Chapter 31
Jake paced back and forth inside one of the Erika Air hangers as Erika taxied the Gulfstream towards the huge roll-back doors. He had many a second thought about what they, well, more specifically, what he was doing. Kidnapping was a major crime and now he had made his sister and Erica partipants in it. Small comfort that they were probably saving the girl from an ugly fate. Trish walked up beside him when he stopped pacing.
"You are doing the right thing, Jake," she said squeezing his hand in reassurance.
Jake smiled at her and squeezed hers back.
"Why is it that I'm so transparent to you women and you are such a mystery to me?"
Trish smiled and shrugged as the noise from the approaching plane made further conversation impossible. Jake watched Erika's honey-blonde tresses bob through the cockpit window as she shut down the engines. As soon as the props came to a halt, a ground crewman on a small yellow tractor hooked a tow bar to the nose-wheel strut and pulled the aircraft into the hanger.
Erika and Debbie exited the aircraft after the driver of the tractor had unhooked the plane and taken off down the flight line. As soon as the tractor cleared the building, Jake hit the button that controlled the doors. Erika went out through the doors with the plane's log book. She wanted to schedule some maintenance while the plane was idle. It took over a minute before the last of the three sets of panels telescoped together with a booming clang. Jake walked to the plane as soon as the hanger doors were firmly closed. Debbie had the passenger door open and was helping a waifish oriental girl down the steps. The child looked more like an eight year old boy instead of the advertised teenaged girl. She was clearly frightened and clutched tightly to Debbie's hand. Before anyone could say anything, the distinctive click-clack of high heels echoed through the hanger.
"Sorry I'm late," Doctor Janice Pritchett said. "I had an emergency c-section."
Jake nodded and addressed the young girl, "Don't be scared, sweetie; you are safe now."
The girl looked at him blankly.
"She is Vietnamese and speaks very little English," Debbie said.
Jake nodded and thought hard to come up with a few Vietnamese words. This was not going as he wanted, that much was clear. He was going to need an interpreter but it had to be someone he could trust.
Jake told the girl in halting GI slang that Janice and Trish were doctors as they all walked towards the hanger's small office. Janice had her medical bag with her so she took the girls vital signs and gave her a quick check-up. Janice said she appeared to be in satisfactory physical heath but to bring her by the office later for a more thorough exam. Janice asked who the girl was so Trish took her aside and explained what they had pulled her from. Trish also told her that there might be more children soon and asked if Janice minded keeping this to herself until they could figure out a way to get the other kids out. Doctor Pritchett nodded and said she would help in anyway she could. Anyone who abused children was lower than whale shit to her.
After the doctor departed, Trish looked the young girl over. Trish knew intimately the expression on their new charge's face. In her first life, she and all the other displaced children wandering around Europe wore the same wary visage. The language barrier was going to make it hard to help the poor child. Trish smiled gently at the girl then pointed to herself. "Trish," she said before pointing to the girl inquiringly.
"Wendy," said the girl.
Trish did the name thing by pointing to each person in turn. Wendy stayed close by Debbie, instinctively drawn to her strength.
Jake went to the phone on the wall and called Tiny Johnson. Tiny, Jake figured, would know someone who spoke the girl's language if anyone would. The phone rang twice before someone answered. Jake looked at the handset oddly when a familiar voice said, "Johnson Enterprises, how may I help you?"
Jake knew the voice but could not place it.
"This is Jake Turner. Could I speak to Tiny please?"
"Hi, Jacob, this is Mary -- and of course you can."
Jake shook his head to clear it; this was decidedly strange.
"TJ here," came out of phone next.
"Ah, Tiny?" a confused Jake asked.
"Hey, bud," Tiny laughed, "there have been some changes around here."
Jake said he would love to hear about them, but later -- then explained the problem. Tiny said he knew someone, of course, and would have them at the airport in twenty minutes. Jake went back and told the group who he had called. Debbie beamed him a smile when he said Tiny was on his way.
