by John R. Kess
“Good afternoon, District Attorney Coleman, my name is Fredrick Adolphson, counsel for Jason Tessier,” he offered his hand to Coleman, who hesitated for a moment shook it.
“Then maybe you can tell us where he is,” Coleman said, as he clicked open his pen.
“His whereabouts are unknown to me at this time, but that will soon be a non-issue.”
“But he’s hired you?”
“I was contracted through a third party.”
“Who?” Coleman asked.
“Someone who can afford to fly me out here on a Sunday.” Adolphson gave up thinking Coleman was going to ask him to sit, so he helped himself to one of the nearby chairs.
“How can you claim him as your client?”
“That is irrelevant. When he does surface, he will gladly accept my representation. However, I don’t believe that will be necessary.”
“He’ll need someone’s representation after what he’s done.” Coleman held up a newspaper that read “Ten Found Dead.” “That’s why there’s a warrant. We have reason to believe he’s the one who killed those people.”
“So this is all circumstantial?” Adolphson asked.
Coleman stared at Adolphson. Obviously irritated, he said, “We have two dead men who were shot with a .338-caliber rifle. Your client owns a .338. One of the dead had his throat cut open, and one, still in his sleeping bag, had his neck broken. That sounds like a combat Marine to me. Mr. Adolphson, your client will be charged very soon.”
Adolphson stared at Coleman. “I hope he is. That way I can show the jury the video of five armed men attempting to kidnap Elly Wittenbel. I can show how my client helped to derail their kidnapping attempt. I can show them that Kevin McKnight was gunned down trying to help Ms. Wittenbel. I can show them the weapons the gunmen were carrying. I can show them the grind marks on the door from the plane that crashed into the ocean, and the bullet holes in the floatplane.
“I will call Victor Fines to testify how he masterminded this kidnapping shortly after he was laid off from Revolution Records. I can show them the bank transactions for the money paid to each of the men attempting to kidnap Ms. Wittenbel. I can also show how these men followed them through fifty miles of heavily wooded terrain, still trying to kidnap Ms. Wittenbel or, worse, kill her.”
“There’s no way your boy is getting off,” Coleman growled. “This was a well-trained combat Marine on a killing spree. He’s going to get charged. I look forward to meeting you in court.”
Adolphson leaned forward. “Stop and think about what you are doing. You will be putting the man who saved Elly Wittenbel’s life on trial. It will be televised nationally. You will lose in front of the whole country.”
“You arrogant son of a bitch! Get out!” Coleman pointed at the door.
“Gladly.” Adolphson grinned and walked to the door. “See you in court.”
Adolphson exited the building and climbed into the waiting Cadillac.
“Sir, how did it go?” one of Adolphson’s aides asked.
“He threw me out of his office.” Adolphson smiled at him. “It couldn’t have gone any better.”
* * *
Elly gazed out the open side door of the old Huey helicopter at the vast green Montana forest bounded by distant mountains. Her hair blew in the cool wind. Below her was the forest she and Jay had walked through for five days, and she was in awe of how large it seemed. The view made her heart sink as she wondered how she’d ever find Jay. She hoped by now he would want to be found.
“We’re coming up on the hunting property Jay’s family owns,” Glen, Chris Pender’s uncle, said from the pilot’s seat. They all heard him through the headsets they wore. Nick was sitting in the copilot’s seat, and Pender sat behind him next to Elly.
Glen flew level a few hundred feet above the tallest trees and pointed at a small clearing. There was no sign of an extinguished fire, flat grass where a tent had been pitched, or anything out of place.
Pender adjusted his microphone as he glanced at Elly. “It would have been a long walk here from the highway. I don’t know if he could have made it already.”
Elly nodded at him and turned to look out her open door again.
They flew north for a few minutes before Glen said, “To our right is another spot we used to make camp.”
“Where?” Elly asked.
