The Perfect Spouse Page 11

  He called for her to start at one corner and turn her horse to go across the ring to the diagonal corner and then turn the horse to walk around the ring in the opposite direction to what he had been doing.

  When Jason returned and dismounted, Dottie was enjoying her horse so much that she didn’t want to leave. “I hope we can do this again soon. I saw you out there going like the wind and wanted to do that so much.”

  “The time will come when you can,” Jason assured her. “It’s vitally important for a new rider to get acquainted with the basics of riding. It’s safe for the rider and the horse. Now your lesson isn’t complete. The saddle and bridle must come off and be wiped down and hung up where they belong. Then the horse must be brushed to get the sweat off and make him feel good. Here’s a pick. I’m going to show you how to check and clean the hooves.”

  “All that!” Dottie was amazed. “I thought you just got on and rode and then got off and left. Show me though. I want to learn the right way.”

  Dusty stood by with a grin on his weathered face because he highly approved of Jason knowing how to care for his mount properly. He finally strolled over and complimented Dottie on how quickly she was learning.

  “I heerd my daddy one time tell of his daddy when he lived with his family in a log cabin way off from town. One cold night they wuz sittin around jist enjoying the supper and knowing they were in safe out of the weather. Two men rode up tared, cold and hungry. They asked for food and permission to sleep in the barn overnight. They tied their horses out front.”

  “When they come in, Papaw said, ‘Did you’ns take ker o yore horses?

  The men said they would after they eat and got warm. Papaw told them to git out there and take ker o their horse first and then they could eat. They went out, led the horses into the barn and gave them some hay. They took off their tack and gave the horses some water. Only then would Papaw let them in. He said if’n a man didn’t take ker uv his mount then he’d be on foot real soon. Sides hit was just right to take ker uv that which was takin ker uv you.”

  Jason paid Dusty, thanked him and shook his hand. Dottie told Dusty she had truly enjoyed the experience. “Can we come again soon, Jason, please, pretty please?”

  “Sure we can. I’m so glad you enjoyed it. I’ve sure missed working with horse. I’ve always loved them.”

  He hooked his arm around the back of her neck and hugged her to his side as they walked on to his car.

  Chapter Fifteen

  April came roaring in with a big wind storm, but no real damage. More people were out working in their yards and Jason felt something stirring inside of him when he observed them.

  Taking a walk one day, he went by the barber shop and had to stop and smile. Inside was a tiny boy sitting on a booster seat with a huge cover over him. He was crying and his mother stood by wiping her eyes. It must be his first haircut. I don’t know why, but it’s scary for little fellows.

  Jason turned to see a minivan pull to the curb and the driver opened his door to get out. “Hey, Robert.” It was Robert Shortt, a photographer from The Blade. “Do you have a camera with you?” Jason called.

  “Sure do. Always carry one. Why?” Robert answered puzzled.

  “Grab the camera and come here.” Robert was soon standing beside Jason.

  “See that little boy getting a haircut? I bet it’s his first.”

  “Why is that a shot? Children get first haircuts all of the time.”

  “Yeah, but that’s Major Benjamin Brodi’s little boy and Ben’s overseas in the thick of battle. He’s missing so much watching his son change and grow. I bet your editor would appreciate a picture to send to Ben and include an article in the next paper about what our military heroes are missing at home. Look at those long curls hitting the floor.”

  Robert rubbed his chin. “Yes, I understand now why you think it would be a good picture and I agree.”

  Jason smiled and walked on as Robert went charging into the shop.

  When he got back to his office, he found a note to call Roger Dawson in real estate. He made the call to the son of Robert Dawson.

  “Jason, a place just came on the board this morning and I think it’s just what you’re looking for. When can I show it to you?”

  “How about now?”

  “Okay. I’ll pick you up in about ten minutes.”

  Jason hurried out to tell Grace he had some personal business and would be back later. She was curious when Dawson pulled up to the curb and waited for Jason.

