Mia's Journey: An Erotic Thriller (18 page)

Chapter 49

Twenty-four hours later they were drinking coffee at the breakfast bar when the news came on with the local TV news station on.

“Breaking news in the ongoing drama surrounding Jeffery Prescott.” The anchor, looking serious as befitted his station in life, stared at the camera. “Our attorneys have informed us to tell you that due to the nature and content of this report, it may be disturbing to some viewers and is not intended for children.

“KTTO has learned, and confirmed, that John Gilheart, who you may remember was with Jeffery Prescott when they were attacked outside Waterloo Elementary School, was possibly involved in the rape and abduction of Mia Prescott. We received a tip from an anonymous source yesterday…”

“Oh Daddy, what did you do?” asked Mia, looking at him horrified.

“What we discussed, Baby.”

“Can you describe for us the nature of that tip, Dan?”

“Yes, it consisted of a sworn affidavit from Mia Prescott herself, along with DNA evidence and some very vivid photographs showing the extent of her injuries. Because of the graphic nature and privacy of the people involved, we can only show a small portion of the photos.”

A number of the more tame photos with eyes black-barred out and private parts blurred, appeared on the screen.

“Daddy! You sent them the photos?”

“I sure did.”

“But I was naked! So now the whole world gets to see me naked?”

“I don’t think anyone is going to see your body. They will see the wounds though.”

“You could have discussed that with me.”

“I did discuss it with you.”

“Yeah, but you didn’t tell…”

A number of pictures flashed up on the screen. Mia’s face and body parts blurred in each one. The wounds, however, were in Technicolor.

“Dan, are you saying that John Gilheart, the man wounded during the attack is guilty of this horrific crime?”

“No. We are sharing an anonymous tip which has been vetted by our legal team. In no way are we suggesting guilt, or accusing anyone. That is the job of a judge and jury. However, we felt as journalists, we had an obligation to our viewers as well as the community.”

“How has Jeffery Prescott responded?”

“So far, our calls have not been returned.”

“Is there any word on where Mia Prescott is now?”

“No. So far, she has not surfaced to confirm or deny these allegations. We have an obligation to share what we know with the police and we have done so. They have promised to ‘vigorously pursue’ this investigation. However, sources close to the investigation have revealed they received the same evidence as we did, at the same time.”

“What does this mean to the Prescott campaign for mayor?”

“So far, there has been no comment from the Prescott campaign. This is Dan Anderson, at KTTO news.”

“The proverbial shit, has just hit the proverbial fan,” said Daddy.

“What does that mean?”

“That means it could get dangerous for us both very quickly.”

“What do we do now, Daddy?”

“Time to visit some lawyers.”

Daddy spotted the surveillance team as soon as he walked out of the house. Two guys sitting alone in a parked car on a suburban street stand out like a flasher in a trench coat in July at an elementary school.

Fuckin’ amateurs.
Daddy thought,
Good. My luck is still with me. Which means these guys are private, not police. But I’ve been found. Not that that will do them any good.

Daddy brought Mia to the truck and opened the door for her. He started up his pickup, backed out of the driveway, didn’t pay any attention to the tail, and drove to the end of the street. He stopped at the sign, signaled left, turned out of view of the tail car, and immediately pulled over to the curb.

He heard the tail start their car and within seconds, they blew through the stop sign after him. Realizing their mistake too late, they had no choice but to continue past Daddy.

Daddy banged an immediate U-turn and went in the opposite direction, making a series of left and right turns, and reverse track-backs designed to hopelessly confuse the situation. He lost the tail inside of five minutes.

Daddy had a list of ten lawyers, and he stopped in front of the office of the first one.

“Okay, here’s what I want you to do,” Daddy said, turning around in the seat to face Mia. “I want you to walk in there, tell them your name, and ask for an appointment with the lawyer listed. Don’t accept anyone else. If he’s in a ‘meeting’, or ‘on a call’ then say you’ll be back later. Trust me, he’ll find time for you. When you get into his office, don’t even let him get a word in, just sit down and immediately start telling your side of the story. Don’t embellish, don’t lie. Then leave the packet of information I just gave you.”