Glen banked the Huey hard to the right. The world blurred below as their seat belts tightened to keep them in place as the tops of trees whizzed by. Glen leveled the helicopter, flew northeast for a few minutes, and then slowed as they approached the small clearing.
“It looks empty,” Glen said.
“I see a fire pit,” Nick said.
“Yeah, but I see weeds growing in it,” Glen said.
“I know another spot,” Pender said. “It’s not on his family’s property, but he might be there.” He relayed the directions, and Glen again banked the helicopter around.
A minute later Pender said, “This is it coming up, south of the lake.”
They approached a wooded spot in a valley next to a small lake. Elly recognized it immediately. It was the spot she and Jay had camped at, when the fog had surrounded them as they went swimming.
“We camped here one night,” Elly said.
Glen slowed as he dropped down to take a closer look. The trees swayed and thrashed under the helicopter as they hovered.
“Anybody see anything?” Glen asked.
“What is that?” Nick pointed out his window.
“Something is hanging in the tree,” Pender said.
Everyone saw a small deer carcass dangling from a tree by its antlers.
Glen found a spot and landed the helicopter. Elly jumped out and followed Pender to the tree. The bottom half of the deer was chewed up, like it has been attacked by coyotes.
“Someone gutted this thing,” Pender said. “He shot him in the neck, and you can see where he cut off some meat. This maybe happened yesterday.”
Elly noticed the rope used for hanging the deer. “It’s the same brown rope Jay had in his backpack.”
“The fire pit was used recently,” Glen added.
“Do you think he’ll come back?” Nick asked.
“Jay would know you don’t leave a carcass next to your camp like this,” Pender said. “It would attract all kinds of coyotes.”
“Unless you’re not coming back,” Glen said.
* * *
Jay lay in the weeds across from a mailbox and watched as a car drove up and shoved a rolled-up newspaper into the plastic tube marked Missoulian. The mailbox sat on the side of the same highway where he and Elly had sped away from the men on the motorcycle, although Jay knew he was miles away from the spot where they’d come out.
The car sped off, and Jay moved in and grabbed the paper. His tinge of guilt for stealing it disappeared as the headline confirmed his worst fear: “WARRANT ISSUED FOR LOCAL MARINE IN WITTENBEL CASE”
“Shit!” Jay said loudly, then scanned the area to see if anyone heard him. He hid in the tall weeds and read as fast as he could. He was happy to learn that Elly was recovering with her family, but surprised that she was still in Montana. He scanned the story for anything new and was shocked to see that two teenagers had been found dead.
“Outrage at the District Attorney’s comments has social media buzzing as Ms. Wittenbel herself leads the effort to exonerate Tessier, claiming he ‘acted in self-defense.’ Social media pages created to spread the word about Ms. Wittenbel’s claims of the injustice Tessier is facing have already logged hits and followers in the hundreds of thousands.
“Tessier has yet to be found since he disappeared Thursday. ‘We believe he’s still in the forest,’ Sheriff Neuhaus stated yesterday. ‘Based on the facts of this case, we don’t believe he’s a danger to anyone else. The best-case scenario is he will turn himself in.’”
Jay dropped the paper to the ground. He wondered if the sheriff’s statement was a trap and if it was possible they thought Jay k
illed those two teenagers. He dismissed the thought. Elly would have told the police they never had any contact with them.
As Jay had fallen asleep last night, he envisioned Elly surrounded by her friends and family. He pictured her happy to have her life back to normal. When he tried to picture being a part of her life, he couldn’t. Why would Elly settle for a Marine corporal like him when she could have just about any guy she wanted? If things were different, Jay figured he might have a chance, but Elly was a celebrity, and he wasn’t.
When Jay woke up, he looked over to where Elly would’ve been sleeping next to him. It was then that he admitted to himself how much he missed her. He wanted to be near her again and felt like a fool for hiding when he should be doing everything he could to be in her life.
