 
    --===Net Wolf | Justice Seven | Episode 10: The Case of the Counterfeit
                                Cinderella===--
 
Justice Seven
 
Episode 10: The Case of the Counterfeit Cinderella
 


Author's Note: Special thanks to J.A.W. for providing the idea for this
episode.
 


...---=== http://netwolf.wolfpub.org ===---...
 


Jean opened the door to the meeting room, and stepped in. She was in the local
library as she had been instructed when she'd contacted the MDSA, via email,
to request an appointment.
 
Sitting at the table was a middle-aged white male, approximately six feet
tall, with speckled gray hair and brown eyes. Loki nodded to the young lady,
and motioned for her to sit down across from him. On the table was a computer
with a camera attached, facing her seat.
 
As Jean sat down, Loki typed a message to Luke, who was sitting with Lori, Jim
and Andie in another room in the library. They all sat and watched the
monitor, which showed the text box with Loki's message, and a video window,
showing the aristocratic blonde who had just sat down at the table.
 
"My name is Jean Richars," the young lady said. "My father is Charles Richars,
a senior partner at Richars, Baird and Cooley.
 
"My parents divorced a few years ago, and accordingly, I spend summers with my
mother in Connecticut, and I spend the school year here, with my father.
 
"In the middle of last summer, I got a letter from my best friend, Liz
Woodward, in which she told me that her father had died. That was the last
communication I had from her until I got back to town. For several weeks, I
was too busy with schoolwork to try to contact her, and then when I did, she
was too busy to talk much, or to see me. She isn't attending Rose Creek
Academy this year, as we have both always done, which makes seeing her more
difficult.
 
"I did some snooping on my own, and I found out some things that disturbed me.
She is attending public school this year, at Highlands High School." She made
it sound like a supreme insult to be going there. "I went to see her, and she
looks horrible. Really, she's very attractive, but you'd never know it to look
at her now. She is wearing old, baggy clothes, and you can tell she's not had
her hair dyed recently, because you can see the color change. It looks awful.
 
"Her sisters, on the other hand, are still dressing in style. She has two
sisters, Margie and Belinda, aged eleven and eight, respectively. They are
wearing brand new clothes and shoes, and they make Liz drive them around
wherever they want to go.
 
"I've been out to their house several times without knocking on the door, and
it seems like their mother is never home. I can only make assumptions about
where she is all the time. Even when she *is* home, it seems like Liz is still
doing all the work.
 
"Her father was quite wealthy, and I assume that the money from his estate
went to his wife, which means they can't be hurting for income. I can only
think that Liz is dressing like she is and acting like she is because her
mother is forcing her to."
 


-----
 


In the other room, Luke said, "Trying to be awfully grown up, isn't she?"
 
Lori said, "Sounds like it. Sounds like she's trying to be a lawyer, like her
dad."
 
"Could be."
 
"My question is," Jim said, "what does she want from us?"
 
"Good question," Luke said, and typed a message to Loki.
 


-----
 


Loki looked down at the message on his screen, and then back at Jean. He
asked, "So, what would you like us to do?"
 
Jean replied, "Ultimately, I want my friend back. We used to go to parties
together and hang out at the mall, buying clothes and such whenever we wanted.
We even used to double-date once in a while. I want to know what her
stepmother is holding over her to make her act like this. I want you to find
out what's really going on. I know that I don't have all the facts, and before
I go making public accusations to social services or the police, I want to
know exactly what I'm talking about."
 
Loki waited to receive another message from the other room. When it appeared,
he sighed.
 
"Very well, we accept your case. Our rate is thirty dollars a day for every
day we actually work on your case. Due to the nature of the business, we may
not be working every day. You will receive an invoice that shows what work has
been done."
 
"Your rates seem reasonable, but I will want updates at least weekly."
 
Loki looked down to see if they were going to have a problem with that. He
looked up and said, "Very well, we can accommodate that."
 
"Do you accept American Express?" Jean asked, pulling out her wallet.
 
"Only through PayPal, and there is a five percent surcharge," Loki said. "We
accept cash, money order, and cashier's check. We also accept personal checks,
but there is a ten percent surcharge for those."
 
"When will you start?" Jean asked brusquely.
 
After another glance downward, Loki said, "Tomorrow." He turned the laptop
around after blanking it and opening a new window, then said, "Enter your
friend's contact information in here, as well as anything else you feel is
important. Include your own contact information near the bottom."
 


...---=== http://netwolf.wolfpub.org ===---...
 


Akira and Luke sat side by side in the computer lab. It was after school, but
the lab was open for another hour, so that students who didn't own computers
could still work on projects. Of course, like any good computer lab, all the
machines had Internet access.
 
The two boys were attacking the same problem from two different directions.
Luke was looking through public court records, trying to find any mention of
Robert Woodward, his wife, or his daughter. Meanwhile, Akira was searching the
county clerk's records, seeing if anything turned up through that.
 
The two sat in silence, typing rapidly on their keyboards, skimming through
the data on their screens. After twenty minutes, Luke finally spoke up.
 
"Well, here's something," he said.
 
"What is it?" Akira asked.
 
"It appears that someone is contesting Robert Woodward's will."
 
"Who?"
 
"Well, there are two pairs of people. George and Amelia Woodward, and Gary and
Wilma Gronau."
 
"Relatives, then. Perhaps grandparents?"
 
"That'd be a good bet."
 
"I am not entirely familiar with American law yet. What would contesting a
will mean, exactly?"
 
"Well, it means that you're telling the court that you don't believe the will
is legitimate, for some reason. Usually, people do it when their relatives
leave everything they own to their cat, or something similarly absurd."
 
"I see. So, what happens to the estate, when the will is contested?"
 
"It sits. Since the will is being contested, the money is basically
untouchable until the court decides whether the will is legitimate or not.
What this means is that Cathy Woodward can't touch her husband's money."
 
"So they are, perhaps, in monetary trouble?"
 
"Yeah, they could be. Are you finding anything?"
 
"No. I have found the deed to their house, but that doesn't tell us anything,
does it?"
 
"Not really."
 
Just then, the door to the lab opened. Akira was turned such that he saw who
was at the door, but Luke had his back to the door.
 
Akira said, "I can continue checking these records from home this evening. If
you don't mind, I need to go." He blushed, and said, "I have a date."
 
"Oh, sure, no prob. Talk to you later."
 
As Akira got up and walked to the door, Luke naturally turned to watch him
leave. It was only then that he saw the person standing at the door, but only
for a second.
 
*Was that Zoe?*
 


-----
 


Akira walked Zoe to his car, and they took off for the arcade. It was the
second time they had gone out, but he didn't feel as though they were a
couple, just that they were dating.
 
Once at the arcade, they decided to play a side-by-side racing game. They
wasted many dollars trying to beat each other around the track. After that,
they went and got some pizza and soda, and sat at a table to eat it.
 
"So, how are you liking America?" Zoe asked.
 
"Very much. Japan is a wonderful country, of course, but I grew up at a
research facility, with very few friends. I feel much more free here."
 
"Yeah, America is good at that. You made many friends here?"
 
"I have made some friends. Your brother and some of his friends, mainly."
 
Zoe looked at him slyly. "No, Akira, I mean *friends*. You know, girls?"
 
Akira blushed crimson. "I have been out several times, but no, none have
become good friends."
 
"That's too bad. You're cute, and you're not an asshole... that's usually a
good combination."
 
Akira didn't know what to say to that, so he decided to drink some soda.
 


-----
 


After their snack, the two went back to playing arcade games. Akira was
playing Double Dragon, while Zoe watched over his shoulder while standing
behind him, her arms wrapped around his chest.
 
Akira stiffened - in more ways than one - when Zoe's hand moved down to his
crotch and squeezed his cock through his jeans. Akira didn't notice that his
character died.
 
Zoe whispered in his ear, "Ever done in it public before?"
 
Jerkily, Akira shook his head "no".
 
"C'mon," she hissed, "I know a place."
 
Zoe led off, and Akira stayed close behind her. He was shocked at the very
thought of having sex - that *was* what she meant by "done it", wasn't it? -
in public, but he was very aroused, as well.
 
Zoe led him to the back of the arcade, and through a door. Inside, it was
mostly dark, with a few overhead lights. The room looked like a maze.
 
Zoe explained, "It's an old Laser Tag room. They don't use it anymore, 'cause
Laser Tag is lame. C'mon."
 
She led him around a corner, and then into a blind alley among the walls.
Turning to him, she wrapped her arms around him, and pressed her lips to his.
Akira embraced her tightly and kissed back, his tongue soon slipping out to
slide into her waiting mouth, where their tongues danced wetly against one
another.
 
Akira pushed Zoe against a wall, and reached down to fondle her ass. Her skirt
was beginning to ride up her legs, and soon he felt bare skin under his hands.
He massaged her ass directly, and she moaned into his mouth.
 
After a few more moments of that, Zoe pushed him away gently. Dropping to her
knees, she unbuckled his belt and unfastened his jeans, pulling them down off
his hips. His boxers followed suit, and Zoe stared at his erect cock for a
moment, as if confused. Then she leaned forward and took his entire length
into her mouth in one smooth motion.
 
Akira groaned loudly as Zoe began to work over his shaft, but the noise from
the arcade would cover any sounds they made. Zoe bobbed her head on his dick,
arousing him further, pushing him right to the edge - 

Where she stopped. She pulled her mouth from his dick, and looked up at him
slyly. Standing up, she hiked her skirt up to her waist, revealing her lack of
panties to his eyes.
 
"Ready to fuck me?" she asked with a smile.
 
Akira pulled her to him and kissed her hard on the mouth, but then he pulled
away, turning her to face away from him. She got the idea, and leaned forward,
putting her hands on the wall, pushing her ass out toward him.
 
Akira took hold of his prick and aimed for her hole. In one slow motion, he
entered her. Zoe sighed happily as he sank into her all the way to his balls.
Once he'd reached bottom, Akira yanked on Zoe's shirt until it came free of
her skirt, and then he reached underneath to fondle her breasts.
 
Zoe cooed as his hands mauled her tits, and she gasped when he started to ram
into her pussy. His pace was fast and hard, and she loved it. Her hips were
slamming back against him in time with his rhythm, and the two were grunting
and groaning in their pleasure.
 
Zoe had gotten herself highly aroused by thinking about having sex in public,
which was why she had wanted Akira so close to coming; she knew she wouldn't
need much. Her orgasm started to overtake her, and her pussy clamped down on
Akira's cock repeatedly as she cried out.
 
Akira, however, had learned quite a bit of control, and he wasn't ready to
come yet. He fucked Zoe all during her orgasm, until she came down, and then
he pulled out of her, laying his hard cock against her ass.
 
Once Zoe had calmed down, she turned and looked at him, seeing his stiff prick
still pointing at her. She was surprised that she had misjudged his readiness,
and wasn't sure just what to do about it.
 
Akira solved the problem for her. He pinned her against the wall, and grabbed
her ass, lifting her off the floor. She wrapped her legs and arms around him,
and he then positioned his dick at her entrance once again, jabbing into her
rapidly.
 
Zoe screamed in pleasure as he began to rut into her, using the wall and his
body to hold her in place while he fucked her. He grunted loudly as he neared
his climax, and then he clenched his body as his prick spewed its load deep
inside her, filling her up with his seed.
 
Once his orgasm subsided, Akira pulled out of Zoe, and she lowered her feet to
the floor. He looked down at his dick, a little nonplussed about how to handle
the mess. Zoe knew how to deal with that, however. A little work with her
mouth, and all was clean and tidy. The two exited the room with only the
smallest of guilty looks on their faces.
 
When they reached a table and sat down, Akira looked a little embarrassed.
Zoe, who had done this sort of thing before, felt she should make him more
comfortable with the idea.
 
"Do you regret it?" she asked.
 
