Chapter 39
Melissa took a deep breath and tried to calm herself as she had seen Jake do before in any tense situation. It worked and she was able to focus enough to get her seatbelt unbuckled. Water was up to her lap now; she reasoned she had about a minute to extricate Marisa from her seatbelt and get them both out of the submerged car. She looked over her shoulder towards the back window; to her amazement, the back of the car appeared to be above the water. She redoubled her efforts to get Marisa out of her seatbelt as the water rose above her waist. She was not letting them drown in water shallow enough to stand up in. Melissa took another deep breath to fight down the helpless panic feeling. Then a face appeared in her side window; it was a man making a circling motion then pointing to the window. He wanted her to crank down her window, she realized. She shook her head 'no' and pointed in short jabs to Marisa's seatbelt. He nodded and disappeared.
He was back in under fifteen seconds, tapped on the window again, and showed her a knife. She nodded, took a deep breath, and rolled down the window. Water poured through the opening. She wriggled herself quickly through the window as he was tugging fruitlessly on the door handle. The door was jammed shut. Melissa broke the surface of the water coughing and sputtering. Hands reached for her from the bank but she dove back towards the car. By now, two more men were tugging open the passenger door as the man with the knife sawed at the seatbelt imprisoning Marisa. Retreating back into the shallow water, Melissa watched helplessly during the long minute it took the three men to free her cousin. By then, someone had come into the canal and led her to a place from which she could climb the embankment.
A crowd had gathered at the edge of the canal, while in the distance, a siren wailed. Melissa slumped to the ground; she was shivering from the cold and shock. Some kind stranger wrapped a picnic blanket around her shoulders. She watched in horror as the three men brought Marisa's unconscious body to the edge of the canal and started CPR. By the time the police arrived with an ambulance in tow, Marisa was thankfully breathing on her own. She was still unconscious but the paramedic said that she had a strong pulse and regular although shallow breathing. Melissa asked one of the men to retrieve their purses from her car then she climbed into the back of the ambulance with her cousin. Melissa had told the first officer on the scene what had happened and asked him to notify Barry Miller. The officer was instantly alert when the States Attorney's name was mentioned. Melissa also made sure the officer got names and addresses of the Good Samaritans who had saved her and Marisa. How, she wondered, had they gotten to them so quickly.
Melissa walked into the emergency room alongside Marisa's gurney. A nurse pointed Melissa towards a wheel chair and made her sit in it. Melissa told the nurse that she needed to notify her aunt about Marisa; the nurse compromised and wheeled Melissa to the reception counter. The nurse dialed the number for her and told her she had two minutes then she had to be processed and have her vitals taken. Melissa nodded absently as the phone brrringed in her ear. It only rang twice before a breathless Beth Owens answered. Beth told Melissa that Barry Miller had already called Maria and informed her of the wreck; Maria was on her way to the hospital as they were speaking. Beth said that she had also called Jake and he was on his way. Melissa relinquished the telephone and was wheeled into an examining cubicle. She was there only a minute or two before Dr. Malone, Jake's neurosurgeon, arrived.
Dr. Malone spoke to her using her name. Malone knew where the money for his new state of the art, EEG machine came from. He gave her the standard series of tests and sent her for x-rays; what he did not do was answer her questions about the other Miss Thornton. Just as Malone was signing the order for head and torso x-rays, Jake Turner burst into the room, a vehemently protesting ER nurse on his heels. Malone shushed the nurse, said hello to Jake, and told him he could wheel Melissa up to Radiology. Melissa was almost dry by now but still shivered every once in a while. Jake snagged a couple of blankets from a linen cart in the hallway and bundled her up. Melissa told him what had happened and asked if he had any news about Marisa. Jake admitted that he did not; he had asked at the desk but was told the information was available to immediate family only.
