by C T Mitchell
“So, you really think it might be a child sex scheme by Dr Friedens?” Cam asked.
“Yes. And the only way we can deal with him is to catch him with the goods. Which, in this case, I’m afraid means Daniel and Ruth.”
“We must act quickly.” Jack was ready, willing and able. “Do you have any ideas, Judge? We’ve already been to his house. All quiet there, I’m afraid.”
“I have been thinking about how to go about it. A trap should work.” Cam could see the benefit, but –
“Wouldn’t there be a chance of him getting off using the entrapment argument?”
“Of course, we’d have to be careful. Do you have any suggestions, Detective?”
“We could get to him through the internet, I think.”
“Hmm. Let’s see what we can do on those lines. The good doctor must have some point of contact – maybe his website?” The three men decided to meet again and pool their ideas the next morning over coffee.
Jack Creed stared down at the table.
“And you think this may also have something to do with the murder?”
“Sarah Bartholomew seems to think it might be related.” Cam didn’t want to get into the convoluted relationship issues unless he had to. “Will you need her here tomorrow, or I should say today?”
“No, I don’t think so. What do you think Judge?”
“The fewer people who know what’s going on, the better I’d say.”
“We’ll have to be careful,” Jack acknowledged. “We don’t want to scare him off.
Do you have a contact who could get into the dark web? That’s where he could be operating, I’d say.”
The judge rubbed his eyes.
“Good thinking, Detective. Yes, there is someone I could get in touch with. I’ll try him as soon as –”
“The sooner the better, I think.” Jack was glad he had the Judge on his side. It would have been difficult to find someone in the Department who could or would find and operate on the dark web.
“What about we meet here at the Club again about 10.30? By then I’ll have initial reports from my team and you two may have thought of a plan we could put in place right away. We need to get a move on. Those kids will be suffering – not to mention Mrs. Rosenthal!”
Sarah checked through the peephole before she let Cam in.
“Hi! I didn’t expect to see you so soon.”
“Well, we have a lot to do if we’re going to get the children back.” Before she could respond, he added, “We have some outside help now. And a plan.”
“Who is the outside help, what’s the plan and who is ‘we’?”
“In order: Just a couple of people willing to help the police.” He smiled tightly. “Detective Jack Creed, me and one other are hatching a plan, which is being finely-tuned right now.” He sighed and sat down heavily on the couch.
“You look tired, Cam. Can I get you anything?”
“Sure. Thanks. A cup of coffee would be good. I haven’t had any breakfast and it was a late night and early morning.”
Sarah busied herself with the coffee in the kitchen and returned to find Cam resting on the recliner almost asleep.
“Here you are Cam. I’m sorry I had to involve you, but I couldn’t think who else to turn to.”
Sitting upright, Cam enjoyed his first coffee of the day.
“I’m glad you called me, Sarah. I’d love to help take down this awful pedophile ring!”
“So – it’s confirmed then? Is that really what has happened? Laurent has taken the children and –”
“Is selling them to the highest bidder. Yes.”
“Are you sure? How do you know?”
“He is advertising them on the dark web.”
Horror clutched her throat.
“No! No – surely not. Not here – not in Northern Rivers. This is a small area. Safe. No real crime. That is – we thought so. All the family felt secure here. Oh, what Kathleen must be going through!”
“It would be better if you didn’t tell her, Sarah. Promise? We must keep this VERY quiet until we have the children out and free.”
“Of course. If you think that’s best. But how long for? When will Daniel and Ruth be able to come home?”
“Well, that’s something you could help with. Once we have the children, it would be good if you could care for them until they can come home. I’m afraid it would mean holding yourself ready for our call as soon as their situation is clarified.”
“Of course. I want to help in any way I can.”
“Just stay close and wait until you hear from me or Detective Creed. Okay?”
“I understand.”
Sam did not want to think of the possibilities that sprang to mind. Nor did he need to share his forebodings with the children’s mother or aunt.
