were identical twins.”  Cal waited for the information to sink in.  “I looked for information based on American files and based on the assumption that my father was American.  This info came from your Australian and English background.  I would probably never have found it without your input.”

“So we’re twin brothers.”

“Looks that way.”

Terry broke into a grin, slapped Cal on the knee and exclaimed, “Well fuck me swingin’!”  He stood up and so did Cal.  They embraced and drew back, then embraced again.

“There may be more info coming, but I think the important stuff already got here.”

They spent the rest of the night talking and getting to know one another.  It was good to know you had someone that close.  Cal, in fact, decided that he wanted to change a few things about himself to more closely relate to Terry.

The next morning Cal got a shave and a hair cut at the hotel salon.  He couldn’t do much about the weight but that might change with diet and exercise.  He envied Terry.  He was trim and powerful, like a South American jaguar.  Cal had never much worried about his appearance until now.  He didn’t want to embarrass Terry.

As he looked at himself in the mirror he saw Terry looking back, almost. 

Chapter Two

Mr. Ramos called Terry.  The kidnappers had contacted him via express mail and gave him directions on where to find further instructions.  When Terry got the call he and Cal had been going over how Terry handled negotiations, step by step, so Cal would understand what was transpiring.

Terry left the hotel to pick up the instructions that were left at a library in a particular book.  Cal waited for Terry in his room.  He was going to go with him but he was late in sending his next column and Terry said he would fill him in on anything out of the ordinary.

As Cal was finishing his report there was a knock on the door.  Cal should have looked through the door hole as Terry had cautioned him to do, but he was still into his story to Cam and didn’t bother, thinking it was Terry returned from the library.  As he opened the door he was shoved very hard and knocked to the floor.  Four men grabbed him and when he fought them he was clubbed unconscious.  They picked him up and made for the service elevator at the end of the hall.  The security guard assigned to watch the hotel’s cameras had taken a moment to get some coffee.  No one saw what happened and no one called the police until Terry arrived back at the hotel.

Terry knew something was wrong.  Cal’s door was open and the room showed signs of a scuffle.  Cal was nowhere around.  He checked with the desk downstairs and they had no idea were he might be.  After bullying the staff, Terry was allowed to check the security cameras on their floor.  Just as Terry thought, he watched as four men forced open Cal’s door and moments later carried an unconscious Cal out of his room.

The police arrived 45 minutes after Terry called them.  As was expected, they offered little in the way of help.  Terry contacted Dino and asked that he join him in Tecala.  Explanations could wait until he arrived.

Cal awoke in a dark room, his hands and legs bound and tape over his mouth. He recalled being rushed by several men in his room, but nothing afterward.  His head buzzed and he felt like vomiting.  With his mouth taped shut that could prove fatal.  He lay quietly, trying to calm his stomach and head.  He could hear sounds but couldn’t make out words.  Eventually he fell asleep.

Terry couldn’t believe the turn of fate.  Why Cal was taken inside of a hotel room was beyond him.  That wasn’t the way ELT usually worked.  They would swoop down on unsuspecting groups of people and sort out who was worth ransom and who wasn’t.  Unfortunately, a by-product of this action was slavery.  ELT had taken to selling the women who weren’t wealthy enough to pay ransom to other organizations in South America for use in brothels.  The men would be sent to other countries as miners or other slave labor.  But to pointedly pick out a victim was not their style, unless Cal was targeted for a reason.  The fact that he was a journalist might be the reason.  They may not want him educating the world on their operation, although it had been done before.

Dino arrived early the next morning and Terry picked him up at the airport.

“Terry, my friend, you look like shit!”  Dino hadn’t seen Terry Thorne look this bad since he came home from Tecala after rescuing Peter Bowman.  That was the last negotiation they had done before forming T & D Enterprises and it was not just a negotiation it was an extraction.

In a room next to where Cal was being held three men were discussing his eventual fate.  One man held the picture of Terry and Dino that Dino had sent to Cal’s phone.  Cal had a hard copy made at the hotel’s courtesy shop.  It was in his pocket when they took him.  On the back he had written Tecala 2000.

Arturo Fernandez was tall with a ‘former weight lifter’s gone-to-seed look.  His mustached face was feral.  He stood looking at the picture, pointed to Terry and asked, “This is the man you have in the next room?”

“Yes, he’s a reporter for a large newspaper in Washington D.C.  We should get a good price for him.  His name is Cal McAffrey.”

“You fool!  This isn’t some reporter!  You took the wrong person.  This is Terry Thorne.  He’s a negotiator and mercenary.  I know.  He ruined a negotiation scam I was handling ten years ago.  He and his partner Dino O’Brian are well known in the K & R business.  They own T & D Enterprises.  Dino and I have had our run-ins before as well.  They are not people to be trifled with. Kill him and leave him where he can be found.  In fact, we’ll pin a note to Dino on him.  It will say, “Don’t come back to Tecala.”

“No!  I’m telling you that he was in McAffrey’s room.  My sister delivers packages to the hotel.  She checked the register while the desk clerk went to make a call.  Besides, my benefactor in Washington doesn’t want the reporter killed, only ransomed.  If he is found dead while reporting about hostage negotiations, it may invite even more problems from Washington.  Having Mrs. Gainor is problem enough.”

Arturo was near apoplexy.  “I’m telling you that isn’t some reporter.  It’s Terry Thorne!”

Cal could just make out the conversation since it was so loud.  He wasn’t sure if he should feign being Terry or just admit he was the ‘reporter’.

“Okay, if it is Mr. Thorne, we’ll ransom him.  You say they own a ransom business?  Then they will pay to get him back.  In the meantime, I must find out what happened to the reporter.”

Back at the hotel, Terry had just finished telling Dino about Cal’s probable relationship to him and the importance in getting him back.  He wanted Dino to take over the Ramos negotiations while he handled Cal’s.  He was certain that they would contact the hotel regarding his ransom.

“Terry, I realize how you must feel, finding a brother you didn’t know existed, but you cannot handle the negotiations.  You’re too involved.  Let me do it.  You stay with the Ramos’.”

“He’s my brother, Dino.”

“I know how important this is, but you above all people know that a relative can’t handle negotiations.  It’s like a doctor doing surgery on family.  It can’t happen.”

“I know what you’re saying but I have to make sure he is released.  You have no idea what it’s like to all of a sudden have someone who is so much like you when you were alone before.  Dino, we look alike.  He’s a little heavier and has a bit more of a paunch but the face is the same.  In fact he cut his hair and shaved just so we could see how much we resemble each other.  If it weren’t for his extra weight I doubt you would know which of us was me.”

Dino thought about that.  “I wonder if that had anything to do with him being taken.  We’ve ruffled a few feathers down here.  Maybe they thought he was you.”

