The Merger – 30

 

Josh and Mike entered the bank separately, both posing as customers, both carrying messenger bags over their shoulders. Josh arrived first. He filled out a deposit form, but before going to the teller window, he asked the security guard stationed unobtrusively by the customer service desks if there was a men's room. After the guard pointed him in the right direction, Josh went into it then into one of the two stalls. Five minutes later, looking nothing like he had when he'd entered, Josh left, strolling casually to the empty office that Osborne had set up for their use. Stanton was already there with another man he introduced as Thad.

Ten minutes later, Mike joined them, coming in through a door that connected to the employees' break room. He had shed the business attire he'd been wearing when he'd entered the bank, having exchanged it for jeans and a dark shirt comparable to what the other men were wearing. As with Josh, the clothes he'd had on were now in the bag he was carrying.

"I've already installed wireless listening devices in the tellers' work area and where we'll be waiting for Mr. Nowell and his associates," Stanton said, handing Mike and Josh tiny earbuds. "Since I know the access codes, there will be no problem with us getting in there after the last employee has left for the day. I trust you two are armed," he said to Josh and Mike.

With a small smile, Josh replied, "Define armed. We each have a pair of stun guns. I have the feeling Mike also has a pistol. I don't."

"That's right," Stanton replied. "I remember you telling me a while back that you never carry a gun."

"I don't," Josh replied succinctly, suppressing a laugh at the look of disbelief on Thad's face. "Don't worry," Josh told him. "We're well versed in how to use the Tasers effectively to take a person down for the count."

"If you say so," Thad said under his breath.

Since all four men were used to playing the waiting game until it was time to act, there was only the usual tension that came from anticipating the start of an operation. Stanton left once, just before closing time, returning to say that Osborne was doing well, all things considered, and would text him as soon as the last person was gone.

The fact that Stanton was running this part of the operation didn't bother Mike. "After all," he'd told Josh before they'd left the agency, "he does know the bank, since his company set up the security, and he knows Osborne better than we do because of that."

It was just after seven fifteen when Stanton checked his phone, nodded, and said, "Osborne's disarmed everything. Let's move."

The Merger – 29

 

The intercom buzzed, Mike answered then told the others, "Mr. Stanton is here," before asking Rosie to send him in.

"George," Osborne said, getting to his feet. "Thank you for coming so quickly."

George Stanton was a man in his late fifties with steel-gray hair and eyes to match. He crossed the office to shake Osborne's hand. He turned to Josh. "I'm glad to know you're involved in this. And you are?" he asked Mike.

"Mike Harte. Josh and I are partners in our agency," Mike replied.

Stanton nodded. "I've heard of you, although I wasn't aware the two of you had joined forces. Now, what are we dealing with and how can I and my people help?"

Mike shot Josh a relieved look as Osborne said, "For starters, would you please send some of your people to my house to protect my wife and daughter?"

Stanton immediately made a call, giving whoever answered instructions and the address, once he'd confirmed it with Osborne. "Get in touch with your wife to let her know they're on their way." He gave him their names and Osborne called  her.

"All right, fill me in on exactly what's happening," Stanton said, taking a seat in one of the two visitor chairs. He listened, nodding occasionally without interrupting, until Mike and Josh had finished.

"When you got here, we were trying to decide where the best place to wait would be," Mike said in conclusion.

Getting up, Stanton went to look at the bank's floor plan, which was still up on Mike's laptop. "I would suggest here."

Josh looked then glanced at Mike. "I told you he was good."

From there, the four men worked on finalizing their plans, but not until Mike had called the client who was due in at eleven, asking if he'd mind if Mike emailed him the information on the background checks he'd done, explaining that an emergency had come up that he had to handle immediately. The man agreed, so Mike took a few minutes to send him the file.

"He's one of those people who like to be hands-on, including coming in so I can go over them with him in person," Mike explained when he finished.

Stanton chuckled. "We have a couple of clients like that. If they don't meet with us face-to-face, they don't think they're getting their money's worth."

By the time they had covered all the details on how they would catch the men threatening Osborne, it was almost eleven thirty. Stanton left, telling the others he and one other man would be at the bank well before closing time to get in place. Osborne left, as well, to return to the bank and await everyone's arrival.

