Big in Japan Ch. 01

"Okay, I'll get down there tomorrow." said Teresa. "Okay, bye." After disconnecting, Teresa said "Aunt Clarissa wants me to come down there as soon as possible. She said she would tell me everything about Weston Windham, and leave it up to me what to tell the FBI."

I was staring right at Teresa, and said: "Hmmm, Todd can't go down there with you? Any reason for that? A reason named... 'Takaki', perhaps?"

"Not much gets past you, sir." Teresa said. "Todd is expecting for Mariko to be recalled to Japan at any time. They're not letting it get out publicly, but Misaki-sama is more ill than they've been saying. Mariko is much more than just Todd's assistant, she manages a lot of stuff for him. If she has to leave, he pretty much has to be there at BOW."

"And when she does leave," I said, "it is very likely that she will not come back... to America, much less BOW Enterprises. She'll be expected to help the Takaki family business... running Japanese Intelligence for their Government."

"Wow." said Cindy.

"Damn." Teresa said. "I'd forgotten that Teddy Franklin took the BOW plane to Washington. I guess I better get some airline tickets..." She fished out her cellphone, but Cindy stopped her.

"My daddy's private plane is bigger than your husband's." Cindy said, a bit cattily, making me and the Chief chuckle. "Seriously, with him at home during summer camps, it's available..."

Part 3 - Scotch On The Bayou

11:00am, Tuesday, September 1st. Teresa and Cindy pulled up to the stately Belvedere family home in their rented vehicle. "Wowwww." Cindy said as she looked around. "This is awesome!"

"Yes," said Teresa, "it's a relic of older, simpler times. I've never been comfortable with wealth like some people are, but it's very nice in the historical sense."

"I know what you mean." Cindy said as they walked up to the door, which was opened by Charles the Butler.

"Madame Clarissa is expecting you, Madame Teresa." Charles said. He led them to the sitting room in the back of the house.

"Ah, Teresa, my dear." the matriarch said as she got up out of her chair. She hugged Teresa.

"Aunt Clarissa, may I present my friend and colleague Cindy Ross?" Teresa said.

"Ah, yes," said Clarissa, shaking Cindy's hand. "Teresa told me so many good things about you on her last visit. I'm very glad to meet you. Sit down, ladies, do sit down."

After being served lemonades and with Bessemer cookies available, Clarissa said "My apologies for coming right to the point, but I need to talk quickly before anyone else arrives. I understand that there has been some trouble regarding my daughter Jen, and also some mystery involving my niece Tessa's husband Weston Windham."

"Yes ma'am." said Teresa. "On my last visit, we stumbled upon some issues regarding Jen, which drew the attention of the FBI. How much of that do you know about?"

"Oh my dear, I've had my suspicions for many years." Clarissa said. "I never liked that man Jen married... Hideo, I think his name was. He had shifty eyes. No, I don't mean slanted eyes, but shifty eyes. I never understood what Jen saw in him, but they were married, then divorced when he went back to Japan."

"Do you know why he went back to Japan?" Teresa asked.

"I would imagine to avoid being arrested." Clarissa said. "I became aware of the FBI looking into our family finances as well as what little of our businesses we still owned, and he and Jen suddenly stayed in Houston all the time. And the FBI suddenly lost interest in us almost to the minute after Jen told me she was divorcing him and he was leaving the country."

"Excuse me, ma'am," Cindy said, "you said the FBI was investigating you? How long ago was that?"

"Oh, I think 'investigating' us is too strong a term." said Clarissa. "It was more like just looking into our books, and most of that through the IRS. My idea of them 'investigating' us would be for Federal Agents to be swarming all over the place, which did not happen. And I would've noticed or been informed if that had happened."

"When was this, if I may ask?" Cindy queried.

"Six years ago." said Clarissa. "Two years before Weston and Tessa were killed in the plane crash... which is why I asked you to come down, Teresa. I can't show you these photos over the phone, and I don't trust talking over these newfangled cell phones, either."

"I totally agree about that." Teresa said. "First, let me ask this: did Weston ever mention having a brother, or another relative, named 'Easton'?"

"He never mentioned it." Clarissa said. "But when he and Tessa became engaged, I had him checked out, thoroughly, and perhaps in ways I should not speak to Police Officers such as yourselves."

Cindy smiled as she said "Oh, I think the Statute of Limitations is well past on that, so don't worry about that or anything else you need to say."