"No," Akira replied readily. "It is just something I have never done, and the
thought of getting caught..."
 
"That's what makes it so good," Zoe confided with a mischievous grin. Getting
serious for a moment, she said, "I thought guys from Japan weren't
circumcised."
 
Akira blushed again, but only slightly. "I suffered a chronic infection when I
was younger. The doctors removed my foreskin to prevent further complications.
Was it less pleasurable for you without it?"
 
Zoe shrugged. "Never done it with a guy who had one, so I have no idea. It
just caught me by surprise. You're a good lover, Akira," she said quietly, or
as quietly as one can in a noisy arcade.
 
Akira said nothing.
 


...---=== http://netwolf.wolfpub.org ===---...
 


The next day during lunch, Luke caught up with Akira, who was sitting with Jim
and Jen, talking. He and Lori sat down next to them amidst friendly greetings.
 
Luke didn't take long to ask, "Akira, was that my sister I saw you going out
with yesterday?"
 
"Yes," Akira said. The rest of the group glanced at him, but kept their eyes
mostly averted; this was the kind of discussion you didn't want to be part of.
 
"Don't you think you should have said something to me?"
 
Akira set down his sandwich and asked, quite innocently, "Why?"
 
"What do you mean, *why*? She's my sister!"
 
"I was told that in America, women were allowed to make such decisions for
themselves. I wasn't aware that I needed to get your permission to take her
out. I am sorry for the error."
 
Luke spluttered a bit, but Lori came to Akira's defense. "He's got you, Luke."
Turning to Akira, she said, "You don't have to ask permission to date anyone
who is unattached, Akira. On the other hand, as a courtesy to Luke, you could
have let him know you were going out with her before he had to find out by
seeing you two together. It's not so much a matter of asking permission as
giving fair warning."
 
Akira nodded in understanding. "I see. Well, I am sorry that I did not give
you warning, Luke."
 
"Forget it," Luke said, a little sullenly. He was quiet for the rest of lunch,
and the others intentionally changed the subject.
 
Near the end of lunch, Akira turned to Luke and very quietly asked, "What
further research do we need to do on the Woodward project?"
 
Luke appreciated Akira's phrasing; he hadn't called it a case. "I'm at a loss.
After you left yesterday, I went through all the types of public records I
could think of, with no real result."
 
"Are there other places you can look?" Jim asked.
 
"Not legally," Luke replied.
 
Jim nodded. "I think we should try another option before we resort to breaking
laws."
 
"Agreed. Be thinking about it, and we'll discuss it on Saturday."
 
Everyone agreed and, as they were finished with their meal, went their
separate ways.
 


...---=== http://netwolf.wolfpub.org ===---...
 


"Where the hell is Paul?" Jim demanded as they all sat down in the clubhouse.
 
"I asked him not to come to the meeting," Luke explained, "because he has done
something that I personally find offensive, but we need to deal with."
 
"What's the asshole done this time?"
 
"Paul has demanded payment for the last job he did for us, which in case
anyone doesn't know or remember, he acted as our public face in the meeting
with our current client."
 
"He actually expects us to *pay* him for being part of the team?" Claire
demanded.
 
"Yes. He is demanding fifty dollars."
 
"You know, I've tried to keep an open mind," Jen said, "But this is just
ridiculous."
 
"Does anybody think he should be paid for what he did?" Luke asked.
 
Akira replied, "Only if it is the only way to keep him as a member of the
team."
 
"Why do we want him as a member of the team?" Jim growled.
 
"Because his skill is still of use to us," Akira responded. "We have enough
money in the account to pay him without difficulty, so I believe that we
should do so. However, if he is going to behave in this manner, then we need
to know, ahead of time, when he is going to demand payment for a task."
 
"If you pay him now," Jim warned, "he will want to be paid for *everything* he
does."
 
"Then we must know, before, what the price is."
 
Luke said, "Akira's got a point. Paul's skills are unique, and having access
to them is worth putting up with a little bit of trouble. On the other hand, I
don't want to be doling out all our money to him for anything he's a part of."
 
"I have a thought, but I'm not sure anyone will like it," Andie said quietly.
 
"Go for it," Lori encouraged.
 
"I don't think Paul should be part of the team anymore. He doesn't socialize
with us, he never comes to our get-togethers. He only attends meetings about
once a month, it seems... I don't think that we should consider him a team
member anymore.
 
"On the other hand, as you guys said, we sometimes need what he can do. So why
not treat him as a job expense? In other words, if we have to use his
abilities, then we pay him, and pass that cost on to the client?"
 
"It would mean using him as a last resort..." Luke objected.
 
"I'm perfectly okay with *that* idea," Jim said.
 
There were various nods around the room. Luke sighed deeply; he didn't like
losing a member like this. On the other hand, it was clear that Paul had no
interest in being part of the team, anyway.
 
"All right, let's take a vote, then. Who here wishes to remove Paul Bell from
the Mornington Detectives and Services Agency?"
 
Six hands went up, and Luke abstained from voting. "The ayes have it. The team
is now officially down to six. I will pay Paul on Monday, and let him know
about the decision."
 
"You want me to tell the little prick?" Jim asked.
 
"No, you'd enjoy it too much. Can we get on to our current case now?"
 
There were mutters of agreement, so Luke pushed on.
 
"To fill everyone in, in case details have been lost: Our client is Jean
Richars, a senior at Rose Creek Academy. She has asked us to look into the
life of her best friend, Liz Woodward. Liz's father died last summer, and
since then, it appears that Liz is being forced to live in poor conditions,
wearing shabby clothes, not taking care of herself, and having to run her
sisters all over the place wherever they want to go. Her mother, Cathy
Woodward, never seems to be home, and when she is home, she's not doing any of
the work. At least, that's what the client has intimated.
 
"Yesterday, we looked into the public records, and found out that the father's
will is being contested by two sets of grandparents, Liz's paternal and
maternal sets. It should be pointed out that Cathy Woodward is Liz's
*step*mother, not a biological parent.
 
Although we've looked through all the local public records, that's all we've
managed to come up with. Searching any further through cyberspace will involve
breaking a few laws. I've broken them before, but not as part of this team.
I'd like us to pursue other investigative avenues before taking that step."
 
After a while, Claire said, "What we really need to do is talk to Liz and her
mom."
 
"Doing that would tip off the target that someone was investigating them, and
probably make our job harder. If they were likely to talk, I would think that
our client would be able to talk to them and get the info directly, rather
than hiring us."
 
"Good point," Claire conceded.
 
"Maybe we should snoop through their house," Andie offered.
 
"Breaking and entering is also illegal," Luke replied.
 
"We've done that before, though..." Jim offered.
 
"It's unlikely to work this time," Lori responded, "because there's almost
always someone home, except during the school day, when we have to be in
school, anyway."
 
"What if we snoop while they're home?" Jen asked.
 
"Huh?" three people answered.
 
"What if they let us in their house? Then we could look around, *and* talk to
them, without breaking any laws or looking suspicious."
 
"How would we do that?" Jim asked his girlfriend.
 
She told them.
 


...---=== http://netwolf.wolfpub.org ===---...
 


"So how did dickweed react when you told him he wasn't a member of the team
anymore?" Jim asked Luke as they parked in front of the Woodward house.
 
"He just shrugged and said, 'So long as I get paid.'"
 
"What a jerk," Lori opined. The others agreed.
 
They all got out of the car and looked up at the house for a moment. Only five
of them could fit in the car, so Akira drove Luke, Lori, Jim and Jen. They had
decided they would rotate the others in on different days. Except for Akira,
because he had to drive.
 
"Nice place," Jim said. The others agreed.
 
"Looks a little run down, though," Luke noticed.
 
"Not keeping up with maintenance," Jen said. "That would support the idea that
they don't have money."
 
Luke nodded, and then led them up to the front door. They knew that Cathy
Woodward had gotten home ten minutes before, as they had been sitting outside
the house waiting for her. They rang the doorbell and waited. In a moment, a
woman with short black hair and green eyes answered the door. Cathy Woodward.
 
"Yes, can I help you?"
 
"Mrs. Woodward?" Luke asked.
 
"Yes, that's me."
 
"Hi. We're from the Highland High-Lifes. It's a service organization, and
we're here to congratulate you on winning our raffle."
 
"Excuse me?"
 
"Your name was entered into our raffle, and was chosen. You have won a free
week of home maintenance and cleanup service by the High-Lifes. We will come
each afternoon after school and spend two hours doing whatever needs doing:
cleaning, yard work, light maintenance, whatever it is you need done."
 
"I never entered a raffle..." Cathy objected.
 
"Well, maybe someone entered your name for you. Here's the ticket," Luke said,
showing her a card with her name and address on it. "I promise, we're not
trying to sell you anything, ma'am. This raffle was our fundraiser to support
our club's activities for the coming year."
 
"I really don't like accepting charity..." she deferred.
 
"It's not charity, ma'am... at least not from us. You won a prize. It has to
go to someone, might as well be you, right? Please, if you turn down the
prize, we have to go back and fill out all sorts of forms with the school's
comptroller, it's a real pain in the butt..."
 
"Well, okay, since it would be a hassle for you if I said no, I guess it's
okay. Come on in. I'm not sure exactly what you'll want to do..."
 


-----
 


The group spent a half-hour getting a list of things that needed doing from
Cathy Woodward, and then another hour and a half starting work.
 
"Akira," Luke said quietly, making sure none of the household heard their
discussion.
 
"Yes?"
 
"I need you to take a look around in Mrs. Woodward's bedroom."
 
"Luke, she is in there now, sleeping, I believe."
 
"I know. Here's what we're going to do. I made up this time sheet. Just take
it in to her, and explain to her that she needs to sign it. She did say that
if we needed anything, to just wake her. While you're in there, just look
around casually. Obviously, you can't snoop, but maybe she has a desk with
papers on it or something, that would give us a lead as to where to look."
 
"Okay, but I am uncomfortable invading her private space."
 
"Yeah, I know. But you're the one who'll be here every day, so that way, only
one person has to see that space. I think it'd make her more comfortable."
 
"I understand."
 
Akira took the timesheet, and the clipboard it was attached to, and walked
through the house to the bedrooms. He encountered Liz Woodward along the way.
 
"Excuse me. I need your mother's signature. Which room is hers?"
 
"My mom is probably asleep. I can sign it..."
 
Thinking quickly, Akira said, "I'm sorry, but we must have an adult's
signature on the form. I am sorry to disturb her, but it is the rule."
 
Liz sighed, and pointed to the master bedroom suite. "In there."
 
"Thank you," Akira said, and nearly bowed. Even after so many months, he'd not
fully broken himself of the habit. Moving to the door, he knocked. When he
heard a response, he entered the room.
 
"Excuse me, Mrs. Woodward, but I need your signature on our timesheet."
 
"Oh. Okay. Do you have a pen?"
 
Akira had not thought to bring one. He looked around the room quickly, and
spotted a small desk in the corner. "Might there be one on the desk?"
 
"Yeah."
 
He walked over and got a pen, all the while observing the things on the desk.
He saw nothing obvious in sight, but that didn't mean anything. Returning to
her side, he waited for her to sign the form, thanked her, and departed. He
would tell Luke what he had seen.
 


...---=== http://netwolf.wolfpub.org ===---...
 


Rob Bullok lay in bed, fuming. He was horny as all hell, since he'd not had
sex in three months, since his bitch of a step-sister had refused him. He felt
that the slut had betrayed him.
 
*Sure, she'll sleep with Dad, the letch, but not with her younger,
better-looking brother? That's bullshit. If she doesn't put out today, there's
gonna be hell to pay.*
 
Claire walked into the room shortly thereafter, sighing heavily because Rob
had rolled onto his side, facing the wall. As usual, she simply reached for
the covers and flung them off him. As she did, he rolled onto his back, his
erect dick sticking up at her.
 
