Day 4 - Torture
Disclaimer: This episode recounts the torture of one of my fellow captives Stephanie. Stephanie will, during the course of our captivity, become like family to me. I don’t share her story lightly. We discussed this at length and she feels that if there is any chance that her sharing her story will possibly raise awareness to the atrocities occurring in Haiti everyday, that she is will to share. I ask that you as readers, treat her story with reverence for the courage it takes for her to allow me to share it.
Saturday morning I wake up ready for progress. I’m hoping that Bill has finally come through for me.
I brief Kervins about my plan: if there's no progress with Bill and his contact, then I'll negotiate myself. I’m treading lightly with Kervins as he is a captive as well and has been there for 25 days! That captivity has taken its toll on him emotionally. So when I ask him to translate for me, I am asking for a favor. He agrees.
Around 10am, Chef Jeff comes in with a stack of phones. Stephanie and Sarah talk to him for a bit about their cases.
Kervins and I talk with him. Kervins goes first. He gets up off the mattress and walks over to Chef Jeff. They talk for a minute about Kervins case. Chef Jeff is waiting for more cash from Kervins family since the first payment was ‘lost’. They discuss possible timing.
Then it’s my turn. I get up and stand next to them with my arms folded. I ask if he’s heard from Bills guy. He still hasn't been able to reach him. I ask if I can negotiate on my own behalf because no one in my family speaks Kreyol. He says maybe, but that he will have to ask his chef.
For some reason, they never call their chef over the phone. They always leave the building and go down near the bottom of the hill to go talk to him in person. Chef Jeff leaves the room. We hear him in the house for a while before he get dressed and leaves.
I’m presuming they are going to agree and begin negotiating with me directly. I am trying to decide on an approach.
In negotiations, you never want to be the one to say the first number. Chef Jeff has said the first number, $2 million. However, he knows that is not a real number. He’s just price anchoring, saying a number and hoping I will split the difference. Because he hasn’t said a real number, I still need to get him to say a number. I need to know what he really wants. This is going to be tricky. Similar to a car salesman who has a manager sitting somewhere else at the car dealership, Chef Jeff has his chef who he is representing. He needs to please his boss. I need to know what he’s been ordered to get out of me.
Around 2pm, Chef Jeff returns. There are a lot of soldiers around. I don’t know why, but there is definitely something going on.
Chef Jeff calls Kervins and I out of the room and into the common area/kitchen. He is ready to negotiate. He demands $2 million again. Hoping to get him to say a real number, I respond with something like “That’s a huge number, no one has that kind of money. How am I supposed to come up with that kind of money”? In my experience, that kind of phrasing will put the other side in your shoes and begin to get them to see things from your point of view. It doesn’t work. Instead he motions to the packing tape and taser on the table to his right.
Surprisingly, It hadn’t occurred to me that I might be tortured as part of these negotiations. The Toussaints and Kervins had told us that they had never been beaten or tortured. The only beating they had witnessed was when a fellow captive tried to escape through the T-bar ceiling. He was caught and beaten severely with a heavy metal scale.
So I wasn’t expecting the threat of violence as a negotiation tactic. I expected him to threaten to kill me but considered that unlikely at this point. The packing tape and taser on the table threw me off. I still needed to figure out what his real number was but was having a hard time staying focused now that torture was literally on the table.
I started low. I said something like “I think my wife can find something around $30k of our own”. Kervins translated. Chef Jeff shook his head and grabbed the tape. I said “wait. Perhaps if I call some family, I might be able to find some more. Maybe another $20k”. Kervins translated. No again. Chef Jeff picked up the taser and motioned for us to go back into Room One.
In retrospect, I should have relented. Even $50k was too high. I was at the top of the market with that amount. I wasn’t thinking about the market. I didn’t know that I was going to be there for thirty days no matter what. I should have taken my beatings and waited my 30 days.
I said directly in Kreyol “Wait. I may be able to find some friends to give me another $20k. That would bring us up to $70k…” Chef Jeff continued to usher us back into Room One. I continued, “or, I don’t know, maybe even $80k or $100k”. Chef Jeff stopped walking. He looked at Kervins and asked “What was that last number”? Kervins repeated $100k. Chef Jeff looked at me, his body language changed. He said that if I could get $100k then his boss would likely agree to that deal. Knowing that I still need to play hard to get, I whine and gripe about it for a bit, tell him that I will do my best, but make no promises. He seems pleased. I am annoyed with the idea that I will be putting so much cash into their pockets but am pleased to be finally making progress after four days.
