# Car 54

####
© 2005 / revised 2014
K Pelle

### Chapter 39:
Beware of Potholes

Wil's little speech about that visit by my uncle and his kids set my mood, so I wasn't smiling as I walked to the coffee shop. I grabbed a coffee as I walked in, then sat down in a booth across from Lucille.

"Okay, what's up, Lucille? What was so important about seeing me tonight?" I said flatly, trying not to be too abrupt, but not attempting to be tactful either.

"Well, I won't be working for a couple of days, but I wanted to talk to you. I was just thinking that we could be friendly with each other. After all, we are cousins."

"Ah, I see. Now that I'm wearing clean clothes and here in the city, I'm a cousin and someone that you can talk to," my mood had changed to match Wil's and my temper spiked. "That's funny, because a few years ago on the farm, I was just a kid in ratty clothes who was working his butt off trying to keep our animals alive. Then I was someone that made you pinch your nose in disgust at the smell from the pigs. We were all worried about our animals, but all you and your father could think about was showing off his new car."

"But I was just a kid," she protested.

"Lucille, I'm four years younger than you are and Beth is a year younger than I am. Yet we were working our butts off in the heat that day, while you sat in the back of that air-conditioned car and laughed at us because we were sweating and working like dogs."

"Jeez, you make a big deal out of nothing."

"Nothing! Your father insulted my father and my whole family that day. Come to think of it, so did you in your own way. Instead of pitching in and helping us out when we were in trouble, your old man tried to take advantage of us. We were fighting for our livelihood and our animals' lives, but you thought it was a joke. Don't tell me that's nothing. You insulted everyone on the farm that day."

"I suppose that's one of the reasons why Grandfather changed his will and literally kicked us out of the agreement about the big lease too, is it? Did you get his ear and convince him that we were such bad people?" she snapped at me.

I broke into sardonic laughter at that and simply sat there shaking my head at her. It was a moment before I could even talk and during that time I could see that she was getting angrier.

"Lucille, Grampa Bender kept track of things himself, but the changes to his will were as much a surprise for us as they were for you. We didn't have to tell him a single thing, but if he had asked me, I'd have told him the truth," I paused then, shaking my head. "As far as the lease agreement went, that was a completely separate thing. That was a business deal gone wrong. You city folks simply didn't keep up your end of the bargain by assisting in the care of the lease. You did absolutely nothing to earn your share of the money that the lease brought in. Even after Grampa Bender warned you in writing that he was going to cut it off, not one of you showed up to help work on the lease, which is what your folks had originally agreed to do. We did all the work, while you people sat on your butts and collected a nice big share out of what we had worked damn hard to earn. Grampa Bender simply corrected the error in the agreement."

"Oh come on. There wasn't anything I could do. I'm a city girl. What do I know about farming?" she snapped.

"Lucille, that's a cop out," I growled. "This year alone my family has had six different girls work on the farm and none of them had spent any time on a farm before. They were all town kids with no experience when they came out to visit us. Now each and every one of them can drive a tractor, handle bales, feed animals, ride a horse, herd the cows, slop the hogs, collect eggs, preserve vegetables, hoe the garden and a hundred other things. It doesn't take long to learn how to work on a farm, all it takes is willingness and a lack of sloth."

"Lack of sloth? Do you know how much work it takes to become a nurse?" she snapped.

"Yep, I think I have a very good idea," I nodded. "Three of those six girls who worked on the farm were Candy Stripers before; in fact one of them saved my life. Two of those three are now in your hospital because they came to town to further their studies, but got involved in an accident. Of course from the looks of things they won't make it to nursing school this year, but I wouldn't count them out. They're the kind of women who don't quit easily and don't worry about a little hard work even if they might get a little dirty, or if they might have to sweat a bit."

"You seem to be trying to make me sound like a lazy bitch who doesn't care about others," she protested.

"No, I'm not. You're the one who is making any comparisons between yourself and those girls. I was just giving you a factual account of how two of those girls in the hospital spent part of their summer. Hell, even the third one was working on the ranch for a short while. She came from Calgary less than a week ago and yet in only a few days she was helping out and she worked her butt off. In fact she impressed me and that's damn tough to do."

"Okay, so city girls can learn, so what? When did I ever have the opportunity to even try?"

"That's just it. You and your family never even tried to find time. That's why the lease agreement fell apart and you folks lost out on the lease payments. Your father and the rest of the people on your side of the family didn't live up to their end of the agreement. Now all of them seem to be bitching about losing out. As Grampa Bender would say: 'You can't have your bread buttered on both sides, not without getting some grease on your hands.'"

