Double Fugue Page 2
“What are you performing for the concert?” Jason asked.
“We have a fabulous program. First up is the Egmont Overture by Beethoven. We horn players like it because it is one of the first pieces he wrote that used the modern sized horn section of four players. It is a very heroic sounding work. It was written as incidental music for a play about the independence of the Dutch people. Egmont was a leader in their movement to be free from the tyranny of the Spanish king. Then Mr. Korkovitz is going to play the Liszt Piano Concerto No. 1 with us. This has the most amazing piano part. It takes a lot of technical skills just to play the notes, much less master them! Beethoven and Liszt were the rock stars of their day. Beethoven was the first composer to be financially independent from the upper classes, and his music speaks to the ages with his themes of heroism and free men defeating the forces of tyranny and oppression. Franz Liszt actually lived the life of a rock star, traveling all over Europe playing sold out piano concerts complete with swooning women. He also revolutionized music, increasing the technical capabilities for piano music, and developing new musical forms like the tone poem, which tells a story through music.
“On the second half of the program, we are performing Dmitri Shostakovich’s Fifth Symphony, one of the greatest symphonic works of the 20th century. It’s an emotional tribute to mankind, full of lyricism and conflict, which of course is a lot of fun for brass players. Just like great composers before him, Shostakovich wrote a fifth symphony that in the last movement is a musical victory over adversity, with loud and powerful passages that eventually end in a major key instead of the minor that we have heard throughout most of the music. You hear that triumphant ending passage and it makes you want to stand up and cheer!”
“Wow, Robert, you sure are passionate about this program,” Jason said. “You remind me of Daniel when he talks about his music.”
“That’s one of the great things about classical music,” Robert went on. “It always has these fantastic life messages and stories that the composers are telling in the form of sound.”
“You make it sound so interesting, Robert.”
“Well it is, if you can get into it. Would you guys like to attend the concert? As principal horn, I will be getting two primo tickets. My parents are going to be out of town that evening, and so I would be happy to give them to you.”
“What do you think, Daniel?” Jason asked. “Would you like to go?”
“Oh yes, let’s go. We can take the light rail downtown to the concert hall.”
“Jason,” Robert continued, “with your analytical mind, you should really get into this concert, because the music is so moving yet logical at the same time. And because it’s a summer concert, you won’t have to get all dressed up to go. You can wear casual clothes with no problem. And Daniel, with your interest in music, you will really appreciate all of the hard work and musicianship of the students in the orchestra. I bet you will recognize some of them. There are at least six other students from our school who made the orchestra after the auditions.”
“All right, Robert, we are in!” Jason exclaimed. “I will really look forward to hearing you perform.”
“That’s great, guys,” Robert responded. “I’ll either bring the tickets to your house, if we get them in advance, or I will leave them for you at the box office. Now I don’t know about you, but I am getting hungry. Would you like to go over to the sandwich shop on Santa Clarita Avenue and get some lunch?”
“That sounds like a good plan,” Daniel said. “I’ll call my mom and tell her I won’t be home for lunch.”
“While you do that I will quickly go home and get my bike,” Robert replied.
Soon the three boys were headed off to the sandwich shop. They continued their animated conversation and catching up on the summer as they enjoyed large submarine sandwiches, chips, and drinks. After eating, they went their separate ways, Jason to Laura’s house for a leisurely afternoon of swimming and visiting with his girl friend, Robert back home for some chores and practicing, and Daniel was going for a bike ride with Diana before he went home to help his dad with some yard work.
A NEIGHBOR’S PLEA
(Monday Evening)
A little after 7:00 PM on Monday evening, there was a knock on the Hunter’s front door. When Edith Hunter went to answer it, she found their neighbors Marilyn and Jorge Ferreira at the door.
“Hello, Marilyn and Jorge. What a pleasant surprise to see you! Won’t you come in?”
“Hello, Edith,” Marilyn replied. “We are sorry to interrupt your evening, but we really need to talk to your son, Jason.”