Chef Jeff gives me my phone to begin working on getting the cash.
I now need to get my money from my US based bank and into Haiti somehow. Then, once it’s in a Haitian bank, I will need to get it converted into cash. The gang prefers US Dollars because that is the preferred currency of the arms traffickers typically based in Miami. The problem is that US Dollars are hoarded in Haiti, so the banks don’t let it out easily. In an effort to address this issue, I reach out to Gunny, a security contractor I’ve worked with for several years.
I call Gunny, He is already aware of my situation and is eager to help, music to my ears. I ask if he has access to up to $100k US. He says yes, within 24hrs. He is out of the country but is on his way back. Perfect. I tell him to look out for my brother in law to reach out to him to wire him the money. I hang up the phone.
I call Mary’s older brother Aaron. Aaron has handled several investments for me and has access to my finances. I call him to get him to wire $100k to Gunny. However, Kervins is listening to my calls and translating them to Chef Jeff. In order to convince Kervins and Chef Jeff that the $100k is difficult to get, I am trying to speak in code to Aaron. I’m trying to communicate to Aaron that I need the money right away but I need Aaron to pretend that it’s hard to get. What I did not consider, is how hard it is to receive such a phone call and thus incredibly difficult to decipher any intended subtlety. However, following the call, I was confident that Aaron either understood my request, or would piece it together after the fact.
I texted Aaron and Gunny to connect them to each other.
I was feeling hopeful that after a few days, I would reach out to them and they would have the cash ready. I would then tell Chef Jeff that a miracle has occurred and my family and friends had finally raised $98,527 US. We’d make a rendezvous plan, voila! I’m free!
“Rachel and Mary had already started the continuous phone calls and prayers and tears with worry for Jeff’s safety and the 7 children’s well being and Mary’s survival. It had been three days into this process when Jeff called me.
Jeff had placed a lot of money with my company and I knew that a large sum of money was achievable if it meant getting him home safely.
I was under strict orders to discuss Jeff’s kidnapping with no one; this was very important to protect Jeff’s life and we all maintained this secret perfectly.
Rachel and I were dropping everything so that she and I could be in FL with Mary and our nieces and nephew as much as possible. Rachel was taking a red eye the night that I got the phone call from Jeff’s cell; she would be there for a week managing car pool, homework, meals and the charade the family was performing that nothing was wrong, all while skipping school and regular activities in order to keep Jeff’s reality off the radar of the media and the locals (any of whom might be domestic contacts the gang could rely on to establish the Frazier’s wealth – which would keep him a hostage longer).
Rachel and I were living with a cloud overhead, tears and emotions were near the surface as we felt dread and worry for my little sister and her family. (a man wants to do anything he can to protect and support his wife, his mom, his daughters and his sisters – in this case, my little sister was suffering and this causes a protective gene deep within to fire and sting loudly, every moment – this was a new experience for me)
Mary had explained to Rachel and I that Jeff isn’t able to use his cell phone freely and that he had talked to her but sounded like he’s not himself and the speculation was that he’s being controlled and observed by the kidnappers 100% of the time.
The call:
I seem to always label the phone call as a ‘call from Jeff’s cell’ rather than a call from Jeff. It didn’t feel plausible that Jeff would be calling, while it may be his voice on the other end of the call, it surely wouldn’t be him alone. He’d be threatened to say and relay very specific words and messages, under duress.
I was exercising in my garage gym in Elk Ridge, Utah when my cell phone rings. I got up from the bench and walked to the phone, to then see it was Jeff’s number calling me, instantly sparked a fear and an emotion unlike anything I’d ever felt. In 2 seconds the brain caused me to rifle through a series of scary possibilities:
A kidnapper is calling to threaten me and my family
Jeff has been killed and the bad guys are starting through his phone in alphabetical order (my name is spelled with two A’s and I’ve grown accustomed to the regular pattern of me being butt-dialed and or first listed on most rosters)
They’re going to shake me down for cash or they’re going to threaten my little sister in some extreme new fashion
What if it’s actually Jeff on the phone and he’s being held at gunpoint to say something to me, jibberish to be sure because I’m picturing multiple guns being held to his face
I answer very nervously and tentatively, “hello, this is Aaron.”