Forty-five minutes later, Dr. Malone met them in a consulting suite in Radiology. Melissa wanted Jake with her when she talked to Malone; she knew she was okay, but she wanted to know about Marisa. When Malone told her that her cousin was awake and responsive, Melissa let out a whoop and hugged Jake tightly. Marisa was going to be in the hospital a few days as she was badly banged up. Tigger's right shoulder was dislocated, her right knee had been hyper-extended, and she had three cracked ribs from the seatbelt tensioner. She also suffered a mild concussion and needed a dozen stitches to close her scalp wounds. Dr. Malone told Melissa she could go home after she picked up the prescriptions he had written for her at the ER reception desk.
Jake had not spoken more than twenty words since he arrived. He stayed close to his Muffy to make sure she was comfortable but his mind was elsewhere. His mind was in Orlando to be exact; in his mind's eye his fingers were wrapped around Randal's throat, choking the life out of him. Melissa was not about to go home without checking on Marisa; neither was Jake. Jake finessed Tigger's room number from the ER nurse. He pushed Muffy to the elevators; she saw herself in the polished stainless steel door and 'eeked' at her appearance. Jake had to push her back to a restroom so she could organize herself a little. They made it to Marisa's room about fifteen minutes later. Maria and Barry were standing by the bed; Maria looked drawn and had clearly been crying. Jake and Melissa moved to the bed; Tigger was swaddled in bandages and looked like a small frightened child lying there.
Jake bent down, kissed Tigger gently on the lips, and was rewarded with a small smile.
"Not tonight, dear; I have a headache," she said.
Jake laughed and knew she was going to be all right. Barry took Jake aside as the women fussed over Tigger. He filled Jake in on what had been learned so far. It definitely had not been an accident. Two young boys fishing at the canal had seen the whole thing. Barry went on to recount the boys' story. Their version jibed with what Melissa had told the police. The boys had run out on the road and flagged down cars to get help. The second car had three firemen returning home from their shift; those trained men had immediately gone to work. The girls were extremely lucky to be alive. Jake thanked Barry and asked him if he would keep him up to date on the investigation; Barry did not see the point of telling a teenager about a police investigation but nodded yes to appease Jake.
Jake was seething with anger, especially after seeing poor Tigger. He kept his anger to himself though; when he paid Randal back for this, no one but Randal and him would know about it. Helen arrived about then; she hugged Maria, then checked to make sure Melissa was fit to be discharged regardless of Dr. Malone's opinion. Helen finally blessed Jake's taking Melissa home but gave him a barrage of instructions to take with him. Helen said she would be home in a couple of hours to check on her.
Jake got Melissa home without incident; a tearful Erika was waiting on them. He had Erika run a hot bath for Melissa; they both helped her into the tub. Melissa was starting to get stiff and sore from her ordeal. The bath made her feel better but the best medicine was Jake and Erika caring for her. She soaked up the heat from the bath as Jake and Erika bathed and shampooed her. Jake got her into a nightie and into bed; she was asleep in under a minute. Erika climbed in the bed with her, holding Melissa's hand as she nodded off.
Melissa was hurting Sunday morning; she was discovering new aches and pains every time she moved a different part of her body. Erika took her into the shower and again let the hot water beat on her for a while. That helped. Erika went home to get some fresh clothes; she was going to stay with her lovers as long as she was needed. Jake and Melissa skipped Mass, opting to visit Tigger instead. They arrived at the hospital at noon; Maria was there, of course, looking drawn and slightly haggard from a night spent caring for and worrying about her baby. They were standing by the bed when the next visitors arrived. It was Randal Thornton and a very attractive young woman in a colorful print dress and white heels. Randal gave Maria a curt greeting and received a snort of derision for his effort. Maria could not believe the sorry bastard had showed up with his tarty concubine. Maria excused herself and left the room, saying she was going home to shower and change clothes.
Randal, asshole that he was, gave his daughter a cursory greeting then tuned his attention to Melissa. 'God, was he smarmy, ' thought Jake, as Randal was putting on the concerned parent and uncle act. He was surprised that Melissa seemed to be eating it up; what the hell was she up to? Randal quickly got around to offering his services while Melissa recuperated; Melissa said great -- damn, this was strange. Randal told his companion, whom he had not bothered to introduce, to go get something to drink while he and his niece talked business. Jake offered to walk her to the cafeteria and she gave him a nice smile. Once in the hall, Jake held out his hand.
