The Warren Files 02: Dan and Kate

I played the video I reviewed while on the flight so the other agents could see what we were up against. June gasped as she watched the video. John asked me to replay the part where April activated the device. I played it three times at his request. He studied it carefully, then looked at his diagrams and schematics.

"I got it," he said. "I know how to turn this thing off."

"Good," I said. I briefed the group on my plan, and opened the floor for questions and comments. Everyone seemed to agree with what I had outlined. "Remember," I added, "Mr. Shipman's safety is top priority. We'll get his statement at the hospital if need be." I looked at June. "Can you get a doctor to meet us there?"

"Consider it done," she said, grabbing her phone. I nodded my head in understanding.

"Good," I said. "We'll also need local LEOs to clear the floor and a team from the bomb squad." Gillespie offered to handle that. I agreed.

I looked at John. "I don't want you touching the explosives. Your job is to get that thing off the Internet and powered down. Let the pros do the disarming."

"Got it, boss," he said.

"Remember," I said. "We clear the floor first. While John is bringing the unit down, I'll take two officers and get Mrs. Shipman. Hopefully, you'll have that thing off of Mr. Shipman and disarmed by the time I'm done. Once she's in custody, I'll catch up with you at the hospital. Questions or comments?" I looked around and saw no dissent.

"Let's roll," I said. We left the room and June drove John and I to Shipman's office, which was located in downtown Riverside, a town nearly an hour east of Los Angeles. After we got on Interstate 10, June flipped a couple of switches, turning on the flashing lights and sirens. She looked at me with a smile.

"I've always wanted to do this," she said, mashing the gas pedal. John and I hung on for dear life as she weaved through traffic.

On the way, we received a radio call informing us that Riverside County Sheriff's deputies were already on scene and were in the process of clearing the floor in the building where Shipman worked. I was also informed that bomb squad personnel were also waiting for our arrival.

We finished the 53 mile trip in a little under 45 minutes and pulled up to the three-story building where Shipman worked. A number of people were milling around outside and I could see police officers holding a gaggle of reporters back. June got as close as she could and stopped the SUV. We jumped out and ran to the building.

I waved the bomb squad techs to follow us, which they did, along with a few deputies. We sprinted up the stairs to the third floor and found Shipman's office. As we entered, I spotted Dan sitting in his chair, his face white with terror. We looked around and saw a woman sitting in the office, holding a remote control. I recognized her from the video - Kate Shipman.

John opened his briefcase and turned on the blocking device. A very large deputy grabbed Kate by the arm as she pressed a button on the remote. I held my breath, expecting the belt to detonate, but nothing happened. I helped the deputy pull the woman into the hallway as bomb squad techs entered the office.

"Katherine Shipman?" I asked, taking the remote from her. She looked at me, wild-eyed.

"What do you want?" she screeched as she wrestled with the deputy and I. "Let go of me, dammit!"

"Federal officer, Mrs. Shipman," I said. "You're under arrest for conspiracy, attempted murder, sexual assault and making terroristic threats." She kicked the deputy hard with her pointed shoe and twisted out of our grasp, She ran to the wall across the office from us and grabbed a gun from the purse over her shoulder.

"No, I'm not," she yelled. "He's mine! I own him! You're not going to do a Goddamn thing!" The deputies and I pulled our weapons and took aim.

"Mrs. Shipman," I said. "Don't make this any worse than it has to be. Put the gun down now."

"Fuck you!" she screamed. "Fuck you all to fucking HELL!" She raised the gun, preparing to fire. The deputies and I each took a shot, striking her at center mass. She flew back as the bullets struck her and ended up in a bloody heap on the floor. One deputy called for an ambulance while the other kicked her gun away and checked her for life signs. He looked up at us and briefly nodded, indicating that she was still alive.

An ambulance crew arrived quickly and took Kate away. Unfortunately, she was dead by the time the ambulance reached the hospital. I went back into Dan's office. John gave me a thumbs-up. He managed to turn the device off and the bomb techs were able to disarm it. Dan was shaking with fear and humiliation as the techs examined the modified chastity device. One of them looked at me as I entered the room.

