Second Chance:

[dmfield]

Great story so far. Keep it coming.

[barfife]

Please don't hesitate! Writers feed on comments, feedback and the criticism (constructive or otherwise).

And I have a few stories off site. My first and a sequel.

Thanks for the remarks. I really appreciate it.

Thoroughly enjoyed your writing to date. You have a God given talent.

[Grand58742]

CHAPTER 29 CONTINUED

********************

[Grand58742]

CHAPTER 29



“What...” Charlie started to say, but couldn’t find any more words to say.

“Thought you needed help for the harvest?” Cindy asked with her typical cheesy grin. She looked tired with rings under her eyes, but more importantly, she looked like she had seen something horrible happen. Charlie didn’t know what, but decided he would get to the bottom of it. With her showing up, he knew there had to be problems. But a thousand other thoughts filled his mind right then.

“How did you get back here? What are you doing back here? Are you safe? What’s going on?” he asked rapid fire and opened the door wider and let her in. She stepped inside and was visibly relieved before starting through the house.

“It’s a long story,” she said.

“Let me make a pot of coffee,” he said.

“You might want to break out the whiskey for this one. I think we both could use a shot,” she grinned.

“Unlucky for you, I don’t have any in the house,” he said as he took her pack and sat it by the closet before heading into the kitchen. “But you still didn’t answer the question, what are you doing here?”

“Grab a chair, this may take a few minutes,” she said and slumped over in the chair, relieved to be in a place of safety once again.


15 hours earlier, Rochester, New York


Cindy was sitting inside the windowless room waiting for someone to appear and talk to her. She was fairly nervous sitting by herself and was curious as to what was taking so long. Before Waters came into the room, Cindy took out her iPod and made sure it was ready for the recording mode. One thing she had learned was nothing was true unless you had proof. And this time, she would have all the proof she needed. She had picked up the device in Johnson City the last time she and Charlie had been out. She wanted to conceal it from him just in case he might have talked her out of it. She saw a figure in the doorway and hit the start button just as he came into the room.

“Have a nice vacation?” Waters asked snidely when he walked in. He was still angry over the confrontation with her father earlier and needed someone to release his hostility on.

“Is that the way this interview is going to go?” asked Cindy, meeting the hostility with more hostility.

“Don’t get snippy with me young lady. I’ve had to do a lot of extra work because of you,” said Waters.

“Oh, I’m sorry you had to do your job investigating a child abuse case,” said Cindy with her normal sassy attitude.

“Which my investigation leads me to believe this whole thing is being made up,” said Waters.

“You aren’t serious?” asked Cindy.

“Yes, I believe you made the entire thing up just for attention. I guess you wanted to get in the papers and be a star or something. I don’t know what, but the point is, there are no signs of your allegations,” he said.

“You obviously didn’t investigate then,” said Cindy. “Did you talk to my sister?”

“Through your mother,” he replied.

“Didn’t think to bring in someone else to talk to her?” asked Cindy.

“Don’t you tell me how to do my job! I know what I’m doing,” said Waters.

“Obviously not,” said Cindy with a roll of her eyes. “And the medical report?”

“I believe the bruises on your back to have been self inflicted. Since the report didn’t indicate how they were put there except by your own false statements and I concluded they were inflicted by you to drum up sympathy for your lies,” he said.

“You think I whipped myself to gain a little sympathy? Are you insane?” demanded Cindy.

“Just calling it like my investigation sees it. Nobody in the community admitted to striking you. Now who are they going to believe, the words of a fifteen year old that ran away from home or the testimony of five different adults including your father and mother?” he asked.

“You are an idiot! They are covering it up!” growled Cindy.

“Your attitude is obviously what your father said it was,” said Waters.

“Oh, did he remind you of the fact I’m impudent?” asked Cindy with another roll of her eyes.

“Yes, disrespectful at the least to a government agent. I’ll have him talk to you about this little problem,” he shot back.

“And he’ll do more than just talk when it comes around to me. I hope you can understand what you are sending me back into,” said Cindy.

“I’m sending you back into a home that cared for you for fifteen years of your life and will continue to care for you until you turn eighteen. After that, if I was your father, I’d throw you out on your ear,” said Waters.

“Now, you see, that’s not what will happen. I won’t be tossed out on my ear because I’ll be a prisoner in that compound married and sexually abused by that freak they call an Imam! If I try to escape, I will probably be killed!” growled Cindy.

“And you know this for a fact?” he asked.

“No, but I’m smart enough to know where this goes in the long run,” said Cindy.

“So if you don’t have any proof, you are just making more things up,” he said.

“You honestly think I could imagine something like this? Something this bad? Do you honestly think I would make something like this up just for attention?” asked Cindy.

“Well, I think that’s exactly what you did. You hoped to be some front page news for a few days by claiming your loving parents were abusing you. I think you made the whole thing up,” said Waters.

“Even though I never went to the press the whole time in Tennessee?” asked Cindy.

“Never got the chance I suppose,” said Waters.

