“For some reason you look very familiar,” Mr. Jacobs replied, and paused for a moment to think. “Oh my God! You are the young detective that was on television a couple of years ago. The one who solved his own kidnapping! I remember seeing that show where you were interviewed about it!”
“Yes, that was me,” Jason said with a smile. “It was part of my recovery from being a crime victim to do that show.”
Jason went on to explain how their chance discovery of Jian-heng Chen in that Chinatown closet resulted in the two of them becoming involved in trying to locate Jian-heng’s two older sisters and the two human traffickers who smuggled them into America to become domestic slaves.
“We were finally able to track them down to a house in Milpitas, but by the time Captain Garcia of the Silicon Valley Police was able to send in a SWAT team, they had abandoned the house and taken the women with them. After the police left we decided to take a look through the place just to see if we could get a better handle on the way the men we had been tracking down operated. Then by a lucky break, we found another young boy, Robbie Nelson, unconscious in the basement of the house, locked in a utility closet.
“We found him because Daniel happened to notice a worn of pair sneakers left in a corner of the basement floor that he realized had to belong to a young boy and not the women domestic slaves we believed had been held in the house. Robbie was kidnapped by the two men in a manner almost identical to how Brandon was taken! Robbie was lured to the house on the pretense of hiring him to do yard work. He then was drugged, bound and gagged with duct tape, hidden in the basement utility closet, and later molested.
“We believe Robbie had been left in the basement to be picked up later by another predator who had purchased him in an online auction. One of the men told Robbie that he had videotaped him while he was doing the yard work outside. Scarier yet, Robbie is almost identical in appearance to Brandon!”
“That is an amazing story,” Agent Moore said. “But I don’t remember hearing about a kidnapping in the Silicon Valley.”
“That’s because Robbie and his mother were homeless at the time,” Jason explained. “She wasn’t sure whether he had gone missing or was just spending the night at a friend’s house. They had no telephones to communicate with each other.
“After we were able to rescue Robbie, Captain Garcia put a two man surveillance team at the house to see if anyone showed up. Later a man did show up, but said that he had come there to pick up several boxes of produce. And in the back patio of the house were several boxes of fruit. They checked out the man, but he had no criminal record, so they had to let him go.”
“I wouldn’t be surprised if Brandon’s kidnapping was a spur of the moment kind of thing,” Daniel added. “If that man was a predator, he probably paid a lot of money for Robbie. Those traffickers were running a side business providing young kids as slaves. If the man who said he went to the Milpitas house to pick up boxes of fruit was indeed the predator who purchased Robbie, I am sure he was furious when he went to that house, was accosted by the police, and discovered that the boy was not there. Because Brandon looks so much like Robbie, I think he was grabbed to replace Robbie. Probably the trafficker we saw coming to the barn earlier was about to take Brandon away! I will contact Captain Garcia to find out the name of the man they questioned. It seems very likely that he was the man the human traffickers were going to deliver Brandon to.”
Agent Moore addressed Brandon. “Is what you experienced much like what Jason has just described?”
Brandon hung his head, somewhat ashamed, and spoke in a low voice. “Yes, those two men did all of those things to me.”
“Please tell us your story as best you can,” Agent Moore continued. “I know this must be very hard for you, but we need to know exactly what happened to you.”
“I was out on my skateboard yesterday morning,” Brandon began. “I didn’t really have any plan for what to do, but I wanted to get out of the house. Things have been tough around here lately, with Dad losing his job.” Gordon and Mary Jacobs gave each other sad looks after hearing Brandon’s comment.
“I was just riding around the neighborhood when I saw Mr. Montecito working in his front yard. He seemed to be having difficulty doing the work, so on a whim, I approached him and asked if he needed any help. He told me that he had all this yard work to do, but that his back was really bothering him. I told him that I would do all of his yard work for twenty bucks. This way I would have some money in my pocket. Mr. Montecito had always been nice to me, not yelling at me and the other skaters in the neighborhood to go away, like most of the other adults do. Mr. Montecito seemed pleased that I would offer to help him out, and agreed to pay me the money if I did the work. So I parked my board, mowed his lawn, pulled weeds, and trimmed his bushes.
