Chapter 10

Saturday, May 29, 2010

Jake, a little worse for wear after a short night’s sleep, knocked on the front door of the DeRizzo’s house at the stroke of nine.

“I figured you were the kind of guy who would be on time,” Julie said when she opened the door. She was dressed in jeans and a t-shirt.

“Can I kiss you good morning?”

Julie looked around, and when she saw the coast was clear, she gave him an earnest kiss. She pulled back when they heard steps.

“Good morning, Jake,” Leanne DeRizzo said, walking down the hallway. “Come on back to the kitchen and join me for a cup of coffee or whatever you drink. Have you had breakfast yet?”

“Yes, Ma’am. Honey Nut Cheerios, the best breakfast cereal money can buy. I’m not much for coffee, thanks for asking. I would enjoy visiting with you for a while though.”

“Nothing? How about some orange juice?”

“That would be nice, thanks. Will I be meeting any other members of the family?”

“Mr. DeRizzo is already at the golf course,” Leanne said. “Are Kara or Brian up yet, Julie?”

“No, they were both out late last night.”

“Well, maybe they’ll show up before long.”

“Your house is lovely, Leanne. Do you work outside the home?”

“No, my life is my family and this house.”

“Do you know the Finches very well?”

Jake felt her disapproval.

“Do I know them well? No, but we have been acquaintances for many years. Why do you ask?”

“I’m a bit concerned about Carol. I’ve come to know her through Julie, but I can’t say that we’ve connected really well. I’m usually pretty good with people, but Carol, well, she doesn’t relate well to others.”

“Maybe she doesn’t like you much.”

“I’m not saying she should automatically find me likable. But I don’t think that’s the problem. In fact, I’m pretty sure she has designs on me. She just doesn’t seem to be able to connect on an emotional level, not like most girls I know.”

“So you want to psychoanalyze her?”

“I want to understand her, and I want to be her friend. I’m trying to figure out how to do that. Would you say that Carol’s parents are warm people?”

Leanne snorted.

“Warm? No, not them. At least not so far as I know. They’ve never been more than casual acquaintances.”

“Have you ever socialized with them?”

Jake felt Leanne’s irritation. She recalled several invitations that had been refused. Jake got the impression that none of them were recent.

“No, we don’t seem to run in the same circles.”

“Julie, what kinds of things are the Finches interested in?”

“I don’t really know, but they do it a lot. They’re out most evenings. Carol spends a lot of time over here. Sometimes I go over to her house.”

“They don’t take Carol with them?”

“No, never.”

“That sounds kind of hard on Carol. Does she feel like she’s being rejected?”

“I don’t know if Carol even thinks about it. It’s just the way it is. Carol’s parents stopped hiring sitters about a year ago. Carol is by herself mostly.”

“Maybe they’re home now. I’d like to meet them.”

“They’re not early risers on the weekends.”

“Okay. Maybe later.” He turned to Leanne. “The flowers out front are very nice. Is gardening your hobby?”

Jake felt her pride.

“I let the men take care of the yard and the shrubs, but the flower beds are mine.”

“What are those big yellow flowers out front?”

“Those are chrysanthemums.”

Despite Julie’s impatience, Jake talked to Leanne about gardening for twenty minutes. When Jake asked a question about how to fertilize roses, Julie hissed at him.

“Are you getting bored, beautiful?” Jake asked. He turned back to Leanne. “You know kids these days. Go, go, go, all the time.”

“I’ll go, go, go all over your butt in a minute,” Julie said. “Let’s go see Carol.”

“Your wish is my command. Thanks for the juice, Leanne. Will you show me how you prune the roses when we have some more time to talk?”

“Of course, Jake. It’s too bad you live in an apartment, and you can’t plant a bed of your own.”

He kissed Leanne good-bye on the cheek and followed Julie out the front door.

“Suck-up!” Julie said once there were on the sidewalk.

“She feels ignored and unappreciated. If you all would kiss her once in a while and talk to her about things she’s interested in, I wouldn’t have to.”

“What do you mean she feels ignored? I’ve never heard her say that.”

“She feels it’s her job to take care of the rest of you. She doesn’t think it’s her place to ask for anything from you all.”

“My mom? She needs something from us?”

