Chapter 4

In February, Wallace came to the door. "Kinsman, I have some people with me this time. They are going to have to stay in the cellar for three days. The arrangements we made for their journey has been held up on the receiving end. They are a man, his sister, his wife and two daughters, eleven and sixteen. Keep them down below in the cellar."

"What about food?"

"They will need water. Set a jug on the top step of the stairs. They have trail mix for food."

"Okay, I guess I can do that. Are they dangerous?"

"No, he is a professor with a price on his head from his own government. The wife and two daughters are American citizens. They will deal with the immigration authorities sometime in the future months after they reach her parents. It would be best if you didn't interact with them at all. I'll be back on Saturday to get them."

He returned to his van and drove up close to the porch. He got out and slid the door open. He hurried the people in and then started unloading three duffel bags. The van must have been very crowded. The professor was coffee colored, as was another woman. The American woman was almost, but not quite white. The two children were just a tad darker than their mother was. All were tall, slim, and fine featured, and the dark woman and the sixteen-year-old girl were beautiful.

Sheri and I stood in the far end of the living room and watched as they filed by. None of them addressed me, but the youngest child stopped momentarily and looked at Sheri, smiled and gave a low wave with her hand. She appeared a little scared, but wanted to make a new friend. She made more than one, for my heart went out to her and I'm sure Sheri felt the same. Wallace Bly didn't hang around and he didn't even go downstairs to show my guests their living quarters.

I took a gallon milk jug filled with water to the stairs and was leaning down to put it onto the top stair. The sixteen-year-old was sitting on the bottom step. She turned and looked up at me. "Can we have some food? All we have is some dry trail mix. I'm so sick of it I can hardly get it down. Please?"

"How long have you been traveling?"

"I can't tell you. I'm not even supposed to talk to you."

"Okay, let me ask my friend what we have. We aren't supposed to talk with any of you either." Sheri was sitting on the couch. "The kids are hungry."

"Probably they all are. We've got a loaf of bread and enough hamburger to make sandwiches."

"You know we weren't supposed to feed them."

"I know, but Bly doesn't need to know. We've got enough cheddar cheese to make them cheeseburgers."

"Good, you start them cooking. We'll feed them what we have and I'll go down and buy some more food."

"You're a softy, you know."

"I know and you love me because I am." That got me a kiss.

It was I who carried the sandwiches, one large bottle of soda pop, three bottles of beer, and five apples down the stairs. I was met with disbelief at first and then many a thank you. I spoke to the wife, "Listen to me. I don't want to know your names or anything about you. You are just passing through.

"That said, when you finish your sandwich, you may come up one at a time and take a shower. If you have underwear, you may wash enough to get you to the next stop. I have a blow-up mattress that is big enough for you adults to sleep on. The girls may sleep upstairs next to the room Sheri sleeps in. Please don't mention this to those who are moving you on."

I turned and went back upstairs. Sheri was curious, and I just said they thanked me for the food. Then I said they all could shower, use the washer and the girls could sleep in my room. I took the air mattress down and blew it up. A big box of mine held blankets. It had come up from Greensboro. It was somewhat dank in the cellar so I offered these.

The youngest girl came up shyly for her shower. She was shy meeting Sheri, but Sheri immediately made her welcome. I headed down town for groceries. It was almost two hours before I was able to get home as I was held up by an accident on Sunset Lake Road. A car had gone off the road and hit a tree. When I brought the groceries in, the tall black woman and the two young girls were sitting on the couch.

"Bobby, this is Etta Atu. The family name is unpronounceable so they all go by the shortened version. She is a doctor. Marie is her oldest niece and Berta is the youngest. Their mother's name is Laura and their father's name is John. He went to school at Northeastern and met Laura while there. That was several years ago."

I was a little upset. I didn't mind sharing our food with these transients, but I didn't want to know anything more about them. I didn't want to know who they were, where they came from, and especially not why they were in Cassie's pipeline. It was fine to pass on images to Mike and Molly, but I didn't want to know details. What if they were associated with a terrorist group? It seemed very unlikely, but I kept to the plan.

