Chapter 9

The Game

After Gina hung up the phone, she couldn’t help being saddened at the reaction on Randy’s father. Not surprised, really, but truly saddened. She wanted Rachel to have a relationship with Randy’s parents. They were good people, but his dad had funny ideas about women in general. Almost like they were second class citizens, put on the earth only to serve men. How he kept that attitude in the new Army was a source of amusement for Gina. If Rachel never saw him again, he would be the loser.

Gina then called Brianna. She wanted to inform her about the sign in the yard. Gina pulled up Brianna’s number on her cell phone.

“Brianna DiMaggio”

“Brianna, It’s Gina Harris”

“Hi, Gina, what can I do for you today”

“There’s been a little incident I need to let you know about”

“Oh, what’s that?”

”¨”¨“We had a sign planted in our front yard last night. Garrett found it this morning and pulled it out before Rachel could see it”

“What did it say?”

“‘A pervert lives here’, in big red letters.”

“Well, this is a development that is not entirely unexpected. I’ll send one of my people over to pick it up. Rachel shouldn’t see it, and I want to save it for potential evidence if this continues”

“Do you think it will”

“In all likelihood, yes. People who do things like this aren’t likely to stop until they are caught”

“Should I be concerned about our safety?” asked Gina.

“Not as long as you have me helping you. Leave everything to me. I’ll take care of this. Just try to keep Rachel blissfully unaware of these events, okay?”

“You don’t have to worry about that. My only concern is that she is planning on a sleepover after the game tomorrow night. Should I change those plans?”

“Absolutely not! I’ll handle everything. Nothing is going to happen to my little sister. You tell her to have a great time for me”

“I will. Thank you, Brianna. You’ve been a godsend!”

“Don’t worry. Now I’ve got to get to work. I’ll talk to you later”

Brianna disconnected and immediately called her secretary on the intercom.

“Betsy, get me Steve Marshall....”

Rachel was stressing about what to do at her party. She had never done anything like this before. She wanted her friends to have fun.

“Mommmmm”

Gina knew that call. Rachel was worried about something.

“Coming, dear” she said as she went up the stairs. “You beckoned, Princess?”

“What are we going to do at the sleep over? I have no idea what we will do! I’ve never done anything like this before. Help!”

“Honey, don’t sweat it. This isn’t my first time hosting a sleep over”

“But that was for Garrett’s friends. These are girls!”

“Rachel, I was talking about my friends when I was a girl”

“But mommm, you’re old! Things are different now”

Gina rolled her eyes. “Rachel, I’m only 34 years old! It’s not like I’m the Crypt Keeper!”

“The WHO?”

“Never mind” she sighed “Maybe I am over the hill at 34”

“I’m sorry mom, I’ll listen to your ideas. After all, I sure don’t have any”

Rachel and Gina spent some time planning the party. By the time they were done, Rachel realized her mom had a lot of fun ideas. This wouldn’t be so bad after all. Gina, for her part, had fun bonding with Rachel, and getting to know her daughter a little better. She found that Rachel really loved feminine things. She was all girl, there was no doubt about that.

Steve Marshall got the call from Brianna DiMaggio’s secretary to come in to the office. Steve was a private detective and bodyguard in Austin. He looked something like Denzel Washington, with a leaner look. At six-three and two hundred ten pounds, he played safety for the Longhorns in the early 90’s. He was a pro candidate, but a knee injury robbed him of the speed that made him a nightmare for the opposing offense. He was drafted, but never hit his stride in the NFL. He went on to get his law degree, and spent ten years in the FBI after that. After getting enough of the politics in the Bureau, he branched out on his own in 2005. He met Brianna at a party while working a security detail for a prominent Texas business figure. They hit it off immediately.

Steve liked working for the DiMaggio’s. They paid well, and didn’t micro manage him. They trusted him to do his job. He arrived at the office, and went up to Brianna’s secretary.

“The boss lady wanted to see me, Betsy?”

“Yes sir, Mr. Marshall” came the reply. “I’ll buzz you in, she saw you pull up”

“You know, Betsy, you can call me Steve. I’m an employee just like you”

“I know, Mr. Marshall” replied Betsy with a smile “Miss DiMaggio will see you now”

Steve shrugged his shoulders. That girl was one strange bird. Cute, though.

“Steve! Good to see you. Thanks for coming on such short notice!” Brianna went over and gave Steve a hug and a kiss on the cheek. With her heels on, she was nearly as tall as Steve.

