Who ever heard of a rich Munchkin?

I would like to thank my dear friends,
Angel O’Hare, Karen Page, Joni W., Annette MacGregor and Holly H Heart
for their kindness, help, support, and input.

Education in the Hills
Chapter 34

By Penny Reed Cardon

I checked with the locator system to find the person I wanted. Yes I know I wasn’t supposed to know about or use the locator system, but at that point, I didn’t think I could get into too much more trouble. In fact, even though Miss Trouble was holding my hand, I was leading her for a change. Going downstairs, I knocked on Ellen's office door. It was only a moment before I heard a pleasant, "Come in."

As I entered and closed the door, Ellen greeted me, "Good afternoon Matilda." After seeing the expression on my face, she added, "I thought we weren't going to be seeing a depressed Munchkin anymore?"

"Oh, this isn't my depressed face," I answered, as I started pacing back and forth across the room. "This is my, ‘I’m mad at the whole world’ face. Combined with my, 'How could I be so stupid' face. Not to mention my, 'OH JEEZ, how did I let them take advantage of me again' face. I must have ‘SCKER’ tattooed on me somewhere. Boy, did they see me coming and take advantage of me. I can't believe I'm really that naive and gullible."

"Matilda, what are you talking about, who took advantage of you?"

"The S. P. A., that's who. They sure know how to manipulate people to get what they want. Then they just discard the leftovers, as if we were just some old broken dolls."

Ellen had moved to a couch, while I was ranting. "Matilda, come over here, sit down, and tell me what's going on," she pleaded.

I stopped pacing and looked into Ellen's eyes. Shaking my head, I went over and sat next to her. "That's better," she said. "Now, calmly tell me what's happened."

"I feel like such an idiot. I come to Immigration Manor. I meet lots of friendly people. I start to get comfortable. I relax a little bit. I delude myself into thinking that I’m safe here. I let my survival instincts start to relax a little. Then suddenly out of nowhere, WHAM; they make a fool of me and I’m humiliated more than I’ve ever been humiliated in my life."

"Who made a fool of you?"

"The S. P. A., Mr. Black, Mr. Peterson. Well, I don't know if Mr. Peterson was in on it or not."

"Exactly, how did they make a fool of you?"

"Before Thanksgiving, Mr. Black told me that taking care of Bart and his family was approved and would be taken care of, after we helped Sally and her family. I just came from a meeting with the S. P. A., now they tell me, there's nothing they can do."

"What do you mean, there's nothing they can do?"

"That's what they said. All they are willing to do is turn the information I’ve collected; over to the US Marshals and let them conduct their own investigation. That means when the mole hears about an investigation, whoever the mole is, they will spread the word and the Santinos will take their money and disappear. I guess that's the face of justice today, the victims are punished and the guilty run free, laughing in the face of today's justice system. I guess that is why most of the statues, I’ve seen, of Lady Justice, that she’s blindfolded, so she can’t see them laughing."

"That's not how the justice system works, Matilda, and you know it."

"I thought I did,” I was quiet for a few moments, and then continued. “Yes, I do know better. It's just so frustrating, how slow the wheels of justice turn."

"Now, on that point I'll agree with you. So what's your plan now?"

"Well, we could go back to plan A. Kidnap Walter and take him to the G.I.R.L. Center."

"Girl center?"

"Great Indian River Learning Center. It's in the Midwest someplace. Remember, I told you I'd found several references to it; while I was researching something else. Of course, that wouldn't take care of Mr. And Mrs. Santino. If Walter disappeared, they would probably take out their anger on everybody around them."

"I'm sure you're right about that. If my memory serves me correctly, plan C was to have the S.P.A. take care of the problem, after you had concrete proof. Is there a plan D?"

"Now that you mention it, I have been working on another idea."

"I thought you might be."

"Do you still have a contact at the Salt Lake County, Attorney General's office?"

"Actually, my connection is with the Salt Lake County, District Attorney's office, why?"

"My mistake. Do you think they would be interested in documentation, proving beyond a reasonable doubt, that Walter and his family are not the people that the witness protection program are supposed to be protecting?"

"Wait a second . . . They're not . . . Are you sure?"

"Absolutely. Would you like to see the documentation?"

"I would indeed."

"May I borrow your computer?" I asked, as I pulled a flash drive out of my pocket.

"Be my guest, this should be enlightening."

