Mark Thomas, now fourteen years old, had been railroaded by his parents since the age of nine to end up going before a Juvenile Judge twice a year, every six months, and spent exactly two months in juvenile detention. Why? So his parents could go on vacation without having to pay someone to watch Mark at home. Their taxes were still paying someone to watch Mark, but the little they had to pay, thanks to creative bookkeeping, was more than worth it to them. But Mark's parents didn't count on a Judge they had yet to put in their pockets. A Judge, who by good fortune, and loyal people, found out what Mark's parents were doing and turned the tables on them. Judge Ruth Walinkiewicz was about to surprise the parents of one Mark Thomas, and help Mark in the process, if only she could get him to trust someone again.

Author's Note: Permission to use the characters Judge Ruth Walinkiewicz and Jane Thompson was granted by Tigger, whose suggestions and observations during the creation of this story were invaluable and much appreciated. Other names used in this story are no relation to like names used in any other story I've written or written by anyone else. I'm just going through the alphabet. Jamie Lee

{}~~{}~~Chapter 1~~{}~~{}

The private door to Judge Ruth Walinkiewicz's chambers opened and an arm reached around the door jamb in order to find the light switch. Having found it, the switch was flipped up and the lights in the Judges' chamber came on, and only then did Ruth walk into her chambers. Ruth Walinkiewicz had been assigned these chambers ever since the Earth cooled enough for life to begin, and had no trouble walking into her chambers without first turning on the lights. But a few weeks ago, a shorthanded cleaning crew had been in a hurry to finish all their work in the building and had neglected to return a chair in Ruth's chambers to the exact location it had been before they cleaned her chambers. That morning, Ruth had walked into her chambers as she had always done, without turning on the lights first, and walked right into that chair, banging her left shin, hard, into the chair stretcher, resulting in a bruise that lasted at least two weeks. As a result, Ruth's habit changed that day and since then she always turned on the lights before going into her chambers.

Ruth walked over to the closet in her office, opened the door, took off her coat, hung it up, closed the door and walked over to her desk. She looked down at the pile of cases she would hear today, sighed, and sat down at her desk, pulling the top folder of the pile. A folder that belonged to a Mark Thomas, her first case for the day. Her eyes drifted to the pile again, and she mumbled, "Oy... it's going to be a very long day." Ruth had just begun to read Mark Thomas' file when she heard a familiar 'shave and a haircut, two bits' knock on the door to the courtroom, followed by Margret Shipton opening the door and walking into Ruth's chambers.

"Morning, Ruth, you ready for a brand new day," Margret asked Ruth in her usual chipper voice. Margret only laughed when Ruth gave her the stink eye and pointed to the pile of cases to her left. "Aw, Ruth, think of it as a challenge, an adventure, a way of tweaking some little snot's nose who deserves it. And maybe find the one or two who really shouldn't be here at all; you've helped several that way."

Ruth just chuckles at Margret's optimism and held out a ten dollar bill before saying, "Two cheese Danish and tea with a little lemon." Here she stared Margret right in the eye before telling her, "Margret, that's a tea with a LITTLE lemon, not lemon with a little tea like last time."

Margret performed a Gallic shrug before saying, "Hey, Ruth, can I be blamed for the fight that broke out and distracted Jimmy, who was the one who dumped a bit too much lemon into your tea?"

"A bit TOO much she says," Ruth mumbled. "Oh, and Margret, put what change that's left over in Jimmy's tip jar, his Mary is going in for another round of chemo and he could use the help." Margret nodded her head before leaving Ruth to continue her reading of Mark Thomas' case file.

Margret Shipton was one of three bailiffs assigned to Ruth's courtroom, and had been with Ruth for the last ten years. Before Margret became a bailiff, she'd spent ten years in military service, all but two of those years with the Military Police. Her first month in her assigned unit was interesting, to say the least, with several of the men in that unit not happy a woman had been assigned to THEIR unit. An agreement had been reached with the police of the nearby city and the police would call the MPs if the city police had trouble with a soldier from the base. The local police would handle crowd control, and let the MPs deal with one of their own. The town council saw this as a win win since it saved them expenses to house a drunken soldier in their jail. And the men who wanted Margret out used this to their advantage, or so they thought when they made their plans to run Margret off.

Had these same men bothered to read Margret's file, they'd have learned she was not some blooming pansey, but a very street smart and very skilled person. Margret grew up in an area of a City where keeping your head on a swivel had the benefit of staying healthy or ending up in the hospital. And until she turned eighteen, and enlisted, she learned how to spot trouble before it even got started. Of course these same morons would also have seen that Margret's mother had enrolled her in every Martial Arts program she could find when Margret was eight-years-old. Programs Margret stayed with until she enlisted. Margret got so good in the five different styles she learned that before her enlistment, she had a final bout with each of her Senseis. She was so good that each Sensei had to use a few things they'd never showed Margret, things Margret somehow countered. Because of what she showed them in their final bouts, Margret received a bow from each Sensei, something they'd never done before to any student.

The men's plan was simple. Margret, as a newbie, would ride with a veteran the next time they received a call from the local police. When they arrived the veteran would tell Margret to go in the front and he'd go around back and come in through the back door, just in case their man bolted for the back door. But their plan of Margret getting her head handed to her never worked, because when the veteran came in through the back, he'd find their man face down on the floor with his hands handcuffed behind him and Margret standing over him. And every time Margret would tell her partner, "Aw, you missed all the fun." They tried this three times, and three times it was a failure. Margret was not stupid, she knew exactly what those men were trying to do and was having fun spoiling their plans. The men, on the other hand, were arguing over whether Margret had help to bring these men down or was actually doing it on her own; the consensus was she was getting help. The men knew the men they were sent after, all over six feet tall, and all very close to or over two hundred pounds. And that Martret was five feet seven inches, and maybe one hundred and thirty five pounds, wet. And she brought each and every man down.

The men decided to throw their plan out the window, and go in with Margret as they were supposed to do according to regs. But the partner would lay back, stay back and watch what Margret did to bring these drunken soldiers down, then report back to the others. And that's exactly what happened on the very next call. And what was witnessed was a jaw dropper to the men.

As they discussed, the veteran Margret was with held back just a bit and let Margret enter the tavern first. Again, Margret knew what he was doing but didn't care, she went ahead as she always did. Her partner stood where he could see the entire room, noticing the local police officers watching the non-military crowd for any signs of trying to jump Margret as she walked over to where the soldier was sitting at the bar. "Hi there, I'm Corporal Shipton, Military Police. I understand these folks here are getting a bit worried about you. How about you let me take you back to base, before your commander hears about all this."

The bar got quiet as Margret spoke to the soldier, and clearly heard, "Fuck off bitch, I ain't going anywhere right now." Her partner thought Margret would just pull the guy off the stool and force him to the floor before handcuffing him. But as he watched, he finally caught on to what she was really doing.

"Oh come on now, that's no way to talk to a lady. Come on, let me take you back to base. You look like you've had way too much to drink already."

The drunken soldier's head wobbled as he turned it toward her, before telling Margret, "I said, FUCK OFF BITCH! I ain't going anywhere."

Margret knew she had him upset by her constant badgering and pushed it a bit further by laughing at the man then telling him, "Pheewwee, you could sure use a breath mint. You could light a fire with that breath." Margret knew men like the one she was confronting didn't like to be laughed at, so she laughed again and then said, as she held out a packet of breath mints, "Breath mint?"

By now the drunken soldier was pissed, and stood up facing Margret, who had taken two steps backwards. "Look , I told you I ain't going to go anywhere. Now FUCK OFF before I hurt that little body of yours." Margret had manipulated the soldier to stand up, where he was the most unstable because of the amount of alcohol he had consumed.

Now it was time to really piss him off by telling him, "Private, I'm ordering you to accompany me back to base. Where you will spend time in the stockade until your commander can be notified." Margret looked into the man's eyes and could see he was royally pissed off, just as she planned. Between his anger and all the alcohol he drank, he would go done like the others. Margret took another step backwards, putting just a little more room between her and the drunken soldier.

"Listen you CUNT FUCKING PUSSY. NO CUNT FUCKING PUSSY IS GOING TO TAKE ME NOWHERE. BUT THAT CUNT FUCKING PUSSY IS GOING TO GET HURT." The drunken soldier's shout was the only thing heard in that tavern, and as everyone watched, the soldier reached forward and tried to punch Margret in the chest. Her position, and the soldier's drunkenness, caused him to overbalance in Margret's direction and in one swift motion, Margret grabbed the man's right wrist with her right hand and used his momentum to pull him forward. With the help of her right foot, she tripped the man while continuing to hold his wrist, and as everyone watched, that soldier hit the floor face first, stunning him and giving Margret time to cuff his hands behind his back. Margret's partner couldn't believe what he just witnessed, especially the applause she received once the soldier's hands were handcuffed behind his back.

When they got back to the base, and their prisoner had been processed, it was time for the night crew to check in and the day crew to go back to their rooms. As Margret was leaving, she noticed the group of men who wanted her out of the unit, standing around the steps to the office. As Margret stepped outside they told her, "Shipton, we heard what you did today with that drunk. And... well... we just wanted to welcome you to the Unit. And if you've got nothing else to do, we'd like to buy you a beer."

Margret studied the four men, she wasn't going to let them off the hook, or so they'd think. "Well, I don't know," Margret began, "You assholes haven't treated me very nice since I got here. You make it two beers, and you got a deal." They sobered up when Margret said two beers, thinking she'd forgiven them for what they had done. But got a shock when she then said, as they walk along, "Oh, and boys, I knew what y'all were doing from the beginning. Y'all are like tissue paper in that department." They just looked at each other and started laughing.

"Touche rookie," her last partner told her as they continued on.

A few weeks later four of the men were investigating break ins occurring around the Base. Nothing was the same for any of the break ins; entry gained was different; items stolen were different; the time the break ins occurred were different. Everything about these break ins led the men to believe they were separate incidents. Margret heard them talking one day and asked if she could look at the files; they were about to learn about her well developed analytical mind. And her ability to speed read, with one hundred percent comprehension. "Hell, you might as well, Margret. We're baffled," one of the men told her.

Margret took the files, sat down and began reading through them. Five minutes later she turned to the men and told them, "These break ins are the work of one group or one person." She took out a piece of paper and drew the locations where each break in occurred. She then drew the one barracks that stood right in the middle of every break in, Barracks 'F'. "Gentleman, if you search through that Barracks you'll find the stolen items. I can't tell you which floor, but they are in that Barracks." When she saw the bewildered looks on their faces, she took the time to explain how she arrived at that particular Barracks. And after her explanation, all of the men just groaned, because it was something they'd overlooked.

As the years passed, because of Margret's work, she finally made the rank of Sergeant, and turned down the offer of 2nd Lieutenant when it was offered a few years later. When asked why, she told them, "I'm not a manager. I'm a field worker and like what I do." She didn't turn down the rank of Master Sergeant when it was offered, as it kept her doing what she loved.

As Ruth was reading the file for Mark Thomas a second time, she heard Margret knock before coming into her chambers, carrying four cheese Danish, a cup of tea--with a little lemon--and a cup of coffee. Margret sat Ruth's items on her right side before sitting down in one of the three chairs facing Ruth's desk. "I can't seem to figure it out," Margret heard Ruth say, more to herself. "What am I missing?" Ruth pulled her head back, rubbed her eyes, held out the file and told Margret, "Here, read this and see if you can see what I'm missing. Something is wrong with that whole file." Margret stuffed the rest of the Danish she been eating into her mouth, before taking the file from Ruth. Ruth learned a long time ago that Margret was able to quickly read a file because she could read two thousand words a minute, with complete comprehension. She also learned that Margret had a very keen analytical mind, one that could cut to the heart of anything she studied.

"Roof, whif isf thif kig stol ouf an about?" Ruth just glared at Margret, who was trying to talk with a mouthful of Danish. Seeing Ruth's look, Margret swallowed the mouth full, then took a drink of her coffee before saying, "Why is this kid still out and about? Going by his record, he should have been remanded years ago."

Ruth shook her head and replied, "I know that, but there's something I'm missing. Something that's there but I just can't see it." Margret started reading the file again, slowing down just a bit to one thousand words a minute.

When Ruth saw Margret nod her head, she knew from experience that Margret had found what was bothering her. "Ruth, did you happen to notice this Mark Thomas has spent exactly two months in juvenile detention, twice a year since the age of nine?" Margret said to Ruth as she handed the file back to Ruth, who looked even closer to what Margret had just asked her.

"It must be too early for me to be doing this to have missed those facts. Now I see it, twice a year since the age of nine, six months apart, for exactly two months. In every one of his statements he said he was innocent of the charges brought against him. Hmm... I smell something musty here, Margret." Ruth checks her watch, then picks up the phone and dialed a number.

