Stepping Out on a Limb Read online

Stepping Out on a Limb

  By Bobby A. Troutt

  Copyright 2012 Bobby A. Troutt

  Table of Contents

  One Night Stand

  Junction 447, US Highway 10

  Exit 537

  The Withering Vine

  The Curse of the Scarecrow Murders

  *****

  Stepping Out on a Limb

  One Night Stand

  One night in 1973, a dark blanket of night hung over the restless city of Atlanta. As the rain poured, the sirens screaming from the darkness drove a haunting cry throughout Atlanta’s underground. The traffic was backed up for blocks as Thomas Grisham sat in the back of a cab trying to make it to the underground to hit the night scene. He was only in town to attend a convention. He had been there for a couple of days and wanted to enjoy his last night in town before he left the next morning. A friend from his hometown had insisted he check out the hottest spot in Atlanta, a club called The Shades of Night. Finally, through the falling rain, he could see the sign of the club. He told the cabby he could walk from there. He paid him, got out of the cab and headed down the street toward the club. Fortunately, the pouring rain had turned into a soft drizzle. When he entered the club there was a crowd of people talking, laughing and drinking. It was so loud he could hardly hear the music. The air was filled with smoke, the smell of whiskey and the sweet smell of perfume from the ladies inside. He made his way to the bar and motioned the bartender for a drink. Carefully, his eyes scanned across the room to see what was going on. There was a lot of drinking going on and a little bit of dancing; the aroma of sin filled the air. The excitement of the night was so strong and the sinful bit of lust weighed heavily in the room. Slowly, he raised his glass to toast the night and then took a big sip. Did he feel lucky? You bet! As he slowly lowered the glass from his mouth, his eyes met hers. There was no need for either of them to say a word. Their eyes said it all. She was gorgeous and it appeared she was by herself. With a slight tilt of her head and a sinful wink, he knew his night was about to get better. He took another sip of his drink, sat the glass on the bar and slowly walked toward her. When she saw him walking toward her, she reached up and slowly moved her hand through her hair. Her hair accented her smile and created a sparkle in her eyes. He could tell she was pleased by the way she looked at him and she was even prettier to him up close.

  “Do you want to dance,” he said when he leaned over and whispered in her ear.

  “Not really,” she replied. “But, I’d love to go to a quiet place and talk; just you and me alone.”

  “A quiet place,” he said as he lit a cigarette.

  “Yeah, quiet,” she replied.

  He reached over to button up a button on her blouse, but she then took his hand and placed it over her heart instead.

  “What do you feel?” she asked.

  He stood still a moment and then responded, “Your heart is really beating fast. A quiet place,” he repeated again.

  “Yeah, that’s right,” she replied.

  “Let’s make it even more interesting, okay. Are you game?”

  “Sure,” she replied.

  “Let’s make it more intriguing and spice it up a bit,” he said.

  “What do you have in mind?” she asked.

  “No names, no information and no strings attached. We will both play it blind; we will not question each other about anything. Most importantly, we will leave everything at the door when we say our goodbyes. This moment is ours if you want it.”

  She reached down and placed her hand on his knee. They looked at each other and with their eyes they agreed it would be their moment without saying a word. He helped her put on her jacket as they headed out the door. Once outside, he motioned for a nearby taxi. When they got in, the cabby asked where they wanted to go.

  Thomas replied, “I’m not sure, I’m not from around here.”

  “A quiet place,” she said.

  “Oh, okay,” replied the cabby. “I know the best quiet place in Atlanta. And by the way, everyone calls me Cookie.”

  Cookie threw the meter arm on and pulled out into the traffic. Across the city sped the cab, dodging in and out of traffic. They turned onto Barefoot Road just outside Atlanta. Not far down the road, they pulled into a motel called Shady Inn.

  “Now, you wanted a quiet place. Here you are; this is it. I recommend room 23. It has a good view of the city. Plus, I’ve had my quiet moments there too. Just tell them Cookie sent you.”

  “Alright, Cookie,” replied Thomas, “thanks,” he said as he paid him and got out of the cab.

  Cooke gave him his business card with his private number on it and told them they could call him when they were ready to go back into the city and he would come back and pick them up. They told him that would be great. As Cookie drove off and disappeared into the night, they went into the office to get a room. Thomas asked the manager if room 23 was available. Luckily, it was. They took the key and made their way to the room.

