Chapter 8

Even though Louise was not big girl and probably weighed just barely over 100 pounds, I really started feeling the extra weight by the time we reached the gate. I used the rest of the glue on the lock, but I was sure it would not stop the authorities once they found the tunnels. Once we started climbing, I was soon breathing hard. It didn’t really help that Louise was awake and complained all the time about the torture she was being put through. I thought about stopping and gagging her, but I was not sure if I would be able to get moving again. I stayed quiet as I tried to think that, once she was out of here, there would be some other people who would take charge of her.

Jeanie, with Zachery, stopped by the box where the lights ended. I took the flashlight from her in my free hand, and we used the light it provided while we followed the gallery upwards and towards the entrance.

All of a sudden, we were facing a wall of evergreen bushes. Of course - Matthew didn’t want this place to be easily found. For a moment, I wondered what kind of bushes those were, but I was not really concerned about it - I just wanted to get out. The problem was that the the bushes covering the entrance seemed to have thorns everywhere. However, a quick look showed us that there was a gap on the left side that we could use. Once Jeanie helped me move the blanket so that it protected Louise’s legs, Jeanie and Zachery managed, with my help, to get out unscratched. Louise got a few scrapes while my hands and legs got quite few more. Whatever, I was getting paid for this!

I turned the flashlight off as soon as we got outside, and even though it had been quite dark inside the gallery, it was so dark outside that it took a moment to get my eyes accustomed to the darkness. I had been outside earlier tonight, but only now I started to feel the cold. I looked around and finally I noticed the end of the road. I started walking towards it. If I remembered the the map correctly, it would be quite a drive from the ranch road to the road leading to this mine. Since the road from the mine would first go downhill, I decided that we’d better go that way. I didn’t want the car lights to be seen at the ranch, since that might wake the curiosity of the feds.

I noticed that Jeanie took a few looks in the direction of the ranch until we passed the first two turns and there was no way we could see anything in that direction. I hadn’t seen any extra lights, nor did I hear any gunshots. That I considered a very positive thing. Suddenly, I started feeling happy, almost giddy. Against all odds, I had managed to get Louise out of the ranch - no, we had managed to get Louise out of the ranch. Then there were Jeanie - and Zachery.

“I’m cold and my stomach hurts.”

It seemed that Louise started to feel a bit better - or else, it might be the fact the fireman’s carry was not that comfortable if you had problems with your stomach. I stopped walking and caught my breath for a moment.

“I’m sorry about that. But we needed to get you separated from the other girls.”

“Where are you taking me? It hurts when you walk,.”

To tell the truth, I was quite willing to stop walking, myself.

“Just a bit further to find a place you can rest safely and a bit more comfortably. Then there will be a car ride, after which we’ll contact your family. Hope that’s fine with you.”

She didn’t answer, but I could hear some suppressed sobs escaping her lips. Based on our background search before this mission, I knew that she had not parted with her parents on the best possible terms, but at the ranch I had got the impression that she hadn’t been all that happy to be there.

At that point, my eyes had grown accustomed to the darkness, so I could see some rocks and bushes by the road that might offer some cover from the crispy wind. There was no way we all could walk away from here, we could just as well wait here. I pointed out a place to Jeanie, who had been silently following my discussion with Louise. Then I stepped to the side if the road and helped Louise down, making sure that she remained wrapped in the blanket while she was sitting down between two bigger rocks. I could feel her eyes following me.

“Louise, your parents love you, and they have been very worried about you. Trust me, it’ll all be fine again. Now, try to get some rest, since I’m sure we’ll have a long night ahead of us.”

I could tell that she wanted to say something, but she was still exhausted because of the sickness and being carried like a sack of potatoes. Her eyes closed and after a moment she was breathing steadily. I took a deep breath myself, and turned to face Jeanie, who had been following us all the time.

“Jean, don’t you feel cold?”

“Not really, I dressed knowing that we’d be going outside.”

I nodded, and once again, I could only admire the way she had acted. Somehow, it didn’t make me feel any better.

“Look Jean, there’s something important I need to talk to you about.”

“I know, you came to the ranch to get Louise out of there. I’m okay with that.”

