Jake woke up with a start. He had been dreaming…a confusion of images and people and flashing lights and chaotic sounds. Sitting up, he looked around and realized he was in his own bed at home. Sunlight illuminated the curtained window. Stiffly, he got up and stretched. His body ached in several places and he winced. Walking to the window, he pulled aside the curtain and gazed outside. The sky was blue, and a breeze was rustling the leaves of an elm tree nearby. Memories flooded back, and he wondered how his friends and Janet and Sally were doing.
A short while later, he walked into the kitchen to find Uncle Pete standing at the stove. “Morning, Uncle Pete,” he greeted his uncle, still feeling groggy.
“Afternoon’s more like it,” Uncle Pete turned around with a big grin. “You hungry?” he asked. “I thought I heard you gittin’ up.”
“Yeah,” he replied. “Something to eat sounds like a good idea.” Jake sat down at the small kitchen table and gazed out the tiny kitchen window over the sink. “How long have I been asleep?”
“Nearly all day,” he answered, walking over to the table with a plate of hot food. “It’s about three in the afternoon.”
“Wow,” Jake responded and slowly began to eat. “Have you heard from Seth? And where’s Tommy?”
“Haven’t heard from anybody yet, and Tommy’s still sleeping in my room.”
“Your room?”
“Yeah, I took the couch. Don’t you remember?”
“Yeah, okay...yeah, I remember.” He took another bite. “It all seems like a bad dream. I wonder how Janet and her friend Sally are.”
“Well, I did hear about that,” Uncle Pete went on. “They were both airlifted to the hospital in the next county. You know that big newfangled one.”
Jake smiled at his uncle, “That’s good. I hope they're both okay.” Jake finished the rest of his meal in silence, still thinking about the events of the past week and shaking his head in disbelief. The phone rang and Uncle Pete walked over to pick it up.
“I reckon so,” he said to the caller. “Okay,” he said, then hung up.
“Who was that?” Jake wanted to know.
“That agent of yours, Greg somebody.”
“Danes,” Jake filled in. “Greg Danes. What did he want?”
“He’s coming over in about an hour to talk to you and ask you some questions. I figured you might as well get it all over with as quick as possible so’s they can wrap this thing up and go home.”
“Wrap it all up?” he asked absently.
“Yeah, it’s been all over the news on TV. There’s all kinds of reporters and TV crews in town, and we’ve been selling a lot of gas,” his uncle reported. “That much is good anyway.”
Jake stared out the window again, then got up and took his dishes to the sink.
“I’ll take care of that,” his uncle offered. “Why don’t you step outside for some fresh air and sun before it starts to get dark?”
“Thanks, I think I will.” Jake headed out the back door and stepped off the porch when his uncle popped his head out the door.
“Might be best if you stay back here outta sight for a while, unless you want to talk to some of them nosy reporters.”
Jake nodded but wondered where he could go and not be seen. He ended up just sitting on the porch steps listening to a bird chirping in a nearby tree. The breeze was comfortable as he mulled over everything again and again. He thought about his friends, Seth and Tommy. Poor Tommy! He sure hadn’t planned on a week quite like this one when his parents left for their cruise. Jake was sure they wouldn’t let him hang out with Tommy ever again after this.
He heard some excited voices and looked toward the store and gas station. Some reporters had caught sight of him and were coming his way in a hurry. Jake jumped to his feet and ran back inside the kitchen door, locking it behind him. He went into the living room to find his uncle peeking through the curtains of a front window and muttering something unintelligible, but Jake let him mutter and instead went to check on Tommy. Poking his head in the doorway of his uncle’s bedroom, he found Tommy still in bed but staring at the ceiling. Hearing Jake, he turned to look at him and then smiled.
“Hi, Jake.” He was still grinning.
“Hey, Tom.” He grinned back and sat on the edge of the bed. “How are ya doing?” He watched as his friend sat up in bed.
“Good!” he responded, his eyes wide with excitement. “We did it, didn’t we? We really did!” He was exuberant. “We rescued Janet and her friend! We did good, didn’t we, Jake?”
“Yes, we did,” Jake couldn’t help but smile at his friend. What a relief. He didn’t seem to be upset. “Did you sleep good?”
“Yup!” He climbed out of bed and walked over to the window to peer outside. “What time is it?”
“It’s a little after four in the afternoon.”
“Really?” he seemed surprised. “When did you get up?”
“Just a little bit ago,” he answered. “You hungry?”
“Yeah! I’m starved!”
“I’ll go tell Uncle Pete you’re up. Come on out when you’re ready. We’ll have some food ready for you.”