  “It is quiet,” she said.

  “Almost too quiet,” he replied.

  But, the night was young and it was theirs. While she went into the bathroom to freshen up, he bent the blind down and looked out the window. He noticed there were not many cars out. When he heard the shower come on, he undressed, slipped into the bathroom and eased into the shower with her.

  “Naughty boy,” she said. “I like that.”

  From the shower, to the bed and onto the floor, they indulged in their moment. It was their night with no regrets and no strings attached. They enjoyed every passionate moment. Once they settled down, they knew they had to end it. They called Cookie to come and take them back to the city. When they arrived back in the city, they said their goodbyes. After they kissed goodbye, he turned and walked away. After a few steps, he stopped and turned to ask her name but he paused for a minute. He changed his mind, turned back around and faded off into the night. She started to shout out her name but instead whispered Michelle. But, he was too far away to hear her.

  Early the next morning, Thomas headed back to Chattanooga and Michelle went back to Memphis. When she got back home, she found her house had been ransacked and her daughter, Heidi, was nowhere to be found. Immediately, she called the police and they sent over a team of policemen to investigate the matter. When the police arrived, they searched the house and tried to find out what had happened. They speculated that her daughter had probably had a wild party while she was out of town. But, it turned out that wasn’t the case. There had been three other cases in the past six months involving the disappearance of three other girls. It looked like they all just disappeared into thin air.

  Michelle knew Detective Reynolds in charge of the cases. An APB had already been put out on a Wesley Powell, a convicted murderer and drug dealer who was also involved in human trafficking and blackmail. In the underworld, he was well known for abducting young girls and boys to sale them overseas in Europe and Asia. Detective Reynolds and a team of officers had been working on the cases for the last six months. They were closing in on him fast and ready to make their move. With the help of the foreign agents, they had gathered enough evidence to make a bust. But, finding this guy was proving to be hard to do. One minute he was within their reach and the next minute he was gone. But, Detective Reynolds knew he would eventually show up somewhere and they’d get him.

  Detective Reynolds informed Michelle that Heidi would have to be missing seventy-two hours before she would be considered a missing person. Michelle already knew that.

  “I’ll put an all points bulletin out on her after seventy-two hours,” he said. “But, I’ll see what I can do now. Try not to worry, just p
ray and hope for the best.”

  The last time Michelle had talked to Heidi was about twelve hours before she got back home. Michelle knew time was crucial.

  A few days later, in Chattanooga, Thomas was sitting in his office when he received an unmarked envelope. When he opened it, he found some naked photos of him and the woman he had the one night stand with in the motel in Atlanta. There was no note or blackmail letter with them. There were only photos, but they said it all. But, who in the world would blackmail him? Was it her, his one night stand? No, surely not. After a few minutes of looking at the photos, he realized they could destroy his job and the chance to get back with his wife. For the last year, they had been separated because of an office affair with his secretary. He didn’t want this latest incident to get out. He had to stop it before it went any further and destroy all the photos in the process. But, how could he get it done?

  The next day in Memphis, Michelle went out and got into her car to go to work. When she started to put her purse in the passenger’s seat, she saw an unmarked envelope. She quickly opened it because she thought it might be something pertaining to her daughter. But, there were nude photos of her and her one night stand in Atlanta. Cautiously, she looked around but didn’t see anyone. Just great, she said to herself. What else in hell is going to happen? A missing daughter, now this. As she thought about it, she wondered if it was her one night stand trying to get money out of her. But, she didn’t know who he was or where she could find him. She relived the night of the one night stand over and over in her mind. The more she thought about it, the more things started to make sense. She knew if she could find Cookie, she could probably find the answer to her question.

  Meanwhile, the search for her daughter continued. Michelle had more on her plate than she could handle. However, her daughter was her top priority. But, she didn’t know what she was going to do. So far there hadn’t been any request for money. But, she knew it was just a matter of time. Then she remembered her old boyfriend, Eddie, who used to work for the Atlanta Police Department. She hoped he would help her, but she had her doubts. She searched for Eddie’s number and finally found it. She wondered if it was still good. She called him, but there was no answer. She tried several more times but there still was no answer. She started to think he had changed his number. Later on that day, she tried again and he answered. They chatted a while before she told him what was going on. He told her he would be glad to help and he’d get right on it to see what he could find out. He told her he’d keep in touch.

