“If we don’t act right away, I believe Nick is a goner! I am willing to take that chance to try and save him! Do you have a better idea, Daniel? Are you willing to volunteer in my place?”
“My parents would ground me for life if I even suggested doing what you want to do, Jason! You are going to risk your life on speculation that Angelo is the predator?”
“Daniel has a good point, Jason,” Captain Garcia said. “I can’t ask you to risk your life like this, even though I know you are sincere in wanting to help Nick. Do you actually think your parents would agree to let you to be the bait for a predator?”
“They are out of town right now, in New York taking care of my grandmother, but I believe I could get their permission knowing that it is a good cause and you are in charge!”
“I will need to have it in writing. How can we do that when they are out of town?”
“I will have them FAX it to your office. We can’t wait until they return here. We have to act tomorrow while there still is a good chance of finding Nick alive and unharmed. I also want to have additional backup, besides your task force. I will get Joe Connor to bring in Martin and Dominic, the two ex-SEALs who helped Daniel and I with the Camp Chinquapin rescue. Don’t worry, the foundation will cover that expense.”
“Are you sure you want to do this, Jason? You are taking a terrible risk!” Captain Garcia said.
“I don’t want to do this, I have to do this. If there is a chance to rescue Nick, I would feel guilty for the rest of my life if I didn’t take it. Now let’s get busy; there is a lot of work to do!”
Chapter 25
Jason Goes Undercover
(Thursday)
Even on the way home, Jason was already getting prepared for tomorrow. He called Joe Connor to ask him to set up things with Martin Severino and Dominic Sanchez. When he explained what the operation was going to be, Joe echoed Captain Garcia. “Are you sure you want to do this? You are taking an awful risk here. There are a lot of unknowns, and the way you describe the situation, you will be on your own. Even with the police tracking you and Martin and Dominic backing things up, a lot could go wrong.”
Jason then told Joe about Nick, his talents and potential, how he had already been viciously attacked, and why he felt that he had no choice but to take this chance to try and find him. “Nick sure is one lucky kid to have you on his side, Jason. What do your parents say about this? Are they going to allow their only son, who has already been the victim of one kidnapping, to go through that experience again?”
“My parents are out of town. I am telling them that Captain Garcia is letting me observe an undercover operation so my foundation will have a better idea about some new programs to help crime victims that we are considering.”
“I don’t know, Jason. I have a bad feeling about this operation.”
“If I don’t try this, Joe, I am pretty sure that Nick will be seriously hurt, molested, and possibly killed!”
“As will you, if they find out you are a plant, and the police can’t track you fast enough!”
“I guess that is a chance I am going to have to take, Joe! Will you make the calls and help me?”
Joe reluctantly agreed. An hour later he telephoned Jason back saying that Martin and Dominic would meet with the task force at the San Matthias police station tomorrow by 11:00 AM. “Thank you, Joe, I appreciate that very much. May I come over and see you tonight? I need your help with some other things.”
Jason’s next call was to Dr. Timothy Cartwright. Dr. Cartwright was the physician who had treated Jason after his kidnapping, and later he had treated Eric and Daniel and recommended Dr. Louis Agoura for counseling services. Now Dr. Agoura was under contract to Jason’s Whatever Foundation to provide his services as needed, and Dr. Cartwright had become Jason’s doctor. Jason was able to get through to Dr. Cartwright after only a brief wait on hold.
“Hello, Jason!” Dr. Cartwright said in a robust voice. “How can I help you today?”
Jason explained that he wanted the doctor to keep his clinic on 24 hour alert for the next two or three days. Jason told him that he was going on another rescue mission, and there was a good possibility that medical treatment would be needed. “I want to have it done privately by you and your staff away from the media and away from a hospital if possible. My foundation is willing to pay whatever daily fee you would charge to be ready.”
“This sounds serious. May I ask what kind of case this is and what are the possible injuries that you would think might require my care?”
Jason explained about Nick’s kidnapping and the prior attacks against him. “Captain Garcia and I are planning an undercover operation that begins tomorrow.” He then negotiated a daily rate with Dr. Cartwright.
“I suppose it is redundant for me to say that you need to be very careful in what you are doing! As your doctor, I am very concerned when I hear that you are putting your life at risk. If you do need my services, call my personal cell phone number.”
“Thank you, Dr. Cartwright. I know I can depend on you!”
Jason then had Daniel drop him off at his home so he could pick out the right clothing for his role as homeless hitchhiker. He also wanted to call his parents in privacy in case there were difficulties. He decided to call his father to ask permission because his mother was preoccupied with his grandmother’s care. At first Bill Hunter seemed dead set against allowing Jason to go on the undercover operation, but Jason kept stressing how Captain Garcia was running the show, and would take personal responsibility for himself and Daniel. “Dad, do you think he would ask us along on this operation if he didn’t feel that he had things under control?”
Eventually, Bill relented and agreed to FAX his permission to Captain Garcia’s office. “Your mother and I hope to return to California this weekend. We will look forward to seeing you then. Do call us when you get a chance, Jason. We want to know that you are safe.”
“Okay, Dad, I will do that. Thank you for giving me permission.”
