Edward's Dilemma (21 page)

Ben was only ten or fifteen feet away from the opening, when a mo
st unfortunate thing happened:  The chain, which he had draped over his shoulders upon leaving the shed, fell to the ground in a rapid series of loud clinking sounds.  Horrified, he froze in place; only his head and eyes moved as he scanned the mobile home and surrounding area to determine if he’d been discovered.  When it was finally apparent that the kidnappers had not been alerted, he cautiously picked up the chain, and again draped it over his shoulders.  Several minutes later, he continued to crawl forward towards the opening.

From her hiding place in the bushes, Megan watched as the nerve-racking events unfolded before her.  Though she was a considerable distance away, she had clearly heard the clinking sounds of the chain as it fell to the ground.  Cringing with fright, while biting her lower lip, she had watched as Ben slowly looked around before replacing the chain on his shoulders.  Like him, she had scanned the mobile home for any signs of life and was, initially, satisfied that he had gone undetected.  But then, to her outright terror, she had seen something that he couldn’t see.  It was Rocky!  And he was slowly sniffing his way around from the opposite side of the mobile home, headed straight for Ben!

Megan tried to alert Ben to the impending danger, but she was too late.  By now, Rocky had rounded the corner of the mobile home, and had briefly stopped when he spotted Ben’s legs sticking out from the opening.  A second or two later, he began to bark and bark and bark.  Megan was horrified, and her thoughts screamed at her:
Oh, my God!  Oh, my God!  Ben!  Ben, get out of there!  Run!  Run!
  But it was too late; the lights in the mobile home turned on, and ten seconds later the kidnappers appeared on the porch.  As they descended the stairs, Megan was terrified to see that two of the men carried guns.

The escape attempt had failed!  It wasn’t long before Ben was face down on the ground, with a gun to the back of his head.  One of the kidnappers, after running over to the shed, returned a few seconds later to announce that Megan was gone.  Megan knew, immediately, t
hat she had to make a tough choice:  She could either run away and somehow alert the police, and hope that Ben would be alright in the meantime; or she could give herself up and hope that her surrender would pacify the kidnappers and quell their desire for retribution.  Her decision was soon made a lot easier when she heard Jason shouting.

“Alright, Megan, we know you’re out there somewhere.  I’m giving you one minute to come out and give yourself up, or your boyfriend here is dead!  Do you here me?”  He paused, and then continued to issue more threats.  “Megan, if you come out here now, you both live.  If you don’t, I can guarantee you that it won’t be a quick death for Ben.  Are you
catch’n my drift, Megan?”

Suddenly, Ben interrupted Jason’s threats. “Megan, don’t do it.  Don’t worry about me.  Go call the police and tell them about Jason and...”  His sentence was cut short as Jason gave him a sharp kick to his ribcage.  He groaned in agony.

Jason issued another stern warning:  “This is it, Megan – your last chance!  Come out now or...”  He stopped talking when he spotted movement in the bushes.

It was Megan, and she had decided to give herself up.  She couldn’t stomach the thought of abandoning Ben, and she knew she’d never be able to live with herself if he was killed. Courageously, she walked towards the kidnappers with her hands above her head.

TOGETHER AGAIN, Ben and Megan were herded at gunpoint into the mobile home.  In the living room, they were stripped of their shoes and outer clothing, and forced to sit back to back on the floor.  After being securely tied together with a long rope, their mouths were taped shut with duct tape.  A bag was then placed on each of their heads, and they were warned to remain still and not move a muscle.  If they did move, Jason cautioned, they would suffer severe consequences.

For the remainder of the night, the two friends were left to their thoughts.  They could hear the sound of the TV, but they barely listened to the words coming out of it
.  They were frightened, and though they were sitting right next to each other, it felt like they were a mile apart.  Neither of them slept, and time dragged-by ever so slowly.  By the time the room brightened from the sunny glow of a new day, both of them were completely exhausted.  Nearby, on the couch, both Oscar and the filthy rapist kept watch over Ben and Megan’s every move.

County/City Building, Stuart Co.

1 October, 8:16 AM

ROBERT AND Fred arrived at Arthur’s office looking haggard and disheveled.  They had clearly been up all night long, and neither of the two had put much effort into the daily routine of hygiene and primping.  Arthur looked up at them with a smirk when they appeared in the doorway.  He immediately knew, just by looking at them, that they must have some really big news. 
Otherwise,
he thought,
why would they show up here looking like crap?

