Short story from beginning to now
Started in 2001…
She was walking down the street one day last week and all of a sudden a car came careening around the corner and almost hit her. The guy behind the wheel stopped and asked if she was OK. She was still shaking because he had almost hit her. She told him that she was OK physically, but was shaken up emotionally, and asked him why he was driving so fast. He told her he was on his way to a job assignment and he was in a hurry. She told him not to kill anyone...He said "OK, I won't, got back into his car and drove away. She shook her head and thought why do things like that happen to me as she continued on her way. As she got closer to her house, she noticed that there were a lot of police cars on the street she lived on. She asked one of the policemen what was going on. He told her there were 2 escaped convicts holed up in one of the houses and they were trying to talk them out of it. He went on to tell her that is was good that the owner of the house wasn't there, because then they would have had a hostage situation. She suddenly felt a cold shiver but dismissed the thought from her mind..."It couldn't be!" Nevertheless, she asked the policeman which house it was and he told her the address...It was her house..
Her name was Anna and she lived on the "other side of the tracks" as it were. The neighborhood wasn't the best, but at least people tended to look after others there. Her friends at work kept trying to get her to move to a "safer" part of town, but she kept telling them that she liked where she lived...and to make her point, she would ask them if they even knew their neighbor's names. They would give her a look of surprise and say no, then she would tell them that was no way to live...what if something happened to them one day and there was no one that would care what happened because they lived in the "safe" part of town where everyone minded their own business?
She had a little terrier named "Axel" that had belonged to a mechanic friend of hers. He gave her the dog because he said it reminded him of her...small and feisty. Axel was a good dog when it came to the kids in the neighborhood...he would run and play with them and was tolerant when a baby would pull his ears and hair. He would sleep at the foot of her bed, and would wake up at the slightest sound growling real soft.
Anna was happy with everything that was happening in her life until the one day that turned everything inside out...
"J" (Jerald) was and always had been bad news. He grew up on the street and knew every scam there was to make money or to get drugs or anything else ...He also knew a lot of people that would kill him if they thought he would betray them. One day he pulled a scam on the wrong person and wound up in prison. He realized real fast that he was a small cog in the wheel there and it scared him to death. He was smart enough to know that he would die there and he didn't want that to happen. So he started to think of ways to escape. He finally figured out a way to do it, but he needed help...who could he trust???
Quincey wasn’t that bad of a guy...yes, he had made a few mistakes and had gotten arrested while joyriding. He wasn’t even driving, but because he was a minor he had to go into lockup for a while. While there he got into a fight with another guy and wound up in jail for a while. Because he lived in a small town, no one was willing to hire him. So he left and went to the nearest big city he could find. He did pretty well there for a while, but wound up back in jail for almost killing someone...He tried to plead self defense since the guy was trying to rob him, but he got a sentence of 3 years in jail. If he would have stayed away from "J", he would have been getting out soon instead of being in the mess he was in now...
The near collision scared Lee...even though he was on his way to what he hoped wasn't a hostage situation; it was no reason for him to be reckless. Whatever he was going to have to deal with would be there when he got to where the 2 prisoners were holed up. He glanced down at the info sheet about the two men and wondered how he was going to be able to talk them into giving themselves up.
When the policeman told Anna which house the two men were in she fainted. When she finally came to, the policeman asked if the was anyone living there beside her. She replied, "No one except my dog, Axel." She then got real worried that they would hurt him because he tended to bark at mean people. The policeman tried to calm her down, it seemed to work. By then, the Swat team leader came and started to ask her questions about the house and its layout, and then she started to freak out again, because she was worried that if they started shooting, they would kill Axel. That dog was all she had in the world since her brother was kicked out on the street when he was young. The rest of her family was all deceased...
The helicopters flying overhead shining their lights in the windows was driving Axel crazy. He kept barking which was driving the 2 men crazy. Jerald finally put the dog in the back room so that he could try to figure what the next move was without all the noise. It didn't help that the police were out there with a megaphone trying to get him and Quincey to come out of the house quietly. There was also a television crew out there...he was watching what was happening outside on the TV. Quincey was starting to get on his nerves with all the whimpering and wondering if they were going to die. Deep down, Jerald was wondering about that too, even though he was putting on a brave front. The TV newscaster was interviewing the person that lived in the house they were holed up in. Quincey said that the girl looked a lot like Jerald. Jerald laughed and said, "I doubt that very much." Quincey said, "No look and you will see what I mean." Jerald did and froze...it couldn't be...
