Chapter 07

   I was still sitting in the kitchen holding Ginger on my lap when Jennie
came down the hall and stopped in the doorway.

   "Please come in and sit down, Jennie."

   She took a chair across from me.  She looked very upset.

   "We need to have a long talk, Jennie.  The trouble is, we don't have
time now.  Do you trust me?"

   She hesitated and then answered.  "I did, but now I'm not sure."

   "Fair enough.  Here's what I plan to do.  Ginger is obviously in no
condition to go to school.  I'm going to take her over to Mother's to stay
while we handle the case today.  When it's over, you and I will go there
and have a talk with both Mother and Ginger.  Is that acceptable?"

   She paused to think about it and then nodded her head.  "Yes.  This case
is important, and this other thing can wait as long as Ginger is safe with
Mother.  I will not do or say anything about this until we have had time to
talk.  I owe you and Ginger that much."

   "Good.  Ginger, I want you to go in and get dressed.  Can you do that
alone?"

   Before she could answer, Rose spoke up.  I hadn't even noticed she was
in the doorway.

   "I don't understand what's happening, Sam, but I trust you.  I'll help
Ginger get dressed.  Someone can explain it all to me later."

   "Thank you, Rose.  This is a private matter, and we can't talk about it
right now.  I'll try to explain it all later.  After Ginger and I leave, I
want you and Jennie to have breakfast, and then she will take you down to
my office.  You can meet Grace there and stay with her until I come back
later.  Is that okay with you?"

   "Sure.  Grace is a nice lady, and I liked being with her.  She did seem
a little sad but she cheered up after a while.  Come on Ginger."

   Ginger gave me a hug and a kiss on the cheek, whispered, "I'm sorry,"
and slid off my lap.  She slowly followed Rose to her room.

   "Jennie, I expect to be at the office before you.  If there are any
changes to plans I'll let you know then.  Otherwise, you drop Rose off with
Grace and carry on with your part.  Please try to be at the school by
seven-thirty."

   "Yes, sir."

   That hurt, but I didn't say anything.  I went out to the living room and
started making calls.  First was Mother.  It was early, so it took several
rings before she answered.

   "What's wrong, Sam?" She knew I wouldn't be calling so early unless
there was trouble.

   "I'm in deep doo doo, Mother, and I need your help.  I can't explain
now, but I need to ask you a question.  I need an honest answer.  No
punches pulled, no avoiding the issue.  Can you do that?"

   "Yes."

   "How would you describe my relationship with Ginger?"

   After a very short pause she replied, "You are lovers."

   "I thought you knew, and I'm glad you answered that way.  I'm bringing
Ginger over to your place right away.  She is very upset and needs you. 
You may ask her anything you want to.  I have a big operation this morning,
but as soon as it's over I will be coming over to talk with you.  Jennie
will be coming too."

   I guess she figured what was wrong, as I heard her gasp.

   "I'll be waiting, and I'll take care of Ginger for as long as she needs
me."

   "Thanks, Mother.  We'll be there soon."

   We hung up and I called Wilson.  He must have been up early to get ready
since he answered the phone on the first ring.

   "Morning, Sam."

   "I don't have much time, my friend, so I'll get right to it.  Do you
know the vacant lot out behind the High School athletic field?"

   "Sure."

   "It would be helpful if your group was there at seven-fifteen.  You'll
find one of my big trucks there with a few of my men.  Please have them
wait there for word from you.  I want you to come to the brick house with a
green door that is right across from the High School.  I'll meet you there
and brief you.  Can do?"

   "See you at seven-fifteen, Sam.  Anything else?"

   I told him that was all and we hung up.  Next I called Grace at home.  I
hated to do that, but she was not due in the office until around eight, and
that was a little late.  It only took a couple of rings before she
answered.

   "Hello?"

   "Good morning, Grace.  I'm short of time, so forgive me if I'm abrupt.
Can you be at the office by seven so you can watch Rose?"

   "No problem, Sam.  Anything else I can do for you?"

   "Yes.  There will be a Dr.  Webber coming in to see Rose.  She is a
therapist recommended by Jack.  I want you to find a private room where she
can talk to Rose comfortably and without being disturbed.  If she gets
there before I get back from this morning's operation, please see that she
gets whatever she needs.  She is on retainer as a consultant, but whatever
goes on between her and Rose is strictly private.  There is to be no
recording or video of her meeting.  Understood?"

