Chapter 53
In Vancouver, a New Posse is in Town!
On the evening of Tuesday, December 20, at about the same time that Gordy and Jane were meeting by the Vancouver seawall (in Gordy’s failed attempt to extricate Jane from her terrorist role), Super-Sleuth Susie and her newly deputized posse were, after a 24-hour straight-through drive, checking into the Hotel Vancouver, just blocks from the seawall.
Working for the hotel, Joey was able to get favorable rates, but it surprised the hell out of him to see there were three others in addition to his mom. He knew his mom was hot on the pursuit of Dougherty and Furbush – but actually forming a posse to nail them was way beyond the mom he knew growing up.
“Let me introduce Heck and Billy,” Susie said to Joey before Joey could ask any questions. “Heck is a buddy of mine from the Chat & Chew. We hope to recruit Heck to run for Sheriff back in Boulder – he hasn’t announced yet. He actually has a decent resume as a conservation officer for the Montana Department of Wild-Life. Heck figures if he can get in on busting up the sex ring, he’ll win in a landslide. Heck and Billy know everything I know, but Joey, what’s the latest? . . . Does Shadya know we’re working on getting him a lawyer? . . . Is Shadya really willing to nail Furbush? . . . Nail Dougherty? . . . “
Susie continued with the introductions pointing to Eloise, “You know Eloise, your teacher – whom we got elected to the school board. Don’t know when you last saw Eloise, maybe at our house last year, but she’s in on this too! Says she wants to stay on the School Board, but I think she’s a candidate for Congress, if – with your help – we end up busting Dougherty and Furbush. We need your help, Joey.”
“Whoa,” Joey said. “Okay, okay, I’m glad you’re out here, Misters . .? . . . (pause) . . . sorry I didn’t catch your last names. Ms. Johnson, nice to see you again. [‘Ms. Johnson’ would be Eloise Johnson, his high school history teacher.]
“Listen, Mom,” Joey continued. “Yes, let’s make a plan, but first, I’m sticking with only one room – for you all. I can get you into the Queen Victoria Suite, sleeps four, two bedrooms, two bathrooms, the best view of Vancouver Island in this whole place – you know, they call this hotel ‘The Castle in the City.’ Wait ‘til you see your room.” Joey then proceeded to book them the room, walked them to the elevator, and punching the button for the 17th floor, said, “I’ll be up in a few minutes. I want to hear all about this plan you say you’ve already worked-up.”
The Queen Victoria Suite was about the nicest room any of the four had ever stayed in – very modernized, yet nineteenth century lavish, with antique beds, satin pillows, bedposts and canopies. Later, when they were outside looking up from the street, they saw they occupied one of eight towers, with gargoyle-like ornamentation, that topped off the “Castle in the City.’
When Joey came up, he said, “Shadya knows you’re trying to find him a lawyer. He really wants to make a deal to save his ass. But I can’t get him to talk unless he sees a lawyer first.”
“We’re working on that,” Susie said.
“What’s all this Shadya guy told you?” Heck asked.
“Well, that he was business partners with Abdul. Knows all about the local prostitution scene. He was one of the ‘go-to’ guys the bellman uses – or at least use to use – when a high-roller wanted some action. And he says, with the right deal, he’ll finger Furbush and Dougherty – that’s how he knows them – as part of the smuggling ring bringing young girls in to be prostituted.”
“Do you think, even without a lawyer, he would give us the names of some others that might talk? Do the implicating for him?” Susie asked, and continued: “I’ve got a list of names from Ken, that movie-maker guy I told you about, of folks here in town who were in on the movie, and might know Shadya or Abdul, and might . . . “
“Might work,” Joey offered. “I’ve kinda got this Shadya guy figured-out – he’s running scared right now – thinks someone’s gonna finger him as the main man importing young Thai girls using the bait and switch promise of modeling careers. Or worse, someone’s gonna come after him and he’ll meet Abdul’s fate. If one of these guys on the list could potentially implicate Furbush or Dougherty, without Shadya having to do it, he might give up the name, with or without a lawyer.”
Heck broke back in: “Better than showing that list to Shadya, let’s first check out these names ourselves and see if any one of them knows Shadya, and could put the screws to Shadya. That should get Shadya to cave. Once the rest of the deputies arrive, we can cover the list in less than a day.”
“Rest of the deputies?” Joey asked.
“Ohh, I forgot to tell you,” Susie answered for Heck, “I’m about to call your sister to come join us . . . maybe bring some of her friends”
“You’re kidding me . . . Mom!”
“Yep, I’ve organized a posse extraordinaire to bring these guys to justice. We might not be officially deputized, but Heck calls us “his deputies.” We’ll be minimum six strong once your sister gets here, including you, of course. Between us, we can get to every name on the list in a matter of hours. Skip said to make sure we use Ken’s name, Ken Vardaman. These people on the list know Ken from doing this movie that’s friendly to the Somali community – and will want to help all they can.
“That’s the plan to get Shadya to talk,” Susie finished. “Now Heck, tell Joey our plan to bust the sex-trafficking operation!”
“Well Joey,” Heck started, “I’m not so sure I really wanna do this, but your mom says there’s a way to pull this off without much danger, and claims I won’t get arrested – says we’ve got a lawyer in the posse . . . so I guess I’m willing to give it a try . . . pose as an older man looking for an underage girl to have sex with . . .”
“ I’ve even a better idea!” Heck’s partner, Billy, interrupted. “Ask Shadya to put Heck on to the best place to go to get a young Thai girl – Shadya giving Heck the name of a place – just that alone won’t get Shadya in trouble. I bet he’ll do it with or without already having his lawyer.”
“All right, Joey said, “I’ve already asked for the next two days off.”