Second Chance:

[Grand58742]

CHAPTER 26



“And travel arrangements?” asked Steven Waters as he finished up the phone conversation.

“Depends,” said Captain Parker.

“On?” asked Waters.

“Are you all willing to come pick her up?” asked Parker.

“Either way. We are kind of swamped here and could use a little assistance,” said Waters.

“We’ll send her up with a State Trooper,” said Parker.

“Flying or driving?” asked Waters.

“Probably driving. Cheaper that way. And we will be reimbursed?” asked Parker.

“Oh certainly. We can give your trooper directions on how to fill out the travel voucher when she gets here…you are sending her with a female right?” asked Waters.

“Yes, we can do that,” said Parker.

“Okay, I’ll e-mail you the directions to our office and some hotels that offer discounts to visiting State Officials,” said Waters.

“We’ll probably wait until Monday. Our female trooper has this weekend off and can charge overtime if she gets called in,” said Parker.

“Yeah, overtime pay can get steep,” laughed Waters. “Just shoot me an e-mail on Monday to let us know the timeline.”

“Will do,” said Parker and hung up the phone. He was confused at the phone call. He was expecting a complete horse’s rear end after reading the e-mail from Stephen Waters, but had found the man fairly affable from the phone conversation. Parker refrained from asking the pointed questions about the investigation and would leave that to Sarah instead. He was certain she would be asking some fairly direct questions of her own after getting there and wouldn’t leave until she got the answers she was looking for. And Parker knew she was stubborn enough to get answers. He called her into his office.

“Sir?” she asked after knocking lightly on his door.

“Monday you are taking Cindy back to New York. Take the unmarked and plan on a two day trip,” he informed her.

“Want me to talk to Charlie about it?” asked Sarah.

“If you don’t mind. How was his reaction?” asked Parker.

“Mitch said he wasn’t happy about the e-mail. What was that snake like on the phone anyhow?” she asked.

“How did you know I talked to him?” asked Parker.

“I didn’t, just guessed he would have been the one to call,” said Sarah.

“Screening my calls again?” asked Parker with a slight grin.

“Okay, the secretary told me you had a call from an Agent Waters in New York,” Sarah admitted.

“He wasn’t what I was expecting,” said Parker.

“Is that good or bad?” asked Sarah.

“I was kind of expecting to be able to see his tail, horns and hoofs over the phone, but he seemed like a decent guy. Kind of affable,” said Parker.

“Yeah, decent enough to call a fifteen year old girl a liar,” grumped Sarah.

“Again, we are not getting personally involved. But I have this notion in my head you are going to be demanding answers to questions when you get up there. So I’ll leave you with one piece of advice: do not, and I repeat not, get into a confrontation with anyone up there. I cannot help you if you are sitting in a jail in upstate New York if you get into it with a State Agent. And you certainly will not help Cindy by doing anything rash,” said Parker.

“I’ll be on my best behavior, I promise. But yes, I will be asking some pointed questions,” she confirmed.

“Do so with tact please Sarah. Don’t let your personal feelings come out about this,” urged Parker.

“I have tact!” she objected.

“Yeah, just like my wife,” he chuckled.

“I love your wife to death, but she is a little direct,” said Sarah.

“She was just like you at your age,” he said.

“This is why you put up with me?” she chuckled.

“No, because you are a good cop. Just remember to separate personal life from the job and you’ll do fine,” said Parker.

“And when are we allowed to have personal feelings?” she asked.

“When you are retired or dead,” he said. “Take the rest of the day off and head on home. Check in on Monday before you leave.”

“Okay, see you on Monday,” said Sarah as she grabbed her things and headed out of the office. She wasn’t very happy with the situation as it stood and certainly wasn’t happy knowing the agent in question was “affable.” She saw him as a barrier to having Cindy get real results from an investigation. And knowing such, he was the enemy. She sent Mitch a quick text letting him know she was on the way home. Hopefully he would be able to get away from the office to spend some time with her before she left. Sarah had moved the previous week into his house and was busy planning their wedding. Mitch honestly had no idea of how to plan a wedding and was hopelessly lost when she asked his opinion on the ideas. His typically answer was “looks great” or “that’s nice” to everything she proposed. It wasn’t that he was dodging the questions, it was the fact he really didn’t know what flowers were appropriate and which ones weren’t. Her girlfriends helped out as well so she wasn’t entirely burdened with planning everything out.

As she drove towards Erwin, her mood became darker knowing that poor girl was heading back into a situation she didn’t deserve to be in. And the Captain was right; she would be asking some pretty serious questions about the conduct of the investigation once she arrived in New York. She wouldn’t accept any half answers before releasing Cindy from the premier Tennessee law enforcement agency into their custody.

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

Charlie and Cindy were out on the porch taking a break and enjoying the cooler day when a truck pulled in. Charlie didn’t immediately recognize it until it got closer. He saw who was driving and immediately went on guard.

“Looks like Jeff Tilson,” said Charlie.

“Who is Jeff Tilson?” asked Cindy.

“Nobody I care for you to meet. Go on in the house,” said Charlie as he stood up. Cindy went into the house as instructed, but watched from inside. Jeff Tilson coming around could mean a lot of things, typically none of them good.

“Afternoon Charlie,” said Jeff as he got out of his truck.

“Jeff,” said Charlie with a nod of his head. “What brings you around here?”

“Well, came by to see if you had any fresh eggs I could buy from you,” said Jeff.

“I do,” said Charlie. “How many?”

“Figure a dozen would do it. My Grandma wanted some fresh ones. Just don’t like the taste of store bought,” said Jeff.

“How’s your Grandma doing these days?” asked Charlie, being somewhat social.

“Oh, same as always, still ornery as the dickens, but doing okay,” said Jeff.

“Thought she had her own chickens,” said Charlie.

“Used to, but she’s getting some age on her and can’t tend to ‘em like she used to be able to. But still loves the taste of a fresh egg in the morning,” he answered.

“Jeff, there’s probably a dozen people between the south end of the county and my place you coulda asked for fresh eggs. What are you really doing here?” asked Charlie pointedly.

“I can’t stop by and be social?” he asked with a grin.

Charlie’s face turned into a frown and he cocked his head slightly while raising his eyebrows. “What do you want Jeff?”

“Cut to the chase then. You mind if I have a seat? Just ‘cause we might not agree on everything don’t mean you have to be unfriendly ‘bout me being ‘round here,” said Jeff.

Charlie sighed and nodded with his head, wondering if it was a good idea or not. “Come on up and have a glass of tea.”

“I ain’t here to cause trouble, I promise. But my visit is more than just social. It’s business,” said Jeff as he walked up the steps.

“I hope you understand I don’t trust you as far as I could throw you,” said Charlie.

“Well, can’t say I blame you,” said Jeff, grabbing a glass, some ice and poured in the tea. He grabbed one of the porch seats and took a sip. “Brewed today?”

“Yeah, Cindy’s first batch from this morning,” said Charlie.

“Not bad, but needs more sugar,” observed Jeff.

“Took me a while just to get her to put it in,” chuckled Charlie. “So besides some eggs and general chit chat, what led you to my doorstep today?”

“I understand you got some problems,” said Jeff.

“Don’t everyone these days?” asked Charlie.

“Well, understand yours are a little different than everyone else’s,” said Jeff.

“Jeff, if you know I have problems, I also hope you can appreciate how paranoid I am about them. You best start talking and telling me what I want to hear,” said Charlie.

“Alright, got a visit from the Sheriff some time back, threw a hypothetical situation at me about needing some of my assistance. Needed an untraceable cell phone. So in my civic duties, I assisted the good Sheriff, but not without an explanation. Seems he told me there might have been a problem with a little girl being sent back to be married to some Muslim or some such nonsense. Little thing, ‘bout fifteen or so and certainly not of the marrying age. It did kind of hit a tender spot as my daughter is about that same age. Didn’t think much about it until he came calling again a few days later, told me to keep my mouth shut ‘bout it. So he and I agreed but I let him know if he needed help to come find me.”

“So the other day I saw you in the Whites with a young girl, maybe fifteen or sixteen. Now I know for a fact you ain’t got any kin that you know of and Annie didn’t have any either. Might have been your cousin or a friend for all I knew, but I’m pretty smart and figured out you and the Sheriff had been talking. I mean, you two have been friends since the day you met and if would be natural for you to bring a problem like that to his attention, especially one of that kind of magnitude. Now for the life of me I can’t understand why he might want to keep it a secret, but I could understand the paranoia behind having her around,” said Jeff.

“Jeff, you ain’t helping my paranoia at all,” said Charlie.

“I’m getting there…anyway, again, I’ve got one ‘bout her age and I know how I’d feel ‘bout the whole situation if I had it happening to me. I’d be out ‘bout right now digging a hole in the back forty and making sure I had a real good alibi. But that’s just me being me, you know. Plus, I’ve got a patriotic sense and all as well. Don’t care for those kinds, never have and never will. Don’t know if you knew it or not, but my cousin was killed over in Afghanistan during the war. So to say I’ve got a personal bone to pick with some of ‘em would be an understatement,” said Jeff.

“Which involves me how?” asked Charlie. He knew Jeff was the distant cousin of a local man killed in Afghanistan, but in East Tennessee it didn’t matter; family was family no matter if it was your brother or twelfth cousin.

“Just letting you know if you ever need some help, you give me a call. I figured the Sheriff hadn’t mentioned that little fact to you. Now I know the Sheriff…Mitch’s a good guy and all. I don’t care for the law, but he’s at least honest when many of them ain’t. So I respect him for that. You might say we agree to disagree. But anyway, Mitch’s got to do things official like and you and I both know that ain’t the way to do things from time to time. Sometimes these things need to be taken care of…quiet like,” said Jeff.

“I hope you understand, I can’t just call you to make my problems go away,” said Charlie. “I’m not even sure what the problems are for certain.”

“No, I understand, even if it’s just a couple of boys to watch over your place, we’ll help,” said Jeff.

“I’ll remember that…but why?” asked Charlie.

“Like I said, got a bone to pick with a few of them. Also with a daughter that age, you know?” asked Jeff.

“I ain’t asking for anything illegal, but if I need help, I’ll give you a call,” said Charlie.

“Just letting you know I’m available,” said Jeff. “Along with my family if you need it.”

“Why come to me? Why not go to Mitch?” asked Charlie.

“Well, first off, if I’m seen with the Sheriff, might give some folks the wrong idea you know. And again, Mitch’s got to do things the legal way. Then there’s my way of doing business. We have our way, he has his and they tend not to go together too well,” said Jeff.

“Jeff, I’m not sure I can follow you on this path,” said Charlie, knowing he wouldn’t want to get others involved in cases he might have to take care of himself.

“Charlie, you’ve lived in this place your whole life. I remember when you used to be far worse than I ever thought of being. Well, maybe not, but you ain’t no angel. Best you remember we have the country way of dealing with some of our problems out here,” said Jeff.

“I’ve changed and you know that,” said Charlie.

“Yeah, Annie, God rest her soul, got your life on track. I just wanted to let you know you ain’t got to do some of the things like that, there’s always others that will do that,” said Jeff.

“I’ll bear that in mind,” said Charlie.

“So you need anything, you give me a holler,” said Jeff.

“You know I’ll probably tell Mitch ‘bout this conversation,” said Charlie, hoping Jeff would back off his stance.

“Reckon I might as well if I was in your shoes. It’s the proper thing to do,” said Jeff. “Not every day you get the chance to help someone out in a situation like this.”

“You tell anyone else?” asked Charlie.

“Laws no! I tell some of my kin ‘bout this and they’d be off forming their own lynch mob,” laughed Jeff. “I can keep a secret.”

“Best if you did. Things can get downright ugly with those sorts of people. Plus, we don’t like what we’re hearing out of the State,” said Charlie.

“And that is?” asked Jeff.

“New York claims there isn’t anything going on. But she’s been interviewed three times here and each time the psychologists say the same thing; it’s not being made up. But I think New York ain’t pressing the matter like they should be,” said Charlie.

“Durn Yankees,” said Jeff. “So what’s the game plan now?”

“Out of our hands for the most part. It’s at the New York State level now,” said Charlie.

“Yankees will screw it up,” spat Jeff.

“I hope not and I hope they’re taking a keen interest in this one. Ain’t a one of ‘em alive from this State that’ll send a young girl back there knowing she is going into that kind of situation. I would certainly hope nobody from New York would do the same,” said Charlie.

“Well, again, you can get my number from the phone book if you need it. You give me a call if you need anything,” said Jeff. “How much for the eggs?”

“For your Grandma? Shoot, I’ll give you two dozen,” said Charlie.

“I think a dozen will be fine. She thinks the world of you,” said Jeff. “Always has.”

“Yeah, I should get up there and see her. Been a while now,” said Charlie.

“It’d tickle her to death to see you. And of course I’d hear ‘bout it for weeks on end. ‘Why can’t you be more like that Charlie Gray boy’ she’d ask me,” said Jeff with a chuckle.

“She does tend to speak what’s on her mind,” said Charlie.

“She’ll give you down the road for not coming sooner, best that I warn you now,” laughed Jeff.

“Well, at the very least let her know I said hello ‘til I get a chance to get up there,” said Charlie as he got up and went into the house to grab an empty egg carton.

“Is it safe to come out now?” asked Cindy.

“Yeah, come on out, he ain’t here as just a social call,” said Charlie.

“Business?” she asked as he dug into the Styrofoam containers in the laundry room.

“Sort of,” said Charlie.

“What kind of business is he in?” she asked.

“He’s the county’s number one grower of marijuana,” said Charlie.

“You’re buying weed?!” exclaimed Cindy.

“No, you asked what business he was in, not what we talked about,” said Charlie with a laugh. He found an empty container and went over to the fridge to grab the eggs they had pulled out that morning. They only had a half dozen of the freshest eggs, but for Mrs. Tilson, he would have given her a hundred without any question.