Terry nodded.  “I thought of that, too.  Or it may be it’s because he’s a reporter and he’s reporting about what’s going on down here.  It isn’t the first time, but with Senator Gainor’s wife being kidnapped there is a lot more interest in it now.”

“I was wondering if you heard about it in Merry Ole England.”

“We heard.  Who’s handling negotiations?”

“The State Department, some ham-handed fool who is no doubt unfamiliar with this kind of kidnapping.”

 Terry snorted and shook his head.  “Shit, Dino, she’ll come home in a box.”

“Maybe.  But I’m adamant about handling Cal’s negotiations.  You know my record. You know I’ll get him back if it’s possible.  You need to trust me to do this.”

Terry leaned forward and put his face in his hands.  For a moment he just stayed that way.  Then he rubbed his face and said, “I don’t doubt you, Dino.  How could I?  I’ve put my life in your hands before and you never let me down.  I know you would do what needed to be done.  But if it doesn’t work out, what then?  You wouldn’t forgive yourself.”

“Would you, Terry?”

“No.”

Cal was hauled up and carried into the next room where they sat him in a chair.  Although Arturo wanted him dead the other two men didn’t, so he chose to become Terry Thorne.  At least Terry Thorne could cover the ransom. The Globe might not want to cover it since they didn’t have K& R insurance, or at least Cal didn’t think they did.  He had heard something about Senator Gainor’s wife as well and was hoping to find out more.

Arturo Fernandez stepped up and punched Cal in the ribs.  All the air rushed out of his lungs and Cal fought to regain his breath.

“Now that you own your own company, you’ve gotten soft, Thorne.  Where’s that piece of shit partner of yours?  I’d love to give him a present as well.”

Arturo knew full well that his victim couldn’t talk.  “What do you know about Cal McAffrey?  He’s a reporter from Washington.”

Cal just shook his head and continued to concentrate on breathing.  Arturo hit him again, this time to the temple.  Cal lost consciousness and the man who kidnapped him shouted, “I told you, don’t kill him!  I will take him to our camp now.”

Cal woke up to the jostling of a moving vehicle.  It was dark and cramped.  He could barely breathe.  There were fumes from the exhaust invading his little space.  His head hurt and he needed to pee.

After what seemed like hours, the vehicle stopped and he heard doors open and close.  The trunk was opened and sweet, fresh, cool air was suddenly all around him.  Cal was nearly catatonic from the exhaust fumes and the change immediately began to revive him.  He was hauled out of the trunk and the tape binding his legs was cut off.  They dragged him into a small shack and dumped him on the floor.

Between the fumes and the cramped space, Cal was not functioning well.  He had lost much of the feeling in his lower legs from the tape being so tight and his shoulders hurt from his arms being bound behind him.  He lay on the floor waiting to see what was next while he concentrated on becoming functional again.

Two men walked in and the taller one came to look closely at Cal.  He was dressed in a good suit and had that sophisticated, patrician attitude.  His hair was balding on the top and he was soft in the middle.  “Mr. Thorne…Tio.  We have negotiated together before.  Do you remember?  You threatened to expose me to the military when negotiations for Peter Bowman stopped.  I should have you killed and left in the jungle.  No amount of money is worth my being exposed.”

The man spoke with a slight lisp and if he were in other circumstances Cal would have had to fight to keep himself from snickering.

Cal wasn’t physically much better than when he arrived, but at least his head had cleared considerably since leaving the car.  He remembered Terry telling him about Dr. Frederico De Carnedas… ‘Marco’. 

“I didn’t turn you in then. What makes you think I’d do it now?”  It wasn’t easy to approximate Terry’s Aussie accent, but Cal hoped it was good enough to fool Marco. 

Marco crouched down.  “Perhaps you did not before, because you didn’t want any light shed on your affair with Mrs. Bowman.  Oh, yes, I knew about that.  I thought once I stopped answering your calls, you and Mrs. Bowman would consider yourselves lucky.  The husband out of the way would give you what you wanted…each other.  But no, you were too honorable to let him die so you could have his wife.  That kind of thinking is dangerous, to you and to us.”  He thought a moment. “I will give this consideration before making a decision.  We will send a ransom request and start negotiations then I will see if the money we anticipate is worth your life. Pray, Tio, that I am greedy enough to allow you to live.”  He turned to the other man. “Make sure he is watched carefully.  He’s capable of creating a great deal of trouble for us.  If he becomes a liability…kill him.”

Back at the Washington Globe Della was just entering Cam’s office.  “You wanted to see me?”

Cam liked Della.  She was young, pretty and intelligent.  Her relationship with Cal was somewhat of a puzzle for her, though.  Cam was attracted to Cal’s boyish ways and sense of humor, but Della was far too young for him and she couldn’t see them being anything but friends…she hoped.  She did know that they had become nearly inseparable when working on any story that they had in common.

“Della, yes, I needed to talk to you.  I will be making an announcement to the rest of the staff in a few minutes, but I wanted to speak with you first.” She hesitated, “You see...Cal has been kidnapped in Tecala.  I only just got off the phone with the negotiator he went with.  They specifically targeted him…took him from his room at the Hilton.  Anyway, I thought you should know first.  I know how close you’ve become.”

Della stood there in shock.  “I told him not to go.  You shouldn’t have sent him.  It’s dangerous there. You knew that!  What if they kill him?  Is that what you want?  You could sell some papers with that story, right?”

Cam felt the lash of her words like a whip.  She didn’t say anything that Cam hadn’t already asked herself.  “Were you sleeping with him?”

“WHAT?  Don’t you dare try to deflect your responsibility by accusing me of having an affair with Cal.  He and I are friends…nothing more.  But I’ll tell you this, if Cal doesn’t come home, I’ll write a story the like of which you will never live down!”

With tears running down her face she turned and stormed out of Cam’s office.

“Christ, Dino, we never even got the chance to make contact with her kidnappers. 

“Terry, I think you should go to New York and handle operations there for the time being.”  Terry and Dino had just returned from the hospital where they met with Mr. Ramos.  His wife had been taken to the emergency room by her kidnappers and dropped at the entrance.  She was found there unconscious.  The emergency room staff treated her but, unfortunately, they were too late.  Mr. Ramos was devastated and Terry was upset as well.

“No.  I’m staying here.”  Dino and Terry were sitting in the hotel lounge having a drink.  They both needed one.

“You’ll only muddy the waters if you do.”  He thought a moment. “Stay until the ransom contact has been made.  Then I need you to go.”

Terry was about to retort when they both heard, “Excuse me, I’m looking for Terry Thorne.  I was told that one of you is him.”

Della smiled at Dino as they stood, but when Terry turned around to face her, the smile froze and she threw herself into his arms.  “Cal! They told me you were kidnapped!  I’m so glad you’re okay!”  She pulled back and looked at him. “You cut your hair!  And what happened to your beard?  You…you…you aren’t Cal McAffrey!” 

