The Glance

By Robert Pugh

After their flight home from a four-day conference in Denver, Molly and Mason make an intriguing discovery while waiting to exit the aircraft. After an unsuspecting glance, Molly believes she saw Vincent Toler, the suspect in a three-year-old, double homicide case, exit the plane before them. She was right. He was returning to the crime scene, only to exact his revenge and clear his name.

As Mason and Molly Hunter begin working on this cold case, they unravel more about the story than they bargained for. Together, they assemble their team of specialists and are forced to combat ruthless characters who will do whatever is necessary to keep from being exposed. Molly and Mason's efforts soon become a race against time to uncover the whole truth and bring to justice those who actually were implicated in the gruesome homicides. The criminal element they must deal with, that was one step ahead of them from the beginning, prevents their every move. What initially to them was about justice and getting the truth out to the public, takes on an everyday determination for the two of them just to stay alive.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Oct 18, 2023
• ISBN: 9798889435822

Book preview

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The Glance

Robert Pugh

ISBN 979-8-88943-581-5 (paperback)

ISBN 979-8-89043-590-3 (hardcover)

ISBN 979-8-88943-582-2 (digital)

Copyright © 2023 by Robert Pugh

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the publisher. For permission requests, solicit the publisher via the address below.

Christian Faith Publishing

832 Park Avenue

Meadville, PA 16335

www.christianfaithpublishing.com

The Glance is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination and are used fictitiously. They are not to be construed as real and have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the same name or names. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons—living or dead—is entirely coincidental and all are incidents of pure inventions.

Printed in the United States of America

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments

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About the Author

Acknowledgments

Thank you, Cindy, for helping me pursue my dream. As always, you were there when this story was born.

1

11:45 p.m., Washington, DC

Their flight from Denver was supposed to be uneventful and tiresome. Because of inclement weather, they had no control over the two-hour delay before takeoff. While in Denver, they were two of the almost eight hundred newscasters and executive producers who attended the National Conference for Television Operations. The conference went off without a hitch, but four days away from home felt like more of a burdensome obligation than a vacation.

Mason and Molly, who spent four days attending hectic breakout sessions, as well as bottom-numbing and long-winded speeches, were ready for home and some well-deserved rest. Still, it had been a long day of travel, and they were tired. Molly did manage a two-hour nap during the four-hour flight. Mason managed to get almost three hours of quality reading time with Robert Pugh's newly released novel. Now, it was late, and they were anxious to get off of the already landed plane. Uneventful flights can do that to you.

Almost immediately after the plane came to a complete stop, several passengers stood to retrieve their carry-ons from the overhead compartments. Without delay, some had started to move slowly from the rear of the plane toward the front door. Mason reached up into the overhead compartment to pull down both of their carry-ons. As he did so, Molly started poking at him to get his attention. Finally, she tugged on his shirt.

Mason, look at that guy who's about to exit the front door. Do you see him? He's the one wearing a green shirt, a gray baseball cap, and carrying a brown backpack.

He stopped what he was doing and glanced in that direction. All he managed to see was a glimpse of the back of that man's head as he disappeared out the door.

He looked back at her. I didn't see who it was. Do we know him?

She motioned for him to lean down and to get closer to her. She whispered to him, I could have sworn that was Vincent Toler. You remember him, don't you?

Of course I do. That was a huge story three years ago. It was all over the papers and the television stations for more than two weeks. Even our own station devoted a lot of airtime to it.

I'm pretty sure that was him. He's a little older looking, maybe weighs a little less than he used to, but I'm pretty sure that was him.

Honey, nobody knows what happened to him. He disappeared three years ago, and even the FBI hasn't been able to find him. If I remember correctly, the medical examiner said the crime scene evidence indicated Toler must have lost a lot of blood putting up one huge fight. Everyone, including the FBI, believed he had a major part to play in a double homicide. Remember? He was the prime suspect in Carson's murder. That case is colder now than a long day in January. Somehow, he was also connected to the Levinson case. Yes, I remember all right. He paused for a brief moment to collect his things from his seat and then grabbed his carry-on.

She smiled. See, you do remember. I recall what he looked like, and I'm telling you that was Vincent Toler who just got off of this plane.

He shook his head. If that's the case, we better report this.

