Disappearance (39 page)

Johnson felt queasy.  The pain was unbearable.  The gloved hand on his mouth and nose was choking him.  Suddenly, he saw a shiny knife blade in front of his face and without further warning it slashed his right cheek, spurting his blood. Instinctively he began to resist, hysterically moving his head from side to side, kicking with his feet and trying to move his arms.   But that only tightened the nooses around his wrists and ankles making his limbs go numb.

The voice spoke again in chilling calmness.

"If you stay relaxed and speak the truth, you won't be harmed."

Johnson no longer thought of Langone.  His three boys and unborn child were now occupying his mind.  He desperately wanted to be with them.

The voice gave him ample time to recover before he began to utter the truth.

-------

Lynn Eckert watched her husband pulverize his two eggs over-easy, crispy bacon, toast, and freshly-squeezed orange juice with the kind of appetite only a starving Marine would possess.  As usual, he ate while scanning the early morning edition of the Wall Street
Journal, using the napkin holder to prop up the paper.

She stood by the large kitchen window tending to her plants while waiting for the coffee to brew.  The tropical looking assortment of plants situated both inside and out the wide kitchen window gave the entire room a sense of being its own little Shangri-la where she and her husband enjoyed each other's company.

She loved mornings with him.  She did not work, and had not in the last ten years since their youngest son had left home, and when her husband was not away she would always wake up a half-hour early to prepare their breakfast.  The Eckerts loved their mornings together and took their breakfast very seriously.  They would eat very little the rest of the day until they met again for dinner.

The sweet aroma of coffee filled the room as Lynn finished watering her plants and took the coffee pot over to the table. She poured the coffee into their china cups and sat quietly opposite her husband, whom she considered to be, at sixty three, as handsome and virile as ever.

Eckert raised his eyes from his morning paper and noticed her staring at him.  He smiled and put the paper aside.

"I met the man again last night," he told her. "He confirmed our suspicions. Langone is certainly involved."

Lynn smiled. "Will it make Lisa happy?"  she asked.

"You bet," Eckert said.  "It looks like we've got us a reliable trail."

"I pray she finds her sister," Lynn said emphatically.  "I'd hate to see her disappointment if this doesn't come out right."

"She's been through a hell of a lot, Lynn," Eckert said, "and she's come a long way from believing her sister was dead to discovering her trail."

"I know dear.  That's exactly why I worry about her developing such high hopes against such bleak odds."

"When she first came to me," Eckert said, "she told me that it would mean the world to her if she just managed to learn of her sister's fate, regardless of what state she would find her in. Her biggest regret through all this was thinking she was helpless and letting the authorities persuade her into believing there was nothing she could do."

"Finding her sister dead would still hurt," Lynn countered.

"She's an optimist, Lynn, and for her sake and mine, you should be too."

"I know, dear, I'm sorry. It's just that I'd hate to witness this beautiful girl hurt any more than she already has been."

"The girl we never had, isn't she, Lynn?" Eckert said gently.

Lynn did not respond.  She lowered her gaze and took a sip from her coffee.   Eckert knew what she was thinking.  She loved her three boys and was a dedicated grandma to her five grandkids, but secretly she had always wanted a daughter. Her last baby, at age thirty-nine, was female but the amniocentesis results showed a genetic disorder and they decided to have an abortion, unwilling to risk impairing their lives and the lives of their three healthy boys.  Lynn took it quite hard and was unapproachable for several months.  Eckert had taken as much time off as he could to support her and she eventually recovered, thinking they were going to try again, but they never did.  The traumatic experience coupled with Lynn's progressing age kept them from seriously trying until they finally accepted their fate.

Now it seemed she was inclined to embrace Lisa almost as her own.

"My gut tells me she'll find her... alive!"  he said reaching for his wife's hand across the table. Lynn smiled and clutched it.

"I hope so," she said, getting up to collect the dishes. "That girl is due for a break."

Eckert helped her clear the table then went up to the bedroom for his jacket and briefcase.  Out of habit she inspected him when he came back down, fixing his collar and tie before sending him off to work.  He kissed her gently on the cheek and went out the garage door.

Lynn was by the sink washing the dishes, as always watching out for her husband as he slowly rolled out their black Buick from the garage, when everything around her exploded.

