Chapter 6

Darkness had fallen as the two women faced each other at Lisa's front door.

"Agent Marianne Taylor," said the female F.B. I. agent shaking hands with Lisa. Their eyes met and Lisa was struck with the feeling that they had met before.

"Have we... ?" she started.

"Where can we talk in private?" asked the attractive twenty-eight year old.

Lisa led the agent into the kitchen, leaving the other officers in the front room while Lisa poured coffee and they sat at the circular table.

Lisa noticed the agent scrutinizing her, not so much in any formal official manner, but rather she sensed the agent was gently testing her... but why?

"Actually Ms. Bennett we have met before. It was a long time ago."

The brown eyes sparkled from her attractive face and she smiled slightly... warmly, felt Lisa.

"I don't..." began the older woman.

"Almost fifteen years ago," said the agent.

Lisa searched her mind, but couldn't... then it hit her. No wonder the woman looked familiar. Could it be?

"You were... ?"

"The girl you tried to save from the Wild Dogs. I was the girl they called Little Bit."

"My God! But how... ? I mean... is it really you?... but how did you... ?"

The attractive agent smiled sadly.

"When we left you at that roadside bar, Rolf took the Wild Dogs north. I was gang raped repeatedly. He said I was to be his whore. He wanted me to prostitute myself to make money for the gang. When I wouldn't, he had me held down while he injected me full of heroin. Soon I was hooked and did anything he wanted for a fix. He whored me across seven states for over a year and a half. Finally he got tired of me and sold me to another biker gang. They ran a house in Kansas City. I worked there for another year, still on dope. Finally the place was raided by the Feds for drug and firearm violations. With a lot of help I got dried out, went back to my parents and finished school. It was then I decided to join the F.B.I."

"To get Rolf?"

"Yeah, and other bad guys as well. I've been with the bureau for five years now."

"Have you been after the Wild Dogs the whole time?"

"No. I've been assigned to a lot of different cases in that time... but the Wild Dogs and Rolf have never been far from my mind."

"Nor mine."

"Did... you get my letter?"

"Yes. I still have it," said Lisa moving to the living room briefly where she retrieved an envelope from a desk drawer, then returned.

"You saved my life, " said the agent.

"No, I..."

"Oh, I know you couldn't directly intervene, but when we talked, you gave me the courage to go on, even when Rolf made me leave with his gang. You made me realize that there were good people left in the world, that I could somehow get through it."

"That's kind of you to say. I just wish that I could have done more."

"We both wish we could have gotten each other away from Rolf and that gang of his."

Lisa lifted the letter from the envelope. "I've read it many times. To know that you were finally away from them meant a lot to me. I wrote back..."

"We moved right after I sent the letter. Mom and Dad wanted to start all over, to make a clean break, I just couldn't got back to my old school, not with everyone knowing what had happened. They didn't even provide a forwarding address. We just sold everything and within a couple of days, we were gone. We settled in South Carolina where I finished school. I guess that's why I never received your reply."

"I just wanted you to know how happy I was that you were back with your parents and that you all were putting your lives back together again. I wanted you to know how proud I was of you, your strength."

"I guess I was a lot tougher than I thought I was," smiled Marianne. "I still look back on it and marvel that I got through it."

"And now... my Kimmie's..." Lisa began, sobbing.

"Look... may I call you Lisa? You got through it. I got through it. We both know it's going to be rough, but there's no reason to believe Kimmie won't..."

"But she's so young! Even younger than you were! She's totally unprepared for..."

"We were unprepared as well as you'll remember. Nothing could prepare a woman for what we went through. Yes, I won't kid you, until we can get her back, we both know Kimmie is going to go through a living hell. But the fact that she's very young may work in her favor. When she can't measure up to the other women that he no doubt has in the gang, he may be willing to sell her."

"You mean... to another gang?"

"Exactly. We've just broken up another rogue gang. They've got some heavy indictments facing them. I may just be able to to get the prosecutor to cut a deal with the leader."

"But how will that get Kimmie back?"

"The leader of this gang, Hammer, can get word to Rolf that's he's looking to collect the reward for Kimmie -- that he'll split it half and half with Rolf who obviously can't collect it himself. If Rolf takes the bait, we nab him and get Kimmie back."

Lisa's eyes widened and her mouth flew open in astonishment. This was the first positive thing she had heard since Kimmie was taken.

