“He had my vote. We have to stop him. Now. Before the election. We can’t let him become president.” Gracie shuddered. “The thought of someone that evil being president is terrifying.”
Raven looked at Gracie. “You believe me?”
“Of course I believe you.”
“Just like that? No doubts. No thinking it’s my imagination or my brain just filling in the blank spots.”
Gracie shook her head. “Do you have any doubts?”
“No.”
“Then neither do I.” She looked at Hunter. “What about you?”
“If Raven says he’s the monster, then he’s the monster. The question is how will we prove it?”
“And prove it before the election.” Gracie added.
“First we have to find the barn he kept me in.”
“That means a title search. Easy peasy.” Gracie grabbed her keyboard. “I think we can assume it was in West Virginia since that was where you were found and that’s where he’s from.”
“I’m not sure about that. I’ve looked at maps of the area. West Virginia, Maryland, and Virginia all come together there in that area.”
“True but you floated downstream and that most likely means West Virginia.” Hunter looked up from his phone where he’d already brought up a map of the area.
“I guess you’re probably right about that.”
Gracie maneuvered through site after site until she ended up at the land title office of West Virginia. She looked at them. “OK. This is it.” She typed in Charles Whitman III.
They all watched the screen.
“This shows that he owns three separate holdings, but it looks as if they’re all adjacent to each other. And all in Morgan County. Looks like he’s owned two of them for a long time and the third he purchased three years ago.”
“I’ve been to his house.” She met Gracie’s gaze. “When I went down to Berkeley Springs, I sort of ended up at his house. Much closer to a mansion. I already told Hunter that I even saw the barn. It was brand new and immaculate and not the place I was kept.”
“Of course, that doesn’t mean there couldn’t be another barn on the property.”
“Except his caretaker told me they tore down his old barn to build the new one. Plus, he has several employees who work there. I can’t believe they’d all be in on him keeping a kidnapped woman.”
“Could he own other properties that his name’s not connected to?” Hunter asked.
“Sure, they could be owned by his companies or even other family members.”
“Let me see if I can find out anything about his family.” Hunter went to a search engine. “He has a sister. Her name is Bethany Whitman-Franks. Can you do a property search for her? It looks as if she doesn’t live in the area any longer because she lives in New York with her husband.”
“I certainly can.” A moment later. “I’m not seeing anything. Oh, wait…here’s something. It seems she donated some piece of property to Morgan County a few months ago. I can’t find anything else about it.”
“It’s amazing how much one can find out about anyone else with just a few clicks of the keyboard,” Raven said. “I doubt that he’d let his sister donate property to the county if it was where I was held.”
They spent the next hour trying to figure out a way to prove that Charles Whitman was her monster.
Finally, Hunter stood. “Enough. This isn’t getting us anywhere. Let’s all go to sleep and maybe one of us will have an idea tomorrow.”
46
Charles Whitman was furious. How did this woman keep getting away from him? He would not let this little nobody ruin his chance to be President. It was his right and his destiny. He pounded a fist on the sofa arm. He couldn’t believe it when that little Amish woman had walked into Suzie Q’s house. He didn’t know who was more surprised. It was a good thing she hadn’t turned on the light. She’d noticed him just as he’d pulled the trigger, but it had been dark. He didn’t think she could identify him.
Blunders and more blunders.
It was all getting away from him.
He had to put a stop to it now otherwise he’d lose his presidency before it even began.
There was a knock on his hotel door.
They were in Cleveland at the moment, but tomorrow the plan was to make it to every major city in Ohio. After all, as Ohio voted so did the nation. With only a week left before the primary, it was important to get Ohio behind him. “Come in.”
His assistant walked in. “I hate to bother you, sir.”
“What do you need, Robert?”
“It’s not what I need, sir. It’s what do you need? I know something’s wrong. I’ve known you too long to not be able to tell that.”
“I won’t insult your intelligence by denying it but it’s my problem. I’ll work it out.”
“Sir, it’s your job to get elected President. It’s my job to take care of you. Just tell me what you need done and I’ll do it.”
They’re gazes met.
“Anything, sir. I believe in you. I want you to be the next President of the United States.”
“Thank you for your vote of confidence, Robert, but this is something I need to handle on my own.”
“Begging your pardon, sir. No, it’s not. I’m your man. I’ll get it done. I’ll take care of the small annoyances so you can focus on the big picture. You tell me the problem and I’ll take care of it.”
Charles Whitman stared at his long-time assistant. “Anything, Robert?”
Without blinking, he said, “Anything, sir.”
“It is a small annoyance but it could become a big headache for me. Remember I had you look into that reporter?”
“Raven Marks. Yes, sir, I remember the name well.”
“Turns out she lives in a small town south of here. I think she’s become obsessed with me. And she’s threatened to make up lies about me if I won’t hire her. Those lies could ruin me.”
“We can’t have that, sir.”
