Read Online Souls At Zero (A Dark Psychological Thriller) by Neal Martin - Free Book Online
Authors: Neal Martin
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he was being watched a while ago. If he was being honest, he deliberately played down the feelings he had, telling himself that he was just being overcautious, a leftover state of being from his time spent in war zones, a state of mind he had no need to carry around with him now that he was out of the soldiering game. Obviously, he was wrong about that. It seemed that somehow, something in his past had caught up with him, but he still had no idea what. He was hoping the envelope he now held in his hands would provide some answers.
Edger carried the A4 envelope to the leather sofa and sat down. He carefully examined the envelope first, just in case it was booby trapped in some way. The last thing he needed was an explosion, or cloud of poisoned dust in his face. After checking, the envelope seemed safe, so he carefully opened it and looked inside. It held a pre-paid phone and also a large photograph of a man in his sixties that Edger vaguely recognised from somewhere, but couldn't think where from. He placed the phone and the photograph on the white coffee table in front of him, then he looked at his watch. It was 1:44 p.m.
As he waited on the kidnappers call, Edger focused himself by controlling his breathing, something that had been drummed into him during his training with the Legion years ago. His adrenal system was fired up, and a familiar sense of calm focus came over him, a default state gained from being in countless high risk, high pressure situations over the years. His instincts were taking over, and he felt suddenly grateful for the training and skills he had acquired in his lifetime. Something told him he was going to need them all if he wanted to get Kaitlin back alive.
The burner phone rang at exactly 1:45 p.m.
Edger answered it.
"Glad to see you made it in time, Harry," the distorted voice of the kidnapper said. "It would have been bad for your daughter if you didn't."
Tensing his jaw muscles, Edger listened hard to the kidnapper's voice, trying to discern anything familiar through the distortion, some inflection or manner of speaking that would give him some clue as to who he was talking to. So far, he could pick up nothing. "I'm here. Now put my daughter on the phone. I'm not doing anything until I know she is alright."
There was a silence on the other end of the line for a moment, during which Edger listened hard for any background noise that might give the kidnapper's location away, but there was none. Only dead silence.
Then he heard Kaitlin's voice. "Harry?" She was crying, obviously terrified. She also sounded drugged still. "Is that you, Harry?"
Edger did his best to beat down the surge of emotion that threatened to overwhelm him if he let it. He continued to focus on his breathing and tried to stay as detached as possible from the situation, just as his training dictated. Stay professional, he told himself. For Kaitlin. "Kaitlin, sweetheart, are you okay?"
"What's happening, Harry? I'm scared—"
Silence cut her off.
"Kaitlin? Kaitlin ?"
"Satisfied?" The kidnapper was back on the line.
Edger could barely resist the anger that was building in him. "If you hurt her, I swear to fuck—"
"Enough," the kidnapper commanded. "You're in no position to make threats. I give the orders here, soldier, not you."
Edger closed his eyes for a second while he took a deep breath to calm himself. "Alright. You're in charge. Tell me what you want. Why was there a photograph in the envelope?" A bad feeling came over Edger as he stared at the man's face in the photograph, and he suddenly realised who the man was. It was the Lord Mayor of Belfast, though Edger couldn't think of the balding, jug-eared mayor's name. He only recognised him because he saw the man standing outside city hall one day a few months ago, giving a speech to a crowd of journalists about something Edger didn't care enough about at the time to remember.
"The man in the photograph is Brian McGinty, the Lord Mayor of Belfast," the kidnapper
Edger carried the A4 envelope to the leather sofa and sat down. He carefully examined the envelope first, just in case it was booby trapped in some way. The last thing he needed was an explosion, or cloud of poisoned dust in his face. After checking, the envelope seemed safe, so he carefully opened it and looked inside. It held a pre-paid phone and also a large photograph of a man in his sixties that Edger vaguely recognised from somewhere, but couldn't think where from. He placed the phone and the photograph on the white coffee table in front of him, then he looked at his watch. It was 1:44 p.m.
As he waited on the kidnappers call, Edger focused himself by controlling his breathing, something that had been drummed into him during his training with the Legion years ago. His adrenal system was fired up, and a familiar sense of calm focus came over him, a default state gained from being in countless high risk, high pressure situations over the years. His instincts were taking over, and he felt suddenly grateful for the training and skills he had acquired in his lifetime. Something told him he was going to need them all if he wanted to get Kaitlin back alive.
The burner phone rang at exactly 1:45 p.m.
Edger answered it.
"Glad to see you made it in time, Harry," the distorted voice of the kidnapper said. "It would have been bad for your daughter if you didn't."
Tensing his jaw muscles, Edger listened hard to the kidnapper's voice, trying to discern anything familiar through the distortion, some inflection or manner of speaking that would give him some clue as to who he was talking to. So far, he could pick up nothing. "I'm here. Now put my daughter on the phone. I'm not doing anything until I know she is alright."
There was a silence on the other end of the line for a moment, during which Edger listened hard for any background noise that might give the kidnapper's location away, but there was none. Only dead silence.
Then he heard Kaitlin's voice. "Harry?" She was crying, obviously terrified. She also sounded drugged still. "Is that you, Harry?"
Edger did his best to beat down the surge of emotion that threatened to overwhelm him if he let it. He continued to focus on his breathing and tried to stay as detached as possible from the situation, just as his training dictated. Stay professional, he told himself. For Kaitlin. "Kaitlin, sweetheart, are you okay?"
"What's happening, Harry? I'm scared—"
Silence cut her off.
"Kaitlin? Kaitlin ?"
"Satisfied?" The kidnapper was back on the line.
Edger could barely resist the anger that was building in him. "If you hurt her, I swear to fuck—"
"Enough," the kidnapper commanded. "You're in no position to make threats. I give the orders here, soldier, not you."
Edger closed his eyes for a second while he took a deep breath to calm himself. "Alright. You're in charge. Tell me what you want. Why was there a photograph in the envelope?" A bad feeling came over Edger as he stared at the man's face in the photograph, and he suddenly realised who the man was. It was the Lord Mayor of Belfast, though Edger couldn't think of the balding, jug-eared mayor's name. He only recognised him because he saw the man standing outside city hall one day a few months ago, giving a speech to a crowd of journalists about something Edger didn't care enough about at the time to remember.
"The man in the photograph is Brian McGinty, the Lord Mayor of Belfast," the kidnapper
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