Tiny made it in fewer than twenty minutes. Jake turned around when the entry door to the hanger closed and his mouth literally fell open. It was Tiny Johnson all right, just not the Tiny Jake knew. This Tiny was wearing slacks and a dress shirt instead of jeans and a tee-shirt. His hair was no longer in a pony tail, instead, it was stylishly cut in the latest fashion. Jake gawked as Tiny strode across the concrete floor. In the two weeks since Jake had seen Tiny, the big man had undergone a radical transformation. Jake turned and looked at Debbie; she grinned devilishly and wagged her eyebrows. When Tiny made it over to where they were standing, he swept Debbie up for a hug and a kiss -- then sheepishly shook hands with Jake.
"You tried to warn me, didn't you, Jake? The women in your family have taken over my life, my house, and my business. I get fed healthy food, crap I wouldn't give my dog, and they make me exercise like a convict on the chain gang. Your mother is in the middle of redecorating my house while Claudia's mother is reorganizing my store. I want to be mad and offended but I am so well taken care of all I can do is smile and agree to anything they say. By the way, I speak pretty good Vietnamese. It was a useful skill in my business dealings with the locals."
Jake laughed at the big man's pseudo-complaining. Jake gave Tiny a heavily edited explanation about the girl and the circumstances that brought her here. Tiny listened to the story before turning back to the frightened young girl. She flinched back when he pulled up a chair and sat next to her and then leaned forward excitedly when Tiny rattled off a few sentences in the singsong Vietnamese language. Wendy looked at Tiny solemnly and spoke rapidly for a couple of minutes. Tiny kept holding up his hand to slow the torrent of her rapid fire speech. Jake held his tongue, although he was dying to ask the girl some questions. Judging from Tiny's stormy look, Wendy was not painting a pretty picture.
Tiny asked a couple of questions then turned towards Jake and Debbie.
"She has an eleven year old sister still at the orphanage. Jesus, from what this girl says they are like slaves for some rich dude. I can't believe that shit like this could go on in twentieth century America. It makes me want to puke," Tiny said.
Jake inwardly groaned; this definitely was not what he had in mind. Tiny, Debbie, and Erika were looking at him expectantly. He returned their gaze and made his decision.
"The orphanage, as you called it, Tiny, is really a shelter for runaway and unwanted teens. A guy named Tremont who, Trish and I suspect, is using the kids as more than just servants, funds it. We found out about it because Tremont and his wife did a number on Cindy Sorenson when she was in Chicago for a movie opening. Apparently, Tremont is using some sort of drug to keep them in line. According to Cindy, everyone seems to want whatever the Tremonts want them to want. I already knew something about this Tremont guy; he is a threat to my family that I will take care of soon.
"After I deal with Tremont, I'll do something about the kids in the shelter. If we try to get them now, it will tip my hand. The only reason I had anyone snatched up at all was to gather information on the Tremonts. But... if we try to snatch up only one more it shouldn't screw up my plans too badly. What do you say Tiny, you up to it? I won't be able to go for another week or I'd do it myself."
"I'm game," Tiny said.
"I'm going too, Tim," Debbie interjected. "You'll need somebody to watch your back. Plus you know Claudia will be coming, no way are we both leaving without her."
Jake looked back and forth at the two of them. Tiny's real name was Tim -- how about that! Jake reckoned that Tiny had about as much backup as he would ever need and left them to work out the details. Jake met Erika walking back towards the hanger as he was heading for his truck.
"Come here, you," he said enfolding her in his arms. "It has been forever."
Erika gladly moved against him. It had been months since they had even seen each other, let alone shared a hug. Jake held her for a moment then kissed her gently on the lips.
"We've missed you, Viking Girl. Can you come out and stay with us a while?"
"Actually, Jacob, I'd like to talk to you guys about that. I think I've done about all the exciting things I want to try for a while. Do you think Melissa would be mad if I did not want to race anymore?"
"Of course not, Sweetie; we both want you to do what you think is best for you. What do you want to do?"
"Melissa once offered me a job as her personal assistant. If the position is still open, that's what I want to do. I missed you guys so much this last year that I cried myself to sleep a lot of nights. You know that I am still hopelessly in love with both of you."
Jake told Erika that Melissa still did not have an assistant even though she needed one desperately. Jake had a feeling Melissa had been saving the position for Erika and had even been grooming her for it. His wife was as slick as snot on a door knob if that was the case because Erika was the total package now. She was a pilot with a jet rating, a driver that had raced competitively, a body guard that could kick most anyone's ass, and she had experience in the business world.
