Vince studied the next file labeled DISTRICT ATTORNEYS. The same investigators compiled background data on two Orange County Assistant district attorneys that included their climb up the ladder all the way to the top as head A.D.A.s in their respective courts. Vince scanned further into the file and found that both A.D.A.s had a child selling drugs.
The third file was the most extensive. It was labeled, MR. HADLEY, TOP LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIAL, ORANGE COUNTY. Vince scanned the background information that was pulled from newspaper clippings. One article questioned how the head Deputy Sheriff seemed to buy his way into the position with dubious money from a dotcom business. Then, articles of his son, Hadley junior, getting caught with a video that showed he and his friends gang raping an underage girl, Jane Doe, in the senior’s garage on a pool table. More newspaper articles stated that the senior Hadley hired on a team of high powered lawyers whose investigators went to work on defaming the underage girl to destroy her credibility. The investigators swarmed Jane Doe’s social network and obtained notarized statements from other underage high school students who claimed Jane Doe had aspirations of being a porn star, that she was promiscuous, and experimented with drugs. More newspaper articles showed the senior Hadley had hired on an expert neurosurgeon to testify that even though the video evidence of Jane Doe laying on the pool table in the garage had her eyes mostly closed, and looked like she was unconscious, “There were still times her eye lids fluttered, she might not have been completely unaware of what was happening, and it’s possible, might have been a willing participant.”
Vince read another newspaper article about Jane Doe being arrested for selling speed. The investigator for the firm stated “The timing of the arrest seems more than a coincidence considering that the junior Hadley’s preliminary hearing is a week away.” Then, another newspaper article about Jane Doe getting released from jail on the first arrest and arrested again, immediately, for another possession for sales of speed. The same investigator noted, “Under the law, Jane Doe, being a minor, shouldn’t have been released for the first felony sales charge! I find it very strange and impossibly coincidental that Jane Doe could have obtained more speed to sell only hours after being released. I followed these instincts and did some digging. One of the informants, a Bob Prescott, was involved in both arrests and I believe furnished her with the speed in concert with detective Pincher, who wrote both reports.”
CHAPTER 151
I pulled my Town Car into the garage and sat and thought about what J.J. said at the Marriot. I thought, I’m still not giving up. The Marriot was plan A., there are 26 letters in the alpha bet, time to work on a plan B. There are other hotels out there. When one door closes, God opens another one, a better one. I took a nap and had nightmares I was in a coffin stuck under six feet of dirt.
I woke up and walked to the community pool to take a shower in my nylon board shorts and laughed that this was my life for the next six weeks. For the rest of the day I sat in front of my garage on a lawn chair and fought against my own mind magnifying my situation in greater and greater detail. I felt myself at the edge holding on and remembered feeling the same way before: at Paul’s house, when I’d come back from San Bernardino after Felipe wacked out Argenta. The fight had been too deep for me then, as it felt now.
I laid down in the backseat of my Town Car and realized it was Saturday night. I thought, I should go to church tomorrow. I’ll find answers there. With that thought I prayed.
CHAPTER 152
At midnight, Vince pulled up to the gas station across from the gated community where Vladimir lived and answered his phone.
“Vince. It’s Candy. Just stay at my apartment. I’ll come home in a few days when I figure this thing out.”
“Candy. I found your dope and did it.”
“Vince! You’ll go back to prison, back to Pelican Bay!”
Vince thought, you should have thought about that before you did this to me, but didn’t say anything.
“Vince, don’t go anywhere, don’t get in trouble, I’ll call you in the morning. I love you. Bye.”
Vince studied the perimeter of the massive gated community and found access that led through an immaculate golf course. While he walked through the seventh hole he thought about how, on Candy’s computer, through satellites, he’d studied Vladimir’s address like he was right above it. He knew the seventh hole was right next to Vladimir’s house and that Candy’s Range Rover wasn’t parked in front. He opened the gate, stepped into the backyard and tried the garage door. It was open. The Range Rover wasn’t there.
Vince studied the garage and smiled. A black V-12 Mercedes A.M.G. was parked in one of the four spaces; the rest of the garage was a computer room. Vince thought, time for another search.
For the next two hours, file cabinets and trash cans were emptied quietly and filtered for phone bills, credit card bills, notes, and other personality clues to Vladimir. Satisfied that all the knowledge was gleaned, Vince sat in front of the computer and went to work until he found too many firewalls and protection to penetrate any more data. He ran into a firewall and slammed his fist against the table. He ran into another one and yelled, “Fuck!”
Vince heard Vladimir walking inside the house to the garage and looked in the mirror he’d set up. With his back to the door, he could see Vladimir open it. Vince saw the Glock 9mm in his hand pointed at the back of his head.