A while later Sarah got another call from her sister.
“Kathleen! How are you coping?”
“Oh, it’s so empty here now. Without the children, I don’t know what to do with myself. I was wondering if you could come and stay with me – just for a little while. Until Daniel and Ruth come home?”
“Of course I will, Kathleen. I should have offered before, but…”
“It would be such a help, Sarah. I could use your accountancy and computing expertise, too. I’ve been going through Samuel’s bookwork – there are things I just don’t understand, but at least it’s something I can do to maybe help find out why someone might want to k-k-kill him!” Her childhood stutter was making a comeback, Sarah noted sadly.
“Sounds like a good idea, Kathleen. I’ll pack a few things and be with you as soon as I can.”
“Thanks, sis. It’s so good to have you to rely on.”
It didn’t take long for Sarah to pack and leave. Just before she locked the door behind her, she realised her mobile was still inside. Very important to take that with her, plus its charger.
When Cam called, she must be ready.
The two sisters shared Samuel’s office and pored through his old accounts and banking details.
“What is this, do you think?” Kathleen was puzzled. Sarah had a look at the two columns her sister pointed to on the screen.
“Mmm. It doesn’t make sense, does it? They don’t match up in any way. I wonder… It looks as though Samuel was owed a heap of money that was never paid. What in the world could have been that valuable? Even commission on million-dollar property sales wouldn’t come to that amount.”
“Should we let the police know about this do you think?” Kathleen sounded doubtful.
“I guess we should, dear. It might lead to someone with a motive to murder Samuel.”
Her sister sniffed and used a tissue to blot her cheeks.
“Sorry, Kathleen. I didn’t mean to upset you.”
“It-it’s not you, Sarah. I’d be even more of a wreck if you weren’t here. I just wish I knew what had been going on with Samuel to make someone do that to him. We were trying to stay friendly for the sake of the children, but he had really changed in the last year or so.”
“I wonder if this huge shortfall had something to do with it?” Sarah’s head was buzzing with this new information and the possibilities it suggested.
“Don’t you worry about it, Kathleen. I’ll let Detective Creed know about this, and we’ll let him make the call as to its importance or not.”
Detective Inspector Jack Creed was going over his notes and doing some deep thinking when his mobile buzzed.
“It’s Sarah Bartholomew, Detective.”
“Hello, Mrs Bartholomew. What can I do for you?” He snapped his attention back to concentrate on the voice he heard from the speaker.
“My sister and I have been going through some records of Samuel’s business deals, and we’ve come across what looks like a major discrepancy. Would you be interested in following it up?”
“Certainly. I really appreciate you letting me know. It would be best if I call in and have a look – we don’t want to have anything suspicious showin
g on the computer.”
“Fine then. Just come when you can – we’re at Kathleen’s place right now.”
Before he went, there was the morning meeting to get through.
“Good morning, everyone.” Detective Superintendent Jack Creed looked around at his team. Most were bleary-eyed, the same as he was.
“We’ve had a very busy time, I know. However, we have one possible suspect now. Has anyone uncovered someone we hadn’t considered before?” A ringing silence was the only response.
“Where are we with the guest interviews, Sergeant?”
Detective Boston-Wright stood and gave her report, glancing around at the lackluster group. Looking at her non-committal expression, no one there would realise how hacked off she was. She tried very hard not to let her emotional side show, but in these circumstances, it was difficult. A murder. Kidnap. Two women distraught, children at risk…
“We’ve interviewed almost 80% of the guests in depth. No one has been able to think of anyone who went upstairs at that time. Our next task is to interview the caterers and other helpers.”
“It was only a short time ago. Someone must have seen something.” Jack tried his best to sound encouraging.
“Okay, everyone. Just a reminder that this is urgent. The murder may well be connected to the kidnapping of two children. Let’s put every bit of energy we have into this investigation.”