He thought about how Elly had invited him to her lake home and how they’d kissed the last time they woke up together. And now she was still nearby. He knew her band was on tour, and yet she hadn’t left. That meant she was here because he was still missing.
He hoped she would forgive him for abandoning her. Jay had to find out. He knew what he had to do.
* * *
Elly’s parents rented a house near the hospital when Elly made it clear she wasn’t going anywhere else until Jay was found and was free of all charges. Her bandmates Alex, Brent, and Jeremy were there when Elly returned from searching with Nick. She was happy to see them, but no matter how much everyone tried to cheer her up, she could only think about finding Jay. The guys had no problem with her decision. They were still thrilled that she was still alive.
It was late in the evening when their tour manager, Laura, arrived. She was the last person Elly wanted to see. Laura was talking on her phone as Elly’s dad opened the door and escorted her into the living room. Elly had a good idea how this conversation was going to go, and this time she wasn’t holding back. She knew Laura wouldn’t like Elly staying put, but Elly didn’t care.
Laura hung up and said, “Elly, we need to talk.”
Elly’s anger surfaced. Laura didn’t even say hello or express relief that Elly was still alive after everyone thought she was dead. It was always straight to business with Laura, and it made Elly sick.
“About what?” Elly asked. As Elly spoke, Jeremy, Alex, and Brent walked into the living room.
“About how you’re all here in Montana when you should be on your way to Montreal. You have a concert tomorrow night.”
Elly took a moment to stare at Laura. “We’re not going anywhere.”
Jeremy, Alex, and Brent crossed their arms and joined Elly in glaring at Laura.
“You’ve missed three shows already, and Montreal will be your fourth. Your fans—”
“My fans understand,” Elly said. “And I’m so sorry I ‘missed’ those concerts. You make it sound like I did it on purpose. Everyone thought I was dead, so my fans are happy I’m alive. But I’m not sure about you.”
“I, I …” Laura stuttered. “Of course I’m glad you’re alive. It’s just, now we have to get back on track.”
“I’m not leaving until I’m good and ready,” Elly said.
Laura glared back at her. “And when will that be? You have three crews of people driving around the country setting up stages for you. The organizers are scrambling trying to figure out what’s going to happen.”
“It’ll be when the person who saved my life no longer needs my help.”
“You got him a lawyer. What more can you do?
“A lot more.”
“He’s a Marine out in the wilderness. He doesn’t need help. Look, I’ve got Revolution Records’ executives calling me wanting to know what happens next. What am I suppose to tell them?”
Elly stared back at Laura. “You tell them System Override has decided to fire their manager for being a soulless, insensitive bitch who only cares about herself. You’re fired! Now get out!” Elly pointed at the door.
Laura’s glare was gone, replaced by a look of shock and confusion. “No,” Laura whispered. “No, you can’t mean that.”
“You’ve only cared about what’s best for you since day one,” Elly said. “We’ve had enough. We don’t want you anymore. Now leave!”
Laura’s eyes searched the rest of the band members, who stared at her disdainfully. She stumbled backward as if the room were spinning. She glanced around for a brief moment and then walked to the door. She slammed it hard as she left.
Chapter 24
MONDAY
Jay knocked on the doors of three different homes before anyone answered. He explained to the homeowner that he’d gotten lost hiking and could he use the phone and a phone book? The elderly man agreed, and Jay found the number for the sheriff’s office.
It took a minute for the dispatcher to connect him with the sheriff.
“This is Sheriff Neuhaus.”
“Sheriff, this is Jason Tessier. I’m calling because I’d like to turn myself in. Would you be willing to be the one to come and get me?”
“Sure, I can do that.”
“I want you to know, I didn’t have anything to do with the deaths of those two teenagers.”
“Our ballistics people just matched the bullets in both teenagers to a weapon found on one of the dead men at the highway. Elly’s story also confirms you two never met any teenagers.”
