At the Fernandez farm Leticia leads Sergeant Miller and Deputy Tillman to the shed. And in a few minutes the forensics van will be along. And eventually the feds. It won’t be easy for the Fernandez family Miller thinks. A box of tapes is still there under the pile of feed sacks along with a sealed plastic bag.
TWINS by Marie, Part 23 - Leo
by Marie C.
Two weeks after his visit to Leticia’s Darlene has trouble getting dressed. His underpants are too tight around the hips and the training bra does not cover. Looking in the mirror he sees that his hips are noticeably more round and two mounds protrude from his chest. He runs his hands over the growths and sucks in his breath. They are sensitive. His waist seems awfully narrow, probably from the corset, or at least he thinks so.
“Mom, I can’t get my clothes on,” he calls. Linda comes running. The changes are obvious.
“Well, come in to the sewing room. We’ll try some of the things there.” A few weeks ago she stocked some young girls’ wear in different sizes for a day like this. “I guess your old lingerie won’t fit any more.” She pulls out boxes filled with fancy lace underpants and brassieres. “Try these.” She looks down. Is his penis smaller? The briefs one size larger seem to fit. The bra is an A+.
“My, my, that’s fast,” she thinks. “It took me months to get that far.”
Darlene goes back to his room and stands in front of the mirror. His skin is if possible more smooth than before. His neck is swanlike. Legs and arms taper down to small hands and feet. Today he tries a floral shift and the protrusions are there for the world to see. He feels embarrassed and searches for something baggy to wear but can’t find anything. He smiles, frowns and smiles again.
A week later Darlene and Linda go for his monthly exam at Dr.Gardner’s office. Darlene has picked a sleeveless yellow full skirted cotton summer dress, gloves, white hat and low heels. He’s abandoned the corset today, maybe even permanently. He talks with the social worker more about his strange dreams, how he helps mom and is getting out to see people. He doesn’t mention the frightening videotape. After the physical Dr. Gardner changes the prescription and pronounces the patient to be doing fine. Her notes read:
"Subject continues in good health but is developing female characteristics more rapidly than anticipated. There is some atrophy of the male sex organ which is to be expected but not so early. Testes have retreated into the body cavity. Subject mentions dreams like those before but which do not come as often. There seems to be no undue social discomfort. Parent describes subject as being successful in relating to people as he accompanies her on business and presents himself as a female to the customers. Some thought will have to be given to school as subject is already beyond teaching credential level of parent and in fact is past the registration date. Due to the unexpectedly rapid physical development the prescription has been reduced by half to observe treatment at a slower pace."
Two weeks after meeting with the doctor Darlene needs a B-cup bra and another size in underpants. Marlene’s old dresses no longer fit or look too juvenile. “Mom, what are we going to do? I can’t wear these.” He clenches his fists, stomps his foot and looks imploringly at Linda.
“Well, we’ll have to go shopping won’t we? Besides your birthday is coming up. Oops, it’s Marlene’s birthday.” Linda’s eyes tear up.
Darlene puts his arms around Linda. “You know I don’t mind being called Marlene. Let’s pretend I’m Marlene for her birthday. O.K.? Let’s start now.”
“I don’t know, honey,” Linda says hesitantly. “Well, you use whatever name you feel like.”
They haven't seen Jenny since the big night upstairs, now more than a month ago. She welcomes them warmly as Linda and Darlene come through the rickety screen door. Persephone jumps down and rubs against Darlene’s ankles purring loudly. Diablo turns his back on the guests licking one paw.
“My, my, look how our girl is doing. Don’t we look sweet?” Darlene is really chic today in a sleeveless jewel neck blouse, knee length dark skirt, hose and low heels all borrowed from Linda’s better wardrobe. Jenny apologizes for not being in touch, but there really isn’t much to say that Linda can’t see for herself.
“Everything is going o.k.?” Linda says it was.
“Honey, I have to run over to the store in Forest Knolls.” Linda tells Darlene. “Why don’t you stay and visit?” Linda sets a box of repaired garments on the table.
Jenny makes tea and brings out her blackberry pie. “Darlene, you look so yummy, I want to take a big bite out of you. How do you feel?”
He blushes a bit. “Really, really good, Jenny, but I’m not used to all these changes. My front, my clothes don’t fit, my voice gets higher and higher.”
Jenny looks hard at Darlene. “Do you like it? That’s the question.”
Darlene waits a long time to answer. “Yes, I do, but sometimes I wonder.”
“All girls go through that, so don’t think you’re any different. Come on, I need some help around the house. Here’s an apron and gloves.” Darlene puts on a house coat, goes right to work and straightens Jenny’s upstairs - her closets and drawers, remakes the bed and wipes down the bathroom. It isn’t so bad this time because things are still pretty clean from last time.
