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Sabrina checked her phone obsessively, willing it to ring with news about Freddy. Minutes stretched into what felt like hours.
“Come on, Freddy,” she whispered. “Where are you?”
Chapter 23: Freddy
Freddy’s head throbbed as he blinked his eyes open. The room spun, and he squeezed his eyes shut again, trying to steady himself. When he opened them once more, he found himself in a dimly lit warehouse, strapped to an old wooden chair that creaked as he shifted his weight.
Two figures argued nearby, their voices echoing in the vast space. Freddy squinted, trying to make out their features in the low light. The woman’s voice sounded familiar, and as his vision cleared, recognition dawned on him. Ellie Baker. She lookedolder now, her face lined with wrinkles, but it was unmistakably her.
“He’ll need access to a computer to write the code,” the man insisted, his voice gruff.
Ellie shook her head. “And risk him alerting someone? We can’t take that chance.”
Freddy’s gaze shifted to the man. At first, he thought it might be Joshua Baker, but that was impossible. Joshua had died twenty years ago. As he studied the man’s features more closely, realization hit him like a punch to the gut. It was Josh Jr., Ellie’s son. He looked to be around Freddy’s age now.
Freddy’s mind raced as he tried to make sense of the situation. Why had they brought him here? What did they want with him? He tested his bonds, but they held fast. The padded leather buckles were built into the chair, which had been designed specifically for situations like this.
Ellie’s eyes narrowed as she noticed Freddy stirring in the chair. She sauntered over to him, a smirk playing on her lips. “Well, well, well. Look who’s finally awake. What do you think of your new accommodations, Freddy? I found this old chair at a flea market. Can you imagine the stories it could tell? I bet it was used in a mental hospital, judging by the way it’s built.” She brought her hand to her chin and tapped her lip in mock thought. “Then again, it might have been used in a prison.” Her grin made Freddy think she belonged in a mental hospital… or a prison.
Freddy’s heart raced as he met Ellie’s gaze. He tried to keep his voice steady as he spoke. “Ellie, what’s going on? Why am I here?”
Ellie ignored his questions, turning to Josh Jr. instead. “Joshie, why don’t you start asking our guest about the code behind Taylor Industries’ newest AI developments?”
Josh Jr. stepped forward, his eyes gleaming with a mix of excitement and nervousness. “Yeah, sure thing, Mom.” He focused his attention on Freddy. “So, spill it. What’s the secret sauce behind your company’s latest tech?”
Freddy shook his head, his voice strained. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m not involved in writing the code. I test it and create training manuals, but I don’t have anything to do with the actual development.”
Ellie scoffed. “Don’t play dumb with us, Freddy. We know you’re a key player at Taylor Industries.”
“I’m telling you the truth,” Freddy insisted, his frustration mounting. “I can’t recreate the code. I’m not a developer. My job is to make sure it functions as intended and to help others understand how to use it. I don’t even have access to the raw code.”
Freddy watched as Ellie scoffed at his insistence that he didn’t know the code. Her eyes narrowed, and she shook her head in disbelief. “You expect me to believe that?”
Josh Jr. shifted his weight from one foot to the other, his brow furrowed with concern. “Mom, what if he’s telling the truth? What if he really doesn’t know the code?”
Ellie turned to her son, her voice firm. “Don’t worry, Joshie. He’ll give us what we need, one way or another.” She fixed her gaze back on Freddy, a calculating look in her eyes. She continued speaking to Josh, though. “Did you find anything useful in his pockets when you searched him?”
Freddy’s mind raced as he tried to remember what he had with him when they knocked him out. His wallet, his phone, his keys... and the cheese. The special cheese he’d bought for Sabrina. His heart sank at the thought of her never getting to enjoy it, never knowing how much he cared for her.
Josh Jr. shuffled his feet, looking sheepish. “Uh, I didn’t really, um, I mean, I threw his phone down a storm drain like yousaid, but I didn’t really go digging anywhere, if you know what I mean?”
Ellie’s eyes flashed with irritation before she closed her eyes took a deep breath that looked a lot like the kinds of deep breathing Freddy’s mom did whenever he and his siblings did something asinine. “You didn’t search him? You didn’t at least check his pockets?” Ellie opened her eyes and glared at her son. “That was the first thing you were supposed to do. Digging into his pockets was a key step in your instructions. Why can you not follow directions?” She pinched the bridge of her nose and looked down at her feet.
As Ellie berated her son for his incompetence, Freddy felt a flicker of hope. If they hadn’t searched him, then maybe, just maybe, he still had something useful. He wasn’t sure how his car keys or wallet would help him, or how he could possibly get to them, but maybe there was something else. He tried to keep his face neutral, not wanting to give away his thoughts, but inside, his mind was racing, trying to remember what else he had with him. He’d forgotten to leave his pocketknife at home. Patrick had fussed at him when he couldn’t clear the metal detectors at DS until he’d pulled it out. Dynamic Solutions had kept the knife in their security office, and Freddy couldn’t remember if he’d gotten it back on his way out or not. If he had, it should be in a pocket, but considering the way his arms were restrained, that wasn’t going to do him any good.
Chapter 24: Sabrina
Sabrina gave up any attempt at work and logged into Freddy’s computer remotely. It was well past midnight, and everyone else had gone to bed hoping Freddy would turn up in the morning. That didn’t work for Sabrina. Every instinct she had was screaming that something was wrong.
She navigated to his bank and credit card accounts, scanning through the recent transactions. There - the cheese shop purchase from several hours ago. But after that... nothing.
Her heart raced as the implications sank in. Freddy had vanished without a trace sometime after buying that cheese. Forher. She stood up to stretch and headed downstairs to grab a glass of water as she thought.
Freddy’s disappearance coming right on the heels of his contentious meeting with Dynamic Solutions sent a chill down her spine. Brian Renner’s face flashed through her thoughts. The way he’d always seemed to be lurking, watching Freddy a little too closely. Could Renner have done something to Freddy?
Sabrina collapsed onto the couch in the living room and dropped her head into her hands. She had to figure out where Freddy was, if he was safe. Her eyes burned and her chest ached at the thought of any harm coming to him. Her gut told her Renner was involved in Freddy’s disappearance, but she needed proof before making accusations that could jeopardize her job and Freddy’s safety.
She bounced her knee as she thought, trying to make sense of the situation. Renner’s constant questions and over-eager interest in TI felt important. He might have been trying to learn about Freddy’s work, routines, and living situation. Those might all be things he’d need to know if he was going to snatch Freddy. Then again, Renner should know that Freddy didn’t have access to the full code.
