Chapter 5

“Hello, Jenny. How can I help you?”

“I just wanted to tell you, Katrina, that your idea for skinny dipping together was a good one. We started the day after we were there. We have eaten dinner that way together all week. Today, the girls stripped. I think it was the boys that made it take so long.” Logan had twin thirteen-year old brothers and Paige had one brother fifteen.

“How about the boys? Have they stripped?”

“As soon as the girls did. The dads worked on them pretty hard. Katrina, we need an opinion from you. When we do the deflowering, we wondered about a second time with the other’s father.”

That certainly caught Katrina by surprise. She was just able to suppress a gasp. “What is your reasoning on that?” she was able to say with what she hoped was a neutral expression.

“I’m not sure you’re aware how close our families are. I suspect the girls were a little confused as infants about who their parents really were. Having two different experiences with men and women that truly love them would teach them a lot.”

“Have you and Cori swapped?”

“Not quite the way you think. Four times a year, for each of our birthdays, we all four share a bed. It’s always first with our spouse, then seconds and maybe thirds with the other man. We set up that arrangement ten years ago.”

“It is certainly not my place to judge you, Jenny. I will say that the very thoughtful way you have handled this fits with everything else I know about you four. Please don’t ask for my blessing on what you asked, and I certainly won’t condemn it. Let me just caution you to make sure that it is something both girls want without reservation.”

“We have not told them about the deflowering yet, but that is good advice. Thank you Katrina. I hope you realize how much you have changed our lives.”

“No, Jenny. You made the changes. I just gave you ideas. Give my regards to all the others.”

“Hello, Joanne. Can you talk freely without any chance of being overheard.”

“I’m home alone.”

“Good. First of all, have you stripped for Darren yet?”

“I called him back into his room and undressed right then. I joined the health club the next morning.”

“Hmmm. You never joined a health club to look better for Richard?”

There was a long silence. “He has been after me for years, but no, I never did.”

“Well, this is not a marriage counseling session, but if you ever want that, I will be happy to help. I am encouraged that you acted so quickly.

“Now, the main reason for my call: I think it would be best if Darren was not a virgin when he came here. That is not a requirement, but all of the others that I know of will have lost their virginity by then. Oh, and all of them were as shy, socially retarded, and virginal as Darren when the idea of living here this summer came up.”

“That means they did not wait for Mr. or Ms. Right to do it.”

“My belief is that the best first sexual experience is with an experienced person that the teen knows and loves, or at least has a high regard for. The person should feel the same way about them,” Katrina declared.

“It sounds like you are suggesting incest.”

“I am suggesting that the most important thing is that a teen’s first sexual experience is a very positive one. It should build a belief that sex is a wonderful thing that they want as a significant part of their life. I am suggesting that those goals matter far more than how closely the teen is related to the person who initiates them.”

“My sisters would fight over the chance. Oh, no, I...”

“Would you fight with them?”

“Katrina! How can you...?

“How about your mother? Would she fight, too?”

“Darren has something that just draws women to him.” Joanne seemed to be talking to herself. “Daddy has it.” Then, more obviously talking to Katrina, she said “There are a few widows or divorcees that come to their house a lot. I’ve never asked, but I think Daddy, um, takes care of them.”

“Your mother must know.”

“Oh, I’m sure she does. She’s a giving person, too.”

“So, the idea of your mother initiating Darren is not farfetched?”

“Now, how about your sisters? Wouldn’t they be cheating on their husbands?”

“I doubt they would think of it that way. If it was just once...”

“And how about you? Would you cheat on Richard?”

“Wrong question!” Joanne almost shouted. “Richard has cheated Darren of any parental care for most of his life - since he discovered Darren didn’t care for sports. I would just be furnishing some essential care. I like the way you described it, Katrina. I very much want Darren to love sex and use it to make some woman as happy as my mother.”

“Well, I’ve said all I need to, I think. I’ll call in another week, Joanne. Oh, wait. Tell me about all of Darren’s exposure.”