“So what did you guys talk about?” she asked.

“I’ll tell you later. Come on out with me so he gets a good look at you. I’ll explain later,” said Charlie as they departed the house.

“Miss,” said Jeff as he nodded his head after Cindy came out.

“Hi,” was all Cindy was able to say. She had no idea what was going on, but went with Charlie on it.

“Come on ‘round the back Jeff, we’ll get the rest of ‘em from the coops,” said Charlie.

“You got some hens laying?” asked Jeff.

“A couple here and there,” said Charlie. “Had a few from this morning that shoulda laid by now.”

“I thank you kindly,” said Jeff.

Charlie went into the pens and along into the coops. There were a few hens brooding on the top of their nest and Charlie managed to get them off without getting pecked to death. He knew the brooding was bad in some cases, but he had high hopes to get a few new batches of chicks before the winter. He also needed to “get rid” of some of the old stock as well and the new chicks would help replenish that problem. After going inside, he found enough eggs for the dozen and left the rest in the nest until tomorrow. Handing over the carton, Jeff thanked him once again and they departed around the house out of earshot from Cindy.

“Jeff, it’s been years since you spoke a word to me. Why now?” asked Charlie.

[Grand58742]

CHAPTER 25



“Well?” asked Kurt.

“Report will be ready tomorrow,” said Waters.

“And the girl?” asked Kurt.

“I’ll send a message on to Tennessee to work out the transportation arrangements,” said Waters.

“Simple as that?” asked Kurt.

“Doesn’t have to be complicated,” said Waters.

“Suppose not,” said Kurt who wanted to ask about the money again, but decided not to. He had stashed the money in the crawlspace of his garage and had not informed his wife about it yet. He would wait until the opportune time to discuss the matter with her, but had left a letter for her just in case something happened to him along the way.

“Do we want to go get her or have the Tennessee folks bring her up?” asked Waters.

“Whichever is cheaper. If Tennessee volunteers to bring her up, don’t argue with it,” said Kurt.

“We’ll probably have to go get her,” said Waters.

“If that’s the case, you can go get her,” said Kurt. “Take a little vacation.”

“If you insist,” said Waters, who acted like nothing had happened the previous week.

“Just get the case closed,” said Kurt.

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

“Well, you’re semi famous,” said Charlie.

“How am I semi famous?” asked Cindy.

“Well, Cindy Grant isn’t a hometown hero, but Cindy Gray happens to be,” said Charlie.

“What?” she asked, peeking over at the newspaper as they walked through the grocery store. As she read through the article, she noticed the mistake on her name. “What’s that all about?”

“I’ll call and ask to fix your name if you want,” he said.

“Nah, not a big deal,” said Cindy.

“Well it is. You might like to point to your children someday and say ‘look, mom was a hero once.’ It’s important to get the name right,” said Charlie.

“It’s not a pressing issue,” she said.

“I’ll give him a call about it,” said Charlie.

“At least it’s a good picture,” said Cindy, looking over the article.

“I can buy you a copy from the paper if you want,” he said.

“I’d like that,” she remarked after thinking about it for a split second.

“When we get back home, I’ll look them up on their website,” he said.

“I’m on the internet? Way cool!” she remarked. “Maybe I’ll get my own website of ‘who loves Cindy dot com.’ Or something just as cool.”

“I’m afraid it might die from lack of hits,” laughed Charlie.

“Hey! I know at least three people like me!” she objected.

“Oh really? Who?” he asked.

“Toby, Nate Jones and Erica,” she replied with her nose in the air.

“You sure about that?” he asked with a grin.

“Maybe even you as well!” she grinned back at him.

“Nah, I’d say mean things in your comments section,” he said.

“There’s nothing you could say about me that’s mean!” she objected. “I’m an angel!”

“Something like that,” he said and checked his messages as his phone beeped at him. He had one from Erica saying little more than “hiya” and “how R U” but his spirits were lifted once he saw who it was from. He typed out a quick reply and sent it back to her.

“From a nice doctor we both know?” asked Cindy.

“Nosey!” exclaimed Charlie with a grin. They continued through the grocery store before Cindy turned back to him.

“I was thinking we could do a shrimp alfredo night once again,” said Cindy.

“That sounds really good,” said Charlie. “Want to grab the items to make it with?”

“Sure!” said Cindy as she bounced off in the store to collect the items to make the supper with. She also had alternate motives, but didn’t tell Charlie. Collecting the items, she came back and dumped them into the shopping cart and they went to the front and paid.

After arriving home and storing away the items they picked up (to include rotating the canned goods downstairs) she heard him drop his items into the basket in the hallway and went into his study. She snuck behind him and pulled the cell phone off the charger and went out back to make a quick call. Searching through the numbers stored, she finally found the one she was looking for.

“Hi…no it’s Cindy…no, he’s doing something in the study…no, everything’s great actually…we were doing an Italian night tomorrow and he wondered if you wanted to come along…say tomorrow at six…no, nothing formal…okay, see you then…bye,” said Cindy as she ended the call and was able to replace the phone. He was still in the study cleaning his pistol once again.

“Why do you clean it so much?” she asked.

“Well, you need to clean it three times after firing to get all the carbon off. Plus, once a month or so just for good measure,” he informed her.

“It gets that dirty?” she asked.

“Sometimes, depending on the ammo. I was shooting some cheaper stuff out of this last time and it makes quite a mess,” said Charlie.

“Need some help?” she asked.

“Your hand is still healing,” he remarked and looked over her knuckles once again as he did frequently.

“I’m not sore anymore,” she said.

“No, I’ve almost got it finished,” he said.

“You just telling me that because you don’t want my help?” she asked.

“No, because I want your hand to heal. The bruises aren’t a good thing,” said Charlie.

“They aren’t that noticeable,” said Cindy.

“Too much for my tastes,” he said and finished up before oiling the rails and putting the pistol back together.

“Why do you have so many guns?” she asked.

“Because I like shooting,” he replied.

“But you haven’t done it that much,” she observed.

“I typically don’t in the summer since the farm keeps me a little busy,” he said.

“You never did teach me to shoot,” she said.

“I didn’t and I can’t now on account of your hand,” he said.

“It will be fine!” she exclaimed.

“I know! With proper rest and not injuring it further it will be fine!” he exclaimed in the same voice she used.

“So if I’m healed by the time I leave, will you let me go shooting with you?” she asked.

“I suppose I could,” he said.

“No magical southern potion that will heal my hand faster,” she asked.

“Actually, there is,” he said and took a break from loading the magazines. He walked out and took a book off the shelf after looking through the collection. He flipped the pages until it appeared he found the area he was looking for. “Here it is. Southern recipe for mending a busted hand. One: rest. Two: more rest. Three: do nothing to aggravate it further. Four: don’t argue with the adult about it.”

“You sure it says all that?” she asked with a tone.

“Read the book and find out,” he said and put it back.

“You know I would,” said Cindy.

“Gives your hand plenty of time to heal while you are reading it,” he said and went back to load the final magazine.

“You’re mean,” she said.

“You like that quality in me,” he said.

“I suppose so,” she said. “So I can’t help?”

“You’re cooking your alfredo aren’t you?” he asked.

“No, not until tomorrow,” she said.

“Why then? Why not tonight?” he asked.

“Well, it’s Friday. I was thinking we might do it tomorrow and rent some movies or something,” she remarked.

“Well, that sounds okay,” he said.

“Maybe even get you to watch a girlie movie,” she remarked.

“Speaking of which, you know Erica turned down the movie you picked out,” he said.

“She did?” asked Cindy.

“Yeah, wanted a blood, guts and glory action movie instead,” he chuckled.

“Sounds like your kind of girl,” said Cindy. “If she likes guns, you’re all set.”

“We’ve been out on one date and you think we’re ready to get married!” he exclaimed and he started to unload the Sig-Sauer to clean and put it back in the safe.

“Can I be the flower girl?” she asked with a twinkle.

“You’re too old for that,” he said dryly.

“Bridesmaid then?” she asked with her cheesy grin.

“You’re no angel. You’re Satan disguised to torment me,” he said and took apart the next pistol.

“So since you are cleaning a different pistol, can I help?” she asked.

“You know what you’re doing?” he asked.

“I’m sure I have a good teacher to show me,” she said.

After disassembling the pistol, he handed her over the barrel and the cleaning supplies. “It’s not going to need a lot since I’ve not been shooting it lately.”

“What’s this thing?” she asked, holing up the rope looking thing.

“That’s a Boresnake. Once you get the outside completed, I’ll show you how it works,” he said.

“And the outside?” she asked.

“Use the brush and a little bit of that window cleaner. Scrub it down and then wipe it dry,” he said.

She went to work on the barrel, cleaning it as instructed as he got the frame and slide. She finished up before him and he showed her how the Boresnake worked. She ran it through three times from each side before pronouncing it complete. He gave her the spring and guide to get completed as well and she finished up those just as he was finishing up the slide. He oiled the rails and put the pistol back together before cycling the actions several times and function checking the weapon. Once he was satisfied, he put it back in the safe and locked it up.

“I’m hungry,” she stated.

“Already?” he asked.

“It’s five o’clock,” she said.

“Supper isn’t for another hour,” he remarked.

“I know,” she said.

“Want to go out and eat?” he asked.

“Sure, where at?” she asked.

“I don’t know. Where do you want?” he asked.

“Well, depending on the place, I’ll have to wash the gun oil off my hands,” she said.

“I might not. That’s a pretty attractive scent you know. Might even have a bunch of boys asking you on a date for that,” he chuckled.

“Yeah, like that’s going to happen,” she said.

“Trust me, as pretty as you are combined with liking the outdoors, your feisty attitude and the hint of gun oil, the boys will be following you around like crazy,” he laughed.

“My feisty attitude?” she asked.

“Drives men up the wall. Couldn’t tell you why, but it does,” he laughed.

“Personal experience?” she asked.

“Well, yeah,” he laughed. “Annie was a feisty one.”

“And Doctor Chase?” asked Cindy. “I’m just asking.”

“No, she’s different from Annie. I don’t know if she has a feisty streak or not,” he replied.

“Well, time will tell,” said Cindy.

“Maybe,” he said. “Go ahead and get cleaned up. We’ll figure out what’s for dinner while we head over.”

“No gun oil perfume?” she laughed.

“Not unless you want the raging horde of boys following you around,” he laughed.

“I’ll pass,” she said and bounced upstairs. Charlie was amazed the subject of her going home hadn’t come up at all since they first talked about it. He wasn’t sure if she was resigned to the fact she was heading home or the subject just bothered her that much. But both the appointments with the two different counselors said the same thing, she wasn’t making any of the story up. And Charlie knew there had to be more behind the scenes than was being let on in New York. But with no proof, he had to go with what the investigators were saying at the moment.

But a part of him still wanted to charge off to New York to see for himself. He still wanted to go and ask the demanding questions to the investigator and to the father himself. But he made a promise to Mitch he wouldn’t do anything rash right then and would wait and see what was going to happen. While he was being somewhat emotional about it, he was also being rational and would wait and see what else was being said before doing anything stupid.

But one thing Charlie knew for certain was the fact if anything went majorly wrong in New York and Cindy called for help, he would be there as quick as possible and deal with the problems. He knew he wouldn’t worry about the consequences and would certainly go to jail trying to help her.

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

“When?” asked Mohammed Hassan.

“I’ll send off the message tomorrow and probably by early next week,” said Stephen Waters.

“Why did it take so long?” asked the Imam.

“You want things done correctly and without any questions? This had to go for at least two weeks. And plus my follow up reports with the family so I’ll have to be back at least once or twice for a check. In order to make the story stick, we have to have some time involved,” said Waters.

“As long as she comes back to her family,” said the Imam.

“And how will she be reunited with us?” asked Hassan.

“Probably in a neutral location like my office. Maybe bring along your wife to show solidarity,” said Waters.

“I would prefer it just be me,” said Hassan.

“Trust me, bring the wife. It shows the entire family is concerned. Maybe even your other kids as well, but that’s fairly theatrical,” said Waters.

“When?” asked Hassan.

“I’ll give you a call after she gets to New York,” said Waters.

“What will you say to her?” asked the Imam. “I mean, what will you tell her of her concerns.”

“The same thing I put in the report. And duly take her statement on the matter as well,” said Waters.

“And if she raises additional concerns?” asked the Imam.

“They will be addressed the same way I’m dealing with this,” said Waters.

“Anything else?” asked the Imam.

“No, do you have anything for me?” asked Waters.

“Just to keep up your end of the bargain,” said the Imam.

Waters stood and left without saying anything else. His report in the matter was already complete and would be signed the next day. He would call the Tennessee State Patrol office and deal with them directly on the issue. And for some odd reason, the Tennessee Child Services hadn’t been involved. Or if they had, the involvement was kept at a low level and the matter was put in the hands of the police. But such things didn’t concern him right then as he didn’t really care whether the other Child Services were involved. He just knew he needed to keep his mouth shut and make sure his report was bulletproof enough to pass muster.

As they watched him walk towards his vehicle, the Imam turned to Hassan.

“I know you have a hard time dealing with him,” he said.

“Yes, I would like to mash him into a pulp,” said Hassan.

“Patience,” said the Imam and looked at Abdul Ali.

“An accident for one at the least. Ideally we would like to recover the money given to him as it’s quite the sum. And frankly, the supervisor might concern us. He is a man of morals and principles,” said Abdul.

“And?” asked the Imam.

“He would be the first to blow the whistle if it came down to it,” said Abdul.

“An accident for both would seem too…what’s the word I’m looking for?” asked Hassan.

“Convenient?” asked Abdul.

“Yes, I think so; especially this close to the investigation,” said the Imam.

“At least one instead of both,” said Abdul. “And we still have that evidence over our dog’s head.”

“Patience,” said the Imam.

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

“Can we stop in here right quickly?” asked Cindy as they passed an electronics store.

“Sure…why?” he asked.

