Mia's Journey: An Erotic Thriller (19 page)

“Opportunities multiply as they are seized.”

Sun Tzu

Chapter 52

“I’m sorry, Baby Doll, but we can’t go back to the house.”

They were driving down Grand Ave, away from the legal district. Flynn had pulled them over and just let them go. Daddy made sure he used his turn signals, kept within the speed limit, and obeyed every law. He was also on the look-out for any surveillance, but hadn’t spotted any yet.

If they were good, and knew their business, I wouldn’t spot them anyway,
thought Daddy.

“So we’re never going back to your house?” Mia asked.

“We can go back after this is finished.”

“How come we can’t go back to your house. I like your house, Daddy.”

“It’s no longer safe.”

“Where are we going to live?”

“I got us an apartment over on the South side of town.”

“Gilheart lived on the South side of town.”

“Yes, he did.”

“What are we going to do?”

“I’m going to make sure you’re safe, then I’m going back to the house to get the necessary things we’ll need.”

Daddy knew that a professional tail would be up ahead of him, behind him, as well as on parallel blocks on each side. They would be in contact with each other and constantly switching positions so he couldn’t detect a pattern in the cars.

They could also have put a GPS tracking device on the pickup and then they wouldn’t need a four to eight man surveillance team.

So the first thing he would need to do is look under the car for a tracking device. Then try and detect any parallel surveillance. That would be the easiest. If nothing was detected, then his luck was still holding and he would get Mia to the safe house. He pulled off the road before crossing an intersection, and then watched the cars behind him. None showed any interest.

He got out of the car and checked the underside of the truck. It sat higher off the ground than most cars. With a high intensity LED flashlight he kept in the glove box, it didn’t take him long to spot the tracking device hidden inside the back bumper. It was held on with a powerful magnet.

In his haste, he didn’t spot the second one hidden above the gas tank.

Daddy pried the tracking device off the frame and examined it. It looked commercial, not military. Which meant he was still dealing with the yahoos from this morning.

At least they still aren’t a threat. It also means, there was probably no other surveillance. They stood back and let the GPS do the dirty work after he slipped them. Give them points for having a back-up plan, though,
thought Daddy.

Daddy got back in the car, and drove to a gas/convenience store by the freeway. As he walked in to pay for the gas, he chose a minivan with out of state plates and a yellow “Baby on Board” sticker. He attached the tracking device to its bumper.

“Where are we going now?” Mia asked, once Daddy returned from paying for the gas.

“I’m going to show you your new palace.”

“Does it stink?”

“Maybe a little,” said Daddy smiling.

Prescott Senior looked at his son holding his face, then looked at the spilled coffee all over the floor.
What a fucking mess, both literally and figuratively,
he thought. He didn’t feel the slightest shred of pity for either his son, or his wife. They were simply tools to be used as he saw fit. If his wife didn’t have political uses, he would have killed her a long time ago.

He walked over to his desk and pressed the intercom button.

“Momma? Get in here and clean up your mess.”

Momma came in immediately. Her face was already swelling, and blood was still leaking out of her nose. She started cleaning up ‘her’ mess silently, picking up the shards of the china as she wiped the hardwood floor.

“Look Dad…”

“Shut up, Jeff. Let me think.”

Elder Prescott sat down at his desk and started rubbing his temples.

“Where are we with the planning board?”

“With all that has been going on with Mia’s abduction…”

“You haven’t done a fucking thing about the planning board, is that what you’re trying to say?”

“I got it handled. They just want…”

“You’re going to go ‘handle’ it right now. Don’t come back until every single one of them is back in your pocket. Do you understand?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Also, who do you know in the police department you can trust?”

“I know a guy or two.”

“No, I mean, can you TRUST them?”

“Yes, we’ve owned him for years.”

“Reach out to him and tell him to give me a call.”

“Want to tell me what this is about?”

“I’m cleaning up this mess. You have only two things to do. Deal with the planning board and keep that fucking wife of yours in line as soon as I get her back. Do you think you can handle it?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Then get out of here.”