Together, we went over the information I'd collected. As we were discussing what could and couldn't be used by the District Attorney's office, due to the less than legal means of acquisition, there was a solid knock on Ellen's door. I was momentarily torn, between my instinct to hide under the desk and the belief that Ellen could protect me.

Caution was thrown to the wind, when Ellen called out, "Come in."

The door opened and in walked Mr. Black and Mr. Peterson. Seeing Ellen and me behind the desk, they crossed to stand on the opposite side of the desk. I was standing in front of the computer monitor while Ellen was seated next to me.

"Ellen, you trust her with your computer?" Mr. Black inquired.

"At the moment, gentlemen, I trust Matilda more than I trust either of you," Ellen replied sharply.

Both gentlemen looked stunned, as if they'd been slapped.

"Please be seated," Ellen added.

'Gee, this is kind of fun - me being on this side of the desk, while they’re sitting in the straight back chairs'

"Now then, what can we do for you?" Ellen asked.

Somewhat humbly, Mr. Peterson began the conversation, "We've - um, we've come to apologize."

"To whom?" Ellen asked, after a moment of silence.

"We've come to apologize to Matilda," Mr. Black replied. "We had an arrangement, even though it cost Matilda personally more than either of us will ever be able to fully comprehend, she kept her word and fulfilled her part of the bargain. However, due to circumstances beyond our control, we will not be able to live up to our end of the bargain."

"For that we are truly sorry," Mr. Peterson added.

I was shocked, amazed, stunned even, I stepped back and half sat, half leaned on the front corner of Ellen's padded desk chair.

"Can you tell us what happened to cause such a change in circumstances," Ellen asked, as she shifted her legs, to give me more room.

"As I'm sure you guessed, RJ kept us informed as Matilda's project progressed and its desired goal," Mr. Black explained.

"Well before she came to see me, we'd taken a rough proposal to the - umm," Mr. Peterson seemed a little tongue tied.

"Well, go ahead and spit it out. She knows almost as much about the organization as we do," Mr. Black told Mr. Peterson.

"That's true. We took the proposal to the US Advisory Board. They agreed with us that direct action needed to be taken. However, they did say that the situation, with Dr. Moreau would have to take priority because of the time constraints."

Mr. Black picked up the tale from there. "We knew, that as soon as Matilda had all her preparatory work completed, we would be putting some sort of action plan together. Towards that end, just after Christmas, we started examining our options. That's when the International Oversight Committee heard what we were planning. On January second, the IOC arrived, unannounced at the US headquarters. They reassigned all three members of the US advisory committee to other duties, within the organization. The IOC have been running the US operation since then. They declared that the situation with Bart and his family, is strictly a US domestic issue and therefore the organization will take no official action."

"No official action?" I repeated, questioningly.

"Those were their exact words," Mr. Peterson confirmed.

"Leaving the door open for some unofficial action," I thought aloud. Turning to Ellen I continued, "It could work out even better this way."

"I agree. It should definitely simplify the operation," Ellen agreed. "Thank you, gentlemen, for explaining the situation to Matilda and me. Matilda, is there something you'd like to say?"

"Yes. Thank you, I accept your apology. It is now clear that you had every intention of fulfilling your agreement. I would also like to apologize to you, for the things I was saying about you."

"What were you saying about us?" Mr. Black asked.

"It doesn't matter now. They were words spoken in anger and after hearing your explanation, they were totally unjustified," I replied.

"Very well, apology accepted," Mr. Peterson replied. "All too often things are said in the heat of anger, that wouldn't even be thought otherwise."

"Very true," Ellen commented.

"Well, I guess we'll be leaving, that's pretty much all we had to say," Mr. Peterson said as he stood up.

Just before they reached the door, Mr. Black turned and asked, "Would you care to tell us what you're planning?"

"Not at this time," I replied. "But, when the time is right, I will require a small favor from each of you.

They both looked a little nervous, but said nothing more, as they left.

As the office door closed, I looked at Ellen and she looked at me. "That was totally unexpected," I commented.

"Totally. At least, I wouldn't have expected such an admission in my lifetime," Ellen added. "Matilda, I was thinking, the fact that some of your documentation was obtained illegally shouldn't be a problem. After all, we're not talking about taking the Witness Protection system to court, before a judge and jury. We just have to prove in court that the Santino family has been living under an assumed identity as the Roberts. That can be proven with legally obtained documentation. As for the US Marshals, the information you have, will prove that they have a problem. Of course, because of how you obtained the information, it would indicate they have two problems. Either way, the District Attorney should be able to take the needed action, based on what you have."

