Trilogy: The Dawn's Early Light

Once finished, Ned asked the other two men if they wanted to fuck Dolores. They knew it was not really a request, and took turns violating the abused maid. When they were done, Ned told them to raise her into a sitting position. He carefully drove his fist into Dolores's face, hitting her on the mouth and nose, places that would bleed more and bruise more easily. Finally, after another couple of brutal kicks into her ribs, Ned ordered the retreat and the perps left.

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"Yes, he'll feel much better after we give him this medicine." Jeanine said as she put the key in the lock. "Hey... the door's unlocked." she said. She opened it and went into the house, followed by Todd carrying young Doug. "OH MY GOD!" Jeanine screamed as she saw the unconscious form of Dolores on the floor.

"Here, hold Doug." Todd said, handing his wife the baby. He quickly knelt and felt for a pulse. "She's alive. Shit, I'll call 9-1-1-- oh Geez, where's Jack?"


Jeanine flew down the hallway to the babies' room then screamed "Todd! Jack's not here! Oh my God, Jack's gone! Oh my God!" Panic began setting in and Todd had the double duty of calming Jeanine down while calling for an ambulance for Dolores.

Part 9 - Tensions Running High

"She was beaten pretty badly, but I think she's going to make it." said Dr. Morgan at University Hospital, speaking of Dolores. The sun was beginning to set as the afternoon had given way to evening.

"Can we talk to her?" I asked. "A baby has been kidnapped. We need to know anything she can tell us, so don't give us the 'doctor boilerplate'."

Dr. Morgan sighed, knowing that I'd just pre-empted the standard bullshit doctors give about patients needing rest. "Okay, but make it very quick. She's been in and out the last hour."

I went into the room. Todd and Jeanine were sitting in chairs and Dolores was in the hospital bed, an IV in her arm. Dolores's eyes were open, though she looked groggy.

"Dolores, can you hear me?" I asked.

"Don... Don... they took Jack..." Dolores gasped, tears in her eyes.

"Who? Do you know who it was?" I asked.

"One of them... the leader... the woman called him 'Ned'." Dolores said.

"Wispy brown hair, thin?" I asked. Dolores nodded.

"Woman dressed in black, in Goth stuff?" I asked. Dolores nodded.

"Did they say anything about a ransom when they took the baby?" I asked.

"No... he just said he was taking Todd's baby... I tried to stop them... oh Dios! I could not stop them--" Dolores said, becoming agitated.

"Shhhhhh! Shh! Shh! Shh!" I said, calming Dolores down. "You could not have stopped all of them. Don't worry, I'm going to get Jack back, okay? I'm going to get him back. You just get better, okay? I need you to testify against the bastard when I bring him in, okay? Will you get better for me so you can do that?" Dolores nodded. I motioned for Jeanine and Todd to come outside.

In the waiting room, I said to them "I think Ned took the wrong baby. He wanted to take Doug. By the way, where is Doug?"

"Aunt Laura has him." said Todd. "She and Grandma have him and Carole and Jim at the Psychology Building, and a lot of cops around the place."

"That's as safe a place as they can be in this County." I said. "Okay, we're not going to publicly state they got the wrong baby, so if you hear something on the news, don't worry about it. We're going to get little Jack back."

"He... he's all alone out there." said Jeanine, trying hard not to break down.

"There was a woman with the group that invaded your home." I said. "I'm hoping that she has enough maternal instincts to take care of little Jack. And Ned isn't going to hurt the baby, at least not yet. He's using Jack as a pawn, to get at me. And when he tries, I'm going to get the baby back safe and sound. Ned won't be so safe and sound when I'm done, though."

I went to the Psychology Building. Laura had the three kids in the nursery behind her office. My mother Phyllis was there, and both women were armed. To my surprise, Melina was also there, holding her biological son, Doug.

"Any news?" Laura asked.

"It's Ned, all right." I said. "And all we can do right now is wait for him to contact us, unless we get a huge break. I'm pretty sure he's going to want me personally to do something. It's like the last time he kidnapped those kids... just to get a shot at me, the bastard. Okay ladies, you're safe here. I've got to go to work."

It was then that Melina said, trying to be complimentary, "Don, I appreciate you working as hard to save Jack as you would Doug."

Something struck me wrong with that. "Why wouldn't I?" I asked my ex-wife, somewhat confrontationally.

"I...I mean... since he's Jack Burke's baby..." Melina said, then realized her error.