“While I was working, a man in a van pulled up, and asked me if I would like to earn forty dollars more doing yard work for him. He said that he didn’t live too far away, and wrote down an address on a piece of paper. He said that he would give me a ride over there if I needed it, but I told him that I would rather skate there. It only took me ninety minutes to finish the yard work for Mr. Montecito, and then I headed over to the address, which turned out to be Schulte Farms. It took me about a half hour to get there.
“Once I arrived, I went to the house and knocked on the front door. The man answered and soon had me in the back yard behind the house working on weeding out a garden. I had been working for a couple of hours when the man came out and said that I was doing a good job. He told me to take a ten minute break, and then he offered me a bottle of water to drink. That sounded great, so I sat down on the porch and drank the water. About five minutes later I began to feel real dizzy, and passed out.
“When I regained consciousness, I discovered that I had been dragged into the house and dumped in a closet. My wrists, ankles, and mouth were taped with duct tape. I began struggling to free myself from the tape, but had no success. The man either heard me struggling or had come to check on me. The closet door was opened and I saw this oriental-looking man staring at me with a big grin on his face.
“He told me that we were going to have a good time together. Then he started to put his hands all over me. I protested as best I could through my gag and squirmed to try and get away from him. He then slapped me a couple of times on my face and told me that I had better start cooperating if I knew what was good for me. He then left and locked the closet door.
“About an hour later, the man came back. This time he was a lot nicer to me. He pulled the strip of tape off of my mouth and cut the rest of it off with his knife. He asked me if I was hungry and would like to use the bathroom. I said yes and he led me into a kitchen area. He directed me to a small bathroom just off the kitchen. I thought about trying to escape through the bathroom window, but it was too small and was locked or painted shut.
“When I came out, he had me sit down at the kitchen table. A young Chinese woman brought me a plate of rice and vegetables. I barely saw her face and she refused to make eye contact with me. After putting down the plate she hurriedly left the kitchen. I really didn’t like the food, but was hungry so I ate most of it. The man watched me the whole time. About the time I was finished, a second man came into the kitchen. He was even more mean looking than the first man.
“The men ordered me to get up. Then the first man grabbed my wrists and tied them behind my back with a piece of rope. The second man stuffed a white rag into my mouth. The first man then tied the gag in place with a bandana. The two men then marched me outside the house and into the barn. We then went up to the loft of the barn and into a small room. Once inside the men untied me and ordered me to take off all of my clothes.”
Brandon paused for a moment in the telling of his story. His mother came over to him and put her arms around him. “Brandon, I am so sorry you were put through this ordeal. You are safe now.”
“Brandon, you are doing a great job describing what happened to you,” Jason said
in an encouraging voice. “I know you are getting to the worst part, based on what Robbie Nelson told us. Just do the best you can. If things are too difficult to talk about, don’t worry. Describe things in a general way. You can tell more specific details to the doctors later.”
“Please go on with your story, Brandon,” Agent Moore said. She had been taking notes during his narrative.
Brandon was close to tears as he continued. “They began to put their hands all over me. When I started to resist, the second man beat me up. Then they dragged me on to a cot in the corner of the room.”
“Those low-life scum!” Gordon Moore yelled out in anger. “I’d like to kill them for what they did to you!” He got up and paced around the kitchen.
“I know this is hard for you to talk about, Brandon,” Agent Moore continued, “but we have to know a little more about what happened. Did those men sexually assault you?”
Brandon sighed and then finished his story. “Yes, they did. I felt so ashamed and powerless! When they were finished abusing me, one of the men threw a towel at me and told me to clean up and put my underwear back on. After I did that, I was gagged and tied to the cot in the loft room. One of the men put a blanket over me. For a long time I lay there shaking in fear that they would hurt me again. The first man did come back a couple of times, but only to check on me and give me a bathroom break in the crude outhouse in the barn. He also gave me water, which I guess was drugged, because I ended up passing out after drinking it.
