The Rescue Mission
Chapter 3
Written by rachel76m
Edited by Don Kaufman

It was advised by the doctors to not do anything extraneous; because I have not healed from my injuries. Which I will enjoy very much; it will give me time to get know my family again; and time for me to get my bearings after this traumatic experience. Being away for college does put a damper on that choice.

We said our goodbyes to Karen and Kelly. We promised to stay in touch periodically; especially for the trip to The Rescue Mission. We set a tentative date in May, which is one of the break periods for Kelly from her classes. She needs to take an intern class during the summer at the local police station on campus as well as off campus with the city police.

I check on the internet periodically for news of Richard; nothing new yet. It is now mid-February in Tennessee. I was able to check in with the local abuse clinic and the hospital for my weekly checkups here in Knoxville. At least I am with other rape victims so that we can share with each other and hopefully to help ourselves to heal faster. Some of the girls already appreciated my input from what I learned at college with the degrees that I have earned. The staff agreed that I should look for a job in helping others. The one thing I told them is to find someone they could trust to be a true friend; even it is a staff member here. I was able to tell them the friendship that I have with my roommate Kelly and Karen. But when I mentioned Richard, some of them became apprehensive. But I was able to calm them down with the news that the last time I saw him was when we were ten. The other ladies laugh and giggle at that. They realized that age was a time of innocence and discovery. There were no harsh realities thrown into the equation. Some of the ladies were able to recall their favorite childhood memories. But some did not; because they were caught up in the repeat of the cycle and not breaking it when they got older and start getting involved with men who were like the ones that their mother were involved with.

On some days I spent time with the children there when they came with their mother. Some mothers watched through the one-way mirror window into the playroom while I was playing with the children and getting them to open up about their experience. Some mothers did not realize what they were doing to their children when they were seeing too many men, the drugs or being gang raped like me. This helped heal many wounds, including my own. In my meetings with the women we discussed many emotions and how they are manifested. Even though a divorce is needed sometimes; a lot of these relationships are with single people who are not married. But, the steps are the same, there is a disagreement, it turns into a shouting match, then it can get physical. Objects can get thrown at each other, but the extremes are the hitting, rape or even a shooting all the time.

Each is a violation of trust. Each hope and promise can be destroyed and tossed away as meaningless words if it is not supported by love, honesty and forgiveness. But if the person goes back on his or her promise then they will create a situation that will be difficult to rebuild. The purpose of these meetings at the center is to rebuild that trust, to hope that there will be a tomorrow. The staff greatly appreciated me for the time that I spent there. It definitely helped me put my classes into practice since my internships. Fortunately I have a loving home to go to everyday.

That is the way it went for the next several months until the end of April. Kelly informed us when her classes and finals end on the last day. We contacted Karen to confirm dates and how we are to arrive in Charleston, SC.

Kelly was able to go home for a few days in Huntsville, AL. She agreed to drive and meet us at Charleston. All of us kept our promises to make it a family vacation that week. It has been too long since we done one of those. When we arrived at Charleston, Karen met us at the airport to be our guide as she was able to use The Rescue Mission van to get us to the hotel. She stayed with us the rest of the day and night. Karen, Kelly and I are in one room, mom and dad get their own, while the brothers get their own.

We all wake up and agreed to have the breakfast at the hotel and leave by 8 AM. It took about 1 hour to get to the docks. There was a bridge to the island, but it was wiped out by many hurricanes over the years. The state decided to not rebuild the bridge, but they did establish a ferry service for the neighboring islands and access to the beaches. Fortunately the islands are buffered by the coastal islands where the Mission is located. This helped provide the isolation and security of the island. One of the nearby islands has one of the weather radar stations for the coast in providing weather warnings. To use the ferry, it took another hour to get there. The ferry boat is large enough for several vehicles and a lounge area that is rather comfortable on the second deck with the bridge for the pilot. We all marveled at the beauty as we traveled among mangrove islands, birds everywhere of all sorts of color and shape. Some of us took photos to remember the trip.

Karen did tell us one important item. She told us to not take any pictures of the people there and post them on the internet; because if the pictures of the victims get out, then their safety will be jeopardized. It could clue an ex-lover to know where they are at and want to come out at and do some harm. Everyone agreed to that restriction.

When we arrived at the island docks, everybody got off, including the van they used from Charleston to the ferry docks. We all piled back in for the mile or so trip to the headquarters. We saw many buildings there and facilities. It is very nicely laid out like a resort.

We pulled into the parking lot in front of the administration building. Karen leads us to the front doors. We are greeted by female security personnel who opened the doors for us. When we walk into the spacious lobby we are greeted by one of the greeters there.

“Welcome to The Rescue Mission. It is a pleasure to receive guests. It gives us an opportunity to show how we operate here. Everything is above board here. As you might have noticed, it is mainly staffed by women here; so you men here who are visiting will have to keep your eyes glued to your head, your hands in your pockets, and your hormones in check.”

All of our brothers laugh at that remark. They promised they will behave.

“We have asked some of the ladies and the children that reside here if they want to give their story. They will be sitting behind curtains as they tell their story, when their story is over they will step out so that you can see them. Then you can ask questions if you want to. We do not want you to be prejudicial or forming opinions if you see them while they speak. That way you can focus on their words and experiences. I know for you Kelly and Brianna are aware of this procedure. It is also a help for them to speak up and get it out in the open. As you might surmise, we have some here who are not strong enough to do this yet; hopefully they will someday.

The first pair is a mother and daughter. The mother gives her story of initial love and understanding with her former husband. Everything was beautiful for the next several years. Then when their daughter was born, her husband changed. After 15 minutes, her daughter speaks up to tell her story. When they get done speaking, they get up and step around the curtain for them to see. It was not a pretty sight. There are still bruises on both of them. Everybody gasped when they saw them. Brianna and Kelly have seen this before, so they were not too shocked, but still the damage has been done. You can determine they are still beautiful despite the swellings and bruises. The brothers could not believe what they saw. It did get their attention.

This went on for the next several speakers. At the end of each speech; each one expressed their appreciation to find a place that is safe so that they can recover. I was surprised that my brothers spoke up and asked some questions to some of them. They were even surprised by some of the answers. After wards, we all gathered for a light lunch in a separate room from the main dining area. They did not want us mixing with them and causing some of them to be very nervous. Mom, dad, Kelly, Karen and I noticed my brothers were very pensive and subdued from what they have witnessed.

After lunch we all meet together with some of the counselors to discuss what we witnessed that morning. They said it is important to get these thoughts out into the open and to not let it stew and fester in mind and heart.