“Try this experiment. Walk into the kitchen while she’s cooking and say, ‘You’re such a good cook. We don’t tell you often enough how much we appreciate you.’ If she doesn’t start to tear up, I’ll be your slave for a week.”

“How can you know all that about my mother?”

“Julie, what were you doing this last half hour? Didn’t you see how happy she was to talk about something important to her? Just because she doesn’t complain doesn’t mean she isn’t needy.”

‘Okay, I’ll tell her I appreciate her, but that doesn’t mean you’re not some kind of a mutant. I don’t really see how you can understand her so well when you’ve just met her.”

“Have I told you lately how much I like you?”

Julie was startled by his change of tack although she was pleased by his declaration of affection.

“Maybe you are a mutant, but you’re my mutant.”

“I can live with that.”

They arrived at Carol’s front door and Julie knocked.

“You’re not going to just walk in?”

“Not when Carol’s parents are home. Their privacy seems very important to them.”

Carol came to the door and let them in. Mrs. Finch was standing behind her. Carol introduced them. Mrs. Finch was short and buxom, probably in her early thirties. Jake reached out to shake her hand, reading her at the same time. She was a cauldron of sexual desire. Jake would not have thought it possible, but her need was even more intense than Carol’s.

Jake held her hand longer than was customary for a polite greeting and stared intently into her eyes. The longer he stood like that the more pronounced her excitement became. Julie finally cleared her throat, and he released her hand.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Finch. Is Mr. Finch here? I had hoped to meet him today as well.”

Her mind flashed on an image of a middle-aged man lying on top of her in the act of sexual intercourse.

“I’m sure he’ll be down in a little while.”

“I smell coffee. Would it be too much of an imposition to ask you for a cup, Mrs. Finch.”

“Aren’t you a little young to be drinking coffee?”

“Probably, but I enjoy socializing over a cup. I don’t want to be a bother.”

“No bother. Come with me and let me fix you a cup.”

He followed her to the kitchen. Carol trailed them, looking a little confused.

“Cream and sugar, please, Ma’am.”

“I’ll put it out on the table, and you can fix it the way you like.”

He put his hand on her arm.

“Won’t you join me for a few minutes, Mrs. Finch?”

“Huh? Sure, if you’d like.”

She brought him a cup and sat with him at the table. He again looked her in the eye and touched her hand with his.

“I think I heard Carol say you and your husband went out last night. Did you do anything interesting?”

Mrs. Finch brought to mind a scene in which she was being fucked doggy style, screaming out in orgasm. The man over her shoulder rutting with her was not the Mr. Finch she had pictured in her head a few minutes earlier. There were other couples nearby, naked and engaged in a variety of sex acts.

“Mr. Finch and I like to go into the city and visit the art galleries.”

“I was talking to Carol about her test scores, yesterday. I didn’t realize how bright she is. You must be proud of her.”

“Oh, yes. Carol is quite a good student.”

Mrs. Finch was actually indifferent to Carol and her studies

“I’ve heard Carol talking about some of the student art projects at school. I bet she would have liked being with you and Mr. Finch last night.”

Mrs. Finch became more interested. She imagined Carol engaged in sex with Mr. Finch, Carol lying underneath him missionary fashion as he thrust into her.

“In fact, I really enjoy art myself. Maybe Carol and I could both go with you and Mr. Finch sometime.”

She pictured Jake with his cock between her large breasts, stroking back and forth.

“Perhaps we can arrange that, Jake. I’ll ask Mr. Finch.”

“You look so young. You must have had Carol at a young age.”

“Yes. I was eighteen.”

“How long have you been married?”

“We just had our fourteenth wedding anniversary last month.”

“Were you living here in town when you were married?”

She recalled her wedding. It was a civil ceremony with hardly anyone present. Mrs. Finch was decidedly pregnant, though not yet very large.

“No, we were married just before we moved here.”

Jake put his hand on her thigh under the table and rubbed up and down in short strokes. He again fixed her in the eye.

“It was such a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Finch. I hope that we can talk again. I’d like to get to know you better.”

She stared back at him, shuddered, and then pressed her thighs together, trapping his hand between them. He smiled at her brightly. She smiled back and released his hand from between her legs. He stood and turned to Julie and Carol. They had been standing near the doorway watching the conversation.