I started to say something, but Etta spoke first. "Thank you very much for making us comfortable. We can't tell you our names. We aren't bad people, we were caught up in a political situation in our home country, and managed to get away. We will always remember your kindness. Someday you will be repaid for it I'm sure. We really have only shared our first names. Berta is the one who said I was a doctor. She is proud of me and tells everyone. You can forget it if you want to."

I doubted I would ever forget Etta. She was tall with a statuesque figure and spoke with a British accent. I had to assume she had spent some years in the United Kingdom, probably training to be a physician. I nodded that I would accept her explanation.

I went down into the cellar to put pellets into the furnace. John and Laura were lying on the air mattress. She spoke, "Thank you so much for taking care of us. I wish I could say more, but what you are doing for the girls is very much appreciated." I smiled and went about filling the hopper. Marie came downstairs and rattled off in a language I didn't recognize something. She went back upstairs. I said goodnight.

The aunt and the two girls had the run of the house for the next two days. I would not allow them outside, even though they asked. This was buttressed by John and Laura, who remained in the cellar. Saturday morning, I made sure all evidence of my guests being upstairs was removed. Wallace came about two in the afternoon and loaded them into the vehicle that had the food service logo on the side.

Sheri had tears in her eyes as we watched the van leave. "I really enjoyed having them here. I wonder where they are going and why? I would like to see them again someday."

"You had better forget them. It will be safer for us."

"I know."

Cassie came the next week with Wallace. They stomped into the house. "Listen, you two, I understand you made those people who were here last week comfortable. The kid couldn't keep her mouth shut and blabbed about how well you treated them. Wally told you not to do that. You didn't follow orders."

"Damn it Cassie, they had kids with them and they were hungry. If you put people in here and they are hungry, I'm going to feed them. I'm not running a gulag here. You warn the people not to talk to us. It is their responsibility, not ours. I told the last ones not to divulge anything and they wouldn't have if it weren't for the youngest girl. I don't like you moving kids anyway."

"Okay, this time, no harm done. I guess you are right. I just have to be careful. There will be a bunch of Latinos from Cuba coming through tomorrow. They will be here overnight, that's all. Go ahead and feed them. You might as well get another air mattress. I'll make this into a halfway house. It pays better. You'll get more money, but what you feed people comes out of that.

"Another thing Bobby, the only vans coming here from now on will be food service vans. They are easier to explain. One will be here every day except Sunday. If anyone asks, neither one of you can cook, so you have joined a meal delivery service. I also notice you two are getting along better. I haven't heard you two spitting at each other today at all. That's good, makes for happy living. You'll probably be in bed together someday."

I could see Cassie thought this was unthinkable as she chuckled. She sobered and continued, "Sheri, make us coffee, I have something else to discuss." She waited until the coffee was poured.

"I'm looking to the future. When I quit this business, I won't want any ties to this part of the country. I've bought a piece of property in another state. I want to get rid of the lot I own here. I'm giving it to you. I don't think anyone locally knows you are my sister and I don't want it known.

"Wallace is handling the sale as your agent this time. One more thing to keep your mouth shut about. I hope you have enough money to pay the taxes on it, but I really don't care. Maybe Bobby will give you some of the money I am paying him." Again, she chuckled. She and Wallace finished their coffee and then left.

I asked Sheri what she thought she would do with the land she was soon to own. "I'm going to sell it and continue to live right here with you." She changed the subject. "Bobby, how much are you worth? You know what I have, which is not much. You have never said and I would like to know."

"What would you say if I said several million?"

"I wouldn't believe you."

"Well it is true. Think about it. My wife's parents owned a bookstore and did for ten years. Before that, her father was a stockbroker and retired when he was forty-two. Her mother sold real estate. Shelly and I had some money from both working in the store. The last one to die in a situation like this inherits. Shelly was her parent's heir and outlived them by only an hour. I was her husband. Then there were their insurance policies. I inherited it all.