Terry smiled, “No, I’m Terry Thorne.”

Della stepped back.  “I’m sorry.  You look like Cal and I guess I was hoping you were.”  Della couldn’t tell the difference in their faces but with her arms around Terry her body told her it wasn’t the same man she knew.  Cal was soft in the middle, Terry was rock hard.

Dino glanced at Terry, “So who are you and why are you here?”

“I’m Della Frye from The Washington Globe.  Cal and I are friends.  I came to see if I could help.  I thought if nothing else, I could cover his story.”

Terry groaned and Dino growled.  “You can help by going back to Washington.”

“Sir, you have the advantage of me, but since Terry Thorne was here with Dino O’Brian I would assume you to be him?”  Della could put a definite edge on her words, too.

Dino ignored the attempt at an introduction and went straight to the juggler.  “Miss, I don’t care if you’re the President of Tecala.  We don’t want or need you here.  GO HOME!  We have enough to worry about without worrying about you.”

“You don’t have to worry about me. I can take care of myself!”

Dino advanced on her and she backed up.  “Oh, really!  If you’re kidnapped, let me tell you what they’ll do to a sweet, pretty, young woman like you.”

“Dino, that’s enough!”

He looked at Terry.  “No, she needs to fully understand what we are dealing with.”  He turned back to Della. “When they take a group of people and they find out that the women don’t have K&R insurance, or aren’t wealthy enough to pay a reasonable ransom, they sell them to brothels.  Is that what you want for the rest of your life, servicing men in any way they want?  To be treated like chattel?  And when you’re no longer young and pretty, they dump you into the street to fend for yourself.  By that time it’s too late for dreams or promises of a good life.  Think about it!”

“I understand the danger.”

“That’s what Cal said.  Look what it got him!”

Chapter Three

Neither Dino nor Terry could dissuade Della from staying.  For a sweet looking city girl, she had grit and guts.  That’s what Dino was afraid of.  He was worried that she might look for more than just their story and become a victim like Cal.  Because of this, Dino insisted that they all stay together once the ransom demand came.

Terry checked the local house listings and was amused to find that the “Scorpion House” was available for rent.  He called and made arraignments for them to move in immediately.  Security was good there and he knew Della would be more comfortable in a house instead of the hotel.  Alice had been right.  The rent was ridiculously low.

The hotel desk was advised of their new phone number and instructed to let them know if a ransom contact arrived.  It came that night but it was sent to the New York office via FedEx and Joe Trumble called Dino with the news.  He had no idea that Terry had been kidnapped and he badgered Dino because of it.

“Goddamn Dino, why didn’t you tell me Terry had been taken?  You should have given me a heads up!”

“Calm down, Joe. Terry’s all right.  They took someone else they think is Terry.”

“Well, you could have fooled me.  They have a picture of a guy that looks just like Terry.  He’s beat up some and raggedy and dirty, the usual stuff.  But I can see why they got the wrong guy. I would have made the same mistake.”

“Look, just send me whatever you got, via fax.  Terry and I will be staying down here for the duration of negotiations.  Let London know that if a problem comes up you and Kyle Tyler will have to work it out.”  Kyle was Terry’s right hand man in the London Office.  Both Kyle and Joe were top negotiators and good business men.  They could run the operations indefinitely without Terry or Dino.

Dino hung up and turned to Terry. “Well, at least we know the kidnappers think Cal is you.”

“That doesn’t make me feel any better.  I have people here who would love to get paybacks.”

“Like who, Terry?”

Della had walked in at the end of the conversation.  She had drinks for all of them.

“Arturo Fernandez, for one.  He was in the process of conning Alice Bowman out of $50,000 on the pretense of negotiating with her husband’s kidnappers.  Only he wasn’t.  He worked for Octinol and knew the situation.  He was recommended to Alice by the same bastard that left her husband without K & R coverage.  She had no one to turn to and went along with him. Dino and I arrived right in the middle of them packaging up the money and threw them out of the house.  Fifty thousand dollars will go along way down here and I’m sure he hasn’t forgotten the loss.”

She nodded thoughtfully.  “Anyone else?”

Dino and Terry said the name simultaneously, “Marco.”

Dino took the conversation.  “Marco was his contact name.  He’s really a well respected physician by day and a negotiator for ELT by night.  When things started going wrong ten years ago ELT decided to put their negotiations on hold.  Terry and I both had victims we were negotiating for when everything came to a stand still.  No word, no nothing.  That’s when we caught a break.  Peter Bowman and Eric Kessler escaped and ran.  Eric made it out but Peter didn’t.  At first, we though he was dead, but without proof Terry wasn’t willing to let go.  Peter had sketched a map in Kessler’s Bible and Kessler had it with him when he finally made it out.  We used that map to find and free both Bowman and my man, Calitri.  However, Terry made personal contact with Marco before Kessler made it out.  One of his house servants was the mother of one of the Bowman’s servants.  Cinta heard Marco on the radio and recognized his voice.  She told Terry who he was and Terry cornered him at a state function.  He wasn’t pleased that Terry knew he was Marco and I’m sure he still isn’t.”

Della chewed her lip and looked at Terry. They had already spoken about the probability that he and Cal were identical twins and Della had to agree.  Now, though, she wished he wasn’t.  “Being you could get Cal killed.  Being himself could end up sending him to a slave camp.  Cam told me The Globe wouldn’t pay the high fee for K&R insurance.”

“Did she tell you that before or after you quit your job?”

“That was when I told her I was coming here and would work Cal’s story.  She told me I couldn’t go and I told her I was going with or without her blessing.  She said if I did I could consider myself fired.  I quit and that’s when she came clean.  I can’t believe they sent him here without insurance.  The whole story is about kidnapping and ransom, for God’s sake. She and the owners knew better.  Damn them! We have to find him or pay the ransom ourselves.”

Dino immediately assured her the ransom would be paid.  T & D enterprises would pick up the cost.

Cal was certain that one of his ribs was either cracked or broken.  He labored to walk the jungle path that led further and further up the mountain.  At times he would stumble and his guards showed no mercy.  They poked and prodded him, urging him on.  They had been walking for three days.  It seemed to him that they should have made it to Bolivia by now.  He hurt everywhere.

That night he lay down on some ferns and contemplated his possible fate.  Because they thought he was Terry Thorne they watched him like a hawk.  Even if they hadn’t, he would never try an escape.  He had no idea where he was and his current physical condition wouldn’t get him ten feet without being recaptured.  He only hoped Terry would not give up on him.  Too bad he didn’t have his laptop.  He could write a pretty good first person during this time. 

