A Girl in Need Ch. 04

Continuing the story of the romance between Jake (Our Police officer) and Pat (our Child Services worker) both are single parents. Set against the backdrop of an active investigation into child abuse that they are both intimately involved with. This story won't make a whole lot of sense without reading parts 1, 2, and 3. All names are figments of the writer's imagination and are not depictions of any places or persons living or dead apart from some real cities that somehow got into the script. Parts of the story are based on real events which have had parts changed to avoid identifying those events. As to what is real and what isn't, I leave to the reader to decide. I also have to thank my partner in crime, Yellow Peril, without whose editing, I shudder to think of the result.

Jake

After Pat went home last night, I really couldn't believe the way that I felt; while I still felt love for Jenny, it was as if she had finally convinced me to let her go and move on with my life.

I had a restless night's sleep, filled with lots of dreams, mostly of Pat. I would have willingly taken her to bed last night, had I not felt that it might have been just a reaction to the day that we had had. Today should be quieter; we were only going to interview Laura Jacobs and set up the crime scene investigators. Maybe I would have time to see my kids for a while this afternoon. I sure missed them last night, even though I had talked to them on the phone.

I arrived at the office around eight, and was delighted to find Sherry Deline and Al Jones of the crime lab waiting for me. They were two investigators that I had lots of confidence in."What do you have for us?" Al asked. "Something challenging, I hope." I brought them up to date on the situation they were facing.

"I have Bernard Jacobs charged with several counts of sexual assault, so what I am looking for is specific evidence that he was ever in the girls' beds, especially any body fluids. Just to be sure, treat all bedrooms the same as things could have happened differently than the girls remembered. Also, we found photographs of the girls, the mother and other females. There is a digital camera in the desk drawer, and we have already seized a laptop computer and pictures. The photos don't seem to be taken in the bedrooms, so there may be a studio in the house or outbuildings. Also, look for any hiding spots; we found one in the study beneath the floor. Al, I'll have Tony show you the way to the house. I have a different little job for Sheri. All she will need is a camera." Al replied with a nod, "Okay, Jake, that seems clear enough. In other words, give the place a good going over."

"That's just about it, Al." Turning to Tony, I asked him, "Are you ok with this?" and got his nod in reply. "Sherri, would you please get your camera and come with me? What I want is a set of photos of Laura Jacobs showing the bruises she has from her husband, as most of them are in places hidden from public view." Smiling, I continued, "I don't think she is likely to let me take them. It shouldn't take long. She is at the Crisis Centre, and I don't think they will do anything to hinder us there." Just as Sherri and I were about to depart, Tony came up to me. "Boss, can I ask you a personal question? What happened to you? Yesterday you were as serious as can be, just like you have been for the last two years. This morning you breeze in like you actually enjoy being here. You are still right on the ball, but you are acting like a different person. I don't mind, you understand, and I hope it stays that way, but what happened?"I put on a serious expression before answering, "Watch it, buddy! I know you're only sucking up because you know performance reviews are coming up."

Then I couldn't help it and had to laugh as I carried on. "I don't know what the difference is, but I feel like a new person. It's been a long time coming."

Tony looked at me quizzically, then laughed. "If you ask me, Pat Williams is what happened; the immovable object met the irrestible force and has moved quite a bit." With that, he left for his car, laughing as he went, and Al followed in the Identification Unit van.

Sherri and I went over to my car, where she asked, "Is the wife in bad shape, Jake?"

"The scars and bruises I could see seem to be healing," I replied. "Whether she will let you see the rest, I just don't know. I hope so; it could really improve our case and would go a long way toward negating any criminal charges against her. If she can be shown to be acting under coercion, then it gives her an out!"

When we arrived at the Crisis Centre, Cathy was the counselor on duty. She was an old yoga buddy of mine, and as soon as she saw me she exclaimed, "Jake, I haven't seen you in a coon's age! Where have you been hiding?"

