Sex Trafficking: Part 9: Jeff Stops Trafficking
Introduction:
This is a part 9 of a 10 part story about sex trafficking.
Although the Glass and Carter families owned a good number of properties in the area around Raymond most were generally rented out under a long term lease or in between leases. Sam’s family owned an apartment building near the university in Stonetown, some storage space in Redville, and several vacant properties in Raymond including the non-functioning lighthouse and surrounding grounds. Joe managed the Glass family properties. So that he could easily determine the availability of their properties Joe used a bulletin board to display the status and hung keys to each space on the board next to the listing for that property. Jack Carter used a company to manage the Carter properties. They collected a reasonable fee for their management and other services. The unpredictability of the status of the Glass and Carter properties ruled them out as places for Carla and Sam to get together for their sexual encounters.
Sam needed some time by himself to think and thought that a ferry ride across the channel followed by lunch at the island crab burger restaurant might be just the ticket. Traffic on the channel was always relaxing to watch with boats of all types with all sorts of purposes steaming one way and then the other. On the ferry across the channel he thought what a pretty scene as the boats pierced the haze hanging over the channel from one direction, became visible as they passed in front, and then disappeared into the mist in the other direction. He hoped Carla and his relationship was not going to be like that. And he vowed to fight to prevent that. The cold humidity of the day made the water vapor in the exhaust from each ship stack condense to form an opaque cloud after travelling a short distance which then vanished as the gasses dissipated into the atmosphere a hundred feet above the water. He watched one particularly long tow made up of a bright white and red twin stack tug pushing 4 extra-long gravel barges toward the ocean and followed it until it disappeared over 4 miles away. In front of the restaurant the tug’s exhaust were two separate streams being sent into the air but as the tug moved closer to the ocean the stacks came closer and closer into alignment until the exhausts finally merged into a single continuous cloud. He watched the stream turn starboard and disappear behind the lighthouse 5 miles away. To make it easier to see, the lighthouse tower was painted with alternating bands of black and white. Each band was 10 feet wide, there were six bands, and today he could see the top four bands and one half of the fifth. He hadn’t been to the lighthouse in years and thought he would stop by and see it before he headed back to Raymond.
At the lighthouse he walked around the grounds remembering adolescent and early teen days playing and exploring. The door off the protected parking was open so he went inside. It took him a little while to get oriented. From the protected parking to the outside of the tower down a wide hall was a distance of 6 feet. Off the tower beyond a heavily reinforced blast proof door along an even wider hall were the small weather proof storage rooms used for the gun emplacement days. Another but not as wide hall led to the utility shed and lighthouse keeper’s apartment. He tried the doors to the utility shed and apartment. They were both locked tight. He climbed the 100 plus stairs up the tower to the lens room and went onto the parapet. The memory of the path going to the ocean and channel side beaches and the warning he had been given about walking along the channel side beach were still firmly entrenched in his mind.
After he climbed back down to the grounds he took a seat on the deck located on the ocean side of the apartment. To prevent damage to the inside of the apartment during stormy weather a set of two double wide storm doors connected the deck and apartment. Several of the storm shutters weren’t closed tightly so he looked inside. He was remembering changing the storm shutters for Carla when he had gotten the splinter in October when the light went off. How about the lighthouse apartment? The more he thought about it, the more ideal he thought it might be.
That evening he talked to his dad about using the lighthouse for getting out of the house by himself from time to time and to enjoy his astronomy hobby. Sam said that sometimes his observation activities might require him to be there at odd hours or during stormy weather when access from Raymond might be impeded. And by using the lighthouse’s lens room his telescope could be set up and left so that he could get more use from it.
Now that it seemed some worthwhile use would be made of the lighthouse, Jack was happy to go along with Sam’s request and notified the management company. Once he received the keys he went to the lighthouse himself to start getting it set up. In addition to the apartment the lighthouse had utility systems in place for the entire facility to be totally self-sustaining. Sam wasn’t sure if he remembered correctly about the protected parking not being easily seen. A few trial observations confirmed that he had remembered correctly. The protected parking couldn’t be seen from the channel or the ocean side. In fact until someone actually cleared the crest of the sloping drive up to the protected parking area vehicles already parked there couldn’t be seen. He lubricated the shutter hinges, aligned the shutters, and fixed the latches so that they could be closed tightly, fixed the door off the protected parking so it could be locked, and got the self-sustaining utility systems working. Sam’s father was happy to see the enthusiastic way his son had taken on the task of getting the lighthouse working again. He told Sam he would like if to go to the lighthouse to see the results of Sam’s work. Two weeks after talking about him using it Sam and Jack Carter went to the lighthouse. Jack said he couldn’t remember the last time he had been to the lighthouse. They went around looking at the lighthouse and Sam’s progress in refurbishing it. Sam had gotten the kitchen appliances refurbished or replaced. He asked Jack if he wanted a cold beer. They were enjoying talking to each other and drinking a cold beer on the deck. Jack told Sam that he was happy with how Sam was turning out and that he was there to help Sam if needed.
After making sure he felt relaxed about Carla and he getting together at the lighthouse apartment he emailed her. Carla had spent little time at the lighthouse when she was younger and remembered little about it except for the location. But Sam seemed to think it had a great chance of working out. She hadn’t been with Sam in over three weeks and since they hadn’t been able to come up with an alternative to Carla’s bedroom she was anxious to give it a try.
Raymond high school hosted a basketball tournament the first week of March before spring break. It began with a welcoming kick off ceremony on Tuesday afternoon and ended with a tournament awards presentation dinner the following Sunday evening. After the week of the tournament was spring break that lasted two weeks.
For Raymond the combination of the tournament and spring break was a big deal. Schools were not in session during the period and a lot of the businesses changed their hours as needed for the tournament. Three weeks of no school allowed some of the Raymond residents to go on an extended holiday.
On Tuesday Sam went to the lighthouse after school and parked in the protected parking. He had already called Carla to let her know he was there. Carla had told him she didn’t remember all that much about the lighthouse so he climbed the stairs to the parapet to keep a look out. About 5 pm, he saw Carla turn off the main road. She missed the turn to go to the protected parking and parked in the front where her car could be seen from the channel. He waved to Carla and motioned that he could be coming down. Once he joined her he suggested she move her car to the protected parking area. They went back to the fork in the access road, drove to the protected parking, and parked.
After fishing George Little was boating up the channel to the marina and noticed a car parked at the lighthouse. People often parked there so that they could walk along the beach looking for shells and pieces of driftwood to use for art decorations so he thought nothing of it. The only thing that seemed a bit unusual was the time of day. People parking to go to the beaches normally got there earlier in the day so they had more daylight.