Vince didn’t bother turning around, pretending to study the computer screen, and watched Vladimir in the mirror. “Go ahead and shoot me. I’m sick of this life. But if you do shoot me you’ll experience some of the misery I’ve lived. Do you think your wife in Russia would want to see the video of Candy in your house? Do you think she’d still visit you in jail fighting a murder charge? By the way, I’m her boyfriend. I’ve also got your wife’s email address with a text message ready to send to her.”
Vince watched Vladimir think it out and say, “I’m going to let you leave and I won’t call the police.”
Vince laughed, “Go ahead and call them. We can go over that video together and see if my suspicions that you embezzle money are true or not. I’m not leaving. As a matter of fact, I’m getting tired. Why don’t you go get some of that dope you give to Candy to get her to dance for you so I can wake up? I’ve got a lot of work ahead of me. You’re also going to have to set up a guest bedroom for me. You see, I have you surrounded with leverage right now. You can either shoot me and deal with the consequences, or get me to like you as a partner cause I’m not going anywhere.”
Vince watched Vladimir lower the gun and walk back into the house. Ten minutes later the door opened again and Vladimir had a glass tray with speed on it.
“I just talked to your girlfriend Candy. She told me you stabbed a couple of child molesters, and spent years in Pelican Bay. I can respect that partner.”
Vince snorted a train load of speed, sent some of Vladimir’s incriminating data to his email and said, “You should start putting all of your incriminating files and bills in a shredder partner.”
CHAPTER 153
I laid down in the back seat and tried to focus on good things. I remembered how powerful my dreams used to be, that I was able to fly in them and observe details of my life, like warnings from God to guide me. I fell asleep and dreamed that I was in a coffin again. This time I could hear dirt being shoveled and dropped on my coffin. Deeper sleep came and the dream got so real that it felt like I couldn’t move my legs or arms any further than a few inches before they met the walls. I didn’t have control of the dream and I saw myself transported in my coffin until I saw myself as a kid sleeping in an enclosed space up in the rafters of my Dad’s garage. I felt like running, and couldn’t move, I was trapped in the coffin. I saw my travels in detail from my coffin, unable to move, in the pitch black like ink and couldn’t control anything. I felt myself being transported through twists and turns like a ride on the space mountain roller coaster. Then, in vivid clarity, I saw my Mom get shot feeding the homeless a
nd remembered all of those guilty emotions: that it was my fault, I should have contacted her earlier, it wouldn’t have happened! Then I saw myself in Natasha’s room with her doctor bills that read URGENT. I should have done something; I was too selfish and focused on my life! Again another loved one died because of me! I strained to get out of my dream and was met by the walls of my coffin squeezing in on me. I opened my eyes to prove I wasn’t in a coffin and couldn’t see anything in the ink-like darkness. I closed my eyes again and instantly heard the scraping of a shovel, then the noise of dirt raining down on the roof of my coffin. Over and over I heard the scrape of the shovel and the dirt raining down on my roof. Then I heard detective Pincher, “I told you I was going to end this fight.”
I stopped being able to hear the scrape of the shovel or the dirt raining down and I felt myself letting go of my will and a peace settled into my dream. Then it felt like I was being transported in pitch darkness and I saw a Bible story I’d read where Jonah tried to do things on his own, with his own will, away from God, where he ended up in a fish’s belly in pitch darkness getting brought back to the destination God intended him. I meditated on this memory of the Bible and felt my body being transported in time to another peaceful place, my mother’s womb. I felt the warmth and love all around me and felt my leg kick in response. I felt God’s presence surrounding me and knew every part of my life ahead of me was already set. It was already predetermined! I saw Angels in sheer, clear, radiant, glimmering, bright white carrying me in Love through stages of my life. I saw my Mom’s loving face telling me, “Everything pure and true comes from God. Believe in Him and fight for what’s right and He’ll protect you with armor. Love conquers hate and the devil every time. God will never give you more than you can carry. Everything happens for a reason!” I felt myself being carried on the wings of the guardian Angels and saw my life unfolding. At first the circumstances were so set up against me that the decisions I’d made were understandable and even honorable, to be expected. Then as those decisions carried me into other less honorable ones, the Momentum grew until I saw myself in the middle of some bikers. I read the patches on leather jackets; Devil’s Disciples, Hell’s Angels. I saw Bob cooking speed in a bubbled flask. I stared at the potion of death and saw the devils face inside it laughing at me. I felt the Guardian Angels wings enfolding around me and carrying me from the canyon of death and wondered why my destiny was to fight against the devil in such close intimate quarters. My dream took me deeper into a Spirit world back in time and I saw Satan cast out of heaven like a lightning bolt, all from the wings of my Guardian Angels. I saw Satan taking on many forms, all envious, all miserable, all with the intention to pull people from God, to confuse them, to share his misery with trickery. I saw Satan take on the form of a snake and trick Eve, then Eve trick Adam, then their humiliation, then I saw Satan prey on