“What will happen then?”

“The lawyer will more than likely be floored. He won’t want to accept the case and go against the Prescott family, but his curiosity will also get the better of him. So he’ll make a show of listening to you, and examining the evidence.”

“He’s going to be looking at pictures of me?”

“Yes, he is.”

“Okay, then what?”

“Tell him you want to start a divorce action against your husband.”

“What will he do?”

“He’ll more than likely beg off, busy schedule, conflicting court dates, that sort of thing. But he really just doesn’t have the balls to go against Prescott.”

“What if they really aren’t in?”

“Leave the packet with the receptionist.”

“What if he says he wants to?”

“Ask how much, and what his retainer is, etc. Then it is your turn to say you’ll consider it.”

“If you’re not going to hire them, why are we doing this?”

“For two reasons; one, these are the best divorce attorneys in town. Now that they are familiar with our case, they can’t take Jeffery’s side because of conflict of interest, which deprives your husband of the best attorneys. He’ll have to go out of town to find one, which gives us an advantage if it ever goes to court. Two, no one, I mean no one, gossips more than attorneys. Which means Jeffery’s dirty laundry is going to be aired all over legal and political communities by the end of lunch. This is a sensitive time for him, with the campaign and all. He’s again, at a disadvantage and on the defensive. His venerability plays into our hands.”

“So this is what you meant by ‘thank the Gods for stupid enemies’?”

“It is exactly what I meant by it.”

“We’re going to win this, aren’t we, Daddy? I’m going to be free of him.”

“There is still a long way to go. Don’t pack your suitcases yet.”

“Thank you, Daddy,” Mia said softly, meaning it, looking straight into Daddy’s eyes.

“You’re very welcome, Baby Doll.”

Mia got out of the car, her back straight, eyes directly ahead. She walked without fear towards her freedom.

They could get to seven of the ten lawyers on the list that day. They were on their way home when Officer Flynn spotted Mia, he hit the lights and siren, and pulled them over.

“It is to be regretted that the rich and powerful too often bend the acts of government to their own selfish purposes.”

Andrew Jackson

Chapter 50

“Just what the fuck do you think you’re doing?” Elder Prescott shouted, and threw the pictures of battered Mia into Jeffery Prescott’s face.

“Look, I didn’t know they were going to take a bunch of pictures and spread them all over the news,” Jeffery Prescott said defensively.

“Really? No shit? It wasn’t a part of your master plan? Well, that makes it so much better,” Elder Prescott said sarcastically.

“Look, Dad, I think this can be contained.”

“How are you going to do that?”

“Well, so far he has implicated Gilheart, not me. Obviously, we’ll have to hang Gilheart out to dry, but I see no reason to panic, and…”

“Tell me, Jeff, look at the last line of that letter, what does it say?”

“It says ‘I’m coming.’”

“Does that suggest to you, this person, whoever he is, is going to let sleeping dogs lie?”

Prescott the junior stayed silent.

“Here’s what it suggests to me,” continued Elder Prescott, as though his son’s opinion didn’t matter. “He’s coming at you full throttle. Which means you have a dangerous adversary on the loose. Worse, you have an adversary who knows how to use the system. He is systematically destroying Gilheart, then you. He’s not going to be happy until he pulls down this entire family. He’s going for your jugular, you stupid shit! What do you know about him?”

“We know his name. We know where he lives. Mia, or him, hasn’t been seen for the last several days. We’re tracking down his various business interests. We know his credit history and criminal record.”

“What are those?”

“He has perfect credit. He has no criminal record. Not even a speeding ticket. He pays cash for medical care, so there is no insurance documentation on health conditions. He owns several guns, legally purchased and has a permit to carry a concealed weapon. He has no educational affiliations, nor any background whatsoever before 2008.”

“What do you mean he has no background before 2008?”

“I mean exactly that. He has a Hong Kong birth certificate and an American passport. No entries prior to 2008.”

Elder Prescott just looked at Junior, disbelief in his eyes.

“What kind of hornet’s nest have you kicked over?”

