Sacculina.
LIST OF CHARACTERS

Charlotte. The narrator (and sort of heroine).
Jessica, Charlotte’s Maternal Aunt.
Isobel , Charlotte’s French long term friend.
Franchesca, Charlotte’s Italian long term friend.
Jack, American Gap-year student at the Faculty.
Pete, American high school jock
Bill, Pete’s crony also a macho high school jock.
Terry The supplier of the party music.
Bob, Terry’s friend and owner of the pick-up truck.
Tom Arlott. Jack’s dad.

Sacculina Chapter 1.

Charlotte was staring at the ocean through the large window of her Aunt Jessica’s marine laboratory home. She had just arrived there that afternoon after an exhausting eighteen-hour, two stage flight from her home in England via New York to Costa Rica. The effects of the jet-lag prevented her from settling down to sleep. The sun was setting but Charlotte was restless because back home it was early morning and her body clock was preparing to wake up. The door latch clicked and she turned to smile at her favourite aunt who had appeared with a snack.

“We’ll be having supper about two hours after sunset after I’ve completed todays procedures on the critters darling.”

“Thanks Auntie Jess. I should be tired but the jet lag -. Can I go for a jog around the bay to the headland and back? It might help make me tired and then sleepy.

“By all means darling. The tied is ebbing so you won’t get caught out.”

“I love it out here. You are just so lucky doing marine research. It seems strange though to be here without the rest of my family.”

“Well you’re more than old enough to travel here alone. Didn’t your mum say they’ll be coming over later?”

“Yes, my older brother and younger sister will be coming in a few weeks then mum’s coming out at the end of July. Yet again, Dad is busy, so we’ll only see him briefly at the end of August.”

“Well he’s a busy man darling and thanks for picking up the lab equipment during the stop over in New York. Quite the little courier-girl aren’t you?”

Charlotte secretly preened herself that she had been trusted to fly from London to New York, pick up the expensive equipment her aunt had ordered and then escort it to San Jose before finally accompanying it by van and boat to the Island research station where her aunt lived and worked. She had felt very adult and responsible when her aunt met her at the jetty even though all the transport arrangements had been pre-arranged.

After wolfing down the light snack, Charlotte conscientiously washed the dishes before changing into her jogging clothes and setting off barefoot along the beach. As she reached the headland the sun finally settled below the horizon and she was grateful for the coolness of the evening. She did not stop to linger however and turned to jog back along the water line so that she could savour the bioluminescent splashes her feet made in the plankton rich surf.
Exhilarated by her run she scampered up the concrete steps and along the backs of the laboratories until she reached her aunt’s home.

“Did you enjoy darling?”

“Yes thanks auntie. I see they still have beach parties by the headland?”

“Oh yes, as always it’s the older children of the faculty members and college students who come down during vacations, just like you.
Why d’ you ask?”

“I saw the remains of a couple of beach fires by the rocks at the foot of the headland.”

“Yes, they have the parties there because there’s no chance of the fires spreading. We’ve all agreed to have the fires there only when the tides are right and the flooding tides inundate the fire embers. That way, the local forest is not put at risk. As you know, it’s part of the National park and has many rare and protected species.”

Charlotte nodded as she went for a shower.

“I’ll lay the table after I’ve washed.”

“Good girl, I can get on with my work.”

After dinner, tiredness eventually overtook the girl and she gratefully made her way to bed. As she was drawing the curtains she saw a beach fire at the base of the headland and resolved to ask her aunt’s permission to go to the beach parties later in the week.
Over breakfast she raised the beach party question and smiled as her aunt replied.

“Well you’re sixteen, you’re old enough. It’s mostly high-school kids and college kids anyway. You’ll meet most of them anyway today either on the campus, beach or in the lido. I presume you won’t be doing any studying this summer, your dad said your exam results were good.”

“Yeah, for once I can relax and seriously chill out. I get to choose what A’levels I do when I go back.”

“Any thoughts on those?”

“Well, it’ll be sciences like Michael’s”

“Yes, he did well to make Cambridge. What are your plans?”

