Andersonville 9 - Never Cry Wolf               by: Kelly Davidson

 

Fade in...

The nine men and one woman moved swiftly through the dark night. The commander was in the lead and every sixty seconds he looked to his left and right to make sure everyone was with him. They were, not that he expected otherwise. Each one had been handpicked and under his constant, hard training, they had become a solid team. Each soldier watched their commander with a pair of night-goggles as he led them through the heavy brush. The Captain lifted his fist high up in the air - a silent command for his team to stop.

"Doghouse, this Nighthawk. What's the target's position - over," he whispered into his mic. There was a soft crackle in his earphone.

"Nighthawk - target is 250 yards and 3 degrees to your north. Our map indicates there's a clearing ahead - over."

"Roger Doghouse." The Captain held up his fingers and pointed in the direction of where they were going. Then he signaled each man on his

left - giving them an order to spread out 30 meters among themselves before moving forward again. His men did as they were told - executing a wide circle to the north to catch the target in case it got away from the main force.

The commander moved his soldiers forward silently and along the way surprised a deer in the woods, which ran off in a mad dash. The Captain smiled with pride; being able to sneak up on the deer in the middle of the woods indicated how quiet they were being.

The team came to the edge of the woods where they found themselves overlooking a large field. In the center of the field ran a small stream with a number of large rocks situated near it. The commander held up his fist again and called in.

"Doghouse, this is Nighthawk. What's our target doing, over?"

"No change Nighthawk," the Captain's earphone crackled. "The target must be resting - it hasn't moved for over 4 minutes now. Range is 35 yards due north from your position, over."

The Captain made some silent calculations in his head and determined the target was behind the rocks in front of him. He magnified his night glasses and scanned them carefully for movement but didn't see anything. He finger signaled his men to spread out to five meters between them and move in carefully. There was no telling what the target would do when they caught it.

Carefully they moved forward, scanning for moments in the rocks and not seeing any. When they were less than 10 yards from where they needed to be the commander signaled his men to stop again and remove their night goggles. This was the most critical part of the mission - to spot and blind the target before it had a chance to get away.

Suddenly the wind shifted and the Captain heard someone crying close by. He turned on his flashlight and ran toward the spot were the crying was coming from; his team following close behind with their own flashlights. The Captain ran behind the rocks and showed his flashlight in the direction of the noise. He spotted the small face of a scared teenager not more than five feet away from where he stood. She was huddled against the rock in fear, her clothes ripped, her hair mangled, and her eyes bloodshot. Peggy Wilson gave the commander a frightened look.

"Please don't hurt me," she screamed almost hysterically. "Please help me, PLEASE - he wants to kill me."

Fade out...

***********************

Voice of Dennis Butz - Thousands of years ago there was a war in the heavens, between the gods of old and the new arrivals. During the process, the earth was almost destroyed by fire and floods as our war ran unchecked. Finally, after centuries of conflict, an uneasy peace was achieved between our two peoples. Both sides recognized that they needed the other, but neither side was willing to trust the other. However, as man grew in power and knowledge he challenged the gods themselves. To maintain the balance and keep the peace, a buffer zone was needed. It's a small town - just like thousands of others spread across the land. Quiet streets, family-run businesses, and Saturday afternoon picnics. But this town is different. It's a place for lost souls, for misguided individuals, and for those who are in need of a second chance. It's also the last, best chance I have of freeing my people from their captors. The name of the project is Restoration; the name of the town is Andersonville!

*****************************

Andersonville 9 - Never cry wolf

by Kelly Davidson

 

This story dedicated to Gwendolyn Ann Smith for her, "Remembering our dead" web page at http://www.gender.org/remember. It's a place dedicated to our TG brothers and sisters who were murdered at the hands of others due to hate and intolerance. On the average, one (1) TG person is murdered each month. Would you take a moment to visit the site, bow your head, say a prayer for our fallen brothers and sisters, and remember what we are fighting for - the right to be treated as any other human being. Also, if you have a moment, would you please drop Gwendolyn a note and tell her how much you appreciate her maintaining this site. Thank you.

Fade in...

Stephanie Hall walked down the hallway of the Andersonville Courthouse with a certain swagger in her step. She was the best attorney that Peace River had - although with someone like Judge Jasper around her expertise wasn't needed very often. The judge had a way of getting to the truth of the matter. So when he asked if she would be interested in going to Andersonville to defend one of their citizens, the female attorney jumped at the chance. It wasn't just defending someone that caused her heart to pump - she was interested in seeing what this town was all about.