“Thanks, Jake.” Just then there was a tap on the front door. “Who’s that?” he wondered.
“Don’t know. Guess I’d better go find out.” Jake walked down the hall to the living room and noticed his uncle had answered the door.
“Sure thing, come on in,” he was saying. A moment later, Greg Danes stepped inside, along with a dog—a beautiful Black Labrador.
“Sit down, boy,” he directed his dog, then looked up and saw Jake.
“Good to see you, Jake.” Greg walked over to him and shook his hand. “I hope you slept well. I got here a little sooner than I anticipated. Quite a crowd of reporters out there.” He jerked his head that direction.
“Yeah, I guess so, and yeah, I did sleep well. Thanks.”
Uncle Pete directed everyone to sit down and get comfortable then disappeared into the kitchen. They could hear him clanking around and opening and shutting cabinet doors. Jake called out to his uncle, nearly forgetting that Tommy was awake.
“Uncle Pete? Tommy’s awake and he says he’s starved!”
“I’ll fix him up,” his uncle called back.
“How’s Tommy doing?” Greg asked.
“Good.” Jake let out a little laugh. “He’s all excited that we saved Janet and Sally. I think he really likes Janet.” Jake smiled and felt a little embarrassed looking at Greg.
“I like her too. She is quite...spirited...I think.” He grinned then continued, “I needed to ask you a few questions…just routine stuff. I’ve already talked to Seth.”
“You have?” Jake seemed surprised.
“Yes, well, Frank and I asked him to stay with us last night when we found out he lived alone,” he said. “We didn’t think it was such a good idea for him to be by himself just yet.”
Jake nodded and was struck with the compassion Greg expressed for Seth and his circumstances. “That was nice of you.”
Greg smiled then said, “Frank’s bringing him over in about twenty minutes. We want to fill you boys in on some of the details of what’s been going on over the past few months. We thought it might be more appropriate if you heard it from us rather than getting it piecemeal from the media.”
“Thanks,” Jake replied. “It would be nice to know what the heck’s been going on around here.” He hesitated then asked, “Is Greg Danes your real name?”
“My real name?” There was a slight smile on Greg’s face. “No. It isn't. But if I told you, I'd have to…"
"I know. You'd have to kill me, right?" Jake grinned.
"Naw. I'd just have to swear you to secrecy. "Might as well keep referring to me as Agent Danes for now." He looked at Jake, “Any more questions?”
“I guess not,” Jake replied. He and Agent Danes spent the next few minutes going over some details of Jake’s participati
on of the previous night’s events. Then, after Tommy had finished eating, Jake left the room and let Greg talk to him for a few minutes. Eventually, Agent Bradley and Seth arrived, but came in the back door in an attempt to avoid the media. Everyone took seats in the living room, anxious to hear what the agents had to say.
“First off,” Greg began, “Frank and I apologize for any misunderstandings that may have developed recently, but we had a job to do.”
Everyone nodded, indicating that they now understood.
“This case had been evolving over the past few years, actually, but we didn’t get involved until just a few months ago when some missing persons reports were brought to our attention.” He paused for a moment then continued, “Local law enforcement agents in several states were beginning to notice a pattern of activity involving the disappearance of young women. These gals would attend a party at someone's special invitation then suddenly disappear without a trace as to where they had gone.”
“You mean like Janet’s friend, Sally,” Jake volunteered.
“Exactly, and because it involved similar activity in more than one state, Federal agents were called in,” Greg said.
“Yes, except in Sally’s case, ” Frank picked up the story, “Janet was not only aware that something had happened but she managed to follow the kidnappers in her car, driving all night and ending up in Cold Creek. Once in the area, however, she lost sight of the car, but you probably know the rest of that story.”
Actually Jake and his friends really didn’t know all those details, but it didn’t matter now. They just wanted to hear what else the two agents had to say about the Quail Club, in particular, and how the sheriff was involved.
Greg and Frank both shared details of the events that led up to them coming to the area and hanging out in the mountains. Frank tried to stay out of sight as much as possible. It turned out that he had actually become an infrequent visitor at the Quail Club in an attempt to get some inside information from any of the woman living and working there. He was lucky to have met an older woman, named Claire, who had been at the club for quite a long while…several years, in fact. At the mention of the woman’s name, Seth sat up straight and stared at Frank intently.
“Do you know where she is now?” he asked anxiously.
“She’s safe. We had her taken to the hospital, along with the rest of the girls from the club…well, except for two who didn’t make it. So there will be charges filed for those wrongful deaths.”
Everyone sat quietly for a moment, then Jake asked, “Who’s Claire?” but looked in Seth’s direction.