"Good evening, this is Alta Stone, Channel 47 news, reporting live in front of the house where the 2 convicts are. We are waiting for the negotiator to come and try to get the men to come out. We are unclear on whether they are armed. As soon as we hear anything, we will let you know." Alta kept looking to see if Lee Hudson was going to be the chief negotiator. When she saw him, she started to call out his name, but stopped when all the media started running toward him with their microphones and cameras trying to get a statement. At that point all he could tell anyone was that he was going to do the best he could and try not to have any bloodshed. He then asked them to stay behind the police barricade because it would safer for all concerned. Then he went to find out all he could about the two men that were in the house.
When he saw the picture of Jerald, it reminded him of the woman he almost hit on his way here. He wondered to himself if they were related. If so, she could help in talking to the men. Just then, one of the officers brought Anna Park to him and said she was the owner of the house. He asked if she was all right and told her not to worry, he was very good at what he did. She said the only thing she was worried about was he dog. Then she saw the pictures of the two men and almost fainted. One of the men looked like her long lost brother, Jerry. When she mentioned this, Lee told her that one of the men was named Jerald Lake. When she heard that she said, "That is my brother; please don't let them kill him." Lee said he would do everything in his power not to let that happen. By this time, the word had gotten out that one of the men's sisters was here and the media came swarming towards her. Lee told one of the policemen to put her in one of the cars where she would be safe from all the attention. But by then, her face had been shown to everyone watching what was happening, including the men in the house.
When Jerald saw his sister's face on the screen it brought back childhood memories that he thought were long gone. He brushed then away and starting to think about how he could try to get out of the mess he was in so that he could talk to the last member of his family. Just then the phone rang causing him to jump and actually stopped Quincey from weeping. Jerald answered the phone and the person identified himself as Lee Hudson and told him that it was in the best interest of all concerned that he and Quincey should come out quietly. He then asked why did Jerald pick this house...Jerald replied “it was the house he lived in as a kid, and he figured if he was going to die, it might as well be in the same house.” He then asked if he could talk to his sister, Anna. Lee said that if they came out, he could talk to all he wanted.
Just then there was a loud crash in the back of the house. Jerald slammed down the phone and told Quincey to go check it out. Quincey started to get more hysterical because he thought that the police had knocked down the back wall of the house. Jerald stopped and listened and started to wonder if Quincey was right because he didn’t hear the dog anymore. Quincey decided that he couldn’t take it anymore and ran toward the front door and yanked it open before Jerald could stop him. As soon as he did, a shot rang out...
The bullet nicked Quincey’s left ear as it went by. Jerald yelled at him to close the door...”Are you trying to get us killed? What is wrong with you?” By this time, Quincey was in a crying heap on the floor, saying that all he wanted to do was to get out of here...it didn’t matter that he was going back to jail, anything would be better than being trapped here.
Jerald looked at him with disgust and said “Fine, go if that is what you want to do, but be aware that you will be treated worse now than you were before this happened and that you will be in jail a lot longer than you want to be. And who know, maybe someone may think I told you some of the things I know and they will kill you. Do you want that to happen?” That got Quincey’s attention and he started to pull himself together. “What do you know that is so dangerous to your health?” Jerald sighed and said I might as well tell you...”I am actually an undercover cop and I was there to help with a government sting.” “I had inside help in planning my (and your) escape. In case you were wondering why you are here, it is because you were the easiest person we could find that would be able to disappear and come up with a new identity.” All Quincey could do was sit down and shake his head...”You mean that I am going to be free?” “Yes, Jerald said, although you might have to live in another country once we get out of here. Where would you like to live? Think about it while I talk to Lee Hudson.”
The phone rang again and Jerald picked it up, knowing what Lee was about to say. Lee asked, “Is everything in there o.k.” Jerald said yes, everything was going according to plan...how long should they stay here in the house? Lee then asked what his demands were since the cameras and newscasters were milling around. Jerald said they wanted safe passage to the airport and the country of their choice and he wanted his sister to go with him. Lee said that he would do what he could, but Jared had to do him a favor...Anna wanted to make sure Axel was all right...could he come and get the dog? Jerald said o.k. on one condition...he had to come to the door with his hands up in the air all the way. Lee said o.k. Jerald said hold on a minute while I get Quincey to go get the dog... Jerald motioned Quincey to go get the dog and bring Axel to him. After Quincey brought the dog in, Jerald told Lee that he wanted Anna to come get him. Lee said that wouldn’t work...that he was the one that would do it because he didn’t want things to get worse. Quincey said he wanted to go to Columbia...would that be possible? Jerald relayed the request to Lee, who said anything was possible...now he wanted to come and get the dog. Jerald said come on. Meanwhile, the swat team who was getting tired of having nothing to do, suddenly was told to get into position in case there was a gunfight. As Lee was walking toward the house, the marksmen were getting ready to fire on the house as soon as he got the dog.