"What is that supposed to mean?" she snapped.

"Oh come on. Surely you know Grampa Bender well enough to know that's one of his favourite sayings," I growled. "It means that you can't take both sides of an argument and at the same time it means that you have to accept the consequences of your actions. You're trying to make yourself look like you were totally blameless when you aren't. I'll bet you haven't even read the lease agreement, at least not the part dealing with the duties involved in earning income from the lease. You haven't, have you?"

"I have, but I didn't read it until after Grandfather cut us off," she admitted quietly. "I can understand how Grandfather felt, but Father is really the person who feels that he's been discriminated against. He's an office worker, not a farmer and he'd put our whole family at risk if he was injured while doing farm work."

"Huh, I think he's actually feeling guilty! He's the guy who works as an accountant isn't he?"

"Yes, he is a chartered accountant, but why do you ask?"

"Simply because my mother spent years learning to do our farm accounting by reading books and going to night school courses. To take those courses, she had to drive thirty miles each way, and that was after helping Dad with the farm work all day, as well as looking after us kids. She had asked your father for help and he laughed at her, telling her that farm accounting was too picayune a job for a man of his status. He even refused to help her learn accounting, treating it as a joke."

"He didn't?" she looked shocked.

"Oh yes he did, the lazy bastard! I remember her calling him and asking for help, then hanging up the phone and being upset about being turned down and insulted. But you know what? She didn't tell Grampa Bender about it, your father did that himself. He bragged that he sent her packing because he didn't think she could learn and he wasn't going to try to decipher her messy bookkeeping in order to turn it into a decent set of accounts. I'm sorry, but I have no sympathy for the man at all. As far as I'm concerned, he's made his bed and he's lying in it. Now he's too damn lazy to do anything about the fact that he's uncomfortable, other than bitch about it, but it sounds like he's doing a helluva good job of that!"

"Jeez, you're a hard hearted guy."

"No, I'm not hard hearted, but I am a realist. I've learned to look beneath the false face that some people present to the world. Instead I do my best to see what's underneath their facade. You and your old man were part of my education about recognising false fronts, but even that didn't make me hard hearted. If someone needs help, I'm right there to help out, but if you hurt me or my family or my friends, don't expect any sympathy from me. I will do my best to settle the issue, legally, but permanently. Grampa Bender taught me that."

"You sound as if you're proud of being hard on people."

"No, I'm not proud of settling things, but I do feel satisfied when I've righted a wrong. Actually, I'm quite soft hearted and I'll jump in on the weaker side of the argument if someone is taking advantage of another. When those girls who are in the hospital are up to talking to a stranger, take the time to talk to each of them for a half hour or so. Ask them about what they think of me and about how I and my family have treated them. From Carissa you'll find that she and her sister snubbed me for years, but when someone tried to sully their reputation, ask her who stepped in to help them. Ask Sandy what she did at the end of our first date and what I did in return, then ask her if I forgave her later in the summer. Ask Jackie how we met and what happened between us afterward. I'm not ashamed of anything I did with any of those women. You may not get a glowing testimonial from them, but I certainly won't come across as hard hearted."

"So you've been involved with all of them?" she looked surprised.

"Yeah, I have, but it wasn't my idea; it was their idea from the start. Until they came along, I was shy and reserved," I sighed then. "I think I'll go back to being quiet and reserved. It's safer and a lot less stressful to hang back a bit, but I guess I can never go back to being as shy as I was. Now, I've had a damn hard day and I need to get some sleep. Besides, I think you should think things over before we talk again."

"You're just going to walk off and leave me like this?" she acted like I was insulting her by leaving.

"Lucille, you don't believe me right now and I'm too damn tired and too damn annoyed to be polite. Do yourself a favour and as soon as you can, go talk to Grampa Bender. You'll be the first person from the Calgary branch of the family to talk to him in more than a year. That gesture alone will impress him, but whether it's a favourable impression or not is up to you."

"Do you really think I should? What would I tell Father?"

"Oh, for cripes sake. Aren't you a grown woman? Why tell that lazy prick anything? Do you still live at home and have to account for every hour of your time to your parents?" I looked at her disbelievingly.

"Well, no. I mean I do tell them almost everything, but I don't live at home. I have my own apartment," she actually blushed then. "I've even got a boyfriend of sorts, but Father doesn't like him."

"Why doesn't that surprise me?" I snorted and rolled my eyes. "For some reason it sounds to me like you've spent your whole life trying to be what your daddy wants and not what you want. Of course I could be wrong, but I've seen it before, and I've learned to notice it, because I was raised to go after what I want out of life."

"Well, I do have the next two days off," Lucille sounded tentative.