  They drove down Main for four blocks, then made a left and went to the end of the block. On the left was a red brick with white shutters. There were two bow windows, one on either side of the front. A short porch about forty feet long and about ten feet deep was across the front. A white banister, with curly que trimmings, protected this porch. It would be just right for sitting in a rocker on good nights.

  There was a tan, block driveway laid in diamond shapes, leading from the sidewalk to the front door. Jason was pleased to see about fifty feet of front lawn covered with rick-looking Argentina grass.

  The front door was an extra wide custom made door with a view of lilies on the glass at the top and four panels of mahogany at the bottom.

  Walking through the front door, they stepped on to a marble floor; white with black swirls and about eight feet wide.

  To the left was an opening between two eight feet long dividers with custom - made spindles at the top. This was a living room, twenty-seven by twenty. There was the bow window at the front and a four by six window at the side. A fireplace was on the right framed by field stones and a solid oak mantle about eight by two. An opening at the right of the fireplace was a space for storing fuel for a fire. On the left was a wide floor to ceiling book shelf.

  Jason was trying to see, in his mind, how furniture could be placed. His mother’s valuable Steinway would have a spot in here. They walked back across the foyer to the room across on the right of the front. This was a twenty-seven by fourteen dining room with the bow window at the front and a six by six window at the end. A beautiful French-style chandelier hung from the ceiling. Built in shelves with glass doors were on the left.

  After looking out of the two bow windows, Jason was pleased to discover low growing prickly plants that would keep intruders from the windows. They walked to the end of the dining room and through a doorway with a swinging, salon- style door to the kitchen. This room was about twenty-seven by fourteen. There were stainless steel appliances, a large side by side refrigerator and a separate freezer. There were shelves and cabinets that would make any cooks mouth water. The lighting fixtures were all over the ceiling so that there was plenty of light.

  At the end of the kitchen was a door connecting with a two car garage.

  Going on out into the hallway, there was a half bath at the right at the end of the kitchen.

  On past the kitchen area was a twenty-seven by twenty five room bedroom with large walk-in closets lined with cedar wood. There was a full bath and a sliding glass door leading to the outside. A six by four window was at the end behind the garage, but flowering shrubbery and flowers were planted here for a pleasing sight.

  At the end of the hall was a door leading to the outside where Jason could see a swimming pool and a gazebo. On the left side of the hall were two large bedroom with large walk-in closets lined with cedar and a full bath between the rooms. There was an enclosed shower and two sinks.

  Going out to the back. Jason walked across a ten feet wide tiled flooring to view a forty by thirty pool with rocks and a waterfall at one corner. He could see three feet written at one end going to four, five and finally six feet.

  To the left was a white vinyl fence almost covered with four twenty feet tall lilac bushes. Along this side of the house were bulbs of all kinds coming up and some blooming. There were three large trees with a stone bench built circling one of them.

  Jason loved the house, but didn’t want to appear too eager. He was thinking of putting in a bird
bath and more flowers. The gazebo had lattice-work sides and one step to go inside. Benches had been built in around two sides and someone had left padded cushions. There were rose bushes around the gazebo and a rose garden in the rear right corner.

  “Well?” Roger beamed as he rocked back and forth from heels to toes.

  “What do you think? Isn’t this what you had in mind?

  Jason turned his back to Roger and pretended to be looking over the yard. “Yes, it’s somewhat what I had in mind. What is the asking price?”

  Roger told him a reasonable figure that he was surprised to hear, but he kept quiet and started walking to the front beside the house. Anxiously, Roger followed him giving selling points all the way. Finally he was smart enough to stop talking and allow the client to look over the property.

  Jason was quiet so long that Roger got antsy. “The owners died and two nieces and a nephew have inherited the property. They want to sell as soon as possible. I think I can talk to them about a better price if you’re really interested.” Jason was interested but didn’t want to appear eager.

