The Factory Read online

  He had an important question to ask but wanted it to sound casual and unimportant. After turning around to leave, he turned back and asked,

  “Oh, by the way, can you give me the name of the man who walked through your security point here in the last couple of hours?”

  “I’m sorry Sheriff but information like that would require a subpoena from a County Judge.”

  Smiling, he said,

  “Crap. I guess I got a lot of paperwork to do then. How about you help me out a bit? Without giving me a name, did a man walk through your security gate maybe about three hours ago?

  “I’m sorry Sheriff but that would be a breach of security protocol and the same subpoena would have to apply.”

  The guard was facing him with the security shed at his back. The other guard was in the shed scrolling through the computer looking for entry names. He looked up and when sure that Walter saw him, he nodded. Walter then politely turned and walked down the road toward Twin Rivers. He reached for his cell phone and called Dean.

  “Dean, I’m walking toward town on the Copper Mountain road. Get one of the forensics to jump in my car and come get me.”

  As he strolled down the narrow road there was smugness about him. It had been a good day of investigation. He had a suspect in mind regarding the attempted hit and run on Ruth Albright and that suspect had security clearance to walk past the check point. His suspect was no doubt an employee of the Department of National Satellite Weather Research Station.

  After a mile he started to understand that he was not getting a ride soon. The forensics people were a funny lot. What was important to the law was a different kettle of fish to them. Time was not important. What was important to them was gathering all the evidence and categorizing it properly. He knew none of them were going to abandon that stringent work ethic or hurry just because the Sheriff wanted a ride. He made a mental bet that he would be back to the precinct before seeing his cruiser.

  After another mile, he was walking along a stretch of the Copper Mountain road where the pine trees were so massive that the sun never touched the road. It was an eerie walk, not because of the loneliness or sounds of the forest for in fact there were no sounds to be heard. That was the eerie part. With the beauty of Twin Rivers and its proximity to wilderness one should think it would be a hunter’s paradise. Fact of the matter was there had never been deer, bear, or any other animal on this side of the mountain. That goes for birds as well. Rodents, even mice stayed away from what many residents referred to as the ‘dead side’ of the mountain. Valley North, the resort community on the other side of the mountain got all of that business. It was even advertised in that town’s hunting pamphlets not to bother hunting on the other side of Copper Mountain.

  Chapter 20

  By the time he saw his cruiser approaching he was already at the base of the mountain and about to call a cab. Walter dropped the technician off at the small laboratory across town. By the time he got back to the Maple Shopping Mall and the precinct it was raining. A short dash to the door only cost him a wet hat. Learning his lesson well, knowing there would be repercussions if he forgot, he walked up to the ‘report board’ and moved his pin over to the ‘in’ side. Edith looked up and said,

  “You’re easier to train than that damn puppy we once had.”

  Turning to his wife he returned the tease,

  “At least I don’t crap on the carpet anymore huh?”

  Approaching her and in a serious tone he added,

  “Listen honey, I ---”

  She suddenly shoot her hand up in a ‘stop right there buster’ motion and said,

  “Professionalism please. We agreed that while at work we would simply be co-workers.”

  Leaning over the counter, eyes locked to his wife, a sudden smirk flashed across his face. Recognizing her husband’s thoughts all too well, she became embarrassed and said,

  “Forget it. That’s never going to happen in this office again.”

  He laughed.

  Straightening up and trying to compose a look of dignity and professionalism, he said,

  “I need some information on a Rick Calhoun. Specifically where he works and also check the airlines for me. I want to know if about a month or so ago he booked a flight to a city on the west coast called, Lexington.”

  She asked,

  “Do you want me to put an ‘All Points Bulletin’ out for him?”

  “Yes please. An APB is a good idea.”

  As he turned around he added,

  “Thank you Mrs. Cornwall.”

  Before walking into the precinct he looked at the board and saw that Isaac Rutherford was ‘out’. Foreseeing the question, Edith said,

  “He took the unmarked car and drove over to Valley North. He wanted to talk to some doctor named Fran Jorden, something about the missing children.”

  “What the hell. I give the rookie a simple job looking into a missing girl file and he turned it into a major investigation.”

  Edith was more sympathetic. He noticed her stern reply and knew where it came from.

  “There is nothing simple about a missing child. Drop the attitude. He said he would be back before the end of his shift.”

  Valley North was on the other side of Copper Mountain, an hour drive from Twin Rivers. It was a prosperous tourist community for outdoor activities, camping, hiking and fishing in Blue Lake. Most residents of the small community were transients. When winter came, they moved on and only came back when the snow was off the ground and the ice on the lake had melted. This was summer so it was a hive of activity with boaters and nature seekers. There were only a couple dozen permanent houses in the community as most permanent residents lived in mobile trailers.

