So," Cathy quickly followed, "...it would seem you have an agenda? Pray tell, am I to be privy or will it all be a surprise?"
Shellie's quick retort of, "Just sit still, be quiet and listen, I'm not finished yet," caught her best friend off guard. Cathy's mocking quip of "Wellll exscuuuuse meee," was accepted for what it was and nothing more: after all, it had at one time been resolved and understood, that except for certain instances in the workplace, Cathy, for the most part, knew her place. Besides, Shellie'd bring her up to speed, as she had often done in the past, but there was another call she had to make before she did. Her contact book also contained the infrequently called number she now searched for: of course it was filed under one word, Police. Scrolling down the alphabetically listed contact selections on her cell and stopping at the appropriate alphabetical entry, she pressed enter and smiled while waiting for the expectant response. One ring later the concisely anticipated answer of, "Midville Sheriffs Department, Deputy Michelle Spangler speaking, how may I help you?," met her left ear. Shellie was in no mood to mince words, on this matter, perfunctory short talk or chit-chat be damned; this was business.
"Deputy Spangler, this is Shellie Porter, is the Constable available?"
"Yes Ms. Porter, I'll put you through to him, would you hold please?" Shellie thought the question merited no reply; and after a momentary period of silence Deputy Spangler's curt and somewhat snippy addendum of "Thank you," gave her pause for thought (Did I sound hard or cold? No...maybe it's just that time of the month for her. Too bad.), without another word, she was put on hold. Five short beeps later, Constable Larry Binder answered.
"Ms. Porter, I honestly hadn't expected to hear from you this morning. I thought you'd be more concerned over the forthcoming FAA report this afternoon than to bother with me. Look, if you're calling about your son, let me put your mind at ease, I can assure you, despite my strong concerns and against my better judgment, I am not pressing charges against your son for B & E. But, you can thank Ms. Black for that...she was quite insistant."
"Larry, thanks for that most generous consideration...the next time I see her I'll be certain to express my appreciation to her as well; but from what I've heard through the grapevine is that, despite my many problems, that you've more than gone out of your way to help me. I just wanted to especially thank you for all the additional work in my behalf that you've done. But if I may...I'd like to ask you for a very...personal favor...that is...if I may?"
"Ms. Porter, it's a very small town and we both know the way word gets around, but if I can help, ask; especially, if it's a personal favor, it'd be my pleasure."
Shellie caught his intimation and as she silently mused to herself, "Larry, I'm sure it would be," she continued without missing a beat, by asking, "Larry am I correct in assuming that the age of majority for males as well as females in this state is thirteen years old?" Her question came from out of the blue and was met at first with thoughtful silence, upon which Larry replied, "Ms. Porter...I'm sorry...I wasn't expecting you to ask me something like that...but...if you're implying as to sexual relations of any type, regardless of gender between of age consenting adults...then the answer is yes. Shellie, I mean Ms. Porter, excuse me for asking but that's a dam odd question to ask me, so my follow up question is obvious...why the hell would you ask me a question like that and what in Sam-hill does it have to do with doing you a favor?"
As Cathy quietly sat and listened, the sparkle in her eyes let Shellie know that she had an inkling of what was being considered. She inhaled deeply, held her breath, shook her head from side to side and mouthed one word, "Wonderful."
Shellie coyly shrugged her shoulders at her friend and with a smile continued, "Larry, let me answer your second question first and please let me explain before you go off on me." She giggled to herself at her double-entendre. She thought that that may take a while...but eventually...she'd give it some thought...after all...it was a sticky subject. "I want you to take my son Mark into custody. In a nut shell, I want you to scare the living hell out of him. I don't care if you do it in front of his friends. I want you to put him in the back of your squad car and drag his butt down to your office. Of course, I would expect you to fill him in on all of the good things that could happen to him. Say for instance if he were to wind up at the juvenile facility: nothing like setting a good example every now and then. If that doesn't wipe the grin off his face let him know he could be treated as an adult; but especially impress on him what would happen in either if anyone found out about his new found taste in clothes. If he's the sweet little boy I think he is...he'll be crying...especially for his mommy. I would expect...that if you're the type of man I think you are...at that point...you'll suddenly find a soft spot in your heart? And, perhaps express a second thought on the matter?
"That's when I want you to escort him to my office at F.E.M.M. that is, if you can manage it? Then perhaps after a grand and unannounced entrance you could then plop him down right in front of me. Say around eleven this morning? Logically, at some point I would expect a man in your position to espouse his indignation and anger of having to do such a thing: then propose to cut him a deal; come across that it would go against your better judgment but you would release him into my custody, with certain conditions of course. After all, you do have better things to do than to waste your time with this. As you would expect, I'll take it from there and convey my indignant outrage; then I'll make him an offer. If he knows what's good for him he won't refuse.
"That's the why to the what of the second of your questions. Now, as to the answer for the first of you're questions...please...listen carefully...it's quite personal and I'm not going to...talk...about it over the phone...in fact...if you'd be kind enough to meet with me at your office, say around 3:30 this afternoon...I'd appreciate it. I'd offer to meet with you in mine but I'm confident that yours may be a lot cleaner than mine. Somehow, I've suddenly lost all confidence in our local janitorial sector; but I'd rather keep that on the Q.T. You know how the locals can be if they think that they're being shifted. When, we're alone...perhaps you can recommend some out of town pest control companies that specialize in residential and commercial eradication. After all...if any of the locals found out that I was looking to contract elsewhere they might take offense." Shellie hoped he was as sharp as she both now presumed him to be and had been led to believe. She waited for his come back.