Erika followed Jake back to the ranch. She and Melissa went out on the pool deck to talk while Jake and Jakey played peek-a-boo with Mikayla. Well, she was officially Mikayla except to the two Jakes. Out of the earshot of Melissa, she was Mickey. Mikayla was born Daddy's girl and got worse every day. They were down on the floor with Mickey lying on Jake's stomach when they heard the women start squealing outside the door. Jakey ran to the French doors to look out then came back shaking his head.
"Women," he said, perfectly imitating his father's oft-voiced lament.
Jake senior, nodded sagely, pleased that the son was as clueless as the father.
That evening Erika stayed with them for supper. Erika was moving in the next day. Melissa told Jake that he was being evicted from the office he never used so Erika could have it. That was fine with Jake, because he was not one of those guys who could work from home anyway. His intentions were good but he was easily distracted. A kid wanting to play, a female wanting some loving, or a friend wanting to fish was all it took for him to drop everything and play hooky. If he had legitimate work that he had to do, he went to the bungalow.
After supper, Melissa went to feed Mikayla. Jake wandered out by the pool to look at the stars and focus his mind. Trish had Jake thinking about how to lure the Tremonts out of Chicago because of a casual comment she had made. Jake had been wondering aloud why the Tremonts used the teens for servants when they could afford to hire much more skilled and efficient help. Trish said that often the very wealthy were skinflints in a lot of ways. Many felt that everyone was trying to take advantage of them because they were rich; after several episodes proved those suspicions, a lot became tightwads. That little insight started a glimmer of an idea that might be worth a try. Jake's introspection was broken when Muffy came out to join him.
Melissa sat in his lap and put her head on his shoulder. She sighed in contentment as he encircled her waist with his arm.
"Tomorrow, Doctor Jan should clear me to start having real sex again. I can hardly wait to feel you in me," Melissa said.
"I know how you feel, I'm getting hard just thinking about it," Jake replied.
"I think I can take the edge off for you if you come with me," she said.
Melissa took his hand and led him out to his gym. With only the light in the bathroom for illumination, she pulled him over to his inclined bench. She shed her robe and nursing bra then gracefully lay back on the bench.
"Get naked and straddle the bench," she urged.
Jake complied in a flash. With his feet on either side of the bench, she grabbed his stalk and tugged him until his throbbing member lay between her swollen breasts. She moaned as Jake pushed the large mounds together to cocoon his rod. Jake thumbed her nipples as he made a tentative stroke. Milk dribbled from her nipples to form a lubricant for his next stroke.
"Oh god, I'm so hot, Hubby. I've been thinking about this all evening. Come on me, Baby, and I'll wear it to bed, maybe Cindy will lick it off."
As always, her sexy talk ratcheted up his libido. He twisted her nipples firmly, the way she liked, and watched her face as she climbed higher. Jake stopped for a second and had her take over holding her breasts together. With his hands free, he reached behind his butt and toyed with her clit. Jake picked up the speed of his stroking; he knew she was going to cum quickly and he wanted them to finish together. Then suddenly Melissa was there, shaking and moaning.
"Now, Baby, come for me now," she moaned.
With a lusty grunt, Jake unloaded his pent-up jism. Melissa's orgasm increased in intensity when the first thick rope of his spending shot over her head and splatted on the cushioned bench behind her. She tilted her head just in time for the second blast to splash against her face and in her hair. By the time they were finished, her face and chest were thoroughly covered. Melissa smiled wickedly as she took him into her mouth and sucked out the last dregs of his cum. When he was thoroughly spit-shined, she released him and licked her lips. She used her hands to squeegee the come off her face onto her breasts then slipped her bra back on.
"It will take a few weeks to lose this stomach and get my fat ass under control, Honey, but by the time Christmas rolls around, I'll be back in shape," Melissa said.
Jake shrugged, "You know I love you and you are irresistible regardless."
She laughed and snuggled under his arm as they walked back to the house. Once inside, Melissa asked Cindy to help her pump her breasts dry. Either she was over producing or Mikayla was not drinking the way her brother had. She took Cindy's hand and headed towards the bedroom, winking at Jake as they departed. "What was Muffy up to now?" he wondered.
