My Sister's Fear

by T. J. Jones

  I peered at her cautiously. "Holy Cow, I didn't even know that was you." I slid into the chair opposite her.

  "That's a good thing. In my business being recognizable is a liability."

  "Who's going to recognize you?" I glanced around the I-Hop.

  "I've been raising hell, trying to hone in on the trafficking and make the bastards pay for what they did to Davey and Sam. I think they're getting tired of me poking my nose into things. It didn't take them long to reorganize. They have a lot of resources, and a some well connected people in their back pockets. Frank and Gary Jeffries were just minor players. Most of the money is coming from overseas."

  "This agency of yours, you have help, right? You're not going after them alone? What about the FBI, I thought they were all over this?"

  "The FBI has a lot on their plate and Homeland security has been busy lately, in case you haven't noticed. Our department is at the bottom of the barrel, so I'm lucky to be getting a paycheck. Protecting immigrant kids isn't a high priority right now."

  "But a lot of these kids that are being kidnapped are US citizens."

  "My mandate is to investigate child trafficking, especially immigrants. I keep fighting to widen the net, because like you say, a lot of these girls are American citizens and I know for a fact that the organization that Frank and Gary were connected to didn't just target girls fresh off the boat. But it's political. My job is to make sure there aren't large groups of immigrant kids being sold into slavery, not because it would be horrific, but because it would look bad on the six o'clock news."

  "So, you have fewer resources and the problem is getting worse, not better."

  "The people I hoped to get to and maybe even indict are still in business, paying off politicians to redirect funding so agencies like mine don't have the manpower to investigate properly. I knew it would be impossible to arrest the big player from the Middle East, but there are a couple of Congressmen involved, and big money out of Washington and New York."

  "You said it was big. What about Gary's testimony? He can name names, right?"

  "He's not been very helpful so far. He's a tough negotiator. I've been close more than once to pulling our offer and throwing him to the wolves. Once the organization knew where he was, prison or not, he wouldn't last long."

  "Maybe, but he has a remarkable gift for staying alive. He supposedly died in that plane crash four years ago, and we both know that didn't happen. I still haven't told Maggie anything about him, but I need to, and soon. Hoping that won't land me in jail again."

  She grinned. "You have my permission. I'm guessing that's going to be a difficult conversation."

  "There's no way she could realize her uncle is alive, much less that he's the Diablo. She tries not to show it, but she's struggling with everything that happened. She says good riddance, but Frank was her father and that has to hurt. I think finding out Davey was her half-brother is what's really kicking her ass. At least they had the chance to be close, even if she thought all along that he was just the neighbor's kid."

  "What the hell? Davey Templeton was their brother? This is news to me. No wonder he wanted to get back to Point Road to protect his family. Why in the hell didn't you tell me this before?"

  "It's not like you've made yourself available. I texted you a couple of times and you never got back to me, so I thought maybe you were holding a grudge. What possible difference could it make? Frank snuck across the road one night, no big surprise there. He spent his whole life being a scumbag and a liar. The only part of the whole thing that surprises me is that Edith Templeton could have been that stupid. But then again, she had Davey because of it, so maybe it was kismet or something."

  "God, I'm so sorry for Maggie. That had to be a hard thing to find out."

  "Her sister Angela knew for a while. Unfortunately, it gets worse. Frank was even more disgusting than we thought. He'd been molesting Angela for years, and he only stopped because Davey threatened to shoot him when he found out."

  "Jesus. If anything is kismet, it's him hanging himself. Good riddance, I say."

  I nodded, hard not to agree with that. "Bottom line Susy, I still want what you want, to get the people that killed Davey and Sam. Funny thing about Gary. When they sent that assassin after Frank's girlfriend Gary said he was going to stop him, but that Andy got the drop on him. He would have been taking a hell of a chance trying to stop a professional gunman like that, unless he's damn good with a gun or knew the guy. Maybe he was having a crisis of conscience, or maybe he knew he wouldn't be in any real danger because he could call the hit off. Maybe they weren't sending Frank a message, maybe it was Gary that they thought needed the message."