  “Why don’t you talk to them and get back to me,” Jason smiled. They got back in Roger’s van and went back to Jason’s office.

  Grace was curious, but was too well-mannered to ask. Jason could see his staff trying hard not to question him. He grinned to himself and finally decided to quit teasing.

  Just before closing time, Jason ask them to gather with him in the long room. He told them of going to see the house and what had transpired. They were thrilled for him and wanted to help any way they could.

  “I know I’ll need some decorating ideas and I’d like to know the name of a good lawnman that I can trust. There will be days that I’ll need a good house cleaner, too. We’ll talk about that later. Everyone have a good night. See you tomorrow.”

  * * * * *

  Jason, Gary and Nigel were sorry to be bidding goodbye to Tucker. His father had died and his mother was in the hospital with pneumonia. “A family friend called me and told me of the situation. I’m the only one without a family of my own. I’m going to have to go to Arizona and stay with Mom as long as she needs me.”

  Gary placed a comforting hand on Tucker’s shoulder. “You’ve never said anything about your siblings.”

  “I have an older brother, Baron, who is married with three children. He is a leading heart specialist and can’t get away from Florida to be with Mom. My older sister, Ava, is a teacher married to an attorney. They have three year old twin girls and another baby on the way. I’m third in line and my younger sister has just graduated from college and she and her husband are signed with a church group to go as missionaries. So---” he spread his hands. “You can see why I must go. I’ll sure miss you guys. Will you keep in touch and maybe come see me sometime?”

  The assured him they would keep in touch and that he would be welcome if he ever decided to return. Steve Nighthawk had been joining them once in a while for bowling, hiking and a variety of activities. Jason, Gary and Nigel started asking him more often until he became one of the group.

  One night there were talking in Jason’s apartment and Steve was looking as if he had a lot on his mind.

  “Steve, you said you were in law enforcement, but you’ve never told us about your work,” Gary urged him to talk.

  Steve looked at them with a solemn expression. “My work is why I’ve been forced to have this R & R. Part of my work took me from Texas into Dayton, Ohio. We wound up all of the case that we could there in Dayton. I had been so emotionally involved that my CO decided I needed a break. A couple of the police in Dayton had been from here and they suggested that I come to relax in a nice, peaceful town with a lot of great people.”

  “I started as a U. S. Marshall stationed in Texas.” He gave a lop-sided smile. “I had always liked the idea of the Texas Rangers, but just didn’t seem to make connections. I worked and studied law so that I can eventually get my law degree. Some sleazy scum balls had been operating on the internet to entice children to come to them for illegal purposes.”

  Here Steve paused to take a long drink of his Diet Coke. “I had a buddy who had been with me in military and now we were together in law enforcement. He and his wife were just like family. They tried so hard to have children with no luck. After a little over four years they were ecstatic to discover they were expecting. They had a little girl and named her Victoria Anne. They ask me to be her godfather. I was happy to do so.”

  “Their lives were good. It looked as if this was the only child they were going to be able to have. She had just turned fifteen when they began to wonder why she was so secretive and isolated herself in her bedroom so much. She had her own computer and everything that a young woman could want.”

  He took several deep breaths and put both hands over his face. Finally taking his hands down he continued. The three men understood that what he was telling them was difficult for him to verbalize. It must have been traumatic.

  “One morning her father went into her bedroom to get her up for breakfast and school. He found that her bed had not been slept in and she was nowhere to be found. The couple called everyone they could think of, including the school. One girl finally told the principal that he should talk to a girl who had dropped out in her junior year.”

  “The couple went to this girl’s house to talk to her and ask if she knew anything about their daughter. Reluctantly the girl told them that Vicki had met a college freshman on line and had made arrangements to meet him in front of the Star Crest Theater.”

  “The parents called the police and told them all they had discovered. That’s when ICAC stepped in and I begged to be assigned to the case.”