"Hi John, this is Judge Ruth. How are you today?...Good, good...Karen and the kids okay?...That's great, give them my best...Has Mark Thomas been brought over from juvenile detention?...He has?...Is his lawyer with him?...He is?...Great. Would you have someone escort them to my chambers?...Ten minutes?...Great. Thanks John...Bye."

Ten minutes later there's a knock on the door to the courtroom. Margret gets up, opens the door and sees a boy, who must be Mark Thomas, a suit behind him, and a deputy behind the two. "Please, come in," Ruth says in a pleasant voice. All three walk into her chambers, the suit immediately sitting down in one of the three chairs. As Ruth and Margret watch, Mark walks behind one of the chairs but remains standing behind it, a big plus as far as the two were concerned. "Deputy, my bailiff is here, we'll take responsibility for Mr. Thomas. I'll call when he can be returned to holding."

"As you wish, your Honor," the deputy said before leaving the chambers; Margret closing the door behind him.

"Your Honor, I'm Timothy Simms of the Public Defender's office, representing..." but he never finished what he was about to say as Ruth held up her hand to cut him off.

"Just a minute, Mr. Simms, we'll get to you in a minute," Ruth told the man as her gaze went to Mark. "Mr. Thomas, thank you for waiting, but please, be seated," Ruth told Mark as he then walked around the chair and sat down. Ruth's scowl landed on Mr. Simms as she started in on him.

"Mr. Simms, do you know how rude it is to be seated before being invited to do so? NO? It's very rude. And do you know how rude it is to address me before I address you? NO? It's very rude. Tell me, Mr. Simms, were you planning to have your client plead guilty to the charges against him? Have you even bothered to read his case file, closely, MR. SIMMS?" Ruth was a degree below boiling, and it took everything she had to hold it back. "WELL, Mr. Simms, what do you say for yourself?"

"Pardon me, your Honor," Mark said in the lull now evident in the Judge's chambers. "If you prefer, you may just call me Mark. I'm not really into formalities."

Ruth smiled at Mark before replying, "Thank you, Mark, I'd like that." The smile disappeared as she asked Mr. Simms, "WELL Mr. Simms? I'm waiting."

Timothy Simms really looked nervous now, having a Judge almost breathing down his neck. But he mustered on with, "Your Honor, I have twenty six cases to represent today, and more than that tomorrow. The Public Defender's office is understaffed, and underpaid, and I don't have time to closely read every case assigned to me. I either handle the cases as I'm told, or find another job. It's that simple." Timothy tried to hold Ruth's gaze but failed, and dropped his eyes, hoping she would under his predicament.

"Mr. Simms, you seem to be a very caring person, and in a tough spot. Have you ever thought of actually going somewhere else to practice law? Some place where you can do a better job of representing your clients. Because you sure can't give them your best with that many cases each and every day. And if your caseload is any indication of how the Public Defender's office is being run, perhaps a bug needs placed in the right ears to look into the problem. Now, Mr. Simms," Ruth said as she held out her copy of Mark's case file to Timothy, "Read my copy, closely, while I talk with Mark." Timothy took the offered file, started reading it, as Ruth turned her attention back to Mark.

Ruth admired what she saw as she looked at Mark. He was sitting up in the chair, not slouched. Both feet were on the floor with his knees together. His hands were folded in his lap, not draped over the chair's arm rests. "Mark, it's nice to meet you before your hearing, even under these circumstances. The reason I asked to speak with you before Court begins, is due to some anomalies in your case file. And I was hoping you might be able to explain why they occur." As Ruth explained the reason Mark was here in her chambers, she saw a bit of a smile appear at the corners of Mark's mouth and in his eyes. And knew he did know something about this whole affair.

Mark had just opened his mouth to speak when Timothy said, "What the bloody hell, what's going on here?" He turned to Mark and told him, "Mark, with this record, you should have been remanded years ago until your eighteenth birthday. What the hell is going on?"

Mark started to speak again, the smile wider on his mouth, but was cut off when Ruth told Timothy, "Language, Mr. Simms, watch your language, please."

Timothy apologized before Mark said, "Your Honor, I know exactly what's going on and why. I'd be happy to explain it all to you if we have the time."

"Oh we have the time, Mark. I run my Court, the clock doesn't," Ruth told Mark as she watched him start shaking his head.

"Ah, no your Honor. The time I refer to is not when Court starts, but when you will be set up for blackmail." Mark couldn't help smiling as he watched the puzzled expressions form on the three faces watching him. "Your Honor, do you have a tape recorder in your chambers? What I'm about to tell you would be considered my statement against the people who've been at the root of my and the Court's trouble since I was nine-years-old." Mark watched as Margret walked over to one of the cabinets in the chamber, opened it and took out a recording device. She handed it to Ruth, who turned it on and bade Mark to begin.

{}~~{}~~Chapter 2~~{}~~{}

"Your Honor, everything was fine with my family before I turned nine years old. We traveled to far away places and stayed for two months at a time. Of course this was done at times when school was out, so I didn't miss school. But the minute I turned nine years old, everything changed. My parents stopped being warm and loving towards me. They stopped being interested in how I was doing in school, or in the interests I was pursuing. They started acting as though I was in their way, was causing them problems. And as I found out when I turned twelve, they had put a plan in action that had me in juvenile Court twice a year, every year, from the age of nine. Even when I learned what they were doing, and how they were doing it, it didn't matter, they had a workaround in place when I stopped doing what they told me to do."

"As you've undoubtedly discovered, I've been in the juvenile courtroom twice a year, every year since I was nine. And as you've undoubtedly discovered, I've spent exactly two months in juvenile detention. And as you've read in my case file, I've denied every charge since I was nine, but it seemed to fall on deaf ears every time. Well your Honor, I was innocent of every charge brought against me, as I am today. And the deaf ears? Blackmail, your Honor. Plain and simple blackmail."

"My parents wanted to continue their two month vacations, but without me being there. But they couldn't just leave me at home. So they shopped around until they found a family, David, Pamala, and Tory Jackson, whose son could almost be my twin, with the same hair color and style, same height and weight, and almost identical facial features. Once they found the family, they photographed the husband and wife in what could be construed as compromising positions, but wasn't. They just had someone doctor the photos so it appeared they were in compromising positions. And of course they couldn't refute the photos or prove they were fake, so to keep them out of the public eye, that family did what my parents told them."

"Once they had that family in their pockets, my parents, well the sperm and egg donors that gave me life, sent me to the arcade on my ninth birthday. The chauffeur took me to the mall and was with me in the arcade for about an hour. When we arrived home, my "mother" was waiting and took me with her to do a bit of shopping. My "mother" talked about buying some jewelry for an upcoming party, and when we went into a department store near the arcade, we headed straight to the jewelry department. As I was standing looking at things, I heard a lady yell, 'That's him, that's the boy who stole the watch,' and she pointed me out to the security person. Of course my "mother" acted appalled that I would do such a thing, even though I said I was in the arcade when the watch was taken; the lady told the security man the time the watch was taken."

When I told everyone the chauffeur was with me, my "mother" phoned the chauffeur and had him come into the department store. Imagine my surprise when I heard the chauffeur tell everyone that he wasn't with me the entire time at the arcade, that he had to run an errand for my parents; he said he was gone for about thirty minutes. I kept insisting that wasn't true, but he stuck to his story. And when I learned the truth about all that was happening, I looked back upon that time and remembered looking into my "mother's" eyes. The look she gave me told me they had me right where they wanted me, accused of theft. The security person took my arm and literally dragged me back to the security office, where they called the police. And, I spent two months in juvenile detention. For those two months, I never saw my, um... how do I put this politely? For those two months, I never once saw the people who gave me life. I did, however, learn why at the age of twelve."

"Pardon me for interrupting your story, Mark," Ruth said, "but how did you survive two months in juvenile detention at the age of nine? I've seen boys who've been in juvenile detention come out extremely bitter, angry in fact, hating the world and everyone in it. But you're very well mannered, polite, and don't seem to hate the world and everyone in it. And what about your education? Didn't you receive some form of education?"

Mark smiled a smile that could melt the heart of any girl who saw it before telling Ruth, "Those questions are another part of my story, your Honor."

"I was taken to the Juvenile Detention Center in the afternoon. It wasn't long after I arrived that two older boys decided they were going to explain the rules of the center to me. I was sitting on a bench when they walked up to me, the taller boy grabbed me under the arms, lifted me up and slammed me against the wall. He then started spewing garbage, and when he came to the part of me becoming their b-witch, I started laughing. The second guy stepped closer, asking me what was so funny. What they didn't realize was that by lifting me so I was face to face with them, they put my feet right level with their groins. When the second guy was close enough, I kicked him in the groin as hard as I could. When dope number one looked to see what had happened to his friend, I brought my hands up and when he looked back at me, I poked him in the eyes. This caused him to let me go, at which point I kicked him in the groin once I was standing on the floor. Dope number two was bent over holding his groin, so I positioned myself and kicked his face like I would a football. Dope number two was out cold. My ministrations to dope number one had him bending over and holding his groin. I repositioned myself and kick him in the face as well. As with dope number two, dope number two was out cold. I can't tell you how I knew they were there, but the center had cameras hidden everywhere, and I spotted them immediately. When these two boys attacked, they did so right in front of two hidden cameras, so everything had been recorded. As such, the video showed they attacked me first, and I merely defended myself. My knowing about the cameras save me several times later, until I acquired a reputation of 'you leave me alone and I'll leave you alone'. It took a few days of explaining to other morons that I wasn't a nine-year-old to be messed with, but they did eventually learn. Except the very first two."

"When they returned from the hospital, they wanted pay back. At that time my duty for that morning was mopping the floor in one particular hallway. I was at the end of the hallway when I saw these same two dummies coming my way, with fire in their eyes. I let the mop handle rest on the floor and held the mop near the mop head. And these two proved they didn't belong on the evolution scale when dope number one straddled the mop handle as he reached for me. With both hands, I brought the mop handle up, catching him in the groin, again. This time he went down like a sack of potatoes, likely still hurting from the first time. Dope number two tried to get to me in that narrow hallway and tripped over dope number one. I was able to get the mop handle out from under both of these morons, and struck both in the head with that mop handle. And like the first time, they were out like a light. And again, thanks to the video, I was merely defending myself. After those two got out of the hospital this time, they were sent elsewhere. Thankfully. And this was how it went every time I went back to juvenile detention, and how the cameras saved me."

"My education, your Honor? My sperm and egg donors didn't think everything through entirely. Because I spent so much time in detention, I couldn't attend a public or private school, so my sperm and egg donors had to hire tutors. They hired five tutors, one for each day of the week, and they were some of the finest teachers I ever had. But what my sperm and egg donors didn't know was that each was a Sensei of their Martial Arts discipline. And because I had to do something for my physical education requirement, each of those five people taught me all five of their disciplines. As to my manners, my politeness, your Honor? Because of what my "parents" were doing to me, I was very angry. And one day during my Martial Arts training, I tried to take my anger out on my Sensei. She put my butt on the floor hard, then grabbed my Karategi, pulled me off the floor, pulled me right into her face and told me, 'Don't you ever be angry with people who had nothing to do with your situation. Don't you ever take your anger out on those who had NOTHING to do with creating that anger, they don't deserve it. Do you understand me?' Her words made me realize I'd been holding more than just anger, and I wrapped my arms around her neck and cried. She held me and whispered, 'Be brave my little warrior, everything will work out.' From that day, I never again took my anger out on anyone who wasn't involved in what my "parents" were doing to me. As to manners? They didn't neglect those either. Each of my tutors taught me a different form of manners, one that would be appropriate in any situation. I might add, your Honor, their lessons in Martial Arts aided me as I got older."

"Your Honor, you're going to receive an envelope. Inside you'll find fifty thousand dollars and a letter; my "parents" treat fifty thousand dollars like most people treat a dollar bill. This is the first step in their plan to set you up for blackmail. I don't know how they manage it, but you'll soon receive pictures that show you taking the envelope from a person, opening it, and holding the fifty thousand dollars. You see your Honor, my "parents" received substantial inheritances from each of their families. That plus a bit of creative bookkeeping, and my "father" being a successful businessman, what they own could pay off the National Debt twice over and not dent their fortunes. So what they pay that family each time I'm set up, and each judge each time I go before them, they feel they're getting a bargain."

As if on cue, there was a knock on the door to the courtroom. Margret opened the door and they all saw a man wearing a uniform, with the name of the courier's Company on his chest, standing there. "I have a envelope for a Judge Ruth Wal...in...kie...wicz," the courier said, trying to pronounce Ruth's last name. "I'm Judge Ruth, please come in," she told the courier. As they all watched, the courier walked into the chambers, asked Ruth for her signature on his tablet, before giving her a large envelope. After the courier left, everyone turned and looked at Mark. All Mark did was to shrug his shoulders, without telling them 'I told you so'. Because everyone's attention was directed towards Ruth, no one saw the door to the courtroom open just a crack. Or the camera that was poked into that crack.