“I honestly don’t know auntie. If I could get a research job like yours, it would definitely be marine biology.”

“I don’t have to tell you that competition is stiff and I had to forego Marriage to finally get this professorship.”

“Will you ever get married?”

“Probably not, but I still intend to have a child.”

“Good for you girl! Mum said you were always the unconventional one. Have you met any likely sperm donors?”

“A few.”

Charlotte smiled as she nodded slowly. ‘Auntie Jess had always been adventurous and free-spirited.’ She told herself.

Aunt Jessica smiled enigmatically as she read Charlotte’s mind.

With breakfast over, Charlotte offered to clear away and tidy up to give Jessica a chance at an early start.

“Thanks darling, you’re a trooper. See you tonight at sunset.”

“Don’t you ever use conventional time - like a clock or something?” Charlotte giggled.

Jessica wagged her head and smiled indulgently.

“Behave yourself girl, that’s only for formal occasions and there’s not many of those either in biology or on this island.. Nature has its own schedules and out here, I have to follow those. Tonight, I’m going crabbing cos it’s the full moon.”

“Oooh! Can I come?”

“You’re welcome but these are not for eating girl, I’m looking for particular specimens.”

“Well it would be wouldn’t it,” Charlotte mused pensively. “More research I suppose.”

“Exactly.” Her aunt affirmed.

Once alone, Charlotte quickly finished the few chores then started unpacking her suite-case ready to make her first entrance on the ‘teen-scene’ It was eleven before she was satisfied with her look. She sighed as she noted her stunning good looks handed to her by her mum and shared with Auntie Jessica. It was always tedious trying to get past her looks and already, at the tender age of sixteen, she was sick of boys only interested in her body and her face. Even worse was encountering jealousy from other girls but she was determined not to let others think she was a ‘cheerleader bitch’. Part of her strategy was to always ‘dress down’.
Clothes were rarely a problem because her rich titian hair colouring and violet eye colour more or less dictated greens, blues or turquoise. As far as Charlotte was concerned this made things easy, she wasn’t a fashion victim.

Garbed in a very skimpy teal bikini under a green, boot-lace chemise, bleached denim hot-pants and complementing trainers she made her way to the usual lunch-time hang out; namely the Lido café beside the pool.

Most of the kids were American children of the faculty staff with a smattering of Canadians and some local Costa Ricans. Charlotte was the only Brit who along with a French girl and an Italian girl, were the only Europeans. Fortunately, Charlotte knew both girls from their previous vacations and Charlotte was fluent in French.

When she spied her attractive pair of old friends sitting in their favourite little alcove she purchased a white wine and renewed their acquaintances.

“Bon-matins Isobel, Franchesca. Nice to meet again.” She continued in French.

They exchanged greetings and clinked glasses as Charlotte took a chair with her back to the main crowd and shared a little toast.

A noticeable hush had descended on the café as kids who had spotted Charlotte entering, now commented to their friends about the newcomer. It wasn’t long before a line of male teenagers was queued up at the bar and sneaking glances at Charlotte. The Europeans continued talking French just for devilment.

“That didn’t take long did it?” Grinned Isobel.

Charlotte shrugged resignedly. “Have you guys had a swim yet this morning?”

“Franchesca has, I haven’t.”

Charlotte raised a questioning eyebrow and the other two nodded.

“Let’s not rush, we’ll finish our drinks first,” Franchesca suggested.

Having agreed to this they continued catching up on the previous year’s events before eventually diving into the pool. They were followed almost immediately by a series of heavy splashes as the self-appointed ‘alpha jocks’ imposed their presence.

“Where are you guys from?”

“Pardon monsieur?”

“What country?”

Isobel answered for all three.

“Europe Monsieur.”

“D’ you speak American?”

By tacit agreement Isobel answered again.

“No Monsieur.”

“What - language - you - speak?” He persisted slowly and loudly.

“Fran - caise,” Isobel replied equally loudly and slowly.

An embarrassing silence ensued amongst the jocks until one of the brighter boys who had been standing on the edge realised the girls were winding them up. He called softly to the jock who asked about language.