“Carol, want to go somewhere and talk?” Jake asked.

“Let’s go to my room.”

“Mrs. Finch, do you mind if I go up to Carol’s room?”

“No, that’s fine. You kids have fun.”

Jake followed Carol with Julie behind him. Julie whispered in his ear as they climbed the stairs.

“That was the creepiest thing that I’ve ever seen, Jake. How could you feel up her leg like that?”

“I have to agree about it being creepy,” he whispered back. “I was totally out of line, and yet, she liked it, and encouraged it. I don’t understand what’s going on here.”

Jake did not sense either of the Finches close by, so he lay down on Carol’s bed and pulled Carol down next to him. He kissed her warmly and held her close to him.

“Your mom was very nice, Carol,” Jake said. “I didn’t expect her to be so friendly.”

“That’s just how she is. She’s always friendly with men.”

“How come you didn’t go with them to the gallery last night?”

“They say that I’m not old enough yet, that it’s too grown-up. They say I can go with them when I turn fourteen.”

“What do you think about that?”

“I suppose it’ll be okay. I like art class, but I really think it would be boring to go to art galleries three or four times a week like they do.”

“Will they go out tonight?”

“Probably. They almost always hit the galleries on Friday and Saturday nights.”

“What will you do while they’re gone?”

“I might get together with Julie. Maybe I’ll watch TV. I was wondering this week about inviting Jason over or maybe you if Julie doesn’t mind.”

“Carol, sweet thing, you can always call and talk to me. It’s hard for me to get out in the evenings sometimes, but I can try. Maybe you can get together with Julie, too. Or even better, with both of us.”

“Right,” Julie said.

“How did you get such a good score on the social studies test, Carol?” Jake asked.

“Oh, that was easy. I always get good grades. I just don’t let on so people won’t think I’m a freak or something.”

“Well, brainy thing, I know who I’m going to go to for help with my classes from now on,” he said and then kissed her. “There’s nothing sexier than a smart girl.”

Carol giggled. “You’re just saying that, but thanks. You can study with me.”

“Tell me something. What do your parents do for a living?”

“Dad’s a CPA. Mom is his receptionist.”

“So they’re always together?”

“Mostly. Sometimes Dad runs errands by himself, but usually, they’re always together.”

“Do you ever talk to your mom about boys?”

“She never talks about that stuff with me. In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever heard her say anything about sex at all.”

“Are your parents affectionate around each other?”

“No. Dad’s very formal. I can’t imagine him actually hugging or kissing someone.”

“Would you do something kind of crazy for me?”

“Like what?”

“Go talk to her about sex.”

“No way. She’d have a cow. She’d probably ground me.”

“I’m not saying talk about your sex life. Ask her about the birds and the bees. Ask her when a girl should get involved with boys and what’s proper for the girl to do. Ask her about what things she did when she was your age. Maybe you’re misreading her. Maybe she’s not the kind to bring up the topic, but I’m pretty sure she is more receptive to it than you think.”

“It would just be so embarrassing to talk to my mom about sex.”

“We’re walking on eggshells here worrying about your parents. It looks to me like we might not have to be careful at all. Wouldn’t you like to know if your parents are open about us having sex?”

“I guess so. But I’m not sure I can do this.”

Jake bumped up her courage and her desire for adventure.

“It won’t be that bad. And think about how nice it would be if you and Julie and I didn’t have to worry about your parents. There would be a lot more chances for us to play.”

“You know, I think you’re right. It would be fun to push my mom and see what she does.”

Julie looked at Carol in surprise. Jake frowned at her and shook his head. She subsided but looked unsettled.

“Can you talk to her in the living room?”

“Why? Are you going to eavesdrop?”

“I might. If you can’t get her to talk to you there then come back and let me know. But if you just take the lead and act confidently, I bet you’ll find that she’ll do what you want.”

“Okay, Jake. For you. But sometimes you’re the strangest guy.”

“Atta girl. Kiss me before you go. And I want to be well kissed.”

Carol took his command seriously. They were both breathing heavily when Jake finally broke it off.

“You are one sexy girl, Carol. You’d better go before I lose control.”

She ran off with a big smile on her face.