“I always feel good when I come here, Jenny. Can I tell you a secret?” They’re sitting on Della’s old bed upstairs. Darlene’s ankles and calves in heels and hose look very adult, Jenny observes. She ruminates to herself about the night of that ceremony. Something must have happened then although it was hazy and difficulat to recall for some reason. All those girls. I wonder who or what they were? Obviously Darlene doesn’t know who they are. I wonder if anyone ever will?
She awakes from her musing and is surprised at her momentary absence of mind responds to Darlene’s question. As she looks up Darlene is staring at her concerned since Jenny appears to be kind of spaced out. “Anything you like, dear. You know I don’t mind what you say.”
So Darlene goes over his visit to Leticia’s, describes the videotape and how scared it made them both feel.
Jenny frowns. “Have you told anybody else?” He hasn’t. “And you haven’t heard from Leticia? No? Well, I want to hear more about this, so you come back tomorrow. I’ll think of something to get Leticia over here so I can see you both together. Don’t tell your mother! I’ll talk to her later.” When Linda returns Jenny explains that she needs Darlene the next day to help with a few more things. Leticia is coming over, too.
The following afternoon Jenny has both children in the living room. When Leticia comes in she squeals at the boy, “Your titties have grown really, really fast! Let me see.” Shamelessly she pokes at Darlene’s chest. “You’ve got more than I have,” she says plainly awed. “I wonder if they’re going to get bigger.”
“Leticia, you promised.” Darlene’s eyes narrow to slits.
Jenny intervenes. “That’s enough, you two. Now tell me what happened at Leticia’s.”
They go over what they saw on the tape again. Leticia hasn’t had a chance to put the tape back. In fact it’s in her school pack which she brought along today. Now she thinks it wasn’t a very good place to keep it. Going on she says there was a plastic bag next to the box she took the tape from but never really looked inside. Leo saw her hanging around the other day and chased her off so the tape never got back to its original hiding place.
Jenny looks serious. “This kind of thing may be happening to other girls and we have to put a stop to it, don’t you think?” The girl and boy nod.
“Leticia, didn't you know one of the men in the film?”Darlene says.
“It was Jeff Decker who works on the next ranch over. He comes around a lot to see Leo.” Darlene feels sick when Leticia mentions the name.
Jenny goes on in a serious tone. “A girl was getting hurt and that’s against the law. Are you willing to tell the police? Though if you do it might get Leo in trouble. Your mom and dad will probably be upset because you didn’t tell them.”
Leticia smiles and Darlene can tell she’s thinking of revenge. “My parents would just say to keep quiet and have him get rid of the stuff.” Then her face brightens. “The cops need that tape for evidence. I know all about it from watching Law and Order.”
Jenny goes over and stands next to the phone. “I’m going to call the sheriff. Will you talk to them if they come?” Both children nod.
In ten minutes a sheriff’s car is parked on the shoulder next to Jenny’s house. Deputy Lena Tillman takes notes as Leticia and Darlene describe the tape. Then Leticia says where she found it and brings it out.
Tillman puts it in a plastic bag which she marks with a number. Then she returns to the car and radios in, after which she receives orders to wait out front for Sergeant Miller. She tells both kids to stay put and don’t talk to anybody else. “You stay with Mrs. Gaithers. I’ll be just outside.”
In another twenty minutes Zack Miller’s car pulls up. He sits down with the children and listens to them a second time. “Jenny do you have a tape player?” She nods and points to a contraption that would be better off in a museum. Zack and Tillman watch the tape to make sure there’s enough to go on. Legally he can’t question the kids further without their parents present. However he is worried that someone in Leo’s family could tip him off and that whatever else there is might disappear. He’s known Addie and Manny for years.
To say he was surprised at seeing Darlene was an understatement. And while Darlene had to explain that he was Marlene’s cousin and that they had met before, Miller was confused as hell because he thought the cousin was supposed to be a boy. However, he and Tillman had to work out a plan before anything got taken away.
Looking at the tape it was obvious to both deputies that a crime had been committed. The next step was to enlist Addie and Linda, but mostly Addie to secure the rest of the items. If he can’t get Addie to help voluntarily he’ll have to order a search warrant and bring in the feds. The FBI will come in on it anyhow but if Miller can do it the easy way all the better. He gets Jenny to call Addie and Linda and have them come over right away.
Both women are understandably upset thinking something has happened to the kids, especially when they see two sheriff’s cars in front of the house. They arrive almost simultaneously and bustle in apprehensive, wondering what’s happened. Miller puts them at their ease and then launches into the description of the tape the girls saw. But the best way he explains is to show the women part of it, so he replays the kidnap scene. Leticia pipes up saying there are more tapes. Addie is horrified and doesn’t want to believe Leo has anything to do with this tape. She starts to get mad at Leticia and both start crying.