As he got closer to the house, Jerald yelled out...”Stop, I know there are people ready to shoot as soon as I open the door and if they do this and most of the houses in this block will go up in flames!" Lee said “Jerald, you will get what you want, please don’t make things bad for everyone.” Jerald said, “I do not want to go back to prison...they will kill me if I do.” Lee said, “I am trying to do what I can to prevent that from happening, but right now you have to do something that shows me you trust me...give me the dog.” Jerald said, “wait right there and I will send him out to you.” Lee said, “No, I have to carry him back to his owner. I am not armed, as you can see.” As Lee got to the door, he told Jerald quietly that there was no way that they were getting out of there without going to prison, so they might as well get used to the fact.
As Lee turned to go give Axel back to Anna, he heard Jerald call him...he didn’t want to turn around, afraid that Jared might shoot him, but that was a chance he was going to take. As he turned, he saw that Jerald had come out on the porch, with Quincey handcuffed to him, in a vest full of explosives with a timer attached. Lee shouted, “Everyone take cover!” Jerald then said to Lee, “you lied to me, now I am going to take you and everyone with me...He then pulled the rope...
Good Evening, this is Alta Stone, Channel 47 News. As you know, there were two escaped convicts that had broken into a house here earlier today. We want to announce that the incident is now over...the men are now in the hospital under guard of the police, even though it looked like a major part of the city was going to be blown to bits. One of the men had what appeared to be a vest of explosives with a timer. He pulled the rope, but before they could go off, the police were able to defuse it. Both men were to the hospital due to injuries when the police were trying to get the timer turned off. We will have more about this story as details unfold. Have a nice evening...
Good Morning, everyone! I am Alta Stone and here is the latest update about the two escaped convicts that were captured last night. Quincey Jones and Jerald Lake are under heavy police guard at Mercy Hospital. It appears that Jerald was the mastermind behind the escape. During the struggle last night, he suffered some broken ribs and facial lacerations. Quincey had his arm broken due to being handcuffed to Jerald, but it appears that was all that happened to him. The question that all of us have is “why did something like this happen in our town?” We found out that Jerald Lake grew up in the very house he escaped to. All we can do is speculate at this time that there was something there he wanted. As we find out more details we will pass them on to you.
Anna was still shaken because of what had happened. She called in and told her boss that she wouldn’t be in for a few days. Her boss told her that it was o.k. and to let her know when she was able to come back. Right after she hung up the phone, there was a knock on the door. Her first thought was “oh no, not more reporters!” She peeked out through the curtains and saw Lee Hudson standing there.
She opened the door and asked him "How is my brother?" He told her that he was doing ok at the present, but that he was in a lot of trouble. She asked if what he said was true...did Lee lie to him? If so, about what? Lee said that it was a long story and that he couldn't go into it at the present. That made her mad because she felt he was treating her like a child and she proceeded to tell him that.
He apologized, but said that he couldn't tell her or anyone else anything right now. That didn't really make her feel better, but she decided to let the matter drop. He asked if Jerald had left anything in the house. She asked him "Do you really think I would tell you?" He sighed and said "I guess not." But he looked so down that she told him Jerald didn't leave anything that she could see. But if he did, what should she be looking for? Lee said he couldn't tell her, but if she found anything out of the ordinary, please let him know.
By this time, Jerald and Quincey were being questioned by the police. Neither of the men would tell the police anything...Quincey didn't because he didn't really know much...Jerald wasn't talking because he knew too much and he knew if he said anything he might as well shoot himself in the head, because at least that way, he would have some choice in how he died...to be continued
Forward to 2014….
It has been a while since I last worked on this story, but will try to bring people up to date…
Anna and Lee got married about 5 years ago. They have twins who Axel the dog barely tolerates (that is due more to age than anything else). The kid’s names are Ariel and Francis and they are 3. For the most Lee and Anna’s life is mellow considering he is a private detective now. After the episode with Anna’s brother, he decided that it would be better to step away from active police duty for a while.
But as we all know, being a private detective has its drawbacks…
One Tuesday morning, a man walked into the office and asked if Lee could help him find his niece who had disappeared a year earlier. Lee asked the usual questions-what was her name, where did she live, how old was she, etc., etc., etc. He found out her name was Melissa Adams, 30 and at last contact, she was living in Eugene, Oregon. Lee asked what the police department had done in trying to find her. The man said that they hadn’t done much since she was considered a “street person”. Lee then asked the man what his name was and what kind of work he did and how was he going to pay for Lee’s services. The man said his name was Mark Davis and he was a jack-of-all trades and he could pay Lee anything he wanted. Lee would find out that money came with a price….