“How did you do that?” Julie asked. “She’s terrified of talking to her mother about sex.”

Jake lay down on the bed and pulled her down beside him. He kissed her.

“That was pretty good, wasn’t it? I just hope it will do some good. We’re doing this more to find out about her mother than that I hope Carol can bond with her. I’m not sure that Mrs. Finch can connect with Carol.”

“Why do you say that? And why do you want Carol and her mother to talk in the living room.”

“I can’t tell you right now. It’s got something to do with one of the skeletons in my closet. I promise I’ll try to tell you soon.” He kissed her on the nose. “I just wish you and I had more time alone so that we could talk about important stuff.”

“That’s not the first time you’ve said that. I’m getting very curious.”

“I don’t mean to torment you. Now, would you do me a favor? I need a couple of minutes to think something through. Can we just lay here and snuggle quietly for a little bit?”

“Carol’s right. You are the strangest guy.”

Mrs. Finch’s libido, which had already been simmering at a pretty high level, jumped.

Mrs. Finch imagined a scene in which Carol and a good-looking boy of the same age were fucking in the middle of a crowd of men and women.

“Rod,” Jake heard Mrs. Finch yell with both his ears and his mind. “Come here and talk with us. It’s important.”

Jake heard the slow tread of steps coming down the hall and going down the steps.

Do you still have your hymen, Mrs. Finch asked.

What? No, I broke it almost a year ago?

But you’re still a virgin, aren’t you? Mr. Finch asked.

Please, don’t make me talk about stuff like that.

Are you or aren’t you? Mr. Finch asked firmly.

Carol was starting to cry.

“Uh oh, we’ve got to go,” Jake said jumping to his feet.

He pulled Julie up and to the door.

Yes, I’m a virgin, Daddy, Carol was saying through her tears.

Mr. Finch imagined himself having sex with Carol surrounded by enthusiastic spectators. In his mind, Carol was thrashing back and forth and screaming in ecstasy.

“What are we doing?” Julie asked.

“If you love Carol, play along with me. We’re getting Carol out of the house. Make a lot of noise as we go down the steps.”

They thundered down the stairs and burst into the living room. A slender man with graying hair was standing over Carol.

“Hey, Mrs. Finch. Good to meet you, Mr. Finch. Carol, hurry. We’re going to be late.”

He grabbed her hand and jerked her up and toward the door.

“We’ll have Carol back soon. Julie’s parents were expecting us ten minutes ago,” Jake said, giving no one a chance to interrupt.

Jake threw open the front door and pushed Julie and Carol through.

“Goodbye,” he said over his shoulder. “Maybe we can talk next time.”

And then they were out the door and down the front steps.

“Hurry! Run!” Jake said. “We’ve got to be out of sight before they realize what happened.”

Jake grabbed them by the arms and urged them along.

“Julie, we need a private place for the three of us to talk. Is there someplace at your house?”

“Sure, the garden out back. We can go there.” She noticed Carol crying. “What’s wrong with Carol?”

“We can’t talk yet,” Jake said. “Just get us to your garden.”

They ran across the street and came to Julie’s house. She led them around the side of the house and into the backyard. There were flowers everywhere. They followed her to a gazebo near the back fence. There were chairs arranged around a patio table.

Jake sat in one of the chairs and pulled Carol into his lap.

“Darling, I’m sorry I put you in that situation. I didn’t know it would be so bad.”

“Why did they want to know that stuff, Jake?” Carol said, still crying.

“Carol, I have some ideas, but I’m way out of my league. There is stuff going on here that I don’t understand at all. We’ve got to get some advice.”

“Do you want to talk to my mom, Jake?”

“I don’t know who to talk to yet. We’ll be taking a big chance whoever we talk to. We may need to call CPS.”

“What’s CPS?” Carol asked.

“Child Protective Services. They’re supposed to protect children from abuse.”

“But I haven’t been abused.”

“Not yet, but they’re planning to. Besides, I think it’s pretty clear that you’ve been neglected for the last several years.”

“But, Jake, they will take me away from my parents.” Carol began to sob harder.

“Carol, darling, if they don’t then worse things will happen. I don’t know what to do, so we’re not going to do anything yet. And I won’t do anything you don’t want. But I won’t stand back and let bad people do bad things to you.”

