Baby Breath revised, John Andrew Durler Sr. [best short books to read txt] 📗

said warmly.

Alex listened to the love in their voices, excited and happy at finally having a child in their home. This was the last time he would hear those voices, or Ariel's, now that he is out of the picture. Tears rolled down his face as he watched the door slowly close with a solid thud. In its closing, the light blurred and in its ending, the lights outside shut down. The House was dark. Alex pounded his aching head against the steering wheel until he diminished the need to hold Ariel a final time and numbly looked away toward the street ahead of me. "Ariel, Ariel, He whispered softly. He idled down the block, turned around, passed the house slowly, stopped for a moment, because he felt nauseous and dizzy, going over the conversation in his mind. "Mother, don't get attached to her. If her liver checks out, I'll operate in the morning." His mind spun, with images of Ariel in a hospital,
getting cut up. Operate on who? He checked his watch. It was eleven thirty. He accelerated slowly, got down the block and punched the gas pedal, heading toward the Post Office Cafe.

**********
He arrived at twelve thirty, walked in and sat down. There were three customers at the bar. The booths were empty. One was paying his tab. Another was putting on her coat, and the other one, a dapper looking guy was hitting on a gorgeous blond, green eyed Amazon. She was as tall as Harry, had a figure that probably caused trucks and cars to crash watching her and not the road. The guy was flushed and his voice a little too loud.

"Hey honey, why go home alone?"

"I won't be alone," she said, smiling. "I'm calling a cab."

"And then when he drops you off, you're going to walk into a place that's empty. We can just talk, if you like."

"Yeah, sure. Get a better line Jack. That's older than God.

"Hey! Don't get nasty!" The dapper man got up and reached for her.

Harry quickly slipped from behind the bar and gripped the dapper man's shoulder. "I think you better leave." Harry's voice was firm and even.

添ou gonna make me?" The dapper man sneered as he spun around.

"No. She is. This is Laura, a black belt Karate, Ju Jitso New York State champion. I just don't want you to get broken up and bleed on my bar."

His face fell. Alex slid onto a bar stool. Laura smiled. "I wouldn't have hurt him Harry, I would have just given him a headache for a week to remind him of his manners."

"You got to be kidding me," The dapper man said.

"She's not kidding," Alex said. "Pick up last month's New York Times."

He stood there for a moment, off guard, then paid his tab and left mumbling, "I'll never come back in here again."

Laura took her coat off. "That guy's been ogling me since I got here. I swear, I didn't give him a reason to think what he thought. Give me a cup of hot water, Harry." She turned to Alex.

"Thanks, Alex, but It wasn't in the New York Times. It was in USA today."

"Oh. I'm sorry." He replied, and thought she wasn't kidding. He looked at his watch. He had the rest of the night, but he had to make sure he'd get help. Harry placed a steaming cup and saucer in front of Laura who took a tea bag out of her purse and dropped it in the cup.

Harry came over. "What'll it be Alex?"

"A favor. I'll pay good."

"What do you need."

"Can you disarm an alarm. I don't even know if there is one, but I assume there is one.

"Sure. What are you doing, burglarizing?"

"No. Yes. Not really. Harry, You haven't seen me around for awhile. I got a baby. I didn't steal it. I got it legitimate. I named her Ariel. I have her about three months now and I just found out I have brain cancer."

"Jesus Christ, Harry!"

"Listen. When I had an ad in the paper looking to buy or adopt. I got this call from these people who begged me to call them if I found a baby that didn't suit me and they'd pay me for it if it was a girl. When I found out I had cancer, I wanted to make sure Ariel was taken care of, so I called them, interviewed them and signed her over to them. They took her
earlier tonight."

"What are you going to do with her if you're dying? You're not making sense, Alex."

"Harry, let me explain the whole story. I followed them because I wanted to make sure she was going to be in a good place and when they got to where they live, I saw It was a mansion, but when they got to the house, I heard a conversation that led me to believe they are going to remove her kidney tomorrow, or both of them for that matter. Harry, they might kill her. They're going to do it right at the house."

"Jesus Christ, Alex. Why would they fucking do that?"

"I don't know. That's what I have to find out. Harry I need your help. I have no one else. Ariel has no one right now, either if I'm right about. See, it's perfect if they want her kidneys. There is no trace of her and in a couple of weeks there will be no one who ever heard or saw an Ariel."