I shook my head a bit.

“It’s not just that. Look Jean, I like you and I care about you but I’m 27 and you are 15.”

“I don’t mind!”

“But society does. If you ever mention to someone what we did together, I’ll end up in jail because the age of consent in this state is probably 17.”

I took a deep breath.

“Jean, I care a whole lot about you, but you should have been able to live a life of a normal young girl, instead of going through all that. Therefore, I have an idea. We’ll try to keep the fact that you were on the ranch out of the official records so that you and your kid brother will not be involved. But I’ll make sure that Matthew will be held responsible for murdering your parents.”

“I’ll be eighteen in three years!”

I’d seen those pouty lips before, and I almost laughed at her.

“And I’ll be an old man - being thirty - while you’ll have those young, handsome guys courting you. Remember Jean, not a word unless you want to send me to jail, okay?”

“Okay.”

We were silent for a moment, and soon I started wondering if I actually heard something. A moment later, I was quite certain that there was a vehicle approaching us. A few minutes later, I was sure that there was a car approaching, but very carefully. Then, I noticed I was not the only person being careful, since I couldn’t see any lights anywhere. I guided Jeanie to the side of the road. A I took the flashlight and turned it on, making sure not to look at it, and kept it pointed downwards so that it only lighted part of the gravel road.

The sight of the approaching car was something that made me feel warm, even though I had felt a bit chilly only minutes ago. The car stopped and I turned off the flashlight and stepped forward. A moment later, I could recognize Laura’s form as she stepped out of the car.

“Hi, Laura, are you alone?”

“Yes, we were sure that they would have suspected something if anybody else had left.”

Then I could hear her taking a deep breath, and I was sure that I was going to get an earful.

“No, Laura, not now. We need to get going. Look, here are Jeanie and her kid brother, Zachery. She’s fifteen and been orphaned, but without her help, I wouldn’t be here now. Louise is there resting and I’ll carry her to the car.”

Laura was no dummy, and I was sure that she had been thoroughly briefed about this mission. Being a woman, she was a quite capable of reading between the lines - and she had actually mastered that art. I could almost hear wheels turning in her head and within, seconds she turned her attention to Jeanie.

“Hi, Jeanie, my name is Laura. You must be quite brave if you can take care of your kid brother in a situation like this. How old is he?”

“Just a bit over two months.”

“Oh, can I see him? I see you carry him just like an expert.”

I smiled in the darkness, since I had seen Laura in that mode a few times.

However nice it would have been to chat there for a while, I knew that we needed to get out of there - quickly. I carried Louise to the car and adjusted the back seat so that she could continue resting there. Laura helped Jeanie and Zachery inside the car, apologizing the lack of a car seat. Then I helped Laura turn the car on that narrow road. We switched places, since she was not really comfortable with driving the car without lights. Well, neither was I - but I was much less comfortable about staying in the area any longer.

After we had been driving in silence for a while, Laura looked back as Louise let out a groan.

“What’s wrong with Louise? Should we take her to a hospital?”

I was silent for a moment, but at this point I saw no more reasons to lie.

“She may have eaten a few Wisteria seeds, and she has some stomach problems because of that.”

“But how come...”

From the sound of her voice I could tell that Laura was getting angry. Really angry.

“Laura, since you have no idea about the life at the ranch, I suggest you calm down, now. Had there been some other, less painful way, I would have been used it - but trust me, there wasn’t. Louise is otherwise healthy and okay and she should be able to recover from this.”

I could tell that Laura was about to continue with me, but suddenly she picked up the meaning of my words and remained silent. However, I was a bit worried whether the feds had taken me seriously.

“Laura, is there anything that you can tell me about the feds? Did they take my warnings seriously?”

“Oh, did they!? Greg told me that they almost pissed their pants once they started to add things together. They almost raided the ranch at the beginning, until Noelle did some searching and pointed out that your findings matched with some unsolved cases. Then, they suddenly became very, very careful.”

“Luckily, you were able to pick up my messages.”

“That was Twila. However, she complains that your ‘fist’ is terrible.”

