Devil's Workshop: The Ultimate True Crime Tale

Section 5: ESCAPE FROM OHIO

  CHAPTER 28

    In the small rural town of Render, Ohio, there was a fairly large house. This is the private residence of the state's Republican Governor Jim Thompson and his First Lady Kelly.  It was a quiet normal day when the First Couple, who are in their early 70s, was in the house. Suddenly every window in the house was broken by smoke bombs. Smoke filled the entire house. When the smoke cleared, Kelly was the only one remaining in the house.  She looked outside and saw a caravan of vans and cars driving away.

  Within the hour Lt. Governor Ed Walson, also in a Republican but in his late 30s, held a press conference in the capital of Columbus. "Good morning ladies and gentlemen. Just moments ago Gov. Thompson was kidnapped in his private residence in Render. We have reason to believe this to be the work of the infamous neo-Nazi group The Promised Ones, created by career criminal and white supremacist Russ Badjer. Our sources have stated that The Promised Ones had been planning this for a while, but the specifics of the plan were not made known to us. I have therefore declared a State of Emergency, and have directed the Ohio State Highway Patrol to cooperate with the FBI with this investigation. A hotline has been set up so that concerned citizens can provide tips regarding the Governor. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family. Thank you."

   Soon after the conference, Walson was in the Governor's office. Also present was Colonel John Bess, superintendent of the Ohio State Highway Patrol. They had been having calls with members of the press and law enforcement. Walson made another call. "Hello?" said a voice.

  "Hello, can I speak with Amy G. Dala?" asked Walson.

   "This is her."

     "Hi, Mrs. Dala, this is Ed Walson, I am the--"

     "Ohio Lt. Governor."

     "That's right."

       "And you want me to help find Gov. Thompson."

     "Yes, we could use your help."

     "Why would you want someone like me? I generally work here in New York."

    "You've made quite a mark in your home state" said Col. Bess. "The way you handled the prison escape, we could use someone like you."

       "I feel honored to help, but why should I come all the way out to the Midwest when I can taking cases here in New York?"

   "The state will pay you generously for your troubles" said Walson. "We will provide all our resources at your disposal. We will have law enforcement answer to you. If you can fly over here to Columbus, we will have a car waiting to pick you up."

  "Have you any leads on where he might be held?"

   "If he is still alive" said Col. Bess, "we have reason to believe that he may be held in some desolate rural area of the state. The Appalachian region. This is where The Promised Ones and other neo-Nazi and white supremacist groups flourish."

As they spoke, Amy looked at Google images of the map of Ohio. "You mean flyover country?"

   "Exactly."

     "Is this place also home to biker gangs?"

     "Yes, the neo-Nazis and bikers are a match made in white supremacist heaven."

     "Then I'll need a motorbike with a full tank of gas, a GPS, a gun belt with 2 pistols, and a map of the state. I suppose the cell reception within this area is quite bad."