"So, don't tell your folks what you're doing, just hop in the car and go see Grampa Bender. Talk to him and find out for yourself what you think of what he says. Do something on your own for once, without consulting everyone else or getting permission from your dear daddy. Anyway, whatever you do, I'm to darn tired to stay up any longer."

"Chris, please. If you're going to be in town for a couple of days, could we talk again? This is my phone number and address," she handed me a slip of paper.

"Lucille, I don't know if I'll have the time. Right now I doubt it, but if I do, I'll call you," I took the paper with a deep sigh as I got to my feet. "Now, I've got to say goodnight. I've had a long hard day and I'm simply bushed."

"Goodnight, Chris. Maybe I will go see Grandfather."

I just waved and left, in no mood to say anything else. On my way back to the motel, I happened to notice a convenience store that was still open and decided to grab a snack. While I was there, I remembered that there was a kitchen in the motel unit, so I bought a package of ground coffee, some milk, some cold cereal and some fruit just in case either the girls or I woke early and wanted a bite to eat in the morning.

Back at the motel, I noticed the door to the girls' room was closed when I came in, but as I set the package of coffee, the milk and fruit in the fridge, the door opened and Jess peeked out, only her face showing.

"Oh, I heard a noise and I was worried that someone might have come in by mistake," she said in relief.

"Nope, no burglar, it's just me," I grinned. "Are you okay?"

"Better now that you're back," she smiled. "How was your meeting?"

"Don't ask," I snorted. "Well, okay, you can ask, but I'm not in much of a mood to answer."

"Oh, I thought maybe you'd want to talk about it."

"Not really," I sighed. "I guess you could say that my cousin and I didn't see eye to eye."

"Something like our parents and us, huh?"

"Well, maybe not quite that bad," I admitted. "Did you want to talk about things?"

"Yeah, but I'm tired and so are you. I think both of us had better get some sleep, if we can."

"Goodnight then."

"You too," she said, then disappeared, closing the door behind her.

I went to the bathroom, then stripped to my shorts and climbed into bed. I'd just gotten settled into the bed and was about to shut out the lights, when the door to their room opened, then Jess and Jean came out dressed in matching flannel pyjamas.

"We decided that maybe we would like to talk a little bit if you don't mind," Jean whispered. "Is it still okay?"

"I guess," I managed a weak smile. "What's troubling you?"

"Family stuff," she sighed as she and Jess plopped on the edge of the bed, one on each side of me. "We're worried about what Mom and Dad will do."

"Well, from what I heard, they've pretty well disowned Sandy, haven't they?"

"Yeah, but what is she going to do?" Jean sighed

"And what are we going to do?" Jess added.

So for the next few minutes I did my best to reassure them that between my family and the Coulters, we'd do our best to make sure they were okay. After that, we just talked for a while, and I realized in a moment or two that all of us were trying to stay away from any issue that anyone might find contentious. When they both began to yawn, I chased them off to bed, then rolled over and fell asleep.

I awoke the next morning to the phone ringing right at my bedside.

"Hello?" I answered it groggily.

"Hi, Chris, It's your dad."

"Oh, hi, Dad. What's up?"

"Are Jessica and Jean staying with you."

"They're in the next room, why?"

"Because their parents are looking for them," he sighed heavily. "Alice and Liz went into town yesterday and spoke to Ann McAdam. She called this morning and wants to send the two girls out to Bountiful, BC before they are 'ruined' by some local boy like Sandy and Jackie were."

"What do you mean 'ruined' by some local boy?" I frowned.

Dad paused and then spoke very slowly and quietly. "I think she meant before they'd had sex with anyone."

"Oh!" I was surprised at what I thought was implied with those words. "Okay, so what has that to do with me?"

"From the sounds of it, nothing," he sighed. 'To be honest, I was wondering if you knew if they were still ..."

"The word is virgin, Dad," I snorted. "I don't know and just so you know, if they are I am not offering to cure that condition at any time in the near future. Instead of asking me, shouldn't you be asking them?"

"That was the next step, but I think I'd better put your Mom on the line for that."

"You get Mom. I'll get the girls on the phone," I offered, setting the receiver down on the pillow as I got to my feet and pulled on my jeans.

I'd just gotten to the door to the girls' room when Jean opened it.

"The phone woke us. Is it the hospital? Is something wrong with Sandy or Jackie?" she rattled off quickly.

"No, Mom wants to talk to you and Jess about your mom. You can use this phone and Jess can use the one in your room. I'm going to grab some clean shorts and have a shower."

"Maybe you shouldn't do that. Your mom might want to talk to you too," she said as she hurried over to my bed.

