He turned and walked away towards the bus stop. He sat on the bench and watched as more and more police cars arrived. Television and radio crews were already there and were shooting live and background material.
The bus came and stopped in front of the bench. Several people got off before the others started loading. He took one last look over at the police station and then stepped onto the bus. He tried to give the driver a dollar but he only tapped the sign, ‘correct change only’.
He reached in his pocket and found two quarters. He dropped them in the slot and went back and sat down. Now what, he thought, as the bus pulled away from the curb.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
After several blocks, he spotted a car rental sign and got off the bus. He simply walked in and rented a car using his credit card. Since the alarm regarding him had not been sounded at that time, he was just another person. He rented a subcompact Hyundai and drove aimless around for several hours.
His own attorney had been arrested during the riot in the station and was not released until the following day.
He had tried to explain to the police about what had happened but was not being considered reliable.
Ashton was sitting in a small pub, eating dinner when he looked over at the television screen and saw his own picture. He almost choked on his sandwich. He quickly left money on the table and got out of there and back to the rental car. He had no idea what he should do next.
It was getting later and later and he still did not have a plan. He finally decided to go to a nearby park and spend the night in the car. It would give him time to think and hopefully come up with a reasonable plan. It was a long, cold, uncomfortable night but he managed to fall into a light sleep in the early morning hours.
MURDER SUSPECT ESCAPES - screamed the headlines from the paper. Ashton read the article. The report said that he had somehow managed to overpower the guard and get his handcuffs off. The guard was in serious but stable condition. He had suffered a serious concussion and could not remember any of the details of the escape. Jim’s picture was on the front page along with another article that made it sound like he was involved with the disappearance of Stephanie and Carla.
No matter how you read the article, it was apparent that Ashton was in even deeper trouble. He sat rocking back and forth, re-reading the article. What the hell should he do? He knew he was up a creek without a paddle.
****
Terry sat at the kitchen table with the two FBI agents. They had been parked in the driveway when he arrived home from DigitCom.
“And you have not heard from Ashton?” Agent Petty asked.
“Definitely not. The last time I saw Jim he was being escorted in handcuffs out of the building by Detective Logan. Why? Has something else happened?” Terry wanted to know.
“You didn’t hear the news today?”
“No. I didn’t even turn on the radio in the car and you met me at the door so what is going on?” he asked.
“Ashton somehow overpowered a guard just before arraignment and managed to escape,” Petty told him.
Terry looked pale and shook his head, “You’re telling me that Jim Ashton is a fugitive?” he said in disbelief.
“In a nutshell. Our bumbling brothers in blue managed to let him get out of the station as slick as a whistle. So far no one knows his whereabouts. His lawyer said the last time he saw him he was on the floor with the guard but he didn’t see what happened next,” Nelson said.
“Or didn’t want to see,” Petty added.
“I can’t believe this. Jim isn’t a violent person,” Terry said in defense of Ashton.
“Well someone thinks he is. I’m sure you are aware that he was being charged with the murder of Linda Taylor,” Petty said.
“Yes, but that’s a mistake. There is no way he would have murdered Linda or anyone else. He really liked her and thought she was top notch. In fact he sent her on the trip to get something vital that he needed,” Larkin’s told the agents.
“Well maybe she found something he didn’t want found?” Petty said.
“Then why send her? No this is all wrong. Jim did not kill Linda Taylor,” he insisted.
“That’s going to be for the court to figure out. What we are concerned with is the impact this has on getting Stephanie and Carla back. Ashton was the only one contacted and we are not sure what this all means. Will they just do something rash or try to contact you?” Nelson explained.
“I’m saying that they might just cut their losses and run,” Agent Petty said.
Both Terry and Nelson shot him a dirty look.
“Sorry. I didn’t mean that like it sounded. I just meant they might take off and leave us to figure it all out,” he stammered.
“You're something else Petty,” Nelson admonished, “But he has a point. They may decide this is all getting too hot and just disappear. I don’t know where that would leave us exactly with getting your wives back.”
“What can we do? I’ll do anything to help,” Terry said.
“There is nothing much any of us can do. Look, you have sold the company and you now have the money available. Is there anything so pressing at DigitCom that requires you to be there so much?” Nelson asked.
“We told Aikimoto that we would remain for thirty days and continue to keep the present staff motivated and moving forward. I can probably cut back some but I can’t stop all together I don’t think,” he told them.
“Well that’s better than nothing. We don't want you to radically change what you do but we want to really pull back on our surveillance of you. We do not want to spook them in case they want to send a messenger or contact you. If they see us breathing down your neck they may just bolt. Do you feel comfortable with that?” Nelson asked.
“Sure. Why not? I’m not in any danger. I see what you are getting at. I need to be accessible so we can offer them the option of handing off the ransom demand to me,” he said.