"Jake Turner," he introduced himself.
She reached out and took his hand, "Mitzi Walters, pleased ta meetcha'."
Jake and Mitzi sat down at a table in the deserted cafeteria with a soda from the vending machine. Jake looked at her closely; she was not hard on the eye, that was for sure. She was about five-six and well-built. Her breasts were not that big but they rode high, round, and proud on her chest. Her ass was nice and trim; her legs were surprisingly muscular and well formed. She had dark brown hair and liquid brown eyes; even with a name like Walters, a southern Italian heritage was evident. Jake figured it would not hurt to have a friend in the enemy camp so he wicked up the charm, intensified his eye contact, and got her talking about herself.
"So, how did you get tied up with Randal?" he asked.
"My cousin Vinnie told me Randal was looking for a secretary. I had a diploma from secretarial school, I could still type ninety words a minute, seemed like a good job, so here I am."
Jake was incredulous -- 'ninety words a minute'; he could not even talk that fast.
"Boy, I have two term papers that would love to meet your fingers," he said.
She laughed and said she would be glad to type them for him if he was around. Jake told her she would earn his eternal gratitude if she did; he would do anything to repay her. She laughed again.
"Don't make promises you can't keep, Cutie," she said.
They strolled back to Marisa's room laughing and joking about Jake's misfortune with anything that required typing. Melissa and Randal were sitting in the little waiting room by the nurses' station talking about business. Randal stood up as Jake and Mitzi entered the room. He hugged Melissa goodbye and said he would see her tomorrow. Mitzi asked if she could come also; Randal magnanimously said, "Sure, Sweetcheeks." Mitzi winked at Jake when no one was looking.
As soon as Randal and Mitzi were on the elevator headed down, Jake asked what was going on. Melissa said she was going to let Randal think she still needed him - actually only to keep him occupied. She wanted him near her so she could keep an eye on him. Jake told her about his chat with Mitzi and his idea of making her an ally. Melissa laughed at that one.
"I don't suppose that her being pretty had anything to do with your decision. You better remember that you already have your full quota of Italian girlfriends," she said.
Jake tried his best to look injured by her pithy remarks as they went in to see Tigger again. Poor Tigger, she was in pain today, plus she was seemingly covered in bruises. She must have bounced off everything on the inside the Corvette; good thing the seatbelt had minimized the impacts. She still had her sense of humor though as she made a few caustic remarks about Randal and Mitzi. Every time she laughed, she flinched as her cracked ribs sent spasms of pain through her side. It broke Jake's heart to see her like this; someone was going to pay for hurting her, he vowed.
Jake and Melissa skipped school again Monday, it was becoming a habit. The two of them figured they could get away with it though, since they were starting the day at the hospital. They sat with a much-improved Tigger from nine until Randal showed up at ten-fifteen. Maria arrived at nine-thirty; she looked spectacular and sophisticated. Jake guessed she was showing Randal what he had given up. Jake volunteered to show Mitzi the sights in Palmdale while Randal and Melissa went to Thornton Development. The four of them rode down in the elevator together and split up in the parking lot. Mitzi went gaga over Jake's Chevelle; turns out that she knew more about cars than he did. She asked him if it was stock; he said 'no' and popped the hood for her. She made the appropriate appreciative noises; Jake slammed down the hood and tossed her the keys.
Mitzi drove his car carefully and competently; she said he would get more horsepower to the rear wheels if he had a manual transmission instead of an automatic. Jake conceded the point but pointed out that over five hundred horses were getting to the posi-track rear end already; how many did he need to drive to school? Jake took Mitzi for an early lunch, and then headed for Liz's. Mitzi was dressed young today -- miniskirt, tight sweater, and low heels. He loved the way her hips swayed as she walked in front of him. Jake let them into the bungalow, gave Mitzi a glass of wine, and then went out to his car. He returned with an electric typewriter, typing paper, and the hand-written version of the term papers he had put in the trunk that morning.