"That's great. It means I won't have to teach them how to hack into the US Marshal's system. All I need to do, is set up an automated program, to transfer the Roberts considerable assets to other accounts. The question is, where do I put twenty million dollars?"

"I thought you said they had almost twenty-four million?" Ellen questioned.

"Yes, well, a girl needs a little mad money, if she's going shopping with her friends," I replied with a smile.

Ellen was shocked, "Matilda, you're not keeping almost four million dollars!"

"Of course I am not," I calmly replied. "That's blood money; every dollar they stashed away, represents someone they squeezed, or someone who was in pain. I wouldn't keep a dime for myself. Four million is what I'm planning to give away to people who can benefit from it."

"Just what do you mean by that?"

"I thought we'd give one hundred thousand to each elementary school in Salt Lake Valley. The rest would be divided up between the various non-profit organizations, that help troubled and abused children. I'll leave compiling a list those organizations, in your hands."

"Very commendable, I should have known better. How soon will you need that list?"

"By the middle of next week. We'll need time to do the programming."

Ellen and I talked for another twenty minutes, after which I went, to the cafeteria, to join Year A for dinner.

I waited until we went back to the Year A lounge, before discussing the events that took place that afternoon. I thought that if I told Mary Beth and the Black Sheep, all at the same time, what had happened during my meeting with the S.P.A. leadership, Mary Beth wouldn't get overly excited, or outspoken. Which was really a nice way of saying, I hoped she wouldn't freak out, because they took advantage of me. I was wrong, especially when I related what I said, before walking out the stage door. Mary Beth became so excited, that a couple of our friends had to restrain her. There was talk about having one of the nurses come over to give her a sedative. Not to mention, that I had several offers of someplace to sleep, until she cooled off, if she cooled off. I thanked everyone for their concern and kindness, but I reassured them, that I wasn’t in any danger. Mary Beth wasn't mad at me, she was mad, because I had agreed to play the part of Sally, in exchange for the S.P.A. taking care of Bart and his parents, and now they weren't going to do anything.

Mary Beth's anger subsided quickly after I told everyone about Mr. Peterson and Mr. Black apologizing to me, in front of Ellen. In fact, most of year A was in shock and didn't believe that such an historical moment had occurred. I went on to explain that, because the IOC declared the matter strictly a US internal affair, and that they would take no official action, Ellen and I were planning some unofficial action. I reminded everyone of their desire to help with Bart's capture; and asked if they were still willing to help. My question was answered by an overwhelming yes. I told them that before the end of the month, I would be taking them up on their offer.

Sunday, January 16, 2005

Sunday afternoon, I'd arranged for a meeting with Janice, the year H computer specialist, and Kimberley, the year F computer specialist.

"Thank you both for coming," I said, as they arrived.

"No problem, Matilda," Kimberley replied.

"Not to mention that your invitation was most intriguing. It's not often I'm invited to a meeting, by someone from year A," Janice added.

"So, what can we do for you?" Kimberley asked.

"Basically, I need a little help with some programming. The goal of the endeavor, is to commandeer and redistribute approximately twenty-four million dollars," I calmly replied.

"You want us to help you steal twenty-four million dollars? You're crazy, you should be locked up" Kimberley declared.

"I was going to say insane, and if she does this, she probably will be locked up," Janice added.

"On the surface and without all of the information, it might appear that way. If you will allow me to explain, I'm quite sure you will want to help with this little project."

I spent the next hour telling them the whole story of Black Bart and his horrible parents, now known by their real names. I showed them the track marks on my neck, as Ellen called them. I also laid out my plans for Walter's arrest, and where the money will go. After they'd digested all the information, they both agreed that the Santinos must be stopped, and they both agreed to help. Janice even agreed to discuss my request, for the help from the Beta Team with the other members. Both Janice and Kimberley were extremely surprised, that I even knew about the Beta Team.

"They thought you were going to keep all that money?" Mary Beth exclaimed, when I told her how my meeting with Janice and Kimberley went.

"Well you have to admit, the way I started the conversation would tend to give that impression," I replied. "But once they heard the whole story, they were more than willing to join the team. I just hope the rest of the Beta Team will join in, as well. I really want the group going after Walter, to be all students."

"Matilda, would you tell me again how this is supposed to work?"

