Chapter 8: Fugitives

Linda awoke with a start, sitting up in bed. Someone was screaming in the hall. It was Mom. Nikki woke up too, still bewildered from sleep. Nikki lay in bed next to Linda. Last night they hadn't made love, only sweet cuddling, arms intertwined, feeling the warmth and softness of each other's bodies.

"What the hell's going on?" Nikki asked, trying to snap out of her groggy state.

"Dunno," Linda said, getting up and slipping on her robe. "I'm gonna see what's happening in this crazy house. Nikki, you'd better go to your own bed, just in case."

Linda lolled into the hall, finding Mom and Dad at the twins' bedroom door. They were still loudly arguing. Her heart began to speed up. 'God, did they catch the twins red-handed?' she wondered.

"What happened, Mom?"

There was immediate silence. Mom and Dad faced her, their brows arching up. Mom's hands were shaking, her eyes bloodshot as if she'd been crying.

"Don't look at me, Fred," her mother crabbed. "I'm not gonna tell her. You tell her."

"What?!" Linda asked, losing her patience. There was a major drama happening here and they couldn't say what it was all about... "Dad, what happened? Is it something about Zoë and Jeannie? Are they hurt?"

"No, but your mother found out... they were doing... they were sleeping in the same bed and..." He stopped, breathing heavily, as though his years of pipe smoking were taking their toll.

"And?" Linda asked, swallowing and her legs trembling. She had a feeling she was going to faint.

"Behaving like two whores," her mother said. "Two little whores."

"What, Mom?" Anger was replacing Linda's fears at this point. No one called her sisters whores, NO ONE. Not even her own parents. They didn't have the right to. "What, Mom? Why are you calling them whores?"

"Because the minute we turn our heads, they behave like two whores... They were having SEX with EACH OTHER, I saw them do it with my own eyes... This morning... Oh Fred, how can they do such a thing to us?"

"The minute you turn your heads? Don't you think you're exaggerating now?"

"What's that supposed to mean, Linda?"

"You don't care about us. You NEVER fucking did. How can you criticize us? How dare you call your own kids whores? How dare you?"

"Linda," her father growled, his eyes warning her she was out of line.

"Don't Linda me, Dad. You don't care about us either. The only thing you care about is politics and your goddam company. How many times did you go out with us, spend time with us, like the family we were supposed to be, huh? How many times did I have to take care of the twins and Nikki because you didn't have time for them, huh? So, don't you come here yelling at me or anybody else for that matter, because you two AIN'T worth it."

"Linda, I'm warning you."

"Please do, Dad, because if your wife is calling Zoë and Jeannie whores, she's calling me a whore too."

"What?"

"Because I, Linda Suzanne McDougall, started everything. I had SEX with Nikki and Nikki had SEX with me. We're lovers. So, are you happy now?"

"That figures," her mother said. "That figures, my dear. They always do what you want."

"Because they respect me. Because I give them love... something you're incapable of. Go back to your fancy parties and wear your 10,000-dollar gowns, but leave us alone."

Having said that, Linda turned her back on her speechless parents and stomped back to her room. All her sisters were amazed, their mouths gaping. They couldn't believe Linda's strength and how she had defended them, facing Mom's and Dad's fury, and apparently winning.

After that showdown, their parents left the hall, heading downstairs for the living room. Jeannie heard their whispering but was unable to understand what Mom and Dad planned to do with them... This was really hell on earth, Jeannie decided, as she and her sisters gathered in Nikki's and Linda's room.

"What's gonna happen to us?" Zoë asked, sniffing, as they sat down on the chairs and on the side of Linda's bed. "You were right, Linda. I'm sorry about... I wanted to tell Mom and Dad... At that time I didn't know better. I-"

"Doesn't matter now, Zoë. What really matters is what we're gonna do."

"What can we do?" Jeannie said. "We can't run away."

"Yes, we can. A lot of kids do."

"But Linda," Nikki objected, "that's not reasonable."

"If we don't, they're gonna lock us up and break us apart. I know them. I know them very well. Don't forget Dad has a lot to lose... if the newspapers get hold of this. Can you imagine the headlines? 'CEO's incestuous daughters' or 'Orgies at McDougall's'. No, they simply won't risk it. We've gotta leave today. They ain't gonna do anything till tomorrow."