Mike had two early afternoon appointments, one to give a client a final report on surveillance he'd done, the other to tell a woman that he'd located her missing sixteen-year-old daughter who had, it turned out, run away to be with her older boyfriend. The woman was not happy about that but was relieved to know it wasn't something much worse.

Josh took off to set up a security system for a new client, promising to be back by three—which he was. Then, after making certain they had everything they needed, including four of Josh's charged Tasers, they left for the bank with stops at their apartments to pick up a change of clothes.

The Merger – 28

 

"He's running late," Mike said to Josh, just as Rosie let them know that Mr. Osborne had arrived. At that point it was nine twenty and Mike had begun to worry that something had happened to change Osborne's mind.

Osborne appeared agitated as he came into Mike's office. Without preamble, he said, "I received a call from someone who purported to be Bethany's kidnapper. He was extremely angry, threatening to kill her or my wife, if I didn't do as planned and meet him at the bank tonight. I immediately called Linda, telling her she was to keep Bethany at home, to turn on the house security, and not to let anyone in—period."

"Was it the same man as before? Mr. Nowell?" Mike asked. If it had been, then the police had arrived too late to catch him at the warehouse.

"It might have been, but I couldn't say for certain. He was talking rapidly and as I said, sounded very angry. And he kept the conversation short."

Josh frowned in thought, holding up one hand to forestall either of the others from saying anything more. Finally, he asked, "What security company does the bank use?" When Osborne told him, he smiled as he replied, "I know them. Please call now and ask whoever's in charge of your account to meet us here as soon as possible. If he, or she, demurs, remind them there are other companies that would be more than willing to take over in their place, given the chance."

With a sharp nod, Osborne made the call. He didn't have to make that threat, as the person he talked with agreed to be at the agency within the half-hour.

"What are you planning?" Mike asked after Osborne hung up.

"If he..." Josh turned to Osborne. "What's his name?"

"George Stanton."

"I know him personally. He's the owner of Stanton Security." When Osborne nodded, Josh said, "They're good. He's good. Anyway, as I was saying, we'll tell him what's going on and then ask that he send at least two of his people to keep your wife and Bethany safe—for starters."

"Then?" Mike asked.

"Hope he'll agree to work with us to catch whoever comes to the bank tonight."

"He'd better agree and not try to take over," Mike replied tightly.

"He seems to be very flexible," Osborne put in. "I'm sure he won't object."

"I agree," Josh said, before asking Osborne, "Do you have floor plans for the bank somewhere online?"

"Of course not. That would be asking for trouble," Osborne replied tartly before adding with a brief smile, "Actually, we do. They're just not accessible to anyone who doesn't have the authorization to look at them. If you'll allow me…" He pointed to Mike's laptop. Mike nodded, ceding his chair to Osborne. Whatever site Osborne accessed was obviously very secure, based on the time it took him to open it and get where he needed to be.

"Where are the vault and the safety deposit boxes?" Josh asked when Osborne brought up the plans.

"The main vault is to the left of the teller stations; the safety deposit vault is to the right, across the hallway leading from the back door into the main area of the bank. The tellers' work area is in this secured room behind the stations," Osborne replied, tapping each one on the floor plan as he named them. "The door to the main vault is directly off the work area. The employee's entrance to the safety deposit vault is…here"—he pointed—"right across the hallway."

"Very self-contained," Mike said. "I've seen some banks where they were much farther apart."

Osborne nodded. "We're a smaller bank with a physically smaller plant, so practicality factored into our decision."

"What we need," Josh said, "is a place to hide until Nowell and/or Comstock, and perhaps more of Comstock's men, arrive. We also have to be there well before the bank closes, if what Nowell told you during one of his earlier calls was the truth and they'll be watching to make certain all your employees have left."

"Would one of the offices work?" Osborne asked, pointing to the ones lining the right wall of the bank.

"That depends on whether—let's just say Nowell, for convenience's sake—makes you take him directly to the tellers' work area, which obviously will give him easy access to both vaults," Josh replied.