  Following the winding road through the farmlands, he was getting bored seeing fields of cows and barns. Thankfully he soon saw a sign off the side of the road, ‘Welcome to Valley North, a family community.’ As he approached, he slowed down. His GPS led him through the main road dotted with tourist traps advertising, fishing bait, boat rentals and supplies for the outdoorsman. When he turned off the road he entered a large trailer park filled with mobile homes. He wondered why a respected child psychologist specializing in diagnosis and treatment of children’s mental and emotional distress would move from a prosperous downtown Twin Rivers location to living in a trailer park. He would soon find out.

  Winding through a maze of eclectic trailers and seemingly endless circling roads of the compound he eventually spotted the address hanging on a dangling metal plate, number 73. It was an older double wide trailer looking as if it had been parked there forever. There was a small garden to the side. Judging from the bikes and baseball gloves scattered about on the small lawn, he knew there were children aplenty in the area.

  Parked in the narrow driveway was an old Honda Civic. He pulled off to the side and parked under a tree. Because he was in an unmarked police car and wearing civilian clothes he did not attract any attention. From the driver’s seat he looked at the shabbiness of the trailer. Compared to the rich area she used to live in he had to wonder if this was the right address. Just as he was about to exit the vehicle the front door opened.

  He saw what was clearly twin boys storming out of the trailer. Each jumped on a bike and raced out of sight. Standing in the doorway watching them was Doctor Fran Jorden. Isaac was shocked to see what she now looked like. For a professional woman who once took great pride in her appearance she wore a loose multicolored smock clearly purchased at a Five and Dime. Her hair was as messy as her appearance and a cigarette dangled from her mouth. He knew she was in hiding. As anybody living in a world of fear, a constant companion was anxiety. Isaac saw her slow eyes scan the road and she saw him in the car. He tried not to get caught looking at her but it was too late. She knew. She quickly slammed the door shut and disappeared into the trailer.

  Isaac got out of the car and slowly walked toward the trailer. Three wooden steps led up to the small porch and the front door. Because he had moderate s
uccess with his ‘bad cop’ persona with the parents of the missing children, he adopted it again. It was a hard knock on the door that he was sure echoed through the trailer. Knowing that there was not a back door to these things, when she did not answer, he used a demanding voice.

  “It’s no use Doctor Jorden. I am Deputy Isaac Rutherford from the Twin Rivers Sheriff’s department. If you don’t come to the door I’ll just kick it down. Open the door and talk to me.”

  He heard the slow rattle of a chain and then for a brief moment it stopped as if she was still thinking about it. It was clear that she really didn’t want to open the door. Slowly the door opened just an inch. Judging from the tears dripping down her cheek she had been crying. There was a frugal attempt to escape the obvious,

  “My name is Susan. What do you want?”

  He flashed his badge and said,

  I’m here to ask about some of your patients.”

  “I’m not a doctor.”

  A voice of great authority boomed forth.

  “I’m not here to play games Doctor. Open this damn door or get out of the way while I kick it in.”

  She stepped back and the door slowly opened wide.

  Entering, he did what all good cops instinctively do. He reconnoitred the place with quick scanning eyes. The furniture might have been in fashion fifty years ago but now just looked pitiful and out of place. The kitchen nook was small and the sink was piled high with dirty dishes. A small rickety metal table was surrounded by four chairs. On the other side of the room was a small Living room and surprisingly, a small fireplace. He presumed that the bedrooms were down the narrow hall to his left.

  He stood just inside the door and watched as she turned and walked into the small living room and sat in an old shoddy rocker. While lighting up another smoke, she despondency uttered,

  “I guess I always knew I would never get away with it.”

  On his way over to her, he dragged a kitchen chair behind him and sat facing her.

  Staying away from the curtesy of a respectful title, Isaac stayed firm and said,

  “Fran, I’m going to ask you some questions regarding three of your patients.”

  She meekly uttered,

  “By doctor patient confidentiality and privacy laws I’m prevented from discussing their cases.”

  “I’m not concerned about privacy laws right now. I need some information on three of your patients, Amina Green, Alexander Graham and Robert Ellsworth.”

  When hearing those names she looked as doomed as a man on the gallows with a tight rope around his neck. As if hoping lung cancer would take her life right away, she took a great long drag on the cigarette. Seeing the confession of guilt and knowing he was on the right track, his bad cop persona continued.

  “Look, I know they came to you with psychological and mental distress. You are not breaking any confidentiality laws by admitting that.”

  Defeated, her head was low and her eyes were high in the sockets looking up at him.

  “You are going to tell me what happened to them and I don’t want to hear anything about denial.”

  He then practically shouted,

  “I want the truth. Amina Green was booked for twelve appointments but only came to you for three. The other parents told me the same thing. They all disappeared after only a few appointments with you. You are the connecting thread here. Tell me and tell me right now what happened to those children.”

  Tears freely flowed and he understood he was on the right track. He snarled,

  “Talk to me here or I’ll drag your ass over to the county precinct and you’ll stay there until I hear what I need to hear.”