Seth looked at Jake. “My mom,” he said quietly and exhaled, leaning back on the sofa, his eyes closed.
“That’s right,” Frank confirmed. “After I met Claire, I showed up for ‘visits,’ explaining to the management that I often passed through the area on business. Didn’t want them to get suspicious so my visits were about every four or five weeks apart and I always asked for Claire. But she and I spent our time talking about what was going on out there. She wasn’t happy and tried to escape a few times but always got caught, hauled back, and beaten up.” Frank looked at Seth. “I asked if she’d be willing to be an informant for us and she agreed. She was our inside person.” Frank paused, waiting for Seth to say something, but he didn’t. “We weren’t thrilled with the idea of her having to stay there and keep up appearances, but she said she’d do it if it meant breaking up the racket.”
Both Frank and Greg went on to explain that the Quail Club had become a trafficking operation, both in women and drugs. They had become a part of a national network that sought out certain types of women and had them transported to the Quail Club and other similar establishments around the country. They were even exporting women overseas via online auctions. A lot of the women had become drug mules. Those who cooperated were compensated with either money or drugs, whichever they preferred.
Early on, Seth’s mom had been accepting money. It was during one of his visits that Frank discovered that she was planning another escape and had been saving her money to help with that. He looked at Seth again.
“I knew about the money,” Seth said. “I used to sneak into the property late at night to meet my mom. She’d wait until everyone was asleep and crawl out her window. We’d meet at that old tractor that had been sitting in the field for a while. She’d give me the money to hide and then hurry back to her room before anyone would notice.” Seth teared up a bit and quickly wiped his eyes.
“One night she didn’t come and I began to worry. So I finally decided I should leave and that’s when someone came up behind me. It was the sheriff. It turns out that he caught my mom sneaking out and beat her bad. She finally told him what she had been doing. So he came to meet me instead. He told me to keep my mouth shut, or he’d shut it for me…permanently.” Seth looked at his friends who were quietly listening, completely dumfounded.
“He made a deal with me, that if I worked for him, he wouldn’t hurt my mom or me. But I had to do whatever he asked. And that if I didn’t, he’d kill my mom...and me too.” He looked at his friends and pleaded, “Please don’t hate me, guys.”
“We don’t hate you, Seth,” Jake responded quietly. “I just wish we could have helped you. I wish you could’ve said something to us.”
The mood in the room was somber. Another troubling piece was to discover that the authorities believed the bunkhouse and several other buildings had been rigged with explosives.
“The evidence so far seems to indicate that.” Greg was explaining. “We suspect that the idea was to be able to destroy any evidence of their activities, including the women and some of the staff. Dead people don’t tell tales.”
“That’s terrible!” Tommy finally spoke up.
“You’re right, Tom,” Greg agreed. But we want to thank you for helping, in spite of the challenges you three presented us over the last few days.” He gave them all a wry smile then chuckled. “And Janet. That girl has a lot of spunk,” he chuckled.
“Yes,” Frank added. “Plus, we were able to collect other evidence that will help us close down some or all of the other places in this network.” He explained that several of the ‘guests’ who had shown up last night were also agents posing as interested buyers and dealers. They were able to confiscate files, computers, and other information before the fire destroyed nearly everything that would help in the overall investigation nationwide.
“Heck! This was some kind of a big deal,” Uncle Pete finally said, letting out a low whistle.
“Yes, a big deal indeed!” Frank said.
Both men got up to leave. Greg’s dog stood up too. “Good boy, Shadow.” Both men shook hands with everyone and started to leave.
“S-so... uh... Gre…I mean, Agent Danes,” Jake stammered.
“Yes?” Greg looked at Jake.
“So where are you guys going now?” He suddenly felt awkward asking.
“Home!” they both responded with a laugh as Frank walked to a front window.
“Home?” Seth asked, curious. “Where’s home?”
“Idaho,” Greg answered. “It’s been a long assignment.” He patted Jake on the back and gave him a knowing smile. “Frank and I will be out of here by tomorrow morning.”
Frank peered through the drapes at the window. “Mind if we head out the back door? ” he asked noticing several news people had reassembled.
“Not at all,” Uncle Pete replied. “If ya like, I kin distract them media folks while you get away.”
Frank chuckled. “Actually, that’s not a bad idea, if you don't mind. We’d prefer to stay anonymous, if possible. I think everyone was inside the store getting coffee and donuts when Seth and I showed up a while ago.”
“Let them know there will be a news conference at the sheriff’s office in about an hour,” Greg told Pete.
