Chapter 4

Rumors got around town that Bill, Tom and Vincent were being investigated by a grand jury. No one knew of what specific crimes they were supposed to have committed. Jeff had been called before the jury several times. He told us he had been granted immunity and had bared his soul, and ratted on his so-called buddies.

His custody hearing came up before the divorce court and he easily was granted custody of his kids. When a tape surfaced of Jordan dressed as a dominatrix treating Barbara as a sub, it was all over for her. Luckily the grand jury and the divorce court were two different entities.

Rachel had been into the store twice for small items. She came face-to-face with Sandy on the second visit. "Would you help me find an energy saving bulb for my kitchen light?" Sandy stood and stared at her mother. "Please, I'm on my lunch break. I don't have much time."

Sandy was speechless as she led Rachel over to the display. Rachel examined the different sizes. As Sandy bent down to see how the item was priced, Rachel whispered, "I love you Sandy. I just had to see you for a minute to let you know."

After Rachel left, Sandy came into the office and cried. I was the only one in there and I didn't know of the exchange that had taken place out on the floor. "What happened?" I asked.

"Mama was in the store. She whispered that she loved me. She sounded just like she used to when I was a little girl. I believed her then. Should I believe her now?"

"I guess you will have to look into your heart for that." Sandy spent a restless night thinking about her mother.

The town had a surprise coming about one of their so-called upstanding citizens. A column on the front page of the newspaper detailed that the banking commission was investigating Bill. He was suspected of diverting funds from the local Better Business Association to an account in his name. At the time of the writing there was nothing proven, just suspicions. Everyone that read the piece knew that the paper would not put in print anything this damaging without the confidence that they could clear themselves of a defamation lawsuit.

Rachel had worked as a bookkeeper at the bank for just over a month. I wondered aloud to Sandy, "Do you suppose your mother is behind this? This could be another way for her to get even for you."

"What do you mean, another way to get even? What has she done?"

"I told you Pete doesn't exist anymore. She got even. Now I think she is after Bill. I worry she will get caught." We didn't know anything about what was going on. There was no use speculating either about the bank or if Rachel was involved. She was still employed at the bank which was a good sign, I guess.

Bill's life was going down the tubes. New charges were brought against him with Tom and Vincent. Charges for rape and detaining a person against their will. We were hoping that Bonny and Jordan would be charged as co-conspirators, but it wasn't to be. We well knew that the two women had been involved in setting up at least two of those who were raped--Sandy and the woman whose husband had fled town immediately after her rape.

The arraignment of the three men was newsworthy. Several things happened all at once. Two of the three had been arrested at their place of business. Bill was at the bank and Vincent at his pharmacy. Tom was there in handcuffs also, a mere shell of the man he had been when a captain in the police department. He had been arrested at a bar in the seedy section of town. The three of them spent the night behind bars. Bill and Vincent were with their counsels at the arraignment. Tom was without a lawyer. When the charges were read and the judge asked how they pled, Bill and Vincent answered not guilty. Tom mumbled, "Guilty, I guess."

The judge's head snapped up. "You can't do that. Where is this man's counsel?" he asked the state prosecutor.

The arresting officer said, "I read him his rights when I arrested him. He has refused his one call. He came directly from the holding cell."

The judge was upset. He directed the state to provide Tom with an attorney. "In the meantime, I'm entering a not guilty plea on his behalf." Bail was set at $100,000.00 for each of the three. Trial was set tentatively for three months from this day.

Bill and Vincent posted bail. Tom was remanded to jail until his trial. The newspaper had a field day--for a week. A month later Bill was back in the news. The bank investigation had shown that Bill did indeed use the funds from an account that he controlled. In fact he was treasurer of the account and had free access to it.

He was using the funds as his own personal checking account. The banking commission had caught it when he had written some checks and then neglected to return the funds. Stupid, especially when he was in the limelight for the rape charges. The bank had been incorporated by Bill's grandfather and the family still owned the majority of the stock. People began to wonder if the bank had always been run that way. Was their money still safe?

Bill cut a deal. He had to make restitution and resign from the bank and refrain from ever working in the banking industry again. He was sentenced to five years, but the judge was a friend of Bill's grandfather. He handed down probation for the length of the sentence.

Rachel came openly into the store one day and said to me, "Rob, you have a fairly large house. Can I come and stay with you and Sandy? Just for a couple of months, you understand. I want to know my daughter and I can't do it from a distance. If we can't get along I promise I will move out immediately. In fact I am going to keep my apartment to see how things go between us. Please?" "I'll ask her and I'll go so far as to try to persuade her. Why don't you come over for supper tonight and we will see if I have been successful? We don't eat until about seven and we don't usually have much. I usually pick up some frozen dinners. I will get some steaks tonight, though, in your honor."