Allen speaks up first, “I just want to say I learned a lot on what it means to have a relationship and to be responsible in a marriage. I have often thought that I would like to get married someday. There is a lot more to it than just dating. To actually settle down for a long term commitment really got me thinking how our family was able to pull it off after all these years. To see our mom and dad do it this long, gives me hope that it is possible. I do not want to raise my hand against my loved one. It would destroy that trust, and be difficult to rebuild. But, I am speaking for myself here.”

I see everybody is smiling, except for Brian and Charles. They are still deep in thought.

“I will admit some of my hair-brained ideas did not work to well to make a living,” said Brian. “It is probably why not too many ladies wanted to go out with me. They sensed my flightiness, the unsteady and infrequent income level. Doing sales does have it downside. Living from paycheck to paycheck is a drag. It is a constant reminder that I need to make a better choice. So, bear with me on this. Do not worry, I will not be moving back home anytime soon.”

“Gee thanks son, just give us a warning before you do that. We were just thinking of converting your rooms to a bed and breakfast and charge you all a fee!!” laughs dad.

“Well thanks a lot for that vote of confidence, dad,” responds Charles. I was wondering how you were going to recover your savings from spending it on all four of us.”

Everybody chuckles, giggles and laughs at that joke.

“Ever since that revelation about Richard, I had to really think hard where I got my prejudice from. I guess it was from friends at school and at work. I am sorry for thinking such thoughts. Will you all please forgive me? I know it is going to take time to get into a new thinking process. But from what I heard and seen today, it definitely made a mark on me that I needed to change for good before it is too late. I do not want to be another statistic. You have all been patient despite my outbursts.”

One by one and we hugged each other telling that we love each other and we forgive each other of the wrong or misunderstanding that might have caused hurt in our family. “So, Brianna, do you have anything to say,” asks mom?

“Who moi?! You know this place is right up my alley of expertise. Karen mentioned to me that they do need a fourth professional counselor in pediatrics for the kids here. Four is needed especially with the population on this island. There are quite a number of kids here. I take it, dad, that this is what you were hinting about since we met Karen last January?”

“Yes, Brianna. Your mom and I realized Karen meant a lot to you. You will have a friend here already. But if you decide to work here, please call us from time to time and visit us, okay?”

“Thanks mom and dad, I will go and fill an application out and get the approvals from the boards.”

“Thanks Brianna, Karen connected me to the Abuse Center in Knoxville while you were there recovering. The staff greatly appreciated your input there. They said they would provide letters of recommendations if you want to become employed here. Even though the ladies there will miss you, they understand that the need is greater here because of the population that we have here and not enough counselors to help everybody effectively,” said the administrator for the mission.

So, that is how I became employed here at The Rescue Mission here in South Carolina. Little did I know that a big test will come our way this year for the Mission.

Everybody congratulated me and hugged me. I was able to go back home and get packed up to move to The Rescue Mission. Since this is a former resort, I was able to get a room of my own that is furnished. It is very comfortable. After settling in and unpacking my personal mementos, family pictures, clothes, etc. I am given a set of colorful blouses that identified the counselors on the island. I am with Karen as one of four who specialized in pediatrics. There are about 10 other ladies on the counseling staff for the adults. The population is quite large here. There are over 100 ladies here, some with their children. There is a school here for the children; besides Karen and I on the school staff, there are teachers here as well for the children. But the school is a little odd in the way it is structured. While there are boys in school on the island, once they reach the 6th grade level, they are taken to an academy that is for all boys on the mainland; while the girls can stay here through the 12th grade. Then when the girls graduate they can stay on the island or move to the mainland if they want to live there. All of the children are given opportunities to come to the island to visit their mother to keep those ties solid. Most mothers decide to stay on the island for being fearful of being found by their former loved ones. Some move back to the mainland and are able to start over in another part of the USA. Sometimes their children go with them to keep the family a unit.

As I eased myself into the routine, I always checked the latest news to see if I could find Richard. No luck yet until I read a news break in August 2102.

I get alerted to another story about Richard on the internet. It seems the house where they moved to in NC got broken into and set on fire. But Richard was able to catch the twerps with his new security system. That is great. I will save that story and print it out and add it to my file.

Karen and I talked about Richard and the fun we had during that time. We thought about incorporating some of that into teaching the boys while they were growing up on the island; of course without the cross-dressing to act like sisters. So, with the elementary school teachers and a meeting with the mothers we were able to come up with a program to teach their sons the basics of relationships, acting out scenes for a family. Some of it was a bit trying. Some of the boys got too aggressive at times to prove that they are males and do not want to learn what girls do. So, we had to develop a punishment tactic to get their attention that it was wrong. The one that seem to work the best is to dress them up to act like girls; or petticoat punishment. But that only worked when they were treated as such if they came on the island as infants to 3 or 4 years old. Some mothers came to us pregnant after a destroyed relationship. So the clinic on the island had its hands full as well. But it was the older boys who have been there before we implemented this program were the problem. Granted most of the boys acted very well, they wanted to be different from their father or abusive boyfriend. Some were very defiant and troublemakers. So, we decided a field trip to the state prison for a session of “Scared Straight” that has been successful in the past. Some of the prisoners definitely wanted to volunteer their time to do this. It did scare some of the boys to see that they were disrespecting their mother. Some of the boys promised not to get in trouble anymore.

We thought about changing the cut off year to send the boys to academy when they reached 10. That range 10 to 12 is a transition for most boys. Entering their teens and getting ready for independent thought. But it turned out to be a case by case decision. We also checked in on the academy from time to time to see how they are doing in teaching them to be responsible young men. Some took their studies well; some did not. For those who wanted to fail on purpose or get caught doing crimes, they were sent to the juvenile center and told them they used up their chances for a successful life in the real world. We even took them to the state prison for one more session. They were told if they did it one more time, they would end up there. Some tried to call our bluff, but we were firm about it. One tried to steal money from the school. Another one was caught with cocaine. They were both arrested and put in at the regular prison. Both of them were in 11th grade, old enough to be considered adults. When that happened, that got the attention of the other boys. The peer pressure to do right started to take hold; which what was needed all along.