“You are an idiot,” said Cindy.

“And you are the most disrespectful little girl I’ve ever met. I can understand if someone did want to backhand you across the face,” said Waters.

“So you condone abuse on a minor?” asked Cindy.

“No, I just said I could understand if someone wanted to smack you in your rude little mouth. I’ve only known you for less than ten minutes and I want to smack you already,” said Waters.

“So what you are saying is, what goes on behind closed doors is perfectly fine with you as long as you don’t have to do any additional work?” asked Cindy.

“No, what I’m saying is you are a rude little girl and I could see why someone might want to remind you of a few respect lessons in this life,” he said.

“You are saying my father should abuse me to remind me of the fact you are a loser and aren’t doing your job?” asked Cindy.

“I’ll be checking in from time to time. But I’m fairly certain with your attitude and with the disrespect you’ve shown me so far, I will probably overlook a black eye or something. You have to watch running into those doors in the dark I suppose,” said Waters.

“You are saying you wouldn’t investigate signs of physical abuse?” asked Cindy.

“I’m saying if you display the same attitude with your father that you have with me, I could understand if he was to make you compliant to the normal bounds of discipline. Not everything my office receives needs to be investigated and any further complaints from you might just fall on deaf ears,” he said.

“You are going to ignore the fact I will probably be abused and if I file another complaint, you will ignore it?” asked Cindy.

“I’m saying you should watch who you disrespect. I can be your best friend or your worst enemy. I’m just saying you should be careful of who you upset in this world because maybe we won’t be so accommodating in the future,” he said.

“You are unbelievable!” exclaimed Cindy. “You are admitting I’m not going to get help from your office!”

“This conversation is going nowhere. But rest assured, I’ll be having a talk with your father before you go. And furthermore, you understand we are sending you back to your home until the investigation is complete?” asked Waters.

“Even though I’m going to be abused? And raped?” asked Cindy.

“We feel the possibility of that is low considering your family is on the radar scope right now. I highly doubt anything will happen to you. But just the same, what I said here applies as well,” said Waters.

“And I highly doubt you have the first clue what you are talking about!” exclaimed Cindy.

“We’ll let someone else talk to you about it,” said Waters and motioned at the door. A woman in a full length abaya came into the room and stood off to the side. She looked at Cindy through the covered veil and stood there motionless. “I’ll leave you two alone for a minute.”

“Cindy? It’s Mom,” she said and removed her veil.

“Mom!” exclaimed Cindy and jumped up and ran around the table, gripping her mother in a tight hug.

“Your father is outside, but didn’t want to come in yet. He’s very disappointed in you,” said Adila Hassan a.k.a. Diana Grant.

“How do you feel about this?” asked Cindy.

“Are you okay? Have you been fed?” asked her mother.

“Yes Mom, I’ve been taken care of while I was gone,” said Cindy. “How are Stacy and Donnie?”

“They miss you and are wondering where you went. I told them you were away at a special camp,” said Diana.

“I didn’t want to leave, but you and Dad left me no choice,” said Cindy.

“I don’t have a choice in the matter,” said Diana evasively.

“You certainly do! You can say no!” objected Cindy.

“He’s my husband and your father. It’s his right to provide guidance for you,” said Diana.

“Even if it means I’m forced off in marriage to that sick pervert and raped?” asked Cindy quietly.

Diana got quiet at that moment and knew she had been cornered. As a mother, she objected to what was happening to her daughter behind closed doors, but Hassan had been adamant about the whole issue. And her objections had been met with physical retributions. And not unlike thousands of woman who were abused, she had been cowed by her husband and was now defensive of him. But a little lingering hope in the back of her mind allowed her to continue having this conversation with Cindy.

“We were told to come here and talk to you about coming home. They want us to help you rejoin the community,” said her mother.

“What do you want for me Mom?” asked Cindy.

“I want what I’ve always wanted for you. I’ve always wanted you to be happy,” said Diana.

“I was happy when I was away Mom, but I missed you and Donnie and Stacy,” said Cindy through tears.

“I know,” said Diana and shed a tear with her daughter. “But what do you want now?”

“What do you mean Mom?” asked Cindy.

“Don’t you want to come back home to your family?” asked Diana.

“I want us to be a family again Mom, not what they have twisted us into,” said Cindy with another tear.

“Your father wants us to be a family there,” said her mother avoiding the answer she really wanted to give.

“I can’t go back there. You know what’s going to happen,” said Cindy.

“Everything will be okay,” said Diana as she crossed over to her daughter and hugged her. While they were embraced, Diana whispered in Cindy’s ear and hugged her in tighter. After they finished up, she smiled at her firstborn child with tears in her eyes. “You know what to do.”

“I love you Mom,” said Cindy through tears.

“And I love you too Cynthia,” said Diana as she hugged her one last time and departed the room. The door reopened and another figure came in.

“Dad,” said Cindy and looked at the scowl on his face.

“Haseena, you are in a lot of trouble,” said Hassan.

