by Maria Pease
“Since we’re on that…”
I took in a deep breath, waiting for the shoe to drop. “Frank…”
“Look, it’s out of my hands,” he said.
“That’s bullshit, and you know it.”
It didn’t get lost on me that the exchange made Alana uncomfortable, so I tried to lighten it up.
Frank called the server over. “Miguel, would you get us a round of margaritas?”
I looked at Frank. “Really?”
I made the decision to shut my mouth, knowing I’d already put another plan in motion. I was also keenly aware that following through would, most likely, cost me my job, but what else could I do?
“Frank, how are Michael and Melody? Are they still in the safe house?”
“Yeah. We’ll keep them until the case is solved. It’s just too risky.”
“Have you filled Stacy Carson in?”
“Not yet, but she’s making a lot of noise. The new team is talking about briefing her.”
“Will you let me know?”
“Sam…”
“Frank, I may have found something, but I need to investigate further to confirm. Please, just let me do that before you brief her.”
“You’re off the case.”
“I know, but please, just give me a little time to check this one thing. Okay?”
Frank shook his head and stared at me. “I’ll see what I can do. No promises, though.”
“Okay.”
I was quiet on the way back to the office, but when Chanel called, I picked up. I instinctively went to answer with my usual greeting, Sam Parker here, but thankfully, I caught myself. She requested we meet at the Hampton Inn hotel on Jefferson for the Chamber of Commerce reception. She said she’d be saying a few words but for the most part, would be free to talk. I checked the time and agreed to meet her there.
While Frank and I worked on reports, Alana monitored Facebook for new messages or contacts from Wally.
I glanced at the clock. “I’ve got to go. Dentist appointment.”
“Sounds like fun,” Frank said, eyes glued to his computer screen.
Alana looked at me suspiciously. “Want company?”
“No. I’ll be back before you know it.”
I considered heading home to change, but I didn’t want to be late. As I pulled into the parking lot, I saw Chanel’s limo pulled up to the doorway.
Archie stepped out and went around to open the door for Chanel. As he did, his eyes scanned the area. I knew I’d better stay out of sight, so I waited until he pulled away to get out of the Jeep.
The meeting room was buzzing with activity. I moved inside and was asked to sign in. I hesitated for a moment when I caught sight of Chanel across the room with a group of women. I signed Laci Connor and added The Californian next to my name.
The staff was just putting out the buffet of sub sandwiches, assorted salads, and calorie intensive deserts that looked sinful.
I moved toward the entrance to get out of the way and waited for Chanel to come up for air. Several more minutes passed before she took notice and headed over.
“Laci, I’m glad you could make it. I think we’re sitting over there,” she said, pointing to a rectangular table at the front of the room.
“That looks like it’s for the VIPs. I’ll just sit in the back.”
“No. I hope you don’t mind, but I mentioned to Gloria you’d be here with me and she asked if you’d say a few words.”
“Wait, what?”
“Gloria asked if you’d say a few words.”
“What words does Gloria want me to say?”
“Just something about how exciting it is to be a reporter,” she said.
“No. That’s not why I’m here. Tell her no.”
Before I knew what was happening, I was in front of the room with eyes staring at me from the tables. Panic set in. My mind raced and I started to sweat.
“I’m really not prepared for this,” I muttered.
“How about you just take a few questions?” Gloria asked, moving beside me.
“Um, okay.”
“Hi, everyone. Welcome. This is Laci Connor. She’s a reporter specializing in
high-profile exposés.”
Chanel stood and offered a wave to suggest she was the high profile.
After a brief chuckle from the chamber group, Gloria continued. “Does anyone have any questions they’d like to ask Laci?”
“How do you get your story ideas?” a full-figured woman in a pale yellow dress asked.
“My editor decides.” A scene from Sleepless in Seattle flashed through my mind.
“Why did you become a reporter?” a tall man asked in his baritone voice.
“I think people deserve to know the truth.”
“Anyone else?” Gloria asked, looking around the room.
There were no takers, so I made my way to a seat in the back, relieved to be off the hook.
As I listened to the other speakers, Chanel looked over at me with a strange smirk on her face, as though she enjoyed my moment of pure panic. Blood moved into my cheeks. Could she be the one who’d set it up? Why would she do that? I watched the buffet line while I silently fumed.
When the last person in line had gone through the buffet, I moved to see what was left. Although I wouldn’t normally help myself, I decided since I’d been forced into speaking, I was damn well entitled. It looked a bit bleak, but I was saved by a server who replaced the empty platters. I filled my plate and sat down.
As I nibbled, I couldn’t help but glance at Chanel. She was in a deep conversation with the older gentleman sitting beside her. I was struck by a feeling of déja vu. As I tried to figure out why, I realized that despite Chanel agreeing to the exposé, she was, in fact, keeping her distance again. She’d said we’d have time to talk, just as she had at the trade show. Yet I was once again sitting alone while she continued to play hard to get. But why?