As soon as they were seated, and without offering any of the usual pleasantries, Robert launched-off into a detailed summary of what they had discovered a few hours earlier.  Every so often, Fred interrupted him with a forgotten detail, or a clarification of an important point.  Arthur was flabbergasted with each new bit of information.  By the time Robert was finished talking, Arthur had written a full page of notes, and was practically begging to see the video tapes.

Robert complied with Arthur’s request, and a short time later the men trekked over to the video conference room to view the tapes.  When they arrived, Robert employed the same technique that Fred had used, and started off by showing the video from the Savings and Loan.  Once they had fully dissected this tape, he moved on to the Turnbuckle Lanes tape.  Arthur was shocked by what he saw, and became increasingly energized as time progressed.

An hour or so later, after analyzing both tapes, the men sat down at the table and discussed what to do next.  It wasn’t long before they agreed that all charges against the Lucky Boys must be dropped immediately, and new charges filed against Jason Lewis.  In addition, within the next few hours, they needed to secure an arrest warrant for Jason.  When Robert explained the complication of a possible kidnapping, Arthur was again stunned.  They agreed that it would be prudent for the SWAT team to remain on standby alert.

When the meeting was about to wrap up, Arthur reminded the detectives to keep in touch.  He asked where they were going to be during the next few hours, and Robert responded by saying that he and Fred were going to Lucky’s.  He explained that he wanted to take yet another look at the rear entrance to the bar, and hopefully find a fingerprint or two belonging to Jason.  Arthur shook his head in agreement with this plan, before saying goodbye to the detectives.  Hurriedly, he gathered up his belongings and left the room.

Lucky’s
Sports Bar

1 October, 9:55 AM

THERE WASN’T much activity taking place behind
Lucky’s when Robert and Fred pulled into the parking lot.  Other than five or six fat crows sitting on top of the dumpster, picking at garbage, the area was devoid of life.  There was a parked car nearby, close to the exit door, but its owner was gone.  Presumably, he was inside Lucky’s cleaning-up from the previous night’s revelry.  Robert looked at his watch and noted that the bar wasn’t scheduled to open for another five hours.  He imagined that Jason had encountered a similar scene when he had been here on the morning of August 2
nd
.  Fred parked the car, and Robert grabbed the camera and the evidence collection kit from the back seat.  After getting out of the vehicle, they approached the door together.

Both detectives had been here previously, shortly after the stabbing and early the next morning, but they hadn’t found any evidence of criminal activity.  Both times, they had overlooked the fact that the light bulb above the door wasn’t working – not because it was burned out, as they had assumed, but because Jason had unscrewed it from the socket.  They had also failed to detect any droplets of blood outside, near the exit; but this didn’t surprise them, on account of the rain.  Most significantly, however, they had been unaware of all the activity that was captured by the surveillance videos; the result being that their efforts had been mostly directed at finding evidence inside
Lucky’s, rather than outside near the back exit.

Now, fully enlightened by the
videos, Robert and Fred zeroed in on the area around the exit door.  Since Fred was the taller of the two men, he was the one who reached up above the door and very carefully removed the light bulb from the socket.  After dusting for prints, he was happy to see that someone – probably Jason – had left a full print of his right thumb, and two of his four fingers.  Using cellophane tape, he “captured” the prints, and then placed the light bulb and prints into separate evidence bags.  As a precaution, he also dusted the handle and thumb-latch on the door.  Meanwhile, a few feet away, Robert examined a big spindly bush that was growing adjacent to the building.

THE BUSH was located directly below the ledge where Jason
had placed the presumed murder weapon.  Its untrimmed branches partially covered the ledge, creating a perfect hiding place.  Although Robert had looked at this bush before, he hadn’t found anything because he’d been unable to see inside – between the branches – on account of the dense foliage.  But that was a month ago, and by now the leaves were beginning to drop.

Prying apart the branches, he peered inside the bush.  Suddenly, as he lifted a branch, his eyes fixated on a
yellowish object buried deep within the bush.  At first he thought it was a ball, or piece of trash, but he was perplexed by the unusual texture and shape.  His interest was further piqued when he realized that the object had clearly been placed there intentionally; either by an animal or by a human.  Now dying of curiosity, he pulled down on another branch.  “Arrrh, what is that?” he whispered to himself.  Frustrated, he finally squatted down and looked at it from a completely different angle.  And that’s when it hit him: The object he was seeing was a wadded-up surgical glove!

“Bingo!” he exclaimed aloud.

