A Girl in Need Ch. 04

"When Bernard started interfering with Ginny, I secretly put her and Gail on the pill. I had threatened Bernard that if he hurt the girls I would ruin him, but I could never quite figure how to do it. I didn't want him hurting Ginny, but we had nowhere to go and no money at the time. Bernard had no head for money. Eventually, I convinced him to let me look after our finances, and we started to put money aside. He wasn't the only one who could keep secrets, though. I could too. On Sheila's recommendation, I kept a journal detailing when he was with the girls. I have all the dirty details in notebooks hidden away in the house. I made copies of each one so they are in several places, including my safety deposit box at another bank; something else Bernard doesn't know about."

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Jake

At this point I stopped Laura. "Can we use all this material you have in court, or at least as reference material?" She replied, "Yes you can have whatever you want. I will bring it as soon as I can go home and get it. Are you going to be here?" I told her I would. I needed to get all this material from Laura typed up, so I locked up the tape recording till I had access to a secretary. Laura then left, promising that she would be back after the holiday.

I sat back and looked over at Pat. "Can you believe the hate she has for her husband?" She replied, "Absolutely!" and continued, "Laura is in the same position as many women, forced into a loveless marriage that they see no chance of getting out of. It becomes a chore, and if the situation is bad enough, it becomes hate. Honestly, I don't think we have heard the last of it. I am willing to bet that there will be more that comes out. You know the old proverb about a woman scorned!"

I stood up and, with a sigh, admitted, "I don't know about you, but after that I just can't face doing anything more work on this today. How about we go out for a nice peaceful, normal late lunch? We can go to Brenda's; her place does really good soups, sandwiches and pies." Pat replied, "Sounds good to me, but it's my turn to pay."

We left her car at the office and headed over to Oliver's Restaurant. Brenda was our waitress again. I forgot to mention earlier that Brenda is half owner of the place, together with her husband Oliver, who does the cooking and makes fantastic pizza. I asked Pat if she were okay with Pizza, and she was, so we had an Oliver's Supreme. It has a delicious crust with just about everything on it.

After we devoured it, Pat playfully whined, "Jake, in the last two days with you I must have gained at least two pounds." I couldn't help myself, it just slipped out, "Pat, if so, they are a very attractive couple of pounds." What I didn't know was that Brenda was standing behind me and heard every word. Pat blushed as she looked up and saw her.

Brenda looked at Pat and laughed. "Who the heck is this guy you are with, and what did you do with our Jake?"

We couldn't help but join in her laughter when Pat replied, "It must be having to put up with me for a day or so. Actually, underneath the grim cop exterior, he seems pretty human! Maybe he will develop into a keeper; who can tell?"

Then it was my turn to blush as the two of them turned the tables on me.

"Okay, hold it, go easy on me; I'm not used to this kind of mistreatment. Used to be I could come in here and get a quiet lunch, now I get lunch plus a big hassle. Much more of this and I'm going to have to move."

Brenda went back to serve her other customers, and I looked over at Pat. "Do you have to be home early this afternoon?"

"No, as long as I am back in time to have supper with Sean. Why? What do you have in mind?"

"I was just thinking of heading out to my favorite spot to think over what we have learned so far. I like to head out to a place by the lake, because it's quiet and ideal for thinking things out."

Pat got a funny look on her face as she said, "I'd love to see it, but I wonder if there is anything else you are thinking about." "No, just some aspects of this case that kind of disturb me." She went on, "OK, then, that sounds good to me, too. I was really disturbed by some of the things Laura had to say."

We drove out to the lake and down a narrow lane, and suddenly we were out into a clearing where a large redwood cottage was under construction. Pat asked, "Who owns this palace? It's going to be beautiful when it's finished and the yard is done!" I smiled at her look of amazement. "It's owned by a couple of friends of mine. They don't mind me coming out here. I've loved this spot since I was a little boy. Besides, everyone knows that I come out here, so it keeps the thieves away a bit, which they appreciate."

I drove down to the beach where there was a dock with a shelter built on it. We got out of the car and walked out along the dock to the shelter and sat down at the picnic table there. Pat looked around before exclaiming, "This is beautiful! I didn't know any spots like this existed around here. I could sit here all day, and Sean would be delighted with the beach."

"Pat, you and Sean are welcome to use the beach whenever you want. I don't know whether the house will ever be completed, so use the beach whenever you want. If anyone ever asks, just tell them that Jake invited you to use it."

