Dove's Tale Ch. 08

They knew he was there-he'd been under surveillance since they pinpointed his location.

Sophisticated infrared and heat-sensing equipment had shown exactly where the five people inside were.

But to find the girls, all they had to do was follow the cheers.

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EPILOGUE

The only question when it came to Alexander was whether to try him in the US, or extradite him to Russia. The files Phyllis had sent were just the tip of the iceberg. There was enough on his laptop-money laundering, racketeering, bribing officials, and much much more-to put him away for a dozen lifetimes.

Of course he posted bail, and of course he tried to flee, but they were watching him like a hawk. The instant he got too far away, he was surrounded, handcuffed, and returned to jail.

Now he was a flight risk. No bail allowed.

Staring at hundreds of charges and life in prison, he hung himself in his cell with his own trousers.

A guard saw him in the midst of his preparations. The man-a husband with two teenage daughters-turned his back and walked away.

The FBI and CIA shared the information on Alexander's computer with Interpol, MI6, G-7, and numerous governments. A couple of white slavery rings were broken up, some arrests were made, and a few dozen girls and women were freed-admittedly a drop in the bucket, but small victories are still victories.

Barry cooperated fully with authorities. It turned out the primary reason he was working for Alexander was that he had a sister in Russia, a doctor who had worked for a while with a rebel group. Alexander demanded his loyalty in return for not giving his sister to the Russian government.

He told everything he knew, which admittedly wasn't much, and the girls all agreed he had never been unnecessarily cruel, so he was copped a plea and spent seventeen months in prison.

The US State Department helped his sister immigrate to the US, and when he got out of prison they moved to West Virginia, where she found work at a clinic. He is currently working for a construction company.

The Gary, Indiana reporter who received a copy of Phyllis' email helped the three women write a book. It sold extremely well, helped by Phyllis' and (especially) Kitten's performances on the talk show circuit.

Kitten was a revelation in an interview setting. Having been a slave all her life, she was unfailingly polite, respectful, and soft spoken. She was incapable of lying or embellishing, and there was no guile in her at all.

She didn't try to make herself look good, or wrap things up in a tidy narrative. There was no self-pity or bitterness. She just told what happened.

She left Oprah and Ellen sobbing. She had the Today cast wiping their eyes. Almost every time she spoke, the audience rose as one at the end, applauding and cheering even as the tears rolled down their cheeks.

Trouble was the least interested in being a celebrity. She took back her old name, cut and dyed her hair, and moved to the West Coast, reveling in her anonymity.

There was always one huge shadow. Their book was dedicated 'To Rogue,' but they never found her. Alexander had a huge file on Phyllis, and folders of information on Trouble (now Karen), and Kitten-but absolutely nothing on Rogue.

The girls knew her real name was Pam, and they did everything they could-hiring artists to draw her from their description and flooding the Internet with appeals for help-but none of the hundreds of pictures people sent them were her.

Barry swore she was still alive, battered yes but awake, when he last saw her. He had taken her to a private doctor known for his discretion, to have her injuries treated before they shipped her off.

He agreed that Alexander had said she would be sent to Thailand, but couldn't say for sure-and the doctor in question had vanished the same day news of the raid on Alexander's mansion hit the news.

Phyllis' mutilated hands became an international symbol of the fight against the exploitation of women. Sometimes holding a dove, sometimes in handcuffs, the picture was everywhere.

'If hearing my story helps even a few girls, it was worth it,' she often said, and maybe it did. One more tiny step in the fight.

Phyllis and Kitten got apartments in the same building. Kitten often broke the tension and horror of the story of their captivity by telling funny stories about how little she knew of living in 'the real world,' and she relied on Phyllis to answer questions and be her guide.

One day, she tapped on Phyllis' door, a thick envelope in her hands.

'This is a big day for me,' she said, her voice thick with emotion. 'I've never had a name.'

She ripped open the envelope and pulled out an official-looking document. She stared for a long time, then handed it to Phyllis, with tears in her eyes.

'I hope it's ok,' she said.

Phyllis read the birth certificate.

Katherine Phyllis Free it said.

She looked at the woman who was once a slave named Kitten, her own eyes misting.

'Thank you.'

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EPILOGUE TWO

Katherine stood and fidgeted, her eyes moving from the arrival/departure board to the doorway and back, again and again.

At last, the door opened and the passengers flowed into the terminal. She held up the cardboard sign that read 'Melissa' with trembling hands.

Of course she recognized the woman. She'd seen her picture. She'd stared at it for hours and hours.

The woman-tall, slim, brown-haired and still attractive on the edge of fifty, stopped a few feet away.

'I won't cry, I won't cry,' Katherine thought. She could see the woman's face was already wet with tears.

Melissa went to Phyllis first, and gave her a short, hard hug.

'Thank you so much. For everything.'

Phyllis smiled, her own eyes starting to leak. She gave the woman a gentle nudge on the shoulder.

'Go say hello,' she whispered.

Melissa and Katherine embraced, sharing shameless, joyous tears. At last, the older woman leaned back.

'I'm so proud of you, Katherine,' she said tenderly, and the love in her words and her eyes slipped into Katherine's heart. They found the last vestiges of the slave once known as Kitten, among other names, and gently crushed them, leaving behind only a free woman.

'I'm so glad to meet you,' Katherine said, her voice husky with emotion, and before she broke down completely she managed to say the word she'd been dreaming of saying her entire life.

'Mom.'