"I sold the bookstore before coming up here to see who was preempting my property. Do you believe me now?"

"I guess I have to believe you. That worries me. You're fairly young and handsome." Tears were starting to fall from her eyes. "You're rich and don't really have any reason to stay with me now. Especially as I have my own property. I can make my own way. I'm thinking the black woman, Etta, is a professional, and she is beautiful and quite taken with you. You could hunt her up and have a great life with someone who is all there." Sheri was crying hard now.

"All that is true, if that is what I wanted. I don't though because I want you. We were thrown into this situation together and it hasn't played out fully yet. You need protection and I love you so I want to protect you. The money I have has nothing to do with us. It is there to use if we need it, but that's all. Besides you have a sexy stump of a leg and it turns me on as much today as it did nine months ago."

"Is it my leg or is it a fetish you have?"

"It definitely is your leg."

"Okay, this is the last time I will ever doubt you love me. My stump is a little sore and needs a massage. Can I have you tend to it before we get ready for the bunch of Cubans that are coming tomorrow?" We made it to the couch and this was comfortable enough to play on. Nothing more was said about my net worth and I figured as long I was with Sheri, the money was no more of a big deal to her than it was to me.

I guess there were many people who moved in and out of the country. Cassie had now made this her main operation. Rarely did we have a time when we didn't have at least one overnighter in the cellar three times a week.

Cassie gave her attention to each and every one by not trying to combine them. I mean, if there was a single man, she didn't have a woman that he didn't know with him. The same when there were multiples. Blacks and Asians were always kept separate. Many who came through were from the Latin countries. I guess the reason was that she didn't want to have any ethnic trouble develop while they were her charges in transit.

I went so far as to post a notice showing a plate and cup with a (5:00) in a circle. Whether everyone from the different countries understood, I wouldn't know. This was the only time we served hot food, unless they were staying more than one evening. In that case, we served cold cereal for breakfast, a ham sandwich for lunch, and did a pot roast with potatoes, carrots, and onions cooked in a cast iron kettle at five. No one complained. Sheri and I assumed we were treating our guests better than at their other stops along the way.

Cassie had increased my payment so I didn't have to foot the food bill myself. At first we trusted that no one would hurt us, but that changed. I slept in the room closest to the stairs.

I awoke one night and saw a shadow pass down the hall toward Sheri's room. I got out of bed and stood watching him trying her door. I flicked the hall light on. The man got a scared look on his face and ran back by me and down both flights of stairs. Was it me or was it the .380 I was holding? Didn't matter. The next night there was a bolt on the door leading to the cellar. Before this, I had relied on a thumb lock and didn't always think to push it. Dumb!

It was the last of March when a mixed group of seven Mexicans was going south and stayed two nights. The food service van had to have been packed full of humanity. As they went by me to load up and leave, a small, older woman, definitely of Latin heritage, stumbled in front of me. When I reached down to help her up, she whispered, "Mike and Molly." This had to make her an agent of the FBI or the DEA. I felt safer knowing the two agencies hadn't forgotten Sheri and me.

Another month went by and it was the end of April. We were having overnighters more often. Also, it looked like Cassie was not only moving people down the pipe, but was now combining other contraband in the same van where there were people. We tried to get images of all the people who arrived, but that was difficult. Earlier in the year, I had installed a motion detector that tripped a camera, so we were collecting pictures of 75% of the arrivals and didn't need to be upstairs and physically take the picture.

There were very few transients going north ... maybe one every two weeks. The group of seven Mexicans in March was the biggest bunch to go either way. Both Sheri and I were getting tenser by the day. Mike and Molly had promised this operation would end by mid-May.

Sheri became concerned about how much food we were purchasing when the clerk made the comment that she sure bought a lot of groceries. "Do you have a large family or run a restaurant?" We then decided to spread out our purchases to different stores. This meant we had to travel to Wilmington, Putney, Bellows Falls or Keene for groceries. We were fast becoming sick of this whole operation and wanted it done with.