“Jason!” Edith replied. “Has he done something he wasn’t supposed to?”
“Oh, no. Nothing like that. Jason is a wonderful kid. We need to talk to him about our nephew, Eric Acosta.”
“Please come and have a seat here in the living room. I’ll get Jason for you.”
Jason’s father, Bill Hunter, was reading a magazine in the living room when Edith brought the Ferreiras into the room. “Bill, you remember our neighbors Marilyn and Jorge from down the block.”
Bill got up and shook hands. “Of course, how are you folks doing this evening? Please have a seat.”
“We are doing great, but we are concerned about our young nephew who lives in Springdale, and wanted to talk to Jason about it.”
Just then Edith and Jason walked in the room. “Jason, you remember our neighbors Mr. and Mrs. Ferreira don’t you?”
“Oh, yes,” Jason replied. “You came to my homecoming party back in June.” He and Edith sat down in two of the remaining chairs in the room.
“That’s right,” Marilyn answered. “We were so happy for you then, and also when we heard that you had tracked down those horrible people who kidnapped you. You showed a lot of courage to go after the criminals who treated you so cruelly. And that is why we are here.
“The reason we came over tonight is because we wanted to ask your help with a very delicate and disturbing situation that has recently occurred with our nephew, Eric Acosta, who is your age.”
“How can I be of assistance?” Jason asked.
“This afternoon I received a very upsetting call from Eric’s mother, Anna, who is my younger sister. She and Eric live in the small town of Springdale, about 70 miles south of here. Anna told me that she was very worried about Eric, and begged Jorge and me to take him in for the rest of the summer. She told me that Eric has become withdrawn and uncommunicative, moping around the house, not eating well, dressing properly or taking care of himself. There was some major incident between Eric and most likely his stepfather Rogelio Fernandes this past weekend. When Anna came home Monday after a long weekend away at her job, she at first couldn’t even find Eric, and then discovered him cowering in his room in a state of shock. He was badly bruised in places, was covered with dirt, and there was adhesive stickum all over his body and face.
“Looking around the house for clues as to what had happened, she found a pile of duct tape scraps in the basement, and figured that Eric had been beaten and then dumped in their basement, all wrapped up in the duct tape. When Anna asked Eric to tell her what happened he told her to leave him alone and would not talk about what happened to her or any other adult she suggested he talk to — the police, a doctor, the priest in the local church, or a counselor at school. She wants to get him some protection and counseling help but doesn’t know how to begin without some communication from Eric.
“At first I was at a real loss as to what to say to her, but then I remembered you, Jason. I told Anna about how you and your friend Daniel worked together to solve your kidnapping. She thought that maybe you could get through to Eric, because you are the same age, know what it was like to be a crime victim, and could relate to the trauma that Eric is obviously going through. I know this is a great imposition on you, Jason, but I am desperate to help my sister and nephew out, and I don’t know anyone else to ask! Would you be willing to go down to Springdale and meet with Eric?”
Jason, who had been listening to Marilyn’s story with growing apprehension, looked at her and replied, “What you have just told me is cause for great concern! Everything you just said indicates that there is a serious predator at work here, and Eric is the victim of his abuse. If we are going to help out Eric, we need to immediately get involved, like tomorrow! This is a perfect test case for my new foundation that was formed to help teenaged crime victims.”
Addressing his parents, Jason asked, “Mom and Dad, will you give me permission to go and try and help Eric? I will get Daniel and Mr. Connor to go with me.”
Mr. Joseph Connor was a retired ex-special forces agent who Daniel and Jason had consulted during their first case, the solving of Jason’s kidnapping. After his years in the service, he came back to the Silicon Valley and took over his father’s surplus store business, which he had finally sold off a few years ago. He had since become a trusted friend and advisor, and Jason had recruited him to serve on his foundation board.
