Jason's Network

by Aiden Vaughan

  “No,” Daniel replied. “I was just saying the same thing to Eric. Yet somebody clearly had to have it in for Jason to go to this much trouble and use Laura as bait to grab Jason.”

  “I thought all the major criminals were behind bars,” Tim said entering the conversation. “I know that the two men who tortured Cody and me, Roland Thomason and Walter Gaither are serving long prison sentences. I assume the men who kidnapped Jason the first time are also in jail.”

  “And Salvatore Butera and Angelo Ciurro, the serial killers and child molesters who grabbed me and all those other kids are dead, at least I think they are,” Nick stated. “How creepy would that be if they somehow were alive and seeking revenge?”

  “Just like a bad horror film,” Daniel said shaking his head. “But their gripe wasn’t with Jason as much as it was with you and your grandfather, Nick. That would be more believable if someone was coming after you instead of Jason and Laura. Jimmy Rae Chu and Chuluun Chau, the human traffickers that we fought earlier in the year who were smuggling domestic workers into the country and selling young kids like Jian-heng Chen, Robbie Nelson, and Brandon Jacobs to predators are in prison, also.”

  “Scott Brewster, the redneck meth dealer that you rescued me from is in jail,” Jonathan said. “I don’t think he has the smarts to pull off an operation like this seems to be. Brewster only saw Jason briefly when he helped free me from Scott’s mountain cabin meth lab. And he would have just as much if not more grudge against you, Daniel, because you are the one who slashed his tires and threw the flare into his lab!”

  “My evil stepfather, who wanted to make me into his abused slave, is dead,” Eric added. “Just like Jonathan and Nick, if he were somehow alive or able to direct things beyond the grave, he would come after me first, before Jason or you, Daniel.”

  “You are all making very good points,” Daniel concluded. “There are still a few others we could take a look at, like those gamblers who Jason thwarted in the playoffs last spring. But that was mostly a police operation, and the person they were after was Chauncey Jackson, not Jason. So again, their involvement in kidnapping Laura to get at Jason seems highly unlikely.”

  “Of all the bad guys we have just discussed, who had the most to lose as a result of what Jason and, for that matter, you, Daniel, did to them?” Eric asked. “More importantly, who had the resources available to stage a crime that involved two kidnappings?”

  “I say follow the money!” Jonathan exclaimed. “My father is very much into business and the things that influence what happens in this country, and he always says that phrase no matter what the subject is. Eric just mentioned that there must be a fair amount of resources needed to pull something like this off. Let’s try to estimate some of the costs of this to get a handle on who to suspect!”

  “Good point, Jonathan,” Daniel responded. “From what Laura told me, there were two men who grabbed her. They obviously were free to move around, and kidnapping is a serious felony, so I assume they would have been promised a large sum of money to do this. It’s hard to imagine that someone out there would have such a hatred for Jason that this was a personal vendetta.”

  “Whoever was behind this had the resources to hire professionals to do the dirty work. That alone has to cost thousands of dollars,” Jonathan added. “I would say the next set of costs would be logistical. Where do you take Jason once you have grabbed him? I am assuming that these criminals didn’t just want to kill Jason. Otherwise wouldn’t they just shoot him when he came to get Laura, instead of staging an exchange?”

  “That’s a very good point, Jonathan,” Eric said. “It sounds to me like their plan is to get revenge on Jason somehow, probably quite slowly and painfully. That’s what my stepfather wanted to do to me. He wanted to break me down and turn me into a slave. His plan was to keep me in that torture room he had until that was accomplished.”

  Daniel went over to Eric and put his arm around him. “I’ll never forgot the shock of going in there and seeing what Rogelio had done to you,” he said in an emotional voice. “That took some guts to bring up. And you are right. That seems like what the plan must be for Jason’s kidnappers. And as unpleasant as it has to be for Jason, that gives us some hope! Now we have to find him before they do him in!”

  “I think that Roland Thomason, the man who ran Camp Chinquapin would be a good candidate for someone wanting revenge and having the money to stage an operation,” Tim said, reentering the conversation. “He set up that camp so he could have total power over a bunch of teenagers. Anyone who got in his way, like me or Cody Johnson, was dealt with in the most ruthless and cruel manner. I still don’t know how I survived. My other choice would be the men who originally kidnapped Jason back when he was just fourteen. When Jason told me the story, one of the key factors was the fact that they thought he had a hidden family fortune.”

  “That’s true also,” Daniel replied. “And there was the grudge factor from his second cousins who staged it. This brings up a second possibility. Maybe this is a kidnapping for ransom. Most people don’t realize that the so-called family fortune was all put into the Whatever Foundation and not under Jason’s direct control. Maybe they think that Jason is personally rich.”

  “Whatever the true reason is, we need to stop talking about it and get to work finding him!” Nick exclaimed. “Time is always a critical factor in this type of crime. That’s something that I have unfortunate personal experience with.”

  “Nick’s right. We need to get going,” Tim stated emphatically. “Let’s all go together in one vehicle. We can talk on the way.”

  It was decided that they would all go in Eric’s van. Their first destination was the crime scene on San Anselmo Avenue. Everyone wanted to see where things went down and help get a perspective on how Jason’s abduction happened.

