The Missing Daughter Caper

After meeting with underlings, I was invited to the AG's home to discuss my plan.

"Mr. Jepsen," I began. "I believe I can help your niece recover from her current condition. My partner and I have the finest treatment facility in the world, and I am confident we can help get your niece clean and sober for the rest of her life. Have you heard of the New Beginnings Retreat Resort, Mr. Jepsen?"

"No," Jepsen said. "We've had Sally in the finest rehab facilities in the world with no success. What makes you think you can help her, Mr. Briggs?"

"Well, sir," I said, "It's not so much the process as is the environment. In other facilities, they rely heavily on group therapy, Cognitive Behavior Therapy, and other tried and tested treatments. New Beginnings uses these therapies as well. But, the difference we offer is serenity. Most facilities act like institutions and, as such, have little in the way of creature comforts. Most places are hospital-like, cold, and uncaring. We are more like a vacation resort, spa, and entertainment destination. Our staff are investigated with deep-dive background checks. We will not hire anyone with the least smidgen of impropriety or medical malfeasance. In short, our staff are world-class healthcare providers, our facility is luxurious, and we offer a myriad of opportunities to improve our patients' life balance."

"It sounds like like a nice place, Mr. Briggs," Jepsen said. "What do you need from me?"

"Well, sir," I continued, "I'm hoping to broker a deal with you for someone in federal custody who could provide our organization with a cash infusion that would guarantee our existence forever."

"Tell me more," Jepsen said.

"I'm sure you recall the Steve Markham, Stanley, and Helen Singer case. Stanley's daughter is in our care because she was forced into high-class prostitution and sexual slavery by her submissive father and dominatrix stepmother. The stepmother hired me to find Stanley's daughter, Cora Singer. I learned Miss Singer was sold to the Norte del Muerta Cartel by her talent agency manager, Steve Markham. During my investigation, I was able to locate Miss Singer and alert the FBI to the Cartel connection. The FBI's investigation uncovered a previously unknown international human trafficking ring, which was eventually brought to justice. Their case helped get you approved by the Senate, Mr. Jepsen."

"Stanley Singer has mountains of legitimate money sitting in banks around the world, just waiting to be spent on a good cause like ours. The deal I propose is that you authorize transferring Singer from ADX Florence to the least restrictive incarceration possible within the federal system. Thus giving Singer a small amount of freedom. Stanley Singer has been in protective custody since his incarceration and is no flight risk, sir. He's meek, aging rapidly, and weak-minded. In exchange for transferring Singer, I will get him to set up a trust fund for New Horizons for perpetuity as penance for harming his only daughter."

"In exchange for your generosity with Singer, I have a team who can locate and transport Sally to New Beginnings and get your niece the intensive care she needs to kick her drug habit. We have a 100 percent success rate with our patients. So far, we have helped over 300 battered women overcome their past, and now all have bright futures. I understand Sally turned to drugs to escape her violent ex-husband. Either way, the offer to help Sally is on the table if you so desire to help her, sir. I hope that you will agree to the transfer so I can use it as leverage against Singer. He's so weak that I'm sure he'd sell his soul to the Devil to get out of 23-hour protective custody."

"How soon can you act?" Jepsen said.

"Just say the word, sir, and we'll arrange to pick up Sally immediately," I said.

While I stood by in the room, the AG made a phone call to an aide, instructing her to see to my request immediately. I shook the AG's hand and texted my team to proceed and acquire Sally Jepsen for the help she desperately needed.

A black SUV was waiting for me as I left the AG's stately home. Inside, I met a startling, beautiful woman attorney who would handle the transfer request once I gave the word that Singer would cooperate. I knew better than to be anything other than professional with the attorney riding in the SUV.

Chapter 8: Stanley Singer

I flew to Colorado to pay Stanley Singer a visit at ADX, the Federal Correctional Complex in Florence. My letter to Stanley explained that I wanted to visit him and tell him about Cora. He wrote back and said I would be placed on the approved visitor list. When I got to the prison, the usual search and visitor orientation took place. They led me to the visiting area.