“Exactly. You need to be accessible and ready to respond immediately. We are down to only two days, if they stick to the original demands. I would suspect they will be sizing up the situation and deciding how they are going to play it. We want to give them every opportunity to make clean contact with you. Then we can make our contingency plans and set our trap.”
“Trap? I thought we were just going to turn the money over to them and get our wives back,” Terry said, confused.
“Yeah if that is possible. Look, I gotta’ be frank. I told you before your chances of getting them back unharmed was at best fifty-fifty. I think these latest developments may have lowered that some. We may well be able to spring a trap and catch these guys if we have your full support.”
“I don’t know about that. I mean we're really rolling the dice here. What about Jim’s wife, he should have a say in this too,” Terry said.
“Fine. You tell us where to find him and we’ll be glad to ask him. Mr. Larkins you make the ultimate call. We will not put your wife in danger unless you give us the authority to act as we think best. We fully understand the magnitude of this decision.” Petty said.
“Do you? It’s my wife’s life we’re dealing with here. I need time to think about this. I really can’t say for sure what I want to do. Don’t get me wrong, I want you to catch those animals but not at the risk of losing lives,” he said.
“We understand Mr. Larkins. We have to go through this process every time and it is never easy. We won’t take any action until you have had ample time to think this over,” Nelson assured him.
“What else can I do?” Terry asked.
“Let us know if Ashton calls or contacts you in any way. We need to get him out of this equation as quickly as possible,” Nelson said.
“You don’t still think he is involved with the kidnappings do you?” Terry asked.
The two agents exchanged glances for a second before Nelson said, “Let’s just say we have not eliminated the possibility by a long shot. There is still far too much left unexplained for us to rule him
out.”
“I don’t believe any of this. A murderer and a kidnapper? Jim Ashton? No. You guys are dead wrong,” he said.
“We understand how you feel. Just keep in mind that most crimes are committed against victims by people that are known and trusted,” Petty said.
“Not this time,” Terry insisted.
The agents went about making plans for Terry to check in if anything developed. They also pulled back all surveillance at his home and at the office. He still had the special beeper and the phone tap but almost everything else was scaled back dramatically.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
“Hey look at this,” Winston said, handing a piece of paper over to Logan.
Logan took out his glasses and slipped them on. He looked at the paper and saw that P.O. Box 441 was registered to Terry Larkins. He cross checked the La Strada’s billing sheet and found that twenty-three bills had been sent to that particular box. He scratched his head and looked at Winston.
“What do you think?”
“Well I doubt that he was just going there for the splendid view. Did you notice? They started about eighteen or nineteen months ago. I don’t find anything before that,” Winston said.
“While you were out there, did you happen to show Mr. Observant the picture of Larkins?”
“No. I really didn’t think to. I was checking out Ashton. I was just sure he was the one going there,” Winston admitted.
“Nice detective work. Why don’t we tool on out there and make another run at this thing,” Logan suggested.
“Only if you don’t make me eat crow if it turns out to actually be Larkins. I hate crow pie, it gives me indigestion,” Winston said.
“Me do that?” Logan said, feigning surprise at such a statement.
They drove back out to the La Strada Motel. It was actually a very nice place. It was well maintained and was probably somewhat pricey. Privacy did not have to be sleazy, Logan decided.
“This billing address, box 441, who do you address the bills too?”
“Occupant,” the manager said.
“Cute. Very cute. Look, Mr. I Can’t See Past the End of the Counter, I am not going to take a lot of stupid statements from you. I will haul you downtown for obstruction of justice so fast your head will spin,” Logan said, stepping close to the face of the manager.
“I’m telling the truth. All of the post office boxes are sent that way. It wouldn’t be very private if we put their names on it would it?” he said.
“Fine, I’ll give you that. Here are two pictures. Have you ever seen either of these men before,” Winston said, laying the pictures of Ashton and Larkins on the counter.
“Sure. You showed me this picture just a couple of days ago,” he said looking up and smiling.
Logan was not smiling back. His look sent the message that the manager was very close to getting a free ride in a police car.
“Okay, this guy here, but I don’t know his real name. He comes here every other week or so. Sometimes he pays in cash, sometimes we bill him,” he said.
“You’re sure that it’s this guy,” Logan said, tapping the picture of Terry Larkins.
“I’m sure,” he said.
“What about his acquaintance? What does she look like?” Winston wanted to know.
“Who said it was a she? Hey, it’s the new age,” the manager said.
Logan cringed. There it was again. The new age excuse as if it were a badge of honor.
“You’re telling us it wasn’t a woman.
“No, not really. Lighten up detective. Your clock is wound too tight. It was a woman all right but I don’t know what she looked like. Honestly. They always arrived in a nice looking Jag and parked at the far end of the complex. I saw her from a long way off,” he said, leading them to the window.
It was a good three hundred yards to the furthest building.
“You can’t give us some kind of description?” Logan asked, looking out the window.