Ashley Gang, her good friend and assistant to Judge Jasper, had told her many exciting things about Andersonville. However, to be able to visit the town, that was something else. She wondered what the judge was going to get in exchange for her services.

Finding Judge Herns' chambers wasn't hard at all, the Andersonville Courthouse had the exact same floor plan as the Peace River Courthouse. For some reason, Stephanie didn't find that odd. In the reception office, she came across a young woman typing on the computer. Behind her desk hung the picture of a black police officer. Stephanie knew who the police officer was and who the young receptionist used to be. She was a little relieved that Judge Herns hadn't punished her too severely.

"Good morning Miss Anderson," Stephanie said crisply as if she didn't know who I really was. I returned her businesslike stare.

"Good morning Mrs. Hall," I replied formally. "Judge Herns is expecting you."

I gave her a weak smile and led her through the chamber door that was slightly open. Judge Herns preferred I kept it that way, so I wouldn't knock every time I wanted to come in. She felt this would encourage me to come into her office whenever I needed to talk."

"Judge - Mrs. Hall from Peace River is here to see you." Judge Herns looked up from her paper work and smiled brightly.

"Good morning Stephanie." She stepped away from her desk and greeted the woman warmly. "How was your plane trip in?"

"Not too bad," the attorney answered while returning her handshake and smile. "To be honest, I couldn't wait to get here and get started."

"Can I have Linda get you anything?" the Judge asked. "Coffee or a soft drink maybe?"

"No thank you June - I'm fine."

"Very well then. Linda, can you please close the door as you leave."

I made sure the Judge saw the disappointed look on my face as I left. As I sat down at my desk to finish up a report I found myself wishing I could be a fly on the wall in the next room. I pushed my curiosity away and concentrated on what I was doing.

*****************************

"So Your Honor," Stephanie started as she took a seat. "Why am I here?"

"Peggy Wilson," Judge Herns replied handing the female attorney a file. "Two nights ago she ran off and got almost 3 miles out of town. One of our strike teams picked her up and brought her back in a hysterical state. She claims someone was chasing after her and trying to kill her."

"Do you believe her?" Stephanie asked.

"It doesn't matter what I believe," Judge Herns answered while fixing herself of cup coffee. "I guess you should know, I have my doubts. She's made this claim before. However, the state she was in seems to indicate something had frightened her."

"Maybe the men who picked her up? That would scare anyone," Stephanie suggested. Judge Herns shook her head slowly.

"I don't think so. She couldn't have known they were there until the last few seconds when they rushed her." Judge Herns handed her friend another file. "Captain Young reported he heard her crying before his team moved in and captured her."

"What about a mind sweep?" The attorney knew June Herns could read memories under some conditions. This didn't sound like one of them.

"I tried," she responded in a frustrated tone. "I did pick up some things. Peggy believes in her mind she was being chased but she was also in a very emotional state at the time. The events may have happened - and then again, she could have made them up. It's too fuzzy to be sure."

"Which is why I'm here," Stephanie said getting right to the point.

"Yes," the Judge answered taking a sip of her coffee. "I've set a trial date two days from now. I want you to defend her."

"A real trial?" the young female attorney asked with raised eyebrows. This was a treat!

"Yes," Judge Herns replied. "The prosecution will be handled by an army attorney from the nearby base. I've scheduled you to meet with him at 11am today in room 23. That should give you enough time to meet with your client and decide how - or if - you want to defend her. I'll be presiding over the trial based on what is presented - not on my personal feelings. Just don't try any showboating and everything should go smoothly."

"Agreed Your Honor, I just want a fair shot." Stephanie paused for a moment. "I could use a good private investigator to help me gather evidence. There's someone in Peace River I know of. Will you allow me to bring someone else in?"

"It just so happens we have a couple of investigators here in Andersonville Stephanie - both good ones."

"But you have one of them in mind for me - right, June?" The attorney smiled slightly knowing how her friend operated.

"I guess it's no secret," Judge Herns replied. "I would like Linda Anderson to work with you on this case."

"No offense, June - but couldn't I have Linda's ex-partner instead?"

"Linda's ex-partner is currently a 14-year old boy - that would hardly look right under the circumstances," the Judge explained. "Besides, he's going through a bit of a personal crisis at this time. Linda would be a better choice."

"It's not that I have anything against her, June," the attorney pleaded her case, "but she didn't listen to me in Peace River and I have to wonder how well she'll listen to me on her home field."

