The Senator: A Blake Jordan Thriller by Ken Fite Page A

almost completely silent, except for the noise coming from the generator by the bay door, far enough away from his cell that it almost faded into the background. Keller noticed another sound, it was the TV in the kidnapper’s room. In the now dark room that the man was in, he could see the flicker of light coming from the TV. The volume was on low but still loud enough to allow the senator to be able to speak in a low voice without the man in the next room hearing him.
    Still, Senator Keller waited a long time before speaking. He once again saw the light from a cell phone signaling to him just beyond what was being lit by the lantern in his cell. Keller shook his head and waved both hands in front of him to communicate to whoever it was on the other side Not yet, my friend. Wait.
    Keller figured that his kidnapper would have been exhausted by the events of the day and would take no time to fall asleep. He knew that it took the average person five to ten minutes to fall asleep and that the next stage of sleep only lasted twenty minutes but would be very light sleep and the kidnapper would be prone to waking up. Keller started counting the seconds to approximate thirty minutes the best he could.
    When he got to thirty minutes, the senator started to worry that he may have counted too fast. He was nervous and just wanted to get the hell out of there. If he timed it right, this would be the best opportunity to make a move. But if he was wrong, he might be blowing the only opportunity he might have to escape.
    While counting, Keller tried to stay focused but found it hard not to think about the light signaling to him. Who was this person and why were they there? Would they save his life? He was about to find out.
    “Okay, it’s safe now. He should be asleep. Please come out,” Keller said.
    There was no movement for a good thirty seconds. Then, he saw a foot and then a leg slowly appear from the ceiling. Jim Keller lifted a hand to block the light coming from the lantern and squinted as his eyes adjusted and then he saw it. There was a cubby in the rafters between the first and second floors.
    The person slowly let themselves down, holding on to one of the rafters with feet dangling and they let go. The sound wasn’t loud but did concern Keller who looked in the direction of the kidnapper’s room for a moment before his eyes returned to the person now standing in front of him. “Come here,” Keller said.
    The man walked to Keller and then knelt down on the floor next to him and the senator realized it wasn’t a man but a boy, maybe sixteen or seventeen years old. “What’s your name, son?”
    The kid was shaking. “Tre,” he whispered nervously.
    “Why are you here?” The kid’s eyes darted back to the kidnapper’s room and back.
    “My friends and I come out here sometimes to party. They never showed up today. I skipped my last class and came here and waited. I heard someone come in and thought it was them… but it was him,” he said and pointed to the other room. “He didn’t see me. I climbed up and hid. I’ve been there all day.”
    The kid sat down. “Are you really a senator?” Keller smiled.
    “I am. Listen, there’s no way I can get out of here. I’m handcuffed to this metal pipe and it’s not budging. The man in the next room should be sound asleep. I need you to leave right now and get the police.” The kid shook his head.
    “No. I’m not walking past his room. What if he’s awake?” Keller could tell that the kid was terrified.
    “Son, this is your only chance at getting out of here alive. He won’t be asleep for long.” Tre nodded. “Tell them you know where Senator Keller is.”
    “What if they don’t believe me?” Keller thought for a moment before he leaned in and whispered something to the kid.

Chapter 35
    Morgan walked into the joint workroom holding David Mitchell’s white iPhone. “Sorry it took so long, but I got in. The phone’s unlocked,” he said and handed it over