Lee told Mark that he would see what he could do, but it would be a long shot because the trail was ice cold. Lee asked why he waited so long to try to find her. Mark said that he had been out of the country and just gotten back from his latest mission. Lee asked what kind of mission and mark said it was a military mission and that was all he could say about it. He also said that his niece could have disappeared because of him. Lee would find that he should have listened to his instincts and told Mark no, but he needed the money
When he got home that evening Lee told Anna what had happened in the office that day and she was relieved that he would finally get a job that paid some money. They were barely making it, but thanks to Lee’s retirement and her restaurant job their necessities were being taken of. She wanted to get a house before the twins got too much older because they needed something with more room than their current apartment. Anna wanted to move into a nice house, but knew if she kept harping on it that it would cause more stress and she didn’t want to do that. So she was hopeful this would help them financially, but she should have known that things weren’t that simple…
Lee decided that he and Mark would go to Eugene, Oregon to see if they could find out what had happen to Mark’s sister and also to get a little bit from Anna and the kids. He loved them but was frustrated because he wanted to provide a better life for them. He told this to Mark as they were driving from Sacramento and Mark told him that he helped him, things would become a lot easier for Lee, but if he changed his mind, life would become very difficult. Lee asked him what he meant by that, but Mark just said “don’t worry about it, help me and things will be fine.”
Thought I would bring Jerald and Quincey into this as a side note….
Quincey Jones served 10 years and got out in 2011 and moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico, working as a cook. Jerald Lake would have served the rest of his life in prison if he hadn’t escaped and fled to Colombia. Some say it was too well planned to not have inside help, but no proof showed that, but you can’t help to wonder if Lee had anything to do with that. Jerald focused on keeping out of trouble by earning money in the coffee business. He liked living there (becoming a millionaire didn’t hurt either), but wanted to come back to the United States and see his sister and nieces.
Last year he found out that the US Government found out exactly where he was and was sending people to get him and bring him back. Needless to say, he didn’t want that to happen…he didn’t want to spend the rest of his life in prison. The team that was sent weren’t able to capture him. Only 2 made it back to the United States-one of them was Mark….
Lee and Mark made it to Eugene and found a police station to see if they could get any information about Melissa and as luck would have it, they found the detective (Harry Monroe) that had been looking into her disappearance. Harry told them that he didn’t have very much to go on because it seemed like she didn’t really exist. None of the homeless people in the area had any recollection of her, although Harry told them that the police weren’t looked upon favorably but he would keep trying to see if he could get any information. Mark told him that he and Lee would see if they could find out anything-maybe they would have better luck. Harry wished them well and went back to the case he was assigned to-a discovery of a mass grave on the outskirts of town.
The news unsettled Mark and caused him to wonder if his sister was there; and if she was, what in the world happened. He started to wonder if his past life was catching up with him, but he thought he had covered his tracks as he went along. He asked Harry if any of the bodies had been identified, but Harry said that they were still trying to dig up the bodies, but if anyone resembling Melissa appeared, he would let them know. Lee asked Mark why did he think his sister was there. Mark replied that it was just a feeling, and he hoped that he was wrong. Inside he wondered if someone found out she was his sister and killed her because he didn’t complete the mission in Columbia.
Lee got concerned about Mark’s reaction and started to wonder what he had gotten into. He told Mark about how he was feeling and got the response that his job was to find his sister. And if he decided to back out, his family could be harmed. Needless to say, Lee got mad and told Mark if anything happened to his wife and children, there would be nowhere that Mark could hide from him. Mark laughed and said “little man, if I decided to disappear, you couldn’t find me! If the US government couldn’t find me unless I wanted them to, how do you think you could?”
Anna was wondering what was happening with Lee and Mark since Lee hadn’t called or sent a text since they left. She wasn’t that worried because if they were doing detective work, they were probably busy. Besides, it gave her more time with the kids since she didn’t have to work. She was thinking about quitting her job at the restaurant because it was a real drain physically working full time and trying to keep up with the kids. Lee tried to help around the house, but sometimes his help led to more work for her.
But she found that Lee was in more danger than he imagined….
A couple days after they left, 2 men that knew her and Lee came to the house asking if she had heard from him since he had left. She said no and asked them why they wanted to know. They said they had done some research on the man that had hired him to find his niece. The had found he didn’t have any family, in fact they said they couldn’t find any information about him-it seemed that he didn’t exist, at least on paper. He was what they called a ghost-someone that existed but didn’t have an identity that could be traced.
