In Search of Pleasure Island

Book summary

Dr. Mathew Noble, a criminology professor and retired special warfare operator, embarks on a global mission to rescue his daughter and avenge his wife’s murder in "In Search of Pleasure Island." Framed and forced into hiding, Noble uses his expertise and elite training to track down the perpetrators, leading him to the sinister Pleasure Island.

Excerpt from In Search of Pleasure Island

University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA

The American Airlines flight was scheduled to touch down in Philadelphia at 2:00 p.m., but a mechanical issue delayed the flight almost an hour. Dr. Mathew Noble checked his Casio watch as he waited for the passengers ahead of him to exit the plane. Fifteen hundred hours! I barely have time to make it, he thought in exasperation.

He had thirty minutes to get to The University of Pennsylvania, where he was scheduled to give a lecture. Noble grabbed his overnight bag and rushed from the plane directly to the parking lot where his 1963 red, split-window Stingray Corvette sat waiting. In less than thirty minutes, he was turning into the entrance of the university campus.

After a few quick lefts and rights, Noble pulled into a space a short distance from College Hall. He turned off the engine and tucked the keys into the breast pocket of his tan wool sports coat. It had been a while since he had given a lecture, and his nerves were a bit on edge. He decided to take a minute to calm himself before leaving the security of his car.

“Three tours in Afghanistan and seven years as a professor and you still get nervous speaking in front of a few college students,” he murmured to himself while trying to calm his nerves.

“Box breathe,” he repeated to himself, a technique he had learned while in the service. He drew a steady breath in through his nose, held it for 4 counts, then slowly let it out. He repeated the exercise until he felt his pulse begin to slow. Feeling a bit more at ease, he grabbed his briefcase and headed toward College Hall.

After a short walk, Noble entered and quickly made his way to the auditorium. Walking down the corridors of the old building brought back memories of his first days as a grad student. Ten years earlier, after resigning his commission with the U.S. military, Noble had attended The University of Pennsylvania to complete his studies and receive his PhD in Criminology. His plan was to become a full-time, tenured professor, but after helping the FBI solve a high-profile abduction and sex trafficking case, he found himself splitting his time between teaching and being called upon to consult for law enforcement agencies across the country. At one point, Noble considered joining the FBI’s Hostage Rescue Team, but marriage and the adoption of a young daughter put that idea on the back burner.

The lecture was scheduled for 3:30 p.m. It was now after 4 pm. The young TA with the unfortunate task of keeping the audience occupied had run out of interesting things to say. Just as she was ready to call off the lecture, a student called out from the back of the stage, alerting her to Noble’s arrival.

Noble rushed onto the stage then set his briefcase down and adjusted the microphone. The young TA who had been holding court made an unnecessary but brief introduction, then walked off the stage.

Without saying a word, Noble scanned the crowd in search of any familiar faces. For the uninitiated, this was standard for Noble. His military training coupled with an exceptional gift of recall afforded him an awareness few could comprehend. Every face, eye color, hair color, and article of clothing was noted, tabulated, and evaluated, each path of egress and obstacle was cataloged and then stored away for future use.

Noble reached into his pocket and pulled out a pen and a small notepad and placed them on the podium. Then he wrote down two numbers. The first number was 93. The second number was 121. He repeated the numbers to himself, checking to make sure they were accurate. Satisfied, he placed the pen on the podium, cleared his throat, brought the mic toward his lips, and prepared to speak.

“Leges sine moribus vanae?”

Dr. Matthew Noble always began his lectures with the school motto. “Of what avail are empty laws without good morals?”

Noble waited for the finger clicking to stop before he continued.

“Before I begin today’s topic, for those of you planning to continue your studies in criminology next year, I will be returning as a full-time professor in the spring, so tell your friends that if they missed me today, all is not lost.”

Noble chuckled to himself, then he took a breath and prepared to begin his lecture when his attention was drawn to the sound of the doors at the rear of the lecture hall opening. FBI agent William F Bowen entered the room.

Noble smiled and projected to the back of the room.

“Special Agent Bowen, nice of you to join us. I am flattered that you came down from the Big Apple just to hear my lecture!”

“Wouldn’t miss it. I also need a few minutes of your time.”

“We’ll catch up after. Why don’t you take a seat,” Noble said, then he addressed the audience. “Special Agent Bowen works out of the New York field office and is assigned to the Critical Incident Response Group. He has also served on the FBI’s Hostage Rescue Team out of Quantico. Oh, and for the record, Agent Bowen is a graduate from the school of criminology and a former student of mine. Now, to today’s topic.”

Noble cleared his throat before he began.

