by Finian Blake
Alex and Bill were watching football on the patio. Anna was in the kitchen preparing for the barbeque that they were going to have when Stephanie returned from church. Alex was planning to follow her to church, but with an all-black congregation, he would stand out like a sore thumb. Alex was hoping that Stephanie would mix in with the crowd and not be noticed. The game just started when a banner for breaking news came across the bottom of the screen. ‘SHOOTING AT LA CHURCH’, please stand by. There was an aerial shot of a Ford Taurus in a church parking lot. The camera from the helicopter zoomed in for a close up shot. The forensics team was just approaching the car and a pool of blood was evident next to the car even from the air. Alex could make out bullet holes in the driver’s side of the car when the camera zoomed in on the vehicle.
Bill let out an agonized cry, “Stephanie,” and burst into tears. Anna came rushing out to see what the problem was. The news anchor was just starting his report.
“The Choir director of a Baptist church was gunned down in broad daylight this morning. She was getting in her car after attending church services when the attack came. The perpetrators took the body and drove off in a white van. The name and address has been withheld pending the notification of the next of kin. We will have more news as it develops.” Alex and Anna moved close to bill.
“I should have gone with her.”
“No they would have gotten you too. It was an ambush.” Alex was glad that he had given her a cold car and taken her new identity papers. He felt deeply sorry for Bill and Layla, but knew that he had to protect his family. It was a personal blow to Alex, because Stephanie had been under his care.
Edward was out walking with Layla and would be back in a while. Alex started to switch channels to get more information. One channel showed a few men dressed in FBI jackets and a few dressed in ATF jackets plus the Police. The one thing that stood out in his mind was that they took the body. They would go over her and everything she had on her. He was wondering if she had written down anything such as addresses or phone numbers. It would be a tough sell, but they had to leave the country until things settled down.
Layla and Edward walked in the gate to the patio. Layla was instantly leery when she saw her father in tears.
There was no easy way to put things so Alex broke the news, “It’s your mother! They were waiting for her at the church. They killed her and took her body with them.” Layla instantly broke into tears.
“I should have gone with her.” She went over and hugged her father. Alex put a hand on her back.
“Layla, I am sorry to break it to you like this, but there is no good way. If you had gone with her, you would be dead too.” Layla pulled away from his hand.
Layla was crying, “We argued the last time we talked. She was angry with me.”
Alex tried to soften the blow, “She argued because you would not go with her to church. If either you or your father listened to her, you would be in the same boat. It’s cold, but it has to be said.” Layla gave Alex a hurtful look and ran up to Edward’s room. Edward followed her upstairs. Bill had seen more than his share of death as a young man in Vietnam so he understood what Alex was saying.
Bill said, “I know that you are right, but it still hurts. How do we get her body? I would like to give her a proper funeral.”
Alex shook his head no. “They took her body with them. If they left her, we might work something out. I hate to tell you this, but we will never get her back. They can’t give her up, now.” Bill hung his head and cried. He knew that Alex was right. “What can we do?”
“We can protect you and your daughter. I want to leave the country for at least a week. Stephanie may have had something on her that may lead them here. I am going to take Alice and Grace, too.” Bill nodded his head silently in agreement. “Why don’t you comfort your daughter, and I will see what can be done? I have a few friends that that will try to find out what happened to Stephanie. I won’t give up on getting her back. We just can’t do it right now.” Bill went upstairs and Alex made a few phone calls. It was late afternoon before he returned to Bill.
“Bill I made a few phone calls. If they find her body the corner will hold her until we claim her. Stephanie won’t be buried right away. If they find her, I will make sure that she has a proper service.” Alex put a hand on Bill’s back. “I know that it’s not much, but it is the best I can do under the circumstances.”
“Thanks Alex, I appreciate what you are doing.” Alex poured Bill a drink and listened to him reminisce about Stephanie. It was not a funeral but it seemed to help. Alex went upstairs and pulled Edward aside.
“Can you go out to the farm? I want to see who is out there?” Edward walked into the bedroom and started to meditate. He rose above his body and was in the conference room at the farm. Layla slipped in the room and lay down next to him. She had an experiment in mind.
Don and the three men from his team walked into Evans office. The lab team had made preliminary a report on Stephanie. They pulled the finger prints off of her driver’s license and credit cards. She had a slightly different look from her picture. Her wallet and purse only had her finger prints on it.
Evan was not happy, “That’s great our only lead and we have nothing, but a corpse to show for it. We ran the plate off of her car and the address is for a vacant lot right around the corner from here. The thing that has me worried is that the address is two miles down the road from us. The police and the FBI have locked up the car and there must be a request in writing to get any information. It would not be worth the exposure to take the chance, since it looks like a clean car. I just got word that the church had a surveillance system working at the time, so you clowns are movie stars.” Everyone in the room cringed at the news. “We are at a dead end. We need to get some results out of the apartment. Hopefully Valery’s team will have some results. I am going down to LAPD and see what I can get out of them on an unofficial basis. I will have the disposal team get rid of the body.”
