On the Road [again] (The Girls Series Book 3) Read online

  Anna spoke for the girls. “We will trust your judgment on that. Thank you.”

  “Okay, so we’re good on that. Let’s finish up this story before our food gets here. Larry decided he wanted a better life. For a year between high school, which he just barely graduated from, and college, where he was welcomed with open arms, he made it his business, not only to study and educate himself about school but about members of the faculty that had control over his grades and transcripts. By the time he was ready to go to college, he had glowing reports and letters of reference. Larry learned pretty early in life that secrets are power, and he knew everybody’s secrets. He should have known that his secrets would come back and bite him in the ass. That’s why I choose to live my choices publically. People can make fun of me all they want, or they can try to discredit me, but they don’t have any power over me.”

  Carolyn responded, “I think that is a good philosophy.”

  “Back to Larry. So Larry goes off to college. He meets people unlike any he has ever known. His beliefs and his requirements change. He hits the family up for more cash. They balk, but not much and not for long. Instead, they decide to bring him in on the family business.”

  Carolyn’s eyes rounded. “Oh. Dear. God.”

  “Yep. All that sickness that Rachael saw, that was generations in the collecting. Back in the day, Larry’s great uncle thought that maybe Hugh and company were onto something, only his tastes didn’t run to the girl next door like Hugh’s did. His tastes ran to something much darker. You don’t know a lot about me, but you know enough to know that I’m pretty open about people and their proclivities, but this stuff is something totally different. These guys were into sickness, not fetishes. Take it from a guy that knows. These people should be locked up forever.”

  Their food came, delivered by a pretty little thing in a white dress shirt and long apron. When they were settled again, having taken their first bites and complimenting Molly on his choice of eating establishments, Molly got right back to the story.

  “So you got this young kid, angry at the world in general but women in particular. He hadn’t done anything outrageous yet, but he was thinking about it. In college, he tried some rough stuff, but it was consensual. Most of it arranged by his uncle, who, it turns out, got it all on tape and later released it. Larry would make him pay for that later. Anyway, so Larry is sowing his wild oats, and they were wilder than you would hope for your kid, and things are getting stranger and more dangerous by the minute. The whole sick videos and pictures is one thing, but you can’t dabble in that world without meeting some very scary people that don’t give a shit who you are, how much money your family has, or how much you threaten to take them down. Those people will chew you up and spit you out, no matter who you are. Take every conspiracy theory you ever heard, multiply it, and that is what these people are capable of. They got payback down to a science.”

  Anna and Carolyn seemed completely enthralled with the story, but Adeline kept her distance, both physically and emotionally. Neither of the girls could tell what she was thinking.

  “About the time Larry graduates from college, they decide that he needs a normal life. They don’t want him attracting attention. He got a real job in a real business and did the sick stuff on the side. And I do mean sick. On more than one occasion he went a little further than he had intended. By the time he ran up against Rachael, he was beginning to worry that maybe he had lost his ability to control his impulses. When the crazy person worries, you know it’s gotten bad. Real bad.”

  Carolyn wondered if a murder was considered bad, real bad, but she didn’t dare break the spell in order to ask.

  “I’ll say that Larry found himself getting rougher and rougher with the women he knew, a few he didn’t know, and some he had never met previously, if you know what I mean.”

  “You mean he hurt complete strangers?”

  “Yes.”

  Adeline’s voice was flat. “Then why don’t you just say that?”

  “I’m sure that Molly, Mr., I’m sorry, I don’t even know your last name.”

  “Molly is my last name. My first name is Michael. Did you think my name was Molly? That’s funny.”

  Adeline bit her tongue. She saw no humor in any of this, and the whole story of Larry was wearing a little thin. Why didn’t Molly, or Michael, or whoever the hell this guy was, just tell them what they needed to know? This whole farce was beyond ridiculous, immature, and trying.

  She had had enough. “Why did the mention of his mother and Pickles make him fold?”

  “It wasn’t the mention of his mother. You told him that you knew about his mother, right?”

  Carolyn nodded. “Yes. We thought maybe he had hurt her in some way.”

  “No, what you told him was that you were aware of the connection his mother and her family had to the industry. That is what got his attention, Mrs. Cooper. Sorry, Carolyn. He isn’t afraid of you. He isn’t afraid of me. He couldn’t care less about your granddaughter; she was just one more person that he used to look legitimate. What he is afraid of is the people in the industry. He made a mistake. He decided that he was smarter than they are. More powerful. He thought he knew their secrets, and with that knowledge he would have power over them. Just like he had power over the family he hated so much. But he made a mistake. When he told them that he knew their secrets, they didn’t cower. They decided that he needed to go away. That’s how he and your granddaughter ended up moving out of town. It wasn’t for a job. It was to leave the area. When they found him there, they moved back. Getting lost in the open. That was the theory. But then it all fell apart. You remember when he beat up that girl? His normal reaction to stress. It showed up in the newspaper. He didn’t anticipate that. Remember, Rachael actually responded very differently, as did other girls in his past. They were looking everywhere for him, both the bad guys and the good guys. So, they, the sick guys, knew where he was, in general, and he knew it. That scared him. A lot.”