This unsettled her and caused her to reflect on what happened when she and Lee first met. But after she calmed down because she knew things would work out. She didn’t expect the ending that happened though…
By now you can see why I call this story “To be continued”…because it will be…
She was walking down the street one day last week and all of a sudden a car came careening around the corner and almost hit her. The guy behind the wheel stopped and asked if she was OK. She was still shaking because he had almost hit her. She told him that she was OK physically, but was shaken up emotionally, and asked him why he was driving so fast. He told her he was on his way to a job assignment and he was in a hurry. She told him not to kill anyone...He said "OK, I won't, got back into his car and drove away. She shook her head and thought why do things like that happen to me as she continued on her way. As she got closer to her house, she noticed that there were a lot of police cars on the street she lived on. She asked one of the policemen what was going on. He told her there were 2 escaped convicts holed up in one of the houses and they were trying to talk them out of it. He went on to tell her that is was good that the owner of the house wasn't there, because then they would have had a hostage situation. She suddenly felt a cold shiver but dismissed the thought from her mind..."It couldn't be!" Nevertheless, she asked the policeman which house it was and he told her the address...It was her house..
Her name was Anna and she lived on the "other side of the tracks" as it were. The neighborhood wasn't the best, but at least people tended to look after others there. Her friends at work kept trying to get her to move to a "safer" part of town, but she kept telling them that she liked where she lived...and to make her point, she would ask them if they even knew their neighbor's names. They would give her a look of surprise and say no, then she would tell them that was no way to live...what if something happened to them one day and there was no one that would care what happened because they lived in the "safe" part of town where everyone minded their own business?
She had a little terrier named "Axel" that had belonged to a mechanic friend of hers. He gave her the dog because he said it reminded him of her...small and feisty. Axel was a good dog when it came to the kids in the neighborhood...he would run and play with them and was tolerant when a baby would pull his ears and hair. He would sleep at the foot of her bed, and would wake up at the slightest sound growling real soft.
Anna was happy with everything that was happening in her life until the one day that turned everything inside out...
"J" (Jerald) was and always had been bad news. He grew up on the street and knew every scam there was to make money or to get drugs or anything else ...He also knew a lot of people that would kill him if they thought he would betray them. One day he pulled a scam on the wrong person and wound up in prison. He realized real fast that he was a small cog in the wheel there and it scared him to death. He was smart enough to know that he would die there and he didn't want that to happen. So he started to think of ways to escape. He finally figured out a way to do it, but he needed help...who could he trust???
Quincey wasn’t that bad of a guy...yes, he had made a few mistakes and had gotten arrested while joyriding. He wasn’t even driving, but because he was a minor he had to go into lockup for a while. While there he got into a fight with another guy and wound up in jail for a while. Because he lived in a small town, no one was willing to hire him. So he left and went to the nearest big city he could find. He did pretty well there for a while, but wound up back in jail for almost killing someone...He tried to plead self defense since the guy was trying to rob him, but he got a sentence of 3 years in jail. If he would have stayed away from "J", he would have been getting out soon instead of being in the mess he was in now...
The near collision scared Lee...even though he was on his way to what he hoped wasn't a hostage situation; it was no reason for him to be reckless. Whatever he was going to have to deal with would be there when he got to where the 2 prisoners were holed up. He glanced down at the info sheet about the two men and wondered how he was going to be able to talk them into giving themselves up.
When the policeman told Anna which house the two men were in she fainted. When she finally came to, the policeman asked if the was anyone living there beside her. She replied, "No one except my dog, Axel." She then got real worried that they would hurt him because he tended to bark at mean people. The policeman tried to calm her down, it seemed to work. By then, the Swat team leader came and started to ask her questions about the house and its layout, and then she started to freak out again, because she was worried that if they started shooting, they would kill Axel. That dog was all she had in the world since her brother was kicked out on the street when he was young. The rest of her family was all deceased...
The helicopters flying overhead shining their lights in the windows was driving Axel crazy. He kept barking which was driving the 2 men crazy. Jerald finally put the dog in the back room so that he could try to figure what the next move was without all the noise. It didn't help that the police were out there with a megaphone trying to get him and Quincey to come out of the house quietly. There was also a television crew out there...he was watching what was happening outside on the TV. Quincey was starting to get on his nerves with all the whimpering and wondering if they were going to die. Deep down, Jerald was wondering about that too, even though he was putting on a brave front. The TV newscaster was interviewing the person that lived in the house they were holed up in. Quincey said that the girl looked a lot like Jerald. Jerald laughed and said, "I doubt that very much." Quincey said, "No look and you will see what I mean." Jerald did and froze...it couldn't be...
