The Warren Files 04: Jim and Lisa

"So it was two months after your wife's spa retreat before you set up the appointment, is that right?" I asked.

"That sounds about right," he said.

"Did you go to your appointment?" I asked. He nodded his head.

"Yes, sir, I did," he said.

"Was this the woman you met at that appointment?" He looked at it and I could see his face turn white.

"Yes, that's her," he said.

"Did she identify herself?" I asked.

"Yes, she called herself Pat," he told me.

"Her name was Pat Witherspoon," I said. "Please, continue. What did she tell you?"

"She said my wife was concerned that I might cheat on her and it was her job to ensure that didn't happen," he said. "I've never cheated on my wife and I never even thought about it. I told her that, but she said my wife wanted to make sure that it would never happen. She pulled out this crazy contraption and said I needed to put it on to make Lisa feel better." I pulled out a photo of a male chastity device and set it before him.

"Was it a device like this?" I asked. He nodded his head.

"Yea, it was," he said. "Only the one she pulled out had a bunch of wires and things attached to it." I wondered if it was one of the remote-controlled devices I had seen earlier.

"Go on," I said.

"I told her she was crazy and I wasn't about to do it. Then she got real quiet and said there was another way I could prove my love for Lisa," he said.

"And," I said, trying to encourage him.

"She said I needed to give my wife information on a project I was working on," he said.

"And what project might that be?" I asked.

"I can't say," he told me. "It's classified. I told her that. I also told her that I could be fired, lose my security clearance and be charged with treason if I divulged what I was working on. She told me I had 30 days to produce it or face the consequences."

"And what were those consequences?" I asked.

"Horrible stuff," he said. I could tell he was embarrassed about this. "She played some video for me. It was so... disgusting. One video showed a man being shaven from head to toe, then whipped and beaten. Another showed the man getting things shoved up his, you know, his rear end. And another showed the man being forced to do things to another man -- with his mouth. I thought I was going to get sick."

"And Pat said your wife would take part in this?" I asked. He nodded his head. This was pretty standard fare for MMAS, so I wasn't really surprised.

"Yes," he said.

"What kind of work do you do for G&S Laboratories?" I asked.

"Mostly theoretical research," he said. "I really can't say what it is. I signed a paper. I could get into lots of trouble if I say."

"That's okay," I said. "I don't want you violating the law. Did Pat say why she wanted this information?"

"No, she didn't," he said. "I thought that maybe she was working for a foreign government, like China or Cuba. So I told my supervisor about it the very next day."

"And what did he say?" I asked.

"He said to stay calm, go about my business as normal and he would talk to management and see what can be done," he said.

"What happened at home?" I asked.

"Things started getting really strange," he said. "Lisa changed. At first, it was subtle, but as time went on, she got worse."

"In what way?" I asked.

"She began putting me down, making disparaging comments," he said. "She started dressing sexier when she left and she'd be gone until all hours of the morning. When she came home, I could tell she'd been messing around. She started calling me her 'little cucky boy' and saying she wished she had a real man to keep her satisfied."

"Did you notice any physical changes in yourself during this time?" I asked. His eyes opened wide. It was as if a light bulb went on in his head.

"You know, I did," he said. "I was never that big or muscular, but I always tried to work out at the gym two or three times a week. Then I noticed I started losing muscle mass. Not much, but enough that I could really see a change after a couple weeks or so. Then I found I couldn't, you know, get it up anymore."

"You mean, like erectile dysfunction?" I asked. He nodded his head.

"Yes, that's right," he said.

"Does your wife do all the cooking in your house?" I asked.

"Most of it, yeah," he said. "I didn't see her much at night, but she always made breakfast and she always packed me a lunch."

"What about drinks?" I asked. "Coffee? Juice? Water?"

"She always made coffee in the morning and usually had a cup ready for me when I came downstairs," he said.

"Did you ever see your wife with a vial of liquid?" I asked. He thought for a few moments before shaking his head.

"Not that I recall," he said. "Do you think she was drugging me?"

"Possibly," I said. "It's not unusual for MMAS to drug their targets." I turned to Dale. "Do you perform a full blood screen on your students when they arrive?" I asked. He nodded his head.

"Yes," he said. "We look for the standard stuff -- narcotics, alcohol, that sort of thing."

