9781950890996_TXT_eBook

by Barton, Kathi S.

  “I have to tell you two, this is going to take some getting used to for us. You two are going to keep us on our toes for a while, aren’t you?” Caleb said her name, and she could hear the censure in his voice. “Here, you take Danny for me and talk to him. I’ve heard that it’s good for babies to be talked to.”

  Sara knew the moment that Danny said something to his uncle. All Caleb did was stare at her as she laughed harder than she had in a very long time. Sara looked at the door when it opened with a bang, and laughed even harder when Dominic came in with six gallons of milk.

  “I got all the kinds.” Charlie asked him what he meant. Sara was just getting herself under control when Dominic started naming off the kinds of milk he’d picked up.

  “Buttermilk? Christ, Dominic, I don’t know anyone that drinks that stuff and likes it. The babies will definitely think you’re nuts.” Charlie turned and looked in the room, speaking to Abbie, she realized. “Abbie, tell your daddy that you won’t drink buttermilk, but you will have some biscuits made with it someday.”

  Sara would never forget, for as long as she lived, the look on Dominic’s face when Abbie apparently spoke to him. Then, without so much as a word, he fell backwards, spilling milk everywhere when he passed out.

  It was terrible of her to keep laughing off and on while he was picked up by his brothers and put on the couch. Sara loved her children more than she did herself, but it was fun once in a while to get the better of one of them. While it didn’t happen often, she would get a giggle out of it for some time. This she would laugh about for decades, she knew.

  Danny fell asleep, and she watched Abbie do the same thing while they were waiting on Dominic to wake up. Kissing her little forehead, Sara told her how much she loved her, and was happy to see her eyes close.

  They were going to keep them on their toes, of that she was sure. Her too, Sara hoped. When Abbie started to snore, she laid her in the bassinet that Danny was already in. Things could not be more perfect if she’d put out a list to have things clicking into place as they were.

  Chapter 8

  Dominic was filling out the paperwork for the acquisition for the newest land he was going to turn into a retreat. Few people knew who he was or what the land was being purchased for. He was happy for that, especially with what had happened just last week.

  The paperwork had just been handed to him when a man, who no one seemed to know, came into the bank telling them that he was buying up the land for retards. Retards? Christ, he’d hated that label before then, and positively loathed it now. Then the man pulled out a gun and aimed it at him.

  “Look, mister, you don’t know what you’re doing. Why would you even care?” The man—he remembered his name now, Edward Colton—said that it wasn’t the land, but the retards being there. “No, it’s not. It’s being used as a retreat for people who can’t get to something like this to give them a good time.”

  “So there ain’t no retards out there.” Dominic asked him what he meant by retards. “You know. Them people that have to be wheeled around wheelchairs, drooling all over themselves and making noises that nobody cares to hear. Did you know that they have to be put in diapers even though they’re old, like somebody’s parents are? No, you can’t be putting in a place like that. I don’t even want my family to be associating with them. What if they caught it or something? I’m not going to be having no retards in my family. Not because you think you can just buy up peoples’ land because you have more money than me.”

  Dominic turned to glance down at the paperwork that just needed his signature, then looked at the banker. When he nodded and pointed to one of the many plots of land that he was buying, he realized what was really going on here.

  “You lost your land to taxes and I purchased it.” Colton nodded, then pushed the gun into his forehead. “You’re not going to be able to kill me, Mr. Colton. Even before you pull that trigger, I’m going to shift and kill you before you can. If you lower the gun, you and I can talk.”

  “You going to not buy up my family’s land and not put no retards there? My family has been growing ter-baccy since I was a little boy. I won’t have you taking it from me just so a bunch of dummies can have fun shitting themselves out by the pond there. You’ll stop this right now.” Dominic reached slowly for the gun that was still hard on his forehead. He’d heard that a lot of farmers had lost their homes because the growing of tobacco had been slowed down. “You got yourself a death warrant, you nincompoop? I said that you’re going to stop this, or I’m gonna have to kill you.”

  When Colton started to put pressure on the trigger, Dominic saw Charlie. She had simply appeared in the room right behind the man. Jerking the gun from him, it fired and hit the ceiling. Dominic had never been so happy to be covered in something other than blood. Colton turned on Charlie.

  “What the damn hell is wrong with you? You a retard too?” Charlie slapped him hard enough to knock him to the ground. When Colton started to get up, she put out her hand to stay him. “You give me that back right now, woman. Afore I have to hurt you.”

  “I don’t think you’re thinking right, do you? I mean, not only was I able to get the drop on you easily, but I’ve disarmed you and knocked you on your sorry ass. Also, and this one you’d better remember for the rest of your life—which knowing you won’t be all that long—you say that word again and I will rip your fucking tongue out of your mouth and wrap it around your throat so tightly that it will give you brain damage.” Colton didn’t move, not even when Charlie put out her hand. “No one is going to treat anyone at the retreats as they did your sister, Colton. Not ever. I wish that we could have helped her like she needed, but we’re not going to do anything to anyone out at the retreat that was done to Elizabeth.”