“What’s going on here?”

Jake’s head jerked up. Leanne DeRizzo was standing over them frowning.

“Rod Finch is on the phone,” she said. “He wants Carol to go home.”

Carol went completely to pieces.

“Well, the shit has really and truly hit the fan now,” Jake said.

Leanne looked momentarily shocked by Jake’s language.

“Is he still on the phone, Mrs. DeRizzo?”

“Yes, and what’s this Mrs. DeRizzo stuff?”

“Did you tell him that Carol was here?”

“No, not yet. I said I would go look for her.”

“Mrs. DeRizzo, I’m about to put you on the spot in a big way. Would you lie to him and say that she’s not here? I’ll explain everything to you afterward.”

“You want me to lie?”

“You know how I feel about lying. I would tell him myself except he knows that Carol is with me. I think that when we tell you why you’ll understand and approve. But right now someone has got to send Mr. Finch in the wrong direction so that we have time to figure out what to do.”

She stared at them all for several moments.

“Jake, I’ll give you a little bit of rope. But if this comes back to bite me, I’m going to hang you high.”

“Yes, ma’am. Thank you.”

She turned and headed back for the house.

“Leanne,” Jake called out to her, “you might tell Mr. Finch that Julie was planning on going to the mall this morning.”

She looked back at him briefly and headed on to the house.

“It looks like fate has decided for us who our advisor is going to be,” Jake said.

He continued to hold Carol as she sobbed. He looked over at Julie and considered how things must appear from her perspective.

“Julie, my true love, I promise you I will explain everything to you before the day is up. But I can’t talk to you about it until we are alone.”

Jake had a thought and froze. “Shit. Shit. Shit.”

“Jake, are you cracking up?”

Jake looked over at her blankly.

“Julie, I don’t know what to do.”

“Of course you know what to do. My mom’s about to walk out here and you’re going to tell her what the hell this is all about. And you can be sure that I want to hear this, too.”

“She won’t believe me unless I tell her my secret.”

“What does your secret have to do with Carol and her parents?”

“You’ll see. Well, my hand is being forced.” He sighed. “I’d call this evidence that the Universe has a sense of humor.”

“Jake, you’re not making any sense.”

Jake looked over to see Leanne approaching.

“It’s all about to, love of my life.”

Jake looked up at Leanne questioningly when she walked up.

“He’s spitting mad. He sounds like he’s about to drive over to the mall and drag Carol home. Now, I think it is time for a full and frank disclosure of whatever the hell this is all about, Jacob Fielding.”

Jake looked at Carol. Her sobs had subsided for the most part.

“I agree. Carol, darling, be strong for me for a minute. Tell Mrs. DeRizzo about your conversation with your parents just now.”

Carol started crying again. She was barely able to talk through the sobs.

“It was so creepy. It wasn’t just what they said but the way they said it. I told my mom that I had kissed a boy. She got my dad, and he started interrogating me about whether I was still a virgin. I couldn’t believe what they asked me. It was like I was meat and they were trying to decide how to butcher me.”

“Is that all?” Leanne asked. “Your parents asked you if you’re a virgin?”

“No, that’s not all,” Jake said. “I overheard them talking. There was a lot I didn’t understand, but what was clear is that they were talking about taking Carol someplace to have sex with Mr. Finch and also with some boy.”

“Oh, God,” Carol shrieked, “I knew it was something freaky. I could feel it.”

She broke down again, sobbing helplessly against Jake.

“Those goddamn perverts!” Leanne said. “We’ll put a stop to that.”

“It’s not going to be that simple, Leanne. We need to talk about this some more before you call the police. Meanwhile, Carol is overwrought. Can she lie down somewhere? There is more I need to tell you.”

“More? Julie, take her up to your room to lie down. Try not to let anyone see you. No, better yet, let me run interference. Once you get her to your room try to calm her down, and then come back here.”

Julie helped Carol to her feet and they followed Leanne into the house.

Jake considered what to do. He did not know how to explain to Leanne everything about Carol without his telepathy coming out. He hoped that he did not need to tell her that he could control people. He would tell Julie that part later when he had a chance to talk privately. Things had worked out okay the night before. Maybe this would be okay, too.