“Pete! Ask if they speak English?”

“I just did.”

“No, you didn’t; you asked if they spoke American.”

“What’s the difference?” Pete argued.

Charlotte couldn’t resist replying in English.

“About three thousand miles and two hundred years.”

Pete stared open-mouthed at the pretty red-head before finally getting the joke. He grinned before replying with a ‘Homer Simpson’ response.

“Doh! Okay, point taken. So, you’re English!”

“Full marks for observation darling, though Isobel is French while Franchesca is Italian.”

“But we all speak English,” the trio chorused, and laughter broke out.

By this time, the discussion had attracted a large group of girls who had been baiting the alpha jocks all morning. Back home in the
U.S. they would have constituted the ‘Cheer-leader Queens’ and they were not amused that the trio of attractive newcomers had stolen their grip on the jocks’ attentions.

As the larger female group gathered by the shallow end of the pool, Charlotte’s sixth sense immediately sensed the jealousy and her knowing glance caught her friend’s eyes. All three girls had only just arrived in the last two days and they were keen to avoid any trouble. Their longstanding friendship had developed a comradely telepathy and a brief, shared glance conveyed the agreement to shut down the banter with the boys. As one, the three Europeans broke into a crawl stroke and set off down the pool. Their actions conveyed a clear message and the ‘cheer-leader bitches’ quickly entered the pool to recapture the boys’ attentions.

When the trio reached the clearer water at the deep end, they paused then decided to simply swim a series of widths to avoid returning to the shallow end. Only one of the boys was savvy enough to recognise the trio’s tactic but he kept his counsel and remained with the crowd as the ‘cheerleader queens’ suddenly became much more ‘amenable’, so much so that nobody noticed when the trio completed their exercise and returned to their seats in the secluded alcove beside the bar. Their shared bottle of half-finished wine was returned to them by the Costa Rican student who was working at a holiday summer job behind the bar.

They were happily chatting and planning the rest of their holiday when the savvy ‘jock’ spotted them as he was buying some soft drinks.

“Hello again girls, or should I say bonsoire?”

The three smiled and raised their glasses to him so he resumed chatting as he waited for his drinks.

“You’re drinking wine I see. Is that allowed.”

“If parents give permission to the bartender, then yes. Costa Rica is not like America.”

“That’s so unfair. Our parents say twenty-one though some allow at eighteen.”

Franchesca shrugged and grinned.

“Viv la Italia, - and France and Bretagne.”

“But the age in UK is eighteen.” The boy continued.

“My parents are more enlightened than most,” Charlotte explained. “I don’t abuse it.”

“Lucky girls,” the boy sighed then changed the subject. “Are you coming to the beach party this evening?”

Isobel and Franchesca nodded enthusiastically but Charlotte expressed her doubts.

“I’m still getting over the jet lag so if I come I might only stay a couple of hours. Besides I’m helping my relative with her work during the next few nights.”

“Oh which faculty is she with?”

“Marine biology; the crustaceans.”

“Oh is your mum professor Jessica Tomlinson. I thought she wasn’t married.”

“She’s my aunty not my mum.”

“So that’s where you get that stunning hair from, it’s in the family genes I suppose.”

Charlotte gave him a weak understated smile as she recognised his attempts. She spotted the barman waiting to be paid and used it as an excuse to close down the chat.

“Your drinks are ready and your friends will be thirsty.”

“Oh- yes. Well, see you later at the beach party.”

Isobel and Franchesca smiled agreement as Charlotte re-iterated her condition.

“Only for an hour or so, duty calls I’m afraid.”

He smiled, picked up his tray of drinks and re-joined the jock pack. After he had left, Isobel lightly scolded her English friend.

“You were a bit – how do you say it – short with him.”

“I wasn’t going to encourage him, besides for this first week I really am helping my aunt with the crab stuff and I’ll be up all hours during the nights, despite my jet-lag.”

They finished the shared bottle then returned it to the bar with their glasses and handed them to a very appreciative barman. The considerate actions told the Costa Rican student that the three girls were not the usual ‘run-of-the-mill’ spoiled brats.