"Thank you, my dear." said Clarissa. "Anyway, the results were more important than the means of the investigation. They found that Weston had a younger brother, named Easton. There was very little about Easton. He'd married a woman named Teresa------ oh, my...."

"Yes, ma'am." Teresa said. "You could not possibly have known at the time, but that was me."

"I see." Clarissa said, her voice ever so slightly shakier than it had been. "That explains some things. Yes, the record showed that Easton Windham married, then the marriage was annulled about eight months later. After that, he vanished almost without a trace. His name came up in a report commissioned by a man named Henry Wargrave, and the subject of the report was a young man named Jack Burke, son of Michael Burke." (Author's note: 'A Case of Revenge', Ch. 02.)

Then it hit Clarissa: "Oh, wait... isn't your husband Todd named Burke, also?"

"Yes ma'am." said Teresa. "Michael Burke was Todd's biological father, and Michael's son Jack Burke did know Easton and me." She did not elaborate on how well they'd known Jack Burke.

"Oh, of course." said Clarissa. "I am a fool for not having seen that before. Anyway, this Easton Windham is believed to have been working for an oil company in Texas, doing chemical research, but disappeared. He may have remained in the Houston area."

Having read the Wargrave report on Jack Burke, Cindy said "Jack Burke was also spotted in Texas, working for an oil company. Teresa, do you think he and Easton got back into some business together? Like a criminal enterprise business?"

Teresa said "I'm not sure Easton had it in him to be a criminal. I always figured he found a job in a library or something, and just dropped off the grid. Aunt Clarissa, what can you tell us about Weston Windham?"

Clarissa said "He wasn't the most aggressive man, either, at least on the surface. He was hired by Bessemer Cookies, and worked in the Quality Control department. He did some research on the various cookie dough recipes, as well as bread recipes. He met Tessa and they fell in love and were married, and if I am any judge of character they were very much in love with each other. We didn't know of your existence, Teresa, so Weston and Tessa were the family's great hope, going forward."

Clarissa continued: "Weston despised my son Colin and his wife Wendy, and was on indifferent terms with Tessa's sister Clara, as was Tessa. But he was on very good terms with my daughter Jen and her husband. They often talked in business terms, and while I tried not to listen to conversations that were not my business, I heard enough snippets to believe that they were talking of possibly going into some kind of business together. That never came to pass, and Weston and Tessa died in that plane crash just over four years ago."

"If I may ask," Cindy asked, "what was the nature of the plane crash? How did it happen?"

"I don't know the details." said Clarissa. "I'm sure the NTSB has a report of it filed, somewhere, and you could look that up." Cindy nodded.

"I can tell you this much, though." said Clarissa. "Tessa originally wasn't going to go with Weston on that trip. It was supposed to just be an overnighter for some business deal Weston was arranging. But then he suggested to Tessa that they stay at the Opryland Hotel and go to the Grand Ole Opry. Tessa loved Country music, and so Beatrice and Genia came to stay with me, while their parents went to Nashville for the weekend. But as you know... they never made it."

Clarissa had a faraway look on her face, so Teresa changed the subject by asking: "Did any of the Belvedere companies go into making whiskey? Or rum?"

"Oh, nooooo." Clarissa said, snapping out of her reverie. "Remember, my dear, that you are in the Deep South, and in a State that was deeply religious for many decades. Alcohol was considered the instrument of the Devil. In some ways that was unfortunate; we could've made distilled spirits and a lot of it, and it would've been very profitable. As it was, we sold a lot of the molasses that came from our sugar production, and it likely was to companies that made rum. But we never acknowledged that, and the cookies did well for us. Oh... do you think that is what Weston and Jen were thinking about going into business for?"

Teresa shrugged. "I have no idea. I only asked because my boss, Commander Troy, has a Chemistry degree, and he said that the cookie dough recipes could be used as mash bills for making whiskies, and the molasses for making rum."

Clarissa nodded thoughtfully. "But not Scotch, as we are not in Scotland. And if memory serves me correctly, you and Jen enjoy Scotch as much as I do, if not more." That made Cindy chuckle. Teresa nodded vigorously in agreement.

"Let me show you photos of Weston Windham." Clarissa said. She took out a book of photographs. "This was when Weston and Tessa were married."

"He's not Easton," Teresa said as she looked at the photos, "but the family resemblance is very strong." She got out her Police iPhone and said "May I take photos of these photos?"

"By all means." Clarissa said. As Teresa photographed several photos, Charles came in and announced that lunch was ready.

