Maybe I shouldnt have left the note. Maybe they know, maybe they saw and-
You did good, Vic said.
Ive got your money! Now release my family!
Were not done, Dan. I need you to pull into the Empire Coastal Mall up ahead.
Why?
Do it, right now!
Empire was one of the states largest malls, and the marquee for the north entrance towered just ahead of the traffic light. Dan got in the turning lane.
Go to zone fourteen. Park near the lamppost with green flags.
Fourteen was the outermost zone, far from the congested parking lanes closer to the mall. Not many people had parked here. A few abandoned shopping carts kept a lonely vigil. After Dan parked, Vic told him to turn his car off, leave the keys and grab the duffel bag filled with cash.
See that green Chevy in the lane directly across from you? Its unlocked, the keys inside. Get in.
Dan remained frozen where he stood.
Alone in the lot with the heavy bag, he considered running into the mall for help. For the hundredth time this morning he wondered if he should end it here. There was always a chance theyd been bluffing the whole time. Maybe they never intended to kill anyone. Maybe the bombs werent real. But could he risk it? What if it backfired? Could he live with himself if they killed Lori and Billy because he screwed up?
Get in the Chevy now, Dan!
Reaching the car, he opened the front passenger door, dropped the bag on the floor, then walked around and got in behind the wheel.
He noticed the faint hint of mens cologne and cigarettes. The cars interior appeared to have been cleaned, as if all traces of the previous user were hastily obliterated. There were gouges and scratches around the ignition switch, some wires were hanging down. A single key had been inserted into the switch.
Its a stolen car!
Dans fear suddenly deepened-Vic and his crew were not planning to end this soon. This meant they wanted something more.
Start the car, Dan.
No. Please I-Ive got your money! Just take it, release my family and leave us alone.
Start. The. Damn. Car. Now!
Dan hesitated.
Dont test us, Dan!
The Chevys motor came to life.
That was smart. Now drive back to the street, get on to the Cross Island Parkway north to the Throgs Neck Bridge.
Why?
Were not done, yet.
Yes, we are! Ive got your money, and Im driving home to give it to you!
Get on the parkway now!
No. Ive got your money! Youre going to take it and release my family!
A long moment of silence passed before Dan wheeled back to the street, but he didnt head to the Cross Island Parkway. Instead, he headed home.
Wherere Lori and Billy? I want to talk to them!
Youre disobeying us, Dan. Therell be consequences.
You already killed them, didnt you?
Silence.
Put them on, or I swear Ill ram this car into a bus!
Still nothing from Vic.
Sweating, gasping for air, Dan searched the streets, the strip malls, the corner store, the retirement home, the gas station and the houses as he passed by. People were just going about their daily lives while he was barely hanging on to his, helpless to do anything.
Suddenly his vest vibrated, and his entire body contracted. He gripped the wheel as hard as he could, preparing for the explosion, to be blown to pieces, thinking of Lori, of Billy.
Nothing happened, but the vibration continued.
Like a ringing phone.
He moved a trembling hand from the wheel and felt around the vest until he noticed the spot where a phone had been sewn in.
He was still alive. Nothing had happened. The phone kept humming.
Then it stopped.
Do we have your attention, Dan?
Yes.
That was a little test. The next time you feel that vibration, youll know your life is about to end. Now, unless youd like to feel that right away, youre going to do as we say and get your ass north on the Cross Island Parkway to Throgs Neck.
Dans body was numb as he turned and made his way to Northern Boulevard, merging with the northbound traffic on the expressway. As the parkway hugged the western shore of Little Neck Bay, he searched the expanse of water for answers while praying for his wife and son.
11
Throgs Neck Bridge, New York
Not knowing what had happened to Lori and Billy tore Dan up as his Chevy Impala ascended the approach to Throgs Neck Bridge, which connected Queens with the Bronx. One of the three northbound lanes was under construction, blocked with orange cones. He got into the middle lane and watched his speed.
He looked at New Rochelles skyline in the distance, then up at the bridge tower rising above him. Sections of the deck clicked under his wheels with regular cadence, like time ticking away on a clock.
Ticking down on us.
Dan dragged the back of his hand across his sweaty face, thinking of Lori and Billy in their vests, feeling the bulk of his own, his fear and anger broiling with a desire to tear it off, to fight back. He looked out at the East River more than one hundred and fifty feet below and begged God to help him, to keep Lori and Billy alive so he could find some way out of this.