Since daylight was going to end soon, after they entered through the protected parking access door Sam started out by showing Carla around the outside noting the surroundings and facilities before going to the lighthouse apartment.
Carla was happy that she hadn’t spent much time before at the lighthouse. She had no prior memories to interfere with the feeling that this was a totally new experience. Carla said she wanted to look around a bit. Even though it was a small space it was totally thought out. Rugged, functional, and charming. The old lighthouse had weathered many a storm and done its job well and reliably every time. She was starting to feel the lighthouse’s rugged charm.
Sam had put lemonade, ice tea, beer, and wine in the apartment refrigerator and asked Carla if she wanted something to drink. It was the first time since they had gotten together for the first time in October that Sam was acting in the role of host. Carla said that even though it was still March and winter that a cold beer might be appropriate. After all beer seemed more of a sea side beverage than wine. Besides she continued this was their first meeting in a new place and it kind of seemed like their own place. She thought she should celebrate it by having something different than wine to drink. They took their beers to sit at the picnic table looking out at the ocean to visit and watched the sun set. It was a little after 630. Carla asked Sam if he wanted her to make supper. Sam said he was a little embarrassed to admit he hadn’t thought about eating. Carla went to him, took his hand in hers, and kissed his hand.
“Please don’t be embarrassed around me. Ever. I don’t know what shape the place was in before you started but you have put together a wonderful place for us at a time when it was needed. I think that together we can solve anything. And getting something to eat around Raymond is more of a matter of deciding what you want.”
Sam suggested that they take the ferry across to the island and have a crab burger at a restaurant overlooking the channel. Carla said she wasn’t familiar with the restaurant but a crab burger did sound good and thought they should buy a few things for when they were at the lighthouse. On the island they found a market and put some purchases in an ice chest before they travelled on to the restaurant. With most people attending the kick off of the basketball tournament the restaurant was practically deserted. They thought it might be more pleasant to go back to the lighthouse. After having the restaurant staff wrap the food well so it stayed hot they returned to the lighthouse and had their meal on the deck overlooking the ocean.
After they finished eating about 800, Carla told Sam that this was indeed a treat for her. Here they were out in the open and even though it was dark it didn’t seem so much like they were having to be sneaky. Sam said that he hadn’t really thought about it until then but he could understand what she was saying and now that he had a chance to think about it also he was happy for them to be spending time with each other in a less restricted situation. Here they could openly show affection for each other without worrying about being seen.
Carla looked at Sam. They hadn’t kissed when Sam greeted her. She was as happy and excited as a teen age school girl about to kiss her boyfriend for the first time. After thinking about it for a little she thought she should say something.
“From the beginning, you and I have been pretty open and honest. I’m not used to be able to talk to others about some of my thoughts. I think that some thoughts are best kept to yourself.”
“Before we got together the first time, I agreed with you. But now that we have been together and shared as much as we have I think differently. Now I think it depends on the person. With some people you don’t tell anything. Some you are cautious about what you share. But some people are special ones that you shouldn’t feel nervous about saying anything. For those people I think total honesty and not being afraid of rejection is the right way. Regardless of what you share, if it ends up that what you share causes some unreasonably harsh rejection, then that may not be the person for you. And I also think that some things need to be said at an appropriate time and not just when you think about it.
“I hope we are at the point that we can say anything to one another without feeling that the other person will think they are messed up for that they think or say. I don’t want you to ever feel that you cannot say anything to me that you want.”
“I want to kiss you so bad it hurts.”
Sam was sitting on a double wide deck chair designed to allow two persons to sit or lay down side by side. Carla sat down on the chair next to Sam. Sam put his hands on Carla’s shoulders, pulled her to him, and kissed her softly and gently. It was an even better first kiss than Carla had hoped for. Not a hot open mouth kiss like they had started with lots of times in the past. She knew those would come. These were tender, loving kisses. The kind people give to one another when they are falling in love. After being so nervous about getting together with Sam for the first time at the lighthouse, Carla lay her head on Sam’s chest. She was so relieved and happy that she thought she might start crying. Sam trailed his fingers along Carla’s scalp and through her hair. She became so relaxed that she closed her eyes and fell asleep with her head resting on Sam’s chest. Sam could feel the steady rhythm of Carla’s breathing as she fell asleep. It felt so right to be holding and comforting her. She had been sleeping on his chest for a few hours. But now it was almost mid night and getting cold. Sam didn’t know if he should just let Carla wake up on her own or go ahead and wake her up. About 1230 Carla woke up with a jolt. She was still resting her head on Sam’s chest but it took her a few minutes to remember being there. She put one hand on Sam’s chest, the other under his chin, and kissed him with the same type of soft, loving kiss he had kissed her with earlier.
“It’s getting a little cold. If we want to stay out here much longer we should probably get a blanket.”
Sam said, “I’m kind of liking being out here. Why don’t we get some blankets and pillows from inside? For the future maybe we should get one of those fire pit things for out here.”
“I think a fire pit is a great idea. But if we are going to sleep out here tonight, I think I’d like to put on my nightgown and slippers.”
After getting some blankets and pillows they headed back to the deck. Neither of them had ever seen the other ready for sleep.
Sam was used to sleeping in boxer briefs and a tee shirt. When Sam saw Carla in only her slippers and nightgown he stopped. She was wearing a soft blue full length cotton nightgown. When she moved he could see the sexy movement of her breasts and the soft blue cloth of the nightgown stretch tightly across her nipples making them easy to see. The thought that the only thing between her breasts, her stomach, her hips, her vagina, and his hand was a thin bit of cloth nightgown was so arousing that he was already getting hard.
Carla could see that he was starting to get hard. And she was starting to get wet just thinking about his erection and what they would be doing very soon.
Sam asked, “Can we sit inside at the kitchen table so I can just look at you for a while?”
“I would like to look at you for a while also.
“There is a big easy chair over there. Why don’t we take one of the blankets and snuggle under it on the chair for a while?”
The easy chair had a companion overstuffed ottoman. With it up against the chair someone could stretch out and sleep comfortably it they wanted. Sam took Carla’s hand. Together they walked to the chair and sat down side by side.
Carla moved her mouth to Sam’s, layered their lips with his lower lip between hers, and moved her lips from side to side. Sam was getting so turned on. Every time he moved his hand he “accidentally” brushed against her body. It was like getting a special surprise that he wasn’t supposed to get. Almost naughty. No! It was totally naughty. A special surprise. A treat that only he got to enjoy like when he had seen her breasts for the first time as she was taking a splinter out of his finger in October. He moved his hand to her breasts and started to fondle and caress her through her nightgown.