“No problem, Bree. Business is off right now anyway. Not enough intrigue going on here to keep me busy” Damn, thought Steve. She is always put together, and she always smells nice. He knew her background, and didn’t care. He would love to get to know her a lot better, but she always put off his advances. She said it wouldn’t be proper. All he knew was no one filled out a business suit like Brianna. “Easy, boy” he thought.

“What’s up?” Steve asked.

“I have a little job for you in Martinsburg. There’s a family there that needs a little help for the next few nights. I need you to stop a little vandalism” Brianna proceeded to fill him in on the details of the case.

“Martinsburg, huh? Nice little town, a lot of white trash elements. Not the most progressive of towns. So we have a little sign maker, huh? This should be fun”

“I’m paying you top dollar for this, Steve. If someone does come, I need you to take them out quickly and quietly. I don’t want this little girl to know anything is wrong. Put the fear of God into whoever is doing this”

“How do you want me to ‘discuss’ this with whoever is doing this?”

“The perpetrators need to understand that any move toward the Harris family will be dealt with severely. Get names if possible. But do it quietly. I’d like to keep the police out of this if possible. They’ll get Rachel involved and I don’t want that. She’s having a slumber party tomorrow night. Start your watch then. Here’s your advance”

It was a cashier’s check for ten thousand dollars.

“Damn, Bree. This is contract money! I don’t do killing, you know”

“Neither do I. This is open ended job. No one, I mean no one is going to bother this girl, not while I have anything to say about it”

“What is it about this girl, Bree?”

“I have my reasons, Steve. Someday, I’ll tell you”

Thursday night was uneventful. Rachel was on the phone with Becca and Angela discussing events at school and the upcoming game, as well as the sleep over.

Friday morning, there were no signs in the yard, which was a relief to the family. Rachel was up earlier than usual to get an early start on her lessons, as she wanted to be done by one or two o’clock. She didn’t even to bother to get out of her sleep shirt and robe.

“Rachel” Gina chided, “Why haven’t you gotten showered and changed?”

“I will mom. I want to get my schoolwork out of the way so I can get ready for the sleepover.”

“Okay, just see that you don’t forget to clean up”

“Ewwww, mom! How could I forget that! That’s just gross!” came the disgusted reply.

Gina and Maria went to the store to stock up on the snacks that weren’t likely to last long with three healthy appetites. They got some special items for party games, and some things for Garrett, who was going to by vastly outnumbered tonight. While they were at the store, Gina ran into Amy Adams, the pastor’s wife.

“Hello, Gina” said Amy.

“Hello, Amy” came the frosty reply.
”¨“Look, Gina, you have every right to be angry with us. You and Rachel were treated horribly that Sunday. I have never seen such a display in all my life. I was shattered. I wanted to stand up and scream at those men to shut up and sit down, but I was paralyzed. I wasn’t brought up to say such things. I just wanted you to know that I haven’t been back to that place since that day, and I won’t go back until everyone apologizes to you. I’m so sorry, Gina, I should have been a better friend. I don’t think we’ll be there much longer anyway, a large section of the church membership wants Jim out. They think he’s too liberal”

Tears started down Amy’s face. Gina gave her a hug. “I forgive you, Amy. For what it’s worth, I never did blame you”

“Thank you, Gina. I’m glad to get to talk to you. I don’t know if we’ll get to talk again. Send Rachel my love”

Amy left as Maria walked up. “Who was that?”

“Amy Adams, the pastor’s wife”

“What did she want? To jab you again?””¨

“No, actually, she wanted to apologize. She’s going through a rough patch too. She was never the problem anyway. She and Jim may not be there that much longer anyway”

They got home at about noon. Rachel was done with her schoolwork, and was showered and ready to go. She was wearing a brown calf length peasant skirt and a pink fuzzy sweater with a blouse underneath, with ballet flats.

“Well, don’t you look lovely” said Maria. “What’s the special occasion?”

“Nothing, I just like to look nice for my appointment”

“OH MY GOSH! Your appointment! I completely forgot”

“Mom, it isn’t until 2 o’clock! We have plenty of time. I made tuna salad for lunch”

“How did you learn how to do that?” asked Gina.

“Internet, Mom. I just followed directions”

Gina gave Rachel a big hug. “Thank you, baby! I don’t know what I would do without you”

“Don’t thank me till you try it, Mom” Rachel said with a laugh.

They ate the lunch Rachel made and it was delicious. Rachel seemed to have a knack in the kitchen. Charles even agreed.

