The Terror Zone

CHAPTER FIVE

“Paul, its Susan. I just had a session with George, and he gave me some clues as to where some of the children might be.”

“Call the police and I’ll be over right away,” said Paul.

“Okeechobee Police Department. How may we help you?”

“This is Dr. Susan Skyler. I have a clue as to where some of the missing children are. Please hurry, I don’t know exactly how long they can survive! I have it on good authority that a small child was being thrown overboard.”

“Yes, Dr. Skyler, tell us what information you have, and we’ll get right on it.”

“I have bits and pieces. I think there is a warehouse nearby called Mariners Rent-A-Space on the corner of Harbor Drive and Chase Avenue. The children are being held on a docked boat called the Five Musketeers.”

“Thank you, Doctor. Officer Grant will check out your story right away, we will send an officer over to question you, so please stay put.”

“Hurry,” I said.

The Officer showed up quickly. “Ms. Skyler, I’m Officer Kent. Could you please come with me?”

“It’s Dr. Skyler, Officer. Where are we going?”

“Down to the station. We need to question you.”

“No, I can’t go. I need to get to the docks. I need to see if my baby girl is there.”

“Just come quietly Doctor. I don’t want to have to cuff you.”

“Please, try and understand. I got this information from one of my patients. I couldn’t divulge any info even if I wanted to, client-doctor privilege and all that. Le me go to the docks, please!”

“Can’t let you do that, ma’am. Now follow me.”

“Paul,” I yelled.

As the officer turned around, I hit him over the head with one of my pieces of art on my mantle. In the midst of running toward Paul, I grabbed his hand, and told him to hurry.

“What’s going on Sky? What’s this all about? You do realize you just assaulted a police officer?”

“He wanted to take me downtown for questioning instead of acting on the emergency at hand, which was going to the docks to save the children. Hurry, please Paul, before I have to knock you out too!”

“Okay,” said Paul, as they entered his Jeep, which way madame?”

“Turn on your navigation system. Look for Harbor Drive and Chase Avenue. We need to head to the docks to find the children.”

“Could you punch it in for me? I’m a little busy driving.”

“Sure, just don’t stop,” I said. “It's about twenty minutes from here. Turn left off the freeway, here.”

“You want me to turn on Holt?”

“Yeah, I know a shortcut.”

When we arrived at the corner of Harbor and Chase, there was no sign of the cops. Paul and I got out of his SUV and walked toward, Mariner’s Rent-A-Space.

“It’s got to be here,” I said.

“It’s locked, sweetheart. How do you expect to get in?” asked Paul.

“Let’s walk around back.”

“Wow, this isn’t a warehouse, it’s a rental dock.”

“Yeah, that’s exactly what George said. Look for a big boat that reads Five Musketeers. That’s where the children are.”

“Over there,” yelled Paul, as he pointed to a big boat.

“Hurry Paul,” I said, as I ran toward the boat. “I don’t know how much longer the children have.”

“What do you think we should do, once we get there?”

“Save the children, of course!” I said.

“What if the perpetrator is still there?”

“Oh yeah, well, you’re a big, strong guy. Knock him out! Be quiet,” I said.

We climbed the ladder to the big boat and quietly boarded.

“This is a big place. We’re going to have to split up so we can cover more ground. I’ll go this way, you go that way,” said Paul.

I crept silently down the deck, looking in every window, and finally came to a door. It led down into an area that looked like a cabin. I went through desks, opened doors to bathrooms and closets, but found no children. I headed toward the top deck when I heard a shuffling noise like someone coming. The hair on my arms stood straight up. I knelt down low and listened. When I figured it was safe, I proceeded to scan the boat.

Paul quietly opened a door that led to another cabin. He filtered through the mess but also came up empty-handed.

We met in the middle and shrugged. “Maybe George didn’t see far enough ahead,” said Paul.

“I think he was right on. He was panicking and screaming. I am sure he was at the right place, besides…Listen. Did you hear that?”

“What sweetheart?”

“That. I hear something.”

We tiptoed toward the noise. It was coming from deep inside the belly of the boat.

“We’re getting closer,” I said. “The noise is getting louder.”

I tripped over a rug. “Look, there’s a trap door on the floor, and it’s locked.”

“That’s where they put their catch every day to keep it fresh,” said Paul.

“I hear the children,” I whispered.

We looked for something to use to break the lock. Paul found an axe, and he started to whack at the lock.

“I got it,” he said. “Stand back, Susan, I don’t want anything jumping out at you.”

“The cops are coming, I can hear the sirens,” I said.

Just then, someone snuck up behind us and hit Paul over the head. Paul went down, and I saw him coming after me. “George,” I screamed, but he didn’t stop. “George, it’s me, Dr. Skyler.”

As he raised his arms to hit me, Officer Beck pointed a gun at him and said, “Don’t move a muscle, and I won’t have to pop a cap in your ass!”

The man lowered his arms and stood still.

“George, what are you doing? Don’t you recognize me?” I asked.

“Why do you keep calling me George?” asked the stranger. “My name is Alex. Alex Finch and you are?”

“I’m Dr. Susan Skyler, and the young man you clobbered is Fireman Paul Boecker. Paul, are you all right?”

“What are you doing on my boat?” asked Alex.

“Officer, please raise this door so I can release the children. It’s heavy, you will need extra hands,” I said.

When they opened the door, there were six children huddled together trying to keep warm. Officer Beck and a few others climbed down the ladder and retrieved the children one at a time. When they brought up the last child, he wasn’t breathing.

“That’s Kenny,” said Lacey, with tears in her eyes. “He said he was hungry and cold, and then he started coughing and breathing funny. We didn’t know what to do, so we gave him our jackets. Then he quieted down, and we thought he was asleep. It’s dark down there, and we were so hungry.”

“You are all going to be okay now,” I hugged them one by one. “Tell the officers what your names are and they can take you home,” I said, as I wiped the tears from my cheeks.

“Oh, Paul, will I ever find Lindsey alive?”

He wrapped his arms around me and held me tight. “She’s going to be all right, Sky. Don’t give up hope.”

When we arrived at my house I said, “Will you stay with me tonight, Paul? I don’t think I could tolerate sitting here alone.”

“Of course, I will, sweetheart.”

We cooked chicken on the grill. I made my famous cheese fried zucchini and mashed potatoes.

“Would you like me to pour you some wine, darling?” asked Paul.

“Yes, that would be wonderful. Do you want to choose a DVD to watch?”

“Okay. How about Saw?

“That will be a little rough to take at this particular juncture. Could we choose something a little less violent tonight?” I asked.

“How about Pirates of the Caribbean?” asked Paul.

We sat in the spa and watched Pirates and then went to bed and made love before passing out.