13 comments/ 40235 views/ 2 favorites Revenge Inc. Maria Lopez By: H20wader ***** the ravings of a lunatic. Copyrighted May 2006 by The H20wader. The editor is the Honorable Techsan, who is angry with me for all the spelling errors he had to correct. My humblest apologies to a very good editor. This is the second in an ongoing series. I will strive to make each story stand alone, but some things will carry over. ***** Judith Padley was sitting in the park, thinking about her date with her co-worker Harold. As she watched the sunrise over the trees, she remembered the feelings that surged through her as he had unbuttoned her blouse and how her nipples had hardened as he kissed them. She blushed when she though of her brother walking in on them. Poor Harold. They had quickly covered up and Harold had left her house. She wondered if he would ask for another date. She hoped so. It was the sound of pain, tears and hurt that forced her mind to return to her present location. Some one was in agony. Judith looked for the source and saw the girl. Hispanic, young, pretty too. Judith moved to the bench where the young woman was crying. She did not know where or how the young girl got there; her mind had been on her date last night. "Is there any way I can help?" The creature jumped and spoke in fast Spanish. Judith returned to her high school Spanish from 12 years ago. "Slow, go slow" she hoped that was what she was saying. There was no recognition from the girl. Judith held up one finger and reached for her cell phone. Her friend Mildred answered. "Help me, talk to this girl," she handed the phone to the girl. It was a very long time before she got the phone back. "Take her to your office. I will be there as fast as I can." There was a click. Judith wiggled her finger and the girl stood and followed her to her car. Fifteen very quiet minutes later, they were unlocking the office where Judith worked for Revenge Inc. She made coffee and found three bagels from the prior day. She offered two of them to the girl with the coffee. The bagels vanished. Mildred buzzed at the door and Judith buzzed back to let her in. "Judith, this girl needs a lot of help.'" "Mildred, talk to her and tape it, give me a condensed version when you are done." Since her Spanish was useless, Judith went to her office and worked on some files that needed to put away. That done she went out and got lunch from Arby's. The five-sandwich deal did not seem like enough so she got ten and three large cokes. When she got back to the office, the three ate and the girl sat while Mildred gave Judith the shortest version she could. "Her name is Maria Lopez. She is 19 and an illegal immigrant from northeast Mexico. She was brought into the States by people she did not know. She has been working in Bloomfield in a house with Mr. and Mrs. Reginald Precots. Mr. Precots has been using her as a sex toy. She is three months pregnant. Mrs. Precots found out and tossed her out. The people who brought her into the States want transportation money. If she does not come up with $5,000, they will put her in a whorehouse. There is a lot more but I will use the tapes to write an expanded version." "I will have to make arrangements for her to eat and sleep and be out of sight for a time. Explain that to her. She is in good hands and no harm will come to her." The Spanish flew back and forth. "She will be deported if the INS or any law officer finds her." "Tell her I will make sure that she is safe." Judith headed for her office. She found a printed handout in Spanish explaining just what Revenge Inc. did. She hurried back and gave it to Maria. Then she sat at her desk and started calling. The first call was to an old friend or rather client. "Hello, Carlos, I need a favor." "Judy, what can I do for you?" "Carlos, what happened the last time you called me that?" "Okay, Judith. What do you want?" "I have an illegal female, Mexican, 19, in country about 6 months, raped and pregnant. I want you to hide her from everyone and I mean everyone." "And just how does a poor priest do that?' "You put her into that convent you run. Let her wear the habit and help clean the place up. Lord knows it could use a cleaning." "I will send a car for her. This will go on the payoff for what I owe you?" "Yes, Carlos." "When will we be even?" "When you are dead." "Gee, thanks," the phone disconnected sharply. The second call was to the INS in Detroit, to a Hector Razzas. "What can you offer an illegal girl who helps you catch some coyotes?" "If we get high enough in the food chain, refuge and citizenship." The next call was to the Bloomfield Police Department. Captain Ferguson answered the phone. "Captain, I need some information. I have an illegal immigrant who was raped repeatedly by a citizen of your community. What sentence would you