The Victim and I Pt. 01

"The guy driving did not know how to drive on ice and snow and was scaring the other two some, but he was in a hurry to get rid of me and return to Tony Steflano's plaice. If they are all dead, what is going to happen when Tony finds out I was not in the car with them. I hope he would think that I was already dead and buried when they wrecked but I doubt it. Time factors into this and Tony isn't stupid I don't think."

"How many people does Tony Steflano have working for him? Do you know?"

"I am not sure but I do know that it is several as he has a wide range of businesses as he called them when he was trying to buy into Lowell's club, so he could have many more waiting in the wings, I guess. I just don't know and you can forget about the local police helping anyone but Steflano as he has half of the police department plus the sheriff's department, the District Attorney, and several judges are on his payroll. At least that is what he told Lowell several times anyhow."

"I caught a bit of the news while you were unconscious and it said Lowell had died from a beating and that a woman named Beverly Thomas was missing and was presumed to have been either taken by the killers, or else was a party to the killing. The police claim that they don't know which. If the wrong cop was to find you, like one on Steflano's payroll, you might be killed while resisting arrest, if you know what I mean. Little, if anything, would ever be said about it under the circumstances, especially with the cloud of suspicion over your name and your possible involvement. They seem to be spinning a pretty good web of lies and miss-information. Now don't worry as you are safe here and we will figure something out.

"Is there anyone you trust that might be able to keep an ear to the ground and let you know what is being said on the street? Rumors would even help us. Think about it some, but make sure we can trust them. Now, are you hungry? You can only have something light tonight and then return to a full menu tomorrow. I have various kinds of soups on hand."

She thought a moment and then said "a bowl of tomato soup would be great and I can get Clarence to keep an ear open and tell us what he hears."

"Boyfriend?"

Beverly snorted and then said "Not hardly. Clarence is a friend that hates Steflano because Tony had Clarence's boyfriend beaten up and tossed out of his club and into the trash dumpster for making what he thought was a pass at one of Steflano's guests while Steflano was at the table."

"Sounds like a nice guy."

"No, he doesn't either. I know you were kidding but he is a vicious animal that has no morals at all and gets away with it because he owns half the police force, all the sheriff's department, and the DA and most of the judges around this whole area, not just this county. He bragged that he could do anything he wanted to as he was the only law that mattered and everyone answered to him. I almost think the feds are afraid to even try to come in and do anything. I am so afraid. Really, really afraid right now. Maybe I should move to California or something. Okay, so what happened to those guys that kidnapped me?"

"You may remember that they were driving like total idiots out there in the storm."

"Yes, I remember them saying they had to get to where they could hide my body and then get back to town before the storm got any worse and hopefully before some scheduled party or function Steflano is throwing tonight started."

"Well those three gentlemen will not be there except possibly in the form of a spirit from Hell as they were all dead at the scene and you were very lucky that you were belted in as tight as you were. The driver had a tree limb come through the side window and impale him and the front passenger looked like he had massive internal injuries that killed him on impact and the guy in back with you was not belted in and he bounced around some and wound up with a broken neck. Him bouncing all over is probably where you got hit on the head. I think he must have been thrown into you at least once during the accident. Hard to say for sure."

The look on Beverly's face was one of satisfaction and she said "Couldn't happen to a group of more deserving assholes. I hope they burn in Hell forever. I just wish the rest of that bunch and all the paid conspirators were with them the whole time."

"Damn, Girl. Don't hold back. Tell me how you really feel." I said while laughing at her remarks.

"What am I going to do? They know who I am and by now know where I live and all about me so what am I going to do?"

Thinking for a moment, I asked, "As soon as it is known that those kidnappers are dead, he is going to first wonder if they took care of you or not and if they didn't get to, then where are you? That will probably scare or worry the heck out of Steflano and he will pull out all the stops to find out where you are and then try to take care of you once more. You are a real threat to him now, even if he does own the local authorities. If the Feds came in and took over it could be bad for him and everyone on his payroll, especially those connected to law enforcement, as there are special and specific laws about that sort of corruption and they will want to cover their asses any way they can. We will have to be very careful and watchful ourselves.

"Is there anyone anywhere that you should contact and warn that they might be in danger? If there is then we need to contact them and let them know you are safe but to keep that news to themselves. You should warn them to be careful and mention that the weather is real nice in Aruba this time of the year. Even California or Southern Arizona might be a nice place to visit for a few weeks or a month if need be."

"No, there is really no one that would worry all that much about me so there is no need to contact anyone right now at least. I guess they will close the restaurant during the investigation as it is a crime scene and then it will have to be cleaned up and they will have to see if Lowell left a will. I am sure he did but his daughter is dead and I don't know of any other relatives anywhere. So, I don't know who he might have left it to. We will just have to wait and see whenever his will is read. He was divorced for many years and he had no contact with his ex-wife or her family. I never heard of any mention of other relatives or even close friends. The restaurant and club was his whole life."