All of the girls adjusted well and excelled in their studies. No pressures from the boys. There were very few girls who rebelled. But we had established a great peer pressure group among them. This helped them to toe the line. All we had to do was remind them where they came from and where they could end up.

~~~000~~~

[Detective Scott MacDonald]

So, let’s see here, according to my searches so far, we know that Richard graduated from NC State. I am going to have contact the Engineering Dept. there to get the next piece of information on where he moved to. He picks up the phone on his desk, dials a number to the university.

Ring…Ring…”This is the Engineering Department at NC State. Can I help you?

“Yes, ma’am, my name is Detective Scott MacDonald; I am with the police department in Knoxville, Tenn. I am trying to track a former student who graduated from your department about two years ago. His name is Richard Moore.”

“Oh, yes. I remember him; he is a very smart student. I am sorry to inform you, that according to our department policy and to the nature of Richard and his expertise, you will need a court order to be brought in person. We can not give that type of information to anybody. Especially with the status of Richard and what he has done for us here at NC State. Perhaps you can call the police department from Charlottesville; that is near the home town where he came from.”

“I understand that perfectly. You are making sure of insuring Richard’s privacy. I will have one drawn up. I will be the one who will be delivering it. I will contact the police department in Charlottesville. Thank you very much.” That’s why he is hard to track down; the university has a gag order on his whereabouts. I was requested by the Wilson family to find him. Perhaps the PD in Charlottesville will give me some answers.

Scott goes to his PC to access the phone number for Charlottesville. Ah, there it is. Well, let’s give them a ring and see what we get.

Ring…Ring…”Hello this is the Police Department in Charlottesville. How can I help you,” asked the receptionist?

“Yes, ma’am, I am Detective Scott Mac Donald from the Knoxville, Tenn. Police Department. Can I speak to a detective in your department? I need some additional information on a citizen in your city.”

“Yes, let me connect you with Detective Johnson. Please hold.” The receptionist puts the Knoxville officer on hold. She then pushes the button to reach Mr. Johnson. “Hello sir, I have a Detective Mac Donald from the Knoxville Police Department who wishes to speak to you.”

“Thanks, Melinda, I will take the call.”

“Hello, this is Detective Ron Johnson. How can I help you?” Hmm … A call from Tennessee. What is this about?

“Hello, my name is Detective Scott Mac Donald from the Knoxville Police Department. I am trying to find a citizen in your city. I was asked by a family here by the name of the Wilson’s. They used to live near Columbia, SC. They had a neighborhood family living next to them. It is the Moore family. I understand already there is only one member left living today. His name is Richard Moore. He is the one I am trying to contact. Can you help me out?”

“Calling about Richard Moore? What do you need to know?”

“I was able to call the Engineering Department at NC State where he graduated from. But the people there would not release the information unless there is a court order for verification. They are trying to protect his privacy. Which I do understand the sensitivity of the situation. So, can you help me out, Ron?”

“Sure, I can give you the company’s name where he is employed at. You will have to go through channels there. You will probably still need a court order to get access to his address down there. Hold on a second, I have his company card here. Here it is, the company’s name is Secure-Sys, Inc. located in Jacksonville. Here is the phone number and address. It is …..”

“Thanks for the lead. Let me give the address and phone number of the Wilson family here. That way you can verify this call, Ron.”

“Thank you Scott, I will give them a call. I will also inform Richard’s lawyer here in Charlottesville. She has been on the lookout for their whereabouts for some time. Good luck in finding Richard. He is a good kid.”

”Thanks, Ron, I will contact the company and see how far it will take me. Have a good week.”

“You too, come by for visit if you do. I will have cup of java waiting for you. See you then.”

“Sounds good Ron; goodbye …” Click. All right let’s call Secure-Sys, Inc. Dialing the phone number….

Ring … Ring… “Hello this is Secure-Sys, Inc. of Jacksonville. How can I direct your call?”

“Yes, my name is Scott Mac Donald. I am a police detective with the Knoxville Police Department. I need to speak with someone in Human Resources. I need some info on an employee there.”

“Hold on please, I will connect you to Mr. Dave Parker.” Pushes hold. “Hello Mr. Parker?”

“Yes, Cheryl?”

“I have a Scott Mac Donald from the Knoxville Police Department that needs to speak with you.”

“Sure, no problems; I will take the call,” The police department? Well, let’s find out. “Hello this is Dave Parker, head of Human Resources here at Secure-Sys, Inc. How can I help you?”

“Hello, my name is Detective Scott Mac Donald; I am with the Police Department in Knoxville, Tennessee. I am trying to track down an employee who might be employed at your company. His name is Richard Moore.”

“Richard Moore? Yes, he is employed here. But I should say was. He was just let go last Friday. As far as I know he has not moved yet. I will need to see a court order to release his address due to the sensitivity of the matter. What is this about?”

“I have no problems with that. I will get one drawn up. The search is a request from a family who used to be neighbors with him back in SC. They are trying to track him down to where he is now; or at least get an update.”

“That’s good to hear. He mentioned about a family that used to be there. He has had no contact with them since he left there. This will be good news for him in some time. I am sure it will cheer him up. When can you get here with the court order?”

“Does next week on Monday sound okay? I will be there in the morning. Is that okay with you?”

“Sure, that is no problem. I will inform the CEO of the request so that we can all be together and go over it. He will back from his conference by then. Have a good week and weekend; see you then, Mr. Mac Donald.”

“Thank you Dave, I will go to the courts this week and get it ready. See you on Monday at 8 AM.” Click, Click. Great I will contact the Wilson family and let them know that I have found the city where he is at. Dialing the Wilson family.

Ring…Ring…”Hello, this is the Wilson residence; Mrs. Helen Wilson speaking.”

“Hello, Mrs. Wilson. I am Detective Scott Mac Donald here at the Knoxville Police Department. I have found where Richard is living. He is living in the Jacksonville area where his company is located. However, the sad news is that he has been unemployed for about a week. I am going to have to get a court order and it has to be delivered in person to have his address released.”

“Oh, thank you, Mr. Mac Donald. I am sorry to hear about him being laid off. But, at least we know where he is. So, what’s next?”

“I will be having a meeting with the CEO this Monday morning. I will let you know how it goes. Thanks for being patient with me on this.”

“No problems. I can wait a little longer. Bring back some good news. Goodbye, Mr. Mac Donald.”

“Goodbye, Mrs. Wilson” Click, Click. Well I better call the Jacksonville Police Department and the local courts to get that court order drawn up to coincide with the one here in Knoxville.

The week proceeded as planned. I was able to get the court orders drawn up and contact all those involved. They all agreed to come to Jacksonville to be there to surprise Richard. They are staying at a local hotel near the local police department. Dave also informed me that he was able to contact the CEO that there is a meeting that morning when he comes back in.

~~~000~~~

“Hello, this is The Rescue Mission. How can I help you?”

“Hello, this is Helen Wilson, can I have a talk with my daughter Brianna, I have some news for her.”

“Oh, hi Mrs. Wilson! Sure, I will phone Brianna that you are on the line. Please hold while I contact her.”

“Thank you.”

Ring…Ring …”Hello, Brianna? This is the front desk. You have a call from your mom.”

“Oh thank you, Carol. I am in my room, I will take it here.”

“Hi mom!! How are you doing?”

“I am doing great. I have some good news. We found Richard. He is living in the Jacksonville area. Can you arrange some days off? There are a bunch of us who are staying at the hotel there waiting word when the police detective will get the release from the CEO. Then we will go out to his place and surprise him. One bit of sad news though; he has been unemployed for about a week by the time we get there. How does that sound?”