Both agents headed for the kitchen and the back door, while Uncle Pete stepped out on t
he porch and started to talk to the reporters in his easy country way. A few minutes later he stepped back in and locked the front door.
“Uncle Pete?” Jake asked, shutting the front door. “Do you mind if we just hang out here for a while?”
“Not at all. You boys jest stay inside.”
“Who’s minding the store?” Jake suddenly wondered.
“Oh, I got Andy to do that,” his uncle smiled real big. “He’s feeling mighty important talking to all them reporters and getting his picture took and all.” Pete wandered into the kitchen and left his nephew and friends to themselves.
“Wow,” was all any of them could think to say. “I can’t believe all that has happened,” Jake remarked, slumping down on the sofa. “How are you doing, Seth?” he asked his pal.
“I’m okay. I’m just glad my mom is all right. I worried that she was dead after the sheriff found me that night. I hadn’t heard from her since then.” He joined Jake on the sofa. Tommy chose Uncle Pete’s old recliner and popped up the footrest.
“So what are you gonna do when she gets out of the hospital?” Jake asked.
“I don’t know,” he said quietly. “I think I’ll let her decide what we should do. I still have the money she’d been giving me, plus some of my own I’d been saving. We’ll just have to wait and see.”
Jake looked at Tommy. “Hey, Tom. How are you doing?” Now that the whole story had been shared, he wondered if Tommy was still as excited as he had been earlier.
“I’m okay,” he said. “I can hardly wait to tell my folks all about this though,” he added. “They won’t believe it!”
“Well, I’m sure they will hear about it before they get home from their trip, what with all these reporters around here.”
“Oh...yeah,” he seemed a little disappointed that he wouldn’t be the first to tell them.
“Well, you can fill them in on the details, Tom.”
“Yeah!” He pushed down the footrest and hopped out the recliner, heading for the kitchen, asking Uncle Pete if there was anything else to eat.
“I wonder how Janet is doing and her friend, Sally?” Seth asked Jake.
“Me too.” He reached for the TV remote and flicked on the set, selecting a network station. It was just about five o’clock, and he wondered if maybe there was something about the girls on the news. The events of the previous evening were the top story with all kinds of stories from reporters in various locations gathering what scraps of information they could. There were promises of a live news conference coming at any moment. Tommy had returned with a plate of oatmeal cookies, which he passed around, then hopped back in the recliner, and settled in to watch too.
“Hey, Uncle Pete! Come see this!” Jake called out to his uncle.
Pete hurried in just in time to see a quick live interview with Andy in the store. He was beaming with pride, acting as the spokesperson for Jake and his uncle. Everyone had to laugh as they watched Andy mug for the cameras. He was living this moment up!
“He’s got no idea what you boys have been through,” Uncle Pete remarked.
“That’s okay. Let him have his moment.” Jake smiled. The levity actually helped ease the strain of the afternoon.
They also discovered, via the reports, that a sheriff from the next county was standing guard outside the house to keep reporters from bothering all of them.
“Sounds like you boys might all want to jest hang out here for the next couple of days,” Pete suggested. Each one agreed.
They spent the rest of the evening clicking from channel to channel, hoping to hear something substantial about the girls, other than they had been admitted to the hospital for observation, along with all the other women. Seth had hoped to catch a glimpse of his mom, but everyone had been whisked into the hospital and no cameras were allowed inside.
Late in the evening, the phone rang. Uncle Pete answered, then walked over to Seth and said it was for him. He gave Uncle Pete a curious look then went to the phone. Then they heard him exclaim, “Mom!” Turning away from everyone, they could tell he was crying. The conversation didn’t last long, but when he returned to the sofa and sat down he smiled and said, “She going to be fine. They’re going to keep her for a couple of days though.”
“That’s great news, Seth,” Jake responded and gave his friend a pat on the shoulder.
Uncle Pete left the room and came back later with an old army cot and began putting it together. “I reckon I can sleep on this so Seth can have the sofa.”
Seth began to protest, but Uncle Pete said Seth deserved to have a soft bed for a couple of days after all he’d been through, even if it was just a sofa, and there’d be no arguing about it. Seth gratefully accepted and thanked Uncle Pete.
They ate a late dinner and watched some more news until Tommy began to yawn and rub his eyes.
“Ready for bed, Tom?” Jake asked.
“I guess I am kinda tired,” he said.
“I think we all are,” Jake agreed.
Within an hour, everyone had gone to bed, including Uncle Pete, who seemed completely content to sleep on the old cot. As each drifted off in their own world of thoughts, they wondered what tomorrow would bring.
Chapter 22