Jason looked over at Daniel, again on the verge of tears. What Daniel had just told him rang a very emotional chord inside his head. “You truly are my best friend, Daniel. I don’t know what I would do without you around. You are a brother to me because of what you have endured on my behalf and for others like Tim, Eric, and Cody.”
“Jason, it is an honor to be your best friend. Sometime I wonder if I am worthy when I think of the things you have accomplished in the last three years. I’ll bring up my favorite cliché when I remind you how mind-boggling that is!”
“I know, Daniel. I feel very frustrated right now that all the energy seems to be drained out of me and replaced with throbbing pain! I have no incentive to do anything. I hate being confined to this bed and I hate being in the spotlight because of something that was done to me rather than something I was able to do. As I often have said, being a victim really sucks!”
Daniel had to laugh at Jason’s last remark. “Jason, you know this process too well! But you can be sure you won’t go through the recovery process alone. Are you even aware of how much media coverage you have been getting lately?”
“Media coverage? I haven’t been paying any attention to that. Jaime Orlando has left me several messages but I can’t get up the energy to return his calls.”
“Brace yourself, Jason. I don’t think you have any idea how big Jason’s Network has gotten along with the press coverage of what happened to you and Laura. The story of what went down has captivated the media. They are playing it like a medieval tale of chivalry. The good knight Jason is willing to sacrifice himself to rescue his true love, Lady Laura. When Sir Jason is captured, the evil Duke Roland orders Jason to be tortured and killed in his subterranean dungeon. Then the whole countryside rallies to save him! If you walked out that door tomorrow and said you would like to give a press conference there would be reporters from all over the country attending, standing room only, and huge coverage on the news!”
“The last thing I want to become is another celebrity who doesn’t really do anything,” Jason said with some irony in his voice.
“The reason that you have become a celebrity is because you do deliver, Jason. On the basketball court, in the world of philanthropy, as a detective, and as someone who works to help crime victims recover! Now Doctor Hunter, it is time for you to begin healing yourself!”
“I promise I will, Daniel. But I will need your companionship and support to help me along the process.”
“Count on it, Jason! I will do whatever is needed to return you to being that kickback Jason you were before all this detective business started going down.”
“Then sit with me for a while. Your presence cheers me up!”
“Good!” Daniel said with a big smile. “Now that you are bedridden, I can try out all the latest jokes on you.”
Chapter 28
A Visit from the Legal Team
(Wednesday)
Wednesday morning Jason was feeling a lot better. His condition continued to improve and his overall pain had subsided to the point that he was taken off the IV drips with painkillers. The tests on further internal damage to his body organs had come in negative. The doctor told him that he could be released from the hospital as soon as tomorrow. Jason was very excited when he heard that. He told his father, Bill, that he couldn’t wait to put on his normal clothes again and get out of there.
Around 9:30, Captain Garcia stopped by to update Jason and his father on how the criminal case against Brice Thomason and Derrick Hurtado was going. He also wanted to check with Jason on several points pertinent to the investigation.
Bill Hunter stood up and shook hands with Captain Garcia. “How are you, Antonio? It’s good to see you again.”
“Very well, thank you.” Captain Garcia walked over to Jason, who was sitting up in his bed, and shook hands. “Jason, it looks like you are a lot better now. How are you feeling?”
“I’m off the IVs and my wounds are healing nicely. The doctor says I could home tomorrow. That’s my hope, anyway.”
Captain Garcia sat down and opened up a notebook. “I didn’t need to get a statement from you at the time of your rescue, due your condition and that fact that your kidnappers were caught red-handed in the act. With all the evidence we collected at the crime scene, those two soon were singing like songbirds. The district attorney and I told them that we would take their cooperation into consideration, but you can rest assured that those two are facing serious prison time for what they did to you and Laura Friesen. Right now we have them on counts of kidnapping, false imprisonment, attempted murder, assault, and conspiracy.
“Thank you for reminding me about the videotape. That was the devastating evidence that got them talking. I’ll tell you that it was not pleasant to watch what they were doing to you, Jason. Your survival instincts were good. Once you realized that you couldn’t communicate with them or get them to change their minds, you were better off not talking and saving your strength to survive the beatings they gave you.
“The way they did it, tying you to the wall and then taking turns punching you really angered everyone downtown. Their whole plan of torturing a sixteen-year-old kid to death and videotaping it for the pleasure of Roland Thomason did not sit well with anyone. Even more sickening was that after you were killed, your death scene would be set up so that it looked like a drug deal gone bad. The DA is definitely going to add special circumstances to the indictments. One of the reasons I am here today is to clear up a couple of points regarding that.”
“What exactly do you want to know, Captain Garcia?” Jason asked. “When I think about what was done to me and Laura, I realize that they spent a lot of time researching and preparing for what they did. Why did Roland Thomason come to hate me so much?”