“Sounds great mom; I will ask the admin people here. I will ask Karen as well to see if she can come also.”

”That will be great; give me a call once it is finalized. The meeting is to be this Monday morning at 8 AM. We can stick around the hotel and catch up on some news.”

“Sure will mom, I will call back.”

Sure enough, Karen is given permission to come along; it has been an interesting two months since I have been there. It is a good time for a break.
They said they can hold the fort down until we come back.

~~~000~~~

[Richard Moore’s apartment]

Waking up Sunday morning, “Yawwwnnn …. All right Amber and Cobalt, let’s do some more program checking on some old software versions that I was writing for a client a few months ago, plus these versions that we normally sell. I promised Mr. Bryson it would be taken care of. He did allow me to take a copy home of the accounting data with his approval.”

“I don't like that guy that is over you. He gives me the creeps.”

“Now, now, Amber we must be nice to them as well.”

“I know, I get the feeling that danger is coming our way either today or tomorrow.”

“Okay, I'll put the metal corset on before I start.” She is right. I do sense danger coming our way today or tomorrow.

I go over the dresser drawer and take out the metal corset and put it on. Once I'm dressed, I walk over to the kitchen and open the fridge door. I take out a pitcher and pour myself a large cup of orange juice. I put the pitcher back in the fridge and close it.

Amber, Cobalt and my fairies continue to fly in and out of the apartment in butterfly mode by opening and closing the screen door on the second floor patio.

I built a trellis there with hanging plants and some flower beds. They made it a jungle almost, it keeps prying eyes from seeing what they are doing. Since it's January now, the weather is real cool.

Traphel, Amber and Cobalt keep busy teaching my newest fairies the ins and outs of being a fairy in today's world.

I sit down in my chair at the PC station in the spare bedroom.

There seems to be a flow misdirection somewhere…What the?! This should not be here. Some one put in a backdoor protocol to access it. Now who did that? First, let’s see where this leads. It seems it wants to bypass the roadblocks that I set up for the firewalls. The point is someone wants a peephole to get in and get past the firewalls. That’s not good. I will have to inform Mr. Bryson of this as soon as possible. Now let me take a look at this sub-program, maybe I can determine from its style who wrote this program …..What!? It appears to be written by Brent. I recognize his style all the time. He puts a series of code blocks at the beginning and the end of his programs all the time. I found some of his stuff in my programs all the time. It just slows me down in keeping it cleaned up. I did catch him several times when he tried to access my terminal remotely. When I reported this to Mr. Bryson the last time, Brent muttered behind my back one day and said he would get his revenge on me. He told me and Mr. Bryson he was improving the program to make it more user-friendly. I beg to differ. I kept it complicated so that no one could hack it, which the client requested. Because once the program is initiated it is even difficult for me to get in. It looks like I will have to make it more complicated. Mr. Bryson is due back in the office this Monday from the conference in DC.

I better check the accounting records as well. Hmm . . . what’s this? I see some entries erased and re-entered. They are from the bank to Brent. I better check those emails as well. Grr . . . Brent and his friends have over reached their boundaries. Something is going on here besides this. Let’s see where that money trail goes to. I better unleash my Rabbit Trails program. I type in the parameters I want and hit the ‘send’ button.

All of a sudden I see a huge list of hits from overseas in Europe. Oh boy, I recognize some of those names, they are on the hit list with Interpol. I better send Mr. Bryson a private email to give him a heads up on the situation.

~~~000~~~

[Brianna]

We all meet at the hotel on Sunday: Mom, dad, Karen, Detectives Scott Mac Donald and Ron Johnson, Anna, Richard’s lawyer and I checked in. My brothers could not make the trip, which would have been a real zoo if they came along. Mom and dad said they will call them with the news.