"I don't care who's baby it is... it's a baby that needs my help, and it's my job to save him. I'd do no differently for any baby than if it were my own." I then stalked out of the room.

Behind me, Melina said "Damn... I didn't mean for it to come out like that... I need to apologize to Don..."

"I understand, dear." said Phyllis soothingly. "Everyone is just tense right now."

Laura was less forgiving. "Yes, you do need to apologize to him, but don't worry about that now. He's got a lot on his mind." She paused, thinking of the enormous pressure on her husband's shoulders at this moment. "Geez, how does he hold up like he does?"

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"This is Bettina Wurtzburg with breaking news!" said the lovely redhead reporterette. "The Town & County Police have just confirmed that the main suspect in the kidnapping of Todd and Jeanine Burke's son Doug Burke is none other than Todd Burke's brother, Ned--". I watched, knowing that we were telling the Media and thus the world the lie that Doug had been the one taken. I could only hope Ned didn't find out that he'd taken the wrong baby, and preemptively kill little Jack.

"This is the same man who kidnapped three children in an attempt to assassinate his uncle, now Police Lieutenant Donald--" Bettina continued. "Ned has also committed three murders in the County over the last two years, and is believed to have run drugs in the area. He had been hiding in the State Asylum as an employee, using the name 'Donald Kyle Irons', until recent events exposed his presence there. So far there has been no contact from this killer to the Police, nor has the family been called..."

"You know, Ned," Goth Girl Kathy said as she fed Jack a bottle, "they've got it wrong. You didn't take your brother's kid, you got the other one."

Ned came over and peered at little Jack, seeing the embroidered 'Jack' on the baby's bib, which he'd been wearing when he was captured. "I see." Ned said. "So I suppose I should just kill this baby now?"

"No, leave him alone!" Kathy said defiantly, holding onto Jack a little harder. "Besides, you need him for your plan."

"Yes, you're right." Ned said, his voice eerie. "In fact... it's a good thing for him that he's the wrong kid... I was going to kill him in front of my dear brother Todd, but since he's not Todd's son, there's no reason to kill him at all. I hope you appreciate my letting him live, Kathy."

"I do, honey." Kathy said. "You're the best."

Part 10 - Contacts

At 4:00pm the next day, July 25th, an email arrived in my police email box. It was a video from Ned. After having it checked thoroughly for viruses and finding none, I played it in the MCD room, with a very attentive audience of the Chief, Jack Muscone, his team, and my MCD Detectives.

Ned's face filled the screen. It was an amateur film, poorly made. There was a sheet hung up as a backdrop behind Ned so that we could gather no clues to his whereabouts by analyzing his surroundings.

"What I want," said my disgusting nephew, "is the return of Eleanor Burke. I'm sure you remember the warehouse at Ward Harvester, dear Uncle Donny?" Ned's voice was mocking, insulting, as he spoke. "Well, they're just finishing with the new building on that site. That is where you will bring Eleanor, Uncle Donny. Twenty-four hours from now, at 4:00pm. Come in through the backside truck entrances.

"You can bring one, and only one, female EMT to take Jack Burke's child to safety once the swap has been made. Oh yes, I know which baby I have, and I'd rather see the child of your college roommate, the stud that seduced your fiancée, live... though I won't be saying the same for my dear brother Todd's filthy progeny."

Ned's words were a huge clue to me about something else I'd long suspected, but I let that go and concentrated on the present danger as Ned continued: "In addition, I want unfettered access to the County Airport. A plane will be waiting for me there to take me away from here. I'd better not see a single cop at Ward Harvester, except for you, dear Uncle, or else the baby dies.

"If anyone at all gets in my way as we go to the airport, Eleanor will die and so will the innocent citizens who right now are sitting on a bomb and don't even know it. I'll give the bomb's location once I'm safely out of the County."

"It's been a fun repartée these last couple of years, Uncle Donny, but the game is over. See you tomorrow!" The picture faded to black.

"I suspect there's no bomb." I said. "That's just a ruse for Ned to keep himself safe."

"Why the EMT?" asked Jack Muscone. "Why can't you just bring the baby out?"

"Because Ned plans to kill me." I said. "He's apparently decided to let the baby live, but all of this is to get me there so he can kill me."

"Then you're not going." said the Chief.

"With all due respect, Chief... bullshit!" I said, looking my boss dead in the eye. "There's no way I'm letting anyone else go and risk the baby's life, and there's no way I'm letting anyone else take the risk for me. I could never live with myself if I did."

