When The Chips Are Down

by Aiden Vaughan

  The ChucksConnection Presents

  When The Chips Are

  Down

  by Aiden Vaughan

  Cover Art and Graphics by Kurt Eberhardt

  Illustrations by Ricardo Carmona

  A Hunter & Holmes Mystery

  Hal Peterson Media Services, San Jose

  © 2009 Hal Peterson Media Services

  This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance between the characters in this book and actual persons or events is purely coincidence. Locations and institutions are used fictitiously.

  This story is meant for readers 13 years old and up. If it were a film, it would be rated PG-13, or a television show Mature 14 due to some descriptions of violent acts including armed robberies, forced imprisonment and breaking down the will of a young teenager, mental and physical torture, and the impact of traumatic crimes perpetrated on a pre-teen.

  All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever.

  First online edition September, 2009.

  ISBN 978-0-9821014-3-8

  For more information about Hunter & Holmes Mysteries, go to our website at http://hunterandholmes.com

  Other Books in the Hunter & Holmes Series

  1. The Kidnapping

  2. Double Fugue

  4. Family Matters

  5. Eyewitness News

  6. Days of Destiny

  Table of Contents

  The Ante

  Chapter 1. Crimes of Our Times (Various Newspaper Reports)

  Chapter 2. Milestones (Friday Afternoon)

  Chapter 3. Richard’s Request (Friday Afternoon and Evening)

  Chapter 4. The Wilkinson Family Meltdown (Earlier in the Year)

  The Deal

  Chapter 5. Justin Strikes Out (Saturday Morning)

  Chapter 6. Finding Justin (Saturday Noon)

  Chapter 7. A Prickly Situation (Saturday Afternoon and Sunday)

  Chapter 8. Community Needs and Concerns (The Next Week)

  The Bet

  Chapter 9. Jason and the Fourth Estate (Thursday and Friday)

  Chapter 10. A Day in Tim’s Life (Friday Evening and Saturday Morning)

  Chapter 11. The Band (Saturday)

  Chapter 12. Jason Raises the Stakes (Saturday Afternoon and Evening)

  The Flop

  Chapter 13. The DCC Tour (Monday Morning)

  Chapter 14. Traveling to Yosemite (Tuesday)

  Chapter 15. Visiting Day at Camp Chinquapin (Wednesday)

  Chapter 16. Searching for Timothy (Wednesday Afternoon)

  The Turn Card

  Chapter 17. The Rescue Mission (Thursday)

  Chapter 18. The Secret Compound (Late Thursday Evening)

  Chapter 19. A Test of Wills (Before Dawn Friday Morning)

  Chapter 20. The Plight of Cody (Before Dawn Friday Morning)

  The River Card

  Chapter 21. Escape from Camp Chinquapin (Dawn Friday Morning)

  Chapter 22. Walter Retaliates (Dawn Friday Morning)

  Chapter 23. Stan to the Rescue (Friday Morning)

  Chapter 24. The One-Two-Three-Four Punch (Friday, Saturday and Sunday)

  The Call

  Chapter 25. The Chips Fall Into Place (Saturday, Sunday and Monday Morning)

  Chapter 26. A Tough Interview (Monday Afternoon)

  Chapter 27. Not Just Another Pretty Face (Monday Afternoon)

  Chapter 28. If You Don’t At First Succeed …. (Monday Afternoon)

  The Winning Hand

  Chapter 29. The Reconciliation (The Week After the Escape)

  Chapter 30. DCC Settles Accounts (Friday Evening, Two Weeks Later)

  Chapter 31. The End of Camp Chinquapin (The Next Month)

  Chapter 32. Family Matters (Memorial Day Weekend)

  Settling Accounts

  Chapter 33. A Band is Born (The Week Before Summer Vacation)

  Chapter 34. Cody’s Thank You (The Beginning of Summer)

  Chapter 35. Celebration at Laura’s House (The Beginning of Summer)

  Chapter 1

  Crimes of Our Times

  (Various Newspaper Reports)

  Article in the Silicon Valley Californian, October 2.

  Brazen Theft At Silicon Valley Chip Manufacturer

  When the telephone rang at Junjie Liu’s home early yesterday morning, he knew something was very wrong. But he was still shocked when the caller described how five robbers armed with revolvers and automatic rifles had broken into the semiconductor factory that he is the Vice President of Operations for in the Silicon Valley. The thieves attacked the security guard, and then bound, gagged and blindfolded all of the dozen employees working the night shift with duct tape before making off with several hundred thousand computer chips. Eventually one of the employees was able to work himself free and notify the authorities, but not until ninety minutes after the criminals had left.

  That morning DCC Chip Company became another victim of what is being described as the “Crime of the Internet Age” — the theft of computer chips. DCC Chip Company is a subsidiary of Taiwan’s DCC Electronics Company, and Liu’s plant in Santa Clara makes the various dynamic random access memory (DRAM) chips used to store the programs running on personal computers and other handheld devices. The thieves had taken 1.7 million dollars worth of computer memory chips that had been packaged into nearly 300 boxes ready for shipment to manufacturers in the United States and Asia. The criminals loaded the boxes into a rented white truck and made their getaway in the truck and dark blue SUV that was seen on security tapes just before the attack.