Chapter 51
Chanel left me sitting alone even after she’d finished eating and had taken a lap around the room. I’d had enough. I moved to the door, thanking Gloria on my way out. I turned and glanced at Chanel, who simply offered a nod.
Inside the Jeep, a familiar feeling crept up from my belly and a question illuminated in my brain. Could she be toying with me? Thoughts plowed through my mind as I relived each meeting with her, looking for a glimpse of where I might have blown my cover, but I couldn’t come up with a single instance.
I drove back to the office, my mind swirling. I couldn’t shake the feeling something had changed, I just didn’t know what. As a last resort, I pulled over and dialed Jan.
“Didn’t you read my emails?” Jan asked.
“Yeah. Did I miss something?”
“I think I mentioned I was convinced she has some type of personality disorder.”
I could understand how Jan had come to that conclusion, but my thoughts went in another direction. I didn’t say anything to Jan. After all, our reasons for having anything to do with Chanel were very different. I suspected that Jan, along with everyone else, would be shocked to learn about her secret life if she was, in fact, a participant. I thanked her for the information and got back on the road frustrated by the wild goose chase.
Powering up my computer, I pulled up my research on the high school Wally Mason, Stacy Carson and Cesar Mills had attended. These three had too much in common for me to call it a coincidence, so I decided to dig deeper to see if I could get confirmation of something more.
I started with Facebook, searching for their high school page. I read the announcement for the upcoming reunion and smiled. I made notes of a few names who were active in the conversation and opened another tab. I searched the Classmates website and found the school and additional information on the planning committee and volunteers. As a new member of the site, I had access to an enormous amount of information, including phone numbers and addresses. Then, I searched for the class list and picked a name.
I picked up
my phone, made sure to block my number, and turned on my recorder. It was likely a long shot, but I was hoping for a miracle. The first number belonged to Lily Cole, the class president and the one in charge of the planning committee. The phone rang five times before the machine picked up. I had no intention of leaving a message, so I disconnected and moved down the list until I heard a voice come on the line. I sucked in a deep breath and crossed my fingers.
“Hello?”
“Freda? Hi, it’s Chloe Clarke from high school. It’s been a long time.”
“Chloe Clark?”
“Yes. You probably don’t remember me.”
“No. Of course, I do. How are you?” She sounded like she was still trying to place me.
“I’m doing well. Listen, with the reunion coming up, I was hoping to reconnect with you and a few others. Would you know where I can find Wally Mason and Cesar Mills?”
“Are you serious?”
“I am, actually.”
“Last I heard, Wally was in still in Vegas. I think Cesar may have headed to Oregon, but I’m not really sure.”
“How about that girl they hung out with? It’s been so long, I forgot her name.”
“Do you mean Stacy?”
“Yes, that’s right. Do you know anything about her?”
“I really don’t know. I’ve heard she’s been married a bunch of times, but with her reputation in school, I guess we all saw that one coming.”
“That’s for sure.” I took notes as I talked, making sure to get it all down.
“Are you going to make the reunion?”
“I’m going to try. You know, work and all. Oh, can I ask you a question?”
“Sure.”
“I was trying to remember if Wally, Cesar, and Stacy were good friends. Were they?”
“Good friends? More like partners in crime. I’m surprised those three aren’t in jail. Don’t you remember when they got arrested for dealing?”
“Oh, shit! I’d forgotten about that. They sold to a –”
“An undercover cop. That new kid that looked like he was left back several times.”
“Oh, yeah. That was pretty stupid. So, it was great talking to you. I hope to see you at the reunion.”
“Yeah, bye,” she said, quickly disconnecting.
Bingo! I was glad I’d recorded the conversation and now had confirmation that Wally, Stacy, and Cesar had a past connection. There was no way that Frank or Jake could deny me that.
Since I was still waiting to hear from Alex, I called Alana and went to pick her up. We headed back to the Bundy house to see if there was any action. As we drove on I-15 heading north, the clouds sunk low in the sky and it got darker with each passing mile. In the distance, I could see flashes of lightning and knew we were in for a wicked storm sometime soon.
Mr. Durber was out front when we pulled up, and when he caught a glimpse of us, he stopped his raking and directed me to park the Jeep behind his old blue Thunderbird. I grabbed my surveillance bag from the back and got out. “Nice car.”
“Thanks. The latest one I’m working on.”
“I love the color,” Alana said, inspecting it.
“Believe it or not, it’s called robin egg blue. Can you imagine a big, tough guy like me driving a car that’s ‘robin egg blue’?” he laughed.
“It could be worse,” I said.
“Oh, yeah?”
“It could be Pepto-Bismol pink.”
“You’ve got a point.”
“Have you seen anything lately?” I asked, pointing toward the barn.
“Yeah. There’s been a lot of action over there. People coming and going at all hours of the night. The least they could do is dim their headlights, for Christ sake.”
“We’re going to head up,” I said.
“You girls do your thing.” He picked up the rake.
I set up our equipment, took out the binoculars, and moved them slowly around the property. Several vehicles were parked outside the main house and a moving truck was backed up by the barn. No one was in sight, but I couldn’t imagine that with all the cars, that would be the case for long.