"I understand." said the Chief. "But I'm not letting you throw away your life, even for a baby's. We'll find another way."

"Damn straight, we will, Chief." I said. "It won't be me dying tomorrow afternoon."

"Ah, you have a plan." said Tanya Perlman. I was glad that at least one person had the brains to figure it out, I thought rather curtly.

"That's right." I said. "And I'll tell y'all about it tomorrow morning. We have until early afternoon to get ready." Little did I know...

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At 5:00pm, I was in the nursery behind my wife's office. Carole had been so happy to see me when I walked in that all I was hearing was "da-da!" for several minutes. No matter what chaos was going on in the world, I hit the 'pause' button to hold my daughter and feel the love.

Todd and Jeanine were there, as well as Daniel and Melina, and there was a touch of tension in the air beyond the tension of a kidnapped child. Melina then got a phone call on her cell and went outside to take it.

"Todd, let's talk outside a minute." I said. My mother was observing us from under her eyelids as we went into Laura's office. I took Todd into the clinic areas on the other side of the office.

"Todd, I need you to contact your buddies, the one's that saved me at Ward Harvester, the ones that saved us in that raid that wounded Cindy a few weeks ago."

"What are you talking about, Uncle Don?" Todd replied, feigning uncomprehending astonishment. He was not a good actor.

"Don't play fucking games with me, Todd." I said, bearing down on my nephew, needing to break him to my fist, and fast. "I know what the fuck has been going on, and I need your friends now more than ever, if we're going to get your brother's son back alive."

Todd paused, then realized his best course of action was to trust his ol' Uncle Don. "Okay, Uncle Don, what do you need?" I spent the next few minutes telling him...

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"You son of a bitch!" Melina whispered angrily into her cellphone. She was just outside the Psychology Building, trying to not let the policeman at the door hear her. The person on the other end of the line... was Ned.

"Yes, I am that." said Ned, laughing. "My dear Melina, if you want your lover Jack Burke's baby back alive, then you will do what I tell you. You will take that rifle that you used to shoot Jonas Oldeeds... oh yes, I know all about that, dear Aunt Melina... and you will shoot your ex-husband, my dear Uncle Donny, tomorrow afternoon. There's a little balcony to the air conditioning units on the southeast corner of the building that will serve nicely for you to put a 7.62 NATO round in his back."

"There is no way in hell I'm doing that, you fucking prick." Melina hissed.

"Ah, you'll regret those words... when you're holding your husband Daniel's dead body. I'll have him shot dead right in front of you, bitch. Now you know what you have to do. If you don't, Jack Burke's baby dies, your husband dies, your sister Laura dies. All because you wouldn't do the right thing and put a bullet in dear Uncle Donny's back..."

-----------------------

We were still in the nursery, and I was talking to Daniel about how the Sheriff campaign was going when Melina finally returned to the room. She was working hard to appear normal, but I could tell something was amiss. And her usually-pale skin was even more pale: she was white as a ghost, to coin a phrase. I saw that my mother had noticed it also, and was peering hard at Melina.

"Daniel," said Melina, "I think we need to go."

"Hey, let me have a few words with him first." I said. "Daniel, let's talk out here."

Once in the clinic area, I told Daniel that something had happened to cause Melina to be different, and that I didn't expect her to tell him or anyone else about it. "I think it was that phone call." I said. "Listen, Daniel, I need you to trust me on this one. I need you to trust me to handle the Ned situation all the way through to the end." Daniel just nodded, and I began telling him what I suspected and what I needed him to do...

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"It's big." said Agent Dick Ferrell on the phone. "I just got word that something's going down with the Iron Crowbar's nephew and that kidnapping. This may be our chance."

"Yes, I've gotten similar word." said Agent Steven Ikea, who was in the County. "Bring a team on up here. It's going down tomorrow, and we're going to have our chance to strike."

Part 11 - Preparation

We did not want leaks to the Press, nor to possibly rogue police officers. In the Chief's conference room were the Chief, myself, Jack Muscone, Captain Charles, Hugh Hewitt and Martin Nash. We formed plans that Cpt. Charles would give to teams of uniformed men the next day. Nash was leading the overall effort, while Hewitt had his instructions for the SWAT team. We had maps of Ward Harvester on the table, and I was pointing out where we'd secrete units and their vehicles until I was inside and occupying Ned's attention.