"I thought you were kidding about the typing," she laughed.
"Nope, you made me an offer I couldn't refuse."
Still laughing, she put a blank sheet of paper in the typewriter and typed a few lines to loosen her fingers and get a feel for the key board. Then she took a clean sheet of paper and started typing his history report. She was the Van Clyburn of QWERTY; her fingers were a blur on the keyboard as she zipped out neatly double spaced pages of error-free text. She stopped twice to point out grammatical errors she had corrected then started on his civics paper. Same results: garbage in, diamonds out. Jake was going to make sure she got offered a job somewhere close; he had a feeling she was going to be an indispensable asset to him for more than just one day. She released the platen, pulled the last page up through the paper bail and off the roller, neatly collated the pages, and handed them to him.
"Wow!" he exclaimed, as he perused the perfect pages, "I could kiss you for this."
"You had better. I don't work for free," she said. Her slangy vocabulary had evaporated.
He looked at her and their eyes locked; they exchanged that look where your insides seem to melt. He lowered his lips to hers; there was no doubt in either of their minds where this was leading. She was a good kisser, her little tongue active in his mouth. She did not protest as he cupped her breast through her sweater. After a long sexy kiss, Jake stood up and pulled her to her feet. Wordlessly they walked together to the bedroom. Mitzi excused herself and went to the bathroom; Jake stripped and laid on the big bed waiting for her. She came back to the bedroom in her sexy pink underwear; she had definitely dressed for success today. She put her hand on the bedpost at the end of the bed leaning her body to the side. She shook her head causing her hair to spill partly across her face.
"Did you know I was a dancer before I got a job with Randal?"
Jake shook his head no, so she showed him. Using the bedpost as a pole, she danced and stripped for him. She was limber and had good rhythm to accompany her great body; Jake was as hard as trigonometry when she finally hopped up on the bed. She made a beeline for his dick but Jake had other ideas. He wrestled her onto her back and started playing homage to her body. It seemed like familiar territory because she could have body-doubled for his precious little Muffy.
This was new territory for Mitzi though, this having a man work so hard to please her. The culture she was raised in dictated she focus on pleasing the man; if she got off it was a bonus on the side. Now, this big beautiful young man was licking her woo-woo and driving her crazy. Her first orgasm snuck up on her; the next one she actively participated in. Jake liked the way her tasty little pussy clenched and expelled air with a little farting sound. Mitzi was quietly vocal, little strings of 'oh gods' and chants of 'yes, yes, yes' made Jake redouble his efforts. Mitzi's hands grabbed the back of his head and pulled him tighter to her.
"Oh, Jake, this is going to be a big one," she gasped as she ground her split against his face. "Are you ready, are you ready for me to cum in your mouth?"
Jake nodded his head up and down never losing contact with her clit. Mitzi stiffened and expelled her breath in a long ooohhh. Then her pussy clenched and she shot a long squirt of her juice right into his face and mouth. Damn that was hot, Jake thought as he eagerly licked and swallowed her tangy essence. When he had her cleaned up, he moved up beside her and took her into his arms. He held her as she recovered, gentle aftershocks making her tremble.
"I'm so embarrassed, you made me cum so hard I think I peed myself," she said into his neck where her face was hidden.
Jake laughed and said, "You didn't pee, you came. You squirted pussy juice -- and I loved it."
She was dubious so Jake coaxed her into licking some of her own sauce off his face.
"Wow, I taste pretty darn good," she said in wonderment.
