6. Jack
6
JACK
As soon as I arrive at LAX, I purchase a new prepaid phone using cash to avoid leaving any unnecessary traces. Having only been to California once, to San Diego, I can say I know Kabul better than Los Angeles. I need to give myself a crash course on this city so I can look and think like a local.
Operating under pressure is ingrained in every Marine. It’s how we survive, endure, and excel. But now, I’m facing an unforgivable kind of pressure, even fear, which should never be in my vocabulary.
Every life is valuable, but nothing else takes precedence when it comes to innocent children. My connection with Quinton goes beyond knowing his name. It stems from the special bond I share with his mother.
Is this fear the price you pay for love?
I don’t believe so.
Love must be earned. The giver has the right to know who you are before granting it to you. However, love doesn’t come with a price tag. You don’t have to pay for anything to be loved. When it’s meant for you, it’s yours.
As a Marine, I’m a weapon—I’m the danger .
With Ava, as a man who’s capable of feeling, fear becomes a part of me. I have a choice to make it my enemy or my friend.
Ava’s pain draws me to her as if she has been mine forever. Whatever danger she may be in, it’s my responsibility to shield her or anything or anyone that’s hers. And it’s my responsibility to wipe those tears and bring a smile back to her face.
I take the deepest breath I can, resetting myself.
Fear is the bridge to perseverance.
And I’m crossing it now.
To match my borrowed suit, I pick a sleek black BMW from a high-end rental near the airport and head to the city. It doesn’t take an experienced traveler to recognize the palm-lined streets or the ridiculous opulence that define Beverly Hills. Mansions as big as castles, along with their immaculate gardens, dot the landscape as I drive by. Willem Botha’s house is no different. I slow down to give it a passing glance, then continue until I reach a small hill a few streets away. The elevation allows me to have a vantage point into the complex.
Parking the car, I position myself behind a tree and use binoculars to survey the area. The house’s pristine facade reveals no hints of life inside.
I call Ava, and she answers with a soft but alert voice. “Jack, where are you?”
“I’m looking at your house. Well, Willem’s house.”
“Are there police there? Like… have they turned the house into a crime scene?”
“No. No sign of that. Trust me, he’s still alive.”
“Or it could be that those men have hidden his body somewhere…”
“They want you to be the killer, remember? They wouldn’t want to disturb the scene.”
“I guess… ”
“Ava, how do I get in without setting off anything.”
“Is there anyone outside? Today is Wednesday. Perhaps the gardeners are still there? Or do you see any movement behind the windows?”
“There doesn’t seem to be anyone around.”
Ava sighs. “If Willem is still alive, he must have changed the alarm code. So there’s no way for you to get into the house itself. But there might be a way to access the gardens. You might get a better look inside from there.”
“I can easily climb up the gate, but will it trigger anything?”
“There’s a more discreet way.”
“Ben will thank me for not ruining his suit.”
She gives me a chuckle. I can picture her face lighting up as she explains, “Willem puts motion sensors everywhere. But there’s a path leading to the back gardens that Elmo liked to use. The dog often ran away from home, and it drove Willem mad, so he decided to switch off the sensors around that area. For our sake, I hope he hasn’t remembered to turn them back on.”
“Is there another gate or something at the back?”
“There’s a patch of hedges that have come loose. It started with Elmo digging and playing with the plants, but it has gotten bigger. I even saw a deer go in one day. I never told Willem. I didn’t want him to kill the animal. I think you may be able to squeeze into it.”
“Good to know. I’m on my way.”
“Do you think Quinton is back home with Willem?”
“I don’t know, Ava. If he is, I’ll bring him home.”
Keeping a safe distance from the estate, I disguise my face behind a pair of Ray-Bans and a face mask as I stroll along its boundaries. Eventually, I come across a broken section of hedge. It’s a bit of a tight squeeze, but I manage to slip through.
The path Elmo has carved out is small but obvious. I shake off the dirt and grass stuck to my suit and pants. As I continue further, I spot disc-like devices scattered throughout the gardens. At a glance, they look like outdoor lights.
“Nice try!” I scoff.
As a highly trained FORECON, the elite Force Reconnaissance unit within the Corps, I’m not easily fooled by their glassy, high-tech appearance.
I make my way around the mansion’s perimeter, pondering what life must have been like for Ava and Quinton in this expansive place. It’s so vast that people could easily go days without crossing paths if they so desired. But I doubt Willem is that type of person. Being the man of the house, he likely wants to be aware of and involved in everything that goes on here.
Having explored as much as I can without getting too close to the house and finding no signs of life, I return to my car and give Ava another call.