She was right, but I'd made the offer to give them privacy, so I went into the bathroom for a minute to take care of my normal morning functions. When I came out, I made coffee and tried not to eavesdrop, but Jean waved me over to sit beside her.

"He's right here, Mrs. Crawford, do you want him to listen in too?"

"That might be an idea," I heard as Jean twisted the phone so both of us could hear.

"I'm here, Mom."

"Okay, what's happening is Sam and Ann McAdam want to ship all the girls off to that polygamous marriage place in BC. The girls tell me they aren't interested, in fact they sound terrified by the idea. Legally, we can't do anything right now, but morally I can't stand by and watch it happen. There are several problems that crop up though. First, we expect that Ann knows the girls will eventually be in Calgary and Sam's brother lives there so he might try to take them from you. Second, he might try to take Sandy out of the hospital. Third, you can't try to hide them at the ranch and we can't have them here. Their parents can legally go to the police and list them as missing after a full day has passed without them making contact. Fourth, we know that legally the girls can challenge their parents and ask for manumission, but that takes time. If you have any bright ideas, Chris, I'd like to hear them."

"Can we arrange for them to hide somewhere else while a lawyer works on their manumission?"

"Possibly, but where would you hide them? It can't be with anyone that the police might check and it can't be just anyone either. Sandy needs a doctor's care and yet we'd like her to be close by so we'd feel safer about them."

"Oh! I just had an idea," I winked at Jean. "Do you remember Grampa Bender's friend, the dog breeder? She was a fully qualified nurse when she retired and she lives way out in the boondocks, do you think she'd be a good choice."

"I know who you mean, but I don't even know where she lives. Don't tell me though. That way I can look the police right in the eye and tell them I don't know where the girls are. But do you think she'd do it?"

"If she knew the circumstances, yeah I do, because she's a good buddy of Grampa Benders," I grinned. "The problem is timing. Look, can I call you back?"

"Sure. I won't go anywhere."

"Wait, before you go, did you tell Mrs. McAdam that the girls were with me?"

"Umm, I told them they were out at the ranch, trying to talk you into taking them to see Sandy, why?"

"Because, I expect that they'll head straight out there, but you said they have to wait a day before they can get the cops on the girl's trail. Do you think Tom would be willing to take the big cultivator up to the ranch?"

"He can't get there with that wide thing, Chris. What are you thinking about? The bridge at the curve in the big cut is too narrow to ... Oh!"

"Yeah, if he was stuck there, they couldn't get past," I laughed. "But he doesn't have much time to get there, because it's only a few miles from town and Sam McAdam might hurry."

"I'll call Tom right now."

I grinned then because the phone went dead as she hung up.

"What was that all about?" Jean asked the instant I hung up the receiver.

"Well, I'm hoping Tom will block the road up to the ranch, but you two are supposed to be up there visiting me. Your folks can't go to the police until you've been missing for a full twenty four hours and the idea is to buy us some extra time."

"But what about Sandy?"

"Tell me, what day is today?" I grinned.

"It's Thursday."

"Okay, what date is it today?"

"It's the twenty-ninth of August.

"Right and who was born eighteen years ago on Labour Day, which happens to be four days away?"

"Sandy was," Jean grinned then as she caught on. "And when she's eighteen, she doesn't have to follow Mom and Dad's orders anymore, but the hospital will probably keep her in their care for at least four days."

"Right, on that day she is legally regarded as an adult," I grinned. "So we just warn her and tell her to make sure she doesn't get better before then. That way she won't be released into your parents care."

"But why did you tell your Mom about that dog breeder?"

"Because Mom doesn't fib worth a hoot," I laughed. "When she tells a little white lie, everyone knows it. Now we need to pack up because we need to get out of here."

"But why?"

"Because this is where we told the hospital we were and if your uncle checks with them he can find us."

"Oh, okay."

Just then the phone rang again.

"Hello," I answered it, making my voice gruff and signalling to with a finger to my lips that Jean wasn't to make any noise.

"Chris?" Mom asked.

"Oh, yeah, it's me. I was just thinking that we signed in at the hospital as next of kin yesterday, so if the McAdams check there they'll find that out. If they ask properly they can get this motel number."

"Oh, that's not good."

"Sure it is," I laughed. "We won't be here. We're packing up to leave right now, but I'll have Wil sign out for us later today. That will give us even more time."

"But where are you going?"

"To see a woman about a dog," I grinned. "And you already told me that you didn't want to know where she was. Did you get hold of Tom?"

"Yes, he's on his way, but so is your dad. He thought it might be an idea if they closed the road by having a fender bender."