"How detailed are those reports?" I asked.

"Pretty detailed," he said.

"Was there anything unusual in Jim's bloodwork?" I asked.

"Come to think of it, there was," Mike said. "The doctor didn't recognize the compound and thought that maybe it was a prescription drug he had taken before coming here. She wasn't too concerned, since it didn't seem to be anything illegal."

"Can you get me his initial bloodwork?" I asked. Dale nodded his head.

"Absolutely," he said. He turned to Mike. "Make sure Officer Warren gets that right away." Mike nodded his head.

"I'll go get it right now," he said as he stood to leave the room. I turned back to Jim.

"What else happened?" I asked.

"Well, when the 30 day deadline started getting close, my wife began reminding me that I was supposed to have something for her," he said. "I told my boss and he gave me a set of fake documents. I took it home and gave it to her, and she seemed pleased, but a few days later things got really bad. I got home from work and the next thing I know, I'm tied up in a chair, naked, with one of those things on my dick. My wife came into the bedroom and threw the papers at me, yelling at me, telling me I was gonna get fucked up for trying to fake her out.

"She accused me of not loving her and said I was going to get a taste of my punishment," he said. "Then a couple of real big guys came into the room. They mocked me and slapped me around a bit. Lisa laughed the whole time. Then they fucked her, right on our bed. All of them at the same time. She even let them cum inside her. I was never so humiliated in my entire life. When they finished, they did a high five and said they'd be back for more if I didn't do what I was told. Lisa tried to make me clean her out, but I refused."

"Then what?" I asked.

"She left the room and I could hear her talking to someone on the phone," he said.

"Did you hear her mention any names?" I asked.

"I'm not sure, but I thought I heard her say something like Mona," he said. Mona Larsen. Of course, the head of MMAS herself. "When she came back, she said I had another 30 days to produce real results or my punishment would only get worse."

"What did you do after that?" I asked.

"The next day, I told my boss what happened," he said. "Two weeks later, I was here."

"Have you been in touch with your wife since coming here?" I asked.

"No, sir," he said. "There's no way I'm writing her. The company has an auxiliary lab in Australia, so they had me tell her I would be in Australia for the next three or four months. They kept me in an apartment at the lab and then brought me here by private jet."

"Have you been in touch with anyone since you've been here?" I asked.

"Yeah, my private investigator sends me a report every week," he said.

"You have a private investigator?" I asked. Dale spoke up in response.

"Yes, that's standard practice," he said. "All of our students have private investigators who report to them every week. Their houses are also wired for audio and video." Damn, I thought to myself. That could be a gold mine.

"You have those reports here? With audio and video?" I asked. Jim nodded his head.

"Yes," he said. "I don't have anything to watch the video on. We're not allowed computer access while we're here. But I do have DVDs and photos. Do you want them?"

"Hell, yes," I said. "Have you spoken to anyone about this since you've been here?"

"I talked about it a bit with a couple guys, yeah," he said.

"Who?" I asked.

"Uh, Mark Henderson and Sean Harrison," he said. I looked at Dale.

"I'd like to get those PI reports along with the jackets of everyone in Jim's class," I said. "Is that possible?" He nodded his head.

"Sure," he said. "We can get that to you."

"That would be great," I said. I turned back to Jim.

"Did you know any of these men before you came here?" I asked.

"Well, I didn't know Mark by name, but I'd seen him around the building where I work a few times," Jim told me. "He said he was a driver for Acme." Interesting, I thought. I would have to have a visit with the folks at Acme.

By then, Mike returned with a copy of Jim's initial blood screening and a copy of his most recent blood work for comparison. I looked at the results and saw something circled in red with a question mark by it. Sure enough, it was a compound I had seen used time and again. I compared it to the most recent blood work and saw the compound was nearly gone from his system. I nodded my head.

"For the record, Jim Adam's initial blood screen shows traces of the same drug MMAS uses on almost all of its male victims," I said for the digital recording. Dale looked at Mike before speaking.

"Hate to do this, but we need to get Jim's PI reports and jackets for everyone in your class," he said. "Can you round that up for us real quick?" Mike nodded his head.

"Sure," he said. "Would you like fries with that?" he asked jokingly. We all laughed.