“I don’t think Quinton is in the house. It’s way too quiet here,” I inform her, earning a disappointed sigh in response.
“Did you see the babysitter?”
“No. No sign of anyone there.”
She stays silent.
“Ava? I’m not gonna give up.”
“I know you’re not. It’s just… it’s hard. I’ve never been without Quinton. Ever.”
Hearing her like that, it’s like needles tunneling through my veins. “I know.” I pause, trying to somehow cheer her up. “Hey, has my brother taken good care of you?”
A soft cackle escapes her, giving me hope.
“He and his family have been so amazing to me,” she rasps. “I didn’t want to eat anything this morning, but their daughter Grace was so sweet. She made me a hot chocolate, you know, with a heart in the froth. I couldn’t say no.”
Sam and Cass have done a great job as parents. Grace is Cass’ daughter from her previous marriage, and Sam and Cass have a son together. Although I haven’t had the chance to spend much time with them, I’ve only heard wonderful things about their children.
I tell Ava, “You have to take care of yourself. We can’t have you getting sick, too.”
“I promise I’m taking care of myself.” She inhales, then asks, “Where are you going next?”
I open the email from Cora-Lee Rancic, the head of tech at Red Mark, which contains a list of properties in California associated with Willem Botha personally or his company, ‘W-Bot.’
“I’m going to survey the other properties that Willem owns. Maybe if I find him, I’ll get some clues about Quinton’s whereabouts. I’ll call you later, okay?”
Willem Botha’s portfolio consists of the typical mix of houses and commercial buildings, nothing out of the ordinary. I begin exploring the addresses that are within my reach. All the commercial properties are currently occupied, with the exception of one in southwestern L.A., which is still undergoing construction. The residential estates appear to be occupied by families, evident from the flurry of activities that I observe.
Determined to find Willem, I head back downtown to visit W-Bot’s headquarters. While I am on my way, Sam calls.
“How is she, Sam?”
My brother hums. “Didn’t you talk to her just now?”
“Yeah. But I want to hear it from you.”
“She’s still in her room. I don’t think she got any sleep, and she hasn’t eaten much. But Cass is checking on her regularly. And don’t worry, my wife will get her to eat, or my kids will.”
“I appreciate it, brother.”
“You know, Jack, I didn’t think you were that close to her until I saw how you looked when she was with you.”
“I didn’t know I was, either,” I reply, contemplating. I guess I can’t hide from myself. But that makes me wonder. Closeness is like a double-edged sword. It exposes both sides of you, the dark and the light. When Ava sees all the baggage I carry, what will she do? Will she be scared off by how broken I am?
God help me!
I can’t even spare a brain cell to process that right now. My focus is on finding baby Quinton.
Sam’s voice brings me back to what’s at hand. “Hey, listen, we just got hold of the CCTV from around the park where Ava was left unconscious. It looks like the two men went their separate ways. The van drove off, while one man carried Ava and left her in the park. We caught him on the street camera, driving a different car.”
“There’s got to be a woman involved, Sam. You can’t just abduct a seven-month-old baby with only a male kidnapper. Plus, it wouldn’t be easy to travel by air with a baby and go unnoticed. I think they’re driving. Maybe to Cali. But so far, the suspected properties around L.A. are duds. They’re either normal or empty.”
“Damn. What are you gonna do?”
“I’m heading to the W-Bot headquarters. I may come face to face with that cockbag.”
“You know what I’m going to say, right?” my brother croaks.
“What, Sam?”
“You’re very close to the heart of this beast. As your big brother and someone who has been in this rescue business for years, may I remind you? Love can sometimes be your undoing when you desperately want to save the one you can’t lose.”
“Damn it, Sam. So you think my judgment is clouded?” I challenge him. “Let me ask you this. How close were you to the heart of the beast when you were trying to find me?”
My big brother was only twelve when I was abducted at a fair in Syracuse. Yet he never gave up on finding me. He left home at fifteen to take matters into his own hands. The police closed my case after discovering my bloodied clothes, but he knew it wasn’t over. He believed because he’s my brother.
“That was different,” Sam denies.
“No, it wasn’t. It couldn’t have been more personal. I was missing, presumed dead, with no leads, and practically an amnesiac. But you trusted your instincts. And here we are.”
“Fuck it, Jack. You’re getting really good at kicking my butt.”
“We both have a tendency to get emotionally involved with people we rescue—rightly or wrongly. But we also know how to separate our personal feelings from the facts when the time comes. It’s in our genes, Sam. I still have that Marine mentality running through my veins, so I’m solid.”
Sam sighs, giving in. “All right. Let me know if you need anything.”
The call ends. Time to face the beast.