“This morning the man came to the room where I was being held, untied me, and walked me to the outhouse and back. He gave me two rice cakes to eat and a small carton of milk to drink. While I was eating, he told me that I would be taken to a new place to live later today. Again I protested and said I would never go willingly. His response was to just laugh at me, and again I was gagged and tied to the cot. That’s where I was when Jason and Daniel found me. I’ll tell you, when those two busted into that loft room, it was one of the happiest moments of my life!”
“You might not think so right now, Brandon, but you were very brave throughout your ordeal,” Agent Moore said. “You did what you had to do to survive, and now you can begin your road to recovery.” Her cell phone rang, and she went into the living room to answer it.
“Not only will you recover,” Jason added, “but my Whatever Foundation will cover the costs of anything necessary to accomplish that.” Jason took a few minutes to explain the goals of his foundation. “One of the first things we will provide for you is counseling, to help you deal with what happened to you. We have a wonderful psychiatrist on retainer in the Silicon Valley. Maybe he can get a referral for this area.”
“The counseling is so important because you were you violated mentally as well as physically,” Daniel said. “Those men took away your innocence and self-pride in a very brutal manner!”
Agent Moore came back into the kitchen. “Good news!” she exclaimed. “Our FBI team was able to capture those two men and rescue the dozen young women they were holding as domestic slaves! It was touch and go at first. One of the men nearly got away in his van, but he was chased down and forced to surrender.”
“All right!” Jason shouted as he gave high fives to Daniel and Brandon. “Those creeps will never harm another kid again!”
“Agent Moore, do you know where the young women are being taken?” Daniel asked. “We would like to let our young friend Jian-heng know where his sisters are!”
“Most likely they will be brought to our Oakland FBI office where they will be debriefed and questioned about their captivity. After that, they will be housed in a nearby motel until a decision can be made about what will happen to them. There are other more immediate concerns to deal with, however, for Mr. and Mrs. Jacobs and Brandon. The news media has been closely following the disappearance of Brandon, and probably will be descending on your house shortly to get a statement. The fact that Brandon was rescued in such a dramatic fashion will certainly make this headline news.”
“Mary and I will be happy to make a statement to the media, but we want Brandon protected from all of that scrutiny,” Gordon Jacobs stated. “Brandon is still a minor, and he should not be forced to be the object of their attention.”
“Brandon needs to see a doctor right away to be treated for his injuries and given a thorough examination to see if there was any additional harm done to him when those men molested him,” Mary Jacobs added. “I think we should do that immediately and get him out of here. If there is going to be a big media sensation, maybe we should send him to stay for a few days with his Aunt Melba and Uncle Seth who live in San Jose.”
“That is a really good idea,” Jason said. “Brandon could have a few sessions with Dr. Agoura, and we could meet to work out a plan for his recovery. There are so many things that I want to do for Brandon through my foundation. Plus I would like him to meet Robbie Nelson. I think that would be beneficial for both of them, since their experiences were almost identical.”
“What kinds of things are you talking about, Jason?” Mary Jacobs asked.
“We will arrange to cover all of his medical bills, take him on a shopping spree to get him new clothing and sports gear, and talk with him about what kinds of therapeutic activities he could be involved in. We especially encourage young crime victims to become involved in sports teams, or in art or music. If he needs tutoring or other assistance to get caught up in school we can provide that too. We think he would benefit from talking to other kids who have been crime victims because they understand the highs and lows, self doubt and guilt he will experience in the next week and over the next few months. It’s our way of helping Brandon to get back on his own two feet again, put the experience of his kidnapping in the proper perspective, and start to enjoy life again!”
“That is quite a laundry list you are proposing,” Gordon Jacobs responded. “And it sounds quite expensive.”