"Hey, Sis. Wanna fuck this morning?"
 
Claire was used to Rob's crude behavior. It wasn't the first time since she'd
stood up to him that he'd propositioned her.
 
"No. Now get your ass out of bed."
 
Rob grew angry then. "I really think you'd better get your ass naked and fuck
me, or you're going to regret it."
 
"And why is that, little boy?" Claire snarled, looking down at him in the most
condescending manner she could muster. She was tired of his bullshit.
 
"How do you think the cops would feel about you fucking Dad?"
 
"I told you before, you little shit. If you try that, I will tell them you
raped me."
 
"Maybe I'll tell them *you* raped *me*! You're the older one."
 
"You're the one with a juvenile record," she shot back. That hit a nerve.
 
"Bitch. If you don't start sucking me off soon, you're going to pay for it."
 
"Put it on my tab. I'm never sucking you off ever again." With that, she
walked out of the room, slamming the bedroom door.
 
*You fucking cunt*.
 


-----
 


Lori looked at the many piles of leaves she had just created. They were soggy
and full of dirt, and she frowned, trying to figure out how to get the many
piles into one large trash bin.
 
Getting an idea, Lori went into the tool shed and retrieved a snow shovel. She
dug into the edge of her first leaf pile and heaved up a large mound of wet
debris. She started to walk over to the bin, but then got a mischievous look
on her face. She was alone in the yard, and it was secluded, so no one would
see her. Getting a better grip on the shovel, she heaved. The wet mass sailed
through the air and *thunked* satisfactorily into the bin, thirty feet away.
 
Walking back to the pile, she grabbed another shovelful of leaves, and tossed
again. She cursed as they plopped right beside the bin instead of inside it.
Growling at herself, she tried again, this time with better results.
 
Soon, Lori was into a rhythm, and she was only missing one out of fifteen or
twenty throws. She was so into her personal game that she didn't pay any
attention to her surroundings.
 
Jim was walking around the yard, seeing if anything needed repairing. He saw
Lori, and watched for a moment, marveling at her strength and precision. After
a few moments, he walked toward her, to ask her if she had seen anything he
should note. He called out to her as she was picking up a pile of leaves.
 
Jim startled Lori out of her reverie, and she turned toward his voice.
However, she had been so into her rhythm that she turned more forcefully than
she should have, and a wet mass of debris went flying, right at Jim.
 
Jim, so shocked to see a blob of detritus flying at him, merely stood in
befuddlement and stared, right to the moment that it smacked him - rather
strongly - in the chest. He watched in fascination as it slid down his body
and onto the ground.
 
It took a moment for Lori's laughter to register in his ears. When he looked
up at her, at first he was mad, thinking she had done it on purpose. But he
could see the apology in her face, even through her laughter, and his mouth
began to twitch.
 
"I'm sorry, Jim. I was kind of in the zone, and you interrupted me. Are you
okay?" she said, walking over to him, still chuckling.
 
"Yeah, I guess. No harm done, though my clothes are soaked."
 
"Sorry. Really. What did you need?"
 
"I was just wondering if you'd seen anything that needed repairing."
 
"Nope. I've been raking leaves since I got here. Oh, maybe the trees should be
pruned, but that's beyond us."
 
"Yeah. Okay. Thanks anyway. I'm gonna... uh... dry off."
 
As Jim walked away, Lori felt bad, but she still couldn't stop giggling.
 


-----
 


When Jim walked around to the front of the house, where Claire was weeding the
flower bed, she looked up and gasped.
 
"What happened to you?" she inquired.
 
"Lori accidentally hit me with some wet leaves."
 
Claire snickered, but she asked, "You okay? We need to get you into some dry
clothes."
 
"Yeah, I'm fine. Don't know where we're going to get dry clothes from, though."
 
"Come on," Claire said. She led him into the house and found Liz.
 
"What happened to you?" Liz asked, mimicking Claire's question.
 
"Long story," Jim mumbled.
 
"You guys wouldn't have anything he could wear while we put his clothes in the
dryer, would you?"
 
Liz shook her head. "No, sorry. Mom already got rid of all Dad's old clothes,
because the memories were too painful. He wasn't your size, anyway."
 
"Shit," Jim said.
 
Liz offered, "You could sit in Dad's old office while your clothes dry.
There's a TV in there, and a soft couch. You could sit on a towel or
something..."
 
"That's a good idea," Claire said before Jim could respond.
 
Liz led them to the office, stopping by the linen closet on the way to grab a
couple towels. She showed them into the office, and closed the door.
 
Claire watched Jim undress, and remembered her little argument with her
brother that morning. It reminded her of all the people who had tried to
demand sex from her, and who had not. When Jim was naked, she took his clothes
and handed them out to Liz, then closed and locked the office door.
 
"Um, what's up?" Jim asked.
 
"TV rots the mind," Claire said as she pulled off her T-shirt. "I'll keep you
from getting bored until your clothes are dry..."
 


-----
 


As the team was getting ready to leave for the day, Akira went to Cathy
Woodward's room to ostensibly get her signature. Mainly it was to keep up the
ruse from the day before, and to see if he might see anything new.
 
Akira knocked firmly on the door, and heard a distant voice tell him to come
in. When he opened the door, he realized that Cathy was just getting out of
the shower. She appeared at the door to the bathroom with a towel wrapped
around her. Akira took in the view for a long second before he held up the
clipboard.
 
"I need you to sign our time sheet again, please," he said quietly.
 
"Sure."
 
Akira walked over to her, and stretched out his arm, handing her the clipboard
from a distance. He had dual motives for that: first, he didn't want to seem
threatening to her while she was undressed. The second reason, he could only
hope really hard for.
 
Cathy signed the clipboard, and then reached to hand it back to Akira. The
Fates were being kind to Akira today, and his wish came true. As Cathy handed
him the clipboard, her towel slipped off her body and fell to the floor.
 
Cathy took only a second to realize what had happened, but in that second
Akira took a good, long look at her body. Then she spun around to face away
from him, giving him a nice look at her ass. She was afraid to bend down to
grab the towel, for fear of what else she might show, and so she ran back into
the bathroom and hid behind the door.
 
Peering back out, she asked, "Could you hand me my towel, please?" Her blush
was a deep crimson.
 
Looking over to the bed, he saw her bathrobe, and went to grab that instead. A
plan had formed in his mind very quickly, and this would help him execute it.
Whether his plan would help the team or not was not something he worried about.
 
Stepping to the bathroom and holding the bathrobe up for her to step into, he
averted his gaze - mostly - so that she would feel more comfortable.
 
Cathy slipped the robe on, thankful to be covered again.
 
"I'm sorry about that," she said, somewhat breathless. "You don't need
middle-aged women flashing you."
 
"I rather enjoyed it, actually," Akira admitted. "You are very pretty."
 
Cathy blushed again. "Thank you," she whispered.
 
"I will see you tomorrow," Akira said politely, with only the slightest hint
of emphasis on the "see you" part. He nodded, turned, and left the room, and
only then did he smile.
 


...---=== http://netwolf.wolfpub.org ===---...
 


As the team members walked into the Woodward house the next day, they spoke
quietly to each other, trying to decide what to do. Normally, Luke would have
divvied up the chores ahead of time, but he was taking a day off from
detective work to get some school work done.
 
"Jen, why don't you and Jim clean up the living room and the office? Maybe
there are some papers lying around in there..." Lori suggested
 
Jen didn't understand Jim's immediate blush, but she had a clue when Claire
giggled. Jim just shook his head in agreement, and the two headed off.
 
"What are we going to do?" Claire asked.
 
"Akira, are you afraid of heights?"
 
"I am not."
 
"Good. You can clean the second-floor windows. I hate heights. The ladder's in
the tool shed."
 
Akira nodded and headed off. Claire said, "I don't think he's going to find
much that way..."
 
Lori shook her head. "Probably not, but we have to keep up appearances.
Besides, he might see something looking through one of the windows."
 
"Yeah, like Liz undressing..."
 
The two girls giggled as they moved upstairs to begin cleaning one of the
younger sisters' bedrooms. It was Belinda's room, and she was downstairs
watching TV. Being eight, however, she was unlikely to have anything in her
room that would tell them anything. They kept their eyes open, anyway.
 
After a few minutes, Claire said, "Have you said anything to Luke about what
happened between us?"
 
Lori fidgeted a bit, and then said, "No, not yet."
 
Claire looked up. "Do you regret it?"
 
"No," Lori answered quickly. She said, "Luke is just a little reserved about
things. I'll tell him, but he's got to be in the right frame of mind at the
time."
 
"He won't think you cheated on him, will he?"
 
"If he tries that tack, he's screwed. I'm not the only girl he's sleeping
with."
 
Claire was shocked. "Really? Do you know the other girl?"
 
"Know her? Hell, I've slept with her."
 
Claire sat down on the bed before she fainted. "Who is it?"
 
Lori didn't even hesitate before answering. "His sister Zoe." Lori turned to
see if Claire would react negatively. She puzzled over the smirk that crossed
Claire's face.
 
"I wonder," she said, almost to herself, "Just how common incest is among our
little group."
 
"Something you want to tell me?" Lori said teasingly.
 
Claire was startled out of her own thought, but not surprised by the question.
She blushed and said, "Yeah, I've done it with both my step-dad and
step-brother."
 
At that admission, Lori sat down on the bed next to Claire.
 
Claire said, "You know how I am about being touched, how easily I get aroused.
Well, my step-dad's been alone for a while, and one day, we accidentally
kissed - long story. That kind of kicked things off, and we had sex within a
few days of that. My stepbrother found out, and blackmailed me into sex with
him for a while."
 
"For a while? People don't usually give up on that kind of thing..."
 
"They do when the subject of their blackmail grows a backbone."
 
"Oh." Lori sat in thought for a few moments. "So... Luke, Jim, and you are all
sleeping with relatives. I wonder if that means anything."
 
"I don't know. But you're avoiding the question. When are you going to tell
Luke about us? If, that is, there is an us..."
 
"I'd love to be with you again, yes. And I promise I'll tell Luke. Though I
may end up telling Zoe first."
 
"Wait. Zoe is dating Akira. Have you and he..."
 
"Ew. No. I mean, he's a good friend and all, but... not my type."
 
"I wouldn't mind dating him," Claire said off-handedly.
 
"More power to you, sister," Lori said with a smile. "Now, let's get back to
cleaning up this room."
 


-----
 


Meanwhile, in another part of the house, Jim and Jen were working to clean up
the office. The living room was currently in use by the two youngest Woodward
children.
 
"Okay, so what happened in here? As if I can't guess by the smell," Jen said,
opening a window despite the cold air outside.
 
"When Lori smacked me with the leaves, Claire kind of cornered me while my
clothes were drying."
 
"And raped your poor, defenseless, self?" Jen asked with a laugh.
 
"Yep, you got it!"
 
"Well, that's all right, then. So long as you're not molesting
eight-year-olds," Jen said with a giggle. Jim cocked an eyebrow at her.
 
"How's your mom doing? I'm sorry I haven't had the time to come over and visit
lately, but school is getting intense..."
 
"It's okay, she understands we're on a case. She's all right. Morning sickness
is still dogging her, and she's beginning to show, but only if you know to
look for it."
 
"I wish I knew what to do about her and my parents."
 
"Have you thought of just telling them it's my kid? They haven't seen me in a
while... I could avoid them for a few months..."
 
"No, you couldn't. Not if I told them you were pregnant. They'd demand to see
you regularly."
 
"Oh. That wouldn't work, then."
 
"No. I'm hoping to come up with an idea, but I'm just not sure how to do it."
 
"We'll think of something. What do you want to name her?"
 
"You're just dead sure it's a girl, aren't you?"
 
"I know it is. Don't ask me how, but I *know* it's a girl."
 
