Chapter 8: War Council

When she arrived at the entry hall, she was unsurprised to find her parents waiting there, along with the headmistress. She was pleased to note that both parents had briefcases, and each carried one of the stuffed animals she had requested. She was especially happy to note that her father's briefcase was the one she had suggested.

Miss James showed them to a small meeting room just off of the entry hall. She requested a chance to speak with them once they were finished with their meeting. Their response was noncommittal.

Once they were settled and alone in the room, her mother hugged her and asked how she was. She replied that she would live. She also said that she would be a bit more comfortable if the room was a bit more private. She looked significantly at her father's briefcase as she added that last bit. He nodded, and set the case on the table. As he opened the case and adjusted some device inside, she scanned the room for the camera she knew was there. She found it, pointed it out to her parents, then blocked it with her hat. Her father took a boxlike device out of his briefcase and walked around the room with it. He found two microphones, which he was already jamming, and an additional camera. Once they were done, she asked whether they had received and read the materials. They both said that they had. Her mother added that she had been given an envelope for Linda, as well. Linda accepted the envelope, and glanced through it. Satisfied, she turned to her father.

His first question was why she wanted the toys.

"The Gainsboroughs aren't just toys. Blue Boy is a jammer, similar to the one in your briefcase. The ears hide the antennas, and the speakers are at the sides of the head. Pinky is a digital camcorder. Each has a locater that I can use to find the other. I assume the cell is a secure line, voice and text?"

"Of course. The full confidential client package. It is also preloaded with our office and personal numbers."

That out of the way, they got down to business. First, they went over the official reports. Linda verified that the copies they got were accurate. She was gratified that they had found the expected evidence under the teacher's nails. She added her observation that most of the event had been staged, and was apparently operating policy there.

Then they moved on to the other reports. Each report stressed different information. Her father's report listed the major backers of the school and the legal and political ramifications of the situation. In particular, it described the history and downfall of one formerly active backer.

"The last thing in the world those others want is a scandal like this. It could tie them to him, and bring his history out in public. They rewarded my earlier silence with opportunities for the two of you. I'm sure you remember those. Now I am the key. If the prosecution goes through, in public, these people will be very unhappy and probably face serious problems. And they are not the only ones. Look at the judges who have consistently sent girls here. Even if they did not know what was going on, they could be hurt badly by the scandal. And even without the rape, there are things about this school that would not survive the light of day."

"We will not be party to blackmail."

"Nothing so crude or dishonourable. If you play this right, they will be more than willing to give me what I want and give you more of those profitable, and prestigious, opportunities."

"And what is it that you want?"

"We'll get to that. But keep all of this in mind while we have a bit of girl talk."

She called her mother's attention to her report. It listed the backers and "customers" of the school, indicating the likely sources of cash flow and the opportunities for leveraging the influence of the customers and backers. It went into some detail about their holdings, positions, and other areas of influence. It also briefly mentioned other goods and services of the school, without going into detail.

"If the school is destroyed by a major scandal, it will not only harm the backers. It will hurt the students and their parents, the judges, and others. If we do not effectively stop the events that are already underway, this school, this company, is worse than worthless. It is a net liability to everyone involved, including you. A person paying one pound for anything but the physical plant and the grounds would be overpaying. But if a person were to gain control of the school before it hit the fan, and took steps to eliminate the problems before they became fatal, the benefits could be enormous. You've done it before with other companies. We can do it here."

"I'm not sure I follow your reasoning."

"On the surface, we have a useful school. It specializes in taking undermotivated, mildly delinquent daughters of prominent families and turning them into good students and respectful members of society. Beneath the surface, we have a dungeon specializing in sexual humiliation and turning out a mixed batch of pathological submissives, sexual sadists with effective camouflage, and complete basket cases. Those who survive do well on tests and in classes. The others are quietly institutionalized. It also somehow serves the interests of certain people with a taste for the domination and humiliation of schoolgirls, like our friend the former statesman."

"Now, because of the attack on me, that dungeon threatens to be exposed to the light of day. The ambulance crew who came have their own reasons to expose it. The easier one is the man. He is a well paid anonymous source for some of the less reputable tabloids and the like. He can be handled with a combination of money, influence, and pressure."

"The woman is more difficult. She is an energetic advocate for rape victims and the like. She is outraged by what that woman did to me, but she is also outraged by Matron's inadvertent admission that she had tried to prevent me from reporting the attempted rape and that she had no intention of filing the required reports after I had told her about it. She also strongly suspects that school policy supports or even encourages sexual abuse of the students. No amount of money or pressure would get her to back down. If I am harmed, or if she suspects that I have been co-opted in some way, there is little or nothing that could stop her or her associates. If anything happens to her, there are others who would pick up the fight."