“Gracious Senioritas.” He smiled as he dropped the empty bottle in the bin and put the glasses in the washer.

As they left the pool area, Charlotte explained, “I’ll go down to the mini-mall with you for a couple of hours but If I’m to help my aunt Jessica tonight I’d best get some shut-eye this afternoon. The flight was a killer especially with all the equipment I had to oversee. This jet-lag has knocked me back.”

Isobel and Franchesca nodded sympathetically and after browsing around the campus ‘mini-mall’ Charlotte left her friends and returned to her Aunty Jessica’s house cum laboratory. She crashed out on the bed and slept until her aunt returned. The noise of a meal being prepared awoke her and she appeared still sleepy at the kitchen door.

“Sorry aunty, I overslept. Is there anything I can do?”

“Yes, finish making these sandwiches and fill the thermos-flasks. We’ll be out most of the night. I’ll finish making dinner.”

Charlotte did as Jessica asked then over the dinner Jessica explained to her niece.

“After midnight the crabs start clambering about the rocks to release their larvae into the surf. We think they choose the surf because the turbulence and agitation oxygenates the sea-water and the larvae get a head start. You’ll be splashing about on the rocks right down at the waterline. Now; there will be female crabs actually releasing their larvae but more importantly, there will be some male crabs also behaving like female crabs and trying to release larvae they don’t have. It’s these infected crabs we are seeking.”

“Infected?” Charlotte wondered.

“Yes,” Jessica went on to explain, “These male crabs have been infected with the Sacculina parasite and the parasite actually castrates the male crabs while causing them to look and act like females.”

Charlottes eyes widened as her brow furrowed with curiosity.

“That’s weird, why would they do that?”

“It’s a variation on the usual parasite-host relationship. The parasites actually cover the male crab’s abdomen thus preventing mating access while destroying their testes and castrating them. This causes the exoskeletal bodies to adopt a female shape during the next moult. Once their newly moulted bodies have been feminised, their abdomens become the right shape to carry eggs, the Sacculina eggs that is. Once they have moulted, the previously male crabs are locked for life into a female form but they are sterile. The futility of their mating behaviour and mating dances is demonstrated by their female invitations to fertile male crabs. Even though male crabs mount their castrated brothers, they cannot impregnate them.”

“So where is the benefit in researching them?” Charlotte persisted.

Jessica finished a mouthful of food before continuing.

“Well, there are several aspects to parasitic infestations but the one we are interested in is the parasite’s ability to control the host’s behaviour with chemicals. In the case of Sacculina Carsini the parasite belongs to the Barnacle family but it looks nothing like other barnacles. It attaches itself to the crab’s outer shell then during the moult it injects itself into the new soft shell and works its chemistry on the infected male crab. It destroys the testes thus feminising the crab then it sends chemicals into the crab’s brain that causes it to behave like a female. The crab behaves like a female in every respect. The mating dance is female, the posture is female, the shape of the shell and the claws are female while the crab nurtures the new parasitic eggs that have attached themselves to the male crab’s now feminised abdomen.

All the while, the once male crab is now nurturing and protecting the parasitic eggs because it thinks it is a pregnant female. It even climbs up onto rocks and tries to release its parasitic eggs while the real females are releasing theirs. The parasitic larvae however only release when there are other vulnerable male crabs close by during the mating periods.”

“So, the parasite sort of zombifies the crabs.”

“Exactly.” Jessica confirmed, “and the best time to find these zombified crabs is when they climb out with the sisters and try waving their abdomens around to release larvae that are not ready to depart. The eggs look like a white growth on the abdomen and it’s easy to spot with ultra-violet light. These are the crabs we are capturing to determine what the zombifying chemical is and how it works. We choose crabs because they are easier to work with than insects and their brains are easier to isolate and work on. Crabs are higher up the chain than simple insects so it’s easier to identify the discreet, parasitic chemicals and determine how they affect the brain.”

“So, this might have some benefits to psychiatry or changing animal behaviour in farm animals.”