As if fate was playing a hand in this drama, William Lipkowski walked into the courtroom, another of Ruth's bailiffs. Like Margret, Bill was a military veteran, of fifteen years, with all but two years spent with Special Forces. He'd never talk to anyone but Margret about some of the things he'd seen, or exactly why he called it quits after fifteen years, but the past five years he'd been in Ruth's court had been some of the most enjoyable times. It was also rumored that Bill could walk through dead leaves without making a sound, or leaving a track, a skill that seems innate to him personally and discovered as a boy. He put that skill to work now as he quietly walked up behind the man standing at the door to Ruth's chambers, peering over the little man's head to see Ruth sitting at her desk, holding several packets of money. Bill stood six feet five inches, and weighed in at one ninety five, and not a lick of fat on the big man.

When the man standing before him slowly closed the door, Bill took a step back and when the man started to turn, Bill's right arm shot out and grabbed the man by the back of the neck, lifting him off the floor and relieving him of his camera. "HEY, WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING, DICK HEAD? LET ME GO OR I'LL SUE YOUR FUCKING ASS OFF." The man's yelling and kicking, got the attention of those in Ruth's chambers. And when Margret opened the door, they all saw Bill standing there holding the courier off the ground and at arm's length.

As Bill walked into Ruth's chambers carrying the courier by the back of the neck, he told Ruth, "Your Honor, I found THIS person standing outside your door, taking pictures with this," and he held up the camera the courier had been using. After handing the camera to Ruth, Bill then slammed the courier against the wall, face first. The courier started yelling again with, "YOU STUPID FUCKER, I'LL OWN YOUR ASS WHEN MY LAWYER GETS THROUGH WITH YOU."

It was Mark who offered, "Your Honor, it would seem this is how my "parents" got the initial pictures, which were then doctored."

As Ruth started reviewing the pictures on the camera she told him, "From what I see on this camera, I believe you are correct Mark." The courier tried breaking free of Bill's grip, only to be mashed harder into the wall. After Ruth had reviewed the pictures on the camera for a few minutes, she asked the courier, "Would you care to explain all the pictures on THIS camera?"

In a muffled voice, the courier told Ruth, "Fuck you bitch."

Bill leaned close to the courier's ear and said, "Right now, I have the urge to push you right through this wall, and no one in here would object. You are going to answer the Judge's questions, politely, or this wall will be the least of your problems. The boys in prison will love having fresh meat to play with."

The courier's face went through several stages of color before settling on white, at the thought of becoming a play things for an inmate, and he mumbled, "Sorry, your Honor. What do you want to know?" Bill lowered the man to the floor, but still mashed him up against the wall.

"My question still stands, please explain all of the pictures on this camera," Ruth said to the courier. Not only had Ruth seen pictures of herself sitting at her desk holding the envelope, but also of her holding the money. Besides herself there were pictures of Judges Billings, Ford, and Donelly, plus additional pictures of the three Judges apparently accepting an envelope from some man. She also saw the pictures that had been taken of the Jackson family, and their doctored ones. Ruth couldn't believe how stupid this man had been to leave such incriminating evidence almost in plain sight. With these pictures, and the information Mark had given, this man's days as a courier would be put to use behind bars. Ruth swore to it. Before she spoke to the courier again, she picked up the phone and dialed the number for each judge.

"Hi Toni, it's Ruth. I think you need to come to my chambers, and bring the pictures with you...oni, I know what's going on, so you don't have to pretend you don't know what I'm talking about...I have the man here who helped set everything up...Good, see you in a few minutes. And don't forget your pictures."

"Hello, David, it's Ruth. I'd like you to come to my chambers, with the pictures you received...David, wait a minute, please. I know you were set up for blackmail, so you don't have to lie to me...I have the man who took those pictures, and may be the one who doctored them...Yes, he's in a rather uncomfortable position at the moment...That's fine, I'll see you in a little while."

"Good morning, Keith...Not a good morning, I'm sorry to hear that. How would you like to have a good morning?...You would, fine. Come to my chambers and bring the pictures you have with you...Keith, I know everything. In fact, I have the man responsible here in my chambers...No, Keith, he isn't going anywhere soon...Good, I'll see you then."

"And now, Mr. Courier, the pictures, explanation. NOW!!" Ruth's anger was evident to the courier, as the color in his face seemed to drain completely away. He started mumbling until Ruth said, "Bill, would you mind easing up just a bit, the man wants to tell us something." The tape recorder was still on as the courier explained everything, including who paid him to take, and doctor, the pictures. It wasn't long after the courier spoke a knock was heard on Ruth's private door, and three Judges walked into her chambers. Toni was the one to ask, "Is this the piece of gutter slime who's responsible for setting us up, Ruth?" Toni was slowing walking towards the man, a man who stood a foot shorter than Toni. "Is this the piece of trash that put the three of us in the corner, Ruth?"

Toni almost reached the courier when Margret stepped in front of her and said, "No Toni, not this way. He's told us everything, and it's on tape. He's not going to get a deal to lessen his prison sentence." If Toni had been a volcano, her eyes would have been spewing lava. But she let Margret hold her back and she started to calm down. Toni had been on the bench the longest, and had the most to lose of all the three Judges. Plus, if the pictures were made public, all of their cases would be called into question. ALL of their cases, going back to their initial taking the bench, anywhere. Toni's anger must have been a bit too much for the courier, because he took that unexpected opportunity to wet himself. Fortunately for everyone in the room, his clothing absorbed it all. Ruth picked up the phone and dialed holding.

"Hi John, it's judge Ruth...No, no everything is fine with Mr. Thomas. I have something else for you. We have a situation that needs a witness placed into protective custody, far away from any others in holding...That's right, John. He talks to no one, he sees no one. He's to be kept out of sight until the DA is ready to see him...No, she's my next call...Okay John, Bill will be down shortly with the man."

Neither bailiff needed any prodding, as Margret opened the door to the courtroom and Bill took the man out and headed to holding. Ruth didn't let grass grow under her feet as she was already dialing the District Attorney's number. "This is Judge Ruth Walinkiewicz, I'd like to speak with Charlotte Gaff...Yes, I'll hold. Please tell her it's very important...Hi Charlotte, yes I'm doing fine. How's Joey?...He did, wow, guess you'll have to watch out for your fingers now. Listen, I have something I think you better get involved with...Yes I know you're busy, but this involves four Judges and blackmail....No, no, no, it's all a setup. Look, come to my chambers now and you can hear the entire story...Fifteen minutes, fine, we'll see you them."

The three Judges had found chairs, as everyone waited until the DA arrived--Margret had somehow produce the right drink for each person, including a Coke for Mark. It wasn't long before Margret asked, "Mark, you mentioned creative bookkeeping? In what way?"

Mark gave another heart melting smile before saying, "What they actually have and what they report to the IRS, and State Treasury, are two different things. What they report to the IRS, and State Treasury, shows they gross about two million dollars a year. Minus business expenses and other deductions, they actually pay very little in taxes. Now if the IRS and the State ever found out the truth, both of my "parents" would be spending the rest of their lives in prison, or close to it. And likely lose a substantial amount of their fortune in back taxes and other penalties."

Everyone watched as Ruth took out a small notebook from center drawer of her desk, thumbed through the pages until she stopped, then picked up the phone and made a call. Because of what Mark just told them, it wasn't hard to guess who she was calling. It was going to get rather crowded in those chambers in a short while. After the call to her IRS contact, and a friend in the State Treasury's office, and explaining the situation to each one, Ruth then made another call to the investigator the Courts used when it was necessary. She explained to the person on the other end of the conversation what she needed to know and the people involved. She told them to use the utmost discretion so the parties under investigation wouldn't be tipped off and run. She wanted to make sure they paid dearly for what they'd done to the system, to three Judges, and to a young man and a family, who didn't deserve the type of treatment they'd been going through.

It was Judge Keith Donelly who asked, "Mark, may I address you as Mark?" When Mark nodded his head, Keith continued with, "Mark, how did you learn about all this? Surely your parents wouldn't have told you anything?"

Mark merely chuckled before telling Keith, "Your Honor, I related before how my "parents" were forced to hire tutors for me because I'd spent so much time in juvenile detention, or face State and Federal authorities--something they didn't want. Part of the education I received from my five tutors was information gathering, and, um... puzzle solving. In short, your Honor, when my "parents" weren't around, my tutors showed me how to enter rooms that were always kept locked. And how to open secure places found within those locked rooms. The tutors I had found out what my "parents" were doing and were angry enough to help me put a stop to it."

It took Margret only a few minutes to understand what Mark was saying and said, "You found safes, didn't you Mark?"

Mark chuckled a bit longer this time before telling everyone, "Yes, ma'am, we found several safes and a vault in the basement. There's a safe in the Study, another in the Library, one in my "parents" walk-in closet, and a large vault in the basement, the contents of which will astound anyone." Mark then went on to give the combinations to all of the safes, and which safe held the key needed in addition to the combination to open the vault.

Thankfully the recorder had been left on during the entire conversation, and when the DA arrived, Ruth let her hear the entire conversation from the beginning. After listening to the recording, the DA asked Mark if his parents had any other properties they needed to know about. Mark asked Ruth for a pen and paper and wrote down four addresses which the DA might be interested in. The DA then made a call to her office, telling the assistant DA to make out search warrants for everything on the Thomas estate, plus everything at the four addresses Mark gave her. At the last minute, Mark told her about some storage units and give her that address. Several minutes later Ruth's fax machine started printing out faxes of search warrants which Ruth gladly signed after reading each one to make sure everything was correct. She didn't want some small error on the search warrants to be the cause of throwing out the searchs. The DA then asked Mark, "Um... Mark, will your parents be home now?"

Mark laughed then said, "No ma'am, they're on their way to the airport."

Hearing this, the DA made a call to the airport security office, telling them to hold Steve and Georgina Thomas for questioning. With search warrants in hand, the DA made another call to the Chief of Police and again her office, telling each what was about to happen and where she'd meet everyone. Mark was about to become a free young man, after five years.

{}~~{}~~Chapter 3~~{}~~{}

After the DA left, the three Judges thanked Mark for his assistance in putting things into perspective, and helping to end the blackmail they'd been under, before they left Ruth's chambers. Ruth then turned her attention to Timothy Simms and told him, "Well, Mr. Simms, it appears your services won't be needed today, since Mark won't be appearing before me. I meant what I said, Mr. Simms, about you going elsewhere, and about your caring about your work and doing a better job. I just might know of a firm which is looking to fill a vacancy. If you're interested, that is?"

Timothy Simms had been with the Public Defender's Office for three years, three miserable years. He'd seen more uncaring people in those three years than in all of his twenty eight years of life. He took out his business card, handed it to Ruth and said, "Your Honor, this was going to be my last year practicing any kind of law, after all I've seen in the Public Defender's Office. I didn't get into the practice of law to play political games every time someone didn't get their way, or didn't like their caseload. That office was almost like being back in grade school, with everyone out to get everyone else. I'd appreciate if you'd give my number to the firm you mentioned. And Mark," Timothy said, turning to Mark, "I'm sorry I didn't do a better job for you, it was solely my fault. But I think with the information you have given the Judge and the DA, your life is about to become better." Timothy pulled out another business card, handed it to Mark, and told him, "I'll always have a cell phone for the number on this card. If you ever need anything, and I mean anything, you call me. I'll give you my services for free." Timothy shook hands with Mark then Judge Ruth, before leaving the Judge's chambers.

Ruth studied Mark for a few minutes, still sitting as poised as he'd been from the beginning, before asking, "Mark, I can't exactly turn you lose just because of the information you've given us. But you don't deserve going back into juvenile detention again, either. Do you have any family or relatives that you know of?"

As Ruth watched, Mark started shaking his head and told her, "Your Honor, my "parents" never spoke of any family or relatives. And in my, um, investigations, I never found any photos of family or relatives. I imagine when the District Attorney learns about the contents of the safes and the vault, she'll want another search warrant to open any and all safety deposit boxes my "parents" have. Possibly in those safety deposit boxes she'll find birth certificates and other documents which might lead to other family members and/or relatives."

Ruth pursed her lips, looked at Margret, who shrugged, knowing what Ruth was thinking, before Ruth told Mark, "Mark, instead of leaving you in holding, or sending you back to juvenile detention, again, and in lieu of any family or relatives, or until they can be found, there's a school I can send you to until such time as this entire matter is settled. You'd have to give me your word of honor to do as you're told, not to question anything you're told to do, and do as your asked even if it's uncomfortable or embarrassing. Can you do that? Can you give me your word of honor to comply with everything asked of you without question for any reason?"