The next morning dawned warm and sunny. A breeze from the south-west blew warm moist air in from the Gulf of Mexico. It was Saturday and Leslie had organized a pool day. Donna, Nina, Faith, and even Jennie were coming over to swim and sun. Leslie and Tanya Nobles had stockpiled a boatload of munchies and soda. The girls started arriving at ten while Melissa and Trish were loading up the station wagon for a visit to Doctor Pritchett's office. Janice was going to give Jake and Mikayla a check up while Melissa was there. While Jake helped them load the diaper bags and baby paraphernalia, he teased Melissa about having to drive the sedate station wagon. Melissa flipped him off as she roared out of the driveway.
Jake walked back into the house, grabbed himself a cup of coffee, and changed into his swimsuit. He sat on the deck drinking coffee and finalizing his plan for Alfred Tremont as he watched the women splashing around in the pool. At eleven, Tiny, Debbie, and Claudia showed up with Wendy in tow. Leslie and her gang jumped out of the pool to greet them and meet the new girl. Debbie and Claudia had taken Wendy clothes shopping that morning and had her cutely dressed in a little navy blue jumper. They had bought her a bathing suit so Leslie soon had her in the pool splashing around with the rest of them. Wendy was initially very reserved and quiet but it was easy to tell she loved being with the other girls.
Tanya brought out coffee for everyone then Debbie filled Jake in on their plan. They were flying to Chicago the next day. They would rent a car and drive to the shelter; Wendy was going inside to sneak her sister out. Wendy said that the kids in the shelter were very obedient so no one would question them going outside for awhile at night. Debbie hoped that they could just walk around the corner, get in the car, and drive away. If not, the back up plan involved Debbie and Tiny subduing the staff and Claudia snatching up the girls. They were going to rent two cars, if they had to make a getaway they would change vehicles. Jake was not crazy about the whole idea but knew it had to be done.
Business out of the way, Jake and Tiny talked while Debbie and Claudia changed into their swimwear and dove into the pool. Tiny pulled a pipe out of a front pocket, and a pouch of Captain Black tobacco out of his back one. He filled the bowl of the pipe, tamped the tobacco down, and fire it up with a butane fueled Ronson lighter. Tiny sat back with a contented sigh, his feet up on another chair. A thick cloud of vanilla flavored smoke wreathed his head.
"Jake, you are sitting next to a happy man. Women are running rough-shod over my life, doing everything I've always hated, and it doesn't faze me a bit. Love makes a man do some weird shit."
"You are preaching to the choir, my friend. Muffy has me trained like a circus monkey. I don't even pretend to protest any more."
Jake took Tiny on a tour of the ranch. It was the first time Tiny had seen the complete operation. Tiny and Quincy Nobles hit it off, agreeing that going fishing one day next week was a fine idea. They made it back to the pool in an hour or so. Debbie, Claudia, and Wendy were already out of the water and dressed. The women gave Jake a kiss on the cheek then they headed off.
Jake cannonballed into the pool and was immediately mobbed for his trouble. Even cousin Jennie took a try at drowning him. Her reticence seemed to have evaporated after her talk with Jake. Jennie was wearing a mean little aqua colored two piece that showed the most skin he had ever seen her display. Jennie was built like a brick shithouse; old Larry was a lucky dude. Larry was coming down for the Christmas break and Jennie was beside herself waiting, hanging out with her sisters and cousins helped. Jake also received considerable attention from Cindy.
"This is just like when we were sixteen, Jake, when we use to swim in your parents' pool. Hard to believe six years have passed since then, it seems like it was only last month," Cindy said.
Jake agreed with her and asked her what her plans were now. Cindy said she did not have any past today but she was feeling much better about everything thanks to Trish and Melissa.
"You married the right woman, Jake; I see that now. You can't be around her for any length of time and not fall in love with her. I want to stay with you all for a while longer; I am beginning to see that what you guys have is what love is really all about. I would not mind being part of it."