"Of course, first, we create some computer programming, that will go into every bank where the Santinos have money. Then one command, will transfer the money out of their accounts, and deposit it into some accounts that we control. Just so the transfers can't be tracked, the money will be transferred through three, or four, other banks, before being transferred into the S.P.A. accounts. Second, once the programming is ready, but not executed, Ellen and I will pay a visit to someone she knows, at the Salt Lake County, District Attorney's Office. We will give them the documents, that prove that the Roberts are not the people, that the Witness Protection program, is supposed to be protecting. We're guessing they will be happy to know, the Santinos can be arrested. Then I'll present my plan to show, how we can separate the family members, so they can be arrested, without anyone being shot at. I mean, you've heard Walter brag about how many guns his dad has, haven't you?"

"I don't remember how many, but there were a lot. We're doing this to protect people so I'd feel really bad, if anyone got shot because of us."

"I agree. The information about the guns, is something that the police don't know. After all is said and done, I want two things to have happened. First, I want everyone to know, that the justice system works, and that the Santinos will pay for their crimes against society. Second, I want the Santinos to know that it was some of their victims, that brought about their downfall."

Monday, January 17, 2005

Mr. Peterson greeted everyone, as they were arriving for breakfast. It was a little different, but not unheard of. As I entered, he asked, "Good morning, Matilda. How is the project coming?"

I replied a little cryptically "The recruiting effort is going very well."

Mr. Peterson had surprise written all over his face, so I elaborated. "After all, a sting operation of this magnitude; it's far too big a job for one small munchkin to handle on her own."

As we were eating, Jenny quietly asked, "Why are you being so mysterious with Mr. Peterson?"

"He knows I'm planning to do something about Walter, but he doesn't know what the plan is, or how many of his students will be involved. He also knows, he owes me a favor and I think he's a little nervous."

Later, when we were visiting with Rachael, we told her about the new plan to go after Walter. I also asked her, if she would be willing to testify against Walter, if necessary? She didn't like the idea of being dragged into a courtroom, in her current condition. I agreed with her on that point; and asked how she would feel about testifying via a closed circuit TV feed? After taking some time to think about the idea, she agreed.

Monday afternoon, I had a chance to talk with RJ, one on one, and successfully recruited him, as part of the programming team. He was still puzzled about how I'd managed to link into the outside networks, from the dedicated laptop, and network he'd set up, the previous Saturday. I figured he'd stewed about it long enough, and confessed that the only thing I'd linked to was my PDA, which had access to all the networks. But how did I link the laptop to my PDA he demanded. Reluctantly, I admitted to going through a wide open back door, he'd left for me, the Bluetooth port of the laptop. RJ was stunned, that I was able to do so much over a Bluetooth link. He said, he'd never make that mistake again. I told him that hopefully we'd never be faced with those circumstances again.

For the next seven days RJ, Janice, Kimberley, and I spent every spare moment working on the program to move the Santino’s money; close the accounts; and shut down the cell phone accounts. Ellen had managed to get us a copy of the computer records from the estate in West Valley City, that had been raided the previous October. In those records we found emails to and from someone referred to as ‘Mr. Big’. It took some doing, but we tracked those emails back to their source. We were all real happy, when it turned out to be the Santino’s home computer. Amazingly, we found a list of all the banks, domestic, and international, where they had accounts, along with the account numbers. That made our job a lot easier, because we didn't have to explore every bank in existence.

The following Tuesday evening, during our regular appointment with Ellen, I announced that we were ready to talk with the District Attorney. We also went over our alternate distraction and capture plan, using all of Year A as the diversion, and nobody getting hurt. Of course, I did leave out one small detail, that I knew Ellen would object to, but it was something that would absolutely keep Walter's attention, for the required amount of time.

Wednesday, January 26, 5005

At 10:00 am, Ellen and I left Immigration Manor. I was a little nervous, Ellen on the other hand, appeared very confident. I wasn't exactly sure how our meeting with the District Attorney would turn out, but it was our last best hope, for an end to the Santinos reign of terror. We arrived at the county offices just after 11:00 o’clock.

"Good morning," Ellen said, as we entered the District Attorney's outer office.

"Good morning, ma'am. May I help you?" the secretary replied.

"You're new here, aren't you?" Ellen asked. Actually it almost sounded like a statement of fact.

The secretary seemed a little shocked, but hesitantly answered, "Yes. I'm Cindy. I've only been here for three weeks. Mr. Rothman's regular secretary, Marsha, is out on maternity leave."

"Oh, and it's about time too. From her size, I figured she was due two months ago," Ellen said.

"You know Marsha?" Cindy asked.

