Chapter 25

TUESDAY MORNING — OCTOBER 1

... Diana absently pushed the off button and turned to set the phone back in its cradle. My husband just sent me a message. Now to figure it out.

"Was that Dad?" Arlene asked.

Diana didn't respond as she focused on what Jeff had said.

"Mom," Arlene repeated with emphasis.

Diana turned to her. "Sorry. Yeah, it was Jeff." She hesitated for a second. "Your dad was very formal on the phone. No, 'Hi, Baby, Hi, Gal, ' or anything like that. No matter where he is or who he's with, he always starts his conversations like that; never 'Hello, Diana.' Why would he be almost — formal — with me this time?"

"What did he say?" from Helen.

"He said he would be here shortly after lunch and he was bringing two FBI people with him to interview Jill. He said that I was to prepare her for the interview because it would be a trying experience for her."

"Is that all he said?" Arlene demanded.

"Well, other than saying there was no need to prepare lunch for them since they would eat before they get here."

Everyone sat quietly for a moment, then, "Hmmm," Diana said almost to herself, then a little louder as her voice took on assurance, "He's not extending courtesy to them, at least not overtly, or he would have insisted that they eat with us since they will be arriving about midday. But he was so... formal on the phone. Wait. That's what he was trying to say. Treat them formally, in other words, be discreet, I suspect. Don't show them anything we don't have to."

"No one in the hallways or living room — or any room they pass," Laura offered, then after a second, "Set up one of the conference rooms for them to use. Hmmm, maybe one of the small sitting rooms would even be better. Jill would be in a comfortable chair while they interview her, but they would not be in Bill's suite. No need for them to know anything about Bill's relationship with Kathy."

"Or any relationship here, for that matter," Diana added. "Not even a hint. It isn't any of their business."

"Bill will want to be with them when they interview Jill..." Caitlin said.

"Not good," Joyce broke in. "Jill would have moral support, but a rape victim will seldom tell all in front of her husband. Too embarrassing."

Helen sat up straighter. "But she'll need someone there, and that person needs to be female. We can't just abandon her. My gosh, what we do know of this is terrible. That interview is bound to be long and detailed. She needs someone there to support her."

"Yes," Joyce agreed, "and in addition, I don't trust the FBI. These guys could be nice, or they could be a couple of assholes. Either way, Jill needs someone there who will say, 'enough, ' when the time comes."

All eyes turned toward Diana.

"Wait. I barely know her," she protested.

"But you're a Queen," Caitlin insisted, "the Queen of a Prime."

"But I'm not her Queen. Kathy is her Queen. At least I think she is. It looks like Kathy is running things."

"Kathy may be her Queen," Helen said, obviously thinking out loud, "but does Kathy really need to hear everything Jill is going to tell about what happened to her? And ... if Kathy turns out to be their Queen, like we think, she's still new at this..."

"And you think I'm not?" Diana interjected. "This all started a couple months ago. I'm not exactly ready for my doctoral dissertation on being a Queen, after all. And who says she'll even want me in there hearing what happened to her?"

"You're our Queen and we know you're the one who needs to be there," Helen said. "Besides, you have had one heck of a lot more experience at being a Queen than Kathy has, or anyone else. I'll go talk to Bill and Kathy right now. I'm sure they'll agree and pave the way for you with Jill."

"She's right," Joyce added. "This is bad enough on a woman who has been raped by one guy. This went on for a year with multiple people, plus Doctor Asshole. Jill needs an advocate. None better, as far as we're concerned. And as far as not knowing her very well, that might be for the better."

"And I thought my day was going so smoothly," Diana sighed. "All right, I'll be there if everyone thinks I should be, and if Bill and his women agree, but I think you," she said, directing herself to Joyce, "should go with Helen to help prepare Jill. You've interviewed rape victims, haven't you?"

"Yeah, and I testified in court on one rape case, but the jury found the guy not guilty. The defense attorney got the woman so flustered on the stand that she contradicted herself. He even got her to admit she had an orgasm, even though she had originally said she hadn't. They made a fool out of her in court. It seemed like she was tried instead of the guy who raped her.

"I was at the hospital standing by her side when the doctor and nurse examined her and did the rape kit thing. There was no semen because he used a condom, but I could see bruising. In court, the defense attorney made a big deal out of her being shaved around her groin, making her out to be a slut. The rapist had choked her while he was raping her. She thought she was going to die.