"Good evening, this is Alta Stone, Channel 47 news, reporting live in front of the house where the 2 convicts are. We are waiting for the negotiator to come and try to get the men to come out. We are unclear on whether they are armed. As soon as we hear anything, we will let you know." Alta kept looking to see if Lee Hudson was going to be the chief negotiator. When she saw him, she started to call out his name, but stopped when all the media started running toward him with their microphones and cameras trying to get a statement. At that point all he could tell anyone was that he was going to do the best he could and try not to have any bloodshed. He then asked them to stay behind the police barricade because it would safer for all concerned. Then he went to find out all he could about the two men that were in the house.
When he saw the picture of Jerald, it reminded him of the woman he almost hit on his way here. He wondered to himself if they were related. If so, she could help in talking to the men. Just then, one of the officers brought Anna Park to him and said she was the owner of the house. He asked if she was all right and told her not to worry, he was very good at what he did. She said the only thing she was worried about was he dog. Then she saw the pictures of the two men and almost fainted. One of the men looked like her long lost brother, Jerry. When she mentioned this, Lee told her that one of the men was named Jerald Lake. When she heard that she said, "That is my brother; please don't let them kill him." Lee said he would do everything in his power not to let that happen. By this time, the word had gotten out that one of the men's sisters was here and the media came swarming towards her. Lee told one of the policemen to put her in one of the cars where she would be safe from all the attention. But by then, her face had been shown to everyone watching what was happening, including the men in the house.
When Jerald saw his sister's face on the screen it brought back childhood memories that he thought were long gone. He brushed then away and starting to think about how he could try to get out of the mess he was in so that he could talk to the last member of his family. Just then the phone rang causing him to jump and actually stopped Quincey from weeping. Jerald answered the phone and the person identified himself as Lee Hudson and told him that it was in the best interest of all concerned that he and Quincey should come out quietly. He then asked why did Jerald pick this house...Jerald replied “it was the house he lived in as a kid, and he figured if he was going to die, it might as well be in the same house.” He then asked if he could talk to his sister, Anna. Lee said that if they came out, he could talk to all he wanted.
Just then there was a loud crash in the back of the house. Jerald slammed down the phone and told Quincey to go check it out. Quincey started to get more hysterical because he thought that the police had knocked down the back wall of the house. Jerald stopped and listened and started to wonder if Quincey was right because he didn’t hear the dog anymore. Quincey decided that he couldn’t take it anymore and ran toward the front door and yanked it open before Jerald could stop him. As soon as he did, a shot rang out...
The bullet nicked Quincey’s left ear as it went by. Jerald yelled at him to close the door...”Are you trying to get us killed? What is wrong with you?” By this time, Quincey was in a crying heap on the floor, saying that all he wanted to do was to get out of here...it didn’t matter that he was going back to jail, anything would be better than being trapped here.
Jerald looked at him with disgust and said “Fine, go if that is what you want to do, but be aware that you will be treated worse now than you were before this happened and that you will be in jail a lot longer than you want to be. And who know, maybe someone may think I told you some of the things I know and they will kill you. Do you want that to happen?” That got Quincey’s attention and he started to pull himself together. “What do you know that is so dangerous to your health?” Jerald sighed and said I might as well tell you...”I am actually an undercover cop and I was there to help with a government sting.” “I had inside help in planning my (and your) escape. In case you were wondering why you are here, it is because you were the easiest person we could find that would be able to disappear and come up with a new identity.” All Quincey could do was sit down and shake his head...”You mean that I am going to be free?” “Yes, Jerald said, although you might have to live in another country once we get out of here. Where would you like to live? Think about it while I talk to Lee Hudson.”
The phone rang again and Jerald picked it up, knowing what Lee was about to say. Lee asked, “Is everything in there o.k.” Jerald said yes, everything was going according to plan...how long should they stay here in the house? Lee then asked what his demands were since the cameras and newscasters were milling around. Jerald said they wanted safe passage to the airport and the country of their choice and he wanted his sister to go with him. Lee said that he would do what he could, but Jared had to do him a favor...Anna wanted to make sure Axel was all right...could he come and get the dog? Jerald said o.k. on one condition...he had to come to the door with his hands up in the air all the way. Lee said o.k. Jerald said hold on a minute while I get Quincey to go get the dog... Jerald motioned Quincey to go get the dog and bring Axel to him. After Quincey brought the dog in, Jerald told Lee that he wanted Anna to come get him. Lee said that wouldn’t work...that he was the one that would do it because he didn’t want things to get worse. Quincey said he wanted to go to Columbia...would that be possible? Jerald relayed the request to Lee, who said anything was possible...now he wanted to come and get the dog. Jerald said come on. Meanwhile, the swat team who was getting tired of having nothing to do, suddenly was told to get into position in case there was a gunfight. As Lee was walking toward the house, the marksmen were getting ready to fire on the house as soon as he got the dog.