He knew Lori would never give up. Shed protect Billy with her life. In his heart he knew that she was a fighter, a survivor, that despite what had happened to her in California, shed overcome the odds. In the years since theyd moved to New York, Dan had watched over her and stood by her, ready to catch her if she stumbled.
The worst is behind us.
Thats what hed always told her. The worst is behind us, not you. Because what had happened to Lori, happened to him. Its how he felt about everything in their marriage.
Lean on me. Let me take this on with you.
Lori had done well. Shed had good days and bad days, but mostly good ones.
The worst is behind us.
At least it was. Until this.
Dan felt panic rising to the surface as he took in the sweep of the bridge, the water and the sky.
God, please, keep them alive!
The toll plaza was just ahead, but Dan didnt have a pass. As he slowed and guided his car into a cash lane, his pulse raced with a mixture of dread and hope.
License plate readers!
He remembered a report in the Daily News that police had installed license plate recognition technology at most toll plazas. They were using cameras that read license plates and checked them instantly against databases with hot lists of wanted plates.
License plate readers!
He remembered a report in the Daily News that police had installed license plate recognition technology at most toll plazas. They were using cameras that read license plates and checked them instantly against databases with hot lists of wanted plates.
Dan studied the gates. Did they have plate readers here?
As he crawled ahead in his line, he fumbled in his wallet for money.
Dont try anything here, Vic said into his ear. Were watching you, and you know what will happen.
Dan let out a slow breath. The thought of them detonating his vest here sent a chill up his spine. It would end any chance to save Lori and Billy. And innocent people would die.
He was now one car from the booth. Gripping a folded ten-dollar bill in his hand, he prayed that his plates would come up as stolen, alerting police, helping them get closer.
Thud!
Dans head snapped back. His car had been rear-ended.
After taking a moment to assess that he wasnt hurt, he got out.
Im so sorry! Are you okay? A woman in her twenties came toward him gripping a cell phone, her face reddening. She stared at Dan, then at the area where her Toyota was pressed against the bumper of his Impala.
Sir, the toll officer said. Im going to need you to drive through.
Dan noticed a baby in the rear of the womans car, strapped in its car seat.
Get back in your car! Vic ordered Dan.
I guess, do you want my insurance and stuff? The woman was now in tears. It was my fault. Im so sorry.
Horns were sounding behind them.
People- the toll officer had stepped from his booth -return to your cars. We need to keep this line moving. You can sort this out after going through the gate. Just move over to the right shoulder.
Get in your car, Dan! Vic said. Well kill everybody-you, her and her baby!
I dont see any damage, Dan said to the woman, wanting to get everyone out of danger as quickly as possible.
Really? Are you sure? Let me pull my car back a bit, so you can have a better look.
Maam, do not back up, the toll officer interrupted.
I think were okay, Dan said.
Oh, thank you! Thank you! Ive been having the worst morning!
Dan handed the toll officer his cash.
Keep the change, he said, getting back in his car.
The officer returned to his booth, and the bar lifted for Dan to pass through.
Good, Vic said. Now get on the Cross Bronx Expressway to the George Washington Bridge to New Jersey.
Dan accelerated and merged with the traffic, his heart hammering.
Im cooperating, okay? You can see I wont make trouble. Will you please let me talk to my family again?
Vic didnt respond.
12
Manhattan, New York
Newslead was located in one of the citys largest skyscrapers, a modern glass structure rising over Penn Station in the Hudson Yards area of Manhattan.
Tenants in the recently renovated building included the head offices of a TV network, a cosmetics chain, a fashion house, a brokerage firm and an advertising agency.
Kate swiped her ID through one of the main floor security turnstiles and joined the flow of workers to the banks of elevators. She stepped out at Newsleads world headquarters on the fortieth floor. Each time she walked through reception she was inspired. The walls displayed enlarged news photos captured by Newslead photographers of historys most dramatic moments from the past half century.
Those powerful images stood as testament to the fact that even though Kates industry faced challenging times, Newslead remained a formidable force as one of the globes largest news operations.
It operated a bureau in every major US city and some one hundred fifty bureaus in one hundred countries around the world, supplying a continual flow of fast, accurate information to thousands of newspapers, radio, TV, corporate and online subscribers everywhere.
Its track record for reporting excellence had earned it countless awards, including twenty Pulitzers. It was highly regarded by its chief rivals across the country, including the Associated Press, Bloomberg, Reuters, the World Press Alliance and the new Signal Point Newswire. It also competed with those organizations globally, along with Agence France-Presse, Deutsche Presse-Agentur, Chinas Xinhua News Agency and Russias Interfax News Agency.