They discussed the pros and cons of Linda's suggestion. There was no other way if they wanted to stay together. They had to leave that goddam house, and the sooner the better.

Linda produced the plan. They would all leave home in her Jeep, as if they were driving to school, giving their parents no hint of the plan to escape. They would stuff their bags and backpacks with everything they needed for a long stay away from home. Under no circumstances must Mom or Dad see them carrying their stuff to the Jeep.

"Understood?"

"Sure," Jeannie replied, nodding.

The twins went over to their room and the girls began to dress and pack as quietly as they could, just like any normal school day. It didn't take long, however, for Linda to hear the twins quarrel over trivialities such as what they should bring along or leave behind. She tiptoed to the twin's room and growled, "We don't have time for this crap, damn it. Hurry up!"

"But Linda, I wanna take my radio."

"Don't. We have one in the Jeep... Come on, Zoë. You're holding us up."

"Yeah, it's always my fault."

Linda just shrugged as she wheeled out of the twins' room. She began to doubt whether they really should run away. What chances did they have, anyway? Dad knew influential people everywhere, including the mayor and the police chief. He was an important contributor and fund-raiser for the mayor's campaign. When it came down to business and politics, Dad was unbeatable, keeping ahead of the competition as if winning (at all costs) was all that mattered. What would Dad's reaction be when he realized his daughters had run away? It would be a scandal, a huge embarrassment to him... Dad would make sure the cops set up a state-wide hunt for them.

Much later than expected, Nikki and Jeannie hauled all their stuff downstairs and into the Jeep. Linda and Zoë remained in the kitchen, watching and listening to their parents' movements in case they noticed what was happening right in front of their noses... Mom and Dad had been on the lawn for quite a long time but at that moment they were in the living room, with the door shut.

Inevitable as fate, the door of the living room opened. Linda and Zoë stood petrified, staring at each other, as if they were about to be caught. They heard more whispers in the main hall. Slowly the voices came closer to the kitchen door, becoming louder and seemingly more confident.

Linda and Zoë caught a glimpse of their parents' surprised look as Mom and Dad became aware of their presence. Mom shuffled upstairs. Dad went into the kitchen, lighting up his pipe and puffing on it. Zoë held her breath. The tension of her father's being there was unbearable.

"So, I guess that's what you wanted to tell me, Zoë... "

"She's got nothing to say to you."

Fred kept staring at his favorite daughter as if he hadn't heard Linda's angry interjection.

"Is that true?... Is that true, Zoë?"

Zoë remained mute and immobile, staring at her hands, nervously plucking at her fingers.

"You're scaring her," Linda protested. "I think you should leave."

Fred looked daggers at his eldest daughter. Linda was as belligerent as ever, setting Zoë against him. He felt his blood boil... He exerted himself to control his anger, keeping himself from committing the same mistake twice. Gathering up all his composure and using his most nonchalant voice, he said, "Linda, why don't you leave and let me talk to your sister?... We need to find a solution... for this... "

"I can't... I mean, we can't... We're already late for school."

"Linda, I'm asking you a simple favor... Leave now. It won't take long."

"No," Linda said, shaking her head and folding her arms.

"Linda, you're trying my patience. Leave, this moment, NOW."

Linda stared at her father whose long, strong arm was pointing at the doorway. Although her father's rage scared her, Linda stood her ground and once more said no. He lunged toward Linda, his hand still raised.

"Go ahead. Hit me... if that makes you feel better."

Fred and Linda stood there eyeball to eyeball for what it seemed an eternity. Fred could see Linda's utter contempt through his daughter's half-open green eyes and her mouth twisting her pretty face into an angry grimace. He had never hit his own daughters... He didn't have to... The girls had been raised by Marge and the many baby-sitters his wife had hired and fired at will. Things changed dramatically when Linda became the rebel she was now about the age of fourteen. All that trouble about Chad Manson had been just a symptom of Linda's frustration, the sense of having no one to hold on to. He recalled the night Marge and Linda had fought about a new baby-sitter his wife had just hired for their kids. Linda was screaming they didn't want another baby-sitter any more. She was fourteen and old enough to take care of herself and her sisters... No more strangers in the house, Linda had hollered. No more! Enough was enough!...

"So, are you going to hit me or not?"

Fred woke up to reality, to his daughter's insolent expression. Fred lowered his arm and let the air in his lungs wheeze out deeply.