Two weeks later they walked into a camp.  There were several wooden buildings with thatch roofs.  They brought him into one of the buildings and sat him on a wooden chair in front of someone who seemed to be in charge.

The man was dark with thick black hair and ebony eyes.  He looked to be on the short side with heavily muscled arms and a barrel chest.  When he stood up Cal could see he was right.  The man was short and squat.  Cal only hoped he didn’t have a Napoleon complex. 

“So, you are a negotiator.  How will you negotiate your release if you are the captive?” 

Cal could smell him from across the five feet that separated them. He had green teeth and dirty clothes.   It amused Cal to think that personal hygiene was still important.  Look at himself; he was filthy.  He hadn’t had a bath since they took him.  He had on the same clothes and underwear.  He hadn’t brushed his teeth or shaved in all that time.  He fairly crawled with fleas and had removed leeches on several occasions.  The only up shot to this whole thing was the fact that he had lost weight.  He estimated that he was at least fifteen pounds lighter than three weeks ago.  His waist was much more trim and the constant walking had strengthened his lower abs.  Except for the cracked ribs, he was probably in better shape now than he was in college.

“Well, mate, I wouldn’t negotiate for myself anyway.  I imagine my family will get someone to do the job.”

Green teeth laughed.  “Your family is not involved.  We are dealing with your company, T & D Enterprises.  They know what will happen if they don’t pay what we ask.  So…enjoy your stay with us and remember…I have been given the okay to kill you if you so much as look at me wrong…understand?”

“I understand.”

“Good.”  For no reason at all Green Teeth hit his captive in the ribs, re-cracking the slowly healing bones.  Cal passed out from the pain and they dragged him to one of the small huts and dumped him on the dirt floor.

When he awoke, Cal could hardly move.  He lay there trying to decide if he could get up without puncturing a lung.  That’s how bad it hurt.  He finally managed to sit up against the stick wall of his little hut.  It was raining and he was already soaked.  The thatch roof had holes in it and there was only a small area, just large enough to lie down in, that the rain didn’t reach.

Cal could see through the gaps in the walls.  They were wide enough to put your hands through, although he wasn’t sure why he’d want to do that.  It was becoming dark and he knew it would be a long miserable night since they hadn’t given him a blanket and he hadn’t eaten since that morning.  He needed to pee and managed to do it in an area of the hut that had water sluicing down and away from where the hut was dry.  There was blood in his urine probably due to the guard urging him along with a rifle butt to the kidney.

He lay back down and tried to get comfortable.  Terry popped into his mind.  He hoped he could negotiate his release.  Cal was starting to give up.  He was mentally and physically beaten.  He never fancied himself a tough guy although he could scrap with the best of them.  He knew what Terry had gone though in SAS training and didn’t think he could do that.  He admired Terry immensely but that wasn’t him.

Cal began to shiver.  It was cool and being wet made it hard to sleep.  His empty stomach growled at him.  He thought about the chili cheeseburger and chili cheesefries he loved to eat.  Would he ever get to eat them again?  What had Della found out on the hill?  She was a smart cookie, that one.  He had to admit he loved her.  Not like a lover, like an uncle or brother.  He wondered what she thought about all this.  Did Cam give a shit?  No, that wasn’t fair.  He knew Cam liked him.  She never expected this to happen.  She wouldn’t deliberately put him in harms way just to sell a paper.  Would she?

He finally managed to fall into a pain filled, uneasy sleep that got him through the night.

They finally gave him a blanket the next day and a plastic milk carton, with the top cut off, to use as a toilet.  Pitiful as it was, it was appreciated.

The proof of life arrived in the morning mail.  Dino carefully opened the letter and handed the picture to Terry.  They hadn’t gotten a proof for nearly three weeks.  In fact Dino was starting to worry that Cal was dead and they just hadn’t told them yet.  This was a good thing.

“Jesus, Dino, he looks awful.”

“Let me see.”  Della looked over Terry’s shoulder and gasped.  “Oh, Cal!”  Tears sprang to her eyes.  “He’s emaciated.  Aren’t they feeding him?”

“No, Della, he isn’t emaciated.  He’s definitely lost weight, but he’s not underweight.  The fact that he started off heavier was in his favor in this situation.”

Della didn’t immediately notice the black and blue marks on his wrists and the way he stood.  Terry looked at Dino and Dino understood.  “Della, Terry and I need to go over the picture and make notes.  I’d really appreciate it if you’d leave us alone while we do it.”

Della looked at Dino.  “What is it that you don’t want me to see?”

“We just need some privacy…”

She stared at him for a minute and in a low voice said, “Do not treat me like a child.  I don’t need to be protected and I need to know for my article.”

“Della…”

“Stop it, Dino!  I need to know what you know.  We’re wasting time arguing.”

Dino shook his head.  “Okay, Della.  Terry, let me have the picture.  I’ll say what I see and you tell me if you see anything more or different.  He’s lost weight, that’s obvious.  It could be from walking so far and they probably aren’t over feeding him.”  Dino entered the observation in his laptop.  “He has bruises and deep bloody scrape marks on his wrists that indicate he has been tied or manacled for a long period of time.  That’s probably more because they think he’s you and you’d try to escape.”  Again Dino entered the information into his laptop.  “He has the remnants of an injury to the side of his head in the temple area.  A cut across his upper cheek indicates the person who hit him had on a ring.”  This went on as Dino analyzed everything in the picture.  He mentioned that Cal was standing, slightly holding his ribcage, while holding up the current paper.  There was a hut behind and to Cal’s left.  He was filthy and had black smudges under both eyes.  He looked incredibly tired, perhaps even sick.

Terry offered his input.  There was something in the picture that might tell them where he was.  A shadow, barely detectable, in the clouds looked like a plane, a large commercial plane.  That could mean that wherever Cal was, he was near the flight path of commercial airlines either entering or leaving Tecala.  It wasn’t much to go on but it was a start.

Terry turned to Della.  “You understand that you absolutely cannot print this.  This information is our only link to where Cal may be.  If we can’t negotiate him out and we have to go in for him, no one can know what we do.”

“I understand.”

Three weeks went slowly by and Cal was completely isolated.  His guards didn’t speak to him and he wasn’t allowed to exercise with their other two captives.  He could see them through the gaps in his hut, across the camp near an open field, a boy maybe sixteen, nearly a young man and a woman.  He couldn’t tell her age but there was something about her walk and attitude.  It reminded him of Anne Collins.

He sat and shivered with fever.  He was miserable.  The only bright spot in his life was one of the young girls in camp.  She had taken to him for some reason and on occasion brought him meat, usually chicken, passing it through to him at the back of his hut.  She obviously didn’t want to be seen by anyone in camp.  He had tried to thank her and talk with her but she apparently didn’t know English and his Spanish was terrible.  But she smiled when she came and it gave him encouragement.  She never stayed long but she seemed to be concerned for him.  Her name was Anna and she would always reach through the gap and touch his head to see if he had fever.  Apparently it was not unusual for their captives to get sick.  Maybe she was just making sure he wasn’t getting too sick.  Maybe he was just a commodity that had to be looked after.