Stanley Singer was led to the visiting area, hobbled in waist and ankle chains. The escorting guard unclasped Stanley's handcuffs from his waist and connected them to a three-foot-long chair bolted to the wall. His eyes were blurred, and his face was gaunt. The jailhouse pallor made Stanley look ghostly. The absence of Vitamin D from natural sunlight had taken its toll on Stanley Singer. Even though Stanley was led outside for one hour each day, there wasn't much sunlight during the cold Colorado wintertime. He was diminutive, to begin with, but now, Stanley was a shell of a human being. Unkempt and likely odiferous, I was glad there was a moisture-proof barrier between us.

Stanley was behind a glass wall and sitting on a steel stool with a telephone that we could speak to one another with. I had arranged for the guards to provide me with a copy of the recording of my conversation with Stanley when I left the facility. I picked up the telephone at the same time Stanley did. His eyes were pleading with me to speak.

I began our conversation. "Mr. Singer, I'm glad you agreed to meet with me today. I have news for you about your daughter, Cora."

"Yes," Stanley perked up and said, "Please tell me about my little girl."

"I won't mince words with you, Mr. Singer," I said. "You should know that Cora is fucked in the head. You and your degenerate wife fucked her up mentally. She was so bad when I found her in that shit hole she was catatonic. It's only because of my foundation that she's making some small amount of progress toward normal if you can call it that. Mr. Singer, I seriously doubt Cora will ever be normal. She often reverts to her slave persona, and you are RESPONSIBLE for that!"

Stanley Singer started crying. I continued, "Furthermore, Mr. Singer, she will likely remain in her current mental state for the remainder of her life."

I paused to let that last tidbit sink in before continuing.

"Mr. Singer," I asked, "Do you love your daughter?"

"Oh, God, yes," he replied. "I've tried killing myself because of what I allowed Helen to do to me and Cora. There isn't a moment in the day that I don't regret my actions. I should have protected my baby. But, instead, I corrupted her."

Stanley was openly sobbing. I waited for him to compose himself before I started to play him like a Rainbow Trout on my fly fishing pole.

"Mr. Singer?" I asked. "Would you like to help Cora get better?"

Stanley's head shot up and looked directly at me. His eyes were as big as silver dollars as he vigorously nodded his head yes.

"Well then, Mr. Singer," I said. "There is a way you can help, Cora. She is in a mental health facility in the High Desert of Southern California called New Beginnings Retreat Resort. My partner and I own and operate New Beginnings, and if I may brag a bit, Cora is doing better. But her row is a long one to hoe. As I said, Cora is a long way from normal. We can hope for the best if she continues to receive the excellent mental and physical healthcare she so desperately needs."

Stanley was leaning forward, eager to hear more. It was time to set the hook.

"Mr. Singer," I said, "the primary issue is I can no longer continue to treat Cora as a charity case. Her treatments are extensive and extremely expensive. Each day she is in our facility, we lose money. Now, I am not one to kick her to the curb with no compassion, but you must understand, Mr. Singer, Cora needs our help if she is going to have any resemblance of normality. As it stands, Cora is stable but will never become self-sufficient and independent if she no longer receives our help. If we can no longer continue her care, we will be forced to remand Cora to a state-run mental institution, and believe me, Mr. Singer, I would not want to send my worst enemy to that place."

"What can I do?" He asked. "I'm stuck in this hell hole. God, how I wish I could get out of here. You don't know what it's like to be in solitary confinement 23 hours every day, seven days a week."

"Mr. Singer," I offered. "You are a successful businessman and know about negotiating. When a deal is a win-win situation, both parties prosper. I have a proposition for you that could be a win-win-win for both of us and Cora. Would you like to hear it?"

"Of course, Mr. Briggs," He said. "Tell me how I can help my Cora."

Mr. Singer," I said, "For Cora to get the best possible treatment, you should spare no expense. New Beginnings Retreat Resort is, without a doubt, the best in the world. Cora has access to leading researchers who work specifically with patients like Cora. Mr. Singer, I am asking you to support Cora through a generous donation to New Beginnings. In exchange, I have an agreement in my pocket here that will transfer you from here to a Club Fed facility in the southeast. But, for a price."

"Yes, yes," Stanley said. "Anything at all, name your price."