“Well done Charlotte. I’m impressed. This is pure research at the moment but you already understand the guiding principles of science. From pure research comes applied research followed by medical or other researches like material improvements or engineering advances..”

Charlotte nodded as she sipped her tea and reasoned that her aunt’s work was extremely interesting not to mention having enormous medical potential.

Having finished dinner, Charlotte begged leave to go to the beach party for a couple of hours and her aunt acceded.

“I can pick you up at the party about tennish, that’s about an hour before the full moon rises. Go and get your boots and a strong pair of jeans so I can put it with all the equipment in the back of the land-rover. You might need a warmer top as well. The ocean breeze can be quite a bit cooler where we are going because it’s quite exposed to the wind but sheltered from the surf.”

After adding her clothes to the equipment Aunt Jessica had stored in the back of her land-rover, Charlotte gave her aunt a hug and set off along the beach to where the beach party fire was already beginning to illuminate the headland. There she met Isobel and Franchesca talking to the boy who had spoken to them at the bar that morning. They were laughing and enjoying themselves as the boy endeared himself to them. He turned and his grin widened appreciably as Charlotte arrived.

“Oh! Hi pretty English lady. I didn’t get your name this morning.”

“Nor I yours,” Charlotte replied. “Mine’s Charlotte, though my friends sometimes call me Charly, that’s with a ‘y’ instead of the male version Charlie. What’s your name?”

“James, though everybody calls me Jack. D’ you want a drink?”

“Only a soft drink. As I said this morning I’m helping my aunt tonight. She’s picking me up at ten.”

Jack gave a puzzled smile as he observed.

“You three girls crack me up. You drink alcohol at the bar in front of adults where we Americans wouldn’t dare to because we’re under-aged; but you won’t drink it on the beach where nobody’s looking.”

Isobel gave a little chuckle as she replied.

“We can trust ourselves with alcohol but we can’t trust boys with alcohol. Don’t forget we Europeans drink wine with our evening meals around the family table. Our parents can trust their daughters with alcohol but they can’t trust their sons with sex!”

Jack nodded somewhat woefully before adding.

“You’re right to be cautious. There are a couple of idiots drunk already. Look at that guy Pete who came onto you in the pool this morning. He and his crony Bill are a right pair of morons. I’d steer clear of them if I were you.”

“Typical all-American jocks I suppose.” Franchesca snapped.

“We’re not all dumb macho twats.” Jack protested softly. “Some of us have got manners.”

Charlotte sensed Jack’s hurt and moved quickly to repair the damage. She knew that sometimes, Franchesca could be a bit of a spitfire and she put it down to her Latin, Mediterranean temperament plus having to deal with Italian men. To make the peace, Charlotte leaned forward and gently kissed Jack on the cheek.

“There, that’s by way of an apology for my friend; but don’t take it as an invitation. It’s just to show I trust you and respect you. Please don’t betray that trust.”

Jack’s demeanour immediately brightened as he grinned and said “thank you. I’ll get you those soft drinks you asked for. What’ll they be?”

“Lemon for me,” Franchesca replied.”

“And you two?” Jack pressed.

“Orange for us please. “Isobel added.”

Charlotte nodded her agreement and Jack returned to the rock where the drink was piled.

The girls watched with resignation as Pete and Bill raucously ribbed Jack about Charlotte’s kiss. They were also impressed at how he casually and easily handled the situation such that neither Bill nor Pete were invited to accompany him back to the girls. Charlotte and Isobel recognised the dynamics of the boy’s group and realised that Jack was something of an ‘alpha male’ but it was done by personality and intelligence, not muscle. When he re-joined the girls, their mood had brightened appreciably as they chose an empty
rock to sit and chat. Soon two other boys arrived with the music and they approached the European girls.

“Can you budge up a bit, guys? We usually set up the kit here. It’s the only level, dry spot safe from the fire and the sea.”