“Maybe to look at movies and such. It’s been a while since I’ve been able to browse through the movies,” she said.

“Okay, no problems there,” he said and pulled into the store. They went inside and headed towards the movie section and more or less parted ways with each looking for something different. After he was engrossed in finding something he liked, she snuck away and started looking for the item she was really after. She finally found it and saw the price was within reason as she still had a little left over from her “traveling expenses.” She paid for the item quickly before heading back towards the movie section and finding Charlie.

“Find anything you like?” he asked.

“Nah, just browsing around,” she lied.

“I think I’ll grab something for tomorrow. Want to help pick it out?” he asked.

“Sure!” she said and actually got down to looking at the movies. They finally agreed on one and went to the front to pay for it. Cindy hoped the little electronic thing in the pack of the item in her rain jacket wouldn’t set the alarms off as they left the store. But after departing, she found her fears were unfounded. She had been thinking of her situation over the past few days and had come to the decision she lacked any kind of evidence of wrongdoing save the bruises on her back. And strangely enough, the investigators must have dismissed that in its entirely. So this time she would be prepared and have more proof of wrongdoing. This time she wouldn’t just have one side of the story, but more compounding evidence to get someone involved. She hoped she wouldn’t have to use it, but would make sure the evidence this time was enough to get more people involved and help her family out.

After they got home and before she went to bed, she tested the device and found it worked as advertised. She followed the instructions in the package and found it simple to install and the attachment worked like a charm. This time, she would be ready. But little did she know of the forces that were at work against her. She had no idea of the plans cooked up by Waters to negate any of her testimony and the fact her name had already been marred enough by her own father to where any additional testimony would fall on deaf ears. Cindy was unaware of the cruel nature of this world and how it would affect her in ways yet unseen.

Sometimes cruel lessons are learned in life and Cindy would be taught one the hard way.

[Grand58742]

CHAPTER 24 CONTINUED

[Grand58742]

CHAPTER 24



Charlie finished up at the hardware store in downtown Erwin and headed out to Jonesborough to his “normal” gun shop. While he shopped around quite a bit for the best prices, he often came back to this place since they tended to have the best selection and were willing to work with you on prices. While he and Cindy chatted the entire way, especially over the fact they were going to the oldest town in Tennessee, she could still see the foul mood on his face the entire time. Not a worried look, but rather one of concentration and deep thoughts.

He promised to bring her back another day to let her fully explore the historical value of the town as well as promising to let her visit the President Andrew Johnson National Historic Site and the birthplace of Davy Crockett since she discovered the signs along the drive down. As they entered the older town, her eyes just about popped out of her head at the older buildings as she scanned back and forth on the short trip towards the downtown area. But the oldest buildings weren’t seen as he pulled onto a cross street and headed towards Highway 11E. After pulling out into traffic, he drive down about a mile and pulled in to a small commercial building.

“What are we doing here?” she asked.

“I got you new shoes on Saturday, I get to shop for myself today,” he said.

“You buying a gun?” she asked.

“Probably not, but if something catches my fancy I might,” he said.

“How much are guns anyway?” she asked.

“I’ll let you see,” he said and traveled up the older stairs connecting the upper stores with the ground level. It was a smaller shop, but it was stuffed to the gills with various amounts of firearms. Cindy had never seen that many firearms in one place before and her eyes popped out of her head.

“Is this like a militia store or something?!” she exclaimed.

“No, just a regular good old gun store,” he said. “Howdy.”

“Hey Charlie, been a while since you’ve been in here,” said the man behind the counter.

“Yeah, I’ve been busy with my farm and all,” he said and shook the man’s hand. “This is my niece Cindy.”

“Miss,” said the man with a nod.

“Hi,” she said and stared at the walls of various autoloading rifles and under the glass at the various pistols there.

“You got any more bulk ammo in?” asked Charlie.

“Sure did, second aisle,” said the man and nodded his head towards the right area.

“You going to be okay in here by yourself?” Charlie chuckled at her wide eyed appearance.

“Yeah,” said Cindy as she continued looking around.

“Charlie, you looking for anything in particular?” asked the man as he nodded to two customers leaving the store. “Come on back anytime.”

“Some .22 and some 5.45,” he said, looking through the boxes.

“The .22 is supposed to come in this week and we’re sold out right now. Maybe the Wal-Mart still has some. And I have five hundred round half cases of the commercial 5.45 right there next to your right foot and some surplus in the back,” said the man.

“What kind of surplus?” asked Charlie.

“Russian made,” said the man.

“What happened to JJ?” asked Charlie.

“He went out to grab lunch,” said the man.

“I’d take it out of his pay,” laughed Charlie. “We all know he just takes up a chair in here.”

“I can’t talk bad about my boss,” laughed the man.

“What kind of deal can you cut me on the Russian stuff here,” asked Charlie.

“Let’s see…listed as $135…I think I can go down to $125 for you,” said the man.

“And the surplus?” asked Charlie.

“Those are the corrosive primers, the ten-eighty cases…we can part with them for $175,” said the man.

“You know J&G Sales has them listed at $140,” said Charlie.

“Plus shipping and handling, how about $170?” asked the man.

“Okay, sold. Grab me a case,” said Charlie.

“Anything else?” he asked.

“I’ll just browse around for a moment,” said Charlie. The man disappeared into the back and came back out huffing slightly at the heavy case of ammo.

“Seem to remember these things being slightly lighter,” he laughed. “See anything you like miss?”

“I don’t know much about guns so I’d rather not handle them,” said Cindy, still looking around.

“Your Uncle Charlie hasn’t taught you to shoot yet?” he asked.

“I honestly haven’t asked,” said Cindy.

“Good skill to learn,” said the man.

“How come?” asked Cindy.

“Well, when you’re old enough, you should apply for a concealed carry permit. A pretty girl like you will have all sorts of bad men tripping over themselves trying to take advantage of you. A handgun could come in right handy to deter some of them from doing bad things,” said the man.

“Trust me, I know about bad men wanting to do bad things,” said Cindy.

“Otherwise, never hurts to know how to shoot around the house and home. You never know what happens in the dead of night,” said the man. The door opened and another man was seen coming back inside with a McDonalds bag. “I see you didn’t go to Subway.”

“Line was too long,” said the new man. “Hey Charlie, been a while.”

“Hey JJ, sure has,” said Charlie as he went over to greet the man.

“You find everything you’re looking for?” asked JJ.

“Oh yeah, getting my arm ripped off in the process,” laughed Charlie.

“You know you can’t find a better deal in the local area,” said JJ.

“I know, maybe I should open up my own gun store,” laughed Charlie.

“You’ve got your license, maybe you should,” laughed JJ.

“Nah, paperwork is a pain in the rear,” said Charlie as he stole one of the man’s fries.

“We’re going to have to charge you double. It’s a sin to steal a man’s fries!” exclaimed JJ.

“What’s the new one you have back there?” asked Charlie.

“That’s one of the Para-Ordnance AR versions. Just got some Gucci stuff set up on the rails,” said the other man.

“Haven’t seen them yet,” said Charlie. The other attendant went over and grabbed the rifle from the wall and handed it over. Charlie cleared it out and looked over it for several minutes, manipulating the actions and adjusting the stock.

“I saw an article on them,” he observed. “And I like this stock.”

“Pretty ingenious with an adjustable side folder,” said the man.

“No price tag; dare I ask?” asked Charlie.

“Going for two grand flat,” said JJ.

“Little expensive,” said Charlie.

“That one is already sold, just here on layaway,” said JJ.

“You get them very often?” asked Charlie.

“Not in particular, but it’s probably something we’ll carry at least one of,” said the man.

“Might have to look at one of those,” said Charlie.

“Well, your niece needs something,” laughed the man.

“Sorry, Cindy, this is JJ, we went to school together. JJ, this is Cindy,” said Charlie.

“Hi,” said Cindy in her traditional greeting.

“Didn’t know Charlie had a niece,” remarked JJ.

“We don’t talk about him at family reunions,” she laughed.

“Don’t blame you. I could tell a few stories about your uncle there,” laughed JJ.

“Well, much as I’d like to sit around and have you tell embarrassing stories to my niece, I think we’ll be good,” said Charlie as he plopped down another five hundred round case of imported 9mm ammo and a five hundred round case of the 5.45mm ammo.

“Doing some plinking?” asked JJ.

“Yeah, haven’t been able to roll my own like I should be doing,” said Charlie. “And I can’t reload this stuff anyway.”

“Takes a little time, but cheaper in the long run,” said JJ. The other man ran up the tally and took the cash from Charlie. He preferred to do his firearms and ammo transactions in cash when he could and had a special account set up for when he couldn’t. After receiving the change, he enlisted Cindy’s help in carrying down the ammo and opening the door. He said goodbye to the man and walked out the door.

“Bullets are heavy!” she said as she walked with the half case of rifle ammo.

“And I thought you were going to work out,” observed Charlie.

“Well, I do,” said Cindy.

“You should start with my cases of .308, they are pretty hefty,” laughed Charlie.

“We going to eat soon?” asked Cindy as they arrived at the truck.

“Hungry?” he asked.

“Perpetually,” said Cindy.

“Have to check you for a tape worm,” he laughed and put the cases inside the box at the back of his truck. “We’ll grab something on the way in.”

“Okay,” she said and hooped into the passenger seat. “Why do they have so many guns?”

“Because they sell good. They have a good selection and the prices are good,” said Charlie.

“That one you looked at was two thousand dollars!” she exclaimed.

“Cheap at the price,” said Charlie.

“You could use that for a down payment on a car!” she exclaimed.

“But a car won’t keep you alive when you’re attacked,” said Charlie.

“I guess not,” she said as they took the other route back in by going through Johnson City.

“You still want to learn to shoot?” he asked.

“Maybe,” she said.

“I’m going to be shooting a little this afternoon,” he said.

“Maybe I’ll just watch, is that okay?” she asked.

“I think we can do that,” said Charlie. After pulling through Johnson City, they stopped at a Burger King and grabbed lunch before heading on home. When they arrived, they found Charlie’s helper busy getting the truck loaded. “Greg, appreciate this.”

“No problem, the driver would have waited, but he has another pickup,” said the man named Greg and wearing a Michigan Wolverines T-Shirt.

“What did you do with that Tennessee shirt I got you for Christmas?” laughed Charlie.

“Had the wife use it for a cleaning rag. About all the good that orange will do except keep you from getting shot in hunting season,” laughed the man.

“Or picking up garbage alongside the road,” Charlie laughed.

“Hi Greg,” said Cindy who had met the man in passing before.

“Hi Cindy, your Uncle keeping you busy?” he asked.

“Child labor! Making me carry this heavy stuff!” she grunted as she picked up the box of ammo. “Where’s it going?”

“Downstairs to the basement. Just leave it upstairs for now and go eat,” he instructed.

“The sheriff stopped by about a half an hour ago, said he was going to be back any time now,” said Greg.

“You want to finish out the truck and head on home?” asked Charlie.

“Yeah, no classes today so I can do that,” said Greg.

“Where are the rest of the kids at?” asked Charlie.

“Mostly down in the corn patch except the Jones brothers. They are busy splitting up your firewood,” said Greg.

“How come?” asked Charlie.

“Dunno, they said something about helping the girl out. Think they meant your niece,” said Greg.

“Bet they did,” said Charlie. “I hope they didn’t go after that piece of walnut I had out there,” said Charlie.

“Don’t know if they did, but I saw them carrying a bow saw out,” said Greg.

“Let me go check on them,” said Charlie with a sigh. And sure enough, they had cut up a piece of walnut he was looking at making a rifle stock out of. It was intended to be used for the rifle Karl had suggested and was sitting outside to season a little more. “You boys cut up that piece of walnut?”

“Sure did Mister Gray! Cut and stacked!” said Nick Jones.

“You realize I was going to use that for a rifle stock?” asked Charlie.

“Umm, you were going to what?” asked Nate.

“It was seasoning outside in the sun before I was going to move it inside,” said Charlie.

“I’m sorry sir, we were just trying to help,” said Nick.

“Why don’t you head on over to the corn patch and help them out,” suggested Charlie.

“We just didn’t want Cindy to hurt herself out here,’ said Nate.

“She can take care of herself,” said Charlie.

“We didn’t know sir,” said Nick.

“I know, head on over to the corn patch,” said Charlie with a sigh knowing he would have to find another piece of walnut to replace the one they had cut up for firewood. And the further seasoning time and the correct shape…lots of details. Charlie headed back to the house as Greg was finishing up with the truck driver.

“Let me guess, cut up to stove length?” he asked with half a smile.

“They are trying to impress Cindy, but failing miserably at impressing me,” said Charlie.

“Boys tend to do that with girls they like,” said Greg. “I’ll be heading off now if that’s okay.”

“Yeah, go ahead,” said Charlie as he pulled out the cash to pay the man for his work.

“What’s this for?” asked Greg, looking at the additional money.

“You’ve got your son’s birthday coming up. Get him a toy or something from me,” said Charlie.

“Oh, well thanks Charlie. Just give me a call if you need any more help,” said Greg as he departed. Charlie went inside the house to find Cindy finishing up on her lunch.

“Something happen?” she asked.

“Yeah, the Jones twins are trying to impress you again,” said Cindy.

“What did they do now?” she asked.

“Cut up a piece of walnut I was saving for a rifle blank,” said Charlie.

“Want me to go beat them up?” asked Cindy.

“Nah, not worth breaking your knuckles on their thick skulls,” he chuckled and sat down to eat.

“Got anything for me to do?” she asked.

“Nothing for the moment,” he said.

“Mind if I get on the computer?” she asked.

“Surely,” he said and started eating the now cold burger. He popped it into the microwave for a moment and heated it back up. But no matter what, he couldn’t reheat the fries and ended up tossing them into the garbage. He hated reheated fries with a passion and substituted them for regular chips. He wandered back into the living room to find her looking up some math equations.

