Crossed Wires

The brown Chevy Van drove into the garage at speed as driver forty year old former US Marine Scott Sims hit the brakes hard forcing a screechy stop.

The passenger 42 year old Josh Ewing hits an electronic remote that shuts garage door. Quickly they alight the van. Scott places a Purge mask over his face making his six foot muscular frame all the more frightening. Josh Ewing at five foot seven was of slight physique and much less intimidating. He placed a Spiderman mask on.

A door into the garage from the adjoining basement opens and enters a five foot foot eight male wearing a military green balaclava. "Did ye get her?", he asks as Josh pulls back the vans side sliding door.

"Yep" states Scott. The third man looks into the van. On the floor is a rather obese lady in a black trouser business suit, weighing three hundred pounds and five foot three. She lay on her side. Over her head was an old US Post sack with air holes. The airholes appeared not to be sufficient as the lady gasped hard, her vast chest surged up and down as her lungs struggled to provide the air in take she needed. Her chunky arms were painfully tied together behind her back, she moved her plump fingers continuously to maintain blood flow. Her chunky thighs and and ankles were also glued together with silver gaffer tape.

The third man Steps into the van and looks down at her "She's a lot bigger than I thought she would be, If we have to move in a hurray, her size maybe a problem!" He removes the postal sack off her head.

This reveals the chubby face of a fifty four year old female. Her died black shoulder length hair now tossed with some hairs hanging loosely over deep stress lines on her brow. Tightly on her aquiline nose sat a pair of gold frame glasses with thick lenses. Her taut lips open as wide as they could as she gasped hard to get additional air into her lungs. Her burning red cheeks illustrated her poor physical conditioning.

He glares in disbelief "She looks nothing like the photo".

Scott waves his hands in the air "Of course it's her, how many bankers do you think there are called Margaret Sternwood?"

They stare down at her like they had landed a fish and were not sure what it was.

Josh stared sympathetically. "I think we should untie her".

Margaret Sternwood felt her airwave tighten with every breath. Her shallow gasps not strong enough to provide the air needed to fill her lungs. Her mind continuously raced to her her sleep apnoea. She needed an oxygen mask at night in bed. Since diagnoses she was in unchartered territory without one , she tried not to think of the consequences. Instead she had other health issues to take her mind off that. She felt light headed. Whether it was the heat of the sack over her head or her blood pressure or blood sugar levels she didn't know. All she knew was in her handbag was enough medication for 4 days. Every bone in her body ached. She tried to wriggle her fingers and toes as best as she could. Her doctor, Doctor Kelly warned her on the dangers of clots and obesity. Her husband and her had an agreement. If either were kidnapped they were to never pay the ransom. They joked that she would never be kidnapped as she was too fat. Now she regretted that joke.

The third man removes a parcel knife from his jeans pocket and bends down and begins to cut into the tape around her wrists "If she has any serious medical needs, we've got a whole new lot of problems. She should have planned for that".

The basement door opens again and enters a petite female five foot five wearing a black balaclava with her long blond hair protruding from the back.

She takes a look in the van and cusps her right hand over where her mouth is behind her balaclava. "Guys, what the hell have ye done. This is the wrong person. you've taken the wrong hostage. How the hell did ye screw up. Look at her!"

Josh lets out a few expletives "Do you think we're stupid. We spent hours scouring linkedin, google and every social media site and this is the only Margaret Sternwood that is a banker in the state yet alone the whole country".

The blond lady shakes her head "Are ye sure, just the lady in the photo I thought was younger and a lot taller".

Scott hits the van door again "It's clearly an old photo and she has let herself go!!. There is only one Margaret Sternwood of Sternwood Financial and that's her. We have been scouting her for days and this is the thanks we get. WE'RE NOT IDIOTS"

The blond lady shakes her head. 'I'm going to get herself. she has mislead us".
Inside the musty living room area Ruby McClure stood with a cigarette in one hand and a typed letter on an A4 pad. She is five foot nine and of athletic build. Aged fifty two, she was a first cousin of Margaret Sternwood. Their mothers were sisters. Ruby never liked Margaret. From a young age she bullied her at every opportunity that she could. She was jealous. As years wore on Margaret learned just to stay out of her way and ignore her as much as she could. She wasn't going to get into a fight with that maniac as she called her and believed the best response was none at all.
The blond lady had her balaclava removed. Her face gave a healthy glow and an appearance that she was younger than her actual age of forty three.
Ruby looks up from her page. "Did you check with the guys that we're ready to move out of here at eleven pm sharp. The replacement vehicles are ready and waiting. Have a read of this, does this ransom demand she'll read out sound okay".

The blond lady brushes the a4 page away "forget the ransom note, you need to go out to the garage. Seriously, what were you thinking"

Ruby stumps out her cigarette on a tiny white saucer "What do you mean, what was I thinking. Remember in a few days you'll be extremely rich so don't get mouthy with me little lady!"

unintimidated the blond lady puts her balaclava back on "You'll see".

From the table Ruby grabs a Darth Vadar mask and puts it on to disguise her voice.

Three minutes later the blond lady and Ruby enter the garage.

'Tell blondie, we got the one you wanted' grunts Scott.

Ruby peers inside "YOU ABSOLUTE IDIOTS. THIS IS'NT HER. LOOK AT HER, WHY WOULD I TELL YE TO KIDNAP SOMEONE THIS UNHEALTHY AND UNFIT. I DON'T LIKE HER BUT I WANT HER MONEY AND I WON'T GET IT IF SHE IS DEAD".

Josh pounds his left fist into his right palm "I don't believe this. You're instructions were kidnap Margaret Sternwood. This is the only Margaret Sternwood!!".

He points his right index finger directly in front of her mask "THIS MESS IS YOUR FAULT"

The blond lady interrupts "cops will contact every drug store to be on the look out for people wanting to buy her medication. How could you mislead us so stupidly!"

Ruby stamps her left booted foot into the ground five times and lets out a roar to let out some anger "I SAID MARGERY STERNWOOD. Margery her daughter, the one in the photo!!"

The man in the green military balaclava breaks his silence "This is one big screw up!!. Why did you tell us Margery was a banker then, the guys could only find her online, pointing at Margaret?"

Ruby has her hands behind her head as she tries to work her mind around the problem "because she is a banker too. Mummy and Daddy have their eighteen year old sweetheart learning the ropes. As soon as we'd demand a ransom she would have paid and won't tell the cops because she is a chicken, but now that's not going to happen!!".

Josh sighs in frustration "so what are we going to do?"