Harry sighed. "So what do you want me to do. Go with you and disarm the alarm?"

"Yes."

"And then what?"

"Help me break in. I know where Ariel will be. I need you to grab her while I find out what they are going to do tomorrow."

"What if there's more to it than that? Suppose there's a guard or a butler or a fucking dog?"
Harry was talking loud. Laura came over. "What are you two guy doing?

I heard snatches of conversation."

"Laura's OK Alex," Harry said. Between the two of us we filled Laura in. "You poor son of a bitch. Sounds to me like you panicked. They must have heard it in your voice on the phone. I can see the bastards rushing over there. Maybe they're selling her kidneys. Maybe all of her organs. Oh my God! They must be bloodless people to even think of that."

"Harry's right." Laura's voice was shaking with rage. "There might be more people there. I'll go with you. I can handle anyone there, weapons or not."

Harry said, "My tools are still in my van. I have flashlights, too, even one that goes on your head to keep your hands free."

***********

They went out on the L.I.E. to Nichols Road, then south to 27, then made their way northeast, then north to Sag Harbor. Alex found the street easily, and they idled up just before it, then drove past. They went in on the north side of the property to avoid the security lights and because there was just a post and rail fence there. Laura and Alex waited, crouched behind shrubs while Harry reconnoitered the perimeter of the house.

Twenty minutes later he was back. "I disconnected the electric meter. If they don't have a backup generator, there will be no alarm. I also disconnected the phones. There's a porch in the back and a back door to a kitchen. I think that's the best way in. Most people with alarm systems have flimsy locks on doors depending on the alarm to prevent entry. Lara and Alex followed Harry back to the porch which had a screen door shut with a hook and eye. He tore the screen, stuck his hand in and lifted up the hook. He opened the door and went to the wooden kitchen door which had a solid bottom and glass panels on the top two thirds. Both Laura and I held flashlights huddled together so no light would appear other than where Harry worked. Using a flat head screwdriver he managed to bend and remove the exterior molding. When three moldings were removed, he pulled out tiny metal triangles that held the glass against the panel with needle nose pliers. He dug into the wood on the bottom right side with the screw driver and gently pushed up on the glass. It didn't budge. He pulled out the fourth piece of molding at the top of the door, removed the triangles from the frame, and tried again. The glass did not budge. He picked a utility
knife out of his tool box and cut the molding on the bottom about a quarter of an inch until the glass edge was exposed. He then ran the blade down the sides of the panel making a
slight scraping sound. Small curls of putty and wood shavings fell. When he was satisfied, he put the edge of his flat headed screwdriver on the top of the glass square and twisted. The glass broke free, falling onto the porch, shattering with a loud crash.

We froze, waiting. Five minutes later, Harry stuck his hand into the empty frame, felt around, found the handle and opened the door. Alex's stomach churned, and tasted like ashes. His heart pounded. Harry was breathing heavily. So was Laura. Alex led the way with a pencil flashlight, holding it low to reveal a center island, as they tip toed around it over a quarry stone floor into a carpeted dining room, which opened on a tiled entry foyer that led upstairs. No one spoke. Alex pointed up the stairs, his pencil flashlight held down behind him so they could see the stairs. He slid one hand up the banister, and climbed up to the last step, stepped out to the landing with hallway that stretched along the rear of the house, doors at each end. To the right there was one, to the left there were three. Alex went to the left, placed his hand on the gilt door handle, and twisted slowly until it wouldn't go anymore.
He turned, spread his light along the floor, leaned into it and held the light against his body. They followed. The door opened slowly, silent as Alex stepped into the room. He turned the pencil flashlight toward the room, along the floor, then across the room and when it lit up a king size bed, he moved swiftly.

The room flooded with light. Harry had turned on his head lamp, and Laura her wand. Alex was at Grahams side when he sat up, squinting his eyes. Alex put his hand over his mouth, the pencil flashlight against his throat and whispered, "You yell and I'll blow your
vocal cords all over this fucking bed."

Laura was at Mildred's side, who was still asleep. Harry quickly came alongside Alex and opened the end table. From the bottom drawer he pulled out a Smith and Wesson 44 caliber pistol. He put it in his pocket and asked, "Where is Ariel?"

Alex replied, "in there," pointing to his left. As Harry turned, his head lamp lit up two cribs through the adjoining room just past a huge archway. He ran to one, then the other