  "You're saying maybe he is higher up in the organization than I thought? Maybe he's so valuable that they can't kill him, or it was some kind of power play?"

  "Just a theory."

  "Alright, let's assume that's true. Is he just waiting for a chance to escape? He's in a safe house, guarded constantly, and I've been thinking he would be worried about them finding him, but maybe that's what he wants. He keeps stalling and making demands for his testimony. That's why I'm here. I'm calling in that favor."

  "I probably owe you." She had kept my name out it. Killing a hired assassin would be considered justified, but it would have taken some explaining.

  "Gary wants to talk to the girls, Maggie and Angela."

  "Wow. That's a tough one."

  "You just said you want to tell Maggie, this is your chance."

  "Maggie maybe, but not Angela. She's fighting a lot of demons without having a dead uncle show up out of nowhere. She's struggled with depression and losing Davey all but killed her. Her Dad too, as illogical as that sounds to us. I can't speak for Maggie, but I'm pretty sure she'll be dead set against telling Angela, and if she is, I am."

  "Gary says he talks to them or he doesn't turn State's evidence."

  "He'll have to settle for Maggie, and I can't swear she'll do it. Not that you would, but Gary doesn't know Davey was his brother's son, so don't pass that information along. I'm thinking Maggie needs to be the one to tell him that if she wants. What a damn mess."

  "Talk to her as soon as you can, okay? If we can make it work, I'll take you to the safe house where we have Gary. I'm staying in Titusville for now. I moved my sister to a place where she'll be safe, and I'm using the house. It's a good location, half way between Miami and here."

  "One of the reasons I tried to contact you was about Davey's money. His Mom and Dad ended up with it, but some of that must have been Sam's too. Edith and I talked and I explained how Davey had been helping the girls like your sister and Rosalyn Cabello. She agreed it would be good to give that money to as many of those girls as we can find. I took Rosalyn a hundred thousand dollars a couple weeks ago, and I was able to find Dedra too. I can get a check to you for Sandy, and if you know where Maria Lopez is, that would be great. I know there are a lot more of those girls that could use it, if we can find them without putting them in danger."

  "That's good of the Templetons. Nobody would blame them or be the wiser if they just kept that money. I could send Sandy a cashier's check if that's alright. I don't want there to be any way that someone could find out where she is, even a digital money transfer could be dangerous."

  "What about Davey's list? Are those girls still in danger?"

  "I don't think so, at least not for a while. I need your promise Slater, if I level with you about everything, you won't go crazy and try to take things into your own hands."

  "You're talking about the man responsible for Davey's death?"

  "Yeah, promise me that if I tell you who he is, there won't be any more lying about what you know. You knew Gary Jeffries was the Diablo Blanco long before I did, and keeping that information from me could have ended up getting more people killed."

  "Granted I should have told you, but he's Maggie's uncle, and I'd known him since I was twelve. At the time, I figured I needed to talk to him first, about Davey."

&
nbsp; "You mean beat a confession out of him. I get that."

  "Fine, I give you my word, but it's a two-way street, we need to help each other."

  "Rashad Dinar. Sound familiar?"

  "Vaguely, but I avoid the news, too depressing."

  "Big time oil trader, rubs elbows with Sheiks and dictators all over the middle east. He's well connected in this country too. He has an unbridled enthusiasm for young women, and absolutely no boundaries. He shares his harem with his business associates, one of the perks of doing business with him. There are parts of the world where that is just expected, it's part of the hospitality package when you agree to sell your oil. He was the man that wanted to eliminate Sandy and Dedra and the others. I'm sure it was his compound where they were imprisoned, but Davey refused to give the location away because he was afraid Rashad might find out and kill all the girls that were still there. He said it wasn't a place our government would go, no matter what the crimes."

  "It's all about the money, I heard that more than once."

  "After he killed Davey, and we grabbed Gary Jeffries he got nervous and left the country. But with the price of oil so low his revenue stream is drying up, so trafficking women has become more than a dirty hobby, it's a business. I think he's trying to expand. He has people working for him in this country, organized crime, or maybe just more people like Frank and Gary Jeffries."