“What are you doing?” he asked.

“Studying some math,” she answered and made an annotation on a notepad.

“Really?” he asked.

“Yeah, I’ve got a few years of learning to catch up on,” said Cindy. “I’ve been working at it for a while in my spare time.”

“Oh,” was all he had to say about it.

“I like learning, remember?” she asked. “Although math is kinda hard.”

“Suppose you did say that,” he said and went back to eating. A honk was heard from the front of the house and he saw Mitch had arrived. He finished off the rest of the burger quickly and met the sheriff on the front porch.

“Charlie,” said Mitch as he walked up.

“Mitch, give me the bad news,” said Charlie who knew it couldn’t be good.

Mitch handed over a couple of pieces of paper for Charlie to read, a copy of the e-mail sent by New York in reference to Cindy. Charlie took them and started reading, his lips turning into a frown and his face getting darker with each line.

“This has enough crap in it to fertilize my entire farm for ten years!” he exclaimed when he finished reading.

“I know and it’s contrary to everything we are being told here,” said Mitch.

“So what? We are just supposed to pack her up and send her right back to the same situation she was in before?!” demanded Charlie.

“You always knew she was going to be leaving Charlie, don’t let this get personal,” said Mitch.

“Screw personal Mitch! I’ve got a vested interest here!” growled Charlie.

“We all do Charlie, which is why I went ahead and set up another appointment with a counselor. A different one. We can include the additional reports when we send her back and hopefully it gets their attention enough to hold off on reuniting her with her family until they do more investigating,” said Mitch.

“So I’m out another couple hundred bucks and she goes right back into the same environment she escaped from?” demanded Charlie.

“Charlie, you’re like my brother, but you got too wrapped up in this,” said Mitch.

“Mitch, you know as well as I do what’s going to happen,” said Charlie forcefully.

“I told the State Patrol you weren’t to be any problem. Are you going to have a problem with this?” asked Mitch directly.

“I have a problem with this Mitch!” Charlie exclaimed while popping the papers against his hand.

“I know and so do I, but we have to let the investigators do as they will. As soon as they start interviewing her, I can flat guarantee you they will change that story,” said Mitch.

“Then have them come here!” exclaimed Charlie.

“Don’t make this a big issue Charlie. I know how you feel, but if we have to, the State will come in and remove her from this home,” said Mitch.

“Are you threatening me?” demanded Charlie.

“No, I’m just telling you what IS going to happen if you keep going along this line,” said Mitch as he crossed his arms. He never had Charlie this upset before and didn’t know quite what to do with him right then.

Charlie walked off a few steps, breathing heavily. Mitch could see he was thinking everything through the logical conclusion and he didn’t like the outcome. While he and Charlie were lifelong friends, he still had to uphold the law and in this case, their friendship would stop at the paved road outside his property.

“There isn’t any way around this?” asked Charlie a little calmer, but with his back still turned.

“They didn’t give us a date to have her up there,” said Mitch. “That’s something.”

“It’s nothing Mitch and you know it. As soon as she is reintroduced into that home, she will be abused again. Maybe not physically, but psychologically,” said Charlie reasonably.

Mitch let out a long sigh before responding. “Charlie, I know how you feel, I really do. But let’s face it, you knew from the start this was only going to be a temporary thing.”

“I know and that’s the only reason I’m still here talking to you about it,” said Charlie.

“Don’t do anything stupid,” said Mitch with a slight plea in his voice.

“No, I wouldn’t,” said Charlie. “Not because of me, but what it could do to her.”

“Don’t do it for you as well Charlie. I want to keep you out of jail,” said Mitch with a slight chuckle.

“I can’t laugh right now, I hope you understand,” said Charlie.

“Yeah, I understand,” said Mitch.

“I just can’t believe I’ve got so much invested in her to see her leave,” said Charlie. “And not only that, but under circumstances that are shady at best.”

“Again, you know it was going to happen eventually,” said Mitch. “There could be a good reason she is heading back. Could be God’s will and all.”

“He has a funny way of showing us what we need to do sometimes,” said Charlie.

“Have a little faith. I’ve got this gut feeling it will work out for us in the long run,” said Mitch.

“How’s that?” asked Charlie.

“I don’t know, just a feeling I get,” said Mitch.

“I hope you’re right,” said Charlie, still looking out at the open field to the front of the house and not at his friend.

“What are you going to do now?” asked Mitch.

[eeyore]

The story has me on the edge of my seat also, i wish i would not have started reading it until you were finished, like the stories about the Ranch. Keep up the excellent work and i hope one day i run into those guys in NY

[Cimarron]

As level headed as Charlie seems to be, he's putting Cindy's name and the connection to him and his name in a news paper?! With pictures no less.
Those thugs in NY could do a search and easily find her.
It's killin me man, it's killin me lol

[Grand58742]

CHAPTER 23



Steven Waters walked into the office as instructed and headed towards his supervisor

[Grand58742]

I've hesitated to comment, want to make sure everyone has a chance to see that Grand has posted a new chapter.

You sir, have a gift! I check the site at LEAST 3 times a day to see if there's a new chapter! I try to be patient, but it is difficult when the story & writing are of this caliber.
Do you possible have older stories you could post that would feed our reading beasts? I'll try harder to be patient.

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.

[Gwynmael]

I've hesitated to comment, want to make sure everyone has a chance to see that Grand has posted a new chapter.

You sir, have a gift! I check the site at LEAST 3 times a day to see if there's a new chapter! I try to be patient, but it is difficult when the story & writing are of this caliber.
Do you possible have older stories you could post that would feed our reading beasts? I'll try harder to be patient.

[Grand58742]

CHAPTER 22 CONTINUED:

[Grand58742]

CHAPTER 22



Steven Waters walked into the office fairly nervously. He had been at a convention in Buffalo the day prior and had been unable to make contact with the Imam or his assistant until that morning. He had taken a day of paid vacation and gone back out to the community to follow up on their offer.

“Have you reached a decision?” asked the Imam.

“I have,” said Waters.

“And?” asked Abdul.

“I’ll get the girl back here,” said Waters quietly.

“We thank you for that,” said the Imam.

“And the question now remains of the proper incentive?” asked Abdul.

“It will take some to help keep my superiors quiet,” said Waters.

“How much?” asked Abdul.

“Depends on how much you are offering,” said Waters.

“An exact sum would be nice,” said Abdul.

“Fifty for my boss,” said Waters.

“And for you?” asked Abdul.

“What are you offering?” asked Waters.

“We can start at the same amount,” said Abdul.

“For committing perjury and falsifying an official report?” asked Waters. “It might take more than that.”

“You have gotten greedy since your last bribe,” said Abdul. “We know your last price came in at an amount far less than that.”

“Times change,” said Waters.

“So they do…one hundred,” said Abdul.

“Five hundred,” said Waters.

“You are insane. We will go to the press and take our chances with another investigator,” said Abdul.

“That takes into account additional funds to be passed out if needed,” said Waters.

“I know it won’t take that much,” said Abdul.

“And my cut as well,” said Waters, noticing the Imam was quiet through the negotiations.

“One fifty,” said Abdul.

“Four hundred,” said Waters and looked at Abdul.

“Two fifty and not a penny more,” said Abdul. “I could only guess you already have a good amount saved up from your last situations.”

“Three hundred,” said Waters with one final offer.

“Two fifty or the deal is off,” said Abdul adamantly.

“I agree to that,” said Waters after thinking for a moment. He would have been willing to settle at fifty thousand dollars, but figured it was worth a try to get more. A quarter of a million dollars would set him up nicely for some of the things he had planned and add to the sum in his accounts.

“And where would you like the funds transferred to?” asked Abdul.

“Yeah right and create an electronic signature that leads right back to me? Cash will be fine thank you very much. Franklins and Grants will work great,” said Waters, feeling a little smugger about the situation.

Abdul reached behind his chair and retrieved an ordinary looking gym bag. Handing it over to Waters, he knew he had just seriously violated several laws in the process, but he was the kind of person that ignored the law as long as he got results from it. “There is your share although there are several bundles of twenties in there as well.”

“And for my boss?” asked Waters.

“We will need to make arrangements. By this afternoon we should have what you require,” said Abdul.

“And the investigation?” asked the Imam.

“I’ll talk it over with my boss, but I’ll probably have to sit on the final report for another week. Otherwise it might look suspicious,” said Waters.

“Are you stalling?” asked the Imam.

“No, but these cases typically take a little longer to finish up,” said Waters.

“You informed us before it sometimes only took a week,” said the Imam.

“But in something this complex, it would take a little longer to finish up the interviews and observations,” said Waters sensibly. The Imam looked at Abdul and received a nod in reply as if he was saying “yes, the infidel is telling the truth in this matter.”

“Very well then, do you have anything further for us today?” asked the Imam.

“I will need to speak to Hassan again. I need more specific details to put into my report,” he replied.

“I will see to it he is available,” said the Imam as he reached for the phone. “Please have Mohammed Hassan come to my office.”

“When will you approach your superior?” asked Abdul.

“Probably tonight at his home,” said Waters. “And it’s better to have the money in hand already.”

“As I said, this afternoon,” said Abdul.

“Would you mind if I stepped out and started working on my report?” asked Waters.

“You have a computer with you?” asked the Imam.

“Yes,” said Waters as he motioned at his attach

[Grand58742]

CHAPTER 21



Steven Waters returned to the Islamic Community the next morning after spending quite some time looking over the police report from the local township and interviewing the officers involved in the case. At first appearances, the officers had acted properly, but something in the back of his head kept telling him something was unusual. He didn’t quite know what it was, but at the same time, there was a nagging feeling it was all being staged on his behalf. While he hadn’t interviewed Cindy yet, he felt there had to be some truth to her story. None of the teenagers he had worked with in the past has such vivid and realistic stories about their abuse. Not that this case wasn’t outlandish in the least, but at the same time, where there was smoke, there was often fire. He had conducted a simple check on the community and found there was almost no information to be had except several of the members had active case files with the FBI and DHS or both.

But adding in the fact he was still on somewhat of a probation, he was playing this one by the rules. He would conduct the investigation in an impartial and neutral way, making sure the I’s were dotted and the T’s were crossed. He headed back into the mosque to look for the Imam to set up additional interviews and let him know the schedule of events. He came to the door and found the congregation was in morning prayer. He stood silently in the foyer area of the mosque and waited for the group to finish up. After the group completed their small devotional service, the departing members looked over Waters silently on their way out. He saw the Hassan family and gave them a polite nod as they walked by, seeing their son for the first time. A nod was returned and the family departed without saying a word.

The Imam and another man were the last ones out of the room and were somewhat surprised to see Waters standing in the hallway waiting for them.

“We thought you were going to return last night,” said the Imam.

“I finished up late at the local police and decided to wait until the morning,” said Waters. “I hope I didn’t keep you waiting for me.”

“No, we were told. Please come into my office,” said the Imam and was followed by the other man. “And what did you learn at the police station?”

“I’m sorry, but I’m not allowed to discuss matters pertaining to ongoing investigations with those who are under investigation,” said Waters politely.

“I see…” said the Imam as he sat down behind his desk and stroked at his beard. “How can we help you this morning?”

“I came by to set up additional interviews with you and others in the community. I wasn’t sure of your schedule and it’s better to do it in advance,” said Waters.

“Yes, of course,” said the Imam. “I am available at any time except during prayers.”

“I appreciate your assistance in this matter,” said Waters.

“Yes, but I would like to know where this is heading. I am the unofficial leader of the community here and would like to be able to inform the community of how long this will last,” said the Imam.

“They can take as little as a week or up to a month depending on circumstances,” said Waters.

“And in this case?” asked the unidentified man.

“I’m sorry, but we haven’t been introduced,” said Waters.

“My name is Abdul Ali,” said the man without offering his hand.

“Well, in this case, we are looking at probably upwards of two weeks or so, plus another week of reconciliation with the family with daily meetings. Maybe more, I don’t know,” said Waters.

“Anything we can do to make this process go faster?” asked the Imam.

“No, just cooperate and things will go smoothly,” said Waters.

“I hope you understand Mister Waters we are a private people in our community here. We are hoping to avoid a spectacle in the general public and are hoping this ends sooner rather than later,” said the Imam.

“And anything you can do to speed things up would be greatly appreciated…even rewarding,” said Abdul Ali.

And Waters knew right then they were talking about a bribe. He had heard those words before, maybe not the exact verbiage, but he knew what a subtle hint was when he heard one. While he was unaware of how much they might have to offer, the planned community seemed to be well off and the construction was top notch. Nothing seemed out of date in the community and the members dressed well enough. While he had taken bribes in the past, none of them had ever been over a certain amount, but this one might be lucrative. But he remembered he was somewhat in the hot seat and knew this one needed to be played straight.

“Sometimes just doing our job and seeing things through to the end is rewarding enough,” said Waters.

“Hmm, sometimes in life we meet a man of principles. Are you a man of principle?” asked the Imam.

“I like to think I am,” said Waters.

“Ever violate a principle?” asked Abdul.

“Everyone violates principles,” said Waters evasively.

“So if it was to come out in the news or to the head of the New York Child Services that a member of their organization had…relations with a member of a family they were investigating. What kind of principles would those fall under?” asked the Imam.

Waters felt the color drain from his face and knew the situation he had gotten into three years prior would eventually come back to haunt him. He hoped he had paid the family off enough to keep it quiet, but someone somewhere had a bigger wallet than he did.

“I have no idea what you are talking about,” said Waters as he glanced away from the two men.

“I can tell by your reaction you might know a little more than you just let on. There happened to be a nice family in New York City with an attractive daughter around fourteen years of age. Of course she looked older than her years, but age was a factor. Supposedly her father had been abusing her, sexually from what I understand. You knew about this, but to avoid a lengthy and drawn out process, he offered his daughter to you. While she might have been consenting to avoid having her father go to jail, it is still statutory rape according to New York laws. But if she was to say she didn’t consent and the act was forced…well, that’s First Degree Rape according to the State,” said Abdul.