Further conversation was cut short by Jakey as he barreled out the house with a whoop and jumped into the pool. Cindy exited the pool to see if Melissa needed any help. Little Jacob was part dolphin just as Kahuna Kane had said he would be. He loved the water and could already float and dog paddle at the age of three. Jakey was also a chip off the old block when it came to whom he preferred to swim with as he pretty much ignored his dad and let the girls make a fuss over him. Jakey was really playing up to Jennie Murphy, much to his father's amusement. Jennie had the biggest breasts in the pool and Jakey was not shy about showing his appreciation of them.
Cindy and Trish came out of the house after about fifteen minutes and told Jake that Melissa needed to talk to him. Jake toweled off and headed into the house. He eventually tracked his wife down in the bedroom. She was seductively lying on the bed in a white gown. She crooked her finger to motion him towards the bed.
"Lieutenant Turner, Mrs. Turner has been cleared for full duty," she said.
It did not take either one of them long to orgasm the first time. Jake started to raise his weight off her but she locked him in place with her arms and legs.
"Oh, no you don't, Hubby mine, you are staying right where you belong for a while. We have a lot of catching up to do."
They stayed locked together as Melissa massaged his cock with her internal muscles so he would stay hard.
"Looks like our family is growing," Melissa said.
"Yea, Mikayla is an angel. Are you already thinking about another baby?" Jake responded.
Melissa laughed -- which caused some interesting fluctuations in the grip she had on his shaft.
"No, silly man, not for a while. I'm talking about Cindy and Erika."
By now, they had rolled over and Melissa was sitting up on him gently grinding against him. Her large breasts were leaking and the front of her gown had wet spots around the nipples. Her hair was in wild disarray and her eyes were luminous. She was about the sexiest thing he had ever seen.
"Cindy has been doing a lot of thinking about how she has acted all these years. I believe her when she says she is sorry for being so one way in how she approached life. She still has some issues to work out but she is getting there. I like the new her a lot. I can see what drew you to her besides her looks."
Jake nodded his understanding as she sped up her motion above him. He reached up and pulled her gown off her shoulders to bare her breasts. She moaned as he squeezed her nipples. All thoughts of Cindy vanished as they raced towards another climax.
Jake did not return to the pool after he and Melissa made love. He was not about to expose himself to the ribbing he knew he would get. Instead, he went to the gym and worked out. He marveled about the new living arrangements as he pumped iron. Three women lived with them full time now: Trish, Leslie, and Erika. In addition, Faith, Nina, and now Cindy were all going to be frequent guests. Melissa said that Nina would be moving in when she graduated from high school. Melissa already had plans to add a second story to the western wing of the house as soon as they went to New York for the baseball season.
In some ways, Jake guessed that someone could mistake the women in his life for a harem. They could not have been more wrong. For one thing, the women pretty much ran the show. Jake did not have a clue as to how Muffy organized it or how they decided who would sleep where on any give night. He just knew he did not have much of a say in the matter. Poor, poor, pitiful me, he grinned.
That night Melissa reassumed her position in the middle of the bed, Erika on one side of her and Jake on the other. Cindy had gone to spend a few days mending fences with her parents. So, it was only the three of them in the big bed. It was just like old times as Melissa soon had Erika's fragrant aroma wafting through the room.
The next day, Sunday, November 14th, 1976, Debbie, Claudia, Tiny, and Wendy flew up to a small airport outside of Chicago. It was a different facility than the one Erika had used a few days ago. Claudia rented a car from Avis and Tiny rented one from Hertz. Tiny rented his with a fake ID and credit card - he would pay in cash. Claudia and Wendy followed Tiny and Debbie to a shopping center about a mile from the shelter to cache her car. Soon all four of them were cruising the street in front of the shelter checking out what was going on. It was a quiet Sunday afternoon and the streets were almost deserted. Tiny drove a few blocks and found a restaurant where they ate supper to kill time until it was fully dark.
At seven-thirty, Tiny parked the car around the corner from the shelter. Claudia got behind the wheel as Debbie and Tiny walked Wendy around the corner. Wendy was scared but determined to do whatever was needed to rescue her sister. Tiny posted himself at the corner as Wendy started towards the door of the shelter. Debbie walked across the street and stood in the shadows so she could watch the shelter's entrance. The hardest part for them all was while Wendy was out of their sight. The plan was to wait for fifteen minutes. If the girls were not out by then, Tiny and Debbie were going to bluff their way into the building.
