Jake, a boatman had been missing. His wife Justina and five years old son Robert reported the police he did not return from the red lake, Minnesota last night.
The police officers Don and Chuck reached the lake shore. Don was thirty, five years older than Chuck.
The other side of the lake was not clearly visible due to darkness. Diagonally, across they saw cluster of trees.
“I think there’s a house behind those trees.” Don said.
“Yes, I also think so.” Chunk said.
There was no rowboat at the lakeshore.
Don phoned to the police station to bring rowboat. So, rowboat was brought by another policeman.
Don and Chuck took the rowboat with their flashlight to the little dock and rowed out into the lake.
“Let’s not go straight for the house.” Don said. “It would be better if we cross the lake and then advance along the shore.”
When the reached the other side, they let the boat drift and listened for any sound.
They did not hear any sound. Silently, they rowed along the shore to the trees and saw a house to the right of them. It looked vacant for a very long time.
“Let’s try other one first.” Chuck said.
The police officer noticed a small boathouse. They approached it, cautiously. Don switched on his flashlight and saw a rowboat tied inside.
They tied their own boat to the dock and climbed out. Chuck noticed a long piece of rope tied on some other boat. He cut it off thinking it can be of further use.
They saw a narrow rising path led from the boathouse. On moving further, they discovered a streak of light coming from the house.
“Sh!” Don warned. “Let us go furtively.”
As they moved further, they heard some murmuring. They followed the sound to the window and saw a man handcuffed, tied to the chair and two persons in conversation.
After doing their head down, they listened the conversation.
“Ten thousand dollars, isn’t enough?” one man asked.
“It should be. Only then he would be freed.” second man said.
Someone above them started staring out in the night.
Don and Chuck held their breath and did not move for fear of being discovered. The man moved away after a minute.
Both of them had a sigh of relief.
They crept to the front quickly. The path bordered by bushes led from the door to the gate.
Door opened and the two men were just at the doorstep. The police officers had hidden behind the shrub when they saw them.
The two men shook their hands and talked for a moment while walking.
Don and Chuck followed them while creeping. They jumped up and grabbed those two kidnappers in headlock.
The two kidnappers collapsed on the ground. The police officers tied the hands and feet of both of them with a long rope that Chuck had brought.
After that they entered the room and saw Jake tied to the chair. Both of them untied him. Jake condition was not well and somehow they took him to their rowboat.
Don and Chuck brought him to the shore.
As they were reaching the shore, they phoned to the police station and ordered for more policeman with two rowboats. In a few minutes six policeman came with two boats in their mini-truck.
Chuck mentioned the whole incident. Don ordered them to take Jake to the hospital and inform to his family.
The police officers with four policemen returned back to the house on the other side of the lake.
They brought both the culprits in their boats who were arrested.
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