As he got closer to the house, Jerald yelled out...”Stop, I know there are people ready to shoot as soon as I open the door and if they do this and most of the houses in this block will go up in flames!" Lee said “Jerald, you will get what you want, please don’t make things bad for everyone.” Jerald said, “I do not want to go back to prison...they will kill me if I do.” Lee said, “I am trying to do what I can to prevent that from happening, but right now you have to do something that shows me you trust me...give me the dog.” Jerald said, “wait right there and I will send him out to you.” Lee said, “No, I have to carry him back to his owner. I am not armed, as you can see.” As Lee got to the door, he told Jerald quietly that there was no way that they were getting out of there without going to prison, so they might as well get used to the fact.
As Lee turned to go give Axel back to Anna, he heard Jerald call him...he didn’t want to turn around, afraid that Jared might shoot him, but that was a chance he was going to take. As he turned, he saw that Jerald had come out on the porch, with Quincey handcuffed to him, in a vest full of explosives with a timer attached. Lee shouted, “Everyone take cover!” Jerald then said to Lee, “you lied to me, now I am going to take you and everyone with me...He then pulled the rope...
Good Evening, this is Alta Stone, Channel 47 News. As you know, there were two escaped convicts that had broken into a house here earlier today. We want to announce that the incident is now over...the men are now in the hospital under guard of the police, even though it looked like a major part of the city was going to be blown to bits. One of the men had what appeared to be a vest of explosives with a timer. He pulled the rope, but before they could go off, the police were able to defuse it. Both men were to the hospital due to injuries when the police were trying to get the timer turned off. We will have more about this story as details unfold. Have a nice evening...
Good Morning, everyone! I am Alta Stone and here is the latest update about the two escaped convicts that were captured last night. Quincey Jones and Jerald Lake are under heavy police guard at Mercy Hospital. It appears that Jerald was the mastermind behind the escape. During the struggle last night, he suffered some broken ribs and facial lacerations. Quincey had his arm broken due to being handcuffed to Jerald, but it appears that was all that happened to him. The question that all of us have is “why did something like this happen in our town?” We found out that Jerald Lake grew up in the very house he escaped to. All we can do is speculate at this time that there was something there he wanted. As we find out more details we will pass them on to you.
Anna was still shaken because of what had happened. She called in and told her boss that she wouldn’t be in for a few days. Her boss told her that it was o.k. and to let her know when she was able to come back. Right after she hung up the phone, there was a knock on the door. Her first thought was “oh no, not more reporters!” She peeked out through the curtains and saw Lee Hudson standing there.
She opened the door and asked him "How is my brother?" He told her that he was doing ok at the present, but that he was in a lot of trouble. She asked if what he said was true...did Lee lie to him? If so, about what? Lee said that it was a long story and that he couldn't go into it at the present. That made her mad because she felt he was treating her like a child and she proceeded to tell him that.
He apologized, but said that he couldn't tell her or anyone else anything right now. That didn't really make her feel better, but she decided to let the matter drop. He asked if Jerald had left anything in the house. She asked him "Do you really think I would tell you?" He sighed and said "I guess not." But he looked so down that she told him Jerald didn't leave anything that she could see. But if he did, what should she be looking for? Lee said he couldn't tell her, but if she found anything out of the ordinary, please let him know.
By this time, Jerald and Quincey were being questioned by the police. Neither of the men would tell the police anything...Quincey didn't because he didn't really know much...Jerald wasn't talking because he knew too much and he knew if he said anything he might as well shoot himself in the head, because at least that way, he would have some choice in how he died...to be continued
Forward to 2014….
It has been a while since I last worked on this story, but will try to bring people up to date…
Anna and Lee got married about 5 years ago. They have twins who Axel the dog barely tolerates (that is due more to age than anything else). The kid’s names are Ariel and Francis and they are 3. For the most Lee and Anna’s life is mellow considering he is a private detective now. After the episode with Anna’s brother, he decided that it would be better to step away from active police duty for a while.
But as we all know, being a private detective has its drawbacks…
One Tuesday morning, a man walked into the office and asked if Lee could help him find his niece who had disappeared a year earlier. Lee asked the usual questions-what was her name, where did she live, how old was she, etc., etc., etc. He found out her name was Melissa Adams, 30 and at last contact, she was living in Eugene, Oregon. Lee asked what the police department had done in trying to find her. The man said that they hadn’t done much since she was considered a “street person”. Lee then asked the man what his name was and what kind of work he did and how was he going to pay for Lee’s services. The man said his name was Mark Davis and he was a jack-of-all trades and he could pay Lee anything he wanted. Lee would find out that money came with a price….