expect him to serve if I can give you hard evidence." "When convicted, 10 to 15 years in Jacktown." "Excellent. I will get back when the case is ready for you." There was a buzz at the door. Carlos was here, She buzzed the outer door and they came in. Five women in habits and Carlos in his priest garb. "You got here fast. You were in the car and nearby, right?" "I hate you. Have her dress in this. We leave in five minutes," Carlos handed her a habit. "Carlos, I will require the services of Helen. Will her heart stand the strain?" "How many men?" "Two, possibly four. And ask her not to break them completely. She can have them back when the INS sends them back to Mexico. You can arrange that?" "Yes. Judith, what have these men done that they should meet Helen?" "Let Helen answer that question." Carlos looked at her for a long minute, "We need to leave as soon as possible ." There was an explanation for Maria, so the group did not leave for fifteen minutes. Six women in habits left the office with Carlos in the garb of a priest. "Mildred, I need that tape translated fast. How soon can you have it for me?" "What is in it for me?" "Not being identified as a retired madam." "Two hours, maybe three." "Sooner started, sooner done." Judith retired to her office. The question before her was, should she call Harold? She knew that women could call men but she was worried how Harold might see the call. Would he think her a fast woman after his body? Well, that part was at least true. She did want him but she did not want to scare him off by moving too fast. Well, she had a case. She could talk about that. A decision made, her hand leaped for the phone. Harold's phone rang 6 times before he answered. "Hello." "Harold, I am glad I caught you at home. I have a new case and I wanted to have your input." "Judith, about last night..." "It was a good night, Harold. We had dinner; we saw a great movie. I am sorry that my brother came in before the movie ended." "Yes, yes, it was a great movie. I enjoyed it very much." Judith noticed how much easier it was for Harold to talk on the phone than when they were together. She was having an effect on him, but was it the right kind of effect? "Judith, will you go out with me again? Like maybe Monday night? We can go to the curling club, if you want to." "I would love it, Harold. Should I pick you up?" "Well, we will be going to Windsor so you might need your passport and driver's license. We can eat dinner there if you wish. I think I better drive. They know my car." "Great, it is a date." Why was her heart pounding so loud? Could he hear it? "Judith, what is the case you wanted to discuss with me?" Quickly she gave him the overview. "She has not signed a contract?'" "Maria has no money but there are people who do, and I intend to have them pay us for her." "Should I come there and help out?" "I would love the help." "Be there in 20 minutes." Suddenly Judith's mind went into overdrive. Oh, my God! I am dressed in these silly shorts, I have no make up, and I looked like something the cat dragged in. This T-shirt is dirty. Why did I ask him for help? Do I have any clothes in the office? It took her a few minutes to remember there was a woman in the office. A woman would have makeup. Judith ran back to Mildred. "Give me your makeup bag. NOW!" "What makeup bag?" "You left your house without makeup?" "Well, I was in a damn hurry." She was dead. Harold would see her in these dumb shorts, in a dirty t-shirt and without makeup. Maybe she could die before he got here. She was, of course, not dead when Harold rang to get into the office. She had been able to comb her hair with an old comb she finally found in her desk. Harold came to her office door. "I am here, Judith. You look wonderful. I picked up bagels." "I have been busy; will you please make coffee. I have to write up what has happened so far." Harold headed for the break room; Judith started the PC and got current with the case. She finished as Harold retuned with coffee and bagels on the tray. She noticed his eyes were kind of glowing just as he walked into the doorjamb. He stumbled but did not fall like Friday and he did not spill the coffee. Could Harold be falling in love with her? Did she want him in love with her? It was too soon to ask those questions, she decided. "Harold, I am about to set up a meeting with a Mrs. Precots. Her husband raped Maria. I need to speak to her in a public place where I can record the conversation. Listen to the call on the other phone and we will see how it develops." Judith found that the number was unlisted and had to call a supervisor to get the number. "Hello, Precots residence." "Hello, I am Judith Patterson in Grosse Pointe Shores. A dear friend told me you had a young attractive Hispanic woman working for you. I need two of the young attractive Hispanic women and I was just wondering where you ever found her? Could we meet for tea at, say, 3:30 today at the Red Fox Inn? That is near you, is it not? Please, I am flying incognito, so for god's sake do not dress too well. I am wearing my old garden clothes." "Of course, Mrs. Patterson. I will be there." Judith broke the connection. "Harold, I have to go home and change. Would you like to go with me?" Harold looked at the clock, 9:23. She would not need five hours to change. Maybe, just maybe. 