Justice and Revenge

by Holly Fox Vellekoop

  A different Backer name had been given to each of the three whom Vince suspected as being the traitor - Allen, Benny and Marla.

  Vince got to sleep later than usual, knowing that the three people who could be the mole now had a name for the Backer. They were the only ones in the Theater Group who had ever seen him in person without a disguise, so they were the only ones who could have given a description of him to the investigators. They were also the only ones who had access to the kind of information the mole had. His heart was heavy, wondering who the traitor was and what he would have to do about it.

  It took awhile to get to sleep because of his concerns about people for whom he had love and deep affection. His dreams were haunted by scenes of Allen, Marla, and Benjamin, all turning on the Theater Group and causing it to crumble. Allen, with his ballerina wife, whispering to the authorities that the Theater Group should be burned out; Marla, laughing at him behind his back as she gave their enemies whatever they wanted to know about her lover; Benjamin, turning over secret journals of all his activities as the Driver and personal confidante.

  Vince awoke at four am, and, unable to go back to sleep, started his day. Periodically, the potential for Marla being the mole invaded his thoughts, and he shuddered to think his beloved could be the source of such treachery. Mental and physical pain accompanied his entertaining her betrayal.

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  Much later . . .

  Vince situated himself comfortably at his desk, stacks of papers and files fanned out before him. While the day was a good one, he still had nagging doubts about who the mole was. It cast a pall over the happy news that he had for the Theater Group. He pulled some files out which needed his attention, placed them in front of him, and then his thoughts drifted to the Niagara Falls trip and the recent outcome of Bobby’s Play.

  Today was special for him, Marla, and others. It was special because today Rick Cline was charged with human trafficking, money laundering, assault and battery, attempted rape and possession of child pornography. Cline would finally get what he deserved for brutally raping and injuring Marla’s sister Kelly. The Group would monitor the trial and outcome and respond as needed.

  This most recent Play, Bobby’s Play, became known within the Theater Group as a “Three-Fer.” They got three for one money. A trio of families received the justice that had eluded them for a long time. Rick Cline’s charges provided satisfaction to Marla and her family and friends. Bobby’s Play was also planned and implemented to bring justice to Bo-Bae and her Korean family for her suffering after being kidnapped and forced into sexual slavery by a well-organized international gang. The evidence the Theater Group uncovered and planted on Cline would send many guilty parties to jail for their part in all of that.

  The net it cast hauled in some of the lowest criminals who were walking the streets. Those discovered included a foreign diplomat who had immunity from prosecution. Pressure was brought to bear by the right people, one of whom was a Theater Group member, and the diplomat was forced to return to his country of origin. The Theater Group would see to it that he received justice there.

  The third family finally getting justice was Ginny Anderson, mother of Bobby Anderson who was murdered by Glen Spade. Bobby’s Play culminated in his being charged for drug use and sales. Like most of their Play endings, this one was bittersweet.

  Vince picked one of many cell phones out of his desk and punched in the numbers.

  “Hi, Daddy,” Ginny said. She put down her drink.

  “Hi, Ginny. How are you?” Vince asked.

  “Better,” Ginny said. “My thanks to you and the Cast Members for a job well done. It doesn’t bring my son back, but it does bring justice for him and for me. That counts for a lot.” She swallowed hard and took another sip of her cocktail.

  “Yes. And sometimes, discrete justice is all we can hope for,” Vince said. “Still, it is almost as good. We can’t always expect the right outcome every time someone is taken to court, given the way some laws and some judges and lawyers protect the criminals. But we can hope to achieve it our way. And, Ginny, we will follow through on the trial, every step of the way.”

  “I know. Daddy, my investment returns were good this quarter,” Ginny said. “I’ve sent another donation through the Dollar Dreamers. Hopefully, it will help to take more criminals off the street.” She told him the amount.

  “Thank you,” Vince said. “It will be wisely used.” He jotted the figure down.

  “I know,” she said. “That’s why I keep giving.”

  “I hope this will provide you with the peace that you were looking for. Please call me anytime. I always enjoy hearing from you.”

  “Thank you. Same to you,” Ginny said, and vowed that today, she would quit drinking. There will be no need any more to dull the pain. “Goodbye and God bless,” Ginny said. She hung up the phone and, for the first time in a long time, gave herself permission to sob out her sorrow for the death of her only child.

  Vince took a few minutes to compose himself after speaking with Ginny. While he enjoyed the successful Plays, the responses of the families came with an emotional price for him, too.

  He chose a different cell phone and telephoned Bo-Bae’s family.

  “Hello,” a man’s voice said in Korean.

  “Hello, Sir. This is Daddy calling,” Vince said in English

  “Hello, Daddy. So good to hear from you,” the man said, now speaking perfect English. “It’s Daddy,” he called to someone in the room with him.

  “How is Bo-Bae?” Vince asked. He hadn’t heard from her for awhile.

  “She is well. Recovering from her ordeal. As her father, I am concerned of course, but she seems to be doing fine. Improving.”

