The Evening News (86 page)

At 2 P.m. in the task force conference room, Teddy Cooper took a phone
call from Jonathan Mony
.
Mony, by now, had slipped into a supervisory role and for the past few
days had been overseeing all the temporary researchers. An assumption was
growing that when Mony's present work concluded, a permanent niche would
be offered him in the News Division. On the phone he sounded breathless
and excited
.”
I think we found it. Can you, and maybe Mr. Kettering, come out
?
”

"Found what, and where are you
?
”

"The place the kidnappers used, I'm almost sure. And I'm at Hackensack
,
New Jersey. There was an ad in the Record
that's the local paper-and we
followed through
.”

"Hold it
!”

Cooper said. Don Kettering and Norman Jaeger had just walked
in together. Cooper removed the phone from his ear and waved it
.”
It's
Jonathan. He thinks he found Snatchers City
.”

A speakerphone was on a desk nearby. Jaeger pressed a button and the
speaker came alive
.”
Okay, Jonathan
,”
Kettering said
.”
Tell us what you have
.”

Mony's amplified voice answered, "There was a classified ad in the
Record. Seemed to fit what we were looking for. Shall I read it
?
”

"Go ahead
.”

The trio in the conference room heard a rustling of paper as Mony
continued his report
.
The advertisement, they learned, had appeared on August 10-a month and
four days before the Sloane kidnap, which put it within the estimated
time frame of the pre-kidnap surveillance.

HACKENSACK-SALE OR LEASE

Large traditional house in 3 acres, 6 bed, servant quarters,suit multi-family or convert to nursing home, etc. Fireplaces, oil heat, air cond Spacious outbuildings good forvehicles, workshops, stables. Secluded location, privacy. Attractive price or lease. Terms allow for some repairs needed.
PRANDUS & PAIGE
Brokers
Developers

One of the young women researchers discovered the ad, buried among many
others-the Record had one of the largest real estate advertising sections
in the region. On reading it, she had contacted Jonathan Mony who was in
the area and now carried a CBA paging device. He had joined her at the
newspaper's business office from where Mony phoned the real estate
brokers, Prandus & Paige
.
Initially he had not been optimistic. During the preceding two weeks
there had been many
such alerts. But after quick entice
ments
and
follow-throughs including visits to "possible
”
premises, all had proven
worthless. The likelihood that this latest scrutiny would be different
did not seem great
.
In this case, as with most others, on learning that CBA was making the
inquiry, the brokers were cooperative and supplied
an address. What was different was some added information: First, that almost at once after the ad appeared, a one-year lease had been taken on the property with full payment in advance. Second: A recent check revealed the house and buildings to be deserted, the lessees apparently having left
.
An official at the brokerage firm told Mony, "The tenants were there just
over a month, and we haven't heard from them so we have no idea if they're
coming back. Right now we're not sure what to do, and if you have any
contact with the people, we'd appreciate hearing
.”

Mony, his interest quickening, promised to keep the real estate firm
informed. He then visited the property with the woman researcher
.”
I know we weren't supposed to follow up directly
,”
he told Cooper and the
others on the phone
.”
But that was before we heard the kidnappers were in
Peru. Anyway, we've found some things we think are important and which made
me decide to call you
.”

He was telephoning from a caf6, he reported, about a mile from the empty
house
.”
First, give us the directions
,”
Kettering instructed
.”
Then go back to the
house and wait. We'll be there as fast as we can
.”

An hour later a CBA courier car pulled into the Hackensack property
,
bringing Don Kettering, Norm Jaeger, Teddy Cooper and a two-man camera
crew
.
As Kettering stepped from the car, he surveyed the old decaying buildings
and commented, "I can see why that ad mentioned 'repairs needed
.”

'
Cooper folded a map he had been studying
.”
This place is twenty-five miles
from Larchmont. About what we figured
.”

"You figured
,”
Jaeger said
.
Mony introduced the young woman researcher, Cokie Vale, a petite redhead
.
Cooper recognized her instantly. When the temporary researchers first
assembled she had asked whether, at the stage they appeared to have reached
now, a camera crew would be on hand
.”
I remember your question
,”
he told her and gestured to
the crew assembling its equipment
.”
As you can see, the answer's 'yes.'
“
She flashed him a dazzling smile
.”
The first thing you should see
,”
Jonathan Mony said, "is on the second
floor of the house
.”