They spent the day doing everything Jake could think of that would give her pleasure. In between sessions, she opened up to his probing questions. She was aware of Randal's obsession with taking over Thornton; he talked about it all the time. Her cousin Vinnie Scarpizio was helping somehow but she did not know details. In an unguarded moment, she even told Jake that she kept cousin Vinnie up to date on Randal's dealings. Randal's affinity for cocaine came up; she would not say who his supplier was -- but it was not hard to figure out it was Scarpizio. Mitzi said that she wondered about Vinnie's seemingly up and up partnership with Randal. They made strange bedfellows, but Jake saw immediately that Vinnie was using Randal and his associates to launder his drug money. That was why he was willing to help Randal with his little problems. Scarpizio was a criminal ahead of his times; he was turning cocaine profits into multi-story office buildings.
Jake asked her if Randal had met with anyone that seemed out of character for his business. She told him no but Randal had made a quick trip to Tampa to meet someone about two weeks ago. Jake filed that away then talked to Mitzi about her future. He told her about his idea of her working for either Thornton Development or Turner Furniture. Jake saw that she was potentially even more than someone who could file, type like a demon, and answer phones. She agreed that it would be great but she did not think either Vinnie or Randal would let her just walk away. Jake said that things have a way of working themselves out -- they would talk about it later. Jake had her back to Melissa's office at three. Mitzi had a new attitude and respect for sex. She had made Jake swear that they would get together again soon. Jake went from Thornton to the hospital to sit with Tigger. Tigger was sleeping when he arrived; Maria was sitting beside her bed reading a novel.
When Maria saw Jake, she closed her book and gave him a wan smile. She gestured with her head towards the hallway and Jake followed her to the small waiting room by the nurses' station. Jake filled her in on what he had learned from Mitzi, omitting only his intimate interrogation techniques. Maria nodded and launched into the news she had received from Barry Miller. Barry said he had received a call from his friend in the Bureau about Scarpizio. A phone tap had yield information about Florida and so his friend was passing it along. The major problem was that the information could not be acted on because it would compromise the federal investigation. Barry had gotten a name: Lester Miller (no relation, Barry hoped) and a phone number that had turned out to be the Longshoreman's union hall in Tampa.
That was a very good start; Jake asked Maria if she could set up a meeting with Jim Peters at her house that evening; he and Melissa would be there. Maria agreed and they walked back to Tigger's room. Melissa came in at four-thirty; Randal and Mitzi had dropped her off as planned on their way back to Orlando. They spent a half hour raising Tigger's spirits then headed home when Tigger's dinner arrived. Jake filled Melissa in on all he had learned on the ride home.
Jim Peters, Private Investigator, arrived at Maria's at seven sharp; Melissa and Jake were waiting for him. Maria was there also; Beth was on duty at the hospital keeping Tigger company. Jake and Melissa outlined what they wanted Peters to do as he took notes. The main thing they needed was information on Lester Miller, where he hung out, who he consorted with, etc. Melissa also wanted tabs kept on Randal; she said Jim Peters could subcontract watching Randal but they wanted Peters to personally check out Lester Miller. Melissa gave Peters a check for five thousand dollars for two weeks and expenses. He was to call her if he needed more money. Peters told them that his wife and he would leave for Tampa in the morning. Unlike fictional PI's, Peters was married and his wife was his partner. She conducted stakeouts, researched records, and got into places he was barred from entering.
Tuesday, it was back to school for them. Melissa was still stiff and sore but she was recovering rapidly. Jake proudly turned in his two term papers; he figured paying Mitzi her going rate (actually a coming rate) of two orgasms per page made him her 'ho' but it was a price he was willing to pay. At lunch, Rebecca Doane came by and inquired about Melissa and Marisa Thornton. Jake updated her on both girls. Rebecca also asked if he could drop by the library after school for a couple of minutes for a surprise. He said sure, it would be great to spend even a few minutes with her.
Jake strode into the library just as the last of his old studyhall class mates were leaving. He greeted them by name with high fives. When the last student exited the library, Rebecca led Jake back to the storeroom. As soon as the door to the room closed behind them, he swept her up for a serious kiss. As he sat her gently back on her feet, she reached over, pulled a book of the shelf, and handed it to him. He looked at the cover of the paperback for a second them let out a whoop; it was "The Fury of Love" by Rebecca Doone. Lamonte had sent Rebecca a box of the books in advance of them hitting book stores. Jake hugged Rebecca and told him how proud of and happy for her he was. She insisted that he was responsible for her start as a writer but he was not buying that argument; after all, she wrote it, he had just given her a suggestion on a genre.