At that moment, Momma Prescott popped into the room carrying a tea service. “I have some coffee and some scones if you boys would…”

Elder Prescott turned on her in an instant and punched her with a closed fist right in the face. Dropping her and the fine china all over the floor. When all the china finished breaking, Elder Prescott said, “Get the fuck out of here. We’ll let you know if we want coffee. Until then, stay the fuck out.”

Both men instantly dismissed her without looking at her as she scuttled out of the room holding her face.

“Dad, you’re overreacting and…”

That earned Jeffery Prescott the same fist to the side of his face as his mother.

“You stupid fuck, you don’t even know what you’ve done, do you?”

Officer Flynn stepped out of his cruiser, undid the safety strap on his Glock 17 and walked in the blind spot up on Daddy’s left. Daddy’s window was down, and his hands were on the wheel. He remained silent.

“Did you know you failed to use a turn signal?”

“Did I?”

Flynn looked at Daddy. Daddy mentally snapped a picture of his face, and looked at his identification badge.

“Mia? Could you get out of the car please? Sir, please stay inside the vehicle and keep your hands where I can see them.”

Mia looked at Daddy.

“It’s okay, Baby Doll. Everything is going to be okay,” Daddy said softly, “just answer the way I told you.”

Mia got out of the truck.

“Please come to the other side, on the curb.”

Flynn walked to the front of the truck, watching Daddy the whole time, and stepped up on the curb to where Mia was.

“Is everything okay, Ma‘am?” he asked.

“Yes, of course. Why wouldn’t it be?”

“You have a missing person’s report filed on you as a possible abduction. If you’re in any danger, you aren’t now. You can come with me. I’ll make sure you’re safe.”

“I’m not in any danger, and I don’t want to go with you,” Mia said calmly.

“I see. You know it’s not uncommon for women to identify with their captors, even to the point of willingly staying with them.”

“Except I wasn’t abducted. Therefore, how could I be a captive? I left of my own freewill.”

She had Flynn there.

“I just wanted to make sure you’re safe.”

“I am, Officer, thank you.”

Flynn walked back over to the driver’s side of the truck.

“License, registration and proof of insurance, please?”

Daddy already had them handy and held in such a way, by the edges, that he wouldn’t be able to get fingerprints from them.

“Yes, hand them to me, please.”

“I am. Take them, please. I’m not resisting.”

Flynn had no choice but to take them in the same fashion. Both men looked at each other. Each understanding the game of the other.

“I’ll be back in a moment. Please stay here.”

Flynn walked back to his patrol car and punched the info into his laptop dashboard computer. Daddy noticed the dashboard cam. So there was also video being taken as well. Good. If it goes to court that video will need to be subpoenaed.

No wants or warrants were out in Daddy’s name, according to the computer. So he couldn’t hold him on anything. He had broken no laws, and Mia wasn’t going to leave with him. Flynn also noticed no history at all prior to 2008.

That’s strange,
he said to himself.

While he had the chance, he reached into his console and took out some black fingerprint powder and quickly dusted the plastic on the license.

He detected a print, got some fingerprint tape, and lifted it off the license. He blew off the powder and got out of the police cruiser. He walked back to Daddy’s pickup, always staying in the blind spot.

“Here you are, Sir.” Handing his paperwork back with the license on the top, so he would have to use his thumb to grab it. Once again, Daddy didn’t. He took the paperwork, tilted it up, and let the license slide into his palm. That was when Daddy noticed the black fingerprint powder that sprinkled into his hand.

“I’ll be letting you off with a warning this time. Remember to use your turn signal the next time.”

“Thank you, Officer Flynn, I’ll do that.” Both men looked each other in the eye and took the measure of the other.

“Privacy and security are those things you give up when you show the world what makes you extraordinary.”

Margaret Cho

Chapter 51

Flynn took the tape with Daddy’s fingerprint on it and transferred it to a slide, then digitally reproduced it on the computer. At that point, the fingerprint tech walked in.

“Okay, what are we looking at?”

“I got this off a driver’s license. The perp has no history prior to 2008, and it made me curious. I want to send it off to the Hong Kong police as well as Interpol and see what they come up with on him.”