“Katrina, you have given me a problem. I’m so afraid Richard will come home early for some reason and find two naked teens.”

“And a naked wife?”

“Well, they’ve talked me into it a couple of times. I know I haven’t lost any weight yet, but just going to the health club makes me more willing to show them my flab.”

“Whose idea was it to include his sister? How old is she?”

“Kelli is thirteen, and she idolizes Darren. I, uh, just told him she was included. As soon as she saw him, she stripped and declared she would be naked whenever he was.”

“Anyone else?”

“I took the kids to Mom’s one evening and had her invite my sisters.”

“How tough was that for Darren?”

“I think after that, he can survive anything,” Joanne giggled.

“Of course, it was a lark for Kelli, right?”

“She spent most of the time naked on Daddy’s lap.”

“Any cousins?”

Joanne sighed. “I’m afraid his two teenaged girl cousins are too aware of the social stigma of nerds. I decided to stick with his fan club.”

“Good thinking. This time I really am going to hang up. Joanne, I admire what you are doing for your son.”

A week later...

“Well, how was this last week, Joanne. Have you made plans for getting rid of Darren’s virginity?”

Katrina heard some sniffling that she knew was crying and became concerned. “Joanne! What happened?”

“Oh, nothing bad, Katrina. Not at all. Well, yeah, a couple of bad things, but they turned out beautiful.

“Just after your last call, Richard told me he had to leave town. I guess I was feeling a little neglected after talking about Darren and Daddy, so I complained. I got a shove and some pretty nasty words.”

“About your weight, I assume.”

“Yeah. Well, as soon as Richard left, the kids stripped, of course. I didn’t want to, but they insisted. They were so sweet. I think Darren might have arranged it, but Kelli got called to a friend’s for overnight.

“Darren was so sweet and loving. We were just sitting and cuddling. I could just sense that he wanted to touch me, and I made the decision. Katrina, we went five times that night. After the first one, I determined to divorce Richard. I know I can’t have Darren, but Richard is NOT better than nothing.

“The next school day, I went to Mom’s and asked her if she would do Darren. She said she would, but only if I did it with Daddy. She knows what my marriage is like. We talked, and I was right about those other women.”

“I imagine your main problem has been keeping everything from Kelli, right?”

“You guessed it. I need to stay in this house to establish claim in the settlement. As soon as it’s settled, I’m selling and moving in with Mom and Dad. They’ve got the room.”

“Including room in their bed?” Katrina teased.

“That’s up to Mom,” was Joanne’s only reply.

“What about the sisters. Has Darren been with them?”

“I decided they didn’t need to know about it. They are married, after all.”

Tana was not one to reach out to anyone but Esther. However, since going to the Menningers’ on weekends, she had tried a few times to talk with Jess Brown. As with all of the top students, Jess was in most of Tana’s classes. If Tana, Esther, Jeremy, and Arne could have been called shy, Jess was a recluse who had to be in public.

Jess appeared to have a nice enough body, but it could not be verified because of the clothes she wore. They were of poor quality to start with, they were far from new, and they fit her poorly. No one knew anything about Jess. Period. Oh, everyone knew she had perfect grades.

That day, Jess came into the classroom after Tana was seated. That was unusual. More unusual was that she walked one aisle over from her normal path and laid a folded paper on Tana’s desk. Somehow sensing that secrecy was needed, Tana placed her notebook over the paper and did not acknowledge that it was there through the whole class. At lunch, Tana shared it with the group of four who now ate together and had drawn in a few others.

‘I notice you have changed somehow. I appreciate that you have tried to talk to me. I have not responded because it could put both of us in danger.

I need help and I don’t know where to turn. I will be eighteen in ten days and it will be very bad for me.

I am pretty sure they have someone watching me, so don’t try to talk to me in a classroom. If you can do anything, write it down and put it in an envelope. I will drop my notebook by your desk. Slip the envelope into it.’

The four looked at each other and made sure no one else got a look at the paper. “What do we do with something like that?” Arne asked quietly.

“Katrina,” came three whispers in response.