Rebecca had him look at the cover again; he did a double take when he saw the dashing hero looked like him with long hair and the heroine in his arms was Rebecca. She laughed saying she had sent their pictures to the publisher's art department at Lamonte's insistence. Jake opened the book and read the inscription on the flyleaf:
{block class="i"}
Jacob,
You will always be my hero.
All my love forever,
Rebecca 2/8/72
The heartfelt sentiment choked Jake up; he grabbed her and kissed her again. He wanted to do more than kiss but this was neither the time nor place. He promised her he would drop by her house tomorrow after practice then dashed off to the baseball field.
Diane Phillips called that evening and spoke with Melissa. She told Melissa if she wanted to back out of staying with the twins, she and Carl would understand; Melissa said she was fine and feeling better every day, by Friday she would be in the pink. Diane passed the phone to Carl who asked to speak to Jake. The men had basically the same conversation, with Jake confirming that Melissa was indeed well enough to help him with Faith and Hope. Jake mentioned that Erika was also probably going to help them out in case Melissa got tired easily. Diane and Carl were finally convinced and suggested they could come over Thursday night to work out the details.
Maria also called with a progress report from Jim Peters; Peters had tracked Lester Miller down already and was tailing him. He also had a good man in Orlando shadowing Randal. Jake had a plan formulating; he went to find Debbie to see if she would be interested in helping him carry it out. After talking to Debbie, Jake corralled Erika, his other Amazon Warrior, and asked if she wanted to participate. Both girls had readily agreed; Erika for revenge, Debbie because she loved that kind of shit. Now all Jake needed was a way to get Lester Miller alone; he sure hoped Jim Peters could come up with something useful. Jake snuggled into bed between his honeys; Melissa was pressed against his back as he held a big handful of big Erika. This promised to be one of the most momentous months of either of his lives, Jake thought. Rebecca's book, the double marriages of couples he had pushed together, and maybe some closure to the Randal Thornton problem.
Meanwhile, in Orlando, Mitzi was on her knees sucking on Randal's little Popsicle. Randal was sitting at his desk dreaming of being CEO of Thornton Development as he snorted a spoon of snow up his nose. Mitzi was doing some dreaming of her own; thanks to her new friend in Palmdale, she had something to dream about. Besides giving her the most fulfilling sex she had ever experienced, her new cutie patootie had offered her a way out of her recurring role as some bastard's plaything/sex toy. Mitzi now listened intently as Randal talked on the phone; Jake told her that something might come up that could set her free, one of these calls might be that key something.
It was Wednesday morning and life was returning to normal. Jake was in the bathroom trying to shave as Melissa and Erika kept pushing him from his shaving position in front of the mirror. Jake wanted to be irritated, but it was hard to get mad at his sweeties as they bustled about wearing nothing but panties and smiles. It was a tough life, but he guessed he would have to live it.
At four o'clock that afternoon, Jake ran out onto the Kennedy High baseball diamond for his team's first game. He took his position in center field, warming up his arm by tossing a ball back and forth with the other outfielders. The game itself was not that great; the Kennedy team was not going to be much of a threat for the conference title unless something drastic happened. Jake had realized that early on but it did not really make a big difference. He liked to win but he loved to play. The Kennedy Panthers actually won that day 3-2; Brad Simmons, their only real pitcher, had a good game. Jake went 2 for 3 with a walk and two RBIs. He also got an assist, throwing out a base runner trying to advance on a fly ball.
After the game, Jake motored to the hospital to check on Tigger. He was euphoric to see her up and out of bed. She did not go far or move very fast but at least she was up and moving under her own power. Her knee turned out to be less injured than it first appeared. She was gimpy but able to support her weight on it. Her smile brightened up the room when she saw Jake standing at the door watching her. Jake did not stay long; the day was starting to wear on her, and she was tired. She gave him a sweet little kiss when he left, running her tongue lightly over his lips.