Carla parted her lips a little and slid her tongue slowly and softly along the inside of his bottom lip almost to one side and then the other. After he responded by flicking her tongue with his, Carla started making quick darting thrusts into his mouth with her tongue. At first she touched the tip of his tongue, the inside of each lip, and then all over inside his mouth in a cycle but quickly changed to alternate between a random unpredictable cycle of touching inside his mouth, only touching her lips to his, and gentle nibbles with her teeth along his lower lip. Whether it was because they were here alone or that they were lying side by side on a big stuffed chair he had never been so aroused from a single kiss before.
Both of them were at the point of being aroused as if it was their first time. Sam moved so he could pull her back against his chest and continued fondling her breasts. When he kissed and softly nibbled from her ears to her shoulders her neck tasted so good. He guided Carla to kneel facing down on the chair and moved so that he could kneel on the ottoman between her knees. With her nightgown pushed up to above her waist he kissed all along between her cheeks from waist to anus and kissed her anus. It was such a new and unexpected spot to have stimulated that she gasped and jerked forward. He thought he had hurt her. But he hadn’t hurt her, she had just never had that part of her body stimulated before. When she thrust her hips back against his mouth, he slid his hand under her, entered her vagina with two fingers, and stroked along the front wall until she started to rock forward and then back to stimulate her G spot with his fingertips. It was time to give her something new. He moved to her buttocks and kissed from the fleshiest spot to her anus on each cheek before he moved his mouth to her anus and started entering her with small sharp penetrations of his tongue. Using her own fingertips she started massaging her clitoris. She was hotter and more ready to cum than she had ever been. The movement of her hips forward and back to press her G spot against his finger tips and her anus against his tongue were totally out of her control. Her fingers stimulating her clitoris had become a blur. She rocked forward then back as she came. Her orgasm lasted over 40 seconds with a set of more than 30 vaginal contractions. She collapsed face down with her legs splayed wide apart on the ottoman.
“I came so hard just then that I might be sore.”
Sam lay on top of her with his head resting on her shoulder and kissed her cheek while he trailed his fingers along the back of her scalp and caressed her cheek. After an hour he took her hand and led her to the bedroom. The bed already had a down comforter and two wool blankets on it. After getting her tucked in, he went around the apartment to make sure all the doors and windows were secure and turned off the lights before he went back to the bed and lay down next to her. It was after 300 am. She was already asleep. He moved to wrap his arms around her and fell asleep holding her.
At 1030 Carla heard her phone. It was Beverly’s ring. Carla got out of bed and went to get the phone out of her purse while Sam went around opening the east and south side shutters to let the sun in. It was cold outside but inside the apartment the thick walls kept it warm enough. Carla got the coffee maker going. Sam had already put on jeans and a shirt and gone out to the deck.
Carla called Beverly.
“Hi Beverly. Is anything wrong?”
Beverly said she was worried about Carla and that she had just heard a story about an investigation looking into the disappearance of single women in the Raymond, Redville, Stonetown area. An investigation was underway but hadn’t gotten very far because there were few leads to start from. Carla assured her that she was just fine. She went on the explain that since Joe was going to be involved with the tournament, that she had decided this would be a good time for her to spend a little time away from the Glass’s house to think about some things. Beverly told her to take her time, that she could take care of herself for as long as needed, and to call her if she needed to talk to someone. Carla told Beverly to be careful until the investigation came up with something and to call her if she needed to talk. The coffee was ready. She got a cup and went to sit on the deck. Sam was just coming up from the beach with some sand dollars, a couple of interesting shells, and a few interesting bits of driftwood.
“Is everything all right?”
“It was Beverly. She heard a story about a police investigation into the disappearance of women in the area and was worried about me. I heard something about it a while back but nothing after that.
“At some point, I would like to tell Beverly about us. Do you think that would be all right with you?”
“This is how I feel. Anything that gets in the way of you and I being together is something I will do my best to get out of the way. You know your daughter. Whenever and however you want to tell her is all right with me. I will support you in any way you want me to.”
Sam said he wanted to go to Redville or Stonetown to get a fire pit for the deck and fire wood. Carla said they needed to be careful about being seen together. She asked him if he wanted her to join him and said why that might not be a good idea. He told her he always wanted for her to join him but that until they had things worked out a bit more maybe they needed to be careful. Carla said that she wanted to spend some time thinking about Beverly and how to tell her about them. Maybe he could show her how to use the telescope in the lens room and she would just hang out around the lighthouse today. After they had something to eat they went to the lens room. It was almost 1130. Sam showed Carla how to use the telescope. About 1200 Sam left to go to Redville where he bought a fire pit, a grill, a cord of firewood, and some nice fish steaks before driving back to the lighthouse. It was after 4 when he got back to the lighthouse. By 530 he had finished setting up the fire pit and grill. He decided to move only enough wood for the fire pit and the fire place leaving the rest in the bed of the pick-up. He was sitting on the deck enjoying a cold beer and visiting with Carla. She told him she liked the fire pit and the grill and would make salads to go with their steaks. He asked her about her day. After spending some time in the lens room and on the parapet she had gone down to the beach on the ocean side and then the channel side to look for shells. When she saw the waves being created by a ship in the channel she was almost to the channel side point and climbed the bank using the rocks just before a wave hit the bank below her. Sam was mad at himself for not warning her about walking on the channel side beach. He explained to her that a long time ago after several people had been swept away the area stations publicized the hazard each year. Once the Coast Guard had given up custody that practice had been abandoned. Since then at least one and sometimes two people a year had been carried out into the channel and drowned. Carla told him she wanted to put up a new sign and bug the local radio station to put on their annual calendar to warn people each year. After dinner they were sitting on the deck enjoying the fire pit. About 800 it started to drizzle so they went inside. Sam built a small fire and sat on the chair with Carla laying her head against his chest. Carla wanted him inside her so bad. As she stood up she took Sam’s hand and started to the bed room.
After a few steps, Sam told her he wanted to do a walk around first to make sure things were secure. Carla thought about her earlier conversation with Beverly and said she would join him. They walked around making sure everything was secure. Carla asked him about the other parts of the lighthouse. Sam told her he thought everything was okay but if she wanted to make sure they would.
After he got a strong flashlight they went to the protected parking door. He pointed out the lock and how to tell if it was tight. Carla asked about the hall to the storage rooms. He said that he didn’t recall any ways to the storage rooms except from the protected parking. Carla said she thought that may not be correct. The builders would likely have put in at least one other way to move powder from the protected parking to the storage rooms without exposing the tower to an accidental explosion. He shined his flashlight down the storage hall. Something did seem a bit out of line. They went down the storage hall. All of the storage room doors were completely open except for one. And it looked like someone had gone in and out of that door recently. Sam tried to open the door. It was tight and secured with a heavy chain and lock. Sam was concerned. What was behind that locked door? Who had come and gone through the door? He decided it was too late to investigate much further and told Carla he wanted to get his shotgun and revolver from his truck before they continued in case they were needed. Once he had his shotgun and Carla had the revolver he went back to the locked door, knocked, and called out.
