Double Fugue

by Aiden Vaughan

  “This is great, Mom,” Jason said. “I was starving!”

  “Thanks for having me over, Mrs. Hunter. This food hits the spot!” Daniel added.

  “After your day, Daniel, I thought you might need some down home cooking to bring you back to earth!” Edith replied. “I’m sure happy to see that you are safe here with us and that the doctor has said you are okay.”

  At the end of the meal Jason helped his mom clear the table. Then he went with Daniel to the guest room where Daniel would be spending the night. Daniel kicked off his chucks and stretched out on the bed. “Jason, I am really feeling the effects of the day, and so I think I will relax a little bit. I know we have to start brainstorming on what to do, but I think I could do that better after a little relaxation.”

  “I totally understand, Daniel. You have had quite a day.” Just then Jason’s cell phone rang. When he answered it, Lieutenant Garcia was on the line.

  “Hello, Lieutenant. Yes, I am doing very well, thank you. I’m sorry to interrupt your Friday evening, but something so serious and at the same time incredible has come up with my friend Daniel that I didn’t know who else to call. When we worked with you on my kidnapping case you proved yourself to be reliable and knowledgeable about what to do in difficult crunch time situations, and what has happened today to my friend is exactly that. At the same time, I feel we developed some trust and understanding between us, so that you know we wouldn’t lie to you. The reason I am bringing this up, Lieutenant Garcia, is because during his experiences today, Daniel ran into either corrupt or phony policemen who treated him very badly. He is very hesitant to talk to anyone else except for you because of this.”

  “What you are saying is quite serious, Jason,” Garcia answered. “I hope that you have some substantial evidence to support what you are saying, especially if you are accusing police officers of wrong doing.”

  “It is precisely the fear of retribution that has Daniel afraid to talk to the authorities. But what he has to tell you is real and must be acted upon. Please listen to what he has to say with an open mind!”

  “Okay, Jason. I will do my best. What exactly are we talking about here?”

  “Daniel witnessed the kidnapping of Ethan Savage and his replacement by a double. It is a most incredible story, but there are witnesses who can back up his story! Let me put him on the phone now so you can hear it directly from Daniel.”

  After they exchanged greetings, Daniel went through the activities of his entire day with Lieutenant Garcia. He talked about his bike ride on Valley Road, his meeting with Ethan Savage, how he saw an unconscious Ethan being switched for a look alike double, and how he met up with the two deputy sheriffs who he asked for assistance. Daniel then described how the two deputies kidnapped him, brought him to a farmhouse nearby, then left him bound, gagged, blindfolded and unconscious in the barn. He talked about how the fierce sudden storm hit, and how he was rescued by David Molinari and his son when they took refuge in the barn where Daniel had been stashed away by the two deputies.

  He ended by describing how they bicycled to San Mathias and went to report the crime, but while in the sheriff’s office, the voice of the station chief was that of one of his kidnappers. “So I ran out of the station and then we bicycled to the Garlic ‘n’ Things produce market down the road, where Mrs. Molinari picked us up. My parents are out of town for the weekend so I have been staying with Jason and his parents. They took me to see Dr. Cartwright for treatment of the lump on my head and to check on whether I had suffered a concussion. Now we are trying to figure out what to do about Ethan Savage.”

  “Jason wasn’t kidding when he said that this is an incredible story. Daniel, I want you to describe exactly how the men who picked you up were dressed. Also describe their vehicle.”

  Daniel described the details of their uniforms as best as he could remember and said that the two men were driving in a Chevrolet Tahoe SUV with sheriff’s department markings on the side.

  “You said that you were rescued by a Mr. Molinari and his young son. Who exactly are they and where can I locate them?”

  Daniel explained that Mr. Molinari was a well known high school music teacher and conductor in town. He fished out of his pocket the paper that had David’s cell and home telephone numbers and had Lieutenant Garcia write the numbers down along with the address of the farm house.