Detective MacDonald informed us of the meeting and that he will contact us once he knows. Talking about being nervous; at least Anna and Detective Johnson gave us some details on the Moore family tragedy and how Richard’s invention was used to find the arsonists who torched their home. He also told us, the house is being rebuilt to be livable again.

~~~000~~~

[Detective Scott Mac Donald]

In the morning, Anna and I drive out to Secure-Sys, Inc. for the 8 AM meeting. We enter the building and walk to the front desk.

“Good morning, how can I help you?”

“Good morning ma’am; I am Detective Scott Mac Donald and this is Attorney at Law, Anna Dawson. I have an 8 AM meeting with the CEO this morning.”

“Let me check the calendar. Ah, yes, here it is. If you wait here I will page Mr. Parker so that he can come out and greet you.” Pushes a button and picks up the phone, “Mr. Parker, the people are here for the 8AM meeting with Mr. Bryson….Yes…wait in the lobby…” Click hangs up the phone. “If you just wait a few minutes, Mr. Parker will be here shortly.”

“Thank you.”

About 2 minutes later in walks Mr. Parker into the lobby. “Hello I am Dave Parker, Human Resources; if you will follow me we will have our meeting with Mr. Bryson. He just came back from a week long conference in DC. So this will be a first time visit with me as well. This way please.”

Going to the elevator; they go up to the top floor of the three story building. The elevator opens up to the secretary lobby for the CEO.

“Hello, Miss Thompson, we are here for the meeting with Mr. Bryson.”

“Hold on a second, I will let him know that you all here.” Pushes a button and picks up the phone, “Mr. Bryson? …. The people are here for the 8 AM meeting…..Yes… no problems…Thank you…”

“Right this way, through those double doors. He is inside.”

“Thanks, Miss Thompson. Let’s go everybody, we have a lot to discuss this morning.”

Leaving the desk the three went to the doors, Mr. Parker opens the doors, “Good morning, Mr. Bryson. How was the trip to DC?”

“It was great, Dave. I see that we are still here. How did the week go?”

“No problems. I did let Richard leave as per your request before you left.”

“What, Richard Moore is gone? I did not give the authorization that Richard is fired.”

Anna and I look at each other worriedly.

“I am sorry, sir. I thought you did. This is Detective Scott Mac Donald, police detective from Knoxville, Tennessee and Anna Dawson, Richard’s lawyer from Charlottesville.”

“I am please to meet you. What is this about? Perhaps this is all connected somehow,” asked Mr. Bryson.

“Good morning, Mr. Bryson; I am Anna Dawson, we were instructed to bring a court order to have Richard’s address released. Richard gave me one of your company cards when he graduated and moved down here. He also gave me his new address. But, I could not give it to them without your approval until now. The family who used to be his neighbors in SC wanted this done. The Wilson family has been searching for him for several years.”

“I do applaud your diligence. I have no problem in releasing the address. He did mention some people that he knew there. We have to make sure of his privacy and security for us. But this premature firing is what needs to be focused on now…..What’s this….my sensor connection to your office, Mr. Parker, is blinking. Is there somebody in your office, Dave?”

“Why no, there shouldn’t be. The door was locked when I left. Can you access the monitors, sir?”

“Sure hold on a second, take a look over there in the corner of the room I will bring the 3D-video up.”

“You have the 3D-video system installed here? When did that get installed Mr. Bryson?” asked Dave.

“When I hired Richard, I eventually purchased a copy of his 3D System and had it installed here over the weekend last year. He also put cameras in various locations around the building and in key locations inside. I wanted a back-up here just in case the security room got compromised.”

“Mr. Bryson, I just want to assure you that our departments and 911 centers also did the same thing. It is a very good program. You will be impressed by it,” said Detective Mac Donald.

“I know, I have seen it in action. We monitor several companies who use the program through another branch of the company. I had your regular monitor replaced Dave. Only Central Security knows about this install here. Sorry about that Dave, the fewer people that know, the better. Let me access Dave’s office and see who it is.”

A 3D-video shows a copy of Dave’s office. It shows an employee coming in with a magnet-key card in hand and begins seeking the personnel files. He uses another key to get into the locked cabinet. Once he finds the file in question, he gets on the cell phone, “Hello, Brent? Yeah, I have his address here it is…. Yeah…give him one for me; he deserves it, the freak.”

Once he leaves the room. Dave speaks up, “Sir, that is Darrell, he is one of the employees that the ladies have complained about. He, Brent and a few others have a beef against Richard. Richard told me this the last time we met. It does confirm his suspicions. At least four of them took a day off from work today. No one is supposed to have a copy of that key set. Only you or I have that set, sir and one is down at Central Security.”

We all started to look at one another. “What is going to happen now? Darrell just gave Brent Richard’s home address and phone number,” asks Anna?

“We better call Richard to see if he is okay, Mr. Bryson.”

“Yes, you are right, Detective. Hold on a second,” picks up the phone and dials…”Hello Richard? Mr. Bryson here, how is everything going? I understand from Dave that I fired you. Well, I just want to inform you that I did not.”

“I am glad to hear that sir… wait a minute… I hear a car outside. Let me take a peek. …. Yes, it is Brent. He is outside laughing with some of his friends there are coming this way. I am going to switch to conference mode…”

Just then a 3D-video of Richard’s apartment shows up in the CEO’s office.

“Oh, hi Anna; it is good to see you again. Hello, Mr. Bryson and Mr. Parker. I sent you an email yesterday Mr. Bryson. Please open it as soon as possible. Brent is up to something…it is … how should I say it…it’s very, very big.”

“It is good to see you again Richard. I have some good news we found the Wilson family, they are in Knoxville, I have their police detective here with me. We were hoping to surprise you. Mr. and Mrs. Wilson are here with Brianna and Karen.”

“That is good to know. I am switching to stealth mode sir. They will not see you if they come inside. Everything will be recorded at your office sir. From what it sounds like outside, you better send the ambulance now. My system will run and send you all the video. They will not notice that I have a hidden system here that is separate from the apartment’s power.… There goes the phone…it just went dead. Tell Brianna that I loved her always. Anna I think you better call my doctor back in Charlottesville, I have a bad feeling that we are going need her.” I quickly put on a special pair of gloves. They contain a surprise for Brent and his friends.

“I will call her as soon as I can. Take care, see you soon,” said Anna.

“Good luck, we will be sending the police and the ambulance to your place. Take care. We will take care of them once they are apprehended,” said Mr. Bryson.

~~~000~~~

[Richard Moore]

Just then someone entered a key into the lock and open the door.

“Hello Richard, I hear you are unemployed now. I am sorry to hear that you are out of work. Have you found a new job yet?”

Very funny Brent wearing a president’s mask; but I know it is you by your voice. “No I haven’t, Brent. What is that to you? I am gone now from the company. Oh, I see…you brought some of your friends with you. Why did they bring the baseball bats? Having a ball game later?” By this time the other three presidents get around me on all sides each and begin laughing and snickering. I knew their voices as well who belonged to whom. All four of them wore special gloves, smart; no finger prints to leave behind. “Let’s see if I am right, you do not have to answer back; you are Darren, Michael and Brian,” as I pointed to them one at a time I quickly yank off their masks.

“Well, you are observant as always, it’s me, Brent. You could say that we want a ball game, Richard. We are just looking for a ball to use. I think we will use you instead. Isn’t that right, men,” asked Brent. The others started laughing more sinisterly, now.

“Why do you want to use me? What did I do?” Oh great, here it comes again. I bet it was them who put the post it notes on my desk. It's a good thing I put on the metal coset this morning. I better protect myself quickly and get curled up to protect my head or stomach area some more.

“This is for convincing the ladies to report us.”

Wham!!! A bat swings out and hits my leg. I fall to my knees as I look up at them. I screamed, “ARRRGGHH. What the...!” Protect my fairies quickly, Croin!

I will, Richard.

Then one of them hits my side. They hear a loud ‘ping’ sound. I crack a quick smile at Brent.

Are they okay, Croin?

Yes they are, Richard.

“What’s this you have on? He looks at his bat. “My bat is dented!”

One of them reaches down to touch my body. “He’s got some sort of freaking metal armor on.”

“Arrggh!! How dare you do that?! You just proved you are a sissy!”

I turn my face to Brent. “No. It’s because I know how to defend myself. I have a Shaolin brown sash, fool!”

“Only real men have that degree!”

I then quickly make a fist and spray out a fine mist in front of their faces. They jerk back quickly. I then use the mantis the technique I learned from my sensei to protect my bones as best as possible.

“What did you spray us with, sissy?”

“Only Jackson in Raleigh will know what I sprayed you with.”

“Arrrgghh!” They all screamed in frustration.

They all started hitting me all over. I curl up on the floor quickly. I bring arms around my head. They hit my arms. Then they pin my arms down to smash my fingers. Then they hit my legs.

“Look out, the baby is trying to fight back!”

“No way he'll win.”

I yell one more time, “Buzz off, ghosts!”

The other guys all started their rants as well while they are hitting me.

“You’re the ghost, Richard!”

I could have taken them out, but I'm pretty sure they are part of a bigger plot that needs to be exposed.

I only get kicked in the jaw once, soon I become unconscious. I did not know what happened afterwards. But, at least I know it is being recorded, they will be dealt with soon enough. Hopefully I will survive this like I have always done. It will be more delicate next time.

Then all of a sudden a buzzing sound gets louder and louder. The four look toward the balcony. They see a horde of bees, wasps, gnats flying toward them.

“Look out! Get me out of here!”