“Is anyone in there? My name is Sam. Carter. My family owns this lighthouse.”
There was no response. Sam told her that he didn’t think anyone was there right then or if they were they were being quiet. The continued down the storage hall. Sam had forgotten about a small elevator used to move barrels of powder and other supplies from the protected parking to the storage hall. The door had a sturdy lock. He went to the door and tested it. It was tight and secure. Sam decided that access from outside into the storage hall was adequately secure. Back inside the lighthouse tower Sam shined his flashlight around in case he had forgotten something else. The blast door had a strong lock to prevent unauthorized people from opening it from the storage hall. But it hadn’t been used in years. After a bit of trying Sam was able to slide the door along the steel support track into the reinforcement braces on either side. They fit. Definitely not as tightly as in the gun emplacement days but for preventing entry into the tower of the lighthouse from the storage hall they were plenty. After a few minutes with the lock he had it working. It was almost 1030 before they finished securing things for the evening. Sam said that except for going somewhere else they were as secure and safe as they could be. Carla said that she felt safer being there with Sam than she would be anywhere else. Sam went over everything he remembered about the lighthouse checking off each threat. He couldn’t think of anything they had not addressed. He lay down on the bed with a pillow under his head. Carla lay beside him and started massaging him from the back of his scalp all the way to the small of his back. He was so tired and her touch was so relaxing he fell asleep. Carla went around turning out the lights, went back to the bed room, and lay down next to Sam underneath two thick wool blankets.
About 300 am the wind picked up. The whine of the wind swirling around the lighthouse woke him up. Carla had moved to rest her head on his back. He rolled over to face her and softly pressed her body against him. The movement woke her up. She thought what a wonderful way to wake up, put a hand behind his neck, the other under his chin, and kissed him softly, tenderly, lovingly. Their kiss quickly changed to a hot passionate kiss with her tongue darting inside his mouth. He wanted to look at her body and lifted her nightgown. The light from the moon and navigation aids was enough for him to see from her pretty face all the way to the dark triangular patch of soft hair between her legs. He turned himself around with his feet toward the top of the bed and kissed along both sides of her labia before he lifted her clitoral hood with the fingers of one hand and started kissing and licking her clitoris. With one hand behind her buttocks, he could move her hips up or down and forward or back. Carla put one hand under his scrotum and used the other to control the position of his penis so that she could kiss the tip and stimulate the entire length with small kisses and her mouth sliding along the entire length from the tip to the base. He was completely hard. As she kissed the tip, Sam pushed against her lips. Carl took the tip and the first half into her mouth and continued to flick the tip with her tongue. Then another third. And finally she had his penis completely inside her mouth. She continued to suck him, lick and flick the tip with her tongue. He was so stimulated that he stopped stimulating her clitoris and started just fucking her in the mouth. Carla had moved her hands to his butt cheeks to pull him into her as completely as she could. When he turned slightly the back of one of her hands brushed against his anus. He jerked his hips forward and let out a loud gasp. She moved her index finger to his anus and after a few minutes of trailing her finger tips across it used her fingertip to penetrate him. It was such a new stimulation that he jerked back from her finger before pushing his anus harder against her finger. She penetrated him more deeply and began finger fucking him in the ass. He was completely under her control, oblivious to anything except her warm mouth around his penis, and her finger fucking him in his ass. She tasted the first bit of his semen as it entered her mouth and continued to suck him as hard as she could. He put his hands behind her head and pushed his penis into her mouth as deeply as he could before he ejaculated all of his remaining cum in her mouth. She continued to suck him until the tip became too sensitive and he pulled away. Carla leaned down and used her hands on his shoulders and arms to turn him back around. He put his head on her chest as she softly trailed her finger tips through his hair and along his scalp. After a few minutes he fell asleep. Carla continued to hold his head against her chest stroking and caressing him until she fell asleep.
They woke up to the sound of ship horns signaling their intentions to other ships in the channel and the ocean. It was about 1130. Carla checked her phone. There was a message from Beverly and one from Joe. She would call Beverly first and go to their house to talk to Joe if needed. Sam said he wanted to get some additional locks for some of the doors and access points. He did a walk around looking for any access points he might not have thought about and checked the utility shed. There were plenty of chains of various lengths, ropes, rings, and locks but he didn’t have any keys for the locks. He would need to take off some of the old locks and install new ones. Somewhere in a back corner of his mind he seemed to recall some diagrams for the lighthouse developed when modifications were made for it to be used as a gun emplacement. He thought his dad might remember and sent a text. After having something to eat and taking a shower they each headed out to take care of their tasks for the day.
About 400 pm Sam returned to the lighthouse, used a pair of bolt cutters to take off the old locks, and put new locks on the chains in the utility shed. He checked his messages. He saw that his dad had responded that he remembered some drawings in a file cabinet in the living room of the apartment.
In the file cabinet he found what he was looking for. The drawings were old with some dating back to the 1800s and a little fragile. He made plans to go to Redville the next day to get copies made.
About 530 Carla called. Beverly was very upset. Joe had come home from the tournament and thrown a temper tantrum. Without Carla there he yelled and cussed at her until he finally got himself drunk in the den and passed out. Carla said she thought she needed to stay there to shield Beverly from any more of Joe’s outbursts and asked him if he would still be willing to help her if she decided to tell Beverly about them. Sam was a little angry. Not at Beverly, Joe, and certainly not Carla. He was angry that he wasn’t there to keep Carla from being hurt.
“It bothers me a little to think you even think you need to ask. I don’t make commitments casually and certainly not to someone as important to me as you. I will do whatever you want me to for you to be happier. Beverly is important to you so she is important to me.”