Don raised his hand, “We may still be able to use her.”
Evan was annoyed, “How do you think that we are going to use her?”
“We dump her where she can be found. We are after her family right? Let the news leek out that the body was recovered and see if anyone tries to claim it. It’s a long shot but it may turn some results. She showed up at church which was a big mistake, right. They are good, but nobody is perfect.” Evan thought for several minutes. They did have to get rid of Stephanie’s body, and Don did have a point. He pushed the button on the intercom.
“X-ray the body and make sure that there are no slugs left in it. Wrap it in plastic and make damn sure that your prints are not on the plastic. I want her ready in thirty minutes.” Evan looked across the desk at Don. “I will have some of the disposal team people do a stake out at the coroner’s office. Until we find out what the LAPD has on those surveillance tapes, you and your crew need to stay out here. I am going down to LAPD and see what I can find out.” As Evan walked out to his car, the others followed the disposal team loading Stephanie in a van.
“I want her dropped where they can find her quickly. I want her found by sunup tomorrow morning. Check out the county morgue after you drop her off. I want to set up surveillance on the body to see who tries to pick it up.” I will follow you out to make sure that nobody stops you. They took the I-15 to the I-10 into LA selecting Industry Hills. There was a lot of commercial property in the area and on a late Sunday afternoon the area was quiet. They found a quiet area and rolled Stephanie out of the van. Evan parked back about a hundred yards watching until they were almost out of sight and then followed them down the road. They got back on the I-10 and drove to the LAPD. Evan had a contact at the department.
When Edward emerged from his trance he was shocked to find Layla lying next to him. She awoke as he did. She could not move for several minutes.
Layla was stunned, “Is this what it’s like when you come back?” Edward stared at her in disbelief.
“I thought that you were with me. I didn’t believe it though.”
Layla sobbed, “I saw them load my mother in a van and dump her in Industry Hills. What are you going to do about it?”
“I am going to get my father. He handles the cleanup issues.” Layla climbed off the bed with Edward. Alex was sitting in a chair outside the door. Layla did not waste any time.
“They dumped my mother in a ditch in Industry Hills. What are you going to do about it?”
“How long ago did they dump her?”
“Not more than five minutes ago.”
“We will give it a try. Let’s get going.” Bill, Layla, Edward and Alex loaded into the Mercedes. Alex made a slight detour to the storage yard. “I said that we will try. If I call it off there will be no argument.” They pulled into the storage yard and stopped in front of an old white Ford Econoline van. Alex went to a box in the back of the van pulling out a set of government license plates using magnets to attach them. They switched vehicles and hurried over to Industry Hills. Can you find this place?”
Layla answered, “I can find it. I used to work as a secretary in that area. The land marks were familiar.”
Alex commented, “Edward was the one that was there.”
“Layla came with me.”
Alex talked to the rear view mirror, “You too…?
“I laid down with Alex, and he took me with him. Doctor Swift tried with me first but I was too afraid to leave my body, so he moved on to Edward.”
Alex checked, “Where are Evan and his team?”
Edward was quick to answer, “They both headed into LA. The notes on his pad said LAPD.
They pulled down the road. Layla pointed to the spot. They drove past the spot, but the door was on the wrong side. When they came back from the other direction Bill, Layla and Edward jumped out. The weeds were tall enough that the body was not visible from the road. Alex was thankful that this was an industrial area. The sun was just setting and the light was disappearing. Alex pulled off quickly. He always thought that this remote viewing was a load of crap, but now he was a firm believer.
Bill was first to ask the next question. “What are we going to do with her now?”
Alex took the cell phone out of his pocket and dialed Alice. “Hello Alice dear, how are you?”
“Hi dad, Anna warned me that you might call. What can I do for you?”
“Do you still have that friend at University Hospital?”
“Yes…”
“Does he still teach anatomy?”
“Yes…”
“I need to hide a body.”
“Nia…?” Alice asked.
“Yes…?”
“Go to the hospital.”
“I will need a certificate of death for a Nia Binder, ASAP.” Alex turned to Bill. “Would you mind if we cremate her? It would really help the cause.”
“You got her back for us. Cremation will be alright at least we know where she will be buried.” He turned to Layla. “Is that alright with you?” She nodded her head silently. Alex’s cell phone rang.
“Dad, my friend Orin gave me the number of the place that does the cremations for the medical cadavers when they are through with them. He will meet you there in an hour.” Alex drove to the address that Alice had given him finding that Alice’s friend Orin was early. They prepared her while Alice’s friend fired up the oven. Bill said a few prayers over her and they did the cremation. Orin put Stephanie’s ashes in a plastic container and respectfully handed them to Bill. Alex opened up his money belt and handed Orin $10,000. Orin tried to refuse.
“This was a favor to Alice.”
“This is a favor to you,” Alex smiled at Orin. “We would deeply appreciate your confidentiality?” Alex meant it as more of a question than a statement.