Clarissa said "Please do join me for lunch, ladies. Why don't you ladies wash up, and I'll take the rest of those photos for you." Teresa handed Clarissa her cellphone and she and Cindy went to wash up. Moments later they met in the dining room, where cold cuts and iced tea were waiting for them...

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

2:00pm, Tuesday, September 1st. At the Lake Charles Airport, Cindy and Teresa approached the 'The Vision' plane with its pilot, to return home. As they neared the plane, Cindy said "Uhhh..."

"You okay?" Teresa asked.

"Uh, yeah." Cindy replied. "I just got a huge vibe, though... that you need to co-pilot this plane, Teresa."

"I'm not yet qualified for this aircraft." Teresa said.

"I can refile our flight plan," said the pilot, "to have you be a pilot trainee. It'll get you the hours towards being certified, too."

"Okay, let's do that." Teresa said. They got on board, and the pilot got on his cellphone and adjusted the flight plan as Teresa settled into the co-pilot seat and began going through the pre-flight checklist. Cindy strapped into the jump seat behind them.

"You might be more comfortable in the cabin." Teresa said to Cindy, seeing the platinum blonde's action.

"I get the feeling I should be here." Cindy said.

They taxied out to Runway 33. "There's a storm coming from the west." the pilot said. "After we take off, we'll fly at 9,000 feet under the high clouds until we clear it, then ascend to 28,000 feet. I'll be the pilot flying, and you'll be the pilot monitoring."

"Roger." said Teresa. She contacted the tower and they were given clearance to take off. The pilot revved the engines and took off the brakes, and the plane began speeding down the runway.

"V-1." Teresa said.

"Rotating." the pilot said. The nose of the plane ascended and the plane lifted off the ground.

"Vision Two-Niner, this is Lake Charles Departure." said the radio from the airport tower. "Ascend to nine-thousand and contact Dallas-Ft. Worth (DFW) Central for further instructions. Have a good day."

"Roger, nine thousand, Vision Two-Niner." Teresa replied.

They flew north-by-northwest. When they got to the airspace controlled by Dallas-Ft. Worth Airport, and were clear of the weather, the pilot contacted DFW Central for permission to ascend to 28,000 feet.

"Vision Two-Niner, ascend to flight level two-eight-zero and maintain course and speed." said the radio transmission from likely the tower at DFW.

"Roger, flight level two-eight-zero, Vision Two-Niner." Teresa replied. The pilot dialed the auto-pilot for 28,000 feet, and the plane began climbing. At 12,000 feet, they heard a noise.

*POW!*

Oxygen masks descended from their compartments above. Everyone put them on quickly, then the pilot radioed in: "Mayday Mayday, Vision Two-Niner, we've had sudden decompression. Descending to 9000 feet and requesting vectors for emergency landing at DFW or Love Field."

"Roger, Vision Two-Niner, descend to 7000 feet. Contact DFW Approach when you're ready to land, any runway will be yours." The tower also gave vectors to land at DFW.

"Vision Two-Niner, this is DFW Approach." the tower said after the pilot turned to that frequency. "Advise on your situation."

Teresa said "We have decompression, but we are in control of the aircraft. Mayday mayday, request clearance for emergency landing. Vision Two-Niner."

"Roger, Vision Two-Niner," said the controller. "Any runway preference? And can you taxi in, or do you need runway assistance?"

The pilot said "I'll take One Seven Right. We're on final approach, and will taxi in. Vision Two-Niner."

"Roger," said the Tower. "One Seven Right is clear to land. And good luck."

Cindy heard the automatic systems count down the distance as the plane approached the runway. "Five hundred... four hundred..." then "one hundred... fifty...". Then the harsh bump as tires met runway. The pilot brought the plane to a good controlled landing, then taxied to a designated area as emergency vehicles convened to greet them.

"Well done." Teresa said to the pilot.

"You, too." replied the pilot. "You did everything right..."

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

As they got off the plane in the hanger to which they'd been directed, two men were walking up to them, followed at a distance by a third.

"Hello, I'm Hugh Gray with the FAA." said a middle-aged man with a receding hairline, graying hair, and a gray mustache.

"I'm Darren Wheeler of the NTSB." said a younger, taller man with black hair. "Our 'Go' team will be here soon."

"And I'm Eduardo Escobar with the FBI." said Eduardo Escobar, catching up to them.

"Hi, Eduardo!" Cindy said enthusiastically. Seeing the other men's looks, she said "We're Town & County Police Officers, and we've worked with Eduardo in the past."

