I broke the skin with the knife but I couldn't push deeper. The kidnapper clearly wasn't interested in speaking anymore. It seemed like he had snapped into a half-crazed state.

Nearby, the police watched us tensely as they spoke through their megaphones.

I knew that would only make the kidnapper more unstable, so I decided to ignore the rescue team.

I was the closest one to my child. No one else but me could save him. My mind kept replaying the ...