Friday morning Sam got up and was on the road by 900. In Redville he found a copy shop and had several copies of the drawings made. He was hardly in a hurry and decided to drive to Stonetown and then back to the lighthouse. It would take longer but it was a pleasant drive and he hadn’t been that way in years. About 300 he was back at the lighthouse. Carla called about 430 and asked if she could come see him on Saturday. He kept one set of the drawings out, put the originals and remaining copies in the file cabinet, and spread the drawings out on the living room desk. After a little study he read a notation on a section of the powder storage rooms to refer to a detail drawing. The detail drawing and notes showed vents from each of the equipment storage closets connected to the larger storage rooms. He reasoned that they were probably there to keep a build-up of explosive gases from forming. Another detailed drawing showed that the vents all opened into a common duct that discharged into a vent over the protected parking away from the tower and referred to still another detail drawing for a boom type of device for accessing the parking area roof. He went to each of the storage rooms. Sure enough, back in the equipment storage closets off each of the unlocked rooms in the corner was a vent inlet. Each of the rooms had the same configuration. He went outside to see if he could spot the discharge vent over the protected parking. From the ground he couldn’t see it. But after climbing up to the parapet he saw it and the boom. He puzzled over it for a bit. How would someone get to the discharge vent over the parking? Back in the apartment he studied the drawing and read the notes about the boom. He should have realized that this being a sea shore installation there would be a sailor type of set up. The drawings showed a jack screw at the corner of the protected parking that could be used to move the boom into position. He went outside to the corner and found a cover that could be slid out of the way providing access to the jack screw. He tried to move it but it seemed a little tight. After apply a little machine oil for lubrication he waited 15 minutes and tried it again. It required a moderate amount of torque but at least it turned smoothly and didn’t seem to be hanging up. After 7 turns he could see the boom holding the pulley coming into view. Another dozen turns and the boom was fully extended. Back inside the cover over the jack screw he saw a smaller jack screw. After a few turns he could see that a cable on the end of the boom was being lowered. He continued to lower the end of the cable until he could grasp the ring at the end of it. So that was how it was supposed to work! You swung out the boom first, lowered the cable using the other jack screw under the cover, and attached a rope ladder or something to the ring to climb to the roof of the parking. He got a rope from inside and after attaching it to the ring climbed to the roof. The discharge vent had a stainless steel cover and even after years of not being opened the cover was easily removed. After climbing back to the ground he used the smaller jack screw to retract the cable with the rope still attached, used the larger jack screw to move the boom back over the parking roof, and tied the rope to a ring at the corner where the protected parking intersected with the tower.
It was getting late. He had one more chore to do before he called it a day. With a new lock and the bolt cutters he cut the lock on the locked storage room door and went in. He wondered what he was looking at. There was a bed of some sort. At the corners of the bed there were posts with ropes tied to them. Back in the equipment storage closet he found a wheelbarrow, two halves of an old electric water heater, a sledge hammer, and some knives. He had thought it might be some type of narcotics operation but now he was drawing a blank. What did someone want to do with this set up? Why out here? He figured that whoever set it up might eventually come back. And if they did he needed to be prepared and if they didn’t in good time he would decide what to do with all of that. He wanted for whoever had set it up to have to contact him if they wanted to get back inside and put his new lock on the door.
About 700 pm he called Carla to let her know that he was going to need to run some errands on Saturday morning. He told her about some of the things he had found out, said he would leave the protected parking access door unlocked, and told her about the locked room.
Anita read the email from the news room. There was a story about to be broadcast about a police investigation looking into the disappearance of several women in the area. The mother of one woman in particular had given the police an approximate time that she thought her daughter had gone missing while attending a Christmas trade show event in Raymond. She immediately called Jeff. Jeff remembered giving the storage room at the lighthouse a thorough scrub down after he used it for his one and only sex slave capture. The week end was coming up. Jeff made plans to go to the lighthouse to clear out the storage room on Saturday.
About 900 Saturday morning Jeff got to the covered parking. Carla’s car was already parked and the protected parking door was open. He went inside and found the door to the storage room open. It sounded like someone was already inside. They were making a good amount of noise and didn’t hear him as he went to the door, quietly closed it, and secured it with the lock and chain. Since it looked like a new lock and he didn’t have a key he just hung the lock through the links of the chain. He went back to his cab, got one of his locks, and secured the storage room door with it before removing the other lock.
Okay. So whoever is in the room is now trapped.
What now?
By 1030 Sam had finished his errands and was back at the lighthouse. He saw that another car was parked under the protected parking behind Carla’s car. Sam drove to the other side of the lighthouse and parked. Where was Carla? He looked in the apartment. No Carla. He walked back to the protected parking. The other parked vehicle wasn’t just any vehicle. It was a cab. As quietly as he could, he went inside the lighthouse. He could hear that someone was down the storage hall with the storage rooms but couldn’t hear any voices.
Someone’s down there.
He could hear that someone was coming back to the tower and went to the hall leading to the apartment and utility shed.
Probably the cab driver.
Back in the storage hall, he saw that the door to the storage room was locked with a different lock and his lock had been removed. He knocked on the door.
“Is anyone in there?”
He could hear someone reply but couldn’t hear clearly enough to be sure if it was Carla. Inside a different but close storage room he went to the vent inlet in that room and called.
“Is there anyone in the locked storage room?”
Carla heard a voice coming from the small storage closet.
She followed the sound and used the butt end of one of the knives to tap on the vent.
Sam called again, “Is there anyone in the locked powder storage room?”
She got closer to the vent and answered,
“Yes. There is someone in the locked storage room. Is this Sam?”
“Yes it is. Is that you Carla?”
“Yes it is.”
“Just hang tight for a bit. I will get you out.
He studied the vent inlet cover. It was secured with hex head nuts and bolts in each corner. He figured the other inlet covers were secured in a similar way. He called out to Carla,
“Carla. Look at the cover you just tapped on. Are there six sided nuts in each corner?”
Carla looked and replied, “There are nuts in each corner.”
Now he was faced with a choice. Should he go ahead and cut the lock to get Carla out or set a trap for the cab driver. He decided that getting Carla out was the first priority, cut the lock with the bolt cutters, opened the door, and went inside.
Jeff had just started down the storage hall as Sam was going inside. He ran to the door, closed it, and secured it with Sam’s lock that he had removed earlier. He got a new lock from the cab and locked the chain. Now he had Carla and Sam both inside the locked storage room.
Sam was happy that he had looked at the drawings. After taking off the four nuts, he removed the vent cover. It looked plenty wide for him to fit in. He asked Carla if she wanted to stay in the room or go with him. Carla said that if whoever had locked Sam and her in the room came back it would probably be better if neither were there.
Sam got the restraint ropes, tied the end of one length to the duct side of the cover, and had Carla go in first. He worked with the cover to rest two of the corners so that they were supported by the top bolts and went inside. He told Carla to go ahead to the corner and wait for him. Once they were past the corner he tied the free end of the rope attached to the vent cover around the sledge handle and pulled it tight to hold the cover tight. He told Carla,
“Now. If someone comes back to the room they will find it empty. Unless they cut the end of the rope where I attached it to the cover they won’t be able to get out if they are locked in the room.
“I am not sure which way to go to get to the outside.”
Carla remembered the old trick from her girl scouting days. After wetting her finger she held it in the duct. One side was getting a little colder than the other.