'Yes, but I will need to take my car. I will need my car so there will be a way for me to drive to work on Monday." "I will pick you up Monday if needed." "Let's go." "I have to tell Mildred to take the tape home with her. We can pick it up before we go to the Inn." It was 15 minutes before they were on the I-96 freeway headed to Judith's house. Harold was praying that maybe her brother would be out of the house. "Judith, how long is your brother in town?" "Terry was released in a company downsizing. He will be with me until he finds a job in this area. He has the far back bedroom. I also told him this morning that he had to use the back door." Good, Harold was thinking. He will not come in the front door and catch us as he did last night. He had just opened Judith's blouse and had kissed her left nipple when Terry had barged in. "What does he do? I mean, what type of position would he be seeking?" "He is an exotic dancer. Sorry, an erotic dancer." "Like the Foxy Frenchmen?" "Yes. The county where he was working passed a zoning act to limit the number of dancers a club could have. He was released from the position. As I understand it, the action was really meant to control the female dancers not male." Harold was watching to see if Terry being a male stripper would have any effect. He noticed that her hands were gripping the steering wheel a bit too tightly but there was no embarrassment. "I could never do that. I haven't got the body for it." "Oh, I don't know about that. I mean, I have never seen your body." Now he could see that she was embarrassed. "So this case, who are you after? The rapist? Or the coyotes?" Harold knew when to change the subject. "Both, Harold, and more, I think. This meeting with Mrs. Precots will bring both into the arms of the law." "What about the fees? You know the Boss's views on pro bono work." "Well, that will be touchy. I want to see how it plays out. I may have to use Helen." "Are you sure? She is very old. I hate to see anyone die, even her." "I am sure." "Let me know when you have a firm plan and I will look it over." "Harold, that sign off the Boss requires may have to wait until the plan runs the course. I have no idea how this meeting with Precots will go." Harold was thinking about that as Judith pulled into her drive. By his wristwatch, it was 10:17, all the time in the world until 3:30. Judith ran to the bedroom and Harold followed. She quickly found some new sweats, tossed them on her queen-sized bed. She had started to pull the T-shirt up when she noticed Harold watching her. She blushed, in embarrassment or in something else she did not know which. "Harold, shut the door, please." Harold did know on the side of the door he was supposed to be. He looked at her. The T-shirt had stopped just below the cups of her bra. Her tummy was flat and smooth. He was erect. He decided to see if she would give him a clue, "I will be just outside." Judith knew that was a question. She did not know how to answer it. There had been only one date. She wanted ... more time. "Thank you, Harold." She instantly regretted not telling him on which side of the door she really wanted him. The door shut and both of them softly said, "Damn." Harold was sent to rent a Mercedes, the big one, while Judith worked up a sweat in the small garden. They had a comfortable lunch of cold cut sandwiches and diet Pepsi. Judith made some calls. Maria was fine and was cleaning out the 'convent.' Nothing too strenuous, since she was pregnant. She was also getting a full crash course in English. Maria was safe. One problem Judith did not have to think about right now. Her brother, Terry was auditioning for a club in Toledo, Ohio. He was out of her way. The next call was to a former client who owned the Red Fox Inn. He was happy to help her. On the way, Judith told Harold about his role in the 'Tea'. His future role was explained also. Mrs. Patterson of Grosse Pointe Shores was 10 minutes late. Ms. Percots was worried but was assured that Mrs. Patterson of Grosse Pointe Shores was always 10 minutes late. The arrival was like berthing the Queen Elizabeth the Second. The maitre d' was very see happy to see her again. He escorted her to the table and sat her. He was very vocal in his pleasure to see her again. The waiter was very vocally pleased