"Fair enough Stephanie. I'll have a talk with Linda and explain that you're in charge." June Herns stopped for a moment and gave the attorney a friendly stare. "Stephanie, you'd be doing me a huge favor by taking her on. My assistant needs to feel good about herself again. My ex-husband may have been right about her actions but he was still a little hard on her. Besides, she knows Andersonville better than anyone you could bring in."

The female attorney thought about it for a moment. "Okay June, I'll work with her. Anything else?"

"Just good luck," the Judge smiled back. She grasped the young attorney's hands. "Thank you for leaving your family and coming out here on such short notice, my friend. I want to make sure we know what happened. If Peggy Wilson is telling the truth – then we need to know."

"I'll do my best June." Both ladies stood up and walked over to the door.

*****************************

The door opened and the tall and thin, blonde-haired attorney walked out with Judge Herns.

"Linda," the Judge spoke, "I would like to speak with you for a moment please."

She motioned me through the door while Mrs. Hall took a seat in my office. I laid my pen down and followed her in.

"Have a seat," the Judge told me. I sat down in a chair across from her.

"Is there something wrong, June?" I asked.

"No my child," she said with a small smile. "I'm re-assigning you to work with Stephanie Hall for the next couple of days."

"Does this have anything to do with Peggy Wilson?" I asked. It was the only thing I could think of that would cause Judge Herns to bring someone in from out of the town. Andersonville didn't have a real lawyer. If it did, he or she would be the busiest person in town.

"It does," she replied. "You should know that Stephanie is a very fine attorney who knows how to get to the bottom of things. At my request, she has agreed to take you on as her assistant in this case. I trust you won't let me or her down."

"You mean - I get to investigate this case?" I was excited about the prospect of turning over rocks to find clues.

"Yes," she said with a warning look. "However, we need to set some ground rules here. Your restriction is still in force except when it's necessary to go beyond the boundaries. When you do, you will let Sargent Williams know and have someone with you at all times. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, Your Honor," I nodded my head.

"Also," she continued, "Mrs. Hall will be in charge of this matter. You'll take your orders from her and clear anything you plan to do ahead of time with her. I don't want you freelancing out there on your own. This is a team effort and she's the leader, do I make myself clear on that point?" I again nodded that I understood.

"Good," she stated while smiling again. "I see no reason why the two of you can't get started right now. Good luck, Linda. Please don't give me a reason to regret my decision today."

"I won't, Your Honor." I gave her a smile and went out to where Stephanie was sitting.

"I'm looking forward to working with you, Mrs. Hall," I said politely.

"Call me Stephanie," she said taking my hand and smiling.

"Only if you call me Linda," I replied in the same way. "Where do you want to start?"

"Let's talk to Peggy Wilson first."

The young attorney gathered up her purse and we walked down to the police station. Officer Philips greeted us when we arrived.

"What can I do for you two ladies," he asked while giving me a cautious stare.

"I'm here to see Peggy Wilson. I'm her attorney," Stephanie said while handing over a piece of paper from the Judge explaining the situation and informing them that they were to give her their complete cooperation. Officer Philips looked at the legal form and nodded.

"I'll set you up in conference room B, Mrs. Hall," Officer Philips told us. He led us into the back to a small 10 X 12-foot windowless room and a minute later brought in Miss Wilson. Being in jail was nothing new for Peggy but she looked worn out - as if she were worried about something. Stephanie extended her hand in a businesslike tone.

"Are you here to represent me?" Peggy asked taking Stephanie's hand.

"Yes. I'm your attorney, Mrs. Hall, and you know Linda Anderson."

"I don't want that bitch in the room while I talk to you," the 14-year-old exclaimed. "She works for that Judge lady."

Stephanie gave her an evil stare that cut the woman down and said, "Let me explain something to you, Peggy. I'm your only hope to get out of here. If you want my help, you'll do it my way! Linda is going to be assisting me in this investigation. If you have a problem with that, then I can leave right now and you can have one of the temps take over for me. Now, is that what you want?"

"No," she said with a distrustful eye in my direction. I guess I couldn't blame her since I did work for the enemy.

"Now I want you to tell me what happened that night," Stephanie said firmly.

"It was about 11:30 PM," Peggy started. "I was taking a walk to clear my mind. You don't know how hard it is being a teenager again and having to go to school. Suddenly someone stepped out of the dark and grabbed me. I got scared and tried to scream but he put his hand over my month." I watched Peggy's body movements carefully as she told her story. I wanted to see if she was telling the truth.