“The thing is I’ve deleted all my correspondence with her that would prove she’s threatening me. If I had some emails and such that would prove she’s trying to blackmail me, it would make things much easier.”
Without a blink, Robert nodded. “Not a problem, sir. One of my degrees is computer science. By the time you wake up in the morning, you’ll find all sorts of threats she’s made to you over the course of the last few months. You can show them to the Secret Service if that’s the way you want it handled. Or I can find a more expedient way to handle her. After all, I was Special Forces. If you want. Your choice.”
Charles understood the unspoken offer. “I think letting the Secret Service take care of the matter would be fine.” He would discredit her before she could discredit him.
47
“What do you mean the Secret Service was at your house?” Raven’s voice squeaked. She was on Hunter’s phone talking to Amanda.
Amanda answered, “Just what I said. They wanted to know where you were. Said you weren’t at your house. When I told them I didn’t know they asked to come in to check.”
“Did you let them? Did they have a warrant?”
“They didn’t show me one if they had it, but, of course, I let them in. It’s not like you were here. Where are you? What’s going on?”
“Better that you don’t know. That way you don’t have to lie to them. If they come to your house again, just tell them the truth. I called you but wouldn’t tell you where I was. What did you tell them?”
“What could I say? I gave them your address, but they said they’d already been there and that you weren’t there. And they said, there’d been a shooting at your house last night. Is that true?”
They knew about that? What else did they know? Raven stared at the cell phone in her hand. “I can’t talk to you right now, Amanda. I have to hang up and don’t worry about me, but I won’t be able to call you for the next few days.”
“What’s going on, Raven?”
“I don’t
know, but I’m safe. And you need to stay safe. You cooperate with them in any way they need. I haven’t done anything wrong. No matter what they tell you. And trust Hunter.” As soon as she broke the connection, she began breaking down Hunter’s cell phone.
Gracie walked in. “What are you doing?”
“It’s probably too late but I’m trying to keep the Secret Service from finding my location.” She took the battery out.
“The Secret Service?”
“They were just at Amanda’s house. They wanted to know where I was.”
“Did she tell them?”
“She didn’t know so she couldn’t tell them. I sort of hung up on her.” She picked up the battery. “They might have already traced my phone. Of course it’s Hunter’s phone, so I think that it’s OK. But who knows? Do you think they could do that? So quickly?”
“I have no idea. I’m a counselor not a cop.”
“Speaking of cops, maybe I should call Hunter.” Raven looked at Gracie. “Maybe not. I don’t want to get him in trouble.”
“Don’t they need some kind of court order before they can monitor phone calls?”
“I think so, but that’s the regular police. I have no idea what kind of power the Secret Service may have. Maybe they don’t have to follow the same rules. In the name of national security.”
“Why do you think they even want to talk to you?”
“Because of Charles Whitman. I guess. But certainly he wouldn’t give them my name? Not if he’s done the things we think he’s done.”
“Doesn’t make sense to me either.” Gracie’s phone rang. She picked it up. “It’s the main office.” She pushed a button so the call would be on speaker. “Hello.”
“Gracie, I’ve got the Secret Service in my office. They’re looking for Raven Marks. Do you happen to know where she is?”
Gracie motioned for Raven to leave the room.
Raven ran out.
“Not really. Probably at her house at this time of the morning.”
Raven smiled as she listened from her spot in Gracie’s bedroom. Technically true since Gracie couldn’t see her. She might be in the bathroom or the kitchen.
“I told them the two of you were friends. They want to talk to you.”
“About what?”
“They didn’t say. Only that it was about national security.”
“I can get there in about ten minutes or so.”
“OK, they’ll be waiting.”
Gracie hung up. “Did you hear all that?”
Raven walked back out. “This is crazy. I haven’t done anything that should concern national security or the Secret Service.”
“That may be, but what better way to stop you from exposing him than by discrediting you?”
“That makes a lot of sense. I guess I was right about who my monster is.”
“I’m so sorry I talked you out of believing it. It’s just seemed…” She shrugged.
“Unbelievable. Impossible. I know. What do you think I should I do now, Gracie?”
“I think you probably need to leave. Who knows, they might ask to search my apartment. If they do, I might not have time to warn you.”
“I don’t even have a car.”
“You can take mine. The keys are on the counter.”
“But—”
“Just take them and go. And take my phone with you. I’ll call you later. If I think it’s safe.”
“OK.”
“I’m heading over to my office. Better take your things with you. Just in case they do check my apartment. I wouldn’t want them to find your stuff here. That might be hard to explain.”
As soon as Gracie left, a part of her wanted to break down. To give up. Hadn’t she been through enough because of this monster? God, I trust you.
She took a deep breath. She didn’t have time for a pity party. She hurried to the bedroom, stuffed her things in the satchel, and grabbed the keys. As she opened the door, she heard voices in the hall.
She closed the door but left it open enough to hear.
“Ma’am, we’d like to check your apartment if you don’t mind?”
“But I do mind. That’s an invasion of my privacy.”