   "Yes.  Sam.  I'll take care of everything.  See you later."

   I finished just in time to see Ginger come out of her room.  I gave her
a hug and told her I'd be ready in a minute.  I rushed into my room and got
cleaned up and dressed for the day.  That included my Glock.  I told Jennie
I was leaving and took Ginger by the hand to lead her out to my car.  The
trip to Mother's was not too long.  I told Ginger that everything was going
to be okay.  I don't think she believed me as she continued to weep.  I
also told her that Mother knew about us being lovers and that she should
tell her what happened this morning.  She just nodded.

   When we got there, Mother was waiting and opened the door before I could
knock.  She just held out her arms, and Ginger ran into them and hugged her
tight.

   "Oh, Mother.  I messed up, and I think I got Sam into big trouble.  I
think I'm going to lose him." She burst into full-out crying as Mother
tried to soothe her.

   "Mother, I don't have time now to talk but Ginger will tell you what
happened.  I need to get going."

   "Go ahead, Sam.  I'll take care of Ginger.  See you later."

   I bent over and whispered to Ginger, "I love you," and ran out to the
car.  I was close to tears myself and didn't want her to see that.

   When I got to the office, I stopped by to see Grace.  Rose was there and
jumped up and ran over to me.  I was surprised when she hugged me.

   "Oh, Sam.  I hope what happened wasn't my fault.  Was it all because I
asked for help?"

   "No, sweetheart.  It wasn't your fault at all.  It had nothing to do
with you.  Jennie and Ginger and I will talk about it, and I'm sure it will
all be fine by tonight.  You just stay with Grace for a while.  After
today, you'll be able to go home and get back to normal.  That lady Doctor
I told you about will be here to see you later.  I want you to give her a
chance, okay?  She is very good and just wants to help you.  Will you do
that for me?"

   "Okay, Sam.  I'll give her a chance if you say so.  But I'll still walk
out if I don't like it."

   "Fair enough.  Now I have to go.  You be good, and have fun with Grace."

   She gave me another hug and a kiss on the cheek.  That felt really good.

   I left and went right to see Mike.  I was glad to see Beth was there
too.

   "Hi.  Who's watching at the school, Beth?"

   "The night crew.  I was waiting for you to get here and brief the rest
of us on what is going on."

   "Good.  Let's get to the briefing room and get this show on the road. 
Mike, could I speak to you for a second first?"

   Beth looked puzzled but left us alone.  Mike seemed surprised as well.

   "Mike, I can't tell you what's going on, but if anything happens that
keeps me from running this place, I want you and Grace to take it over like
you did when I went off the deep end last year.  No questions now, please."

   "Okay, Sam."

   We entered the briefing room to find Beth, Amber, Mattie, Jennie, the
Geek, and several other field operators waiting.

   "Okay.  Briefly this is what's going on.  At seven-thirty this morning
there will be a meeting at the shack.  Present, if all goes well, will be
four men, four boys, and one woman.  They are all involved in this abuse of
the kids at the High school.  Beth, I want you to assign six operatives to
the truck out back of the school.  At seven-fifteen there will be several
members of the local PD joining you.  Wilson will be with Beth and me at
the house.  We will monitor the meeting and tell you when to make the bust.
You are to back up the PD but not get in the way if they can handle it. 
Walter, can you make a CD of the meeting for Wilson so he has some evidence
to make the arrests?"

   "No problem, Sam.  I'll make two copies at the same time, so we have one
too."

   "Great.  Amber, do you have those stills I asked for?"

   "Right here, Sam." She handed me a 9 x 12 envelope.

   "Mattie, I want you to go in as if you were going to teach today, but
stay near the office.  If this goes down as I expect, there might be some
confusion.  I want you to get the number of our friend from the school
board from Mike.  At seven-thirty I want you in the office.  You should
identify yourself and use the phone there to call our friend.  Tell him I
said he needs to get there ASAP to take over.  Tell him the Principal and
Vice-Principal are unavailable.  He'll need administrators and councilors
as well as some security personnel."

   "Right, Sam."

   "Jennie, I want you to time your arrival for seven-thirty and mingle
with the students.  Word travels fast in a school, so if there is any
problem just sing out and help will be on the way.  Understand?"

