Chapter 18

The trip was interesting, beyond what a person would expect traveling with eleven women. Discussions revolved around where to stop for lunch (the red headed girl, the creepy king, the golden arches, that place with the stupid name, etc.). Consensus was not soon coming, so Pete told them lunch would be at the first exit they approached when the clock on the dashboard turned to noon.

Unsynchronized bladders, none apparently larger than a walnut, became the next serious issue near the Tappan Zee Bridge. Two underpaid cashiers in an undefended 7-11 were the next casualties to fall as the marauding pixies invaded the ladies room and the men's. The ATM, severely depleted, fueled a munchie/soda frenzy which should have rendered lunch moot. Pete thought to buy a package of overpriced trash bags for the wrappers and cans.

Eleven cases of Post Traumatic Shopping Syndrome settled in. The West Side assault squads never had the opportunity to properly debrief. Every item in every bag was examined passed around and eventually tested for fit. The van was tall enough for the tiny girls to stand. Pete really enjoyed the scene in the rearview mirror.

"You there, Phoebe?" He bluetoothed.

"Always, Boss. What's up?"

"The pixies. Stretch your snoopers and tell me when we get near any surveillance cameras or dashcams. The girls think the privacy curtains shield them, but the windshield glass is like a picture window."

"I can make the cameras malfunction if you wish."

"OK. You kill the cams and I'll warn the teens, but let them think the film is rolling. Speed dressing might become a new sport. Make sure the OnStar is off." Pete plotted. "How far to the next toll booth?"

About a minute from the booth, Pete warned the teens of the 'danger'. Giggles and squeals filled the air as they scrambled to cover up. Seeing the futility, they just crowded down behind the seats, screened from the electric eyes. Pete, merciful soul that he was used the unattended correct change lane.

As soon as the tollbooth receded, the fashion show was on again. Contrary to what Pete thought, the girls dressed even more racy than ever with the potential threat of being naked and exposed in public an actual possibility.

The girls stayed totally naked for the last miles of the journey. Pete did not hate it. But he did have Phoebe locate and dial the only pizza parlor in the village. He insisted they get dressed for 'company' before he called in an order, charging it to plastic, hoping it would be ready by the time they arrived.

He spotted and stopped at a touristy convenience store and picked up several bottles of wine and some coolers to wash the pies down. Again, the credit card. Only this time the guy behind the counter looked hard at the card and Pete's driver's license. The man was very brusque as he swiped the card. "You going to be around long?"

Pete, taken aback by the man's attitude, tried to smooth over an unexpected situation, "We're up for a little break before exams. This is reported to be a nice area to relax. I'll probably be here a lot."

"You do that." The man said as he bagged the purchases. Pete could feel his eyes as he left the shop. That was weird, he thought, I hope it isn't setting the tone for the rest of the week.

The woman at the pizza parlor was much more friendly. Four large pies was a big sale this early in the season and she was happy for the business. The card was accepted without question and she even offered to help carry the stack to the van. He declined, suspicious of the teens clothing choices now that they were so close to the cottage.

And so it came to pass that a mere 71/2 hours after locking the office, Pete parked in front of the 'cottage'. Betty's room count was correct, but she failed to mention the sheer size of those rooms. The girls would not be crowded. And he made a good choice at the pizza place. All eleven were in little babydoll pajamas, wearing nipple clips. Which, by rule, required the fronts to be loose and opened. "We promise to be in weekend mode as soon as we unload, Sir."

Phoebe confirmed that there were no electronic signals or signs within miles of the cottage, so Pete set the girls loose. Everything got piled in the great room, while they immediately dragged all the mattresses into the master bedroom. Priorities!

Seeing the girls decide that bedding was more important than pizza warmed Pete's heart. Other parts became involved as he also dressed for the weekend. The unpleasant man at the convenience store was forgotten. He lit the fireplace, the girls got the pizza served, and Spring Break was on.