To Linda's amazement, her father took her in his arms, embracing her.

"I'm sorry, Linda... "

Linda extracted herself from his embrace, embarrassed and confused by that sudden moment of affection and even tenderness coming from her unapproachable father. The thing was that she didn't trust him - didn't trust him at all.

Fifteen minutes later, a Jeep Cherokee left Fred McDougall's mansion and headed south. Linda stole quick glances at the rearview mirror, making sure they were not being followed. Despite all the din and pell-mell preparations for the getaway, Mom and Dad didn't seem aware of their plans. But with Dad, she reasoned, no one knows for sure what he does and doesn't know...

At a crossing further south, Linda made a left turn after waiting nervously for the traffic lights to turn green. Nikki and Jeannie heaved a sigh simultaneously, for they all knew what that turn meant. They were not going to S.F. High as they usually did, but they were going to... elope? Linda shook her head, smiling at herself, at the absurdity of it all.

At the next crossing, Linda made a second turn to the left. They were driving north, to a place in the mountains that Linda knew about. She had spent a few summer camps up there, enjoying the pristine air, the breathtaking views of the mountains and enjoying being among the trees and the wildlife. She recalled the camp bonfires, the singing, the sharing of a meal with people who cared...

The face of Mary Lewis, one of the camp counselors, came to Linda's mind. She realized now that she had a crush on Mary Lewis but at the time hadn't realized it. There was this urge of being with Mary at all times, holding her hand and listening to her calm, composed (almost shy) voice explaining the rules of the camp or what she expected the kids under her supervision to do in case of an emergency... Mary was not particularly beautiful, but she cared about them - Linda had seen that in the brown eyes and wide mouth of a round-faced woman. Mary Lewis could sing and play guitar, too. She had taught them so many songs that Linda was unable to remember how many and how they went, except for a few. Linda began to whistle one as she drove. She would teach Nikki and the twins those old songs... maybe around a bonfire... That would be great!

From time to time, Linda pulled over at a gas station for everybody to stretch their legs or go to the bathroom. There was no reason to rush. They would only be missed at the end of the day. If they got lucky, Mom and Dad wouldn't even be at home waiting for them to return from school... unless Anita had to cook that day. Anita would immediately notice they were gone... for good.

At one gas station, Linda began to become apprehensive. Four attractive young blondes jumping out of a Jeep was definitely not an everyday event for a couple of horny, equally young males out to get some fun. The guys were filling up the tank of their Jeep and a huge jerrican when Linda's Jeep roared in. Although Linda and her sisters were used to attracting attention, that whistling and waving could mean trouble to all of them. It could seriously jeopardize their chances of escaping their Dad's long and powerful arm.

"Let's get back in the Jeep," Linda commanded, with her stretched-out arms barring her sisters from going to the washroom.

"But Linda, I need to go," Jeannie protested.

"Later... Let's move... before we get into trouble because of these creeps."

"They're harmless, Linda," Nikki said. "You know we can handle them."

"No. Let's get back in the Jeep."

"Why?"

Linda looked at Nikki's grouchy face and at one of the guys who was walking toward them, showing his smile and waving his stained, dusty baseball cap.

"I'll explain later... but let's get in the Jeep... Come on!"

With some reluctance, Nikki and the twins obeyed and returned to the Jeep. Linda started the engine just in time to dodge the guy and drive away, burning the asphalt with tire rubber.

"I don't understand, Linda... I don't like it when you talk like that."

"Talk like what?" Linda asked, dividing her attention between Nikki and the road.

"Sometimes I think Zoë's right. You can't start pushing us around like that, like we don't have any opinions."

"You've been talking behind my back, huh?"

Nikki didn't answer. She was upset by Linda's arrogance and her dictatorial ways. She wanted a discussion before it got out of hand, but Linda's defensiveness was not helping matters much. Nikki looked out of the window, avoiding Big Sis's fleeting glances.

"Look, Nikki," Linda said, trying to get her sister's attention back by holding her hand. Nikki released her hand from Linda's clasp. She was now looking intently forward at the road. "Nikki, look at me... Please... "

Nikki didn't react right away. She kept staring at the road, feeling the wind blowing against her face and through her long hair, ignoring her sister's almost pleading tone of voice. But her rancor didn't last long... As always, Linda knew how to push the right buttons for her, Nikki, to come crawling back to Big Sis. As soon as Nikki faced her, Linda went on, "I had to do what I did... Those guys were trouble... We can't afford to be noticed by anyone... Within days our pictures'll show up in every goddam newspaper and on every TV news... Dad'll see to it. I'm damned sure about it."