Jake stopped by to say hello to the Doane sisters on his way home. He teased Katie about the five pounds she complained about gaining. She was definitely pregnant, her little belly just starting to pooch out. She and Rebecca made a big fuss over him; seating him between them on the couch, they took turns telling him what had been going on in their lives since his birthday. The sisters were as excited as he was about the impending weddings of Diane and Sara. Jake told them that he and Melissa were watching the twins during the wedding cruise. Rebecca and Katie had been amazed at the precocious pair at his birthday party. "They were such refined young ladies," Katie said. Jake stifled a laugh; Katie might reevaluate her opinion if she had seen Faith and Hope working over Erika. Jake left at eight-thirty and Rebecca walked him out. In the foyer, they shared a passionate kiss. Rebecca said she wanted them to get together as soon as he could arrange it.
Thursday dawned on a back-to- normal Melissa; at least Jake figured her libido was back to normal as he watched Melissa and Erika sixty-nine in the early morning light. Erika saw Jake was awake and motioned for him to join them. Erika was riding Melissa's face, occasionally dipping her head down, and licking Melissa to keep her on the edge. Jake had noticed that while Erika deferred to her friend on most everything; she was the more assertive when it came to sex. Erika pivoted around and resettled herself on Melissa's face as Jake took her place between Muffy spread thighs. After a satisfying orgasm for each of them, they hit the showers en masse. It was pleasantly crowded in the cascading water. Jake bathed both girls and Erika washed him. The girls got out of the shower while he shampooed, he was certain they exited early to once again deny him the sink. He was going to have to invest in an electric razor he guessed, if he wanted to keep shaving.
That evening, Jake and Melissa went to Diane Phillips' house for their briefing on twin sitting. When Hope and Faith let them in, Melissa greeted them by name; Jake had clued Muffy in on how to differentiate between them. Faith grabbed Jake's hand, dragging him into the parlor where Carl was sitting. She left him there to rejoin her sister and Melissa. It appeared that Diane was going to brief Melissa while Carl spoke to Jake. Carl shook hands with Jake then handed him a thick loose-leaf binder. Jake opened the binder and leafed through it. It was the most comprehensive set of contingency plans he had ever seen. Jake doubted the astronauts on lunar missions had instructions half as thorough. Everything, from unexpected menstruation to out of season hurricanes, was covered in the neatly tabbed and cross-referenced sections. Jake looked at him in speechless wonder when Carl asked if he had any questions.
On the way home, Melissa went through Carl's manual, laughing her ass off. She was noncommittal about her talk with Diane; Jake guessed it was about female stuff. He did not want any part of that conversation. The twins had made him promise to take them to school in his new car the next morning and to pick them up in the afternoon. He was looking forward to that; he enjoyed the little minxes company. Who would not, he wondered; they were bright, effervescent, and funny.
When they got home, Helen told him that Maria had called and asked if he could be at the hospital the next day at three. Jake did not have baseball practice on Fridays so he could take the twins home and still make it. Melissa had a message from her insurance agent who was picking her up at school Friday at two so she could pick out a new car. Jake mentioned to her that she was getting some kind of good service. Melissa replied that the agent was probably making close to a six-figure income from the amount of insurance her business regularly purchased. For that kind of money, an afternoon of car shopping was a wise use of his time. Melissa called the agent at home and arranged for him to pick up her and the twins at three at the Phillips' house.
Friday's plan went off without a hitch; Jake actually arrived at Palmdale Memorial Hospital ten minutes early to meet Maria. Tigger was the only one in her room when he got there. She told him that her mom, a man, and a woman were waiting for him in the room next to the nurses' station. Jake asked her how she was doing; she told him she was going stir crazy and wanted out of there. When Jake tried to give her a little peck on the lips, she grabbed his head and kissed him hungrily. When she broke the kiss, she told him that laying in the bed all day was making her horny. Dr. Jake said he would see what he could do about treating her condition as soon as she was well enough to travel short distances.