The vacationers spent the first days on the pier or in the kayaks. These were city kids. With the exceptions of Rani and Star, most of them spent their childhoods on asphalt, thinking Central Park was the Great Outdoors. Pete insisted they wear real clothes outdoors or whatever passed for regular swimwear. Even if the little cove was isolated, there was always a chance some boater might drift by.

Evenings and nights were spent much like they were in the house, naked and horny. By all accounts, no one was neglected.

Phoebe kept Pete apprised of the renovation progress. Kris was true to his word. The project was coming in early. The construction crews appreciated the consideration showed with the lunch deliveries and paid it back in superior workmanship. The images Phoebe captured on the security cams told the story. Accelerated stop-action, but in real time. The teens thought it was way cool. Pete was impressed at the pace. Demopolis Construction truly earned their reputation the old fashioned way.

By Tuesday, the need for a re-supply run was evident. Allison made a list, based on appetites and her menus. The girls were polled for anything they might want. Pete took Allison and Star to the village. The other teens opted to stay and play manga games in the woods near the house. Phoebe monitored the area to keep them safe. This might be the last chance to get quality time outdoors since Betty's prediction of midweek rain appeared to be true.

Allison, in the meanwhile, was loading grocery carts as if the great famine was coming tomorrow. She was in her element. The food shopping went smooth as glass, the van was packed and the list was consulted one last time.

With a mild sense of dread, Pete realized that if he wanted ice, gas and wine, the sourpuss was in his near future. He was not going to let the grump spoil his vacation and decided to deal with it and walk away. He found out that the reality was more complicated. For starters, he was greeted by a smiling, very transformed sourpuss this visit.

"Mr. O'Neal, I need about and hour of your time if you can spare it. I have a story to tell that you will find interesting." He said, "My name is Edward Martin and I'm originally from Brevard, NC."

Pete's heart raced. He signaled Martin to hold for a moment and ran to the van. "Allison. Take the groceries to the cottage and return with the whole family. Bring my valise. This is important. Just do it as quickly as you can." He pointed in the general direction and went back inside.

Ed made a phone call, telling someone to bring a manila envelope to the store as soon as possible, preferably an hour ago. He met Pete at the door and flipped the 'closed' sign. "Please have a seat, Mr. O'Neal."

Pete then heard a remarkable saga.

Around fourteen years ago, Ed and his wife at the time were foster parents, basically operating as a way station for children before they were formally adopted into a permanent family. They took in a tiny baby named Spring Baker O'Neal. The placement agency gave them the child's birth certificate and several sealed packages with instructions to give them to the girl on her tenth birthday. Ed wondered why a foster family would be put in that situation. Wasn't that the sort of thing the adopting family would be told? Was it even legal to place barriers between the parties? And why was the birth mother not named on the document? For two years, no adopting family stepped forward and Ed began to get suspicious. Breaking several laws of privacy, he asked around and discovered the unnamed mom was Bobbie Baker, who with her twin, Billie, had gotten pregnant at the same time. The community had ostracized both girls and the babies had been taken away from them. They, along with their mother, Rose, who supported them, were disowned by their father. Local gossip had Rose pregnant, too.

During those two years, Ed's wife took up with another man and split for parts unknown. He granted his unfaithful wife an uncontested divorce by mail. Now, Ed was single, fostering a small girl with whom he had no real connection but dared not put back into the system. They should have placed her with a couple immediately but the animosity there was palpable. The unwed mothers had seriously pissed someone off, someone who had major influence in the community. He inquired further and found out the birth mother and her twin sister had vanished along with their mom.

Some of that animosity began to be directed at him. He assumed that his curiosity about the Bakers' clued people to the origin of his foster child. Business started to dry up at his little grocery and he decided to sell out and relocate.

In what had to be a gross violation of regulations, the county signed off on his plan to leave their jurisdiction. They gave him everything he needed to take official custody of Spring, short of straight adoption. He took the girl and the money from the sale of his store and home and moved to Upstate New York where he had family. He had never signed the papers, suspecting some sort of trap. He did take care of the child.