that she was at his table. The order was simple and easy. "Would Madam prefer English or Irish Tea today? The scones are just out of the oven." The small watercress and cucumber sandwiches were perfect, the scones were warm, and the jam was blackberry. Ms. Precots was impressed. Judith decided to waste no time, "How do I get two virgin illegal Mexican girls?" Ms. Precots was taken back, "I beg your pardon?" "Look, I was born into money and position. My husband has a mistress and he is getting too fond of her. I need young meat, virgin to hold his attention while I put the fear of God into him by asking for a divorce. They should be just under 18 and lovely. I want delivery as soon as possible. Shall we say tomorrow?" "What do I get out of this?" "You get to be my house guest for six months, you get to be my best friend, and you get to accompany me to every social event in those six months. I will insure that you are accepted in to the Grosse Pointe's list of people to invite. Your husband can afford that, can he not? Oh, due to the heavy cost of insurance and real danger of theft, real diamonds are not worn except to the Debutante's Ball and only by the girls. The clothes must be presentable, of course." The Tea was English, the sandwiches were good, the scones were warm, the blackberry jam was mouthwatering and Ms. Precots was hooked as solidly as possible. There would be a call in the morning. Numbers were exchanged. The two women walked out together as the Mercedes rolled up and Harold jumped out, ran around the car, and opened the door. There were polite kisses on the cheeks and Judith ...er, Mrs. Patterson was off to her home and gardens in Grosse Pointe Shores. "Take me home, I need a bath." Harold offered to wash her back, but they only had the one date and it was still too early for him to be in her bathroom, let alone her bedroom. As the bathroom door closed, both softly said, "Damn." While the hot water flooded over her body, Judith took inventory. She was five feet and four inches, and on that frame she was carrying 114 pounds. Her shoe size was a seven; the bra was 36B. The nipples were nice almost a half inch long when erect, like they were now in the shower. The eyes were gray, but sometimes a light blue. The hair was a light brown that fell to her shoulders with a slight curl that was a mess to handle when the weather was humid. The hips were slim at 35 and her butt was more flat than round. The waist was too big at 28 but it would not get smaller. Her fingers were kinda stubby and her toes were ugly. Her best features were her lip and eyes, with a bit of makeup. Today they were just eyes and lips. Harold and Judith had dinner together, with Terry at her house. Harold went out for Chinese. Harold saw that Terry was a likeable guy but wanted him in Ohio as soon as possible. Judith loved her brother but wanted him in Ohio as soon as possible. Therefore, the dinner conservation was about the audition in Toledo. According to Terry, it sounded promising. After Terry retired to his bedroom, there were a few kisses but Terry came out for a beer. Harold decided to invite Judith to his house for a dinner as soon as possible. Judith and Harold decided that he would sleep over but in the basement. Judith decided that this could only count for half of a date since Harold had not asked her. Sunday dawned with Harold in Judith's basement on a twin bed, looking at the morning wood, wishing that Judith were beside him. Judith awoke on her queen-sized bed, thinking that she should call the club in Ohio and see if Terry could start today. She dressed in old sweats, but put on makeup. As she headed for the kitchen, she was surprised to see Harold making breakfast. Well, she had smelled the coffee, but he was making breakfast. She decided this would also be half a date. Harold was not a bad cook, not for breakfast, anyway. The scrambled eggs, the toast, and the coffee were perfect. The bacon was a bit overdone but he was kissing her while it moved just beyond perfection. The morning conservation was case related in that Harold would be meeting with Mr. Precots in a public place and taping his confession to raping the young Maria. Harold had to call the Chicago House in Dearborn to set the background for the meeting. Terry came into the kitchen to find that Harold did not cook for people who made it a habit to be in his way when trying to have his way with Judith. Terry did not say much and ate cereal and milk. He did have some of the coffee. The telephone rang at nine o'clock. The PC had been connected and started recording. Terry was required to answer the phone. (He was good for something.) "Patterson residence. To whom do you wish to speak?" "Mrs. Patterson, please." "Madam is with her masseur. Would you prefer to leave a number or telephone