"How do you know it was a man?" Stephanie asked while taking down some notes.

"He - he had - well, I could feel his thing," she said while looking down at the table blushing.

"I see. And you're sure it was real?"

Peggy looked back up with an angry expression on her face. "Lady, I used to have one of them. It was damn real!"

"Simmer down Miss Wilson," Stephanie shot back. "I'm asking these questions for a reason. Then what happened?"

"He pushed me down," the teenager replied with a scared look on her face. "Then he started ripping at my clothes to get my breasts and I could feel his hand on one of them. I was panicking - I mean he was going to rape me and there wasn't anything I could do to stop him. That's when he made his mistake. He got up off me just enough so I could move my legs. I kicked him in the groin and he rolled off me in a hurry. That's when he stood up and threatened to kill me. He pulled out a knife, so I ran the only way I could to be safe, into the woods. But he followed me in so I ran harder and found myself lost and unable to find my way back into town. That's when the swat team, or whoever they are, showed up."

"What about how the man looked? You must have got a good look at him when he was on top of you," Stephanie stated.

"He had a mask and dark clothes on," Peggy replied in a scared tone. "But he left his calling card, look!" She pulled up the sleeve of her blouse to reveal several bruises where someone had grabbed her. Stephanie got a look of distaste on her face.

"Tell me something about the man that you do remember. How big was he? How much did he weight? Did he do or say something that was different?"

"I don't know," Peggy replied putting her head in her hands. "He was about 6' 2" and heavy - maybe about 220. He smelled bad, as if he had just got done working out and hadn't taken a shower yet. I can't remember anything else that will help."

From her body language, I knew that at least part of the story was a lie. Peggy Wilson was definitely keeping something from us. If Stephanie knew, she didn't show it.

"Do you think - you can help me?" she asked nervously.

"It won't be easy, Peggy, but I'll do my best," Stephanie said with a confident smile. "Have you got anything to wear for the trial?"

"You mean like a - a dress? No, not a good one."

"I'll find you something nice to wear. Until then you behave and don't talk to anyone else about this." She opened the conference door and motioned Officer Philips to take Peggy back to her cell.

"Thank you, Mrs. Hall." She didn't say anything to me as the cop led her away.

"What do you think?" Stephanie asked me.

"I think she's holding something back," I told her.

"I think you're right. What about her story?"

I thought about it carefully. "At least part of it was true. She was really shaken up by what happened. I could tell that by her body language."

Stephanie thought about it for a moment and looked at her watch. "Let's go meet with the prosecutor and see if he can shed any light on her story."

*****************************

Lawrence Galloway was a tall man with a military haircut. Despite that fact, he was currently dressed like a civilian in a blue suit that did nothing to hide his well-maintained body. He smiled brightly and offered us a drink before getting started. I decided on a diet Pepsi that he retrieved from a small refrigerator.

"I think you should know," he started off, "that I'm willing to work out some kind of deal with you despite the fact I can prove your client is guilty. Judge Herns has provided me with some room to maneuver."

"Don't you think you're being a bit presumptuous!" Stephanie stated. "My client tells me she was chased into the woods by a man with a knife and has physical evidence to back it all up."

"Bruises on her arm, Mrs. Hall?" he smiled slightly. "That could have happened hours before she tried to escape. A fight with another student or maybe even self-inflected to make her story look credible." He shook his head slightly.

"Or they could have been done by someone attacking her that evening," Stephanie replied firmly. "Something happened that night and I'm going to find out what."

"Before you go off looking for the smoking gun," Lawrence said while holding up a videotape in his hand, "I think you should see this first. It will put into perspective what you are up against." He slid the videotape into the VCR and turned it on.

It was a black and white picture of a parking lot behind a warehouse. There wasn't much going on, a few truck trailers parked in a row and an old car off to one side. Suddenly I spotted movement in the distance - as a lone figure made its way up the dark side of the building next door. The person, a young female, was carrying a backpack and had a flashlight in her hand.

"This was taken the night of the escape," Mr. Galloway explained. "I've had the picture blown up which I'll show you in a minute - but I think you can guess who it is."

I saw steam coming out of Stephanie ears as the figure in the video looked around to make sure no one was watching her. Apparently, she didn't see the camera on the next building. After almost a minute of waiting, the figure took off with great speed and disappeared into the woods. The prosecutor stopped the tape and laid a single black and white picture down in front of us. It was Peggy Wilson.

