Darrin parked the Land Rover in the parking area at AFP Headquarters. He sat saying nothing. A sense of dread filled his tired body as he listened to the radio in the car. Darrin could still feel the velocity of the bullet as it struck Perry Haynes in the head. He glanced at Nicole, obviously shaken by the ordeal. She had specks of Haynes’ blood on her neck. ‘Hey, are you okay?’ asked Darrin.
‘Yeah. I can’t believe what happened.’
‘I know. We got lucky, but hopefully we find who did it.’ He patted her on the shoulder.
Darrin’s focus returned to the radio. The broadcast indicated the President of Australia would be arriving at Commonwealth Park shortly. As Darrin listened, Nicole’s phone rang.
‘What’s up?’ asked Darrin, unbuckling his seatbelt.
‘It’s Amber.’ Nicole sobbed and wiped her nose using her wrist. ‘She’s called ten times in the last two hours.’
‘It’s fine. Take the call.’
‘Are you sure?’
‘Yep.’ Darrin got out, giving Nicole some privacy to speak.
‘Hey.’
‘Hey. Can you talk?’
‘Now’s not a good time, Amber.’
‘Why not? You’ve been avoiding my calls all morning! I’ve been worried about you.’ She sensed the concern in her voice.
‘Look, things are a little hectic with work at the moment.’
‘That’s what you said this morning. Please, Nicole. Talk to me.’
‘I can’t talk about it. You know the nature of my work.’
‘That doesn’t mean you can ignore me.’
‘Look, I am sorry I’ve been dodging your calls, but it’s been a shitty morning.’
‘You can say that again.’
‘I have to go, Amber. We’ll talk about it later. I’m sorry.’ The call disconnected. Darrin came over and opened the door.
‘Hey, everything okay?’
‘Yeah, it’s fine. More drama with Amber. It’s fine.’ Nicole climbed out. Darrin pulled her in and gave her a hug.
‘I’m here if you need to talk, okay?’ he said.
‘Thanks, Darrin. I’ll be okay.’ After sharing a moment, the two carried themselves into the building; their minds whirring from the shooting at Haynes’ office. The federal agents made their way to Paul’s office and stepped in.
‘Welcome back, you two. How are you feeling?’
‘Like we cheated death.’
‘Haynes took a bullet to the head by a sniper. He didn’t make it.’
‘Damn. Haynes had information about this assassination plot.’
‘What about the shooter?’
‘I’ve been told CID and forensics is looking into CCTV from the buildings opposite the AML headquarters. Hopefully their techs can find out who the shooter is. They may be connected to the assassination threat.’ There was a pause in the conversation as they recovered from the incident. ‘There’s something else…while you were out, I received a call from Mackenzie. Jarrah Bradley has been kidnapped.’
‘Bloody oath, the President’s son?’
‘Yes. He was grabbed after delivering a speech at Canberra High School.’
‘What do the kidnappers want?’ asked Darrin.
‘Unclear at this stage, but everything is being done to find him.’
‘Let’s hope they find him soon,’ said Nicole.
‘Did you get anything from the name Arthur Williams?’ asked Darrin, changing the conversation.
‘Yes. Nate has something for us. He’s in the briefing room.’ Paul stood and led them to the briefing room.
They sat opposite Nate, as he manned a laptop.
‘My team found out that Arthur Williams is sixty-five-years old. He’s from Alice Springs, Northern Territory.’ An image of Arthur appeared on the screen. ‘He served with the Northern Territory Police Force for the last twenty years before being dismissed.’
‘Why did they dismiss him?’ asked Nicole, curious by the connection.
‘This is where it gets interesting. According to reports, Arthur Williams took part in a series of assaults against Indigenous Australians, all females, while working in Alice Springs. Police arrested Williams and he got charged for assaulting two girls in their teens.’ They glared at each other, realising this could be their potential shooter. Another racist piece of shit, she thought.
‘Sounds like a piece of trash.’
‘Did he go to prison for it?’
‘No. There was no conclusive evidence that Williams assaulted the girls. He did, however, get put on unscheduled retirement, and is receiving a reduced pension.’
‘He got a slap on the wrist, then?’
‘It looks that way, yes.’ Felicity Meyers stepped forward. ‘We found out something else. Apparently, Williams lost his sister, Michelle. She died from breast cancer twelve months ago.’
‘Shit. Which means he’s on a revenge, power trip?’ asked Nicole.
‘Yep. We also found out that upon Williams’ dismissal, he met with a well-know White Supremacy group based in Sydney and Perth…’ The federal agents fell silent for a moment, each glaring at one another.
‘Where is he now?’ asked Darrin, breaking the silence.
‘He’s been living at his home address in Alice Springs, but he arrived in Canberra last night. CCTV at Canberra Airport caught him leaving the terminal at roughly eleven o’clock. Plus, a buddy of mine who works for Airport Security spotted Williams. He follows popular criminal trials,’ said Nate.
‘You think he’s the shooter?’ asked Simon.
‘It’s possible. If he’s got a hatred for Indigenous Australians, he’s the best candidate for the job.’
‘Alright, I’m going to alert the President’s Head of Security about Arthur Williams. He may be on his way to Commonwealth Park,’ said Paul. ‘In the meantime, I want the rest of you to continue working on Haynes and his connection with Williams. Let’s go.’ The others stood and went to carry out their tasks.