The look of worry and concern on her beautiful face was distorting the beauty of it and I told her to relax as it would all work out in the end and reminded her that she was safe right there as Steflano and his goons had no way to know about me having her and that even if they did, they could not get to her without an army of people willing to die for Steflano because that is what would happen to many of them if they tried.

"You are but one man even if you are a former Green Beret. They could maybe field a force of many, many people even without the crooked cops he might call in. Care to explain this to me a little better? I think it would make me feel a lot better if you did and even more so if I could believe what you tell me."

Smiling broadly, I answered, "I was a boy scout once up on a time and George Washington and

Abraham Lincoln were my heroes growing up. Therefore, I cannot and will not ever lie to you. Beverly, there are things that are not as they seem around here. So, don't worry your pretty head about anything, for as the saying goes, 'Fear not, my dear lady."

"Now, young lady, you look like you are dressed for work and that cannot be all that comfortable right now. Let me look a bit, but I think there are a few things stored here that might come close to fitting you. They belonged to a cousin that is now married and living in England. They are clean but have been stored in the closet for a few years. They should be all right. At least I will hope so. You can get a shower or take a hot soak in the tub and maybe feel better and we can chat some more before bedtime."

"A long hot soak sounds wonderful right now. Are there any bath oils here? Would I be pushing my luck to ask if there might be a few candles to help me relax?"

"I do not know about the bath oils. I really don't see Grandfather using them all that much, but you can search the cabinets in the bathroom to see if my cousin may have left any. There were always candles here in case of storms knocking out the power before Granddad went off the grid with alternative power means, so there may be some left. Give me a minute and I will try to find them for you. There is also a lock on the inside of the door if you need to feel safer than you do now. I will get the candles and then start the search for something for you to wear. I will stack everything in that chair beside the bathroom door and go check on things online, if I can to get a signal, that is."

"James, I do not know how to ever thank you for saving me and then bringing me here and taking care of me. I have no idea what will happen next nor even which way to look right now, so I am at your mercy and generosity. So again, I thank you profusely. I owe you my very life."

"Beverly, you owe me nothing and never will regardless of what happens. It is all just a part of the friendly neighborhood service we offer. Now go take your bath, please, and try to relax some, alright?"

"I'll try."

I did find some candles before Beverly got into the bathroom and gave them and some matches to her. I was looking for some clothes for her when I heard the bathroom door close. I did not hear the lock being engaged.

After I had found several items of my cousin's clothing, I stacked them in the chair by the bathroom door as I had promised, then went to check the weather. I also needed to bring in some more dry firewood to stack by the fireplace, thinking that as soon as the storm lifted that I would need to make several trips to the woodshed out back and stack more on the back porch along with a good supply of kindling.

Once this was done, I grabbed a cup of coffee and went to my laptop to see if I could get enough signal to research the news programs for any mention of Beverly or the killings. The quick update from the stations weather man said that the storm that was centered over the area was starting to weaken slightly and that it looked like the snow would start to taper off sometime in the next day or two and then quit completely. When the storm cleared the area, the sun should come out and start a bit of a thaw for a week or so before another, but smaller, storm descended on them. At least the sun's UV rays should penetrate the snow and help clear the roads in fairly short order.

Next was the evening news and I was shocked and dismayed that the local authorities were saying that rumors were circulating that Beverly was evidently involved somehow in the death of her boss. They stated that it was rumored that she and her boss had started an affair and that her and her other lover had killed Lowell Andrews in trying to extort money from him. Another rumor was that Beverly's lover had killed him in a rage of jealousy and that the two of them had taken off and had gone into hiding. A "Be on the lookout for" notice had been issued statewide on Beverly. No mention of her supposed and yet un-named lover. I was not an expert of these type things but to me it sure seemed as if the local police was trying to set the stage for Beverly to be "killed while resisting arrest." Probably under Steflano's orders. I now had little doubt that at least the upper levels of the local police department were on Steflano's payroll. I wondered about contacting the FBI to see what they had to say about things when they were informed of Steflano's sinister activities. I would talk to Beverly about it and we could think on it for a while before deciding. I also had a couple of friends I could call for advice or help if necessary, but that would be as a last resort as if that happened some people were likely to get very hurt---as in dead.

The reporter also stated that there were, as yet unconfirmed, reports of a tragic accident with fatalities many miles out on the state highway but the weather and snowfall was making it very difficult for emergency services to reach the scene right then and that it could be a few more hours before they had confirmed reports of the accident. I thought about calling the station and the local newspaper and telling them of the doings of one of the towns so called leading citizens but then shelved the idea for the time being, thinking I could return to it at any time. I wasn't sure about what to do under these circumstances at all. It was even worse than in Afghanistan knowing that you could not trust anyone in authority. At least over there he had a whole team for support and assistance.

James heard the bathroom door open and close and then in a couple of minutes heard it reopen and then Beverly was back in the room with him saying she felt lots better and more relaxed.

I gave her a concerned look and said "I bet I can make you unrelax real quick."

"How's that, James?"

"Let's get a cup of coffee or a drink and then talk seriously about the situation and our options. What do you prefer to drink?"