No!  He had to believe that she was a friend.  He needed a friend and she brought him meat.  She risked herself to do it.  Only a friend would do that.

When they finally allowed him time on the field for exercise the woman and boy were already back in their respective huts.  His ribs were still sore but at least he could breathe easier and when he lay down it wasn’t uncomfortable.  It felt good to get out of the hut even though he was sick.  He felt free.  He could tolerate dying right here, right now, as long as it wasn’t in that hut.  Out here under the sky with sunshine and a light breeze he could die and blow away.

“Damn, McAffrey!  What’s that all about?”  He chided himself for giving up so easily. 

“Dino, I don’t like this.  They don’t intend to get him back to us.”  They had just ended radio contact with the negotiator.  His demands didn’t ring true to the traditional rhetoric.

“I feel that too, Terry. We may not be dealing with ELT.  This whole thing has been off key since the beginning.  Maybe we should negotiate in a different way.”

“How’s that, mate?”

“I think you should look up your old friend Marco while I wine and dine Arturo.  They may not know where Cal is but I’ll bet they know someone who does.”

Terry stood thinking it through.  “Maybe, but, Dino, if we overplay our hand they’re liable to kill him for spite.”

“That’s why we need to give them an incentive to bargain with us.”

“And what is that?”

“The new president of Tecala is a devout ELT hater.  He wants them to go away big time. Now if we could convince Arturo and Marco that we would keep their secret and leave Tecala permanently, they might be persuaded to  give Cal up.  If not, then we follow the lead we got from Joseph about the camp he thinks is the one Cal is being kept in.”  Joseph was a long time friend and had helped them in the past when they worked in Tecala.

“Dino, if I show up at Marco’s place he’ll know they have Cal not me.  What happens then?”

“I don’t know, Terry.  All I know is…after that conversation, Cal is never coming back.  We have to be proactive or forget Cal McAffrey.”

“Oh, no, you don’t!” Della walked in on the last part. “You’re not leaving him to those animals!”

“Calm down, Della.  We aren’t leaving Cal.  But you are leaving Tecala.  Whatever you have already written is all you’re going to get.”

“I’m not leaving.”

Dino walked over to her.  He spoke quietly. “Della, we need you to leave.  Once our plan is put into play we won’t have time to fool around packing up.  We will have to be on a plane out of Tecala with Cal ten minutes later.  We can’t wait and I don’t want to have to worry about these scum taking you while we’re gone on our mission.  If you want to help Cal, get your things together and go home.  Please.”

As much as it galled her, Della knew Dino was right. She didn’t say anything, just nodded her assent and walked out. 

Chapter Four

“Pssst!  Hey, wake up!”

Cal slowly came out of a fever stupor when he heard the urgent whisper.  He had been sick for over a week and was getting worse.  The beating he’d taken for walking over to one of the other huts while his guard was distracted hadn’t helped.  He was a mass of bruises and cuts.  Green Teeth had again expressed the fact that Cal was expendable.

“Hey, mister!  Wake up!”

Slowly Cal rolled over to listen to the young man crouching next to the wall of his hut.  It was late night but guards were still wandering the perimeter. “Who…Who are you and what are you doing here?” he whispered.  "If they find you here they’ll beat you or worse.”

“Shhh.  My name’s Tony Carlyle.  I think we have a chance to escape.  I know how to get out of my hut whenever I want to.  I’m going to leave tomorrow night.  I need you to come with me.  The lady that’s in the other hut is coming, too.  I overheard them talking. They don’t know I know Spanish.  One of the guards said they’re waiting for word from someone higher up to kill all three of us.  Now I figure since you’re a negotiator and ex-SAS you could help us get out of here.”

Cal shook his head.  “Son, I’m not a negotiator and I’ve never been in SAS.  I’m a journalist for The Washington Globe.  They took me thinking I was my brother.  I’m sorry, I wish I could help you.” As an afterthought he asked, “What’s the lady’s name?”

“Laura Gainor.”

Cal couldn’t believe what he heard.  “You mean the senator’s wife?”

“I don’t know what he is but he’s a big wig in Washington.  Mister, we gotta get outa here.  Are you with us or not?”

“Look, if you and Mrs. Gainor can make a break then leave without me.  I’ll try to do what I can to distract them.  I’m too sick to run.  I’d only hold you back.  Make sure you have water and food and warm clothes. You’ll need them.”  Cal coughed for the hundredth time and was rewarded with blood in his sputum.  He was really afraid that he wouldn’t die in the open.  Maybe he should escape in the other direction.  That would give Tony and Mrs. Gainor some time to get away.  If he died somewhere in the jungle at least he wouldn’t be closed up in a filthy hut.

As Tony started to leave Cal called him back.  “Which direction will you go?”

“West.”  Since he looked confused, Tony said, “Directly to your left when you walk out.”

“Okay, kid.  If you’ll just unlock my door before you leave I’ll draw them away to the east if the alarm is raised, otherwise I’ll wait an hour before I leave. That way you’ll have at least an hour head start if they don’t go after me.  Do me a favor?  If you make it to civilization, call T & D Enterprises in New York and let them know what happened.”

Tony nodded and slipped away. Cal thought through the conversation then fell asleep.  Tomorrow would be a long day and tomorrow night would be even longer.

Terry stood in the reception room of Dr. Carnedas’ office.  He spoke to the receptionist in Spanish and explained that he was Cal McAffrey and had an appointment with the doctor.  He paid the initial fee and she had another woman take him back to one of the examination rooms.  He was told to strip and put on the paper drape and wait for the doctor.

When ‘Marco’ finally arrived Terry sat with his head down.  He, of course, had not stripped as instructed and Dr. Carnedas questioned him.  “Excuse me, but weren’t you told to strip?”

Terry raised his head and Marco stared at him.  “How did you escape?  Who is Cal McAffrey?”

Terry grinned, “Hello Marco.  I didn’t escape. The man your friends took was Cal McAffre, a reporter.  I want to know where he is and I want him back…alive.”

“How would I know where he is?  I don’t negotiate anymore.”

“No, maybe you don’t, but I don’t think for one minute that you are not still involved.  Now, you get him back to me alive and I will leave Tecala permanently and I will keep your secret like I did before.  If you don’t, I can promise that a letter with one of the tapes from 10 years ago will be mailed by a friend of mine to the presidential palace’s security chief.  We both know he hates ELT as much as the new president.”

“I’m no longer involved with ELT!”

“Do you think they’ll believe that ?”

