Today was a long day. I’ve been at the station since six o’clock this morning and it’s now nine o’clock. I’m actually kind of glad I left the station late because I’m not stuck in five o’clock traffic. That’s one of the downsides about living in New York.

I’m almost home when my partner, Detective Manning, calls me from the station.
“Hey, I thought you would have left by now?” I said.
“Jerry, you won’t believe this! John Stine has escaped from the insane asylum” Manning said.
I instantly pull over. I know John Stine. I’m responsible for putting him in the asylum. I have a flashback of his face. It’s so evil, so dark, and so scary. It’s the face of a serial killer.

The last time I saw him he told me something I will never forget. He looked me dead in the eye with a hard, cold expression and said “I’m gonna get you, I’m gonna get you good. You just wait, I’ll find you. And when I do you’re going to regret ever putting me in this place.”
“Jerry, are you there?” says Manning.
I finally snap into reality. “Oh, yeah sorry.”
“We need to find him before he goes on another killing spree. I’ve already contacted the local police stations” he said.
“Okay good. I’ll do whatever it takes to catch this guy; he doesn’t belong on the streets. First thing in the morning we should meet at the station and figure out what we’re going to do” I said.
“Alright, we’ve got officers out there right now looking for him. Are you gonna be alright Jerry? You sound kind of out of it” Manning said.
“Yeah, I’ll be alright. It’s just what that creep said to me. I can’t get it out of my head” I said.
“It’ll be okay Jerry. I promise we’ll catch him.”

. . .

I could hardly sleep that night. Every time I closed my eyes I would see his dark, angry eyes. Manning and I met at the station that morning and it looked like he hadn’t slept well either. The first thing we did was notify the public. We made flyers with his disgustingly, evil face on it and had the news reporters and the radio report it.

Another day passed and we weren’t having any luck. It makes me sick just thinking about what this guy might be planning to do next. And to innocent people too. It’s imperative to put him back where he belongs.

. . .
I’m at the station looking through John Stine’s files when my brother calls me.
“Jerry” he says in a painful voice.
“Tim? What’s wrong?” I said anxiously.
“It’s Hannah, She’s gone missing.”
Hannah is my seven year old niece. I love her as if she were my own daughter.
“What? What are you talking about?” I said.
“She didn’t come home from school today. We’re worried sick Jerry! We have to notify the public, we have to now!” Tim said hysterically.
“Okay, Okay I will. Calm down, I’m coming over. We’re going to send out an Amber Alert and we’ll get her back. I promise you” I said.

I arrive at my brother’s house and he’s sitting on his couch in tears holding a picture of Hannah. It’s her school picture. She has short blonde hair and a few missing teeth. I tell him it will be alright as I sit down next to him. As I’m trying to comfort him, his house phone rings. He jolts up and runs to the phone thinking it might be about Hannah. He answers the phone and there’s a long pause. I get up from the couch and walk over to Tim. I’m confused by his facial expression. He looks shocked and scared. Then a tear runs down his face and he yells “you bring my daughter back! You bring her back right now or I’ll kill you!” I immediately take the phone from him.
“Who is this? Where’s Hannah?” I said.
“Well, well. Hello there Detective Wineston” the man said.
The man had a deep voice. He had a familiar voice. He was John Stine. I picture him. I remember what he looks like exactly. He has short, spiky blonde hair, tattoos all over his body, he’s probably about 5’6, and he’s 25 years old. But those eyes, those dark, almost black eyes. That’s what I remember the most.
“John” I said.
“Long time, no see Detective” John said.
“Where’s Hannah?” I said furiously.
“It’s alright Jerry, she’s here with me.”
I could hear Hannah in the background crying.
“What did you do to her?” I yelled.
“Oh Jerry, I didn’t do anything.”
“What do you want?” I said.
“Well, money would be nice. I’ll tell you what, how about we exchange. You give me money and I’ll give you the girl” said John.
“How much are you asking for?”
“I want $250,000.”
“John, I don’t have that kind of money.”
“Well you better figure it out Jerry” he adds with a laugh.
“Oh, I will” I said.
“And by the way, if you tell anyone about this, your precious Hannah will die. You have 48 hours” John said and then hung up.
I hung up the phone and looked at Tim. I told him everything John said.
“What are we going to do? Neither of us can get that money!” Tim said frantically.
“We’re not going to need it.”
“What do you mean?”
“Just don’t worry about it Tim. I’ll be back” I said and walked out the door.

. . .
I contacted my partner Detective Manning and told him I needed to speak to him in person and that it’s very urgent. He told me to meet him at his house. As soon as I got there I told him everything. I know that John threatened me about telling, but I’m going to end this. I’m going to end him. I have a plan and it involves Manning so he’s the one I have to tell.
I know that John is going to have to call me sooner or later about where to meet to make the trade-off. My plan is to meet him there with a briefcase full of what John will think is his money. I’ll give him the briefcase and he’ll give me Hannah. I’ll have Manning secretly meet us there incase anything unexpectedly happens. Manning said he’s okay with the plan so now we just have to wait.

. . .
I can’t stop thinking about Hannah and if she’s okay. I keep the phone by my side at all times just waiting for that call. Finally that call is made. John tells me there’s this abandoned warehouse and that’s where he wants us to meet. He told me to be there in an hour and that hour is up. I’m pulling up to the warehouse right now. I’ve already called Manning and told him where to meet. He should already be here hiding in a place where no one can see. My heart is beating fast and my palms are sweating. I reach over to grab the empty briefcase and I get out of the car. It’s a big, old building and you can definitely tell it’s abandoned. I enter the building cautiously and look around. All I see is a bunch of storage and it smells musty. It’s really dark. The only light is what is coming through all of the shattered windows.

All of a sudden I hear a door open. I turn and see John, Hannah’s close behind him. I look at Hannah’s sad, scared face and I just want to hug her.
“You got the money?” said John. Then he looked down at the briefcase and smiled.
“Yeah, now give me Hannah.”
He pushes Hannah towards me and she runs into my arms crying. I give her a kiss on the cheek and tell her it’s okay now.
“Now give me the money” John said.
I pick up the briefcase and hand it to him.
He starts to look confused and says “you know Detective, this briefcase is pretty light to be carrying so much money.”
I already know my face is reading the word “oops”. With all that was going on and in such a short amount of time, I didn’t even think about putting something in it. He opens it, and then he looks at me with a hard expression. He slams it shut and it makes me jump. In what seems like a split second he pulls out a gun from his waistline and points it at me.
“Oh Jerry, did you really think you could fool me?”
I take a few steps back and Hannah screams.
“Shut up!” John yells and then points it at her.
I make her stand behind me. My heart is beating faster and faster and I’m on the verge of hyperventilating. I look around for Manning and hope he’ll do something.
“Any last words Detective?”
“Don’t! Please, please don’t!” I beg.

Then I hear the shot. I drop to my knees expecting these are my last moments, but I look up and see that it was John who’d been shot. He falls to the ground and eventually his chest stops moving and he gets a blank stare on his face. I take in a deep breath and was surely glad that it wasn’t my last.