The three girls shuffled their butts along the slab-like rock while Jack helped move the kit from the pick-up. It was obvious to the girls that the newcomers were Jacks friends. Within minutes the party was swinging and Franchesca was immediately swaying provocatively to the music. Charlotte and Isobel noted however that their streetwise friend remained within the well-lit area between the fire and the pick-up’s headlights.

To Charlotte’s eyes, the trio of boys exactly complemented her and her friends numerically and she resolved to stay close to them to avoid any potential for conflict between them and the other girls. Mostly the girls danced as a trio within the pool of light and occasionally the boys joined them between changing music and fetching drinks. Eventually, ten p.m. arrived and Charlotte noted her auntie’s land-rover flashing its lights from further up the beach. As it arrived, Charlotte made her farewells and left.

“Did you enjoy?” Aunt Jessica asked.

“Wish I could have stayed a bit longer, but, well, here I am.”

“Never mind, when this week is over, you’ll have plenty of time to loaf around before the rest of the family come.”

Charlotte turned to her aunt.

“Do you know the boy Jack. I think his father works on the faculty somewhere.”

“Quite a tall boy, with dirty blond, sun-bleached hair?”

“Yes, I think that’s him.”

“He’s probably Tom Arlott’s oldest boy. Tom manages the faculty’s marine division. You know, boats, docks, equipment, engines and stuff. Lots of lab equipment too. Why, have you found somebody to interest you.”

“He’s just a nice guy and he gave us the gypsy’s warning about who to avoid.”

“By ‘us’ I presume you mean Isobel, Franchesca and you?”

Charlotte nodded as Jessica added.

“It’s a small island and everybody knows everybody. The issues only get out of hand when visitors and relatives come down for the summer vacation. Jack’s right to warn you, he’s been taking gap year working with his dad. He probably has a good idea who the arseholes are amongst the younger ones.

The problem is that families bring friends and friends of friends so there’s no knowing who’s okay and who’s not. You’d best put your boots and jeans on, we’re nearly there.”

The rest of the journey passed silently as Charlotte squeezed into her tight jeans and wellingtons. Soon they were clambering over the rocks at the water line and Jessica soon found her first infected male crab. She then caught a female crab and explained what to look for.

This parts the easy part, just shine your ultra violet torch on all the crabs then grab any you see with white spongy packages under their bellies. If we find an entire male crab who shouldn’t really be here unless he’s one of the permanent territory owners, I’ll try and show you how the other poor little darlings have been feminised.

By three o’clock, Jessica and Charlotte had what they needed and they had also found the hoped for uninfected male crab who owned the rock. Jessica held him upside-down as she pointed out the differences large and small.

“See, he’s heavier and more powerful all around while he’s got larger and much more powerful claws. Be careful though, that large pincer could crush your little pinkie. Notice where his abdomen has a different, flatter shape with different claspers to grip the girls.
Now look at the feminised males. See, much smaller claws, hollow, wider abdomen and pathetic vestigial claspers, just like a girl.
Big boy is too old to be affected by the pathogens now, they have to catch them while they’re in the early years. This guy’s about ten years old. I’ll keep him for a year to get some testosterone measurements for reference comparisons. Then, because this is part of the reserve, I’ll put him back.”

“Home to bed now?” Charlotte asked hopefully.

“I’ve got to collect some sea-weed samples for a colleague. Just a few minutes.”

Charlotte sat studying the infected crabs while her aunt poked about amongst some rocks near the end of the splash zone. She couldn’t help but feel sorry for the poor little darlings as she compared them the ‘Big Boy’. It looked as though he could have crushed them easily with his might claws. When Jessica returned, Charlotte asked lots of questions as they drove back.
As they were passing the party beach they noticed some police cars with flashing lights and a crowd of people gathered by an ambulance. Charlotte recognised her friend Franchesca being assisted into the ambulance.

“Stop the car! That’s Franchesca!” Charlotte squealed.

The land-rover scrunched to a halt by the roadside but Charlotte was already tumbling out and pushing through the crowd. A police officer stopped her but she spotted Jack and Isobel.

“What happened?” She cried.