  Finally Adeline could take it no more. “That makes no sense at all. If he wanted to escape, why allow himself to get caught by the police, and worse, why allow himself to go to prison without a fight? If he was afraid out in the real world, what in the world would lead him to believe that he would be safer in a prison? Surrounded by criminals with nothing better to do than plan his demise and more than willing to accept a small sum of money to end the problem permanently?”

  Molly seemed completely unaffected by her suspicions. “Fair question. If that was the end of the story, but it is not. He was on the edge. Didn’t know what to do. So, he turned over.”

  “Turned over?”

  “He is now a witness for the prosecution. He will be safe in prison for a while until all of his testimony is done. He will be completely segregated from the general public and most of the guards for that matter. Once his part in the process is over, he will quietly leave the prison and change his identity.”

  Adeline was infuriated. Her tone was perfectly calm, but underneath she was seething. How dare this man take advantage of her friend’s naiveté? “If you will excuse my cynicism, I feel it necessary to ask a simple question: Molly, why would you be made a party to all of this subterfuge, and further, why would you share something like that with us?”

  “That’s a very good question and one that deserves an answer. At least a partial answer. Ask yourselves this question. Who is in a better position to work with the authorities than someone who is perceived to be on the inside? Someone who, perhaps, is perceived to be a little off, a little different, someone that maybe works on both sides of the tracks. I’m all about freedom, but what those animals do is not a little kinky. What they do is sick, and if I need to put my reputation at risk, my livelihood, my way of life, to stop scum like them, I will. I fought for my country. I believe in freedom of speech and all the other things these scumbags hide behind, but when it comes to the way they treat each other, or worse, the way they treat innocent citizens, this is not a victimless c
rime. This is blasphemy of what my country stands for, and I’m going to stop it. One scumbag at a time.”

  “So you would have us believe that you are working for the government to rid the world of porn?”

  “No, you asked a question, and I answered it. I really don’t care what you believe. And I don’t work for the government. I work with them, on occasion, at my discretion. I also don’t work around the world, just in my little corner of it.”

  Adeline remained nonplussed. “And just how do we go about confirming any of what you have told us?”

  “You don’t. You can believe me or not. I really don’t care. What I do care about is that you leave me and Rachael and the rest of my people alone. If you do that, I can assure you that Barry is not a problem for you. He will never contact his ex-wife again. If you choose to pursue me or any of my people, that of course is your choice, but with choices come ramifications.”

  Adeline allowed him to see a hint of a smile. “Are you threatening me? Us?”

  “Not at all. I’m explaining to you how this is going to work. I think that I have been very patient, and considering the circumstances, more than accommodating. I have respected the situation that you are in, and I am simply asking for reciprocity.”

  Carolyn volunteered, “That sounds fair. May I ask a question?”

  “You may ask, not sure I’ll answer.”

  “If Barry is going to be released, and they are going to give him a new identity, what makes you think that he won’t use that anonymity to come after my Suzi?”

  “Another good question. The only way you can assure anything in life is to make the ramification so undesirable that the individual chooses to do things your way. It is in Barry’s interest to disappear and never to be heard from again, or he is very aware that he will disappear and never be heard from again. There are no more second chances for Barry. He is aware of that, but I do have an insurance policy for that, and I will make it available to you.”

  “Thank you.”

  “I will give you a sealed envelope. Please do not open it unless you have no other option. In that envelope will be all the information you need to take care of Barry.”

  “What do you mean ‘take care of’?”

  “Not your concern.”

  “I don’t want him to bother my granddaughter or my great-grandchild, but I do not want to be responsible for his death!”

  “Mrs. Cooper, you would not be responsible in any event. His life is his own, and the decisions he makes carry ramifications. He is very well aware of that.”

  “So, we don’t know exactly what it is, and we don’t do anything?”

  “Correct.”

  Carolyn’s frustration showed. “So we came all this way for nothing. Nothing we have done has had any effect on the outcome?”

  “Not true. Your journey here accomplished several things. You are now aware that Barry is not a threat to you, your granddaughter, or your great-grandchild. You can sleep more restfully at night.”

  “Until he is released from prison. And I won’t even know when that is. I’ll never sleep restfully again.”

  “I will see to it that you are aware of Barry’s departure from our prison system.”

  “You can do that? Well, I will sleep better at least until then. Thank you, Molly.”

  “You are welcome. I promise you I will keep my end of the bargain. Do I have your word that each of you will keep yours?”

  Each of the girls agreed. Adeline did so without thought, as she was almost certain that everything they had just been told had been spun of fine thread, much finer than the stripe in Molly’s handsome suit. Anna agreed because she didn’t know what else to do. Carolyn agreed on a prayer. She wanted desperately to believe Molly. She wanted him to not only have told her the truth, but to have the power that she believed him to have. Believed might be a strong word. She wanted him to have the power she willed him to have.