"Yes. I stop by every month or so, to see Mr. Rothman. Would you let him know that Ellen Hansen is here? He's expecting me."

"Of course ma'am." Picking up the phone, Cindy waited for a moment, before saying, "Excuse me sir, an Ellen Hansen is here to see you. Yes sir." At which point she hung up the phone. "He'll be with you in a few minutes."

"Thank you," Ellen said, and then she sat in one of the chairs that lined one wall.

Not seeing any reason why I should be the only one standing, I sat next to Ellen, to wait, and wait, and wait, and wait. It was only ten minutes before the door opened, but with nothing to do, it seemed like it was much longer.

The door opened and two men came out, one was wearing a police uniform. "Thanks for coming by Fred," the man in the suit said, to the officer. "I know how much it bothers you and the rest of the department, treating those three with 'hands off' status. For right now, that's all we can do. I have heard a rumor that their status may change in the future, nothing concrete mind you, so don't hold your breath."

"Thanks, Lance. I know you're frustrated too. I'll see you around," Fred stated. They shook hands and he left.

"Ellen, come on in," Mr. Rothman said, with a smile.

We entered the office and Mr. Rothman closed the door.

"So, Ellen, who's your friend?"

"Lance, I'd like you to meet Matilda. Matilda, this is Lance Rothman."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Matilda," he said, as he bent down to shake my hand. Rotating his head to look at Ellen, he added, "She is a cute little thi -"

"Lance, No," Ellen interrupted - too late.

"OOO,OUCH," Mr. Rothman complained, as he let go of my hand and hobbled to his desk.

"Lance, I'm sorry about that. I should have warned you not to call her little," Ellen apologized.

"That's okay sis. I'll forgive her, if she can do what you claimed she can do," he said.

"I'm sorry Mr. Rothman,” I said, very apologetically. “It's a reflex action, that I'm working on controlling. Wait a second, did you call her sis, as in sister?"

"Yes, Matilda. Lance is my younger brother," Ellen explained.

"Oh, I didn't realize he was your brother. There is a certain resemblance."

Mr. Rothman was quiet for several moments before asking, “Matilda, Matilda. I remember something about a Matilda, yes. That was the name of a young girl that was hospitalized, after attempting to commit suicide. And that was after her father beat her senseless. He was later charged and convicted of sexual abuse, abuse, battery, and domestic abuse.”

“You have quite the memory,” I sadly replied

“This is that Matilda, Lance,” Ellen stated. “She’s come a long way since then and is quite the gifted young lady.”

"Well, tell me Matilda, is what Ellen told me correct? Are the Roberts not who the US Marshals think they are, and can you prove it?"

"That's correct, Mr. Rothman. The family that the US Marshals are supposed to be protecting, is the Aric Marsh family from Pennsylvania. In actuality, they are protecting the Santino family from Chicago."

"Santino, Santino?" Mr. Rothman asked, and I nodded. "I remember something about a case that was dropped, are you talking about the same Santino?" Again, I nodded. "I assume you have proof to back up that accusation."

"Yes, they are that Santino family, and yes, I have the proof to back up that statement," I replied, pulling a flash drive out of my pocket. "If I may?"

"May, may what?" Mr. Rothman asked.

"Matilda would like to borrow your computer," Ellen explained.

"Oh, yes, of course," Mr. Rothman said, as he moved to the side, giving me space to work. "You're not going to do anything crazy, are you?"

"No sir. No craziness, no viruses, no mischief, and no snooping, at least - not today."

"Just for today?"

"Well, okay, this week," I reply with a giggle. Turning serious, I asked, "Do you have a written description of Mr. Roberts?"

"I don't need a written description, I've met the man. Someone you don't easily forget."

"I agree. First, look at this newspaper article, from the Chicago Tribune."

"That's the Santinos, no question about it. It's also the family we know as the Roberts. That doesn't mean they're not who they're supposed to be. Or that they're not in the Witness Protection program."

"You are correct. Mr. Rothman. This only proves that the Santinos and the Roberts, are indeed the same people." I displayed my next piece of evidence. Now, if you'll take a look at this file, from the US Marshal's office in Washington?"

"The US Marshal's? How on earth did you get your hands on that information?" he asked.

"There are some questions, that are better left unanswered," I calmly replied.

"You hacked your way into the US Marshal's network?" Mr. Rothman was becoming a little agitated. "Sis, I can't use this information. It was obtained illegally, and can never be presented in court."