  "So they're back in business and getting more organized?"

  "The sex trade never stops and someone is moving kids around again. A lot of these girls come from Central America, escape the gang violence there, then end up on the streets here. But things are changing. It's not just a random pimp here and there, it's getting more organized. It's more like the drug trade, a real distribution network with a lot of these immigrant kids as product and Rashad's organization is responsible for a huge part of that. I don't know where Gary Jeffries fits into it, if he was just a mule or one of the heads of the operation. From what you told me about Rosalyn, he dabbles in the rough stuff too."

  "I always thought he was a little crude when I was a kid, but not a complete pervert."

  "Welcome to reality Slater. The world is filled with soulless assholes. The Coast Guard stopped a freighter last week, because they suspected it was hauling drugs up from Ecuador. They found twenty-three girls, eleven to sixteen years old with six "handlers" hidden in the back of a cargo hold. The older girls already knew they were going to an eastern European brothel. They were told they had to help the younger ones adjust to the idea. How do you adjust to that? How can that happen in the twenty-first century?"

  It surprised me when she started to cry, then stood suddenly and rushed to the bathroom. I was sure Susy Foster had seen some of the worst society had to offer, but it still got to her. Hard as that was for her, it was probably a good thing for those kids.

  But I had a name, Rashad Dinar. I would try to keep my promise to Susan, but I had made one to myself, and to Davey Templeton.

  Friday night supper was getting to be a thing, that and Angela's cooking. Being the dutiful boyfriend, I didn't argue and the food was downright good.

  Angela was dressed like Beaver Cleaver's mother. She had on a white apron and a blue and white print dress that stretched below her knees and billowed out like a square dancer's when she turned and walked back and forth into the kitchen. Her blond hair was pulled back and up and tied with a light blue scarf and her lips were a darker shade of red than usual. June Cleaver never looked so good.

  Jasmine came in with Safeway in tow, showing him off to Maggie and Maggie's Mom. He nodded to me and rolled his eyes at all the attention the women were giving him as if he didn't like it, then started going on about his basketball career at the local high school. He reminded me of some of the guys that had chased after Angela when we were younger, a little too slick and self-entitled. Still, he was a big improvement over Cletus Johnson.

  There was a lot of chatter and laughing and some ribbing about my upcoming birthday, then we all started sitting down at the kitchen table. Maggie jumped up when the doorbell rang, and Angela glanced nervously in her direction as she set a bowl of vegetables on the table.

  "That would be my guest. RJ took me out for supper the other night, so I figured I should return the favor." She glanced at me apprehensively. "I know he can be a bit much, but try to be nice, okay?"

  I shrugged. "I don't think I'm the one you have to worry about."

  Randy Jenkins was on his best behavior for most of the meal. Perhaps that was because he was busy stuffing his face and guzzling wine. After we had finished eating, he sighed contentedly and pulled a pack of cigarettes from his pocket.

  Maggie had ignored him up to that point. "You can't smoke in here."

  "Oh, sorry, of course not." He glanced at Angela as if he was hoping she would argue his case. She had gotten up and started collecting plates. "Rich folks like you, don't you have a housekeeper?" Wisely, Mrs. Jeffries excused herself and left the table for her room.

  "Jasmine's Grandmother has a butler and a maid." Safeway volunteered. "But she owns half of North Dakota."

  "Who's your Grandmother?" RJ asked, eyeing Jasmine.

  "Maryanne Thatcher, she has more money than God." Safeway spoke up again for Jasmine. I could see he was headed for trouble. If Jasmine could handle Cletus Johnson, she would eat this kid for lunch.

  RJ leered at Jasmine. "So your Mom is Divine Thatcher, the porn star? I've seen a couple of her movies. Yowzah!"

  The blue-haired wild child smiled sweetly at him. "God, you really are a dick-head."

  Maggie didn't attempt to hide her laughter. I bit my cheek.