"How about a tall coffee with a little something extra in it?"

"Coming right up." I told her and went to the kitchen to make the concoctions for them but very light on the "extra" in hers due to her head injury...just a taste really.

When I brought the drinks back to the living room, Beverly was looking at the TV and then I took a sip of my coffee and said "Yes, and it wasn't good. You said that the police belonged to Steflano and I now fully believe it. The news just said that a BOLO alert is out for you as they think that either you and your lover killed Lowell for his money after having sex with him for a while. Either that or else your boyfriend killed him in a fit of jealousy for you having an affair with Lowell.

"Either way, it could be bad, as it seems to me that they are working under Steflano's orders to shut you up permanently as soon as they. That means you could likely be killed resisting arrest and nothing would ever be said about it under the circumstances other than maybe a small article in the newspaper and a small piece on the evening news. What do you think about notifying the FBI that you are safe and what really happened? Of course, I think we would have to do it by using burner phones that cannot be traced.

"As soon as the sun comes out and the UV rays melt some of the snow off the road we can go to another town or two, somewhere away from here with you in a bit of a disguise. We can buy you a wardrobe and anything else you might need and get several prepaid and untraceable phones from different stores, and then while driving and moving from tower to tower in a random pattern contact the Feds and explain. I think that right now you should type up a full statement of all of the events in chronological order from Steflano's first contact with Lowell up until he started his campaign of lies today. The first paragraph should state that as Steflano has so many law enforcement agencies and government officials on his payroll, that you find it hard to trust anyone at the present time. Therefore, you are sending this declaration of facts to a dozen different district FBI offices, in case some of them are also corrupted by Steflano's money, or someone else's.

"I would also suggest that we contact or rather just look up the contact information every newspaper and TV station within 500 miles of here and tell them the same thing. We can go to a public library somewhere away from here and use their public access computers to email a copy of that declaration of facts to each of them. Some of them are bound be honest and curious enough to start looking into the story from several angles. That might be the best idea besides telling the FBI what really happened.

"The Feds will be both highly pissed that someone would doubt or cast doubts about their honesty and integrity and possibly compromising any impartial investigation into Steflano and his associates and accomplices. Any serious newspaper articles with the information about Steflano would piss them off greatly and probably cause them to rapidly investigate your allegations. They hate publicity, especially any that casts them in anything but glowing lights. We can only hope that Steflano's influence doesn't stretch into them. That might be best way to make things happen, I think. Do you have any ideas or opinions about what to do?"

"No. I am just a glorified waitress and have no experience at this sort of thing and feel so smothered and overwhelmed in all this. I have no idea about what to do or which way to turn. I am scared to death."

"Okay, let's sit on it while we are waiting to be able to get out of here and into another town in a day or two. Not being able to find you for that time will make Steflano even more anxious and hopefully he makes some mistakes because of his frustration and need to put this behind him as quickly as he can.

"You know, on second thought, as involved as Steflano is in bribing people, I think we should let you make a video tape of what happened, explaining it just like you will on the printed affidavit and why and then we can both to the different FBI offices, the justice department, and the state bureau of investigation along with the promise that we will send a copy to every TV station and newspaper in the state if something isn't done and done quickly to bring Steflano to justice and not only clear your name but remove the danger to your life, now and forever.

"I am just a little conflicted about what to do about notifying the media. I would sure like to, but like I said, there could be a chance of compromising the investigation, so I just do not know which way to go with this."

Giving a rather forced smile, Beverly said "I don't either, but it sounds like a plan to me. Think it will work?"

"I don't know but it is all we have for now. If nothing else the threats of the release to the media will bother the Feds enough to make them take some action. They do not fare well in the media. Besides, Steflano and his gang have no earthly idea where you might be and that has to worry them. You could be lying dead in a snowdrift or maybe at a hospital in a coma or suffering from amnesia or just about anywhere. That has to make him wonder and worry. I bet the roads will be full with his soldiers as soon as they can get out and about. Maybe even an airplane or helicopter search also. One thing, he cannot do is go public other than make a request for people to contact the police if they see you. There is still some honest people around believe it or not. They just have to be interested enough to get involved.

"Now, Beverly or do you go by Bev? Tell me all about this beautiful woman sitting in front of me, please. All about her."

"Either name will work but Beverly seems to get my attention quicker for some reason. Do you really think I am beautiful? I always thought I was fairly good looking but never considered myself beautiful. Why do you think I am?"

"You are trying to change the subject and it won't work as I will keep after you about the information I want. And yes, I think you are beautiful. In fact, I think you are just about the most attractive and beautiful woman I have ever seen, especially in real life. Nothing plastic or manmade in your beauty that I can detect as it all seems real."

"Humm........Just how good an examination for injuries did you give me, James?" Beverly asked laughingly.

"Pretty good, but not THAT good. Your virtue and modesty remained intact at all times. I was a boy scout, remember?"

"Yeah, but that "Be prepared" thing could worry me somewhat." And smiled devilishly for some reason.