For the next seven days, all she did was rest.Taking naps when she wanted had never been anything that she could have done before.The meals were healthy, and while in the hospital, she was given a cookbook as well as a newspaper daily.She was to use it to find herself a job, and she wanted that more than anything.To make her way in this new world that she found herself in.Excitement for this venture would sometimes hit her throughout the day, and she could barely contain herself.Freedom had never been anything that she’d ever considered for herself anymore.
The staff treated her well.They never asked questions, but did continue to call her by her new name.She’d been given a driver’s license when she’d been released, as well as a new address where she was to live.Whatever she expected from that, a small shack was all she figured she’d get; the beautiful house was a big surprise.She even had flowers in the front of the porch that had a single rocking chair on the front of it so that she could see the bay from her home.Betty—or Susan Bash, as she was now to be called thought of herself as one of the luckiest people on earth.
The house was furnished, including food, so she didn’t have to worry about any of that.The second bedroom was also done up in a way that made her think that it was that way because she was now a part of the network.She would do whatever they asked of her for being free from Larry, and she’d pay it back as soon as she could in ways of helping out others who might need her.
Going into the kitchen, she wasn’t surprised to find a list of potential jobs that she could apply for, as well as more rules to go by when someone might come to her home with the network.Those rules were very easy as she wasn’t allowed to say where she was, even if asked, she was to tell the person that she’d find out things on the last part of her journey.That she was going to be responsible for her own bills, including food, after the four months were up.There was even a list of the amounts she’d be paying for things like the cable bill and electricity.
She wasn’t afraid to work where she was needed and wouldn’t be late to work or anything forever, either.Susan was given a chance to do something that few others would have offered her, and she was going to do the best she could from now on.She was alive and safe, and she was going to stay that way even if she had to do one of the messiest jobs there ever was.She’d do it with a smile on her face and goodwill in her heart because someone had given her a hand up when she needed it.
Chapter 2
Aaron listened to the man bitch about someone taking his wife from him.He knew what had happened to her and had had a part in her being ‘kidnapped’ by all the right people.He would have to thank his brother for his part in this, too, as he’d been the cop who had filled out the paperwork for pressing charges against Larry Palmer in the first place.Wherever Betty was, she was in a much better place than she’d been before.
“I have two questions for you.Do you have time to answer them?”He told his brother Zeno that he had plenty of time for him and wanted to know if he wanted to get lunch too.“I’m not off duty yet, and I’ve had lunch already.But I do need some answers.Can you tell me what sort of bullshit the boss is trying to implement at the stationhouse about uniforms?And what part did you have to play in it?You did, didn’t you?”
“I only mentioned that you guys were paying for uniforms that no one was wearing, and that it shouldn’t be taken out of your checks if you’re not wearing the uniform.Secondly, I guess I should have answered it first; he just wants everyone to be uniformly dressed.Did you see that some of your buddies were wearing jogging pants instead of jeans?That’s not very professional.Get with them if you want someone to bitch at.I was only trying to save you money each month.”He asked him why he was against them wearing jeans with their uniform shirts.“I don’t mind the jeans, in fact, I think they look good in a small town setting like we have here, but jogging pants have to go.They looked dirty and unprofessional.I’m serious, get with them if you want someone to yell about with the changes.”
“I will.”Zeno looked around the room before sitting down.“I have a message for you.The last shipment is safe and sound and doing a good job.”
Nodding, he knew that he was talking about Betty.She’d been the last person that they had helped out of town, and it felt good.She’d been beaten up for long enough, and he was happy that the network they had had been able to get her out of town while Larry was in jail.He was still bitching about her being kidnapped, but he never got aggressive with any of them.Hopefully, it was because he knew better, but with Larry, it might just be that he’d not thought about lashing out at one of them.He was just stupid enough to try.