  “All right, Daniel. I want you to stay put right where you are with Jason and his parents. I will check into your story and see what I can find out. I will get back in touch with you later. Take care now, Daniel.”

  After Daniel hung up the phone, Jason asked him, “How do you think he responded to what you told him?”

  “I think he was real skeptical at first, Jason, but he treated everything I said seriously. I think it helped when I gave him the Molinari’s telephone numbers and was able to describe the uniforms of the deputy sheriffs who grabbed me.”

  “It is his job to listen and be suspicious of what he is told. But Daniel, if you tell the truth, in the end the truth will come out, no matter how crazy it seems at first. Remember the Sherlock Holmes quote you kept reminding me of when we were puzzling over how and why I was kidnapped.”

  “I swear, Jason, it is like everything that I told you at the time of your ordeal is coming back to haunt me! I still don’t have the slightest idea what to do, and it has been — what? — ten hours or so since I saw Ethan Savage being kidnapped!”

  “Don’t despair, Daniel. We will get through this together! You have been through an experience that has to have taken a toll on you both physically and mentally. The amazing variety of highs and lows that you have been through today is, as you also like to say, mind boggling!”

  “See what I mean, Jason. Everything is coming back to haunt me!”

  “Sorry, Daniel, I couldn’t resist slipping that into the conversation. But you are forgetting what we learned from the experience of solving my kidnapping. We learned to work as a team, and we learned to look at everything with a fresh pair of eyes, when things didn’t add up or seemed incomprehensible. Eventually we will figure out what the authorities need to be told to act on what you saw! Remember that I believe in you, as do my parents, and the Molinaris. Don’t worry about Ethan. We already know the how of his kidnapping. What we need to focus on now is the why of it, and the where. Why was he kidnapped and replaced with a double, and where was he most likely taken? Once we convince the authorities to act, it would greatly speed his rescue if we could provide them with additional ideas and information.”

  “What you are saying is very comforting, Jason. You are such a great friend. I really would like to get started figuring things out, but my mind is too full of conflicting thoughts and emotions.”

  “Daniel, you must be exhausted. Why don’t you just relax for a while. We can brainstorm things later tonight.”

  “Good idea, Jason. I think I will just stretch out for a little while.”

  Jason left the room and went down to see how his parents were doing, and to discuss what Lieutenant Garcia had told him. When he came back to check on Daniel, he found him sound asleep on the bed.

  Jason was downstairs watching television with his parents when his cell phone rang. It was Lieutenant Garcia. “Hello, Jason. I did some checking around among my police sources and talked to David Molinari. I think Daniel is on to something. But if we are going to present this to the authorities who can do something about it, we are going to need more proof than just the word of Daniel. I want you and Daniel to put together everything that you know and can think of that will shed more light on Ethan’s disappearance. It’s too late to do anything about it tonight because we don’t have corroborating evidence of the kidnapping or any information about the actual location where he is being held. Let’s meet tomorrow morning and see what we have to go on. I will meet you two at your house at 9:00 AM.”

  “That sounds great, Lieutenant Garcia. We will be ready! Thanks for believing in Daniel.”

  “His s
tory is quite incredible, but so far it is checking out. Good night, Jason.”

  * * * * *

  It wasn’t until 10:30 that Daniel woke up from his nap. He got up and sought out Jason, who was playing some video games in his room. Jason handed Daniel the other controller and they played together for about fifteen minutes.

  Later, when Jason told Daniel about Lieutenant Garcia’s call and their meeting scheduled for tomorrow morning, Daniel was excited and suggested that they start brainstorming right away.

  “No, Daniel. I think we should wait until tomorrow. I am going to bed pretty soon, and why don’t you do the same. I think we will be a lot more productive in the morning after a good night’s sleep. I’m sure that you could put in a few more hours after your day!”

  “All right, Jason,” Daniel said getting up to leave. “I’ll see you in the morning.”