“Roland Thomason is someone who revels in having power over other people. That was one of the main motivations for having that camp. He wanted complete control over his charges and anyone who got in his way or defied him had to pay a severe price, as those two boys you and Daniel rescued can attest. I think it really rankled him that he was brought down by two teenagers. You remember the reaction at the time. Even the Mariposa County sheriff’s office had a hard time believing that you could mount that operation. With the long prison sentence he received for sponsoring that abusive prison, he had plenty of time to stew about it.”
“That’s what I don’t understand about this,” Bill Hunter interjected. “How could someone serving time in prison put together an operation like what was done to Jason?”
“The answer is money, Bill,” Captain Garcia responded. “We found out from Brice that Roland Thomason intended to spend over $100,000 on these crimes.”
Jason and Bill Hunter shook their heads when they heard the amount. “What is the world coming to?” Bill said with anger in his voice. “All Jason ever wanted to do was help people. For this he is targeted for torture and death!” Bill got up and paced around the room for a while.
Captain Garcia and Jason then got down to business. They went over a number of details about the events of the last weekend. Garcia was especially interested in things that were said and done while the videotape was off.
When the two were finished, Captain Garcia got up. “Thank you, Jason. As always, your insights have been quite helpful. Now I want you to spend as much time as possible resting and recovering. The world will still be around to save when you are back to full strength again.”
Jason smiled at the captain. “Everyone is telling me the same thing these days. Thank you again for all that you did for me. And you can count on me to stand up in court against those men for what they did to Laura and me.”
“I doubt that you will have to, Jason,” Captain Garcia replied. “There is such a strong case against Brice Thomason and Derrick Hurtado that a plea bargain is their best option.”
“What will happen to Roland Thomason for his role in this?” Bill Hunter asked.
“He will be indicted and tried on conspiracy charges, a
gain with special circumstances due to the severity of the crimes he initiated,” Garcia stated. “I doubt that he will ever be released from prison. I certainly hope that is the case!”
After Captain Garcia left, a hospital orderly came in and asked Jason if he would like to go for a short walk. “The doctor thinks that you can trying moving around more on your own. We will just walk down the corridor and back. Let me know if you feel any pain or are dizzy.”
Jason was happy to actually be up and about. When he returned he told his father to remind his mother to bring over some clean clothes for him. “I’m tired of wearing this hospital gown. I want to put on a tee short, shorts, and lace up a pair of chucks again. Then I will start to feel normal.”
“I understand what you are saying, Jason, but don’t rush things,” Bill Hunter told his son. “Once you are out of here you can go back to wearing what you want. Right now you should concentrate on resting and healing.”
About an hour later, a call came in to Bill from hospital security. He relayed their message to Jason. “Two attorneys are outside and want to see you, Jason. One is your foundation attorney, Peter Williams, and the other is a gentleman named Harold Richland.”
“Harold Richland is the law professor I met at Stanford when I went to speak with his class a month or so ago. I wonder what they want. Go ahead and have them admitted.”
About five minutes later, the two men were in Jason’s room shaking hands with him and Bill Hunter. Harold Richland began the conversation. “Jason, before I begin, I wanted to let you know how shocked and saddened I was at what was done to you. My seminar that you spoke with feels the same way. They all signed a card for you.” Mr. Richland took out a large envelope and handed it over to Jason. Inside was a get-well card with words of encouragement from Professor Richland’s students.
“Although healing is your priority right now, wishing you well is not the main reason I am here today. Before I tell you why, I want you to know that I ran this by Peter, your foundation attorney, just to make sure that there wasn’t any conflict with foundation activities or future plans. He assured me that there was not.”
Mr. Williams added, “Harold has a very interesting proposal which I am in total agreement with, but since it affects you, Jason, we thought that we should talk with you about it, and get your okay before proceeding.”
“What exactly are you proposing?” Jason asked.
“Every year during the summer and sometimes into the fall quarter, my students and I work on a project to practice their legal and research skills and do something for the public good. We were just discussing potential projects to work on when news of what was done to you hit the news. The cruel way that you were forced to give yourself up to thugs who planned to torture and kill you galvanized our class, especially since we had recently met you and heard about your life and accomplishments. I called Captain Garcia about what had happened to you and he provided me with details about the conspiracy against you.
“Even though he was in a state prison, Roland Thomason was able to act with impunity against you because he was wealthy and through all kinds of means, many of which are illegal, he was able to plan, finance and stage the crimes against you that he nearly pulled off. This kind of activity needs to be stopped and steps to prevent similar occurrences in the future must be taken. What we propose to do is go after Roland Thomason and get control over all of his assets. There are many ways to do this through legal means and our proposal is to do just that. We plan to file civil lawsuits for huge sums of money on behalf of you and his other victims from Camp Chinquapin. We will assist in the discovery and prosecution of anyone who helped in the conspiracy against you. We will work to stop his conduit for obtaining cash and special privileges in prison, work to freeze his assets, discover and audit all of his sources of wealth, and check for tax law violations.
“After talking with Captain Garcia, I discussed this with our law students. They were unanimously in favor of this project and all immediately volunteered to help in the effort. You really touched a chord with them when you visited earlier this year. They were all outraged about what was done to you and why it was done. When we are finished with Roland Thomason he won’t have a dime to his name! We also hope to propose legislation that will prevent other criminals from being able to do the same thing.”