“There are too many!”

They try to swat them away. Soon they are biting the four men on the faces, necks and arms.

They rush out of the apartment quickly. With the horde of bees, wasps and gnats following them. “Arrrrghhh.....!” They get in the truck quickly. They are panting hard from that narrow escape.

“Pant . . . pant. . . The glass door must have been open.”

“I need the doctors quick, Brian. I’m think I’m swelling up.”

“I think all of us are swelling up. I’ll drive us to an outpatient clinic.”

Brent turns on the engine and leaves the parking lot.

~~~000~~~

[Detective Scott Mac Donald]

When Richard went to stealth mode, I can see that everybody is upset. Anna tried to be stoic, but she went to the wet bar to calm herself down once the beating started. She calls the doctor in Charlottesville to come here as quickly as possible and to bring Richard’s medical records. Mr. Bryson is very upset that some of his brightest employees would stoop so low to do such a thing. I started making notes of what I saw; I noted the floating 3D-time stamp in the corner of the video. Everybody was in shock. Me? I got on my cell phone and contacted the local police department 911 station and report the incident.

“Hello, this is 911, please give your name, location and describe the situation please,” said the attendant.

“Yes, this is Detective Scott Mac Donald from the Knoxville Police Department; I am at Secure-Sys, Inc. I am witnessing a first degree assault and attempted murder on a man through a 3D-video program. It is live as I speak. The victim is Richard Moore.”

Once Richard says ‘buzz off ghosts’ all of a sudden the room gets filled with bees, wasps and gnats. They are biting them where they can reach. Soon we see them with bite marks on their arms, necks and faces. They leave the apartment before they do anymore damage. Amazing. I have seen this before when Brianna Wilson was attacked. Is this a coincidence that they are saved from serious harm?

Fortunately they did not notice anything out of the ordinary there. Richard did an excellent job in concealing his system there.

Then we see some butterflies landing on Richard's body. What's this? They seem to be consoling him.

“Give me the phone Mr. Mac Donald, I will take it from here,” said Mr. Bryson. “Hello operator? Yes, this is Mr. Bryson, CEO of the company. It is true what Detective Mac Donald just said. Richard is my employee here, Richard lives at this address …. Yes….Thank you.” Click. “Ms. Dawson and Detective Mac Donald please let me have that court order for Richard’s address. I will sign it so that we can make amends to Richard.”

“Thank you, Mr. Bryson for confirming that call. Mr. Bryson; please make several copies of that recording. We will probably need to give one to the hospital, to the local authorities and one for you Miss Anna for prosecution. Let’s get down there and see what we can do.”

Everyone agrees to that.

Detective Mac Donald calls the Wilson family to tell them what has happened and to tell them that Richard’s address has been released by the CEO.

~~~000~~~

[Detective Ron Johnson]

“Hello Scott, this is Helen Wilson. Yes; ... what? … Oh no, no…yes. Larry, go get a pen and paper we need to write down the address. Yes, thank you. Detective Johnson, Detective Mac Donald needs to speak to you.” Helen walks away shaken with tears and starts to hug Karen and Brianna.

“Hello Scott; what’s up? … Right,” receives the pen and paper from Larry. “Thanks Larry… Yes, I got it. We will be there as soon as possible.” Turns off the cell phone and hands it back to Helen.

“I am sorry everybody, Richard was just attacked in his own apartment. We need to get there as soon as possible,” said Ron.

Everybody is in shock now. Larry was able to snap out of it and herd everybody into the rental SUV. I take the wheel and drive out to the apartment. By the time we arrived all the emergency vehicles and the local police station are there as well. We found the others grouped off near one of the police cars. Richard has not been brought out yet. The paramedics are still stabilizing him before he gets transported to the hospital across the river.

Mr. Bryson speaks up, “I am sorry this incident has happened. So everyone, please do not worry; all of his medical bills will be paid. He is still employed at our company despite what you have been told up till now. Miss Anna, I have given it some thought. Who or how many are involved in this will be fired immediately to avoid conflict of interest at the appropriate time. When the times come for prosecution I will make sure our legal branch will assist you with anything that you need.”

”Thank you Mr. Bryson; I greatly appreciate it.”

Everyone is visibly shaken; when Richard is finally brought out to the ambulance. It reminded the Wilson’s what they went through with Brianna.

“Richard!! No!!” cries Brianna. Mom and Karen come up to restrain Brianna and hold her in their arms as she tried to approach the gurney.

Eventually everybody get into their vehicles and follow the ambulance to the hospital.

~~~000~~~

[Richard’s apartment]

The butterflies fly to the balcony garden to console themselves.

“Why did mother have to sacrifice herself? She could have beaten them.”

“We must let this proceed as planned, Bianca. There is a bigger plot behind all of this.”

“Well, I don’t like it. I wish there is a way to be there in the hospital.”

“I know, Bianca. We would love to be there and help the Omega Unicorn to recover faster. But they don’t allow the animals inside the hospital. The hospital is designed to be a clean place where people can recover faster.”

“Okay. I’ll wait patiently, Traphel.”

The fairies tend to the balcony garden and fly into the apartment when they need to.

~~~000~~~

Meanwhile a block away in a dark tinted SUV, Brent is driving to the nearest clinic. “That was close, Brent. We got out of there just in time. Another 5 to 10 minutes and we would have all been caught,” said Brian.

They see several squad cars with lights flashing and sirens blaring down the street toward the apartment complex.

“Yes, but at least he will not be able to talk. At least I kicked his jaw once. He deserved it for turning the ladies against us,” said Michael.

“At least he won’t talk, walk or use a computer. That is what we were told to do.”

“We will all go in the morning as usual and check. Remember keep our emotions in check. Do no get caught boasting about this. Act shocked if someone mentions that Richard is in the hospital,” reminded Brent.

“That was sweet of you to send that false email from Mr. Bryson to Mr. Parker to get him fired. No way will the company pay for his medical bills. I have a question Brent. Will they be able to track us? I just want to make sure,” said Darren.

“No they won’t. I made sure the email originated from Mr. Bryson’s desk the moment before he left for his trip. Besides if all goes as planned; there will be a scandal concerning him coming out in a few days; then we will all be in charge of Secure-Sys, Inc. I will be able to contact my associates and we will really turn this company on its head. This is just the next step in the revolution gentlemen. Plus the perfect revenge against that freak,” said Brent.

“Sounds good, I can not wait for it to happen. It is all about power, guys. Soon we will be in control of some major companies, perhaps the state of Florida one day,” said Michael.