"Doesn't Sandy cook? I can whip up something and have it hot so you can eat earlier if you want." I didn't want Rachel to know that Sandy couldn't cook so I gave her my keys and told to get whatever she needed at the grocery.

It was a little after six when we finally finished at the store. On the way home I said, "We are having our meal catered tonight. It will be ready to eat when we get there. If you like the food, maybe we will get her to be our part-time cook. Would you like that?"

"What's the matter, don't you like my cooking?" We both burst out laughing because it was a standing joke about Sandy's failures in the culinary department. We were still laughing when we went in. The dining room table was set for three. There even was a bottle of wine chilling on the sideboard. I could smell homemade bread.

Sandy was giving me a hug when Rachel came in from the kitchen bearing a huge casserole. Where the atmosphere had been so warm and friendly a moment before, there was a definite chill in the air now. Sandy threw me a glance. I couldn't read it, but I knew this was a make-or-break moment for all of us. "What are you doing here, Mother?"

"I'm cooking your supper. It is almost ready so please sit down. I just have to get the rolls and the vegetables. Rob, would you pour us a glass of wine? We can have coffee after we eat and then maybe talk a little." She looked at Sandy. "Please?"

Scalloped potatoes with thick pan-fried pork chops, baby frozen peas swathed in butter and homemade rolls, God it was good! There was a brown gravy made from the drippings of the pork. Rachel had added some mushroom soup to that for bulk to bathe the potatoes in if we wanted. The last meal I had like this was cooked by Mary before Sandy and I set up housekeeping. Our meal was mostly silent--we were too busy eating. We were almost too full to sample the biscuits and crushed strawberries--but we managed.

Rachel said, "I could have done better if I had more time. I had to rely on the freezer section in the grocery for the peas, the bread dough and the strawberries." We looked at her as if she was crazy!

We all cleared the table and then sat down to drink our coffee. Rachel spoke directly to Sandy. "Dear, I can't undo all of the harm and heartache I have caused you. The best I can do is to say I am sorry. I'm hoping that getting rid of Pete permanently will show you how serious I am about regaining your love. Also, just to let you know, I was the one that tipped off the banking commission about Bill. He didn't get what he should have, but loss of the people's good will and esteem here in town counts for something.

"Rob told me what you went through to save his life. You have the trial coming up. I wish you would let me stay here with you and support you through it. My hours at the bank are nine to three-thirty or until I get the bookkeeping done for the day. This will leave me time to help out in the house. Rob says you can't cook. I could teach you how as every mother should. I should have done that when you were fifteen and sixteen, but instead I was thinking of myself and neglecting my duties as your mother. Would you please let me do that now?"

Sandy looked at me for guidance. She was thinking of how she felt hating her mother and resenting her for the last ten years. She knew her mother wanted forgiveness, but how was she going to get beyond what happened?

I spoke, "Sandy, why don't we let your mother stay a few days and see how it will work out? She can stay in the guest room and I'm sure she will retire to her room if things get too uncomfortable between the two of you. That would give both of you time to think whether you want to continue to keep this arrangement."

Sandy said to me, "You really want this don't you Rob?"

"Yes I do. We have only one life on this earth and sometimes we have to forgive no matter how much you have been wronged."

"Okay, but you understand it's mostly because you want me to." I left it at that.

The two women did the dishes and cleaned up. I heard Sandy say to her mother, "I never saw so many dishes. Usually I have the silverware and a freezer tray. The tray I just throw in the trash and then I'm done."

"I know but you don't get very good meals for your husband that way. You only get out what you put into a meal."

"I suppose, but you have to know how to do something. The only thing I learned to do well was to screw. That I can do really well. You can bet your ass, I can screw with the best of them."

"I'm sure, Dear, you can. Not to get personal, but how is your love life with Rob? Has any of that been a drawback with him?"

I felt I shouldn't be listening to these two discussing my sex live. There was a long silence before Rachel received the answer to her question.

"Our sex life is great."

"Is he the teacher or the pupil in this marriage?"

"He is the pupil, I guess. I have been able to show him things to bring about our mutual enjoyment. He loves it! And he is just so open-minded about it. He doesn't seem to mind the years before I met him. I used to worry about it. I don't as much now. He seems to love me so much."

"I'm sure he does. I'm not saying what you went through was worth it, but think about this. Would you have met Rob if your daddy hadn't died and I hadn't met that bastard, Pete? There is a downside to things, but there are upsides to things too."