The Trinket Ch. 10

Lynn opened her eyes to a shiny, silver key, being held in front of her face. Her eyes slowly focussed on the moving object, then trailed up the hand to the arm. To the big bald man standing before her.

"A safe deposit box key!" The man's deep voice said as he waved the key slowly. The man spoke in an angry tone from a double chin neck that appeared uncomfortably tight. His jet black tie matched his jacket over a white shirt.

Lynn made a dash to get up and run but the man grabbed her by the hair and slung her back into the chair with one fluid movement.

"Now, this is how this is going to work." The man said as he stood in front of Lynn. His long pausing thoughts were relayed in his eyes as he looked her up and down from head to heels.

Lynn grasped the arms of the office chair. Scanning the dusty room's desks and filing cabinets. She pressed her legs together tightly as he glared at the shoreline of her dress and legs. He placed his brawny hand on her shoulder and gripped her tightly. His eyes raised up her body slowly. Tracing her curves and cleavage then eye to eye.

Lynn looked around the room at the other men trying to ignore him. Big bubble gum smacking jaws and rocking, swinging, waiting legs and feet. Three men slouched into the wall and furniture. A team of muscled thugs with shoulder holstered guns.

Dirty smoked glass windows restricted visibility to the outside. The one door out was closed and behind Lynn. On the floor behind the man intimidating Lynn, was the limousine driver. He lay on his side with his arms tied behind him. He was unconscious as his body lay in a twisted manner leading Lynn to believe he may even be, dead.

"Look ... lady, we are going to take a little trip to the bank. You and Mr. Hobbs are going as husband and wife. You are going to open, empty and give the contents of that safe deposit box to Mr. Hobbs." He leaned into Lynn's left ear. She could feel his hot breath and deep drawn breath. Whispered seductively in her ear, "Am I clear so far?"

"I am not co-operating with you," Lynn blared.

"I thought you might say that. Detective Simons here, well, he is a pawn. He might not mean that much to you but while you were sleeping, I took the liberty of going through your purse and found this."

The big heavy set man reached in his pocket and pulled out a picture and held it at Lynn's eyes.

"Amy," Lynn gasped. Her daughter's picture was a year old but it was Lynn's favorite. Lynn burst from the chair with all her might only to be slapped back into the seat.

"Now we're getting somewhere." The man said excited. "Like I was saying, we are going to take a little trip."

The man reached in his pocket and pulled out his cell phone and dialed.

"Have they found the Limousine yet?" The man snickered as he looked at Lynn's legs and thighs. "Good! Keep me informed."

"Unit One to Unit Two, please respond." Sergeant Murphy sat scratching his head. "Where did they disappear to?" The Sergeant pressed the desk set microphone lever, "Unit Seven come in!"

"Unit Seven to Unit One, nothing yet Sergeant. They haven't reached the Hotel?"

"Unit Four to Base, we have the limousine. I repeat ... we found the limousine. Unit One, be advised ... it is empty. Four blocks down and one block left. The multi level parking garage, half way up, third level."

"Let's go!" Sergeant Murphy barked and the mobile unit was moving before the doors slammed shut. He pulled his estrange tie up tightly and straightened his plaid brown jacket then fastened his seat belt. "Where are they?" He mumbled to himself.

Several police unit vehicles emerged at the location of the parking garage building that was being sealed off. Officers stood at the street corners with barricades to re-direct traffic. The helicopter unit LA 12 circled overhead. The loud rotor blades swirled, gusting the streets with wind as it hovered over the area.

The large unmarked white step van (Unit One) pulled up to the curb and the back doors, explode open.

"I want teams to check each building surrounding this parking lot. They haven't had time to go far so lets find a warm trail quickly. Go ... go!"

"Unit Five to Unit One, I think I have something. We are combing the limousine."

"10-4 Unit Five I am heading that way," Sergeant Murphy said into his walking talkie, while walking briskly. "Who is Unit Five?" Sergeant Murphy asked Barney, his aid.

"Let's see Unit Seven is the County Sheriff so Unit Five would be the FBI, sir." Barney huffed and sluggishly trailed the fast pacing Sergeant Murphy.

FBI Agents; Jane Driscol and Bill Miller were combing the limousine with small flashlights and plastic gloves. They were on alternate sides of the vehicle, that was abandoned in a remote section of the parking garage.

Jane's short sandy blonde hair fell into her face while she searched the back seat. Her black jacket almost blended with the interior leather. Detective Bill Miller searched the front seat area. His large framed body sat while he reached his hand along the flooring, feeling for anything.