“If you don’t have anything to hide there shouldn’t be a problem.”
Panic rose up in Raven. This was the only door in the apartment. Gracie wouldn’t be able to stop them for long.
“I don’t have anything to hide but I believe in due process. You know, I’m a counselor so I know all about due process. So, let me see your warrant.” She was stalling for time.
“Is that how you’re really playing this?”
“I believe in—”
“Due process. Yeah, I heard that. OK, we don’t have a warrant to search your apartment, but we do have an arrest warrant for Raven Marks. If we have reason to believe she’s in your apartment, we have a right to enter. How’s that for due process, ma’am?”
Raven had heard enough, she had to get out of here. She ran to the sliding window, unlocked it, and went out on the small balcony. The second floor. She stared down. How bad could it be? She’d been tossed from a cliff, so this was easy, right?
Raven tossed over the satchel, then climbed on the railing. Keep me safe, God. She took a deep breath and then climbed down still holding on to the railing. When she ran out of railing, she let go. Fortunately, she landed on her side instead of her legs. She jumped up.
With no idea where she should go or what she should do, she ran to Gracie’s car.
48
A warrant for her arrest? The words kept spinning around Raven’s head as she kept driving the back roads of Holmes County, not sure where to go. It felt surreal, like a dream. Or more like a nightmare. A truly horrifying nightmare. All she’d wanted was justice. But now she was the one being hunted.
And even worse, Gracie might be in trouble because of her. At least Raven hadn’t been there when the men came in. Because it sounded like Gracie was losing that battle when she’d jumped off the balcony.
The only problem was that she’d forgotten to shut the sliding door before she jumped. But at least they hadn’t found her in the apartment. But she couldn’t keep driving Gracie’s car. If they found her in it, Gracie could be in trouble and that was the last thing Raven wanted.
Time to start making some decisions.
She drove Gracie’s car to the Akron Canton Airport, took the battery out of the cell phone Gracie had given her, and then left that in the car as well. Just in case they were tracking Gracie’s phone.
Then she walked inside to rent a car but realized she’d need her credit card. That would lead them right back to her. This wouldn’t work. She sat down in a chair to think.
Maybe she should just fly somewhere. But she’d need her credit card and ID for that as well. If they really had an arrest warrant for her, that probably wouldn’t work either. Right now, she needed to find a place to rest and regroup. There had to be a way out of this mess, but she needed time to figure out what it was.
And then it came to her. A bus. Busses didn’t require IDs, only a ticket. She’d get a taxi and head to the bus station, but first she needed cash. A lot of it. She looked around for an ATM machine. She slipped her card in and held her breath, praying that her account hadn’t been frozen. As the money slid out, she breathed a sigh of relief then walked outside.
Two hours later, Raven saw the sign that said, ‘Welcome to Pennsylvania’ from her bus seat. As the bus pulled into the station, she grabbed her satchel and walked away, feeling only slightly safer. She went outside. Her gaze landed on a motel across the road.
She walked into the small establishment. “I need a room.”
The clerk handed her the registration slip without even looking at her. “Fill this out.”
Raven stared at it. The last time she’d done that things hadn’t turned out well. “Look. The truth is I don’t want anyone to know I’m here. Can I just pay you in cash and you not put me in the system?”
&
nbsp; He barely blinked. “Double the price. That’s the going rate for love in the afternoon.”
Her cheeks burned with embarrassment. “Fine. How much is that?”
“Let’s just make it an even two hundred.”
Good thing she’d gone the ATM earlier. “How about one fifty?”
“Two hundred.”
She wasn’t in a position to barter. She reached in her purse and handed him two one-hundred-dollar bills. She put her hand out and he gave her the key card.
He smirked. “Have a good time.”
She left without answering him. The room was just what she expected. Nothing grand but it was clean enough. She needed to make phone calls. She stared at the phone in the room. The only phone she had at the moment.
Would the government be monitoring Gracie’s and Hunter’s home phones? She really had no idea. On the other hand, she had a warrant out for her arrest for threatening a presidential candidate. That was probably serious enough to warrant government intrusion—even if it was a false accusation.
She couldn’t take a chance on them tracing her to this motel in Pennsylvania. She walked outside and looked around the area. A small strip mall was next to the motel. Maybe they’d have a phone store.
And they did.
Twenty minutes later she walked back into her motel room with two prepaid phones. The clerk at the store helped her activate it without using her credit cards or name. It had been easier than expected. She’d ended up buying two after the clerk explained that the phone could be tracked if someone found out her number.
Her plan was to call Gracie, and then Hunter with one phone. And then she’d use the second phone if she needed to contact them again. She hoped that the two different numbers would throw them off her track.
She sat down on the bed, finally able to breathe. What a mess. The thought of Hunter made her start to cry. When she finished, she felt better. God is with me. She could handle this—or anything else the monster threw at her. She wouldn’t let him ruin her life a second time. This time she would win. She couldn’t let the monster become President.
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