Kidnap and Ransom (40 page)

“Okay.” He nodded, then reached over and awkwardly hugged her. “Hang in there, okay?”

“You, too.”

He swung around on his crutches. Kelly heard an engine start, the sound of a car pulling away. She couldn’t move. She kept waiting for tears to come, but since that first day none had. She was numb inside. Kelly had barely stopped moving since the plane landed in New York. Without allowing herself to think about it, she found a new apartment and moved overnight. Packed up all of Jake’s things and shipped them off to Chris. All she had left was a stack of photos and a windbreaker she’d found on the final pass through their empty apartment, tucked away in the far corner of their bedroom closet. She’d pressed it to her face, remembering when Jake wrapped it around her shoulders on a blustery day, but still—nothing.

“What are you going to do now?” someone asked.

She turned to find Maltz gazing levelly at her. “I have no idea.”

“Syd would be happy to take you on.”

“No, she wouldn’t.” Kelly managed a tight smile.

“I could get her to do it anyway,” Maltz offered.

“I’m not cut out for that.” The clouds overhead parted, and the rays of a weak winter sun sifted through. “I’m tmy boss back at the FBI on Monday. Maybe they’ll put me on active duty.”

“Good luck with that.”

“Thanks,” Kelly said.

They stood in silence for a few more minutes. Then Kelly forced herself to turn and walk back to her rental car, arms wrapped tight against the cold.

Author’s Note

In December of 2008, I stumbled across a news report on the kidnapping of Felix Batista. Batista was an American security consultant for ASI Global. Over the course of his career, he had personally negotiated the release of more than a hundred hostages. He was in Saltillo, Mexico, to offer advice on handling the uptick in abductions for ransom. While dining with local businessmen one evening, he received a series of cell-phone calls and excused himself from the table. On his way out of the restaurant to get better reception, he handed his companions his laptop and a list of phone numbers in case he didn’t return. Moments later an SUV pulled to the curb and Batista was forced inside. Since then, no one has had any communication with him, and no one has claimed responsibility for his kidnapping.

The irony of the story started the plot wheels spinning in my mind. I want to emphasize that the character of Cesar Calderon is not meant to represent Felix Batista in any way, shape, or form. I sincerely hope that Mr. Batista is returned to his family unharmed.

Kidnapping for ransom has been on an upswing worldwide. All of the facts and statistics cited in this book are true to the best of my knowledge. Iraq, Mexico and Colombia currently rank as the kidnapping capitals of the world, although the former Soviet bloc nations are not far behind. According to Insurance Carrier AIG’s Crisis Management Division, over 20,000 kidnap-for-ransom incidents are reported annually, with forty-eight percent of them occurring in Latin America. Approximately eighty percent of kidnap-for-ransom cases go unreported, so that means an average of 100,000 people are snatched and held every year. The number of cases has increased exponentially in the past few decades as drug cartels and terror groups seized upon kidnappings as a relatively low-risk source of additional financing. Books such as Ransom: the Untold Story of International Kidnapping, by Ann Hagedorn Auerbach, and Kidnap for Ransom, by Richard P. Wright, were extremely informative on this subject and, at the same time, terrifying.

I relied on a number of first-person accounts to construct the story of what a hostage experiences after being taken. The most helpful (and heartbreaking, and harrowing) were Out of Captivity, by Gary Brozek, Marc Gonsalves, Tom Howes, and Keith Stansell, and Deliver us from Evil, by Ernestine Sodi. Many kidnapping victims are held for months, or years. Some continue to be held even though their ransom has been paid. Many never make it home again.

I dedicate this book to them, and to people like Felix Batista who devote their lives to freeing them.

As always, I have many people to thank. This book marked a particular challenge for me, since it’s the first time I set a story in a place I’ve never had the opportunity to visit. I relied heavily on people far more familiar with he territory, particularly Mauricio Marban, who was also kind enough to correct my egregious Spanish errors—any remaining mistakes are mine, not his. Please forgive me for taking some liberties, particularly with the geography of Xochimilco.

On the recommendation of Patrick Millikin I delved into the work of Paco Ignacio Taibo II, Mexico’s reigning noir king, to get a feel for day-to-day life in Mexico City. David Lida’s book First Stop in the New World was also a great resource, as was Luis Urrea’s, By the Lake of Sleeping Children.

Doug P. Lyle, M.D., answered medical questions including survival rates for gunshot wounds, states of unconsciousness and proper use of defibrillators, all for the bargain price of free future drinks. I doubt he’ll ever be able to produce a bar tab adequate to the debt I owe him, however.

Steve Kurzman’s blog mynewleg.net provided extremely helpful details about the trials and tribulations of adapting to a new below-knee prosthesis. Steve was also kind enough to answer questions about what Kelly’s capabilities would be, thanks to her new condition.

Joe Collins, pyrotechnician, illuminated me (no pun intended) as to the best way to blow up a dock, and to the explosive potential and properties of Primacord.

And as always, thank God for Google Maps and the internet, I’d be lost without them. Literally.

My beta readers went above and beyond the call of duty this time. I’m particularly grateful to Kirk Rudell, who has a gift for pinpointing exactly where the plot went off the rails, and better yet provides helpful recommendations for getting it back on track. Jason Starr is always kind enough to listen to my rants and to help me brainstorm, plus he’s a surefire title generator. My fellow bloggers on The Kill Zone: Clare Langley-Hawthorne, Kathryn Lilley, Joe Moore, John Ramsey Miller, John Gilstrap and James Scott Bell are invaluable sounding boards, as well as a damn fine group of people to virtually hang out with every week. My Sanchez Grotto–mates Raj Patel (aka The Maitreya), Kemble Scott/Scott James, Diane Weipert, Joshua Citrak, Shana Mahaffey, Alison Bing, Ammi Emergency, and Paul Linde are always kind enough to come to my events, even the nuttier ones (although let’s be honest, those tend to be the most fun) and to provide feedback, constructive criticism, and very welcome interruptions. Some of my Facebook and Twitter friends provided character names: a special thanks to Clifford Fryman, Penny Ash, Elizabeth Sneed White, Nick Daniels and Sean.

Thanks to David Fribush, Ty Jagerson, Dave Kane, and Michael Maltz for continuing to lend their names to the commando boys.

The folks at MIRA including Lara Hyde, Valerie Gray and Miranda Indrigo are a pleasure to work with.

My sister Kate has, as always, shepherded this book through from the first draft to the last, in exchange for occasional dinners and borrowed clothing. My parents correctly claim that when it comes down to it, every book should be dedicated to them (but they have graciously conceded that I may give other people a chance from time to time).

Last but never least my husband and daughter, for endless supplies of love and support.