After Jeffery and Momma Prescott left, he dialed the Police Commissioner.

“Jack? William Prescott. I haven’t seen you around the links lately.”

“Hi, Bill. No time for golf. Gotta keep the city safe, and all. By the way, I was getting ready to call you. Your name just came up in a conversation not too long ago. You might want to tell Jeffery he’s humping against the wrong dog.”

“Oh? I could never tell with Jeff if he was humping another dog, or a fire hydrant. What can you tell me?”

“Let’s just say I no longer want this feud on my city streets.”

“You seem to be much more informed than I am. Perhaps, you’d care to share?” Elder Prescott said, trying again.

“Nope. Not really. Not with the size of the dogs you’re playing with.”

“Okay. Thanks Jack.”

“As a public servant I’m here to help. Been great touching base, Bill.” And he rang off.

William Prescott sat back in his chair, reached forward, selected a Costa Rican cigar, snipped off the end, then leisurely lit it up.

So what have we here,
he thought,
what has that little slut wife of his stumbled into? I can only assume by the police commissioner’s lack of help, it goes way over his head. Who’s over his head? Well, the mayor, but he’s a lame duck now that Jeffery is running for office. No, it has to go higher.

The governor? If he is involved, it means he is getting pressure from Washington. Could the shit be that deep?

Elder Prescott, deep in thought, blew a smoke ring towards the ceiling.

At that moment, his private cell phone rang.

“Hello?”

“Sir, my name is Flynn. I’m with the Urbandale PD. Jeffery left me a message to get in touch with you.”

“Hello Sergeant Flynn. I was hoping our paths would cross again. Could we meet somewhere in plain clothes?”

“Well, I’d really like to know why we’re meeting.”

“I think you already know.”

“I didn’t attend the funeral, but I sent a nice letter

saying I approved of it.”

Mark Twain

Chapter 53

“I’m sorry, Mr. Gilheart. There’s really nothing we can do pending the outcome of this investigation. That was the decision of the Educational Board.” The Teacher’s Union Representative was apologetic.

The Teacher’s Union Rep. was a lawyer, of course. He had on the slick clothes and the good shoes. His business card was embossed and glossy. It even had his picture on it. His hair was blow-dried. He was about thirty-five. He was still young enough to think he’d get ahead in this life.

Gilheart was starting to feel the pain. Daddy had been right, the next day they downgraded his painkillers from morphine to Demerol, and it wasn’t the same. Rolling waves of pain radiated up from his knee. It seemed timed to his pulse, causing his head to throb with the power of a migraine with each heartbeat.

“It was the decision of the board to suspend your health insurance as well as your pay until this matter is concluded. Criminal charges are expected as well. As your representative, I came here to tell you we will of course do what we can, but until you’re cleared of criminal charges, our hands are tied.”

“What about my medical care?”

“Well, that is kind of a sticky issue. The medical insurance policy clearly states that medical injuries resulting from the commission of a felony are not covered by the policy.”

“I haven’t been convicted of anything.”

“That’s absolutely true and exactly what I told the Insurance Commission. However, their position was, that until there is a trial deciding the issue, they have to withhold payment. Of course, if you’re acquitted, then they would pay your medical bills in full.”

“So, I have no medical insurance?”

“That’s what I’m trying to tell you, yes.”

“What happens to me now?”

“You’ll have to leave this hospital, unless you can get them to agree to your care pro bono.”

“And if I can’t?”

“You’ll go to St. Mary’s downtown. So there is really nothing to worry about.”

“Isn’t St. Mary’s for the homeless and destitute?”

“Well, I wouldn’t characterize it like that…”

Gilheart found himself unconsciously pumping the button on the automatic drug injection. Unfortunately, that no longer worked. He had to wait for the nurse to bring a syringe. One thing about pain, it cleared his mind wonderfully, when he could grab a thought.

“The Union will be handling my legal expenses, then?”