The Merger – 27

 

Josh took a quick look at Mike, mouthing, "Ready?" Mike nodded, pulling the ski mask down to cover his face. Josh did the same before gripping his Taser in one hand. Wrapping his other hand around the door handle, he turned it slowly and silently until the he felt the latch give. A swift kick sent the door slamming open, hitting the cinder-block wall.

Nowell and the second man in the room sprang to their feet.

"You even twitch and you'll regret it," Mike said, his stun gun pointed at one of them.

"Same goes for you," Josh told the other man. "Take out your weapons with two fingers, drop them on the floor then kick them away."

"Like hell!" the man Josh had a bead on replied, reaching behind his back.

"I knew they wouldn't listen," Mike said as he and Josh fired simultaneously. The Taser probes hit their targets, sending twelve-hundred volts of electricity into their bodies with the expected results. The men went down, incapacitated but not dead.

Mike tossed Josh his Taser then strode across the room to a bed in one corner. Bethany was curled up on it, unconscious, her hands and ankles bound with rope, duct tape covering her mouth. After carefully cutting the ropes then picking her up, Mike walked to the door. Josh followed after removing the probes from the men's bodies, rewinding the weapons' electrode wires as he did. When Mike stopped, just short of the door, nodding to it, Josh stepped around him, unclipping the second Taser from his waistband. He slid quickly into the hallway, pressing against the wall as he listened for any signs that there could be someone else in the warehouse who might, or might not, know they were there.

"All clear," Josh said, barely above a whisper, before returning to the door at end of the hallway then going into the room leading to the parking lot. When he got to the exit, he inched it open just enough to peer outside. He turned, giving Mike a thumbs-up.

Moments later, Mike had put Bethany into the back seat of Josh's car then eased in next to her. Josh slid into the driver's seat, turned the key in the ignition, then, after taking off his ski mask and the latex gloves, pulled out of the lot—without headlights. 

Now that they had Bethany, Mike decided it was safe to call 9-1-1—using the burner phone he always carried with him on a job for such emergencies—to report there had been a kidnapping and that the kidnappers could be found at the warehouse, along with evidence of the crime. Then he told Josh, "That's the best we can do, so let's hope the cops get there before the bastards wake up. We'll leave my car where it is and come back for it later." He got a nod of agreement from Josh.

Josh drove two blocks before turning on the headlights.

By that time, Mike had removed his ski mask and gloves, reaching over the seat to drop them on top of Josh's case. He carefully removed the duct tape covering Bethany's mouth. "She looks okay," he said. He took a penlight from his pocket, clicked it on then lifted one of the girl's eyelids. "Drugged, but her breathing is normal. No visible bruises."

"Of course not," Josh replied dryly. "When you ask for what Nowell did for her safe return, you don't want to damage the goods."

"At Comstock's orders," Mike stated. "You know Nowell is just the middle man."

They were halfway to their destination when a small moan alerted them that Bethany was regaining consciousness.

"It's okay, Bethany," Mike said, lifting her into his lap. "You're safe now."

She opened her eyes, looking up at him. "I want my Mommy."

"I know, sweetie. We're taking you home." He stroked her tangled hair.

"Promise?" she asked, her eyes closing again.

"I promise."

Ten minutes later Josh stopped the car across the street from a large house in an upscale neighborhood on the city's west side. Taking out his phone, he called Mr. Osborne. When it was answered, he said, "We have her. We're right outside."

An upstairs window in the house lit up seconds later. He could follow the progression of Osborne and his wife, he was certain, as more lights shown through the windows on their way down to the front door. By then, Mike had gathered up the little girl after getting out of the car. He carried her to the front door with Josh right behind him, arriving at the same time as her parents. When the door swung open, he put Bethany into the waiting arms of her mother.

"We can't thank you enough," Rupert Osborne said with heartfelt appreciation, his arm around his wife's shoulders.

"We were more than happy to help," Josh replied.

"We owe you a debt of gratitude we can't repay," Linda Osborne said, her arms wrapped protectively around Bethany, who was clinging tightly to her.

"Just keep her safe so this doesn't happen again."

"We will." Osborne paused. "The man responsible for kidnapping her?"

"May or may not be under arrest by now. We'll talk about that in the morning," Mike replied, "either at the bank or our agency."