I had privately given Hewitt some extra information, that we'd be getting some secret help. I might have mentioned black-clad, motorcycle-helmeted, high-firepower persons that preferred to stay anonymous.

The EMT to come with me was easily solved. Detective Apprentice Diana Torres had begged me to let her do it. "I can wear an EMT uniform over my armor vest." she said. "Your nephew won't know the difference. Please, let me do it."

"Thank you, Detective Torres." I said. "I'd be honored to have you with me tomorrow. Go home now and get some sleep." I was already writing in my mind the request for a Police Commendation Medal for Torres.

At 10:00pm, all the preps were done. I asked everyone to go on home and come back, and to clear the Headquarters of all but the most very essential personnel.

"We have to be careful about that." Chief Griswold said. "We've gotten tips that CIA operatives are going to try to get Sarah Collins out of here, by armed invasion if necessary."

"We'll leave her guards, in fact, we'll triple them." I said. "I just need Sergeant Thompson to be at the Duty Desk tonight." Sergeant Thomas was a very tall, very athletic, very big black man whom I trusted, especially to keep his mouth shut. And I would need that tonight. "By the way, Chief, we'll burn the Sarah Collins bridge when we get to it."

Last, I went into my office and pulled out the burner phone. I called the number and left my message...

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An hour later, the Headquarters was nearly empty, as the Chief had given orders to clear it. Senior Patrolman Micah Rudistan and I went into the holding cells containing Eleanor Burke, which were not the ones where Sarah Collins was being held in confinement and isolation under heavy guard.

"Come with me, Eleanor." I said. I escorted the lovely Cougar up the hallway to the door that perps were normally brought into. The Duty Desk sergeant had to clear us to go out, and I'd pre-arranged with him to let me take Eleanor out, telling him I'd have her back by dawn.

As we drove down the road South and out of town, Eleanor finally spoke up. "You're not taking me back to that Asylum, are you?"

"No, we're not going that far." I said.

"So where are you taking me?"


"To see a friend." I said. I told Eleanor that Ned had demanded that we trade her for the kidnapped baby that was her grandson, but that I wanted her to meet a friend first.

"I'm willing to be traded for Jack's child." Eleanor said. "You don't need to do anything else."

"I prefer saving both of you." I said. Eleanor looked sharply at me but said nothing.

Driving in silence, we entered Coltrane County. I kept my eyes peeled for Coltrane County Police patrols; meeting up with one of those might harm my plans. Fortunately, there were none before I turned right onto a familiar small road. Soon we were at our destination: the World Headquarters of Dr. P. Harvey Eckhart's 'The Vision'.

The young man Tommy, who had figured prominently the year before in the murder of Jefferson Jackson, met us at the car. "Mrs. Burke, Lieutenant, if you would come this way, Dr. Eckhart is looking forward to receiving you." I took my briefcase out of the SUV and we followed him inside. We were taken to the elevator that went straight up to Eckhart's luxurious office. When we got off the elevator, the office was in nearly complete darkness.

"Ah, my young friend, there you are." the voice said, seeming to come out of nowhere. Then I saw the flash of white hair as Harvey Eckhart come around the corner from a hallway on the other side, with several of his young acolytes, including Tommy's girlfriend Candy.

"Mrs. Burke, how nice to meet you." said Eckhart politely. "If you will go with my young friends here, they will show you to a room where we give a relaxing massage. You'll be in very good hands, I assure you."

Eleanor looked at me and I nodded to her. I unhandcuffed her and she was led away to what I surmised were the therapy rooms not far away.

"Thank you for helping me, Dr. Eckhart." I said. "But is there enough time?"

"I'm glad to be of service." Eckhart said. "Such a nasty business, kidnapping poor children and babies. Definitely time to end this farce that your nephew is creating. And yes... while we will have to administer some strong drugs that will have Mrs. Burke groggy for some time, her depleted condition will make her more pliable for the treatment. Now, I must ask... what are the trigger words you'd like to use?"

"I was remembering some of the old Mission: Impossible television shows." I said. "And there was that one episode where the words into the control chamber were 'January, Suborbital, Denomination'. Let's use those words."

"Ah, excellent choice. I enjoyed those shows, also." praised Eckhart. "Now, for the one thing that is obviously on your mind: your end of the bargain."

"Yes." I said simply.

"What I want, young Donald," said Eckhart, "is everything you have on one Mister Henry R. Wargrave."