"This thing had enough C4 to take out a good portion of this floor," he said, shaking his head. "Who the fuck comes up with this sick shit?" John examined the device closely, taking pictures as he did so.

"Damnedest thing I ever saw," he told me. "Electric cock ring, butt plug and a penile guillotine," he added, pointing out the various parts of the contraption. I looked at Dan.

"How are you feeling, Mr. Shipman?" I asked. He nodded his head.

"Relieved," he said, tears streaming down his face. "How is my wife?" I looked at the deputy, who had just gotten word of her demise. He shook his head. I turned back to Dan.

"I'm afraid she didn't make it," I said. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be," he said. "That bitch put me through hell these last few months. I only have one regret."

"What's that?" I asked.

"I didn't get to put that fucking thing on her," he said. I chuckled at that. By then, a woman entered the office with another ambulance crew. I identified myself and she introduced herself as Dr. Greene, from the nearby Riverside Community Hospital. She listened intently as I explained the situation to her. When I finished, she gave Dan a cursory examination, then had the paramedics put him on a gurney. I spoke to Dan before they wheeled him out.

"The doctor is going to check you out, Mr. Shipman," I said. "I understand your wife was given a drug to administer to you. Do you know where she kept it?" He nodded his head.

"Yeah," he said. "She kept it in her bathroom off what used to be the master bedroom."

"Okay," I said. He handed me the key to his house. "Thanks," I added.

"Feel free to toss her shit in the trash if you want," he said with a smile.

"I'll talk to you later today," I told him. "You go get checked out and get some rest." I patted him on the shoulder and the paramedics took him away. I looked at John and gave him a smile.

"Good work, John," I said. He smiled back.

"Thanks, boss," he said. "Feels good to get out in the field." June, John and I headed to the Shipman house, which was only 15 minutes from the downtown area. The house was a nice one-story brick building surrounded by trees and a well-manicured lawn. We went inside and looked around.

I found the half-empty vial of liquid right where Dan said it would be and placed it in a plastic evidence bag. I looked around and found a veritable arsenal of devices used for BDSM - whips, crops, handcuffs, rope, you name it. A quick check revealed droplets of blood on much of it. Those items were also bagged and tagged.

Kate also kept a written diary and a stack of DVDs labeled with different dates. I placed one in a nearby player and turned it on. The video showed a restrained Dan being brutalized by Kate and another unidentified man. As the man whipped Dan, Kate tortured him with the remote controlled chastity belt.

Shaking my head in disgust, I turned the video off and bagged the diary along with the whole collection of disks. I instructed John to make a clone of the hard drive on the computer. He turned to that job as I completed my inspection.

June caught up with me and lead me to a tiny room where Dan was apparently forced to sleep. There were no windows and there wasn't even a bed - just a wooden plank with boards connected in an "X" pattern. There were straps on the four boards obviously designed to restrain the victim. Clothes hung from hangars placed on a wooden rod in one corner of the room and cardboard boxes held socks and underwear. The tiny room reeked of sweat and urine so bad I had to hold a handkerchief over my nose.

We went through the rest of the house, taking pictures. It appeared to us as though Kate wasn't much of a housekeeper. Either that, or she forced Dan to do the household chores. We also spotted a pet dish on the floor, but didn't see anything to indicate the Shipmans owned a pet. I looked at June and thought she was about to cry at the evidence of abuse we uncovered.

We also found what looked like a fairly recent picture of the Shipmans. I looked at it and had a difficult time reconciling the man in the photo with the man I saw earlier in the day. The photo showed a healthy, broad-chested man with a full head of dark hair and a goatee. Kate was also quite attractive in her sundress. They looked like a normal, happy married couple.

We collected our evidence and headed to the hospital to speak with Dan and Dr. Greene. The good doctor caught up to me when I stepped into the ward where he was staying.

"Officer," she said, "can we speak for a moment about Mr. Shipman? In my office?"

"Sure," I said as we entered the small office where she worked. "What can I do for you?" She closed the door and sat at her desk.

"I've had a chance to examine him, and I found signs of malnutrition and abuse," she said. "There's bruises and welts all over his body and ligature marks on his wrists and ankles. I believe he's been restrained and beaten. His testosterone level is extremely low and his blood work shows signs of possible liver and kidney damage. Also, do you know if he identifies as a transgender?" I shook my head.

