Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Saving the Day: An Intervention

Written for the 30-day creative writing challenge hosted by Nicky and Mike of We Work For Cheese.  It is the 26th day of this challenging event, and we are approaching the finish line.  Today's prompt is An Intervention.  Check out the Linky at WWFC to get the inside scoop.

**Fiction**

The headline read Saving the Day:  An Intervention.  "I was just doing my job" John told the reporter, after he was photographed being hugged by the little girl's mother.

It had started the day before when the FBI profilers had narrowed the search to one man, Hector Stimfield.  He was wanted in six states for kidnapping and murder.  He targeted blond-haired, blue eyed girls between the ages of 10 and 12.  They believed him to be a victim of abuse by his older sister when he was a child.  His sister was now in prison for dealing drugs and assault.

Hector moved from state to state, and job to job.  In his current location he worked as a furniture delivery man, which allowed him to gain entrance to people's homes.  That is how he searched for his victims.  His most recent kidnapping was 12 year-old Eliza Parker.  She had been missing for two days.

Image Source:  geograph.org.uk
Local authorities, working with the FBI, had a tip of a blond girl and a man fitting Hector's description in the warehouse district on the north side of town.  The FBI and SWAT were on the scene in minutes.  There was an old white delivery van parked outside an unoccupied warehouse.  Snipers set up on the roof tops of several nearby buildings.
They tried to negotiate with her kidnapper.  They knew what he was capable of and that the situation could become volatile at any moment.

This is where John came into the picture.  He was positioned with a direct line of sight into the warehouse through a broken window.  His rifle, an Intervention sniper rifle, was among the best and most accurate.

He was waiting for his cue.  The FBI wanted to give Hector the opportunity to surrender so he could be arrested, tried and hopefully convicted.  If he failed to comply, then they would allow John to take the shot when he had it.

Not grasping the reality of his situation, Hector refused, saying "If you come in here, the girl's dead."  That was it.  John took the shot and it was over.

After the child was returned to her, Mrs. Parker insisted on meeting John to thank him, and that's when the photograph was taken.  She hugged him and thanked him profusely.  "If not for your skillful intervention, my daughter might have been killed.  I cannot thank you enough."

"You're welcome, ma'am.  I was just doing my job."

10 comments:

  1. Great story! Sadly an all too familiar situation.

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  2. I just googled 'intervention sniper rifles' and they are a real thing! You should post a pic on one to go with this story.

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  3. A powerful story and a most interesting take on today's theme. Nicely done.

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  4. Excellent story, Linda! Very creative way to deal with this prompt. Wish more real life stories turned out with this kind of happy ending.

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  5. Well told tale! Nicely done take on theme!

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  6. A creative story, indeed. Nicely written. I love short stories like this as they paint a true picture through the words!

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  7. Linda, this is so well written, it could be an episode of Dateline's "How To Catch a Predator!"

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  8. Babs- Thank you, and yes it is.

    notactuallygod - I did think about.

    nonamedufus- Thank you.

    Nicky- Thanks! Sometimes fiction comes in real handy.

    Linda- Thanks, glad you enjoyed it.

    P.J.- Thank you. I'm glad you liked it. I enjoy doing short stories.

    Meleah- Thank you!! There goes the size of my head again. ;)

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  9. life in the mom lane- Thanks!

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