  Silicon Valley police believe that people in the computer industry may be able to help them solve the crime. “It would be difficult to dispose of this quantity without already having plans in place,” said Lieutenant Antonio Garcia. “I would ask everyone in the computer industry to contact us if they have any information about this theft or if they get offered memory chips from unusual sources or at cut prices,” Garcia continued.

  In a statement to the news media, Liu said, “This crime is very devastating to our company. It puts us back several months to fulfill outstanding orders from our clients who depend on us for DRAM chips.”

  Article in the Silicon Valley Californian, February 11.

  Thieves Target Silicon Valley Chip Company Again

  The California Highway Patrol reported that a truck containing a shipment of chips manufactured by the DCC Chip Company of the Silicon Valley was hijacked while en route to Southern California. The driver of the truck, identified as 42 year old Manuel Salcito, apparently got into trouble when he made a brief stop at a gas station for truckers on Interstate 5. Salcito went into the general store to get some coffee and use the rest room. During this time, a team of hijackers got inside the truck and hid. After Salcito left the rest stop, he was overpowered by the men, who held a loaded pistol at his head and forced him to pull over. The men bound, gagged and blindfolded him, and took over the truck. The truck then traveled for eighty miles in a southeast direction. Salcito was taken out of the truck and left by the side of a small back road near Smedleyville. He later was discovered and rescued by a passing driver.

  Authorities have yet to find any trace of the truck, which they believe is now in hiding somewhere so that it can be repainted and disguised as another vehicle. A spokesman for the DCC Chip Company stated that the contents of the shipment were worth well over $1,000,000 dollars. This is the second attack on the company in five months. In October of last year, an organized gang of thieves seized an additional $1.7 million in inventory in a bold attack on the company headquarters. Citizens with any information about the hijacking, or saw who anything suspicious are asked to telephone the Highway Patrol crimes hotlin
e.

  Article in the Silicon Valley Californian, March 21.

  Police Unable to Crack the DCC Chip Theft Cases

  Silicon Valley police and state Highway Patrol authorities admitted today that they had no new leads or information regarding the thefts and hijacking of DCC Chip Company goods over the past six months. Captain Antonio Garcia, newly appointed Chief of Detectives, said in a statement, “No new information has surfaced, and there has been no sign of the trucks involved in the crimes, or any flooding of the market with cheap chips. It is as if the perpetrators of these crimes have vanished into thin air. The criminals are seemingly in no hurry to dispose of the stolen chips either. Usually the criminals in a case like this would want to dispose of their ill gotten goods quickly so that they can literally ‘take the money and run’, but that doesn’t seem to be the case here.”

  Junjie Liu, Vice President of Manufacturing Operations, stated that despite its devastating losses from the recent attacks against the company, “DCC is committed to continuing operations, and has upgraded security at its main plant here in the Silicon Valley, and in its shipping operations.” The public is urged to contact the police crimes hot line if they have any information pertinent to the case. Suppliers and distributors in the chip industry have been asked to report any suspicious offers for DCC chips at discounted or bargain rates.

  Chapter 2

  Milestones

  (Friday Afternoon)

  Jason Hunter and his best friend, Daniel Holmes, were sitting on comfortable seats in the front porch of Jason’s house in the Silicon Valley. The house had an old fashioned screened-in porch, typical in older parts of the Midwest, but somewhat unusual in California. It was after school on a pleasant, sunny afternoon, and for a change, the two boys had no school activities to attend. It was just about a week until their spring break, and both of them were really looking forward to the free time. Even these after school get-togethers, something they used to do on almost a daily basis, were an infrequent pleasure for them these days.

  As Jason and Daniel relaxed, sipped some cold drinks, and made light conversation, they appeared to be just a couple of normal teenagers enjoying each other’s company. Their casual demeanor tended to enhance that impression. But Jason and Daniel had undergone incredible changes in their lives during the past year. Jason was now 15, a little taller, and remarkably self-assured for someone his age. Jason was of medium height, had sandy blonde hair that was almost straw yellow in color, bright blue eyes, and a slim and athletic physique. Jason lived in his favorite casual clothing, tee shirts with a California coastal theme, print or cargo shorts, and bright red high top Chuck Taylor sneakers. His appearance belied his true accomplishments, which were quite remarkable for someone his age.

  Once they got to know Jason, his friends were quickly drawn in by his engaging and pleasant personality, impressed by his brilliant analytical mind, and gratified that he truly enjoyed helping them and other people. Just his pleasant demeanor was enough to attract other people, but Jason had achieved a new stature at school and among his friends for his great accomplishments during the past year. At the start of last summer, Jason’s carefree life was dramatically changed when he was inexplicably and brazenly kidnapped in broad daylight at City Park. Becoming a crime victim was devastating to Jason at first, but with the help, support, and urging of Daniel, Jason became instrumental in solving the mystery behind his own kidnapping and bringing the criminals in that case to justice. The complete story of this first case of the Hunter & Holmes detective team is contained in book one of the series, The Kidnapping.