Waters opened his mouth to reply, but couldn’t find words to say right then. He stared down at the floor and knew he had been caught. While he had tried very hard over the past few months to straighten his life out professionally, he knew the resurgence of that particular situation would not only get him fired, but he would probably have a judge throw the book at him, no matter what his political connections were. Sometimes when these things got into the press, there was nothing that could be done about an enraged public screaming for blood.

“That was three years ago,” said Waters quietly.

“The last time I looked, the statute of limitations doesn’t exist in rape cases. But at the very least, it will destroy you and the credibility of the department you work for,” said the Imam in response.

“You have no proof except the testimony of an under aged girl,” said Waters.

“And her father who was later convicted on sexual abuse charges. I’m sure a quick visit to him in prison for another testimony might help his chances of parole,” said Abdul as he took a handful of sunflower seeds out of a bag. “Let’s face it, even the barest indications of sexual impropriety with a minor will get you destroyed in your department. Nobody would ever want to have you work for them again. At best, you are jobless, at worst…well, child sex offenders tend to have a rough time in jail. Seems as if they are on the bottom of the food chain in prison.”

“I…I don’t know how to respond,” said Waters.

“Again, we can make things accommodating to you,” said the Imam, relaxing the grip they had on him slightly.

“How is that?” asked Waters.

“Simple, you do your investigation and Haseena is returned to her family. The basis of her claims will be found to be false and she will be returned to her rightful place in the community,” said the Imam.

“And if the investigation is repeated or cross checked?” asked Waters.

“The basis of her claims is outlandish enough that even the most seasoned investigators would scoff at the idea. Do you have any reason to believe right now there is any basis to her claims?” asked Abdul.

“No, it is pretty out there,” said Waters.

“And other investigators would think the same, no?” asked the Imam.

“Yes, the others I work with would probably say the same thing,” said Waters.

“So do your investigation, file your report and get her back to her family,” said the Imam.

“Why do you want her back so quickly?” asked Waters, curious enough to ask the question.

“You aren’t married so you don’t know what a parent missing their child is like. But I want to reunite that family. They have had enough troubles adapting to the community here save the father and this current situation is causing them more strife. I would like to see them whole again and putting this behind them,” said the Imam.

“Not for personal gain?” asked Waters, still looking for an angle to play.

“I have told you already I am married and have no use for an immature liar. She has caused enough trouble here and we need to get her back under her father’s guidance,” said the Imam.

Waters sat back in his chair and wondered what…how he could get out of this mess he was currently in. He had no other option but to go along with the plans of the community here and go with their desires. “And I have your assurance this matter will be dropped once Haseena is back in her home?”

“Yes, you have our word on that. And if anything was to come up about it, you can always come to us for help in the matter,” said the Imam. “And again, we are generous. I’m sure we can come to an acceptable outcome that benefits everyone including your superiors.”

“That might be needed,” said Waters. “This one came from the State.”

“Abdul will assist you in that matter. But for now, go and do your investigation as you see fit,” said the Imam as a way of dismissing the man.

Waters stood to leave but wanted to say more. But the threat of going to prison far outweighed the words he wanted to say. He slowly turned and left the office and went back to his car. He needed to get away for a while and think about the situation and see if there were any other solutions to the case. As he drove off, the Imam and Abdul watched him leave.

“Do you think he will take the subtle hint?” asked the Imam.

“He should,” said Abdul.

“How did you come up with the information so quickly?” asked the Imam.

“I honestly didn’t. Half it was a stab in the dark as it was only rumored to have happened at his last assignment. No evidence was ever found and I don’t even know the family in question. But rest assured, we will find them,” said Abdul.

“You played a hunch on an important investigation into the community?” asked the Imam.

“Not really a hunch. There was enough substance to the rumor to know something had gone on,” said Abdul.

“But it was still a hunch,” said the Imam.

“Perhaps,” said Abdul. “But a well calculated one. One a criminal, always a criminal and it’s no great stretch of the imagination to guess what horrible things he has done in his life.”

“I’ll give you that,” said the Imam. “And now?”

“Our friend will see the light and we are waiting on the family name in case he needs additional prompting. But I believe our agent will be eating out of our hand before long,” said Abdul.

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

“I wonder how everything is going,” said Cindy as she scraped off a small weed from around the tomato plants in the garden.

“How what is going?” asked Charlie. “No, dig it out and take the roots as well. If you just take the top and leave the roots, the rest will grow back.”

“I meant the investigation,” said Cindy.

“You shouldn’t worry about things out of your control,” said Charlie, who was also curious about the goings on. While he was knelt over, his cell phone rang. He took a look at the number and recognized the caller immediately. “Hello pretty lady.”

“Hey Charlie,” said Erica Chase. “How are you?”

“Doing good, weeding out the tomato plants. How are you doing?” he asked as he wiped his hands off one at a time and walked away to talk.

“I’m good. I actually called to see how Cindy was doing,” said Erica.

“Want to talk to her?” asked Charlie.

“No, just checking on her. I heard she went in to see Portia Foster and thought that was a nice thing to do even with the way she had been treated by her,” said Erica.

“I never really asked what happened in that situation,” said Charlie.

“Just good old teenage drama along with just a touch of envy. Cindy has a secret admirer,” laughed Erica.

“Toby Reynolds?” asked Charlie.

“The very same,” said Erica.

“Yeah, I got that impression. He does tend to wag his tongue when looking at her,” laughed Charlie.

“Not that I blame him, she’s a pretty girl. But he’s a good kid from all accounts so you don’t have much to worry about,” said Erica.

“I just don’t want to see her hurt by getting involved in someone and then leaving,” said Charlie.

“Are you talking about me?” asked Cindy from the plants.

“Your hearing is quite exceptional,” said Charlie with a chuckle and walked further away out of earshot. “Yeah, she is doing okay I think. She hasn’t mentioned anything and the counselor says it will take quite a bit of time.”

“You thinking of another session while she is here?” she asked.

“Can’t hurt anything,” said Charlie.

“And how are you going to take it?” asked Erica.

“Me? I’ll be fine,” said Charlie.

“Don’t try that on me. You’ve gotten fairly attached to that girl since she’s been here,” said Erica.

“Nah, just doing my civic duty,” laughed Charlie, wondering how Erica saw right through him.

“Yeah right. Let’s face it Charlie, you happen to like being the father figure,” said Erica.

“Okay, maybe just a tad,” said Charlie.

“And possibly there is a family in your future?” asked Erica, subtly hinting at something she dare not say out loud.

“Maybe so, but I’m getting older,” he said.

“Yes, of course you’re over the hill and nobody has children in their thirties this day in age,” laughed Erica. “But there are a few women out there who just don’t care how old you are.”

“Do I know them?” he laughed.

“You might know one or two,” she said and he could just about see the twinkle in her eyes.

“Maybe I’ll ask one or two of them out on a date sometime,” he said with a twinkle in his eyes that he figured she might see.

“Charlie, I like you a lot, but sometimes your beating around the bush gets old,” she said.

“Okay, how about dinner then. Friday night? Just a simple dinner and a movie,” he asked, finding the courage to do so after so many years.

“I believe we can do that. But what about the munchkin?” she asked.

“I can find someone to watch the monkey girl,” said Charlie.

“She’s old enough to be alone for a few hours you know?” asked Erica.

“Maybe so,” said Charlie, but didn’t know the details of being a foster parent. He wasn’t sure whether or not he could just up and leave her for the evening. He would call Mitch later about it.

“Okay, Friday night and we’ll go Dutch. So just a simple dinner with friends with no ties?” she asked.

“I would never make you pay,” he said.

“I know, but I’d rather keep this simple,” said Erica.

“Simple means I pay for it,” he said. “I’m an old fashioned gentleman like that.”

“You are a gentleman,” she agreed. “What time Friday?”

“Let me get back to you on that. I’ll have to check on the Cindy status,” he said.

“Does this mean you might actually call again?” she asked with a chuckle.

“Hey! I called once already,” he objected with a laugh.

“I know, and it was nice to hear from you,” she laughed in return.

“Well thank you ma’am. I aim to please from time to time,” he said. “I’ll let you know soonest about the time.”

“Bye Charlie,” she said.

“Bye-bye Erica,” he said in return and ended the phone call. After returning to the plants, he saw Cindy had almost finished everything up.

“Well? Did you two talk about me the whole time?” asked Cindy.

“Actually no, I have a date thank you,” he said very smugly.

“Well miracles never cease,” said Cindy very sassily.

“Come on now,” said Charlie, still quite full of himself.

“When is this date of yours?” she asked.

“Friday night, time remains to be seen,” he replied and looked over her work.

“How come?” she asked and picked up the basket with the fresh tomatoes in it.

“Well monkey girl, I have to have a place to stash you. I supposed I could tie you up and leave you in the basement, but I figured Mitch might not look too kindly on that idea,” he said.

“I would be okay alone for the evening,” she said.

“I have to check on that,” he said.

“Don’t trust me? I promise to have the party over by the time you get home,” she said with a twinkle.

“You aren’t too old for a babysitter,” he said.

“I’m old enough to babysit!” she objected.

“And you are but I still need to check with Mitch about the whole foster family arrangement,” he said.

“I understand. Poor little girl here can’t cook for herself for one night so her foster provider can go out on a date with a pretty doctor lady,” she said dejectedly.

“You’re horrible,” he said as they walked towards the barn. Along the way, he pulled out his cell phone and called Mitch. “Hey brother.”

“Hey Charlie. What’s going on?” asked Mitch on the other end.

“I had a question. What’s the law say about leaving teenagers alone for the evening?” asked Charlie.

“You’re talking about Cindy? How long are we talking?” asked Mitch, who seemed to be involved in something right then.

“Long enough for dinner and a movie,” said Charlie.

“Doctor Chase?” he asked.

“Yeah, how did you-” Charlie started to say but was cut off.

“Because that pretty thing’s had her eye on you for a while now and eventually you would get it through your thick skull she was worth a try,” said Mitch.

“Yeah, but it’s only a friendly dinner,” said Charlie.

“Yeah right. Listen, I’m kinda busy right now, but long story short, for short periods she will be okay on her own. But if you don’t feel comfortable, she can always come over and stay with Sarah and me. Otherwise, she should be fine on her own,” said Mitch.

“Okay, I’ll let you know about the latter if it comes down to it,” said Charlie.

“Okay, I’ve got to run, see you later,” said Mitch and hung up without giving Charlie a chance to say anything else. Charlie decided to have a little fun at Cindy’s expense.

“So you are saying she needs at least an adult, eighteen…oh, twenty-four to babysit her…yeah…oh, she’ll be fine…sure, I can ask Mary Worthington to watch her, I’m sure she’ll oblige…yeah, maybe have her spend the night with Mary would be okay…oh sure, Mary will probably go along with it…okay, you take it easy,” said Charlie and went through the motions of ending the call.

“What did he say?” asked Cindy, who overheard the conversation.

“Said you needed to be supervised and suggested Mary Worthington. I’ll give her a call,” said Charlie as he went through his contacts list.

“No! Not her! Can’t I stay with Sarah or Mitch?” objected Cindy.

“Why not? She’s a nice lady,” said Charlie as he put his phone up to his ear.

“Because she’s annoying! I only met her and automatically wanted to run away screaming!” objected Cindy.

“Well, you’ll just have to get used to her…Hello Mary? Charlie Gray here…yes, I’m good…and you…okay, got a favor to ask…Cindy, my niece needs a babysitter for the night…Friday…maybe all the way through Saturday morning…I’ll pay for her food if you want…oh, she would love to spend the evening with you,” said Charlie and looked over at Cindy, pleading with her hands clasped together whispering “no” and shaking her head. She looked quite pitiful right then, but he continued his charade. “Okay, Friday evening at five then…yes, I’ll pack in her pajamas and toothbrush…okay, see you then…bye.”

“I can be just fine by myself!” objected Cindy.

“Nope, Mitch says you need adult supervision,” said Charlie.

“But why her?” exclaimed Cindy.

“You can ask her,” said Charlie and handed over the phone. She checked the number and saw it was in the same area code. “Go ahead and call it.”

She hit the send button and wondered why he was making her make the call. But a recorded voice came on the line for the NOAA National Weather Service recorded forecast for East Tennessee. “What’s this?”

“The weather forecast,” said Charlie, trying not to laugh.

“You put me through mental pain and anguish!” exclaimed Cindy.

“I know,” he said, still trying not to laugh.

“You’re a horrible person!” she exclaimed.

“I know,” he said and finally let out a laugh.

“I thought you were for real!” she exclaimed.

“Cindy, that would be the shortest conversation in history with Mary Worthington if it was a call. I’d still be trying to ask the favor if it was actually her,” Charlie said with a laugh.

“You’re mean!” she exclaimed. “But what did Mitch say?”

“Said you were going to be okay by yourself for a few hours while I’m gone. Unless you wanted to stay with him and Sarah,” said Charlie.

“She moved in with him?” asked Cindy.

“Not yet, but probably close,” said Charlie.

“You’re still a big old meanie,” she said and threw her nose in the air.

“I could probably ask Mary, she would be more than willing to do it. But I’m not sure if you could handle the endless questions,” said Charlie.

“No, please don’t,” said Cindy.

“Okay, let’s head inside and check the movie theater to see what’s playing. I figure I could use a girl’s touch on that?” he asked.

“I can definitely find you something utterly romantic and heart grabbing. A good chick flick that will even amaze her with your choice,” said Cindy.

“It’s just a friendly dinner,” said Charlie.

“It’s a date and get used to that fact,” said Cindy as she plopped down behind the computer. “Now let’s find you a romantic movie.”

