“Alice Timberlake’s her name, sir. But I don’t think she’d
spy on Joe for us. I had the impression she couldn’t wait for him
to get out of her dreams, and move on.”
“That’s another thing the Pentagon thinks––the Magic
Man is using Alice to keep tabs on us. Whatever you tell Alice,
Joe will have it out of her in her dreams. She can’t keep a secret
from him. They say he always moves on to another woman after
a week or so. He’s a sex pervert looking for new adventures. As
soon as he sees a pretty girl, he’s off after her.” He cocked his
head to one side. “But, with this Alice woman, he seems to be
hanging around, knowing very well we’ve interviewed her, and
we’ve been asking her all about him, and yet he keeps coming to
her in her dreams.” He leaned back in his chair and put his hands
behind his head. “I’d like to know why he’s still hanging around
this woman, and why he hasn’t erased her memory clean and
moved on.” Saxton leaned forward again. “Frank Brubaker
reckons we can’t get the Magic Man by offering him money to work with this Alice woman. If he stays around, it’s to use Alice to keep a check on the Government. It could work both ways. That’s his opinion. But, if Joe’s getting his kicks out of Mrs. Timberlake, without her knowing, then we’ve got more chance of keeping him happy.” Saxton could see the shock on Burrows’ face, but he had to ask her: “Do you think he’s still having his
wicked way with Mr. and Mrs. Timberlake?”
“I honestly don’t know.” She shook her head. “She is a
good-looking woman, and her husband’s all right, too, I
suppose.” She raised her eyebrow. “Are they suggesting we ask
Mrs. Timberlake to be more…” Burrows struggled to find the
right words, “more flirtatious with him?” She realized her boss
had no idea what the situation with Alice and Joe was really like. “When she finds out how high their wages will be, she’ll
want him to hang around. And you can hint to her that he might
move on to greener pastures if he loses interest,” Saxton said with
a mischievous smirk. “She might think flirting is a good idea to
keep the Magic Man around. So, I think the Bureau should make
Mrs. Timberlake a good offer. I’ll leave that to you to work out.” Burrows was glad her boss thought it was worth a try to
get Joe to work for them. “I have an idea. What if we come up
with another assignment for them?”
“What do you have in mind?”
“The serial rapist gang that we are working on––that
should interest a Peeping Tom like Joe.”
“He’s already working with the Narc’s, though.” “Yes, but Agent Jones said Joe had to wait on proceeding
with that, while they checked things out.”
“I don’t know if bringing Joe in on a case of four young
girls who’ve already been sexually victimized is a good idea––
knowing Joe’s propensities.”
“I’ll make sure he treats the girls in a professional
manner.” She gave a nervous cough: “If he goes into their
dreams, there’s to be no sex.”
Saxton hesitated a moment more. “Okay,” he finally
agreed, “but I have to notify Frank Brubaker; he wants to be kept
in the loop with anything to do with the Magic Man.” “So he can catch him!” Her temper sparked and her angry
voice boomed.
“Don’t let this Magic Man’s gift get personal, Burrows.
Cool down! We’ve got our jobs to do and if the big brass has
other ideas for the Magic Man, then we step aside. Got it?” Burrows bit her lip. “Okay ... I got it.”
“Don’t forget,” he gave her a stern look, “we all took an
oath to serve and obey.”
Saxton paused a moment before continuing: “You’ve
convinced me that this Joe is really extraordinary, and I suppose
that’s putting it mildly. So, I think we should use him to see how
extraordinary he is. If he’s a trickster, then let us find out before
we make fools of this department.”
“Do you think he’s a trickster?”
“I know most of our science team thinks he’s a conman.
They think the Magic Man hypnotized Mr. Timberlake long
before he had him sleepwalking; they think it was a well
rehearsed plan, not that Mr. and Mrs. Timberlake had anything to
do with it. He had Mr. Timberlake come downstairs, and let him
in the house. He then went and played out his fantasy with the
man’s wife. When he got bored, he told them this cock-and-bull
story about setting the prisoners free, and that’s what started him
sleepwalking. He told them that while he had them both under his
spell. Of course, they both think he was in their dreams––that
was part of his plan. The science team also think the other
victims that had sexual fantasies had been brainwashed. Joe,
more than likely, told them a sexy story while they were under,
and told them it was their dream, and they’d remember nothing,
or everything––depending on what he wanted––when he woke
them up.” He shrugged his shoulders. “Why he did that, only he
knows.”
“Is that what you think happened?”
“I thought along those lines, and so did you when you
started his profile. It’s hard to believe he did what he did without
getting into the house.”
“Yeah, that’s what I thought until I had that second
interview with Alice. There’s definitely something weird going
on between her and Joe––and I don’t mean sex.”