"I don't believe he does," I said. "I think this is the problem," I added, handing her the bag with the vial of fluid I took from the master bathroom earlier in the day. I briefed her on the situation without giving away too much information.

I also offered her a sample from the vial so she could analyze it. She accepted, and took some of the liquid and placed it in a small vial, marking it for further analysis. I pulled a piece of paper from my briefcase and handed it to her. Her eyes widened in shock as she looked it over.

"I believe you'll find this to be in that liquid," I said.

"How would you know this?" she asked.

"The organization that did this uses that compound on almost all of their victims," I told her. "They use the wives to administer it to their husbands."

"You're saying Mr. Shipman's wife did all of this to him?" she asked. I nodded my head.

"Yes," I said.

"Oh my God. Why would she do that?" she asked.

"Power. Control," I said. "She wanted to dominate him. And I believe she did want to transition him into a woman, against his will." I handed her a card with the name of a local task force-approved counselor.

"Have him contact this counselor," I said. I handed her another card. "Also, call the number on this card and reference the case number I wrote at the bottom. Whatever his insurance doesn't handle, we will."

"Who are you people, exactly?" Dr. Greene asked.

"I work for a task force that specializes in this kind of thing," I said. "By the way, can I speak with Mr. Shipman?"

"I believe so," she said. "He's weak, but alert. We're going to keep him here for a few days to get him stabilized."

"Good," I said. "And thanks for everything." We said our goodbyes and I headed for Dan's room. He was awake and looked at me when I came in. I was shocked when I saw him. He was thin and emaciated, a shell of the man I saw in the photo. I shook his hand and sat next to him.

"You must be Officer Warren," he said.

"Guilty as charged," I said in response. "How are you feeling?"

"Almost human, now that they've got that damned thing off me," he said.

"Can you tell me what happened?" I asked. "Between you and your wife?"

"Well, I thought we had a good marriage," he said. "My wife was a stay-at-home mother, looking after the kids. My business was good enough that she didn't have to work. After the kids went off to college, she found herself with a lot of free time, so she began volunteering for this and that, going to social events, that sort of thing. I didn't complain too much, since it seemed to help her feel needed and lift her spirits." He took a sip of water.

"I began to notice a change about 10 months ago," he said. "Nothing too outlandish, but I noticed her attitude begin to change a bit. She started going out for drinks with some of the women she knew. At first, she would get home at a reasonable hour, but as time went on, she started dressing sexier and staying out later. I talked to her about it, but she dismissed my concerns, telling me she had a right to her free time."

"Was there anything else?" I asked.

"Yes," he said. "I noticed that she started reading stories on the Internet. At first, I didn't think anything of it. Hell, we've read and watched stuff online before. But this stuff was just... sick."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Mostly stories about women abusing, humiliating and cuckolding their husbands," he said. "Really sick shit. I began to wonder if that was what she wanted to do to me." He swallowed another sip of water and took a deep breath.

"Then about eight months ago, she went on a spa retreat with three other women. Things went downhill fast after that," he said.

"Is that when you started to get billing notices from the Mutual Marital Assurance Society?" I asked. He nodded his head.

"Yeah," he said. "I thought maybe Kate had purchased some kind of supplemental insurance without talking to me about it first. I asked her about it, but she told me that I needed to make the call. So I did."

"And that's when you set up your appointment with April?" I asked.

"Yes," he said.

"I saw the video of your interview," I said. "I'm curious about something. When April told you to drop your trousers, you didn't seem to resist at all. Can you tell me why?"

"It's hard to explain," he said. "At the time, I felt strange. Almost as if I had no control or desire to resist. When she told me to do that, I felt like I had no choice but to obey."

"Do you think you were drugged?" I asked. He nodded his head.

"I do," he said. "Now that I think about it, I think that's exactly what happened. Maybe she put something in that water she gave me." That made sense to me. After reviewing all the videos of the interviews, I noticed that only one man - Ryan - refused to drink the water that April offered. Of all four men interviewed, he was the only one to offer any resistance. I didn't think that was any coincidence.

"What happened after that?" I asked.

