Chapter 9: News of Jason

Rebecca

The most heartbreaking of news came out in late February when father's investigator reported that Jason had been working at a resort in Wyoming until the middle of January. Jason had finally purchased a replacement car, and the registration change had alerted the investigators to check in the area. Once they started, they discovered the resort and records showing he had started working there in July. Contact had been made with the owner of the resort, but at the time all we knew was that he had been running the resort restaurant. The surprise was when the investigator sent home an envelope filled with glowing reviews of the restaurant and its food. Jason's education in cooking consisted of whatever instruction he could coax out of the various nannies we had grown up with, and the experience of acting as a party caterer since my little slumber party almost three years ago. Here were professional food critics complimenting his food.

I must have burned father's ear off, begging him to take me to this resort so I could see where Jason had been. I am positive that he was against it, but the first weekend in March found him sitting next to Monique and me as we rode in an airplane headed to Salt Lake City.

To say that the resort was isolated was an understatement. Once we left the airport, father had to drive for nearly four hours to finally reach it. We did discover that this little town in the Rockies had some of the most spectacular views I had ever seen. Admittedly I grew up in Phoenix and have seen mostly desert in my life, but since that day something about snow covered mountains makes my heart soar.

Robert the owner was not very forthcoming. He appeared to be rather protective of Jason and refused to admit anything more about him. He admitted that Jason had been working there since June, but that was information we had received from the investigator. We were preparing to leave the resort and drive back to the town to stay, as there were no empty rooms at the resort when a striking lady wearing a name badge with Patricia on it stepped in front of my father. "You promise you won't hurt him," she said.

At my father's nod she pushed him through a staff door and then led him back to a room. "He stayed here. He did not leave much but you can look through what he left. I'm guessing you are his father; you look quite a bit like him. Robert wanted him to stay but after that trophy bunny drove him off, my brother has said little about Jason."

I wanted to say something, but it was Monique who managed to ask. "So he was all right?"

Patricia looked at both of us for a moment. There seemed to be no recognition of either of us. Her gaze seemed to pass back and forth before she spoke. "And I'm going to answer you because you are Jason's..."

Monique blushed for a moment and then whispered. "Fiancée. I was his fiancée until Rebecca and I ruined it."

I watched father's head whip around to stare at Monique, but my head slowly nodded to acknowledge the truth of Monique's statement. Father sank onto the bed in shock while Patricia looked straight into Monique's eyes.

There was a long moment of silence before Patricia sighed. "Well, at least that explains why Jason showed up here with a broken heart, although I'm not sure why it takes both of you girls to tell this tale. He never talked much about himself or his family, and Robert's few attempts usually resulted in a pained refusal to discuss it."

Monique and I looked at each other and I could see her heart sink as mine did. I was trying to think of what to say when father surprised both of us by muttering. "It wasn't his fault. He didn't know. He couldn't have known. They fooled everyone. Monique, Rebecca were victims too. Why can't we tell him that? See him?"

Father was sitting on the bed crying. Patricia was looking back and forth confused and then looked back and Monique and I who had started holding hands during father's speech. "Now I'm even more confused," Patricia said as she looked around the room. "You, Albert I know are Jason's father. He looks a lot like you. But Monique tells me she was Jason's fiancée and it seems like Rebecca played a role in breaking his heart as well."

Monique's hand tightened in mine, but I sighed and spoke. "I'm Jason's adopted sister. What happened is a couple moved in across the street and started hiring Monique or I to baby-sit, but..." I paused and had to lick my lips before I could continue. Father was shaking his head to stop, but I felt Patricia could help if she knew the truth. "It turned out that the couple worked to seduce and train young women before selling them as sex slaves outside the US. We aren't sure, but it seems that Jason overheard the couple in the process of conditioning me one night and left. He knew that Monique was baby-sitting for them as well and..." I found myself shrugging, but Patricia actually nodded.