The fingerprint tech made a number of copies, transferred them digitally to the proper forms, and sent it off.

“You ought to have a reply in twenty-four hours or less. Anything else?”

“Can you also run it through our own AFIS system and see if we get any returns?”

“You want to run it through the FBI?”

“Why not. I might as well touch all bases.”

Within twenty-four hours, Flynn did have his replies. However, he still had no answers. The answers he had, made no sense.

Born in Hong Kong in 1962, father an American diplomat. Mother was an Army brat. Both died in a car accident when he was ten. Poor kid. Alone at ten, that’s got to fuck you up a little,
Flynn thought.
Tested extremely high in mathematics and languages. Then he drops off the face of the earth.

He resurfaces once more, in 1981 in Burma of all places, or at least his prints do. Then he disappears, and comes up for air once again in 1991 during the Thai insurgency as a military attache. That’s what the military call you when they don’t want anyone to know what you do. Then he disappears again, and the prints don’t show up until 2008, when he was fingerprinted prior to coming into the USA at LAX.

That meant, Flynn’s next stop had to be Army and/or Navy Intelligence. He made the call.

He was expecting the usual disclaimers and bullshit the military put out whenever the police asked a question they didn’t want to answer, which was always.

What he wasn’t expecting was the phone call an hour later from a Colonel Littier, from the 3rd. Recon Battalion, stationed at Camp Schwab, Okinawa, Japan.

Third Recon?
thought Flynn,
that’s Marines.

“Sergeant Flynn can you tell me what this is in regards to?”

“He’s a person of interest in an ongoing case,” Flynn replied carefully.

“I see. Can you tell me what the nature of the case is?”

“It has to do with a possible abduction and/or kidnapping.”

“Sergeant Flynn, in all due respect, I sincerely doubt it. Would you like to try again?”

Okay, the bullshit isn’t going to fly,
thought Flynn.

“He’s an ex-Recon Marine?”

“I can neither confirm, nor deny that. Does this have anything to do with the Mia Prescott case?”

“You’re very well informed, Sir.”

“Well, it is what we do. Let’s try my version. You found his prints and checked him out and found he had no prior history before 2008. This got you curious and you started digging and pretty soon you and me are talking on the telephone. How am I doing so far?”

“What can you tell me?”

“Here’s what I can tell you, Sergeant. He wouldn’t have anything to do with what you’re describing. He lives by a code. He wouldn’t violate that code. No matter how many years after he left the service, if he was ever in the service. The very best thing you could do for yourself is to lose those fingerprints and cross him off your suspect list, then leave him alone.”

“You’re not giving me many answers.”

“Oh, but I am. A wise man once said, ‘silence can answer many questions’. Good day, Sergeant Flynn.”

Flynn sat back in his chair after hanging up the phone, staring off into space. He tried putting the pieces together.

What do I know? Well, for openers, the name he gave was a fake. A fake backed up with original US documents. That means his background is also fake. Which means, he probably has more identities I don’t know about. Which means he can disappear at will. That means, I have absolutely no idea who I’m dealing with. A colonel with Marine Recon was alerted in response to my inquiries. I was warned off.

What does Marine Recon do? They go into Indian territory before anyone else, and scout the way. They watch, and they listen. They are trained in escape and evasion, and who knows what else. He’s an old warrior that still has some teeth left.

So what does it all mean? It means I’m dealing with a retired deep cover operative who’s been buried so far underground I couldn’t get at him if I found him standing over a body with a smoking gun in his hand.

“Hey Flynn? Captain wants to see you,” said one of the detectives from Robbery/Homicide.

“I hear you’re making a name for yourself, Sergeant,” said the Captain of his division when he walked into his office.

“I don’t know what that means, Sir.”

“It means I just got a call from on high. That means my boss got a call from his on high, and THAT means whatever the fuck you’re doing, you better stop. The fact that you’re two years from your pension was brought into the conversation twice. Is there any part of what I just said that isn’t clear?”

“No, Sir. It is quite clear.”

“Excellent Sergeant, is there anything else? Then carry on,

McDuff.”