She leant forward, kissed me lightly and said, "Thank you for the invitation. I'll make sure we use it." I thought for a moment before changing the subject. "What did you think of Laura today? Did anything strike you as being a little odd?"

She replied, "Well, I think she and the girls have been through a nightmare, but she seems stronger that one would at first think. To document everything like she did shows an unusual presence of mind. I think that maybe she had been planning for a long time to get even with Bernard, but events overtook her and she wasn't sure what to do. She looked after the girls and at least tried to protect them. They had nowhere to go, no money to go with and, let's face it, even though we have the Crisis Centers for immediate use, there are few long term programs to assist women. I think she functioned really well under the circumstances!"

I interjected, "On the whole, I agree. I still have to consult with the Crown, but I don't think she will ever have to answer any charges regarding the girls. The things I am thinking about are her documentation of their abuse, her handling of the money for the farm and household, and the fact that the day I went out to the house, the cattle were being seized. It makes me think that Laura had already started to implement Bernard's downfall, and Ginny's confessing her abuse to Beth has, in fact, just served to hurry the process on. I agree with you, I don't think we have seen the last of her surprises

"No, maybe not, but I know that I am not going to be in any hurry to make my final recommendations. I still don't think this has fully played out to the end, and I don't think Laura has finished yet"

"I don't think she has either. I think I will spring a surprise of my own, though. I'm going to pick her up at the center and take her to the bank to get the journals from there, just to see if I can shake her up a little!" Pat retorted, "I don't think you will find anything. I think she is genuine!"

I replied, "I think she probably is, too, but everything seems too neat. It just seems so cut and dried; it isn't really natural for all the ducks to fall in a row, the way they are doing. Not in any police work I have done, anyway!"

I relaxed a little, leaning back and just enjoying the view. "I'm going to let my boss know that I'll be working full time on this case after the holiday but, until then, I intend kicking back and enjoying a little time off. Now that I have you out here in my favorite place, and seeing as how it would be a long walk back to town in those heels if you decide to go, I want to take the time to get to know something about who Pat is and what makes her tick. I told you about me, now it's your turn to tell me about you."

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Pat

Well, what should I tell him? Do I want to tell him absolutely everything about me? I suppose if I am ever going to have a relationship with Jake, or anybody else for that matter, they have to know who I am.

"Well, you know that I am living here with my Aunt Chris. She and Mom were born here in Clearville. My grandparents were the Clarks. Mom went to school here and, when she went to University, she took Nursing at UWO in London. She met Dad there while he was studying Law. When they graduated, they married. I was born in London. There were some complications with my birth, and I ended up being the only child they could have."

"I guess I had a pretty normal childhood. I enjoyed school and always got high marks. After doing several terms as an intern with Children's Services, I decided to study Social Sciences and work in the field I am in now. In my first year at UWO, I met Geoff. I met him in the library, where we were both studying, and for a long time that was as far as our relationship went; just a quiet, best friends relationship, with the odd movie, football or hockey game, dinner or just coffee once in a while. Things didn't get intense between us until half way through my last year.

Mom and Dad had taken off to Arizona for six weeks to get some sun. This was their first holiday without me tagging along, as I was too busy in school. On their way home they hit a freak snowstorm in Missouri, and they were hit by a skidding 18 wheeler. Neither of them survived. To say I went to pieces is putting it mildly. If Geoff hadn't been there, I'm sure I would never have made it. He helped me through the funeral, through the probate of their wills, and he kept me going on my studies so that I completed my last year and graduated. We spent so much time together that the inevitable happened and we slept together; not out of love, more like a need we both had for personal comfort. Geoff had been raised in an orphanage. He never knew his parents or anything about them. He needed somebody, and I needed comfort. We enjoyed it. It was pleasant, so we continued and started using condoms. Trouble was, it was too late. I found I was pregnant with Sean two months later."

"I told Geoff that I was pregnant. I also told him that I didn't expect him to marry me, because I didn't really love him in that way, and that, if he wanted access to the baby, I would never try to prevent it. He told me to quit trying to be noble. He explained that he'd known me for years, that he had no doubt that the baby was his, and that he didn't want him or her to grow up not knowing their father. He told me that, if I would have him, he wanted to marry me and help raise our child."

"We got married quietly and finished our year at school. We graduated and became parents five months later. We lived in my house, which I had inherited, and, while things were never really hot between us, we had a respect for each other and pride in our son. Geoff found a position in a law office specializing in estate law, and I stayed home with Sean."