Saxton tapped the report on the table. “They gave Joe a
test and we agree he came through it without a hitch. He’s got
into people’s dreams and gained a ton of information in no time
at all. If Joe were a conman, it would take him weeks to
hypnotize those people and get all that information.” He was
looking thoughtful.
“So, are you saying that I can use him on this kidnapping
case?”
“Yes, as soon as I give a heads-up to Brubaker.”
Chapter19
After a phone call to Alice, Special Agent Burrows flew from Quantico, Virginia to L.A. She drove straight to Alice’s house, and over a cup of coffee, she made her an
offer she couldn’t refuse.
“Mrs. Timberlake, are you sure you are willing to work
for us, to be a go-between for Joe and the Bureau?” Burrows
asked with an eager tone. “If so, there’s a few items we need to
sort out. First, we’ll pay you a secretary’s wage of $3,000 a
month. Joe’s wages, as an adviser to the Bureau, will be $10,000
a month. We suggest you open a bank account under the name of
Joe Mann and Partner.” She gave Alice a wry smile. “Head
Office still calls Joe the Magic Man; Narcotics calls him the
Invisible Man. You call him Joe, so, we came up with the name
of Joe Mann.”
Alice nodded and tried not to look too shocked. She was
still thinking of the wage offer. “I think Joe Mann and Partner
sounds good.” She couldn’t hold back her grin. “It’s better than
Joe Bloggs.” She wanted to scream out that they were offering
her a monthly wage for just waiting to write out Joe’s reports, but
sh
e let Burrows continue.
“You can tell Joe there will be a substantial bonus for any
case he helps us solve. And, he’s not to worry about the taxes, the
Bureau will do the honors with the IRS; they’d rather keep you a
secret, than try to explain you.” The two women smiled at each
other. “Now, there’s just the formality of you swearing an oath to
your country,” Burrows added.
Alice was too stunned to speak as she tried to get her head
around it. “What … like a soldier?”
“Like an agent for the FBI or CIA.” Burrows grinned. She
was wondering if it was a good idea to bring such a naïve
individual on board, but she definitely wanted the Magic Man,
Alice was dumbfounded. “Wow! I wasn’t expecting that.” “Before you sign, perhaps we better clear up one other
thing. You are a journalist; however, you cannot send a story to
the newspaper without running it past us first. Obviously, you
will want to get a jump on the other journalists with your story.
When they take down Jimmy Murphy, you will be able to write
your story, and have inside information about the young Asian
girls working for him at The Eastern Promise restaurant. I’m sure
no reporter knows that side of Murphy’s life––you’ll have an
exclusive.” Burrows smiled again when she saw the grin on
Alice’s face. She knew that would be the sweetener Alice
couldn’t turn down. “The same goes for all the other cases Joe
Mann and Partner will be covering during Joe’s covert
operations––so to speak. If you have to use your husband’s help,
make sure he knows the rules.” Burrows opened her briefcase
and pulled out a file. “I’ve got a situation here that I hope you
and Joe can help me with. But first, you’ve got to take the oath.” “Sure, I’ll do whatever. Nothing this exciting has ever
happened to me.”
Alice signed the papers and took the oath, and felt like she
was now an FBI agent. And, she’d be able to write about it––
eventually. She was on top of the world and couldn’t wait to tell
John that her dreams had finally come true. She was a journalist,
working exclusively with the FBI.
“Now, with that out of the way, I’d like you to ask Joe if
he could help us with this case.” Burrows spread out four photos
of the raped girls on the table. “There’s a gang going around
dragging young girls into their van. They most likely are using
chloroform to sedate their victims before they take them to a
deserted place where they gang-rape them. The girls are gagged
and blindfolded throughout the ordeal. When the boys have
finished, they tie the girls to a tree or post where they can be
easily found.” She pointed to one of the photos. “This one
managed to get her blindfold off after they had finished raping
her. She had a quick look at the four of them before they
managed to put the blindfold back on her. She gave us a good
enough description of two of them. Unfortunately, we can’t have a sketch artist draw a picture,” Burrows shook her head, “because the girl can’t see if it’s a good likeness. When the boys realized she had seen them, they wanted to kill her. They were afraid that if she went to the police, and recognized them in a line up, that would be the end of it for them. Apparently, the four boys argued, two said they had to kill her now she had seen them, but the other two stopped them. One came up with the idea of
blinding her by poking her eyes out.”
“Oh my God!” Alice put her hand to her mouth. “They
didn’t, did they?”
“I’m afraid they did. One of the boys stabbed a knife in
both her eyes. She’s blind, with no hope of regaining her sight.”
Burrows shook her head again: “She’s only 16 years old.” “So that’s why you can’t use a sketch artist. I feel sick.
One reads about such incidents, but you’ve just brought it to
life.”
