Chapter 3 –

Sally squinted her eyes in disgust and said indignantly, “Dad. I just want to go out with the girls, not the boys. We aren’t trying to hook up with anybody.”

Dr. Kevin Larson wasn’t fooled for a moment. Sally was clearly trying to bypass her mother’s restrictions and use him to nullify her law. He wondered if Sally would ever figure out that once he was kid too. He played his hand well. “Oh, so if I call your Mom downstairs, she will say the same thing to me? Huh?”

“But Dad!” she whined. She knew she was caught. But, she knew she couldn’t let her dad know that.

“Now, and I mean now, this debate ends young lady. Besides, your uncle Cam needs you to come over today before school starts next week. He could use your help. I am going to give you a heads up. There is a new girl in town and she needs your expert coaching. She is a cousin of yours and she has been adopted by your aunt and uncle because her parents aren’t with us anymore. She has been living in Mexico and needs someone to help her adapt to living back in the United States.”

“Really?!”

“Yes. Oh, and she can’t discuss the circumstances of how she lost her parents because it is under police investigation. Anything she says about her circumstances could endanger the investigation. So, don’t expect her to talk about it.”

Her mother, Stella, came around the corner and joined in. “Your Dad is right, Sally. Jean needs your help. She is about to start 9th grade at your high school. Having a 10th grader helping her get accepted will be a tremendous help. Besides, according to your Grandmama, your cousin is a sweet girl and very shy.”

“You know, I have an idea. I’ll drop you off on the way to work. You can call the girls and have them visit you at your uncle’s place. That way she gets to become familiar with your crowd. She needs all the help she can get.”

“Why? Is she some sort of lame idiot?”

Her mom was going to have none of that. “No. But she has been being home schooled and living in a place where she hardly had your advantages. She doesn’t know the in and outs of being in a big school. In fact, the only classroom she has known has been filled with one student.”

“Okay Mom. So, she is a cousin? Is she really nice, or is she a goof?”

“Yes. She is nice. But there is something else I should warn you about.”

“What, don’t tell me. I figured there had to be a problem with her. She is butt ugly, isn’t she? Does she speak with bucked teeth. Duh, duh, look at me, I am a goofy girl. Boy, will that make me popular with my crowd.”

“Enough of your sarcasm young lady! She is only ugly if you are. So, stop with the attitude.”

Sally said in a snarky voice, “What do you mean by that, only if I am?”

“Jean is your doppelganger. According to your grandmother and your uncle, she looks exactly like you. In fact, the comment is that she is almost your identical “twin.” The only way, they said, they could tell she wasn’t you was that she likes wearing dresses, has long hair, and smiles too much.” Sally looked at him wide in disbelief.

“In fact, Munchkin, I need to head out to work. There might be a new doctor coming on staff and I need to approve his resume. Why don’t I drop you off right now. Grab your things.”

Mrs. Larson glared at Sally and crossed her arms. Sally retorted, “All right, all right. Let me go grab my purse and phone. Does she at least have a phone?” Mom and Dad shook their head no. “Aw man, I am getting stuck with a neanderthal! Maybe I should bring a signal mirror too.”

“Hi Jessica.” He smiled at his niece and opened his arms to give her a quick hug.

“Hi uncle Kevin.” said Sammy who was playing Minecraft. He continued his game.

That left just Jessica to deal with their cousin and have some fun. “Hi Sally. Are you here to meet your twin?” teased Jessica.

This was the second time she heard this cousin looked like her and she was getting worried. “Does she really look that much like me?”

“Oh yeah, only she acts much nicer. She doesn’t ignore me like you always do.”

“I don’t ignore you. I pretend you aren’t there so you go away. And it works.”

“Well, she doesn’t. We played last night. She really knows how to do hair and make up. She taught me how to put on mascara.”

“She taught me how to put on mass scary!” Sally responded in a mocking tone.

Having enough of his daughter’s attitude, Kevin said, “Watch your attitude young lady. This is serious. Jean has no one to integrate her at Fairview High. You have a ton of friends at school and ...”

“Buenos Dias. Hello, my name is Jean. You must be Sally. I have heard so much about you. I hope I am not too much of an inconvenience for you. I sure appreciate you coming over and helping me.”

Sally turned to the stairs and saw who had to be Jean descending. She was the picture of loveliness. She was wearing a simple yellow sun dress with a red belt. She clearly had nice boobs as well as curves. Her hair was done in a single french braid and laying on her right shoulder. She had nice simple red bracelets on her wrist and her shoes were red wedges with a kind of basket weave pattern on the heel. She was even wearing nude hose that kind of gave it a 60s feel. She was immaculate in appearance and pristine in beauty.