After Zeno left him to his paperwork, it finished up faster than he thought it would.He was just putting it all together with a paperclip when his boss, Erlander Jamison, came in and heavily sat himself in the chair in front of his desk.He would swear on a stack of Bibles that he heard the chair screaming for help.The man had to be pushing five hundred pounds if his guess was worth anything.
“What do you know of the Palmer woman who was kidnapped from the hospital?”Aaron didn’t so much as blink at the man.“I don’t know how he figures a grown woman could be kidnapped, but that’s what he’s saying.You want to know what I think?”Aaron nodded.“I think she left the little shitter and good for her.He was knocking her around more than I do that old bowling ball of mine on Saturday afternoon at the league house.”
“He keeps talking like the police had something to do with it, and he’ll not be able to drive five feet without getting a ticket.What does he think we do, have an underground railroad or something?”Earl, short for Erlander, said he’d like to think that there is less to it than just someone helping a poor woman out.“I don’t know what you mean by that.”
“You know, someone in my department being a part of…what did you call it?”Aaron told him.“Yeah, that’s it.Underground railroad indeed.Stupid jerk.He needs to get up off his ass and find himself a job instead of hitting up on a woman who worked hard all her life, only to end up with him.Well, I for one am glad that she’s got away.Won’t help him find her either.”
“It’s doubtful that anyone in this department will help him.The way he’s been spouting off thatwe knew all about it won’t get him any help around here.”He asked him where he thought they might be hiding her.“I don’t know.I did allow him to look in all the cells when he was released.That didn’t appease him any.He must think we have her holed up in some house around here.”
Aaron had been a part, well, his entire family had been a part of the network for the last fifteen years.They didn’t do it often; they didn’t want to have a lot of women and men disappearing off the face of the earth without raising suspicion.But they helped when the cases were really bad, as in the case of Betty Palmer.
At first, she’d only been showing up at the hospital once in a while.Everyone who knew Larry knew that he was beating her.But nowadays it was more like two or three times a week.And the last three had been horrific.He’d seen the pictures of her leg the time before last and knew that even as a tiger, he’d be hurting a great deal, and she’d only been a human.The last time had ended up with her having a concussion, and that’s why they had moved her so quickly.He was escalating, and they were afraid that he’d end up killing her if they didn’t do something soon.They’d been ready for her since she’d hurt her leg and was just getting things in order when she’d come in that last time.Christ, why did humans have to feel good about beating one another up?He’d never understand it.
After he was finished for the day, he headed home again.He was to have dinner with his parents tonight and was looking forward to it.Every Saturday, like clockwork, they’d get together for dinner as a family, and so far it had worked out better than even their mom thought that it did.It was her that had gotten the entire networking project started.But nowadays they stayed out of it for fear someone would know what they were doing, and it wouldn’t bode well for the people they were helping.
Giving his dad a hug, Aaron was happy that he was the first one to arrive.He wasn’t jealous of his brothers being around their parents, but he loved having them all to himself for a change.Mom was fixing up dinner, and Dad was sitting in his office, going over files from his work for the day.Dad was a doctor of the finest order, and Mom, being a registered nurse, assisted him when he needed help.His brother Reagan had followed in their dad’s footsteps and had become a doctor as well.It was good for the family to have everyone working around town, too.
“I’ve been giving some serious thought about the way things are going in the office of the Mayor.Do you suppose he has any idea that he’s an idiot?I just ask because you have to deal with him more than I do.Is he as stupid as I think that he is?”Without hesitation, Aaron told his dad yes, that he was far more stupid than even his dad knew.“I thought as much.I read about what he said after the school shooting.Did he even realize that the shooters were killed not by him but by some of the police officers in his town?The way he made it sound was that he was on-site when the boys showed up and talked them out of shooting anyone.I suppose that’s because he would have confused them, but he didn’t say that.”