"Isn't that a bit drastic?"

"Oh, I don't imagine that they're going to do much damage," she sighed. "This whole thing is getting too complicated."

"Well, it's going to get more complicated. I need the name and phone number of Grampa Bender's lawyer."

"I think he'll argue with you that fifteen is too young for the twins to be declared legally adult."

"Ah, but Sandy is another story and he can try to get the twins put in her care."

"But, Chris, how will she support them?"

"If necessary, I'll play the bride-to-be card," I sighed. "Right now I need that lawyer's name and number. I know how hard it is for you to fib, so I'm playing this one close to my chest for now."

"I think you're enjoying this," she said after she gave me the name and number of the lawyer.

"Only if you compare it to cleaning out the chicken coop," I sighed again. "Right now I'm trying to think of a dozen things at once and I know if I miss anything important, Jess and Jean could be the ones who will suffer. Now the girls are all packed up and I have to go. I'll call you later."

"Okay, Chris. Good luck."

"Thanks, Mom. See you."

Two or three minutes later I was knocking on the door to the Coulters' room and explaining to Wil that I wanted him to sign out our rooms later that day. I was surprised that John Coulter was there.

"Why would you sign out? Don't you like this motel?" John asked.

"It's not that. We're trying to confuse the issue," I sighed. "Sam and Ann McAdam are planning to send the girls out to that Mormon polygamy place in BC and they don't want to go. We're trying to slow it down while we get a lawyer and get him working on some form of protection. I'm signing out because the hospital has this motel as our contact number."

"Well, don't worry about finding a lawyer," he snapped. "I already have mine working on it and he has a few ideas about getting some form of protection for the girls. He said it might be tough though."

"Does he know that Sandy will be eighteen in a few days?" I sighed in relief. "On top of that aren't there laws about the age of permission or consent, something about the difference in ages between the old guy and the younger girl?"

John looked at me in surprise, then grabbed a pad of paper and made some notes, asking me a few questions as he wrote hurriedly.

"I'll get this to my lawyer as quickly as I can. Now what are you going to do?" he asked.

"I and the twins are going to disappear," I smiled. "The McAdams think I'm out at the ranch and some folks back home are blocking the only road. I plan on being there to meet the McAdams in about four or five hours, but by then the twins should be in a safe place."

"You have me completely confused," he said obviously puzzled.

"Good. Just imagine what the McAdams will think," I managed a weak grin.

"Chris, if they find out what you're doing they could charge you with kidnapping."

"John, I have to risk it. I'll call you later," then I turned and walked out the door.

In the car with the twins afterward I suddenly felt worried because I knew I was treading on thin ice.

"Now what should we do?" Jean asked as we pulled out of the parking lot.

"We need to find a pay telephone," I smiled. "But I think we can find one outside that mall we were at yesterday. I have to find you a safe place to stay for a few days, but I think you still need to have a way to find out how Sandy and Jackie are doing."

"Oh yes, please," Jess sniffled. "I don't understand why Mom and Dad are being so mean right now."

"That's because it fits," I snapped. "You're going through major stress and they think that if they use that stress against you, you'll cave in and do whatever they want you to do. I know that makes them sound even meaner, but I think that's what they plan to happen."

"I don't understand," she whispered.

"Well you've been put in a situation where you're worried about the future and you probably feel the whole world is collapsing around you. They're using that to their advantage. If they move you to a place where everyone around you is suddenly acting kind and caring, you're going to accept it more easily. In a short time you might even think that some old middle-aged man is the nicest guy you've ever met. Eventually if he asked you to be his bride, you might even think it was a good idea. You might even be willing to forget that he was old enough to be your grandfather and has a bunch of other wives."

"Do you think they'd do that to us?" Jean asked, wide eyed.

"Unh huh. I do," I sighed.

When I pulled into the parking lot at the mall, I stopped the car, then turned and told them about Sandy describing why she thought her mother had conditioned her for years. I literally repeated the tale she'd told Carissa and me, explaining that her mother thought my family were 'closet' Mormons and how she'd made Tom and me seem like perfect matches for the girls. Then I tried to explain my view that since their mother's plan for us had fallen apart, she was now reverting to another plan that she'd had held in reserve. I expected them to fall apart and cry uncontrollably, but instead they got angry.

"Why would Mom do a thing like that?" Jean demanded.

"I think it's a religious thing and I refuse to try to understand other people's religions," I shrugged.

"She didn't do that conditioning thing just to Sandy," Jess said through her teeth. "We got the same crap and it worked too, all three of us went after you and Tom. The fly in the ointment for Mom's plan is that you and Tom are nice guys."