  “We could not have completed Bobby’s Play without her,” Vince said. “She was wonderful. And very brave to endure it all. Of course, you know, she was never in any danger. Only Theater Group members were in Der Schluss that night, so if anything had gone wrong, she would have been immediately taken out of there.”

  “I know that,” he said. “It was the ride with Rick Cline that was the worst part. Knowing you had alerted the police and also had Cast Members following them made it easier, but it still was difficult for her and us.”

  “All I can say is thank you so very much for giving her permission to participate,” Vince said. “A vicious criminal was taken off the streets and put where he belongs.”

  “Yes,” he said. “And many of those criminals who take foreign women for their own terrible uses were put away. It was a great victory. Bo-Bae, her mother, and I are forever in your debt, and we owe a huge ‘Thank You’ to the entire Theater Group.”

  “You are most welcome, Sir,” Vince said. “Before I hang up, I want to thank you for the generous cash you donated to our cause. It was received a couple of weeks ago.”

  “You are welcome,” he said. “It is not the last money you will receive from us. Oh, and Daddy,” he said. “I hope to talk to you sometime about starting a Theater Group in my country. Do you think we could meet soon?”

  “I’m going on vacation in a week. I’ll be away for three weeks but will contact you when I return and we’ll discuss it. Thank you, again,” Vince said. “And please give our love to your beautiful daughter.”

  “I will,” he said. “I will wait to hear from you. Thank you. Thank you.” He went to tell his family that their friend had called.

  Again, Vince needed a little time to recover. He thought about the lovely Bo-Bae - the girl they called Angel. She had been rescued from sex slavery by a Theater Group member before Bobby’s Play was planned. When the Playwrights were outlining the acts, they skillfully wove three story lines into the one play. Including Bo-Bae’s abduction, to get her justice. She was now recovering at her parents’ home, attending school, and making plans for her future. After speaking with her father, one of the concerns that nagged Vince about starting a Theater Group chapter in another country was the potential for another mole to try
to bring their operation down. Vince also wanted to continue limiting the number of persons who met him face to face. Before proceeding, he would discuss it with the Backer.

  Planning the Der Schluss scene took a long time, many Cast Members, and carefully timed execution. The building Der Schluss played out in was owned by Theater Group members, a lovely old couple whose youngest child had been murdered on Nine-Eleven in New York City. Their play, September Play, was coming up in California in the near future. It was to be the most elaborate play the Theater Group attempted, incorporating the resources and cooperation of families of twenty victims of the World Trade Center attack.

  Vince smiled as he thought of Der Schluss. The name was chosen because it means ‘The End’ in German. The playwright chose it, thinking it to be a fitting name for the downfall of murderers, thugs, drug dealers, and those who prey on whomever they can.

  Vince relaxed and made his final telephone call for the afternoon. He picked another cell phone from his drawer.

  “Hello,” a sweet voice said.

  “Hello, Baby,” Vince said. “I miss you, and I love you.” He began to relax.

  “Hi, Vince,” Marla said. “I miss you, too. And I love you.”

  “How are your parents doing?” Vince asked. “With Bobby’s Play finished, I’m sure they have a reason to smile.”

  “You better believe it,” Marla said. “Even though Kelly doesn’t understand what is being said to her, Mom and Dad told her that her attacker will not hurt another woman. And, Vince, Kelly has been weaned from the breathing tube. She is finally breathing on her own. It’s a miracle. We are still praying that she will someday regain consciousness and begin her life again.”

  “That’s wonderful news,” Vince said. “Kiss her for me, will you?

  “I will,” Marla said. “I participated in my final Play, Vince. Bobby’s Play was the last for me. You know what that means. We are no longer bound by the Theater Group rules and can be together. That makes our upcoming vacation extra special.”

  “I can hardly wait. Time is almost up, Baby,” Vince said. “I have to say goodbye but, before I do, I want to let you know everything is in place for our holiday. I incorporated all of the things you said you wanted to do while we’re together. The jet will take us to our vacation spot in exactly one week. Expect the vacation details in a hand delivery from a courier tonight. I love you.”

  “I love you, too.” Marla said.

  Vince had not heard yet who the mole was. He was hoping and praying he and Marla would have that vacation and the future he wanted.

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  “Hi, Vince.”

  “Hi, Backer,” Vince said. “This situation with the mole has been upsetting, but so are a lot of other things we deal with. Let’s get on with it. What do you know?”

  “The mole has been outed,” the Backer said. “We know who it is.”

  “Tell me everything.” Vince said. He held his breath for the answer.

  Vince was given the name of the mole, the person who was cooperating with authorities to shut the Theater Group down. He was deeply disappointed but knew he would have felt the same way no matter who the traitor had been.

  “The fake Backer whose name you gave to the mole is being investigated by the IRS and the FBI,” the Backer said. “The billionaire is under investigation for income tax evasion, illegal campaign contributions and money laundering. They found some suspicious movement of currency from one financial institution to another in his bank accounts. It seems that there are many cryptic layers to the movement of millions of his dollars they believe that he earned through the smuggling of people in and out of Europe, Cuba, Mexico and the United States. Many families of missing children will gain closure from his being investigated, although he’s not aware yet that the government is on to him.”