Sally so wanted to take an instant dislike to her, but she couldn’t. She could see how much she looked like her and she loved seeing what she could look like if only she dressed more girly. “Uh, hi Jean. I’m sorry. I didn’t want to make fun of you. I just wanted to be with my friends today. School starts in a week and this is our last chance to go out on the lake and have fun at the end of the summer.”

“Hey precious, your dad has to go to work. You have my permission to go to the lake if you go with Jean and there is one adult there.”

“I can go with them. I know how to let the girls have fun.” said Grandmama who winked at Sally. Sally smiled realizing her grandmother understood.

Jean frowned. “I don’t have a swimsuit. Besides, I have to do some shopping before school starts. I was hoping you could give me some pointers.” added Jean.

Sally couldn’t believe what she just heard. “Me, give you pointers. With you dressed like that?!”

“Why, is it wrong?” Jean answered with real concern as she looked at herself in the hallway mirror.

“No, you look drop dead gorgeous.” Sally stopped for a moment and had an evil idea. With a wicked smirk on her face, she said, “I’ll tell you what. We really aren’t going to do much except have the boys ogle us in our bikinis while we get sunburned and pay for it tomorrow. What do you say to a visit to the mall instead? I think my friends will prefer that once they meet you.” Jean didn’t realize that Sally was up to something but, by her reaction, thought it was a great idea. Sally offered her her hand. “Deal?”

“Thank you. That is very kind.” Jean shook her hand. “I know I must be a drag.”

Cam rolled his eyes at hearing they were going shopping. “Girls! Shopping! What could go wrong? Oh well, at least I don’t have to worry about anyone drowning. So, Jean, here is a credit card I got for you. It is a pre-paid one.”

Sally grinned mischievously looking at her uncle. “How much?”

Cam gulped as if he was about to faint and winked at them. “Two-thousand.”

“No way Dad! You never gave me that much!” Jessica said.

“Yeah, she is right! I don’t get that much for clothes either!”

“Sammy, you and I don’t spend $500 a year on clothes because we are guys.” Cam tickled him in the side and then they gave each other a high five. Jessica just folded her arms and pouted. Cam mussed her hair, leaned down to his little girl’s ear and whispered that she would get a card too at some point.

***
“Texas Ranger Nelson. I love the sound of that. I am impressed. It seems like yesterday we were hunting deer and wondering what would become of us after college.” Bishop’s old college room mate looked up from his desk to see his old friend.

“Good to see you too Bishop. Detective isn’t such a surprise either. You were good at solving puzzles. So, what is this case that brings you to my doorstep.” He stood up and came around. The two men hugged.

After Bishop related the story to Nelson, Nelson shook his head. “I don’t think he would have buried them there where someone could find freshly dug up earth. Is there a cave or some kind of root cellar there?”

“The hacienda is split in a couple a different wings. It once was part of a working ranch, so we suspect that he kept the other children in a different part of the ranch. He didn’t want them to get to know each other too well.”

“And the kidnappings occurred around 2012 and 2013. Four of them. Camille, John, Alvin, and Steve. Only Camille has come out alive. The other three are speculations.”

“Yes. We know that at least two boys were talked to by Camille about how, when she obeyed Mr. Jack, she was well treated. That happened about seven months after she had been kidnapped. It is clear to us that the boys were rebelling. Camille says they were dressed as boys when she last saw them which means they were beaten. We think Mr. Jack got so frustrated, he killed them in anger. The kidnappings were about two months apart.”

“Do you think Camille made it because she really is transgender?”

“Yes. I am pretty well convinced that she is. Mr. Jack isn’t that good with kids nor understanding how children are affected by transgenderism. Some boys play at being a girl to get attention or because they are curious. So, given the reactions of these other boys, it seems pretty obvious too that he misjudged them. Camille is a dutiful child and easily managed. Mrs. Laignaux is, well, was a strict authoritarian, or was at the time Camille was kidnapped. She would boss Camille around and she was used to being told what to do even before getting kidnapped. After Camille disappeared, Mrs. Laignaux backed off with her remaining children. As best as I can see, she is on a guilt trip still.”

“I can see why you don’t want this hitting the press too. Some lunatic might want copy cat it. I have some agents who have done work in Mexico before. I can send them there given the right paperwork. Apparently, the authorization is going to be directly from the FBI assistant head. So, that will keep it out of the official pipeline.”

Ranger Nelson picked up the phone and started dialing. “Need a ride to the airport Bishop?”

“Sure. Saves money on cab fare.”

“Plus, we can talk about old times too on the way and I can interrogate you at last. I have been meaning to ask you about what ever happened between you and Stacy after I left you in the bar that one night. You keep avoiding the question.”