  “What’s ICAC ?” Gary asked.

  “Internet crimes against children. There’s also the NCAC - national crimes against children. I asked, and was given permission, to work with the ICAC force. After several days of digging, we found other young people who had also been taken in by this internet group; some had not been heard from again and some had returned as if they were shell shocked.”

  “Weeks went by with very disturbing disappointing happenings. More children disappeared. I had been assigned a young woman as a partner. She was gung ho in her work and doing a fantastic job. She was in her middle twenties but could pass for a teenager. She went on line claiming to be an unhappy fifteen year old who wanted some excitement. She had an e mail from this so called college freshman and made arrangements to meet him in front of the -- surprise of surprises -- the Star Crest Theater.”

  He paused to drink some water. The men were literally sitting on the edge of their seats. “Four of us had dressed as street people and were hanging out nearby and across the street. She was in bobby socks, oxfords, a poodle skirt and a tight sweater, and her hair pulled back in a blonde ponytail. Her sparkling blue eyes and clear complexion helped her to look much younger than she was. She didn’t stand long until a man and woman approached her. They talked and she got in a car with them. We were frightened for her, but what could we do. She was on a job.”

  “We were afraid for her and thought maybe they had told her they were meeting her for the college freshman. We tried to follow but lost track of the car she was in.”

  “I didn’t tell my friends, but I had learned some horrific facts. These people were not college freshmen, but adults with nefarious plans. They enticed young people and then sold them into sexual slavery or killed them and sold body parts for transplants and a great deal of money. My heart was aching for my goddaughter and all the young people.”

  “We found they were taking boys and girls, some as young as eight or nine years old, but, for some reason, no older than sixteen.”

  Nigel broke in with excitement. “Oh, tell us you caught these dirty people and broke up their group. How long did it take you to find all the facts and the gang?”

  “We were working for months. They were very clever because they had involved some prominent people in the community. Their reason was mon
ey. My partner told us a lot when we finally found her near to death.”

  Jason was gulping with his anguish and trying not to shed tears. He got up and handed Steve another bottle of water. “If it disturbs you too much to talk about it Steve, we’ll understand.”

  “Yes, it’s disturbing, but it’s the truth and more people need to know what’s going on. As I said we obtained a lot of information from my partner. As far as I’m concerned, she’s the hero of this case. She told us that she was appalled to discover a well-known beloved doctor in the community in the gang. He apparently recognized her and they beat her trying to find how much was known about them.”

  “They finally put handcuffs on her and threw her into a room with a concrete floor. She said there were almost thirty young people in there, boys and girls, one a nine year old girl. Some of the young people had already been used sexually and were beaten badly. None of them had adequate food or water. She overheard the doctor and another man planning on selling her to a Japanese buyer.”

  “They apparently were concerned after discovering who she was and started to move. They brought in a big trailer, like a horse trailer. The floor was covered in dirty straw. They were all handcuffed to a bar along both sides so that they had to sit and could not be seen from the outside. By the time they arrived at the docks, five of the girls and two boys were dead. They were just taken out and thrown on a trash dump behind a warehouse in a dumpster.”

  “I’m heartsick hearing about this. I can imagine what families felt. How did you tie up the case?” Gary asked.

  “We kept a surveillance on the Star Crest Theater. We had placed another decoy there and arrested the man and woman who came to pick her up. The woman broke first and told us of some locations where they kept the young people and what had happened to them. She alone had a bank balance of over seven hundred thousand dollars for her work with this gang.”

  “We went to a hotel that she had named and went from room to room finding some youngsters and finally we were ecstatic to find Vicki tied up with electric tape across her mouth on a bed. She was more dead than alive. She was immediately taken to a hospital and treatment began. It took weeks but she slowly came out of it. Needless to say she was emotionally disturbed. She resigned from law enforcement and is working in an office that counsels people and helps them with problems, especially young people.”