"Lance, who do you want to prosecute and put behind bars, the Santinos, the US Marshals, or a ten year old victim?" Ellen asked, her brother. He sat quietly, staring at Ellen for several seconds, before she continued, "As I understand the law, all you have to do, is prove that the Santinos have been living under an assumed name for the last four years. That newspaper article, along with the other public records, that Matilda has collected, will prove that without question, or dispute. When the US Marshals step in, to prevent prosecution, that's when the rest of the information will be needed. You can give it to them to prove that they have a problem and need to clean house."

"Are you sure you're not after my job, sis?" He finally asked.

"No thanks, dear brother, besides, if I took your job, who would keep track of Matilda?"

"Do I require being kept track of?" I asked.

"Only when you're awake, Matilda. Only when you're awake," Ellen teased and chuckled.

After we returned to the matter at hand, I showed Mr. Rothman the rest of the documents. As each document was displayed, I explained the significance of each, and the relationship in the overall speculation that the mob had paid off one or more people, within the ranks of the US Marshals. At the end of my presentation, Mr. Rothman sat quietly for some time; I assumed he was still digesting all the information.

I let several minutes of silence pass, before I asked, "Do you have any questions, or is there anything you'd like me to go over again?"

"No, I'm just thinking about how and when, to take them down," he replied.

"There's some more information you need to have, before you put the lives of brave police officers on the line. Bart, I mean Walter, has bragged many times about how many guns his father has. I don't have any firsthand information, but I would assume that there's enough firepower at the Santino home, to make any assault costly, very costly. Not to mention they are in the middle of a very populated subdivision."

"I was thinking along those same lines. Wondering about how much of an arsenal Santino might have. Taking them into custody might present a problem," Mr. Rothman admitted.

"I have an idea that might make it possible, without anyone getting hurt," I said.

"Really, and just what might that be?"

"Well, because of something that happened to some friends of ours, last month, I've come to realize, that knowing where they are isn't as important as knowing where they will be. I can arrange to have each member of the family, at a specific location alone and isolated."

"You can do what - and you'll do this all by yourself?"

"Heavens no. I wouldn't even consider being alone with any of them, I have too much to live for. Besides, Ellen would never allow me to act so stupidly. However, -" I then laid out my plan in detail, for the apprehension and arrests of Mr. Santino, Mrs. Santino, and Walter, not necessarily in that order.

"After Mrs. Santino is taken into custody, it would be a good time to search the house, looking for additional evidence, about their involvement in the child pornography and child sex trafficking, that was going on at the estate, in West Valley. By the way, you should also look for evidence connecting them to similar establishments; one in Ogden and one in Provo."

"Are you telling me, that there are two more of those, those . . . I don't even know what to call them. Child sex dungeons, would be the about the most accurate, but even that doesn't come close to describing what those poor children are subjected to in those places."

"I agree with you completely, Lance," Ellen said. "And yes, Matilda has evidence that there are two more such dungeons. Her evidence wouldn't be admissible, so you'll need to discover their existence on your own. I would suggest a search warrant, for computers and computer records, looking for a connection that would tie the Santinos to the estate in West Valley, which was raided last October. Now then, when your people are going through the computer records and the computer records, produce information about two additional locations; that information should be admissible."

The room was silent for a few moments.

"Matilda, about your capture plan. You're suggesting that I take armed officers into an elementary school, putting the lives of those students at risk?"

"Well, they do say timing is everything. And the time would be just at the end of lunch on Friday. Walter doesn't care if he's late getting back to class, and the ten minutes that it would take Mr. Santino to travel from his house to the school, should be enough time to evacuate the classrooms near the office, so there shouldn't be any students in danger. I know that Principal Purcell, the teachers, and all the students would be cheering, to see Black Bart arrested and taken away," I added.

Mr. Rothman thought about the idea for a couple of minutes before asking, "What about you and the other students, won't Walter be too much to handle? He is rather on the large side."

"Oh, I don't think he'll be any problem. There will be twenty, um, fourth grade students to provide a distraction, Bart has a thing for little girls in school uniforms. The other eight students, will be from tenth to twelfth grades, they will be responsible for detaining Bart, until the officers arrive." I didn't know how much Ellen's brother knew about Immigration Manor, so I'd converted the years to the more customary grade system.

"Well, you've really thought this through. Is there any more information we should be aware of?" he asked.

"I think that covers everything," I replied.