"As you can see," he announced triumphantly, "there isn't much doubt that she left on her own. I've watched the tape for almost a half-hour after this point and saw no other signs of someone going after her. You're welcome to do the same if you want Ms. Hall, but I'm going to have to conclude that her story was made up to cover for her crime. She has tried the same thing once before."

"Anything else," Stephanie asked. Mr. Galloway laid a dirty backpack on the table.

"We found this not to far from where she went in. It appears she fell down a gully and lost it. The pack contains several changes of clothing as well as some food, extra shoes, batteries for her flashlight and about $25.00 in loose change. Now I don't know about you, but when I see items like this I tend to suspect the person was planning on going on a trip for a few days. By the way, the fingerprints on the pack belong to Peggy Wilson."

"Your show has been most enlightening," Stephanie said in an annoyed tone.

"I didn't mean to sound so smart," the prosecutor answered honestly. "I only want to bring an end to this as quickly as possible."

"What are you offering?" Stephanie asked, figuring she might as well hear what her client was going to get.

"One year starting off as a 2-month old baby followed by a return to her current age and 500 hours of community service." I winced at the sentence.

"It's not as bad as you think, Miss Anderson," he explained truthfully. "Judge Herns promised to turn her into a small infant without the possibility of being changed back. At least Miss Wilson wouldn't have to repeat her entire childhood - only one year of it; providing of course she doesn't try taking this to trial and going for broke."

"It's bad enough," I answered. I almost suspected Peggy was being made an example of.

"I'll have to talk it over with my client, Mr. Galloway - but I think under the circumstances she'll take your generous offer."

"I hope so," Lawrence replied with a smile. "I really don't want to make Miss Wilson relive her life again; it serves no real purpose. That's why I asked Judge Herns for a way out of having to take this to trial. I'll need your answer by tomorrow morning otherwise - I'll see you court." He held out his hand to us.

"I'll be in touch, Mr. Galloway," Stephanie replied while shaking his hand. I did the same and follow her out. It was obvious by the way Stephanie was walking that she was very upset.

"Let's go see Miss Wilson again and find out why she lied to us!" Stephanie said to me in an angry tone.

****************************

"YOU LIED TO ME, Miss Wilson!" Stephanie said harshly. "You pulled me away from my husband and kids to defend you in what turns out to be a LIE!" The young teenager cracked.

"No - no - it's not like that at all," Peggy started to explain

"The HELL IT ISN'T," Mrs. Hall yelled back. "They have your backpack loaded with clothes and food. They have your past history of you claiming to be stalked. And most damaging, they have a videotape of you clearly leaving on your own. IT'S ALL OVER MISS WILSON! YOU LOSE!"

"I ran because the man came at me with a knife - I swear," Peggy pleaded with tears in her eyes.

"And you just 'HAPPEN' to be carrying a backpack full of food and clothing at the time? What were you planning to do - have a picnic in the MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT?" Stephanie shouted angrily. The young girl hung her head in defeat.

"Perhaps now would be a good time to tell us the full truth, Peggy," I said calmly. Both women gave me a rude look but the teenager's frown faded when she realized I was trying to help.

"Okay," she sniffed. "I was trying to escape, at first. But I changed my mind and came back - I swear." Stephanie snorted in disbelief but I spurred her on.

"Go on, Peggy, what happened next."

"There was man waiting there for me. He was dressed in dark clothes and a hood just like I said. He attacked me and tried to rape me. After I kicked him in the groin he pushed me away and I fell down the small gully. I lost my backpack and flashlight in the fall. He stood up and pulled out a knife. I swear he said he was going to kill me and then came after me. I ran as fast as I could but he followed me. Finally I found some rocks to hide behind. That's when the soldiers caught me."

"Another story, Miss Wilson?" asked Stephanie in an accusing tone.

"No, I swear it's the truth. I was afraid that if I told you I was trying to leave you wouldn't believe what happened afterwards. I was afraid you would think I was making this all up to get out of being punished. But I swear it's THE TRUTH! PLEASE BELIEVE ME!" she cried out. Stephanie stood there unimpressed.

"The Judge is offering you a deal, Miss Wilson," Stephanie said. "One year as a baby followed up by community work. Do you want to think about it?"

"Mrs. Hall, Linda," she sniffed. "I screwed up, I admit that. But, I don't want to be punished for something I didn't do. I didn't run. I know I should be punished for leaving in the first place, but I swear I didn't run. I tried to turn back, I really did!" Something about how Peggy said the words made me want to believe her.