“Well, no, actually. Your union contract also becomes null and void in the event of a felony. But I have lined up an excellent public defender for you.”

“You’ve got to be shitting me. So I have no health insurance and no access to legal counsel, is that what you’re telling me?” Gilheart asked.

“That’s it, in a nutshell, yes.”

“Then I am absolutely fucked.”

“I think you should concentrate on the positive side of this…”

Gilheart waited until after the Union Rep. left and considered his options. According to the news, they had DNA evidence. Which meant he was probably going to get convicted of rape of that little pig Mia Prescott.

That also meant the police would be in anytime to cuff him to the bed. It probably meant his leg would never heal properly, and he wouldn’t get the physical therapy and rehabilitation it would need. He’d be a one-eyed rapist who couldn’t walk, when he joined general population in prison. He thought there had to be a joke in there someplace, but he couldn’t find it.

If, no,
when
he was convicted, they would move him to a prison hospital. Until then, he would be in the lock up wing at St. Mary’s. It meant his house was gone. His pension was gone. Everything was gone. His wife and kids deserted him a long time ago, and they certainly weren’t going to have anything to do with him now. His conviction might even be enough to kill his mother and father.

Gilheart recalled Daddy’s last conversation with him,
“I’m going to completely, and without mercy, destroy every aspect of your life,”
he had said.

Well, good work. You certainly did that.

“Good morning, Mr. Gilheart,” said the nurse walking in. “I’m sorry you had to wait for this shot, but we’re busy getting you ready for transfer. This should make you more comfortable.”

The nurse put the needle in his ass and pressed the plunger. She put the syringe down by the bedside and said,

“Let me see if I can make your bed for you. That way, the covers won’t be bunched under you.”

In the course of making the bed, she forgot about the syringe she had laid on the table. Gilheart palmed it as he rolled over as she made one side of the bed, then the other, trying to keep his leg steady.

“There. I’ll get you some more ice water, and you’ll be all set,” she said.

The Demerol was working now and the pain dialed back a notch or two.

The nurse returned with the ice water and set it down where he could reach it.

“It’ll only be an hour or two more before they’re ready to transfer you. If I don’t get to see you again, I want to wish you the best.”

Gilheart said nothing as she left. As soon as he was alone, he took the syringe and filled it with air. He carefully inserted the needle into the vein at his elbow and drew the plunger up, watching the blood swirl into the syringe.

He recalled Daddy’s last words,
“In the end, when I’m finished, you’ll take your own life in despair.”

Gilheart pushed the plunger down, injecting the air bubble into his vein. The air embolism stopped his heart five minutes later.

“The skilful employer of men will employ the wise man, the brave man, the covetous man, and the stupid man.”

Sun Tzu

Chapter 54

Daddy pulled into the safe house driveway. The first thing he did was change out the plates on his truck. He made sure it was registered to James Peniwinkle. He wouldn’t be using his old identity anymore.

He led Mia upstairs to the apartment, let her in, and gave her a key. He had the apartment furnished so there was a minimum of comforts. The kitchen, and refrigerator were well stocked. Mia walked in, looked around, and stood staring at Daddy.

“This sucks, Daddy.”

“It’s temporary.”

“Does it at least have a nice, big bed?”

“Check it out.”

Mia walked down the hall towards the bedroom. She peered into the bathroom, wrinkled her nose, and continued walking. She went into the bedroom and stood looking at the bed.

“It’s a queen size.”

“I know what it is.”

“I want all my toys. You have to go back and get them.”

“How about if we buy new ones?”

“No. I want those.”

“Hey look, we got to talk.”

“About what, Daddy?” she asked with no fear. A month ago that question would have brought on the ‘deer stuck in headlight’ eyes. The ‘what did I do wrong’ look. Now, she just looked at him with curiosity. She trusted him completely to make the right decisions.

“My name is now James Peniwinkle. I work at Wells Fargo as an accountant.”

“You don’t look like a James Peniwinkle.”