“Some arsehole attacked her and raped her!” Isobel explained. “The campus police are looking for him but Franchesca’s too distressed to give a description yet. She’s going to the hospital to be checked out.”

“What condition is she in?” Aunt Jessica asked as she caught up.

“She’s got cuts and bruises to her face and her bikini bottom was stained with blood. She was definitely raped, she told us so.” Jack explained.

“Shit! Shit! Shit! Charlotte cursed.

Jessica readily recognised her niece’s distress and did something constructive.

“Have you two given statements to the police?”

“We’re just about to. I found her wandering behind the headland amongst the rocks, she could hardly see because her eyes were so swollen shut.” Jack explained.

“Right. You two wait here until the police see you, I’ll take Charlotte to the hospital.”

With arrangements made, Charlotte and her aunt followed the ambulance to the faculty hospital which was the only hospital on the Island. They arrived just as Franchesca’s mother arrived behind the ambulance. For the moment, all the pair could do was wait until the mother emerged from Triage. Her relief was evident but she was still distressed.

“Her physical injuries are not too serious, but there’s heavy bruising around her face and arms. Fortunately there are no bones broken, but her shock – I don’t know!”

“Isobel spoke of blood, about her privates,” Charlotte explained.

The mother broke down in tears. “My daughter was a virgin.” She managed to whisper.

The anger was evident amongst all three women as their jaws clenched tight.

“We’ll get the bastard! It’s a small island and the ferry is not operating until tomorrow morning.” Jessica revealed as the mother whispered again.

“She told me in Italian, she’s sure she will recognise him and besides, the surgeon said he had – he had – you now, samples – taken from her -.”

Both Charlotte and Jessica held the mother tight as she struggled to stay composed.

“If Franchesca’s father catches him, he will be singing castrato. He’s out on the big research boat studying whales but he’s due back on Friday.”

“They’ll probably have him in custody by then. There were only about thirty people at the party.” Charlotte opined.

“We’ll know more after we speak to Isobel and Jack. Are you staying with your daughter overnight?” Jessica asked.

The mother nodded. “Of course. I’ll sit here all night if I have to.”

“You won’t have to, there’s a visitor’s suite, I’ll speak to the department manager.”
Jessica left while Charlotte stayed to comfort Franchesca’s mother. Before long Isobel and Jack turned up with the boys Bob and Terry, who had supplied the music. When Jessica returned, the youngsters gave their accounts of events. Isobel’s account contained the most pertinent and useful information.

“I was dancing with Franchesca while Jack and Terry went to get some more soft drinks and Bob was attending to the music centre. Suddenly Franchesca had a call of nature and told me she was popping around the headland to hide amongst the rocks. She asked if I had any paper tissues and I knew I had some in my beach bag which the boys had locked in their truck for safe-keeping. I asked Bob for the keys and he lent them to me. Franchesca then disappeared around the headland while I returned the keys to Bob. When I turned around Franchesca was already disappearing around the rocks. It was no good calling to her to wait because the music was too loud. I went over to Jack and Terry who were returning with the drinks and I explained the situation. Jack and I went to follow her but she had gone out of sight and when we got to the headland there was no sign.

We called for her and she shouted back to say she wanted privacy. We couldn’t see her so we waited where we where expecting her to eventually reappear. After about ten minutes Jack began to wonder but I told him that if Franchesca had girl problems then it might be a little while longer. He realised what I was alluding to and said he’d take a dip in the sea while we waited. Like most of us he had his swimming speedos on under his shorts in anticipation of just such an event. The beach is quite steep just there and you can swim a little as a few feet from the rocks that extend out to sea. Jack was swimming in sight for another ten minutes before I also became worried. I called out to Franchesca but got no answer so I called to Jack to come ashore. He slipped his denim shorts back on and we started searching for Franchesca.