“Covering these costs is an essential part of my foundation’s commitment to young crime victims,” Jason said. “We also want to take the pressure off of you, Mr. and Mrs. Jacobs. You have enough problems to deal with right now without a whole lot of additional expenses.”
“This all sounds too good to be true,” Mary Jacobs replied. “Brandon, what do you say to all of this?”
Brandon had been listening with amazement at what Jason was proposing. “I don’t know what to say. I do know that I would like to get away for a few days. I don’t think I could handle going back to school right now. I am feeling confused and upset right now and at the same time blown away by what Jason has been saying.”
“Brandon, you need some positive and good things to happen to you,” Daniel interjected. “That is what Jason’s foundation can provide for you. Trust me he understands what you are going through right now, because he has personal experiences of being a crime victim and under the control of evil predators!”
“Then I say yes!” Brandon said with some conviction. “You two guys are like guardian angels! You saved my life today and now you want to do all of these additional things to help me out!”
After that, everyone got busy. Mary Jacobs called their family doctor, explained the situation, and was able to get him to examine Brandon later that afternoon. She then called her sister and brother-in-law to set up Brandon’s stay in San Jose. Gordon Jacobs arranged with Agent Moore to make a statement to the media at the press conference that would be held shortly at their temporary Tracy headquarters. Jason and Daniel called their parents to give them a heads up on the day’s activities before they would hear it on the news. Jason called Captain Garcia to update him and find out the name of the man his surveillance team interviewed at the Milpitas house. He then called the Liu family to give them the good news that Jian-heng’s sisters most likely had been rescued, and that the men who kidnapped Jian-heng were now in custody.
Jason and Daniel then discussed their situation with Agent Moore for a few minutes. “For right now,” Jason began, “I don’t think we want to
give out a statement to the media about our role in this because there are a number of loose ends to be worked out. From our vantage point, this case involves a lot more than the kidnapping of Brandon. We would prefer to wait until the predator who we believe tried to ‘purchase’ Brandon and Robbie Nelson is captured, and things are resolved with Jian-heng Chen and his older sisters. We also need permission from Robbie and his mother before we can talk about his case openly.”
“Our main concern at this time is getting Brandon back on his feet,” Daniel added. “I think the media will be more than happy right now to just report on his successful release from captivity, along with that of the domestic slaves, and on the capture of those two human traffickers.”
A few minutes later, Jason and Daniel made their exit after hugs and handshakes all around. As he was leaving, Jason wrote down his cell phone number and told Brandon, “As soon as you get in town tomorrow, give me a call to set up a meeting.”
“You can be sure I will,” Brandon said with a smile.
On their drive back home, Daniel remarked to Jason, “I think Hunter & Holmes did a pretty remarkable job on this case, rescuing three kidnap victims and finally tracking down Jian-heng’s two sisters! I am really sorry that both Robbie and Brandon had to suffer horrible abuse in the process, however.”
“I am too,” Jason replied. “You know how I hate the evil that predators do! But at least we spared them lives as slaves for some pervert. And there could have been an even worse alternative. A lot of kidnap victims grabbed by predators end up dead!”
Chapter 32
A Family Reunion
(March 26-27)
The story of Brandon’s rescue was all over the news Saturday evening. About four o’clock, Agent Evan Hall called a press conference to release the good news that Brandon Jacobs had been rescued from his kidnappers and was now safely at home with his parents. In his opening statement, Agent Hall reported that the FBI had two suspects in custody, Jimmie Rae Chu, 38 and Chuluun Chau, 35, who were living at and operating the Schulte Farms produce company in Tracy. He told the press that Jimmie Rae Chu and Chuluun Chau were suspected human traffickers, and that besides Brandon, a dozen young women held as domestic slaves were also rescued from the Schulte Farms house. He told the media that this case was still under investigation, and as a result he could not release all of the details about what happened to Brandon.
Days of Destiny Page 25