She felt herself being lifted and thrown back, her head hitting something solid before her body hit the floor.  For several seconds she felt paralyzed, not comprehending what had happened.  She noticed she was lying on her back under the kitchen table but wasn't quite sure how she got there.  Her face began to sting and then it felt as if it had caught on fire.

She touched her face with her hand and drew blood, feeling sharp objects stuck in her cheek.

Then, in one terrible instant, she realized what had happened and a terrifying suspicion engulfed her.  She made an attempt to get up from under the table but her limbs would not respond.  She began to crawl toward where she knew the phone had been placed but she never made it.

A gut-wrenching concern for her husband flashed like an electric shockwave through her mind, before everything went dark.

CHAPTER 38

The preacher was a tall, thin man, with hollowed cheekbones, bushy eyebrows and deep set eyes.  He wore all black and stood over the open grave mumbling a eulogy from the book of Jove.

To Lisa the preacher was the rabbi, the open grave was Karen's, and the gathered crowd was her family and friends. A relentless wave of emotions brought tears to her eyes as she inspected the small, distinguished-looking crowd gathered around her boss's grave.

Lynn Eckert was in a wheelchair surrounded by her three sons and their grieving families.  The two boys stood next to the preacher in junior black suites stretching their necks trying to peek inside the pit.  Her granddaughters, one of whom could barely stand, wore tiny black skirts and hung tightly on to their mother's attire.

Lynn had insisted on attending her husband's funeral, merely forty-eight hours after being found by neighbors, unconscious and bleeding on her kitchen floor.  The doctors spent quite some time cleaning her up from numerous pieces of glass that had gashed her face but the wounds, for the most part, turned out to be superficial. Her eyes were spared by some kind of miracle, though she dislocated her right shoulder and suffered a slight concussion from the fall.

Lisa looked at her.  Except for her eyes, most of her face was bandaged. She sat like a statue looking straight ahead, oblivious to the world.  The tears seemed to have dried up for the moment and all that was conveyed was a terrible sadness.

Lisa knew how dearly she had loved her husband.   Since coming back from Los Angeles she had spent quite some time with the Eckerts at their home, sometimes using it to make discreet phone calls to Mikki and the others.  Now she realized how careless they had been.  How naive it was of them to think that the people who kidnapped Karen would let them do as they please.  She berated herself for involving Eckert and for letting him dig so deep.  One thought kept torturing her - that she was the one responsible for his death.

Ed Lambert stood closest to the immediate family, his gaze bleak, and his eyes moist.  Suzy Chambers stood next to him covering her nose with a handkerchief, visibly weeping.  Ed had been Eckert's partner and confidant for over thirty years.  The successful operation of the firm hinged on the both of them, each contributing his unique character and vast expertise to ongoing affairs and ever changing customer demands.   Ed Lambert had lost his partner, friend and counterpart.  Lisa could only imagine what was going through his mind.   She wondered whether he held her responsible. She knew he had helped Eckert with her personal predicament when it was felt his contacts were better suited for the task, but she also knew that he did not wholeheartedly approve of such involvement, though he had not out rightly said as much. They did not always see eye to eye but their arguments always took place behind closed doors presenting a united front to the staff once their differences had been worked out.

Her personal affair was kept secret from the staff with the exception of Suzy Chambers.

Lisa had never actually asked Eckert to get involved, she reflected.  She had felt she needed to be on the level with her boss if she was to justify her request for time off, but it was Eckert who volunteered his help putting forth his arsenal of information sources.  Where she felt she had done him an injustice was by not being prudent enough in pointing out the potential dangers or having taken special care to protect him and others, once she and Mikki had discovered they were being pursued.

Now it was all too late, she thought despairingly.  Their virtuous adventure had turned grotesque with one treacherous explosion that had devastated the lives of so many people.

She recalled Eckert insinuating more than once that his partner thought they should let the police or the FBI handle it but Lisa had no faith in the authorities who let her sister rot in captivity for over three years. Maybe Lambert was right, she thought.  Maybe they should hand the matter over to the Feds and let them do their job.  She and Mikki
were no match for such a violent and resourceful group.

