A Long Road to Redemption

Chapter 29

Shelia convinced her television station to allow her to do an investigative report on a missing person case in Seattle. The case involved an elderly man who went missing six years ago, and she told her producers that she wanted to follow up on a new lead in the case. She half expected her producers would say no, but they agreed, and Shelia caught a flight to Seattle.

She wanted to find a woman Lawson had sex with on the missing flash drive. How she came by the name was a lot of subtle investigating by talking to some of Lawson's former friends at some of their hangouts. Most of them were not very helpful, even with a few drinks in them. She was beginning to feel frustrated with the lack of results.

All of that changed when she met James Vaughn. He was one of the people on the yacht the day Sidney was arrested. James was a college friend of Lawson and was a part of his inner circle. He also was a heavy drinker and tended to talk too much when he drank. Shelia tried to find him since the first days of her investigation, but he proved elusive. When she found Vaughn, he was already drunk. Shelia cozied up to him, and soon, he began talking and giving her the names of some of the ladies he and Lawson had been with over the last couple of years.

Shelia used her resources to look up several of the names Vaughn gave her. Shelia decided to try some of the names Vaughn was most enthusiastic about.

The name that stuck out the most was a woman from Seattle named Jamie Carter. James told her all about how and where Lawson met her. It was not much, but it was all she had without the flash drive. Shelia would be in Seattle for five days at the most, so she had to make the most of her time. Shelia decided to spend her time in the places James mentioned he and Lawson frequented together. Her most significant break was that Lawson had sent Vaughn a picture of Jamie Carter at one of the local bars. Shelia decided to start there.

It took three nights of waiting and fighting off half-drunken bargoers before her search paid off. Jamie walked into the bar in the company of two of her friends. Shelia decided to try and wait until she was without her friends, if possible, before making her move. It didn't take long before that happened, so Shelia made her approach.

Shelia took an empty seat next to her target and ordered a drink. She made eye contact with Jamie, who didn't seem very interested, and gave her a nod. "What are you drinking tonight?" she asked her to try and strike up a conversation.

"Look, honey, you're not my type," Jamie responded indifferently.

"I'm not here to pick you up," she responded, "Just trying to be friendly."

"Yeah, well, I got friends, so if you'll excuse me," said Jamie as she started to get up and leave.

"You knew Lawson Pierson, didn't you?" Shelia asked her.

"What did you say?" Jamie responded, stopping herself as she was turning to go.

"I asked you if you knew Lawson Pierson. From your reaction, I take it that you did."

"Yeah, I knew him, alright? So what?"

Shelia knew she had the woman's interest now. "Just want to ask you a few questions about him, that's all."

"Look, I don't know anything about his death. We were together a few times when he came to Seattle, that's all," Jamie responded.

"Hey, I'm not here to judge. I want to know some answers."

"Like what?"

"Like, how did you two meet for starters?" Shelia asked her.

"We met on a dating app. A hookup site. He seemed nice, so we had some fun."

"How many times?" Shelia asked her.

"Three or four. He was a lot of fun until I caught him videoing us. I mean the nerve of him."

"Wait, you caught him videoing you?" Shelia asked her.

"Yeah, we were hot and heavy into a great make-out session when my phone rang. I thought I turned it off, but I got up to answer it, and that's when I saw a hidden camera in his hotel room. I was pissed off."

"And how did he react?" Shelia asked her.

"He tried to blow the whole thing off but got mean about it. He told me there were dozens of girls like me. Then he," Jamie stopped suddenly. "Look, I need to get home."

"Wait," Shelia said, grabbing Jamie by the arm. "What did he do?"

"I've said too much. I need to go," Jamie said as she grabbed her things and started for the door.

"Jamie, wait," Shelia followed her outside. Jamie was dialing her phone when Shelia caught up with her. "Jamie, you have to tell me. What did he do?"

"Why do you care? What does it matter to you?" Jamie said with fear in her eyes.

"Because if there are others like you that he used and mistreated, that need to be heard. Even if he's dead, he shouldn't get away with that." Shelia looked her in the eyes and asked, "Did he hurt you that night?"

Jamie's eyes filled up, and a tear ran down her face. "He slapped me. Then called me a stupid bitch and a whore. He said he'd find and hurt me if I ever told anyone."

"Jamie, he's gone now; he can't hurt you."

"What does it matter? What good could it do?"

"It matters to a young woman who was hurt by him, too. She's in prison now because he hurt her, and I'm trying to help her."

"I hope you do," Jamie said. "Okay, I'll tell you what I know." The two women returned inside, and Jamie recounted the story to Shelia again. After recording the information, Shelia thanked her and gave her a business card. Jamie also gave Shelia her phone number. She told Jamie not to tell anyone about their conversation but that she would be in touch again soon.

The next day, Shelia booked a flight back home. She had proof that Lawson was recording his sexual exploits, but that was not enough to help Sidney. It also wasn't enough to tie any criminal activities to him or his father. This information was a start. It gave truth to one of Sidney's claims. There had to be more to find, and as soon as her plane landed, she would tell Roger what she found. Then, it was on to the next task.