"Somehow during all that, she had an orgasm. Primal instinct, I guess, but she felt big-time guilty, then lied when the defense attorney first asked her about it. When he hounded her, she admitted that she had an orgasm. At that point, it was all over with the jury; you could see it on their faces. They thought she had just gotten caught fucking around on her husband and claimed rape. That was the defense, but she hadn't. That woman was beaten, choked and raped, but a year later in court with the defendant clean-shaven, hair cut short, and wearing a suit, she lost the case and the jury set him free.

"Most rape cases are never reported to the police, let alone go to court, mostly because the woman doesn't want the embarrassment and hassle that reporting the rape produces. Strange thing though," she sarcastically said, "six months later someone stuck a knife in the guy's kidney as he walked out the side door of his favorite bar. A guy found his body as he left to go to their car. She and her husband were hosting an all-night poker party for six of his friends the night the asshole got it. Detectives tried — not very hard, I suspect — to break their story, but were unsuccessful. I guess the gangsters have used the ploy to good advantage over the years, probably worked one more time for some more or less average people. Anyway the perp won't do it again, unless he has taken up rape in Hell," she finished, grinning.

Diana cleared her throat. "Un, well, this isn't going to court, according to Jeff. But I don't know what these FBI people are doing involved in it if it isn't. But Jeff promised Jill, so somehow it will work out, but right now, we need to let her know what's going to transpire so she won't be hit with it out of the blue."

"But what if the FBI agents won't let you be there?" Caitlin worriedly asked.

"And who is going to tell Jeff no when he gets in their face?" Diana asked sweetly.

There was a tittering chorus of agreement as Jeff's wives looked at each other.

"We'll get one of the sitting rooms ready," Arlene said as she and all the other girls stood.

"After that," Helen said, "all of you need to get to class and take up where we left off. I'll be there as soon as I can."

Turning to Diana, she continued, "We'll eat an early lunch and stay out of sight in the classroom while those people are here. That okay with you?"

"Sounds good," Diana replied.

Their impromptu meeting broke up as they each went about their assigned tasks.

The phone rang and Diana picked it up. "Matthews' residence. Diana speaking."

Dave's familiar voice came on the line. "When Evie and I got to the bottom of the drive, we noticed vehicle tracks in the snow going on past our drive toward the abandoned ski resort. They seemed to be double tracks as if someone had gone up and come back. Anyway, we followed them up the road for a quarter mile or so where they had turned around and come back. There were footprints in the snow where someone had gotten out of the vehicle where they made their 'U' turn. Diana, you could see part of the retreat from there now that the leaves are off the trees.

"The only reason Evie and I can think of for someone being there is to spy on us. Maybe I'm paranoid about Ingles, but those tracks worry me. I got out and stood where they had. You can only see part of the front of the retreat, so I don't think anyone could even hit one of us with a rifle unless there's a better vantage point up there somewhere, but still, it bothers me that someone was spying on us, particularly after what happened to Jill."

Diana sighed. "Thanks Dave. This scares me. I'll tell Jeff as soon as he gets here and I'll tell everyone to be extra careful. Oh, changing the subject, but I just heard the weather forecast. They're saying we're due for a foot or more of snow tonight with high winds. You two keep watch on the weather and get back before it gets bad. Promise me."

"Yeah, we listened to the weather on the way down. We'll cut it short if things start to happen."

"Remember, it snows up here well before it does in the valley," Diana said unnecessarily.

"Yeah, I know," Dave chuckled. "We'll factor that in and keep tabs on the latest forecast, also."

"Take care you two, and Dave..."

"Yeah, Diana."

"Call me before the two of you leave the farm. That weatherman said 'significant' snow of at least a foot with blizzard-like conditions."

"I've driven mountain roads all my life, Di..."

"I don't give a shit. The weather people say that the whole northwestern US is going to have record lows and lots of snow for this time of year. You call me before you leave. I worry."

"I'll call, Diana," Dave said, this time seriously. " Bye."

Fred turned into the parking lot of the new "old" Cracker Barrel Restaurant and Country Store.

"Everybody been in one of these before?" Fred asked the group as he spied a parking place on the side of the parking lot.

"Yeah," Audrey replied. "I haven't been to this particular one, since it just opened, but I usually stop at Cracker Barrel when I have to go to Atlanta."

"We haven't," Carla answered, "but it surely looks like word got out. The place is packed."

