“As Daniel and I kept pumping Victor for information about Frank, the whole case finally just fit into place. Frank owned a van and he knew all about my family, even though he wasn’t a relative. How Frank got by was doing odd jobs like contract gardening work in City Park or for his uncle. His uncle Ricardo was the wealthy buyer who came into Dad’s showroom and purchased the expensive necklace that Friday. Rudy Ruggiero, Frank’s roommate, worked at the library where they had Dad drop off the ransom money.
“Victor told us that Frank and Rudy lived right next door in the other unit of the duplex. The only difference was that their unit had a basement room that was originally going to be a bomb shelter. That was the most shocking thing for me to hear. Suddenly I realized there was a good chance I had been kept captive in a room not even fifty feet away from where I was standing!”
“It sounds like you had plenty of information to bring the police in on the case again. Did you notify them?” she asked.
“I was almost ready to, but there was one more bit of proof needed. That was to confirm that the basement room was the actual room where I had been held. Once I did that, then there would be my eyewitness account in addition to Victor’s testimony. I felt the police would think his story was unreliable because we forced it out of him and also because of his age.
“I sent Daniel outside to scope things out. He was able to look in the garages and there was no van in there. With just his roommate Rudy there, I felt we could create a diversion and I could sneak in and check out the basement.
“What we did is empty their trash cans on the street and driveway. Then Daniel rang the doorbell and told Rudy about the trash that had nearly caused him to fall off of his bike. He said he was a boy scout working on an environmental merit badge and volunteered to help clean up the mess. The diversion worked perfectly. Daniel had Rudy out of the unit looking at the driveway and street at all the spilled trash.
“This diversion enabled me to sneak inside their duplex without being noticed. I quickly found the staircase down to the basement. At the end of the corridor, there was a bolted door. When I unlocked and opened it, I felt for the light switch. What the light revealed caused a wave of nausea hit me. This definitely was the room! It hadn’t been cleaned up since my captivity there. There was even the stack of comic books I had been given to read. Now I was ready to leave and bring in the police. Just then I heard a voice behind me that sent another shiver down my spine. It was the voice of my kidnapper!”
“So now you were in peril again, Jason. Your worst fears had come true!” Looking into the camera she said, “We will find out what happened next after this break.”
When the cameras stopped rolling, the producer came over and said, “That worked out perfectly. Just like a mystery show! You are doing great, Jason.”
Jason got up and stretched for a minute and then took a big drink of water. He was finally getting to the end of his ordeal.
When they resumed, the interviewer said, “Jason, when we left for the break you had just discovered who your kidnappers were and you were standing in the actual room where they had held you captive for five days. Then you said you heard the actual voice of your kidnapper!”
“Yes it was very scary. Turning, I saw he had a loaded pistol pointed at me and he told me to turn around slowly and put my hands up. I was facing my enemy, Frank Encino, and he clearly had the upper hand! Even though I was in serious danger, for some reason I didn’t have the same deep fear that I had had when I was in captivity. I knew that I had to stall for time. And at the same time, I had to let him know that the odds were different now and wanted him to feel a little off balance. If I could keep him off balance by describing details of the safe deposit theft, I thought he would realize that the authorities were closing in. Plus, I wanted to find out why he hated me and my family so much. To my dismay, I also discovered that Frank was a real predator when he bragged about how he planned to torture Daniel and me to death!”
“How were you able to escape? Both you, and probably your friend Daniel, were now their prisoners.”
“After I sent Daniel outside to check out the other duplex, I realized that what we were about to do was dangerous and I didn’t want to go in without some extra backup. I called up my friend, Chauncey, who actually lived about five blocks away, and asked to him come over right away with some friends and their baseball bats, just like he had promised me he would be willing to do. I told him that if he got to the duplex and couldn’t see Daniel or myself outside anywhere, to charge into the duplex unit and get us!
“Those guys came through like the champion athletes that they are. Two of them went in through the back door and took out Rudy, who was just starting to tie up Daniel after hitting him on the head. Chauncey and his friend, Reggie, came in the front door then snuck down into the basement and took out Frank. I don’t even think he knew what hit him because he was so busy bragging about how he would torture me into telling all about the Hunter family treasure before he turned me into worm food. It was fitting that Chauncey was the person who took out Frank since he was the person who had persuaded me to do the investigation. And he was the voice of good over evil! I’ll never forget the righteous anger in his voice after they batted Frank into complete submission: ‘That is the last time you will be attacking kids in our community. If you even think about moving from that spot I will bat you into hell!’ It was just like the movies!” Jason had to smile at the memory.
He continued, “Soon after that the police arrived. Chauncey wisely had called in the police as soon as they knew they had to go inside to rescue us. I was so happy to hand over the case to them and see them take away Frank and Rudy to jail. There was still a lot of detail work to finish, statements at the police station, the extradition of the other criminals back to the Silicon Valley, and a press conference with the local media. As far as Daniel and I were concerned, the case was over...at least I thought so. Actually, I had a few days of being that carefree teen I had been at the start of the summer.”