“You didn’t try to follow her home, or anything, did you?” Celeste asked as soon as she and Katrina had read the note. Albert was out of town on a short trip.

“She may be nuts, we don’t know,” Esther answered. “But the note sounds pretty scary, the reason she gave for not talking to Tana. We don’t want someone to connect us with her.”

“You handled it perfectly,” Katrina complimented.

“I need to make a phone call,” Celeste said. “We need some professional help, here?”

“Brad, it’s Celeste. Question; are you or any of your men doing any moonlighting? A troubling situation has come up involving a classmate of some teens we are friends with. You can help? Good, bill me personally, OK.” She gave Brad what little information she had and emailed him a scan of the note.

“If she is that bright, why is she a year behind? It’s seniors that turn eighteen, isn’t it?” She got a collective shrug from the four.

Later that evening, Celeste called the teens to come back over. “Brad was assuming you had to keep phones in your locker during the day. Is that correct? OK. Here is a very miniature camera. Who would be in the best position to get a few quick pictures of Jess in a class?” They worked out a plan to circulate the camera and get as many pictures as possible.

“Brad will be trying all of the usual ways to locate her. The problem is her very common name. We are going to make up a note for Tana to leave. It will ask Jess for her address and any information she can give about her living situation and what she is afraid of.

“If we can’t get that info, Brad wants someone, maybe more than one, to follow Jess out of school tomorrow. As soon as you get outside, stop and call this number. Describe Jess as best you can. There will be two guys ready to tail her in different cars.”

“Wow, Celeste! Who knew you had these kinds of connections!” Arne enthused.

“Security is a big deal at our lab. I’ve made it a point to become friends with the crew,” Celeste explained. “Brad has some pretty impressive credentials.”

They made up a note for Tana to leave the next day:

‘Jess, We have private investigators helping. They cannot be connected to you or to us. No one official has been contacted. Please write down your address, what your living situation is, and what you are afraid of. Use this piece of double-sided tape to stick your note under the back of the last toilet in the girls’ bathroom by room 217. We will check for it several times during the day.”

The situation sounded terrifying, and all four felt for Jess. Still, they could not help being energized by the intrigue and even the possible danger. The pass of the envelope in second period went as if rehearsed. On the way to lunch, Esther found Jess’s note under the toilet. One look at it and Jeremy stuck it in his wallet and hurried to the nurse’s office.

The school nurse, Claudia Winters, was a classmate and friend of Merilee’s. She had been in their home several times. Jeremy decided to play it straight with her.

“Mrs. Winters, I need to leave school for a while to send a message and get back some instructions. This involves the safety of another student. It is a situation with a lot of risk involved. You are the only person on the school staff I would even trust. Believe me, you are better off knowing nothing more than what I just told you. Will you get me out? Fake a doctor’s appointment?”

Claudia knew Jeremy and was well aware of Merilee’s concern for the boy’s crippling shyness. But where was that shyness, now? She also knew Jeremy to be completely trustworthy.

“I won’t be at risk if I just drive you to the doctor, will I?”

“I can’t see how.”

“Then let’s go.” They actually did drive to the nearby office of a doctor friend of Claudia’s. There, Jeremy used Claudia’s phone to call the number Brad had given them.

When Claudia overheard Jeremy discussing ways to get Jess out of school, she took the phone from him. “I’m the school nurse. I’ll call her out of class, bring her to this clinic, and leave. You have a disguise here for her and drive her to wherever she will be safe. How does that sound?”

They actually got back to school while Jess was still on lunch period. Without being seen doing it, Jeremy pointed her out to Claudia, and the rest was simple.

Of course, it was not simple for Jess. She did not have much, but there were a few things of real sentimental value to her. Those could not be the main consideration right then, though. Katrina canceled the two afternoon appointments she had, and was there to welcome Jess when Brad himself brought her over. The three sat down to plan.

“Jess, good job!” Brad complimented her. “Your instincts about secrecy were right on. If human trafficking is involved here, the Eastern Europeans are probably doing it. It is one of their main crimes. They are extremely brutal. You will have to stay right here in this house until everything is resolved. Why do you think the police are involved?”