"Stacy and I haven't talked about names yet. Any suggestions?"
 
"If you name her Chastity, I'll laugh at you. Constantly."
 
Jim laughed. "Yeah, probably not an appropriate name for any kid of mine."
 
More seriously, Jen said, "It's not really my job to come up with a name for
my sister, but if I think of something pretty, I'll let you know."
 
"Thanks. Any useful papers on that desk?"
 
"Nah. This stuff is all at least a year old. Before the husband's death. I
don't think she actually uses this room."
 
"Maybe not. Oh, well. It was a thought."
 
"Yeah. How are we supposed to clean the living room with the kids in there?"
 
"Don't know. Maybe they'll go up to their rooms or something."
 
"Sure."
 


-----
 


Elsewhere, Akira did, in fact, get to see a brief glimpse of Liz changing
clothes. She didn't see him through her window, but there was a very small gap
in the curtains that allowed him to get a glimpse of her half-naked form as
she passed from one side of the room to the other.
 
*Not bad. But your mother is better.*
 


-----
 


Once the work was winding down, Akira made his way toward the back of the
house, where Cathy Woodward's bedroom was. Briefly, he wondered why she slept
on the first floor when all of the children were on the second floor, but he
dismissed it as an unimportant question.
 
He knocked somewhat more softly on the door today than he had the day before.
He hoped she might be in the shower again, and he could enter without her
hearing him, that way he could get another look at her.
 
To his disappointment, she called to him to come in, and he did so. She was
sitting in the chair in her room, rolling her head back and forth as if to
remove a crick in her neck.
 
"I need your signature again, please," he said politely.
 
Cathy nodded, and took the clipboard, signed it, and handed it back. As she
was handing it back, she rubbed her neck with her hand.
 
"Are you not well?" Akira asked, not entirely feigning concern.
 
"My neck hurts. Tension."
 
Akira saw an opportunity to advance his plan. Setting the clipboard on the
chest of drawers, he moved to her side. "Would you like me to rub your
shoulders for you?"
 
Cathy hesitated briefly, but saw no harm in the offer. "Sure."
 
As Cathy turned to face away from him, Akira placed his hands on her
shoulders, rubbing through her bathrobe. He had noticed that she had fastened
the robe quite tightly about herself, clearly anticipating his arrival. As his
hands strongly massaged her shoulders, he was able to loosen the robe just
enough that he could peer down and see cleavage.
 
Cathy sighed in pleasure as the tension eased from her shoulders. Akira moved
his hands up to the back of her neck, kneading the muscles there to ease the
knot of stress tension. Cathy's head drooped a little, relaxing into his touch.
 
After a good five minutes, Akira felt he had achieved his goal for the day.
Leaving his hands on her shoulders, he leaned forward and whispered, "Do you
feel better?"
 
"Yes, very much," Cathy acknowledged.
 
"Good," Akira said. "I must go now. I will see you tomorrow." Akira then
turned his head and kissed her softly on the cheek. It was not a quick peck,
but a lingering kiss. But Cathy did not react before he was already up and
heading for the door. She put her hand to her cheek, and didn't say anything
to him before he was out the door, and gone.
 


-----
 


As the team drove home, Claire said, "It sure takes you an awful long time to
get a signature, Akira." The tone of her voice was clearly teasing him.
 
Akira blushed, but then said, "You do your detecting your way, and I will do
mine my way. We shall see which of us gets results first."
 
"Ouch," Jen said to Claire, who looked at Akira in amazement.
 
"What are you planning?" Lori asked him.
 
"Do you really wish to know?" he asked.
 
Lori quickly said, "No. But let us know if you learn anything relevant to the
case."
 
"Of course."
 
Switching topics to get off the somewhat uncomfortable notion of Akira's
possible sex life, Lori said, "We're not making any progress with snooping,
and Liz isn't talking at all. Anyone got any other ideas?"
 
"I think we need to talk to the younger sisters," Claire said.
 
"I tried," Jen responded, "but they're too standoffish."
 
"Why not bring Andie in?" Jim asked. "She's closer to their age."
 
"By a whopping year..."
 
"But she looks younger than that. She might have an easier shot at it. I mean,
I know she's not an official team member and all, but if we want to get the
information..."
 
"It's an idea. I'll ask Luke about it. Can you ask Andie if she'd be willing
to do it?" Lori asked him.
 
"Sure, no problem."
 
"Good."
 


...---=== http://netwolf.wolfpub.org ===---...
 


Jim yawned as the group pulled up to the Woodward house. Andie looked at him
in concern.
 
"You okay?"
 
Jim nodded. "Didn't get to sleep until late. I had to study for tomorrow's
test, and *somebody* kept me late at their house."
 
Andie blushed crimson, and kept her mouth shut. Jen giggled.
 
Claire asked Jim, "How are we going to divide up tasks today?"
 
Jim shrugged. He wasn't used to giving orders. "I guess we let Andie clean up
wherever the two younger sisters are, so that she has a chance to talk to
them. Other than that... I dunno."
 
"This is close to our last chance to snoop," Jen said. "Tomorrow's our last
day. I don't know what we should do after that."
 
"Me either," Jim agreed.
 
"Maybe we should split up and do lots of little tasks all over the house. That
way, maybe we can look in places we haven't seen yet."
 
"That's a good idea," Jen said, nodding.
 


-----
 


The five teens swarmed over the house like ants looking for food, but there
weren't all that many places they hadn't looked yet, and the snooping job had
reached the point of diminishing returns. Of course, that didn't alleviate
their need to make sure the house was cleaned; they had to keep up the
subterfuge.
 
Andie worked in the living room, where the younger sisters were. However, they
were so engrossed in their television programs that the only time she'd
attempted to say anything to them, she was scolded for speaking. She eyed the
girls as she dusted the bookcases in the living room, but there wasn't a lot
she could learn from this kind of observation.
 
Finally, she gave up and went to find Jim.
 
"Hey, Andie. How's it going?"
 
"Lousy, quite frankly. They're pretty snobbish. And they're too involved in
watching television to want to talk with me. I tried to start a conversation,
but they just told me to shut up and go away."
 
Jim arched an eyebrow, then he shrugged. "I didn't really think it would work,
anyway. I don't think they know what's going on. They seem to be lost in their
own little world of privilege and luxury."
 
Andie agreed. "What do you want me to do now?"
 
"Clean something, I guess."
 
Andie laughed, and then she went off to find a task to do.
 


-----
 


At the end of the day, Akira walked back to Cathy's bedroom, to continue his
plan to seduce her. He wasn't sure he could pull it off, but she had not
seriously resisted any of his advances yet.
 
He knocked very quietly on the door, and did not wait for a response. He was
hoping to catch her in a compromising position, but he was disappointed. She
was already in bed, and fully covered. He moved to her side, looking down at
her sleeping form. He reached out and caressed her sheet-covered breast, and
she moaned in her sleep.
 
Not wishing to push his luck too far, he reached up and shook her gently by
the shoulder. Cathy slowly came awake, and looked up at him drowsily.
 
"Oh, Akira. Sorry, I couldn't stay awake."
 
"That is all right. If you will sign our time sheet, I will let you get back
to sleep."
 
"Thanks. And thank you again for the neck rub yesterday," she said, signing
the page and handing the clipboard back. "I slept a lot better after that."
 
Akira leaned down and brushed hair out of her face. He said, "You are very
welcome. I enjoy making you feel good." He leaned in further, and pressed his
lips to hers, kissing her softly.
 
Cathy inhaled in surprise, but she didn't push him away. Akira flicked his
tongue out against her lip, but didn't wait for her to open her mouth. He
broke the kiss and stood back up.
 
"Sleep well, Mrs. Woodward," Akira said, and then turned to leave the room,
not waiting to see if she would react at all.
 
*It is going very well,* he thought to himself once he made it out of the room
without being reproached. *But we shall see how tomorrow goes.*
 


...---=== http://netwolf.wolfpub.org ===---...
 


"Where's Jim today?" Lori asked Jen on the car ride to the Woodward house.
 
"Home. He has a report due on Monday, and he has been putting it off."
 
"Is he okay?" Luke asked. "He seemed really testy on Wednesday at Tai Chi..."
 
Jen waved it off. "He's just got a lot going on right now. I think he's got
too much on his shoulders, but nobody can figure out how to make him let go of
some of it."
 
"Maybe your mom could talk with him..." Lori offered.
 
"My mom," Jen said with a raised eyebrow and a smirk, "is part of the problem."
 
Luke blushed and Lori giggled, and they made the rest of the ride in silence.
 


-----
 


As it was their last day on the job, the team had only smaller tasks to finish
up. Akira excused himself about halfway through the day, and made his way back
to Cathy Woodward's bedroom. He didn't know what she'd be doing there; she had
seemed quite tired when he had seen her earlier.
 
Akira did not knock on the door. He knew it was impolite to enter a room
without knocking, but in this case, he expected she might be asleep already,
and he did not want to wake her up just yet.
 
Opening the door, he was gratified to see that she was, in fact, asleep. He
entered the room and shut the door silently behind himself. He stood still for
a moment, watching her breathe regularly in and out. She was fully under the
covers, but the sight was still arousing to him. She reminded him of his
mother: vulnerable and needy. He was hoping she'd let him fill one of her
needs, if only briefly.
 
Finally, Akira moved across the floor and stood over Cathy's sleeping form.
Slowly, he pulled down the covers, exposing her upper body to his gaze. She
was lying on her back, so her tits were presented for his unobstructed
viewing. He listened to her breathing, to make sure it didn't change; he still
wasn't ready to wake her.
 
Akira kicked his shoes off very carefully, so as not to make any noise. Then,
he leaned down close to Cathy, and he kissed her very softly on the lips. She
did not respond to that, and so his next kiss was slightly firmer, causing her
to kiss him back, but she was still asleep.
 
As he continued to kiss her, Akira placed his hand ever so lightly on her
abdomen, and began sliding it upward, toward her breasts. Her tits were
petite, but firm, and stood proudly from her chest.
 
When Akira's fingers finally brushed across Cathy's erect nipple, she moaned.
He knew she would be waking soon, and so he moved his hand off her breast, but
continued to kiss her, more firmly now.
 
As Cathy rose to waking and felt someone kissing her, she returned the kiss,
seeking the comfort and passion it offered. Finally, as she came fully awake,
she realized who was probably kissing her. She smiled to herself, but gently
pushed him away.
 
"Hi, Akira," she said. She smiled at him now, to show that she wasn't upset at
his forwardness. Just then, she looked down at herself, to see that she was
uncovered.
 
"Oh, god!" she said, and reached for the sheets. Akira gently stopped her.
 
"I have seen you before," he said quietly. "There is no need to cover yourself
now. In fact, I would very much like you to uncover more of yourself."
 
"Akira, I-" Her thought was interrupted as Akira kissed her again. He slipped
his tongue out, this time pressing it to her lips, requesting entrance. As she
opened her mouth to acquiesce, he slipped his tongue into her mouth and, at
the same time, returned his hand to her stomach. She inhaled sharply at his
touch, but did not push him away.
 
As they continued to kiss, he slid his hand back up onto her tit, tweaking her
nipple with his thumb. She moaned into his mouth, and shivered. He kept up his
actions for several moments before he did anything else.
 
Finally, Akira's hand left Cathy's breast, and he used it to unfasten his
pants. He pushed them and his boxers down off his hips, and stepped out of
them. He was now wearing only a shirt and socks. The socks disappeared shortly
thereafter.
 
Having removed as many clothes as he could while still kissing Cathy, Akira's
hand returned to her stomach once again. This time, however, it moved
downward. As his hand reached her pubic hair, Cathy tensed, and closed her
legs. Akira was not surprised by this, and he simply began to lightly stroke
her upper thighs, hoping to relax and arouse her.
 
