Fallout 09: Executive Privilege

Dr. Pierce came into my room shortly after I finished my bacon and egg breakfast and gave me the good news -- everything checked out okay and I could go home. He wrote a prescription for pain and gave me a set of instructions.

"It'll take an hour or so for the discharge papers, so why don't you call your folks and have them come get you," he said. "You should be good to go by the time they get here. Take care of yourself, and I want you to make an appointment with your regular doctor within the week."

"Thanks, Doc," I said. "I will." After he left, I called my parents and gave them the good news. About an hour later, they showed up in my room. Mom gave me a hug. She looked at me and I could see the tears in her eyes.

"Oh, Tom, I'm so sorry this happened to you," she said. "How are you feeling?"

"I've been better, Mom," I told her.

"Well, I made up some of my lasagna for you and I put it in your oven so it would stay warm," she said. I loved my mother's lasagna. It was the best, dripping with several layers of cheese and loaded with mushrooms and meat. It was the ultimate in comfort food. I looked at her and smiled.

"Thanks, Mom," I said. "I appreciate that. Your lasagna always puts a smile on my face."

"I'm glad, son," she said. "Your father told me what happened, and I feel so bad. I have a good mind to put that woman over my knee and paddle her rear end." Dad and I looked at each other as we laughed. I had no doubt she would put Katie over her knee if she were here.

"So, is there any news?" Dad asked. I told him about the videos and Henderson's threat.

"Videos?" Mom asked.

"Trust me, Mom, you really don't want to see them," I said. "They're worse than bad."

"I take it you'll need the name of a good divorce lawyer," Dad said.

"Yeah," I said. "There's no way I can see getting past what she's done. What she's probably still doing. I also need to let Jim know. He's gonna be heartbroken."

"Well, I'll make some calls," Dad said. Just then, a nurse came into the room and gave me my discharge papers and instructions. They insisted I ride in a wheelchair, so the nurse had me sit down and pushed the chair as Mom and Dad walked next to me. We got to the loading area and I got into the back seat. Dad drove us back to my house, stopping at the pharmacy on the way so I could get my pain pills. I noticed my car was in the driveway when we got there.

"Your Mom and I picked your car up from Ryder on Saturday," Dad said. "Katie's car is still in the garage." We stopped and went into the house. I looked around and realized just how empty the place felt without Katie in it. I could smell the lasagna in the oven, and that lifted my spirits just a bit.

"I hope you don't mind, but I took the liberty of freshening up the place just a bit yesterday afternoon," Mom said. "It was starting to get a bit musty."

"I don't mind at all, Mom," I told her. "Thanks. For everything. I think I can handle things from here." Just then, we noticed a dark sedan parking in front of the house. I saw Ryan get out of the driver's side and another man in a suit got out of the passenger side. I opened the door and invited them in.

"Detective Blackstone," I said. "Please, come inside." I held the door open as the two men came inside. Ryan shook my hand as he came in. I introduced him to my mother and they shook hands.

"Can I get you two something to drink?" Mom asked. "Coffee? Coke?" Ryan shook his head.

"No, ma'am, but thank you anyway," Ryan said. He turned to the other man. "Mr. West, this is Detective Hawthorne, NYPD. Homicide." I was shocked for a moment as I took that in, but I finally held out my hand and Hawthorne accepted it. I invited them to sit down, and we all got as comfortable as we could.

"Homicide?" I asked. Hawthorne nodded his head and held out a photo. I took a look and saw Katie's face, but the eyes were closed and her skin had a sick tinge to it.

"Can you identify the woman in that photo?" he asked.

"It looks like my wife, Katie," I said. "But she was alive early Sunday morning. I have video."

"Did your wife have any markings or tattoos?" Hawthorne asked.

"Yes, she had a small dolphin tattooed at the top of her right thigh," I said. "She did it on a dare 15 years ago." Hawthorne looked at Ryan and nodded his head before looking back at me.

"I'm sorry to inform you, Mr. West, but it appears your wife may have been murdered," he said.

"Murdered?" I asked. "How? When?"

"That's what we're trying to determine, Mr. West," he said. "The coroner is still examining her but his initial assessment was that she had died of a massive heart attack."

"That wouldn't make her death a murder, would it?" I asked.