"Yeah and now your family knows what's going on with her other plan," Jean growled. "So what are you going to do now?"

"Now we hide you until we see if we can't get the law on your side. I have to make a phone call though, so do you mind waiting here in the car?" I pointed to series of payphones. "I'm in a bit of a hurry and I see a payphone right over there. You'll be safe here in the car with the doors locked, okay?"

When they nodded, I slipped out of the car, locking the door behind me. Then I heaved a huge sigh as I walked across the parking lot to the phone. I was trusting that blood really was thicker than water and that a skunk could change its stripes.

At the same time I knew that if I was making a mistake I could end up in jail. However I was willing to take that risk for the girls' sake.

As I walked toward the telephones, I felt the urge to cross my fingers. I was hoping that my first call turned out well. If it did there was a good chance that I could manage to hide the twins for a few days and if John Coulter's lawyer was on the bit, Sandy could become their guardian. Of course it all depended on the reaction of various people toward the idea of parent-enforced plural marriages for young women.

My hand was steady, but my palms were a bit moist as I dropped the coin in the slot and dialled the phone. Then I waited. I had to admit that I was worried. I needed help, but I wasn't positive of getting it right away.

The phone rang five times before it was picked up.

"Hello?" a sleepy woman's voice answered tentatively.

"Hi, Lucille. It's Chris, sorry to wake you, but I have a problem and I think you could help."

"Chris?"

"Yes, your cousin, Chris. We talked last night, remember?"

"Oh. Oops, sorry." she yawned. "I didn't sleep much last night. I was thinking about what you said and I'm surprised that you'd call me for help."

"Well to start with, I apologise for some of what I said last night. I walked in there with a chip on my shoulder and begged you to knock it off. Then I took out years of frustration about all of our dealings with what we call the city side of the family on you and you didn't deserve that," I really did feel bad too and I think it must have come across in my voice. "I'm sorry I chewed you out for things that older members of your personal family did and that wasn't fair to you."

"Wow, are you sure you're the same guy I talked to last night?" she chuckled sleepily. "But I'm glad you called, even if it is early. I'd like to talk to you some more. I've got some questions and I'd like some answers."

"Well, the reason I called is because I'd like to talk to you too. Could we meet somewhere or something?"

"Umm, I just woke up, but I could talk. Are you doing anything special right now and where are you? It'll take me a while to get prepared to go out, but if you can put up with a woman with wild morning hair and in a housecoat, you could drop over here."

"That would be great, but I don't know where 'here' is," I chuckled. "Don't forget that I'm a country boy, if your apartment isn't on a main drag, I'm going to have trouble finding it."

So she laughed, then told me how to get to her apartment. I think she must have questioned herself about why I warned her that I was bringing the two girls with me, but she didn't ask over the phone. Having found that she lived alone, I stopped at a bakery we passed along the way and picked up some freshly baked sticky-buns to take with us. At least that way everyone could have something to eat for breakfast.

Lucille was still in her pyjamas and a robe when we got to her apartment, but she had the coffee made and was surprisingly friendly. Actually she astounded me by giving me a hug, then turned to the twins and virtually gaped at them for a few seconds.

"I'm sorry to be rude, but I think I'm seeing double," she said with a slight frown on her face.

"No, you aren't seeing double. We're twins, but yesterday, just to be certain that someone from our family could be there for Jackie, we dressed differently and each of us wore different makeup," Jess smiled.

"Unh huh, Jess told you she was Jackie's sister, but I told you I was Sandy's," Jean nodded. "Both Sandy and Jackie have the same sort of family troubles. Well, we do too, but that's another story."

"I'm completely confused," Lucille looked at me questioningly. "Since they're with you, did you think I was going to be able to help them in some way?"

"Yeah, I was hoping you could act as our go between at the hospital for information, but let's sit down and have a coffee with a sticky-bun while I explain," I said as I offered her the bag from the bakery.

"Oh, I like these," she smiled as she peeked inside. "You can bribe me with these any time."

She led us to her living room, but when she moved on to the kitchen to get coffee, Jean went with her, offering to help. They were back in only a couple of moments with the sticky-buns on plates and a cup of coffee for each of us. Lucille insisted Jess, Jean and I sat on the couch so we could reach the coffee table easily, meanwhile she pulled an oversized stool close to sit facing us.

As soon as she sat down, she sighed deeply. "Are you two girls neighbours of Chris and his family, or what?"

"Nope, we live in town. We started out as Beth's friends, but since we've been staying on the farm and helping out all summer, we've kinda become closer to Jasmine and Tom. I suppose that's cause Tom is so cute and Jasmine is just as friendly as Beth is," Jean grinned.