"What do you have?" Sergeant Miller asked as he approached the limousine. Jane reared up and walked to the trunk area and pulled up a large zip lock bag. She raised it up as the Sergeant came to a stop in front of her.

"We found this in the back seat ... and Sergeant. We found traces of blood on the passenger side of the front seat." Jane held the zip-lock bag higher exposing a medium size white and black feather with a white bead on the quill.

"A feather? From what?" Sergeant Murphy asked.

"I found it in the floor board of the back seat." Jane said then shrugged her shoulders. An officer in uniform walked up and handed a note to the Sergeant, then turned to walk away.

Jane gazed at the feather for a long time. Reflecting its fussy familiarity. The Sergeant was busy with note relays and his cell phone. Then the walk talkie and barking a command.

"I saw a feather, just like that one!" The officer looked at the feather that Jane held.

"Like this?" Jane asked. She raised from her thoughts and looked at the officer. "Where?"

"Over there," the Officer pointed from where he had just came. Agent Jane Driscol took flight. The Sergeant took notice and began barking orders to follow her. "Let's go, we have a direction, let's go,"

Jane followed the Officer in uniform, while FBI Agent Bill Miller, Sergeant Murphy and his aid walked briskly behind.

"There it is," the Officer pointed to an identical white and black feather at the door to a stairway. They bolted through the door and the feather took flight.

The parking garage stairwell rang out with thundering swift footsteps. Stopping at each level and checking the doors, Jane and the officer kept descending while Bill went upward step by step and floor by floor. The feather was already sucked into a draft of an open door and out of the building.

Jane and the officer got to the street level with panting breaths and anticipation. A wall of citizens were walking. "Excuse me... excuse me," Jane said while trying to get through a mass of walkers and bumping into the on-coming wave of pedestrians.

"Damn," she spat as she realized she could not see two-feet in front of her self. She saw a newspaper machine and climbed on top to see down the street in both directions. She saw people, cars and buildings as far as the streets trailed.

She turned and saw the feather sailing. The wind gust it up-ward and Jane's eye's locked on the floating softness. "Just like in my dream," Jane mumbled.

She showed fear at first then reality kicked in and Jane jumped down off the mailbox and headed towards where the feather drifted. It floated around a building and was sucked into the... alley. It swirled in a hanging breeze as Jane rounded the corner and glared down the back street. The loading zone for the next building had a few big trucks backed up to the loading dock area.

She pulled her pistol as she moved slowly down the alley. The uniform officer followed for a lack of anything else to trail. Jane looked high at windows and low behind dumpsters. The feather sailed lower and settled close to the ground near Jane. It swayed back and forth in front of a chain link fence. Then a breeze blew the feather under the fence.

"This is silly Detective, following a feather? Let's go back," The uniform Officer said. His hand rested on his holstered weapon but he didn't feel the need to have it drawn. He observed Lynn's overwhelming caution, curiously.

Jane pointed to the feather that now lay in the distance, at the back door of a warehouse. Jane looked at the fence and back at the officer. "Wait here!"

"You're kidding right!" He said. His deep voice carried while he scanned the area.

Jane walked to the gate and then past it. Jane looked back to where she expected to see a cardboard box and it was there. But the old woman was not. Jane pulled the fencing back and raised it far enough to enter. The Officer was trying to look the other way as if not to notice her intrusion.

"How did you know that was there?" He asked while watching Jane slip through the fencing like she had done it a hundred times before.

Jane reached her hand into her pocket. Holding her gun with the other, slowly she walked forward. Glancing at the multi level building with smoked glass. A couple of vans were parked in the fenced area. It wasn't dark but shadowed. Jane eased forward with caution. Making her way slowly towards the feather.

"Ruff," a Doberman snapped as it took flight towards Jane. She pulled her hand out of her pocket. The dog started barking as it leaped at Jane. Ready with a stun gun, Jane zapped the dog and it yelped. It jerked in muscle spasms and hit the ground on its side, hard. Scrambling to get it's footing and run the other way.

"Those who fail to prepare, prepare to fail," Jane said with a smirk to the Officer who was gripping the fence and shaking it. Nervously watching every thing, everywhere. "Look," the officer said as he pointed to a second story window. A man stood pointing to the Officer and Agent Driscol then another showed in the window. "Is that them?" The Officer asked.

"I think so, call it in," Jane said as she eased forward to the back door. There at the threshold of the back door was the feather. She pulled her cell phone out and dialed.

"Sergeant, I think we found them."