"Well, her body was found in a shallow grave in the middle of Central Park yesterday afternoon," Hawthorne said. "That usually points to murder, in my experience. We're still waiting for the results of the toxicology tests, and maybe that'll shed some light on what happened. What can you tell us?"

I told them both the whole story. Ryan listened and took notes, even though he had heard all this before. I pulled out my phone and let them listen to the audio. Then I played the videos for them. Mom hadn't heard or seen any of this, and began crying. Dad led her out of the room so I could speak with the detectives in private.

When they finished watching the video, I told them what Brenda said to me. They both took notes and looked at each other before addressing me.

"That explains the bruising and the general state of Mrs. West's body," Hawthorne said. He turned to me. "This Harris woman," Hawthorne began. "Is she working today?"

"As far as I know," I said.

"We'll need to speak with her," Hawthorne told Ryan, who nodded his head in agreement. He turned back to me. "What can you tell me about the drugs Henderson used? This so-called 'Super Ecstasy' stuff," he asked.

"Not much, just what Brenda told me, and what I saw," I said. "Doc said that whatever they used on me had already worked its way out of my system. What about Henderson and his goons?"

"That's one of the things we were hoping you could tell us," Ryan said. "Henderson's corporate jet left New York last night. According to the flight plan his pilot filed, they were coming back here, but there's no record of the plane landing here. Do you know where else he might've gone?"

"Ryder has satellite offices across the country," I said. "Could be anywhere."

"Great," Hawthorne said, looking at Ryan. "We'll need to get the FAA involved as well as the FBI."

"I have a contact at the local FAA office," Ryan said. "We can go there after we execute the search warrant at Ryder." Hawthorne nodded his head.

"What's going to happen?" I asked.

"If what you're telling us pans out, this may become a federal case, since Henderson took your wife across state lines," Ryan said. "We're looking at several charges against him, including murder and possibly kidnapping."

"In the meantime," Hawthorne said, "my people will complete their work, and release your wife's body. That could take a few days. We'll also apprehend the individuals in that video and see what we can learn from them." I nodded my head in understanding. Ryan looked at Hawthorne before speaking.

"I'd like to talk to Mr. West in private if you don't mind," he said. Hawthorne looked at me and nodded his head.

"Sure, I understand," he said. "I've got to make a call or two anyway. I'll be right outside." He looked at me before continuing. "I really am sorry about all this, Mr. West," he told me.

"Thank you detective," I said, shaking his hand. After he left, Ryan turned back to me.

"Mr. West... Tom," he began. "I wanted to talk to you a bit about what happened to your wife. And I wanted to do it privately."

"I appreciate that, Ryan," I said.

"I'll spare you the gory details," Ryan said. "But from what I read and saw, her last 48 hours were hell. I spoke with the medical examiner back east and he confirmed my suspicions. I don't believe your wife consented to what was done to her. I believe she was brutally assaulted, used and abused by a bunch of power-mad animals."

"Look, Ryan, I understand what you're trying to do here and I appreciate it," I said. "I really do. But the truth is, Katie and Henderson have been seeing each other for a month before this happened. I don't know exactly what happened between them, but I have a pretty good idea. Katie could've stopped it all at any point before last Friday. But she didn't. I don't know why she did what she did and now I'll never know."

"I understand," Ryan said quietly. He pulled a card out of his pocket and handed it to me. "I think you should get some counseling, Tom. Dr. Harmon is one of the best in the business. Give her a call, alright?"

"I will, thanks," I said.

"I am concerned about Henderson's goons coming back after you," he said. "I'd assign a couple officers to you, but I'm afraid we just don't have the manpower for that. I will have dispatch double up the patrols in your neighborhood, though. Do you own a gun?"

"No, I don't," I said. He nodded his head.

"Alright," he said. "Keep your windows and doors closed and locked at all times then. If you suspect anything, call 911 immediately."

"I'll do that, Ryan," I said. Just then, Hawthorne came back into the house.

"Just got off the phone with your partner, Johnson," he said. "He's got a nationwide APB out and he's also got the search warrants and is waiting for us." Ryan nodded his head and stood up.

"We'll be in touch, Tom," Ryan said, shaking my hand. Hawthorne reached out a hand.

"Sorry for your loss, Mr. West," he said.

"Thank you detective," I said. After they left, my parents came back out and sat down.

"You gonna be okay, son?" Dad asked.