Evan sat in a small office at LAPD. His friend set up a video recorder. Evan watched the van pull up in front of the Ford Taurus. Three men jumped out wearing black clothing and ski masks. The woman reached in her purse and the three men fired at the same time with the view of her fall being blocked by the van. Evan could just see the heads of his team. When the van pulled away there was only a pool of blood on the ground. The security camera only caught the side of the van. Don gave a good profile, but the others only showed the tops of their heads. The only piece of information the security camera revealed was that the van was a white Ford Econoline and that would cover twenty percent of the vans in LA. Evan pushed to have the FBI involved when they found Jane’s car in the desert. It was no surprise that they were involved this quickly and the ATF was there looking for the source of automatic weapons. They were looking for the whole family. Evan walked out of LAPD and found a pay phone calling 911. He reported seeing a body in Industry Hills. They should be able to find it easily. The body was only five feet off the road. They couldn’t leave her on the yellow line.
Evan drove back to the Farm and waited for the body to be found. Quincy from the disposal crew set up a perch to watch them pick up the body. He could not see the body from his angle. Two police cars pulled up to the spot where they dropped the body. Four officers walked up and down the ditch. After an hour they climbed back in their cars and left. Quincy called Evan at the farm.
“Evan the body is gone.”
“Great they picked it up.”
“No, they couldn’t find it.”
“What do you mean?” Evan was about to lose his mind
“I mean that the body disappeared, as in gone.”
Evan was having a meltdown, “It is gone! I watched you roll her out of the van. Well they had to take her somewhere. Check the hospitals and morgues. They can’t sit her up on the living room sofa. Bait doesn’t work if nobody knows about it.”
Evan had a strange feeling that they already had the body. It told him that there must be a leak somewhere at the Farm, since he did not believe all of this remote viewing nonsense. The sweeper team had only arrived two days ago from New York they did not know anybody at the Farm. Don’s team had not left the Farm since they arrived with Stephanie’s body. Valery’s team knew nothing about what had happened. They were all at the apartment waiting for Edward. He would start with the disposal team. All of the calls from the phones were logged in at the computer in his office. The cell phones were also logged in on the same computer. Due to the nature of their work none of the conversations were recorded. The disposal team consisted of three men. They never left each other’s sight. They were in transit for two hours. With the nature of their work, it was unlikely that they would tell anyone about their assignments. The medical staff might have a bought of conscience but none of them left the Farm or made any calls. A bug could not have revealed the location and all of the vans were swept for bugs. Evan printed out the call sheets and laid them on his desk. There were only a few to go through. After a few hours of study there was not even one possibility, not even one suspect.
The secure phone was in Evan’s office. The call log showed one outside number that was called and that was his contact at LAPD. Evan was going crazy. He had no other choice, but to interview everybody at the Farm. He had to know where the leak was coming from. Evan personally started a roundup of all the personal cell phones at the Farm. He could not afford to allow this breach to continue. Plugging the leak was more important than the assignment right now. He picked up the phone and called in his first interview. This was going to be an ugly night.
Everybody settled in for the evening at Alex’s place. They were all sitting around the dining room table listening to Bill and Layla reminisce about Stephanie. Alex had barbecued some steaks. Anna had Layla help her in the kitchen in order to keep her busy. Edward was sitting in the kitchen keeping an eye on Layla to see how she was adjusting. She and Bill seemed as if they were coming to terms with the tragedy now that they had Stephanie’s body. Alice walked in the dining room slipping Alex a large sheet of paper. He read it and kissed her on the cheek.
“Thank you my dear that is perfect.” Alice had one of the do
ctors at the clinic sign a death certificate. It showed the deceased as Nia Binder, the cause of death was a heart attack and it was dated as of a week ago last Friday at ten PM. “Bill you may want to see this.” Alex handed him the paper. Bill read it with Layla looking over his shoulder.
“This is all wrong. It shows her race as Caucasian.” Alex patted Bill on the shoulder.
“All that’s left is ashes. They can’t tell what race she was from them. It will throw anybody looking for her off the scent, and it will allow us to bury her in a regular cemetery. Later on we can make any adjustments that you feel are necessary. She can have a place in a mausoleum, with a plaque to mark her location. We can even get one next to her for you when you pass on, hopefully at a much later date.”
“Thanks I would like to join her, but much later.” Bill let out a little chuckle at the last statement. “Where can we inter her?”
“I was thinking of Forest Lawn. It seems to be a nice place.”
“It’s a very nice place. I am not sure that I can afford it.”
“I will pick up the cost, if you are agreeable we can go there tomorrow.”
“Isn’t that kind of quick?”
“No, the longer that we wait the more time that they will have to look for her. This way we can have a private little ceremony, without having to worry.”
Evan was halfway through the interviews. This had been a huge mistake. The mood at the Farm was absolutely dark. He could have stood in front of everybody at the Farm and screamed, ‘I don’t trust you bastards’, and had a better result. He mortally insulted people that he had known for years. Now he was trapped. If he quit without interviewing everyone, he would cast doubt on those people that he had last interviewed. The only thing that he could do was offer a sincere apology when he was through. Evan was still missing the leak. The team at the apartment was wearing out. He would have to send Don’s team out there.