"I think we should tell her the whole story," Jess said instantly, then sighed. "But, we should warn you, Lucille; it's complicated, okay?"

Lucille looked at me strangely as her eyebrows lifted in a question.

"I'd like you to listen to what they have to say," I nodded.

So Jess and Jean spent the next while explaining about their family, their religion and how they had been raised. When they spoke about their mother believing that my family were closet Mormons, Lucille just smiled and shook her head in astonishment. However, when Jess was finally explaining about the possibility of being sent to a polygamous Mormon settlement and being forced to marry an old man, she frowned and turned to me.

"Their parents can't legally do that, can they?" she stared at me.

"Unfortunately as dependent children, the girls can be told to live wherever their parents decide. Then they can be encouraged to marry, but no, they can't be forced into marriage. However what we fear is that once they're in the conclave, they might be prevented from leaving. Unfortunately, while they're there, we expect they'll be bombarded with relatively reasonable sounding inducements of why they should marry one of the older men. I understand the process is almost like being brainwashed," I sighed. "These two are fifteen and for their whole life they've been taught to obey their elders. I like them a lot and I think they're quite tough, but after three years of constant pressure, I'm not sure that they could hold out against a whole community of people."

"Oh migawd. You two don't want to do that do you?" Lucille asked the twins.

"No," both of them said vehemently and shook their heads.

"Then we need to do something," Lucille turned back to me.

"I was hoping you'd see things that way," I smiled at her. "You see since Jackie and Sandy are in the hospital they'll be safe for a while, because they can't be moved until they're fully recovered. Sandy turns eighteen on Sunday, so she'll be fine. At that point she'll be old enough to legally say no to her parents' demands. However, Jess and Jean's folks are looking for them now and that could be really bad, because they could be sent off to that Mormon colony in a minute. We've got a lawyer who is trying to get Sandy listed as the custodian for the twins, but that's going to take a while and it won't be effective until after Sandy turns eighteen anyway."

"We wanted to talk to you, because you can keep us posted on how Sandy and Jackie are doing," Jean reached out a hand to Lucille. "We can phone you and ask, can't we?"

"Oh, sure. No problem, but what about you? Are you running away from home? Do you have somewhere to go?" Lucille grabbed Jean's hand, then a second later grabbed Jess's too.

Suddenly she turned to look at me. "What are you going to do, Chris? Can you think of somewhere they could go to hide out while the lawyer is trying to do this legal thing? Could they stay with you up at Grandfather's ranch?"

"Easy, one question at a time," I held up my hands and grinned. "You're as bad as Beth for getting excited."

"Sorry. It's just that I really want to help," she rolled her eyes. "I think that the idea of making young girls marry old men is sick. In fact when I think about old men having a bunch of young wives, I get angry."

"Yeah, well I don't feel much better about it," I nodded. "However hiding them at the ranch is out. Since Sandy was staying with me for a week or two this summer, their parents have already thought of that and Mom thinks they'll be headed out there this morning. However if they don't find the girls in twenty-four hours, they can go to the police and list them as missing persons. I do know of one place that they might be able to go for a while, but it's really too close to home and that could be dangerous. It would really be better if I could look the cops in the eye and tell them truthfully that I have no idea where they are."

"Well I can help some. As far as the girls in the hospital, I know the doctor who is in charge of their recovery and I know that neither Jackie nor Sandy will be released from the hospital for several days. Actually in Jackie's case it might be weeks or even months," Lucille frowned, then smiled. "I know someone who could help these two as well. So do you mind if I jump into this with both feet?"

"I was hoping you might be able to help, at least by keeping us updated on the girls' condition, but this is even better than I'd hoped," I smiled at her. "Thank you."

"No problem," Lucille waved a hand as if waving off my thanks. "First off I feel I owe you for being a silly bitch for years, but even more than that I want to help. The very idea of parents doing something like that to their own kids just frosts me."

"Well, it doesn't sit well with me either."

"So what do we do then?" Jess asked.

"Well since Chris doesn't want to know where you two are, do you two trust me?"

"Unh, yeah. Since you're related to Chris and his family, we do," Jean spoke, but both of them nodded.

"Okay, then the first thing we have to do is get our stories straight," Lucille smiled. "If anyone asks me, I met you two at the front desk yesterday, but haven't seen you since then. I talked to Chris then too, but in his case we met again last night in a cafe and had an argument about family matters. I'll tell everyone the truth about that and explain that he grew annoyed with me and finally stomped off angrily, then I can fib and say I haven't seen him since."