“Can we have your permission to search for the other tapes, Addie? A serious crime was committed. But from what I can tell Leo probably didn’t do anything but he may know something that could help us. If you don’t let us look, then I have to get a warrant and the FBI in here right away. The FBI has to be notified anyhow.” Miller knows he is risking a loss of evidence by doing it this way but he wants to spare the Fernandez family as much pain as possible.
Addie is in tears torn between wanting to protect Leo and her family, anger at Leticia and needing to do something for the girl on the tape, but ultimately knows the best way is to help as much as possible.
At the Fernandez farm Leticia leads Sergeant Miller and Deputy Tillman to the shed. And in a few minutes the forensics van will be along. And eventually the feds. It won’t be easy for the Fernandez family Miller thinks. A box of tapes is still there under the pile of feed sacks along with a sealed plastic bag.
From a distance Leo sees the cars and deputies and crime scene tape all over the shed and turns pale. However he has nowhere to run to and dejectedly walks up to Miller who he has seen around the valley.
Miller tells Leo he’s looked at the tape. There’s been a crime committed and Leo has to tell them as much as he knows. Leo says he never looked at any of the stuff, that he was just holding it for Decker.
“You don’t have anything like drugs around do you,” he asks Leo. “You wouldn’t try to get rid of them, would you? Go up to your room, get your coat. You’ll have to come down to the substation to give a statement.” Miller figures that will give Leo a chance to flush any pot or pills down the toilet before the feds come. They will go over everything in the house with a fine tooth comb.
“Why didn’t you tell us about it?” Addie says accusingly to her only daughter. Manny is standing there livid. If looks could kill his daughter would be hamburger.
Leticia was crying too, but stood up and shouted “Because you would have gotten rid of it and nobody would have helped that girl. You always take Leo’s side. It serves him right.” She glared at her parents and bawled into a handkerchief at the same time.
Addie said something in Spanish to her husband. Then to Leticia in a quieter tone. “You’re right, honey, that’s what we would have done.”
Miller tells her “Chances are Leo didn’t know much. He said something about Decker asking him to hide the items. If Leo didn’t have anything to do with it he’ll be home tonight. If he did know something and kept it from us he may be charged. Hopefully not, but we have to check every detail.” Addie takes Leticia in her arms and they go inside.
Miller stopped at Jenny’s on the way back where Linda, Darlene and Jenny were still waiting. He explained what happened and hoped that Linda hadn’t gotten too worried. They had to get over there fast or the tapes might have been moved. Darlene might be asked to give evidence although that wasn’t certain. He felt rather awkward talking to Linda given the strained state of their relationship. He really wanted to sit and talk more, put his arm around her, and somehow make things the way they used to be but the timing was just too awkward.
Three days later he called her back. How was she? He apologized for not spending more time at Jenny’s the other day. But this was another business call. Could she come over to the forensics lab at county center? They needed to show her some clothes they found in the search.
As Linda listened a huge weight fell on her shoulders and she visibly drooped.
“Mom, what’s happening?” Darlene asked, suddenly alarmed at Linda’s facial expression and posture.
She answered in a tiny voice. “I have to go to the sheriff’s office.” She looked around the room like she was lost.
Darlene sensed this had something to do with the tape. “I’ll call Jenny and we’ll all go together.” Linda turned to stare blankly out the window.
In the other room Darlene became Miss All Business again and it felt good. “Jenny, can you come over,” he said quietly over the phone. “Mom has to go over to the Sheriff’s in San Rafael. I think it has something to do with Marlene. Could you drive us? I don’t think she can.”
At first they didn’t want to let Darlene and Jenny in but Linda insisted so they sat near the door away from the equipment. The room was as much as Darlene imagined from TV. Walls and floor were glossy white tile with white metal and glass cabinets. There were beakers, bottles and unidentified things on desks and tables. Everything smelled like a hospital.
Against one wall there was a shiny metal table covered with shredded clothing. Uniformed deputies and tall men in dark expensive suits lounged around on different sides of the room in casual attitudes. Zack stood with the uniforms and watched as Linda came in.
One of the suits was a tall, good-looking black man who introduced himself as Special Agent Walker and led Linda by one arm to the shiny table. “Mrs. Sullivan, can you please look these over and tell me if you recognize anything?”
Linda lifted and dropped pieces of tattered cloth. After five minutes she choked and held her fist to her mouth. “Marlene’s T-shirt. These are her jeans. See the patch I sewed.” Zack caught her as she staggered.
There were other scraps that Linda didn’t recognize, some hardly more than threads. Darlene couldn’t tell what they were, although some of the grownups were supposed to know. Leo and Jeff Decker would have lots of questions to answer.
Zack had to support Linda to Jenny’s car and Darlene asked if Jenny could stay over again. Fortunately nothing went on upstairs and everyone got a night’s rest except maybe Linda. Darlene stayed in bed with her the whole night.