“I was hoping to work things out,” she said.

“No, there will be no working things out. This family will be run the way I see fit and not the way you think it should be. You will come to learn the proper place for a Muslim woman,” said Hassan.

“Dad, I had to do something to get your attention. And if running away was the only thing that would help, that’s what I did,” she said.

“Running away only made your problems worse. Now you will have to be disciplined once again,” he said with an angry tone.

“I just want you to be a father again and not what they twisted you into,” she pleaded.

“You have disappointed me,” he said in an even voice, the one bordering on rage. He felt like giving her a backhand right then to stop the argument, but refrained from doing so especially in the current location. There would be plenty of time for that later.

“You have disappointed me as well,” said Cindy defiantly.

“I can only hope you are still pure,” said Mohammed Hassan.

“Do you still intend for me to get married to that pervert?” asked Cindy.

“Yes,” was all her father answered with.

“You are going to force me to get married to that man thirty years older than I am? The Imam?” asked Cindy.

“Yes, you will do your duty for this family and the community. Allah decrees it,” said Hassan.

“But isn’t it my choice?” asked Cindy.

“You are as impudent as you have always been. Maybe more so. You have learned little in your travels, but you will be getting a reminder when we arrive at home. Your insolence will be dealt with…severely,” said Hassan.

“You mean you are going to beat me again? Probably with the help of your friends again?” asked Cindy.

“If your attitude requires it, I will do what is necessary and will receive help if it is necessary,” said Hassan.

“So you believe physical violence will help me see the light or something like that?” asked Cindy.

“Yes, it will help make you see the path you need to take is clear,” said Hassan.

“And if I am impure?” asked Cindy.

“I hope for your sake you are not. You know the consequences of your actions if you are not,” said Hassan.

“And those are?” asked Cindy.

“You should have studied the shari’a law on your little vacation. If you have violated the shari’a, you know what will happen to you,” said Hassan. “Now cover your face and skin. I cannot have my daughter looking like a godless tramp walking around here.”

Hassan tossed an abaya and niqāb at her and gave her a stare. But he walked out of the room to give her a little privacy. Cindy knew she needed to act fast on her mother’s advice. She slipped on the abaya and niqāb, but looked fairly odd as she was still wearing the comfortable hiking boots Charlie had bought for her. Guess he will just have to get over it, she thought as she exited the room in the building. She found it slightly comical to be wearing the boots while wearing an abaya, but remembered how much she hated the clothing as it stole her individuality.

“Are we ready?” asked Waters.

“Yes, we will take my daughter from here,” said Hassan.

“Okay, we’ll be by tomorrow to do a quick check,” said Waters and departed the family.

“I need to use the bathroom before we leave,” said Cindy.

“Can it not wait?” asked Hassan.

“No, it can’t wait,” said Cindy. “I’m unclean as well.”

“Go, but be quick,” said Hassan with a roll of his eyes.

Cindy went into the women’s bathroom and found a stall near a window. She checked the window before putting her hasty plan in motion. Going inside, she locked it and quickly shed the abaya and niqāb before removing her shirt. She replaced it with one from her bag and slid her bag under the stall door. Reaching into her pocket, she found the cash her mother had slipped her while they were hugging. It was a fairly thick roll of $20 bills and hopefully enough to get her back to Tennessee. She didn’t realize she would have picked up the evidence she needed in such a short time and was happy she had recorded it all. She placed the abaya on the toilet and tossed her spare pair of shoes under the robe. After slipping under the door, she checked her work quickly. The abaya looked as if she was still in the stall, at least enough to give a person pause for thought.

Cindy went over to the window and attempted to open it. It was older and the handle was slightly stuck, but she managed to get it unstuck by kicking at it several times. The window was one of the old style that opened partially in and out. She slid under the window and dropped the seven feet to the ground with a thud. Looking around, she headed for the nearest bus stop just as a bus was arriving…

“She should be done by now,” said Mohammed Hassan impatiently after waiting ten minutes.

“I’ll check on her,” said Diana. She went in and found only one stall was closed and could see the abaya partially on the floor. “Cindy? It’s time to go.”

She didn’t hear a reply and knocked at the door. “Cindy? This will only make your father angrier. You have to come out.”

There was still no response from the stall as she knocked again. “It will do us no good to stall like this. Neither of us.”

Again, no response from the inside and she got on her hands and knees and looked underneath. She saw the abaya lying on the toilet and the shoes as they sat without the owner present. Standing back up, Diana stood motionless for several moments while the same thoughts swept through her mind over and over again.

Go, run and run fast Cindy. Get away from this place as fast as you can…

“What do you mean she’s missing?!” demanded Waters from behind his desk. He pulling on his jacket and ran back towards the door. “Seal off the area and start a search! She can’t be far!”

“Something wrong?” asked a junior CPS Agent.