Jason was somewhat surprised by Harold Richland’s words. “While I am pleased and flattered by your proposal, Professor Richland, I am not sure whether this would be a proper use of Whatever Foundation money. Peter, can you assure me that this work would be within the foundation’s charter?”
“Jason, I don’t think you quite understood what I was proposing,” Harold Richland interrupted. “Your foundation will never be billed for this work, it is pro bono. We are doing this because we want to fight back against this vile man who wanted to see you tortured and murdered, while having it videotaped for his personal pleasure. We are strongly committed to do this as a public service and because we strongly believe in you and your cause. But I wanted to ask your permission first, Jason. We will need your cooperation at times.”
“My only concern, now that you have explained things better, is that this might lead to another incident like Laura and I just experienced. Are there any guarantees in that regard?” Jason asked.
“We cannot promise that no one will ever go after you again in your lifetime,” Professor Richland replied, “but we are very positive that it won’t be Roland Thomason or anyone else involved with him and his illegal activities. We know that you are a fighter for what you believe in, Jason. Now we want to fight for you!”
“I am very touched and honored by what you have just told me,” Jason said in an emotional voice. “Dad, do you have any objections?”
“No, Son, I don’t,” Bill Hunter answered. “What that man did was evil and he deserves to be taken down. If security does become an issue, we can always rehire the security service I used in the past to watch you and our house.”
“Then I say ‘go for it’ with everything you have got!” Jason exclaimed. “Thank you for coming and telling me this, Professor Richland. You have made my day!”
Chapter 29
Nightmares and Uncertainty
(Thursday and Friday)
Jason’s parents left the hospital around 9:30 Wednesday evening. The events of the past days had taken their toll, and they wanted to retire early to get some extra rest. After they left, Jason puttered around on his laptop computer for a while. Then he felt fatigue again and couldn’t concentrate. He put his laptop aside and stretched out in his bed.
When Jason woke up, everything was dark around him. And something was wrong. Jason tried to move, but couldn’t. Then he realized that his wrists were manacled to the wall. He struggled to free himself but couldn’t. Then he felt body blows, one after another, as his body was wracked with pain. There was the sickening sound of flesh hitting flesh as he was systematically beaten up and down his torso. A cruel and smirking voice was saying, “Work him over until he is a bloody pulp!”
Jason wanted to cry out for help, but no sound would come out of him. His lips tried forming words, but could say nothing. Finally, from the depth of his lungs, a low scream began to emerge. The scream gradually got louder in a crescendo of agony. “Ahhhh!” Jason screamed as the sound reached his lips. His whole body began to shake convulsively. Then he felt hands holding him down.
“Jason! Jason!” a different voice shouted at him. “Wake up!”
Jason popped open his eyes. He was back in his hospital bed. The sheets and blanket were rumpled and twisted. He was drenched in sweat. An orderly and the night nurse were hunched over him.
“Jason, you are okay and safe!” the nurse said. “You were just having a nightmare.”
As reality began to set in again, Jason started to relax a little. “Oh,” he replied, “I thought I was back in that underground cistern. I guess I have made a mess of things,” he continued looking around at his bed.”
&
nbsp; “Don’t worry about that,” the orderly told him. “Fixing your bed is the easiest thing in the world. Why don’t you go to the bathroom and dry yourself off. While you are in there, I will remake your bed.”
The orderly offered Jason a hand and helped him up out of the bed. Unsteadily, Jason got to his feet. “Can you walk okay?” the orderly asked.
Jason shook the grogginess out of his head. “Yeah, I’m okay now,” he said as he walked toward the nearby bathroom.
After Jason returned, a few minutes later, his bed had been remade with fresh sheets. Before he got into the bed, the nurse checked his bandages to make sure that they were still in place correctly. “Would you like me to call the doctor?” she inquired. “Nightmares like you just had are fairly common for someone who was the victim of a brutal crime. It’s your mind trying process what was done to you.”
“Yeah, I understand,” Jason told her. “I’ve been through this before. And I have a good doctor I can call in the morning. You don’t need to bring in the night doctor since this is not a medical emergency. I think I will relax in bed and try to get some sleep.”
Jason climbed back into his bed. The nurse and orderly left Jason’s room. One or the other came and monitored the room every five minutes for a while. In ten minutes, Jason was sound asleep.
His nightmares continued, however. This time he found himself chasing after Laura. He tried to get her attention as she hurried into her car and drove away. Then he found himself running after her in the cul de sac of the abandoned business park. The pavement seemed to extend forever as he tried to catch up with her. She was too quick for him and just as he started to close in, the door to the abandoned water company building opened and she hurried inside.
Jason rushed up to the door and tried to open it. He pounded furiously on the door. “Let me in! Let me in!” he cried over and over. Finally the door opened. Jason ran inside and began calling for Laura, but there was no answer. “Laura! Where are you?” he cried out. He began to search through all of the room with no luck. Then he found the storage room where she had been held captive. He fumbled at the door knob and opened the door.
Jason's Network Page 18