Wait, she said as she grabbed his arm. Nobody's going to believe a word I say at this time of night. It might be best if we just start fresh first thing in the morning at the station.

No, we better do it now. We can at least see if they'll look at the video from the security cameras. Anyway, we're already looking at getting home after one o'clock. Another half hour won't make that big of a difference.

After making their way to the concourse, they approached the first security guard they saw. In turn, he contacted his shift leader by radio, who contacted the TSA chief, who then contacted the Homeland Security office located on a lower level from where they were. They were then escorted to the Homeland Security office, where they met with Senior Field Agent Ted Ellis, who took their initial statements.

It was twenty minutes after midnight before Agent Ellis began to review their statement. He questioned them for a short while, then contacted his IT team. He requested to see the video at the arrival gate for that flight. They were to look for anyone who exited the plane early and went toward the main concourse. There were two other security cameras with excellent angles assuring that if Vincent Toler were on that plane, they would be able to see him, identify him, and determine his whereabouts in the airport.

Soon after they started to review the tape, Molly pointed at the screen. There he is. He's the one in the gray baseball cap. Do you see him?

Agent Ellis, who had been standing behind them, responded. Yes, I see him. Is that the man you believe to be Vincent Toler?

Yes, she said excitedly. I'm positive."

Agent Ellis instructed the IT employee to show Toler's exit path by bringing up security camera links throughout the airport. It took a few seconds, but they were able to track his path as he headed for the exit. The news, at least according to the IT guy, was not good.

He disappeared. I was able to track him until he got on the escalator in sector six. From there, we should have been able to track him to baggage claim—and then to the exits leading to the transportation level. Somewhere in that time span, the cameras didn't pick him up—at least I didn't see him. I marked him, but the system dropped him.

Molly let out a long sigh. Is there anything we can be sure of that the man I saw was, in fact, Vincent Toler?

We can have our forensic team run facial recognition to see if there are any hits.

How long will that take? Mason asked.

It's hard to say. We could be here a while.

Mason looked at Molly and then turned his attention to Agent Ellis. Thank you for taking time on this. Right now, I think Molly and I will leave this in your capable hands. We've got to be at work by eight o'clock later this morning for a production meeting. So I think we'll head home. If anything comes of this, please contact us.

After he handed Agent Ellis his business card, they both grabbed their carry-on and started to head to baggage claim.

That won't be necessary, said a voice from the back of the room. Your bags were retrieved already, and they are waiting for you on the golf cart right outside the office door. The driver will take you to your car and help load your bags as well.

They thanked the young man as they started for the door. Mason, known for his tipping, reached into his pocket, peeled off a ten spot, and gave it to him. Have a cup of coffee on us, he said as he and Molly headed out the door. He looked at Agent Ellis. Thank you for your kindness.

Eight minutes later, they were driving home, but Molly decided to break the silence.

You know, I sure hope that facial recognition program stuff really works. I was so sure the man I saw was Toler. I just knew it had to be him.

Don't worry. I believe they'll find the guy and tell us all about him later this morning. Speaking of the morning, we've got to be up and on the road in less than five hours.

He was right. Four hours and fifteen minutes later, the alarm went off on Mason's nightstand sounding louder than usual. When he sat up on his side of the bed, he could smell freshly brewed coffee. That was unusual because he usually was the early riser who, after he had shaved, would traipse into the kitchen and make the first pot of coffee for the day. This morning, he noticed the light was on in the dining room as well.

When he walked into the kitchen, he saw Molly sitting at the dining-room table with several stacks of paper neatly arranged on it.

Molly spoke to him as he entered. Good afternoon, handsome.

He smiled, and then leaned over and kissed her on her forehead. What time did you get out of bed?

It was a little after four. I couldn't sleep. So I decided to dig up some of my notes from when we reported on this story. She pointed at three storage containers on the floor near the pantry. I know I've got more, but they're somewhere in the basement. These were still in the downstairs hall closet.

He poured a cup of coffee for himself and offered to refresh hers.

No, thank you, she said. I've had my ration for the early morning. I'll wait until we get to the office.

He decided to join her at the table. Well, what have you found in all of this paper?

I found the part about the blood evidence at the scene that you were talking about last night.

He chuckled softly. You mean this morning, don't you?