"I think so, Dad," I said. "I've got a couple more calls to make and I'm looking forward to them." That much was true. I needed to let Jim know what happened to his mother, and I also needed to call Katie's parents.

"Alright, well, if you need anything, give us a call, okay?" Dad asked.

"I will, Dad, thanks," I said. We exchanged hugs and I watched as they left. I called Jim's cell and left a message. I figured it could be a while before he got back to me. I definitely was not looking forward to the next call.

Katie's father, Bill Anderson, was a retired Marine Colonel. He was a highly-decorated combat veteran who earned the nickname "Bloody Bill" during a tour in Afghanistan. I never knew all the details, but from what I heard, he supposedly killed several Taliban insurgents armed only with a knife. I'd seen him in uniform several times and the man had more ribbons and medals than I had ever seen on a military man in my life.

He and Katie's mother, Alice, retired to a home in the country a few years ago, after he retired from the military. "The Colonel," as we all called him, took no crap off of anyone, and I admit, I was a bit nervous about informing him that his only child was now dead. Fortunately, he and I got along well, and he insisted I call him "Dad." I counted to ten and dialed the number.

"Anderson residence," I heard Bill say when he answered the phone.

"Dad, it's me, Tom," I said.

"You okay, son?" he asked. "You sound like someone just took all your cookies."

"No, Dad, I'm not," I said. "I just got home from the hospital and learned that Katie is dead."

"Dead?" he asked, shocked. "Hospital? What were you doing in a hospital? Is that where she died? What the hell happened?"

"It's a bit... complicated," I said.

"Complicated?" he asked. "What do you mean, complicated?" I gave him the Reader's Digest version and let it sink in for a moment. I could almost hear the gears in his head grinding as he processed it all. After a few moments, he spoke. "We'll be there at 1600 hours," he said. "That's 4:00 pm for you civilian types."

"I know, Dad," I said, laughing.

"And make sure you have a fresh pot of coffee on," he said.

"I will," I said. We ended the call and I sat back, processing everything that had happened. Suddenly, the full realization of what happened hit me and I began sobbing. I felt as though I had lost everything that meant anything to me. My marriage had clearly been gone for a while and I just didn't know it. And now, the only woman I had ever truly loved was gone as well. As much as I hated what she did, I didn't want her dead. As for Henderson, that was a different matter.

I got up and ate some of Mom's lasagna. That had always made me feel better in the past, and it helped this time as well. After I ate, I put everything away and went through the house, thinking about the life Katie and I had together. Every corner -- every nook and cranny in the place -- held a memory for me. There was no way I could stay in this house. I decided that once this was all over, I would sell the place and find something smaller.

I found Katie's phone sitting on her night stand, still plugged into its charger. I decided to see if there was anything there that might give me a clue about why she did what she did. Her phone was locked, but I knew the four-digit code she used and entered it. Sure enough, it came right up. I saw there were several calls to her phone from Henderson and a few from Brenda's office number. The last one was from that Friday morning.

I looked through her text messages, and saw a conversation with Henderson from a couple months earlier, but it really didn't provide much context and they didn't say very much of anything in their messages. For all I knew they could've been talking about the weather. I also went through her emails, but again, there was nothing there that raised any red flags. I turned the phone off and set it back on the night stand.

Looking at the time, I realized that it was already 3:45 pm. I didn't realize how much time I had spent on Katie's phone. I knew how punctual the Colonel was, so I went into the kitchen and made a fresh pot of coffee -- strong, just the way he liked it. The doorbell rang right as the digital clock on the coffee pot said 4:00 pm. I new it was the Colonel, so I opened the door and invited him and Alice inside.

"Damn, son, didn't anyone ever teach you to duck?" the Colonel asked when he saw my face.

"My dad tried, but I guess I never really figured it out," I said half-jokingly. "Come on in."

As they came into the house, another car pulled into the driveway and stopped. I saw a tall, lanky fellow get out of the car and make his way to the door.

"I hope you don't mind," Bill said. "After what you told me, I took the liberty of calling in some reinforcements." By now, the tall man was in the house, a laptop bag on one shoulder. He carried two other bags and I wondered what was going on. Bill turned to the man.

"Ron, this is my son-in-law, Tom West," he said. "Tom, this is Ron Wiseman. We served together in the Corps."

"Good to meet you, Mr. Wiseman," I said, shaking his hand.

"Please, call me Ron," he said. I looked at the Colonel.