"Okay, then you're going to look after the girls and find them a place to stay for a few days?" I grinned.

"Yeah that's what I said, isn't it?" she frowned slightly.

"Hey, just so I know that they're safe," I sighed. "I don't really know you all that well and I'm being forced to trust you."

"Well my father keeps telling me that I'm a soft-hearted fool who is going to waste her life caring for the underdog," she sighed. "The reason I'm living here is because I moved away from home as soon as I could afford my own place. I got tired of his constant criticism of what I said or did."

"That's about the best recommendation you could give me," I grinned.

"Well I have to admit that Daddy is a hard hearted soul who lives by counting pennies," she sighed. "But if you and these girls trust me, let's get back to a cover story so that we're all on the same page."

"Then I'll admit that I brought them to Calgary, and talked to you last night, but when I woke up this morning they'd run off. We'll have to clue Wil and the Coulters in on that idea though, since I already talked to them this morning and left them with a different idea."

"So use my phone and call them," Lucille pointed to it then turned back to the twins. "While Chris is doing that, do you girls have any clothes with you?"

"Oh, their clothes are in the trunk of my car, but I can get them later," I answered.

"Gimme the keys, I'll help the girls get them. Meanwhile, you need to phone your brother and your friends. I think you should have something that you can give to the cops if they ask about the girls running off though, a note or something."

"Unh, let me think about that note for a second, but while I'm thinking about it I'll call Wil and the Coulters," I reached for the phone.

As I dialled the phone, Lucille held out her hand for the keys and when she had them, she ran out of the apartment in her housecoat with Jess and Jean following her. Mr. Coulter answered the phone at the motel after only one ring. After I explained what had happened, he agreed that they'd get their story straight about the girls, and that he'd get Wil to sign us out of the motel that morning instead of later in the day. He agreed with Lucille's idea about a note, which I could tell the cops the twins left behind. Mr. Coulter thought they might make it sound like they were planning to go see their uncle or that they wanted to go home on the first bus. That's when he suggested that I drive straight home and talk to the police as soon as I got to town and tell them that the girls had run away. He thought that by doing that I'd forestall anything the McAdams might do to give me any problems.

As we talked, I realized that like me, he didn't really want to know where Lucille was taking the girls. However, I did give him Lucille's phone number so he could stay in contact with her. That way that he could help out if needed and I got his permission to give her his phone number. After that he told me that he'd already talked to the lawyer, but that while the lawyer had sounded encouraging about Sandy, he hadn't sounded totally positive about a happy outcome for the twins. That was one thing I wasn't about to pass on to the girls.

By the time I was off the phone, Lucille and the girls were back with their clothes, so I asked them to write a note suggesting the things that John Coulter had suggested. They preferred using the idea of saying that they were going to catch a bus and go home. Neither of them liked the idea of writing about going to their uncle's, insisting that everyone knew that they felt their aunt and uncle were creepy.

Then Jean suggested that instead they write that they were going to go look after the duplex for Sandy and Jackie, and I told her that I didn't even know the address of that darn place.

She grinned at that telling me that was perfect, because I could admit that I hadn't had any idea where they had gone. She wrote a note saying that they were going to the duplex first. Then they were going to go home once they were certain that the duplex was locked up tight and all of Sandy's possessions were safe. As Jean explained it, that would give me an excuse to drive home right away, since it would look like I tried to catch them if they left the city on the early bus.

I wasn't feeling completely comfortable about leaving the girls in Lucille's care, especially not without asking them how they felt about the idea. So when Lucille went to change into street clothes, I got the chance to ask them what they thought of her.

"I like her a lot. She reminds me of your Mom," Jean smiled.

"Yeah, and I trust her too. I think she's really nice."

"So, if I leave you with her, you think you'll be okay?"

"Unh huh," they both nodded. "We'll be fine."

About then I was trying to think of anything else that I might have forgotten and suddenly I snapped my fingers.

"I forgot about money," I grinned at the girls "I need to go to a bank before I leave you to stay anywhere with anyone."

"Unh uh, I heard that," Lucille said as she came back into the room. "If the cops check on you closely and you've made a big withdrawal, they'll guess what it was for. They won't know enough to check on my account though and I can afford to help the girls safe for a couple of weeks. I'll collect from you later, but if this goes on for long, I may need to ask you for some help, okay?"

"Yep," I grinned. "You're thinking ahead. Thank you."

Then she astounded me by walking up and giving me another hug before stepping back.

"You girls had better say goodbye, because I'm chasing him out. He needs to get going and we do too."

Suddenly, I had both Jess and Jean hugging me. Then Lucille was as good as her word and sent me on my way.

### Chapter 40