Jay explained where he was, and they hung up. He waited by the end of the driveway. When the sheriff arrived, he put Jay’s backpack in the trunk, and then he apologized and told Jay he had to read him his rights because of the warrant. Jay knew he was just doing his job and didn’t protest.
“How is Elly doing?” Jay asked from the backseat.
“Much better. Her family is with her now. She’s going to be okay thanks to you.”
The sheriff turned down the police radio. “You know, I expected Elly to get out of here first chance she got.”
“I read in the paper that she’s still here.” Jay said.
“That’s right. She said she won’t leave until you’re free of all charges.” He smiled at Jay, who smiled back.
Despite being under arrest, a sense of awe flowed through him at what the sheriff said. Elly was still here because of him. Any worry of being imprisoned disappeared at the thought of Elly waiting for him.
As they approached the police station, there was no sign of anyone. Jay knew police channels were openly monitored, especially by the media. He’d expected to see TV cameras filming him being taken to jail. He knew it meant Sheriff Neuhaus hadn’t used the open police channel to inform anyone what he was doing.
They pulled into an open garage stall at the jail, and the door closed behind them.
“Thanks for bringing me in,” Jay said, as the sheriff helped him out of the squad car.
“My pleasure,” Sheriff Neuhaus said.
* * *
Chris Pender’s phone rang as he was eating lunch. It was Jay’s sister, Sarah, who told him to turn on the television.
He ran into the living room and found the broadcast already under way. Across the bottom of the screen were the words, “Jason Tessier arrested.”
“… as you can see behind me here, the jail is in the distance, and the streets are filling up with supporters. The crowd has grown to a couple hundred people. No one has seen Jason except the sheriff and Jason’s attorney. We have sources who say the attorney was hired by Ms. Wittenbel. And that’s not all she’s doing to support Jason. There will be a ‘Free Jason’ concert tonight on a local farmer’s land.
“District Attorney Jack Coleman did not return our calls, but we do know that Montana Attorney General Susan Wells, who served many years in the Marine Corps’ Judge Advocate Division, is planning to come here tomorrow to meet with local law enforcement. This all comes right after the news of the arrest of former record executive Victor Fines by Italian customs officials. He is believed to be the mastermind behind the attempted kidnapping. Pressure is mounting on the DA’s office, but District Attorney Coleman released a statement saying he fully i
ntends to charge Jason Tessier with multiple counts of first-degree murder.”
“Oh, shit!” Chris said loudly.
The idea that his best friend would be charged with murder made him angry. He thought of the comments Elly had made on Saturday outside the hospital. He’d only been around Elly for a short time, but he knew the DA had a fight coming. With all of the support Elly had, he didn’t envy the man.
* * *
Elly’s dad opened the curtains of the rental house and found a crowd of photographers and cameramen pointing their lenses at him. With the news that Jason Tessier had been arrested, the number of reporters had grown. “What a circus. There must be a hundred people on the street,” he said to Elly before closing the curtains again.
The sheriff had called Elly to tell her Jay was in custody, but he said for now Jay could only see his attorney. The knowledge that Jay was safe let her relax for the first time in days. She knew it would be just a matter of time before she could see him again. Now she needed to focus on keeping him out of prison.
Elly sat with her computer in her lap. “Look at the hits on my website.” Elly’s publicist had added a “Free Jason Tessier” section, including the email and mailing addresses for the district attorney. Elly’s Twitter feed was up and running, and she’d already reported how happy she was with the number of fans showing their support for Jay.
Alex sat down next to her. “How many?”
“Last night I had 64,000 supporters,” she said. “Now I have 126,000.”
Brent held up the annual with Jay’s senior year picture. “You know, Jason does look like a bad-ass Marine type.”
Elly handed the laptop to Alex and slid closer to Brent. “Here, look at this picture of his whole class. You can see him standing off to the left.”
“He could probably kick my ass with little effort,” Jeremy said.
