Jason's Network

by Aiden Vaughan

  After Jason and Robert arrived at the seminar room, Robert introduced him to Professor Richland. Dr. Richland explained to Jason about how the seminar was formatted. “Today we will start by introducing you, and then having you talk about why you formed your foundation, what your principal activities are, and perhaps some examples of how the foundation has made a difference. Next, the seminar becomes a freewheeling discussion, and students will ask you questions or discuss points of policy with you based on what you have told us. If there is something you don’t know or don’t wish to discuss because it is privileged information just say so.”

  By this time the students enrolled in the seminar were filing into the room. The room had a circular set up of twenty-five chairs with desks so that students could take notes or use their laptops or tablet devices. By three o’clock the room was filled with students. Promptly at three, Professor Richland called for quiet.

  “Good afternoon, everyone. We have a special guest today, Jason Hunter, who is the founder and CEO of the Whatever Foundation. Even more interesting is the fact that Jason is still attending high school. Jason was brought to my attention by Robert Friesen, so I would like Robert to introduce Jason to us.”

  Robert stood up and began his introduction. “I first met Jason Hunter at a family dinner party a couple of months ago. Jason is going steady with my cousin, Laura. When you first meet Jason, he seems very much like a typical teenager, working hard at school, involved with sports, and having a good social life with his friends. But then the stories he told us about some his activities lately just bowled everyone over. He and his best friend Daniel Holmes have been doing pro bono work as amateur detectives, successfully solving crimes affecting our community, and rescuing teenagers from abusive situations. Already he has made a difference in the lives of numerous people through the work of his Whatever Foundation. Please give a warm welcome to Jason Hunter!”

  The class applauded and Jason stood up to begin speaking. “Thank you for those kind words, and thank you for inviting me. As you can imagine, talking in front of a college seminar is not something I am used to doing. I think for you to understand the how and the why of what I have been doing lately, I need to explain how everything got started.” Jason paused for a moment, took a sip of water, and looked around at the students in the class.

  “This whole incredible journey that I have been on over the past years started because of the worst possible thing that could happen to a young teenager: I was a crime victim. And not just a simple crime like a mugging or robbery: I was kidnapped and held for ransom!” The class was a little shocked by this statement, which was totally unexpected.

  “Summer vacation from school had just begun. I was walking through City Park one afternoon when I felt a sharp prick on my neck, which turned out to be a tranquillizer dart. Quickly I was paralyzed and felt myself being walked to a vehicle. I passed out and when I awoke, I was in the worst kind of hell, a helpless prisoner in a dank basement room. All my possessions were taken away. All I had to wear was a flimsy pair of shorts and my chucks. Most of the time I was kept bound, gagged, and blindfolded or chained to a post in the middle of the room. On the fifth day, I was told that a ransom was being paid for me. I was allowed to take a shower and put on clean clothes. Then I was tightly tied up again and taken for a long ride. I was eventually left in a maintenance building at the same park where I had been grabbed. To confuse the police and my parents, the kidnappers called my best friend Daniel to find me. They threatened Daniel, telling him that I would be killed if he told anyone where I was or what he was doing. He had to hurry over on his bicycle. Once he found me and released me, he then called my parents and the police. At last I was free!”

  As Jason was recounting the story of his kidnapping, everyone in the room listened with rapt attention as Jason nonchalantly described the horrible ordeal he experienced and the aftermath where he was gradually losing all of his self-confidence until Daniel challenged him to solve the crime. “This is how Daniel and I became detectives. It wasn’t anything we wanted to do or had any training for, but Daniel was right: this was a life-changing experience for me, and I had to know the reason for the kidnapping. It made absolutely no sense because my parents were not wealthy and as far as anyone knew had no enemies. The ransom my dad ended up paying was very small.”

  Jason went on to explain how they eventually figured out the how and why of the crime, and soon the criminals responsible were arrested and sent to prison. [The complete account of this is contained in the first Hunter & Holmes mystery, The Kidnapping.]

  “Things in my life were back to normal, or so I thought. Then a couple of weeks later, an attorney from Boston knocked on our front door and I had another life-changing experience.” Jason explained how his great-grandfather had entrusted him with an incredible fortune in diamonds that had been hidden away for sixty years to keep it out of the hands of apartheid supporters or neo-Nazis.

  “Since I felt the money was tainted, I decided to use it to set up the Whatever Foundation. There is nothing worse than being a crime victim. I had just experienced that, and realized that the best way for me to use the money was to help other teens that also were crime victims. Young victims will recover from the physical injuries of a crime rather quickly. But they need support for their mental recovery and to rebuild their self-confidence. What this support will be varies case by case. That’s why I gave the foundation the name ‘Whatever’.

  “We especially like to support recovery programs that involve the arts or sports. Music and art have special healing qualities that nourish the spirit and provide a non-verbal means of self-expression. Often our victims have had isolated, inactive lives. Participation in sports provides them with organized physical activities with other teens their own age. This helps them to build new friendships and understand the power of teamwork.”