  Thomas was also trying to figure out what he needed to do. He tried to think of the best way to go about it without getting the police involved. He had a friend that was a private eye, Bill, who had helped him several times before. He decided to give Bill a call and ask him to come over so he could explain everything to him. Shortly, Bill arrived. Thomas filled him in on the situation and showed him the pictures. Bill agreed to take the case and immediately left for Atlanta. A couple of days later, Thomas received a call from Bill. He had found the cab driver, Cookie, and had him under surveillance. Bill also found out that Cookie had close ties with a guy named Wesley Powell. He had heard Chattanooga authorities were investigating him for human trafficking. But, they were having a hard time tracking him down. There were two cases of girls missing in Chattanooga and three from Memphis.

  “Have you talked to Cookie?” asked Thomas

  “No, not yet,” replied Bill. “I’ve just been following him.”

  “I have a deal that I would like for you to offer him,” said Thomas. “I want you to see if he will accept it for all the pictures, negatives and anything else pertaining to the blackmail.”

  Bill told Thomas he would offer him the deal and he’d get back with him as soon as he talked with Cookie. The next day, Bill stopped off to get a pack of cigarettes and ran into an old friend he hadn’t seen in years. It was Eddie, Michelle’s old boyfriend. They both lit up a cigarette and reminisced about the days of long ago when they worked cases for the Atlanta Police Department. Eddie told him he was working on a blackmail ring operation in the area for a client. Bill asked him if one of the guys was named Cookie and drove a cab.

  “Yes, how do you know?” asked Eddie.

  Bill replied, “I’m working on the same thing for my client.”

  “You’re kidding me,” Eddie said with a chuckle. “Hey, maybe we can work together like old times.”

  “Why not,” replied Bill. “Let’s get a bite to eat and we’ll compare notes.”

  “That sounds good to me. Do you remember that little hamburger stand not far from here?” asked Eddie.

  “Yeah,” replied Bill, “I do. You mean it’s still open.”

  “Yep and they’re still serving the best southern hot dogs around,” stated Eddie. “I’ll buy.”

  They compared notes and strategies but they never asked each other about their client’s crimes. When Eddie looked at the photos, he didn’t recognize Thomas but he knew without a doubt that the woman in the pictures was Michelle. But, he didn’t tell Bill that she was his client. Within hours, they made their move on Cookie. They questioned him about the blackmail racket and threatened to bring him in. Bill and Eddie offered him a deal he could hardly refuse. Bill and Eddie told him if he agreed to work undercover with Detective Reynolds and the Chattanooga and Memphis police to bring Wesley Powell in they would have the blackmail charges dismissed and he would go free. Bill told him he wanted all the photos, negatives and anything else pertaining to the blackmail of his client and Eddie’s. Also, if he agreed to the deal they would get in touch with the Atlanta police and have the blackmail ring shut down and they would keep his name out of it. If he didn’t cooperate, they would make sure he spent the rest of his life in jail. Cookie wasn’t dumb; he knew how deals went. He wanted Wesley just as bad as they did because he had killed his brother. Cookie was out for Wesley’s blood, but Bill and Eddie didn’t know that. Now, he could take care of him with the law on his side so he accepted the deal.

  Wesley had double-crossed Cookie’s brother in a drug deal; he kept the drugs and the money. He brought drugs into the country from Mexico by way of the gulf and up through the bayou. From there the drugs were loaded onto tractor trailer trucks and delivered to a place north of Chattanooga.

  Bill and Eddie took Cookie into the Atlanta Police Department and he cooperated with the police. Bill called Thomas like he said and within hours Bill was on his way back to Chattanooga and he had Cookie with him. Eddie called Michelle and told her the blackmail situation was over and there was no need for her to worry anymore. He told her whenever she was in Atlanta to give him a call because he’d like to see her again; she said she would. She was so relieved the blackmail was over. But, she still needed to find her daughter.

  The feds had taken over the case of Wesley Powell. Detective Reynolds and the Chattanooga police were now working together with the feds to get Wesley. Thomas kept the deal with Cookie under wraps. He believed he had a sure thing, but didn’t want anyone to blow it.

  Little did anyone know, Michelle was working to get to Cookie as well. She believed Cookie could also help find her daughter. She didn’t let anyone know that one of the missing girls was her daughter. She knew if the police found out she wouldn’t be allowed to work on the case. Within hours she was one a flight to Chattanooga.