Dino was on the other side of town just entering a tall modern building.  He walked up to the security desk and smiled at the pretty woman sitting there. “My name is Dino O’Brian and I would like to speak with Arturo Fernandez.”

She smiled back at him and said, “One moment please.”  She made a call and once finished, she said, “He will be with you in a moment, Mr. O’Brian.”

Dino watched as Arturo strode into the lobby from an office off to the side. He wasn’t happy, that was evident.  So Dino decided to help him feel even less happy.

“What are you doing here?”

“Oh, come on, Arturo.  I thought you’d be happy to see me, being how we’re such old friends and all.” Dino never stopped smiling.

“Come with me.”

Dino walked a short way with him then stopped.  Arturo turned around.  “Well, you want to talk.  Come to my office.”

“No, what I have to say can be said right here.  You see I have a friend, Terry Thorne. You remember him?”

“I remember him. He took my money with your help.”

“It was Alice Bowman’s money and you, you piece of shit, were using her unfortunate situation to con her out of it.  That aside, Terry was kidnapped and I’ve been negotiating for his release.  However, I have the feeling that they aren’t going to let him go at any price.  I need your help.”

“Even if I wanted to, and I don’t, what could I do?  I don’t negotiate and I don’t deal with ELT.”

“Really?  I guess I was misinformed.  You see I have $250,000 and I can either give it to someone who would help me or I could keep it and use it to destroy anyone who was involved in the kidnapping.  I have video tapes of the men who took my friend and I know for certain that at least three of them are good friends of yours.  Now I hate to bring up past situations, but I think I could link you with, if not ELT, at least a small crime organization who specializes in extortion and grand theft.  I’m pretty sure that the police would appreciate the fact that they have evidence and motive.  Face it, Arturo, the best thing you can do is help me get my friend back.  Once I have him I’ll leave Tecala and never return.  You get $250,000 and any evidence I have.  It’s a good deal. Take it.”

“I will have to see if anyone I know has any information.”

Dino handed him a card. “Here, my number is on the back. Call me when you know anything.”  With that Dino turned and walked out.

Joseph sat at a telephone junction in the basement of the same building.  His equipment was clipped to Arturo’s telephone line. He waited to see if Arturo would make a call to anyone and he did.  It was one of his longtime associates, Carlos Alvarez, who was currently at the camp. He told him that if he could bring the one called Terry Thorne out before Marco ordered him killed, he would split the fee of $100,000.  His associate said he would, but how was he supposed to get Thorne out?    He was already sick and they hadn’t tried to help him since they anticipated his death anyway.  Besides, what if Marco found out they were cutting him out?  Arturo told him to explain to Thorne that he would lead him to a waiting helicopter.  If anyone found them together, Carlos could pretend that he had captured him. Otherwise  no one would ever know Carlos was involved.  They both agreed and hung up, eager to get their respective jobs done. Joseph recorded the conversation and left the building.

Chapter Five

“Mister Thorne.  Pssst, Mister Thorne.”

“I hear you, Tony.”

“Your door is unlocked. We’re leaving now.  Are you sure you don’t want to come with us?”

“N…n…n…o, I’m too sick.  Be c…careful and good l…luck.”  Cal could hardly talk he was shaking so badly.  He waited until Tony and Mrs. Gainor silently moved away.  The half moon gave enough light to see fairly well, yet made the shadows even deeper.  He sincerely hoped they wouldn’t be caught.  Green Teeth wouldn’t think twice about torturing them before killing them.  He had a sadistic streak a mile wide. 

Cal waited for what he reckoned was at least an hour.  He was glad the alarm hadn’t been raised.  It meant that they got away, at least so far.  Slowly he got to his feet.  He wasn’t sure how far he could walk but he’d be damned if he’d stay in that prison cell any longer.  He didn’t even care if they caught him leaving.  He’d run and let them shoot him.  At least he hoped they would.

Cal stuck to the shadows and headed to the path that led down to the river.  He had wanted to go there before and maybe take a bath and wash his clothes, but Green Teeth would never allow it.  He wanted Cal to suffer as many indignities as possible.  Cal walked right though the perimeter without sighting the guards.  Perhaps they were asleep under a tree somewhere.  Green Teeth wouldn’t be happy if he found out. 

As he came to a turn in the path, he could hear noises.  There in the moonlight he could see little Anna struggling with one of the guards.  He had her on the ground and was obviously trying to rape her.  As sick as he was Cal was on the guard like a flash.  He hit him in the back of the neck as hard as he could and he watched as the man crumpled.   Anna was sobbing as Cal pulled her from under her assailant.  He wrapped his arms around her and rubbed her back while quietly trying to reassure her that it was over.  She was safe.

Safe?  Not hardly.  Cal let the girl go long enough to search the guard for a pulse.  He was dead, apparently from a broken neck.  Cal grabbed his gun and knife as well as extra rounds of ammunition.  He motioned to Anna to go back to camp but she shook her head ‘no’.  She wasn’t about to go back.  That’s when it hit Cal.  This young woman was more than likely one of the unfortunate women who was kidnapped then used as a prostitute.  If this was the case then he understood why she didn’t want to stay.

Suddenly Cal had a reason to live.  He had to help Anna.  He grabbed her hand and pulled her along down to the river. They walked beyond the turn to the path that led to the river’s small beach.  Cal wasn’t sure where this main path led but then he had no idea where they were going either.  He stumbled and staggered.  If it weren’t for Anna he would have simply sat down and waited for the guards to find him.  As it was she put her arm around his waist and tried to help him walk.

He noticed lights in the sky moving from their right to their left.  It must be an airliner, making an approach, considering how low it was. Maybe Tony had seen that before and was betting that the main airport was to the west.  It made sense. He only hoped that Tony and Mrs. Gainor had enough food and water to get them out of the jungle and to someone who could help them.  He and Anna had nothing, not even a container to put water in.  He felt completely helpless.

What would Terry do?  He’d have to go back to camp.  Terry would agree that they might find something to eat (fruit perhaps since Cal wasn’t much of a hunter) but without water they would dehydrate quickly.  So, Cal found a tight clump of brush and indicated that Anna should hide in there while he went back.  It was obvious that she didn’t want to, but did what he asked. 

Terry and Dino met back at the house.  It seemed a little dull without Della there.  She added a bit of youth and sparkle to the place.

Dino arrived first and waited for Terry to walk in.  “Joseph called and Arturo is making arrangements for a helicopter to lift Cal out from somewhere near the camp.   There aren’t too many places that rent helos so Joseph is pretty sure he can find out which one they are using and maybe get a destination.  How about you?  How did it go with Marco?”

“He insists that he is no longer with ELT and I believe him.  I think he’s gone independent.”

