Gary looked through the blinds as Michael climbed into his car and pulled away from the curb. It'd gone a bit easier than he'd planned. He walked to the desk and shoved the laptop back into the briefcase.
Didn't even need to turn it on.
He walked out to the porch making sure the street was empty before walking back inside. He opened the closet door and slid the mask from his face. He smirked as he looked at the prisoner tied with his hands and legs behind a rolling chair. There was a black sack over the person's head. He was amazed the prisoner had stayed silent the entire time. It's learning.
The prisoner squirmed as Gary rolled the chair out of the closet. "Just stay calm," he said in a soothing voice. "Everything's alright."
He pushed the front door open, rolled the chair to the stairs, and pushed it over the steps. The chair tipped forward as it hit the pavement, causing the prisoner's head to slam against the gravel. "Just stay calm," he whispered as he cut the ropes behind the chair.
Gary grabbed the prisoner's shirt and quickly lifted the skinny body to its feet then made it walk. He kept one hand on the shirt as he swung open the rear doors of the white van. As he shoved the body towards the back seat, it suddenly lunged back at him. Gary slammed its head into the open door causing the person to slump back. "Just stay calm," he said again as he closed the door.
Gary locked the van and made his way back into the empty office. He wiped the desk clean, rolled the squeaking chair back to the corner he'd found it, filled a bag of dirt from the front yard, and covered his footprints to the front door. When he closed the door, he pulled a pick set from his pocket and reverse picked the door, locking it behind himself.
He spent the afternoon in a grocery store parking lot. His eyes were closed, listening to an old rock station on the radio. The entire plan was going just as he planned. Nothing ever went this smooth. Maybe he was getting better, but he doubted it. Something had to go wrong. This, after all, was just the set-up. The most important part was still yet to come.
It was six pm when his phone finally rang. He waited until it rang three times before picking it up.
"Gary, this is Michael,"
"Nice to hear from you again," Gary replied.
"I'm good for Wednesday," Michael said.
"Perfect, that works perfectly."
"Do you know which airport I'll be flying from?"
"The resort will provide all the transportation you need. Be downstairs by eight am. A driver will be waiting for you. I hope you enjoy your trip." Gary was about to hang up when he remembered, "Oh, and Michael."
"Yes?"
"Since you'll be a secret vacationer, the resort will have you under a fake name. They don't want to be able to look you up online. You need to look the part of a person that can afford such a vacation. I'll be sending you a package with a new ID." Gary knew this would come across a bit strange, but assumed Michael would oblige since he'd already given his word he was going.
"A fake name?"
"Yes, so the resort can't look you up online. Remember to take a notebook and document everything you experience. We can set up you and your fiancés vacation when you get back."
"What's my name?"
"Harvey Sinclair." Gary replied, "Have fun on your trip."
"Thank you." Michael's voice was a bit unsettled as he hung up.
Gary felt the last details would create a bit of skepticism with Michael, but knew the young man would still inevitably go on the trip. He turned up the radio as he pulled out of the parking lot.
Time to get rid of the prisoner.