Daddy stood up, got his overcoat from the closet, slipped his Elton John glasses on, and slumped his shoulders. Using his best mousy voice, said,

“How about now?”

“You look completely stupid, Daddy.”

“Thank you, dear.”

“Is that the best you’ve got?”

“Well, James Peniwinkle will still let you dress up in the baby-doll panties.”

“Really? I knew I liked Jim for a reason. Can we start now?” Mia said, unbuttoning her blouse.

“I think so, yes.” Daddy said, smiling.

Daddy suddenly dived on top of her. Mia, giggling, wriggled and fought to free herself, until finally surrendering with her arms around Daddy’s neck.

“I love you, Daddy.”

“I love you too, Baby Doll.”

They made slow, passionate love into the early hours of the morning.

Daddy got up and set up his laptop. He had broadband connected to the apartment so he’d have an internet connection. The first thing he did was check his email while the coffee brewed. He couldn’t access his email from this new connection.

Strange.

Next, he tried going to his website and accessing the email through his C-panel of his web host. He couldn’t access that either.

Enemy action,
thought Daddy.

Next, he tried his bank accounts. They were sealed, and he was told to contact his bank.

He tried his Pay-Pal account as well. It was discontinued.

Daddy got up, went and made a cup of coffee and sat back down in front of the laptop.

Daddy studied the chessboard in his mind.
It was a good move, freezing his assets,
thought Daddy.
One which seems oddly out of place for Jeffery Prescott. Jeffery doesn’t think with that kind of finesse. Is it possible we have a new player on board?

“Good morning, Daddy,” said Mia, looking fresh and smiling like she always did after good sex. She was wearing her baby-doll panties and one of his shirts, tied high under her breasts, with the buttons open. She looked young, happy, and absolutely stunning in the morning light. He snapped a mental picture of her for his memory collection.

“Hello Baby Doll, you look beautiful.”

Mia stretched with her arms over her head in the morning light like a cat. Her shirt rode up on her breast revealing a small, stiff nipple before she pulled it back down again.

“What are we going to do today? Go see more lawyers? That was getting kind of fun. You should have seen them clawing up that packet and slobbering all over the photos. I didn’t even mind they were looking at me. A couple of them let me know they were ‘available’ after the divorce. They’re jerks.”

“Yes, they are. I’m not surprised. I’m sorry if it humiliated you. I couldn’t think of any other way to quickly do what we had to do.”

“I’m just glad we’re not hiring any of them.”

“Today, you’re going to stay here. I have to go and get us some stuff. It’s safer if you don’t come with me.”

Mia just looked at Daddy and said, “Okay, Daddy.”

Daddy left his truck at a car rental place by the airport and continued on in a rental car that was more in keeping with his new persona. He chose a late model Toyota Prius and cruised his old neighborhood.

He spotted the surveillance van. They were being much more careful this time. He wondered if they had entered the house and set either audio or video surveillance inside.

He pulled around to a parallel street and parked, then went in on foot to break into his own house from the back. He got inside with no trouble. He went immediately to his safe and extracted the ID’s, passports, cash, and some weapons. He slung his Mossberg 500 pump shotgun over his shoulder.

He went upstairs and got some “toys” for Mia. He had a good time imagining if he got caught by any of Prescott’s men.

Cash, check.

ID’s, check.

Shotgun, check.

Vibrators?

What would a stone-cold criminal think of that? He looked around for anything that could incriminate him further.

This was the last time he would see this house for a while. Maybe ever. He enjoyed this house. His son had grown up here and if anything happened to him, his son would own it free and clear. It was a happy house. Full of good memories, good meals, and good times. He could still hear his son’s laughter echoing through his mind. He and Mia had ‘christened’ every room, including the bathrooms. Except his son’s room, of course.

He sat down at the Yamaha piano and had an almost uncontrollable urge to play the last song he and his son had played together. He remembered them dancing around the room, lost in the music.

Instead, he walked to the back door, opened it, stepped outside, and quietly shut the door on this chapter of his life.