Marilyn looked over to Bill and Edith Hunter and repeated Jason’s request. “Mr. and Mrs. Hunter, please let Jason go. I believe he is quite correct to suggest that we act immediately!” Then glancing back at Jason, she continued, “But what is this foundation you are talking about, Jason? I don’t quite understand what that is.”
“Soon after my kidnapping case was solved,” Jason informed her, “I came into a large sum of money that I have invested in a private foundation devoted to helping teenaged crime victims. The foundation hasn’t yet been announced to the public, but soon will be.”
“Will Jason or his friends be in any physical danger if they go down to Springdale?” Mr. Hunter asked.
“No, they will just be visiting Anna and Eric’s house,” Marilyn replied. “She said that when Eric’s stepfather goes away, he is usually gone for a week at a time. And Anna will be there, you can count on that!”
“Then I don’t have any objection,” Mr. Hunter said. “Edith, what do you say?”
Edith had a little frown on her face as she made her decision. “I am a little concerned about Jason getting involved, but it sounds like Eric is in a desperate situation. If you are sure that Jason and Daniel can be of assistance, we want to be good neighbors and help you out. I say let them give it a try!”
“Thanks, Mom and Dad,” Jason replied. “I am going to call Daniel and Mr. Connor to ask them if they can go. Why don’t you wait here, and I will find out.”
Edith served some drinks and cookies while Jason went to make his calls. About ten minutes later he returned with a smile on his face. “Everything is a go! I am going to brainstorm a plan of action and get ready for tomorrow. Mr. and Mrs. Ferreira, please get your house ready! If we are able to make the breakthrough and communicate with Eric, most likely he will be coming back with us tomorrow evening.”
“Thank you so much, Jason,” Marilyn said with relief in her voice. “We are in your debt!” She then asked, “Are you sure you don’t want me to go down there with you?”
“I think it is better if we go alone,” Jason explained. “That way, if for some reason we are unsuccessful, you won’t be associated with our failure!”
Soon after, Jorge and Marilyn Ferreira left to call Anna and let her know that Jason and his friends would be visiting tomorrow. Jason asked a favor from Edith. “Could you help me run an errand before you go to work tomorrow, Mom? I will need to go to the drug store.”
“Sure, Jason. I hope you know what you are getting into.”
“Mom, I have to try. I know what it was like when a predator was after me. I think Eric is in very serious danger! Now I am going to my room to work on a plan to help him.”
THE RESCUE MISSION
(Tuesday Morning)
The next day, Jason was up early. He had put in a call to his personal banker (one of the perks of having a multi-million dollar foundation), and promptly at 7:30 AM a courier arrived with $1000 in cash. He then left with his mother Edith to go to a large drug store. At the store, Jason purchased a canvas bag along with a complete set of grooming items, including deodorant, soap, body wash, manicure kit, shampoo, comb and brush, body brush, toothbrush and toothpaste, and mouthwash. For help with cleaning up Eric he bought adhesive remover (for removing tacky adhesives from the human skin), skin oil, rubbing alcohol, petroleum jelly, bandages, and antiseptic balm for bruises. He also purchased a bag of ice, juices and soft drinks, and some snack food, chips, snack bars, and cookies.
When they were done shopping, Edith dropped him off at the house. “Good luck, Jason. I hope you can help out Eric!” Jason then spent the next half hour organizing everything to take down to Springdale.
At 9:30 AM Daniel and Joe Connor arrived at Jason’s house. They held a meeting to talk about strategy. Jason had put together some good ideas. He began their meeting by telling Daniel and Mr. Connor what he knew already. “From what I have heard from his Aunt Marilyn,” Jason said, “Eric will need a lot of personal attention, including a complete cleaning and grooming, and probably will need new clothes. I have money for your car expenses, Joe, and have already put together a bag of grooming items, food and snacks. Did you guys bring along what I asked?”
Joe Connor showed Jason the recording device with a remote microphone he had brought along so that they could record what Eric said for use with the authorities later. Daniel told him that his guitar was already packed in Mr. Connor’s car. Jason had asked Daniel to bring along his guitar, in case Eric was unwilling to communicate verbally.