“Well, according to Joseph, Arturo and Marco are in cahoots.  In fact I offered Arturo $250,000 to help me.  When he called his friend he made it sound as though the total payout was $100,000 and he would share half with him.  He’s cut Marco out completely, so he’s screwing everyone.  I think once we get Cal back we should share some of this info with his friends.”

Cal wasn’t sure he could make it back to the camp.  He was walking up hill and it was all he could do to keep from dropping to his knees.  He kept telling himself that he had to do it for Anna.  Once he reached the point where the guards considered it the perimeter, it was just a matter of staying in the shadows.  At least he wasn’t moving up hill anymore.  He moved as quietly as possible toward the main hut where the mess hall was.  He hoped to snag a plastic bottle or two.  There might even be food available that he could steal.

There was no one in the mess hall but there were several plastic bottles in the garbage.  He didn’t take the time to wash them, they could do that at the river.  He grabbed them and put them in a plastic bag he found in the cabinet.  There were tortillas and bananas and he took them all.  He didn’t dare take too long so he headed back out toward the river.

He was moving as fast as he could and as he rounded a large rubber plant he  nearly ran into two of the guards.  They had stopped to talk to one another. He ducked under some heavy leaves and sat listening for them to move on.  He was so tired and weary he almost fell asleep while he waited.  Once they left, he again moved out. 

He heard a commotion and then a loud shrieking sound.  The alarm was waking everyone in camp.  They must have discovered him gone.  He tried to cross one small clearing without being seen but he was too slow.  A gunshot and the whiz of a bullet near his head told him he was in mortal danger.  They were now after him.  He ran.

Another gunshot and he heard someone fall behind him.  He tried to keep running, but he simply couldn’t.  He couldn’t breathe and was starting to cough.  Finally he stopped.  He turned as he did and tried to raise the rifle to shoot whomever it was that was after him.  However, he couldn’t get it up fast enough.  The guard already had him covered.  It was Carlos.

He heard the man whisper sharply,  “Be quiet!  Try to cover your cough and follow me.  I’m here to help you escape.”  In Spanish, he heard him shout something about the fugitive running to the south.  He motioned Cal to follow as he headed to the north. Clouds were rapidly covering the moonlight and it was becoming more difficult to see. 

Cal didn’t want to follow this guard even though he said he wanted to help.  In the first place they weren’t going back to where Anna was and Cal was not leaving without her.  He stopped again.

Carlos turned around and came back.  “What are you doing?  You want to get us both killed?  There’s a helicopter waiting for you to the north. We must get to it.”

Cal shook his head.  “There’s a girl we have to take.  I left her down near the river.  I’m not leaving without her.”

“Who is this girl?’

“Anna.”

“I’m not risking my life to save a whore.  Now come on!”

“No.”

Carlos was already taking the chance that they would realize he was helping the escapee.  If they did he was as good as dead himself.  He couldn’t afford to argue with the man.  Arturo wouldn’t be pleased that Thorne was dead, but he had to protect himself.  He pointed the rifle directly at Thorne’s chest and started to pull the trigger.

It never happened.  Anna stepped from the shadows with a knife in her hand. She never hesitated, she plunged it into Cal’s would-be assassin’s side.  He grunted and fell.

Anna dropped the knife and hugged Cal. 

Dino’s cell began vibrating.  “Yeah?”  He listened while Joseph filled him in.  “Okay.  We’ll be there in fifteen minutes.”

Dino smiled, “The chopper they rented belongs to Joseph’s cousin.  He said only Cal will be lifted.  The guard that is escorting him will return to the camp so no one knows he was involved.  His cousin is more than happy to allow us to ride with him.  He only asks that we not be seen by the guard.  He’s afraid of reprisals.”

“What about Arturo?  If Joseph’s cousin doesn’t come back with the goods Arturo isn’t going to be happy.”

“Hopefully, by the time Arturo finds out what happened, we’ll be long gone.  And since I intend to drop a dime on what Arturo’s been doing behind his colleague’s back, he’ll have his hands full just staying alive.”

Dino and Terry were at the small private airport waiting with Joseph’s cousin, Manny.  They were supposed to wait until Arturo called and said his man was near the landing site, then Manny would take off.  The call never came.  Dino paced and Terry worried. 

Terry finally made a decision.  “Okay.  Manny, it doesn’t look like things worked out.  I want you to drop me off at the coordinates Arturo gave you, then you come back here.  Once I make contact, I’ll call.”

“Whoa, partner.  If the guard hasn’t called, Cal probably either isn’t free or he’s dead.  We could be walking into a real shit storm.”

“I already told you, Dino, I don’t expect you to go with me.”

“Right.”  He pointed up and made circular motions with his finger.  “Manny, wind her up.”

Cal picked up Carlos’ gun and handed it to Anna.  Motioning north, he made her understand that they needed to get moving.  She needed no encouragement.  It was difficult to see.  Even the lights from the planes coming in to land had faded.  He had counted on them to show him north since they moved almost straight across from east to west.

An hour passed and Anna had stopped several times to feel Cal.  He was burning up.  To add to their plight, the search had turned back and fanned out in all directions.  Green Teeth realized early on that something was wrong with the direction they were being told the fugitives fled to.  When they came up on two of the dead guards east of camp and one more north he pretty well knew north and east were the directions to look.  It never occurred to him that all three captives hadn’t left together and he wasn’t aware that one of his slave whores was gone as well.  He instructed two of his men to alert the others who were searching south and west to begin looking north and east. 

It would be difficult to find their trail in the dark.  It would become easier once dawn broke.  He should have had dogs kept at the camp, especially with a person like Terry Thorne there.  He had thought that as long as Thorne was kept sick enough, he wouldn’t try to escape.  This wasn’t Green Teeth’s first time in underestimating his enemy.

As the helicopter moved across the jungle, the three men could see lights moving from the south. Dino pointed at them.  “Looks like someone is being chased and it looks like they may be heading toward our extraction point.”

“Well, mate, we’d best be ready. Could go loud.”

Manny spotted the open field and dropped the chopper softly to the ground. 

“Terry, I know Manny doesn’t want us seen, but I think we should flank the chopper while we wait to see who shows up.”

Terry nodded.  “Manny, we’ll stay hidden until we see what’s what.  If Arturo’s man just had a problem with his radio then we’ll wait until he’s gone to re-board.  But leaving the chopper unprotected isn’t a good idea.”  He saw worry in Manny’s eyes.  “You could take off and I could call you when it’s safe to return.”

“No, Terry.  Those lights are too close.  Those people will be here very soon.  I will wait and see what happens.”

Terry slapped him on the back, “You’re a good man, Manny.”

Cal thought he could see flashing lights up ahead, but as confused as he was at the moment, he wasn’t sure.  He was at his end.  Poor little Anna was practically carrying him.  He staggered and fell.  This time he couldn’t get up. 