"Cathy, I don't know if you heard, but Jenny was killed in an accident about two years ago. It kind of took the urge for yoga and weight training right out of me. I'm feeling better now, and am going to have to get back in to it soon." Cathy looked shaken. "No, I hadn't heard, and I didn't see anything about it in the paper. I'm so sorry to hear that!" I told her the funeral had been in Ottawa, as she was buried near her father. Cathy had been away completing her education at the time.

I got back to business. "Anyway, Cathy, the reason we are here is to see Laura Jacobs. I want Sherri to get some photos of her bruises after being beaten by her husband. Can you take Sherri in to see Laura? Also, I'd like a little chat with Ginny Jacobs. I'll be in the kitchen helping myself to coffee." Isobel Laur, an older volunteer, yelled out from the kitchen, "Come on in, Jake, we promise not to bite!"

I sat chatting with the women in the kitchen for a few minutes until Cathy came in and informed me that Ginny was waiting in the office. I got up and went through to the office to find Ginny looking unsure of herself and sitting huddled in the corner, as if for protection. My heart went out to her.

"Hello, Ginny. Please, you don't have to worry about a thing - everything is ok. Are you comfortable with your Mom being here at the center with you?"

"Yes, I really like having her with me, but where are my sisters? I miss them."

"Right now, they are living with Mr. and Mrs. Brooks until we get this all straightened out."

"I know them! Their daughter, Monica, is in grade 11 at my school. They are really nice. But what's going to happen to my Dad?"

"He is going to appear in court next week, when it will be decided if he gets bail or not. If he does, he will be prohibited from approaching you, your sisters or your Mom. I do have a question for you, though, if you feel up to answering." She looked at me quizzically. "I'll try."

"Did you tell your Mom what your Dad was doing to you?"

She nodded, "Yes, the very first day he came to my room."

"What did your Mom do about it?"

She went up to Dad and said to him, "If you hurt my daughters, I'll ruin your life. It may take me a long time, but if you aren't dead you will wish you were."

"What did your Dad do?"

"He stood up and slapped her across the face, then hit her three or four times, saying she had better be careful, or he would really hurt her."

"Did your Dad hit your Mom a lot?"

"Almost every week."

"Thank you, Ginny," I said. "What you have told me clears up any questions I had about your Mom."

Just then Sherri walked frowning into the office. "I have what you asked for. Whoever did that really used her as a punching bag! He must have a real mean streak."

I told Ginny what was going on, and reassured her that I would see her in a few days. Then Sherri and I left. I dropped her off at the Jacobs' place to catch up with Al while I went back to the office to write up my notes.

At about 10.30 that morning, I was sitting in the coffee room when I saw Pat walk in the office door. I went out, took her coat and seemed to lose my head for a moment. She was dressed in a black sweater that emphasized her breasts, and black pants that fitted her lower body very well. She almost took my breath away. I whispered to her, "If we weren't in the middle of the office, I would kiss you right now." She just smiled back at me as I took her into my office.

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Pat

I got up that morning, wondering what lay ahead. First I decided to take a nice, relaxing bubble bath. Then I dressed in a robe and got to the table just as Aunt Chris and Sean sat down for breakfast. I ate with them, and then played a game with Sean before getting him ready for a trip to the stores with my Aunt. As Chris got ready, she looked at me with a smile. "I heard the bath running and smelled the bubble bath; I wonder, just what kind of work is this today?"

I just laughed at her and said, "We are interviewing a battered woman today, so I have to look good." Looking back over her shoulder, she remarked, "This must be some cop you're working with! I wonder if I know him?" She had a grin on her face a mile wide. I really wondered, What does she know that she isn't telling me?

I don't know what got into me, but I decided to go for the casual look. I decided on a figure hugging black sweater with tight black pants, finishing it off with a short jacket and boots. Looking at myself in the mirror, I thought to myself, Well, you're really going to make him regret not taking you to bed last night. I felt really good about myself, for a change. It has been so long since I last dressed up to make an impression on a man!