"Spring opened the envelopes on her tenth birthday and was shocked to her core to discover she had a half sister, Star, who was also her cousin. Mother Bobbie had enclosed some of the less revealing of the Polaroids taken of her father at the hidden pool. She described the efforts you made to stay in touch after the storms and the lengths people went to keep you apart. The enclosed letter explained that her grandfather, Bobbie and Billie's dad, was a ruthless man with political ambitions beyond the tribe. The pregnancies infuriated and humiliated him and he spared no effort to make the problem disappear."

The letter confirmed what Ed had managed to glean and explained the behavior of the child welfare agencies.

"Mr. O'Neal, I have a genuine affection for Spring, but my life has changed considerably. I am engaged to a wonderful woman, a widow with three kids who do not get along with Spring. The first time I saw you was just after a heated discussion with Lynne about Spring. Her kids cannot accept Spring and don't understand why I don't just send her away since she is not my real daughter. They are trying to force a terrible decision down my throat: abandon an innocent kid who has never harmed a fly or lose my chance at having the woman I adore. Lynne resents having to make the choice too because she likes Spring."

"I feel better knowing why you were upset when I came in, but something really set you off before I left."

"Mr. O'Neal, when I saw the name on the credit card, I asked for ID to confirm that your address matched what Spring found when she traced your name. The frustration flew all over me and I reacted badly. I thought about everything later and knew that you were as much a victim of circumstance as the Baker twins. I apologize for projecting my troubles onto you."

"May I call you Ed? Where do we go from here? I am more than willing to take custody of my daughter right this second. In fact, I have her half sister here with me now."

At exactly that second, Spring came through the door with the requested envelope. "Spring, I want you to meet your father, Pete O'Neal." The girl screamed, dropped the envelope, sprinted the short distance to Pete and attached herself like a barnacle to his chest.

"You're real. It's true. You have come for me." She was laughing and crying at the same time, effectively soaking Pete's shirt through. Suddenly she detached herself and ran to Ed. "I'm sorry Ed. I don't want to seem ungrateful or too eager to leave you. I love you and appreciate all you have done for me. You did not have to do anything but you did it all." She held his hands tightly. "But if Daddy will let me go with him, it would be best for us all. You can have your life back, marry Lynne and maybe get what you have sacrificed for me back. You saved me, now you need to save you."

Ed hugged her fiercely. "I don't want you to take this wrong, but I thought you would say that. I took the liberty of getting the paperwork together to let you be with your dad."

He picked the envelope up from the floor and asked Spring to call Lynne and Susan at the pizza place. "Susan is a notary and Lynne can be a witness. I have the custody papers here, your school and medical records and all the documents from Brevard. We can do this thing in less than an hour and I can register it everything at the courthouse tomorrow."

Pete and Ed went to his little office, Spring made the calls, urging the other women to hurry. Within twenty minutes, detains were confirmed, names and addresses were filled in and signatures were witnessed and notarized. This was not mere guardianship. This was reunification of a family and would have to be registered in court. Ed had done his homework. The judge was in the loop and any decisions the group came to would be approved.

Lynne apologized for the behavior of her kids, but they were too young to understand the changes everybody was going through. They were just not ready to have an older sister in their lives.

"I've no hard feelings. Maybe someday I can be the nearly-sister. You would have been a great whatever you call it. Step-mom doesn't work, sister doesn't either. I guess you get to stay a great friend."

Now, true chaos blew in. The teens and Allison were bursting with curiosity and were trying to get answers from everybody at once. Except for Star and Spring who immediately locked eyes through the crowd. They knew without the need for words what was going on. They were as identical as the Malone's and Tanakas but for Star's green eyes and Spring's blue. They clasped hands and climbed up Pete to wrap around his chest like a vest. They had their Daddy and they had each other.

The O'Neal's let the world filter back in and Pete introduced his second daughter to the group. She did the same thing her sister did, repeating each name back pointing to the correct face as she did. "That's my girl." Pete beamed.