"Hell yeah," Dale said, smiling. "Get me an extra large order, willya? I'm a big boy and I'm still growing," he added, slapping his stomach. We all laughed as Mike left. When the laughter died down, I turned back to Jim.

"How are you feeling now that you've been here for a while?" I asked. He nodded his head.

"Much better," he said. "Sore, tired. They work us pretty good here. But I'm actually feeling better about things."

"Good," I said. "What do you intend to do about your wife?"

"I'm divorcing the bitch," he said.

"I hope it works out for you," I said.

"Thanks," he said in response. I looked at Dale.

"I think that's all for now, but I may have some more questions for him later," I said. Dale nodded his head and turned to Jim.

"Okay, Adams, that'll be all for now," he said. "Go join your class."

"Yes, sir," he said. I stopped him before he left.

"Jim, say nothing about what we discussed to anyone," I said. "Got that?"

"I got it, Officer Warren," he said. We waited until he was gone before saying anything further.

"What do you think?" Dale asked.

"I think he's working on something that MMAS wants badly, which means he and possibly everyone else in this camp could be in danger," I said. "And I also think one of your other students may not be what he claims to be."

"What makes you say that?" he asked.

"Call it a gut instinct, if you want," I said.

"You think I should tell Commandant Sykes to put the camp on lockdown because your gut tells you so?" he asked.

"Something doesn't sit right with me," I said. "You don't know MMAS like I do. I've seen them kill one of their top operatives just because she was in custody. And frankly, Jim got off easy. They want something from him and they want it bad. I need to find out what. And I need to check out the rest of the students in his class. Tell me, how often do the students communicate with friends and family?"

"Once a week -- Sundays -- they're allowed to write letters to whomever they want," Dale said.

"What about phones, emails, text messages, anything like that?" I asked. He shook his head.

"All electronics are confiscated and held until the students leave," he said. "They don't have access to Internet, phones or anything electronic. Hell, they don't even get to watch but two and a half hours of television a week. Even then, it's mostly stuff that's been pre-recorded."

"But what if someone were to smuggle something in?" I asked.

"What do you mean?" he asked me.

"Like a smartphone?" I asked. "Hell, I can think of a dozen ways someone could smuggle one in using the mail."

"But what about the battery?" Dale asked. "Those batteries need to be recharged. There's no way a charge could last three months."

"It wouldn't need to," I said. "It would only need to work long enough to get a good GPS signal. Maybe send or receive a few texts."

"I never thought of that," he said.

"Does your incoming mail get screened?" I asked.

"We have dogs check for drugs and contraband food like cookies and such, but that's about it," Dale said. I thought for a bit.

"How often do you do health and wellness inspections?" I asked.

"Periodically," he said. "Usually if we think someone's tried to smuggle something in. But that rarely ever happens."

"Maybe it's time you held one," I said. He thought for a moment before answering.

"No offense, Officer, but I'll need more than just your gut to get it past Commandant Sykes," he said. "Give me something to work with." By that time, Mike came back with a stack of jackets and an envelope containing Jim's PI reports. He put them on the table and I began making a list of names and social security numbers. When I finished, I saved the document and emailed it to Ron Wiseman, one of our top researchers.

"Give me a few minutes and I may have something for you," I said. After I sent my email, I pulled out my phone and called Ron.

"Hey boss," he said when he answered. "What can I do for you today?"

"Hey, Ron," I said. "I just sent you a list of names and social security numbers. I'd like you to do a quick scan, tell me if any of those names show up as known MMAS operatives. I'd also like you to do a check of public records, especially marriages, and tell me what you get."

"And I suppose you need this, like, yesterday, right?" he asked.

"Of course," I said. "That's why I called you."

"Okay," he said. "I see your email now. What, only 15 names? I'll have an answer for you in no time."

"Thanks, Ron," I said. "Appreciate it a bunch."

"No problem, boss," he said. After we ended the call, I pulled out the most recent DVD and slipped it in my computer. There were several video files that appeared to be taken a bit less than two weeks ago, so I began to scan them. I fast-forwarded through the sex scenes since I was on the lookout for anything showing Lisa on the phone or simply talking with someone.

After a few minutes, I found what I was looking for. I turned the laptop so Dale could see and hear the video as well. In the video, Lisa was in her living room and had just answered a call she received on her cell phone. We were only able to hear her side of the conversation.