When I walked into the police station, Jake was in the coffee room, right at the back of the office. He came out to meet me and, as he walked up to meet me, the expression on his face was priceless. His smile was dazzling, and he seemed a bit taken aback. He took my coat from me and whispered, "If we weren't in the middle of the office, I would kiss you right now." That was the exact impression I had wanted to make. I couldn't believe the way I felt about Jake, especially since I had met him only yesterday. I still thought about Geoff, but our love had been more like a quiet togetherness than one built on passion. With Jake, there was a flame burning between us, and the closer we were, the hotter it got.

In Jake's office, we spent some time talking about the progress of the case, and he brought me up to date with the events of the morning. He told me about Laura Jacobs being badly beaten, and we discussed how my office could provide counseling for the girls. Jake wanted to make sure that Ginny wasn't left out. Everything had started when she was much younger, so she should be included. Jake had been told that Bernard Jacobs would be attending a bail hearing next Friday. He thought Jacobs would probably be released on bail, so the Crown would be asking for the bail conditions to be that he had to stay away from Laura and the girls, and that he also had report to the Police daily.

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Jake

After about 15 minutes, Laura Jacobs arrived at the station and I brought her into my office. I closed the door for privacy. I first made sure she felt comfortable, and then I introduced Pat as the Children's Services case officer who had looked after her daughters.

Laura turned to Pat and said, "Thank you for what you have done for my girls. All I want is to have my girls back with me."

I started the recorder and began the interview.

"Laura, I have to interview you, as painful as it may be. So far, from what I have learned, I do not think you have played an active role supporting what your husband has done, so I am treating you as both a witness and a victim. If, during any part of the interview I begin to think that you may have committed any crime, I will stop the interview and advise you of your rights. You are welcome to have legal representation. Do you understand what I have said?" She replied, "Yes I do." I then asked, "Do you wish to have a lawyer present?" to which she replied, "No," so I continued. "What your husband is alleged to have done is called Incest."

At that point Laura amazed me. She held up her hand as if to stop things, and asked, "For it to be incest, doesn't there have to be a blood relationship? I don't want him getting off on a technicality, but Bernard Jacobs isn't the father of any of my girls!" I heard Pat's gasp even over mine. I could hardly believe what I had heard.

Laura continued, "Let me explain. I grew up in a religious community in the Ottawa Valley. One of the big beliefs was that you obey your father in all things. I was 17 years old. Bernard was 23, had been to Divinity College and was the assistant Pastor in our community. He was always hanging round our place looking at me; I thought he was a creep."

"Next to our farm was the Forbes place. I went to school with their children, Colin, who was the same age as I was, and his sister Jessie, who was two years younger. I was allowed to go to their place as long as Jessie was there; I wasn't supposed to be alone with Colin. Colin and I got along fine, and Jessie would always leave us alone if we asked. As we grew up as teens, Colin and I had developed real feelings of attraction toward each other. Of course, we knew what some of the other kids at school did, but there was never anything between us other than some heavy kissing and light petting. We had talked about finishing school and getting married (daydreams for both of us), but we hadn't got really serious."

"About two months before my 17^th birthday, we were sitting together at supper and chattering away as kids do, and we got talking about our plans for our last year in high school. My father looked over at me and told me that there would be no need for me to go to school for my last year. As a wife, I would not need more education. Assistant Pastor Jacobs had been offered a post as Pastor at a congregation in the north, near Clearville. He had asked for my hand in marriage, and my father told me that I would be married to him on my 17^th birthday."

"I couldn't believe what I had heard. It came right out of the blue. I then told him that I loved Colin and I wanted to marry him. He then told me that I could not marry outside the church, and that I would marry whomever he tells me to marry. He said that Pastor Jacobs was a fine man, and that I would come to love him in time."

"I ran crying to the room I shared with my sister. My mother followed me up the stairs, where she hugged me and told me that my father wanted only the best for me. She said he was just using his right to decide, as her father did for her."

"Our bedroom overlooked the roof of a summer kitchen on the side of the house that had a fairly low side, and it was easy to reach the ground. That night, after my parents had gone to bed, was the first time that I slipped across that roof and went in search of Colin. He lived in a single floor house, and I could easily reach his window with a short stick. I rapped on his window, and he opened it, almost as if he had been waiting for me. I told him that I needed to talk to him, and he told me he'd be right out."

