Payment from Heaven - And it heats up now.
He remained in the car and waited. Ten minutes later, his phone started to ring.
Dangerfield answered the phone immediately.
“John Dangerfield, speaking.”
There was a pause. Then the person started to speak.
“John, it’s Stan.”
Dangerfield was very disappointed as he recognised his friend’s voice, and suddenly noticed his number on his mobile phone. He was so sure it was the kidnappers, he didn’t check the number before he answered the call.
“Hello, Stan.”
“How’s life?”
“Life is good,” said Dangerfield, realising that every second he spent on the phone was crucial. “Listen, Stan, I’m very busy at the moment. I’ll call you tomorrow.”
“Okay. I just called to say hello.”
“I appreciate that,” said Dangerfield, determined to end the call. “Thanks for calling, Stan. Speak to you later.”
“Speak to you later, mate.”
They ended the call.
Fifteen minutes later, his phone rang again.
“John Dangerfield,” he said, as he answered the call immediately.
“Listen carefully, Dangerfield.” He recognised the kidnapper’s voice.
“I’m not going to repeat myself. There’s a white yacht moored at the pier. Leave the money in the yacht and drive away.”
And he ended the call.
Dangerfield remained in the luxurious car for a few seconds, his heart thumping rapidly against his ribs. Then he opened the boot from within the car and slid out of the car.
As he slid out of the car, he removed the briefcase from the boot, closed the boot and started to walk towards the pier. As he got to the pier, he noticed a white yacht moored at the pier, and he started to walk towards it. He left the money inside the yacht, walked back towards the car in the semi-darkness and got into the car. Then he started the engine and drove along the road.
Twelve minutes later, a tall, shadowy figure emerged from the shadows, got into the yacht and sent the yacht shooting across the Thames.
“It’s me, darling,” said Dangerfield, as he drove along the road and his wife answered the phone.
“How’s it going?” she sounded very anxious.
“I’ve just paid the ransom,” said Dangerfield.
“Have they set him free?”
“I don’t know,” said Dangerfield. “They told me to leave the money in a yacht, and I did it. But anyway, I’m on my way home.”
She started to say something, but Dangerfield cut her short.
“Listen, darling, I can’t talk now. I’ll see you when I get home.”
And he ended the call.
A few minutes later, as he drove along the road, his mobile phone started to ring.
“John Dangerfield,” he said cautiously, realising it was an anonymous call.
“We’ve got the money.” He recognised the kidnapper’s voice. “Thanks for being so reasonable.”
Dangerfield breathed a sigh of relief.
“Have you released my son?”
“He’ll be free to go,” said the kidnapper, after a pause. “But only if you follow the rest of our instructions.”
“What do you mean?” said Dangerfield, his heart beginning to thump.
“We want another one hundred thousand in twenty-four hours.”
“Are you crazy?” yelled Dangerfield, as his heart skipped a beat. “I’ve just paid you a hundred thousand pounds.”
“You heard me,” said the kidnapper. “And keep your voice down.”
“I can’t raise that kind of money in twenty-four hours again,” Protested Dangerfield.
“Twenty-four hours,” snapped the kidnapper.
And the line went dead.
As Dangerfield drove along the road, his heart thumping furiously, his mind darting around like a wild animal, he started to call his wife, then he stopped. He wasn’t too sure how she would react if he told her the latest news over the phone. It would be a lot better if he broke it to her gently in person when he returned to the house.
But as he continued to drive, he dreaded the very moment that he would have to do that. What an ordeal! In addition to that, he now had to raise another one hundred thousand within twenty-fours hours, or else… He couldn’t even bear to think of what the outcome would be if he failed to pay.
(to be continued)
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