Suddenly, Franchesca stumbled into view holding her Bikini bottom and torn dress. In the dark we couldn’t see very much but she was in a terrible state and crying that she had been raped. Jack was about to lend her his shorts but I stopped him. Instead I lent her my dress and I stopped Jack from touching Franchesca or her clothes whilst warning him of DNA evidence. He immediately got my jist and stepped back whilst I helped her with my dress. Then we got her back to the bonfire where our mobiles were in Bob’s truck.
She sat in the cab with me while the boys called the police then formed a guard around the truck while Franchesca told me what had happened. I kept her bikini bottom and dress with me all the time to make sure that none of the boy’s DNA contaminated the evidence.”

“How was she attacked?” I asked.”

“There was somebody else amongst the rocks who saw her squatting down and he grabbed his chance while she was exposed. She’s got a good idea who it was and she told me as I helped her back to the truck. Jack overheard her but the police warned us not to tell anybody else. That’s all I’m allowed to say.”

I turned to Jack who nodded. “That’s pretty much how it was, and thanks Isobel, for the DNA thing.”
We all fell silent as we each contemplated the event and dealt with it in our individual ways. Eventually two lady police officers arrived and went straight in to see the surgeon. After a tense half-hour the surgeon emerged with one of the officers. The policewoman spoke softly.

“Obviously I cannot tell you much but I’m just going to announce that my colleagues have just made an arrest.”
Then the surgeon spoke.

“Franchesca’s still talking to the other officer then I think it best to let her rest. You should all go home except of course you Mrs Palmero. The visitor’s room has been prepared. It’s pretty rudimentary I’m afraid; just a bed with en-suite facility but it’s right next to Franchesca’s ward.”
We all heeded his advice and agreed to come back the following day.

It being a small Island, it was not long before the identity of the detainee leaked out. It was the ‘friend’ of a ‘friend’ of one of the jocks but he was locked up and safe from any retribution. Three days later, when confronted with the DNA proof from sperm deposits on Franchesca’s bikini bottom combined with Franchesca’s testimony, the boy confessed and was charged accordingly. He was removed from the Island and remanded in San Jose main prison to await trial. Because he was a visitor to the country, bail had been refused.
For Charlotte the worst aspect was Franchesca’s change of character. From being the vivacious, sharp-tongued, quick-witted Mediterranean Spitfire, she emerged from the hospital as a withdrawn, uncommunicative automaton. Despite Charlotte and Isobel’s every endeavour, the best they could persuade her to do was go to the Lido and sit staring at the sea each day. She wouldn’t enter the pool nor would she go near the beach and every afternoon, the pair had to escort their friend to her door and hand her over to her mother for safe-keeping.

To say our holiday was ruined was something of an understatement but compared with Franchesca’s trauma our concerns were nothing. The cruel part was that Franchesca had to endure several interviews with the police and with her lawyer but we still had a month before a trial date could be set even though the rapist had confessed. Because we and several others from the beach party were material witnesses we also had to remain in the country until the trial was set.

Eventually the trial date came around and we stayed in a hotel less than a city block from the court-house.
Fortunately, the trial was brief because the rapist had confessed but we girls were furious at the leniency of the sentence. Because he was under eighteen and he had confessed, he only got twelve months. The judge deemed him to have shown remorse and unbelievably, considered Franchesca’s having removed her bikini bottom to attend to her needs as being a contributary factor.

Franchesca left the court in a suicidal mood while her mother was cursing bitterly. Isobel, Jack and I fumed impotently as we gathered in the hotel later.

Two days after the trial, my aunt Jessica printed out an online article about a rape back in South Carolina and the name of the perpetrator matched that of Franchesca’s attacker. Some more careful research confirmed that it was the same individual. Seemingly then, he was a serial rapist even before he was eighteen! Somehow, he had also got away with a very lenient sentence in the USA though aunt Jessica could find little more about the case. Jack started quietly checking up on the beast. It transpired, according to the jock who had invited him, that he was a very spoiled rich kid with powerful, political family connections. Worst still, his US victim was black and the case was tried in South Carolina. The girl never got any fair treatment.
In my eyes, that settled the case, but I kept my counsel as we slowly nursed Franchesca back to some sort of normality. My family had come and gone and September was approaching. Franchesca and Isobel were returning home but I had a score to settle.

Revenge however, was a dessert best served cold.