“Yeah, that Cindy Grant is getting to be more trouble than she’s worth. Skipped out on her parents through a bathroom window!” he said as they ran to the parking lot. They looked around and Kurt came out giving orders and sending agents off on a search party. He also called up the police department and had them send over units to help out. Another twenty minutes went by before a junior policeman came running back.

“I’ve got several witnesses that said she was boarding a bus for the central station. We can pick her up there,” he said.

“Waters, get back here,” said Kurt over the phone as he quickly dialed the number. Waters arrive in a huff five minutes later. “She’s headed towards the bus terminal!”

“We’ll get there, send the cops over to stop her!” said Waters as he jumped into the car along with the agent he was pair up with. They sped to the station and found two policemen standing with the ticket salesman and two witnesses.

“A girl matching her description got a ticket for Buffalo and left about twenty minutes ago. These two saw her get on board,” said the policeman.

“What’s the arrival time?” asked Waters.

“Maybe another half hour, forty-five minutes tops,” said the policeman.

“Have a unit standing by to snatch her when she gets off that bus! Throw her into handcuffs and into the back of a cruiser! Get out an BOLO for her, white female, five seven, one twenty, blond hair, green eyes, wearing blue jeans and a white shirt,” said Waters. “We’ll get your daughter back.”

“We will meet you in Buffalo,” said Mohammed Hassan as he arrived during the conversation. “You knew of this didn’t you?”

“No, I didn’t,” said Diana.

“You spent far too much time in the bathroom not to have known about her departing,” said Mohammed.

“I didn’t Stephen!” she protested.

“Do not use that name! You will be dealt with once we arrive at the community!” he said in a low voice.

As she followed him out of the bus station, the same thoughts continued to run through her head, over and over again.

Run baby, run as fast as you can…

and then... ??? The waiting is what kills me. Now I'm not going to sleep tonight!

Thanks for all your hard work on this. It is absolutly awesome!

[Cimarron]

Wow, just when you are getting ready for the story to get 'darker' WHACKK! and a U-turn.

Thanks.

[eeyore]

Thanks Grand, you the man. i hope he ani't dreaming. Priceless, seems to good to be true

[Grand58742]

CHAPTER 28



Charlie was walking through the house when his home phone rang. He went through and recognized the caller ID as being the Jones residence and answered it.

“Hello?” he asked.

“Charlie? It’s Susan Jones, how are you doing?” she asked.

“Been better, but still alive,” he said.

“Something happen lately?” she asked.

“Yeah, no big deal though. How’s it going?” he asked.

“Doing okay. I called to ask whether or not Nate and Nick could spend the night in your cabin tonight. They are heading out on a five day hiking trip and wanted to start it on the north end of the county. You think it’s possible for them to stay with you tonight?” she asked.

“I don’t see why that would be a problem,” he said. “What time can I expect them?”

“Probably around seven or so after they’ve had supper. Harry will drop them off,” she said.

“Need me to feed them tomorrow morning?” he asked.

“No, I think they will be fixing their own,” said Susan.

“Yeah, just tell them to stop in before they get into the cabin,” he said.

“I appreciate it Charlie,” she said. “Bye.”

“Later,” he said and hung up the phone. He headed out back to the cabin to make sure it was okay for when they arrived. Unlocking the door, he had a flashback of the first night Cindy was here and how scared she had looked at life in general. He hoped he had bolstered her confidence enough to be able to deal with the problems of her family and make herself a better life. She had forgotten the old towel in the bathroom and he removed it to put it in the laundry for later washing. Otherwise, the cabin was still in good shape and relatively clean. He would break down and give it a good cleaning later in the week before the harvest workers used it.

But everywhere he went he saw images of Cindy. He had no idea just how much that girl had impacted his life until she was gone. He wondered what it might have been like to have raised her through adulthood, but again realized she was not his daughter to take care of. But it didn’t mean he wouldn’t ever have a family of his own either. Pulling out his cell phone, he sent Erica a quick message thanking her for the nice talk they had the previous evening and how he was thinking of her. He headed into the woodshop to work on the rifle stocks since it would divert his mind away from thinking of Cindy and his current situation. But he also remembered having her around when he was working on them as well, but he grabbed the sandpaper and started working away on the piece of wood sitting on the table.

After an hour of work, he heard a noise outside of the woodshop and went on alert. He grabbed at the pistol in the small of his back before Mitch announced his presence.

“You in there?” asked Mitch.

“Yeah, come on in,” said Charlie and immediately relaxed.

“Working?” asked Mitch.

“Yeah, since my hired help is gone, these will take a little longer,” said Charlie as he looked up and down the piece of Bastogne.

“You’ve already got a pretty good start on them,” said Mitch.

“Yeah, I need to get ready to start inletting them, but I’m waiting on John to bring up the actions,” said Charlie.

“Does he know you are building two of them?” asked Mitch.