Lee told Mark that he would see what he could do, but it would be a long shot because the trail was ice cold. Lee asked why he waited so long to try to find her. Mark said that he had been out of the country and just gotten back from his latest mission. Lee asked what kind of mission and mark said it was a military mission and that was all he could say about it. He also said that his niece could have disappeared because of him. Lee would find that he should have listened to his instincts and told Mark no, but he needed the money
When he got home that evening Lee told Anna what had happened in the office that day and she was relieved that he would finally get a job that paid some money. They were barely making it, but thanks to Lee’s retirement and her restaurant job their necessities were being taken of. She wanted to get a house before the twins got too much older because they needed something with more room than their current apartment. Anna wanted to move into a nice house, but knew if she kept harping on it that it would cause more stress and she didn’t want to do that. So she was hopeful this would help them financially, but she should have known that things weren’t that simple…
Lee decided that he and Mark would go to Eugene, Oregon to see if they could find out what had happen to Mark’s sister and also to get a little bit from Anna and the kids. He loved them but was frustrated because he wanted to provide a better life for them. He told this to Mark as they were driving from Sacramento and Mark told him that he helped him, things would become a lot easier for Lee, but if he changed his mind, life would become very difficult. Lee asked him what he meant by that, but Mark just said “don’t worry about it, help me and things will be fine.”
Thought I would bring Jerald and Quincey into this as a side note….
Quincey Jones served 10 years and got out in 2011 and moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico, working as a cook. Jerald Lake would have served the rest of his life in prison if he hadn’t escaped and fled to Colombia. Some say it was too well planned to not have inside help, but no proof showed that, but you can’t help to wonder if Lee had anything to do with that. Jerald focused on keeping out of trouble by earning money in the coffee business. He liked living there (becoming a millionaire didn’t hurt either), but wanted to come back to the United States and see his sister and nieces.
Last year he found out that the US Government found out exactly where he was and was sending people to get him and bring him back. Needless to say, he didn’t want that to happen…he didn’t want to spend the rest of his life in prison. The team that was sent weren’t able to capture him. Only 2 made it back to the United States-one of them was Mark….
Lee and Mark made it to Eugene and found a police station to see if they could get any information about Melissa and as luck would have it, they found the detective (Harry Monroe) that had been looking into her disappearance. Harry told them that he didn’t have very much to go on because it seemed like she didn’t really exist. None of the homeless people in the area had any recollection of her, although Harry told them that the police weren’t looked upon favorably but he would keep trying to see if he could get any information. Mark told him that he and Lee would see if they could find out anything-maybe they would have better luck. Harry wished them well and went back to the case he was assigned to-a discovery of a mass grave on the outskirts of town.
The news unsettled Mark and caused him to wonder if his sister was there; and if she was, what in the world happened. He started to wonder if his past life was catching up with him, but he thought he had covered his tracks as he went along. He asked Harry if any of the bodies had been identified, but Harry said that they were still trying to dig up the bodies, but if anyone resembling Melissa appeared, he would let them know. Lee asked Mark why did he think his sister was there. Mark replied that it was just a feeling, and he hoped that he was wrong. Inside he wondered if someone found out she was his sister and killed her because he didn’t complete the mission in Columbia.
Lee got concerned about Mark’s reaction and started to wonder what he had gotten into. He told Mark about how he was feeling and got the response that his job was to find his sister. And if he decided to back out, his family could be harmed. Needless to say, Lee got mad and told Mark if anything happened to his wife and children, there would be nowhere that Mark could hide from him. Mark laughed and said “little man, if I decided to disappear, you couldn’t find me! If the US government couldn’t find me unless I wanted them to, how do you think you could?”
Anna was wondering what was happening with Lee and Mark since Lee hadn’t called or sent a text since they left. She wasn’t that worried because if they were doing detective work, they were probably busy. Besides, it gave her more time with the kids since she didn’t have to work. She was thinking about quitting her job at the restaurant because it was a real drain physically working full time and trying to keep up with the kids. Lee tried to help around the house, but sometimes his help led to more work for her.
But she found that Lee was in more danger than he imagined….
A couple days after they left, 2 men that knew her and Lee came to the house asking if she had heard from him since he had left. She said no and asked them why they wanted to know. They said they had done some research on the man that had hired him to find his niece. The had found he didn’t have any family, in fact they said they couldn’t find any information about him-it seemed that he didn’t exist, at least on paper. He was what they called a ghost-someone that existed but didn’t have an identity that could be traced.
This unsettled her and caused her to reflect on what happened when she and Lee first met. But after she calmed down because she knew things would work out. She didn’t expect the ending that happened though…
By now you can see why I call this story “To be continued”…because it will be…