"Mr. Singer," I said, "I have spoken one-on-one with the Attorney General. He will agree to transfer you, if and only if you transfer your entire holdings, lock, stock, and barrel, to a trust fund in Cora's name, to be administered by New Beginnings. Call it a form of penance, if you will. I mean it, Mr. Singer. Every last penny you have, save for a small monthly sum for your benefit while incarcerated. You will never see outside the walls of prison again, Mr. Singer. You will never get to enjoy your wealth, so you may as well use it for Cora's benefit. Of course, New Beginnings will keep you informed of how every penny will be used at the facility. I assure you that this is no scam, and you will have full transparency. I've already met with your financial advisor and business law firm, and they assure you that this is a legitimate offer in good standing. I have a letter from Dewey, Cheatham, and Howe explaining how the trust will be set up and administered. New Beginnings will retain your financial advisor and law firm to ensure our compliance with the rules of the trust."

"Mr. Singer, not only will you be helping Cora get better, but countless others that follow. Think of the good your money will do to help the less fortunate women like Cora. New Beginnings isn't like any other mental healthcare facility in the world. We have two square miles of desert converted into, as the name implies, a resort. Our medical staff has no peers. Our research division has made unbelievable contributions to the lexicon of mental health treatment and has advanced the literature with astounding successes."

I paused to let what I said sink in, then began again. "Mr. Singer, you would be in the general population of white-collar inmates instead of the murderous ones they keep you from now. From what I have found out, you could be transferred to Montgomery, Alabama, or Pensacola, Florida. I imagine seeing the Sun year-round in those places would be much better than here, would it not, Mr. Singer?"

"I'll leave the paperwork for you with the guards when I leave. Read the documents, Mr. Singer. A lawyer from your attorney's office will see you next week to discuss any questions you may have about the agreement. Do the right thing, Mr. Singer. Right the wrong you did, and help your daughter get better."

I put the phone back on its cradle, stood, and walked away. The guard escorted me out of the building after leaving the document package with them for Stanley Singer. I felt relieved to be through with my meeting and breathed a sigh of relief when I exited the perimeter security gate.

When I got to my car, I telephoned Charlie Watters and told him of my meeting with Stanley Singer. I drove back to my hotel and sent an email with the recording of my conversation with Stanley to Charlie Watters and Stanley's law firm. My flight was the next morning, back to Southern California.

Chapter 9: Arlene Wonder

It's a common legal fact that a silent partner has no management and control of the partnership. The silent partner is, as the name implies, a partner but silent. A partnership means equally liable for debts and assets. Being a silent partner with Charlie Watters suits me fine. When Charlie and I established the LLC, we set it up to be a 60-40 relationship. Since I put up the lion's share of the investment, Charlie would run the business as the CEO with all the accompanying benefits of his position. Once we had our feet wet, we offered Dr. Hoffman a piece of the pie. Charlie and I each offered Dr. Hoffman five percent as an enticement to join New Beginnings. Even though I have more shares in the LLC than Charlie Watters and Dr. Hoffman combined, I trust both and have no interest in running a medical facility.

With all being said, if New Beginnings failed and I never saw a penny of my investment ever again, I would be sad but not devastated. Money, to me, is only a means of providing sustenance. I do not require much, as my life's needs are simple. My job with Simmons is enough for me. I sometimes get the adrenaline rush I once had in the Army and the Bureau when working on a case for the slimy slob Simmons. The shootout at the apartment before taking the Singer case is only one example. There are others here and there to keep me alert and satisfied. Mostly, however, my days are dull and lifeless. Nonetheless, I haven't a clue how to run something as huge as New Beginnings Retreat Resort.

I called John Mann a few days ago to see how Arlene Wonder was doing with his agency. He agreed to meet for lunch. In a nutshell, Arlene is happy and doing fantastic. John told me that his agency has grown with Arlene's assistance. John said that Arlene had caught a few mistakes he made in contract negotiations that could have cost him millions of dollars in lost revenue. I thanked John for helping Arlene. When I asked if Arlene was accepted into the fold at John's agency, he cackled in laughter.

"Briggs," John began, "Arlene is a force to be reckoned with. All of my permanent employees adore Arlene. The young temporary interns, well, they're another story. You should have been there. She obliterated one guy so fast it was like a cartoon character who was torched. You know, burnt like a kitchen match with only a stalk of carbon ash left standing before being swept away by a gentle breeze into nothingness. It was CLASSIC!"