His plan worked, as Cathy began to heat up. She involuntarily parted her legs
just slightly, and Akira took immediate advantage of it. He did not force his
hand in, but his caresses moved deeper between her thighs, and got closer and
closer to her pussy. As he continued his gentle ministrations, Cathy moaned
lowly, and her legs parted even further.
 
Akira now had enough room, and he slid his hand in-between Cathy's legs,
sliding his middle finger along her crotch. Cathy jerked suddenly, and gasped,
and he knew that he had found her clit. He slid past that for now, and worked
his finger into her tight hole. She was already moist, and growing wetter by
the second. He pumped his finger in and out of her for a few seconds, but then
he moved his finger back up, to massage her clit.
 
Cathy was in heaven, and her body was shuddering with pleasure. She was
moaning almost constantly into Akira's mouth. Finally, she broke their kiss so
that she could breathe more easily. Her gasps and moans filled the room now,
and her head twisted to one side, her eyes tightly closed.
 
Akira moved down her body slightly, and leaned down to take a nipple into his
mouth. He sucked and licked at the nipple, and Cathy's moans grew louder and
more passionate.
 
Soon, Cathy's cries reached a crescendo, and her body bucked with the
beginning of her orgasm. Akira continued to stroke her clit throughout her
climax, but he stopped as she started to come down. He let her nipple loose,
and looked down at her. She was breathing quite hard, and he loved how her
tits rose and fell with each breath.
 
"I want to be inside you," he said to her softly.
 
"Oh, god, I'd love that, Akira, but we can't! It's wrong. You're too young..."
 
"It will be all right," he assured her as he took his shirt off. "No one will
get in trouble."
 
Akira slowly pulled the sheets all the way off of Cathy's body. She didn't
stop him, but there was still a worried look on her face. He climbed onto the
bed above her, and looked down into her eyes. "I promise, you are safe."
 
With that, he gently moved one knee in-between her legs, and slowly slid it
upward, parting her legs further. Then he did the same with his other knee.
Finally, her legs were spread, and her pussy was open, waiting for him. Akira
leaned down and took his cock in hand, placing the head of it at her opening.
 
"May I?" he asked her, his cockhead putting pressure on her pussy lips.
 
"Oh, yes..." she sighed, unable to resist any longer.
 
At that, Akira pressed into her, slipping inside in one long, smooth stroke.
He stopped when his pubic hair was resting against hers. Leaning down, he
kissed her firmly, and then he began to rock in and out of her pussy. Cathy
groaned, immediately aroused and her body heading toward its second climax of
the day.
 
Akira knew he wouldn't last long, as aroused as he had gotten himself seducing
her. He increased his pace, thrusting into her faster and rolling his hips to
grind against her clit. Cathy was almost immediately on the edge of a massive
orgasm, and he wasn't far behind her. In fact, he managed to arrive first, and
he loosed a torrent of cum inside her pussy as he grunted out loud his
pleasure.
 
The feel of Akira's spunk within her put Cathy over the edge, and she cried
out loudly, her pussy clamping down on Akira's cock. The two of them spasmed
together for long moments until finally Cathy's orgasm subsided, and she was
able to release him. Akira's climax had passed more quickly, and he had
enjoyed watching her go through hers. He leaned down and kissed her
passionately as he withdrew from her and moved to the side, to sit on the bed.
 
After a lengthy silence, Cathy pulled herself up to a sitting position. She
turned to Akira, and said, "Thank you. But, oh, god, if anyone finds out..."
 
"No one needs to know. And if they did, by some strange chance, find out, I
would tell them that I lied to you and said I was seventeen. Seventeen is
legal in this state."
 
"You've really thought this out, haven't you?" she said with a mischievous
smile.
 
"I have done a lot of reading since I moved to America last year."
 
"I see," she said with a knowing twinkle in her eye. She leaned back against
the headboard, and slid herself up against him.
 
After another pause, Akira said, "Can I ask you a question? It is somewhat
personal..."
 
Cathy hummed softly, and said, "After what you just did, you can ask almost
anything."
 
Akira smirked to himself, and said, "It is just that I notice you live in a
very nice house, but you do not seem to live in a fashion that agrees with the
house. You and your oldest daughter, for example, seem to work very hard, and
yet you wear older clothing, and do not do any of the beauty-things I know
American ladies like..."
 
Cathy sighed. "It's a long story."
 
"I have time for it, if you wish to tell it."
 
After sitting up a bit straighter, Cathy said. "When I married Robert, his
parents didn't approve of me. Strangely, neither did Liz's mother's parents."
 
Akira interrupted politely. "Liz is not your child?" He asked this question
specifically because he already knew this, but didn't want her to know he'd
been looking into her life.
 
"No. Liz's mom walked out on them when Liz was three years old. I married
Robert a couple years later. Anyway, they never liked me, which is one of the
reasons we moved out here. They all live in the Boston area.
 
"When Robert passed away last year, he left everything to me. Well, none of
Liz's grandparents were going to stand for that. They are contesting the will."
 
"I do not understand. Is it not normal for a husband to leave his money to his
wife?"
 
"It is. But you don't know these people. They think that they can buy their
way in all situations. They've hired big-name lawyers, and are spending an arm
and a leg to win.
 
"When all that started to happen, I talked to Liz about it. I felt she was old
enough to know what was going on. She and I decided to fight as best we could,
and that meant saving money for a lawyer. So, I work two jobs, and I only buy
necessities for myself and Liz."
 
"Your other two daughters..."
 
"Margie and Belinda have grown up spoiled, and they're really too young to
understand why the money is all of a sudden gone. They've had to cut back,
too, but I don't want them to suffer too much."
 
Akira nodded. "I think I understand. That is an unfortunate situation. Is
there no hope of it ending quickly?"
 
"Probably not. Their lawyers don't have a legal leg to stand on, but they can
drag this thing out for years. And as long as it's being contested, we can't
touch the money."
 
"Oh. I am sorry."
 
Cathy shrugged. "Not your fault. I knew they were shady people, I just didn't
think they'd go this far."
 
"Shady?"
 
"Sorry. I mean unethical. There were rumors about some things they had done in
the past. I know that they'd run off more than one of Robert's girlfriends
after Liz's mom left. I don't know all the details, but I gather that they
blackmailed at least one of them."
 
Akira's eyes widened in surprise. "That is very dishonorable."
 
"That's a good way to describe them, yeah."
 
"I am sorry you have to tolerate such shameful behavior."
 
"Well, at least you managed to help me relieve some stress," she said with a
smile.
 
"I am glad I was able to help."
 
"How glad?" she asked, reaching for his soon-hardening cock...
 


-----
 


As the crew left the residence, Akira had to endure some friendly ribbing. His
lengthy disappearance told everyone all they needed to know about the success
or failure of his plan.
 
"But did you learn anything?" Luke challenged. "'Cause we sure as hell didn't."
 
And so Akira told them the story.
 


...---=== http://netwolf.wolfpub.org ===---...
 


"Well, thank you. I'm glad I waited to get the facts before going to any
authorities. It would have been very embarrassing for everyone if I had," Jean
Richars said to the disembodied voice. She was back in the library, but was
greeted only by a laptop computer, rather than an actual person.
 
"If there is nothing further, we will submit our bill to you within the week."
 
"Actually, I would like to keep you on this case," Jean said.
 
"To do what?" the voice asked.
 
"Find a solution, if that's possible. There's got to be a way to get Liz's
grandparents to go away."
 
"Possibly."
 
"I'd also like you to meet with my father."
 
"We do not have personal meetings with people."
 
"I saw you last time..."
 
"That person was hired to sit in front of you. He is not a member of the
agency. Likewise, the people who cleaned your friend's house were hired. We
are never seen. It must be that way."
 
"Well... you could meet my father this way, then. But he needs to know what's
going on. I want to convince him to help Liz and her mom, but he's going to
need to hear this information from someone other than me."
 
"Very well. Monday at five o'clock, here."
 
"We'll be here."
 


-----
 


Jim and Jen walked into her house, and dropped their coats in the closet. They
walked into the living room, where Stacy was sitting.
 
"Hey, Mom," Jen said. "Whatcha doin'?"
 
"Hey, guys. Just watching some TV. How'd your meeting go?"
 
"Okay, I guess. She wants us to find a solution, now." Jen rolled her eyes at
that. They were keeping Stacy informed, in case she might have some ideas from
the law enforcement aspect.
 
"Ouch. Tough one."
 
"Yeah. I'm gonna get us something to drink. You want anything?"
 
"Nah, thanks."
 
Jen left the room, and Jim went over to sit beside Stacy. He took her hand and
squeezed it. "How are you feeling?" he asked quietly.
 
"Not horrible. Still nauseous a lot, but I'm dealing with it."
 
Jim wrapped his arms around her and hugged her tightly. He leaned back after a
minute.
 
"I'm sorry I haven't been around this week. Between school and the case,
and..."
 
Stacy stopped him just as Jen walked back in the room. "I know. Jen's told me
how busy you are. You work too hard, by the way. I'll be all right."
 
Jen motioned to Jim, who got up and walked over to talk with his girlfriend.
 
"I think Mom wants to spend some time with you, so why don't you stay here,
and I'll go finish up my homework?"
 
"You sure?" Jim asked, uncertain.
 
"Yeah. But tomorrow, you're all mine, dammit!" she said with a grin.
 
Jim hugged her and gave her a kiss, then he went back to sit with Stacy.
 
"She's letting me have first dibs?" Stacy asked in surprise.
 
Jim shrugged, then wrapped his arm around Stacy. They sat together quietly
watching the movie on television.
 
Well, they watched a few minutes of it, anyway...
 


...---=== http://netwolf.wolfpub.org ===---...
 


The next day, Jim was in the garage, helping his father reorganize. He'd
called Jen to let her know he'd be late. He didn't like missing time with his
girlfriend, but his father asked very little of him, so when he did, Jim
didn't want to say no.
 
"It's amazing how much of a mess this gets after just a year," Simon said to
his son.
 
"Yeah, I know. My room doesn't get this bad." They both had a good chuckle at
that while Jim stacked some boxes in the corner.
 
"I notice you've lost a bit of weight in the last month or so," Simon said,
noting that his son was not having his usual difficulty performing physical
labor. Simon loved his son, but was under no illusions about his physical
prowess.
 
"Yeah, one of my friends from school has been training me at the gym."
 
"Nice of him," Simon said.
 
"Her, actually," Jim corrected.
 
"Oh," Simon said. "And how does Jen feel about that?"
 
"She's okay with it. Lori is a mutual friend of ours. She's a fitness nut, so
she seemed the perfect person to ask."
 
Simon raised an eyebrow at that, but let it slide. If his son didn't
understand women well enough to know it was never okay to see other women in
any capacity, he would learn soon.
 
The two kept working, chatting about school and work and life. Jim had been
toying with an idea for a couple days, and he wondered if he should give it a
try now.
 
"So, your cousin Gus will be in town next month."
 
"Staying here?"
 
"No, with his in-laws."
 
"He's still married to Sheila?"
 
"Yep. I can't believe he married a girl ten years younger than he is."
 
It was the very best opportunity Jim could have hoped for. "Well, it's not as
bad as this one guy I heard talking at school. Seems he was dating a woman
nearly twice his age."
 
Simon whistled appreciatively. "Not bad, if you can get it," he said with a
smile.
 
"Dad, how is that different from what Gus is doing?"
 
His father stopped a bit short. "Well, I suppose it really isn't. But people
just think it's different when a guy dates someone much younger, than when a
woman does it."
 
"That's screwed up."
 
"Yeah, I guess it is. Sorry."
 
"No prob. The only thing that really bugged me about that guy - his name's
Josh - is... I mean, he's my age, which means if they got caught, the woman'd
be in serious trouble, wouldn't she? I mean, why be so public about it?"
 