"Is that why you're here, Agent Escobar?" asked Agent Wheeler.

"Partially." said Eduardo. "I happened to be here on assignment, and when I heard about the Mayday and the emergency landing, I looked to see what plane it was. And I recognized my friends Cindy and Teresa."

"Who owns this plane?" asked Wheeler.

"My father's company." said Cindy.

"Okay, we'll need to get some statements from all of you." said Wheeler. "Let's look at the plane now."

They began walking around the plane. A cargo door near the rear of the plane was badly damaged. "I've seen this before." said Wheeler. "If the door doesn't lock properly, the pressure inside can damage it, leading to decompression of the hold. Damage to the hold structure then causes the main cabin and galley to decompress."

"They had no luggage." said the pilot. "The door was secure when we left Town & County Airport, and I never opened it at Lake Charles. And there's an indicator light in the cockpit that should've come on if the door wasn't secured properly."

Teresa asked "Did anyone work on the plane while we were at Lake Charles? And were you watching it the whole time?"

"It was refueled, but that's all." said the pilot. "I can't say I had eyes on the plane the entire time, though. And I was inside it for much of the time, too, so if anyone opened the cargo door, I might not've seen it. But I still should've seen the warning light, and it did not come on."

Teresa said "I agree, it did not come on, even after the decompression."

Cindy nodded. "Mr. Wheeler, Mr. Gray," she said, "one thing you need to look at in your investigation is deliberate sabotage, with the intent to bring down this plane and kill its occupants."

"Really?" asked a surprised NTSB Agent Wheeler. "Who would want to kill you?"

"That's where I come into the picture." said Eduardo Escobar. "The reason I'm here at DFW is because we've been tracking some perps that Commander Croyle and Commander Ross likely know about. And to that point, Mr. Wheeler, go ahead and do your investigation, but confine your interview to what happened on the plane to cause the emergency landing. I'm going to need to talk to these ladies about the criminal aspects of these issues, and it's a sensitive international investigation we're dealing with..."

Part 4 - The Mash & Drum

"This is Bettina Wurtzburg, KXTC Channel Two News!" shouted the redheaded MILF reporterette at 7:00am, Wednesday, September 2nd, from the rooftop of the building at Riverside and College. "Two local Police Officers are involved in an airplane emergency landing in Dallas!"

Bettina began: "TCPD Deputy Chief Cindy Ross and Operations Commander Teresa Croyle were aboard a private plane that was forced to make an emergency landing at DFW Airport in Dallas, Texas yesterday! A cargo hold door was damaged, which led to decompression of the cabin of the plane after it reached 12,000 feet altitude. The pilots and passengers were able to put on air masks and keep control of the aircraft, which landed without further incident."

Bettina: "The NTSB and FAA have begun an investigation of what caused the aircraft to become damaged and lose cabin pressure. The plane belongs to 'The Vision', the self-help empire created by Dr. P. Harvey Eckhart, who is also the father of TCPD Commander Cindy Ross. It is a relatively new aircraft with a spotless service record. The pilot is very experienced, with over 10,000 flight hours logged on various aircraft, including the Boeing 737 jet. Lieutenant Commander Croyle was listed as the co-pilot in a trainee role."

Bettina: "Channel Two News has learned that the FBI has joined the investigation of the incident, and they believe there is a possibility of foul play. An FBI spokesman reached for comment confirmed that an investigation was in progress, but would give no further details, including who was possibly being targeted in the incident. The TCPD Public Relations Office issued a statement saying that their Officers were unharmed, but that they had no further details to report, and to contact the NTSB and FBI for further information."

Bettina: "In other news, Channel Two News has learned that Republican candidate for Mayor Daniel Allgood, who many say stole the last Mayoral election from its rightful winner, Eldrick X. Weaver, will be holding a rally at The Fairgrounds on Labor Day. Again, Daniel Allgood will be holding a rally at the Fairgrounds on Labor Day. And now lets go to Jeff Hull for Sports and the upcoming college football games. Jeff!"

"That's right, Bettina!" said Jeff Hull, every black hair on his head perfectly in place, and a lot of stage makeup on his face to hide age lines. "The college football season began last Saturday as Alabama crushed Clemson 49-28 in the Chick-Fil-A Kickoff Classic at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. This weekend there will be a full slate of games as our University Bulldogs will scrimmage against FCS school Taco State, and State Tech will go to Eastern State."