They made the appointment with Julie in plenty of time. As usual, Julie wanted to talk to Rachel alone first.

“So, how have things been going since Sunday?””¨

“Great! Thank you for helping us meet Brianna. She’s beautiful and soooo nice. She gave me her card! I’ll be able to call her now, because I got my own cell phone” Rachel showed Julie the phone. “I’m also having a sleepover tonight after the game”

“That’s lovely, Rachel. It’s a very pretty phone. and by the way, I love your outfit. Who picked it out for you?”

“Well, Mom and I picked it out at the store, but I put it together today”

Julie made some notes. “Well you did a marvelous job, Rachel”

“Thank you, Julie” Rachel beamed.

“Now about the sleepover. Who is coming?”

“Oh, just my two friends, Becca and her sister Angela. Those are the only friends I have”

“Does that make you sad?”

“Oh, no. I’d rather have fewer friends right now anyway. I’m just so used to most people my age being mean to me, that I’m not ready to have a lot of friends. Besides, how many best friends can you have” Rachel smiled.

“I think that you have the right idea, Rachel”

Rachel and Julie talked for another thirty minutes. Julie took notes, and Rachel talked on about how much fun she was having, how exciting the schoolwork was. Finally, Gina came in.

“Julie, can I talk to you alone a minute?”

“Sure. Rachel, there is some diet Coke in the office refrigerator, do you want some”

“Yes! I’ll go get it”

“What’s up Gina”

Gina explained about the sign, and what they had done about it. Gina gave Julie all the details.

“I think you are going about this the right way for now. If this is an isolated incident, there is probably no need to tell Rachel. If Bree said she would handle it, she will. I wouldn’t worry about it for now. Keep me informed”

“Okay, Julie”

They got back to Martinsburg at six o’clock. Garrett was already gone with his grandparents. Rachel had called Becca and Angela to let them know that she and her mom were coming to pick them up for the game. After driving by and picking up Becca and Angela, they went to the high school field. The visiting team was Lampasas High
School, one of Martinsburg’s biggest rivals. The stands were filling up and it looked to be another standing room only crowd. The band was warming up as the junior varsity game was finishing up.

“Rachel, I don’t want you alone here, okay?” said Gina.

“Ohh, Mom, you never said anything to me before. Why now”

“First of all, I did tell you to be careful the last time we were here, but you have to learn that girls have to be especially careful. There are a lot of sickos out there that would love to get their hands on you. So, the three of you girls stick together, and don’t talk to anyone you don’t know, okay?

“We understand, Mrs. Harris” said Angela, “We’ll keep her safe. She has never been out before to a place like this as a girl. We’ll show her the ropes”

“See that you do, Angela. If you have to run about, do it safely, okay”

“We will, Mrs. Harris. Can we go get some popcorn?”

“Okay girls, but I’ll be watching you.”

“Yay! Let’s go Rachel!” And off they went.

Charles told Gina. “I think I’ll keep a closer eye on them”

“Thank you, Daddy”

The girls took the long way to the concession stand. Angela wanted to be the social butterfly and meet all the girls from school. She met up with a group of her friends.

“Hey girls! What’s up?”

Brittany Daniels spoke up “Nothing at all. All the boys worth talking too are either on the field or in the locker room. You look cute tonight!”

“Thanks, Britt. So do you. Are those new jeans?”

“These? I wish. Mom won’t let me get anything new until my birthday Saturday. She says I might be surprised what I get. As if.”

“Girls, you know my sister, Becca, have any of you met our friend before?”

Brittany was with Jayne Morris, Katie Brunson, Hilary Carter and Lisa Martinez.

“No, came the reply”

“This is Rachel, our cousin from Austin. She’s here for the weekend””¨
“Rachel blanched and looked at Becca, who elbowed Angela”

“Ow! Becca, I was just introducing our cousin here”

“Angela, what are you doing” whispered Becca.

“They have no idea who she is, Becca. There is no sense letting them in and judging her before they know her”

“Lying isn’t going to help her, Angela””¨

“What are you two whispering about?” said Jayne “Let us in on the secret”

The other girls agreed. “Yeah, Let us in!”

“Oh, it’s nothing, Becca was reminding me where we have to go later”

“We need to get back, Angela” said Rachel “Mom will get worried”

“We don’t need to get back right now, Let’s talk awhile” Angela introduced all the girls to Rachel, who already knew who they were. Why was Angela doing this? Rachel hated lying, and didn’t want to start now.