  "Kids these days." Randy smiled, then got himself in deeper. "What's the story with this one, Sweetie?" Angela had just walked back in the room, and as a group we were surprised by the term of affection.

  "Who're you calling Sweetie?" Maggie asked.

  "Slip of the tongue, Too Little. I have a deep affection for your sister."

  Angela reached out and picked up our plates. "Deep affection? We had supper one night and I had to leave the tip so you wouldn't stiff the waiter."

  "The service was terrible! You know I've always had a fondness for you Angie. We can talk about it later, after desert. Come sit and have a glass of wine. You did all the work, these two can clean up." He waved in the general direction of Maggie and Jasmine. Maggie inhaled deeply, but I nudge her and gave her a wink.

  "How about you and I do the dishes RJ? Maybe Junior here can dry."

  "Name's Jessie." Safeway glared at me. "I'll dry, if you wash."

  "I'm not doing any damn dishes." RJ stated. "I'm a guest, guests don't wash dishes." He looked up at Angela. "Come have a glass of wine. I thought Charlie left you well fixed. Why don't you have a maid?"

  "Our housekeeper is a family friend RJ, and she has a life of her own. I enjoy cooking and taking care of things. It keeps me busy."

  "You shouldn't have to, is all I'm saying. Rumor is Charlie took very good care of you."

  "You seem pretty interested in what Charlie left behind." Maggie pointed out.

  "I just think she should be living the life she deserves. What do you think, Angie? Want to go to Miami for the weekend, maybe paint the town?"

  Angela looked at him sadly. "I told you before RJ, I stopped drinking. Do you ever listen to anyone, or are you so busy talking about yourself that you don't have the time?"

  "Angie! No need to be rude." He stiffened. "You were plenty eager to take me up on dinner, now all of a sudden I'm not good enough?" RJ slid his chair back.

  "You're right about that, you're not good enough." Maggie remarked. "And it was Too Small, not Too Little."

  "Maybe if she didn't have you harping at her all the time, she would appreciate the fact that I was willing to take her out." RJ blustered. "It's not like guys are beating the door down."

  Angela teared up, then pointed at the door. "That may be true RJ, but you don't get to talk to my sister like that. She's someone that really ca
res about me. Jasmine said it, you're a dickhead. Goodnight."

  The guy was thick, but he finally got the message. He stood up quickly but looked like he might have more to say. I'd heard enough. I stood and pulled his chair out of the way. "The kid and I can handle the dishes, Randy. You best hit the road."

  By the time I slammed the door behind him, Angela had disappeared and Maggie and Jasmine were carrying dishes into the kitchen. When I glared at Safeway, he jumped up to help. Maggie smiled at me and leaned next to my ear.

  "Go talk to Angie, would you?"

  "Why me?"

  "You're a man. Give her a hug and tell her she looks pretty. She needs that right now."

  I knocked softly on the door, then let myself in. Angela sat on her bed, wiping at her eyes, and looked surprised when she saw that it was me.

  "How the mighty have fallen, right Slater? Even Randy Jenkins doesn't want me."

  "You know that's not true, he just wants you for the wrong reasons." I assured her. "Maybe dating isn't the best idea right now. You've been through an awful lot in the last few months."

  "It was just nice to have somebody take an interest, even that self-obsessed jerk. I can't say that I've ever had a normal relationship. Charlie and I were very close, but it wasn't romantic in the normal sense."

  "Look at you. Any man in his right mind would want you."

  "I remember when you did." She smiled wistfully up at me.

  I gave her a small kiss on the cheek. "And a part of me always will, Angie, it's just that I'm so damn scared of your sister."

  She laughed and gave me a hug. "Me too. Maybe a birthday kiss at the party, she'll have to give us a pass on that."

  Evolution. It was a wonderful thing.

  My birthday was on Sunday, the big four-oh. It's a day when a lot of people get caught up in self-reflection and over analyze what they've done and what they haven't. I wasn't that guy. I never was one to believe in Fate, or that there was some predetermined path that you were bound to stumble into whether you wanted to or not. Life was made up of choices, some good, some not so good; some worked out, and some didn't.