Blackbird Fly Part Seven

If you haven't read the previous parts to this ongoing story, here are the following links:

Part One: https://vocal.media/chapters/blackbird-fly-xrl46g04bk

Part Two: https://vocal.media/chapters/blackbird-fly-part-two-little-angel

Part Three: https://vocal.media/chapters/blackbird-fly-part-three

Part Four: https://vocal.media/chapters/blackbird-fly-part-four

Part Five: https://vocal.media/fiction/blackbird-fly-part-five

Part Six: https://vocal.media/chapters/blackbird-fly-part-six

The Bird Song

“Sailing, sailing, across the sky,

Oh, so soothing, I love to fly,

Sailing, sailing, sunny today,

Oh, so moving, I am so gay.”

"Gay?"

Jack was so jolted by that last line in the bird song that he was abruptly shaken out of his dream state.

Jack woke up lying in his bed. The time on the clock said 1:47 am.

“I’m not gay,” as the thoughts rushed around in his mind, “ Someone is trying to intimidate me and I’m letting them get to me. I’m not gay and I know it. So, why am I so insecure about these photos? I certainly am not homophobic. I mean I fought to keep the LGBTQ student club at school when the American Family Association was crusading around the United States to remove all LGBTQ clubs from junior high schools and high schools across the nation. I even joined the club to show my support. So, why am I letting myself get intimidated?”

Jack went back to bed but committed himself to facing this head-on to get to the bottom of what was going on.

Who do I trust?

Jack woke up at 7:00 am with a lot on his mind. He was thinking about how he was going to handle this situation, who he could talk to, and who he could trust.

As he walked out to the kitchen to grab a protein drink and a banana, he found his mom sitting at the table reading the newspaper. It suddenly hit him, "Mom, I can trust my mom."

“Mom, do you have a few minutes?”

“Of course Jack. I always have time for you. What do you need?”

“Let's talk in my room. I have something I want to show you.”

Jack brought his mother to his room and showed her the lockbox filled with the photos.

As he clutched the lockbox he explained, “Mom, I am in trouble and I don't know who to trust.”

“What? What's going on Jack?”

“I'm being blackmailed.”

“Wait. What?”

“Let me show you,” Jack unlocked the lockbox and pulled out the envelope.

He handed the envelope to his mom, “There's a letter and some photos. Take a look at them.”

Sheryl emptied the envelope and examined what was inside. After looking at its contents she gave the envelope back to Jack and instructed him to immediately put it back in the lockbox.

“Okay, Jack, first let me get the personal side of this out of the way. If you and Mitchell are having a thing, that's your business.”

"But Mom, that's the thing," Jack cut in quickly. "I'm not involved with Mitchell. He was just showing off his muscles and asked me to feel how solid they were. As for the incident in the bed, it never happened. I had too much vodka to drink. That was the first time I ever drank. Mitchell got into the bed after I had crashed. I was set up.”

“Okay,” Sheryl gathered her thoughts for a second. “You must be very careful who you talk to or what you say. Whoever is behind this could be very dangerous. I have an old friend who is an investigator. He works off the grid and is very thorough. I'm going to talk with him and we'll get him on this case.”

The Invisible P.I.

Several days later Sheryl gave Jack an update on his case.

“Jack, I spoke with my friend. He said the first thing we need to do is inspect the envelope and its content for a potential planted listening device. I need you to bring the lockbox out here.”

Jack brought the lockbox from his closet to the living room. Sheryl took all the contents out of the large manila envelope. Then, she tore it open from the seams and found a miniature microphone taped to the inside of the envelope. It was round in shape and about 1/8th inch in thickness. She also tore open the two smaller envelopes that housed the letter and the photos. There weren't any other microphones.

Sheryl took polaroids of the microphone then put it back in the lockbox which was then stored in a locked tool cabinet in the garage.

Sheryl took the letter, the photos, and the Polaroids and put them in a small letter envelope to be dropped off to her P.I. friend.