"You know what I mean. That evidence indicated Toler had lost a lot of blood. I even found a quote from the ME. Listen to this: ‘It is apparent there were two others in the room with Carson. Blood evidence collected at the scene indicates that one of them lost a substantial amount and probably succumbed to his wounds at some point later that evening.'"

Mason took a sip of his coffee. Hindsight tells us that Toler was the one who had lost a lot of blood. The other person, whose name escapes me at the moment, was shot and killed by the police at the scene—if I remember correctly.

She leaned back into her chair and stretched her arms over her head. That case was really something. By the way, Jack Lapinski was the name of the guy who was shot and killed by the police at the scene. According to the police report, Lapinski had connections with some really bad people. There were those thugs who were cousins, those others who the police considered as transplants from up north, and there were also the thug-types from the Miami area. What I didn't understand then, and I still don't, is why Anthony Lupino? He's the guy who was eventually tried and convicted of a double homicide. He never talked. He could have made a deal with the Feds, which might have kept him from facing both charges. As it is, he's going to be behind bars for a very long time.

Mason looked at the clock near the doorway to the dining room. Something tells me you're going to be dragging by noontime today. I think it might be a good idea if you make sure Jacque is out of bed and getting ready for school, while I fix all of us some breakfast.

As he was getting the eggs from the refrigerator, he heard his cell phone vibrating on the counter. It was Agent Ellis from the airport.

Good morning, Mr. Hunter. I apologize for the early call, but I thought you'd like to know what we've learned.

He put the call on speaker to listen while he continued fixing breakfast.

Agent Ellis spent little time explaining that the person Molly saw getting off the plane was in fact Vincent Toler. The facial recognition program identified him at a probability level of 99.94 percent. In addition, they managed to lift a fingerprint from one of the walls he had touched as he walked toward the exits. The video IT guy helped with that. The authorities were able to track him to where it showed him getting into a taxicab at the airport. That cab took him to the Benton Inn just south of Interstate 495, near Springfield. The local authorities have been notified and are in route as we speak.

Wow, you guys have been busy, Molly said.

She couldn't help herself. She went over to where Mason was standing and hugged him. He smiled at her and whispered, You were right. It was Toler.

The celebration was brief. It amounted to an exploding knuckle bump and a high five.

When the call ended, Molly sat down and looked directly at him. You do know what this means, right?

He nodded his head and then shrugged his shoulders.

This means we have a lot of work to do, and we're going to need our boss on board with us—starting this morning.

She smiled.

2

At the television station

Now that the early morning routine for that day's programming was finished, Molly began putting her plan into motion. She and Mason decided it would be best to include only those who knew how to develop a story and could do so quickly, accurately, and in secrecy. To accomplish that, Molly began with a small group at the station who were well acquainted with the station's protocol manual. That meant Mason, their boss Mr. Neely, Jeffrey the IT guy, herself, and her go-to contact with the local police, Detective Rita Williams.

After making sure everyone could attend a planned meeting at eleven o'clock, she found Mason in his office speaking with Agent Ellis via a video link. He saw her standing at the doorway and gestured for her to enter.

What's the best time for that to happen? Mason asked.

It probably would be better for late this afternoon. If you could have one of your techie-types come to my office around three thirty or so, we can make that happen. We're a little shorthanded now.

Mason thought for a moment. That's doable. I'm just not sure who it's going to be, but I'll send you a text with the name before lunch.

They said they're goodbyes, and then he disconnected the link.

A few seconds later, Molly closed the door, walked over to where he was seated, and kissed him.

This is definitely the best perk of my job. His eyes focused on her face, before he stood from his chair, reached out, and pulled her close to him. Have I told you how much I love you?

Yes, but that was much earlier this morning at home. She returned his hug, before she stepped back and sat down in the plush, dark-brown upholstered easy chair. I guess it's okay. The door's closed, and since you have no windows in your office, what goes on in here stays in here, she whispered. Besides, I won't tell if you won't.

He smiled. I wonder what HR would tell us, if they knew or somehow found out?

She smiled. Really?

After returning to his desk chair and sitting down, he looked directly at her. What's the eleven o'clock meeting you called about? I've cleared my calendar as you asked, and I cancelled our lunch date for twelve thirty just in case.

"First, I think we need to talk to Mr. Neely, before this story about Toler begins to grow legs and walks all over the news cycles for the next several days. Right now,