that humiliation and take on other forms they allowed by opening their minds to the awareness, the knowledge. I felt myself transported through time on the wings of the Angels and saw God’s Hand carrying His loved ones through one miracle after another. I saw the sea parted and the miracle acknowledged. Then I saw the devil take on other forms to delve into prideful men’s minds. I saw the false idols the devil lured them to and watched them led astray. I saw God’s Hands again carry them out of darkness with more miracles, and again the devil pulled them away. The cycle continued over and over and then I saw Job. I saw him lying on the ground in agony with boils swollen and busting open all over his sunburned body, having lost all his wealth, honor and dignity. I saw his so-called friends telling him he must have offended God, that his life must have been untrue, not honorable, he must have deserved to lose all his belongings and suffer like this. In my dream I felt Job’s pain, confusion and agony like it was my own and I felt my willpower asking God, why? I remembered the scripture I’d read about Job, I no longer felt the bright white comfort of my Angel’s wings. I was back in the suffocating ink-like enclosed darkness. I saw Satan discerning God’s favor in Job. Then I saw Satan telling God that Job is only good because he is so richly blessed. I saw God giving Satan permission to have his way with Job to within an inch of his life. I saw myself fighting against this idea and yell to God,” WHY? Why would you let Satan have his way with us?” I felt my anger boiling at the thought of my agony being allowed, how is this love? In my pitch darkness I remembered scripture telling us not to try and figure His ways. That God’s ways are infinite, and ours are miniscule, that He is like a mountain, we are like a grain of sand, but even though we are just a grain of sand in understanding, with the faith of a mustard seed we can move mountains in His name. I felt the comfort and love surround me and the bright glowing white of the Angel’s wings envelop me again. I saw more of the Devil’s ways in the story of Joseph in the Bible. I saw Joseph sold into slavery by his brothers. I saw Joseph falsely accused of rape by a king’s mistress. I saw Joseph in jail praising God even under the circumstances and saw God’s Hand opening the way out for Joseph in dreams and prophecy. I saw other faithful believers in prison and more of God’s glory and then remembered scripture of Jesus telling us His yoke is easy and His burden is light and then I felt myself being dropped into Revelation in ink-like darkness no longer protected. In the lonely, enclosed darkness I realized I was back in my garage in the back seat of my Town Car, failing in my business, without Sarah, all alone, shaking and cold.
I looked at my cell phone, it was 6a.m. I opened the garage door and looked at the row of garages to see if anyone else was up. Nobody was. I walked to where I could see the entrance to the community and saw the white van. I thought, I need to take a walk and think about the dreams I had, then decided, why not go for a mountain bike ride instead. I walked back to my garage and pulled down my mountain bike and went to where I could see the white van again. I saw detective Pincher in his Crown Victoria next to the van. I watched him duck back into the car and drive my way.
I pedaled furiously the other way past the garages to an opening that led to my condo and the interior of the complex. I got to the curb to take a path inward right as detective Pincher turned the corner. I hopped both tires in the air in a bunny hop over the curb and heard my cell phone start ringing and fall out of my pocket at the same time. I stopped just out of view and looked at my cell phone on the pavement where detective Pincher could see. I heard his car coming and pedaled away.
CHAPTER 154
Sarah held the phone to her ear and heard, “Thank you for calling Prestigious Transport. Please leave your name and number with a brief explanation and we’ll get back to you promptly. God Bless. Beep.”
“Benny, its Sarah. I talked to my Dad and he wants to help you. I think I can get him to let you move in with us at his house! Meet me at church this morning and we’ll ask him after. I love you.”
CHAPTER 155
I pedaled through the community and felt my instincts telling me to go back, get the phone; you don’t have any reason to run! I almost stopped until another voice urged, don’t let detective Pincher push you over the edge. I thought about it and held on to the feeling I should turn around for a while until I made it out of the community.
I raced down the hill at 50 m.p.h. and told myself, I’m going to ride all day until I come up with a plan to climb out of this hole. I felt the tears flying out of my eyes against the wind and a partial solution came. I could put my condo up for sale! I could take off on my mountain bike every day to get away from things and free my mind! These thoughts gave me hope and I pedaled harder.
I rode down the hills and noticed people I could identify as being part of the social drug culture. They were everywhere. I started mentally cataloguing what stage of their drug use they were in. Down by the beach it was easy to see deep enough into the scene that I could identify drug users who were struggling with poverty, deeper into the addiction with less hope and closer to a jail cell, mingling with others not as desperate, who probably lived in rich comfort, but bored, and seeking something elusive but unattainab
le in this world and settling on temporary excitement. Up and down the beach I rode and discerned more of the same. Then I rode through the beach community from the bottom of the hill where people rented, toward the top of the hills where more people owned.
ROLL CALL ~ A Prison List (True Prison Story) Page 40