“Sit down Jack. I want to explain to you how we will be proceeding.”

Jack sat next to his mom on the sofa.

With the microphone securely outside of the house Sheryl could speak freely. “You will not meet my P.I. friend nor will you speak with him in any way. As a matter of fact, I will not meet with him or call him going forward. If any material items need to be sent to him it will be done covertly. This is all I can tell you. The less you know the better.”

The Encyclopedias

Later that day, the doorbell rings, and Jack promptly answers it. A young man in his late twenties, carrying a large suitcase, starts speaking, "Hello, my name is Daniel. I'm with the Britannica company. Someone named Sheryl Amsbury scheduled an appointment to look at some encyclopedias."

"Let me get her," Jack responds.

With Daniel waiting outside, Jack closes and locks the door before

heading to get his mom. Sheryl, confused by this, goes to see who it is.

“Hello, I am Sheryl Amsbury”

“Hello, Mrs. Amsbury. You told me that you have an interest in classical music.”

Sheryl perked up when she heard “classical music” and said, “Yes, come on in.”

Sheryl directed him toward the living room.

Daniel opened his suitcase and pulled out an encyclopedia and began describing the quality of the binding.

After several minutes Sheryl decided on the encyclopedia set with the blue and gold decorative binding.

“Excuse me, Daniel, let me run upstairs to get my purse.”

Sheryl came back with her purse and pulled out her checkbook. Daniel told her the cost of the encyclopedias, and she proceeded to write the check. Sheryl handed him the check along with the small white envelope containing the photos to be dropped off to her P.I. friend.

Daniel thanked Sheryl, and then he left.

Deactivating the Bug

Within a few days, Sheryl received a notice while she was in aisle ten at the grocery store, perusing the spice section. She was looking at the turmeric and cinnamon when a small envelope with the words "classical music" written on it fell to the ground next to her feet. Whoever dropped it moved quickly, as Sheryl did not see them.

She picked up the envelope, took out the small business-sized card, and read the message: "Not much activity yet. There are some fingerprints on the microphone. Most likely they are yours or Jacks. But the fingerprints will be run through the database. Do you know anybody with the initials W.S.?"

A second card was also in the envelope, providing instructions on how to deactivate the microphone device.

Once Sheryl arrived home she went to the garage to retrieve the microphone from the lockbox. She took the microphone to the kitchen and sat at the table with the instructions.

On one side of the microphone there is a small pinhole.

Take a thumbtack and push through the hole all the way through piercing the metal of the battery to the other side. Creating a hole in the microphone.

Microphone is now deactivated. It can no longer track your location or hear your discussions.

I will send a courier to pick up the deactivated microphone.

Please keep the microphone with you at all times.

Please have a list of all the people you know with the initials of W.S. with the microphone.

Who is W.S.?

After deactivating the microphone, Sheryl sat down with a pad of paper and pen and started writing down the names of people with the initials W.S. A few minutes later, Jack walked in, and Sheryl explained to him what was going on.

"So far, I have two names: Walter Slater and Willie Sampson, the sheriff’s son. Can you think of anybody else?"

"I’m not sure, Mom," Jack answered. "There’s a kid I went to high school with, Wesley Stetzel. I’ve known him since Junior High. Oh, and our neighbor down the street, Wanda Schultz. I can’t think of anybody else."

"Okay, well, we have four names. Hopefully, that helps."

“Oh wait, Mom,” Jack continued, “there’s that creepy man from the park. He worked at the recreation center for a while back a few years ago. What was his name? Wyatt or something like that.”

“Oh yes,” Sheryl responded, “Wyatt Sawyer. Yes, he was very creepy. He was fired from the park around the time Xochitl disappeared.”

Sheryl completed the list and put it in an envelope with the microphone.

*** Stay tuned for Part Eight as this drama unfolds ***

With Love, RHC ❤️