“Jason, could you explain what you meant by the Hunter family treasure?”
“This was the motivation for the crime! Frank Encino was sure that our family was hiding a large number of precious stones because evidently his grandfather, on his death bed, had told him that my grandfather Walter Hunter talked about it one night when they were drinking together. That’s how they knew that the so-called treasure was stored away as a legacy item. So Frank plotted with Vladimir Koslochevsky to kidnap me and then set up my ransom plan so that my father would have to go and open his safe deposit box at the bank. But the legacy boxes inside, didn’t have anything of value in them. Ironically, my great-grandfather, Winfield Hunter, used the legacy box as a diversion. He had actually moved the gems out of there, if he had ever even put them in at one time, to another place that only he knew about. My father knew nothing about the gems or the contents of the legacy boxes. That’s why we were genuinely surprised when the kidnappers targeted me.”
“We will now take a short break. When we come back, you will hear the amazing conclusion to Jason’s story,” announced the interviewer.
When they began videotaping again, Jason told what had happed after Mr. Prescott Chalmers had knocked on his front door that fateful Monday. He described how strange it was to receive a letter written to him before he was born, by his late, great-grandfather. Even more unusual was what it told him—that he was going to be entrusted with a fabulous fortune in diamonds! The Hunter fortune did exist! But where was it? Jason went on to describe how he followed Winfield Hunter’s directions in the second letter and the diamonds popped out of that drawer in the clock in his living room.
“I felt overwhelmed. It was like winning the lottery! Luckily, Mr. Chalmers came quite prepared with an action plan and transition team in place to help me deal with handling the diamonds.”
“What was it like to see and handle the diamonds, Jason?”
“They were the most beautiful stones I had ever seen. Each
one was crystal clear, expertly cut with many facets and about the size of a peanut M & M candy. All together they were the size of one of those large-sized M & M bags you can get at a grocery or drug store. The main difference being that this bag was worth over one hundred million dollars!”
“Suddenly you find yourself rich beyond your wildest dreams. But you also were given a great responsibility. How did you deal with that?” the interviewer asked.
“Winfield Hunter, in his letter, said that it was his wish that I would take this wealth and do something to benefit others, not just myself.” Jason told about their history, what organizations were claiming them after World War II, and why his great-grandfather felt they had to be hidden for sixty years, rather than be used to fund neo-Nazis or white supremacists.
“You are talking about some pretty nasty people who did a lot of harm in the world,” interjected the interviewer.
“The more I thought about it, the more I realized that this was blood money, somehow earned off innocent victims. As a recent victim of crime myself, I didn’t want to become a target again. Look what had just happened to me based on a rumor of existing treasure. Imagine what it would be like with real treasure! I had just gotten back into enjoying being a relatively carefree teenager again. I didn’t want to be transformed into a wealthy snob. I didn’t want this wealth to get between me and my family and friends. I didn’t want to lose my personal desire to figure out and do things on my own to smug laziness! Deep inside, I knew that I should give the money away.”
“What did your friends and family advise you?”
“I was again pleasantly surprised at their reactions. Actually, the hardest thing I had to do was convince Daniel that what I was telling him was real. I finally had to show him an actual diamond to convince him I wasn’t pulling his leg. When I was finally able to get through to him, he told me the nicest compliment. He said, ‘You know you are smart enough and talented enough to make it on your own. You know that you have the genuine love of your family and friends because of the quality of your character. Isn’t that worth more than the money?’ And he was absolutely right. The value of money comes and goes. True friendships and a loving family are priceless. And my mom was so sweet. She told me how proud she was that I wanted to put friends and family ahead of money and material gain.”
“You are so fortunate, Jason, to have such great friends and parents. And you are right that there is no price you can pay to achieve that kind of real love, friendship, and respect! Now, explain to us how you decided to handle all that money.”
“I had the lawyers put it all into a charitable organization I call the Whatever Foundation. The ‘whatever’ is not meant to refer to an exasperated reply to someone, but rather ‘whatever is needed’. I am dedicating this organization to young victims—other teens that have been hurt by criminal acts and need extra help. I know that not everyone is as fortunate as I am in terms of family and friend’s support structure. And I am sure that a lot of victims are not well off financially either. Some of them may need specialized counseling. Others may need opportunities to meet and make new friends, a new social environment, or even the chance to attend a new school. Others could benefit by being given the opportunity to study music or art and take advantage of the healing properties the fine arts offer.”
“How will the foundation find these people?”
“We will have a website where anyone can suggest a name, or a victim can apply for extended assistance. Our screeners will go through everything and rate it for accuracy and need. We will be very careful to choose people with genuine needs and we will definitely go after any scam artists! Even though the process may start online or in a written format, we plan to meet with everyone we assist personally. I think there are so many people out there who have no one or feel that there is no one to talk to that can give them help. I hope that the foundation can help fill that void. There will also be automatic short-term assistance items, like an immediate needs victim’s package we can give to any crime victim. Like any organization, the Whatever Foundation will refine it goals and procedures as we gain experience fulfilling our mission.”
