Walk in the Park (eBook)

Sven Lundin (Autor)

eBook Download: EPUB

2025 | 1. Auflage
238 Seiten
Ballast Books (Verlag)
9781964934549 (ISBN)

Infos

For Alex Donner, a walk in the park with his grandson turns out to be anything but.  Retired security specialist and widower Alex Donner is on the run. Ever since a crooked cop tried to kidnap his grandson in broad daylight, Alex isn't sure who to trust-and who's behind the corruption.   FBI Special Agent Linda Crawford is tasked with investigating the incident and identifying the hero who thwarted the kidnappers. But Alex has gone completely off the grid, leaving a trail of dead criminals in his wake that points Linda toward something much more sinister than playground politics.  On their parallel tracks, Alex and Linda expose a horrifying conspiracy: Children are being quietly abducted around the northwestern United States. As Alex uncovers more and more about this vile network with the help of Alina, a Russian immigrant who has unwittingly been working for the criminal enterprise organizing the kidnappings, Linda gathers the evidence she needs to locate the missing children and bring justice to their families.   A Walk in the Park tells the story of a man who is running for his life and a woman who is hot on his tail. Once their paths cross, their individual lives-and the relations between two of the world's most powerful forces-will never be the same.

Sven Lundin is a retired businessman and avid outdoorsman. Born and educated in Sweden, he moved to the United States to pursue his career. His background in engineering brings a unique perspective to his writing. He enjoys traveling the world and pursuing outdoor activities like skiing, hiking, sailing, and golfing. Lundin currently resides between Fort Myers, Florida, and Evergreen, Colorado, with his partner.

Textauszug

Chapter 1

It was Saturday, mid-March, in Denver, Colorado, a clear day with warming sun and a temperature in the mid-sixties. Tomorrow, winter and snow were again in the forecast, but today was a day to enjoy. Alex Donner was relaxing on a bench at the playground, face in the sun and an eye on his grandson Michael (which, of course, nobody called him). The youngster was full of energy, like all the kids, running around the many slides and climbing contraptions, around and around, up and down, never slowing or stopping.

Mike was dressed in a pair of bright red sweatpants, easy to spot among the kids. Alex had come down from Breckenridge to spend the weekend with his daughter Mary and his grandson, who was five years old, tall for his age, and already in preschool. Mary’s husband, Frank, had just left on a two-week business trip to Europe.

Alex’s weekend visits had become a little tradition, partly to spend time with his family, partly to escape the ski area with its unbearable weekend crowds. His two daughters, their husbands, and their children were the family he had after he lost his wife in a car accident eight years ago. He had come to enjoy his independence and after retirement had relocated to his favorite mountain town.

Time in retirement exceeded Alex’s expectations by a long shot. He finally had time for his interests, which had been suppressed over many years in an interesting but time-consuming career as an international security specialist, initially in cybersecurity for government and financial institutions and later spilling over into personal and property security for high-net-worth individuals.

And now, all his concerns were how to dress in the morning to pursue his interests—golf, biking, and hiking in the summer, downhill and cross-country skiing in the winter, and then the occasional sailing escapades with old buddies in different parts of the world. And on top of it all, he finally had time for his family with a growing number of grandchildren.

The sharp sound of gunshots popped his daydream and had people screaming and running in all directions, trying to find their kids and shelter. Alex jumped up, looking for Mike. After a few seconds, he got the shock of his life. Two bright red, kicking legs were sticking out from under the arms of a man walking very quickly away from the playground. Before his brain had time to react, Alex was running like a maniac, oblivious to anything and anybody in his way. He was closing in, but still some distance away, when he saw a car parked on the grass. The rear door was swung open by somebody inside.

The man was ready to dive in. There, it looked like something went wrong. The man’s attempt to quickly get inside was slowed down, maybe by Mike’s kicking. Instead of getting in after the kid, he stood up, ready to close the door from the outside.

That’s when Alex took the last step before reaching his target. He was thirty years past his prime but stayed in good shape. It was a six-foot, two-hundred-pound body slamming into the unprepared man. Right knee in the soft middle, left elbow hitting the head. The man’s head got wedged between the door and the B-pillar, his body slumped. Alex had Mike out in a couple of seconds.

A woman in the driver’s seat was screaming something about abandoned children. She was in a police uniform. Her attempt to open the door was not successful. She would have to break the man’s neck to get out or crawl over to the other side. Either way, she was slowed down enough to lose the opportunity to use her gun to stop Alex.

Alex was running along a parkway with Mike in his arms. Weekenders were still in shock and didn’t pay any attention; just another frightened parent.