“Actually no, I keep forgetting to call him and let him know. Let me go ahead and call JJ to have him order another of those Montana actions,” said Charlie as he wiped his hands and pulled the cell phone from his pocket. After a brief conversation, the receiver for the additional rifle was ordered and would be arriving at the store in about four days. The next call was to John who was at work. He was somewhat busy, but pleasantly surprised to hear there could be two made instead of just the one. He agreed to go to the gun store and pick up the additional action as well as bring the original up. Charlie told him he would need to buy additional parts and could do so easier since he had the catalogs ready to go. John instructed him to “do so and put it on my tab” before ending the phone call.

“Nice to have something that keeps you busy,” observed Mitch.

“Trying to divert my attention away from the fact Cindy isn’t here?” asked Charlie.

“Yes,” said Mitch frankly.

“Everywhere I turn I remember her. It’s hard to think she spent such a little time here and had such an impact on me,” said Charlie.

“It’s the first time in a long time you had someone to care about,” said Mitch.

“True enough,” said Charlie as he looked over the stock again and sanded another part.

“Maybe you should get a dog or something,” suggested Mitch.

“Yeah, right,” said Charlie with a half a laugh.

“No, I’m serious, what good is a farm without a dog?” asked Mitch.

“Yeah, a big ol lazy hound dog that sits on the porch with me,” said Charlie with a chuckle.

“I know a few folks that have some good dogs,” suggested Mitch.

“I’ll be fine,” said Charlie.

“Well, I’ll be heading out then. Just stopped by to check on you,” said Mitch.

“Can I expect regular visits from you in the near future?” asked Charlie.

“Maybe so. I give a darn about you Charlie, be glad some friends do,” said Mitch.

“Any word from Sarah?” asked Charlie.

“Said she dropped off Cindy and signed her over,” said Mitch.

“Nothing else?” asked Charlie.

“She was fairly emotional about the whole thing so I didn’t press the matter,” said Mitch.

“If you hear anything, please let me know,” said Charlie, wondering what Cindy was doing right then.

********************

“…and I will be making somewhat regular visits to the house to ensure everything is going okay,” said Steven Waters.

“And my daughter?” asked Mohammed Hassan.

“I will let you see her after I’ve had the chance to talk to her,” said Waters.

“Why is this taking so long?” asked Hassan.

“Just part of the administrative process. I have to go through all this to make sure the reunification goes through okay,” said Waters.

“I want to get my daughter and leave,” said Hassan.

“In good time. Listen, we have to do these things or else the rest of the plan we came up with won’t work,” said Waters.

“Your plan, not mine or Allah’s,” said Hassan.

“My plan is the one that matter the most right now,” said Waters. “And you need to stop with that religious rhetoric. It only makes matters worse in case someone else from the State comes in to check on my work.”

“Is that a possibility?” asked Hassan.

“We all get checked out from time to time. There is always a chance of someone coming in to verify I’m doing my job,” said Waters.

“I thought we had a deal,” said Hassan.

“And we do. But this is part of the bureaucratic process and something you will have to accept. I can’t tell them to back off,” said Waters.

“Listen we paid you a considerable sum to make this go away,” said Hassan.

“Paid what? I have no idea what you’re talking about,” said Waters.

“Don’t play games with me Waters,” growled Hassan.

“And you should keep your big mouth shut. I’m the one in control here,” said Waters.

“I want what any father would want. I want my child back,” said Hassan.

“And you will have her back when the process is complete,” said Waters.

“And why is it taking so long?” asked Hassan.

“Because you continue to interrupt me. If you would just shut up and let me do my job, you would be out of here. So sit there, listen to what I have to say and keep your mouth shut,” said Waters.

“I should punch you in your dishonest mouth,” growled Hassan.

“And I should just look for a better alternative than giving your daughter back. It won’t take much for me to pull her out of the home and send her elsewhere while the case is still running,” growled Waters.

“You wouldn’t dare!” objected Hassan.

“Wanna bet?” asked Waters as his mouth grew into a frown and a look of determination.

“Your past will come back to haunt you,” warned Hassan.

“And your daughter will never move back into your home. I may go down, but I can still make a lot of things happen before I hit the bottom,” growled Waters.

“They won’t believe you,” said Hassan with a scoff.

“Suspected domestic terrorist cell, marks indicating physical abuse, emotional trauma, forced marriages and religious traditions, terrorizing your family, falsifying official statements and three, count them three psychologist reports saying everything was real. Plus the fact your wife had the remains of a black eye already. Yes, I can see that through her veil she is wearing. How hard do you think my job will be if I decide to keep her at a foster home while I bring down the entire weight of the division here in an investigation?” asked Waters.

“You won’t,” scoffed Hassan.

“Try me. If I go down, they restart the investigation. The first thing they do is pull her out along with your other two children. Then they start an in depth investigation into your family, the community and the additional residents. How long before your little cult is broken wide open for everyone to see?” asked Waters, knowing he had the upper hand.

Hassan sat quietly before saying anything. His mouth opened once, but he decided against saying anything further. He knew it would not take a competent investigator fifteen minutes before deciding the community wasn’t a good place for Haseena. So he swallowed his pride and was quiet for the moment. But someday he would have his revenge on the infidel and make him pay the price for his uncontrolled mouth.

