No Controlling Legal Authority Ch. 08

"What about that one?" she asked, pointing to the screen behind him.

"I lied. Told him there wasn't anything on it to worry about."

"He believed you?"

"I doubt it. He said this one was safe for the moment, because the judge had refused to issue a warrant to search the school without more proof that something was actually going on here which would involve the school."

"But, you're still worried?"

"Of course, wouldn't you be?"

"Probably. So what is it on there you're so desperate to dispose of?

"Pictures."

"Of?"

"You. Caruthers' photos."

"Rufus! Is there no limit to you, man?" She was astounded at the callousness, the lack of compassion in him, and nearly wretched in anger.

"I needed the money. The thirteen hundred. I took it out of our savings, and I was afraid that Imogene would find out about it and get suspicious, so I was trying to sell some of them, copies you know, and get some of the money back."

"Goddamn you, Rufus Justice, what else do you have to tell me, that I ought to know?"

"They're looking for you too, Anne. They asked about you by name, wanted your address and phone number, too."

A chill shot up her spine, and she wrapped her arms around her body to still her shaking. The specter of the orphanage never left her, so she guarded her privacy carefully. She lived in another town, several miles away from school, and her phone number was unlisted. "Did you give it to them?"

"Obviously not, or they would have been by to see you already."

"They could have missed me last night. I was detained by Archie in the `Swimmer's Lounge;' that's `swimmer's' in the singular, by the way, you do remember that, don't you, asshole?"

"I didn't tell them," he replied sheepishly. "I told them that information was here at the school, and that I didn't keep personnel files or information at my home. I guess, since they didn't have a warrant to search the school, they didn't press the issue, but I bet they'll be here today, any minute in fact.

"What did they want with me? Did they say?"

"Just to talk to you, to find out what you knew about the orphanage, and what went on there while you were there. They said they had checked the State's placement records to identify the children who had been put there and were trying to locate all of them, but weren't having much luck, so far."

"Why are they doing that? I mean, they're just after you guys for spreading that stuff around, aren't they? That's what Postal Inspectors do; investigate crimes involving the mail and the Internet."

"According to Nancy's attorney, they may be after the Caruthers for producing, instead of just distributing."

"Her lawyer?"

"Yeah. Nancy called me after the feds left and told me to get over to her lawyer's place and tell him everything that happened, so I went."

"Go on."

"He tells me that producers are the really big fish that the feds usually are looking for in these cases, and that `producing' carries a much heavier penalty than just passing the pictures around to your friends. He figures the raid was to get evidence about the distribution network, with pictures of you and the other kids showing up on everybody's computer. Then, when they find you, and you identify yourself and the others and tell them how it was the Caruthers who staged the photos and made the pictures, and they establish how old you all were at the time, they'll have enough evidence to convict both of them for producing and trafficking and to put them away for a long time."

"Ohhh," she sighed, suddenly feeling very vulnerable. She had run away from her past and the nightmare that was the Caruthers' Children's Home for Orphans, and had put it behind her, yet here it was again, dogging her heels relentlessly, and her stomach knotted in fear. "They'll want me to testify against Cletus and Nadeen, won't they?"

"That's the consensus."

She grimaced and willed her stomach to behave. Calm down and think, she told herself, and her nasty voice chimed in saying, lordy, lordy, girl, are you in a heap of trouble or what? You don't think for a minute that Cletus and Nadeen'll let you git up on a witness stand and tell some jury about all them thangs Cletus and the others done to you back then, and how Nadeen set it all up and took them pictures while they done it, do you? Don't kid yourself. Why ole Cletus'd just as soon wring your neck and pop your head clean off, as to let you testify against him. You remember them big hands of his, don't you, and how he used to catch chickens for Sunday supper and wring they's necks and pop they's heads, and them chickens'ud run all over the yard, flappin and bleedin, till they run out of gas and fell over daid. That'd be you, girl, neck wrung and headless, plumb outa gas and lyin in the grass, daid. "Jesus!" she exclaimed. "If Cletus and Nadeen hear about that, they'll be after me in a heartbeat."

"That's very probable, Anne, and I'm afraid it's not a question of `if' but `when.'"

"What? You mean they know already?" Fear flickered in her eyes, and she glanced reflexively over her shoulder toward the closed door.

"Who knows, but just because I can't get in touch with them, doesn't mean Nancy can't."

"Damn, you're right," she responded and bit her lip in consternation. She looked at him sharply and continued, "When were you planning to warn me about this, Rufus, or were you just going to let Cletus and Nadeen show up on my doorstep one night?"

"Anne, I..."

"Forget it. It was foolish of me to think anything you and I did meant anything to you."

"That's not true."

"Yeah, right," she jeered, "save your denials for somebody else, Rufus, and just tell me the truth for once. Is there anything else you haven't told me yet?"

"No, Anne, I swear. You know everything I know."

"Ok. I'll accept that for now. But, Rufus?"

"Yes?"

"You've told me so many lies and screwed me figuratively and literally so many ways, that I don't trust you any further than I can throw your despicable ass."

"I know."

"Good, just so we understand each other. Now, move and let me get to work on that computer."