Battle the Dark: Chapter 5

"John."

"Manning.  Have a seat."  Todd pulled up a chair, ready to view whatever it was McBain had for him.  In watching the video feeds of the airport, he was certain that the man in the center front was Carlo Hesser.  "That's Carlo," he said.

John agreed, "Yes, we believe that's Carlo.  His height and weight match perfectly.  Even I recognize that walk."

Todd said, "This one next to him I don't know.  Never saw him, and cannot make out the face.  The other, could be Michael Leona, but I can't be sure.  The walk seems right, the body seems right, but I just can't be one hundred percent."


"Is that because you fear if he's still in town, or because you really can't be sure?" John asked.


"Both," Todd said.

"All right, thanks for coming down here.  We can safely assume Carlo is not a threat, at least here, and at least at his own hand."

"I have to tell you about something else,"  Todd said, detailing the information he got from Sister Rebecca Katherine.  He handed John the letter. "Here, in case you need it."

"Her brother is an insurrectionist?"  John said.

"I suppose.  Whatever he's doing, he's in trouble with them."

"There are a lot of different factions out there in Ireland.  A lot of unrest.  He could be part of any of them, and, many are almost as dangerous."

"Not to me.  There's no one as dangerous as a group that has my name and the name of my family on their list."

"I see your point.  You helped her?"

"I gave her money to get him here.  When he arrives, he'll want to talk with you, in exchange for protection and immunity."

"I have no problem with that.  Just be careful, Manning."

"I will.  You don't have to point out to me that the nun is also in danger.  I realize that."

"Of course she is.  She knows where her brother is, and they want him.  They're apt to use her to get what they want."

"Here's hoping they don't figure that out before we do something."

"Like?  Manning, you have to stay out of it.  You've got Blair and the kids to think about."

"Nothing to do, at least not now," he said.  

John eyed him.   "Nothing to do.  I hope you mean that."

Todd said, "No, McBain, just going to take care of my family and keep them safe.  Here's your information, hope you can do something and soon."  He left the office abruptly.

McBain hoped Todd was being sincere.  He'd had enough experience with The Men of 21 to last several lifetimes.

***

It was evening, and Sister Rebecca Katherine was the last in the chapel, as was her duty on Fridays.  She would dust down the pews, and extinguish all of the candles, also trimming all the wicks for the following day.  She finished her prayers and began her Friday evening rituals.  As she was trimming the last wicks of the candles contained in red glass, she heard a noise behind her.  She turned and said, "Sister Agatha?"

There was no answer.  She continued to do her work, trimming all of the wicks in the chapel.  Finishing the last, she headed for the doorway, and before she knew what happened, her head was covered in a sack, knocking her glasses to the floor, and her arms were pinned behind her.  She heard the sound of plastic zip ties and felt the pressure around her wrists.  "Please, you still have time to let me go and save yourself," she said, "You've not done much yet."  She sensed no hesitation as whoever it was that had her, and she counted more than two feet, lead her outside.  They made no sound as they lead her, and she felt the point of a blade in her back.  Unable to scream for fear of being killed, she walked quietly along, not fighting, considering her hands were clasped behind her.  The plastic ties were cutting into her wrists.

Roughly, she was pushed into a vehicle.  She could not tell what kind, just that she was in the back and that they had pushed her head down, as to help her get into the vehicle without banging her head.  She remained quiet throughout the ride, and began thinking.  No one would know what happened to her.  No one would realize she had been kidnapped, at least, not at first.  Then she suddenly thought of Todd Manning, and said to herself, "He'll know that they've got me."  She thought back to his recent words, and, gulping to keep herself from being sick, she knew the horrors that might come to her in their keep.  She began to pray softly, her head still inside the sack, then realized she was becoming light-headed and said, clearly, "I can't breathe, boys.  Ya might want to consider that if I am to tell you whatever it is you want to know."

One of them rudely pulled the sack off her head, and she breathed deeply.  "Don't worry about me seeing you," she said, "you broke my glasses and knocked them off at the church.  There's no way I can see a thing without them."   She flashed on mistaking Todd for a woman at the May Crowning, and said, "for certain, boys."  She wanted to make them think she was unafraid of them.  She also wanted to keep from panicking and if she acted as though it was not what it likely was, she might be able to contain her hysteria and fear.  

One said, "Be quiet."

She obliged.  Her hands were numbing behind her, and her arms strained under the pain of the awkward position they were in.  She continued to pray, but did so silently, closing her eyes.

Soon, the car came to a halt, and they blindfolded and ushered her, in the darkness, into what she immediately determined to be a cheap, dingy motel room.  Pushing her onto the bed, her first fear was that one of them, or both, might violate her, since she still was not positive why she had been taken.  She looked from one to the other, viewing nothing but blurs that she knew were two white males.  Nothing else about them could be noted.  She couldn't see them as much as she wished to, there were messes of color and movement to her.  She asked again, "Do you have names?"

One stopped in front of her and said, "You'd better shut the hell up, lady!"