   "Yes, Sir."

   Suddenly there was silence and all heads turned to look at Jennie.  She
just stared ahead without saying any more.  Beth looked at me with a
puzzled expression, as if waiting for me to say something.  I would
normally not let any staff member get away with calling me "Sir." They all
knew that something was up.

   "I think that covers everything.  Lets get going.  Beth, would you and
Jennie stay for a moment please?"

   Everyone else left, and I asked Jennie to remain in the room while I
talked to Beth outside.  She nodded.

   We went out in the hall and I spoke to Beth.

   "Beth, something has happened between Jennie and me.  I can't tell you
what, but I need you to speak with her.  Ask her if she is sure she can
continue on this operation and put our problem aside for now.  If you have
any doubt about her being able to keep her head in the game, I want you to
sit her down.  It will not reflect on her record in any way.  It should all
be settled one way or the other by the end of the day.  Can do?"

   "All right, Sam.  Out of respect for both of you, I won't ask any
questions about the problem, but I'll be sure she is okay to handle this
op."

   "Thanks, Beth."

   She went back into the room, and I waited outside.  In a few minutes,
Jennie came out and walked right past me without a word.  Beth came out and
said that she was sure Jennie would be okay for now, but that she had said
she might have to resign later.  I hated to hear that but would worry about
it later.  I'd do what ever was required to keep from causing Jennie any
trouble.  I had a lot of contacts and would help her get another job if she
did leave.

   By seven-fifteen, everyone was in place but Jennie.  I gave Wilson the
stills, and he said they would be enough to get things started.  Now all we
had to do was wait.  It turned out we didn't have to wait long.  The
subjects started to arrive at seven-twenty.

   First to get there was Pelham.  He unlocked the shack and went inside.
He was obviously worried.  He didn't sit down.  He just paced back and
forth as he waited for the others.

   Next in was Whittaker.  He was surprised to see Pelham there.

   "What are you doing here, Charley?"

   "I could ask you the same thing.  I got a call late last night from that
bitch Driscoll saying it was urgent that we meet here at seven-thirty.  You
know I never come out here where you people do all your fucking.  Do you
know what's going on?"

   "No.  I got the same call from her.  She was unusually insistent for the
submissive she is."

   The next to get there was Wiswall.  He was just as surprised as the
others, and they didn't say much new.  He was followed shortly by Gerard.
They went through the same questions and answers and still didn't know what
to think.  They did sound angry and were talking about Driscoll and what
they would do to her if this was some stunt she was pulling.

   Jennie arrived at the school at exactly seven-thirty and started
wandering up and down the halls.

   At that very moment, Driscoll entered the shack.  She was immediately
bombarded with questions from all the others.  After a couple of minutes
she showed her new assertive side and yelled at them to "shut the hell up".
That surprised all of them, so they did as she said.  She then spent the
next few minutes reporting on my visit the night before.  I was glad to
note that she didn't mention the D/S part of the visit.  She just explained
that I had known all about them and who they were.  She told them I knew
they and the boys were fucking kids out here and that I wanted some of that
prime pussy.

   While they were talking, I wondered about the boys.  They were late. 
Momentarily I found out why.  They were in the hallway just outside the
gym, and Jennie was there too.  I recognized Spike's voice over Jennie's
bug.

   "Hey, little pussy, whatcha doin here wanderin' the halls all alone?"

   "None of your business, creep."

   "Don't get smart with me, bitch, or me and the guys will teach you a
lesson you won't soon forget."

   I could see where this was going and I didn't like it one bit.  As I
headed out the door I hollered at Beth, "Call Mattie and have her get the
secretary to page Jennie to the office, then head down to the gym.  I'll
meet her there.  You guys keep an eye on the shack and move in when you
have enough."

   I ran over to the school and headed down to the gym.  I passed Mattie as
I ran.  When I got to the scene, I saw three of the boys on the floor.  One
was obviously unconscious, one was holding what looked like a broken arm,
and the third was holding his crotch and vomiting.