"Why is it that just when things start to get better, fate can take things away from you? Just after Sean was six months old, Geoff came home with a terrible headache. He had always been disposed to them, I knew, but this one couldn't be controlled. It was always there, no matter how many pain killers he took. He went to the University Hospital and, after getting an MRI, they found a growth in his brain. He had two lots of surgery and chemo, but they just couldn't control it. Towards the end he was being given so much morphine to control the pain that he hardly made any sense most of the time. He only had the occasional lucid time when he recognized me."

"Sean and I spent most of our time at his bedside, and we were there when he died. Really, by that time it was a relief. I was glad for Geoff that he was no longer in pain, though I would miss him dearly. He was my rock when I needed one. He had me well prepared, though, and everything was ready, including his insurance and will; he even had insisted on the funeral being prepaid. All I had to do was notify the funeral directors. The only mourners present were Sean, myself, Aunt Chris, a few university friends and some people from his office. Aunt Chris was a gem. She stayed with me for the three months it took until I could get a nurse for Sean arranged and get employment with the London office of Children's Services. Before she left, she made me the offer I finally accepted, for the two of us to come up here and live with her."

"While we were still in London, I dated once in a while, but I never got into anything serious. I find that mentioning that you have a young child usually puts an end to any thought of commitment. Most guys were only interested in a quick roll in the hay. That isn't my style. I'm just not interested in flings. When the right guy comes along, then I'll be ready, but until then my body is my own, and the only guy I really care about is my son."

Just then, and I really don't know why, I added, "But, there is one guy that I definitely want to know better. He keeps giving me these really nice feelings!"

Jake didn't say a thing. He just leaned forward, put his hands on the sides of my head, pulled my lips towards his and kissed me. It began with his lips lightly touching mine, and then he increased the pressure. I opened my lips slightly, and our tongues touched. His arms went around me as he pulled me towards him. My arms went around his neck as if they were acting on their own. Slowly I felt his left hand sliding down my body until it went up inside my jacket and found my breast. His fingers held my nipple and I felt it stiffen, even though I felt his fingers through both my sweater and bra. My thoughts were at war with each other; one part of me wanted him to remove my clothing, and the other cautioned me that we could be seen from the lake. I had a quick series of intense feelings that I had never known. The heat that was generated in my lower body was evidence of my need for him.

Jake stood and lifted me up to stand against him. I could feel his hardness inside his jeans as he pressed against me. "Jake, I can't do this, not here outside, not yet. I want you so much, but I want it to be just between you and me, not out in public where we can be seen. I know it will happen between us, so please let it be where and when we are comfortable and on our own. I'm certainly not prepared right now."

Jake held me to him and said, "You are very wise. The very last thing that I would have thought of when I left this morning was making love to you. I didn't bring any protection with me, and if we did go ahead, we would be taking that same chance that you took with Geoff. I'll just have to wait until things are better for us, even though it will be 'hard'." Then he laughed, grinned at me and said, "But, I'll make you a bet that, someday, we will make love on this dock." I just looked back at him and said, with a big grin, "Dream on, buddy!"

After we sat back down, Jake asked me what I would be doing the next day. I said, "I'm spending tomorrow with my boyfriend, the 8 year old; I've missed him for the last two days. What will you be doing?" He replied, "Well, I'll be going to church with Mom, Dad and the kids, then we'll hang around the pool. Usually I get together with Dad for a session on the company; he keeps me in touch with it."

We then walked back to the car and Jake drove me back to his office to pick up my car. I went on home from there, my mind just spinning with the speed of events. This guy definitely was hot, and I was hot for him. Sometime, somewhere, things were going to happen, and I didn't feel that I had any chance of stopping them - not that I really wanted to. I had never felt about anyone the way I felt about Jake.

Jake had told me he would pick me and Sean up at around 11 in the morning on the Holiday Monday, and I could hardly wait. The case we are working on had retreated way to the back of my mind.

Jake

After Pat left, I went back to the office to find that Al and Sherri had been back and had left me a note. They had found semen stains on three of the four mattresses where it had soaked through the sheets, so there would be plenty of DNA evidence, but it would be at least six weeks before it was being processed. They also found the photo studio in the basement of the house, and had found stains there also. I added the information to the file, and left for Mom's to have supper with Tommy and Anne.

To be continued