"Very well. Let me think about this for a while and I'll get back to you. I'll also need to discuss this with Principal Purcell at Whittier, and the Chief of Police. I know we want to remove this plague from our community, and you have made a compelling case and an interesting offer. One last question, does Walter jr carry any weapons?"

"I'm pretty sure he doesn't carry a gun, at least not at school. He has threatened smaller students with a knife, on many occasions. More than that, I don't know," I replied.

"Very well," he said, after a moment of silence. "Thank you both for coming to see me. I'll give you a call this evening sis, and let you know what's been decided."

We said our goodbyes and left, leaving the flash drive with Mr. Rothman.

After dinner, I was telling the Black Sheep of the meeting with Mr. Rothman, when Ellen called my PDA. "Hello Ellen."

"Matilda, I just heard from my brother. The Chief of Police has some concerns."

"Isn't that his job, to have some concerns?" I asked.

"I do believe its part of the job description. Principal Purcell, on the other hand, was very excited about the idea. He told Lance that they'd move everyone in that wing, of the school, to the gymnasium immediately after lunch, so the officers wouldn't have students to worry about."

"I sort of knew that everyone at Whittier would do almost anything to see Bart gone."

"It certainly sounds that way to me."

"So, we’re on for this Friday, they'll have the paperwork ready?"

"Yes, that's what Lance said. Given the circumstances and the options, no one came up with a plan that had fewer overall risks. So your plan is a go."

"I guess it's time to ask Mr. Peterson for a favor. I'll send him a note requesting a meeting tomorrow."

"I'll leave that up to you. Good night Matilda."

"Good night."

Returning my attention to the group, "All right gang, it looks like we have a go on operation ‘Free SLC’ for Friday. I'll pass the word to our chaperones and arrange for transportation with Mr. Peterson. Other than those two items, we'll have a final mission briefing Friday morning, right before breakfast. Does everyone remember the agreed upon costume, for the distraction mission?" Everyone nodded. "Great. Does anyone have a problem or concern, with the distraction plan?"

Hope raised her hand.

"Yes Hope, do you have a problem with the distraction plan?" Jenny asked.

"Not with the plan itself, my question is about the weather. Does anyone know what the weather forecast is, or what the temperature is going to be? It could be a little chilly in just our school skirts, blouse, blazers, and knee socks," Hope stated.

"Hopefully, we shouldn't be outside for more than fifteen minutes, but that is valid point," I conceded. "Wally, you usually keep track of the weather, do you know what the forecast is for Friday afternoon?"

"Not off the top of my head," he replied, as he got out his PDA. After checking something, I assumed a weather forecast web site, he reported, "There should be clear skies and sunshine, over the Salt Lake Valley, with an estimated high, of thirty-five to forty-five degrees."

"That sounds a bit cold," Abbey complained.

"Just a bit nippy," I agreed. "But like I said, we shouldn't be outside, without our coats, for more than fifteen, to twenty minutes."

"I guess we'll survive," Deanna moaned sarcastically.

"Any chance of getting some hot chocolate afterwards?" Barb asked.

"We should be able to get some, when we stop for lunch," George offered.

"Where are we going for lunch?" Walter inquired.

"That hasn't been decided yet, in fact, I haven't asked Mr. Peterson yet. I'll talk with him tomorrow," I replied. "Anything else?"

Abbey asked, "Are you sure that four will be enough? In the narration, that was with the movie, Hayley said, she thought she had used fifteen."

"Of course, you're welcome to use as many as you want," I answered. "I know what I'm asking is a bit bizarre and I don't want anyone to feel uncomfortable. Everyone is free to use as many as it takes for them to be comfortable, with what we're planning to do."

There weren't any other questions or concerns; so we broke up into smaller groups, to do their own thing, before heading to the auditorium for choir practice.

Thursday, January 27, 2005

"Good morning, Matilda. What can I do for you today?" Mr. Peterson asked, as I was admitted into his office. He was seated behind his desk, so I walked over and sat in one of the straight back chairs, opposite him. I knew I wasn't in trouble, I also knew this was going to be a short meeting.

"Good morning. I've come too asked for a favor," I pleasantly replied.

"And just what might that be?"

"I'd like for you to okay a fieldtrip for Year A."

"A fieldtrip, and just where would you like to go?" he asked suspiciously.

"As I'm sure you're aware, we are currently studying US History, the era of the Westward migration by the early settlers. We were thinking a visit to Pioneer Village, would be an interesting and educational enhancement to that class."

"Pioneer Village?"