  After this most extraordinary case, Jason was the subject of a network television interview in which he described the whole process that he experienced and how it changed his life. No longer able to be just a carefree, innocent young teenager, Jason was now aware of some of the evil in the world, and he was determined to fight back against it however he could. At the same time, the experience of telling what had happened to him had the positive effect of exorcising the personal demons of fear and bouts of self-doubt and uncertainty that crime victims typically experience.

  Using an unexpected legacy from his great grandfather Winfield Hunter, Jason created the Whatever Foundation, as a way to help teenagers who were the victims of crime like he was. His first highly successful intervention was chronicled in the second Hunter & Holmes mystery, Double Fugue. Now the teenager whom he helped, Eric Acosta, was a good friend living in the neighborhood with his aunt and uncle.

  The impact of the television interview hit in late September last year when it was broadcast in prime time. Suddenly, Jason found himself to be a celebrity at school and in the community. In some ways, the notoriety it generated made him uncomfortable, because he did not like to draw attention to himself, especially when it involved his personal accomplishments and intellectual skills. Jason found that celebrity was very much a double-edged sword. The acclaim he received for his accomplishments in solving several crimes was gratifying, although he did receive a certain amount of kidding, mostly good-natured. Like anything in the media, the acclaim soon passed by as other stories grabbed people’s attention. Yet Jason still felt a little embarrassed that everyone now knew the details of the horrible things that were done to him by his kidnappers, even though admitting what happened was an important part of his healing process. With the support of his friends and family, Jason was able to move on past the trauma of what happened to him and return to his generally carefree life. And no matter how they reacted to the story of his kidnapping, his fellow students and his teachers had a newfound respect for Jason because of the clever and determined manner in which he fought back against the criminals who did him harm.

  Jason was smart enough to realize that in some way he had to give back something to the school and community for this celebrity. Jason was normally not interested in participating in a lot of school activities, but at the urging of his friend, star athlete Chauncey Jackson, Jason went out for the school basketball team, and to his amazement, made the varsity squad. Due to his young age, and the fact that this was his first year on the team, Jason was not a starter on the squad, but he still turned out to be a valued reserve member for the team, and in several games contributed to victories when he did come off the bench. And next season, Jason was projected to be a starter on the team. He was proud to win a varsity letter in just his sophomore year. Through his Whatever Foundation, Jason started a program of giving away shoes and basic clothing to young people in need in the Silicon Valley. Because he loved wearing new pairs of chucks, Jason started scheduling events where he could give away new pairs to needy kids on a regular basis, so that they could have the same pride and experience of wearing stylish and quality brand new sneakers instead of cheap hand-me-downs.

  Jason’s personal life was becoming more complicated. Besides his friendship with Daniel, which was now at a very high level, Jason had been gradually developing a romantic relationship with Laura Friesen, an attractive young girl who he had been socializing with since middle school. Laura and Jason always had good times together, but just on a casual basis. Last summer, Laura had started to make a real play for Jason, with more serious intentions in mind. Jason was able to reciprocate to some degree, but he also wanted to protect her from the criminals that he was pursuing in his detective work. He tried to keep things low key for as long as he could, but as the weeks and months passed by, it became more and more obvious to Jason that their attraction was mutual. Laura had a lot to offer Jason. She was a pretty and athletic girl, with brunette hair and features. Her father was a wealthy investment banker and a few years ago had purchased a fabulous property with large house and Olympic sized swimming pool. Both Laura and her mother were avid swimmers, so they were living in paradise.

  While Jason frequently expressed to Daniel that his main desire in life was to live a simple and carefree existence, in reality there was no way that this could actually happen for very long with so many important and significant things g
oing on in Jason’s world. Jason’s parents, Bill and Edith, had noticed the changes and newfound maturity in their son. While they encouraged and supported his activities and accomplishments, Bill and Edith sometimes wished they could return to the days before all of Jason’s fame and notoriety.

  Daniel Holmes had also experienced a lot of personal growth in the last year. He had to endure the fear and dread of losing his best friend when Jason was mysteriously kidnapped at the beginning of last summer. When called upon by the kidnappers to rescue Jason from captivity, Daniel was there for his friend, but was somewhat shocked and surprised by how the ordeal had robbed Jason of his self-confidence. He then undertook the formidable task of persuading Jason to work with him to solve the mystery of his own kidnapping, an experience that changed both of their lives. Now the two detectives had successfully solved several cases, including one involving rock star Ethan Savage, in which Daniel played the leading role. The case also was quite significant for the Holmes family, as Daniel discovered some astonishing things about his family background. That whole amazing case was chronicled in Double Fugue.

  Even more important to Daniel than his detective work was his development as a singer and musician. He had participated in school choirs for many years, and gradually came to the realization that he wanted to seek a career as a professional musician. He quickly took to playing the guitar, and for the first time, began to perform as a solo singer. Daniel truly had the look of a rock star. He had curly jet black hair and eyebrows, intense dark eyes, and handsome features. Daniel regularly worked out, swimming and weight lifting to keep his body strong and in shape. Daniel completed his rock star look by dressing in black rock band tee shirts and wearing black high top Chuck Taylor sneakers.