   Jennie had Spike down on the floor and was beating the crap out of him
as she called him a slimy little child molester.  He was begging her to
stop, but she was not hearing him.  I reached down and wrapped my arms
around her and pulled her off him.  Before I could say anything she stomped
on my foot and elbowed me in the gut.  That was enough to get her loose,
and she spun around and hit me in the jaw with a roundhouse that seemed to
come from the floor.  I staggered back and was trying to think of a defense
when I heard Mattie yell, "JENNIE, STOP!" She stepped between us, and
Jennie seemed to come out of a trance.  She looked around at what she had
done, burst into tears, and ran away.

   As Mattie ran after Jennie, I could hear her calling for Beth to send
medics right away.  I just sat down and watched the boys.  In a couple of
minutes, Mattie came back.

   "She got away, Sam.  Are you okay?"

   "Yes, just stunned.  I'm sure she was just hyped up from the attack by
the boys and didn't realize it was me." That was crap, but I wanted it on
record and now it would be, through Mattie's bug.

   "The medics are on the way and so is staff from the school board.  Beth
says they're moving in on the shack now.  It seems the stranger never
showed up, and the men were taking it out on Driscoll."

   "Thanks, Mattie.  I suggest you get back to the office so you can brief
the school board people and direct the medics here."

   About the time she was out of sight, a cop showed up.  He looked at the
boys and then at me with a questioning look.

   "I didn't do it.  They attacked one of my operatives, and she defended
herself.  She went to clean up.  I'll have Wilson get with her for a
report."

   That seemed to satisfy him, and he just stood there and watched the boys
until the medics arrived.  I didn't wait around.  I headed out to the shack
to see what was going on.  I found Wilson and Beth both there, watching the
arrests being made.

   "Did everything go okay?" I asked.

   Wilson answered.  "Yep, except for that little dust up in the hall."

   Beth had her field radio in hand, so I asked her to see if she could
find out where Jennie went.  She called the Geek, and he said her tracker
showed she was at Mother's.  I thanked her and asked Wilson if I was
needed. He said everything was being handled and if he needed anything else
he'd ask Beth.  I told her I was heading over to Mother's.

   "That's a good idea.  Let me know if there's anything I can do to help."

   I told her I would and slowly walked away.  I was still feeling the
effects of Jennie's attack.  She was one tough little lady when she was
pissed.

   As I walked down the hall, I noticed several school security officers
directing the students away from the hall where the boys were and telling
them to go right to their classes with no loitering.  I could see Mattie in
the office as I passed by.  She was briefing the school board member, who
was shaking his head in disbelief.  I went out the door and down the block
to where I left my car.  I got in and just sat there for a few minutes,
thinking.  The trip over to Mother's once I got started seemed to take a
very long time.

   Before I got out of the car I called Beth.

   "Yes, Sam?"

   "I'm at Mother's.  Before I go in, how about an update?  First of all,
how are the four boys?"

   "The one that was out when you left came to.  He has a concussion.  The
second one has a broken arm.  Not serious.  The third one has severely
crushed testicles and may need surgery.  The one you saved from our little
tornado has a broken nose and a couple of broken ribs.  He will survive. 
They are all claiming that Jennie attacked them without any reason.  That
won't fly, since we have both the recordings of the incident and a school
security tape from that hall.

   "Driscoll and the four men have all been arrested on various charges of
rape, statutory rape, sexual congress with a minor, assault, contributing
to the delinquency of a minor, and a long list of other charges.  We have
collected all our equipment and all our personnel are heading back to the
office to write up their reports and package up all the evidence we have."

   "Thanks, Beth.  One more thing.  Please have the Geek and Amber scan all
reports and tapes and any other material before it goes to the cops or DA
or anyone else.  I want anything that shows or refers to Rose cleaned up so
she is not made a part of their files.  Only we will retain those original
files.  Understood?"

   "I'll take care of it personally, Sam.  Good luck."

   "Thanks."

   It seemed a long walk from my car to Mother's door.  When I knocked, the
door was opened by Mary.  I was surprised to see her, as it was during
school hours.  When she saw my surprised look, she said, "Ginger needed me.
We'll be in my room when you're ready for her." She gestured for me to come
in, closed the door behind me, and left me standing there.

   Mother was sitting on the couch with Jennie wrapped in her arms.  She
nodded at me to sit down.  I sat in the big chair across from them and
waited.  This was going to be very tough on a lot of people, and it was all
my fault.  I hadn't meant to fall in love with Ginger, but I had.  Now we
all had to suffer for my weakness.  I hated to think what might come next.