later?" "This is Mrs. Precots. She has my number." "She is expecting your call, Please wait." Judith waited two minutes, "Ms. Precots, thank you for being prompt. Yes, John-Paul, right there. Do you have any, ooo yes, information for me?" Revenge Inc. Maria Lopez "Yes, there are three sisters available. Oldest just 18, youngest just barely 16, they do not speak English. They can be delivered this afternoon at three PM." "Excellent, I am sure my husband will find them quite amusing. Too rough, John-Paul. Easy there. They are virgins, are they not?" "Yes, they are, I made sure of that." "Good, I do not want them, ... nice, John-Paul, do that again, ... delivered to my home in the Shores. Can we arrange for, ... right there, good, good, ... an inspection and delivery somewhere else? Somewhere, aaaaaaaahhhhhhh, where there are no people. OOO yes. I have no desire to be recognized. How about Stony Creek Metropark? Thank you, John-Paul, that will be all for today. Tomorrow same time." "Mrs. Patterson, there is a question of payment." "Will $150,000 cover the expenses? If the girls are truly virgin, there will be an additional bonus." "Yes, that will do nicely." The meeting, the time and the location was set. She called Carlos with the information. Harold needed to get to his house and prepare for the meeting with Mr. Precots. Terry offered to drop him there and with a quick kiss from Judith, they were on the way. It was a quiet trip. Judith needed the Mercedes. Home, shower, shave, and call the Chicago House and then call Precots. "Hello," a male voice. "Mr. Precots, this is Harold Givens." "What can I do for you, Mr. Givens?" Right man, but a bit of anger in the voice. "You have something I want. A girl, Mexican, Maria Lopez. I need her now." "I know of no such girl." "I do not have a lot of time. I need to know where she is. She is worth a lot of money to me. We should meet as soon as possible." "How much money?" "Not over the phone. Meet me at the Chicago House in Dearborn for lunch at 1:00." "How much money?" "A hell of a lot more than you paid for her. Lunch or not?" "Lunch." Harold could not do big and tough; he could do conniving very well. He relaxed until 11:45 and dressed. The microphone was his tie clip; the rage was good enough to leave the laptop in the car under the seat. The suit was expensive, one of several complete outfits he had purchased at a re-sale shop in Redford. The Caddy arrived from Enterprise; he dropped the clerk off, signed the papers and pulled into the lot five minutes early. He started the laptop. Precots was waiting for him. He was escorted to the table by a very young and very attractive woman. She looked 14 or 15 but she had to be 18 to work and serve alcohol. The apparel was too tight, too short, and showed too much, but Harold would leave her a gracious tip. Funny, even partly clothed, she did not give him the erection that Judith seemed to do. Harold shook his head. Was he falling in love with Judith? "Hello, Mr. Precots, I am Harold Givens. Shall we order first or begin the talk first." "Talk. I may not stay for the lunch." "You employ an illegal Mexican woman named Maria Lopez. She is pregnant and I want the baby. I have adopting parents waiting for babies. All I need is the mother and the father to sign off. Since she is an illegal and the father is a citizen, I would guess that the father could get all the money and the woman be returned to Mexico." "How much money?" "For a healthy baby, Hispanic, $75,000 if male, $50,000 if female." "Let's order the lunch." They ordered and drank and ate. There were several drinks delivered for the two men. They both seemed a bit woozy. One was, one was not. Harold was ready to deal, "Do you know who the father is?" "Yes, me." "She is a worker in your house and you are the baby's father. My records show her as a non-English speaker and 17 when she became pregnant." "She didn't have to talk English. I showed her what I had and she jumped on it. We were doing it every night when my wife was out of the house." There was a definite slur in Precots voice. "Your wife was the Spanish speaker?" "Yeah, she talks that shit." "Weren't you afraid that your wife would find out?" "Nah, that little cunt was scared to tell my wife. I made it plain what would happen to her." Precots had trouble pronouncing words. "Then she was not so willing after all?" "All she wanted was my cock in her cunt, well, now and then her ass." "Tight, eh?" "Tight, hell, a fucking virgin. Boy, did she scream when I slammed the meat to her the first time. I thought she would never stop fucking bleeding." Two more drinks arrived. "Wish I could get a virgin. They all seem to lose that in high school or earlier. How did you get her to say yes?" "I asked her." Harold hoped the record was clear as he was having trouble