The other stepped in front of him and said, "Watch how you talk to her.  She's a nun, a holy lady.  She never did nothin' to you."

"I don't see you being all concerned about her when we grabbed her from the chapel."  He walked into the bathroom and closed the door.

"Wasn't my idea.  Treat her with some respect, will ya."  He called after the other.

She said again, softly, to the last one who spoke, "Do ya have a name?"

He began to "I do, Sister," he said, "You can call me Walnut."

***

Todd had Williams bring him by The Sun to get Blair and the baby, and bring them all home.  "That was a decent day," he said.

She agreed, "Yep.  But I always like work when I work with you.  We're a great team."

"We are," he said, peeking into the carrier at Little Ray, "I mean, look what this team popped out."

"Yep, a little angel," she said, peeking with him.  Little Ray was sleeping, with his hand under his chin again.  "He does that a lot, he's so cute.  He reminds me so much of you."

"Funny, he reminds me of a bowling ball," he teased, palming his son's hairless little head in his hand. "A beautiful one."

 

She smiled, playfully, hitting him on the arm.  "Todd, we have to talk about Christening him."

"Sure, we have to do that soon, right?"

"Yeah.  Remember Jack's Christening?"  He thought back; Jack was the most gorgeous baby he'd ever seen, and yes, he remembered.  He also remembered that Blair did not even know Jack was her own son then, thanks to him.  He dazed off.  "Don't, Todd.  That's behind us," she read his mind.

"All right.  It might be behind us, but I can't stop remembering it.  Every once in a while, it comes up to remind me what a fool I've been.  Maybe I need that."

She touched his face.  "Maybe, but I doubt it.  Who should be the Godparents?"

"I don't know, you choose.  I'm okay with anyone you pick."

"Okay, Rex and Dorian."

"Never mind, I'll think about it."

"I was kidding.  What about John and Natalie?"

He thought of John McBain having to be a second father to his son, and it wasn't so terrible.  "I'm okay with that, sure."

She smiled, "All right, then all we need next is the arrangements."   He nodded.  They rode the rest of the way with her in the crook of his arm, leaning against his chest, and his arm wrapped around her.  His other hand was still resting on the carrier, near the baby, protectively.

When they arrived home, they hoisted all their baby stuff up into the elevator, and plopped down in the penthouse, ready for dinner.  Todd had already ordered their food, and they waited for the arrival.  Shaun was already there when they walked in.  "Hey Momma and Papa Manning.  Hey, little one."

Blair sat herself next to the baby carrier, and took Little Ray, now awake, out and held him.  "Hi, Little Man!"

Todd turned on the television, and they sat together, the three of them, as they watched the early evening news.  Shaun parked himself on a side chair as well, and all put their attention to the announcer's words.  "Today, many are involved in a local search for a missing woman, a nun from St. Anne's Sanitarium, who disappeared late last night.  Pictured here at the recent May Crowning, Sister Rebecca Katherine, who you might remember from the recent incident that brought down Mayor Finn's regime, went missing last night as she made her rounds in the chapel for evening clean up."

Todd stood, and Blair, concerned, took his hand and held it.  With Ray in her arms, she squeezed her husband's hand.  He tightened his grip around hers and said, "They got her."

Just then, Devon burst through the door, saying, "I can't believe this, they got her.  They got Sister Rebecca.  They must have tied her hands, or she would have whalloped at least one of them."

Todd was not amused.  "It all comes back to one thing, and that's me."

"No, Todd, you know that's not true.  The Men of 21 are grander than you are.  They're beyond just us."

"Maybe, but this vendetta of Carlo's has been going on for years.  And I'm the center of it.  My jealous angry decisions from then are coming back to haunt me, even now."

Devon said, "They are terrorists.  They'd be terrorizing someone, if it weren't you and your family."

Todd sat back down next to Blair, putting his hands into his hair.  She touched his shoulder, then handed off Little Ray to Shaun, who enjoyed holding the tiny baby.  She leaned her chin onto Todd's broad shoulder, whispering, "Come on, Todd, you've had the whole world on your shoulders long enough."

He looked at his wife.  "They've got her, Blair.  What if...we don't know who it is holding her."

"No we don't but you said yourself, Carlo is out of town, and it looks pretty much like Slice and Dice is, too."

He winced.  "I can't be sure.  I wish I could, but I just can't be sure."

Devon went out on a limb, "Why take her if he wanted to get to you?  Not to be rude, but if they wanted to get to you, they would take the woman you love, or your children."

Todd looked at him without a response.  "Guess."

Blair said, "They'll find her, Todd.  Whoever has her probably has demands, and someone will hear something very soon about what they want from her and from us outside."

Then, he remembered the letter. "What if this has to do with that letter, Blair?"

"Of course it can, and it might.  We just don't know."  Blair said.  Devon and Shaun knew better than to intervene right then.  Shaun took the baby up to his bassinet for a nap, and Devon sat across from Todd and Blair in the living room, listening to the rest of the news.

"Someone has to find her.  If she's in the hands of The Men of 21, there's no telling what they will do to her to get her to talk."  Todd said.

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