“Ok. The air is probably coming from the rooms to the outside. We just need to go in the direction away from the cold side.”
After several turn arounds and back tracks they had been travelling on hands and knees through the duct for over 2 ½ hours when they finally made a turn and saw day light. After another 15 minutes they were at the vent to the atmosphere on top of the parking that Sam had removed the day before. It was tight. They had come so far. What now? Sam had a pair of wire cutters and the wrench he had used to unscrew the nuts on the vent inlet. After 20 minutes he had cut a big enough hole for his hand, reached through it, and unscrewed the two nuts on one side. Now he could raise one side. He unscrewed one of the remaining nuts, pushed the cover clear on three corners and swung the cover out of the way. Carla and he climbed onto the parking roof.
He told Carla that he thought they needed to be a little quiet. Now they had the element of surprise in their favor. Carla and he talked about what to do now. They decided that he would use the rope to climb off the roof to the ring in the corner where he had tied it, then he would untie the rope, and Carla could climb down from the roof.
After 10 minutes he had reached the ground and untied the rope. 15 minutes more and Carla and he were both standing on solid ground.
He told Carla that he thought she should just stay in the corner for a few minutes while he went to get his revolver and shotgun from the apartment. Once they were armed they went to the parking entrance door and went inside. Jeff had heard the thumping sounds as Carla and Sam made their way to the parking roof through the vent duct. But now it was all quiet. He was just walking out of the storage hall to the tower when he came face to face with Sam and Carla. Sam had his revolver out pointed at Jeff. It took Sam a while but then he recognized Jeff.
“I haven’t seen you in a long time but I recognize you now. I don’t know what you are doing here or what all of this is about but I’m convinced that it isn’t anything close to legal. This is a 357 magnum. Capable of putting a hole in you bigger than two softballs. Take a look at your chest and try to imagine an area where a hole that size wouldn’t kill you. So I suggest you do what I tell you. I doubt anyone would doubt that I shot you in self-defense after you tried to lock us up.
“Turn around and lean against the wall with your feet wide apart.
“This woman is going to pick up whatever you have in your pockets so empty them onto the floor.”
Jeff dropped his wallet and keys on the floor. Carla retrieved everything before unsnapping the phone case from his belt.
Sam told Carla to take the keys to the lock on the powder storage room and see if one of them would unlock it. Carla called back to Sam after a few minutes.
“It’s unlocked. What next?”
“Come back here.
“Jeff! Go to the storage room door and wait for me.”
Once Jeff had opened the storage room, Sam told him to get down on his hands and knees and crawl inside.
“Now. Put the end of this rope around your wrist.
“Good. You might make it out of this alive. Now wrap one end of this rope around your ankles.
“Now wrap this rope around your other wrist and lay face down between the posts.
“Carla. Take the ends of each rope length and wrap it around the posts at the corners.
“Jeff. Keep your face down.
“Carla. If this guy even moves his head up to look shoot him. Do you think you can do that?”
“At this point it is going to be harder for me not to shoot him than to shoot him.”
“Jeff. You have been warned. Trust me on this. She is not someone you want mad at you. I have never seen her shoot but that is a 12 gauge shotgun with double buck shot. From this distance you don’t stand a chance. So stay still.”
Sam went to each post and tied the rope restraints tight.
“Okay. You can get up and move around.”
Jeff tried to move. The only movement he could make was to turn his head or move his butt up and down. Sam moved everything from the equipment storage closet to another storage room and locked the access door.
He took Carla’s hand and together they walked out of the powder storage room, closed the door, and locked it .
Back in the apartment Carla and Sam breathed a sigh of relief.
Sam said, “Now that is something I don’t do every day.”
Carla saw the drawings spread out on the desk.
“I need to move quickly on another thing right now. I don’t want for you to feel I am putting you in the middle of a mess and won’t be offended if you don’t want to be involved.”
Sam was angry and he let Carla know it.
“How can you possibly think that I don’t want to be involved in anything you want me involved in! After what all we went through today? I can’t think of anyone else I would trust to do what we just did.”
“Okay. Here goes! I need to get Beverly and myself out of that house. Joe seems to have blown a fuse.
“Right now Beverly doesn’t know about us. She may suspect but probably not. I would like to get her out of there and maybe come here without letting Joe know.”
Sam had a quick mind and was good about thinking on his feet.
“Okay. Here is what I think we should do. I will go get a vehicle that neither Joe nor Beverly will recognize. Have her drive to the private medical center parking entrance and wait. We will meet there and I will use my pass to take her car inside and leave it. She should wait in the vehicle I will meet her in. I will walk out of the parking area and together we can drive back here. You can spend some time while I am going to set up bed and so forth for her to stay.
“She needs to bring her clothes and things she needs for school after spring break.
“Does that sound workable?”
He could see the relief in Carla’s face.
“It sounds like a wonderful plan. How soon do you want to get going?”
“Now. Joe’s probably out of the house at the tournament and won’t be back until after 1030.
“Maybe while I am going to get Beverly you can make some supper?”
Sam called his dad.
“Can I use the green jeep for a while tonight? I have a few things I need to use it for.
“Okay. Thanks. I should be there to leave the truck and take the jeep within an hour or so. I don’t know if I will be able to bring the jeep back tonight. If I can’t is it okay if I wait until tomorrow afternoon?”
Carla called Beverly. They set 800 as the time for her to be at the med center parking entrance.
Sam was at the entrance by 745. At 750 he saw Beverly’s car pull up in behind the jeep. Sam went to the driver’s side and waved at Beverly.
Beverly popped the trunk. She and Sam moved her things to the jeep. He opened the passenger side door and she got inside. Once he had taken Beverly’s car in, he returned to the jeep, got in, and started back to the lighthouse.
Beverly and Sam hadn’t exchanged a word. Sam started, “Hi Beverly. I know this is probably a shock. We are going to the lighthouse. Your mom is there and will explain further.”
“After last night and today, I am really tired. Do you mind if I just sit quietly while you drive?”
“No I don’t. Do you want me to turn on the radio?”
“I’d prefer it to just be quiet. Is that okay with you?”
“Very much. Feel free to fall asleep it you want.”
It took almost 45 minutes to get back to the lighthouse. Sam drove up and parked. Carla came around from the deck and opened the door.
Beverly got out, put her head on Carla’s shoulder with Carla hugging her, and started to cry. By the time Beverly pulled away, Sam had already moved Beverly’s things from the jeep to the apartment living room. Carla took Beverly by the hand and walked around to the deck. Sam was standing on the deck sipping a cold beer.
Carla stopped, turned to Sam, and hugged him.
“Thank you.”