  “They went and hurt her.” Charlie sat on the floor beside Colton, and Dominic didn’t move. “When she got herself in trouble, they told us that she’d done it. That she’d been the one that made them men there want her. Bethy wasn’t like that. Besides, she couldn’t talk nary a bit and she didn’t walk around, but she got around with a chair made for her. After she was knocked up, they kicked her out and didn’t even tell us for two whole days about it. Telling us that she must of runned off. Then when we found her, all messed up and stuff, we found out she was a carrying a wee baby. How did she get out there when there was no sign of a chair for her? Who knocked her up and then left her out there to die? I don’t want anyone to suffer by them kind of hands ever again.”

  “I can find him for you. In fact, I’d love to help you out. You just tell me the name of the nursing home and I’ll find him from there.” Dominic didn’t dare move, but he wanted to. Wanted mostly to assure Colton that he could make it better for him. But he knew then that there wasn’t anyway that he could. Other than, of course, bringing the man who had hurt Colton’s sister to justice.

  Charlie took Colton with her when he told her the name of the home. After they were gone, Dominic turned to the banker and made other arrangements concerning the farm of Colton’s family.

  “How much longer are you gonna be?” Dominic, lost in thought later at home, looked up when he saw Caleb sitting across from him. “You don’t look as if you’re getting much done anyway, and I could use your help on something. If you don’t mind.”

  “No, I don’t mind at all. Like you said, I wasn’t getting anything done anyway.” Caleb nodded and stood up. It was then that he noticed that his older brother seemed very tense. Not upset really, but stressed about something. “What’s going on, Caleb? Are you all right?”

  “I have an issue, yes. But I’m thinking that I have to work it out.” Dominic told him that he was there for him if he wanted to just sound off. “I know that. But I really need to get my thoughts in a row before I have anything to say. Today I had a lot of equipment delivered. Stuff I didn’t order. Its not even things that I would order. I’m not sure what it’s all about.”

 
“What sort of stuff? Maybe it was meant for one of the rest of us.” Caleb said he didn’t think so. It was odd stuff. “Okay. I’m not sure I can help you with it then.”

  As soon as Caleb opened the door to his garage, Dominic knew just what had happened. However, he was laughing too hard to say anything when Caleb told him he thought they were sex toys. It took him ten minutes and two pops to the back of the head before he was able to tell him what they really were.

  “They’re for the retreat.” That, of course, brought on another round of laughter on his part when Caleb looked at him cockeyed. “They’re used for stretching muscles. See? You just put this on your foot like this, then pull upward with your arms as far as you can. Sometimes after the first day the kids are sore from so much activity and they need some help. We use these for that, as well as games. Put a tennis ball in the wider end of it and shoot it like a sling shot across the field. I don’t even want to know what sort of kinky shit you’ve thought of.”

  Loading them in the back of his truck, Dominic would have to catch himself from laughing again. Caleb was going to have to get out more if he thought these things would be fun for sex. But then, he’d never thought of that before.

  Dominic paused in putting a box in the truck when he felt fear from Charlie. Before he could ask her what was wrong, however, he heard from her. Putting the box on the ground, he was ready to leave when she laughed too.

  I’m fine, but we might have to hurry along the plans for the nursing home. He asked her what she’d done. Why are you so untrusting of me? I played nice until they didn’t. But back to my problem. There are no more people working here, and it’s a mad house—no pun intended. The inmates, as they’ve been called, are wandering around this place as if they’ve never seen it before. And Dominic, I don’t think many of them have been out of their rooms since they were brought here. It’s a mess. I’ve called in some help from the police. They’re going to have to see what it is I found. The families of these people here knew all along what was going on here.

  Dominic told Caleb what was going on, and he said that he’d bring in some pack to help out. That way they could have someone with all those people while awaiting the police.

  The pack beat them there as they had finished putting the last few boxes in the truck before leaving. The place had a smell to it that made him gag. Dominic tried to breathe through his mouth, but that made it worse. As they were doing the best they could to get some of the windows opened, Mom showed up with her women’s group and started on the kitchen area. What she found there made her sick to her stomach, she told Dominic.

  “There is no meat in the freezer that I’d serve to anything. The vegetables have all turned green. Even the ones that are supposed to be green are nasty. I’m calling in an order, and one of you can go get it for us. We’ll be working on cleaning up the kitchen.” Dominic hugged her, and she told him to take care of this place. “I am appalled at this place. Someone should have been checking on these poor souls.”

  “I agree, Mom, but the problem with that his, Charlie said that the families knew just what was going on here. We found a couple of the people here chained to their beds like an animal.” Mom asked who they were. She had a few things to tell them. “I’m sure that we all do. But for now we’re going to let the police handle it. If they get off or something, we’ll all allow you to take care that they see the error of their ways. All right?”

  “I’m not sure if you’re making fun of me or not, but I’m going to hold you to that anyway.” Mom turned away and then looked at him again. “Don’t forget to get me some food brought in. I don’t want to even think about what some of these people have been eating for the last few months.”

  Dominic thought it had been years since anyone had had a good meal here, other than the staff, but he wisely didn’t say anything. Mom was upset enough for now.

