Chapter 1
The first thing Jay Jones noticed when coming to his senses
was a thundering continuous noise with no origin and no direction. He was
encompassed by this annoying din as if it was a part of him. Next conscious
sensation was a huge whirl he floated amidst. It was as if the world had
liquefied and was spinning altogether with elusive shapes and no definite form.
Gradually, the whirl become smaller and smaller until was confined to Jay’s
head only. He started to feel the hard surface he was lying on face down. The
noise also subsided to a bearable level and sounded like an engine purring. The
world swirled no longer with him but the floor wasn’t still, it swayed and
wobbled. It moved and so did Jay with it. Occasional bumps and turns here and
there suggested to Jay he was in some kind of motoring vehicle traveling at
moderate speed. No flashlight stops, no sudden stops: they must have already
left the town and be in the countryside. He carefully opened briefly the
available eye; yes, it looked like he was on the floor of a moving van. Pairs
of feet in shoes, socks and trousers fringes were ranged just in front of his
eye. The other eye touched the floor and couldn’t be opened without changing
his body position. Jay didn’t try to. His hands were cuffed at the back and he
knew the visible feet belonged to the men who attacked him. His nape was still
sore.
He recalled hazily that he felt a blow to the back of his
head out of the blue. They must have waited for him in the street when
returning to the hotel. As soon as Jay passed the newsstand they attacked from
behind, unnoticed and silent. ‘They are pros’, thought Jay. The poorly lighted
street, the late hour with but a few of the passersby, the van already ready
near the curb, chances were nobody saw the kidnapping. He wouldn’t be looked
for the next few days and the only person who would be reporting to the police
would be the hotel owner thinking he skipped the bill. Nobody talked in the
van. If they saw him opening his eye, they didn’t care and said nothing.