“Oh, that is easy. Some dude named Brian got to Stacy before me. She was a cutie even if she walked a little like a man.”

“Too bad. Stacy Bishop had a nice ring to it.”

“Well, Brian had a better chance of getting Stacy in love with him than I did. I had no chance.”

***
Phyllis, Madison, and Janet were waiting impatiently by the entrance to the Food Court.

Phyllis grunted, “I can’t believe Sally nixed our plans for the lake. This had better be good.” Then she giggled, “Sometimes I could just throttle her. But, then she comes up with some really fun idea and we have to do them.”

Madison piled on. “I hate and love her. She drives me nuts and I wouldn’t ever want to lose her as a friend.”

“Oh, I just got a text from her. She says to look towards The Gap. She is coming this way.” Janet said excitedly.

They looked down the corridor and saw her. “What the hell happened to her. She looks stunning.” Madison said.

“Do you think she got a make over at the spa just over there?” Janet asked.

Phyllis mused, “No, she got abducted by aliens and given some fashion sense at last.”

They all began to wave. Jean waved back. As she got close, they seemed confused. They jumped when a voice behind them said. “Yeah, I wish I knew I could look like that too. Come to think of it, I can!” The girls turned and there was Sally in a grey hoodie.

All at once, they all said pretty much the same thing, “What are you doing here and who is that?”

Sally smugly answered, “Guys, I would like you to meet my cousin Jean.”

***

“Come on in Mrs. Laignaux. How can I help you today? You say you have a daughter who needs to start here at Fairview High.”

“Yes. Well … um … we just adopted her. Her parents, you know … um … anyway, we have taken her in as family since she is family anyway, cousins and all that. She has been home schooled. We are trying to get the transcripts right now. Here, I have test scores from her doctor and psychiatrist.”

“Fantastic, let me take a look at them so we can determine where she belongs.” Mrs. Nixon, the dean of students, looked over the scores shaking her head. “You know that she could get her GED right now. Why does she want to come in at 9th grade? She is college material right now.”

“She lived in a very rural area. She doesn’t even know how she would cope in college. She thinks if she spends time with kids her own age and gets to socialize, she will be better able to handle college. We agree.”

“You know, normally, I would disagree with you. But, in this case, it makes a lot of sense. Socialization is very important. Are you sure she won’t be too bored in class?”

“Maybe. She is hoping that she can learn how to get along with others more than worried about what kind of grades she gets. Plus, she has no computer skills at all. So, there are some things she needs to be learning here that she can’t learn elsewhere. Especially at the college level.”

“Well, she needs to come in and chose her classes.”

“No. That won’t be necessary. We talked it over and I am going to chose classes for her that will allow her to gain experience in the classroom.”

***
“No, not that one. The other vest. The one in taupe.” Jean remarked. “Can’t you put that one on, please.”

“Really?!”

“Yes. Having a muted color like taupe with a really pretty blouse like this can add a little contrast to your outfit. And since you like to wear jeans and you don’t want to come off as a boy, right? And, of course, you want to highlight your lovely figure, right? The vest properly cinched up will accent your curves and your breasts. Here, let me show you.” Jean put the vest on Sally, buttoned it up leaving the top button undone, and then cinched up the back. “Here look in the mirror. See how your nice slim narrow waist comes out?”

“Yes. I love it. I would never thought of adding a vest to my outfit. I would have thought it couldn’t accent my figure. Thanks. They really make my girls stand out too.”

“I love it too.” said Madison Albright. “You really know your fashion for someone who doesn’t get out much.”

“Fashion magazines were the only way I could hear about the outside world being in such a rural location. I used to pour over them for fashion advice. I loved cutting out outfits from the magazine and dressing up pictures in my room. It was a favorite pastime of mine.”

“Kinda like Photoshop?” added Phyllis Snodgrass who was admiring the outfit on Sally too.

“Photoshop? I have heard the name, but I don’t understand. Is it a store here in the mall?”

Madison answered, “No, silly, it is a computer program they use to make all women look perfect so we regret even being alive and not looking perfect. You can remake digital photos on a computer and make anyone look perfect.”

“I see I have lot to learn. There was no Internet where I was living. So, we didn’t play with computers at all.”

“Well, you are going to have to learn how to use them if you are going to have any chance of passing 9th grade. We all have to do work on them these days.”

“I can’t believe how much you two look alike. You really could be twins.”

“Thank you. To be accused of looking like Sally is the best compliment I have had all day.”

“Yeah, we really thought she had a complete makeover.”