Robert was exuberant, and immediately motioned to Fred for him to come take a look at this amazing discovery.  After a superficial examination, they both agreed that the wad was actually comprised of two gloves.  One glove was turned inside out over another glove, as if someone had peeled-off the glove from one hand, wadded it up and placed it in the still gloved hand, and then peeled-off the remaining glove over the wad.  The men were thrilled by the possibility that whatever evidence had been deposited inside the glove on the night of the murder was most likely still there.  But what made the discovery even more exciting for both of them was what they were able to see inside the semi-transparent gloves:  It was blood, and a lot of it!  Robert took no fewer than ten photos of the wad, before carefully removing it from the branches and placing it into an evidence bag.

Re-energized by the discovery, the detectives continued searching for additional evidence for another twenty minutes.  Finding nothing, they got into the car and drove back to Robert’s office.  Along the way, they excitedly discussed the Lucky Boys Case, and the significance of the newly acquired evidence.

Stuart Co. Jail, Tank 3North B

1 October, 11:22AM

HIS MIND was practically dead.  Every time Edward tried to focus on something, his thoughts evaporated like the morning mist.  For a while, he simply stared at the wall of his cell and observed the cracks and swirls in the paint.  He noticed that when he partially closed his eyes, and looked out from behind squinted lids, the little imperfections on the wall looked like shapes and faces – and this would trigger a thought.  But then, as quickly as he tried to attach some sort of meaning to the thought, it would disappear from his mind.

Frustrated, and tired of doing nothing, Edward approached the window in the cell door and looked out at the world beyond.  In the distance, he could see a man standing next to the wall-mounted telephone.  His lips were moving, but Edward couldn’t hear what he was saying.  For several minutes, Edward watched the man’s lips and tried to make sense of what he was saying.  But the man was too far away, and the walls and window of Edward’s cell were too thick for sound to penetrate.

Bored, and tired of doing nothing, Edward abandoned his place at the window and returned to his bed.  As he sat down, his stomach grumbled, pleading loudly for sustenance.  Edwa
rd looked down at his abdomen, almost with disdain, and his thoughts suddenly coalesced around his plan of defiance.  He wondered how much longer he should continue defying the authorities, and whether his actions were appropriate.
 
He thought about food, and what it would taste like in his mouth.  “Why bother?” he whispered to himself.  “It would be so much easier to just give in to their demands.  Just give up.”

Edward was broken, and he didn’t even realize it.

County/City Building, Stuart Co.

1 October, 2:15 PM

WHEN HE had arrived back at his office several hours earlier, Robert noticed the answering-machine blinking
yet again.  This time, there were two messages.  The first message was another call-for-help from Megan Sunday’s mother, and she was clearly frantic.  Robert had forgotten to return her first call, from the previous morning, and now her voice seemed even more desperate.  Robert was sympathetic, and immediately picked up the phone and called the number she had left.  When she answered, he reassured her that he was looking into Megan’s disappearance.  He further explained that Megan was probably ok, and that she needn’t worry about her. 
Poor woman
, he thought as he hung up the phone.  The second call was from Arthur Klipp.

With pen in hand, Robert played the message: 
“Hey, Robert.  This is Arthur.  It’s a little before 11:30 AM right now.  I’ve just been over to Judge Frederick’s house, and we’ve got an arrest warrant for Jason.  Give me a call as soon as you get back from Lucky’s.  Thanks.  Bye.”

Robert had called Arthur as soon as the message had stopped playing.  During the conversation, he updated Arthur on what he and Fred had discovered at
Lucky’s.  He also explained that he was awaiting a call back from Captain Kickins, the Stuart County SWAT commander.  Apparently, because it was Sunday, Kickins was having some problems locating two of his SWAT team operatives.  He had promised to call Robert as soon as the team was ready to roll-out.

Now, shortly after 2PM, the expected phone call finally came in.  Fred, who had arrived a little earlier, took the call because Robert had stepped out of his office.  After saying hello in his usual gruff manner, he was happy to hear Cpt.
Kickins’ voice on the other end of the line.  The captain apologized for taking so long to gather his team together, but he was pleased to report that the team was almost ready to go.  They just needed another hour or so to go over the tactical assault plan; the one they intended to use once they arrived at Jason’s mobile home.  He invited Fred and Robert to review the plan with the team, preferably at Police HQ, before they headed out en mass.  Fred accepted the invitation and hung up the phone.

Jason’s Property, Stuart Co.