Beverly didn’t know what to make of it all. But what she did know was that Carla and Sam had gotten her out of the bitter, biting storm of last night and today. And without Carla there to quiet things down it was likely to get worse before it got better. She went to Carla and Sam and hugged them both.
“I don’t know what all is going down here but thank both of you. I feel like I’ve been inside a barrel with someone beating on it with a baseball bat since Wednesday night.”
Carla answered, “I don’t know how best to let you know what is going on. But here I feel there is some peace and we can talk openly and honestly.
“I have a pot roast going inside. Maybe we can talk over dinner.”
Back in the apartment. Carla showed Beverly around. It was a small space inside. Carla had set up the day bed next to the desk in the living room. She said if Beverly needed more privacy she might be able to later in another part of the lighthouse but for now that is what she thought they should do. Beverly was curious. It was fine if she would be sleeping on the day bed in the living room.
Where do Sam and mom sleep?
Are there more bed rooms?
Neither Carla nor Sam had mentioned the cab in the parking area.. Beverly asked about it. Sam and Carla had completely forgotten about it. They said that they would explain in the morning but for now each of them needed to take care of a few things.
Sam remembering something he had noticed on the drawings. If this was a gun emplacement at one point there would likely be some place where people trying to take over the lighthouse might be kept locked up. And during the Coast Guard days with this being a military run installation there would be a space that could be used as a brig. He went back and studied the drawings. It looked like the far powder storage room on the right of the storage hall had rings installed on the walls that could be used to keep someone held like a brig. He told Carla that he was going to go check something out in the storage hall. Carla said she wanted a little time to talk to Beverly.
With his light he went to the room indicated as the brig. Rings in the wall were there and on the floor he found three pairs of shackles. In the utility shed he found chains that would fit and used the shackles, chains, and locks to secure each of Jeff’s ankles and one wrist to the restraints next to the bed. Sam put some food and water on the floor next to the bed and untied the rope for the remaining wrist.
“You can move around to eat but that is it.
“If you do anything that I think is aggressive, I won’t hesitate to kill you.”
He went back to the apartment. Carla was talking to Beverly in the kitchen. Beverly said wasn’t surprised that Carla was having an affair. She had been witness to Joe’s abusive behavior for years. The only thing that surprised her was who she was having an affair with.
When Sam came into the kitchen Beverly looked closely at Sam. Why not Sam? The more she watched him and the more they talked the happier she got for Carla. Here was a handsome, sweet, capable man. He treated her mom like someone special.
Over supper Carla and Sam told her about their day being taken prisoner, escaping, and what was now going on in the storage room. The more they talked, the wider Beverly’s eyes became in amazement. So that was the story of the cab.
Sam said that it was late but he wanted to go take a look in the cab. He found Jeff’s notebook with names, addresses, and notes.
One name in particular stood out. He knew Ryan Brown from his childhood and teen years but had lost touch with him. The notes under Ryan’s name were that he was an operator of an unlicensed cab like Jeff and he was a collector. There were multiple references to trafficking and someone identified only as Chief. He went through the contacts on Jeff’s phone. There was a Chief listed. With lists of characteristics, dates, and amounts, it looked like an order book. There were notes about signal lights. It looked like some operating instructions.
Back at the cab, Sam made some mental notes. There were no lock knobs or door handles that could be accessed from the rear seat. Between the rear and front seats there was a window that once it was closed could only be opened from the front seat. There were lights on the dash matching the colors mentioned in the operating instructions. Red, yellow, and green. And a blue button next to the lights. He noticed the ear phone jacks on the dash. Beverly had a music player with ear phones. He went back to the cab and plugged in the phones. Quite by accident, Carla was close to the open rear seat door and said something to Sam. He could hear what she said through the ear phones. Under the trunk there was a nozzle of some type. After opening the trunk, Sam didn’t think that the car could be powered by LNG or propane. There were no tanks and the nozzle didn’t seem like the type used for adding either of those. So the nozzle must have some other use.
He wasn’t sure how he was going to proceed but for tonight he decided he didn’t need to figure it out. He was tired. Carla, Beverly, and he were safe. And Carla and Beverly were out of the path of Joe’s wrath.
Sunday morning he woke up about 730. Beverly was still asleep and Carla had gone to the kitchen to make coffee and breakfast. Sam took Jeff out of the storage room and took him to the rear seat of his cab. After breakfast he had Carla follow him to the Lincoln hotel and parked Jeff’s cab with Jeff in the rear seat.
It was about 1030. Sam used Jeff’s phone to send a message to Chief,
“I need to come see you this morning about something. It’s really important.”
Next he sent a message to Ryan
“Jeff is going to be in the back of his cab at the Lincoln hotel parking lot.
“The cab will be unlocked. The keys will be under the floor mat on the driver’s side.”
After wiping the phone clean of prints he removed the memory card, broke it so it couldn’t be read, and left it and the note book in plain site on the front seat of Jeff’s cab.
Ryan called Morris and told him he needed to come see him right away. They set 100 Sunday afternoon for them to get together.
At 100 Ryan arrived at the processing center in Jeff’s cab and pressed the blue button. Morris saw that blue button one had lit up.
That’s Jeff’s cab.
What is going on?
He responded with the all clear. He saw Jeff’s cab drive in and park in the wire cage. Jeff was in the back seat and Ryan was driving.
Ryan got out and walked to Morris.
“We got a situation old man. Jeff is planning to give both of us up to save his own skin.”
Morris put on his mask and attached the nitrogen to the cab. After 100 seconds Jeff dropped over onto the rear seat, Morris took him to the processing room, and continued the wake up. Morris decided that he wasn’t going to trust either of them until he was sure what was going on. He went back on the floor. Ryan was standing near the rear door of Jeff’s cab. Morris walked up behind Ryan, pushed him into the rear seat, and slammed the door. Because the atmosphere in the cab was almost pure nitrogen after 10 seconds Ryan dropped to the rear seat and Morris moved him to the processing room to continue the wake up process. Jeff was fully awake. Morris wheeled him to a vault and moved him to a table. Ryan was almost completely awake. He decided to talk to Jeff first. Back in the vault he asked Jeff if he could tell him what was going on. Jeff told him about the call from Anita about the story about to be broadcast concerning the police investigation. He continued by telling Morris about his attempt to have a sex slave and what had transpired at the lighthouse. Morris called Anita to confirm or refute Jeff’s story. Anita confirmed Jeff’s story.
So it sounds like Jeff’s story is believable.
I’ll find out more about the sex slave part later.
He went to talk to Ryan. Morris thought somehow Ryan may have been tricked into believing Jeff was going to give him up. He knew that Ryan wanted to get rid of Jeff so he could take over Jeff’s part of the business.