"They're a chain outfit," Fred said as he shut the motor off and turned in the seat a little to look back at Carla and Jessica, "but they have some good home type cooking, and well ... they're a little different."

"Don't forget the umbrellas," he continued as he got out, taking one with him. The rain had stopped momentarily, but it looked as if it would begin again soon.

Fred held the doors open a moment later and the women walked past him into the store part of the restaurant. "Oh, my," Carla hissed.

"Looks like there's a line. I'll go have our name put on the list while you girls look around," the big man said with a grin as he watched the women start to wander through the aisles.

(For those of you who have never been to a Cracker Barrel, it's not high dining, but it is a nice place to stop while traveling, and most are within sight of the Interstate. The store part as you walk in, has a little of everything: tee-shirts, CDs, cast iron cookware, model tractors for kids, old-style lanterns, maps, toys for the road, themes like Christmas items in season — hundreds of things. If there's a line for the restaurant, you have something to occupy your mind as you stroll around, look, and kill time. They have a greeter whose sole purpose is to smile and welcome you to Cracker Barrel. The restaurant part is bordered by large windows, and the dining area is usually divided into three sections with latticework between the sections. Antique items and old pictures adorn the walls. A gigantic fireplace stands waiting in the summer and has a roaring fire in winter. Old-style alcohol lamps sit idle on tables these days, but used to burn all the time.)

WILSON. GROUP OF FOUR, from the PA system.

Shortly, they were lucky enough to get a table by the window. "You are not going to embarrass us with your 'tub of grits' are you?" Carla joked, well mostly joked, after they had been seated.

"Crap, Baby, I'm hungry," Fred quietly protested as he reached to take her hand.

"He's always hungry," Jessica teased.

After the waitress brought their coffee, she turned, pen and pad in hand, toward Carla.

"Might as well get over your shock right away," Carla grinned, nodding to Fred. "Take his order first."

The waitress raised an eyebrow, but turned back to Fred.

"Uh," Fred said. "I eat a lot, and they're teasing me about it."

"Well, you're a big man, but I surely don't see any fat, so you must not eat too much," the waitress said as she checked Fred with a practiced eye, liking what she saw.

"Good," Fred quickly said, "now that we've gotten that out of the way, I want six scrambled eggs; half dozen biscuits — don't forget the butter and jelly — and a big stack of hotcakes. Oh and a bunch of those little bottles of maple syrup; those things are too small, so bring enough to start with. How many hotcakes are there in a regular order?"

"Three, but they're big."

"Okay, make that three orders of hotcakes, then. Oh, and a big glass of orange juice, and a tu ... uh a big bowl of grits — big bowl."

The waitress didn't even blink. "Anything else, Sir?"

"No, that will get me started."

"And for you, Ma'am," she said turning back to Carla.

Jessica fought the giggles while Audrey stared at Fred. When they had all given their orders and the waitress had gone, Jessica reached over and grabbed Audrey, pulling her close to whisper in her ear, "You'll find out where all that food goes when he gets you in bed. I hope you take your pill regularly."

"What?" Fred asked as Audrey's face gradually turned crimson.

"Tell you later," Jessica responded with a grin.

The four talked and watched the rain become a downpour again as they waited for their breakfast.

They stopped in front of the lodge. "You sure you don't want me to go in with you? I don't mean to horn in, but if you're leaving for a couple weeks is too much of a problem for Rob ... I mean, I'm not rich, but I can easily afford to pay his son to help out in your place while you're gone..."

Audrey reached over and squeezed Fred's hand. "No. Rob won't mind, and if he gets in a bind, he knows he can have Kenneth help out. Rob wants to buy me out so badly he can taste it, and he's a nice guy. But I'll tell him that I'll be gone with you guys for a few weeks, and I also need to sit down with him and go over some things about the camp before we leave. He's more than just a friend and partner, he's been almost a father to me since my divorce, so don't worry. I'll be down in a few minutes."

"Okay," Fred said, still a little dubious.

"But ... don't you let him talk you out of going with us," Jessica interjected.

"And call us if it's raining when you get through with your conference. I'll come back up in the Cruiser and pick you up," Carla offered.

Audrey stopped for a second when she opened the door to get out. "I'm going with you. It would never occur to Rob to even think about talking me out of the trip, anyway. He's been trying to get me to take a vacation for a couple of years. But I need to pack my clothes, and I need to do some washing."