With a final sweeping glance around the room, he closed the door behind him and could hear Detective Boston-Wright giving instructions for interviewing the staff and caterers.
Jack sighed as he drove out to the Rosenthal place. He hoped this might be the opening he’d been looking for. They could do with a break, and the sooner the better.
The hours were ticking past, and the thought of Daniel and Ruth being vulnerable in the hands of a captor was disturbing.
He should be able to get back to the Pottsville Club by 10.30 for the meeting with Cam and Judge Fairborn as long as the sisters didn’t take up too much of his time.
“Come in, Detective.” Sarah’s tired and concerned eyes met his as he entered and they made their way to the office.
“Is this where Samuel did all his business?”
“No. This was just for private and family doings. Things like the estate management here, legal stuff within the family and all that.” They found Kathleen setting up cups of coffee from the cafetière on the credenza.
“Good morning, Mrs. Rosenthal. Thank you for allowing me to come and look at this information.”
“Good morning, Detective. I only hope you can make sense of it – and maybe sort out who wanted Samuel dead, and why!”
Jack hoped so, too, as he sat in front of the computer which glowed with a spreadsheet.
“It’s these columns here, see?” Kathleen reached over and indicated the areas of concern.
Jack sipped his coffee as he looked over the relevant sections. The information was itemized in straightforward accounting terms, and he could clearly see what had caught their attention.
“May I take a copy of these pages? I’ll get a second opinion, but there is certainly a huge question here.”
“What do you think might be going on?”
“I’ll take another look when I get back to the office, but I definitely think you’re onto something. Thank you!”
“No, thank you.” Kathleen smiled weakly.
He would get his partner Jo on it. She was good with the computer and figures – he might even have something to add to Judge Fairborn and Cam’s information very soon. Hopefully before or even during their meeting this morning. He was aware of the children’s situation and the mother and aunt’s feelings.
What if this was happening with Melissa? She was extra vulnerable because of her disability. How would Sandra cope if this happened to their daughter? How would HE cope? He shook his head – it didn’t do any good to think of it.
“The feeling around town is that Mr. Samuel Rosenthal was a shyster. He kept promising things which didn’t come, signing contracts and then leaving the sub-contractors high and dry – things like that.” Cameron blinked his sore eyes and rubbed at them.
“Same info I got,” said Judge Fairborn as they sat hunched over in a corner of the room. “But even worse, actually. I got some names from his file and made further inquiries, which lead me to believe that he was an out and out crook. Or even more serious, that he was involved in criminal activities of the worst sort.” He slumped back into his seat.
“So – any leads as to who actually put out a hit on him?” Jack hoped so.
“Something isn’t right with his financial situation, I think.” Cam spoke slowly. “But I don’t know exactly what.”
Jack’s phone vibrated, and he stood to take the call.
“Yes, Sergeant?”
She sounded rather more excited than she usually got.
“We’ve discovered that Rosenthal was owed a huge amount. In the millions! He’d been spending it before he received it, and everything was about to go pear-shaped!”
“Thanks, Jo.”
“So, you’ll never believe who owed him…”
“Give me the good news before I–”
“It was none other than our good friend Dr Friedens.”
“What? What could Rosenthal possibly have worth that amount in the first place. And then, why Friedens?”
“Think about it, boss. Dr Friedens was involved in a child sex scheme. Rosenthal had access to empty houses and real estate all over the area. He would know a lot of families – families with children.”
“Mmm. Makes a diabolic kind of sense. Could be. Thanks, Jo. If you can dig up some actual evidence, it would be great. In the meantime, my friends and I are going to do our best to put the doctor where he belongs. Behind bars! For a very long time.”
It was all starting to make a weird kind of sense. And it certainly explained Samuel’s stand against Friedens having anything to do with Daniel and Ruth. Several of the guests had reported the incident when Samuel had swept little Ruth away from the doctor. He wondered whether Friedens had gone upstairs just before Samuel and opened the bathroom window to help the sniper. Maybe to signal that Samuel would be coming into that space shortly.