  Jason went on to describe several of their recent cases. “One of the greatest things about having the foundation is that we have the resources to move in quickly when there is a need. This is extremely important when you are dealing with predators.” Jason told them that this was how he was able to successfully rescue Eric, Tim, Cody, and Jonathan, although he didn’t use their real names.

  After Jason finished his presentation, he sat down. Professor Richland started the questioning. “Jason, I’m sure you have heard this before, but you have had quite an amazing set of adventures and circumstances in your life. I’m sure I speak for the entire class when I say how impressed I am by the way you have handled things.”

  Jason smiled his big smile and replied, “Yes, I have had the most incredible highs and lows these past couple of years. The most important thing that I have learned through all of these experiences is that my life needs to focus on people — family and friends — rather than wealth and the acquisition of personal possessions. This is how I have been able to keep my life in balance.”

  “Starting up a new foundation from scratch is a difficult and time consuming process,” Professor Richland continued. “How were you able to get the Whatever Foundation started?”

  “I have to give a lot of the credit for that to my great grandfather, Winfield Hunter,” Jason replied. “At the time he set up this legacy for his great grandson, who turned out to be me, he realized that I would need assistance in doing so. He set up an additional fund, which provided me with legal services, an accountant and tax adviser, a diamond broker, and a public relations professional. Together they turned my dream into reality.”

  One of the students then asked, “Does your foundation just concentrate on helping teenagers recover from crimes, or do you have other activities?”

  “When I was first trying to figure out what to do with all of the money, I thought about some fun kinds of activities that the foundation could also support. One of these was to sponsor clothing and shoe giveaways for needy kids. I like to give money to arts organizations and sports leagues that work with teenagers. Another thing we do sometimes is provide funding
for four years of college for deserving teenagers who might not be able to go otherwise.

  “These kinds of things make me personally happy. I always try to attend our shoe giveaways. I love to see the smiles on kids’ faces when they are lacing up a new pair of chucks, like I wear. I like to attend concerts where I can hear an ensemble of talented teenaged musicians perform, or participate in sporting events like summer basketball league games. These kinds of organizations are always in need of extra funding, and I am happy to provide it.”

  Another student asked, “What kind of organizational structure does the Whatever Foundation employ?”

  “There is a Board of Directors which meets once or twice a month. Until I am 21 years old my father serves on the board along with the accountant, attorney, public relations professional, and my friend Daniel. We have several full time employees who participate in our board meetings and planning sessions. I also have an investigator who checks out the applications for assistance that we receive. As you know, there are people out there who will try to scam or deceive you to get a hold of money and services. It is important to me personally that our funds are used for legitimate claims only.”

  A third student commented and asked, “After listening to some of the adventures that you and your friend Daniel had, it seems to me that you really have it out for predators who prey on kids. Is that a goal of your foundation as well?”

  “It’s not a specific goal of the foundation, but it is a personal goal for me. To me there is no worse criminal than a predator who goes after kids. Once a kid has been victimized, their innocence and joy of life is stripped away, in many cases never to return. This happened to me, and I have seen the effects up close personal during the cases Daniel and I have worked on. If I have the opportunity to pursue a predator who is abusing a kid, I will not hesitate to use the full resources of the Whatever Foundation to go after that predator and rescue his victims.

  “Often kids are aware of abusive behavior before the adult world finds out but are powerless to do anything about it. They are often afraid to confide their fears to adults, especially if a family member is involved. Another problem is that they don’t always know where to report abuse when they find out about it or experience it. One of our immediate goals at the foundation is to set up a safety net for kids, so if abuse or molestation occurs, there is a safe place to communicate what happened in addition to the traditional reporting places in their schools and community. Education about what to do is key. The Whatever Foundation is planning school assemblies and establishing a network of kids so that there are more alternatives for reporting. We want to stamp out abusive behavior whenever and wherever we hear about it.”

  The questioning and discussion continued in this vein for another half hour. Then the students in the class asked Jason if he had any additional stories about his adventures as a detective that he would be willing to share with them. Jason told them about some of his cases earlier that year, including the rescue of young Jian-heng Chen and the pursuit of the human traffickers who enslaved his older sisters and the other cases chronicled in Days of Destiny.

  Just before it was time for the seminar to end, Professor Richland stood up and addressed the group. “I think we can all agree that it has been a privilege to meet you, Jason, and that you are living proof that you don’t have to be an adult to contribute to the good of society or live an exciting and fulfilling life. On behalf of our class, I would like to thank you for taking the time to come to Stanford and talk to us. What do you say, class?”

  The class applauded and cheered. They all lined up to shake hands with Jason and add a few personal comments. After the students were gone, Professor Richland and Robert Friesen walked with Jason in the direction of the parking lot where he had left the Explorer.