Then she thought of Karen and how her own life had been devastated and knew she was now more committed than ever to find out the truth. She hesitated to once again entrust her sister's fate to those who for three years had left her for dead, unable or unwilling to put in the effort, leaving her and her mother in void.  She realized now that it was a silent vow she had made and would allow anyone to break until she learned the truth.

In reality, the Long Island Police Department and the FBI were already involved.   The preliminary police report established the explosion to be a car bomb from having discovered traces of a substance tested to be Semtex, along with some copper wires thought to be part of the fusing mechanism, found on what remained of the scorched car and its immediate vicinity. The local tabloids, radio and TV news bulletins were already feeding off each other, speculating everything from Mafia hits to terrorist acts.  Several office staff members including Suzy Chambers and Ed Lambert had been contacted by police detectives and it was just a matter of time before Lisa would have to answer herself to the various law bureaux.

She feared revealing what she knew, being certain that if, by some miracle, Karen was indeed alive, a full blown public investigation would greatly diminish her chances of survival. The people they were up against had proved to be a meticulous and dangerous lot who would not hesitate to eliminate anything or anyone who stood in their way, and Karen was most certainly in their way.  So far, she could only speculate why the group had gone to the trouble of keeping her hostage for so long, but it was obvious that once the authorities began meddling in the affair, whatever had kept Karen alive would no longer suffice.

She absent-mindedly surveyed her co-worker
s’
gloomy faces when she noticed Chester Caldwell.  He stood ashen-faced, crouched among his peers with a nervous look in his eyes, probing the gathered crowd in discrete glances. His gaze locked on hers for a split second before he quickly disengaged almost as if embarrassed.  It was not typical of him but there was no telling how one would behave under such dismal circumstances. She looked a little closer at him.  He seemed to be shivering.  His demeanor conveyed extreme discomfort, even fear.

She had long been feeling uncomfortable in his presence and her respect for him diminished steadily.  At first she felt she owed him for helping her adjust, but then he just kept hounding her, choking her, unwilling to let her perform on her own.  Associates had reported seeing him poke around her cubicle when she was away and she was acutely aware of his exaggerated interest in her phone conversations.  Until her latest leave of absence she made a conscious effort to keep away from him, not always successfully, but she noticed a change in his attitude since coming back.  He no longer pestered her or eavesdropped on her phone conversations and in fact he had moved to a different cubicle, one facing the front entrance.

She considered him a rather peculiar character and was glad to have him off her back.  Now, she almost pitied him standing there by the grave crouched like an old man, looking so miserable.  She could not think of a good reason for him to look more woeful than anyone else present, yet for some reason he did.

Her thoughts were distracted as they began lowering the casket into the ground.  When she glanced in Chester's direction again, she saw him abruptly walk away.

Lisa winced as they started filling the hole with dirt.  Her tears welled up again and the choking feeling gripped her throat as she heard the hard earth hit wood.  Through a haze she glanced in the direction of Lynn who was now being embraced by her entire family from all sides as they held on tightly seeking strength from one another.  Suzy was now openly weeping and Lambert, who himself looked shaken, was supporting her as best he could.

Lisa had no one to hold on to.  Though she was standing among people she knew, she felt completely alone.  She suddenly wished Mikki was there beside her.  She could not think of anyone else at the moment.  Her head was spinning and she felt the tears begin to drift down her face.  Something made her take a step forward and peek down in time to see the last of the wooden casket being covered with earth.

Then it was over.  All that remained was a pile of earth and a temporary wooden cross with some flowers.  His name would be etched in stone later.

The party made its way out the wrought iron gates and slowly dispersed to their cars.  Lisa stood hesitating for a minute, unable to think where she should go next.  Then she noticed someone motioning to her.  It was Lynn Eckert from among a swarm of friends and relatives offering condolences.  She was in her wheelchair by the black limousine. Jason, her youngest son, was helping her in.  Lisa walked toward the car.  Lynn was entering the back seat and Jason was clearing the way for Lisa, motioning for her to follow suit through the opposite door.

Lisa entered and the doors on both sides of the car closed shut behind them, secluding them in the dark interior. They sat in silence staring at one another.  Then the bottled-up emotion burst out with a fountain of tears and the two women embraced and held on to one another.