Why did Ryan think it was necessary to use Jeff’s cab to bring Jeff to the processing center?
I think Ryan made up the part about Jeff about to give us up.
Morris got Ryan’s cell phone and looked through the messages and calls.
There’s nothing here about Jeff giving anyone up.
There is a message about Jeff being in the back of his cab.
I think Ryan is the liar here.
Morris went back to the processing room to question Ryan further. Ryan couldn’t explain how he became aware that Jeff was going to give Ryan and Morris up or how things evolved so that Jeff was in the rear seat with Ryan driving Jeff’s cab.
I’m convinced that Ryan is the bad guy here.
This operation is coming apart. I think it’s time to bail out.
He needed to move fast, went to the office, and called Esteban.
“Hi Esteban.
“I need your help. This operation is about to come apart.
“I think one of my collectors was going to break things all apart exposing everything.
“I would like for me to fly there very soon probably today with the guy in a crate. I’m hoping you will accept him as a gift for helping me out.
“Okay. I will call you later with any updates but for now I need to take care of some things.
“Thanks. I plan to see you soon.”
Morris went to the vault and let Jeff free.
“All of this is coming apart. I think you and Anita need to get out of here as soon as you can.”
He could see Jeff’s eyes shift as if he had just been given some terrible news.
“Just get the two of you out of the country as soon as possible.
“This entire operation is about to fly apart and I don’t think I can protect you two.”
Jeff could tell Morris was worried. They needed to move quickly. He told Morris that his phone had been taken and he would be getting a burner phone to use.
Jeff called Anita on Morris’s phone and filled her in. He explained that he didn’t have his burner phone yet and would call her from a land line until he did. She went about getting ready to fly out as soon as possible. Jeff went home and got all of his cash except 100,000 and his passport.
It was Sunday. Anita always kept her passport with her in case she needed to travel. The only thing that worried Anita was the documentary. It was all on a hard drive in her safe deposit box and the box wouldn’t be accessible until Monday after the bank opened.
She called Jeff, “I think I should wait until tomorrow to give me enough time to get to the safe deposit box and get the documentary that I wrote.”
Jeff called Morris.
“I have a flight out this afternoon to Cartagena in Colombia.
“Anita needs to wait until tomorrow to get the documentary from the safe deposit box.”
“She will fly tomorrow.”
“I have a lot of cash. Can I bring it to you to take with you?
“Okay. I will see you very soon.”
Back at the processing center, Morris had loaded Ryan in a shipping crate and loaded it in the hearse. He saw the blue light from Jeff’s cab. Jeff drove into the center and gave Morris his briefcase with his money. They talked a bit to get their activities straight.
Morris started, “You are going to Cartagena today. Anita is flying tomorrow. I am flying out with Ryan in a crate as soon as we finish talking.
“I will try to call you in Cartagena. If I don’t here is someone you should be able to get to help you. His name is Carlos. Just explain to him who you are and our relationship. He has been a customer of mine for years.”
“Okay. What happens after we get to Colombia?”
“I will join you as soon as I can. It might not be until late today or tomorrow. Once we all three get together we can take it from there.”
Morris called Carlos and filled him in about Jeff and Anita flying there and why.
Jeff called Anita on Morris’s phone. He had just bought a burner phone and he gave her the number. The plan was he would drive his cab to Redville and catch the flight to Cartagena today. As for his cab he would just leave it at the airport. It was all a little rushed but it was working out. Once on board Jeff called Morris.
“I am on board for the flight to Cartagena. I should be there this evening.
“I have added Carlos’s number to my contacts list on a burner phone I just bought.
“Okay. We hope to see you in Colombia.”
Next he called Anita, confirmed her travel plans, and gave her Carlos’s number.
Morris called the Raymond airport.
“Hi Bill. I need for you to fly today.
“I know. It’s Sunday and the cost is more.
“I’ll be there within 45.”
Morris drove to the airport and together they loaded Ryan into the plane for shipping. Now Morris needed to take the hearse somewhere else and leave it. He drove the hearse back to Raymond, parked it at the Lincoln hotel, and caught a cab back to the airport.
About 800 Morris and Bill landed in Chihuahua. Esteban had Ryan’s crate unloaded and taken to his ranch. He wasn’t sure what he would do with him. Probably use him as a prey animal or gladiator. Morris said he needed to continue his journey and would be going on to Cartagena. Esteban wished Morris a safe journey. Morris told him he might not be talking to him again and thanked him for all his help. Esteban said that with all the help Morris had given him over the years that it was the least he could do.
Morris talked to Bill about flying on to Cartagena. Bill said he could do it but it was too long for a single flight. After consulting his charts and range data they decided that they would fly to Merida to refuel, rest for a few hours, and then fly on to Cartagena .
At 330 pm Monday they landed in Cartagena. Morris handed Bill 6,000 cash and called Jeff. He and Anita were already at Carlos’s ranch outside Cartagena sitting by the pool enjoying a cold beer.
Carlos heard Jeff say Morris’s name and asked him if he could talk to Morris. Carlos told Morris he would send a car for him to come to Carlos’s ranch and that he would advise against taking a private taxi unless he was travelling with a Colombian or in a cab arranged for by a Colombian native.
At 530 Morris was sitting by the pool talking to Anita and Jeff drinking a beer. Carlos joined them. He asked Morris what had happened. After Morris and Jeff explained things Carlos asked if they were father and son. Morris said he thought so. Jeff was shocked.
Anita confessed that after watching Morris and Jeff outside her apartment in Redville she had suspected but thought it not her place to say anything.
Morris, Anita, and Jeff talked about what they were going to do from this point. She asked them about the documentary. They wanted her to get rid of it but she wanted to use it to create some type of fictional account. At last they reached a compromise. As long as Morris, Jeff, and Anita were together Morris and Jeff could act as the information sources for Anita’s fictional account. She didn’t want to do it but as she turned the handle on the vise and she heard the glass shatter it felt really good to be free of one more burden. They agreed that going back to the Raymond area was out. They had their cash and identifying papers. All that was left in Raymond was the processing center, Jeff’s cab, and Morris’s hearse. Morris said he thought they should go someplace very far away and settle into a new life.
Anita suggested that she have the confessions Morris and Jeff had made edited and then sent on to the Redville police chief and it would all go down from there. After deleting Morris and Jeff’s identifying information she sent the messages to Jeff’s burner phone and he forwarded them on to the Redville police chief.
Once the messages had been forwarded, Jeff got rid of the burner phone and bought a replacement.
Jeff recalled Morris talking about New Zealand and fishing. The three of them talked it over and decided that a remote New Zealand village was where they would go to start over.