  “Jason,” Professor Richland said, “I know it is probably a little soon for you to be thinking about college, but I do hope that you will consider applying for admission here at Stanford. After what I have heard today, I would be pleased to write you a letter of recommendation and put in a good word or two in the right places.” The professor handed Jason a business card. “Don’t hesitate to contact me for that or if you have any questions about our academic programs here. It’s been a pleasure to meet you and hear about your incredible accomplishments.” The two shook hands, and then Harold Richland took his leave.

  “Wow,” Robert said with admiration in his voice. “You made quite an impression here today, Jason. And Professor Richland is right. You should come to Stanford for your college degree. I know you would fit right in!”

  Robert walked with Jason to the lot where he had parked his car. On the way they talked about the Friesen family and other small talk. As Jason was about to get in his Explorer, they shook hands and Robert said, “Thank you again for agreeing to come here and talk to our seminar. Take care and say hello to Laura for me.”

  Chapter 7

  A Trip to the Sierras

  (Saturday)

  It was a beautiful Saturday morning in April, the first day of a weeklong spring break for Daniel and Jason. For the first time in over a year, the Hunters were going on a family vacation together. Last year Jason’s grandmother had suffered a couple of minor strokes, and her condition at the time was serious enough that Edith felt that she needed to be “on call” at all times, in case she would have to fly out to New York where her mother lived due to another medical emergency. She had used all of her vacation time last year staying with her mother.

  But now her mother had made a remarkable recovery, and her medical crisis was over for the time being. Wanting to have a real family vacation with Jason and Edith, Bill Hunter had booked five days in a resort in the Sierra foothills, not too far from the Lake Tahoe area. Bill and Edith also wanted to thank Daniel’s parents, Gary and Melinda Holmes, for all of the times they put up Jason or watched out for him when the Hunters were out of town. Due to their financial services business, which they ran out of their home, Gary and Melinda could only stay for the weekend, but Daniel would stay the full five days with the Hunters. Gary and Melinda were very grateful for a chance to get away from the day-to-day chores of their business, even if it was only for a weekend.

  Early Saturday morning, the two families packed up their cars and made the four-hour trip to the Whispering Springs resort. The resort was on thirty acres of land, and featured a lodge with a restaurant and hotel rooms, and several dozen cabins for larger parties. Bill Hunter had reserved a large cabin, really a house, with three bedrooms, full kitchen, two and one half bathrooms, a nice living room area, and a deck that wrapped around three sides of the cabin. The Hunters arrived around one o’clock and were able to check in. Soon after, the Holmes family car pulled up to the cabin.

  After they unpacked their vehicles, put away the food items they had brought, and stashed their suitcases in their bedrooms, they decided to check out the recreational facilities at the resort. There was a large swimming pool, a couple of hot tubs, a game room with pool tables, and several areas that you could reserve for a party. Jason and Daniel decided that they wanted to go swimming in the pool, and the adults decided that they would join them for a quick dip in the water and then spend some time soaking in the hot tub. Everyone went back to their cabin to change into swimsuits. The Hunter and Holmes families returned to the pool facilities and spent a little over an hour enjoying themselves. Jason and Daniel had brought along their regular clothing so that they could stay and play games in the game room, while the adults went back to the cabin to relax and start getting ready for a barbecue dinner that they had planned for that evening.

  When they finished playing in the recreation room, Jason and Daniel decided to take a walk around the resort to see what else was there. The resort was laid out into small clusters of cabins, the main building and recreational facilities, shaded picnic areas, and tennis courts and a couple of basketball hoops. There were hiking trails that went into the surrounding forest areas.

  “This is great!�
�� Jason exclaimed. “Tomorrow we should play some basketball. It doesn’t look like those hoops get a lot of use.”

  “I’m up for that, Jason. It’s nice to not have much on my agenda other than having fun and relaxing. A Hunter & Holmes vacation. That’s a first and it sure beats detective work!”

  “We really needed a family vacation after last year,” Jason replied. “With Grandmother so sick, Mom never felt that she could plan anything formal. Mostly she traveled back and forth to New York to help take care of Grandmother when she was convalescing from the hospital.”

  “My parents didn’t have anything outside affecting them like that,” Daniel answered, “but their business consumes most of their time. I really have to thank your dad for thinking of us when he made these plans. And he actually got my parents to shut the business down for a couple of days!”

  “This is like the old days, before all this detective work stuff started to happen,” Jason said with a smile. “Just the two of us, no outside complications like school, and nothing but fun on the agenda.”

  “I really would like to see more of these kinds of days, but with the band tour coming up, it won’t be easy to fit one in. So let’s just enjoy what we have now.”

  “This is definitely a much more pleasant location than some of the places I visited last year,” Jason said with a tiny edge to his voice.

  “Well we did get in a brief visit to Disneyland with Joe and his grandkids, Paul, Desiree, and Steven,” Daniel replied encouragingly.