As the others followed, he led the way into the dilapidated main house and
up a wide, curving stairway. Near the head of the stairs he opened a door
and stood back while others filed in
.
The room they entered was in total contrast to what had been seen
elsewhere. It was clean, painted a hygienic white and with new pale-green
linoleum covering the floor. Mony switched on overhead fluorescent lights
,
also obviously new, revealing two hospital cots, both with side restraining
rails and straps. In contrast to the cots was a narrow, battered metal bed;
it, too, had straps attached
.
Pointing to the bed, Kettering said, "It looks as if that was an
afterthought. The whole place is like a first-aid station
.”

Jaeger nodded
.”
Or set up to handle three doped people, one of them
unexpected
.”

Mony opened a cupboard door
.”
Whoever was here didn't bother to clear out
all this stuff before they left
.”

Facing them were some assorted medical supplies-hypodermic needles
,
bandages, rolls of cotton batting, gauze pads and two pharmaceutical
containers, both unopened
.
Jaeger picked up one of the containers and read aloud, "'Diprivan . .
.
propofol'-that's the generic name
.”

He peered at fine print on the label
.”
It says 'for intravenous anesthesia.'
“
As he and Kettering looked at each
other, "It all fits. Doesn't seem much doubt
.”

"Can I show you downstairs
?
”

Mony prompted
.”
Go ahead
,”
Kettering told him
.”
You're the one who's had time to look
around
.”

Entering a small outbuilding, Mony pointed to an iron stove, choked with
ashes
.”
Somebody did a lot of burning here. Didn't get everything, though
.”

He picked up a partially burned magazine, the name Caretas visible
.”
That magazine's Peruvian
,”
Jaeger said
.”
I know it well
.”

They moved to a larger building. Inside, it was obvious it
h
ad been a paint shop. Virtually no attempt had been made to clear the building. Cans of paint-some partially used, others unopened, still remained. Most were labeled AUTO LACQUER
.
Teddy Cooper was looking at colors
.”
Remember when we talked to people who
saw the Sloane surveillance? Some reported seeing a green car, yet none of
the kinds of motors they mentioned were manufactured in that color. Well
,
here's green enamel-and yellow too
.”

"This is the place
,”
Jaeger said
.”
It has to be
.”

Kettering nodded
.”
I agree. So let's get to work. We'll use this on the
news tonight
.”

"There is one more thing
,”
Mony said
.”
Something Cokie spotted outside
.”

This time the attractive redhead took center stage. She led the group to a
cluster of trees away from the house and outbuildings and explained
,
"Somebody's been digging here-not long ago. Afterward they tried to level
the ground but didn't manage it. The grass hasn't grown back either
.”

Cooper said, "It looks as if earth was taken out and something buried
,
which is why it hasn't packed down
.”

Among the group, eyes shifted back and forth. Cooper now seemed uncertain
,
Jaeger looked away. If something had been buried--what? A body, or bodies?
Everyone present knew that it was possible
.
Jaeger said doubtfully, "We'll have to call the FBI about this place. Maybe
we should wait and let them . .
.”

Behind the remark was the fact that after Friday's National Evening News
,
the FBI Director in Washington had telephoned Margot Lloyd-Mason and
strongly protested CBA's failure to inform the FBI immediately of new
developments. Surprising some at CBA, the network president did not take
the complaint too seriously, perhaps believing the organization could with-
stand any government pressure and was unlikely to be charged in court. She
merely apprised Les Chippingham of the call. The news president, in turn
,
cautioned the task force to keep law enforcement authorities informed
unless there was some compelling reason not to do so
.
Obviously, because physical evidence was involved at the
Hackensack house, the FBI must be advised of the discovery
certainly before broadcast time tonight
.”
Sure we'll tell the FBI
,”
Kettering said
.”
But first I'd like to take
a look at what's under that ground, if anything
.”

"There are some shovels in the furnace room
,”
Mony said
.”
Get them
,”
Kettering told him
.”
We're all healthy. Let's start digging
.”

A short time later it became evident that what they were opening was not
a grave. Instead it was a repository of discarded items left by the
property's recent occupants and presumably intended to stay hidden. Some
things were innocuous -food supplies, clothing, toilet objects
,
newspapers. Others were more significant-additional medical supplies
,
maps, some Spanish-language paperback books and automotive tools
.”
We know they had a fleet of trucks and cars
,”
Jaeger said
.”
Maybe the
FBI will find out what they did with them-if it matters at this point
.”