Leanne walked into the gazebo and took a seat across from Jake.

“Julie?”

“She’ll be here in a minute.”

“Leanne, some people like excitement. Some people prefer stability. Which kind are you?”

“I’m bored to tears by my life, Jake. If you’ve got an adventure for me, I won’t mind a bit.”

Jake smiled.

“Thanks, Leanne. I’ll try to draw courage from you. The problem with being thirteen is that there are so many things that I don’t know. I have these ideas about how things are supposed to work, but I don’t have enough experience to know if it’s really that way.” His eyes began to water. “Leanne, I’m really scared.”

Leanne took hold of his hand.

“I’m ashamed, too,” he said. “I’m acting like a baby when Carol’s in real danger.”

“Jake, you are orchestrating a revolt against abusive parents. You could come out of this looking very bad. I could, too. We have reason to be worried.”

She looked over at Julie who was just sitting down at the table.

“You’re holding hands with my boyfriend now?”

Jake laughed and pulled his hand back and wiped the tears off his face.

“My crying boyfriend?”

“Leanne, one reason I’m scared is that I have to take a large risk and tell you how I really know about the Finches’ plans for Carol.”

“You said you overheard them.”

“Well, that’s true enough as a first approximation. I already promised Julie I would tell her, but I don’t want Carol to hear this. Julie, is Carol okay?”

“Yes, she fell asleep almost immediately, the poor thing.”

“Good. I have a secret. It’s going to sound fantastic to you, but it’s easy to prove. Can I have both of your promises that you won’t tell anybody else my secret?”

“Sure,” Julie said. “You know you can trust me.”

“Thanks, love. You, too, Leanne. You can’t tell anyone. Not your husband, not the police, not the CIA or the press. Will you promise?”

“Are you asking me to cover up a crime, Jake?”

“No, ma’am. I just need you to keep secret something that’s rather unbelievable anyway.”

“Okay, I’ll promise, but you better not make me regret it.”

“I can read minds.”

Jake felt excitement from Julie. He could see her line up all the strange happenings she had seen around him and realize that Jake was telling the truth. Leanne became angry.

“Jake, I won’t tolerate you trying to make a fool of me.”

“Mrs. DeRizzo. I know it sounds like crazy talk, but just think for a second. If I could read minds, wouldn’t I be able to prove it by reading your mind?”

“Well, yes.”

“Think of a number between one and a thousand.”

She did.

“Nine hundred ninety-eight.”

“What kind of a trick is that?”

“Think about your first pet.”

She did.

“Snowball was a long-haired, white, female cat. You got her as a kitten when you were four.”

“Did you find out about her from Julie?”

“I can ask you about stuff no one but you would know.” He thought for a second. “Why don’t we try it this way? Think about something that no else knows, but that you wouldn’t mind me saying out loud with Julie here.”

He waited a second.

“Are you sure, Leanne? With Julie here?”

“No, goddamn you, Jake. I couldn’t stop myself from thinking about it.”

Julie giggled.

“That’s a safer one,” Jake said.

“What is it?” Julie asked.

“When your mom was in high school, her girlfriend talked her into smoking in the girl’s restroom. The very first time she puffed on a cigarette, a teacher walked in and busted her for smoking at school.”

“I was suspended from school for a day and grounded for a month,” Leanne said. “I never forgave the stupid chit who gave me that cigarette.”

“What did she think before that?” Julie asked.

“I’m not saying. In fact, let me explain something. Everyone has stuff in their head that they would be mortified were it to come out. I know what those things are for both of you. In fact, I know it for everyone I meet. It has become so routine for me that I don’t even give it a second thought.

“I couldn’t care less who sleeps with their secretary, smothered their mother in her sleep, or shoplifts from Old Navy. I know what people are like at their worst, and I can assure you that there is nothing about either of you that makes me even raise an eyebrow, including that thing your mother thought of first.”

“You can really do that, Jake?”

“Yes, Leanne, ever since I was a little boy.”

“You don’t seem to be surprised by this, Julie,” Leanne said.

“No, there were too many clues. I don’t know why I didn’t figure it out before.”

“To be specific,” Jake said, “what I do is read the contents of consciousness. It might be thoughts or memories or images or emotions. I’m going to show you what I read in the Finches this morning.”