"Well, yes, she would be in trouble. Our courts take a dim view of underage
sex. I think it's a bit silly, but it *is* the law. As to why he was so
public... well... he's a teen, and not all teens are as smart or as
circumspect as you are."
 
"I guess. I kind of wanted to go over and tell him to shut up, but I don't
know him that well." Jim was filling in pointless details to avert any
suspicions that his father might have.
 
"I'm sure someone will let him know it's not wise to talk too much."
 
"I guess. Did you ever date an older woman?"
 
"Not that much older, no. The biggest difference in ages would have been...
um.... four years? No, five. The lady I dated right before I met your mother."
 
"Cool. Where do you want this?"
 
"On the shelf. Why do you ask about my dating?"
 
Jim shrugged. "Just wondered how you felt about it, since you don't seem to
like Gus being married to Sheila."
 
"Oh. Yeah, I guess I think it's just a little strange. I don't really have
anything against it, and those two have been married for years now, so I guess
they're making it work. For me, it's more just an aesthetic thing... I think
about what the older one will look like when the younger one is middle aged,
and I shudder."
 
Jim laughed at that, and his father chuckled.
 
"Fair enough, Dad."
 




-----
 


Rob entered the alley cautiously. He was used to this part of town, but you
didn't get used to it without being very careful. It had taken him several
days to track this person down.
 
"What you want, kid?" the man said once it was clear that Rob was not just
passing through.
 
"I am told that you are the person to see if I need someone beaten up."
 
"Maybe."
 
"How much?"
 
"Depends on who you want beaten up and how bad."
 
"Not life-threatening, but a trip to the hospital would be good."
 
"No big deal. Who is it?"
 
"Me."
 
"What? You crazy, dude?"
 
"I have my reasons. How much?"
 
"A hundred bucks."
 
Rob pulled out his wallet and counted off the twenties. He had been prepared
to pay twice that.
 
The guy counted the bills, put them in his pocket, and then cracked his
knuckles. "Okay, let's get to this..."
 
"Whoa," Rob said, stopping him. "Not now. This has to be done at a very
particular time."
 
The man rolled his eyes, and said, "When, and where?"
 


...---=== http://netwolf.wolfpub.org ===---...
 


Charles Richars and his daughter walked into the meeting room in the library,
and were greeted by a laptop on a table. Charles look at his daughter with a
raised eyebrow.
 
"I thought you were kidding about the whole Charlie's Angels routine. This is
a bit ridiculous, isn't it?"
 
The disembodied voice answered him. "If you knew all the facts of our
situation, you wouldn't think so. However, it is not relevant at this point.
Our client has asked us to brief you on the facts of the case, and so we have
agreed to do so. Please sit down."
 
Charles, who was a bit shaken at having been caught speaking out of turn, sat
down. Jean sat next to him.
 
"Tell my father what you told me concerning the Woodwards."
 
For the next few minutes, the voice did just that. Charles made some notes,
and nodded to himself.
 
"And you have evidence to back this up?" he asked.
 
"Evidence of what?" the voice asked. "We were asked to find out why Liz
Woodward was behaving the way she is. The reason for her behavior has been
explained. That explanation came directly from one of the family members. If
you wish evidence that they aren't lying to us, we don't have it. However, due
to the nature of the conversation in which the information was obtained, we
place a high degree of confidence in its reliability."
 
In the other room, Luke felt he'd just exhausted his collection of
spook-speak. Jim smiled at him and gave him a thumbs-up.
 
Back in the meeting room, Charles looked at Jean, a little nonplussed at being
rebuked. "What do you want me to do, Honey?" he asked his daughter.
 
"You can help Liz's mom, can't you? I mean, you're the best lawyer in
Mornington..."
 
Charles smiled at that. His daughter had always called him that. "I can take
the case, yes, but with just this, I don't know what we'd have to fight the
grandparents with."
 
Jean turned to the computer. "What can you do for us at this point?"
 
"Information gathering is our business, but we would need to know what we are
looking for. What would you find most helpful in your legal battle?"
 
Charles replied, "You claimed... or, let me say, the family member claimed,
that a previous girlfriend had been blackmailed. Proof of that would be
extremely helpful. The grandparents are fighting this, it seems, purely out of
spite, and not out of any actual legal position. That means it's a fight of
personalities. Anything you can find that impugns their personalities would be
very helpful to me."
 
After a long pause, the voice asked, "How concerned are you with our manner of
data collection?"
 
Charles had almost been anticipating the question. "As an officer of the
court, I cannot be party to an illegal act. However, if I am not privy to how
the information is obtained, then I can use the information in court."
 
That answer had been worded carefully enough to get its meaning across.
"Understood. We will report to you when we have information. Is there anything
else?"
 
"Look, I don't know how you do what you do. What influence do you have within
the legal system?"
 
"We will not answer such a broadly based question. Please be more specific."
 
"Some judges are more helpful to us than others. Do you have the influence to
get us an appropriate judge?"
 
After a very long pause, the voice said, "We would need a name."
 
Charles Richars answered, "Judge Thomas Hume. H-U-M-E."
 
"Why him?" Jean asked.
 
"He's widely known for taking a dim view on shenanigans involving estates."
 
"Oh."
 
"We make no promises," the voice said, "but we will make an attempt to get the
case moved to Judge Hume's court. Is there anything further?"
 
"Not for the moment. How can I contact you if I need something?"
 
"Your daughter has our contact information. Good day. You are dismissed."
 


...---=== http://netwolf.wolfpub.org ===---...
 


"Hey, Liz."
 
"Uh, Jean. Hi," Liz responded, shocked to see Jean and her father standing at
her door.
 
"We need to talk to your mom."
 
Liz stalled. "Mom's... not available right now."
 
"Could you wake her, please? This is important."
 
"How did you know she-"
 
"Young lady," Charles said, "we know many things. I need to discuss some of
them with your mother. Please wake her up and let her know we are here."
 
Liz wasn't used to being so forcefully told what to do, and she immediately
retreated. "Okay, c'mon in."
 
Jean and her father waited in the living room while Liz went back to get her
mother. After a few minutes, Cathy and Liz came into the living room.
 
"Mrs. Woodward," Charles said, "My name is Charles Richars. I am Jean's
father, and an attorney. It has come to my attention that you are having some
legal difficulties, and I would like to offer my assistance."
 
Cathy immediately looked at Liz, who raised her hands in defense. "I didn't
say anything."
 
Jean spoke up then. "If you need to blame someone for finding out, Mrs.
Woodward, blame me. I did a lot of snooping, because of Liz's weird behavior."
 
"I see." It didn't take Cathy long to put two and two together. "So I didn't
really win a raffle, did I?"
 
"Huh?"
 
Liz said, "There were some high school kids here last week. They said that we
had won a raffle and the prize was that they would come and clean up the house
and maintain it for a week. They did a really great job, but it still seemed
weird."
 
Jean and Charles looked at each other, and shrugged.
 
Jean said, "I'll admit, I hired a detective agency to look into you. I don't
know who the kids were. The detectives said they hired them to clean the house
and... well, snoop. Sorry."
 
"Why is this your business, young lady?" Cathy wanted to know.
 
"Mom," Liz scolded. "She's my best friend. We've known each other since
kindergarten!"
 
At that point, Charles interrupted. "Mrs. Woodward... look, can I call you
Cathy?"
 
"I suppose."
 
"Thank you. Why Jean did what she did, and how she found out... these aren't
really important right now. If the information I have is correct, then you are
having some difficulties with Liz's grandparents and your late husband's
estate. If that is indeed the case, I believe I can help."
 
"I can't afford you. You work for the biggest firm in town, and your rates
are-"
 
"Unimportant, in this case. I have cleared it with the partnership to work
this case pro bono, because of the legal misdealings going on."
 
"Oh. Well.... thank you."
 
"Do I have the facts straight?"
 
"If you got them where I think you got them, yes, they're accurate."
 
"I got them from the detective agency... well, I got them from a disembodied
voice coming out of a computer, so I don't really know where I got them from.
Why don't you fill us in on all the details?"
 
Cathy sat down, and began telling the story. It took much longer to tell
Charles than it had to tell Akira, because she put in more of the sordid
details concerning what Robert's parents were doing.
 
After she had finished, Charles said, "I was right in my initial assessment.
It seems as if the grandparents are manipulating the system. I'm not sure that
their lawyers are being fully ethical, either."
 
"What do you think the chances of winning are?"
 
"Fairly high. Of course, they can drag it out for a while. They could also get
really nasty, if there is *anything* in your past..."
 
"Other than being poor, no."
 
"Okay. I would like to make some recommendations about your current course of
action. You can take or leave them, but I think it will help the case."
 
"Go ahead..."
 
"First, you need to take some of the money you've been saving, and repair the
house. The detective agency listed several items that needed repairing. Fix
them. Second, you and your eldest daughter look very disheveled and frazzled.
Spend a little money on yourselves, and adjust your appearance."
 
"Why?"
 
"Always remember that in cases like this, appearance will drive opinion faster
and harder than facts will. If you look like you're incapable of handling the
responsibility of a house and three kids, then that's what the judge will
believe. Right now, you don't look entirely competent. I believe that to be a
false impression that you need to correct quickly."
 
"Okay, that makes sense, I guess."
 
Charles continued, outlining a few other things she should do. Cathy agreed
with most of them, but agreed to do all of them, on the advice of her new
attorney.
 


-----
 


"Can I help you?" the receptionist asked the three teens.
 
"I'm looking for the hall of records," Luke explained.
 
"Third floor, fourth door on the left as you get off the elevator and turn
left."
 
"Thanks."
 
Luke, Akira, and Jim rode up in the elevator. Suddenly, Jim asked, "Why did
you want me along? I'm only marginally good with computer systems... I mean,
I'm good at Googling things, but..."
 
"Honestly?" Luke asked. When Jim nodded, he said, "You're here as a bodyguard.
Just in case something should go wrong, I don't want us brought before a
judge. What we're about to do is illegal, and I don't want to get caught."
 
"Illegal? Just choosing a judge for a case?" Jim asked.
 
"We're breaking and entering. We have to hack the system. Just because Akira's
cybernetic connection makes it ridiculously easy doesn't mean it's any less
illegal."
 
"Oh. I hadn't thought of that."
 
"You're not a hacker."
 
"True."
 
At that point, the boys got off the elevator, and headed into the hall of
records. They chose this place because it was the one room where civilians had
computer access, in order to look through the public court records.
 
The three headed over to a terminal that was in the farthest corner of the
room. Jim stood in such a way as to block people from seeing what the other
two were doing, and Akira and Luke went to work. Akira carefully slid the
computer out from the wall, and felt around the back to find a usable port.
Meanwhile, Luke began typing on the computer, trying to access the system
directly, instead of going through the browsing software intended for the
public.
 
Jim fidgeted, and he kept looking around the room as the other two worked.
Luke saw him.
 
"Stop that. You look like you're committing a crime."
 
Jim hissed, "We *are* committing a crime!"
 
"Precisely why you don't want to look like you are. Now settle down. I've done
this before. Not in this office, but it's all the same."
 
"You say so."
 
"Akira? You in?"
 
Akira was concentrating very hard. "The system is very complex. It has many
layers."
 
"Anything I can do to help?"
 
Akira thought for a little while as he tried to maneuver through the security
layers of the system. This was the first time he'd encountered security that
even locked out hardware.
 
"If you can find a way to open a hardware port, I could use it to get into the
computer."
 
"Let me see what I can do. Luckily, they're running Windows on this thing,
which is just about the leakiest operating system out there."
 
For five minutes, Luke worked his hacker magic, until finally he said, "Try
LPT1, if you can get there."
 
"A parallel port?" Jim asked incredulously. "You're sending him through a
parallel port?"
 
"It's unprotected and not in use. You take what you can get."
 