As Ruth and Margret watched, Mark's demeanor changed to one of great suspicion and ruthlessness. The once sparkling eyes now had a haunting look, almost those of a predator. Mark's voice, though not disrespectful, was nonetheless, firm and showed conviction when he said, "No your Honor, I can't give you my word of honor as a blank check. I did that for three years with my "parents" and look what they did to me. I will never trust anyone again with my word of honor. I don't really trust anyone, your Honor, except my five Senseis, whom I trust implicitly. If you want my word of honor, your Honor, I'll need to meet the head of this school face to face and be given explicit details what will be asked of me. And if I don't like what I hear, I'd just as soon go back to the detention center. I know exactly what's expected of me there. I should, I've been there enough times."

Ruth leaned back in her chair, her hand held over her mouth, thinking about what Mark had just told her, and how past boys had accepted the offer without question, since it kept them out of juvenile detention. But Mark was different, his circumstances were completely different, he should never have been put into the Juvenile System in the first place. Ruth was racking her brain, trying to think of a place Mark could stay while she made a phone call. It wasn't right sending him back to holding, much less the detention center, even though Mark wouldn't be in any danger. "Margret, why don't you take Mark to the canteen for something to eat and drink, then take him to the staff lounge while I make a phone call." What Ruth said to Margret wasn't really a question, but Margret already knew that. "Mark, please go with Margret and I'll send for you once I've made a phone call. She'll stay with you until then, okay?"

Mark stood up and before leaving told Ruth, "Thank you for believing in me, you're the first person outside my home who's done that in years." Ruth opened the bottom drawer of her desk and took her wallet out of her purse, taking out forty dollars and handing it to Margret. Mark stepped into the courtroom after Margret opened the door, and walked side by side with her as they went to the canteen. Margret wasn't worried Mark would bolt, he wasn't that type of person. But neither was she excited to find out what Mark had been taught should she have to subdue him. She'd seen a lot during her stint in the military, and some of it was downright scary.

Ruth picked up the receiver and made a call she'd made several times before. But not for the reason she was calling this time.

"Hello Darla, this is Judge Ruth...I'm fine, and yourself...That's good to hear...May I please speak with Jane...Thank you, I'll hold...Hello Jane, how are you doing, love?...And Art, are you keeping him busy or is he keeping you busy...Now now, you're married so you two keeping busy is only natural...The reason I'm calling is to find out if you'd be willing to come out and speak with a young man whose parents have royally messed up his life...No, he should never have been in the Juvenile System in the first place, that's the problem. I hate to send him back to the detention center until everything is sorted, but we don't know if he has family anywhere. Plus, there's something else. His parents have utterly shattered any trust this boy had in others because of how they treated him. Other than the tutors he had, he barely trusts me. And he won't give his blanket word of honor unless he meets you and gets the details about what he'll be asked to do...Yes I know that isn't something you normally do, but has anything you've done really been normal? You're the only person I can think of who can help him regain his trust in others...I'd expect nothing less. Call me back once you and Art have discussed this...Thank you Jane...Give my love to Art..Bye."

Ruth hung up the receiver, looks at the clock on the wall and sees it's five minutes until court starts. She hopes Jane will agree to speak with Mark and Mark goes with her, otherwise, he'll have to stay in the detention center until everything is sorted out. Including finding out if he has other family. She would hate to see him thrown into Foster Care, not after what he's been through. Although...

{}~~{}~~ Chapter 4~~{}~~{}

Ruth calls a recess for lunch, Court to begin again at 1:30 p.m.. Once she's back in her chambers, she phones the staff lounge and asks Margret to pick up lunch for her, a tuna fish sandwich, bag of chips, a fruit cup, and a large ice tea with a bit of lemon, emphasizing a bit of lemon, and lunch for her and Mark; she'll reimburse Margret for everyone's lunch. She had to take this lunch break to speak with Mark, see how he feels about speaking with Jane. Also, she's thinking of something else, which causes her to pick up the phone and make another call.

"This is Judge Ruth Walinkiewicz, may I please speak with Tommi Banks...Yes, thank you, I'll hold...Well Miss Banks...are you behaving yourself? Or have you caught that handsome man you were stalking?...Oh yes you were, and he knew it...Or really?...Has he put a ring on your finger yet?...Well, dear, stay with him, you two are great together...Tommi, I have a young man I'd like to get tested, both academically and intellectually...He's had some real problems at home not of his making and has been home schooled by five tutors...That's right dear, five, one for each day of the week...Well, I can't go into his case, but know that he's probably the best behaved young man I've ever met after what he's gone through...I'm not in Court tomorrow, can we do it then?...Yes, we can be there at 8 a.m...That will be fine, thank you Tommi."

Ruth hangs up just as she hears Margret's knock on the door to the courtroom. As the two walk into her chambers, Mark is carrying the drinks and Margret is carrying three bags of, she hopes, lunch. "Let's sit at that table over there, it's bigger than my desk," Ruth tells Margret and Mark, pointing to the table, before getting up out of her chair and walking over to the table. "Mark, I've made arrangements to have you tested by a good friend at a testing center, just to see what your tutors have taught you. I've also asked her to test your IQ, as I'm very interested to see where you stand; I've a feeling you're much more intelligent than many give you credit." Ruth could see Mark was NOT happy at the prospect of being tested, so she added, "This is non-negotiable, Mark, since you're still, technically, in detention at the moment. Mark, I want you to be tested so that the center can assess your level of education and what grade level they should put you in when you start attending classes at school. And as I said, I think you're more intelligent than people give you credit, but how much more? Only being tested can we find out."

Mark had started on his lunch as Ruth was speaking, but stopped mid-bite when she mentioned going to school, going to a private school. Mark gave Ruth a questioning look and asked, "How is it possible I'll be able to attend a private school? I'm in detention, until this whole mess is resolved. Do you plan to break me out of detention? My "parents" have the finances for a private school, but I can't access them."

Ruth saw the teeth marks Mark made on his sandwich and chuckled, her mention of attending school had stumped him a great deal. "Ah, yes... breaking you out of detention," Ruth slyly said, "That part will be easy, I'll become your guardian."

Margret had been taken a drink of her ice tea and choked when Ruth told Mark she'd become his guardian. "Margret, It'll be completely legal given the circumstances. At this moment, he hasn't been convicted of the false charges brought against him this time, and Mark never belonged in juvenile detention. It was all a hoax. And he can't continue to be kept there since he didn't belong there in the first place. I can almost lay you odds that if I spoke with the DA, she'd want him some place safe, some place where his parents couldn't get to him. And the detention is NOT the place." Ruth stuck out her tongue at Margret as an indication of, 'So there.'

Margret chuckled, shook her head and told Ruth, "So that means you're now a granny?" Ruth threw a balled up napkin at Margret, who caught it in midair.

"Mark, two things," Ruth said, trying to phrase everything correctly, least Mark chose detention, "The private school I mentioned is an exclusive private school run by a woman named Jane Thompson. It's actually her you have to give your word of honor to and she will hold you to that word as she teaches you. Some things may not be to your liking, but they are done for a reason. You will also be required to undergo areas of study, like any other school. She is the woman I called to arrange for her to meet with us later tomorrow afternoon, after we finish getting you tested tomorrow morning."

After telling Mark all this, she watched him for any signs of not wanting to do as she wanted, thinking he'd show anger instead of the curiosity she saw on his face. He did, after all, request to speak with the head of the school she wanted him to attend. "Thank you for asking Ms. Thompson to come speak with me, I appreciate what you've done," Mark said, as he took a bite out of his sandwich. After he swallowed that bite he asked, "What type of testing will I be doing tomorrow?"

This he asked with a calmness that others may not have done, since tests scare some witless. "Mark, because you've not had formal education, yearly testing in school wasn't done, so no one knows your academic knowledge of any given subject. I've scheduled to have you take a standardized test given to people to assess their knowledge of several different subjects. Following that, you will be given an IQ test, since that too would likely be done in school at some point. The last test I scheduled because I believe you're more intelligent than people give you credit, and it could help you in class placement if/when you seek higher education, i.e. College or University."

Ruth and Margret were intently watching Mark, who calmly bit into his sandwich again. Swallowing that bite, he took two more, swallowing each one before asking, "I have two questions. One: what time tomorrow? And two: where do I sleep tonight?" Ruth and Margret let out breaths they'd been holding, waiting for the worse that didn't happen.

Mark was savoring his sandwich and didn't see Ruth and Margret give each other the 'thank goodness' look. "Ah, we need to be at the testing center at 8 a.m.," Ruth told Mark, as he continued reducing the size of his sandwich. "And for tonight, you'll stay with me in a spare room I have."

Mark was about to put the last bite of sandwich into his mouth, but stopped when he heard where he'd spend the night. As Ruth and Margret watched, Mark took a napkin and wiped his eyes before telling Ruth, "Judge Ruth, that's very kind of you. Thank you. But I don't have any clean clothes for tomorrow or clothes to sleep in, your Honor."

Seeing the tenderness Mark just exhibited, she told him, "Mark, if you'd like, you may call me Aunt Ruth."

There were too many tears running down Mark's cheeks for a napkin to stop, as he told Ruth, "Thank you, Aunt Ruth, I'd really like to do that." Just the few things Ruth had done for Mark in one day had caused Mark to add Ruth of the short list of people he trusted. It wasn't a life and death trust, yet, but it was trust nonetheless.

And the talk he and Margret had in the staff lounge, more like Margret talked and he listened, about trust, put her on that list too. She had bit into him much as his Sensei had about his anger. She didn't mince words when she bit into him with, "You know, for a smart kid you sure are dumb." Margret held up her hand, incidcating for Mark to listen. "Guess that Sensei's words didn't stick very well, when she told you not to take your anger out on those who didn't deserve it. Well, buddy boy, the same goes for trust. Who besides your parents has given you reason to distrust them? It can't be anyone at the detention center, because after all this time, you knew how the place runs. It can't be your tutors/Senseis either, because they helped you when no one else would. And it DAMN sure can't be Judge Ruth, because she cares about you so bad it hurts. It can't be me because we haven't known each other that long, but I care just as much as Ruth. It can't be those three Judges or that family because they were in just as much of a spot as you were. So WHO IN THE HELL deserves your distrust other than your parents?" Margret stopped speaking to gather her thoughts before she told Mark, "Mark... if you don't direct that distrust you're carrying towards the only two people who deserve it, like your anger, I can guarantee you're going to be a very lonely young man and adult. Trusting those you don't know can be hard to do, but it can also be very rewarding." They were sitting side by side on the couch as Margret laid into Mark. And much like his Sensei who told him about his anger, Mark realized everything Margret said was true. And like the time with his Sensei, Mark turned to Margret, threw his arms around her neck and cried on her shoulder. He so hated what his parents had done to him all these years.

Ruth went over to her desk, picked up the receiver and phoned the DA. When the DA answered, Ruth explained the situation and asked if someone could take Mark home to pick up a few changes of clothing and toiletries. She told Ruth her people were there now going through the house with a fine toothed comb, and she would phone ahead to let them know they were coming and why. "Margret," Ruth began, "I have to get back to Court. Would you take Mark to his home and help him get a few changes of clothing and any toiletries he needs? The DA's people are there now, and she's contacting them to let them know you're coming. And Mark, don't go anywhere but to your bedroom and the bathroom you use. And Margret, it might be good if you have one of Charlotte's people go with you so no one can say either of you tampered with evidence." After everyone finished their lunch, Ruth returned to her courtroom while Margret took Mark to his home for much needed clothing.

The two talked during the thirty minute drive, Mark finding out more about Margret, hearing a few funny stories during her time as an MP, and Margret learning more about Mark. Dreams he believed he'd never accomplish. Goals he never thought he'd achieve. And most of all, his opinion of the Juvenile Justice system, and its shortcomings. He told her he'd seen a lot of injustices over the years, with boys being in the detention center who had done minor things but were spending years in the center. He felt there had to be a better way to handle these type cases, but he didn't know how that could be done. Margret then asked him a question that instantly stopped their conversation, "Have you ever considered practicing law? You have the drive and the empathy for those you'd be representing."

They arrived at Mark's home, actually his parents, since it stopped feeling like home to Mark five years ago. The officer keeping unwanted people from going up the drive let them through once Margret gave him her identification, and he verified it with the Assistant District Attorney, Barbara Moore. When they reached the house, and they were allowed inside Barbara corned them, asking Mark, "Mark, are there any other places in this house where your parents might have hidden things? Money, records, those types of things? I'm asking because something doesn't seem right with the flooring at the far end of the house. It sounds like there's a basement underneath it, but the basement wall doesn't go that far. Can you think of anything?"