1 October, 5:23 PM

IT WAS twilight when the SWAT team finally arrived at Jason’s property.  Without wasting any time, the team began to deploy almost immediately after the wheels on their Armored Command Vehicle (ACV) came to a stop.  Their first task was to sweep and secure the outbuildings near the mobile home.  This was accomplished by three operatives who quickly, yet stealthily inspected each building before moving on to the next.  While this was going on, the team sniper took up a position on top of the knoll – the same spot where Ben had hidden a week earlier.  The remaining three operatives deployed in the immediate vicinity of the mobile home, in positions where they were able to cover both the front and back doors.

Robert and Fred, who had parked a little further away from the mobile home than the ACV, watched as the SWAT team deployed.  When everyone was in place near the home, the detectives got out of their vehicle and partially shielded themselves behind the still open doors.  Robert reached inside the vehicle and grabbed a megaphone off the front seat, while Fred eyed the front entrance to the home through the sights of his Glock-17.  Meanwhile, ten or fifteen feet away from where they stood, a K-9 officer also got out of his vehicle and
positioned himself behind the door.  His eager dog, Biscuit, remained in the back seat.

In spite of the preparation and professionalism of the SWAT team, Robert was still worried.  He knew that Jason was a volatile character, and when cornered he would likely do something stupid.  And then there was the possibility that several of his low-life associates were with him in the mobile home.  Undoubtedly, at least one or two of these guys had a criminal history, and would likely do everything possible to avoid going to jail again.  And then there
was Megan:  If she had in fact been kidnapped and was in the mobile home, there was no telling how Jason or his cohorts would respond to the police presence.

All of these factors were worrisome to Robert, but the thing that troubled him the most was the absence of the beater car with the broken side-view mirror.  He had expected to see it parked in front of the home, as it had been the last time they were there.  Instead, in its place, there was another piece-of-junk car parked about twenty feet away from the home.  He wondered if Megan was even in the mobile home, or for that matter, if she was still alive.  A sinking feeling came over him, even as he lifted the megaphone to his lips.

With an assertive voice, Robert announced the presence of the police and demanded Jason’s surrender.  “Jason, this is the police!  You are currently surrounded by SWAT and K-9 units.  Come out of your house, immediately, with your hands in the air.  If you do not comply with this order, we will take whatever action is necessary to remove you from your house and place you in custody.  Do you hear me?”  Robert lowered the megaphone to his side and waited.  When there was no response after a minute or so, he spoke a second time into the megaphone:  “Jason, this is your final warning.  Come out of your house immediately.  Failure to do so may result in injury or death.”  Once more, he lowered the megaphone and waited.

Suddenly, the front door opened no more than a crack, and Jason called out to the police in a pathetic, trembling v
oice.  “This is Jason!  I didn’t do anything – I swear.  I’ll come out if you promise not to shoot.  Ok?  Don’t shoot!  I’m unarmed.  Here I come.”  Inside, Robert could hear the sound of a barking dog.  He assumed it was Rocky.  A few seconds later the door slowly opened a little more, and Jason’s outstretched arms appeared in the doorway.  Soon, his entire body was visible in the doorway and he stepped out onto the porch.

Robert was relieved that everything was going according to plan. 
This is going good,
he thought. 
A few more seconds, and we’ll have him.  Don’t do anything stupid, Jason, and...
He began to lift the megaphone to his mouth when, out of the blue, Jason did in fact do something completely stupid and unexpected:  He jumped through an opening in the railing, and bolted like a jack-rabbit towards the nearby woods.  Robert couldn’t believe his eyes, and could only watch in amazement.  For a moment, everyone gaped at Jason’s receding figure.

It wasn’t long, however, before t
he K-9 unit sprang into action.  Within seconds of being freed from the back seat, Biscuit sped off like a rocket in pursuit of the fleet-footed suspect.  Although he quickly closed the distance between himself and Jason, he wasn’t fast enough.  By now, Jason had made it into the woods and was desperately looking for a place to hide.

WITHOUT CONSIDERING the consequences,
Jason dove beneath a large growth of blackberry bushes.  He was, by now, quite certain that he would not avoid arrest.  But he was also determined to avoid being bitten by the police dog.  As the thorns tore at his face and arms, he ignored the pain and crawled further and further into the prickly bushes.  He desperately hoped that the dog would not follow him into the bushes, and he was reasonably certain that he was far enough into the bushes to avoid a bite.  But he was wrong.