Akira heard none of this. He had made his way through the hardware connections
over to the printer port known as LPT1, and he was immediately inside the
security perimeter. His next hurdle was the sheer complexity of the
information itself. He knew it would take several more minutes before he could
find what he needed.
 
At that moment, one of the clerks came over and said, "Hey, do you guys need
help?"
 
Jim turned around, and he was certain his face was on fire. He managed to say,
"No, thank you. We're doing some research on the history of Mornington and
some of its prominent historical figures. We might be here a little while."
 
The guy was hesitant to let them be, but Jim put on his "trust me" look, and
the guy relented. "Okay. Holler if you need any assistance. We close in twenty
minutes, though."
 
"Oh. Okay. We'll be out of here by then." With that, the clerk walked away.
 
"Good thinking," Luke said quietly.
 
"Yeah, you owe me a new pair of underwear," Jim said.
 
Luke chuckled, only half-certain that Jim was kidding.
 
Ten minutes later, Akira opened his eyes. "I finally managed it. The case had
to be postponed several days until Judge Hume's calendar was open, but the
Woodward case will now be in his court."
 
"Unless someone else fucks with the system," Luke said.
 
"If I did it right, I have flagged it as a priority case, which I believe
means that any change to the case will have to be approved by someone very
senior."
 
"I guess that's the best we can do," Luke said with a sigh.
 
Jim said, "Good. Now let's get out of here. I hate wearing stripes."
 
Luke chuckled again, but the three made as hasty an exit as possible, after
cleaning up their tracks.
 
"I'll get this information to the Richarses. Tomorrow, I'll start snooping
around to see what I can dig up on the grandparents. That's going to be
illegal as hell, so I'll do it alone. I'm used to it."
 
"Okay. Good luck."
 


...---=== http://netwolf.wolfpub.org ===---...
 


Luke sat in his room, typing away, hacking into system after system. He didn't
worry about getting caught; he'd learned most of the tricks there were to
know, and besides, he never did anything damaging to the systems, so he was
rarely even noticed.
 
"Oh, ho. So you *are* dirty," he mumbled to himself as he looked at one set of
records. He copied everything to his hard drive, and was just about to move
over to another site when there came a knock on the door.
 
Luke blanked his screen, and called out, "Come on in."
 
Zoe opened the door, and walked into his room. "Hey, Luke. Did you need a ride
over to Lori's? If so, we need to go now. I've got a date."
 
"With Akira?" Luke said accusingly, though he hadn't intended it to come out
so harshly.
 
Zoe eyed him. "No, with Doug. Something you want to say?"
 
Luke shot her a look. "You could have said something, you know."
 
"Luke Anderton, who I date or sleep with is my business. Just because we're
sleeping together doesn't mean you own me!"
 
"For Christ's sake, keep your voice down. Mom'll hear you. And I didn't say I
owned you... but dammit, he's one of my friends!"
 
"Am I supposed to make sure you don't know anyone I go out with? This is
silly, Luke. What's the big deal?"
 
Luke sighed in exasperation. "Nothing. Never mind. I'm not going to Lori's
tonight; she's got a lot of homework to do."
 
Zoe wondered if she should say something further, but decided to let it rest
for now. "Okay. Later."
 
As Zoe closed the door, Luke turned and stared at it. *Why does life have to
be so complicated? *Further thoughts led him to a more disturbing idea. *How
am I going to feel if Lori decides to sleep with someone else?*
 


...---=== http://netwolf.wolfpub.org ===---...
 


"If we could all get settled, we've got a lot to cover today," Luke said,
getting the weekly meeting started. He waited until everyone was sitting in
their usual spots, and then he began.
 
"As you know, we were tasked with finding some 'dirt' on Liz Woodward's
grandparents, in an effort to help their attorney fend off the contestation of
the will. Public records searches have not yielded anything... uh, what's that
word police use? Oh, yeah, 'probative', so I had to turn to other means.
 
"I won't go into all the details, since there's a cop's daughter in the
room..." Luke grinned at Jen, and there were chuckles all around, "but
essentially I did some online snooping.
 
"Turns out that what Akira uncovered, about the blackmailed girlfriend, is
quite true. What happened was that they didn't like the girl, but she wouldn't
take a hint. So, they set her up. They put her in a situation where she
appeared to have custody of Liz, and then called the police, accusing her of
kidnapping the child. Before the matter went to court, they offered to drop
the case, *and* give her ten grand, if she promised to move out of town and
never see Robert Woodward again. She agreed."
 
"Motherfuckers," Jim snarled. He didn't like people screwing with others'
lives like that.
 
"Oh, that's just the Woodward clan. It gets worse. The Gronaus, who are Liz's
maternal grandparents, are scum. They are in construction, and they had a
contract to build an elementary school. However, the land they were building
on was contaminated by a nearby chemical processing plant that was shut down.
Part of the contract was to do land reclamation before building started.
 
"Apparently, Gronau paid off the inspector for three years. The land never
went through reclamation, and construction began on still contaminated ground.
By the time the city found out about the scandal, the firm had already bilked
them for all their costs, plus a very tidy profit. Hearings were called for,
but the inspector 'mysteriously disappeared', and since he was their primary
witness, they couldn't really proceed."
 
"They killed him?" Jen asked.
 
"I can't prove *that*. I think they did. Either that, or they paid him off
big-time and forced him to leave the area. He's not been heard from since."
 
"Jesus. What kind of people is this family dealing with?"
 
"Rotten ones. There's more. Both of these families are wealthier than God, but
they pay almost no taxes at all. Two days of digging online turned up a
half-dozen different ways they're laundering money to keep it from showing up
in front of the feds."
 
"These assholes need to pay big-time," Jim seethed. Jen took his hand and
squeezed.
 
"I agree."
 
"What do you suggest?" Lori asked her boyfriend.
 
"I suggest that we contact the grandparents, and we tell them that if they do
not drop their contestation of the will, we will give this information first
to Cathy's lawyer, and then to the local - meaning *their *local - press."
 
"I like it. But how do we protect our identities?"
 
Luke laughed. "I've been doing that for years." He pulled out his voice
changer, and hooked it up to the phone that they had installed some months
before.
 


-----
 


Rob walked out into the garage, and opened the garage door. Standing there was
the man he had paid, just as planned.
 
"You ready to do this thing?" the man asked.
 
"Yeah, let's get it over with. But don't make too much noise. My dad's in the
den watching TV."
 
"Fuck, man! You didn't say anything about getting caught!"
 
"Just be fucking quiet about it! There's another fifty on the workbench for
you." Rob had thought it might be an issue.
 
"Fine. Here goes, dude..."
 


-----
 


"Well, that didn't go very well," Jen said in disappointment.
 
Luke shook his head. "About as well as I expected. If these people caved in to
threats, they'd already have been dealt with. No, chances are they will try to
discredit us immediately. However, we have the benefit of anonymity. They
cannot discredit someone who they have never met, and don't know who it is."
 
"Good point. So what now?" Claire asked.
 
"Now we give some of this information to the attorney."
 
"Some?" Akira asked.
 
Luke looked at him with some slight distaste. His conversation with Zoe was
still eating at him. "We hold back the tax evasion. Just in case they decide
not to cooperate after the first revelation."
 
"Makes sense to me," Jim said.
 
"Okay," Akira agreed.
 
"Anything else we need to do?" Andie asked.
 
"In some kind of hurry?" Lori said with a smirk.
 
"Yes, and you damned well know why. Leave me alone!" Andie said with a hurt
expression. Jim, Jen and Andie were going on a date together after the meeting.
 
"Well, I can't think of anything else. Anyone?" Luke asked. No one had
anything to add. "Okay. I'll contact Mr. Richars on Monday to give him the
information. Since the first hearing is Tuesday, I think it'll give him enough
time to check on things. After that... we'll see where it goes."
 


-----
 


"Oh, my God! Rob! Are you okay?" Mrs. Miller screamed in panic.
 
"Dad... beat me... pretty bad. Need help." He had staggered next door after
the man had left. The guy had been very thorough, and Rob could barely walk.
However, he knew his pain would fade. Claire's and Mark's pain, however...
 
"My word!" Mrs. Miller rushed to the phone and dialed 911. After what her
husband had tried to do to their own daughter, Andie, Mrs. Miller wondered
what the world was coming to. She abruptly told the dispatcher what the
problem was, and then she went back to Rob.
 
"The ambulance is on its way. Hang in there."
 


-----
 


Claire arrived home to find a police car just pulling up in her driveway.
Since she was the first one being dropped off by Akira, Luke and Lori were
still in the car.
 
"What's going on?" Claire said in befuddlement. She got out and approached the
house.
 
When one of the two police officers exited the car, they stopped her from
approaching the house. "You live here?"
 
"Yes, of course."
 
"Is your father home?"
 
Claire was exasperated. "I guess. I just got here. He should be. What's going
on?"
 
"You need to stay here, Miss." The two cops knocked loudly on the door as
Claire stepped back to wait with her friends.
 
"What's going on?" Lori asked.
 
Claire shrugged. "I don't know. They just asked if Mark was home."
 
They all saw the cops spin Mark around and cuff him as soon as he came to the
door. At that, Claire dashed over to the officers.
 
"What's going on?" she demanded.
 
"Your father's under arrest for child abuse," the lead officer said. "Your
brother is in the hospital. You'll need to come down to the precinct with us.
A car will be here in just a minute."
 
"But..."
 
"Claire, just do what they say. This will all be okay. I didn't touch Rob."
 
"All right, no talking. Watch your head," the officer said as he guided Mark
into the back of the patrol car. At that point, another police car showed up,
and Claire was directed into the back of that car, but not in cuffs.
 
"What should we do?" Lori asked.
 
"Akira, you got some free time?"
 
"Yes."
 
"Let's follow them down to the station. In case Claire needs anything."
 
"Okay."
 


-----
 


"How many times are you going to ask me the same dumbass questions?" Claire
snarled. "No, my father has never hit me. No, I have never seen him hit Rob.
And I can't even *believe* that Rob said that my dad was *molesting* me!"
 
"He said he wasn't sure, but we have to check on these things," the officer
said calmly. He was used to tirades from witnesses.
 
*That sonofabitch is going to get it when I see him*, Claire promised herself.
 
"So what happens now?" Claire demanded.
 
"Your father will be booked, and wait for arraignment. That will happen
Monday. Meanwhile, you and your brother-"
 
"*Step*-brother," Claire corrected.
 
"Fine. You and your stepbrother will go to foster care."
 
"Look, I'm sixteen. Can't I just stay with a friend or something?"
 
After a little thought, the officer said, "Until the arraignment, I suppose
that would be all right. Social services will want to know where you are,
though."
 
Claire left the interview room, to find Luke, Lori, and Akira waiting for her.
 
"What's up, Claire?" Luke asked.
 
"They've arrested Mark for beating the snot out of Rob. I guess Rob is in the
hospital with some bad bruises, and even a broke rib. He said that Mark did
it. He also said to the police that Mark might be sexually abusing me."
 
"Shit," Lori said.
 
"Um... is he?" Luke asked. Lori punched him in the arm.
 
"I don't want to talk about anything here," Claire said. "I need a place to
stay, or they'll put me in foster care."
 
Lori immediately said, "You can stay with us. Mom won't care, and we've got
like three spare bedrooms."
 
"Thanks. I guess I'm supposed to tell someone where I'm going..."
 


-----
 


"Sorry for the specially called meeting, guys. I just wanted everyone to be
aware of what's going on with Claire." The team was meeting at Stacy's house
now, since she already knew everyone, and it was far easier for them to get to.
 
"What happened?" Andie asked immediately. Andie, Jen, and Jim had just gotten
back from the movies when Luke had called them all together.
 
"Claire... I don't know how much you want to explain..."
 