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

Steven Waters looked at the almost empty bottle of Southern Comfort in front of him. After taking a long drive, he had gone into a package store and picked up a bottle and returned home. In drinking, he was seeking wisdom, which typically doesn’t come together with alcohol. But drink he did and thought about the mess he had gotten himself into. Three years ago, he was investigating a sexual abuse case against a family in New York City. A suspicious neighbor had been the one to place the call to begin with and the investigation actually showed promise of wrongdoing. After his investigation was almost complete, he received a visit from the daughter of the family, the same one who had been abused. She pleaded with him to find her father innocent as she couldn’t bear the thought of him going away to prison. Eventually she offered the one thing she had yet to and he had given into temptation. While he knew it was illegal and immoral, he had been drawn into her world of pleas and cries and finally gave in to lust. He found the father innocent of any wrongdoing, but had later found out they had put the daughter up to it.

And holding this over his head, he was forced to pay them off for their silence, handing over a considerable amount of money to do so. And they had kept quiet about it, even after the father had been reinvestigated and found guilty. But he had kept his word and not said a word about the arrangement they had made. While it was always in his mind taunting him, he figured he had seen the end of the situation, at least until this morning.

Little did Waters know Abdul had a wide net of sources within the New York State Government. Money often helped for information and this time it had paid off. He had called in a favor looking for information about Waters and found the dirt in his past. While taking bribes was one thing they could hold over his head, it had never stuck before and he figured it wouldn’t be the best item to throw at him. But there were rumors of wrongdoings in one particular case and the individual Abdul had talked with had merely guessed at the impropriety of Waters. But he had hit the nail on the head and Abdul saw they had him right in the hangman’s noose. After he refused the bribe, Abdul knew he needed to yank the man’s chain once again to get his attention. Taking a wild swing, he mentioned that specific case and was rewarded with a home run.

Waters knew not only his career, but his life would be over. While his family was somewhat well connected in New York State politics, they would turn their back on him in a heartbeat over this situation. He thought about running and taking his chances with the law, but also knew they would eventually catch up to him and the Islamic community could not be trusted to keep their mouth shut if he decided to run and let someone else conduct the investigation. He saw they were holding Aces over Kings in this game of poker and he had no other option but to go along with their plans.

And it could be profitable for him as well he thought as he took another swig of the bottle with a little dribbling down his chin. He had no other choice but to clear the case and leave it at that. But they had also offered the bribe after making the not so subtle remarks over his former mistakes. So he would take them up on it with enough to guarantee his supervisor’s silence as well. Not that he had much choice in the matter, but he would go upwards of fifty thousand to make sure his supervisor went along. Besides having money in his family, the bribes he had taken in his past were still squirreled away in various bank accounts under aliases and in a fireproof box in a hidden hole in the floor. All in all, this could turn out very much in his favor and in bringing his boss along with him he would make an ally in the process to help conceal the truth.

But he still remembered the fact the girl’s claims had to have some sort of truth behind them. They wouldn’t have offered the bribe otherwise. He still felt somewhat of a sense of duty to see this case through to the end, but the alcohol was clouding his thinking and he only saw the one option as his only relief from the situation at hand. He never considered the fact he could just face judgment and let the cards lie as they fell.

He made a choice that night, a choice to help the community get her back. He had been able to survive the background checks and investigations before and knew he would land on his feet again if the matter ever came back up. He would have to extremely falsify the report to include interviews, testimonies and the overall condition of the community. But again, these were things he had done before and had enough practice in to make the perjury stick.

[Grand58742]

CHAPTER 20



“Good morning. I’m Steven Waters from the New York State Child and Family Protective Services,” said the man in the gray suit as he walked towards the door of the central building in the planned community. He was met by one of the members inside at the door.

“Please wait for the Imam,” said the man as he went back inside the central area to find the Imam. They already knew he was coming, having been alerted by the guard near the entrance.

Steven Waters was a newly assigned member of the Rochester Branch after having been transferred from New York after being investigated for misconduct at his last assignment. Since his move though, he had been keeping things in perspective and doing his job the right way. It wasn’t often you got a second chance at keeping your job in this day in age and he decided it was better to just do as he was doing rather than risk it all on stupid mistakes. He thought about the case file he had read before coming out to this remote community and wondered if any of it was real or not. The story was fairly wild to say the least, but he would determine the truth or lie of it.

The Imam came to the door dressed in a button shirt minus the tie and blue jeans, not looking like a preacher of Islam. He looked at the Agent for a moment before stroking his beard and inviting him in with a wave of his hand.

“Good afternoon, I’m Agent Steven Waters from the New York-” he started to say before he was cut off.

“Yes, I was told. No reason to repeat your long department title,” said the Imam with a chuckle. “Please come in and sit.”

“Thank you sir,” said Waters as they entered a small Spartan office, devoid of most everything except a laptop computer, a telephone and a Koran sitting on the corner of the desk. A small stand off to the side had two carafes sitting on top.

“Would you care for a cup of coffee or tea?” asked the Imam.

“What kind of tea?” asked Waters.

“It’s Chai tea made Middle Eastern style,” said the Imam.

“I’ve never had it that way,” said Waters.

“Oh, take a pound of tea and five pounds of sugar and you have Chai,” laughed the Imam.

“I’ll stick with coffee then,” said Waters, noticing the Imam had little accent when speaking. “Black.”

“So what brings you to our doorstep today Agent Waters?” asked the Imam after serving the cup of coffee and taking a cup of tea for himself.

“I have an official request for an investigation on one of the families here in your community. It seems there are some allegations of inappropriate behavior with some of the members of the family and of the community,” said Waters, getting right down to business.

“Oh? Which family and which members?” asked the Imam.

“Frankly sir, you were named as one of the members along with the…Hassan family,” said Waters after looking at the folder to confirm the name.

“And the complainant would be Mohammed Hassan’s daughter, Haseena,” said the Imam.

“Yes, although we have her listed as Cynthia Grant,” said Waters. “How did you know?”

“Haseena Hassan has a bad habit for making up grand tales to anyone who will listen. She is a compulsive liar and has gone to the local police about supposed abuse already. They investigated and found nothing out of line. She additionally makes up lies to make people feel more sorry for her,” said the Imam.

“What’s this name you keep calling her?” asked Waters.

“Cynthia Grant was her name before she converted to Islam. Her father was Stephen Grant if I recall correctly,” said the Imam. “What specific allegations were made?”

“Well, she claims she was to be forcibly married to a member of the community and was abused for her defiance of the matter,” said Waters.

“Oh really?” asked the Imam with his eyes showing mirth. “And which member in particular was she to be wed to?”

“Ummm, you sir,” said Waters.

The Imam looked at him for a moment before laughing out a jolly laugh. “Okay Mister Waters, if this is some sort of joke, you have fooled me.”

“No joke sir,” said Waters seriously.

“It appears Haseena has spun quite the tale this time around. And brought others into her web of lies,” laughed the Imam. “However funny it might be, this is a serious matter now and I will provide any and all assistance to resolving the matter.”

“I appreciate the help, sir,” said Waters, scribbling some notes on his binder.

“Have you been in contact with Haseena? Is she well?” asked the Imam.

“I haven’t personally. She is currently under the custody and care of a foster family in the State of Tennessee for the moment,” said Waters.

“So I can assume she is being treated well,” said the Imam. “Let me assure you Mister Waters, I may have the normal male desires, but I am already married and I have no wish to become wed to a girl half my age.”

“The report claims it’s within Islamic tradition to do so,” said Waters.

“Yes, some years ago…even this day in age it is not uncommon to find the practice in the Middle East and North Africa. But this is America and the practice is frowned upon. Yes, historically Muslim fathers betrothed their daughters to suitable heirs…even sometimes much older than is customary, but not this day in age and certainly not in America,” said the Imam.

“Do you support it?” asked Waters.

“I cannot condone what others believe to be the right thing. If it is a custom of certain regions in the Middle East, it is their custom and I will respect that. However, this is America where the practice is forbidden and I support the laws of America,” said the Imam, not really giving a direct answer.

“So you did not arrange the marriage with her father?” asked Waters.

“No,” laughed the Imam.

“And he made no sort of arrangement with you? Even bringing the subject up?” asked Waters.

“Certainly not! I would protest if he did such a thing!” exclaimed the Imam.

“How might you object?” asked Waters.

“I might even go as far as to have him leave the community here. Such practices only bring us into the public eye,” said the Imam.

“And you wish to remain outside of the public eye?” asked Waters.

“We are a simple community of Muslims who wish to practice our religion without the outside influences of what I might consider the corruptible and sinful ways of many Americans. Yes, we might be far more devotional than others, but we wish only to live in peace and serve Allah,” said the Imam.

“May I speak with her family? I need to interview her father, mother and two siblings in the matter. Along with seeing her home environment and that of the surrounding community,” said Waters.

“By all means. While I cannot escort you the entire way as I have other matters to attend to, I will find a suitable guide for you,” said the Imam.

“Will I be able to schedule a follow up interview?” asked Waters.

“Certainly. Anything to put this minor inconvenience behind us and get Haseena back to her family,” said the Imam.

“When can I schedule an interview?” asked Waters.

“I will make myself available to you whenever you need,” said the Imam as he picked up the phone. “Please have Ramzi come to my office.”

“I thank you for your cooperation in this matter,” said Waters.

“Again, anything to get the child back to her loving family,” said the Imam. Moments later, a knock was heard at the door. “Please come in.”

“You requested me sir?” asked the man after opening the door slightly and peeking his head in.

“Yes, please take Agent Waters here to see whomever he needs to see. Start with the Hassan family and go from there wherever he wishes,” said the Imam.

“Yes sir,” said the man named Ramzi. “If you’ll follow me sir.”

Waters stood and nodded politely at the Imam before leaving the office. He had been gone maybe two minutes when another knock was heard at the door. A man entered without being prompted and stood before the desk. He grabbed a cup of the tea and a bag of sunflower seeds from under the top of the table.

“You and your sunflower seeds,” chuckled the Imam.

“Some people are addicted to drugs, others to cigarettes others still to gambling. Everyone has a vice and mine happens to be sunflower seeds,” laughed the man.

“I suppose there are worse things in the world than being addicted to something like that,” said the Imam. “What information were you able to get on short notice?”

“Steven Waters, age twenty-nine and has been employed with New York State for almost five years. Somewhat recently transferred here from New York City where he was investigated on four occasions for taking bribes to clear cases. However, none of the investigations ever revealed any improper actions on his part as the witnesses would typically clam up and the money trail was cold. Plus there is a political side of the situation here since his family is well connected in New York politics,” said the man.

“And this means?” asked the Imam.

“If he starts nosing around and finding things he might not like, we might need to look to other means to make this problem go away,” said the man.

“The farm will be well fertilized this year?” chuckled the Imam.

“That would raise too many questions,” said the man.

“So what should we do?” asked the Imam.

“I believe he might be swayed by other means,” said the man.

“How much?” asked the Imam.

“Hard to tell. He doesn’t have much in the bank from what my contacts told me, so this probably means he never took much or was never offered a great deal. Or it means his accounts are very well hidden. So some for him, more for his supervisor at the department…not sure exactly how much it will take,” said the man.

“More than what we keep in our petty cash funds?” asked the Imam.

“Possibly so,” said the man.

“Go ahead and get two-fifty. Hopefully that should cover our greedy little agent,” said the Imam, who was used to doing things under the table.

“And if it doesn’t?” asked the man.

“He has skeletons in his closet. Everyone does. Keep digging,” ordered the Imam.

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

“Mohammed? It’s Ramzi,” said the man as he knocked on the door to the small house.

“Hello Ramzi,” said Mohammed Hassan as he looked past at the other man after opening the door.

“This is Agent Steven Waters from the New York Child Agency. He comes with news of Haseena,” said Ramzi.

“Have you seen my daughter? Is she okay?” asked Hassan excitedly.

“No, I haven’t seen your daughter, but I understand she is okay. I’m here on other matters,” said Waters.

“Such as?” asked Hassan.

“It might take a few minutes,” said Waters.

“Please come in,” said Hassan as he waved the two into his house. It was immaculately clean and fairly devoid of most things families would have like photographs, pictures on the fridge and simple things lying about in the house. Waters saw the wife come out of a bedroom, wearing the traditional Islamic garb, covered from head to toe. She took a seat opposite of him in the living room and sat down. It was a little unnerving to Waters as he was used to seeing people’s facial expressions and gauging their reactions to what he was saying. But this time, he might have to go on the words alone to figure out what was going on.

“I will have to conduct separate interviews, but overall, I am here because your daughter raised some allegations against you and other members of the community here,” said Waters.

“Oh? Is she spinning her web of lies once again?” asked Mohammed.

“I don’t understand,” said Waters.

“Haseena, you may know her as Cindy, has a very vivid imagination. She often creates large tales filled with complete details others would think to miss. Sometimes in jest, other times in order to draw sympathy to her current situations. But she is very convincing,” said Mohammed.

“Can you give a detail of a lie she created?” asked Waters.

“Hmm, once she was off the property in a place she wasn’t supposed to be and got hurt. She made up a tale of being attacked by several boys to cover up the fact she had been in a place where she wasn’t supposed to be. When confronted, the boys were in fact in another place being supervised by an adult. That is just one of the times she has made things up,” said Mohammed.

“How often does she do it?” asked Waters.

“Often enough. Sometimes she would spin great tales around the dinner table for the amusement of others. It kept us laughing, but this time, I suppose I won’t be as humored,” said Mohammed. “Would you like to talk alone first?”

“No, I’d rather have the both of you in the room to start with,” said Waters.

“Okay. This is my wife Adila,” said Mohammed waving his hand at the other side of the couch.

“Ma’am,” said Waters with a nod. He got a nod in return and wondered why the woman was being so silent. “Basically, Cindy Grant…which you call Haseena Hassan…made allegations of physical abuse, possible sexual misconduct and a forced marriage to the local Imam.”

Waters looked at the reactions on Mohammed’s face. Seeing a blank stare originally, the sides of his lips turned upwards slightly before turning down into a frown. “She says she is being physically abused?”

