keep up with the men in rugged outdoor sports. She was on the women’s volleyball team in college and could almost dunk a basketball.
She taught special education and recently completed a Master’s Degree in Public Administration. She wasn’t married, or even seeing anyone seriously, but she attracted numerous male friends. She grew up as a free-spirited girl who cared for other people and volunteered for numerous charitable events. Now in her late twenties, she’d lost none of the glamour from her Homecoming Queen days in high school yet wasn’t overtly aware of it. She had always been playful around Hunter and Claire, spending several summer vacations with them in Southern California when growing up. She was like their little sister, closer in age to Claire, but always following Hunter around with a crush on her big male cousin. They were a close family.
Claire got to the hospital just as “Uncle Bob” and his second wife were leaving for lunch. They talked briefly then Claire and Sue Ann were alone.
Claire brought flowers from the gift shop and hugged her cousin. “Aw, Suzy (her personal pet name), how do you feel?”
“I’m not bad, Claire. I don’t know why they want me to stay here all day. I got some scrapes and bruises, but nothing worse than a day at Yosemite with the guys.”
“Just take advantage of it, girl.”
“Claire, you just missed the Fibby’s (FBI). They questioned me. I had to ask Dad and Stella to leave.”
“Did they hurt you badly, did they...you know?”
“No, they didn’t do that. I thought they would for sure. They got really close sometimes and one touched my breast, but he got slapped around and yelled at in some pretty crude Spanish.”
“Were they Mexicans?
“I don’t know. They smelled bad, but that’s not surprising for a lot of guys. I think one had serious dental problems though. His breath -- yuck. I don’t want to talk about it.”
“Were you scared?”
“Yeah. Scared as hell. You know, after José – I’m sorry, Claire.”
Claire sat down after placing the flowers on a small work table. “These guys are animals, Suzy.”
“Why do you think they called Hunter? I tried to warn him, Claire, but they taped me up again fast.”
Claire looked at her. “I talked to him a couple times. There doesn’t seem to be any reason yet.”
She was released from the hospital at five o’clock that evening and went home with Claire to Sacramento. She told Claire that she wanted to be as far away from her apartment as possible and would probably never go back to live there.
In Washington, Hunter called Laura and told her what happened. He felt helpless across the country from Claire and Sue Ann. She absolutely needed to stay late at the office that night, but asked to spend the night with him again, maybe several nights, until it was all resolved. His fear turned to excitement. He cautioned her to walk in a group to the Metro and call him so that he could meet her at his station. His concern freaked her out, but she remembered the photographer at the park. If they wanted to get at Hunter, she was a logical target.
He didn’t leave his apartment that day and called John Richards in the afternoon.
Richards didn’t know much. “Hunter, the FBI interviewed Sue Ann, but I don’t think she could be much help. She was asleep when several men jumped her, wrapping duct tape over her eyes and mouth then did her arms and legs. One minute she was asleep, and the next she was blinded and gagged. Someone threw her over his shoulder and dropped her in a car trunk. From what she could hear and smell, it sounds like they took her to a dock on the bay, about half an hour away then out to sea on a large boat or ship. There wasn’t much engine noise, and she was pushed against steel bulkheads. She could feel some low-frequency engine vibration, which means a large long-stroke diesel, and the motion was pretty subdued for a boat on the open sea. It had to be a big boat.”
Hunter commented. “Peña. It was Peña.”
“I can’t comment on that, Hunter.”
“You don’t have to, John. I’m not a cop so I can speculate all I want.”
“We’re certainly checking all angles.” In truth, Richards and the FBI suspected Peña also but had to keep an open mind for other possibilities. Peña had two boats at the dock early in the morning, but one had departed on a two-month fishing expedition to South America. An investigative team was asking questions around the Embarcadero, checking on anyone that might have seen a trawler leave around midnight. Richard’s had a preliminary report from the FBI that Peña’s two boats were tied up all night and the big one only left after sunrise.
Richards continued. “Some things seem too obvious, Hunter. That’s why we need to be careful about jumping to conclusions.”