His quick reply of, "Let me see here...my calender...today...at...my office...3:30? No, that's not a problem and let's see now about...yes...whad'ya know...the first call on the duty roster was...already noted...that means I'm set to pick up your son...expect us both promptly at eleven. Ms. Porter, it will be my pleasure," merited her previous thought, "I'm sure it will and thank you."
Just before she could hang up there was one other item of note which promptly arose, as Larry quickly countered with, "Uhh...Ms. Porter, please don't hang up...maybe you don't want to thank me right away...I don't think you understand...I agreed not to press charges on the B & E but there is the other issue of petty theft I still have to consider. Ms. Black, she didn't tell you?"
Shellie understandably was silent and looked at her best friend in puzzlement, it wasn't like Cathy to let something like that go without mention; she put the remainder of the call on speaker then replied. "Larry, I want you to know that I have Cathy Black with me and that I've put the rest of the call on speaker. Would you tell both of us, what was taken?" Shellie understood that Larry was not only shrewd but had heard that he had a tendency to use a verbal two-by-four between the eyes instead of when a pea shooter would have been just as sufficient to drive his point home. The man had a tendency to engage in overkill. She surmised it a pleasant thought and expected his sarcastic reply to the obvious; she wasn't disappointed when she heard, "I see...so we're playing it that close to the vest now are we? So that's the way it is...o.k. we'll play the game your way.
"Ms. Porter, I mentioned that possibility to Ms. Black in passing as an additional pending charge given the odd chance that I simply hadn't concluded a full review. I didn't pick up on anything else the first time I viewed the evidence. The second time however it was obvious that...well...that of the four items that were on the floor in the hallway that your son had picked up...only three found their way back to about the same spot...the fourth...which I believe is missing is...a white bikini with pink leg piping. So, Ms. Porter, have Ms. Black get back with me on the value of the item and by the way...and for the record...the local grapevine...being what it is...all my calls are recorded and are public record. Oh, and the next time which ever one of you gets the wild hair up her butt to try and manipulate me to make me look like some country time jerk-off that you can twist around her little finger...just sit back and think twice about trying it again. I don't play the fool well. Now, Ms. Porter, if you still want to thank me, you better just wait. I'd hate for word to get around that I was an easy mark and got played for a suc-ker. In fact the more I think about it...I'm less inclined to be the reasonable man you tried to con."
Interrupting, Cathy didn't misss the opportunity to add her two cents in to fuel the certain fire that she knew was certain to come Marks way, "Larry, if my daughter hasn't missed it yet...then neither have I! I don't give a royal crap about it and neither does Stacey and just for the record it's the same bottom to the two piece she was wearing to the company picnic three weeks ago and the same one he couldn't take his eyes off of. You're going to look pretty stupid trying to press some petty theft charge over something that she said she was going to give him anyway! Do you understand?"
The calm reply only served to underscore the implicit consent of the favor requested. "Ms. Black, Ms. Porter, I understand everything there is to know about how the word gets around in a small town; especially if it's three in the morning and there's a fox in the henhouse so to speak. The damn chickens are squawking, the rooster has flown the coop and the farmer is still fast asleep and without a clue of what in the hell is going on. Ladies, I've always been a light sleeper and for sometime now it's always been with one eye open. Ms. Porter, I'll see you at eleven this morning...sharp...I hope your not counting on much...I'm not that forgiving a man. Good-bye."
Before Cathy could say a word Shellie gave her a look that would kill; brought the first finger of her right hand quickly up to her own lips and shook her head from side to side. Her friend knew better than to say a word. Shellie tossed her cell onto the counter and reached for the pen and note pad lying nearby and hurriedly scrawled, "Back off and don't say a damn word. I'll do the talking/just listen/when I nod you slam the door when you leave. Make it good! Later/we need to find safe place to talk without...bugs."
Shellie could play the role and so could Cathy. Each in her own way could at the drop of a hat role-play and each was well practiced. Furthermore, Shellie understood that the caustic remarks of Constable Binder over the trivial bottom were a necessarily blatant subterfuge: as the one item which Cathy had specifically mentioned of actually have been recorded as found then lifted was conspicuously excluded from the gist of his outraged sensibilities. Ergo, there was no sense in alerting anyone else to that bit of information. The unmentioned key was of far more importance and concern to all than the bottom of a simple two piece bathing suit as it would unlock the preponderance of physical research both she and Cathy had salted away after the crash; which had unexpectedly become the failsafe trigger mechanism upon which both had agreed to. That in the event of some "unforeseen event" which could in some way compromise the project, to immediately down load to a seperate hard-drive, all information on Shellie's pet project; then to expunge the computers of F.E.M.M. of all information: except for general concept(s) and perfunctory research. All files, photos and results of the project would be wiped from cursory access. Of course, the presumed event was envisioned to be in the genre of computer espionage or of intense hacking: in essence a formal and precise cyber attack. Then later, after the proverbial dust had settled, with additional fire-walls and encrypted programs the project would in time find its way back. Murder was never considered as an option into the equation. Now, her son would find himself the obect of the intense study. Of course, in part, if Cathy was correct; it could be the raging hormones of a teenage boy which could unravel the Rosetta-stone of information which for some time eluded them. The other portion of the equation however was still open to doubt: could the item be developed as envisioned or was it another technique which would find itself considered beyond the boundary of simple interrogation. Shellie's obvious conclusion was simple: if someone killed to stop the project...it had merit.