understanding what Precots was saying. "But she did not understand English. How did you convince her?" "I caught her in the shower. She was naked. I was naked and I made her do it the first time standing up. She tried to stop me from fucking her, but a few slaps convinced her to spread the old legs. God, was she tight." The next five minutes were graphic descriptions of several rapes. Harold had his confession. He also had a very drunk Mr. Precots. The waiter called a cab for the drunk; he could pick up his car tomorrow. Harold was half way finished with Mr. Precots. What he needed now was a sober man to verify what the drunken man had said. The next act with Precots would wait until Monday afternoon. Harold headed for the office. His part of the day's activities was over. He hoped that Judith's part went as well. He waited rather impatiently for her call. There was a large envelope in the office drop box labeled 'transcribed tape. He read them and scanned the pages he needed. He transcribed the recording from the Chicago House, some he had to use his memory to fill in incoherent passages. A little work with the word processor and he had everything he needed for the next meeting. Including a check for $50,000 on a bank in the islands. This done he headed home hoping that Judith would drop by on her way home. ***** Judith was in the right place at Stony Creek Metropark. The van pulled up beside her at the prescribed time. Two men got out and approached her car. Judith opened her door and stood, waiting. "Where is the money?" "Where are my virgins?" One of the men opened the back of the van, exposing three very frightened girls. Judith shut her car door and went to inspect the girls. She was looking very closely at the girls when she heard the sound of a rifle bolt jacking a round in the receiver. Even though she knew it would happen, the sound was like the keening of a death bell. "Freeze. Do not move. Hands up and clear." The command was repeated in Spanish. Giving a signal of universal quiet to the three girls (one finger perpendicular over the lips), she looked around. Three men in jeans and khaki shirts with hoods with hole for eyes and mouth had sub-machine guns made first by the Israelis, now copied all over the world. There were two men gagged and bound with them. Judith signaled to the girls to follow and soon was headed for Carlos' convent. Insuring that the new arrivals would receive the same care as Maria and leaving a donation for the continued operation of the convent, she was free for the remainder of the day. Judith stopped by Harold's house on her way home. "Harold, it went like clockwork." "My part too. Tomorrow I finish with Precots" "Good, Helen should have a report by Tuesday." "Judith, it is still early and Terry is still at your house. Will you please, stay and just talk with me?" Judith saw the glow in his eyes but she was just not ready to alone with him in his house. She decided that a short talk to tell him how she felt was needed. "For a short time, yes, but I will not stay the night. I have some things to tell you." This was not what Harold had hoped for, "That will be fine. Would you like a drink? I have a small supply of alcohol." "No alcohol, Harold. Tea or coffee will be fine." They headed for Harold's tiny kitchen. The coffee was the same brand as in the office. His was black, her's with cream and sugar. They sat at the table and Judith stared, "I was a nobody in high school. I did nothing to call attention to myself. My parents lived in a very small town named Baldwin just off the Pere Marquette River. College was the same. All I ever wanted was a man to love me and marry me and have children with me, but no one was interested. The tower at Eastern Michigan University is still standing, so the legend of it falling when a virgin graduates from EMU is patently false. I did meet my husband but we never did anything while I was in school." "When we graduated, he asked me to marry him. We were married in a small ceremony. He believed that he was going to conquer the world in four years. He was a football player who thought he would be drafted into the National Football League. He wasn't. He went to every open camp there was. He was too slow. He spent our entire marriage trying to find a way to get faster. Our life together was never good and got worse. He wanted to be a football hero; I wanted a man who put me first. He had several other women. That hurt me very badly. After four years, I asked him for a divorce. It was over in six months. My ex-husband coached football at a high school on the eastside of Detroit. He does not do much of anything else. His team was in the State playoff last year. I hope he is happy." "I was in my late twenties and wondered if I would ever be a mother. The Boss called me and offered me a