  Cookie kept his word; the blackmail pictures were never exposed. There was some talk about it and a lot of hearsay, but nothing ever developed. Everyone wanted to get Wesley and get those girls back.

  The next day, Michelle went to the federal building in Chattanooga to talk with the judge about working as an assistant on the Wesley Powell case. When she got there, she told the judge’s secretary she would like to talk with him. His secretary knocked on the judge’s chamber door and told him that a Mrs. Michelle Hewitt was there to talk with him. The judge, who’s back was to the door, told her
to send her in. As Michelle stood in the doorway, a voice from behind a high back office chair told her to come in. When she started to speak, the judge slowly turned and looked at her from the side of his chair. Briefly, when their eyes met, they both relived that night in Atlanta.

  “You’re a judge,” she said.

  “And you’re a prosecutor,” he replied.

  It was so awkward. They didn’t say a word. They both were at a loss for words. The judge rested his face in his hands and Michelle started laughing.

  She said, “I have to laugh to keep from crying. After all this time, I finally know who you are. I’m Michelle.”

  “And I’m Thomas.”

  “How have you been?” she asked.

  “I’ve been doing well and you,” he said.

  “I’m not doing as well as I was in Atlanta but I’ll make it,” replied Michelle.

  “So you want to assist the federal DA with the Wesley Powell case. May I ask why this case is so important to you?”

  “Well, I’d rather not say at this time. Like you told me in Atlanta, no strings attached and no questions. I would like to leave it that way for now.”

  “I see,” he said. “I’ll grant your request but only if you let me buy you dinner.”

  “It’s a deal,” she said, “but, no more motel rooms.”

  “I guess you heard about the blackmail,” he stated. “I wanted to contact you but I didn’t know who or where you were. I wanted it to stop as soon as possible so I took care of it.”

  “Thanks, Thomas, for working the blackmail out for us,” she replied. “It has been a bad time for me ever since I returned from Atlanta.”

  “Well, it’s over with now,” assured Thomas. “And now if we can convict this Wesley Powell we will be doing even better,” he said. “Oh, by the way, the US Attorney called me yesterday and they said they have agreed to let you work on the case, but only if I don’t have a problem with it. You know you have your work cut out for you. The feds are arranging everything. Cookie will meet with Wesley tomorrow night and he’ll be wearing a wire.”

  “Do you think Cookie can pull it off?” she asked.

  “He’ll either do it or get killed,” he replied. “Plus, there will be federal agents nearby. He should be okay.”

  “Will the feds let Wesley be tried in your jurisdiction?” she asked.

  “Yes, but at first they didn’t want to. Eventually, they agreed that since the two original abductees were from Chattanooga he could be tried here. But, as you know, we have to get him first.”

  Nightfall seemed to fall early that night as Cookie pulled up in the parking lot of an empty warehouse. He waited for a few minutes but didn’t see any sign of Wesley. There wasn’t a soul around. About thirty minutes later, the shadow of a man appeared upon his car. Before he knew it, Wesley had opened the back door of his car and got in.

  “What’s going on, man,” Wesley said as he leaned toward the front seat. “I heard you wanted to see me.”

  “The police know you had something to do with the disappearance of those girls here and in Memphis,” Cookie replied.

  “So, what’s that to you,” he said. “Are you setting me up, punk?”

  “Somehow, they connected me with you,” Cookie replied. “And they have a deal for you.”

  “What kind of a deal?” he laughed. “They don’t have nothing on me. If they did, they would have already gotten me.

  “They want the girls back,” said Cookie.

  “I don’t know where they are,” he replied as he reached over and grabbed Cookie by the hair. “I’ll kill you just like I killed your worthless brother. You need to stick to driving cabs.”

  “You do know where they are. I’d kill you right now if I had the mind to,” he replied.

  “Huh, like I killed your brother.”

  Cookie squeezed the steering wheel as tight as he could and held his tongue.

  “Just say I did know something, what’s in it for me?” Wesley asked.

  “The feds said if you help them get the girls back they would offer you a plea bargain for a lesser crime and time. Eight years in prison with the possibility of parole in three years. Or, you could possibly walk free,” explained Cookie. “What about it?”

  “What if I don’t?” Wesley inquired.

  “They’re going to get you one way or another, dead or alive,” threatened Cookie.

