It didn’t matter now though. He had sold all of his stock suddenly two weeks back. Nobody but his wife and best friend knew why but they wouldn’t tell anyone the reason. “It’s a surprise.” they would say, if anyone enquired.
John’s best friend was a man named Hugh. He was currently unemployed, living in a scruffy, run-down little flat, and was divorced with no children. Everything had gone down hill since his affair with a neighbour two years back. He had lost almost everything to his now ex-wife, and had never recovered from it.
He was a good friend to John, though, as they had known each other since they were young and presently he was being very supportive towards John and Mary now that Lucy had gone missing. He was always friendly with the little girl, who affectionately called him Uncle Hugh. He often volunteered to pick her up for school and did so on a regular basis every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday to help out his friends.
He couldn’t pick her up this Wednesday though; he had a prior engagement to attend to. He had told people he was blaming himself for her going missing.
“But Lucy would have never gone missing if I was there to take her home. I should have been there. It was only a dentists appointment.”
He would have been a suspect for her kidnapping if John hadn’t cleared him personally.
“No, there’s no need to question Hugh. He had nothing but love for my little girl. I see no reason to bother him about Lucy.”
Lucy was currently locked up in Hugh’s flat.
Hugh had been with John and Mary every day after the kidnapping, consoling and comforting them.
“It’s alright,” he said, massaging Mary’s shoulders at the police station. “Just follow the kidnapper’s instructions and you’ll get your little Lucy back safe and sound, eh.”
Lucy was currently locked up in Hugh’s flat.
***
It was now the Tuesday of the following week.
Another note was received early in the morning, this time attached to a brick that had been lobbed through John and Mary’s living room window. It was written in the same manner as the first, each letter a different colour, font and size:
Bring the money in two separate suitcases, dividing the million equally between them. John and Mary are to come alone, unarmed, a suitcase for each of them, and are to drop the money off in the centre of Ranseed’s Street between the Post Office and the Butchers shop on a spot marked with a white cross. All police are to stay on the other side of the Ranseed Bridge. Any movement past that point, and I will kill the girl. The money is to be left on the cross next to another note that will explain the handing over of the girl. This is take place at midnight on Wednesday. No funny business.
The note was taken back to the police station and once again tested for prints. Nothing.
***
Over the previous days, John and Mary had managed to collect up all they money they could. They even withdrew all of the money from their own bank accounts though they didn’t plan on using it unless they really had to.
They had borrowed money off of friends, taken out loans from banks, called in favours from other relatives and generally looked everywhere they could for money. They knew a lot of people and coming up with a million pounds, although not an easy task, was made a lot more bearable by all the willing helpers, happy to aid their friends.
They already had their million ready by the Monday. But they continued to sell their furniture and possessions. Just in case the kidnapper decided to change his mind. They loved their daughter more than anyone or anything else in the world; they just wanted her back safely.
***
The Wednesday rolled around fast. Everything was prepared, both ends of the line. The police were ready with guns monitoring the side of the Ranseed Bridge they had been told to stay on.
Ranseed Street was a cul-de-sac. The moonlit sky could be seen outlining the shapes of the buildings around the cul-de-sac, which gave the illusion they were curving inwards. The centre of the street was lost in an abyss of darkness. The way the building’s shadows covered the centre of the area from the moonlight and the light of the lamps that created a screen of mist between the police and the drop-point made it near impossible to see.
Entering from the bridge, on the left, and going clockwise, there was a Butchers, Bakers, Grocers then an alley which led to some housing and a main road, then a Post Office, then another alley also leading to houses and a road. This alley, however, was blocked off by shabby looking wood. On the far right was a set of stairs leading down to a path alongside the river. From above, it looked like a spider’s web.
***
There were four working street lamps on the bridge, one at each corner. From one side, the side allocated to the police, all that could be seen was the lamp’s light gleaming with a dull yellow off of the old paved bricks on the bridge. Anything further was darkness.
***
Around the back of the cul-de-sac, Hugh was waiting in his car; Lucy silently perched on the backseat, eager to see her parents again. Hugh had told her to stay quiet.
It had almost been a week since she’d seen her Mum and Dad; she was worried about them and curious about Hugh’s plan. She didn’t understand it, though he had explained it to her several times during their six days together.
***
John and Mary arrived at the bridge at 11:35pm, Mary shaking and John holding, stroking, and tightly gripping her hand. They appeared as scared as each other so the police tried to console them.
“It’s OK, you’ll be fine.”
“Lucy will soon be back home, safe and sound, ready to beat you at football again!”
“Just walk over there, drop the money, pick up the note and come back, we’ll do the rest, mate.”
The police seemed to help the couple but they were still far from feeling brave.
They picked up the cases that lay before them, breathing heavily.
John picked up his case first, swapped it to his right hand, and then whispered something inaudible to his wife. She picked up her case, shakily holding it in her left hand.
Their other hands found each other and they held them tightly as if they were about to walk into some strange new world and wished not to be separated.
They took their first steps, a crowd of half a dozen policemen behind them, watching on anxiously, preparing for whatever would and could happen next.
They reached the end of the short bridge, taking a large step over a low wire near the end of it and swerving round a sheet of erect nails, as if a sixth sense was guiding them round the traps. The police couldn’t see them from their side.
They reached the spot. From the police side, all they could see was two blurry figures standing there. Then, suddenly, they were gone.
The police watched on, completely baffled. The couple that had stood before them in the pitch-black street had just vanished in an instant. They watched on for a full three minutes, waiting for something else to happen which would confirm their eyes had been playing tricks on them.
Down the alley Hugh had started the car. John and Mary arrived a little later, John jumped into the front seat and Mary into the back. They both pulled of the large black sheets they had hid themselves under.
Mary hugged Lucy, and John spoke to Hugh.
“It’s done, let’s go!”
Hugh put his foot down on the pedal and the four sped off straight towards the airport, destined for their new life abroad, with well over a million pounds at their disposal.
They smiled, laughed and hugged each other all the way there.
The plan had gone off without a hitch.