  “Mom left you towels in the bathroom. There is an ice pack in the freezer for your bump. Let me know if you need anything else.”

  DANIEL’S MUSICAL SOLUTION

  (Saturday)

  The next morning Daniel was up early. He took a long shower and washed his hair. It felt really good to be clean. He gingerly felt the bump on his head. Overnight with the ice pack, it had gone down a little in size. It was still tender to the touch, but Daniel wasn’t experiencing pain or headaches from it.

  Soon after he was out of the bathroom and dressed, Jason got up, showered, and dressed. The two boys went down to the kitchen. “Would you like some juice or milk?” Jason asked. “I think Mom will probably want to make us a big breakfast.”

  “I would like some orange juice,” Daniel replied. “Then I am really eager to get started brainstorming.” Jason poured two large glasses of orange juice, which they brought into the dining room.

  “I think this is a good place for us to work, Daniel. When Lieutenant Garcia arrives he can join us in here.”

  “Sounds good, Jason. Where do we begin?”

  “Let’s start with the ‘how’ and ‘why’ of the crime. We know how Ethan was taken, but why? Why would his kidnappers have a double ready to replace him with? There must be a reason for that which is significant to the whole case.”

  “It was announced that Ethan Savage was going to donate a large portion of his financial holdings to good causes. I believe that the announcement of the beneficiaries was supposed to be soon, maybe even this weekend.”

  “That sounds like a good motive, Daniel, but why the bold steps of kidnapping Ethan and replacing him with a double? If the list doesn’t contain high profile charities, won’t people be suspicious?”

  “Sure, I would think so. But to be honest, do most people even know the names of charities beyond the few high profile ones you hear talked about on the news? Look at you, Jason. You have the Whatever Foundation and no one even knows about it and it is worth millions of dollars.”

  “Good point, Daniel. I would guess that there is an effort being made to divert a lot of the money to bogus charities that stand to enrich whoever is behind this scam. They would need the appearance of the fake Ethan Savage at the time of the announcement to make everything look legitimate.”

  “What you are saying makes sense, but why was I treated so harshly if all that is involved is the embezzlement of funds from his royalty accounts?”

  “Very good question, Daniel, and this goes to the heart of the matter. Why did those cops decide that you had to be totally immobilized? Why did they leave you tied up in the barn when they could have just left you locked in a room or even taken you to jail on a phony charge? And why did they actually leave you by yourself if you knew too much about what they were trying to do? Can you remember any conversations they had that could shed some light on this?”

  “When I was first taken, one of the cops was on the phone to his boss, the station chief I am guessing. It was very important that everything about me was to be removed from where they grabbed me, so all of my belongings were quickly packed away in their SUV. Also I was blindfolded right away, so I couldn’t actually see the headquarters they were taking me to, which turned out to be a farm house on Valley Road. That’s why I made a point of writing down the address later, because I felt at the time the house could have some significance in what was going on.”

  “What else did you hear?” Jason asked.

  “I remember that the boss guy said something about how this was a real screw up, and that nobody was supposed to see anything. They had gotten my name from my wallet, and the boss guy asked why that name was so familiar. Just then he realized I was overhearing their conversation, and he had the cops take me to a back room so I couldn’t hear any more of what they said to each other. About fifteen minutes later they took me over to the loft of the barn where they left me tied up.”

  “It sounds like you must have somehow interrupted their schedule. I am guessing that those two cops were responsible for security along the way. They were there probably to make sure that the van carrying the real Ethan got to its destination without a hitch, and then I think they were probably there to watch Ethan’s double. I am sure that the double had to be in on the plot in some way, or at least was going to be paid a lot of money for the impersonation.”

  “That makes sense, Jason. They must have been in a hurry, because they never questioned me about what I knew or if I had noticed other suspicious things during my meeting with Ethan Savage. All they ever said to me was ‘shut up’ or ‘don’t try to resist’.”