“Like what?”
“Well, if Peña took her, why use a boat at all? That would obviously point back to him.”
Hunter answered. “He likes being alone on the ocean for his dirty work.”
“Yeah. But why risk it if you were going to turn her loose. She would know she was on a big boat even all tied up.”
“He probably expected to kill her.”
“If he did that, he would have dumped her way out at sea with some weights attached, not send a dingy near shore where she could get free. It doesn’t add up, Hunter.”
“I don’t know, John. I want to believe it’s him.”
“It’s one of those things about police work, Hunter. We need to follow the evidence, and so far this still has a lot of questions.”
“That’s where I have the advantage, John. I don’t have to answer to anyone but myself.”
“Hunter, we’re friends, and I’ll pretend that I didn’t hear that.”
“What about protecting the girls, John?”
“I checked Claire’s place, and Sue Ann is staying with her for a while. I’ll be close by.”
“Okay, John. Let me know if I need to be there.”
They said goodbye, and Hunter got his place ready for Laura to arrive. He was worried about all the women in his life, plus Claire’s children. He would take action himself if the police didn’t move quickly enough.
He neatened up a bit and had a frozen pizza ready before leaving to walk to the station. Laurie looked fresh and terrific exiting the train. “How do you do it?”
“Do what?”
“Look so good after a long day at work.”
She smiled but didn’t answer. She didn’t want to spoil the illusion after going home before coming to him.
They talked most of the way to his place with his arm around her waist for some of it. It felt a little awkward, but he had new worries now about her safety, which they didn’t discuss. At his apartment, she asked for more details about Sue Ann, which he answered as much as possible. She asked, “Are we in danger here, Hunter?”
“Laurie, I wish you weren’t involved, but we need to be careful.”
She hugged him in the kitchen. “You mean you wish we weren’t in love?”
He wrapped his arms around her. “You know the answer to that.”
After dinner, after dark, it was late, and he wanted to call Sue Ann. Laurie got ready for bed, and he sat on the sofa within hearing range. He called her cell phone, figuring she would now have her purse, even if she wasn’t at home.
When she answered, He could hear Claire and the kids in the background. “Hey, how are you doing?”
“Oh, Hunter. I was so scared when they made me talk to you.”
“Sue Ann, are you okay?”
“I’m fine physically, Hunter. How are you doing? Do you know what they want?”
“Not yet Suz’, but I figure it’s something to do with my job here in DC.”
“You need to be careful.”
They talked a bit longer and then he talked to Claire about safety measures. John had come over and checked the house. He even offered to sleep on the couch, but the women felt they were safe enough together. They ended the call, agreeing to talk ev
ery day for a while.
On the Hill
There were no calls that night and they made love, easing the tension. In the morning, he was ready to work again. He walked Laura to the Metro then returned to review the list of prospective Congressmen and Senators that Leigh Bryant provided. It was comprehensive, listing members mostly outside California or the other Border States. He called her mobile phone.
“Hi, Leigh.”
“Hunter, did you look at my list?”
“Yeah, it’s interesting. I think I know what you’re recommending.”
“Look. You need to spend your time building consensus. Members of the Appropriations Committees are the most important, but there are also some others that wield a lot of influence. Some of these folks campaigned on streamlining drug laws and focusing on regulation of drug potency and treatment programs.”
“So, why is Sandra Blithe on the list?”
She chuckled. “Sandra Blithe has run unopposed for almost thirty years in the Senate. She hasn’t got an original idea in her head. She’s a Democrat from Rhode Island and is pretty much able to be on any committee she wants. She’s not active on any of them, but all of the members know she could bump them off if she wanted.
“She needs a cause this year. For the first time in decades, she’s being challenged in the primary by a young guy who’s popular with their liberal base. She’s no better than fifty-fifty for even getting the nomination. Nobody will feel bad if the old lady gets put out to pasture gracefully.
“She doesn’t want to go, so she needs a rallying cry, and the young liberals populating the electorate in