As the sobs subsided, Lynn offered some tissues then sat her at arm's length and looked sincerely into her eyes.

"Do not hold yourself responsible," she commanded with as much authority as she could muster. "George would not approve and neither would I."

Lisa began to sob again but Lynn continued.  "I would never forgive myself if you leave this car thinking we hold you responsible," she said, talking as if her husband was still alive.

"We're all adults, Lisa.  We got involved because you are important to us and we wanted to help you.   You did not force us into anything and what transpired is not your fault. It's the fault of murdering beasts who have now ruined both our lives."

Lynn waited in silence for Lisa to subdue, and then spoke softly.

"George met a man the night before he…" she could not bring herself to say it and had to take a deep breath before going on.   "The night before they killed him.   He told me about it during breakfast.   Said Langone was definitely involved.  Said you now had a reliable trail to follow.  He also left a copy of his notes."

She reached for her handbag and took out an envelope. "Here it is," she said, handing Lisa the envelope.  "It'll probably mean more to you."

Lisa was slow to recover.  She took the envelope from Lynn but did not open it.  She was suddenly aware the car was moving.  She sat speechless and emotional.  Not only had this woman just buried her husband, been seriously injured, and had the world basically come crashing down on her, she had the strength and concern to calm her down and tend to such ancillary issues.

They sat in silence for a while as the limo drove aimlessly among the lavish homes and groomed lawns. It was late afternoon and long shadows began to appear on the road ahead.  Here and there a kid on a bicycle or someone walking a dog would pass by, but otherwise the streets seemed deserted.  Lights began to appear in windows and street lamps but time had lost all meaning.

-------

It was dark by the time they had reached the Great Neck train station. Lisa gathered her things.

"George kept a file at home," Lynn said, "the notes I gave you are from there but it has more. I'll send you the rest."

Lisa locked glances with Lynn for the first time since getting into the car.  Her eyes were bloodshot.

"It could help us a great deal," she said, gratified, then added: "Could I ask you a favor?"

"Sure dear," Lynn said only too happy to oblige.

"Do the police know about his notes?"

"I don't believe so,"Lynn frowned. "I did give them a statement right after surgery, but only facts.  
Nothing about this."

"Could I ask you to keep this away from them a while?   I mean,
we know who's responsible and we'll go after them, but for now, if this leaks, it will ruin our chances with Karen."

Lynn considered the matter,
then slowly nodded her approval without further inquiry. "Will I see you again?" she asked.

"I'd like that," Lisa said without conviction.

"Call me.  Let me know how you are," Lynn said almost pleading.

"I will," Lisa said giving her one last hug. "I'll need time to sort things out but I will call you."

"And let me know about Karen."

"I will," Lisa said reaching for the door handle.  Another wave of emotion was threatening to burst out and she did not want Lynn to witness it.  The driver quietly shut the door behind her and went to take his position behind the wheel.  Lisa stood on the sidewalk as the long black car slid ahead.  Lynn was watching her through the back window.  Lisa waved weakly and turned for the station.  Twenty minutes later she was on the train heading for Grand Central Station.  She took out the envelope Lynn had given her and opened it.

Eckert had his meeting with Carl G. Johnson neatly summarized in several short, concise paragraphs on legal size paper.   She quickly scanned through them, realizing their suspicions had been confirmed.  Langone, through a daughter-company of Barons Investments, held a small stake in Cascade Realty, three percent to be exact.   Through this company, “Lionheart Inc.” he had financed various real estate purchases in New York, Utah, California, and Nebraska.  In professional circles Cascade was rumored to be a front for some very heavy investors wishing to secure secluded, anonymous properties for themselves and some of their more acclaimed clients, for retirement and other obscure purposes.  Along with Lionheart Inc., which was the smallest and newest shareholder, Cascade was privately held by just a few business entities whose names Johnson had mentioned.  He revealed that Cascade had actually been a legitimate real estate company for ten years when a consortium of businessmen took over control in late 1979, turning it into a losing enterprise used for tax write-offs and other shady dealings.  The company's market value with its array of countrywide offices, agents, and real estate assets was worth close to one hundred million dollars and was a sought after commodity, regardless of the reported average yearly operating losses of ten million dollars.