"Well, from then on, my life went to hell," he said. "Literally. Kate took great pleasure in torturing me with that damn thing. She forced me to stay naked all the time, except for that damn contraption. She refused to let me sit on the furniture and kicked me out of the bedroom. I had to do all the housework and all the cooking and laundry. If I said anything to her, she would torture me. She made it clear that she was the 'mistress' and I was to be her slave, blindly obeying whatever she said without question or comment." He took another sip of water.

"Then, she started bringing the men around," he said. "Sometimes there was only one. Other times, there were as many as four. They would taunt and humiliate me the whole time. I'll never forget the way she cackled when they would tie me up and whip me. Sometimes, she would pull out a huge strap-on dildo and, well, rape me from behind. She even forced me to suck her boyfriends. I hated it. I begged her to stop, but she just went crazy, shocking my dick while the men would beat me even more. Several times, I thought she was going to kill me.

"The only relief I ever got was at work, where she wasn't around," he said. "But even then, she'd hit that remote and shock me while I was trying to be productive. She'd even call me and taunt me over the phone. She didn't care if I was with a client or not. Naturally, my business suffered, but I could never get Kate to understand that."

"I noticed a pet dish in your kitchen, but I didn't see any sign of a pet," I said. "Can you explain that?" He wiped a tear from his eye before answering.

"That was for me," he said. "Kate said that since I was more of an animal than a human, I would eat like an animal. I was forbidden from eating at the table, so she would dish out some slop and I had to eat on the kitchen floor like a dog. If I didn't lick the bowl clean, she would shock my dick and my ass." He began sobbing uncontrollably. I understood how he felt and tried to comfort him. After a few minutes, he settled down.

"I'm sorry," he said, wiping his eyes.

"Don't be," I said. "Did Kate give you the drug like April said?" He nodded his head.

"Yeah," he said. "She would either put it in the slop she fed me or sometimes, she would hold my nose and force it down my throat. I would try to fight it, but she'd use that fucking remote and shock the hell out of me."

"Did she ever give you more than one drop a day?" I asked.

"Several times," he said. "She often talked about having me castrated and surgically turned into a woman. I wanted to die. Several times, I thought about killing myself." He looked at me. "A year ago, I could bench-press over 200 pounds. I had body hair, like a normal man. I was even a bit bigger than average if you know what I mean." I nodded my head. I knew what he meant.

"Now look at me," he said. "My skin is smoother than a baby's butt. I'm weak as a kitten and there's almost nothing down below." He started tearing up again. "Why?" he asked. "Why would she do this to me?" I shook my head.

"Power and control, Mr. Shipman," I said. "Your wife fell for MMAS' propaganda and you paid the price."

"The hardest part is going to be explaining all this to the kids," he said. "At least they're out on their own now."

"It's always hardest on the children," I said, thinking about my two bundles of joy. I motioned for June to come into the room and introduced them to each other. "June will keep an eye on you to make sure you get back on your feet." I handed him a business card. "If there's anything you need, please call us."

"Thank you, Officer," he said, shaking my hand. "Thank you for everything." I accepted his thanks and left the room with June close by. I couldn't help but think about what Renee had planned for me as we made our way back to the LA office. As I thought about Dan, I realized that could very easily have been me. June brought me out of my reverie.

"You look like you're deep in thought, Oscar," she said. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," I said. "I was just thinking about Dan, that's all."

"Oh?" she asked.

"What's that old saying?" I asked, rhetorically. "There but for the grace of God, go I." She smiled and nodded her head in understanding.

...

According to a final interview with his case worker, Dan didn't live "happily ever after." He spent the next several years undergoing intense physical and psychological counseling. He returned to work, but never fully recovered from the damage inflicted on him by his wife and was impotent for the rest of his life. He was diagnosed with a form of PTSD and with the exception of his daughter, never felt comfortable around women.

His children tried to set him up on dates with different women, but he always refused to follow through. He never held a memorial service for his wife, much to the chagrin of his family, and donated her body to a local medical school. The alternative, he said, was to "dump her ass in a landfill for the worms." The family argued bitterly but dropped their objections after he played a video showing what she had done to him. The subject was never mentioned again.