“Angela!” Rachel interrupted. “You don’t have to lie about me. Girls, I’m Rachel Harris, but you might remember me as Randall”

The girls all stopped talking. They looked at Rachel in disbelief. Rachel was flushed bright red in embarrassment.

“Then Jayne said, “Oh! So you’re the famous Rachel that everyone is talking about. So is it true you had a sex change operation in Europe?”

“What?” cried Rachel. “No! I just had a medical condition that made my parents think I was a boy, but I never was”

“Oh, yeah, right, Rachel” said Brittany “Like you just woke up one morning and you were a girl?”

“Well not exactly, but I can tell you that I...I...I have....girl parts”

“Really?” said Lisa, “You do?”

“Yes, but the doctor said that I can never have babies”

“Oh, wow. Are you serious?” said Hilary.

“Yes. And you probably hate me. I’ll leave now” said a dejected Rachel.

“Wait!” said Brittany “Don’t leave! I think it’s kind of cool. You’re different, but it’s not like everyone says. They were all saying you were some sort of freak that looked like a boy in a dress. You don’t look that way to me. I think you’re pretty!”

“Really?” asked Rachel “You do?

“Sure! And if Angela is willing to make an idiot out of herself by lying to us for you, then you must be okay. What do you think, girls?”

They all agreed that Rachel wasn’t the ogre that the rumor mill had painted her to be. The girls began to talk about boys.

“Who do you like, Rachel?”

“I don’t know. I think I’m really too young for that. I’ve got enough to worry about right now. I’ll leave the boys to you. You know a lot more about it that me!” laughed Rachel.

“Well, I think you’re cool” said Lisa “You can hang out with us anytime”

“Thanks, Lisa. I like you guys too”

Just then the school song started, and the varsity team came roaring onto the field. The crowd started cheering. Rachel screamed out Garrett’s name, and he happened to see her and wave.

“You’re Garrett’s sister, aren’t you, said Brittany. “He’s hot! Can you put in a good word for me?”

Angela retorted “No way, Britt. He’s mine”

“Whatever, Ang. He doesn’t know any of us are alive. All he thinks about is football and weights!” Brittany and the girls giggled.

“Unfortunately, you’re right” said Rachel “But I’m sure that will change eventually. He doesn’t listen to me anyway”

“Isn’t that the truth” said Becca. “But I’m just as glad they don’t notice us right now. I kind of think they are gross”

The girls all laughed at Becca’s comment. They broke up for the moment, promising to get together at halftime.

The game turned out to be a rout in the first half. Garrett’s name was being called as the tackler on more than a few plays, and he had an interception return for a touchdown in the second quarter. The halftime score was 23-0, Martinsburg.

The girls got together again at halftime and were talking and laughing like tween girls are know to do. Silliness is genetic at this point in the development of girls and Rachel was enjoying laughing and being accepted. Then, her bliss was shattered. Becca screamed, as her rear end was brutally pinched.

“Hey Becca, what’s shakin’ besides your ass?” It was Wayne Jackson, whose beating set Rachel on the course that changed her life.

Rachel jumped and retreated behind Angela and Brittany, fear etched on her face.

“Wayne, keep your disgusting paws off my sister, you pervert! She’s twelve years old!” cried Angela.

“Who cares? She’s hot, and if she’s lucky, she may get to be with me before the night is over”

“EWWWW, you pig! I wouldn’t have anything to do with you if you were the last male on the earth! God, you are so gross!” said Becca with disgust.

“Ohh come on baby, you know you can’t resist gettin’ a little Wayne!”

“Please” said Brittany “Are you really that stupid! You stink! Really, at least take a shower before you try to talk to girls” She made a gagging motion to the other girls, who started giggling.

“Hey! Who’s the new piece you’re hiding. I don’t believe I done her yet”

“You haven’t done anyone, other than yourself, loser” said Jayne with disdain.

“Hey bitch, watch yer mouth when talking to a man” he challenged.

Rachel stepped out. “Don’t you dare talk to my friend like that you pig! She’s better than you will ever be”

“Ohhhh, the little girl has a voice! You’re cute, so I’ll let you go for now, just watch your mouth” he said in a patronizing tone that infuriated Rachel.

“Little girl? You disgusting piece of slime! there’s only one place your going with that atttude. JAIL! God I hate you! I’ve always hated you”

The dimwitted boy had not caught on to who was talking to him. He looked over to his sniggering colleagues and realized the situation was getting out of hand.

“You bitch! He raised his hand to hit Rachel, but not before she raised a knee to his groin. He wilted.