“That’s right, Michael. Soon we will be in control. Just like that group in the Pacific Rim before WW3. I was able to hack into Richard’s software programs and put back doors in for us to get into secure areas with some of these companies and governments. It will be fun to see them scramble for control again. All right guys let’s go get a cold one back at my place after a visit at the clinic.”

~~~000~~~

Everybody is gathered together in the waiting room while the doctors operate on Richard. It would be hours and hours before someone came out to give an update.

At about 11 AM a doctor comes into the lobby from the front desk.

“Anna, it is good to see you again. Where is Richard, now?” “Hello Sarah, Richard is in the emergency room. You will need to check in at the desk over there. I told them that you were coming in as quickly as possible. You did bring a copy of his records and X-rays?”

“Yes, I did. If you will excuse me I need to report to them now. Hopefully they will let me in and be an observer and consultant.”

“Bring us some good news, Sarah. We will catch up on news later.”

“I sure hope so. Take care everyone; Richard is a strong boy; he will pull through. Anna, I just thought of something. See if you can bring in some flowers with butterflies. I’m sure that will cheer him up faster.”

“Yes it will, Sarah. That is a good idea. I’ll be sure they are in his recovery room when he comes out.”

~~~000~~~

Dr. Sarah Mitchell waits just outside the operating room. She waits for one of the doctors to come out to greet her. Soon a man comes out to greet her.

“I understand you’re Richard’s doctor? My name is Dr. Thornton.”

“Yes I am, Dr. Thornton. I’m here to provide assistance if needed. I know of his dual gender situation.”

“He’s dual gender? I didn’t know that. Right now he has a metal corset on. We can’t figure out how to get it off of him. It needs to be off so we can do some CAT scans. He has not been put to sleep yet.”

“I’m willing to scrub up and enter in the operating room, doctor. I do know how to take off his metal corset. I also brought my file on him with X-rays of his female organs.”

“That’s good. Come in and get scrubbed up.”

They both walk into the ante-room inside the operating room. Sarah takes off her white cloak and hangs it on a nearby hook. She gets herself scrubbed down to assist. A nurse comes in to assist her with the operating gown, rubber gloves, tie her hair back and put a cap on it and put a mask on. They enter the operating room as they see Richard lying there. Sarah bends down above his face.

“Richard, can you hear me? It’s me, Dr. Sarah Mitchell.”

“Yes, Sarah. . . . I .. . hear you.”

“We need to get the metal corset off.”

“Put my thumbs . . . under the front . . . corners. Sarah . . . ”

“I remember that now.” She looks up at the doctors. “There is a pressure release button under the corset here and here.” She points to them. “It only recognizes Richard’s thumb prints.”

“Okay, let’s be gentle here and slow.”

They carefully move Richard’s arms to be resting on his chest. They slowly move my thumb under the corners of the corset. They press them slightly. Then they hear two ‘clicks’ and the corset opens up.

“That’s great, Sarah. Now we can do a proper CAT scan of his body. Carefully lift his upper body up, people.”

Everyone lends a hand to lift Richard’s torso, arms and head up carefully. Then Sarah takes hold of the corset and slides it out from underneath him. Then they gently lay him back down.

“Sarah . . .”

Sarah gets up above my face again. “Yes, Richard.”

“I’m carrying.”

“What month?”

“Sixth.”

“We’ll be careful. I know not to use a sonigram.”

They wheel him to the CAT scan unit. Fortunately Richard is already on a stretcher on top of the bed. They pick up the stretcher and place him on the CAT scan rack.

~~~000~~~

[Detective Dan Torres, Jacksonville Police Department]

After processing Richard’s apartment, I need to drive to the hospital to see if I can get some additional information. To see if anyone has a clue to this crime. I was told by the 911 station that Mr. Bryson and Detective Scott Mac Donald were witnesses to the beating via a 3D-video. Hopefully I can get a copy from them. Now if I can find a decent parking spot, ah there’s one over there. Getting out of the car I walk over to the emergency entrance and their admittance desk.

“Good afternoon ma’am. I am Detective Dan Torres with the Jacksonville PD.”

“Good afternoon. Welcome to Jacksonville Memorial. How can I help you?”

“I need to find some people who came with Richard Moore.”

“Richard Moore? Yes, he is checked in earlier this morning. You can find them in Waiting Room #2 which is down the hall on your left.”

“Thank you, have a good day.”

“Thank you, you do the same.”

Walking down the hall, I enter in Waiting Room #2. “Good afternoon, I am Detective Dan Torres with Jacksonville PD. I need to speak with Mr. Bryson and Detective Scott Mac Donald.”

“Yes, I am Detective Scott Mac Donald and this here is Mr. Bryson, CEO of Secure-Sys.”

“Good afternoon, Detective.” I was wondering when somebody from the local police would show up.

They all shake hands with each other.

“I understand you are witnesses to the Richard’s beating. Can you give me a run down how it went?”

“I can do better than that, Detective. I have a copy of the beating here on disk. This is your copy. It is from the very beginning to the end.”

“That’s great Mr. Bryson, I greatly appreciate it.”

“I just want to let you know that the four men in question are all employees of my company. They were identified by Richard before he was beaten up, even though all four had president masks on. Richard quickly took them off before the beating began.”

“Also, they were all wearing gloves. You should have not found any extra finger prints there.”

“I was wondering why we did not find any there; thank you Scott and Mr. Bryson. Sir, do you have any idea what the motives are at this point?

“I do know some of the issues already. But there might be more. Richard alluded to some details when we last talked this morning. As soon as I find out, I will let you know.”

“Thank you, Mr. Bryson. Who are these other people here with you?”

“Here let me introduce you to them. Uh friends, I need you to meet Detective Dan Torres with the Jacksonville PD. This is Dave Parker of Human Resources at Secure-Sys and this is Detective Ron Johnson and Anna Dawson, Richard’s attorney they are both from Charlottesville NC. Over there is the Wilson family and Karen a family friend. They are old family neighborhood friends back then when they lived near Columbia, SC.

“Hello, Ron and Miss Anna. You have come a long way to be here. How come you are here?”

“Hello Scott … Good afternoon detective,” they all said at the same time.

“It’s a bit of a long story. You should ask Scott here, he started the chase.”

“Thanks Ron. It all started when the two families moved apart about 12 years ago near Columbia. They had not kept in touch since then. But when the Moore family perished in a plane crash about five years ago, Richard is the only survivor of the family. Larry and Helen Wilson asked me to track down Richard by all means necessary. They were determined to reconnect with Richard. But when Anna and I arrived this morning with a court order to have his address released, we discovered a break in at Human Resources.”

“Yes, one of our employees came into my office at the same time while we were having a meeting with Mr. Bryson. The employee found Richard’s address and phone number and phoned that info to another employee.”

“We immediately called Richard to see if he was all right. I also discovered this morning that someone sent a false message to have Richard laid off from work while I was away at a conference. I never did give that authorization. So, you can see officer, there are some serious ramifications going on here. I am sure as more information is revealed this week, we might see the problem get bigger than we imagined.”

“If that is right, Mr. Bryson, I better contact the Attorney General here to begin proceedings and get some preparations started.”

“I agree, Detective Torres. We will be in contact as more information becomes available.”

“Thanks. Well, I will let you all go. I will keep in touch from time to time.”

“Here let me give you some cards with our phone numbers if you need us.”

They all exchanged cards and give their thanks.

Well that went interesting. I will have to make sure Stephen gets a copy. It looks like this is just the tip of the iceberg.