  When they arrived the area was taped off with crime scene tape. Captain Garcia and his team were searching the area for any evidence, and going through the abandoned water company building for fingerprints. There were several reporters from the media with camera crews waiting at the edge for information and a statement from Captain Garcia. There were also a number of people from the local neighborhood hanging around to see what was going on. This was the first time that anything this newsworthy had happened there.

  About fifteen minutes after Daniel and the others arrived, Captain Garcia appeared at the edge of the tape to make a statement. His statement was brief and very disconcerting to anyone who was a friend of Jason.

  “Earlier today two as yet unidentified men committed two kidnappings on Silicon Valley teenagers. The purpose of the first kidnapping was to force young Jason Hunter, who is well known in our community, to exchange himself for his steady girlfriend, who was the first kidnapping victim. I am not releasing her name at this time because she is a minor. The exchange occurred here at this site. After Jason left his Explorer, keys, and cell phone for his girlfriend to drive away to safety, we believe that the two men took Jason to a location as yet unknown. We are not sure yet whether this was a kidnapping for ransom or for revenge. At this time we are doing everything we can to locate him. As soon as there are more details I can release about these crimes, I will let you know. Thank you.”

  Although Captain Garcia was done with his statement, the reporters had additional questions, which he either answered or didn’t due to the ongoing investigation. Basically, the captain had said all he was going to say at this time.

  After Captain Garcia’s statement, the media began to leave, as the crime scene tape was still up and they wanted to prepare the story for the evening news. One of the reporters recognized Daniel, and came up to him for a statement.

  “What was your reaction to the news that Jason has gone missing, presumably kidnapped?” the reporter asked.

  “Obviously I am very upset and troubled by it. Jason Hunter is a very special person and has done a lot for this community through his foundation and detective work. Along with the Whatever Foundation and Jason’
s many friends, we are now planning to use the resources of his latest project, Jason’s Network to search for any sign of him. I know personally I will not stop looking until he has been found and returned home. That’s all I have to say for now.”

  Other reporters tried to get statements from Daniel, but he walked away and toward the police tape. He got the attention of one of the policemen manning the edge of the crime scene. “I need to talk with Captain Garcia,” Daniel told him. “My name is Daniel Holmes.”

  A few minutes later, the policeman was informed to let Daniel go past the tape so that the two could talk. Captain Garcia asked Daniel if he had any information about Jason’s activities earlier in the day or yesterday. Daniel didn’t have anything new to add. “I think that this was a surprise to Jason just as it was to me,” Daniel said. He then asked the captain, “Do you have any more information on how or where Jason was taken?”

  “We found a trail out in back of the processing plant that eventually led to a neighborhood due east of here. That’s where we believe that the criminals walked Jason, and then exited the area. We found footprints to match that scenario anyway, several sets with boots on, and one set of Converse sneaker prints that would be Jason’s.”

  “Do you think Jason has been taken out of this area or is he still around here somewhere being held prisoner? If their plan was just to kill Jason, why would they go to all this trouble and then wait to do it. To me this crime seems to be about revenge or possibly ransom.”

  “Do you have ideas who might be behind this?” Captain Garcia asked.

  “Actually, things have been very quiet. We weren’t working on any new cases and most of our spare time has been spent on getting ready for my band’s tour in June. All of the criminals we helped to discover are in prison right now. The only ones with resources to do something from there are Roland Thomason and Walter Gaither from the Tim Wilkinson/Cody Johnson case or perhaps the original conspirators against Jason several years ago.”

  Captain Garcia handed Daniel a business card. “Contact me right away if you have any more ideas or find anything else out that might be pertinent. It’s upsetting to know that someone would do this to Jason again after all he has been through.”

  “I agree,” Daniel replied. “All I know is that we have to find him before it’s too late. I am going to spend every resource I have to do that.”

  Daniel got back with the other band members. He told them what he had learned from Captain Garcia. “There are details that don’t ring true about this case. Why would you take your captive prisoner, and someone as astute as Jason, through a long trail to another neighborhood and then spirit him away. Why not just drive away from the water plant? I somehow get the feeling that the crime scene was a setup in some way. I don’t how or where, but I have the gut feeling that Jason is around here somewhere. Now we have to get to work and discover where!”

  Henry had emailed Daniel the list of Jason’s Network members in the San Anselmo Avenue and Blossom Ridge areas. After returning to their recording studio at Tim’s house, Daniel worked with his band members to personally contact every one of them. Daniel prepared a brief email with the details of Jason’s kidnapping and where it had occurred in their area. The email also asked everyone to search around their own blocks for anything suspicious or if there were any abandoned homes, garages, or extra buildings. He told them to be on the lookout for a black four door older American sedan that might be parked in their neighborhood or if they had seen a vehicle matching that description parked there on previous days.

  Finally the email asked anyone who could to participate in an area wide search beginning the next morning at 9:00 AM. “Jason’s Network was created to help and protect you. But now Jason is the one who needs help. Please join us in the search for him.”

  It was late afternoon by the time all the emails were sent out. Glumly, Daniel and the others returned home. It would be one very rotten evening.