“One of the most important skills you will need to become an effective profiler and criminologist is a keen sense of observation. To demonstrate this point, I have put together a little exercise. So, let’s get started. Who can tell me how many women and how many men are here today?”

One student called out! “And what if it’s trans?”

Noble paused for a moment. “Lets just keep it binary. Men or women for this exercise!”

Immediately heads started to turn, and calculators began to tabulate. Noble smiled.

“If you’re using a calculator, it won’t help you. This is an exercise in observation, not math.”

Noble held up two slips of paper then signaled for the blonde TA to come to the podium. He placed the two slips of paper in her hand then addressed the audience.

“You have sixty seconds.”

When sixty seconds had ended, the Noble raised his hands.

“Time’s up. Who has the power of observation?”

Members of the audience started shouting out different numbers. None seemed remotely correct. Through the din, Noble heard an answer that was close.

“Ninety women and one hundred and twenty-three men,” came a voice from the crowd. “Please stand up and tell us your name,” Noble asked.

A young man wearing a red plaid shirt stood up.

“Dr. Noble, I do not know if you remember me. I audited one of your classes a few semesters back.”

“Yes, of course. Mr. Gustav, I recognize the red plaid shirt. Please stand up and repeat your answer and how you arrived at it.”

The young man hesitated for a moment then proceeded to explain his process.

“I figured out part of the answer by knowing how many total seats are in the auditorium, then I subtracted the empty seats. From there all I had to do was count the men, which did not take long, and the rest were women.”

“Mr. Bowen, is he right?” Noble asked.

Bowen smirked.

“I’ve taken your class, and we have worked together on several occasions, so I know that there is always a twist. ‘Expect the unexpected!’ Isn’t that correct?” Bowen answered.

Noble nodded his head in agreement.

“Let’s find out if Mr. Gustav is correct! Will all the women please stand?”

All the females in the room stood up, including a little girl who had been sitting on the side of the stage with her mother.

“Now, starting with the front row, count off.”

Each female in the room began to call out a number until everyone had been counted.

“Close, Mr. Gustav. You are only off by three women! Luckily you got the men’s count correct, thanks to Agent Bowen showing up.”

“Off by three?” Gustav questioned.

“You omitted Ms. Perkins and her daughter, Samantha, to my left.” Noble turned to address the woman sitting on the stage. “Ms. Perkins, how many did I count?”

Ms. Perkins stepped toward Noble and read off the numbers that he had handed her before the lecture began.

“One hundred and twenty-one men and ninety-three women. Unfortunately, I think you are also incorrect. I think you may be off by one, sir. But how did you get the men correct if Agent Bowen was not here when you handed me the papers?”

“I had a bit of a heads up about Agent Bowen’s attendance, and for the female count, I’ll explain in a moment.”

Noble addressed the audience.

“The need to be observant of your surroundings is crucial. If you are not observant and accurate, you will miss key elements that might thwart an abduction or save a life.

“And that brings me to the proper count.”

Noble turned his attention back to Mr. Gustav. “You thought you had counted all the females in the audience, but you missed Ms. Perkins and her young daughter because they were out of view. You were not thorough in investigating your surroundings.

“Where is number ninety-three?” Gustav asked.

Noble looked to a slender student sitting in the third row wearing wire-rimmed glasses, a beanie, and a pea coat,

“Miss Alistair, could you please stand up?”

The student stood and took off her pea coat and beanie to reveal her long, dark hair and prominent female attributes.

“If you were being observant instead of using a formula, you might have noticed Miss Alistair examining her French manicure. Not one hundred percent, but a clue, nevertheless.”

The hour passed quickly when the silent alarm on Noble’s Casio flashed. Noble thanked everyone for coming and wished them happy holidays before making a beeline to the parking lot. Before he could locate his keys, he heard a familiar voice call his name. Noble turned to see Agent Bowen rushing toward him.

“Dr. Noble, wait up. I need to speak with you.”

Noble pretended not hear Bowen and continued to check his pockets for his keys. Before he could get his car door open, Bowen was standing next to him. Noble acted surprised to see him approach.

“Agent Bowen, thank you again for making the trek to hear my lecture, and congratulations on your recent marriage.”

“My pleasure, but the truth is I came here to discuss an important issue.”

“What is that?” Noble asked.

“The Cali cartel, and their foray into sex trafficking inside our borders. It was you who brought this up to the bureau almost a year ago.”

“Actually, my thesis was focused more on Jerold Steinmetz’s sex trafficking exploits involving high profile individuals on his ‘Pleasure Island’, and his involvement laundering dirty money, than it was with his involvement with the Cali cartel.”

“Unfortunately, what happens on that island is out of our jurisdiction, but you might have uncovered something much closer to home.”