  He was surprised at her sudden rage. Clearly she was filled with a lot of stress. The volcano exploded and she shouted,

  “I don’t know what happened to them, okay.”

  He had heard enough. He briskly stood up and took three quick steps right into her face. He reached for his handcuffs and demanded,

  “All right. I tried to be a nice guy by giving you a chance to come clean. Stand up and turn around.”

  As if it was going to help, like talons clinched on a prey, her fingers grasped tight to the cushion. She blurted out,

  “I’m telling you the truth. I don’t know what happened to them.”

  He stayed on his feet looking sternly down at her.

  “Talk to me.”

  She lit another cigarette and did just that.

  “Look, they came to me and said that they were from the government.”

  “Who came to you?”

  “I don’t know. They showed me badges and ID proving they were from some defense department or something like that. They were looking for unstable children, especially those hearing particular voices. I knew it was strange but they gave me guidelines, told me what to look for. I was offered $10,000 for every child that fit that profile.”

  He asked,

  “Why just children.”

  “Apparently that juvenile stage of brain development is sensitive to some kind of energy, a mental frequency or something. They wouldn’t tell me and even if they did, I wouldn’t understand it anyway.”

  The way Isaac heard it she spotted children with some sort of specific brain wave frequency and sold that information to a government agency. He was mad and snapped,

  “So you identified those kids to the government for $10,000 apiece and they kidnapped them.”

  A defensive tone sprang forward and she defended,

  “No! No. I didn’t know that. It wasn’t until the last girl disappeared I drew that conclusion. Honest, I didn’t know. When they demanded more children I knew I couldn’t continue to be a party to something like that. They said the three they had were not strong enough for what they were doing. I emptied my account, grabbed the twins and fled here.”

  What were they doing with them?”

  She blurted out an irate reply.

  “I told you I don’t know.”

  Then she settled and continued,

  “My ex-husband and I bought this place in happier times. I got scared and came here because I was afraid they would come after my twins.”

  After a sudden stark realization she uttered,

  “You found me so I guess I didn’t run far enough huh?”

  Still standing over her, he subjected her to a long hard stare. Feeling his intensity, she felt as if a hole was being drilled into her forehead. All she could do was sit there, suck on her cigarette and cry.

  Isaac dropped his ‘bad cop’ facade, sat back down and said,

  “Yes, you were easy to locate. You didn’t cancel your credit cards and there were no flights leaving Twin Rivers under your name. School starts soon and so it was just a matter of locating a school registering twins. Valley North Elementary was the only one within a thousand miles. It didn’t take me long. If they are after you, it will not take them long either. I suggest you get out of here as soon as possible.”

  As in all investigations the aim was to come up with clues pointing to the final objective. While driving back to Twin Rivers, he was satisfied he had accomplished just that. As for Doctor Fran Jorden, she now lives in fear for her children. Knowing the intensity of such a mother’s torment he reasoned that was punishment enough, at least for now. Although she was not blameless, he believed she was only a pawn in some diabolical kidnapping plot. However, and so help him God, if those children are found dead, he promised she would pay dearly. His only concern now was would Walter let him continue with his investigation. As he neared Twin Rivers, he reached for the windshield wipers.

  Back at the trailer, Doctor Fran Jorden butted her cigarette in a full and overflowing ashtray. She wiped tears away from wet cheeks with the palm of her hand and that in turn was wiped dry on the armchair. She knew what she had to do. Walking up to the fireplace she flipped a switch and the igniter sparked a gas fireplace to life. Behind the couch was a box of files she had escaped Twin Rivers with. Putting it down next to the fireplace she dropped to her
knees and lit up another cigarette.

  After a sniffle she reached into the box for the first of three files. It contained information on two other children that she had located but not reported to the people at the Factory. Page after page was tossed into the flames. She understood that she was burning thousands of dollars but couldn’t live with herself if just one more child was taken from a family because of her. She had trouble living with herself as it was. When all the files were destroyed, she stood and walked to the window and looked out into the trailer park. Just up the street she saw her twin boys coming back to her. The image hurt because she knew that gratification would never happen to the three parents whose lives she had helped destroy.

  Chapter 21

  Deputy Derek Larson joined the force twenty-two years ago and quickly became good friends with Walter and Edith. He was near fifty, in good physical shape and had a full head of hair that Dean Richards envied. He turned his cruiser into the Maple Shopping Mall and zig zagged through the lanes until reaching the precinct. He then pulled into one of the restricted ‘police cars only’ parking spots. With quick movements he got out and smartly walked to the back door on the other side of the car. Throwing the door open he indicated for his prisoner to get out. With hands cuffed behind his back, it was an awkward struggle. To help him get out, Derek put his hand on the prisoner’s head but instead of helping, grabbed his hair and pulled hard. The prisoner’s head smashed into the door and Derek pretended to apologize.