Jake said he would see her in a little while and headed toward the family waiting room. Maria was indeed waiting for him; the man Tigger referred to was Jim Peters, the woman was introduced as his wife Gloria. Gloria was a babe, no wonder Jim could get information other investigators could not. Jim gave Jake a thick manila envelope containing recent pictures of Lester Miller and another man meeting with Randal Thornton at a rest area off I-4 between Orlando and Tampa. One photo showed Randal handing an envelope to Miller. Miller's companion was identified as Donald Feranti. A connection had now been established between Randal, Miller, and Feranti. Jake said to keep up the surveillance of Randal and Miller. In addition, check motels in the area and see if they could place Miller and his friend in the area at the time of the attack on Melissa and her cousin. Jim Peters said no problem, he would head back to Tampa, and Gloria would start canvassing area motels using the pictures of the men. She said that, if they had used assumed names, that would clinch it for her since they had to be on an evil assignment, not just sightseeing. Gloria was a babe and a brain.
Melissa, Hope, and Faith arrived home twenty minutes after Jake. He was in the kitchen manfully wrestling with supper when they burst through the door yelling his name. He came out of the kitchen and they tugged him outside. Jake saw what the excitement was all about; his love muffin was standing beside a new 1972 Corvette Stingray, LT1 convertible. The car was 'give me a ticket' red with a tan leather interior. It was a sexy car. Jake was admiring the interior with its power everything when he remembered he had food on the stove. He dashed back inside as all three girls laughed at his Mr. Mom act.
Jake did manage to get something vaguely resembling food on the table by six. The twins started cleaning the kitchen telling Melissa and Jake to leave; they had everything under control. The older teens went to the parlor and Jake relayed the information from Peters to Melissa. Jake told her that, if Gloria Peters found out that Lester Miller was in town on the day she was run into the canal, they would have enough evidence for Barry to do something. Melissa asked him what would happen to Randal. Jake replied that Randal would be harder to pin the rap on. Jake was of the opinion they would probably have to deal with Randal themselves. The idea popped into Jake's head that maybe they could fix it so Randal's friend Scarpizio would deal with Randal. Of course, that would make it necessary for him to spend some additional tactical tactile time with Mitzi; Jake hoped Melissa appreciated the many and varied sacrifices he made for her.
It took Faith and Hope thirty minutes to put the kitchen back together. They came in and sat with Jake and Melissa on the couch, snuggled up on either side. They watched some television then at ten, headed for bed. Jake inquired about sleeping arrangements, the girls all looked at him as if he were an alien. "We are all sleeping together, of course," said Faith; "That is, unless you want to sleep alone somewhere else," Hope added. The twins skipped to their room to change while Jake and Melissa did the same. Ten minutes later Faith and Hope returned. They were wearing baby doll nighties the same sexy red as Muffy's new Corvette. The twins dove onto the bed and pounced on Jake. Melissa got up and grabbed her purse.
"Diane gave me some instructions also," she said, handing Jake an envelope.
The twins were grinning twin Cheshire cat grins as he tore the envelope open, unfolded the paper in it, and started reading:
{block class="i"}
Jacob,
Faith and Hope told me they tried to get you to make love to them when you stayed here last. I must say that it did not surprise me, I told you they were after you. What did surprise me was your restraint. I was touched that you would turn down a chance to be with two beautiful young women out of respect for me. No wonder we all love you so much. If you love us, you will take them that last step towards becoming women. It is going to happen soon, the girls made that clear to me. Better it is with a caring and loving an
like you than someone I do not know or trust. I know you will be gentle and make
it a wonderful experience for them.
Love,
Diane
P.S. They are on the pill; they insisted on that after the party at your house in November.
Jake folded the letter and put it back in the envelope. The twins and Melissa were watching him expectantly. He was having a hard time believing this was real.
"Who goes first?" he asked.