"Now that it's safe to, I'll come by your office. Is nine too early?"

"No. I have a client coming in at eleven. I'm free until then," Mike said, glancing at Josh, who told him he'd be available as well.

"Then I'll see you in the morning. Again, thank you so much for rescuing Bethany."

With a nod, Mike returned to the car. "It's times like this I'm glad we do what we do," he said, getting into the passenger seat.

Josh leaned over to kiss him. "Me, too," he replied. "Now let's get your car so we can both go home. I, for one, could sleep for a year."

Mike grinned. "As long as you're at work by nine tomorrow morning, have at it."

 

The Merger – 26

 

"From what I could tell," Mike told Josh via his mic, "either he's a real heavy eater or he bought food for more than himself."

"If we're lucky," Josh replied, "he's heading to where they're keeping the girl."

Nowell made one more stop, at a liquor store, coming out with a six-pack of beer. After that, he drove halfway across the city to an area of older homes, small shops, and warehouses, some of them obviously abandoned. When Nowell entered an alley, Mike doused the lights on his car then drove slowly past it, just in time to see Nowell veer into what looked like a narrow parking lot behind a warehouse. Mike continued on, found a lot a block farther up and parked, telling Josh where he was. Moments later, Josh pulled up beside him.

"I come bearing food," Mike said, getting into Josh's car then handing him the bag. "Before you dig in, let's find a place to watch the warehouse where Nowell ended up."

"Which would be?"

"You drive. I'll show you. At this point we're better off using one car," Mike replied. He directed Josh back to the alley, suggesting they go down it in hopes there would be a place to set-up a stakeout. Luck was with them. What had appeared to be a small lot behind the warehouse turned out to be larger than Mike had thought. "Probably to accommodate delivery trucks," he said, gesturing to the loading dock.

Nowell's car was parked to the right of the dock, beside a door leading into the building. A second car was parked in the corner. Josh backed in beside it, leaving the car idling. He had already doused the headlights before entering the alley. Mike got out, walking around Nowell's car to the side next to the loading dock. Kneeling, he took a folding knife from his pocket, using it to slash the car's rear tire. Then he did the same to the other car before rejoining Josh.

"This makes me wonder if one of the men holding Bethany works here," Josh commented. "It doesn't look abandoned."

"Probably, although, obviously, they haven't let anyone else know they have her here, so the warehouse might belong to Comstock. Then they could tell people they had his permission to use the room where they're hiding her."

"Good point. Okay, now, can we eat?" Josh asked, getting a nod and an amused smile from Mike. They did, while keeping an eye on the warehouse.

"Back door or in through the front?" Mike asked when they finished.

"Back. That's the way he went in." Josh reached over the seat to retrieve his case. Opening it, he took out three Tasers, handing one to Mike. "We use these," he said adamantly. "This is not negotiable."

For a moment, Mike debated arguing with him. Then, he nodded. "As long as you realize I am carrying and will use my gun if it looks like things will go bad."

Mike expected Josh to protest.

Instead, he said, "The chances are, we'll be facing two, maybe three men, at the most. I don't see them having more than that to watch one little girl, who is probably bound and gagged to begin with. If I'm wrong, then I guess having your gun as backup is all right."

It was obvious from his expression that he didn't like the idea, but Mike had to give him points for accepting it might be necessary.

Josh took some tools from the case, putting them in his pockets. He clipped one of the Tasers to his belt, then, before getting out of the car, he took two ski masks and two pairs of latex gloves from the case, handing a set to Mike. They put on the gloves then the masks but didn't pull the masks down…yet. Going to the warehouse door, Josh used a jammer to disable any wireless security within fifty feet of it. Using an electric lock pick, he had the door unlocked moments later. Next, he checked to make certain the alarm box had been disabled, as there was a possibility it was connected to a phone line. It was off.

They found themselves in a small room that was obviously used by warehouse employees to accept deliveries. There were two doors. One was partially ajar. A quick check showed it led to the receiving area behind the loading dock. The second one was closed but not locked. It opened onto a short hallway with three doors along one side. Josh used an electronic eavesdropper to determine that there were people in the third room.