  “I still don’t understand why they didn’t drug you, although I am glad they didn’t so you were able to escape. But they were taking quite a chance just leaving you there in the barn.”

  “Probably their supply of drugs or sedatives was already gone with the van. Clearly they wanted me to be completely unable to contact anyone else until their plot against Ethan Savage had been carried out. I’m sure that is why I was so tightly tied up, gagged, blindfolded, and slugged even though the barn was pretty isolated already. I guess their plan was to put me on ice as best as they could, then come and deal with me much later that day. They did everything they could to make it difficult for me to escape from the barn.”

  “There has to be some significance to the farmhouse. It would have been real easy for them to just leave you tied up there locked up in a room that no one else could even get to without a key to the house. Yet they made the effort to not only move you but all of your things to the barn where there was a greater chance of outside access.”

  “When the Molinaris and I were leaving the barn, we made a point of checking out the house, which was securely locked up with no sign of anyone being there. It was another lucky break for me that one of the cops had brought over all my stuff, which Davey later found in a corner of the barn. It seems to me that they didn’t want any possible sign of them or me ever being there at the house. For that matter, one of the cops made a point of taking his handcuffs back when we were at the barn. He then used rope to retie my hands behind my back.”

  “So somehow your presence was the monkey wrench in the works of their well-oiled conspiracy against Ethan Savage,” Jason concluded. “And they were also afraid that any association between them and you or them and the house would have disastrous consequences. We have got to find out who the owner of that farmhouse is!”

  Just then Edith Hunter called the boys into the kitchen for breakfast. “I want you boys to have a good breakfast. Who knows when you will get a proper meal again today.” She served them plates of scrambled eggs, toast, and hash browns, along with melon slices and large glasses of milk.

  “Thanks, Mom, this is great!” Jason exclaimed. “All of our brainstorming makes me hungry!”

  Bill Hunter was seated at the kitchen table reading the morning paper. “Look, guys! There is an article about Ethan Savage and how there is a press conference scheduled for 2:00 PM today in Monterey. That is when he is expected to announce how his fortune is going to be distributed.”

  “Our work is cut out for us, now,” D
aniel replied. “How do we convince people that the Ethan Savage they are seeing is a fake by this afternoon?”

  “Hopefully Lieutenant Garcia will help us formulate a plan to break through the security they must have surrounding the event,” Jason said. “Does the article give out any information about who will be participating in the press conference, Dad?”

  “The article states that the press conference will be held at the law offices of Ethcart, Binkley, and Pierce, who must be the attorneys handling Ethan Savage’s estate,” Mr. Hunter said.

  About five minutes later, the doorbell rang at the front door. Edith Hunter went to answer it and let Lieutenant Garcia in. “Good morning, Lieutenant. Please come in. The boys are up and waiting for you. Would you care for some breakfast?”

  “Good morning, Mrs. Hunter. I have already eaten, thank you.” They then walked into the kitchen where the boys were finishing up their food. “Hello, Jason and Daniel. How are you doing this morning?”

  “Very well, Lieutenant Garcia. We have been up for an hour brainstorming and going through what we know about the case. Come with us into the dining room. That’s where we have been working.”

  After they were seated at the dining room table, the boys summarized everything that they had been able to figure out about the disappearance of Ethan Savage.

  Lieutenant Garcia then told them what he had been able to find out. “Through a contact I have in the sheriff’s office, I was able to determine most likely who the two deputies and station chief are that you are accusing. The station chief’s name is Oliver Samuels, and the two deputies are Richard Hanley and Jeffrey Richardson. Yesterday’s duty roster showed that Samuels was serving as station chief in the San Mathias substation, and that deputies Hanley and Richardson were on special assignment Friday and also for today. I checked the property records for the farmhouse address you gave me on Valley Road, and the property owner is Frederick Samuels. Frederick Samuels is a judge in the south county superior court and Oliver’s brother. When I contacted his office, I was told that he is on a two week vacation.