On the third of May, Wallace arrived at barely daylight and approached the door. "Bobby and Sheri, please go for a walk. Your guests today don't want to be seen. They will require food so in a half hour please return and cook something for them. Just open the cellar door and put it on the top step. I also warn you it wouldn't be wise to get curious. I'll be back tonight after dark and get them."

"Okay, whatever you say. None of our business. How much food will be required?"

"I don't know. Make up a big kettle of pasta and sauce. Add a loaf of bread. That should do it. You can return from your walk when you hear my car leave."

Sheri put on a heavy jacket and covered her head with a shawl. We stayed away from the van that held the people we were warned not to see and headed up the road. We got almost halfway to Hescock Road when Wallace went by us. He just waved and we turned around and went back to the house. Sheri started macaroni for chop suey while I put onions, garlic and hamburger into a skillet.

We put this all together with some canned crushed tomatoes. I was sure if these persons were hungry, they would be salivating by now. It smelled wonderful. I wrapped some eating utensils in a towel, enough for a half-dozen people, filled an empty milk jug with water, a loaf of twelve-grain bread and a stick of butter. As an afterthought, I added a six-pack of Pepsi. I opened the cellar door, placed it all where Wallace said to, and closed the door.

This was the day Sheri and I planned to start laying the floor in the living room. We decided to go ahead with this. We moved the furniture and started cutting and fitting the flooring. This was the last project before our house would be totally finished. Hopefully, the other situation would be resolved at the same time. Cassie would be out of our lives, and hopefully out of circulation, probably for many years.

We would lay a couple of courses on the floor then stand up, and admire our work. This was certainly going to be beautiful. We did hear the toilet in the cellar flush three times close together. I surmised there were three people down there. Sheri took the time to bake a white cake. She frosted it with chocolate frosting when it cooled. About three in the afternoon, I knocked on the cellar door, to warn them that I was opening it.

All of the food I had left earlier had been consumed. The Pepsi had been drunk as well. I picked up the dishes and put down the cake. I had emptied two quarts of canned peaches into a bowl and left that with the cake. I went back to working on the living room floor. About two hours before dark, I put a pound package of sliced ham and another loaf of bread on the step. I added a jar of mustard and another six-pack of Pepsi.

It was dark when Wallace Bly arrived. "Go upstairs and stay there while I load up these people. It would be best if you forgot there was anyone here on this date." We shrugged our shoulders and went upstairs as directed. It wasn't long before we heard Bly's vehicle leave.

"Bobby, you pick up what they left and I'll do the dishes."

"Okay, but I think if they didn't wipe down the spoons and forks, I'll wrap them up and put them in the mailbox for Mike to check for fingerprints. What do you think?"

"Why?"

"Because if we weren't supposed to see them, they must be terribly important. One more nail in Cassie's coffin. God, think of all the harm Cassie has caused with her drugs and contraband. Who knows what criminals she has helped get into the country."

"Good thinking. Where did she go so wrong? I know I have never gotten along with her, and I can't believe with what she has been doing that we are even related."

"I know and I feel the same way. She is so much worse than when I was married to her."

The next morning I went into town. I took the memory cell from the camera along with the towel that had the dirty eating utensils and stuffed them into the post office box. I came home and we worked on the flooring. One more day and our home would be finished.

The next ten days it was business as usual as far as Cassie and her pipeline were concerned. Wallace was there every day except on the two Sundays. The fourteenth of May was a Monday. Wallace drove in and Cassie was in a separate car behind him. She parked near the porch headed out and came into the house before Wallace.

"Bobby, you have five guests for today and tonight. They are all from China. One is an elderly woman needing help getting down the stairs. It will take both you and Wally, as she is quite heavy. Sheri, you gather up some food, as they are all very hungry. You know you two have done a wonderful job of feeding those who have stayed here. Keep it up for a few more months. I'm going to end this before Christmas."

"You will have got rich enough and destroyed enough lives by then I take it?"