"He came out the back door and, to avoid being heard, we went across to the barn. We sat there on a bale of straw. Colin had his arm around me, as I was shaking and scared, while I told him what my father had said. Colin got upset and told me my father couldn't do that, it was against my rights! I told him that, in my church, women don't have any rights; they do as their men folk tell them."

"Then Colin said we could run away together, but I told him I was scared that they would come after us, that I was only 16 and I thought they could make me come back. I also thought that if I did successfully run away, then I would lose all contact with my family, and they would be forbidden to speak to me again. Since my father was the one trying to do this to me, I wouldn't be bothered about never seeing him again, but I would miss having my Mother and sister around. I loved them and would really miss them. All I could think of was us making the best of the time we had left before I had to marry Pastor Jacobs."

"Colin took me in his arms and kissed me. He promised me that we would have the chance to be together sometime in our lives, and that he would wait for that time. I took this as teen talk at the time. He kissed me again, this time full on the lips, for far longer and more urgently. Eventually we made love in the hay, madly and crazily, without ever thinking about protection. We didn't know anything about sex, other than the little we had learnt in school. Our parents had never talked to us about it, so we were just asking for trouble. This was just the first night of many during the next 5 weeks. We didn't have sex every time, but we did on many such nights."

"Eventually the worst happened. I came back across the roof and when I climbed into our bedroom, I was faced with my father and mother. My father asked me where I had been, and I told him I had gone to meet Colin, that I loved him and wanted to marry him. My father started removing his leather belt, telling me I would marry whomever he told me to, and started beating me. He beat me so badly that when I became Bernard's wife three weeks later, I was still bruised."

"Bernard and I were married early in the day. There was a little celebration before he drove me to Clearville, where we stayed at a hotel for a few days. The first night we were there, we went to our room where Bernard told me to take off my clothes. I was in a panic as to what he was going to do. Sure enough, as soon as I was naked, he took off his belt and told me he was going to beat Colin Forbes out of me. He beat me until I screamed, then threw me down on the bed and had sex with me."

"It was just a few days later that I started suffering from morning sickness. I was able to hide it for a while. I was sure that the baby had to be Colin's. When I finally told Bernard that I was pregnant, he immediately took it that the baby was his. He said, "Praise the lord, my seed is planted." When I told him that I wanted a doctor, he just brought me into town and let me choose. I told him I wanted a woman Doctor, not a man. He agreed with that, as he didn't think it right that a Pastor's wife should be seen intimately by another man."

"That's how I met Dr. Sheila Wallace. She became a confidante and friend, as well as a Doctor. Thanks to all the beatings I received, even while I was pregnant, I began to hate my husband, and decided that after the birth of the baby if the baby were not Bernard's, I would try to make sure that he never got me pregnant. When Ginny was born, Sheila had her blood tested with the result that there was almost no chance that Bernard was the father. She started supplying me with spermicidal cream that I kept hidden. I used it every night, and managed to avoid sex most of the times when I was most fertile. When the IUD came out, Sheila fitted me with one so I no longer had to use the creams. Bernard was never the most interested lover; as long as he got off, he didn't care about how I felt, so I was never in much danger of being found out."

"Twice, I got away from him. When my father started having heart trouble, I had Sheila remove the IUD and went back to the valley to help nurse him. For the entire month that I was there, I slept with Colin just about daily. I couldn't get enough of his love. I needed him inside me, someone who cared for me, and I never made him use any kind of protection. Of course I conceived again. Once I got home, I made a big fuss over Bernard, telling him how I had missed him, and I don't think he ever even suspected that Gail was not his daughter. After Gail was born, Sheila fitted me with an IUD again. The next time I went back to the valley, when my mother had breast cancer, I deliberately had Sheila remove the IUD again. I worked out with my sister that I would look after Mom during the day, and she would be there at night. That way I could live with Colin at his place. He had never married, and, to this day, I haven't told him that he has three daughters."