"What happened?" I asked, smiling.

John continued. "We hire interns every year from USC and UCLA business schools, and Briggs, let me tell you, this year's crop is pitiful. Pit-e-full. The mee-too generation is so disappointing. But I digress. I was inside my office and needed another cup of coffee. When I reached for my closed office door and was about to open it, I heard Arlene giggling. I wondered what was making Arlene giggle, so I cracked my door open to listen. Briggs, you should have heard the interaction between Arlene and one of the interns. Man, she was on fire. He apparently thought that because she was my executive assistant, she was only arm candy and an airhead. I've seen his kind before, Briggs. Daddy has money and can buy anyone I want. She played him like a cheap fiddle with a shredded bow."

"Arlene was coy, unsophisticated, and almost sickening as she put on a show for that self-righteous swinging dick. I have never seen a more worthy Oscar-winning performance. Arlene played the part of a ditzy blonde to the maximum. Then, she lowered the boom on his smarmy ass. Arlene let that young shit stain have it, and I mean with both barrels. His back was toward my office door as Arlene stood nose-to-nose with that twerp and pointed her index finger into his chest as she spouted off her academic accomplishments. Arlene told him that her Bachelor's in economics and her Master's in Business Administration were from the Booth School of Business at the University of Chicago and not from the University of Spoiled Children. She went on to tell the intern that she was not only my executive assistant but also responsible for granting a favorable letter of recommendation when his internship was over. If he OR ANY OTHER JERK IN THIS OFFICE wanted to see a letter of recommendation, they had better be a bit kinder in the future. Briggs, I have never been more proud of any of my employees at that moment."

"I gently closed my office door and then loudly opened it and stood in the doorway. Arlene jumped at the sound and gasped when she saw me. I smiled at Arlene and winked at her. The intern turned toward me and saw me standing in front of him. I scowled at him and asked him to wait in my office. Briggs, Arlene was so cute when she was angry. I quietly told her she did a fabulous job and that I was happy. I asked her to bring me a cup of coffee and to join me in my office while I attended to an important personnel matter."

"What did you do to the kid?" I asked John.

"He was standing as I entered my office with Arlene in tow. Damn, Briggs, I thought the kid was about to shit himself. He was visibly shaking in his Ralph Lauren bespoke business suit. Apparently, my size intimidates young college shitheads."

"Yah think?" I replied. "Jesus H. Christ, John. What are you, 6 foot 6 and 245 pounds? Jimmy Dean must have had you in mind when he sang about Big, Bad, John. A crashing blow from your big right hand would send that boy to the promised land, John. No wonder he almost shit his pants."

John smiled and continued his story. "I told the intern that I overheard his conversation with Miss Wonder and that if he did not apologize that instant, he would be terminated with cause and forfeit the rest of his internship. I informed him that a formal written warning would be included in his personnel file if he failed to follow my apology instructions."

"Did he apologize?" I asked.

"He did," John said. "The intern was so ashamed that he tendered his resignation and left without saying anything to anyone else in the office."

"I asked John, "How was Arlene after meeting with the intern?"

"John said, "I sat with Arlene and reassured her that she was in the right in how she dealt with the intern. We chatted about business for a while, and then I asked her to join me for lunch. In light of the unwanted male attention, I asked Arlene about her personal life and if she was seeing anyone. She told me she had dated a few times but was seriously stuck on someone. I probed for more information, and I guess the incident with the intern caused Arlene to let the floodgates open. Arlene bawled, and I could hardly understand what she said when she spoke. You know how women get when they're crying. Their voice is interrupted by hiccups and the like. Briggs, Arlene told me how you rescued Cora and how grateful she was for your finding her young friend. I could see in Arlene's eyes she adores you, Briggs. Even though she never said your name, it isn't rocket surgery to see that Arlene is in love with you."

To say I was shocked at John's revelation would be an understatement. Arlene Wonder is a beautiful woman, but never in my mind did I think there was any attraction between us. My mind was awash with thoughts of Arlene. Different thoughts than the ones I had before.

"Damn, John," I said. "I never knew. What else did she say?"