“I guess he wasn’t even on site when asked to be there.He was at a ladies’ luncheon on the other side of town, where he was eating with the chief of police, Jamison.The only reason that Jamison showed up was because he’d heard that the Feds had shown up, and he wanted to see what one of his officers had done again.They both are idiots if you ask me.”Dad laughed, and he joined him.“The luncheon was for him to be able to ask for donations for the next election.Both of them are worried that they’re not running without someone against them.That’s what they’re saying: someone is running against them.If they were to get their head out of their asses and get a clue, there wouldn’t be anyoneagainstthem.”
“Your mom said she’d run if she didn’t have so much to do around here.I believe that she could win, too.She’s well-liked and has a good head on her shoulders.”He thought about his mom running for Mayor, and she’d have his vote.Even as chief of police, she’d do a better job than the man who was in there now.“I told her that she should do it, and you know how she can get when pressed.I’d tease her about it, but I’m sure that she could do the job hands down and not have to quit a thing that she does around here.Though I won’t admit this to anyone, but I have no idea what she does around here with the staff doing most of the housework.Don’t tell her I said that, son.We’ll both be in the dog house.”
“No, I won’t say anything.”Dad had mentioned before that he thought that Mom could do anything she set her mind to, and that included his little practice.She knew more about doctoring than he did, he’d say, and she’d agree with him.His parents got along well, and he couldn’t have loved them more than he did today.Except for tomorrow, he’d love them even more.They were the best role models and parents anyone could ask for.“Did you hear about Betty Palmer?”
“I did.One of ours, I take it.”Aaron told his dad that she was, and that would be all that was said about her.Instead of giving him details, he, like Mom, preferred to not have anything that might slip out when talking to someone.Not that he thought they’d ever do that, but they didn’t want to take a chance.He didn’t blame them; what they did could hurt a lot of people.“What do you know about the football team this season?Do you think they have what it takes to be a champion again?Last year, we nearly made it all the way to the playoffs.I’m hoping this year they’ll be a bit better.”
They talked about the local high school team for the next hour or so.The others joined them, but Darius was running late.He was teaching at the local college and had been having a little bit of trouble getting out of the building.He’d never tell them this, but it was because he was so good-looking that he had to hide from the young college students, the females, and some males in order to get home.He was a good professor, too.Voted the best teacher at the school four years running.Aaron was proud of all his brothers, but especially fond of Daruis.He was the youngest of all of them and seemed to have the hardest time with women.He loved the kid for that.
When they were called to dinner, they all waited until their mom was seated before they started eating.She would be embarrassed, but he knew that she loved the fact that they all waited on her.She was the love of his life, and he knew that he’d never find another woman like her for as long as he lived.Mom was perfect in every way he knew.
Dinner was a loud affair with all of them having an opinion on whatever topic that was being discussed.It was good, clean fun, and they never got seriously mad at one another, so it was also a great stress reliever as well.Once dinner was over and all the plates cleared away, they’d go into the living room and talk more.But in this room, it was quieter and seemed to have a purpose, not like the one in the dining room, where it was a free-for-all on who won the biggest argument.
“I need your help, Aaron.”He told his mom that he’d move heaven and earth for her.“Not so much all that, but it is something big.I need for you to go to your grandparents’ house tomorrow and see what is happening with their front door.Your grandmother swears that it’s ringing because your grandfather fiddled with it, and he swears that it’s haunted.I don’t know what’s wrong with the doorbell, but it rings all the time, even late at night.They’ve gotten to the point where they say that they want to sell the house.I guess it’s interrupting their sleep.”He asked if grandda did fiddle with the door.“He says no, but my mom said that he’s forever thinking that he’s some kind of wizard about fixing things, and drags his tool bag all over the place to fix things.I think dad needs a job, but I’m staying out of it.”
“Did you tell him that he needed a job?”She said she might have mentioned it.“I’ll have to know if I’m going to be looking in the want ads for him.He’ll be bagging up groceries if we don’t watch him, and the store manager won’t have hired him.”