~~~000~~~

[Jacksonville Memorial waiting room]

“Dad? What is taking them so long? It is now after 3 PM,” as Brianna sobbed. At least she has Karen and her mom to lean on this time.

“It takes time, my girl. The doctors need to make sure the injuries are not life threatening before they proceed any further. Which ones are more important than the others, you know that from your own experience. Do you remember your rough times?”

“I am sorry, dad. I forgot how long I was unconscious when they operated on me. I know they are being cautious. Richard’s injuries appeared to be more extensive than mine this time,” replied Brianna.

At about 4 PM, Dr. Sarah Mitchell and another doctor come out to inform everyone about the current situation.

“I am sorry to take such a long time to report to you all. He suffered many injuries from his beating. He will live and he is stable for now. He needs to do some healing now before we proceed to do some more surgeries later in the week. We have him in an induced sleep mode at this time. The brain will not get bombarded with pain signals while he is in this state. Dr. Mitchell, I do appreciate you coming here quickly to advise us on his current medical situation. I think it is best you take it from here to summarize some of his injuries,” said Dr. Thornton.

“Yes, Dr. Thornton; Mr. Bryson I want to thank you first in providing a copy of the attack. This allowed us to see how these four men attacked Richard and allowed us to ascertain how much force and where the trauma took place on the body,” said Dr. Mitchell.

“It is the least I could do to help out Richard. He is one of the best employees that I have. Anything you need, please let me know,” said Mr. Bryson.

“If we think of anything we will. Thank you Dr. Thornton, I will give the summary. First of all his jaw was kicked once. This was to silence him so that he could not talk. This is going to be delicate work. The mouth will heal in time; it is the throat that will be of concern. Fortunately they did not damage his eyes to cause blindness. From observations, his spine and neck was not attacked directly. That will be a wait and see if he has any sensations in his extremities. His fingers and hands were broken so severely that he will not be able to use them to write for quite some time. They wanted to limit his communication capabilities. There are many stress fractures in the legs and arms. The last injury will be the one to monitor closely. Most of you know of the medical history of Richard. The four men tried to hurt him in the groin area. Each one of them took their bat and tried to hit him there. What they didn't know, Richard put on a metal armor when he woke up in the morning.”

“Metal armor? What is that?”

She smiles, “He put on a reinforced-corset and a groin protector. It saved his vital organs.”

They all laugh a bit before they quiet down and get serious again.

“He tried to block their attacks as much as possible. For that we give him credit for survival instincts. They did not hurt his secondary female organs at all. But he will have to be monitored carefully.”

“I will say this, he is a most unusual hermaphrodite. He is fully functional either way. I will need a private talk with you, Larry and Helen eventually.”

“Okay.”

“It is going to be several days, perhaps a week before he becomes conscious. I advise that you all go home at the end of the day or to find a place to stay. I know some have come from out of state to be here. I wish you all the best. Once he is out of the surgeries this week, he will be in the ICU recovery area. We will only allow one or two visitors by his side for an hour each day.”

“Thank you, Doctor Mitchell. I will let you discuss among yourselves how you are going to plan the next days ahead,” said Dr. Thornton. The two doctors then turn around and return to the emergency rooms to get Richard ready for the next phase.

“Where are we going to stay? If we stay at a hotel, it will be expensive as time goes on,” said Helen.

“Does anybody have any ideas? I am open for suggestions,” said Larry.

Everybody gave it some hard thought. Detective Mac Donald speaks up, “Sir, Mr. Bryson, since you are the local here are there any arrangements for such contingencies?”

“Normally when we have guests over they usually stay at a nearby hotel because they are here for a week or so. But, this is going to be long term. He will probably be laid up here for a month or more before he is stable to move elsewhere.”

“That’s true Mr. Bryson. When we have ladies come to us; they are in pretty bad shape sometimes. Fortunately by the time they get to the island they can walk or get around in a wheel chair. Even if arrangements are made for Richard on the island, it is going to be several months before he is mobile enough to make the move to the island. Our clinic is not designed for injuries this severe. There is going to be lot of rehabbing going on as well; a very long time,” said Karen.

“Where do you work, Karen?”

“I work on an island near Charleston, SC. It is a half-way house called The Rescue Mission. It is for abused women and their children who need a refuge while they recover. Brianna and I are employed there as professionals in pediatrics. ”

“I know that place, sir,” said Mr. Parker. ”The income is not from charities, they receive donations from companies, and other sources. They have a very good success rate. The group was able to convert the resort there for their use. It is very self-sufficient.”

“How do you know about the place, Dave,” asked Mr. Bryson?

“I have a cousin who was there for awhile. Her husband beat her badly several times a month a few years ago. One day she could not take it anymore; she heard about the place from a friend. Within a week she was able to make arrangements to get on the island without him knowing about it. Through the legal help there; she was able to divorce him and get him arrested.”

“That might be fine for Richard later, but what about now for us,” asks Larry?

“We could rent a house? How about a condo? But, it would have to be short term,” suggested Detective Mac Donald.

“I think you are on the right track there. You remember the safe houses we had to use to sequester witnesses,” ask Detective Johnson?

“You are right. But we need apartments really. We need to call the local apartment association to see which complex has a contract for our situation,” said Detective Scott.

“I can help you there, since I am head of Human Resources, my office has a list of apartments that will help narrow down the list. I contact them from time to time as new ones are built often here.”

“Most leases are for a year, but we do not know how long we will be here,” said Larry.

“I am sure once it is explained to management; the breaking of the lease should not be a problem. If I remember right there are some apartments with optional shorter leases,” said Mr. Parker.

“That is good to know. Once an apartment is established we will need that address and phone number shared with us all. Even I have other obligations with my home station; I am sure Scott is needed back at his station before too long. But the family members and friends need to make a decision how long they are going to stay.”

Mr. Parker was able to find us a furnished apartment near the hospital for a short term lease. It was not home, but at least we are close to Richard. We have enough beds to accommodate us comfortably when any of us come for a visit. Mr. Bryson was able to pledge some money to help with the expenses, not all of it but every little bit helps. The detectives said when they come to visit next time it will be with a hotel nearby, thought Larry.