With a big smile the interviewer said, “Jason, I have been so impressed listening to you this evening. You have freely told us about the incredible highs and lows you have experienced this summer. Despite all of the horrible things that those kidnappers did to you, you were able to fight back and eventually defeat them! You have been put through hurtful and humiliating experiences, yet you still have such a positive outlook on life and a real sense of what is important in your life. Now you have become a philanthropist to help other victims of violent crimes, also. You have done all this at the tender age of fourteen. Bravo, Jason! Bravo!”
“Okay, that’s a wrap,” the producer said.
After the assistants came over to Jason and removed his microphone, he went over to talk to his host. “Thank you so much for having me on your show. You are so easy to talk to and I had some really difficult things to talk about. I still get the creeps, sometimes, remembering what they did to me. But as I was telling the story again today, I felt that I was receiving closure for the violence done to me.”
“While I was listening to you, I sensed that had you figured out how to cope with the horrible memories of what they did to you. Your descriptions were remarkably candid coming from a victim of such a cruel crime. You were so poised and honest. I still can’t believe that you are just fourteen. Thank you, Jason, for asking for me to interview you. I wasn’t sure what to expect at first, but you wowed them, trust me! The network will love the ratings on this show because your story is so compelling. I’m sure that they will broadcast this interview in a prime spot on the fall schedule. Now can I have that hug?”
EPILOGUE
(Early the next morning)
The Hunter family took the same redeye flight back to San Francisco that Bill had taken when he heard that Jason was missing. This time the flight was a lot more pleasant and relaxing. They were able to doze off and on in the afterglow of Jason’s successful interview. Bill was happy because he was able to finish the business that he had to cut short on his last visit. About 6:45 a.m. the plane landed and taxied to the terminal. The Hunters gathered up their carry-on luggage and headed into the terminal.
As they were walking through the terminal past security and toward the baggage claim area, Jason couldn’t believe his eyes. There were all these signs saying things like: “Welcome Home, Jason,” and “You’re Awesome!” Holding the signs were eight of his friends—Chauncey Jackson and his A-team members, Laura Friesen and Diana Miglione, Richard Liu from his neighborhood, and Daniel. There were also a few parents who had been persuaded to drive everyone there. There were some cheers, and everyone said, “Welcome home, Jason.”
Jason had a big smile on his face as he went to greet everyone. “Hello! It’s great to see all of you. But you didn’t have to come all the way up here to the airport!”
“Oh, yes we did,” Chauncey said. “You see, the four of us, Reggie, Mariano, Kololo and me, happened to open our mailboxes yesterday and there were letters from a Mr. Jason Hunter telling each of us that a college fund of $160,000 had been set up in our names!”
Each of them came up to Jason shook his hand and then gave him big bear hugs.
“Hey, guys, it was the least I could do. You did save Daniel and me from those lowlife predators!”
“Yeah, but we did that because it was the right thing to do, helping out a friend,” Chauncey explained.
“Well, I did the same thing. But I hate to tell you this guys, it’s not all going to be fun! Now you have no excuses for not cracking the books! Everything is paid for but you still have to get accepted into college first and you need good grades for that. And there is one more thing.... Sometime in your life, I expect you guys to do the same thing for someone else. It could be your son or daughter or anyone you think deserves it!”
“Laura and Diana, what brings you two here?” he asked
. They hugged him and Laura gave him a kiss and held his hand.
“Daniel told us about your plan to provide chucks for needy kids and how you wanted us to help. We think that is so cool of you.”
“I can’t think of any two people who would be better at helping those kids pick out the right pairs and colors. That’s great that you want to help out! I think we should discuss this poolside very soon!”
Turning, Jason said, “Richard, what a pleasant surprise. Now I can’t imagine what I’ve done for you lately.”
“But you did help me a lot. First, when you solved the kidnapping case, my parents relaxed all the restrictions on me and my brother to go out and do things. Things were pretty uptight for a while. And you know how much they push us to do academic work. Then they heard your press conference, where you talked about how you would do sports or other outside activities to clear your heads and it would give you renewed energy to solve problems. So now they insist that we go outside and shoot hoops or do other activities every day instead of having to study all the time. Thank you so much!”
“That’s great, Richard! Now, you guys will have to come over and play hoops with Daniel and me sometime.”
“And Daniel, it’s always great to see you, my friend. I hope I’m not taking you away from your morning ritual of exercise and guitar.”
“Hey, everyone kept asking me when you were returning, so when I heard that everyone was coming up here, I figured why not me too. This summer has been the most memorable of my life, all because of you.”
“I’m sure when we start adding it all up, we’ve saved each other’s lives a few times in the last six weeks! By the way, I have something for you.” Jason opened his carry-on bag and took out a medium-sized square package. “I figured you better have this, since you quote it all the time!”
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