Mark thought back to those times when he heard a grinding, rumbling sound coming from the basement. When he asked about it, his "father" would tell him it was not his concern, though he used stronger words. As he thought about those times, he started wondering why there was a breaker box near that one wall when the main breaker and circuit box were at the opposite end of the basement. And, while the other boxes had conduits connected to them, the one he was thinking about had none. "Well, ma'am, when I was investigating the basement, I found it strange that while the main breaker and circuit box had conduit running to them, the breaker box at the opposite end of the basement didn't have anything visible attached to it. Plus, I remember when I was younger hearing grinding, rumbling sounds coming from the basement, and that end of the house shook a bit. Have you tried pulling the lever on that breaker box, ma'am?"

Barbara had Margret and Mark follow her to the basement and over to the wall in question. Looking around the basement, all the walls appeared to be the same, with sealant between sections about every ten feet. With the exception of no conduit, the breaker box in question appeared to be just that, a breaker box. One of the team members, inspecting the vault, was asked to open the cover on that breaker box, revealing a pair of small wires running out of the back of the box and into the wall. He closed the cover then pulled the handle down, and as everyone watched, a ten foot section of the wall was pulled back before being pulled to one side; they also heard the grinding, rumbling sound as the section moved. When the noise stopped, lights came on from beyond the basement, and what Barbara found was a literally gold mine. As Margret and Mark walked inside behind Barbara, they saw they were standing in a room which measured every bit of forty feet wide and fifty feet long. And it was full. Full of filing cabinets, racks holding gold and silver bullion, each weighing at least five to ten pounds. They found paintings, jewelry, precious stones, and more cash than any of them would see in their life times. And, another safe, almost as large as the vault. "Mark," Barbara asked, "Did you find any other safe combinations during your... investigation?"

Mark chucked before telling her, "That book with the safes and vault combinations had a combination that didn't work on the safes upstairs or the vault." Barbara sent one of her team upstairs to get the book, while the three and several of Babra's team looked around the room. When the book arrived in the basement, Barbara opened it and had Mark point out which combination hadn't worked before. When Mark pointed out the fifth one, she didn't want him touching the book, Barbara tried it on the safe they found. When they all heard a click, and opened the safe door, they found pile after pile of pictures and video cassettes, mini-audio cassettes, enough diamonds to make any girl's mouth water or keep a jeweler busy for years. They also found several handguns, with accompanying silencers. At this point, Barbara shooed Margret and Mark out of the basement, not wanting them to get any more involved.

Margret wisely told Mark, "Let's get the heck out of Dodge fast," before she followed Mark back upstairs to the main floor and up more stairs to his bedroom on the second floor. Barbara had told one of her team members to stay with the two as the went up to Mark's bedroom to get his clothes and toiletries. Mark started to open the door to his walk-in closet, but the person with them stopped him and opened it himself. He then let Mark get out a suitcase and a backpack and inspected each one before letting Mark get clothes out of the closet. As Mark set the clothes on the bed, the man checked each piece, making sure nothing was in any of the pockets. He followed Mark to his en suite, again inspecting everything Mark wanted to take. The man apologized for his actions, but Barbara wanted to make sure nothing could be called into question if the case went to trial. Even the chest of drawers were inspected before Mark could get underwear out of the top drawer. Mark picked up a few personal items before packing his school books in his backpack, which were checked for any papers belonging to the parents. Once everything was packed, Mark and Margret wasted no time getting out of the house, in her car and off the grounds. What was in that secret room was more than enough reason for them to make a hasty retreat. They were going to have some story to tell Ruth.

{}~~{}~~Chapter 5~~{}~~{}

Margret wasn't exactly wound up over what they'd seen, but neither was she especially calm after seeing the handguns and the silencers. There was only one reason for silencers, and that was not good. Those silencers alone were going to get Mark's parents a prison sentence, and if those handguns could be tied to any murders, here or abroad, they'd never see the light of day again. And if the murders were abroad, and it is in a country the US has extradition treaties with, their time in prison might not be spent in the US. Seeing a drive-in, she pulled in and asked what Mark wanted to drink, or eat. Mark wasn't hungry so he asked for a large cherry slushy; Margret got a large root beer. She slugged down about a quarter of it before feeling much calmer to drive. By the time they arrived back at the Courthouse, Ruth had finished for the day and was in her chambers when they returned. Margret didn't know Ruth's exact plans for Mark, so they left his things in her car, before hurrying to Ruth's chambers with some startling news. News which was going to shock Ruth.

They went through the courtroom and to the door to Ruth's chambers. Margret knocked twice before opening the door and ushering Mark inside. After closing the door, Margret said, "Ruth, we have to talk." Ruth closed the case file she had been reading and motioned for the two to sit down. Margret's butt never hit the chair seat before she started speaking. "There may be more problems coming Mark's way after what was found at Mark's home. Barbara cornered us when we got there and asked Mark if he'd found anything else in his investigation. Mark told her he found it odd that the breaker box and circuit panel had conduits attached, but the breaker box at the opposite end of the basement didn't. When they opened the cover to that box, they didn't find the usual electrical wiring, but two smaller wires, going into the wall opposite the main electrical panel. Mark then asked Barbara if they had tried pulling the lever down, which they hadn't. But when they did, it opened a hidden room behind the wall. Ruth, the only place I'd seen more gold was in pictures of inside Fort Knox. That room had to be forty feet by fifty feet, if that little, and it was full of file cabinets, rack of gold and silver bullions, paintings, precious gems, and another safe. The book Mark found held the combination to that safe and when Barbara had it opened, only the earth held more diamond than what is in that safe. And pictures, there were piles of them, and video cassettes, and mini-audio tapes. And Ruth, there are handguns and silencers in that safe also. There's only one thing silencers are used for, and it ain't good. If any of those handguns are traced back to any murders, the can of worms that will open could be huge. And some of it might splash over onto Mark."

Ruth picked up the receiver and dialed Judge Toni Billings' number. "Toni, it's Ruth. Are you busy right now?...Good. I need you to come to my chambers...I'll tell you when you get here...Fine, I'll see you in a few minutes. Oh, and Toni, not a word to anyone, alright?...Good, see you in a little while."

Ruth had thought to make herself Mark's guardian, but in light of what Margret just told her now, felt it best if another judge did the deed. Using Toni might be risky, since she's involved with Mark's parents, and someone could question her motives, but it was a risk they'd better take. When Toni finally arrived, Ruth had Margret retell her story, then explained to Toni, "I'd like you to make me Mark's guardian until this entire mess is adjudicated. Or until we find out if he has family somewhere. I was going to do it myself, but felt someone might question my motives now, given what's been found. I know it might be risky you doing it, but I think it's the best way to handle it." Ruth had all the forms Toni would need, all the Judges had them, so it only took a moment to fill them out before Ruth became Mark's legal guardian. And a granny, as Margret would say.

It was going on 6 p.m., and since Mark's things were still in Margret's car, and because it'd been a trying day, Ruth invited Margret over for dinner. Margret could help Mark get settled in one of the spare bedrooms in Ruth's home, while Ruth started dinner. Plus, all three needed the down time before things might get rather interesting should those handguns prove out a few things. It would also give Mark time to relax before tomorrow's tests. Ruth only hoped she could sleep soundly tonight.

Ruth's alarm went off at 6 a.m.. It took her a few moments to realize she'd slept soundly all night; last night's dinner and conversation had done wonders to relax her. It took her a few more minutes to realize she smelled bacon cooking... and eggs? Her bathroom called before she could get dressed, and when done there and dressed, she ventured to the kitchen, only to find Mark fixing breakfast. Bacon was cooking in one pan, eggs in another, and hash browns in yet another. The table was set for two, and juice was on the table. Mark walked over to her carrying a cup of coffee, kissed her on the cheek and said, "Morning, Aunt Ruth," before going back to the stove. Ruth found she had something in her eyes after what Mark had just done. And she loved it.

The drive to the testing center only took about fifteen minutes from Ruth's home, so they didn't rush through breakfast. Ruth inquired how Mark had slept, was he nervous, and told him they'd go out to dinner after he'd finished being tested, since Ms. Thompson would be with them as well. She also told him Ms. Thompson would be staying with her in one of the other bedrooms, so they could talk more after returning home. "Mark, Ms. Thompson is a very straight forward woman, so be upfront with her, don't be afraid to tell her how you feel about things." Mark nodded his head, before getting up from the table and collecting the dishes.

He loaded the dishwasher with the plates, silverware, and glasses, before starting on the dirty pans. Ruth was going to help, but he told her, "No, Aunt Ruth, I'll take care of these, you just relax. You need it."

They were ready to leave by 7:30 a.m., and with the light traffic, they reached the testing center by 7:48 a.m. They went into the testing center, and found Tommi Banks waiting for them. Tommi explained everything to Ruth and Mark, before Ruth told Mark, "I'm going to leave you in Tommi's hands while I go to the airport to pick up Ms. Thompson. We'll pick you up for lunch, then bring you back for the afternoon testing. I want you to do the best you can on the tests this morning, alright?" Mark simply nodded his head, before giving Ruth a hug and watching her leave the building and going to her car. Tommi then took Mark to the room where his academic tests would be given, got him a bottle of bottled water, and left him to relax a bit before the tests would begin. As Mark sat there relaxing, he remembered back to the many things his Senseis told him about controlling his nerves. That it was the unknown which caused the most fear, and the unknown was just another challenge for him to work through. He applied the techniques they taught him and when the testing began, he knew without a doubt he was going to do well on everything. And as Ruth would soon learn, he was right.

From the testing center, Ruth had about a twenty-five minute drive to the airport, more than enough time for her to plan how to explain everything to Jane. She thought about retelling Mark's story, but accuracy would be a problem. She did receive a copy of the tape from the DA, so maybe letting Jane hear the tape, then filling in the rest, would be better; there was the new information about the hidden room that wasn't on the tape to consider. Arriving at the airport, Ruth had no trouble finding a parking space in the short term parking. Once inside the terminal, she checked the incoming flight schedule, found Jane's flight number, its arrival time and the gate number where passengers would disembark. She checked the time and saw she had about a thirty minute wait, so decided to get a tea and walk down towards that gate and find a place to wait; she knew she couldn't go past security without a boarding pass. It seemed several people were waiting for the flight Jane was on, for a small crowd had gathered when that flight's arrival was announced. Because the crowd had gathered on the opposite side of the concourse from Ruth, she elected to stay where she was and keep an eye out for Jane. Spotting Jane proved to be easier than she had feared, for compared to the dress of the other passengers, Jane looked as though she was going to a business meeting, what with the exquisite pants-suit she was wearing. It was a navy blue, set off with a light blue satin blouse. The tie, as it were, was just a darker blue than the blouse and expertly tied, without a single ruffle. She wore her wedding ring, and a watch, and no other jewelry. And true to her fashion statements of a proper lady, she wore low heeled navy blue matching shoes. She saw Jane glance at her fellow passengers, and saw a scowl form on her exquisitely made up face. Ruth just chuckled, knowing Jane did not like the slothiness around her.

Jane's scowl disappeared when she saw Ruth, and the two hugged, with Ruth asking, "How was your flight? Have trouble leaving Art behind?"

Jane tried to give her friend her best headmistress look, but broke down into a smile and told Ruth, "My flight was fine. And yes, it was hard to leave Art behind. I miss him already."

Ruth found a trash can to deposit her empty cup before asking Jane, "Breakfast, or something else?" Very few people knew Jane Thompson well, maybe Art excluded, so only a very select few knew of a secret she kept since her University days of loving to eat at greasy spoon cafes. While the food might not be healthy for a person 365 days a year, it did create an atmosphere that could be found nowhere else. Ruth was one of the select few people who knew, because she shared the same secret, though no one could tell just by looking at either woman. And if anyone tried to accuse either of such excentricities, they would deny it in a heartbeat, saying hardening of the arteries should only occur naturally. As they headed for the luggage carousels, they carried on a rolling conversation about nothing in particular. It was not wise to discuss the work they did in such an open area, in case someone misunderstood and notified the authorities. Jane hailed a porter to help with her luggage, and when it appeared, he took two suitcases off the carousel. Ruth left Jane and the porter at the loading/unloading zone to fetch her car. It only took a few minutes to pay for her parking and drive back to the loading/unloading zone. The porter loaded Jane's luggage in the trunk of Ruth's car, Jane tipped the porter, got into the front seat with Ruth, and the two headed for the best greasy spoon in the City. And a denial if anyone saw them.

As they drove, Ruth wrestled with herself, trying to decide how much to tell Jane, before her thoughts were vacated by Jane saying, "Ruth, I really can't perceive how I'll be able to help a boy whose behavior, if you are to believed, is impeccable. You know what my program does and why, so breaking Mr. Thomas' self constructed shell isn't necessary."