An incredibly long ten minutes passed before Wendy appeared holding hands with a tiny little kewpie doll. The two girls strolled down the sidewalk towards Tiny's hiding place. Debbie crossed the street and followed them, keeping a wary eye out for anyone else coming out behind the youngsters. Their next problem was going to be getting Wendy's sister into the car. Wendy said that staying at the shelter was continuously drilled into their heads. They were constantly told that the only safe place for them was at the shelter or with the Tremonts. Tiny hoped that Wendy could persuade her sister that this was okay to leave with them for a little while. Based on Cindy and Wendy's experience, it took about twenty-four hours for the compliance drug to stop working.
Wendy was able to get her sister into the car without a fuss. Wendy introduced her sister as Mindy. Mindy was scared and huddled up against her sister as they rode towards the airport. A glass of juice with a mild sedative caused Mindy to fall asleep in the back seat before they reached the airport. By the time she woke up, they were back in Palmdale.
Tiny called Jake the next morning to tell him the trip was successful. Wendy and Mindy, although still frightened, were starting to warm up to their new family. As a bonus, Mindy spoke better English than her sister. Wendy, it turns out, actually understood English much better than it appeared at first. Her natural shyness and wary reserve was mostly what kept her silent. Mindy had no such problem; she was outgoing and gregarious by nature. Debbie brought the girls by to see Jake later that afternoon. With Mindy's help, Wendy told Jake and his family their story.
In 1974, the North Vietnamese and Viet Cong were rapidly advancing towards Saigon. Wendy and Mindy's father, a midlevel government worker, saw the handwriting on the wall and smuggled his wife and daughter's out of Vietnam across Laos into Thailand. Once in Thailand, they were housed in a refugee camp run by the International Red Cross. While in the camp they found out that the insurgents had captured their father, his where-abouts was still unknown. Six months after they entered the camp, their mother had died from an outbreak of cholera. The sisters' plight came to the attention of a determined Carmelite Nun who spent six more months tracking down an uncle the girls had in the Chicago area.
The uncle agreed to take them in, so Sister Agnes packed the girls up and took them to the Windy City. What Sister Agnes did not know was that the Uncle was a shady character who was involved with the Vietnamese illegal underworld. Uncle Tran convinced the well-meaning nun of his bona fides so she went back to Thailand, mission accomplished. Three weeks later, Tran Hoa Nguyen sold his nieces Minh and Lan Gio Nguyen to one of Alfred Tremont's procurers. Tran gave the girls their American names. Minh became Mindy and Lan, whose name meant gentle breeze, became Wendy. Alfred immediately took a shine to the shy and diminutive Wendy. Her slight hairless body and submissive nature made her one of his favorites. Mindy was spared only because Alfred was going to use her virginity as a reward to help close a deal with the owner of a fleet of grain ships that plied the Great Lakes.
At the same time Wendy was telling her story, Alfred Tremont was getting the distressing news that his two little oriental birds had flown the coop. Alfred was enraged. He knew the little strumpets were too properly conditioned to leave on their own so someone had to have taken them. Alfred had paid ten thousand dollars for the pair and was not about to lose an investment of that size without retribution. He already had a list of suspects, starting with the staff at the shelter and ending with that greasy slant eye, Nguyen. On reflection, Alfred quickly eliminated the shelter's staff. They were also recipients of the drug that allowed Alfred to have his way. That left Markus Tinker, the pimp who sold him the girls, and Uncle Nguyen.
Alfred had people who did his dirty work for him -- not that he was above doing it himself, if necessary. Rounding up Tinker and Nguyen was something he could delegate; he would, however, be the one to question them. Alfred picked up the phone and buzzed the staff quarters above the garage; fifteen minutes later Fernando Gonzalez and George Spivey were standing in front of his desk. Spivey and Gonzalez were ex-cons one year out of Joliet State Prison. Both men were small, wiry, cunning, and mean. They were text book examples of sociopaths. Alfred told the pair what he wanted and told them to make it happen.
"And put a little fear in them before they get here," Alfred added.