That got a small laugh out of me. After that, we drove some time in silence even though I knew that Laura was dying to ask me some questions. I was not ready to give her all the answers; not while both Louise and Jeanie were listening.

“Look, Laura - do you happen to have anything for me? I don’t have any money nor do I have any extra clothes. In fact, there wasn’t much with me to start with when I first came to the ranch. Besides, I’d not like to turn that phone on again, unless absolutely necessary.”

“No, but you can take my phone.”

“Not really, I’m sure that you’ll need it yourself - quite a lot, for some time.”

I could tell that she was about to protest, but I continued.

“Look, you need to drive away from the ranch and let Noelle or Twila know that the mission has been accomplished and request a pickup location. The sooner the better, since I’m sure that the feds will remain busy there for some time.

“Either Noelle or Twila may need to leave the ranch area and be there to meet the client. I can give them more details once we have established secure communications. It’s better if I cannot be connected to this case in any way. Is that okay, and does it make any sense to you?”

“Yes, somewhat.”

I could sense her reluctance, since Laura had never been much for this ‘cloak-and-dagger’ stuff.

“Another reason for secure communications is that I need to talk with my contact among the feds, but I don’t really want to meet any of them. I know the way the feds think, and I’m sure that this case is so big that they take absolutely no chances.”

By that time, we hit a slightly bigger road and I turned the lights on. I still remembered something from the maps I had studied before this mission and I turned the car away from the ranch and towards the little town I knew was there. Laura was busy writing text messages that would give enough information to Noelle, Twila - and Greg - to know that everything was fine. We all were sure that the feds were following all the normal communication methods. They would certainly have followed Laura if they had had resources to do it. I just hoped that they had taken me seriously enough that nobody would get hurt while they took over the ranch.

“I’ve now informed them, and I’ve promised to see Noelle tomorrow.”

I just nodded at her. A quick look at the back seat showed me that both Jeanie and Louise seemed to be sleeping. I guessed that Zachery might be the next one to wake up - in hunger. Hopefully, that would not happen for the next hour or two.

“Will, do you have any idea what we should do next? Or what do you need to do?”

“I think that I should drive just a bit further, and then settle for the rest of the night. Of course, it depends on whether you are willing to pay for it. Like I said, I have no money. Preferably some place with room service, and I’d stay there a while, with Jeanie and Zachery.

“Then you should continue driving to some place where you can meet with Noelle or Twila. Once you have secure communications available, let them know where I am, and ask them to bring me a satellite phone. Before you meet our client, you should get Louise checked by a good doctor, but not before those two are available.”

After that, I could no longer suppress my yawn.

“Now, Will, there should be a motel coming in a few miles. Once we are there, I want you to stop, so I can get a room for you three.”

That was what happened. Laura used her card and paid for the room and whatever meals would be available. Once I had helped Jeanie and Zachery into the room furthest away from the reception - because of the crying baby - I met Laura outside her car before she drove away.

“Laura, her full name is Jeanie Tuttle and she has been through a lot, as you already guessed. I’m sure that with her full name, and with the fact that her father was an independent contractor, you’ll find enough information to apply for a temporary guardianship for her and Zachery.

“Probably, you should also know that I suggested she consider Zachery as her kid brother whom she was been taking care of after their parents were murdered. That girl will need some serious therapy, together with loving and understanding new parents. I think you should call Greg and have a serious talk with him as soon as it’s safe to do so.”

I had never seen Laura like that. She stood there looking at me. She opened her mouth a couple of times, but no voice came out. I knew that she had a criminal justice degree, and that she worked with social services and took care of children’s rights there. I knew she had spunk, but this was the first time I had made her speechless. I gave a quick kiss on her cheek.

“Think about it, Laura. I’m sure you’d make great parents for them.”

Then I turned and opened the door to our room, leaving Laura standing there. I was smiling to myself when I closed the door behind me.

Somehow I had expected to see Zachery sleeping in a baby bed and Jeanie next to him, but I could not see either of them in the room. Somewhere, out of the blue became the feeling of worry. There was no back door and there were thick curtains over the closed windows. So, I didn’t knock but just opened the door. I was not really prepared to see Jeanie sitting on the top cover of the toilet seat, breastfeeding little Zachery.