“Sam, can I ask you something?”
“Sure.”
“Are we even supposed to be here?”
I set the binoculars down and looked at her. “Technically, no.”
“What’s going on, anyway? I keep hearing bits and pieces, but I’m not sure I understand what the problem is.”
“Well, in a nutshell, since we discovered a teen trafficking ring in our search for Michael Carson, Jake… I mean… the cops want to take the case away from us.”
“You mean they don’t even want us to help?”
“Yeah. Jake told me it was ‘too big of a case’ for a couple of private investigators.”
“Shit. He actually said that?”
“He said that, all right.”
“Are you still seeing him?”
“I don’t know. I’m just really pissed at him right now.”
“So that’s why we’re still working the case? To prove him wrong?”
“Maybe. I just think he’s got his head up his ass. If he doesn’t think we can solve this case, I have to wonder what else is he thinking?”
“I’d think with our knowledge of the case, they’d want our help.”
“You’d think…” I picked up the binoculars.
As I scanned the area, I noticed the barn door was now cracked open. I zoomed in to get a better look. A minute later, Wally emerged and headed toward the house.
I handed the binoculars to Alana and moved down the ladder. “Keep watch!”
I went around the back and crawled through the thick bushes that surrounded Mr. Durber’s house and had a clear view of the property. I knew what I was about to do could be a huge mistake, but my gut was telling me to get closer. I surveyed the area and looked for a way to get close to the barn.
The hedges surrounding the property seemed thick enough that if I stayed low, I could get close without being seen. With eyes on the house, I crawled along moving closer to the barn, stopping only to take inventory of any movement. I was about to run for it when I heard voices.
The door swung open and Archie and Wally moved from the house with Montgomery and Chanel following behind.
“What the fuck?” I muttered. They moved to the barn and went inside, closing the door behind them. I was dying to get inside, but a little voice in my head told me to stop being stupid. You already fucked up in a big way at Wally’s. Don’t do it again.
Resigned, I chose to sit tight and see what happened. I pulled out my cell so I’d be ready to video, in case the need arose.
After twenty minutes, they emerged. Wally put the padlock on the door and they stood together talking.
I zoomed in closer.
Chanel seemed to be irritated at something and Montgomery was trying to calm her down. She pushed him away and stormed back inside the house. The three men talked for another minute then Montgomery disappeared inside, leaving Archie and Wally alone. Wally’s expression hinted there was trouble in paradise and I wondered what was being said. When Montgomery stuck his head out, Archie retreated and pulled the limo around. Chanel and Montgomery got in and they headed down the driveway past me.
Wally watched as the limo moved out of sight then flipped them off. He returned to the barn, unlocked the door and slipped inside.
I was tempted to follow but knew I’d better get out while I had the chance.
“Shit, Sam. Are you crazy?” Alana asked as I climbed the ladder.
“I was fine. I did get some video of them together. That’s going to be important for our case.”
“I took video, too.”
“You did?”
“Yeah. I thought you’d want me to.”
“You’re really picking this up!”
“So, what now?”
My phone buzzed and I listened as Ted gave me some news.
“Get here as soon as you can, Sam. I found something
very interesting.”
“Let’s go,” I said to Alana.
We packed up and headed over to the Justice Center just as it started to rain. I scanned the lot for Jake’s car. We hadn’t spoken and to be honest, I had no desire to run into him now.
“Hey, Ted.”
“I think we may have a problem.”
“Why? What’s up?” I was panicked that it had to do with those forms I’d had him sign.
“You asked me to see what I could find on Michael’s laptop.”
“Did you find something?”
“Yes. Who’s Stacy?”
“It’s Michael’s mom. Why?”
“Sam, from what I’ve found, it looks like she’s part of this trafficking ring.”
“No. Come on! She’s his mother, for God’s sake.”
“Look, I’m just telling you there’s a lot of information on here that points to her.”
“Like what?”
“There are e-mails, financial records, transactions and research on some pretty dark shit.” He looked at me seriously. “Sam, I think she sold her son.”
“Wait, what?” I felt like the wind had been knocked out of me. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. I knew Stacy might not be Mother-of-the-Year material, but this was beyond belief.
Ted showed me how she’d made it look like Michael was doing the various internet searches on running away, Temecula, drugs, suicide and a number of other things and how it all linked back to Stacy. He said that she and Wally had been planning it all for months and because Stacy and Michael shared a network, he was able to hack into her computer from Michael’s, and that was how he’d discovered it.
“And Sam… there’s more.”
“Do I want to hear this?”
“Michael was starting to suspect something. He sent messages to a Nicole Ravago about his mom’s strange behavior and told her he thought she might be drugging him. When he met Wally on the gaming site and they connected, he was trying to escape from his mother. He told Nicole his mother was going to kill him, so he had to get out. The thing is… it was all a set up by Wally and Stacy. They baited him, and it worked.”
“Holy shit! Are you sure?”