  Dad came in with his tools and started on repairing some of the things that had been broken, such as wheelchairs. There were at least a dozen of them piled up in the hallway that had one thing or another wrong with them.

  By the time the Feds showed up, the police were making excuses about how they’d not had any idea what was going on. All of the employees of the home had been accounted for, and were now in cells at the jail, thanks entirely to his family. No one had even showed up for work last night or today, it seemed. The man whose name was listed as owner of the place had been on his way out of the country when the pack caught up with him. Dominic guessed that someone had alerted him as to what was going on.

  “We’ve heard things were going on around here, but whenever we showed up, things were going the way you’d expect them to.” Captain Williams with the police told Agent Stubbs that he thought now that someone had told them when they were coming. “I’ve asked for help from the Winchesters in finding out who it might have been. You can bet that as soon as they let me know who it, or they, are, I’ll take care of it.”

  “We’ll take care of it.” Dominic had told the agent about Colton’s sister and how she’d not been found until too late. Stubbs supposed that the captain here knew all about it all, and was just covering his ass. “Why don’t you go over there and have a seat with one of my men? They have a few questions for you. Also, I’d like to have all the calls you’ve said you got and what it is you found when you got here. A list of names too.”

  Williams was yelling all sorts of things as he was being dragged away. Apparently he’d taken exception to having to turn everything over to Stubbs. Dominic thought that the entire force was in on this mess, and were in some way getting kickbacks on not making any kind of waves for the staff and owner.

  ~*~

  Charlie watched the goings on and didn’t speak much. Stubbs, a man that she’d only just met, seemed to be doing a better job than she might have. Charlie knew that she would have killed the lot of them, then revived them only to kill them again and again. No one should treat others that way, especially others that had no way of protecting themselves. Charlie looked at Sara when she sat beside her.

  “Who’s winning?” Charlie laughingly told her that it was still up in the air who might be the biggest loser. “I see. So this man that Addie called in. He’s going to take care of this?”

  “Yes. Dominic has put in a petition to take over the building. It’ll be closed up for a few days until we can figure out what is needed in the way of improvements. After that, a crew will be brought in and things will be run differently, that’s for sure.” Sara asked about the property that Dominic was purchasing yesterday afternoon. “He turned it over to the man, whose family lost it due to taxation. It should never have been taxed as high as it was. But they were going to expand this place and bring in more handicapped people to sort of double their money. The police served the family notice about the taxes when Colton’s sister was found dead.”

  “To make them stop making noises, I’m assuming.” Charlie nodded. “I sometimes think this world is going to pot. With all the skullduggery going on, you’d think that we’re at the end of our time here. Surely there is some good news about this.”

  “There is. Dominic is going to have someone run this place in a way that we do the other retreats. But since this is for more severe cases, he’ll have more doctors on staff, as well as a nursing staff that is here twenty-four seven.” Sara nodded, seemingly liking the idea. “There will be a gym here for the ones who can get around on their own, which isn’t that many of them. The pack is going to make sure that they bring some of the pups around to calm the ones that simply are too overwhelmed by life by sitting in their laps.”

  “What of the parents? Will they be taken care of as well?” Charlie told her what Stubbs had said to her. “Making them pay for the remodeling of this place seems to be getting them off the hook a little too easily. Don’t you think?”

  “I do. That’s why the judge is going to make it mandatory that they spend at least ten hours a w
eek here, working with the staff and their relatives. Then they are to spend twenty hours a week cleaning rooms, as well as painting or repair work that might come up. I love that the man Stubbs is so into helping us out with this.” Sara asked her if she thought it would last past the first month. “It will or they go to prison. Abuse of the elderly and handicapped won’t be something they can just fob off. There will be serious jail time if they fail to comply.”

  “I guess we can hope for them to do what they should have long ago. Dominic was telling me that two of the people died when they were left to their own devices. I hurt for those two. They had no idea what was going on. What could they have done to someone to be treated that way?”

  Charlie thought about the other things that she knew but wasn’t going to share with Sara. While she was a wonderful person, she could be really scary when she was pissed off. And telling her that some of the people here had had their meds withheld and sold off for more money would send her over the edge of reason. Sara would kill them all without thought to her own safety.

  Charlie was walking one of the patients when the girl, Holly, suddenly stopped moving. Charlie was aware that she’d been sexually abused by the staff there and that she was skittish around adults, and thought she’d seen a male too close for her comfort zone.

  Spying a little kit, a baby fox, Holly stopped jabbering and jerkily moving around. When the young fox, a shifter, came up to her slowly, Holly sat down on the ground and stayed very still.

  “She won’t harm you if that is why you’re hesitating.” The fox looked at her, then back the way he’d come. His family was there watching. “She’ll be as careful as I can make her, but I think she wants to just pet you.”

  I’ve seen her here before. She’s escaped the clutches of the ones that work there. Poor thing was screaming her head off, and we came to see what it was. The mother of the kit came out of the tree line and walked toward them as she continued to speak. There are others that have been hurt and killed, my lady. She is only one of them that has survived. I can show you where they take the dead if you should wish. My mate and son will stay here with her. No harm will come to her.