There was silence in the car for a few minutes before Ruth told Jane, "There have been some surprising developments, and if the tests prove true, Mark's life could be in danger because he helped make the discovery. It's not just these recent developments, Jane. His parents have made him distrust almost anyone he comes into contact with, because of the way he's been treated these last five years. He doesn't know if they're going to take advantage of him as his parents did, or are people without an agenda. Jane, I've been made his guardian, but I'm not equipped to help him break out of his distrustful shell. Plus, because I'm at Court most of the time, I'd have to find someone to take care of him during that time. He doesn't deserve to go back into detention, and as I said, if the tests prove true, putting him into Foster Care might endanger that family, if his parents put out a contract on him. Jane, I wholly believe you're his best hope for safety and learning to trust again. Wait to decide until you've heard the tape of his story." They were silent again, as they continue the drive to the cafe. Both thinking about how they could best help Mark.

Talk of Mark was put on hold as they ate a cholesterol laden breakfast. Jane did catch Ruth up about some of the other boys who made a breakthrough in her program, and where they were now, before their conversation broke down into plain old girl talk. And some of that girl talk was about Art, and his wonderful ministrations when Jane had had a particular nasty day. Once all the cholesterol had been eaten, Ruth drove them to the Courthouse so she could let Jane hear the entire tape recording of Mark's story. Hopefully when she heard everything, and what Ruth would fill in, she'd see that her program just might help Mark break out of his self constructed shell.

Ruth turned the tape recorder off, and watched as Jane tried to compose herself. Jane was hot, boiling hot, that parents would do such a thing to their own child, another family, and three, almost four, Judges. Jane gritted her eyes shut, trying desperately to regain her composure before telling Ruth, "Those two people should have a pike shoved up their asses before being left out somewhere to rot to death. How could people do such a thing?" Jane's breathing slowed, the red in her face receded before she asked Ruth, "What time do you pick up Mr. Thomas from that center?"

Ruth glanced at the clock on the wall and told her, "We have about thirty minutes before we pick him up for lunch. Then we have about an hour and a half before he needs to be back for the afternoon testing. That should give you some time to get to know him. I warn you Jane, he's unlike any boy you've met or worked with since you started your program. You'll have to be upfront with him because he'll read any lie, or omission, you try to get past him. He had to learn how to read people so he could survive all those times in detention. And don't get physical with him, because after five Senseis I have no idea what all he knows. I do know he will defend himself, and send his attacker to the hospital."

Ruth's words started Jane thinking about how to approach Mark without closing him down, and at the same time, learn as much as she could in the short amount of time they had for lunch, so she knew how to approach him when they had their long conversation. And from the training she had, she already knew not to attack someone whose abilities were an unknown quantity.

When they reached the testing center, Mark was sitting near the reception desk, waiting for them. He'd finished the tests thirty minutes sooner than Tommi had predicted. Ruth introduced Jane to Mark, and Mark to Jane before the three left the center to find something to eat for lunch. Ruth asked if the two had any preferences for lunch, and when they didn't, asked if Chinese was alright with everyone. She chose Chinese to give Jane an opportunity to watch how Mark acted at a restaurant which had a buffet. Judging by how he acted when he first came into her chambers, she felt he would treat both women the same way. Unless she was wrong, he'd hold open the door to the restaurant for them, allow them to go first in the serving line, and possibly help seat each one. At least she hoped he would.

As they drove to the Chinese Buffet restaurant, Ruth asked Mark about the tests he took that morning. "Did you find them difficult? What areas did they cover? How well do you think you did?"

Mark then went on to relate, "A test is only difficult if a person isn't prepared, and my tutors made sure I was prepared to take any test I was given; they were task masters in that area. The tests covered the sciences, all the way into College level; math, again all the way to College level; Geography, History and World History; Biology, Zoology, both into College level; Sociology, Chemistry, Physics, also into College level. How well I did is yet to be seen. I answered all the questions and finished thirty minutes ahead of the projected finish time, so perhaps I did well enough to surprise myself and a few others."

They arrived at the restaurant just as Mark finished talking about the tests. Jane purposefully lagged behind the others in getting out of Ruth's car, wanting to see what type of manners Mark did have. Mark instantly knew what Jane was doing, but it made no difference, he would have opened the door for her in any case. He offered his hand in helping her exist the car, before shutting the front passenger door. He walked slightly ahead of both ladies, opening the restaurant door for them and allowing them to enter first, another plus in Jane's book. Ruth told the hostess three for lunch before they were shown to a table. Drinks were ordered and then they made their way to the buffet tables to make their choices for lunch. Jane may not have noticed, but Ruth saw how both Mark and Jane made almost the same choices, leaning mostly on the dishes mixed with vegetables. Each did choose some meats not mixed with vegetables, and all three had egg rolls lying with their plates. Mark following, they returned to their table, where Mark remained standing until Ruth and Jane had sat down in the booth on their side of the table.

Ruth had seen the look on Mark's face, the one which told her he was starting to read Jane's face. As Jane observed Mark eat, she saw he took small bites, chewed and then swallowed before taking another bite. He quirked a smile when Jane asked, "Mr. Thomas, do you enjoy learning?"

Mark's quirky smile changed into a real smile before he said, "Ms. Thompson, Mark is fine with me. Right now Mr. Thomas has his butt in a very tight position. Yes, Ms. Thompson, I do like learning. I acquired that from the five tutors I had. They showed me how learning could be fun, how it could be much different than what I'd been through up until I was eight-years-old. Each of those tutors had a quality about them that encouraged me to learn. They were stern in their teaching, but fair, never admonishing me for wrong answers, but helping me see my mistakes."

Mark's answer to Ruth's questions about the tests, told Jane the subjects he'd studied. So she moved onto another tactic in order to gauge Mark. "Mark, I understand your parents basically threw you away over these past five years. Threw you to the wolves, as the saying goes."

Mark chuckled before telling Jane, "Good ploy, Ms. Thompson, attack the person's emotions to determine their emotional health. I believe it was Goodman who first introduced that idea, and a few others." Mark glanced at Ruth, who was looking at Jane with an 'I told you so' look on her face. He then saw Jane shrug her shoulders slightly at Ruth's expression. "Ms. Thompson, please, let's stop fencing and get down to the real reason you're asking these questions."

"Am I angry with my parents, damn right I am. But will I take that anger out on you, Aunt Ruth, or anyone else? No, I won't. Why? Because my Monday tutor, also a Sensei, dropped my butt hard on the floor one day when I tried to take my anger out on her. She was very blunt in telling me never to take my anger out on those who were not responsible for making me angry. She also let me cry on her shoulder when, after her words, I realized how much anger I'd been holding in. Do I resent everything they put me through? Yes and no. While it's known now what they were doing, by a select few, the store owners and employees only know me as a criminal. Will they ever hear the truth? Will my reputation with them every be repaired? The only way for that to happen is to have a meeting with every employee of that store and explain how they were duped and I was set up. And what about the family my "parents" used? Will their reputation ever be repaired?"

Jane had schooled her face, so in Mark's fervor he missed the ever so slight twitch of Jane's left eye when Mark said Aunt Ruth. She then said in a soft, calm, voice, "Mark, what about your distrust of others, because of your parents?"

Mark sat his fork down on his plate before telling Jane, "Ms. Thompson, my "parents" really hurt me in that area. Oh, I trust Aunt Ruth and Margret, and my tutors, but I can't think about going into a store and not wondering if I'll be arrested again for something I didn't do. Or if I make plans that will only fall apart because someone else is going to use me as my "parents" did. Aunt Ruth wanted my word of honor before I knew what I was getting into. I couldn't do that after what my "parents" had done to me." Mark reached up with the back of each hand and wiped the tears that were forming in his eyes. "Ms. Thompson, I don't know how not to distrust others anymore." His first attempt wiping away the tears was in vain, as more were already sliding down each cheek.

Jane reached across the table and gently took Mark's hand and told him, "Perhaps I can help you get over that problem." The rest of their meal was held with general conversation, with Jane and Mark talking about the subjects Mark found most interesting, had Mark given any thought to his future now that his parents were no longer in a position to constantly send him to the detention center. Mark replayed the conversation he had with Margret, one of Ruth's bailiffs, and her suggesting practicing law, after Mark told her of all the injustice he's seen in the detention center. The rest of any conversation had to be curtailed because of Mark needing to return to the testing center for his afternoon testing. While Ruth paid the check, Jane slipped into the ladies restroom, and Mark waited patiently as Ruth then did the same. When both ladies were ready, Mark held the door open and waited for them to walk out first. His initial actions were done in reverse, first opening the car door for Jane, then after closing it doing the same for Ruth. His actions caught the eye of more than one approving older person going into that restaurant.

They arrived back at the testing center about ten minutes early, so Tommi took Mark to another room for the other tests he would be given to measure his IQ; Ruth then introduced Tommi to Jane. Ruth and Jane were about to leave when Tommi called out to them, "Ruth, Jane, if you both have a few minutes I'd like to go over the tests Mark took this morning. I think you'll find the results more than interesting." After asking if either woman wanted something to drink, Ruth asking for tea and Jane coffee, Tommi led the two into a small conference room. But neither woman was prepared for what they saw as they entered that room.

Seated around an oval table were three women and two men, ranging in age from mid thirties to their fifties. Seeing the look on Ruth's face, Tommi told her, "These five people are the tutors the Thomas' hired to tutor Mark, and these five taught him a few other things along the way. The Thomas' went through the center to hire these people, so we know everything that's been happening to Mark. And I must say, and these people agree, for Mark to survive his parents misdeeds against him all these years, shows he's a remarkable young man. But they do agree with our assessment that he needs help with trusting others again. Please, be seated and we'll talk about the tests and the results."

Tommi told the two women about the first part of the test, checking Mark's general knowledge that he'd have received from a formal setting like a public school, had he been able to attend one. The next part went into higher levels of learning, and finally levels of College or University. "Because Mark wasn't exposed to all the extraneous things that occur in a public setting, the bullying, put downs by teachers, cliques and the like, his intelligence under these five people was allowed to grow. And because it grew, his test results showed a 90 to 95% rating in all areas tested. Even at the College or University level. With all he's been dealing with, his scores should have been so much lower, but they weren't."

As Ruth and Jane listened, the tutors explained of seeing the anger Mark was holding, because of his parents. And how they redirected it into his studies and training. Turning it into a determination to do the best he could at whatever he was doing at the moment. And through their own on the side testing, they all believed he had a very high IQ. Mark Thomas has been through fire and the forge, and has come out of it all as a very determined young man. If only he'd realize that of himself. It was Sherry, the tutor who slammed Mark's butt to the ground, and read him the riot act who said, "Ms. Thompson, we all know of the program you run, and what it entails, and how you help those boys who don't belong in the detention center, it's also not our story to tell. Mark is just such a boy, but he's built a shell of distrust around himself. It took us several weeks before he started trusting us enough to let his guard down and confide in us, and for us to really begin teaching him. None of us here have the expertise in that area to help him regain his trust in others, and because of your program, we're asking for you to consider helping him."

Ruth could see the expectant faces around the table, if Jane didn't, and it wasn't long before Jane told the group, "I was bested at lunch today. No boy in all the years of my program has been able to see through the questions I ask or their purpose. But Mark Thomas did, and very quickly. He is a very traumatized young man, having been accused of crimes he never committed, spending two months twice a year in Juvenile Detention, and surviving. I believe much of that he owns not only to his nature, but to the five of you who saw his need and worked to meet it. He knows he's angry, but because of you Sherry, it isn't aimed at anyone but his parents. I'm not sure, yet, what I'll need to do in order to help him trust again, but I should have something planned by the time I returned home. However, I must first explain what I will be asking of him, in detail, since he won't give his word of honor without knowing what awaits him. So the question only Mark can answer, will he agree to follow my program after hearing the details?"

Their meeting was interrupted by a knock on the door. Tommi opened the door only to find Mark and another staff member standing there. "He finished early," the staff member said before leaving Mark with Tommi. "Come in Mark, and take a seat," Tommi told Mark as she stepped aside to let Mark into the room. As Tommi, Ruth, and Jane watched, Mark went over and hugged each of the five other people, telling each one, "Thank you so very much." Ruth would have to remember to have Mark drink plenty of water after all the tears he shed today.

After Mark sat down, Tommi went over his morning test results, telling him exactly the same as she had told Ruth and Jane. The results didn't mean much to Mark until he was told with scores like those, he could be graduated out of high school. But it wouldn't be recommended. It was now going on three in the afternoon, and all business had been concluded. Tommi told Ruth the results of the afternoon tests would take a few days to compile, and she would contact her when they had the results. Mark gave his tutors one more hug before the three left the testing center and headed to the Courthouse, and Ruth's chambers, where she could ensure a greater magnitude of privacy for what Jane had to tell Mark.

The drive to the Courthouse was basically quiet, with Ruth occasionally asking Mark about the tests he took in the afternoon. Jane was quiet throughout the entire ride, arguing with herself over what she was about to tell Mark. In the past, no boy was told exactly what he would be told to do, so his word of honor could be used against him when he balked. Now, with Mark and his trust issues, she would have to be completely honest with him, telling him everything about her program. And the rest would be up to Mark.