With that hurdle cleared, Jason was now free to try the most daring and brazen thing he had ever attempted. He felt a little guilty for not being totally honest with his parents, but his hatred for predators and his love for his friend was so great that he was willing to do whatever it took to make the attempt!
At dinner that evening, Jason told Daniel’s parents about the undercover operation that Captain Garcia was letting them be a part of.
“We have told you boys how concerned we have been in the past about your adventures,” Melinda said. “The last thing that we want you to do is put your lives at risk, even if it is for a good cause! I sincerely hope that this is not the case this time!”
Jason looked over at Daniel, who was almost biting his tongue. But after a minute or two the conversation subject changed. Somehow the boys had passed the test. But Jason knew that he owed Daniel a favor.
After dinner, Daniel brought Jason over to Joe Connor’s condo. On the way over, Jason tried to diffuse the tension that he could sense had come between him and Daniel. “Daniel, I could see that you were holding back from saying what you wanted to at dinner. I am sorry if my decision to act in this case has upset you!”
“It’s just that I hate lying to my parents,” Daniel said. “Last year we came to an agreement that we wouldn’t lie to each other about things, and now I feel I may have broken that trust!”
“I would say that it was more an error of omission rather than an overt lie. All I know, Daniel, is whenever I think that I should do the so-called ‘right’ thing, and leave events to so-called ‘fate’ or to the standard procedures of the police, I keep seeing horrible images of Nick beaten up, abused, or even dead! I have to try, Daniel! Can’t you understand?”
“Of course I can, Jason. Why do you think that I said nothing at dinner! I feel for Nick just as much as you do. But what would my life be like if I ended up losing both of you!”
“Thank you for saying that, Daniel. You are such a true friend. Knowing that you
and others care about me is incentive to come back whole and successful! Your support means so much to me!”
After their meeting with Joe, Daniel and Jason went back to Daniel’s house and called it a night. Tomorrow would be a very momentous day in their lives.
The next morning, the two boys were up around eight o’clock. They had a large leisurely breakfast, which was especially important to Jason. He had no idea where his next meal might come from.
After breakfast, they went over to Jason’s house, where he got ready for his role as a homeless runaway from his foster parents. Jason put on his cheapest looking clothes, a soiled white arts fair tee shirt, cut off denim shorts, a red bandana around his neck, heavy grey woolen socks bunched down to his ankles, and his oldest pair of red high top chucks that had worn soles, broken laces, and holes in the canvas which he wore rolled down. He completed the look with a grimy baseball cap worn backwards. He dirtied himself up so that he looked like he had been on the road for a while. He also brought along a small backpack with a little extra clothing, a few personal items, water, and some snack and candy bars.
Daniel then drove them down to the police station in San Matthias where they were to meet up with the police task force, Martin Severino, and Dominic Sanchez. “Hey, it’s still not too late to back out if you are having second thoughts about this operation,” Daniel said hesitantly.
“It’s okay, Daniel. I have made my decision and am comfortable with it.”
When they arrived at the police station, Jason was sent into a back room where there were two police technicians. He was implanted with a tracking device. A local anesthetic was used to numb Jason’s arm near his armpit. A small opening was cut into his skin and the small device was inserted. The opening was stitched shut with two tiny stitches so that Jason would not require a band-aid which might make someone suspicious. A second device was sewn into the pocket of his shorts. If Jason was successful in locating Nick, he was to rip it out and put the device on Nick until the rescue team arrived, in case they somehow were separated. Until then the device would serve as a back up.
Jason and Daniel next met with Captain Garcia and some of the task force people. The repair job to get Angelo here in town today had been set up. Angelo was supposed to arrive at the house around 1:00 PM. He was promised $200 to fix a clogged toilet and replace a light switch that wasn’t working correctly. To create the “repairs” a bunch of hair (taken from a nearby barber shop) was poured down the drain until it clogged up. The light switch was swapped out for an older one that was cracked and one of the electrical wires was disconnected. Sergeant Cynthia Nuñez, the young female task force officer, was there to pose as the housewife, and Detective Robert Barclay was outside with a radio to let the task force know when Angelo was leaving. He also was instructed to place a GPS tracking device on Angelo’s truck while Angelo was inside completing the repairs. When Angelo left, he was to discretely follow him to make sure that he was actually getting on the highway back to his house where Jason would be hitchhiking.
Captain Garcia carefully went over their plan for the operation. Jason was told to signal in a status ‘report’ every hour to let the task force know that he was okay and still interacting with Angelo. “We will give you fifteen minutes leeway, but if we don’t hear the agreed signal from you by then, we will terminate the operation and send in our SWAT team to get you out. Also if you feel that you are in imminent danger of serious harm or injury at any time, just hold down that button in your shorts as long as you can to terminate the operation. Do the same thing if you actually find Nick! Do not try to take Angelo on by yourself! Just survive as best as you can until our team arrives. Are you clear about these instructions, Jason?”
“Yes, I understand, Captain. But what if I am restrained somehow or held at gunpoint and can’t make any signals?”