“Well, I think it is going to be awesome. I was too much of a Tomboy to care growing up. In fact, I let my cousin Camy play with my dolls while I climbed trees.”

“Whatever happened to him?” Janet asked.

“We don’t know. We may never know.” she said sadly.

Jean bit her tongue and let them talk about his disappearance. In a strange sort of way, it was comforting to know that she hadn’t been forgotten. In another sense, it was disturbing to hear the speculation of what might have happened to her. If only they knew he, now she, was standing right in front of them.

Jean was shaken out of her contemplation when one of the girls said, “Can you help us now with our outfits. Pleassseee, Jean?”

Jean giggled. “Sure. I would love to do that. It is way more fun than doing it with magazine photos.”

Sally nudged her. “Come on girl. We got to get you a bunch of clothes too. This trip can’t be all about us.” Sally tugged at her arm as she pulled her towards more clothes. They went on a shopping spree for Jean who eagerly shared her clothes with Sally who was now delighted to have a chance to be girly for once.

***
Paul pulled into the parking lot and headed to the entrance. “Dr. Kendricks here to see Dr. Larson.”

“Oh, you are the new man. Wonderful.” The secretary pushed a button on the phone and called down to Dr. Larson who came scurrying down the hallway to great him.

“Dr. Kendricks?”

“Call me Paul, if you would. You are Dr. Larson?”

“Yes, please call me Kevin. It is a pleasure to work with someone of your talent. I looked over your resume. You have done some outstanding work. I hope you stay long enough with us to help get us up to speed as well. Your previous employers have all spoken about what a great job you did in making their facility work efficiently.”

“Yeah, it is what I like to do. I hope you don’t mind.”

“Not at all. Most people don’t know, but we are a small town. Yet, we have around 40 murders a year here making it one of the most dangerous cities in the world to live in. All this has happened in the last five years. The gangs have invaded our fair city and the crime rate is soaring.”

“I am sorry to hear that. I am sure that I can help modernize your operation.”

***
Bishop pulled in late to his driveway. As he entered into his home, a man passed out of the shadow to greet him. Bishop silently waved him inside. Sitting down at a table cluttered with mail, the man began to speak. “How was your trip?”

“Fruitful. As you probably already know.”

“You saw our man following you?”

“Yes, but I had been told about the precautions necessary by your boss. When did the CIA get involved in this affair?”

“We are fairly certain that one of our paid informants is involved in this crime. The problem is made worse by the fact that we have had so many leaks. Manning and Snowden are the most notorious examples of late. Whoever this creep is, we have to figure out if he could compromise even more secrets if you expose him.”

“And if he does?”

“Gitmo has rooms available still. He won’t be killed, if that is what you mean. Sanctioned killings went out with the cold war. By the way, we have swept your home for bugs and surveillance devices. You are clean.”

“How do you know it isn’t one of your guys?”

“It could always be one of us. That is why we have mechanics who routinely check underneath our hood for leaks and malfunctions. After five years, this would have been noticed. However, the methods he has used are classic spy craft. Too many techniques that we can’t divulge to you mere earthlings.”

Bishop laughed. “You sound more like a John Le Carre spook. I don’t want to know the techniques. I just want to get him off the street for good. In Gitmo or solitary makes no difference to me. Justice will be served either way.”

“Anything we can do within reason?”

“Yes. The doctor there said he was in the Navy. My guess is that the DNA needs to be checked against the NCIS database.”

“Doing so without proper legal authorization could get that evidence thrown out of court.”

“I know. But, Langley might be able to rule it out for me without divulging who it is. I have a copy of his DNA profile on this USB device here. Let me go get you a cup of coffee and we can discuss the merits of the CIA checking it for me.”

The man just grinned. “I take mine black and perked slowly.”

Ten minutes later, Bishop came back and sat down. “Well do you think I would find it in the NCIS database?”

“No, I think you would be barking up the wrong tree.” The man put his phone away.

“That was fast.” Bishop noticed that the USB drive was moved.

“Anything else?”

“Not now. I will call dial a prayer when I need help again.”

“Fair enough. I will let myself out.” The man got up and left through the front door. Bishop just sat there and thought for a moment.

Bishop picked up his phone and made a call. “Hey George. You know that DNA sample I need checked. I need a constant check on it with CODIS once a week. Okay?”

“Yea. Thanks. Oh, I will bet a Lincoln on the Dodgers. I think this is their year to get into the World Series.”

Bishop leaned back and breathed a heavy sigh. Just then, the door opened again, “Hey, I forgot to mention something. Just for your info. The Coast Guard doesn’t always do DNA. Just a thought.”

Bishop leaned forward and smiled. “Thanks for the tip.”