“You bastard! My name is Rachel. Rachel Harris! And don’t you ever bother me or my friends again” She turned away from Wayne and put her head in Angela’s shoulder and started crying.

The girls all circled Rachel and walked away with her, hugging and consoling her.

Wayne began to recover his faculties, and saw the girls walking away. His friends were laughing at him and ridiculing the fact that he was taken out by a girl. He Jumped up and ran to the group of girls. He was going to show them!

Suddenly, he was stopped cold in his tracks by a hand clamped on his shoulder. All of a sudden he couldn’t move. His shoulder exploded in pain. He couldn’t say or do anything.

“Son, that’s not a very good idea” came the smooth even bass voice. “Those girls are off limits to you”

Wayne looked up and saw a tall black man dressed in black, with a shaven head and goatee. He also saw the glint of something under his jacket.

“Wayne Jackson, I know all about you” he said in a whisper “Not too bright, drunk father, ugly mother. Don’t make me do something that they might regret. Now, I want you to turn around walk away with your little buddies, and never speak to Rachel or her friends again. If you do, I will be back to see you, and I won’t be so friendly the next time”

He let go and Wayne fell to the ground. He looked around but the man was gone. Wayne started crying and ran to his friends. They asked what he was going to do about the “bitch” who hit him.

“Nothing” he said. “Let’s get out of here”

Charles saw the man who dealt with the wayward boy. He was on his way to stop the altercation, but he wasn’t fast enough. He caught up with Rachel’s guardian angel.

“Thanks for handling that boy back there. I saw him giving my granddaughter a hard time, but wasn’t fast enough to get there to stop the trouble”

“No problem, Detective Walker. Just doing my job”

“How do you know me?”

“It’s what I’m paid to do. Know people”

“What’s going on here?”

“Actually, I wanted to talk to you anyway. My name is Steve Marshall, and Brianna DiMaggio has engaged my services to watch after Rachel, and get to the bottom of this sign thing. I know you’re a detective, and I wanted to let you know that I’ll be around for the next few days, making sure that nothing interferes with your granddaughter’s new life. I am also going to be as close to invisible as I can be. My orders are to keep a low profile. I’ve already talked to the chief of police to let him know I’ll be in town on a stakeout”
“What if he is in on it?” queried Charles. “Won’t that tip him off?”

“Maybe, if he knew what I was staking out. He thinks I’m on the other side of town on a divorce case” Steve laughed. “I’ll bet he’s got his boys looking for me now!”

Charles laughed as well.

Steve continued. “I want you to know, so in case you see something odd, not to worry. I’ve got it covered. No one is getting close to your granddaughter. I also need you to keep my presence between you and me”

Charles answered. “Can do, Steve. That’s a great load off my mind. Thanks for giving me the heads up” he paused “Oh, and you won’t mind if I check you out, will you? Can’t be too careful”

“I wouldn’t expect anything less, Detective Walker. Here’s my card.”

Charles thanked Steve and made a call to Dallas.

“Tom, this is Charlie. I need you to check out a PI for me. He’s from Austin, and his name is Steve Marshall. He is? He Is? Yeah? All right, Thanks, Tom, I owe you one”

“Well, when Brianna hires someone, she doesn’t skimp. You pass and then some. My girls are in good hands, Steve. Thanks”

Steve returned to his duties, and blended into the crowd.

The girls were all gathered around Rachel.

“Oh. My. God. Rachel, that was soooo cool” said Lisa. “I’ve been wanting to do that for so long!”

“I know! You so owned him, girl!” added Jayne

“Hey, don’t cry, Rach, he can’t hurt you! He’ll have to pick his balls up off the grass before he does anything!” added Brittany, giggling.

“You are the best, girl” said Becca “My bottom is going to have a bruise on it in the morning, but it was worth it to see you lay him out. What a pig”

“Thanks, guys. I just couldn’t bear to see him call you all a bitch. I hate that word. I just got out of control. After I did it, I got so scared, I didn’t know what to do”

Angela then said, “Girls, after tonight, Rachel is our friend. No matter what anyone else says about her. No matter what anyone else thinks. She’s one of us. OKAY?”

“OKAY!” came the enthusiastic reply.

The rest of the game was anticlimactic. Lampasas stiffened, but could not manage more than two field goals and the final score was 23-6, Martinsburg.

Rachel and her new friends sat next to Gina and her mother the rest of the night, cheering Garrett on and enjoying their new found friendship.