"Ron and his wife have some experience dealing with assholes like Henderson," he said. "Plus, he's got a particular set of skills I think will come in handy."

"Oh?" I asked. "What kind of skills?"

"I'm a trained accountant," Ron said.

"An accountant?" I asked. Ron smiled as he set his bags down.

"Well, I'm a bit more than that," he said. "I do some work for a special task force and I happen to have access to information that will come in very handy from what the Colonel said."

"I see," I said. "Well, have a seat, I'll go get us all some coffee." Alice joined me in the kitchen and we came back carrying four large cups of coffee. The Colonel liked his hot, fresh, black and strong. Alice handed him his cup and he took a tentative sip before setting the cup down.

"Not bad, Tom," he said. "Thanks. Well, why don't you bring us all up to date?" I filled them all in on what had transpired up to the time Ryan and Hawthorne left the house earlier.

"You say you have videos?" the Colonel asked.

"Yes," I said. "They're pretty graphic."

"I'd like to see them anyway," he said. "Don't worry, after 30 years in the Corps, there's not much Alice and I haven't seen." I pulled out my phone and queued up the videos. They watched all four of the videos before handing the phone back. I could tell Bill and Alice were very upset with what they had seen. Ron, however, took it all in stride, and paused the videos a few times to get a better look at the individuals involved.

"It's obvious she was drugged," Alice said. Bill and Ron nodded their heads in agreement. "But with what, exactly?"

"I don't know for sure," I told her. "Brenda, Henderson's assistant, said he was working on some kind of 'Super Ecstasy' or something."

"And Henderson drugged you as well?" Ron asked.

"Yes," I said. "But it had already worked out of my system by the time I was treated at the hospital." By now, Ron had his laptop out and booted up. I gave him the password to my house wireless and he connected to the Internet.

"The two goons who roughed you up," Ron said. "Were they in the videos?"

"Yes," I said. I pulled up one of the videos and paused it so Ron could get a good look at them. "Harvey Strauss and Lenny Jameson, right there," I said, pointing to the two large men in the video.

"Can you send those videos to me?" Ron asked, giving me an email address.

"Sure," I said, forwarding the video. Ron acknowledged receipt of the files and went to work.

"You know those aren't their real names," Ron said.

"No I didn't know that," I said. "Who are they? Really?"

"They're former mob enforcers," Ron said. "They went missing after their boss, James Brolin, a.k.a., Jimmy the Weasel, was found murdered in his marital bed. The feds have been looking for them for a while. How long have they been working for Henderson?"

"I guess a couple years now," I said. "Why?"

"That's about the time they went missing," Ron said. "You say they have a nationwide APB out for Henderson?"

"Yes," I said.

"Alright," Ron said, clicking his mouse. "Let's see what we can come up with. I'll let that run for a bit." We talked as Ron let his program do its thing.

"So, here's what we're gonna do," the Colonel said after we had talked a bit. "Ron has agreed to stay here with you until these fellas are out of commission. I don't like the idea of you being here by yourself with them still on the loose," he told me. "Ron, you let me know the minute you get something on them, got it? I'll take care of it from there."

"Got it, Colonel," Ron said.

"What are you gonna do?" I asked Bill.

"It's best if you don't know, son," he said. "Let's just say we Marines take care of our own and leave it at that. Don't worry. One way or another, Henderson and his thugs are gonna pay -- dearly. You say you're on sick leave until Monday?"

"Yeah," I said.

"What are your plans after that?" he asked.

"There's no way I can stay at Ryder, not after this," I said. "I've given it some thought and I plan to turn in my two week notice on Monday. I also plan to sell this place and get something a bit smaller."

"I don't blame you," he said. "Any word on when Katie's body will get released?"

"Could be a few days from what Hawthorne told me," I said.

"If you need any help with the final arrangements, let us know," he said.

"Thanks, Dad, I appreciate that," I said. Bill stood up, signaling the end of the meeting. Alice and Ron stood up as well.

"We'd better get going, dear," he said. "Ron, you let me know the minute you learn something."

"I will," he said. Bill turned to me and surprised me with a fatherly hug. In all the years I had known him, I never once saw him hug another man.

"It'll be alright, son," he said. Alice moved in when he released me and gave me a tender hug.

"I'm so sorry this happened, Tom," she said. "Don't worry about a thing, alright?"