Speaking more than she had in a long time, Jess explained. “Actually, it was the sheriff’s department. They handle everything for Social Services because it’s county.

“One of the younger girls ran away and the deputy brought her back. I was in the bathroom just above the back door where he dragged her in. The little bathroom window was open enough for me to hear talking. They made a crude comment about that one being worth a nice payoff in a few years. Then they talked about a payoff coming up, and the date they gave was my birthday.”

“And why did you think Social Services was involved?”

“Because the housemother asked if the records would be destroyed by then, or if they would have to wait a few days. She said she hated to feed the girls a single day she didn’t get paid for.”

Both Brad and Katrina looked grim after hearing that. “Jess, I can’t take this any farther. I will have to call in the FBI. I will insist it not be someone from the local office, either. I think I can pull that off.

“I’m terribly sorry all of this has happened to you. I’m afraid we can’t even have the other kids bring you homework. It’s too dangerous if anyone knows their involvement. We will have to wait for the FBI to contact the school. I understand you have perfect grades. I’m sure we can work out something to protect your academic standing.”

At that point, Jess broke them up with “None of that really matters if I could have something like a real home even for a little while.”

Katrina instantly wrapped her in a hug and promised “Jess, this is your home until you find the perfect man to build your own family with.”

Celeste had been called at work and arrived right then. “Brad,” she inquired “What do you think about making Jess unrecognizable before the FBI even sees her? We will probably have to depend on them to get her a new identity.”

“I can handle the identity. Are you thinking of just tipping off the FBI about a possible human trafficking ring and never mentioning Jess.”

“Read my mind. Jess has been through enough in her life without ending up a target for those animals.”

“Jess, you’re old enough to be graduating high school,” Katrina observed. “What would you think about skipping right to the ‘U’ as someone else?”

“Fooling the FBI is not a trivial undertaking,” Brad warned. “But I think the number of people who know is small enough that we can pull it off. We will have to use cutouts wherever we can to make any trail harder to follow. The objective is to have this girl who used to be Jess living right here, but have no way to link Jess Brown to this girl. Jess, that means you may be handed off to several different people for a day or maybe for a few weeks. We WILL get you back here going to the U, though.”

“If they are people you know, they’ll be good people. I’m sure of it. Any thing is better than what I came from,” Jess declared. “Can I wait long enough to thank Tana and the others?”

“OK,” Celeste jumped in. “We want Princess here to look as little like Jess as possible without any cutting, right? And it has to be permanent or renewable. Who would be best? A spa? A makeup artist?”

“How about a disguise specialist?” Brad offered. “They’re usually not the nicest people, but they are very discreet.”

“Hmmm. I don’t know, Brad. I think with changes to hair and eyebrow color, tanned skin, and braces, there will be no trace of Jess. I’m assuming the minor acne is due to a poor diet. Let’s try that first. Jess, I hope you’re comfortable dressing a lot more provocatively. Since no one knows what your figure is like, starting to let it show will be an excellent disguise.”

“I’m not worried about that,” Jess assured them. “I’ve just never had anything stylish at all. I think my figure is OK.”

“I have a feeling it’s more than just OK,” Celeste commented, making Jess blush. “Brad, how long and how much for the new identity?”

“Haven’t priced one in a while, but probably low five figures.” That made Jess groan. “It may take less than a week.”

“Jess, Honey, don’t you worry about that. It’s not a problem for us.” That put Jess into all out tears. “Now, all of these changes need to take place in another city, and she needs to stay with someone else. Suggestions?”

“That’s easy. My big sis runs what was our PI business before I took the corporate job. It’s about six hours away. She’ll help without question. Tough lady, but a real softie at heart.”

“So, you departed on good terms?”

“Still do an occasional for her. Still help with my old contacts.”

“Let’s get this set up quickly, then. I think Jess should leave town yet today,” Celeste insisted. “I’m sorry, Hon, but it’s best if someone else drives. Broken chain, you know.”