Jake replayed for them the contents of Mrs. Finch’s mind during her conversation with Carol. Then he played Mr. Finch’s mind. Leanne was revolted.

“Let me show you one more clip from this morning from when I was talking with Mrs. Finch. Julie and Carol were in the room, too.”

He played back his conversation with Mrs. Finch over coffee. By the time they were done, Julie and Leanne were both titillated and discomfited.

“Leanne, I don’t understand why all those people are sitting around naked and having sex.”

“Jake, they’re swingers.”

“What does that mean, Leanne?”

“It’s sometimes referred to as wife swapping. You showed me scenes from parties where couples go to have sex with other people, not their partners.”

“Oh,” Jake said, “well that makes more sense. But Mr. Finch wants to have sex with his daughter at one of those parties and Mrs. Finch wants to have Carol sleep with some boy there.”

“Jake, are you sure that what you showed me wasn’t just a fantasy? It’s probably not uncommon for men to dream of sleeping with their young, pretty daughters.”

“There is no question. I’ll show you again. Remember, these are my memories of what people are thinking and feeling. They’re not just videos. They have emotional content. And I can sense intentions, too. Attend closely to Mr. Finch’s intentions as I replay it.”

Jake did and he felt Leanne grow cold.

“I missed that the first time. This time I could tell that it is something he plans to do.”

“I think there was a fantasy element there, but it’s a fantasy that he intends to make real. But what was that about him having sex with her in front of others?”

“I can’t say that I know for sure, Jake. But I think that’s why Rod wanted to know if she’s a virgin. Maybe it’s a ceremony where the man gets to have sex with his virgin daughter in front of others.”

“And what about Mrs. Finch’s seeing Carol having sex with that boy?” Jake asked.

“He was young, like Carol. Maybe they get off on having their children join in,” Leanne said.

“Huh. Okay, I think I have a better idea of what’s going on. But there is still a big problem. We know exactly how Carol is in danger. But we have no proof, at least not the kind that we can show other people. All I can do is lie and say I overheard them talking.”

“We can’t let Carol go home to them,” Julie said.

“But we have no right to keep her from her parents,” Leanne said.

“It won’t do any good to tell the authorities because we don’t have the kind of evidence that would allow them to intervene,” Jake said. “Are we agreed on that?”

“Yes. In fact, it could actually make things worse,” Leanne said. “Rod might just flee with her, and we wouldn’t be able to help her at all.”

“I wonder if we even should help her,” Jake said. “This may sound repulsive, but we need to talk about it. You know how Mrs. Finch’s libido is so high?”

“She was horny, wasn’t she?” Julie said.

“Yes. She craves sex. Strongly. For someone with extreme sexual needs like her maybe it makes sense to belong to a sex club. Leanne, Carol is the same way as her mother. She is just as obsessed with sex.”

Leanne looked over at Julie.

“Is that why you and she are always playing sex games together?”

Julie blushed a deep red.

“How do you know about that?” she said quietly.

“I don’t know what you do at Carol’s house, but I can hear and smell what happens in my own house. And if you don’t want me to find your sex toys, you either need to hide them better or start doing your own laundry.”

“Leanne, I think that Carol is the driving force behind most of that. Julie’s worried about her because Carol is starting to think about sex with boys. In fact, I think it is fair to say that Carol is obsessed with having sex and she’s not particular about who the boy is.

“With her libido, maybe Carol needs something like a sex club. By interfering, are we just depriving her of a safer way to meet her needs? I’m worried about her being promiscuous at school. The boys would be only too glad to help her out, and most of them won’t be concerned about things like diseases or Carol’s well-being.”

“Jake,” Leanne said, “you need to distinguish between sexual activities that Carol consents to and what her father is planning for her. You saw how she reacted when she realized what her father wanted to do. That wouldn’t be consensual. It would be rape.”

“So we can’t turn the Finches in,” Jake said, “and we can’t let Carol return home. The only thing left is to hide her from her parents. That has its own problems, not the least of which is that it’s probably a crime.”

“No, Jake,” Leanne said. “Those aren’t the only options. There’s a fourth one. We could force the Finches to give up custody of Carol.”