“Any overt action like that is enough to pin a kidnapping charge on Angelo. After an hour your safety time will have expired. Then we can go in, arrest him, and interrogate him to find out where Nick is. Or he may have already taken you to the unknown location where he has been taking his victims. In either case, we will have a breakthrough in the case.”
Jason then met with Martin and Dominic who had arrived while he was in his meeting with the task force people. There were hugs and handshakes all around. “So you are determined to go on another crazy mission, Jason,” Martin said. “I thought you learned your lesson the last time!”
“I guess I am just a stubborn mule!” Jason replied with a laugh. “I am happy that you guys are here to back me up! I feel much better about my chances with you guys here!”
“What exactly are we supposed to do?” Dominic asked. “It seems that you already have the police force on your side this time!”
“You are here to look out for the surprise factor. So far these predators have proven to be quite resourceful and clever. You provide another dimension to my back up because you can go after that unusual situation that may pop up, and you guys are good at improvising in a challenging situation. Also if Nick is found but we somehow get separated, I want you two to go after him. If I am able, I will put the second tracking device on Nick when I find him.
Finally, Jason put in a call to Caterina. He wanted to let her know about the operation, to give her some hope. But when he told her about it, she said, “Jason, I can’t allow you to take such a risk! Especially after what you have already been through in your life. I couldn’t bear it if you were hurt in any way, captured, or killed!”
“That is a chance I have to take! If we don’t act now, I fear that great harm will come to Nick for sure. Everything is set up with the police and we have a good plan in place with plenty of back up! I volunteered for this, Mrs. Poulos. I would feel guilty for the rest of my life if I chose to do nothing and Nick was seriously harmed or killed!”
“If you are determined to do this, I obviously want you to succeed. I will pray for your success! God be with you, Jason!”
Around 1:00 the call came in that Angelo had arrived at the house to do his repair job. With everything in place, it was time to take Jason out to the highway. The task force had scoped things out and found an ideal place just past the town limits. There was a relatively straight stretch of road with adequate shoulder. It would be very easy for Angelo to stop and give Jason a ride if he chose to. Jason was brought there in a delivery van, which was parked behind some trees about 100 feet from the highway. When they received the signal from the officer following Angelo, Jason could easily move into place within a couple of minutes. Sergeant Jim Malone and Detective Will Nguyen were in the van with Jason, and they would continue to monitor his location from the equipment in the van. Captain Garcia remained at the police station to coordinate everything and order in additional officers or a SWAT team as the situation required.
About a half hour after the van was in place, the call came in that Angelo was on his way. With one last set of high fives from the officers, Jason got out of the van and headed to the highway. Sergeant Malone took a pair of binoculars and hid behind one of the trees so he could see if and when Jason was picked up. It was just past 2:30 in the afternoon.
There was very little traffic on the highway. Jason kept a low profile until he saw what appeared to be the tan pickup truck. Then he aggressively walked along the road with his thumb out. He tried to put a winning smile on his face. The truck slowed but just drove by. Jason started to think that the whole operation was going to be a bust, when he saw the truck brake lights go on and the truck lurch to the side of the road. Jason quickly ran to the side of the truck.
“Can you give me a ride, Mister?” Jason shouted in a loud voice.
The driver nodded ‘yes’. Jason opened the door, put his backpack on the floor, and got inside.
“Thanks, Mister!” Jason said with a smile as he looked over at the man who had scars on his face. It definitely was Angelo!
“Where are you headed?” Angelo asked.
“I am going to the youth
hostel up near Angel’s Camp, but I don’t think I can make it there today,” Jason replied. “Right now I am looking for a meal and a place to crash for the night. Do you know of anything around here?”
“There aren’t any youth hostels in this area, but if you don’t mind food out of a can, I can at least give you a meal.”
“That’s real nice of you, Mister.”
“My name is Angelo, boy. My daddy always told me that any free meal is a good meal! My house is just a little ways up the road,” Angelo continued. He drove along the highway for about ten more minutes before turning off onto a narrow gravel driveway.
Back at the van, Sergeant Malone radioed in that Jason had been successfully picked up by Angelo. “We have Angelo’s tracking device coming in strong and clear on our monitor. So far Angelo is continuing east on the highway. It looks like he is heading home. Should we move in closer?”
“Roger that,” Garcia replied. “But don’t get too close. Stay at least a mile away for now. Jason’s signal time will be coming up in about thirty-five minutes.”
Meanwhile, Angelo and Jason had gotten out of the truck and gone inside Angelo’s house. Jason was surprised at how neat and clean everything was inside. He was actually expecting it to be a dump inside. When he remarked to Angelo how nice the interior of his house looked, Angelo replied, “My daddy always told me that cleanliness was next to godliness.”
Angelo went into the kitchen to heat up some leftovers he had in the refrigerator for Jason. He had Jason sit down at the kitchen table and set the plate down there in front of him. The food wasn’t very good, and Jason was suspicious of it anyway, fearing that it was somehow drugged. As it turned out he was right. Angelo had mixed a tranquillizer pill in the food and put some chloral hydrate in the drink of lemonade he served Jason. Jason just picked at the food, which frustrated Angelo.
Family Matters Page 18