"Hello," she said. "What?" she asked a few seconds later. "You found him? Where?" A few more seconds passed. "What do you mean, Idaho? What kind of a camp is he at?" A few more seconds, then, "That bastard. He told me he was in Australia. I haven't heard anything from him. I thought he was leaving me for good. So what are you going to do?" A few seconds later: "You're going to get him out of there? Really? When?" After another brief pause, she said, "I'll be ready and waiting. Thanks. Bye." She ended the call and walked out of the room. I looked at Dale and Cliff.

"Let me talk to the Colonel," Dale said, pulling a walkie-talkie out of his belt. As he spoke to John over his radio, my phone rang. I saw it was Ron, so I answered.

"Yeah, Ron, what do you have for me?" I asked.

"Well, everyone checked out, except for that Henderson fellow," Ron said. "There's no one in the country with that name and social security number. I tried different variations on the same name, but no go. I also checked public records and found no marriage licenses with that name and SSN. I think he's your guy."

"Thanks," I told him before ending the call. Dale was already finished by the time I was finished talking on the phone.

"Colonel's coming over now," Dale said. "He wants to see what you have."

"Good," I said. "And I think we found our guy. Mark Henderson. His name and social security number don't match. And that may not even be his real name."

"Crap," Dale said. By then, John arrived and sat in a chair next to Dale. I briefed him on what we had learned and gave him a moment to respond.

"I agree with Officer Warren," John said, looking at Dale. "Where is Jim's class now?"

"Well, they're at lunch right now, then they're scheduled for PT and hand-to-hand for a couple hours after that," Dale said. John nodded his head.

"A perfect time to do an inspection," he said. "Let's get it done. Why don't you join us, Cliff?" he asked, speaking to the Idaho State Trooper. Cliff nodded his head as he stood.

"Don't mind if I do," he said. I put everything away in my briefcase and locked it up. We left the building and walked across the large paved central area to a row of one-story wooden buildings. We entered the first building, where a row of eight two-tier bunk beds were arranged in the middle of the room. Another instructor, wearing Staff Sergeant chevrons, came out of his office to join us. After the introductions, we walked down the row until we got to Henderson's bunk.

The instructor pulled out his keys and opened the foot locker at the end of the bunk. Dale began going through everything until he found a fairly thick paperback book. He opened it up and sure enough, a number of pages had been cut and a smartphone was neatly inserted.

"Fuck," Dale exclaimed.

"Don't touch it," I said, opening my briefcase. I grabbed an evidence bag and put on a pair of latex gloves. I carefully lifted the phone out of the book and powered it on. I saw it was locked and figured that whoever sent it would have provided a code somewhere, perhaps within the book.

I took the paperback and thumbed through it and found a series of four numbers written in ink on the last page. I entered those numbers and the phone came up. I opened the only message thread on the phone.

"Got UR location," the first message said. I noticed that message was received the day before the video we watched earlier.

"OW here," the reply said. That was sent today. I looked at Dale.

"Did the class come back here after they left counseling?" I asked. He nodded his head.

"Yes," he said. "Why?"

"MMAS knows I'm here," I said. I turned back to the phone to see another message come through.

"Moving in 2nite. 2345. 2B1S," it said. I looked at the other men before speaking.

"We have a problem," I said.

"What's that?" John asked.

"They're moving tonight," I said. "If I'm reading this right, they'll be making their move at 11:45 pm. I'm not sure what this 2B1S means, though."

"There's a kid's cartoon by that name," Cliff said. "Stands for 'Two Brothers, One Sister.' I don't think that's what they're talking about, though."

"Two birds, one stone," John said. "They apparently see this as an opportunity to get both you and Adams." I turned the phone off, removed the battery and bagged them up before putting them in my briefcase.

"I think you're right, John," I said. "I'm not exactly on MMAS' Christmas card list. The first thing we need to do is arrange for some backup firepower, then we need to take Henderson, or whoever he is, into custody." I looked at Cliff. "Do you think you can get some backup here, like pronto?" He nodded his head.

"I'll call it in," he said. "I'll also reach out to the county boys." He stepped aside to talk to his dispatch on the radio he carried as I pulled out my phone to check in with Bill.