Chapter 14

When we finished eating, Natty, Suzie and Debbie stayed in the kitchen to clean up the dishes. I took Katy into my office, closed the door and filled her in on what Debbie had told me and suggested that we needed to keep a close eye on her over the rest of the weekend. I also told Katy that I would try to talk to Debbie's mother before Monday. I then filled her in on what I planned to do. I knew there was some risk to my plan, but I didn't believe that foster care or HRS was much of a solution. I also knew that it would most likely be emotionally devastating for Debbie to go through the trauma of a trial.

Billy was the key to her problem. If he went away, then Debbie would most likely feel safe in her own home again. I knew that for Billy to have done what he did he would have had to have used Ecstasy or GHB or some combination of illegal drugs. I also knew that the way he administered the drugs, the confidence that he had in the results, and the control that he seemed to have over Debbie's brother Jimmy, meant that he was more than likely not just a casual user. I needed information on him and I needed it fast. There were two ways to get that information. I was planning to use them both.

Gil was a friend of mine from the Navy. Currently he was on the local police force where he was in charge of the narcotics unit; what used to be the vice squad when they had enough manpower to cover more than one vice. Gil owed me for some stuff that happened in the Navy and also for help that I had given him that had led to the arrests and convictions of several local mid-level drug dealers. It is amazing what you learn watching the security cameras at Wally World. Even drug dealers shop there. In addition, there were items that, when purchased in large quantities, indicate possible illegal activities. I bent several rules to make sure he knew about those purchases. It wasn't all give and no take. Fewer drug users in a community translate into less merchandise stolen from businesses, including your local Wally World.

Gil was anxious to pay me back and every time we got together he would tell me so. He also knew my three girls and had a daughter that was only a few years younger than Suzie and Debbie. That was the motivation for his work. I wasn't Gil's only contact and he had information on most of the drug activity in the local area. Hell, if he had it all there wouldn't be any drug activity in the local area, well for a while at least. He was the first person that I called. I asked him to stop by if he could during the next day or so because I needed a favor. He said he would be right over.

While I was waiting for Gil I called Archie. Archie was what I called a snoop. Archie made it his business to know things that other people didn't. He wasn't exactly a private eye and yet he had on occasion done exactly that type of work. He wasn't a regular police informant and yet on occasions he informed the police of certain activities. He wasn't a traditional computer hacker and yet he could break into systems without leaving a trace of his intrusion. He wasn't a lot of things, what he was... was a snoop. I had used him several times on inside employee theft problems that eluded my normal surveillance techniques and we had caught the culprits every time.

I called Archie and asked him to give me everything he had on Billy Andrews. I told him this one would be personal and not to bill Wally World. I gave him all I had which was Debbie's address as a hangout and that he hadn't graduated high school and that he knew a lot about certain type of drugs. I told him I needed it yesterday as I had to make a decision this weekend. He said he'd get back to me.

The third person that I needed to contact was Debbie's mom. She needed to get her act together. I went looking for Debbie to see if she had her cell number. I found her and all the girls in the living room huddled together supposedly watching TV. Well the TV was on, but I don't think they were paying much attention to it. Debbie was obviously giving them a more detailed rundown on exactly what had happened to her. I backed out into the kitchen when I saw what was going on as I knew how important the support was for Debbie and how important it was for her to articulate what had happened to her. As I stood in my kitchen I remembered that Debbie's mom had given us her cell number as well as her home number the night of the slumber party. The numbers were on a piece of paper I'd stuck on the refrigerator. I glanced over and sure enough the paper was still there along side her name, Lucy. I took the name and number and retreated to my office.

What many people don't know is that cell phones double as locator devices. All of these phones work by broadcasting to one or more towers in an area. In populated areas these towers are relatively close. The towers keep tabs on the cell phones even when they are not in use so that calls can be routed quickly and efficiently. Florida, along with other states, has picked up on this and requires those locations to be available for search and rescue and other purposes. Unfortunately if the phone is physically turned off this won't work. However, there are several web sites that will keep searching for a number until the phone is turned on and then email you with the location. I entered the cell phone number into two of these websites along with my email address. It was the best I could do at the moment.

Now it was a matter of waiting, something I should be, but I am not, very good at. I went prowling again to see how the confab in the living room was going. Katy saw me and motioned me over.

"The girls and I want to continue our talk with Debbie later. Could you sleep in one of their beds tonight so we could all sleep in the king-size bed in your room?" she asked.

I immediately noticed that she had said my room rather than our room. I would need to speak with all of the girls before they got into a confession mode to make sure that they were discreet in their discussions with Debbie. I acted like I was thinking about it. Finally I grinned and said, "I probably would for the right incentive."

It was funny to look at the girls and see their different reactions. Debbie just looked puzzled. Suzie and Natty were both blushing slightly and Katy and Suzie were both grinning. It was the combination of the blushing and grinning by Suzie that caused me to burst out laughing. The laughing must have puzzled Debbie even more but perhaps at this point in her life everything was serious business.

Finally Katy said, "What kind of incentive?"

I said, "Well, if I'm going to give up the comfort and warmth of my own bed I would think a kiss from each of you young ladies would be in order." Then, lest Debbie think anything amiss I pointed to my cheek and turned it towards her.

I was only trying to lighten things up but I guess that was too much for Debbie. She took my head in her hands, gave me a nice buss across the cheek and then burst into tears. She wrapped her arms around me and started crying in earnest. Both Suzie and Natty, who were on Debbie's side of the couch, wrapped her up into loving hugs. Katy, who was on my side of the couch, moved around front and put her arms around both me and Debbie. Finally the waterworks subsided and Debbie sat there and tried to explain what had happened.

"You all are so close and comfortable with each other that anybody can tell you're a family. Why can't my family be like that? My mom doesn't even know I exist anymore and my brother cares more about some other guy than me. What's wrong with me?" she wailed.

We all tried to speak at once and I heard, 'There's nothing wrong with you' from several sources. For once I didn't really know what to do other than to continue to hug her and assure her that sometimes there are things beyond our control. I could see that this sleepover and the discussion that they would have might be very beneficial for Suzie and Natty. Hopefully they would come away from it feeling less isolated, knowing that it wasn't just their earlier family that had serious problems. I was also more determined than ever to have that talk with Debbie's mom, and to help her understand the problems in her family... after I made sure that Billy would no longer be one of those problems. We sat around talking, and as I sat there I felt warmth in the room that wasn't physical. I don't know how to explain it except to say that for many years my home was a place that I visited to take a break from work. It was mine, it had my imprint, and yet it was a cold and sterile place. Now, as I looked about, the house glowed as if it were a scene out of a Norman Rockwell painting. The tenderness and love that each of us sitting here had for the others was a physical presence that created a radiance that actually seemed to transform the room into something ethereal. You could see a difference in Natty, Suzie, Katy, Debbie and yes, even in me, when we were together. It was something special, heartwarming and wonderful.

My reverie was broken by the sound of the doorbell. I went to the door and was only half surprised to see Gil there already. He was in shorts, T-shirt and sandals and it was obvious that he had not been working when he came right over. Gil was a man that worked hard and put his everything into his job but he was also a devoted family man. After the precious moments I had spent being warmed by my family, I suddenly felt bad about taking him away from his own. He came in smiling and grabbed my hand in a hearty exchange. He excitedly said, "Jeff, what can I do to help you. I never thought I'd get the chance."