“Now, this is the way we are going to play this out. I will go in and talk with Cindy-” started Waters, but was interrupted by Hassan.

“Her name is Haseena,” said Hassan.

“I’ll go talk with Haseena and let her know the game plan,” he started and emphasized the name Haseena. “Then I bring in your wife and let them talk then I bring you in last. That’s how this is going to work. Are we clear?”

“This should take very long. My wife knows better than to talk at length,” said Hassan.

“Well, I might have a bit of paperwork to work over with her,” said Waters.

“She needs to be clothed as well,” said Hassan.

“She is wearing clothing already and it is acceptable to me. It’s conservative enough for my tastes,” said Waters.

“She needs to be wearing this!” growled Hassan while shaking the abaya. “No man should look on her with lust!”

“Can you stop this nonsense for five minutes? Can you not see the gasoline you are pouring on the bonfire here? Knock this religious stuff off!” growled Waters.

“It is our tradition!” shot Hassan.

“Once you get through that door I don’t care if you go running around start naked! While you are here, you need to calm that nonsense down!” said Waters through gritted teeth.

“It is not nonsense! It is our religion!” growled Hassan.

“God, you just cannot stop yourself!” said Waters and got up to leave.

“Do not use His name in vain!” spat Hassan.

“My office and I can do anything I want. You will sit there, shut up and do exactly as I say! Now I’m going to go cool off and then I’m going to talk to Cindy. You will sit outside my office here and shut up. Don’t say anything to anyone, period!” growled Waters.

“And if I don’t?” asked Hassan.

“Then you will never see your daughter again. I promise you that,” said Waters in an even voice.

Hassan decided it was better to keep his mouth shut for the moment instead of saying what was on his mind and acting the way he wanted to act. He personally wanted to mash the agent into a pulp, but refrained from doing so. He would have an outlet for his anger once he got Haseena home and decided to wait it out and let the anger grow. After Waters left the office, he went over to the water cooler and grabbed a cup. After drinking it down, he mangled the cup before throwing it into the waste basket by the cooler. He headed over to the room where Cindy was in and stopped before heading inside. He would cool down a little bit before heading in.

“Trouble?” asked a coworker of Waters.

“Some people,” said Waters evasively.

“Trouble on this case?” asked the coworker.

“Nothing I can’t handle,” said Waters evasively.

“Religious nutjobs are the worst kinds to deal with,” said the coworker.

“Sometimes,” said Waters.

“Going in to talk to her?” asked the coworker.

“Not yet, I’ll let her stew in there for a few more minutes,” said Waters, wondering if he was letting her stew or letting himself calm down first.

Inside the room, Cindy sat nervously, waiting for someone to appear. She had seen a glimpse of her father before being shuffled into the interview room. He didn’t look happy, but Cindy didn’t expect him to look happy over the situation. But the waiting was killing her since she had no idea what was happening right then and wasn’t sure what was going to happen once her father came into the room. As she continued to wait, the dread continued to build inside of her and she wondered if it was a good idea coming back so soon to try and reconcile with her family.

********************

“Hey Charlie,” said Harry Jones as he got out of his SUV and opened the back cargo area.

“Harry, it’s been a while,” said Charlie.

“Sure has,” said Harry as the twins scurried to grab their gear out of the vehicle. “How are things going?”

“About as well as could be expected,” said Charlie.

“You don’t mind them staying over the night in your cabin do you?” asked Harry.

“Not at all,” said Charlie.

“They told me you fussed at them the other day over a piece of walnut,” he chuckled.

“Them boys,” laughed Charlie with a shake of his head. “I had it set off to the side and was going to start cutting on it soon for a rifle stock. They beat me to the cutting part.”

“They were trying to impress your niece,” laughed Harry. “Apparently they didn’t impress you.”

“You have no idea,” said Charlie with a chuckle.

“They are going to apologize, right boys?” asked Harry.

“Sorry for cutting up your gun stock Mister Gray,” said Nick.

“Just ask me next time. I don’t have a problem with you two going above and beyond, but at least ask first,” said Charlie.

“Sorry sir,” said Nate as he looked around.

“Cindy’s not here,” said Charlie, knowing what or more specifically who he was looking for.

“She coming back this evening?” asked Nate.

“Nope,” said Charlie simply. “The cabin is open already.”

“Come on Nate, grab your crap,” said Nick as he grabbed his pack and headed towards the cabin.

“I was kinda hoping to meet her. Nate took to her I think,” said Harry.

“Yeah, that he did along with just about every other teenage boy that comes around,” said Charlie.

“Said she was a feisty one,” said Harry. “I think she might have punched Nate.”

“Oh?” asked Charlie.

“Came in a few days ago with a fat lip. Said something about getting hit by a piece of flying wood, but it’s a punch if I ever saw one,” said Harry.

“He say what it was about?” asked Charlie.