"Marianne, do you really think it will work?"

"There are no guarantees, but it's our best shot. In the last five years, we've tried every way imaginable to get him without any luck. We even lost an agent who tried to infiltrate Rolf's gang."

"Dead?"

"Yes. Rolf found out somehow and killed him."

"Oh my God!"

"He's not just a rapist, Lisa. He's a killer as well. He's been implicated in at least two other murders that we know of."

"You wouldn't..."

"No, we won't do anything that will put Kimmie in any more danger than she's already in. And yes, we have to be careful, because as he's gotten older, Rolf's gotten craftier as well."

"Thank you, Marianne. For the first time I feel like there's hope."

"I'll talk with the D.A. first thing in the morning." The agent could easily see the tension and worry in the face of the still attractive forty-nine year old. "But right now, I'm going to shoo all the police and agents out of here and give you a chance to get a good night's sleep."

"I... I guess I'm a lot more tired than I thought," smiled Lisa weakly.

The agent rose and within a couple of minutes the three police cars parked out front were leaving.

"Agent Wilkerson and I will be leaving now. Is there anything..."

Lisa looked up to the beautiful woman standing over her.

"Would... would you stay with me... here, tonight?"

"Of course. Just a moment."

Marianne was gone but a moment, then returned. "I told my partner I would be staying with you tonight. He's staying at a motel a couple of miles away."

"Thanks. I know it's silly but..."

"Not at all. I can sleep on the couch and..."

"You don't need to do that. You can sleep in Kimmie's bed."

"I'm not sure that would be best right now."

"Why don't we go into the living room where it's more comfortable," suggested Lisa.

When Lisa had settled herself on the couch and Marianne on an overstuffed chair, the mother continued. "Tell me about yourself. Married? Children?"

"No... I... men don't interest me."

"Is it because of..."

"I'm not sure. I can't honestly say that I ever had much of an interest in boys, but what Rolf and his gang did to me along with having to prostitute myself turned me off to men completely."

"Is there someone?" asked Lisa.

"No. I lived with a woman, Anita, for about a year, but she was too possessive -- I felt smothered so I moved out. That was over a year ago. But what about your husband?"

"Divorced. When he found I was pregnant with Rolf's child he just couldn't handle it. He wanted me to have an abortion, but even though I hated the piece of garbage who made me pregnant, I couldn't bring myself to end the pregnancy. We argued. The marriage went south. He left when I was five months pregnant."

"Then Kimmie is..."

Lisa nodded. "The one beautiful and loving thing which came out of that nightmare."

"Does she know/"

"No. Carl and I, despite the divorce, decided to tell her she was ours. It seemed easier and better for everyone."

"Does he... ?"

"No. He gave me a generous settlement, but he moved to another state. He was remarried two years ago. He's never even seen Kimmie."

"It just doesn't seem fair..."

"I don't blame him."

"No, I meant it doesn't seem fair that something beyond the control of either of you should break up a marriage."

"It was hardly a fairy tale marriage. The night it happened we had been to a party. I committed an indiscretion with another woman. He caught us. We were arguing about it on the way home when we had that flat tire. After that, I couldn't bear for a man to touch me, even Carl. So the marriage soon disintegrated. I've drifted in and out of affairs with women, but none that have lasted."

Marianne's eye caught and held Lisa's for a brief moment. Then, as if to remind herself of her professional duty she rose and did a walk around of the house even though there was no reason to think there was any danger. Lisa watched the agent, as Marianne moved about the house, checking windows and doors.

"If you'd like to get some sleep..." Marianne started, taking off her suit coat and laying it over the back of the chair.

"I... I guess I am tired, but... more keyed up than tired. I'm not very sleepy."

"Would you like to watch TV or... ?"

"I enjoy talking with you Marianne. Could we talk some more?"

"Of course."

"Why don't we get on some PJs and I'll fix us some hot chocolate," volunteered Lisa. Marianne smiled, holding up her hands to indicate she had nothing to change into. "Well you are a bit taller than me, but I'm sure I've got something you could wear."

"I don't want to put you out. I can sleep right there on the couch."

"Nonsense. Wait right there," smiled the older woman hurrying to the bedroom.

Shortly Lisa reemerged wearing green silken pajamas and carrying another similar set in blue, which she offered to Marianne.