“Why would they do that?”

“What if the alternative was for the truth about their lifestyle and their plans for Carol to come out?”

“That might convince them if they thought they would be exposed. But why would they worry about that? No one at their parties is going to talk.”

“Jake, if you can read their minds then you can pull out every embarrassing detail, right?”

“Yes.”

“Then all you have to do is recite those details back to them. They would be terrified. You don’t have to tell them how you know. If you give them enough particulars, they would have to believe that you know everything.”

“I guess I have to agree with that. It also tells me that I have to be the one who confronts the Finches.”

“Jake, I’ve seen you in action,” Leanne said. “If there is anyone, young or old, who is up to the task, it’s you.”

“Well, the cause is right. I’m willing to do my part. How do we proceed?”

“Time is of the essence,” Leanne said. “They will probably call the police to report her missing sometime today. Most likely tonight. Tomorrow at the latest. I don’t see any reason not to act today. This afternoon, in fact.”

“Julie, I see why you’re always complaining that your mother is too indecisive.”

“The cause is right, Jake,” Leanne said. “We can’t know how it’s all going to work out, but we can try to do the right thing. If we let this drag out, it only increases the chance of things going wrong, like the Finches finding out where Carol is. Or someone interfering, like my husband.

“We need to do two things. We need to arrange a meeting with you and the Finches. And we need to find a place to stash Carol where no one will think to look.”

“My grandparents would probably help. They’re bleeding-heart liberals. They can’t resist taking up a cause.”

“Good idea. You and I will go see them. Once we have Carol in a safe place, we’ll call the Finches. You should meet them in a public place where they’ll have to behave themselves.”

“Like the Denny’s by the highway?”

“On a Saturday afternoon, that would be perfect. Not too busy, but still plenty of witnesses.”

“But I have one condition,” Jake said. “I’m the one who makes the contact, and I’m the only person they know is involved. Your family would be defenseless if the Finches come looking for revenge. At least, I can tell if they’re planning something.”

“Jake, you are a good man to be concerned about us. But I don’t think Rod has the balls to confront us. He’s more the type to bully defenseless, little girls.”

“Maybe, but we don’t gain anything by involving anyone else. So I’m going to do it myself, and that’s that. We’d better make sure that Carol’s okay with this. We’re talking about uprooting her from the only life she’s ever known.”

“You’re both forgetting something else,” Julie said. “Who is she going to live with after this?”

“Good heavens, you’re right,” Leanne said. “She would stay with us before we let her end up on the streets, of course. Maybe it’s time to find out what she wants.”

They found Carol lying quietly on Julie’s bed. She had apparently slept a little. Jake felt her fear and dismay. He was sympathetic. A little over an hour ago, she was living her life out as she did every day. Now, suddenly, all was in disarray.

“Carol, honey, we need to talk,” Leanne said.

She explained the plan they had come up with.

“We need to know if you want to do this. We’re talking about changing your life, and you’ll never be able to go back to the way it was.”

“Mrs. DeRizzo, I’ll die before I have sex with my father. Even if he gave up on the whole idea, I don’t think I could stand to go back there.”

Jake was not surprised that Carol would abandon her family so easily. Too many nights and weekends alone.

“We have to decide where you can live if you leave your parent’s house.”

“Can’t I stay with Jake and Julie? I don’t want to go anywhere else.”

“But, honey, they don’t live together.”

“You know what I mean. I could stay with one or the other. They’re together so much lately.”

“What about relatives, Carol. Are your grandparents alive?”

“I don’t know. I’ve never met any relatives. For all I know, I don’t have any.”

“I’ll put that on my list of things to discuss with the Finches,” Jake said. “We can decide on this later.”

“Carol, if we do this there’s no guarantee where you’ll end up,” Leanne said. “I can’t promise that you can live here without talking to Gus, and I don’t dare tell him until you’re safe from your parents. I can’t assure you that you won’t end up in the hands of the child welfare authorities, although I’ll do my best to get you someplace that you want to be.”

“Carol, darling,” Jake said, “I can’t make guarantees either, but I will do everything I can for you, including getting my mom to let you live with us.”

“I don’t see any other option,” Carol said. “I can’t go home, so I have to trust you all that something will work out.”