“No, he clammed up over it. But I figure if she had a good reason to go punching him in the face and he doesn’t want to talk about it, I’d let sleeping dogs lie,” said Harry.

“Mind if I ask?” asked Charlie.

“Go for it, but I doubt he’s going to tell you anything different,” said Harry. Nick and Nate came back and grabbed the remainder of their gear out of the back of the Expedition.

“Nate, hang back for a moment,” said Charlie as Nick carried his rifle case towards the cabin. “You get into it with Cindy last week?”

“Umm, no sir,” said Nate as he looked at the ground.

“You sure about that?” asked Charlie.

“Yes sir,” said Nate as he continued to look at the ground.

“Funny thing, you didn’t have a busted lip when I talked to you after I got done on the shooting range,” said Charlie.

“I was cleaning up and a piece of wood hit my mouth,” said Nate.

“And Cindy didn’t hit you?” asked Charlie.

“Umm, no sir,” said Nate.

“You aren’t lying to your daddy and me are you?” asked Charlie.

“No sir,” said Nate.

“Then why did Cindy have a busted hand?” asked Charlie.

“I don’t know,” said Nate.

“Go on and get your stuff stowed,” said Charlie.

“Figure he said something to set her off and she tagged him,” said Harry after Nate had walked away.

“Might have,” said Charlie, knowing the story didn’t add up.

“Good for her. Any girl that isn’t afraid to pop a boy in the mouth when he gets out of line is a good one,” said Harry.

“She’s a sassy one, that’s for certain,” said Charlie, remembering how sassy she was when she first arrived. But she had calmed herself down after the first couple of days.

“If you want, I can ask about it again after their hiking trip,” said Harry.

“Nah, he got a busted lip for it and he probably said something he shouldn’t have. Her hand got busted up as well, but that’s what happens when you connect it to a thick skull,” Charlie chuckled.

“And we weren’t any different. We both said and done some things that would have gotten our mouths busted,” he laughed in return.

“That we did,” laughed Charlie. “I figure let it go. He got what he deserved.”

“Well, I thank you for letting them stay the night,” said Harry.

“Which way are they heading?” asked Charlie.

“Heading up the mountain here and hooking up with the Appalachian Trail. Going south from there and I’m picking them up in Sam’s Gap in six days,” said Harry.

“Pretty rough country heading up the mountainside,” observed Charlie.

“They are young and full of energy,” said Harry. “They’ve been planning this for about six months and this is the last chance they have before school starts.”

“They have everything they need?” asked Charlie.

“Yeah, for the most part. They’ve used their hard earned money to buy their stuff and Susan and I pitched in a little as well. They were fairly responsible with their money for the most part. I personally don’t think they are carrying enough food, but they plan on doing a little squirrel hunting while out there,” said Harry.

“Out of season, they best not get caught,” said Charlie.

“Them two are pretty good woodsmen. They can hide and hunt with the best of them,” said Harry.

“I’ve got some extra camping food that’s close to expiring. I’ll hand it off to them,” said Charlie.

“I appreciate it. How much you want for it?” asked Harry.

“Don’t bother. It needs to get eaten anyway,” said Charlie.

“You’re a good man Charlie,” said Harry as he shook his hand. “If we need those two tonight we’ll give you a call.”

“Take care,” said Charlie as Harry departed. He went back into the basement and grabbed the freeze dried food that was close to expiring and tossed it into a box. Heading back out to the cabin, he saw they were busy repacking for the third time that day. The two surplus MOLLE desert packs were sitting half filled on the floor. They weren’t the best choice for a long distance hike, but would be sufficient for the trip as they could always call for help and a replacement if needed.

“No stupid! You carry the tent and I carry the poles!” objected Nate.

“I thought you were going to carry the whole tent and I was going to carry the cooking gear!” Nick exclaimed.

“No! We split it up!” objected Nate.

“That’s not the way we packed this morning!” objected Nick.

“What kind of cooking gear you boys have anyway?” asked Charlie.

“Mister Gray! We didn’t hear you come in!” exclaimed Nate as he jumped.

“I’m sneaky like that,” said Charlie.

“We’ve got our mess kits and a frying pan,” said Nick.

“Mind if I take a look?” asked Charlie as he set the box down. Nick handed over the GI surplus mess kit which had a black bottom from being cooked on over an open fire. While durable, it was heavy and took up a lot of room. “You boys want to borrow one of my kits?”

“We’ll be okay sir,” said Nick.

“I’ve got a couple of spare cooking kits,” said Charlie.

“Well, let’s at least take a look at what you’ve got,” said Nate. Charlie led them back to the basement where their eyes popped out of their heads at the amount of gear he had stashed away. Charlie let handed them over two aluminum sets of cookware and a titanium pot.

“What do we need a pot for?” asked Nick.

“I’ve got some camping food that you boys can have. It’s going to expire soon,” said Charlie.

“We’re planning on living off the land,” said Nate.

“I heard, but you always need to be prepared for the worst case. What happens if you can’t find any squirrels?” asked Charlie.