  Chapter 23

  The Kid with the Overactive Imagination

  (Sunday)

  Sunday morning Daniel and the other band members arrived on San Anselmo Avenue a little after nine o’clock in the morning. When they got there, they were amazed and pleasantly surprised to see that already nearly fifty kids were gathering on the block. Eric parked his van at the end of San Anselmo Avenue, near the entrance to the abandoned business park where Jason was grabbed.

  After getting out of the van, Daniel waved at everyone to come over. After about five minutes everyone was within talking distance. Daniel then signaled for quiet. “Hi,” he began. “My name is Daniel Holmes, if you don’t know who I am. Jason Hunter is my best friend and I have helped him out many times when we were trying to track down predators or others who would hurt kids or commit crimes in our community. Now Jason needs our help. Two criminals forced him into giving himself up to them in exchange for the safety of his steady girlfriend, Laura. If you know Jason at all, you know that he is fearless when it comes to helping someone in trouble.

  “Those bad guys played on those tendencies so that they could grab Jason either for revenge or for ransom money. We don’t know why yet. It could be that they took Jason miles away from here, but it is equally possible that he is in this area somewhere. Our purpose today is to search every part of this neighborhood for possible clues or for any sign of Jason. We are also looking for a vehicle, an older black four door American made sedan. A couple of you emailed me that you had seen a car matching that description on previous days. So if Jason still is in this neighborhood, there is a good chance that this vehicle would be here also.

  “I think it would be best if we broke up into five groups. Each group is assigned to search a specific street in the neighborhood. You need to account for every house, vehicle, garage or extra building on that street, then check the access streets and any alleys or long driveways. One of my band members will be with each group. If you see anything at all suspicious, let him know and he will report back to me. If you actually live in an area being searched, stay at the front of your group since you will know the most about that part of the search. Let’s meet back here when we are finished searching, say in ninety minutes or so.”

  Daniel stayed on San Anselmo Avenue while Eric and the others walked down to the streets they would be going through. As Daniel walked down San Anselmo with the others, he began introducing himself individually so that he would know who he was working with on a personal basis. Joey and Milo Francona and Jorge Gonzalez were among the first group of kids there. Later they were joined by Nick Lee. During the search, they got to chattering about the assemblies and Jorge complimented Daniel on his music.

  As they slowly checked out San Anselmo Avenue, nothing was found in the blocks they searched. This was not unexpected, since the police had gone through there yesterday. About an hour had passed by when Daniel received a cell phone call from Eric. “I think we might have located the car!” he told Daniel in an excited voice. “It is parked over on a side street and was covered over with a tarp. We peeked underneath the tarp and saw a black body and then four doors. It’s a 1994 or 95 Dodge sedan. Doesn’t that fit the description Captain Garcia gave you?”

  “It sure does, Eric,” Daniel replied. “I’ll be right over.” Eric gave Daniel the location.

  Daniel then told the rest of his group to keep searching. “I think we have a lead on the black sedan. After I check it out I will return here.”

  Daniel jogged down San Anselmo Avenue to the side street that Eric had described. When he arrived the tarp had been pulled off of the vehicle. “I hope you didn’t touch anything, in case the police can get fingerprints,” he said to Eric and the others.

  “No, we didn’t touch it,” Eric answered. “We just pulled the tarp off to get a better look.”

  “Did you spot anything inside?” Daniel asked.

  “Nothing much, just a pair of sneakers. In fact they are chucks, just like what Jason and the rest of us wear,” Eric followed up.

  Dani
el peered inside and saw them on the floor of the back seat. “These look brand new although they have some mud on them.”

  Suddenly Daniel had a moment of insight. “Oh my God, I just realized that those sneakers could have been used to create a false trail. I never could understand why the criminals would take Jason outside on a hike of several blocks down by the culvert instead of just driving away. I’m positive now that what the police found was a false trail to make us think Jason was taken out of this area when he wasn’t!”

  Daniel got on his cell phone and called Captain Garcia. He told him about the car, the pair of sneakers inside, and his conclusion. “We haven’t touched the vehicle at all, in case you can get fingerprints. But I think this blows a hole in your theory that Jason was forcibly walked down that trail. If he was taken somewhere out the back way, it wasn’t there!”

  Captain Garcia told them to stay there until a patrol car arrived. He had Daniel give him the license plate number so he could trace it in the police system. About five minutes later, Captain Garcia called Daniel back. “I think you are on to something. Those plates on the car were reported stolen. I am going to get a search warrant so that we can legally check inside the vehicle. Now I know you are doing your neighborhood watch thing with the kids in Jason’s Network, but be very careful. If Jason is being held somewhere in that neighborhood, you could spook them with your presence. Maybe you should wind down your search now.”

  “We are almost done, and no one has found anything unusual so far, other than this car. If they are there and watching us, it might spook them even more for us to suddenly stop. I will call you immediately if I hear of or find out anything else, Captain Garcia.”

  Daniel closed his cell phone and told Eric, “I am heading back to my group. Captain Garcia is getting a search warrant for the vehicle. Stay here until the patrol car arrives to make sure no one touches the car.”