"Still, that's no reason to shout at us and sound like... I don't know... a fascist dictator... "

"Would you listen to me otherwise?"

"Yes, I would."

"No, you wouldn't."

"Fine... Let's have it your way. Like always."

That exchange of words was the last before Linda stopped the Jeep at another gas station. Linda stayed inside while Nikki and the twins headed for the restroom. Linda sighed, leaning against the steering wheel, wiping the sweat off her forehead.

This runaway thing was getting disastrous, she thought, scratching her temple, and pulling her hair over her ear. After brooding about their almost desperate situation - at least it felt that way - Linda left the Jeep and walked to an unpretentious shopping mall beside the gas station. They needed food and drinks for starters. That mall seemed the right one to buy those all-important supplies for a group of starving, thirsty runaway kids with a bad attitude toward each other, and a metal-blue Jeep Cherokee as their getaway car. Talk about road movies, she thought, raising a smile.

Linda hurried across the parking lot, reckoning they shouldn't stay at the gas station longer than necessary.

Linda rubbed her eyes, repeating to herself she should keep on driving. The twins were already sleeping in the back and Nikki began to nod off in the passenger seat. But stopping in a motel for the night was out of the question. Four teenagers unaccompanied by an adult cropping up at a reception desk in the middle of the night would undoubtedly arouse suspicions. That was something they just couldn't afford. They could use their fake ID's, that's true, but still it would be too risky. No, she would drive on, no matter what.

A couple of hours dragged by. Linda was still behind the wheel, kicking herself to remain awake. She didn't want to turn on the radio, as she knew how tired her sisters were. The headlights of other cars were the only distraction on a boring, tedious ride to the mountains. She almost wished that a patrol car could spot them and begin to chase them down, like in the movies - at least there'd be some action.

After a long while, Linda turned off at the freeway exit she had been looking for for the past few hours. Their journey continued along the road that would bring them to their hideaway, an old log cabin that had belonged to a lumberjack. The cabin was on the top of a cliff and from there you could see the summer campground below. As far as she could remember, the cabin was a pile of logs held in place by weathered beams and filled with musty old furniture. All kinds of junk had been left there, making the place uninviting, and therefore the perfect hideaway. She was sure there would be all kinds of bugs and insects in the cabin. But she was ready for it. She was not afraid of spiders, ants or mice, no... People, yes, those could be as nasty as raging grizzly bears. Or perhaps not... That comparison was probably unfair to bears.

The road became narrower and steeper, winding up the side of the mountain. Pine trees rose up on both sides of the road as the headlights penetrated through the tunnel of darkness. There was no moonlight. The sky was heavily overcast. Soon the trees on the right-hand side gave way to a sheer drop to the valley below. Linda had to take special care to watch the right-hand edge of the road. Sometimes she caught a sight ahead of the precipice across a bend in the road.

Suddenly there was a bang. The right-hand front of the Jeep subsided and they started careering off the road. Linda screamed... She lost control. The Jeep went straight for the concrete blocks that were supposed to prevent them falling over the precipice and hurtling into the valley below. Linda was hurled forward when the tail of the Jeep skidded on the gravel and the side of the vehicle came to a violent stop against the concrete blocks. To Linda's horror, the Jeep ended up flush with the protective barrier and it seemed there was nothing between them and a thousand-foot drop over the precipice.

"Are you OK?" Linda asked, calling the twins and Nikki.

"Yes," Nikki said, straightening herself up on her seat, "but stop shouting."

"What the hell happened?" Jeannie asked, pulling her hair away from her face and trying to drive away the sleepiness that made her eyelids so heavy. "Were we shot at?"

"No, I don't think so," Linda replied, still shaking and getting off the Jeep. "We got a flat, a burst tire."

Doing her best not to show how scared she was, Linda started the stalled engine and drove the Jeep slowly, to the protesting sound of screeching metal, away from the protective wall and out into the road. Fortunately, they had brought a flashlight. They saw they had run over a two by four with a big spike sticking out of it.