“Yes, and the Tennessee State Police included photographs of evidence to that effect,” said Waters.

“And was to be married to the Imam?” asked Mohammed.

“So she claims,” said Waters.

“What of the sexual misconduct?” asked Mohammed.

“Well, by being forced into marriage, she would not be of the age of consent, and certainly would not give consent. But even if you are married, you can still be raped,” said Waters.

“So the possibility of being sexually abused as opposed to the actual deed?” asked Mohamed.

“Yes,” said Waters.

“Mister Waters, I can assure you we never have abused our daughter and I can most certainly guarantee you she was not to be married to the Imam. He already has a wife,” said Mohammed.

“Isn’t it a Muslim trait to be married to more than one woman?” asked Waters to gauge the reaction.

“I think so, but it is an old custom and certainly not one we practice here,” said Mohammed.

“There was evidence of physical abuse,” said Waters.

“Such as?” asked Mohammed.

“There was evidence of bruising on her back. She made claims she was beaten after going to the local police about the abuse and arranged marriage,” said Waters.

“She went to the local police; and to my knowledge the claims were unsubstantiated,” said Mohammed.

“I’ll be checking into that, but to the point, she claims you were the one who led the abuse,” said Waters to gauge another reaction.

Mohammed’s face turned to anger before he returned the retort. “Mister Waters, I love my daughter, with all my heart love her. She is my first born child and I would never do anything like that to endanger her or abuse her. Haseena has a lot to offer the world and I would never allow anything to harm her or destroy the chances of her making a meaningful contribution to society.”

“There was evidence of multiple attacks,” said Waters.

“Such as?” asked Mohammed.

“She claims she was beaten with a belt, two different types of belts and the marks indicated two different objects were used,” said Waters.

“I don’t own a belt…well, not one I use that is. I tend to use suspenders mainly,” said Mohammed.

“Do you have a belt?” asked Waters.

“I think I do somewhere in my storage,” said Mohammed.

“Can I take a look at it?” asked Waters.

“Certainly. It might take some time to locate it, but you are more than welcome to see it,” said Mohammed.

“Do you mind if I speak to your wife while you are gone?” asked Waters.

“Please. But I hope you understand it is our custom not to show our women’s faces,” said Mohammed.

“I would need to make a positive identification,” said Waters.

“I must be in the room to do so,” said Mohammed. “Go ahead and show the agent you are who you say you are.”

Adila pulled out an old New York Driver’s License from a small portfolio in the desk and handed it over. After handing it over, she removed the niqāb from her head and showed him she was who she said she was.

“Thank you,” said Waters.

“Typically we do not allow our women to be unsupervised when talking to men outside the family. But in this case, I know this is your job here and it will be permitted,” said Mohammed. “Come Ramzi, let’s find this belt our friend thinks I used to abuse my daughter with.”

Mohammed and Ramzi trailed off into the house as Adila put back on the niqāb and sat back down on the couch.

“Mrs. Hassan, you specifically were not mentioned in the reports from your daughter, but I need to know if there is anything going on,” said Waters.

“Nothing is going on here. We just want our daughter back safe,” said Adila.

“You say there is no abuse going on?” asked Waters.

“No,” said Adila simply.

“Would you lie to protect your husband?” asked Waters.

“No,” said Adila.

“Is this place a strict Islamic fundamentalist community?” asked Waters.

“Some might say that, but we are only following Allah’s will here,” said Adila.

“Has your daughter ever mentioned any abuse to you?” asked Waters.

“No,” said Adila, returning to her simple answers.

“Has the Imam ever made any advances towards your daughter?” asked Waters.

“No,” said Adila.

“Has your husband mentioned if he would permit a marriage between the Imam and your daughter?” asked Waters.

“No, the Imam is already married,” said Adila.

“May I see the rest of your children?” asked Waters.

“Yes, my other daughter is here, but my son is in school,” she said.

“Why isn’t your daughter in school?” asked Waters.

“She is a deaf-mute and has special needs. The community cannot teach her effectively,” said Adila.

“Is there no public school that can help?” asked Waters.

“We would prefer our children to be educated here,” said Adila.

“Does Cindy have a boyfriend?” asked Waters.

“No,” said Adila.

“Any male friends?” asked Waters.

“No, Stephen…excuse me, not you Steven, my husband Stephen would not allow it. She is coming of age and needs to be escorted by a male member of the family,” said Adila.

“Any reason to suspect she is going behind your back and seeing a boy which could be abusing her?” asked Waters.

“No,” she said.

“Is your other daughter in the house?” asked Waters.

“Yes, she is in her room. Please remain here,” said Adila as she rose to find her other daughter. She returned after a few moments with a younger girl in tow. He introduced himself and Adila provided the translation.

“This is my daughter, Nawar. She is ten years old,” said Adila.

Waters was not educated in sign language and had to rely on the mother to provide the translation. He asked some simple questions and watched as the silent conversation went back and forth between the mother and daughter. He would have to check to see if there was anyone nearby who could provide the service for follow up interviews. He wasn’t comfortable with the current arrangement since he didn’t know what was being said, but had to rely on the mother right then and there.

“Nawar says she knows nothing of the abuse. She and Haseena were close, closer than most sisters and they would have talked about it,” said Adila after the conversation was over.

“Did she ever see anyone touching or hurting her sister. A friend perhaps?” asked Waters.

Adila translated the message and a shake of the head followed. Another signed conversation followed and Adila translated it as well. “She says Haseena never spoke of anything like this or of any male friends.”

Before Waters was able to ask another question, Mohammed and Ramzi walked back into the room. Mohammed handed over an old canvas belt with a brass buckle.

“This is the only belt I own,” he said and resumed his place on the couch.

Waters looked over the belt and noticed it was in somewhat new condition. Either he hadn’t been wearing it that much or it was brand new. He knew something about the belt in particular since he owned a similar one from a pair of shorts he had bought several years before. “And this is the only belt you own?”

“Yes, you can check with my old employers. It was a running joke with my coworkers with my suspenders,” said Mohammed.

“And what do you do now?” asked Waters.

“I supervise the electrical systems here,” said Mohammed.

“No other employment?” asked Waters.

“No, the community provides for our needs,” said Mohammed.

“I will need to see the remainder of the house if that’s okay with you,” said Waters.

“Please,” said Mohammed with a wave of his hand.

“You seem like you aren’t that worried about all this,” observed Waters as they started looking over the house.

“I will do what I must to get my daughter back. I am not that worried since she has a track record of lying to anyone who will listen. You will discover the truth and she will be returned,” said Mohammed.

“And what will happen to her then?” asked Waters.

“She will be disciplined. Not physical punishment mind you, but she will be restricted and her chores will increase for a time,” said Mohammed.

“Why is that?” asked Waters.

“Well, she certainly went overboard this time. Involving both the State of New York and Tennessee in her little charade does not make me happy in the least,” said Mohammed.

“Why didn’t you put out an Amber Alert?” asked Waters.

“The police advised against it for the moment. But then when we were contacted by the police from Tennessee, we were assured she was in safe hands. I wanted to go down there and pick her up, but the policeman I talked to as well as the Imam advised against it. The Imam said to let things take their natural course and she would be returned in good time,” said Mohammed.

“And you weren’t worried?” asked Waters.

“I spent more than a few sleepless nights worrying over her,” said Mohammed.

The remainder of the house was spotless and the children appeared to be well fed and clothed other than Nawar since she was wearing the Islamic dress. “When will your son be home?”

“This afternoon. Probably around five or so. He stays at the afterschool program and comes home then,” said Mohammed.

“Any way I could talk to him today?” asked Waters.

“We could remove him from class if you would like,” said Mohammed.

“Is it anything he might miss that would be important?” asked Waters.

“I don’t know,” said Mohammed. “Ramzi?”

“I have no idea, but I can check,” said Ramzi as he walked away with a cell phone and made the call.

“Is there a way of being able to talk to my daughter?” asked Mohammed.

“Maybe, I’ll have to check,” said Waters. “I’ll tell you what. I’ll head over to the police department and check in with them. I’ll be back around three or so. Is it a big deal if he misses the afternoon activities?”

“I think for this matter it will be okay,” said Mohammed. “Are there any further questions for us?”

“No, not yet. I’ll need to conduct follow up interviews with each of you as well as your neighbors and friends. And I’ll have to observe the home environment as well as scheduling an interview with Cindy - I mean Haseena. This will probably take at least a week or two,” said Waters as he stood up to leave. Ramzi returned with information.

“Your son is on a school trip today and won’t be back until late this evening,” he informed the group.

“Okay, so tomorrow then?” asked Waters.

“Whatever time you need, we will accommodate you,” said Mohammed.

“I’ll check in later,” said Waters as he departed with Ramzi in tow. After he departed the residence, the phone rang.

“Hello…no…no, I don’t believe he suspects anything yet…as we agreed on, we told the story…I played the worried father of course…she did fine, we heard the conversation over the intercom…he said there would be follow up interviews…I’ll come over and discuss it more in person,” said Mohammed as he hung up the phone. He walked the short distance to the mosque which also served as the “headquarters” for the community. Walking into the office of the Imam, he found two others sitting in the office already.

“What did our friend find out from New York?” asked Mohammed as he took a seat.

“Just as we suspected, our friend has a history,” said the Imam.

“Oh?” asked Mohammed.

“Yes, we are still gathering details, but money always works to get information,” said the man, still chewing on a cheek full of sunflower seeds and spitting out a shell into a plastic bottle.

“You didn’t have to spend any money on my behalf,” said Mohammed. “Our cover would have worked.”

“It is only money and I think the cause is worth it,” said the Imam.

“What kind of history does this Waters man have?” asked Mohammed.

“The kind that most people wouldn’t want to come up again,” said the man.

“And he will be more…understanding to our situation if this information is presented?” asked Mohammed.

“I believe so. Such things, if they are true, tend to make those in the social work clam up and become extremely nervous. All we must do is have him believe we will go to the press or his superiors and I believe he will be more than willing to help us out,” said the man.

“And what now?” asked Mohammed.

“Now we let him think he is doing something important. And when the time is right, we let him know what we know as well as giving him something to keep his mouth shut in the matter. I think our little problem will go our way after that,” said the Imam after a moment to reflect.

“And if it doesn’t?” asked Mohammed.

“There are always accidents,” said the man after spitting out a sunflower shell.

[OR Medic]

"Paging Mr Hanger, Mr Cliff Hanger to the white courtesy phone."

Nice addition, keep up the good work, and thank you.

Jim

[Grand58742]

CHAPTER 19


Cindy emerged from the psychologist’s office looking like she had been crying once again. The doctor peeked out and nodded his head at Charlie, beckoning him to come inside and speak with him. Charlie checked on Cindy and made sure she was okay before she told him she would be okay. She took his handkerchief to blow her nose and wipe away the remains of the tears on her face. Charlie was worried about the situation as it stood and went inside.

“Mister Gray? I understand you are the foster home provider for Miss Grant?” asked the psychologist.

“I am,” said Charlie simply.

“Are you performing duties as her parent?” he asked.

“No, I’m just the home provider,” said Charlie.

“I hope you understand I normally cannot speak of the counseling sessions with you, but Miss Grant gave me written permission to discuss the matter with you,” he said.

“Okay,” said Charlie simply once again.

“Well, she is holding in some deep troubles, fears and depression. She is worried about her family, what she might be returning to and most of all, what future she might have. I firmly believe her story about the happenings at the community in New York and none of the details are made up,” said the psychologist.

“Which means?” asked Charlie.

“Well, simply put, she needs further counseling. Maybe in New York or possibly here, it doesn’t matter. But all told, she needs to get it all out and in a professional setting. There are lots of good counselors in the local area I could recommend if you don’t feel comfortable bringing her back here,” he said.

“No, I can bring her back here with no problems,” said Charlie. “But what do I need to do?”

“Be supportive. If she wants to talk, let her talk. Don’t try to yank out the emotions, let her get them out on her own. She’s hurting inside, but sometimes it takes years for everything to fully manifest. All in all, she needs the support you can provide,” he replied.

“But I’m not her family or her father,” said Charlie.

“No, you aren’t, but she has you in the role of a father figure for the time being,” said the psychologist.

“I never wanted to be put there; I was only trying to help,” he replied.

“Cindy has made that decision for you. She trusts you like family at this point and thinks rather highly of you. Like an adopted father, she has placed her faith in you to do what is right,” said the psychologist.

“We haven’t even known each other that long!” exclaimed Charlie.

“Sometimes it doesn’t take that long,” said the psychologist. “These things happen from time to time.”

“Wait a minute…she isn’t…doesn’t have…you know?” asked Charlie.

“A crush? No. She’s put you in the father figure role for the time being and thinks of you that way and that way only. I would have picked up the signals otherwise,” he replied.

“So what do I need to do?” asked Charlie once again.

“Just continue to support her as you’ve been doing until she goes back to New York. She is fairly apprehensive about the whole thing and you can help her out in that respect. Just continue doing whatever it is you are doing, it’s good medicine. She seems to respond to whatever it is you happen to be doing right now,” he said.

“Anything else?” asked Charlie.

“I can make a few calls to find a decent counselor in New York if you want,” said the psychologist.

“No not just yet. Thanks, but we aren’t sure what’s going to happen yet,” said Charlie.

“Oh, I know how that can be,” he laughed. “Thank you for your time.”

“No problems,” said Charlie. He stepped back out into the waiting room and saw Cindy had cleaned up, although her eyes were still slightly red. “You going to be okay monkey girl?”

“I think so,” she said and handed back his handkerchief.

“No way, you can keep your own boogers!” he exclaimed. She laughed slightly at the joke, her spirits lifted slightly at seeing he wasn’t going to be treating her any differently. She was apprehensive Charlie would be more distant after the visit, but saw he was the same old Charlie she had known since day one.

“Did he say I was crazy?” she asked.