"You could say that, but you have been right in there, accepting each and every envelope I've passed to you. You are worthless. You haven't even tried to find a job and have been living off me."

"Maybe, but at least I'm not a criminal like you."

"Whatever. Go help Wally get that woman in here. Sheri, get busy. I have to leave shortly."

I went outside and Wallace had a woman in a wheelchair. Behind them were another man and woman and two older teenage kids. When we got the woman and chair inside, Sheri had some canned food and drinks stacked beside the cellar door waiting for us to go by. Wallace and I maneuvered the wheelchair down the stairs.

Cassie spoke, "Sheri, I'm going to take the food down behind them. You hand it to me." Sheri stepped down onto the landing and had an armful of food ready to give to Cassie. Suddenly Cassie ignored the waiting handoff, immediately pushing Sheri off balance, going past her and slamming the door closed. This effectively closed us inside the cellar. All of us stopped and stared at each other. Wallace shouted at Sheri, "Is the door locked?"

Sheri tried it. "Yes, I can't even rattle it." I was still holding onto the wheelchair and we were still a couple of steps from the bottom.

"Wallace. Let's get this woman down."

"Fuck the fat bitch! Let her go if you can't hold her." He paid no attention to me and let go the chair. I did get the woman down without tipping her over or other mishap. Wallace jumped off the stairs and ran to the door leading to the bulkhead.

"The bitch! The lousy double-crossing bitch! We're trapped in here and there is no way out."

I ran toward the end of the cellar. I could see through the window and under the porch. I heard a car door slam and could see the car that Cassie had come in drive off.

"She's gone and left us locked in here."

Wallace went berserk, running up the stairs and rattling the door again. When he found it still locked, he began kicking and scattering the food. I was afraid he was going to push Sheri off the side as she was still on the top step. The old woman was crying and the two teenagers, a girl and boy, were scared out of their wits. The man, their father was just as bad. The younger Chinese woman, whom I thought was his wife, said three words that I was extremely relieved to hear, "Mike and Molly."

I knew then that if we could contain Wallace, we would be fine. He got a pistol out and was waving it around. I was headed for my firearms and figured this was going to get nasty. I had a pistol. The one closest and easiest to get to was hidden under a bag of pellets. It would take a couple of minutes to get it. If I was given time, I could turn this around. Sheri, knowing what I was about, started screaming as loud as she could to distract Wallace.

Neither Sheri nor I had to worry. The Chinese female agent stepped up two steps and hit Wally with a stun gun when he turned to tell Sheri to shut up. He toppled down the stairs onto the floor. The agent who had zapped him immediately restrained him with some plastic ties. She was prepared for this as she had the ties at hand in her jacket.

When she finished with this, she rattled off words in Chinese to the old woman, the man, and his two kids. They relaxed, knowing they weren't in any immediate danger. I helped steady Sheri down the stairs with a hand. The agent said, "Hi, I'm Suni Chung, FBI. It is all over. I understand you have a way to get in touch with Mike. Now would be a good time."

"It is already done. Someone should be here in a couple of hours. We will have to wait. If need be I can get us out of here. If no one comes before evening I will."

"Fine, works for me. Just so you know, this is the day the sting operation ends. There are dozens of people being gathered up all over the country and other places as well. Mrs. Turner, see if you can salvage any of the food. We really are all very hungry."

Wallace started to struggle while beginning to regain the use of his faculties. The Chinese man was directed to sit on his legs while Suni tied them up with a piece of clothesline to stop him from thrashing around.

The old woman looked faint so we managed to get her out of the wheelchair and onto the mattress where she could lie down. I had more food stored and I brought out the whole assortment. It was mostly canned fruit, but I did have some cans of Pringles. Wallace refused to eat anything, but did accept a drink of water. He could not stop swearing though. Sheri and I huddled in the far end of the cellar as directed.