Ed, Lynne and Susan stared at the girls in confusion. Allison answered the question. "No. We're girls Pete has rescued from neglectful parents, grateful parents, slave traders, abandonment and generally unpleasant situations. All of us but two are sisters and Lisa and Rani might as well be."

"Pete is having his brownstone renovated so we have a safe place to live." Jenny added, "Pete is good to us and our parents trust him to do the right thing."

"And we have a new sister!" Kim and Cam yelled, in unison.

As they were getting ready to head back to the cottage, Allison remembered why they stopped at the store in the first place. She made the purchases then herded the mob out to the van. Ed held Pete back for a moment. He reached under the counter and pulled out a dusty bottle of single malt. Gesturing to the girls, he said, "You are either brave, crazy or bighearted. Probably all. No matter, you deserve this. You did good today."

They did the man hug thing and Pete joined the riot in the van. He bluetoothed Phoebe. "Did you know about my daughters and did you hold back the information?" He was alone in the front. The girls, all twelve of them, were packed like cute sardines in the rear. So there was little danger of being overheard.

"I did not know for sure. It's just a swirl of names and numbers and dates and impressions at first. I need something to lock on to. Star left a track as she traveled and her name and direction began to seem more than coincidental. Her situation got me to searching wider for things similar. Spring popped out of the mist immediately. But I had no way to know if she wanted to meet you, if she could or even if she should."

"Phoebe, the next time you get a feeling, tell me immediately. I know more about my past than you ever will and some decisions are mine to make. Your extrapolations are pretty amazing but do not reach the level of clairvoyance, yet. Having the odds in your favor does not guarantee the outcome." He gently continued to read her the riot act. "You are a full member of the family and the house. But I am ultimately responsible for anything that happens. Never let me go into a situation without the best information possible."

"Yes, Boss. I was waiting to see how things played out, but they could have ended badly. I'm sorry."

"Accepted without reservation. We're growing here and getting to know each other. You add and collate faster. I intuit faster. The girls are no slouches either, though more emotion driven. Every facet is indispensable and equal. The sum is greater than the parts." He paused. "Are we cool?"

Yep, Boss. We're cool."

"Great. Now get a face. That's a priority." He heard a noise that sounded a lot like razzberries. "Smarty pants!"

Back at the cottage, Allison sent Pete, Star and Spring out to the patio while she organized the others into a dinner gang. She planned a feast.

Pete removed any electronic devices, collected his valise and told Phoebe to stay away. He and his daughters went to the pier and dangled their feet over the edge and talked about nothing in particular and everything.

He shared the pictures and the postcard with the girls, telling them of the one time he was with their mothers, how quickly they connected as a trio, and how crushed he was when they were forced apart immediately. Spring's letter and her pictures reinforced the tale. The three little hearts on the single postcard spoke volumes.

Finally, Spring asked, "What's it like living in the house in New York?"

Star pushed Pete to the house. "You need to go check up on the renovation. I need to talk to my sister about the rules. Call us when dinner is ready, daddy."

"I know when I'm not wanted. See you later."

"Wanted is not the issue. Bringing sis up to speed is. Now go, daddy." Star grinned big time.

Pete went to the house to call Kris. It was not a bad idea really and he might want to get back early anyway if the work was done. He put his earpiece back on and called Phoebe. "You there?"

"Always. Everything OK with Spring?"

"Yes and getting better, thank you. We got very lucky. Have anything new on Rose?"

"Nothing solid except that her trail doesn't end when Baker Twins' does. Do you want me to keep looking?"

"If you can without alerting any bad guys. We don't need to awaken sleeping monsters until we have a plan in place if one is needed." He cautioned. "Now talk to me about the construction progress."

"It looks like Kris pulled out the stops. I'll show you if you will boot your laptop."

Pete did and was taken aback. Phoebe's tour showed everything except the baseboard trim complete. Electrics and plumbing looked ready to go. The new furniture was stacked in place, ready for assembly and placement. The live video showed Kris moving from job to job, helping as much as directing his well-oiled machine. The workers appeared happy and proud of the praise. They did good work and knew that the boss appreciated it and never hesitated to let them know it.