Anna tried to encourage him up.  She pleaded and begged, cried and prodded.  He simply didn’t have any more strength.  His coughing had increased and Anna noticed a lot of blood.  She had seen the lights and heard the sound of a helicopter.  Perhaps that was where Terry wanted to go.

Since she couldn’t get him up and he needed help, she made the decision to try to get to whomever was on the helicopter.  She only hoped the men from the camp wouldn’t get there before she could return with help.

Terry moved to the left into the foliage and Dino to the right.  This gave them a good field of vision and a good cross-fire.

Anna was staggering herself as she made her way up the rise.  She could see the darker outline of the helicopter against the sky.  The lights were blinking like a beacon of freedom.  As she pulled herself up the last few steps,  Dino shouted to her, “Who are you and where is Terry Thorne?”  Since he wasn’t sure what language she spoke, he repeated it in Spanish.

She rapidly told him where Cal was and his condition.  He could tell she was desperate to get him help.  When he again asked who she was, she lowered her head and admitted she was just a camp whore.

“You have to come back with us, to show us where he is.”  He could see the fear in her eyes, but he also saw determination.  She nodded and started off.

Dino started after her.  “Tough little girl.” 

Terry nodded. 

They found Cal and Terry was just lifting him into a fireman’s carry when the first of the camp personnel arrived.  Dino shouted to Anna to get moving and shot the first two men that came into sight.  

It was all that Terry could do to climb with Cal hanging on him.  He was considerably lighter than when they last saw each other, but he and Terry were not small men. 

Dino watched their back and encouraged Terry to move.  The body of pursuers finally caught up with them and Dino had his hands full keeping them back.  He had the advantage being uphill but he was heavily out numbered.

Terry finally got to the chopper and laid Cal gently on the floor.  He helped Anna in and then went back to cover Dino.  With two guns from an elevated position they wreaked havoc.

“Okay, Dino, let’s go before they try to outflank us.”

Dino gave a thumbs up and dumped ten more rounds at the coming hoard before turning and running to the chopper.

Manny was ready to go and lifted the moment he was sure Terry and Dino were in.  He moved away from the fire and gained altitude quickly.  Before they knew it they were well on their way back to the city.

Dino and Terry quickly checked Cal.  Terry swore and Dino said, “Well, we're not getting on a plane with Cal like this.  Manny!  Get us to the nearest hospital.”

Anna sat and looked from Terry to Cal.  “My brother,” he said in Spanish.

She smiled and said, “He’s a good man, like his brother.”

Chapter Six

Cal spent two weeks in the hospital.  He had a severe case of pneumonia, several broken ribs, jungle rot and malnutrition.  He was told that he was lucky to be alive.

Little Anna came to see him everyday and through Terry told him that her parents were lighting candles for him.  They never thought they would see their daughter alive again and he was their hero.

Dino did as he said and informed both Marco and some of Arturo’s other friends about what a double dealing skunk he was.  Less than a week later he read about the demise of Arturo Fernandez during a drug bust.  How fitting.

Marco asked about the $250,000 and Dino flat told him to kiss off.  He hadn’t helped them and he was never offered the ransom.  The best Marco could hope for was what Terry offered him at his office.  They would keep his secret (at least until they were out of the country) and they would never return.  Tecala now was off the list of countries that T&D Enterprises would cover under a K&R contract.

They did, however, help local authorities find Tony and Mrs. Gainor before they left.  They had nearly made it out of the jungle when they were finally located.  Because of their help, Mrs. Gainor promised an exclusive interview with Cal once he was feeling better.

When Cal walked into the working area of the Washington Globe it was to a standing ovation.  Cam stood at the window of her office and watched as he was received like a conquering hero.  And, she supposed that he was.  What would he say to her?  She had effectively left him to the wolves.  It wasn’t what she wanted and she had argued with the owners, but in the end, they wouldn’t pay any ransom.  They had even gone so far as to equate it to the policy of the United States.  As if the comparison were equal.

Della had written an extremely good report and The Globe had welcomed her back.  However, her staying on depended on what Cal would ultimately do. If he left, so would she.

When Terry and Dino walked into The Globe’s lobby the lady at the desk nodded said, “I didn’t see you leave, Cal.  Who’s your guest?”

Terry and Dino both smiled.  “I’m Dino O’Brian and this is Terry Thorne.  We’re here to see Cal McAffrey.”

She looked at Terry. “You’re not Cal McAffrey?”

“No, I’m his brother.  We just found each other recently.”

“Wow!”  She dialed Cal’s number. “There are two men to see you, Dino O’Brian and your carbon copy, Terry Thorne.”

Cal laughed, “I’ll be right up.  Do me a favor and make badges for them.  I want to show them around.”

Once Cal felt better he had again cut his hair and shaved his beard.  With the weight gone it was indeed hard to tell Terry from Cal.  Even Dino had commented on it.  The receptionist was flabbergasted.

Cal took them to see Della and hugs and kisses were passed enthusiastically.  They chatted a moment then Cal took them up to meet Cam.

She watched as they climbed the stairs.  Cal hadn’t come to see her when he first arrived and she didn’t insist due to the guilt she felt.  Now three of them were coming and she had no idea what kind of confrontation would transpire.

“Cameron Lynne, I’d like you to meet Dino O’Brian, T&D Enterprises American CEO and Terry Thorne, the CEO of T&D’s English office.  He is also my twin brother.”

Cam shook both men’s hand but couldn’t stop looking at Terry.

“Well, gentlemen, The Washington Globe owes you a debt of gratitude for getting Cal home.  Personally, I can’t thank you enough.  He is a valued part of our staff and we’re glad to have him back.”

Cal stepped up to Cam and took her hands.  “I am truly going to miss working with you, Cam. I didn’t want to leave without saying that I don’t hold you responsible for what happened and I hope you will consider me your friend, but I can’t work for a company who has no more consideration for its people than The Washington Globe has.  The only good thing that came from this is that I found Terry.  Take care.”

“Wha…What?  Cal, you’re leaving?  What will you do?”

“Well, once I’m done interviewing and writing an independent article on Mrs. Gainor’s ordeal and I believe exposing her husband for his part in it, I think I’ll write a book on the pitfalls of being a journalist.” 

He turned to Terry. “As soon as I’m done with the interview, I want to fly to England and meet my nephew.  After that I want to find out why we were separated.  That may mean a trip to Australia.  Maybe Henry would like to go as well?”

Terry smiled.  The folks at Thornby would certainly be surprised.  Now if he could just get Gwen to let Henry go with them it would be perfect.

As they walked out Cal shook hands with several people and told them good-bye.  Della joined them and said her good-byes as well.

Cal laughed as they walked out of The Globe.  “You know what I’m going to miss more than anything?  Chili cheeseburgers and chili cheese fries.”

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