Eyes shining, the evil duo hastened to do the boss' bidding. It was rare that they had permission to hurt someone. For them it was an early Christmas bonus. They tracked down Tinker first. Markus was a player with aspiration for controlling prostitution on the Westside of Chicago. He worked the streets relentlessly, exhorting his hookers to make more money. Spivey and Gonzalez followed his flashy El Dorado for two hours before they found a deserted spot to snatch him up. To George and Fernando's delight the fat pimp put up quite a struggle before they subdued him. They trussed Markus up and threw him in the back of their van. They drove slowly back to the Tremont's estate, taking turns prison-raping the pimp's fine fat ass.
Spivey backed the van up to a small loading dock at the back of the house; then he and Fernando unloaded the thoroughly cowed Mr. Tinker. They dragged the fat man down a flight of stairs where Alfred and Michelle met them. This was as far as they were ever allowed to go. They had no idea what rested at the bottom of the freight elevator's travel. Did not know, and did not want to know because they had seen more than a few people make the trip down but only the Tremonts ever came back up. The ex-cons went back to the van and headed to Nguyen's modest house in the suburbs.
While his miscreants were heading towards Nguyen, Alfred began questioning Tinker. Michelle loved to watch her husband at work and was his able and willing assistant. Unfortunately, Tinker eliminated himself as a suspect in less than an hour. He did this by the simple expedient of dropping dead from a heart attack as Michelle was applying intermittent electricity to his gonads with the bare wires from a lamp cord.
Things did not go much better at the Nguyen home. Spivey and Gonzalez inadvertently woke up Tran Nguyen making their entry. He met them in the living room and promptly shot Gonzalez in the chest with a small .32 caliber revolver. Fernando returned the favor blowing a fist sized hole in Nguyen's gut with the sawed off shotgun he carried. Spivey stood motionless as the tableau played itself out in front of him in fewer than ten seconds. He was spurred to action when Mrs. Nguyen charged screaming out of the bedroom with an AK-47. Spivey dropped her in her tracks with his specially silenced .38. He put a second round into her head for good measure before he checked on his partner who had slumped to the floor.
Spivey watched with detached interest as his partner exsanguinated before his eyes; so long, amigo. After Fernando bled out, Spivey went into action. Spivey had been in prison for arson and insurance fraud. Although suspected of setting fires that had killed people, the police could only make one count against him. George went to the kitchen, blew out the pilot lights on the range, and turned on all the burners to full. Then he made his way through the house looking for anything of value. He found some cash and a surprising amount of gold jewelry in the master bedroom, but the real treasure was hiding in the closet of a smaller bedroom.
George cautiously opened the door from the side and found a small oriental girl huddled crying on the floor. George propped a chair against the closet's doorknob and methodically finished his preparations. He knew that even if someone had called the police, the response to a noise call this time of night would be slow. Spivey set a small fire in a wastebasket in the master bedroom and piled combustibles around it; then he grabbed his loot and the girl and fled out the back door. George kept his hand over the child's mouth to keep her quiet as he walked quickly through the adjoining yards to where he had parked the van a street over. Spivey was glad he had found the girl; he figured she was one of the pair that the boss was looking for so at least he was not coming back empty handed.
Spivey was not only methodical, he was exceedingly cautious. He drove about a mile from the girl's house and parked in a strip mall lot. He bound, gagged, and blindfolded the whimpering child then removed the magnetic signs on the side of the van that said 'Fernando's Bakery'. He was throwing the signs into a dumpster when the sky lit up as the Nguyens' house exploded. A thunderous boom echoed down the quiet streets less than a second later. George sedately drove away, lawfully pulling over to make room for the fire engines speeding to the inferno he had caused.
Alfred and Michelle were very pleased with George Spivey when he
gave them the girl. No, she was not Wendy or Mindy; she was probably
Nguyen's real daughter. Whoever she was, she was stunningly beautiful.
Mrs. Nguyen had been French and her mixed occidental/oriental daughter
had the best features of both races. She was a more than adequate
replacement for Mindy. The girl spoke French, which endeared her to
Michelle Tremont. Michelle had it in her mind that she was the American
Brigitte Bardot. The Tremonts decided that ten year old Claudette would
be Michelle's personal servant and a special reward to those who did
Alfred a really big favor.