Once they arrived at the Courthouse, Ruth parked in her reserved place and the three walked up to her chambers, going in through her private door. Once she unlocked the door, and the three were in her chambers, she relocked the door then walked over to the door to the Courtroom to make sure it was also locked. Because she didn't have Court today, her three bailiffs had the day off, so there wouldn't be any interruptions from any of the three. Ruth took three bottles of bottled water from the mini fridge and sat them on the table while they all took a seat around the table, Jane sitting directly across from Mark; Ruth could see that her friend was conflicted and pensive over what she was about to do.

"Mark," Jane began, "What I'm about to tell you is only known by a select few, now including you. You must understand what you are told must stay with you as 'not your story to tell' or the good that's been done will be ruined. Can you agree to that?"

"Ms. Thompson, your being here is warrant enough for me not to reveal something that is not mine to share. Your kindness toward me today is further warrant for me to keep this to myself." Mark knuckled his eyes as they became moist, the memories of how a total stranger had treated him today.

"I will accept that, Mark, thank you. One aspect of trust is honesty. It is unadulterated, unfabricated, it doesn't seek to misdirect, it is the truth in as much as we understand truth. Not only with others, but with ourselves as well. It is this aspect of trust I demand of the boys who attend my school. It is this aspect of trust they have been unwilling to face in their lives. I want to build trust between us, Mark, so I'm willing, here and now, to give you all the details of my program at the school. Before leaving here, you will have all the details you will need to determine whether to give your word of honor to me and Ruth, and allow me, and Art, to help you with the trust issues you have. Also, while you have shown great control of your anger, it burns deep within you and will one day explode if not dealt with properly. I want to help you with that as well."

Ruth and Jane watched as Mark became introspective before she said, "Mark, have you ever considered exploring your feminine side? Exploring the softer side which you've exhibited several times today? Dressing in girl's clothing, wearing makeup and having your hair and nails done. Learning how to move like a girl, and talk as a girl? All of this is the basis of my program at Seasons House. Have you ever heard of Petticoat Punishment, or Petticoat Discipline?"

Ruth and Jane watched as Mark showed he was thinking about the terms before he deliberately said, "Yes... in the Psychology course my Friday tutor taught. It was done in the Victorian and Edwardian eras as ways of controlling out of control boys. By dressing them in clothing more suited for girls, or in clothing not normally worn by boys, the boy would behave differently so as not to draw attention to himself. As times changed clothing worn by girls changed and so did what mis-behaving boys were made to wear."

Jane nodded her head after hearing Mark's explanation. "That's correct, Mark. Those boys Ruth determines would benefit from my school have to give her their word of honor to do what they are told, without question, regardless if it's embarrassing or unpleasant." Jane held up her hand as she saw Mark start to respond. "I know Mark, you can't give your word of honor as a blank check because of what your parents have done to you, I listened to the tape and your response when Ruth asked you to give her your word of honor. I'm not asking for your word of honor now, Mark, I'm merely explaining my program to you."

"The boys Ruth sends to me arrive after a lengthy train ride, a very tiring train ride, which is all planned. I meet them at the train station dressed as a very prim and proper headmistress of my school. I also have another boy with me, who has gone through my program, or going through my program, dressed entirely as a girl and acting as a girl. Sometimes these boys are ready to leave my program, and sometimes they need a bit more time to modify their behavior, but I have them to act as a big sister to the new boy; I also use them to keep an eye on the new boy as he starts his travels through my program. Being met by two women, and being tired, the boy is rather confused as to the type of school he'll be attending. Again it is planned this way. He's taken back to my home, shown his room and given a little time to freshen up before having lunch. During lunch I gauge his manners, his table manners, and engaging him in conversation, his general knowledge about current events and other areas. We then toast his arrival with a small glass of wine, laced with a sleeping draft. Sometimes they boy refuses the wine due to past family issues, but most times he accepts the small glass of wine. The long train ride and the sleeping draft in the wine help the boy feel very sleepy, at which point I suggest he go to his room and take a nap."

"Most boys undress when they take a nap, so removing all their clothing from his room is made much easier. Those who don't undress while taking a nap, require Marie, my comrade in arms, to undress them before taking all of their clothing. After a couple of hours, I make my entrance into their bedroom and wake the boy. When he finds me there, and his state of undress, he immediately covers himself with the bedspread or pillow, or some such. I then tell him to follow me to my Study, at which point he asks about his clothes. I tell him they've been taken to be cleaned, and will be returned when he has need of them. He will usually ask what he is to wear, at which point I tell him he can wear the robe lying over the back of a chair in the room. Or come as he is, it makes no difference to me. The boy will usually complains because they realize it is a girl's robe they are to wear, but since no boy will want to be seen naked by a woman, he'll put on the robe and follow me to my study, where I admonish him because his behavior took him into Juvenile Court. Understand Mark, all of this is planned out well in advance, plans which keep the boy confused and willing to follow instructions so as not to be found out."

"It's at this point I make him understand if he doesn't wish to stay in my school, he can leave dressed as he is. Take the train back home and be sent to the Juvenile Detention Center. But if he stays then he must give me his word of honor to do as he is instructed, without question, regardless of the embarrassment or unpleasantness of the situation. Mark, the thought of leaving my school wearing just a robe, a girl's robe at that, is a humiliating thought for most boys. But it is less frightening than being sent to Juvenile Detention, where they know they'd not survive very long. It doesn't take him long to decide that giving his word of honor is preferable to being sent to detention, and he readily gives it. What I've done, Mark, is actually trap this boy into doing what he is told because if he balks, or questions it in any way, then I drill him on the worth of his word of honor. Because most boys who come to me have developed strong egos, my words can't go unchallenged, and they will often times become angry because I've doubted their word of honor. This again ensnares them to do as they are told, and shames them at the same time. It also is the start of them being honest with themselves concerning not only their word of honor, but other things as well."

"Once I have their word of honor, I have their big sister take them up to their bedroom where they begin their lessons of becoming a girl. They first are told to take a bath in water that's been scented with bath oils, and to shave everywhere, even tidying up their groin area. They shave their legs, both arms, under both arms, and their face. Once they have dried off, they are told to put on the lingerie that's been laid out for them; they usually have little trouble with the panties but sometimes need help with the bra. They are then shown how to put on a garter belt and nylons; they often rip the first pair they try to put on. Lastly, Mark, they put on a slip, which rubs against their freshly shaved legs and is intended to garner an arousal response, since this is the first time they have felt something this soft and sheer. If their reaction is an arousal, then it becomes humiliating to them to see two women see the erection; remember Mark, the boy doesn't know his big sister is actually another boy. Again, Mark, this is all planned and intended to help the boy to start thinking about his behavior and to act differently. They are also told to put on a pair of high heel shoes, before putting the robe back on and being shown how to apply makeup to their face; something they must learn to do by themselves as time goes by."

"Once this is all done, they are sent back to me in my Study. This is another test, Mark, one which I monitor from within my Study. Right now they are unsure what to do, so they will either knock on the Study door, or enter without knocking. If they knock, I then tell them to set on the bench outside my Study as I'm busy at the moment. If they enter without knocking, I admonish them for entering without knocking before telling them to sit on the bench. Their big sister is either already sitting on the bench or comes along a few moments later, where she tries to be the good friend the boy desperately needs at that moment. Most boys take her advice, but some and so full of themselves they pay her no mind, and end up worse off than before. After watching for several minutes, I call the now girl into my Study, where I proceed to correct their posture as they're sitting in a very uncomfortable chair. Most boys are used to spreading their legs when they sit, but girls must keep their knees together to protect their modesty. This too is brought to their attention. I then tell them about walking around the Study, five times, with a dictionary on their head, needing to start the count over should the dictionary fall off their head. I then comment about their makeup, and how they must learn to apply it themselves. Because they have yet to visit the salon, I also comment about the rush job that was done in styling what hair they have at the moment. What I'm doing, Mark, is trying to break through the wall these boys have built over the years and help them see there is a better way to behave and live. Some boys are so frightened, and have been over the years, that it doesn't take long to break through their wall. Other boys have taken longer."

"After breakfast the following day, I meet with the new girl in my Study. If they remember what they were told about walking the Study with the dictionary then I talk while they are walking. If they forget, I admonish them and act extremely upset and again bring up their word of honor. I explain everything they will be expected to do, helping in the kitchen, preparing meals and clean up, learning to serve tea properly and remembering how each person takes their tea, how to properly set the table, and a few other things to help keep them off balance. Depending upon the answers I receive to some of my questions, they may be given an assignment to write a paper on that subject after using the library to research the topic. Once they've finished the five walk arounds of the Study, I then have them go back to their bedroom and put on the change of clothing they will find there. They are to redo their makeup and hair style, and... they only have a certain amount of ti... "

It was at that moment the fax machine in Ruth's office chimed, telling her an incoming fax had arrived. Ruth excused herself, got up from the table and walked over to the fax machine. It took only a few moments for the fax to be printed, and a few moments more for Jane and Mark to see she was upset and angry. "Damn... damn it all," Ruth said out loud, as she reread the fax a second time. She came back to the table, sat down and handed the fax to Jane who then read it out loud.

"From CG
To RW

Subject: New found toys

There has been a recall of the new found toys because of lead contamination. It is imperative that all children be kept away from them and away from the Public least they come to harm. Any child found contaminated may be able to partake in a legal action which could result in a cash settlement of $25,000."

It took Mark a few moments to understand what Jane had just read, the handguns found in the secret room had been used to commit crimes, likely murders if the silencers were any indication. His parents had also put a price of $25,000 on his head. And the Public part likely meant not to use public transportation since they'd be watching for him at those places too. And the child keep away must mean to "get the hell out of Dodge" soonest.

"Ruth, if I understand this cryptic message correctly, the handguns found in that room have been tested and found to have been used in several crimes. It also says Mark is in danger with a bounty of $25,000 on his head. I believe it also says to get Mark to somewhere safe and not use Public transportation. Is that how you interpret it also?" Ruth slowly nodded her head, as did Mark.

It was Mark who asked the question hanging in the air, "So what now? How do we get my little body out of Dodge? Where can I go that my 'parents' know nothing about?" Mark watched as first Ruth then Jane perked up before they looked at the other then at Mark, then back at each other and smiled. It took Mark only the time a thought crosses a synapse to realize what they had in mind.

"Do you think that will work?" Mark asked the two, seeing the shocked looks on Ruth and Jane's faces. "You two are thinking of having me dress as a girl and spirit me away as Jane's daughter or niece, or something. Right? Well, my 'parents' have probably given someone my picture, the picture of a boy, so that's who they'll be looking for, right? I have no desire to have my life cut short, so Ms. Thompson, you have my word of honor to do as you instruct to get me 'the hell out of Dodge'. And, when we get where we're going, it stays in effect so you can help me. You and your husband seem to be the only hope I have if I ever want to trust anyone ever again. And my only hope of staying alive." Mark hadn't realized it, but tears were flowing down his cheeks.

Jane got up and went around the table to Mark, turning his chair to face her. She knelt down and gently reached up and wiped the tears off his cheeks just before he threw his arms around her neck and began crying on her shoulder. "It's alright, sweet boy, it will be alright," Jane told Mark as she held him as he cried.

"Well," Ruth firmly said, "We have some work to do and I think I know the exact person for the job. I've done her some favors over the years and... she is very discreet. Plus, we need to get you the correct clothes, Mark, if Jane's Niece is to be properly attired."

Ruth picked up the receiver and dialed a number. "Margret, dear, it's Ruth...Well not really, you see we have need of your special abilities, and William's also...Something to do with the toys you found the other day...Yes, they're contaminated, dear...Is your paper still good...Ah, good. Would you be a dear and call William, and then the two of you come to my chambers...Fine, that's acceptable. Oh, and if you would, before you come in would you check for any cockroaches that might be lurking about. And maybe, oh I don't know, incapacitate them?...Fine dear, we'll see you then."

Ruth disconnected the call to Margret then made another call. "Doris, it's Ruth...Oh fine dear. Listen, we have another Katie problem...Yes that's right, like that other one...Is your shop clear?...Good good. Expect us in about fifteen minutes...Yes, the works. And nothing to indicate the original...Oh I knew you could do it. Bye Doris."

Jane and Mark were looking at Ruth with questions hanging off their faces. "Some years ago, Doris got into some serious trouble with a gentleman who charged exorbitant loan rates. The police thought he was also involved in other shady deals that resulted in a couple of deaths and several people being sent to the hospital. I don't remember how we met, but I was able to help the police get the evidence they needed to put him away for the rest of his life. And Doris has never forgotten what I did. A few years later she had gang trouble and came to me again. Turned out the gang leader was about to appear before me so I offered him a deal. He stays out of detention for his testimony against the rest of his crew. Needless to say, a few fellows were a bit put out. So to get this boy out of town, Doris remade him and when his fellows came looking for him, they never found him because he no longer existed. His sister, Katie, took a trip out of town to stay with relatives several States away. Last I heard, he'd done a wonderful job turning his life around."

