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5:53 am

5:53 am, September 10th, present year.

           The movie was at my favorite part. Legolas kills an entire elephant and the crew by himself. It was one of the best scenes of any movie, and I was really getting into it when there was a knock on our door.

            Suddenly the fear of the unknown came back. Who was it? What did they want? Why were they here? I glanced over at Dad as he got up to answer the door. He kept glancing back at the TV to watch the movie, but he finally reached the door.

            There stood Sophie.

            “Oh, you again. Uh, what can I do for you?”  Dad asked, surprised.

            "The threat we received earlier turned out to be true."

            "What do we do?"                                     

            "You don't do anything. Just don't answer any phone calls. In fact, unplugging your phone is probably a good idea. Do that as soon as we're done talking. I'll be watching more closely on you guys. I'll stay in contact with headquarters and keep you updated on the situation."

            Dad nodded, and closed the door.

            I came up to him. "What did she say?"

            "Well, she suggested we unplug the phones, which seems a little rash, but I guess they have their reasons."

            Dad unplugged the kitchen wall phone, and I turned the ringer off on the phone in our living room. Next, both our cell phones went off.

            I went back to the couch and continued watching the movie.

            Dad sat next to me again, but something seemed to be troubling him.

            I lowered the volume. "What’s wrong Dad?"

            He shook his head. "I don't know. I just feel uneasy about this."

            "Well yeah, I would too. You have a lot to feel nervous about."

            "No, not in general. More specifically. Like, for some reason Sophie gives me the chills." He looked off into the distance.

            "I think she's doing a good job."

            "Not her performance, but her face, her eyes. I feel like I know that face, like I’ve seen those eyes before, but I can't place it."

            "Yeah I kinda felt that way too when I first saw her,” I agreed.

            Dad shrugged it off. "I'm just too high strung."

            We turned back to the movie.

*          *          *

            The figure stood behind the real Sophie Richards. She was tied to a chair in the middle of the figure’s rented apartment. She wasn't hurt...yet. If she didn't co-operate, things could change very quickly. And not in her favor.

            Sophie’s head hung against her chest. The sedation the figure gave her was wearing off. She would wake up soon.

            Her head stirred. She flexed her arms and legs, and after realizing that she couldn’t move, slowly raised her head. Her eyes adjusted to the brightness, and she turned her head searching for her captor.

            “Don’t be so naïve. Why would I tie you loose enough that you could escape? I assure you, unless I wanted you to escape, you are not getting out of here.” The figure’s voice was soft, but threatening.

            Sophie stopped her pulling and tugging. “Who are you?”

            The figure sighed. “You too? What are the chances that I’m actually going to tell you? Pretty close to zero is my guess.”

            “Alright then, why did you kidnap me?”

            “Now we’re getting somewhere. I will tell you that it’s necessary. For what, that is still the mystery that you need to solve.”

            “I’m going to assume this has to do with the case I was just assigned, the Mitchels case. So I can also assume that you are the “Unknown” that is stalking Chase.”

            “Is that the name they’ve given me? How sad, they can’t even properly name a criminal.”

            “We don’t know your name! Otherwise we would call you that!”

             “Valid point. The chances of your getting my name, however, are also very slim.”

            “Can we at least have this conversation face to face?”

            “How about not? I would like to keep my privacy. However, I do have something to ask of you.”

            “So now you’re asking me? Such a polite killer.”

            “Think of it more as a command that can’t be refused.”

            “And if I do refuse?”

            The figure paused. He smiled to himself. “Would you like to find out?”

*          *          *

            Kristen Myrene was on her phone, trying to call the Mitchels. Only answering machines. Why were their phones off? Had something happened to them?

            Kristen punched in Sophie Richards’s mobile number.

*          *          *

            The cell phone rang in the figures pocket.

            “Ah, it’s for you.” The figure pulled the Sophie’s phone from his pocket and held it next to her ear.

            “Just like we rehearsed.” The figure commanded.

            Sophie, with a fresh cut on her arm, nodded and the figure flipped open the phone and placed it on Sophie’s right ear.