“Yes, I know what you mean.” Burrows gave Alice time
to recover. She took a sip of coffee and spoke in a sad tone. “We
are hoping Joe can get into this young lady’s dreams and have her
go over that ordeal. Hopefully, Joe will get a look at the boys.
Then, we’ll get every male university and college student in
California’s yearbook and student ID photos to have Joe look
over. With any luck, Joe will spot the boys.” She shrugged. “It’s
a long shot, but hopefully it works out.”
“I’ll ask Joe … but, my God … that poor girl will have to
go through it all again if Joe is going to make her recall that day.” “I’m sure Joe will erase her memory of his visit.” “Yes, of course he will. I was just thinking about that
poor child,” Alice said, her voice filled with emotion. “What she
must have gone through ... and, to have to relive it all again, even
if it is in her dreams––although, I’m sure she probably already
has nightmares over what happened to her!”
Burrows felt the same way, but she had other matters to
discuss, so she continued: “There are some in the Bureau who
importance to him. The Magic Man never stays long with one
woman before he moves on.” Burrows noticed Alice’s sad expression changed to one of concern. “I have to ask you this.” She cleared her throat. “Could Joe still be using you and your
husband to satisfy his nightly fantasies, without you knowing?” Alice’s jaw dropped open; the question came out of the
blue. “No way!” she shook her head, “Joe promised he’d get out
of John’s dreams, and John has slept well since.”
“I had to ask.” Burrows couldn’t look Alice in the eyes as
she asked her next question. “Some say he must still be having his sexual fantasies with you, or he would have moved on by now; they think you are the only attraction that’s keeping him
around.” Burrows could feel her cheeks redden with
embarrassment at having to ask such a question. “He should have
moved on to greener pastures, was the way they phrased it at
work. I told them you were a smart and attractive young woman.” “Ha! I’m not 18 anymore, that’s for sure!” Alice was thinking about the fantasies she had had with Joe. It would be so easy for her to ask Joe to read her a story from one of his books. But she
couldn’t say anything about those fantasies to anyone. They only knew Joe had used John and her in a couple of his escapades because she had told them about those stupid condoms. She gave
Burrows a weak smile. “I’m sure Joe has kept to his word, and only intrudes into my dreams to communicate with me, to help
you in your cases.” Alice screwed up her face in distaste. “I once told Joe to get out of my dreams, now I have had to ask him to stay and work with me. I’ve already told him no sex,
though.”
“Well, you know men.” She gave Alice the same weak
smile back. “They see sex in just about everything.” She had to
avert her eyes from Alice again. “Some in the Bureau think if Joe
did still have a thing for you, he’d work better with you.” She
waved her hand about. “You know what I mean, if you were to
flirt a little with him––that sort of thing. That’s how some at the
office
think is the only way Joe will stay with us.”
“I think Joe comes to me,” Alice spoke in a stern tone,
“because I’m the only one who has spoken back to him in my
dreams.” Alice knew she had to be careful about what she said.
“I’m the only one that can communicate with him in my sleep, ask him sensible questions, and still remember it in the morning.
Well, that’s what Joe told me, anyway.”
That’s what he wants you to think, thought Burrows.
Deciding it best to change the subject, she asked hopefully, “He
didn’t tell you what religion he was, did he?”
“No, why would he?” Alice was glad they’d moved on to
another subject, but wondered why the sudden jump from sex to
religion. “Would his religion be a problem if he were to be
working for the Bureau?”
“If he is a Muslim, it could be.” Burrows tossed her hands
in the air: “Who knows? It could shoot some of our plans up in
flames. I was hoping that in time Joe would help to infiltrate the
terrorist cells around the world; some, as you know, define
themselves as Islamic extremists. It’s just something the higherups have enquired about.” She started to pack her briefcase. “If
Joe were around in the late eighties, he could have found out
about the plan Iraq had to invade Kuwait, and we might have
stopped it. Or, he could have found out if there were any truth
about the weapons of mass destruction, and avoided the Iraq War.
Who knows, he might still find out the truth if we could find one
of Iraq’s high-ranking officers. Joe could zip into his mind and
ask him.” She gave Alice a hint of a smile. “Joe could settle
numerous arguments on a global scale.”
Alice nodded. “I think he’s a Christian, not a Muslim, but
I’ll ask him.”
“Okay, Mrs. Timberlake,” Burrows was back to her bossy
voice. “I’ll call tomorrow morning and see what Joe has to say
about everything we’ve discussed today.”
“What about the drug case he’s working on?” Alice’s
mind was spinning with taking the oath and talking about Joe’s
fantasies. It unsettled her, the Bureau hinting that she should
encourage Joe to stay by letting him carry on with his fantasies
with her, but all she said was, “Joe has been working hard on this