I knew that Jeanie was not Caryn, and Zachery was not Judy, but they looked so much like the memory I had cherished inside my head; Caryn breastfeeding little Judy and looking at me. Except that the look in Caryn’s face had been the look of love and fulfillment, once we had reconnected. The look on Jeanie’s face was something different; a mix of fear, shame and pain. If, at that moment, I had been able to get a hold of Matthew I would have beaten him to death, slowly and painfully - without any hesitation.

“I’m sorry Jean, I shouldn’t have rushed in like that. I just worried when I couldn’t see either of you...”

I could see tears forming in the corners of her eyes.

“That’s okay - and don’t worry, this will be over soon. I never produced much milk, but I still need to release the pressure twice a day.”

“But why are you doing it here? It’d certainly be much more comfortable in a good chair or in the bed where you could use some pillows as support.”

As soon as those words were out of my mouth, I knew it wasn’t as simple as that. Jeanie might pretend that Zachery was her kid brother, but twice a day she got reminded that he actually wasn’t. I knelt in front of Jeanie.

“Now, please come with me. We both know that Zachery is not your brother and you weren’t asked if you wanted to have a baby. But those things shouldn’t take anything away from the fact that breastfeeding should be a beautiful and magical moment between you two. Remember that he is totally dependent on you, and he couldn’t choose his father.”

I wasn’t quite sure whether I was trying to convince her to love Zachery in spite of everything she had been through, or was I convincing myself that I would have learned to love Judy as my own. It didn’t matter to me anymore - but it would matter to Jean. Once she was sitting on the side of the bed and she moved Zachery to her other small breast, I gave her a pillow so that she could support her arm.

“You don’t find this disgusting?”

“No, I think that it’s one of the most beautiful sights in the world. I’m quite certain that once you find someone you love and when you are again in this situation sometime later in your life, you’ll agree with me.”

Once she was finished, I took Zachery from her, put him against my shoulder and started walking around the room. After a minute, he burped noisily and then I laid him down on the bed so that I could check his diaper. As it was dry, I just attached it again, put him in the baby bed and covered him with the sheet. Within a minute he was asleep. Only then, I noticed that Jeanie had been watching me closely.

“What is your real name, John or Will - and do you have children?”

For a second, I wondered what I should tell her, but then I understood that if she would be living with Laura and Greg she’d eventually learn more about me.

“In a way, both. But now, my name is William Hart. And no.”

Maybe she’d hear about Caryn and Judy, someday. But not today.

“Look, Jean, I don’t know about you, but I’m dead tired, and once I’ve had a quick shower, I intend to go to sleep. Maybe you’d like to go there first.”

I’d need to thank Laura for her thinking since, while she had paid for the room, she had also picked two small sets of the toiletries they sold at the office. My toothbrush was not very high on my list when I had collected what I had needed this evening. Jeanie was wrapped in the big towel when she came out of the shower. and less than a minute later, I was there and just a few minutes after that, I had brushed my teeth and was ready to hit the bed. Only then, I realized I’d either need to sleep in my already used underwear or naked. Since I hated the idea of using that kind of underwear while sleeping, the decision was not very hard. I took a look at Jeanie, whose eyes were closed and her dirty blond hair was spread all around her pillow. I climbed into bed and made sure to stay on my own side. I was asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow.

The dream I was having was a most erotic one. Gentle hands were moving around my body and I could feel the lips around my cock while someone teased the crown with her tongue. Except this was not a dream, and Jeanie’s hands had also moved to my balls and dick. I was suddenly very awake.

“Jeanie, we shouldn’t be doing...”

It already was too late, since before I could finish my sentence, I already was emptying my balls inside her mouth. All that time she kept her mouth locked over my throbbing member while I was running through all different scenarios inside my head. However, I remained silent until she took her mouth away from my shrinking member and turned towards me.

“Will, I’m not stupid. I know that once this is over, some social services people will come and take me and Zachery and we’ll be taken into foster care. I’m not mad at you, since you gave me a future, and the dreams I have are just dreams. I just wanted to show you how grateful I am - and don’t worry. I’ll never tell anyone about us.”