“Well…we’ve got our Daddy’s old Boy Scout Handbook with edible wild plants and stuff,” said Nick.

“Good reference to use. But just in case, it’s best to have a little extra,” said Charlie. “You boys can borrow that stuff and bring it back when you get done. I’ll hold on to your other until you get back.”

“We appreciate it Mister Gray,” said Nate as he looked over the pot and pan set. “It’s light!”

“Best thing for long distance hiking,” said Charlie.

“I didn’t know you were into hiking Mister Gray,” said Nick.

“I haven’t gone out on a long trek in a while now. Maybe I should,” said Charlie.

“Wouldn’t hurt,” said Nate. “Always good to get into the outdoors. Maybe you and Cindy could join us for a hike sometime.”

“Maybe,” said Charlie, not mentioning the fact she wasn’t around and wouldn’t ever be again.

“Well, we thank you kindly. Anything else?” asked Nick.

“Got enough ammo?” asked Charlie after he saw the two .22 rifles leaned up in the small living room of the cabin.

“We’ve both got about a hundred rounds,” said Nate.

“Should be plenty,” said Charlie. “You two need anything tonight, just bang on the door.”

“We’ll be leaving early, like around six or so,” said Nick.

“You boys going to eat before you go?” asked Charlie.

“We had planned on eating once we got on the trail,” said Nate.

“You two come on up to the house before you leave. No sense starting a long trip without eating first,” said Charlie.

“We wouldn’t want to impose,” said Nate.

“You two come up to the house at six. I’ll have breakfast ready,” ordered Charlie.

“Yes sir. If you’ll excuse us, we’ve got to go repack everything,” said Nick.

“Just leave the stuff you aren’t taking in the box I brought out. And take that food with you as well,” said Charlie.

“We will sir,” said Nate as they departed the basement, eyes still darting around looking at the items.

Charlie watched them depart before putting the extra boxes back up and tidying up in the basement. As he walked upstairs, he could hear the two arguing over something or other as they headed back to the cabin. He chuckled at the two brothers that argued continually, but still backed each other up no matter what.

The remainder of the evening Charlie spent looking at the computer screen and the open Word document. He would start a sentence from time to time and suddenly erase everything he put on the screen. He just couldn’t find what he wanted to convey and put down. Eventually he gave up and started looking through some of his preparedness sites and adding a few tidbits of information here and there and gaining knowledge in the process. At around ten, he finally called it a night and checked on the cabin before heading to bed. The lights were out and he assumed the twins were asleep already.

Charlie tossed and turned thinking about his situation and trying not to dwell on it too much. But the more he tried to ignore it, the most he thought about it. But he was determined not to fall into the same slump he had been in before and decided right then and there to do something about it. He needed something in his life that he could shoot for and made the decision to do something he had wanted to do all his life. He was going to through hike the Appalachian Trail come next spring. It gave him a goal to work towards and something to take his mind off his current troubles. It would mean an entire spring and quite a bit of the summer away from the farm and more importantly Erica, but in his state of mind, he needed to have something in his life to work towards and he hoped she would understand the idea. He fell asleep with the resolve to do something constructive with the feelings he had and do something out of the ordinary enough to divert his attention.


3:21 AM


Charlie was dead asleep when the doorbell rang. He wasn’t expecting anyone at this early in the morning and immediately became suspicious. But since he had the Jones twins staying the night in the cabin before they took off on their hiking trip he worried something might be wrong with them. He grabbed the pistol he had in the nightstand just in case, pulled on some sweat pants and a t-shirt and headed for the front door as the doorbell rang again. As he arrived at the front door, he pulled back the curtain slightly door and peeked out the window. It was dark and he couldn’t make out the figure and flipped on the light switch to the front porch. His jaw about hit the floor when he saw who it was and opened the door.

“Still need some help for harvest?” asked Cindy as she stood on his doorstep with her pack in her hands.

[OR Medic]

Very nicely done, Sir. The way you described the parting of Cindy from Charlie's care was very touching, almost to the point of tears.

I am, as I am sure others are, anxiously waiting the next installment of this very well written story. Hope it doesn't take too long, but the wait will be completely worth every moment.

Simply saying "thank you" is terribly inadequate for the depth you have taken this story, but I hope it is enough.

Great job, Grand!

Jim

[Grand58742]

CHAPTER 27 CONTINUED

[Grand58742]

CHAPTER 27

[Ken]

OK, this is killing me.
Usually when I get engrossed into a book or something, I can't put it down until I have finished it.
This suspense is going to put me in an early grave! :D

Great story line and writing, keep up the great work!

Ken.

This is by far one of my favorite storys going!

[OR Medic]

This story keeps getting better with each installment.

It makes one wonder though, just who is getting a second chance.....Charlie? Cindy? Cindy's family? Someone else??

Thank you for your efforts, Grand. Great story!

Jim

[Grand58742]

CHAPTER 26 CONTINUED