Chapter 1: April 4th 2020. The Capture

I sat in Jeremey Larkin’s chair reading the latest theory on quantum linkages out of Oxford when the front door opened and a mid-teen, Caucasian brunette wearing a blue blouse and jeans entered her home, trying to make as little noise as possible.

“Rough night?” I asked quietly.

The brunette slumped her shoulders and responded. “Sorry Dad, there wasn’t any danger. Just some homeless men robbing a jewelry store.”

“Was anything strange about them?”

“Yeah, they acted like they wanted to get captured. Kim didn’t believe me and Stacy mocked them,” The girl replied, standing in the darkened entranceway while looking at me with a frown.

Suddenly she stiffened. “Your parents are just sleeping. Please, Miss Larkin, don’t do anything foolish,” I cautioned. All the while closing my laptop and stowing it in my case.

Unmoving, she subtlety glanced around before asking, “What do you want?” There was some nervousness in her actions along with more than a little threat.

“Before you consider acting, take a look at your TV in the family room. And Miss Larkin, you don’t have a lot of time.”

Taking me at my word, the sixteen year old junior Heroine, ran to the rear of the house. I knew what she stared at in horror. An image of her sister tied up, with a bomb vest secured to her chest, ticked down towards zero appeared on the family’s TV.

The incredibly intelligent, petite young woman entered through the kitchen, stopping next to the family’s dining room table. “What do you want?” Now she sounded scared more than anything. The earlier threat in her tone was now absent.

“Remove all your jewelry and toss it on the pouch in front of me, I promise your family will be unharmed with your compliance. Unless of course, you believe you are able to get to your sister in the 113 seconds remaining and disarm the explosive. That is also assuming I don’t have a remote detonator with me.”

She hesitated, so I stared counting down along with the unseen timer, calmly and patiently. This sixteen year old senior in high school, though advanced, didn’t have the skills nor practice needed to do a rush job to disarm the vest bomb around her younger sister, even with a keypad blatantly visible.

In tears she took off her ring and bracelet. “Can I keep my necklace, it’s a family heirloom? Please?” she begged.

I knew better, “Eighty-three seconds left, Miss Larkin,” I counted.

With a long shudder that dried her tears, Catherine fumbled with the necklace and carefully lobbed it underhand so it landed short of the pouch, a ring, watch and bracelet followed. I recognized her intent.

Slowly, I stood causing her to step back and walked past the jewelry, including the Necklace of Stars. That artifact wasn’t the reason I was here tonight. Catherine Marie Larkin was my goal.

“Hold out your hand please.” At first, she tried to hide it behind her back. “Twenty-two seconds Miss Larkin.” Her hand jerked up unconsciously, almost an automatic reaction. I wrapped the Velcro cuff around her right wrist, then turned her around and fastened the second to her other wrist binding the two together.