  “Ladies, I will wish you a good night.”

  “Don’t you want some dessert? It all looks lovely.”

  “I have another meeting to attend. Thank you for the offer. Thank you for your kindness toward Rachael. It is the only reason that I was willing to speak to you about all of this. Please leave her to her new life.”

  “Is there anything at all we can do for her?”

  “Not at this time, but should something arise, I’ll let you know.”

  Adeline sounded a bit haughty. “Please see that you do.”

  None of the girls said a word about what had just transpired.

  Carolyn was in shock.

  Anna thought there might be a bug.

  Adeline thought that the whole thing was so much hot air.

  They enjoyed their dessert. They shared a serving of sopapillas and another of cajetas. By the time they were done, their heartbeats had almost settled.

  Anna rubbed her tummy. “I’ll get the bill, and we can go back to the hotel. I have to tell you, part of me just wants to pack up our stuff and leave right now. I feel kind of iffy going back to the room that he was in.”

  Carolyn sighed. “I liked him better when I thought he was just an eccentric guy in a skirt.”

  Adeline considered. “I’m not sure how much I believe of what he said, but to be honest, both of the choices before me are disturbing. If he is telling the truth, what has the world come to? If he is not telling the truth, we have spent a considerable amount of time in the presence of a true loon.”

  “Do you want to check out as soon as we get back to the hotel?” Anna sounded hopeful.

  “Why bother? If half of what the man said is true, he has the ability to follow us anywhere we may wander.”

  “Good point.”

  Adeline was firm. “Besides which, I choose not to give him power over me. I will continue to live my life the way I would have had we not met with him.”

  “Good plan.”

  EIGHT

  THE GIRLS HAD arrived home late the night before. They had spoken little about the developments, but each was trying to figure out how they could confirm what Molly had said without being caught.

  Adeline had suggested they turn over all their information to Roland.

  Carolyn said she was content. She believed Molly. She would leave it to fate. If Barry showed up at some point in the future, she would deal with it then. She had the assurances of both Molly and the authorities that she would be informed when Barry was released. Suzi had been told that she would be informed. Cara was the one whom Barry beat, and her brother was a cop. There seemed to be enough checks and balances to keep them safe.

  They’d promised each other that they would let it all percolate for a bit, get used to the ideas that were presented to them in Houston, and allow their brains to chew on it before making any moves.

  To that end, they decided to do something a little different.

  They looked up everything from indoor skydiving — but didn’t want to drive all the way to Orlando — to a river cruise. Nothing sounded just right.

  They went to a movie. One of those with the adult seating, good food and drinks, and a fun movie included.

  It wasn’t until after the movie, when they turned their phones back on, that Carolyn got the message. Suzi was in the hospital. She was going to have the baby.

  Not really panicked, but more than anxious, she dialed Suzi’s number. She was so relieved to find out that Suzi was fine. She’d gone to her regular doctor appointment this morning and found out that her amniotic fluid had been absorbed into her system and that the doctor thought it best to start her into labor. She was feeling pretty good. Cara was with her. There was nothing to worry about. It would be hours before Suzi had the baby, and her condo was only minutes from the hospital.

  The girls offered to join her at the hospital to wait, but Carolyn declined. They drove her home so that she could retrieve her car and wished her all the luck in the world.

  Carolyn was at the hospital for less than an hour before the kids talked her into lea
ving. The plan was for Cara to stay at the hospital with Suze, and when it came time to have the baby, Carolyn would drive over and be in the delivery room with Suzi.

  The doctor assured her that everything was fine, Suzi was in no danger, the baby’s heartbeat was strong, and they were in good shape.

  Although Cara was good about staying in touch, early the next morning, things took a turn, and Cara called saying that they were bringing Suzi in for a C-section.

  A.J. picked Carolyn up on his way to the hospital, and they arrived just as the baby was taking her first bath.

  A girl.

  Suzi had a daughter.

  A beautiful little girl that was healthy and pink and not too happy that the nurse was cleaning her up.

  They took measurements and did tests and took footprints and put a little hat on her head. One with a big bow so the world would know that she was a fashionista in the making.

  A.J. fell in love instantly.

  Cara looked a little shell-shocked, but her smile was broad, and it was obvious she was moved by the event.

  Minutes later, Cara appeared on the same side of the window as A.J. and Carolyn and explained that Suzi was fine. She was in recovery. That it would be a while before she was back in her room, but that she wanted her gran. Cara walked Carolyn back to the door and introduced her to Nancy, the nurse who would bring her to Suzi.

  Before she went through the door, Carolyn hugged Cara tightly and said in her ear, “I thank God for you daily.”

  When Cara made her way back to A.J., she was a mess. Nerves, emotions, and the respect of a woman — a grandmother — whom she loved.