Chapter Thirty
Weinberger Kidnapping: One-month-old Peter Weinberger was kidnapped from his suburban home in Long Island on July 4, 1956. The kidnapping resulted in new legislation—signed by President Eisenhower—that reduced the FBI’s waiting period in kidnapping cases from 7 days to 24 hours.
—FBI.gov
**Kat**
Thank God for knitting.
And knitters.
And yarn.
I was at the end of my tether, and everything was unraveling (no pun intended).
At some point over the last hour, Ashley had forced my work-in-progress into my hands and said, “Knit.”
It was a scarf, a simple pattern, no counting or stitch markers required. The yarn was variegated, so the beauty of the finished object would be in the array of colors, not in the intricacy of the pattern.
I knitted. As I knitted, my brain quieted, breathing became easier, and my thoughts began to focus on plotting my revenge.
Wait. Sorry.
I’m getting ahead of myself.
Let me back up.
I spent the three hours waiting for my friends to arrive by calling my personal banker and requesting he prepare a wire transfer, dated today, for three million dollars. Then I combed through Caravel’s financial records, division financial reports, and efficacy findings for in-progress R&D projects.
I discovered that Caleb had been systematically shutting down projects at Caravel, culling scientists and staff, and then supporting those projects privately through his venture capital firm. He’d been stealing research from Caravel and siphoning it into his own companies for two years.
Irate didn’t begin to describe how I felt.
I wasn’t going to tweeze his body hair, that would be too good for him. I was going to cover him with honey and put him in a box of fire ants.
Quinn texted me halfway through the flight with both good news and bad news.
The good news: they knew where Dan was being held. They also knew that Seamus’s men had abducted him.
The bad news: Seamus and Caleb were working together.
According to Quinn, camera footage in the parking garage of Caravel headquarters showed four men taking Dan and forcing him into the back of a black SUV. He’d tried to escape at one point, but he’d been overpowered by one of the men who, according to Alex, looked like a giant.
Quinn recognized the guys in the video as belonging to Seamus’s crew. Quinn also said they hadn’t knocked Dan out, which went a long way to alleviating my fears about the kidnappers reinjuring or aggravating his recent concussion.
Alex had tracked the SUV as far as the warehouse district, and then he’d lost it. However, tracking the vehicle had become a moot point, as the team following Caleb for over a week alerted Quinn to a meeting between my cousin and Seamus.
The security team followed Caleb and Seamus into the warehouse district, where—presumably—Dan was being held.
When Quinn’s plane finally landed and everyone was gathered in Quinn and Janie’s suite at the hotel, we were all in agreement that Seamus wouldn’t seriously hurt Dan. Therefore, Fiona had me make the proof of life call.
And so, I did.
It had been terrifying and overwhelming and truncated. Immediately afterward, Seamus—or Caleb—sent a new text:
Unknown #: You have nineteen hours for the $3mil to transfer into this account. Text this number when you have done as instructed. Once we confirm the money has been received, we will tell you where to find your husband. If you alert the authorities or take any action other than as instructed, you will never see your husband again.
“This is bullshit.” Quinn growled at the phone. “Standard kidnapping procedure in the US uses an honest broker intermediary to deliver the money.”
Wally, clearly agitated by Quinn’s mood, let out a bark. I reached out to him and scratched his ears, tears welling behind my eyes. I forced them back.
“Standard kidnapping procedure?” Elizabeth, who was sitting with me, lifted an eyebrow at Quinn.
Nico of all people responded, “Yes. And usually the honest broker is provided by the insurance company managing the K&R insurance policy.”
“What?” Elizabeth squinted at her husband like he was speaking Greek.
“K&R is Kidnapping and Ransom,” Quinn said flatly. “Most people worth over a certain amount have a K&R insurance policy in the US. The insurance company typically provides the honest broker intermediary at the time of exchange. In foreign ransom cases,” his gazed flickered to Greg, “it’s completely different.”
“Maybe let’s get back to Dan instead of standard operating procedure for kidnappers,” Greg suggested dryly, sending Quinn a pointed look. “What’s the plan?”