position, well, he called it a position. Since joining Revenge Inc., my life has changed. I still want that husband and children. However, I am busy. I help people. I have put some very deserving people in jail, some for a very long time. I have, on occasion, done things that I did not want to do. The Boss is happy with my work." "There is more but that is a brief update on how I am doing here. Harold, I like you. I like you a lot. I am unsure of just how deeply this liking you a lot goes. I want to take it slow and easy. I have no idea when we will make love, but I know we will. Just be patient and let things take their natural course. I think I should go now. See you in the office tomorrow." There was a lot more that she could tell Harold but that was enough for now. He was real, he was shy, had a small pot belly and he would be bald in five years. He even wore bifocals. He was real. Harold sat and watched Judith as she picked up her purse and left. She liked him. A lot. He was nothing like her ex. She was going to make love with him. She wanted children. The Boss was happy with her work? The Boss never said that to him. What things had she done that she had not wanted to do? Harold had never done anything he did not want to do. Was Judith better than he was? Did it matter? No, it did not matter, because she liked him a lot. She would make love with him. Harold went to bed early and had wonderful dreams. In his dreams, he did not have thinning hair and would not be bald in 5 years. His potbelly vanished; he was not sad eyed. His eyes were prefect, no bifocals. He was 6 foot tall, not five eight. And Judith was his, totally and completely his. Harold Stasson was the first one in the office; he liked the peace and quiet of the early morning. He made the coffee and had the bagels on the tray each one on a small napkin. Hers, plain, his cinnamon raisin. When he heard her buzz, he buzzed back and poured the coffee, black for him and cream and sugar for her. There were the usual morning pleasantries. Nothing was said about what Judith had told him the night before. The bagel eaten, the coffee drank; they headed for their offices and started the day. Harold decided to wait until after lunch to finish up with the Precots fellow. He knew that both of them would claim a hangover, but only one would be correct. He spent the morning filling out his expense report for the month. It totaled a tidy sum. He really needed a company credit card. Harold decided to send an email to the Boss about credit cards for himself and Judith. It took him an hour to get the wording right. He sent both emails to the Boss. Judith had gone out of the office so he lunched alone. Just after twelve, he reached for the phone. "Hello." There was pain in the voice. "They sent me home in a cab. How did you get home? I will have to pick up my car this afternoon." "Yeah, me too." A lot of pain in that voice. Good. "I have the paperwork for the adoption of the baby and a check for 50 G's. If it is a boy, there will be another 25 after the birth. Remember the baby must be healthy. God, my head hurts." "What time?" "Make it easy on yourself." "Three o'clock and no drinks." 'Amen to that. Same place." Harold arrived 20 minutes early. It would not do to be seen driving when he said he had to pick up his car. He was sitting at the same booth when Precots arrived, five minutes early. "I do not feel good. My stomach is queasy. Water okay with you?" Harold wanted this over with as quickly as possible. 'Damn, I do not remember much about yesterday afternoon. Yeah, ice water." The same girl appeared, vanished and returned with two glasses of water with ice in one. The men drank. "I need to go home and sleep. Here are the adoption papers. I need your signature and two witnesses. Then I am the hell out of here. Oh, I got a check for $50,000 payable to you on birth of a healthy girl baby." Harold was going to finish this quickly before the drug took effect. He watched his opponent carefully to judge for the right timing. Harold laid the papers on the table and looked around, "Hey, you two, come here." Two of the partially clad young women approached the booth. Neither one was the one who served the water. "We need you two people to witness this signature. Show them you're ID." The ID was shown, two copies of the papers were signed, each paged was initialed, the witnesses signed. Precots was looking sicker with each passing minute. He asked Precots which one he wanted. The papers, not the partially clad women. Precots looked ill, "I have to go. I'm gonna be sick." He grabbed one the stacks of papers and the check. He jumped up and hurried to the john. Perfect timing. "Thank you, I will be ready to accept delivery upon delivery." Harold called to the swiftly moving man. Harold returned to the