The Clock Is Ticking – Episode 53

Sequence 53

 

*****

 

Mattie sat with her body and shoulders hunched forward, hands on her lap fidgeting with cup of tea in her hands.

 

It had been one hour since Andrew had called them and they were all waiting. Mattie was feeling sick- her heart felt like it was racing, it was beating very fast and her head was pounding hard.

 

 

She was weeping and absolutely frantic fearing the worst Andrew was an animal she knew he wouldn’t hesitate to hurt Trinity if he wanted to. ‘What if she is already dead?’ she asked, her voice choking

 

‘He won’t kill her obviously what he wants is his wife,’ Chard responded

 

‘If it’s me he wants then let him come for me, he should let Trinny go,’ Vanessa cried.

 

‘Van!’ Maya held her hand, ‘you need to calm down my darling, stressing won’t do you any good.’

 

‘This is my fault, I put her in this mess, I can’t simply calm down. Andrew is an animal.’

 

‘We are hoping for the best, let’s just be patient I am sure he will call soon.’ ‘Maybe we should call the police,’ Gracie said.

 

Mattie shook her head, ‘No, he will murder my baby if —–,’

 

The phone rang again, this time cutting Mattie’s explanation off in mid flow. ‘Hello? Hello?’ she said, her heart pounding too loudly in her ears. She swallowed her pulse.

 

‘Are you ready to listen to the instructions I am about to give you?’ he asked in a hard voice.

 

‘Yes,’ she answered almost instantly

 

‘So we are going to do a barter exchange,’ he laughed, ‘You give me my wife and I give you your child.’

 

Mattie paused and looked at Vanessa who was silently sobbing. How could she agree to trade her sister for her child, if this man killed her she would never be able to forgive herself?

 

‘Andrew’ she started, ‘you don’t have to do this just return my baby and I won’t press charges.’

 

‘You don’t tell me what to do lady, do you want to see your child alive or not?’

 

‘You know I do,’ she snapped

 

‘So what is gonna be?’

 

Her heart pounded harder.

 

Van stood up and grabbed her phone from Mattie, ‘Bring back that little girl, if it’s me you want then you can have me,’ she yelled ‘Darling!’ he exclaimed ‘Fierce as always,’ he laughed.

 

‘What do you want Andrew?’

 

‘I was just trying to make a deal with your sister I give her the little girl in

 

exchange for you.’

 

‘Fine.’

 

 

‘Good,’ he laughed, ‘I told you I would get you.’ ‘Just tell me where we will find the girl,’ she said ‘Easy!’ he said in a soft tone.

 

‘You will burn in hell for putting my sister through this Andrew, I swear you will.’ ‘I am doing all this for us, I love you and I can never live without you. Is that so hard for you to understand?’

 

Silence stretched out between them until Andrew thought the line had dropped, ‘Are you still there?’ he asked looking at the screen briefly before putting the phone back to his ear.

 

She sighed, ‘Tell me what I am supposed to do right now so we can get this over and done with.’

 

‘I will send someone to pick you, when you and I finally reunite, I will call your sister and tell her where her little girl is. No cops and no one should follow you,’ he said in a raspy voice.

 

‘Okay,’ she responded

 

‘If you don’t follow exactly what I tell you, she is dead.’

 

‘That sounds like a deal to me. I will be there, what time?’ she asked ‘Don’t mess this up,’ he hung up.

 

‘What did he say?’ Mattie asked looking alarmed.

 

Vanessa explained everything to her, ‘He will send someone to pick me up.’ ‘You can’t do that.’

 

‘I have no choice we need to get Trinny back,’ she said.

 

‘Excuse me,’ Chard stood up.

 

‘Where are you going?’ Maya asked

 

‘I need some air.’

 

‘Chard please don’t call the police and don’t call anyone that could mess this up for us,’ Mattie pleaded.

 

‘I promise I won’t,’ he said before he walked outside and closed the door behind

 

his back.

 

****

 

‘This is going to be a long night,’ Mattie said

 

‘Auntie I made you some porridge,’ Blessing handed her the plate.

 

‘Nshikwetepo na appetite mwandi. (I have no appetite.’ she responded wiping the tears with the palm of her hand.

 

‘Just force yourself, you will need the strength.’

 

‘Bwafya! I don’t know who I offended on this earth, things are moving from bad to worse.’

 

‘There is light at the end of the tunnel always, God is watching.’

 

She got the bowl of porridge and scooped some porridge with a spoon and brought

 

it to her mouth.

 

****

 

An hour later, someone picked Vanessa and drove her to where her husband wanted to meet her. She made sure Mattie and the others didn’t follow her because she didn’t want to endanger Trinny’s life. The mysterious driver drove her to an abandoned building on the outskirts of town.

 

He finally turned off the engine and stepped out of the car, Vanessa did the same. Then he finally grabbed her arm and hauled her forward, ‘Move” he commanded Panic powered her steps rasped her throat she walked slowly as he lead her into the abandoned building.

 

‘Welcome my darling,’ her husband smiled brightly when he finally saw her, ‘you look good.’

 

‘Where is Trinny?’ she asked as she looked around.

 

‘The brat is okay.’

 

‘I am here now so release her.’

 

He laughed, ‘I am not a fool darling.’

 

‘What is that supposed to mean?

 

‘I will only release that little girl when you and are I are from this place.’ ‘Andrew you can’t be serious.’

 

He gave her a plastic, ‘change into this,’ he said ‘Why?’

 

‘Just do as I say.’

 

She undressed quickly and changed into the dress he had given her. ‘Perfect,’ he exclaimed

 

He also forced her to put on a head wrap.

 

‘Let’s go,’ he said

 

They used another route out of the building where a strange car was parked. When they both got into the car, he started the engine and drove off.

 

‘Where are we going?’ she asked

 

‘It’s for me to know and for you to find out.’

 

*********

 

‘We shouldn’t have let her go alone,’ Mattie worriedly said ‘She is doing this for Trinny remember?’ Maya asked

 

‘She is walking into a trap, what if he kills her?’ she asked her worriedly ‘Let’s just be positive’ Chard responded.

 

Mattie had no idea that Chard had some people tracing Vanessa’s movements.

 

****

 

She’d taken all her stuff.

 

By the time Emma got home from her meeting with Thomas and Chrissie, she found her best friend and roommate gone. She’d taken all her stuff and left. She took a deep breath and opened the note she’d left her on the bed and started reading it. The note left her in tears in minutes she hadn’t expected her best friend to bail out on her when she needed her the most.

 

Emma called her friend’s phone and she picked up on the first ring. ‘Where are you?’

 

‘Trying to settle into my new apartment,’ she responded ‘How could you leave just like that?’

 

‘I am sorry but you are so obsessed with Chard that nothing else matters to you, look at how you have neglected your own child the past few weeks because you are up and down plotting on how to get Chard to marry you. You had a good thing going with Steve and you decided to end things all because of Chard. I am sorry I can’t stay and watch you destroy your life like that. I am done.’

 

‘You know what you can go to hell for all I care, I don’t even need you. You are such an ungrateful friend, I will have Chard just to shame you,’ she clicked her tongue and ended the call.

 

She was walking back and forth seemingly in deep thought, her plan was slowly falling. All her efforts to get to Chard the past few days proved futile, he had been ignoring her and now this.

 

‘I just know he is with her right now’ she said to one in particular, ‘Maybe I shouldn’t have made a pact with Chrissie and Thomas, I could have dealt with Mattie all by myself.’

 

****

 

TBC

 

 

 

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The Clock is Ticking

 

Ella