“Nope, said I was certifiable for taking you in though. Said you were a sassy one,” he replied with a grin.

“He didn’t say that!” she exclaimed as Charlie went over to pay the bill. He saw he wasn’t in the right line of work since the bill for the one hour of work was more than he made in a week from farming.

“Yep, he sure did. Said you were sassy and downright mean. Said I shoulda left you on the road where I found you,” he said with a straight face.

“You weren’t in there that long for him to say that!” she exclaimed.

“Nah, he said you were going to be just fine,” he said after collecting the receipt.

“Did he really?” she asked.

“Yeah, you are going to be okay,” said Charlie. He saw her face pick up a little and a small smile grew on her lips. While he would take the doctor’s advice and be supportive, a part of him still wanted to charge off to New York, grab her father by the hair and slap him around for a few minutes. But self control got the better of him as he would provide the positive role model in her life for the time being.

“Can we make another stop while we’re here?” she asked.

“Is Doctor Chase around so you two can talk about me?” he asked.

“No, but I can check if you want,” she said with a sly grin.

Charlie let out a sigh and shook his head at her. “Seriously, who do you know in the hospital?”

“Portia Foster. While you were inside, I had the receptionist check to find out what room she was in. I still have her rings,” said Cindy.

“Okay, we can swing by if you want,” he replied and opened the door for her. They navigated the hallways in the hospital before coming to the room specified by the receptionist. Cindy peeked inside and saw Portia lying on the hospital bed staring absentmindedly at the TV. She knocked lightly on the door and went on in. Surprise showed on Portia’s face as this was the last person she expected to see walking into her room.

“Hello,” said Portia while looking confused.

“Hi, how are you doing?” asked Cindy as she walked into the hospital room.

“I’m okay I guess. What are you doing here?” asked Portia weakly from the bed. Her head was wrapped up in a large bandage and she had rings under her eyes. Her arm was held up above her head in a large cast since the break was close to the shoulder.

“I came by to bring you these,” said Cindy as she collected the rings from her pocket.

“I thought I’d lost those. Why do you have them?” asked Portia with surprise. After getting out of the emergency room and going through her operation, the hospital staff had no idea what rings she was talking about. Portia thought they had been lost forever.

“I took them off after Toby pulled you from the water. Your hands swell up after a time and they would have had to cut them off otherwise,” said Cindy. “I forgot them when they took you to the ambulance.”

“This one is my great grandmother’s. Goes back in my family a long way,” said Portia, looking over the rings with her good arm.

“I also came over because I didn’t know if anyone else had. I know you’re kind of new here and know how it can be when you’re the new girl,” said Cindy.

“Yeah, we’re both kind of new, although I didn’t want to admit it,” said Portia.

“I guess we all have things we’d rather not admit,” said Cindy. “Can I get you anything?”

“No, everything is okay,” said Portia. “How’s Toby?”

“He’s okay. He’s the one that pulled you out of the creek and saved you,” said Cindy.

“And I heard you were the one that helped Doctor Chase. Thank you,” said Portia.

“Anyone else would have helped out,” said Cindy.

“No, from what I hear, everyone else just stood around,” said Portia. “That’s the last time I try to impress a boy by doing something stupid.”

“What do you mean?” asked Cindy.

“Toby couldn’t take his eyes off you. I was jealous of you for it and wanted to impress him somehow. I figured by hopping across the creek like some rabbit he would notice me,” said Portia.

“Well, he definitely noticed you,” laughed Cindy.

“But it was a stupid thing to do. Why try to get his attention when he was focused on you? And you really weren’t paying him any attention anyway,” said Portia.

“We just met not long ago,” said Cindy.

“I know, but you’re really pretty and I guess jealousy took over,” said Portia.

“It’s no big deal and we all make mistakes,” said Cindy.

“So do you like him or not?” asked Portia.

“As a friend and nothing more. I don’t want to get involved with someone since I might not be around that long,” said Cindy.

“How come?” asked Portia.

“Well, I’m not from here and my family has…problems. I’m just staying with Charlie until things can get settled,” said Cindy.

“Doesn’t every family have problems?” asked Portia.

“I suppose so,” said Cindy as her voice trailed off. “When are you getting out of here?”

“I don’t know, but I’m hoping to be better by the time school comes around. I’ve got cheerleader tryouts,” said Portia.

“Well, just take it easy and I’m sure you will make it,” said Cindy. An uncomfortable silence followed them and she decided to go on her way since she had delivered the rings like she planned.

“Are you okay? You look like you’ve been crying,” asked Portia.

“Yeah, just stuff going on,” said Cindy.

“Bad stuff?” asked Portia.

“Family stuff,” said Cindy.

“I know how that can be,” said Portia.

“I’ll leave you to rest now,” said Cindy as she didn’t really know Portia well enough to discuss her problems.

“Okay,” said Portia. As Cindy started to walk out, Portia’s voice stopped her. “I’m sorry.”

“For what?” asked Cindy.

“For being mean to you. And after I was hurt you didn’t have to help, but you did,” said Portia.

“Water under the bridge,” said Cindy.

“And yes, you’re the first person besides my family that has visited me,” said Portia.

“You take it easy and get better,” said Cindy as she walked out. Portia went back to watching the TV absentmindedly and wondered if she had just made a new friend.

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

“Maybe we should think about moving on,” said Adila Hassan, wife of Mohammed Hassan and mother of Cindy.

“Why would we do that?” asked Mohammed.

“You’ve changed, that’s why,” said Adila.

“And that’s a bad thing?” asked Mohammed.

“I didn’t say that, but our daughter is out there right now and we should be doing more than just sitting around waiting for her to come back,” said Adila.

“Our daughter made the choice to run away. The imam thinks it’s better to wait and let the law enforcement do their jobs. We know she is in Tennessee, or at least we think she’s in Tennessee with the police. Everything will go according to plan,” said Mohammed.

“But we aren’t a family here. Not like we once were,” said Adila.

“We are a stronger and larger family surrounded by the faithful here. We don’t need the wickedness of the world to help us be strong,” said Mohammed.

“It’s not the same and you know it,” said Adila.

“Do you want to speak your mind?” asked Mohammed.

“I remember the last time I did so,” said Adila, slightly cringing at the memories of the last time she had spoken her mind and the retribution she received.

“Good, I’m glad you remembered. Haseena will come back to us and everything will go according to plan,” said Mohammed.

“Who’s plan?” asked Adila, flirting with the borders of what he considered unacceptable behavior.

“Allah’s plan,” said Mohammed.

“His or the imam’s?” asked Adila.

“His through the imam. You are suggesting this isn’t Allah’s plan for Haseena?” asked Mohammed.

“No, I’m suggesting we need to think about being a family once again. Out on our own,” said Adila, starting to speak her mind without worrying about the consequences.

“For the first time in my life I feel like I am a part of something special. And you want me to just throw it all away?” asked Mohammed.

“I didn’t say that, but you are also part of something else special. It’s called a family,” said Adila.

“You should watch your comments,” warned Mohammed.

“I’m just saying we were happy together,” said Adila.

“And I believe we are even happier under Allah’s love here. They have taken us in, given us a free home and sustenance, we have anything we would want and new friends who understand and believe in us,” said Mohammed.

“And those same things happened before. You had a family that loved you and believed in you. I know you lost your job, but you could have gotten a new one with little trouble had you only taken the time to look. You have a Master’s Degree in engineering and could have found a job easily,” said Adila.

Mohammed stopped talking for a moment, remembering when he lost his job. Apparently the manager hadn’t thought discussing religion was a good idea at work, especially after being counseled about it several times. But that young idiot just had to push his buttons one last time by flaunting the fact he was eating pork. And of course his reaction to smash the sandwich into his face probably wasn’t the best reaction, but he was through talking about it. So he had been fired even though the other worker had been completely insensitive to his religion. Mohammed wondered if his nose was back in the proper place now after his trip to the hospital and hoped he would be a little more tolerant of others religious views in the future when eating ham sandwiches.

“A family that did love me or still does?” he asked with a tone.

“I’ll always love you and so will the children. Maybe some time away would help us all clear our minds,” said Adila.

Mohammed thought about that for a moment, turning away from his wife. He wondered if she was correct and thought about leaving for maybe a month. Going out to spread Allah’s words with his family for a while. Maybe that was a good idea. But the way his wife said it, he knew she didn’t mean it that way. She was looking to escape the love and commitment of the community hopefully to never return. And to think his own family would forsake him so easily was ridiculous. His quick turn and backhand slap across her face was a reminder he was the one in control of his family and the one who made decisions for them.

“How dare you insinuate my family doesn’t love me! The love and devotion are demanded by Allah and the man is the head of the family! I make the decisions for my family and I decide when this place no longer suits our needs! You have no say in it! And you will know your place as a Muslim woman and know I am the one who decides when and if we leave!” he shouted as she reeled from the abuse.

“Stephen! I was-” she started to say and was assaulted once again.

“Shut up! That name means nothing to me!” he shouted as he delivered another slap across the face.

“I’m sorry!” she cried.

“You need more reminding of your place!” he growled and closed in on her. “We will have investigators here soon and we need to make sure our stories are straight so we can get our daughter back! You blow this opportunity and we may never see her again!”

Adila steadied herself for the onset of the physical abuse that had been more and more common lately. While she didn’t know exactly why the situation was developing as it was, she knew in the end her daughter would be coming back to them. Maybe then she would be in a better position to deal with him. Maybe then she could get him to focus on becoming a father once again and see the error of his ways. So she put up with his abuse only to get her daughter back to her rightful place in the family.

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

“Okay, everything was sent off this morning and the New York State Police receipted for it,” said Captain Parker the next day. “The photographs of the abuse marks didn’t come out all that great, but will be good enough for the purposes we need.”

“So what do we do now?” asked Charlie.

“We wait for New York to get back with us. Until then, just take care of Cindy,” said the Captain.

“Just wait?” asked Charlie.

“We’ll see what New York has to say about it and go from there,” said the Captain.

“Charlie, you know it’s the way it has to be,” said Mitch.

“I know, I’m just worried about her,” said Charlie. “Where’s the bathroom?”

“Out the door, second door on the left,” said the Captain. Charlie excused himself and walked out of the office and down the hall.

“I think he got a little too attached in all this,” said the Captain.

“He has a reason to be. It’s a long story, but Charlie lost his family some years ago and hasn’t really had anyone to care for besides himself since then. He latched onto Cindy as another chance at a family. I know it’s going to be hard for him to give her up, but I’m worried about the aftermath,” said Mitch.

“How come?” asked the Captain.

“After his family died, he went into a deep state of depression. I want to keep that from happening again,” said Mitch. “I’ve got to keep him focused on something else.”

“I trust there won’t be any problems with him,” said the Captain.

“No, I don’t see anything coming up. He’ll be okay,” said Mitch.

“Thanks for all your help in this,” said the Captain.

“It’s different, that’s for certain. Glad we don’t have those kinds of problems around here,” said Mitch.

“You aren’t joking. The whole radical Islam is a problem if I’ve ever seen one. I went into Afghanistan with the Guard a while back and saw one of the pro-Taliban regions. It wasn’t a pretty sight,” said the Captain.

“Never thought I’d see something like that in our own country,” observed Mitch.

“Yeah, but it isn’t quite the same country as it used to be,” said the Captain. Charlie reentered the office with Cindy in tow. She had been visiting Sarah in another office.

“Cindy, for the moment you will be remaining with Charlie until we work out the details,” said the Captain.

“How long?” she asked.

“Don’t know,” said the Captain honestly.

“Okay,” said Cindy.

“Anything else for us?” he asked.

“No, nothing I can think of besides thank you,” she said.

“No problems, it’s our job,” said the Captain. “You take care now.”

“I will,” said Cindy as she shook his hand. Charlie also said his goodbyes and left the office, a dark expression on his face.

“Something wrong?” asked Cindy.

“No, nothing,” he muttered as they got into the truck and departed.

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

“Sir? We’ve got a request here from the State of Tennessee requesting an investigation be conducted on a family and community up north,” said the administrative clerk in the New York State Police Headquarters.

“Oh?” asked the supervisor on duty. The file was handed over and he started thumbing through it. “Synopsis?”

“It’s a pretty wild one that’s for certain. Claims a fifteen year old girl is being forced into marriage to a forty-seven year old man. Claims abuse is commonplace in the community as well as the practice of forced marriages,” said the clerk.

“Sounds a little outlandish,” said the supervisor. “Where at?”

“East of Rochester. Planned community of some sort. I did a quick check and we really have nothing on them except the Department of Homeland Security and FBI running an investigation on some of the members,” said the clerk.

“Really?” asked the supervisor.

“Nothing substantial yet,” said the clerk. “Apparently they think the community might be a haven for domestic terrorists.”

“Any reason for us to get directly involved?” asked the supervisor.

“I think we can have the locals check into it and see. Maybe after that,” said the clerk.

“Gut feeling?” asked the supervisor.

“Not sure yet. The story is pretty big…I’m not sure if something like this will pan out,” said the clerk.

“Who did the request come from?” asked the supervisor.

“One of the local divisions of the Tennessee State Police,” said the clerk.

“Not through a judge?” asked the supervisor.

“No, just a request for an investigation,” said the clerk.

“Okay, give it to the local boys in Rochester and see what they can turn up,” said the supervisor.

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

“Is Waters around?” asked the local branch chief of the New York State Child and Family Protective Services.

“I think he’s due back in about a half an hour,” said another agent.

“When he gets in, have him come see me,” said the chief.

“Got a case for him?” asked the agent.

“Yeah. He cleared up that case in Newark, right?” asked the chief.

“I think he’s finishing up the report today,” said the agent.

“Any indication of his problems following him from his last assignment?” asked the chief.

“No, it looks like he might have been put on the straight and narrow,” said the agent.

“Okay, have him come see me when he gets in,” said the chief, wondering if this case would be right for his newest agent that had been transferred from New York City under unusual circumstances.