Claire stopped him, and then faced the group. "You all know about my
nymphomania. It's gotten me into trouble more than once. Without going into
details, I have been sleeping with my step-dad, Mark, for the last few months."
 
Claire was a little surprised that there wasn't a shocked reaction, but then
realized that most of the team members were involved in unusual sexual
relationships. She continued with her tale.
 
"My step-brother, Rob, found out about it, and he blackmailed me into having
sex with him, too."
 
"Bastard," Jim opined. The others agreed.
 
"Well, I honestly wouldn't have minded, except that Rob is basically Paul with
less charm, so sex with him was quite unpleasant.
 
"Around the time... my new power emerged," Claire said, avoiding mention of
Andie's attack, "I stood up to Rob, and told him in no uncertain terms that I
was never going to sleep with him again, and that if he tried to get between
Mark and I, that I would accuse him of raping me. I don't really care that
much for Mark, either, but I was hoping to bluff him into leaving me alone.
 
"It worked for a while, but then, last week, he basically warned me that if I
didn't sleep with him, there would be a price to pay. I didn't give in... and
here we are."
 
"What happened?" Andie asked again.
 
"All I know at this point is that Rob is in the hospital, and he has accused
Mark of beating him. Mark absolutely denies that happened, and I believe him.
Rob also mentioned to the police that he 'thought' that Mark was molesting me.
He didn't outright accuse him, but it is almost as bad."
 
"That little fucker," Jim seethed. Jen squeezed his hand, but agreed with him.
 
"So, Mark is in jail at least until Monday, when he'll be arraigned. Rob is
still in the hospital, and he'll go to foster care when he gets out. I'm
staying with Lori and her mom, since they were nice enough to offer."
 
"What can we do to help?" Jen asked.
 
Claire shook her head. "Not really much you can help with for now. The courts
will have to work out the situation with Mark. I think anything we did would
actually make things worse."
 
"So you're just going to let Rob get away with it?" Andie asked incredulously.
 
Claire's face darkened. "I want that bastard to pay. I just don't know how."
 
Jim promised for the rest of the group, "We'll think of something." There was
general agreement.
 


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"How does the defendant plead?" the judge intoned.
 
"Not guilty, Your Honor," the public defender replied.
 
"So noted. Bail recommendation?"
 
The prosecutor said, "We're asking you to deny bail, Your Honor. This man beat
a fourteen-year-old boy-"
 
"I think it's for the jury to decide if he beat anyone," the defense attorney
objected.
 
"Fine. This man *purportedly* beat a fourteen-year-old boy so bad that he is
still in the hospital, and will be for several more days."
 
"Defense?"
 
"Your Honor, my client is an upstanding citizen, a hard worker, and has family
in the area. He is hardly a flight risk."
 
"Just a danger to his community," the prosecutor inserted snidely.
 
"I won't dignify that with a response, Madam Prosecutor," the defender said.
"Your Honor, to keep this man in jail will cost him his job, which harms not
only him, but his family."
 
"Who he supposedly beat," the judge replied.
 
"He also has a daughter, who is in the courtroom today."
 
"This would be the daughter he has been accused of molesting, Your Honor," the
prosecutor elaborated. "Anything she might say is obviously tainted."
 
"You're very quick to assume guilt in the face of nearly no evidence at all,"
the defense shot back.
 
"All right, that's enough," the judge snapped. "Mr. Bullok, I am awarding bail
in the amount of $100,000. Furthermore, I am enacting a temporary restraining
order against you. You may not approach within five hundred yards of either
one of your children. This will remain in force until such time as this issue
is resolved."
 
"Your Honor!" Lori's mother called out.
 
"Who are you?" he inquired acidly.
 
"Mary Darlington. Claire Bullok - Mr. Bullok's daughter - is currently staying
with me, and she would like to continue to do so. However, the state is
attempting to put her into foster care, which she objects to."
 
"And?" the judge asked.
 
Mary faltered. "Well, I was hoping..."
 
The judge sighed audibly. "Fine, fine. Do you want to stay with the
Darlingtons, young lady?"
 
Claire nodded and said, "Yes, sir."
 
"Very well. Until such time as social services can approve or disapprove the
Darlington home as a foster care facility, I am awarding temporary custody of
Claire Bullok to Mary Darlington. Is that all?"
 
"Yes, Your Honor. Sorry to interrupt."
 
"Are there any *other* matters about this case to discuss?" The judge waited
perhaps a quarter of a second before continuing. "Fine. Case will be scheduled
by the clerk. Bailiff, take the defendant into custody."
 


-----
 


As Claire and Lori were leaving the courthouse, Luke caught up to them.
 
"I don't suppose either one of you has seen the *Boston Globe* today?"
 
"Sorry, I don't subscribe," Lori said sarcastically.
 
Luke held out a copy of the front page, on which was blazoned the headline,
"Gronau Construction Implicated in Elementary School Illnesses, Cover-up".
Further down the page was an article titled, "Blue Bloods Blackmail Son's SO".
 
"Good," Claire said. "I hope they get lynched. Figuratively speaking, of
course," she added, after a moment.
 
"Yeah. Time they felt what it's like to be on the receiving end."
 
"Let's just hope it works," Lori said.
 


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"Hello?" Luke said into the phone. It was a VoIP account that had been hacked
for use by the MDSA, so it was almost completely untraceable. He was also
using his voice changer on the line.
 
"This is Charles Richars. I'm looking to communicate with the Mornington
Detectives and Services Agency."
 
"You are doing so," Luke said, keeping his answers short.
 
"Based on the information you gave me, I have filed six different motions
against the grandparents. However, it is clear to me that they are not going
to back down easily. They're running for cover, but in the process of doing
that, apparently they think that pressing Cathy Woodward hard will make
everything go away. Their position has become more hard-line than ever."
 
"Understood. We will see what we can do."
 
"Thank you."
 
Luke hung up, and pondered what to do next. He still had one piece of very
nasty information he could reveal, and if he revealed it to the right people,
it could mean jail time for the Gronaus and the Woodwards. He didn't know if
Cathy or Liz wanted them to go quite that far, not that it was up to them, as
they were not his client. He knew a meeting of the team would have to be
called to discuss it.
 


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"Sorry to call yet another special meeting, guys. This one, at least, is
case-related." Once again the team was meeting in the Young house. It was
simply easier for these quick get-togethers.
 
"What's up?" Jim asked.
 
"Seems that the grandparents aren't scaring easily. Even after the release of
their misdeeds, they are making life hell for our client's friend. According
to their attorney, they're actually making things *worse*."
 
"What has Mr. Richars done legally?" Akira asked.
 
"He's filed motions, but that will take a little time to sort out. I'm sure
with these revelations, Cathy will ultimately win. But in the meantime..."
 
"In the meantime, it tears people apart," Claire said, clearly annoyed. She
had not seen Mark since he had been arraigned, and while she wasn't that
attached to him, it irked her that he'd gotten in trouble because she'd stood
up to Rob.
 
"Yeah," Lori said. "Any ideas, lover?" she asked Luke, who blushed crimson.
 
"Just that we play the game all over again. We saved one juicy tidbit of
information, just in case they chose not to play ball."
 
"Which is?" Jen asked.
 
"They have been laundering their income to hide it from the IRS."
 
"Ouch," Jim said. "That's jail-term stuff, isn't it?"
 
"At this level, it certainly can be. Probably not for them, with their
high-priced lawyers and shit, but it would certainly cause them major
heartache."
 
"So why have we not released this information?" Akira asked.
 
"Well, I didn't want to play all our cards at once. I didn't want to involve
the feds if we could do it without them, and I didn't want to take any
additional steps without consulting you guys."
 
"Burn the fucks," Claire spat.
 
"I'd have to agree with Claire," Andie said. "They're assholes. Nail 'em to
the wall."
 
There was a general agreement on this point.
 
"Okay. I will call them from home, where I have an untraceable line. I'll let
you know how it goes."
 


-----
 


Luke and Lori sat in his room and necked for a while, before they got down to
serious business.
 
"What are you going to tell them?" she asked.
 
"You'll see." He dialed the number and waited.
 
"Hello?" a terse voice asked. It was a voice that had very clearly been
answering nasty phone calls all day.
 
"Is this George Woodward?"
 
"It is, and I have no comment about the libelous-"
 
Luke interrupted him. "This is the Mornington Detectives and Services Agency."
 
The voice dropped to a hiss. "You motherfucking son of a bitch! How dare you
try to blackmail me! I will-"
 
"We have additional information to share with the world, Mr. Woodward," Luke
said, interrupting him yet again.
 
The other end of the phone was silent.
 
"Are you there?" Luke asked, patronizingly.
 
"What do you *think* you know?" George Woodward asked.
 
"I know that you and Mr. Gronau have been involved in a business partnership
for seventeen years. I know that a crucial part of this partnership is a
scheme to launder the income of both families, to avoid paying your fair share
to the US Government. I have account numbers, contract numbers, business
names..." Luke rattled off just a few of them. "I have enough to convict both
of you on several felony counts of tax evasion."
 
After a very long pause, George Woodward said, "What the fuck do you want from
me?"
 
"I have already told you that," Luke said, smiling at Lori. "You are to drop
your contestation to the will of Robert Woodward. You will compensate Cathy
Woodward for her time and trouble, and you will pay *all* of her attorney's
fees."
 
"That's blackmail!" George Woodward snarled.
 
"You would know all about that, wouldn't you, Mr. Woodward?" Luke said calmly.
"You have until the end of the day tomorrow to make arrangements through Ms.
Woodward's attorney to clear this matter up. If you do not do so, calls will
be made to the federal government, with enough information to cause you to see
the inside of a jail cell. This goes for Mr. Gronau, as well. Any further
trouble you cause Cathy Woodward or her children - *any* of her children -
will cause this information to become public. Do you understand?"
 
After a long moment, a seething voice said, "I understand."
 
"And can we count on your cooperation in this matter?"
 
"I will need to speak with Gary."
 
"Remind Mr. Gronau, then, that you both have twenty-four hours. Good day."
 
As Luke hung up, Lori burst out laughing. "You sounded so menacing!"
 
"Got to make it believable..." he sniffed.
 
Lori apologized. "Sorry, baby. It's just so not you." She tackled him to the
bed, and started kissing him.
 
It was at least an hour before they let the others know how the phone call had
gone.
 


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Luke logged on to his VoIP account to retrieve his messages. He had only one.
 
"Hi, this is Jean Richars. I'm calling to let you know that Liz's grandparents
are dropping all of their objections. They've filed papers with the courts to
retract their contestation of the will. They've even started negotiating with
my father about a settlement, to prevent Cathy from suing them over the whole
mess. Judge Hume told her that she ought to sue them for every penny they've
got. He reamed out her grandparents' lawyers pretty good for bringing such
frivolous actions into his court. He said something about a letter to the
state bar... I don't know what, if anything, will come out of that. Anyway, I
want to thank you for all you've done for Liz and her family. Please send me a
bill for your services soon. You guys are miracle workers."
 
Luke saved that one to his MP3 player, to let the rest of the team hear it. He
figured they should all get the praise, not just him.
 


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Jean Richars was dancing with her date - a nice boy named Darren - when she
saw her friend, Liz, at the door. It was a week since the whole matter with
her grandparents had been resolved, and Liz had not yet been back to Rose
Creek Academy. Jean figured it would take time to get everything sorted out,
but she was happy that things were back on the right track.
 
Looking at Liz, she saw that her dress was brand new. Her hair was a radiant
blonde, with not even a trace of roots. It was held back with a jeweled hair
comb, and her makeup was immaculate. She had come alone to the dance, as she
hadn't had the chance to find a date. Still, heads turned in her direction,
and Jean was certain that Liz would find a dance partner soon.
 
Jean thanked the MDSA silently again for their work. Their bill had been high,
but so obviously worth it. She would remember them for the future.
 


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