He was running toward a restroom building. There, he would be out of sight of both the car and the playground and could check on Mike. The smell of chloroform was strong, and the kid was in some sort of daze, maybe bordering on unconscious. Despite what had happened, he was not physically hurt. In the restroom, Alex washed Mike’s face with cold water, which he didn’t like much, but it woke him up. He vomited immediately and started to cry. Alex opened a bottle of water that he always carried, while also holding and comforting his grandson. He flushed water into Mike’s mouth and over his face. That helped. Mike’s crying stopped, and he looked up at his grandfather with a worried face. Alex tried to comfort him.

“You got something bad in your mouth, Mike, but now I think it’s all out and you will soon feel fine again. Let’s go home to Mommy so you can rest a little.”

Mike didn’t protest. They left the restroom and started to walk, Mike still in Alex’s arms. After a couple of minutes, Mike said he could walk by himself, but that was not quite true, and Alex picked him up again. After a few minutes, they tried to walk hand in hand. It lasted a minute. To Alex, the walk was painfully slow. They heard nothing from the policewoman in the car, but they could now hear both police and ambulance sirens. Alex had not seen any familiar faces around the playground or the walking path, mainly just young parents with their children. Maybe some kids recognized Mike, but hopefully, nobody knew where he lived.

The walk home took about twenty minutes. When they got there, Alex’s plan for the next few days was ready. Max, the black Lab and whatever mix, came running like a torpedo but slowed down in puzzlement when he smelled the lingering chloroform and saw Mike’s sad expression and Alex’s serious face.

Mary was surprised by their early return. Maybe her son had scratched his knee? But looking more closely at Mike, she realized that something more serious was going on. She looked at Alex for an explanation. Alex ignored her unspoken question and asked Mike if he wanted some ice cream. His answer was both a yes and a smile. Mary got the message. She took Mike into the kitchen and scooped up a bowl of his favorite flavor. That was what he needed to both feel and look normal. She walked back to Alex, who was now in her office and out of earshot of Mike. Alex cut to the chase, as usual when he was serious and focused.

“Mike was playing with a bunch of kids. They were all running around, having a good time. I was sitting in the sun on a bench by myself. Suddenly, I heard gunshots and jumped up to look for Mike. Already the second pop made me realize it was firecrackers. I still looked for Mike to make sure he was OK and had not been run down in the chaos that followed. That’s when I saw his red pants under the arm of this guy walking fast away from the playground. I ran after him and caught up just as he stood to close the door of a car he had put Mike in. He hadn’t looked back yet, so he was unprepared for the tackle and ended up with his head wedged between the door and the B-pillar.

“I got Mike out and saw the driver was a woman in a cop uniform. I smelled chloroform, so I guess they tried to sedate Mike. The man was in plain clothes and looked middle aged. He didn’t move. The woman was hysterical. I think she babbled something about abandoned kids. She also looked middle age. She tried to open the door but couldn’t get it past the guy’s head. Lucky for us, we got the minute we needed to get away. The firecrackers were clearly a distraction. They did not sound like real shots, but they were loud enough to shock people and create chaos.

“I ran with Mike to get out of sight. We went to a restroom where I could check him and get the chloroform off him. He vomited quite a bit, and I washed his mouth and face. After a moment he seemed fine. Kid is a trooper. But the strange thing here is the cop uniform. It’s not good, not good at all. If the cops are on the wrong side here, I don’t want to be in their custody and interrogated by them—end up dead in a lousy cell. Suicide, of course, admission of guilt, case closed.

“And if they are cops, they’ll track us down in a few hours with a door-to-door search. We all need to leave the house as soon as possible. You, Mike, and Max should go to your sister’s. Mike loves to play with his cousins. That should help him get over this ordeal.

“I’ll take a ski trip in the mountains and follow the news till things clear and we know who, why, and what. It could take some time, so I’ll visit some stores and get a few things. Then I’ll drive home and go out to dinner and hopefully meet some buddies. Tell them I skied all day and skinned up for exercise. It’ll be a good alibi in case it’s needed.

“You and I should talk on the phone tonight and tomorrow. Talk about Mike and his stomach in case somebody is listening in. I hope to leave the city before the storm moves in this evening. I plan to leave my house tomorrow night and spend a few weeks in the woods. We should have a good snowstorm by then—my kind of vacation.”

Alex smiled. Mary did not. But she grasped the severity of the situation and was ready to call her sister with some lame excuse for the sudden visit. They would all be off in a matter of minutes: Mary, Mike, and Max to her sister Ellie in Evergreen, forty-five minutes away; Alex on his shopping spree. It was also agreed that Alex would turn off his cell phone when he left his house for the woods. Alex hugged them and was off.

The shopping was uneventful. Alex took time to visit a few stores to reduce his chances of being remembered. He got a Norwegian ski pulk, camo tent, sub-freezing sleeping bag, a month’s supply of freeze-dried food, propane cans, and some...

Produkt-Details

• Erscheint lt. Verlag: 25.3.2025
• Sprache: englisch
• Themenwelt: Literatur ► Krimi / Thriller / Horror
• ISBN-13: 9781964934549 / 9781964934549