"It's a historical museum, that's maintained by the LDS Church. They have several pioneer cabins, barns, and other relics dating back to the earliest settlements, in the Utah area."

"I see. Well, I suppose something along that line could be arranged. Next week, or perhaps the following week we would -"

"No, no, no," I interrupted, shaking my head. "Not next week - tomorrow."

"Tomorrow? I'm afraid that's totally out of the question. We couldn't possibly arrange for chaperones and transportation, on such short notice."

"Tomorrow!" I repeated. "I've already arranged for eight chaperones. Tomorrow morning at about 10:45 am, Year A and eight escorts from Years E through H, will be leaving in two of the fifteen passenger vans. I'm sure several of the older students, are capable of handling the vans, with care and competence. So that also takes care of the transportation issue. Here is a list of the selected escorts." I handed my PDA to Mr. Peterson.

For some strange reason, his eyes got bigger as he read through the list of names. "Would you care to explain how you came up with that list of names?"

"Mr. Peterson, do you really need to ask that question?" I asked rhetorically. "They all know what the mission is, and they've all volunteered to take part."

"Mission? You mean to tell me that you're not going to Pioneer Village? Does this have something to do with -"

"Mr. Peterson, all you need to know is, that you approved of a fieldtrip for Year A, they will be escorted by eight upper class students, and that I'm calling in on the favor you owe me."

"I understand, plausible deniability. Is there anything else you need?"

"Well, we'll be stopping for lunch someplace. Knowing her other role, besides that of head girl, does Suzanne have an expense account?"

He became very serious, "On official outings, she's provided with funds, sufficient to cover any unforeseen expenses."

"Yes, but this is an unofficial outing, and it wasn't sanctioned by a, um - higher authority. Therefore, I will assume the normal arrangements will not be available. That being the case - I'll leave it to you to make whatever arrangements are necessary."

"Matilda, are any of our students going to be in danger?"

"No sir, our students will not be in any danger, what so ever. There will be some guns displayed, in a building, that we'll be a short distance away from, hopefully they will not have to be used. However, no one from here will be in range of, or within proximity to, any of the firearms, while they are not holstered. One large and rather grumpy individual, is known to carry a knife, but I'll take the odds of twenty-eight to one, any day of the week."

"I see. Well, I guess all I can say is, enjoy your visit to Pioneer Village. I'll have a talk with Suzanne and arrange for some funding. Is there anything else?"

"Thank you. I believe that's everything."

"Very well, after you get back, I'd like you to come tell me about the trip."

"No problem. I'll see you tomorrow evening, then," I replied, as I got up to leave.

Yes, it was a short meeting, almost a waste of time sitting down for such a short meeting. On my way to lunch, I sent a note to Ellen, confirming that we were a go for Friday's activity. She then confirmed with Mr. Rothman, that everything would be ready, and that we would meet him at the school at 12:15 pm.

Just before the Black Sheep broke up for the evening, heading to their respective rooms, George asked, "Do we need to be dressed in our diversion costumes for breakfast, in the morning?"

"You can if you want to, but there will be time after your specialty training to change," I answered. "One more item I need to mention. Mr. Peterson did approve of us going to lunch somewhere in the city, before coming back here." There was a lot of cheering, when I announced we'd be going to lunch.

When the cheering died down, I continued, "We don't get out that often, so I think we should go someplace nice. I guess the next question should be, where do we want to go, that is, what do we want to eat?" Instantly suggestions started flying. Waving my hands got things quieted down. "To avoid everyone yelling out their desires, everyone send me a note, and I'll try to find someplace that will appeal to the majority."

"One last item, MayBee reminded me, that some of you might feel uncomfortable in the specified costume, for longer than necessary, so if you'd like to change your clothes, or to simply remove anything you feel is in excess, you're more than welcome to bring your travel bag with whatever you feel is appropriate. We should be able to change in the restroom stalls at the school, before heading out for lunch."

"Matilda, is this plan of yours really going to work?” Mary Beth asked, as we crawled into bed.

"Which part?"

"The whole thing?"

"Yes, I think everything should work out just fine. The diversion should keep Walter’s attention, until the Beta team can capture him."

"Catching Walter isn't the issue. Can the legal system do, what it’s supposed to do, and keep them locked up?"

"Honestly, I don't know. I guess that's going to be up to Mr. Rothman. We can only do what we can do."

"Good night, Munchkin."

"Good night, MayBee."

* * * To Be Continued * * *

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