Chapter 28

Janelle went back to whatever she was doing prior to being sent to keep me company. I was very sorry to see her go, but she had a job, and her job was important. The Judge had me moved to their facility in Knoxville, which put me very close to Jonesville, Virginia, and the DeBusque Companies.

The first person I saw was Roberta Ellison, though she had no idea I used to be David, and we were old lovers along with her Aunt Francine Mathers, another Federal Judge. I kept my surprise to myself and let her approach to introduce herself.

"Hello. My name is Roberta Ellison, and I am Supervising Agent in Charge of the Central South District of our Bureau. The Judge tells me that you are our new wonder-boy who will help us with the DeBusque problem. I am very glad to meet you." She showed me to an empty office that was made available to me while I was in their care.

"We have reservations for you at the Marriott Downtown at 501 East Hill, and I think you will find everything to your satisfaction there. We did not connect you in any way with us. There is no point in leaving a trail behind you, so to speak, so your reservations are prepaid using a Visa Card we had issued in your name, using one of our cut outs. The card is good and you can use it for anything related to your mission.

"Please let me personally know if there is anything we need to do to make you more effective. This mission is a big deal to us, and we want to give you whatever tools you need to succeed." Her smile still captivated me, and the one thing I wanted from her involved a quiet room, a great big bed, and lots of time to get it right.

I suspect that Roberta caught a hint of my attraction, because she gave me a sweet smile, with just a hint of mirth that got me thinking about what was under those business clothes. Mr. Johnson reminded me that we already had an excellent, up close and personal knowledge of what she hid from everyone, but since she had no idea that I was me, it wasn't going to help. Thinking about that, though, got me thinking about Aunt Fran and how she and Roberta roll. They did have a unique and special relationship that often involved all sorts of toys and games, some of which we indulged in together.

All that history aside, I almost gave myself away, but managed to control any urge to talk to Roberta as if I was still David Walsh.

The day passed quickly as I was brought up to date on lots of things about the DeBusque clan and some of their peculiarities. The paternal grandfather of Tom DeBusque, besides fighting with Lee in Virginia, liked his sons' wives. He picked each candidate, used each one until she was pregnant, then married her off to the chosen son to raise the bastard child along with any they created on their own.

The sons honored their father by choosing wives for each of their sons, and lying with them to try and keep Daddy's tradition alive. The current patriarch seems to have cut out the middle man and decided to lay with his daughters while they were quite young and fresh, and wisely avoided pregnancy with them. The daughters, thus broken in, were damaged enough to have serious relationship issues and deep seated issues in general, which kept them nearby, under Daddy's thumb, and devoted to the family business.

The DeBusque sons were not without guilt in the use of and abuse of their sisters. According to the report provided, both brothers regularly used their sisters as substitute wives, and had been overheard claiming that their sisters were far more sexual than their wives. No one had actually asked the sisters DeBusque for their side of the story, so it was all pretty much local lore, with a twist of wickedness thrown in for good measure.

Roberta took me through the documents showing how the DeBusque Company was set up and who was who, and when that was done, she smiled and laid another file in front of me. "Noah, this is the convoluted genealogy that proves that you are related to Tom DeBusque. In here are records we located for you, that show how your grandmother and Tom DeBusque were second cousins. There are numerous other relationships between the two branches of the family, so this isn't the only way in which you two are related, just the most logical, recent, and most easily backed up by public records."

She left me to study the history of the family I was about to invade.

Elizabeth and Paula DeBusque were so much alike that it was easy to see that they were sisters. The photos showed two women in their early thirties, with strong features and gentle expressions. They had average body shapes, with Elizabeth having the larger bosom and Paula the wider hips. Paula seemed to have a bit of an overbite, while Elizabeth's teeth looked pretty much perfect.

Their credit history was sparkling. Neither sister had any reported late fees, unpaid bills, large credit balances, or mortgages in their names. They neither financed automobiles, nor bought large appliances on credit. Each women had a healthy credit score, just under the eight-fifty max, and neither showed a propensity to gamble with the stock market. Whatever their earnings didn't stop them from living well within their means.

By dinner time I was ready for a break. My next family was firmly committed to memory, and I got a general idea of the kinds of men the two sisters liked to dally with. Roberta collected me, and we were joined by Aunt Fran, who was introduced to me as Roberta's next assignment. I kept my mouth shut and watched both women communicate without words. Something told me that I might be on the dessert menu, if I played my cards right.