office, whistling all the way. When Precots read what he had signed, there was going to be one very scared man in Bloomfield, Michigan. Judith was also busy. Carlos and the habit wearers taped stories of the three virgins. According to all three, they were virgins, but Judith had no interest in that part of the conversation. The trip from Mexico was very interesting. Unfortunately, Carlos spoke Spanish and she did not. She would take the tapes and have Mildred translate and transcribe them. Now she needed to hear from Helen. Tuesday morning was nice, the sun was bright and there was just enough breeze to drive to work with the windows down. Both Harold and Judith were edgy; both were waiting for something to happen. While Harold knew that Precots could not find him, he was worried for Judith. They had lunch in the break room together. Judith's phone rang at one PM. "Hello, how may I help you?" "This is Helen, dearie. Thank you for the gift. It does a dying woman good to have men to play with again. My Spanish is very rusty, but I got a nice story. All four agreed that it was the same as Gospel. They have had an interesting life. All signed the necessary papers in the presence of witnesses. There are no marks on them. Do you want them back or may I finish the ritual?" "They need to report to the INS and Hector Razzas. They will do that, won't they? I will have Carlos deliver them back to you when they vanish after the necessary hearings." "Dearie, they will do anything I tell them to do. How soon should they appear at the INS?" "Is Wednesday morning too early?" "No, dearie, another night is just what they need. They will be parked e in their van waiting for the doors to open. Their lives will be an open book." "Thank you, Helen." No, dearie, thank you. It was the best gift I ever got. I will remember you." Judith never asked how Helen got information so fast. Without a clue and in no more than 48 hours, Helen could get anyone to talk without leaving a mark. Somehow, Judith knew that she did not want to know. If men came back from Helen's, they were just different. A call to Hector and her day was done. She decided to stop by the Victoria's Secret at Laurel Park Place. She would need at least two changes in case Harold ever asked her to make love. Wednesday was a busy day. The illegal Mexican Maria Lopez was granted refuge. She would have citizenship when she completed the classes. The four men had confessed and named names and places. The chain, once broken, made picking up the links easy. Ms. Precots was the leader here. There were several sources in Mexico for young women who wanted a better life or who wanted to help their families by working in the States. The fact that they all seemed to end up as prostitutes never made the trip south. Fifty-five females, most of them under 18, were collected. Starting with the Precots, 12 people were charged with holding women in slavery. There were several rapes charges as the women began to tell of their lives in the United States of America, the land of the free and home of the brave. Mr. Reginald Precots was seized by Captain Ferguson. There was a confession signed and witnessed by the young ladies who appeared in court to testify. Harold was not there, but Judith told him the women were fully and conservatively dressed. Precots was sentenced to Jacktown for 15 years. Somehow, he was placed in a section where 80% of the prisoners were Hispanic. They all enjoyed their new toy. All requests for a transfer to other prisons were denied. Ms. Precots got 10 years for the slavery charge in federal court plus five years for immigration violations. The four coyotes vanished before they could be deported. The girls that were collected were given a chance to stay in the United States. Suitable sponsors were found. Fifty accepted. All are in community colleges or high schools learning English as fast as they could with scholarships from an anonymous donor. Most were staying at Carlos' convent. There was, however, no sign of a fee until a letter arrived for Judith. "Thank you, dearie, they died screaming my name. The doctor says it is just days now. Goodbye, Helen." There was a cashier's check for Judith Padley for $400,000 dollars. There was a cashier's check for Maria Lopez for $400,000. There were four tapes for Maria that Judith did not play. She did not want to know. ***** Jacktown = Jackson State Prison at Jackson, Michigan, a hard place to do hard time. The second in a series. I will post this on at least two sites. Readers, let me know how it goes. Should I have told of Helen's methods or will your imaginations suffice? I am not into torture. Especially torture that leaves no marks. Lay on Macduff, and damn'd him that first cries "Hold, enough!" MacBeth act V scene VIII (thanks anonymous in England) i am The H20wader