****
‘Ms. Crawford, I wasn’t expecting you,’ he said in his gravelly voice. She made a small smile.
‘The PM insisted,’ Alyssa replied, her icy gaze meeting his. ‘He needs to see the President.’ As if on cue, Stephen entered the room, his figure imposing even in the dimly lit interior. The sight of the Prime Minister caused a stir. Most surprised of all was Merindah Bradley, the President, her usually steely eyes widened in surprise.
‘Prime Minister, what brings you by?’ she asked, standing from her seated position. The Prime Minister stood roughly ten feet from the President’s desk.
‘Madam President, I apologise for the abrupt visit, but something’s happened.’ His head bowed and his tone saddened. ‘I’ve had some troubling news. The AFP has informed me that less than half an hour ago, your son was abducted.’
For a moment, the world seemed to stand still. Merindah’s face drained of colour, her body sagging as if she bore the weight of the world. John caught her before she could collapse entirely, his own face mirroring her shock.
‘But, how?’ Merin’s gruff voice sliced through the air, charged with disbelief, and rising anger. Stephen answered with a tired sigh, his gaze steady on the President.
‘We don’t know. The AFP is on it, and I’ve been assured they’re doing everything they can to find Jarrah.’
‘I can’t, I can’t believe they have my Jarrah,’ Merin sobbed, her lips trembled at the thought of her baby being held at gun point.
‘Madam President, I understand this is a difficult time, but the AFP believes the kidnappers are still here in Canberra.’ As the implications of Stephen’s words began to sink in, a shrill ring cut through the stifling atmosphere. A call, from Jarrah’s number. Merindah snatched the phone, her hands trembling, and answered.
‘J-Jarrah?’ Her voice was barely above a whisper, a mother’s desperate plea.
‘You wish…’ came the reply. A stranger. One of the kidnappers. ‘It’s not Jarrah, but I’m the man who has a gun to your son’s head.’
‘What, what do you want with my son?’
‘We’ll get to that, but first you need to get access to a laptop. I’m sure one of your aides has one,’ said the man, his voice gravelly and coarse. Joe went to grab the laptop from his bag and placed it on Merin’s desk.
‘Yes, I have one. What now?’
‘I’m sending you a link. Click on that link and you will see your precious son.’ The link came through on her phone and she gave it to Joe. He typed in the link on his laptop and waiting a few moments, a window appeared on the screen. Merin gasped, almost dropping the phone as she saw Jarrah tied to a chair in a darkened room. She saw the old Australian flag behind him. Jarrah struggled in the chair, but his wrists were tied, and his mouth taped over. Two of the kidnappers stood either side of him, their guns trained at him. ‘Do you see your son, Madam President?’
‘Y-yes…what do you want?’
‘This country made the wrong choice becoming a republic. We want you to resign as President of Australia, and publicly announce the disbandment of the Republic of Australia.’ Merin closed her eyes. She couldn’t believe this is what they were demanding.
‘You know I won’t be able to do that. This country is a republic,’ said Merin.
‘Really?’ Merin watched the kidnapper. She saw him walk over to Jarrah, grabbing his hair. What she saw no mother should ever have to see. Jarrah screamed in agonising pain as the kidnapper cut through the bone of his finger. Blood oozed everywhere. The kidnapper looked back at the camera, and he held up Jarrah’s finger, dripping blood. Merin almost fainted at the sight of it. ‘This is what happens if you do not comply with our demands,’ he said. The sight of her son’s severed finger held up to the camera made bile rise in her throat. ‘Resign the presidency. Your speech at Commonwealth Park, it will be the perfect opportunity to give in to these demands,’ the kidnapper’s voice taunted from the other end. ‘Be warned, I will not hesitate to execute your son…’ The call ended with a click. The livestream disconnected, leaving them with the haunting image of Jarrah’s terrified face. The room pulsed with a horrific reality. Merindah was caught in a maelstrom of terror and disbelief.
Stephen’s face mirrored a similar worry, albeit masked behind a political facade. John was barely holding together, his eyes far away, lost in a nightmare that was too real. Joe stood nearby his jaw clenched and muscles taut. His life had been dedicated to protecting the President and her family, and now he was facing his worst failure. As the weight of the situation hit them, the true gravity of the political crisis they were facing began to sink in.
‘Madam President,’ Stephen spoke, his voice softened as he attempted to offer some level of comfort to the stricken mother. ‘I understand you’re in a difficult place right now, but we cannot give in to these people.’ Merin’s eyes locked onto the Prime Minister, ready to pounce at him like a leopard. ‘You cannot resign as President, it will be giving in to terrorism.’
‘They have my fucking son, Stephen!’ She didn’t care about cursing in front of the Prime Minister. ‘I can’t let them kill my son, my boy.’ Merin’s lips trembled at the thought of losing him. ‘I need some time alone…’ She moved to the window, John stepped over to her to comfort her. Joe ushered the Prime Minister and his staff out. Stephen turned at the last second.
‘Talk some sense into her, Mr. Pittman. We can’t give in to these demands.’ Joe glared at the Prime Minister.
‘The President understands the situation, Prime Minister.’ Joe closed the door and Stephen marched off.
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