Maybe Rabbi Joshua had seen something? He sent a message to Jo hoping she could find that particular interview quickly. His brain working overtime, he thought through the possible connections. Rosenthal had access to children and premises. Friedens would ‘buy’ the kids but not pay Samuel, and when he got stroppy over the huge amounts owed, Friedens had called a hitman to take him out. Bingo! Debt wiped off…
Yes, the theory hung together. But how were they going to prove it? Jack hoped the Judge and Cam had come up with a workable trap.
The Pottsville Gentlemen’s Club was an old identity in the area. These days, it would not have been allowed, nestled as it was in a prime situation amongst native plants and forest. Jack knew it was a good meeting place this morning. Not many people around at this hour. They had to work under the radar.
Detective Inspector Jack Creed had discarded his usual attire of Hugo Boss jeans and linen jacket over a long-sleeved shirt. Instead, he sported almost worn-out jeans under a very ordinary sweatshirt, with ordinary boat shoes. His salt-and-pepper hair was covered by a ubiquitous cap. He slid the nondescript undercover police car into a parking space behind the building, partly sheltered by a wall next to a set of rubbish bins. Good luck to anybody trying to find anything there! Slithering around the wall, he looked both ways. There was no one in sight. He opened the back door and retreated to the secluded safe room. Although it was small and certainly not luxurious, the main thing was its secrecy.
“Hello Det – ah Jack.” Judge Freeborn greeted him. “Just waiting for Cam now. He shouldn’t be long.” At that moment, Cam arrived. Water was on the table and they all took a gulp.
“Have you guys managed to come up with anything?” Judge Freeborn asked. Jack told them about his theory.
&nb
sp; “Mm. Yes. It hangs together.” The Judge gave an approving nod.
“Sam?”
“Yes. We’ve had a go at the dark web. Dreadful but productive results.” He took a deep breath.
“There was an advertisement for an auction to be held this evening. Two prime products.” He shuddered. “Reserved bidding: $200,000 and $300,000.”
The three men sat in silence, dumbfounded by the audacity of this move and the amount of money involved.
“What can we do?” Cameron queried.
“How is the auction to be run?” Jack asked.
Sam fired off the auction instructions.
“So, basically, we have to put up a big sum as surety. Like $1 million?”
“Yes. If we could scrape that amount together, we could be a bidder, rescue the children and – hopefully – nab the perpetrators.”
“I would have to go very high up in the Department to request that amount.” Jack looked dubious.
“And I’m afraid I can’t get my hands on that amount quickly.” Cameron studied his hands.
“Okay, guys. This is where I come in. Leave the money to me.”
“Who will be the bidder?”
“Not me” Jack said. “Most people around here know me.”
“And me,” the Judge spoke.
“I guess I could do it. I’m not really local here – not well-known.”
They shared a glance with each other.
“Right. I’d better get my skates on and sort out the rules and a cover story.” Cam stood reluctantly. “I just hope this idea is successful. I don’t really want to end up losing the children AND the $1 million!” With an anxious smile, he left the room.
“We had better go, too. I’ll have to organise a team for the endgame. Sarah Bartholomew is going to take charge of the children when we have them. They know and trust her.”
The Judge nodded.
“And I had better go and magic up some money!”
Nothing about their plan was easy. Jack had not thought it would be. First, Cam would need to be accepted as a bidder, fronting with $1 million! He shook his head at the sum and was amazed that the Judge could put his hands on that amount so quickly.
Sam had thought through his appearance. He needed to look like a well-heeled businessman. With weird tastes, he thought bitterly. He was lowering himself by doing this, but if it was the only way to rescue the two children and implicate Dr Friedens with no room for doubt, he could not refuse. He wondered how little Ruth and Daniel had fared. Would they be traumatized? No use thinking about that at this stage, he decided. First, set them free.