  “I don’t know,” Wesley replied. “Listen, I’ll get in touch with you within the next couple of days. I need to take some time to think this over,” he said before he got out of the car and casually walked away.

  “He’s either thinking about it or he suspects it’s a bad deal,” Cookie whispered into the microphone.

  The feds started to take him then, but they didn’t want to mess anything up. They had him thinking so they decided to wait and see. Everyone wondered if Wesley would take the deal. But, they were also concerned that he would leave town and disappear. The feds kept an eye on his every move. It was hard to say what he would do. All they could do was wait it out. Finally, Wesley sent word for Cookie to meet him.

  When he met with Cookie he told him that he wanted the plea bargain in writing and signed by the judge. He explained to him that it was going to be hard to find the girls. He said he would do his best to get them back, but it was going to take some time. He told him it was more than likely too late for the two girls from Chattanooga because they were probably already in the system overseas. But, he’d still see what he could do. He was a little more optimistic about the girls from Memphis. He told him he would get back with him in a couple of days.

  Wesley turned himself in and took the plea bargain. The feds put Wesley in a room, guarded by a guard, equipped with a computer so he could try to locate the girls. The feds, Cookie and Michelle watched from behind a two way mirror in the adjoining room. Wesley hacked his way through several false sites; they were piggyback sites that bypassed him through the net and helped him get to the sites he needed, all the while keeping his location hidden. He typed in his secret code that opened up a hidden underground world of human trafficking. Next, he typed in a number code and his password to get behind the net wall to communicate with a buddy of his. Wesley gave his buddy the information he needed to search for the girls so he could locate them. About three hours later, his buddy contacted him for some more information. Two hours later, his buddy had located the girls from Memphis. They were about to board a ship that would carry them to an overseas underground. His buddy put a hold on the three girls and told Wesley that the girls would be returned to Memphis within the next twelve hours.

  What a relief it was to everyone that they were alright. Michelle held back her emotion because she didn’t want anyone to know that one of the girls, Heidi, was her daughter. She left the room and went to the bathroom to let go. She laughed, cried and thanked the Lord that Heidi was safe and on her way home. Michelle got on the next flight to Memphis to be there for Heidi when she arrived back home. Heidi was home within twelve hours, just like Wesley said.

  A few weeks later, Wesley’s trial was held. The United States Federal Court of the State of Tennessee vs. Wesley Powell, docket #242179, was presided over by Honorable Judge Thomas Grisham.

  The trial opened, witnesses were called, evidence was presented and everything was good. It was an open and shut case until Wesley’s lawyer received some bazaar information pertaining to the case. He asked to approach the bench and Judge Grisham allowed him; the DA approached the bench also. After a minute or two, the judge called for a recess and said that court would reconvene at one o’clock. Wesley’s lawyer, the DA and his assistant all went back into the judge’s chambers. Wesley’s lawyer had found out that one of the girls was the Assistant DA’s daughter. Judge Grisham asked Michelle if she was out of her mind.

  “Do you know what you have done?” he yelled. “We could have a mistrial on our hands because of a conflict
of interest; he could actually walk free.”

  “I’m sorry, Your Honor,” she cried. “But, all I wanted to do was get my daughter back and make him pay for taking my baby girl away from me. Things happened so fast that I couldn’t think straight. I didn’t know what else to do. I’m sorry; I know better. But, my daughter’s life was at stake and so was mine. I’m so sorry,” she said.

  “Why didn’t you just tell me the truth?” he asked.

  “I don’t know why. I guess I was afraid for my daughter. I didn’t know if I’d ever see her again.”

  There was a moment of silence before they left the judge’s chambers and went back into the courtroom. Wesley was found guilty by the jury and sentenced by Judge Grisham. He received eight years to be served in Bushy Mountain Federal Prison and would be eligible for parole in three years. But, Judge Grisham surprised everyone when he called for a mistrial because of a conflict of interest. He then dismissed the jury and told Wesley he was free to go. The courtroom was stunned.

  There were a lot of unanswered questions in Wesley’s case. Did Judge Grisham know about Michelle’s daughter? Were he and Michelle in it together to get to Wesley?

  A couple of days later Wesley was found dead. Who killed him remains to be said. Was he killed for revenge in the death of Cookie’s brother? Was it Michelle revenging the kidnapping of her daughter? Or, was it one of Wesley’s many enemies? It is possible that Cookie got an under the table deal to revenge the death of his brother?