Jeff says, “Hi Big A, are you aware of my situation?”
Me: “Yes, I think so.”
I feel very nervous because my brain tells me I’m addressing multiple bad people who are causing Jeff and Mary extreme terror.
Jeff: “I’m going to ask you a question and it’s ok if you take as much time as you need to think about the answer and you don’t have to answer right away. Are you understanding me?”
Me: “Yes, I understand.”
Jeff: “Are you able to round up $100,000 dollars in order to pay for my release? Again take your time here.”
Multiple scenarios now run through my brain: $100k is easy, of course I’ll do that in a split second! Why does he keep saying to take my time? Do the bad guys know where I live now cuz the movies teach it only takes 30 seconds to trace my location?
Dear God, what do I say right now? I have no idea what to do, I feel like throwing up, am I about to get Jeff killed? Did my little sister lose her husband cuz I’m botching this? I wish you didn’t call me Jeff, losing you is not an option and if I’m the reason I’ll never forgive myself. Mary will never forgive me.
Me: “jeff, I’m… so…sorry…there’s no way I can find that kind of money. I’d do anything to help you but this sounds crazy. It can’t possibly cost this much to get you home safely. I’m so sorry but no way.” (silence on the other side of the call scares me into thinking I’ve already ruined everything and now Jeff’s going to be hurt/killed. All my fault.)
I continue: “But, I’ll do anything I can to get all our friends and family to scrape together as much as possible, I’ll do everything I can.”
Jeff: “ok, Aaron it’s ok. I’m going to appoint you as my negotiator and I’ll be introducing you to some people here. Stay close to the phone and wait for calls or texts from me.”
Me: “Ok. Be safe brother, I love you. We are praying.”
Jeff: “k, gotta go…”
Call ends
I run inside from the garage, having finished this 90 second phone call and tell Rachel the full script. She tells me we have to call Mary.
Mary listens to my account of the call and then immediately conferences in the FBI, two agents assigned to Jeff’s case.
They ask me to repeat the conversation. Upon doing so, one of them asks me what I do for a living. I tell them I work for a land developer. She asks me if I’ve been trained in hostage negotiations. “No, never, what did I do? Is Jeff going to be worse off because of me?” They proceed to tell me that I handled the call like a pro and the best case scenario was what I had unwittingly done. (my plea to God in that momentary pause was rewarded with inspired words to use and say, because the opposite would have been more sensible. In any other setting I’d have answered, “of course, where do you need me to wire the $100k? I’ll do it right away.”) They explain to me that immediate family typically offers the money and payment to kidnappers in such a rush of panic and worry that, in effect, the next of kin converts their loved one from a hostage into a ‘human ATM’. ”
Not long after I finish my call and Kervins finishes translating, seven or eight kidnappers storm in the room and tell Stephanie and I to lay face down on two separate mattresses. Bad Cop is there. I don’t quite understand what he wants me to do. I ask him a question. He punches me in the ear. I lay down and put my arms behind my back not knowing what’s going on. Maybe the $100k wasn’t enough.
They start taping Stefanie up. They tape her legs and hands together behind her back. They torture Stefanie mercilessly while on the phone with her negotiator/family. They leave the room and go into Room Two. We hear screaming. While they are away, Sarah and I try to care for Stephanie by supporting some of her weight to relieve the tension of being hog tied. They come back in. More terrible. They leave again. We try again to help her. I’m able to stretch out some of the packing tape. I give her a Priesthood Blessing. Chef Jeff comes back in. He’s yelling at someone on the phone. He leaves again. He comes back in with street food, a luxury. He hands out a styrofoam container to each of us. Stephanie is still tied up. We don’t know what to do. Someone asks if we can untie Stephanie. He responds as if he’s forgotten. We all jump in and begin to cut the tape off of her wrists and ankles. Her hands are dark blue. Chef Jeff then sits to eat with us and starts speaking sweetly to Stephanie like the previous 20 minutes hadn’t happened.
At one point during Stephanies torture, Kervins makes comments that are sympathetic to the kidnappers. Something like “Chef, I told them the rules”. He was trying to align himself with the kidnappers as a survival mechanism. This is a deep betrayal to the other captives and underscores the reality of Stockholm Syndrome.