  “I’m not sorry the billionaire is caught. We were going to do a Play on him for his involvement in illegal activities anyway, and now we won’t have to. It spares us the expense and effort. I am sorry though, to hear who the mole is,” Vince said. “We’ll have to do some damage control real quick. I’ll get right on it.”

  “You’ll have to meet with the mole again right away to clean this up. I’ve already made all of the arrangements for you to go back to Niagara Falls to meet at the same spot you met with Allen.

  “Thank you,” Vince said. He hung up the phone and telephoned the mole, saying that they needed to meet for business. He explained all questions would be answered when they got to their meeting place. Vince provided the necessary information of where they were to meet and how. He apologized for not being able to send the private jet for transportation to Niagara Falls.

  “You’ll have to book yourself a flight immediately,” Vince said. “Our jet is tied up with transporting Cast Members to a Play that is about to begin. Book it for a one-way flight for your whole family as I’m not sure when we will be finished with our business. Of course, we’ll reimburse you,” he lied, knowing that this person would never get another cent from the Theater Group he turned against.

  “That’s okay,” the mole said. “I can do that.”

  “This is one of the downsides of working within the Theater Group, having to drop everything at a moment’s notice for business,” Vince said. “I’m still not totally used to it. I hope it won’t be too difficult for you to get away to attend this meeting. Do you think you can arrange it?”

  “Don’t worry about it,” the mole said. “I’ll be able to make arrangements to be there. See you tomorrow.” The phone was hung up and another used to make a call to a contact.

  “Something new?” A female voice said.

  “Yes. I have to meet Daddy tomorrow at Niagara Falls. He has something important he needs to discuss with me. I’m not sure what it is, but it should include more information about the Group. I’ll telephone you as soon as I know.”

  “Great,” the female said. “There’ll be more photos taken tomorrow because the last ones weren’t so good.”

  “Okay,” the mole said. “I better get off of here so I can book a flight.”

  “Right. We dusted the files you were given for Daddy’s fingerprints. So far, nothing’s turned up. We’re still working on it,” she said. “See if you can get him to tell you his real name.”

  “We should learn much of what we need to know tomorrow,” the mole said. “I’m hanging up now because I’ve got a lot to do.”

  At Niagara Falls the next day . . .

  Leaning against the cluster of trees were the same men who observed the last Niagara Falls meet. They had their sunglasses on and binoculars around their necks. Vince was seated at the picnic table listening to the background sounds of an ancient river tumbling over and downward onto the rocks and riverbed. He blended in with the rest of the visitors, wearing a casual shirt and pants. Everything was planned and timed for the showdown. This is going to be a tough experience. But one that has to be done.

  A young family was busy trying to take pictures of their children playing near the picnic table where Vince was seated. It was proving to be a difficult task as every time they went to take a photo, a group of college kids playing touch football would run in front of their camera. Frustrated, the photographers, a young man and woman, would watch the ball players moving around, reposition themselves for a good shot, and try again. The large group revised their game strategy each time the person with the camera changed the positioning of their photos.

  To a casual observer it looked to be by chance. To the trained eye, it was a game of cat and mouse, designed to minimize capturing Vince on film.

  When the mole approached the man he knew as Daddy, the same man was present who had checked for electronic bugging devices at their last meeting. He waved the rod up and down their clothing and frisked them professionally. He was gone as quickly as he had come.

  “Good to see you,” Vince said to the mole. “I want to tell you again how sorry I am that we weren’t able to provide the jet for you. Was
your flight comfortable? Is your hotel room okay?”

  “Yes, the flight was good,” Allen said. “The hotel I booked is nice, too. How about you?”

  “Good. Everything is good,” Vince said. “I need to make this meeting as short as possible, my wife has gone into labor, and we are expecting our second child soon.”

  Upon that declaration, the two men who were watching from the trees approached his table.

  “We need to leave in a few minutes, sir,” one of them said. “I just got word that the baby will be here within the hour.” He pointed at his watch.

  “Thank you,” Vince said. “The reason I wanted to meet with you today, Allen, is we’re going to have to postpone starting up the west coast Theater Group. Our Recruiters are having difficulty finding trustworthy staff for your Group. It’s taking longer than I thought it would.”

  Allen started to say something, and Vince put his hand up.

  “Please let me finish as I only have a few minutes. Of course, I want you to stay with us as a Solicitor until the west coast Group starts up.”

  “Of course,” Allen said, relieved he was still trusted.

  “Sir,” one of the men said, pointing again to his watch.

  “I’m sorry, Allen, I must go,” Vince said. “Babies are on their own schedule.” He laughed. “I’ll telephone you tomorrow and talk with you at length. And again, please accept my apologies.”

  “Let me know if it’s a boy or a girl, or both,” Allen said smiling. He got up to shake the offered hand.

  “I will. Stay here awhile and enjoy the sights if you’d like to. The Group will reimburse you for your expenses,” he lied.

  Unbeknownst to Allen, he would be paying his own way from now on. He would never have another day’s work as Solicitor for the Theater Group, nor would Vince speak to him again.