Jason summed up his plan. “Guys, we now have several ways to get through to Eric. If we can’t get him to talk, we have the power of music, the bag of snacks and cooler of drinks. I think Daniel will agree with me that sometimes the best way to get the attention of a teenager is through music or food!”
Later that morning Mr. Connor drove Jason and Daniel down to the town of Springdale. The Acosta house was located on a small side street a few blocks from the main highway. When they knocked on the door, Anna Acosta answered. After introductions all around, Jason asked how Eric was doing.
“Eric is still very withdrawn and uncommunicative,” Anna told them. “He is still unwilling to say anything to me about what exactly happened to him.”
She then brought the boys and Mr. Connor into the living room, where they were introduced to Eric, who didn’t make eye contact, and barely acknowledged their presence. The boys were shocked by Eric’s appearance, still filthy from being in the basement, his long unkempt blonde hair all greasy and matted with dirt, barefoot and wearing only swim trunks and a soiled white tee shirt. After some small talk, Mr. Connor and Eric’s mother left the boys by themselves.
It was a delicate situation at first, because the boys didn’t know each other and the silence was awkward. But Jason didn’t let that bother him. In his most cheerful personality, he started talking and prattling on about things, just to give the room a feeling of normalcy.
“You know, Eric, we have been riding in the car for a long time, and I don’t know about you but I wouldn’t mind having something to drink and a little snack to munch on. Why don’t you join us? There is plenty here in the cooler.” Jason then brought the cooler over to Eric. “Look, there are colas, juices, and cold waters. What would you like?” Eric peered into the cooler and eventually selected a cola.
“Daniel, what about you?” Jason continued acting the host.
“Jason, I would really like a cranapple juice drink,” Daniel responded. “What kind of snacks do you have?”
“I have several kinds of chips, cookies, some snack bars, and fruit bits.”
“That sounds great. Toss me a potato chip bag and some fruit bits.”
Jason did so and then he went over to Eric. “Here, how about some snacks? Why don’t you pick out several?” Jason made sure that Eric had several different snacks by him, because he thought that Eric had been starving himself. Sure enough, within a couple of minutes, Eric was munching away on a snack bar and some cookies.
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�So, Eric, what kind of things do you do around here for fun? Do you play video games at all?” Jason then went on to describe in detail some of the games that he and Daniel played all the time. Every couple of sentences, Jason threw out a simple question to Eric, just to see if he would answer. Eric’s responses at first were monosyllabic, and negative because he had no gaming equipment, but at least he was responding.
Then Jason changed the subject to sports. “Do you like to play sports, Eric? Do you like to participate in team sports?”
Eric shook his head no.
“How about pickup sports like one-on-one basketball or playing catch?”
Eric mumbled something like, “No one around.”
“Maybe you just like individual sports, you know running, swimming, working out on weight training machines?” Jason persisted.
Still there was no real response from Eric.
Daniel then jumped in and talked about his workouts at the YMCA. “It has been a great experience for me this summer. Every weekday morning I go over there and participate in a fitness class. Some days we do weight training, and other days we swim in the pool.” When Daniel mentioned the pool, Jason could see some reaction from Eric, but still he was being very closed mouth and not responding to any of their conversational openings.
Jason decided to try another tack. “Yeah, I know that some kids are really more into things like music than sports. Music is Daniel’s passion. This summer he has been learning the guitar, and now whenever we go anywhere he always brings it along. Daniel, why don’t you play something for us. I could sure enjoy hearing some music!”
Daniel went to get his guitar, and Jason continued talking on. “Daniel is a talented singer, and has been singing in choirs, but now he is learning how to be a solo singer who can accompany himself with the guitar. It’s very cool to watch him work and listen to him sing.”
“I’m not really very good yet,” Daniel stated, “but I have been working on learning some folk songs.”