“Tall, slender, with a nice build. That’s about it. I think her hair is kind of dark blonde or light brown. It sort of depended on the conditions outside,” he said.
The two detectives asked a few more questions but it was clear that he had given them all he intended to.
When they were back in the car Winston said, “Well that opens another can of worms. It doesn’t implicate Larkins in anything criminal but it certainly does open the door of doubt.”
“You’re right. Most people start off simply thinking that what they are doing is not really harmful and in almost every case they find out differently. A flirtatious pass, harmless dinner, and suddenly it’s all spinning out of control. It’s the old ‘grass is greener’ syndrome. Stupid. Really stupid.”
“Yep. I especially like the part when they blame it on human nature. Animal nature maybe, but not human. That’s just the convenient excuse,” Winston said.
“I’m not sure I agree,” Logan said.
“Really? Why is that?”
“I’m not sure you should blame it on animal nature. Most of them are a lot less likely to pull such a stunt.”
They went back to the station and started digging out the list of expensive gifts. It would take legwork to go to the places and check out each lead but at least Logan thought they were moving in the right direction. He felt it was like the layers of fine pastry. Once you started peeling them back, it took some time to get to the fruit in the center.
****
Ashton was awakened by a loud noise and he cringed. It was just the sound of thunder. He was stiff and cold. He rolled down the window and let the cold rain beat against his face. At least he knew he was still alive. It had been a long and miserable night.
He started the car and let the engine warm up before turning the heater on full blast. The warm air helped remove some of the moisture from the interior and he was able to stop shivering. He turned on the radio and scanned through the channels before he found one that was not blaring loud music.
He listened as they talked about the daring escape by James Ashton from the police station. He was distressed to find that the police officer was in failing condition and had slipped into a coma. He found that a full statewide manhunt was underway and roadblocks had been set up in different areas. The Chief of Police was determined to bring in this murdering fugitive as quickly as possible.
Jim listened intently and his sprits sank even lower. He switched channels and found the story to be only slightly different. In this story he was considered armed and dangerous. It was getting worse all the time. He should never have left. Maybe the best thing to do was turn himself in, but how?
He sure didn’t want to get shot in the process and there was Stephanie. He couldn’t just sit in jail while she was being held prisoner someplace. They would both be prisoners. He laughed to himself, realizing it was more desperate than funny.
He drove to a fast food place and got a quick but tasteless breakfast. He could have accidentally eaten the napkin for all the flavor it provided. He had to come up with a plan of action. It dawned on him that even driving around like this could be dangerous. If he was stopped or had an accident it could be disastrous for him.
He went to a local mall and parked. He needed more time to determine a plan of action. Finally he decided what he was going to do, for better or worse. He drove to the first phone booth he could find, which took quite a bit of looking, and dialed.
It was somewhat risky and could even be dangerous but at least he had a plan of action and that was better than just sitting around waiting to get caught.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
When Terry arrived at the office the following morning he noticed that the FBI car that always occupied the second row was gone. It seemed that they had already started pulling back. He went to his office and Martha was sitting at her desk but hardly spoke as he came it.
“Are you all right, Martha?” he asked stopping by her desk.
“As well as can be expected. I mean poor Linda Taylor and
Mr. Ashton. A fugitive and all. How could they think such a thing about him?” she asked, just barely able to suppress the tears.
“I know. I’m just as confused and upset,” he said.
“Oh my. I’m so sorry. Here I am acting like this and you have your wife missing as well. I’m sorry Mr. Larkins,” she said, straightening herself up.
“Hey, forget it. I can’t stand the fact that Jim is out there on his own being hunted by the police. You know he didn’t do it and I know he didn’t. Don’t worry though, Jim is no dummy. He will figure out the best thing to do,” Terry assured her.
“I just hope nothing happens to him as well,” she said.
Terry went over the arrangements that he wanted made for Linda Taylor’s funeral and then had her send for Bob Spitzer.
“Hi Bob, come on in,” he said when he knocked on the door.
“What’s up?”
“I wanted to go over some details with you. I have a whole list of things here, do you have an hour to spare?” Terry asked.
“Whatever you need Terry,” Bob replied.
“First about Linda. I want to make sure every member makes it to the visitation. It’s okay if they skip the actual funeral but I want them to all show their respect.”
“I’ve already taken care of that. I had a staff meeting late yesterday and made it clear then.”
“Great. I knew you would do the right thing. Thanks for taking care of that so quickly,” Terry said.
“It was the least I could do,” Bob assured him.
“Switching tracks, about the beta test. I went over the results and find it strange that we haven’t had any further negative reports. What’s going on?”
“I don’t really know. You said that Linda was looking into that area. Did she find something and fix it?”
“Not that I am aware of. You know as much about it as I do. It just seems strange. I would like for you to have someone call each of the testers and get the absolute latest findings,” he said.
Avarice or Innocence (JOHN LOGAN FILES Book 1) Page 16