Margret's knock was heard on the private door to Ruth's chamber. Ruth walked over to the door, unlocked the door, opened it a crack to verify it was Margret and William, before opening the door to let them in. "Thank you both for coming, we have a rather hot situation with Mark in right in the middle of it. About $25,000 in the middle. Were there any problems with insects?" It was William who chuckled before saying, "There were two, one in the front and one in the back of the Courthouse. Our crazy driver here," and he pointed to Margret, "Had trouble backing into a parking place and bumped the guy's car out front. Of course, she acted really upset for doing something so stupid, and when the guy got out of his car, he suddenly fell asleep. He's sleeping it off in the trunk of his car and will be out some 48 hours, if I gave him the correct dose. If not, he might not wake up. We also took the car keys."

"And the gentleman out back, what of him?" Ruth asked.

This time it was Margret who chuckled. "Ruth, you should have seen this lug," Margret said as she pointed a thumb at William, "he crept right up to the guy's car, right up to the driver's window and actually yanked the guy right out of the car. That guy never knew what hit him, until William colcocked him. He then dosed him like the guy out front and again put him in the trunk of his car. Oh, and we forgot to tell you. We put tow-away stickers on both cars."

While the problem was serious, Jane, Ruth, and Mark couldn't help laughing at what Margret and William had done to the two men watching the Courthouse. And tagging their cars to be towed. "Oh, you two have done a marvelous job. But now we must get Mark to Doris for another Katie job," Ruth said to her two bailiffs. "After you see us to Doris' salon, would you two be dears and run by my house and see if any nasties have landed anywhere around there? And if they have, would you two be dears and use some insecticide on them as well? Preferably a longer-lasting type since it would take too long before the police noticed a tow vehicle tag. And when any problems have been remedied, Margret use your key to my house and go to both spare bedrooms and pack everything. Then if you would, meet us at Doris' and we'll leave for the 8:05 evening train going East from the salon. And please, please, as you drive, keep an eye out for other cockroaches. And if you spot any, take them somewhere and, um... deal with them in a way they no longer are a problem." Mark was rather horrified by Ruth's last statement, but when he looked at Jane he saw a nasty expression which told him she agreed with Ruth. He'd need to remember not to get on her bad side.

No one wasted any time getting out to the cars. Margret and William made sure it was still clear before they let the three exit the Courthouse. They followed Ruth as she drove to the salon, and when the three were inside, headed to Ruth's house. They switch drivers so it looked like a husband and wife driving down the street before going by Ruth's home. They spotted two cars, one in the alley and one a couple of doors down from Ruth's. Again, it was only one man in each car, so they decided to do a lost husband and wife looking for a particular street to the guy parked on the street. William hoped he didn't give this guy too much. But if he did, he did. The guy parked in the alley was handled by Margret showing a bit more of her assets as she walked down the alley toward the car. The guy in the car never felt the punch that turned his lights out. Again, William dosed the guy before putting him in the trunk of the car. This time they put a tow vehicle sticker on the car because it was blocking the alley and would be taken care of almost immediately.

Margret drove this time, as they once more checked the area for insects. Finding none, she pulled into Ruth's driveway and both wasted no time getting into the house, packing Mark and Jane's clothing, and heading to the salon. On the way there they thought a roach mobile was following them, so they took an out-of-the-way route, with the roach mobile still following. Margret knew of a dead-end street where she and Bill could set up an ambush. Both had four clips with them, two with live ammo and two with rubber bullets. If they could, they'd take whoever was in that car down with rubber bullets. But if it got nasty, they wouldn't be following anyone anymore. The car following them pulled up to the dead end, and was about to turn around when the driver found himself staring down the barrel of a .45 ACP, which from his point of view, looked huge. While Margret forced the guy out of his car, Bill came up behind him and gave him his sleepy medicine, which dropped him like a rock. As they'd done with the others, he was placed in the trunk of his car, the keys were taken, and they again placed a tow vehicle sticker on the car. Margret backtracked, checking for more insects, before going to the salon. And what they saw when they arrived was nothing short of a miracle.

After Mark and Jane had been dropped off at Doris's salon, and while Margret and Bill were carrying out Ruth's directions, and bug hunting, Ruth had gone shopping. As they drove to the salon, Ruth and Jane had discussed how Mark should be dressed as Jane's niece. She was fourteen, after all, so she'd just be coming into her womanhood in her appearance to others. They also discussed whether to make what she wore 'scream girl,' or merely 'say girl,' since they were trying to hide Mark from menacing eyes. The pros and cons of each was discussed, even suggestions from Mark were accepted, before settling on just 'saying girl' was chosen. They wanted Jane's niece to look cute, not slutty, which would indeed draw flies. They also settled on her breast development being moderate for a girl that age; a small 'B' cup was decided.

The minute Mark and Jane walked into Doris' salon, Doris took Mark to the back room and had him undress and shower. She and Carol, her life-long partner, then waxed him from head to toe, including his arms chest, and groin area. When they were done, Mark had a few things to say about the experience, but kept them at a whisper least Jane and the two ladies decided his mouth also needed cleansing. He was given a robe to wear as Doris and Carol started their magic, Doris working on Mark's hair while Carol did his fingers and toenails. Carol also worked on Mark's face, first shaping and thinning his eyebrows and then applying makeup after Doris had finished working on Mark's hair.

Once Mark's parents started ignoring him, he let his hair grow long, and it was now down past his shoulders, which he usually kept in a ponytail. Jane, Doris, and Carol discussed the hairstyle that would best help hide Mark's face and settled on a Shag cut which Doris cut so it framed as well as gave his face an entirely different appearance. Bangs would be left to give Mark's face the appearance of being smaller; they would stop just above his eyebrows. After Carol applied makeup to Mark's face, and told him what she was doing while she was doing it, Doris, Carol, and Jane stood in front of Mark and admired the change that had taken place. Mark saw the three women smiling and asked, "May I see?"

A smiling Doris turned the chair so Mark could see himself in the mirror behind him, and was stunned by what he saw. "That's ME? Really? I look nothing like I did when we came here." He then looked at Jane's reflection and asked, "Will this really work, Aunt Jane? I'm not ashamed to admit I'm really scared, more scared than I was going to the detention center."

Jane came up behind Mark, put her arms around him, and told him, "Yes, my sweet boy, it will work. You now look nothing like any photograph that may have been given out to anyone. And when Ruth returns, I have no doubt, you will look even less like your old self."

The Shag cut Doris had given Mark's hair had completely reframed his face. He now had a face that appeared narrower and smaller. Carol's application of makeup had been light but had highlighted Mark's delicate facial features to the point he was very close to being stunningly cute. Couple that with longer fingernails coated with a darker-than-light pink nail polish and no one would mistake Mark Thomas for the boy with a price on his head. No one had noticed when Ruth had returned until she said, "So, who is this very cute girl I see in the mirror?"

Doris and Carol jumped at hearing Ruth's voice, but Jane continued to hug Mark as they heard Mark say, "I'm Rebecca, ma'am. Rebecca Stillman, ma'am. Jane's niece." And when Mark said his new name, it was in a voice that could never be thought of as belonging to any boy.

As Margret and Bill waited up front in the salon the four women took Mark, now Rebecca, to the back room, where they had to quickly teach Rebecca how to dress in the items Ruth had purchased. Mark threw his modesty out the window as he dropped the robe and began putting on the articles of clothing Ruth and Jane started handing him. Jane gave him a gaff, which she explained will help conceal his penis between his legs; shyness had gone out the window along with Mark's modesty. Next, he was handed a pair of panties, then a bra and inserts. Because of the training Mark had received from his tutors, he had a nice waistline, but Ruth and Jane wanted it a bit narrower so a waist nipper was put on Mark. Mark was then given a pair of suntan pantyhose and the instructions on how to put them on. The last item of clothing he was given was a full slip, which stopped about three inches above his knees.

Then came the dress, a light blue, scooped neck trimmed with white lace, fitted at the bodice and falling to just above his knees, with the hem trimmed in the same white lace. It had short sleeves which were also trimmed in white lace. Mark was then told to sit down, but not before being told how to treat the dress before sitting. He swept the back of the dress as he had been told and sat down in one of the chairs in the back room. The finishing touch was a pair of low heel, closed-toe, white patent leather shoes, which Jane herself put on his feet. She then helped him to stand and had him walk around the room, giving pointers on his stance, posture, and steps. The four women stood back watching Mark, now Rebecca, and were amazed at the short amount of time Rebecca had been put together, and with minimal instructions, they saw a young, fourteen-year-old girl walking around the room. Mark Thomas had completely disappeared, and Rebecca Stillman had been born.

It was now 7:30 p.m., and the drive to the train station would take about fifteen minutes. The five women went back out front, where Ruth took Rebecca's hands and told her, "I can't go with you to the train station, I'm rather well known so there might be questions why I'm with a young girl and another woman. And someone might come around asking questions. Where you're going and with whom must be kept quiet as long as possible, I'm truly sorry." She then admonished Rebecca not to cry or she'd mess up the excellently applied makeup. She then handed Rebecca a purse and told her what was inside, things all girls carried in their purses, before telling her, "I'm so very proud of you in the way you've handled this entire affair. I'm very glad to have come to know you and if you'd let me, I'd like to become your grandmother."

Rebecca held back tears with a great effort before telling Ruth, "I'm glad I got to know you too, and I'd be honored to call you my grandmother."

The two held each other for a moment longer before Bill said, "We need to go, Margret and I need to make sure the station is safe before you leave the car."

Rebecca hugged Doris and Carol and told each one, "Thank you very much for what you've done. I'll never forget the both of you." Margret and Bill checked outside of the salon before motioning for Rebecca and Jane to get into Margret's car.

They arrived at the train station, and as they pulled into the parking lot immediately spotted a roach on the left end of the platform. They found a more secluded parking space towards the right end of the station, and it was then they spotted another insect keeping watch. Margret's car was such that passengers in the back seat were hard to see in darkness or when light levels were low. But to be on the safe side, Margret told Jane and Rebecca to get down as she and Bill opened the front doors, turning on the dome light in the process. Once the dome light had shut off, the two sat up again and watched as Margret and Bill calmly strolled toward the station, arm in arm, as a husband and wife couple. When the couple had reached a point where they couldn't be seen by either insect, Bill went to the right while Margret went to the left. If was fortunate for Margret and Bill but unfortunately for the two men to decide to take a smoke break at that precise moment. Both had backed off the platform and were in light shadows watching the platform when both were injected with Mr. Sandman by Bill and Margret. They each caught their man before he completely dropped to the ground, and carried them to an agreed-upon spot before searching each man. Luck had been with them, or it was fate looking over them because no one was in the parking lot during this whole time. Searching the man Margret drugged, revealed a wallet, a set of building keys, coins, and not much else. She memorized the name and number on the man's driver's license before putting everything back into his pocket. Bill did the same but came up with a set of car keys attached to a key fob. He pressed the locator button on the key fob and a sedan's lights flashed once and the horn tweeted. They picked up their packages and carried them to the sadan, as Bill used the key fob again to unlock the trunk. Again their roaches went into the trunk, and again Margret placed a tow vehicle sticker on the car window.

Once the couple was done, they again calmly walked up to the station and onto the platform from the right side. Seeing no more insects infesting the area, Bill took out a small flashlight and flashed the light once in the direction of Margret's car. Seeing the signal, Jane and Rebecca calmly got out of the car, walked to the back, lifted the trunk lid, which Margret had unlocked before leaving, took out their luggage, and calmly walked to the station. Jane and Rebecca then went up to the ticket window where Jane asked for one adult and one child ticket on a sleeper with a bedroom for the 8:05 Eastbound train. She had thought of keeping Rebecca out of sight, buying two adult tickets for a sleeper, but then the porter may have questioned the adult ticket for a child. Instead, she opted for Rebecca to be seen in plain sight, and tickets purchased for one adult and one child on a sleeper with a bedroom. None of the four acknowledged each other as Jane and Rebecca walked out of the station and onto the platform, the illusion of Jane and Rebecca being alone had to be maintained. Margret and Bill kept their heads on swivels, always looking for the person who didn't fit the look of a normal passenger waiting for the train, whose lights could now be seen down the tracks. Bill checked his watch and the train pulled into the station at exactly 7:55 p.m..

Disembarking passengers masked the slight nods the four exchanged, before Jane and Rebecca stood up, picked up their luggage, and walked over to their assigned sleeper car. Jane handed the porter their tickets, who punched them and then helped them get their luggage onto the train. Rebecca gave a quick backward glance at the two people who had helped get her this far, she only hoped she had done the right thing by giving Jane her word of honor. After all, Jane never did finish telling Mark everything he was going to be asked to do. And he knew it.