It was almost four that afternoon when we heard the bulkhead doors slam open. Then we heard the steel entrance door being fiddled with. Suddenly it opened and Mike and Molly were both there. There were several other agents with them as well. They carried Wallace Bly up and put him into a vehicle. The Chinese immigrants were taken in hand and carted off. The agent, Suni Chung, went with them.

Mike promised that Suni Chung would be put in for a commendation, after listening to me about how she had handled the situation. Soon most all were gone except the two agents. Mike and Molly sat on the couch while Sheri made us a meal. Just before we sat down, Mike said to Sheri, "Would you set one more place, please. My wife will be along in a few minutes. She will want to congratulate not only me, but you two as well."

"Sure, we would love to meet your wife." Molly was smiling as if she was holding in a secret.

I asked Mike if Cassie had been caught. Mike answered, "Yes, she is under my control. How do you feel about that? Do you ever want to speak to her again?"

"I don't know. I thought that at one time I would love to throw her lifestyle in her face after she was brought to justice. Now, I just want to forget her. I did love her at one time. I'm sure Sheri feels the same way."

"I can understand. I just heard a vehicle. That will be my wife. I'll open the door for her." He went to the door and the woman came into his arms, but we couldn't see her well. When they broke the kiss, Mike stepped to the side and Sheri and I could see Mike's wife. We were speechless as Mike introduced his wife, "Bobby and Sheri, let me introduce my wife, super undercover FBI agent, Cassie Stinson. I guess we owe you some explanations."

"I guess you do." I was speechless. This was a wrinkle in the operation that was inconceivable. I thought Cassie would be caught and sent to prison for many years. Now she stood there before us as one of the good guys.

Sheri was not happy and had something to say. "Cassie, you have a lot to answer to me and Bobby for. I don't know if I will ever forgive you."

"I know and I'll try to make up for it. I'm just so sorry that I made it so you had to live in the same house together hating each other as you do."

I looked at Mike and Molly. "You haven't told her have you?"

They both shook their heads. Mike said, "How could I? You and Sheri have seen more of her than I have in the last nine months. Cassie couldn't break her cover to talk to me. You two have had it way better than we have."

I grinned at my ex-wife. "Hell Cassie, Sheri and I were in love before the first week was out. We've been screwing each other ever since then. We made sure Mike and Molly knew, and we kept up the charade of hating each other before you and Bly. We were bound we were going to put your ass in prison."

"You are familiar with Mike and Molly?"

"Of course. It started right after you contacted us. We turned you in the next day. We both wanted to bust your ass. We had a face to face twice with them. I don't know how many phone conversations we've had. Did you know we were passing on images of every transaction that took place out in the yard? I would say we had pictures of at least 75% of the people who came through here. We were giving Mike what we could to take you down."

"Cassie, Bobby was working against you from day one after you spoke to him the first time. He did as much to help us identify the criminals as you have. We have been able to identify and gather up most of the crooks you sent down the pipe. Some of those people you moved weren't necessarily criminal. We know where they are and we can use them to build a case against those who are."

Mike turned to me. "That's the truth. We always suspected that Wallace Bly was someone other than who he claimed to be. Those three men he brought through here two weeks ago are what gave us the best clues. That whole network they were a part of is being swept up as we speak.

"When you took those early morning images of the three on their arrival, we identified them immediately. The fingerprints on the forks and spoons confirmed their identities. It was just a matter of identifying with whom they were associating. It led us back to the parent network that Bly was working for. Bly is actually a member of the Russian Mafia. He worked out on the west coast ten years ago and we lost track of him."

"Over time we will tell you how this sting was put together. Cassie was a major player in getting it set up. That was her primary purpose and she did what she set out to do. This operation began more than three years ago. Bly was looking for someone to front an operation ... this one that you just helped close down. The DEA first learned there was someone trying to start a business like this. Molly came to us at the FBI.

"We built Cassie a background with a long record of crime and money hunger. She became the planner and was the one who set up most of the pipeline. She figured out how to get the halfway places up and running. When Bly 'accidentally' met Cassie, we were in business."