Case # 88 by Gary Martinsky (little red riding hood read aloud TXT) 📗

“They got him. There’s no doubt about that.” Dr. Trussel was pacing again. “But there’s nothing we can do to help him at this point. If only we knew where they were holding him.”

Alexa was about to reply, but she heard the familiar notification sound of a text message arriving at that instant. She picked up her phone, hoping to see a long-awaited update from Finn. Instead, a cryptic message showed up on the screen: Good evening, Alexa. I’m a friend, and that’s all you need to know about me right now. Finn is in danger, but I can help you save him. You have to move now. Find a vehicle. Go to the attached address and await further instructions. T.

Alexa frowned and handed the cell phone to the doctor.

“T? Who could that possibly be?” Dr. Trussel handed the phone back to Alexa and rubbed his forehead again.

“I’m checking the address. Looks like it’s a hospital in Manhattan.” She looked at Dr. Trussel with a mix of hope and concern. “Do you think it’s a trap?”

Finn was carefully reading a document, still trying to make sense of the whole situation. Could it really be true? As much as he didn’t like the obvious conclusion, it was all adding up—it was plain to see. It was very likely that his injury was more severe than he’d thought. He needed professional help. The kind of help Dr. Russo was so patiently offering. And there was another thing.

“Alexa Ramirez. That’s right, Finn. I know it’s hard to believe. Charismatic as she is, whatever the crazy story she came up with was, she was only feeding it to you to gain your trust. She was going to use you for her anti-government propaganda purposes. She’s been arrested multiple times during violent anti-government protests. She’s not your friend, Finn. She was trying to take advantage of you.”

“I see, doc.” Finn felt tired. His thoughts were thick and sluggish. He knew he was under the influence of sedatives and whatever else they’d given him for what he was now almost wholly convinced was his own protection.

“We believe she’s had her eye on you for a while—a mentally unstable ex-cop, living alone, recovering from a brain injury. Your meeting was not an accident. She planned it to gain your trust.”

“I see how that could make sense,” Finn agreed reluctantly. “But there’s just one thing I don’t get. How did she know I’d come back to the house that night?”

Dr. Russo paused. Suddenly, a Code Blue alarm sounded in the hallway. He was urgently needed by another patient.

“I’ll be back in a moment, Finn.” Dr. Russo placed his hand on Finn’s shoulder reassuringly for a moment. Then he got up and headed for the door. “We’ll have time to talk about everything, and I’ll answer all your questions. But, right now, just relax and let the medicine do its job. Have some rest.” He left, closing the door behind him.

Left alone, Finn was considering following the doctor’s advice when one of the several monitors installed in the dimly lit room caught his attention. It beeped several times persistently as a text began to appear on the old-fashioned screen.

Finn. Do not worry. Help is on its way. Be prepared and await further instructions. T.

Alexa drove as fast as she could without risking getting pulled over by a police patrol. That would be very unfortunate, given the current situation. And it was not the kind of risk they could afford to take right now. Dr. Trussel was in the passenger’s seat beside her, reading T’s instructions as she pulled the van into the hospital’s parking lot.

They might be driving straight into a trap. But, on the other hand, if T was indeed involved with the people after Finn and knew Alexa’s name and had her cell number, why would they need to go so far as to come up with an elaborate rescue plan to trap her? Besides, as Dr. Trussel has reiterated multiple times during the ride, Finn was their only possible hope of exposing the project.

Just as Finn was starting to doubt his sanity again, the monitor lit up one more time.

Transport is close. It is time to move. In roughly 40 seconds, a nurse will enter your room. Act quickly. They will try to sedate you. You need to acquire a disguise...

The monitor went blank as the door swung open, and a tall nurse with muscular arms and an intense expression entered the room, quickly making his way to Finn’s bed. Finn had just enough time to lie down and pretend to sleep. With one eye half-closed, he watched as the nurse filled up a thin syringe with a transparent liquid—the sedative, no doubt. The nurse leaned closer to inject the chemical into Finn’s shoulder. Finn grabbed him with lightning speed, twisting the syringe out of the surprised man’s hand and pressing it hard into his own shoulder. The sedative worked quickly. A moment later, Finn was walking through the hallway. Terry Armstrong, declared the name tag on his chest as he slowly walked among the unsuspecting medical personnel passing him in the hall. Still feeling the effects of previous sedatives, Finn’s motions were sluggish, and it took all of his will and attention just to appear normal as Finn made his way to his next destination. Armed with the unfortunate nurse’s cell phone, he walked towards an underground parking lot where his transport was apparently waiting.

Dr. Russo rushed back to Finn’s room, accompanied by two nurses and a security guard. The Code Blue had been a system glitch. In fact, the room the alarm had come from was currently unoccupied. It was improbable that anyone could have exploited the hospital’s announcement system to get him away from Finn’s room, but Dr. Russo couldn’t take any chances. He walked into the room with a sigh of relief. Mr. Peterson