"How much time elapsed from the time you entered the woods until you decided to come back Peggy," I asked. She thought about it seriously for a moment.

"Maybe about a minute and a half. I got into the woods about 100 yards where the gully was and stopped. Then I thought about what I was doing for maybe a minute. That's when I turned back.

"How far did you get before you were stopped?" She sniffed and thought about it again.

"Maybe 20 yards. He popped out from behind a tree and pushed me back."

"Was the description you gave us about him correct?" I asked.

"Yes - it was. You believe me?" she asked with some hope.

"Let's say I don't disbelieve your story." Stephanie gave me a glare but didn't say a word. "Is there anything else you left out."

"No, I don't think so." She gave us both a serious stare. "I'm sorry for not telling you the truth sooner. I guess it makes it hard to believe what I say."

"Yes, Peggy, it does," I answered smoothly. "But there are still some questions left unanswered. We'll talk to you soon. Oh and Peggy, I hope you learned something today. You should never cry wolf unless it's true."

She nodded and got up from the table. Officer Candy was taking care of Peggy this time and he held on to her as if she was going to run off. I almost asked where he expected her to go. Stephanie walked over and closed the door - then looked at me with angry eyes.

"What the HELL do you think you're doing?" she demanded to know.

"I'm trying to find out the truth," I answered coolly.

"We know what the truth is. She tried to escape and got caught - then she lied about it."

"The first part is correct," I pointed out, "we can't defend her on that. But what if Peggy is telling the truth? What if she did change her mind but was forced to run away? Andersonville could have a real problem on its hand."

"So you believe what she said?" Stephanie asked in almost disbelief.

"We need to talk to Captain Young first before I can give you an honest answer."

The female attorney sighed. "Agreed. Maybe if she is telling the truth Judge Herns will be lenient on her. But, this Captain better tell us something useful or I'm cutting a deal with Mr. Galloway. I'm not going to let Peggy make the mistake of going to trial and spending the next 18 years growing up again."

I smiled inwardly. Despite Stephanie's anger at being lied too, she still had her client's best interest in mind. She picked up the phone and asked the Captain to meet us for lunch.

*****************************

Captain Samuel Young walked into the restaurant wearing his army greens. He was a rather short man with a lean body and huge muscles on his arms indicating that he worked out daily. A man of Native-American descent, he carried a look of determination on his face that whatever he went up against he would win at. He was the type of man you didn't want to cross. Stephanie waved him over to us.

"Captain Young, I'm Stephanie Hall and this is Linda Anderson who is helping me with the case. Please have a seat." The Captain sat down without uttering a word. A waitress came over to take our order.

"Ice water and a salad for me," he told the waitress then added, "I'm on a strict diet Ms. Hall."

"So I see," Stephanie replied and ordered us, much to my disappointment, a couple of salads as well. "As you know Captain Young, I'm interested in the mission you led two nights ago. How would you rate its success?"

"Better than average," he stated rather firmly. "My men's performance was excellent and we achieved complete surprise over the target. From the time we were dropped in until the time we completed our mission total elapse time was 37 minutes."

"Is that your best time Captain?" she asked.

"No ma'am, it's not. We once captured a target in 7 minutes after being deployed."

"Captain Young, please," Stephanie smiled. "I know you're in the military but can't you be a little bit more relaxed while talking about this."

The Captain gave her a bewildered stare. "I am relaxed Ms. Hall."

I giggled slightly - the man was about as relaxed as a long tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs.

"Captain," I asked. "In your own words, what happened that night?" The soldier gave me an intense stare as if he were getting ready to give away top secret information.

"There isn't much to say. We were driven to the drop off point by truck. Our target, Miss Wilson, was about 2,000 yards from where we were at and heading straight at us, so I deployed men just inside the woods to meet her. But then she changed directions, several times in fact, and we ended up having to chase her into the woods. Near the end, she doubled back and was heading towards town; otherwise it might have taken even longer to capture her.

"Are you sure about that, Captain?" Stephanie asked carefully with interest. I could see what she was thinking.

"Yes ma'am, no question about it. Colonel Jacobs was in charge that night directing us. He can verify what I just told you."

"How far south did she come?" I asked.

"About 70 yards to an old rock pile where we found her 4 minutes later. She was all scrapped up and hysterical. It took five minutes for us to calm her down before we could move her."

"Was she like that when you found her?" The soldier gave me a direct stare.

"I could hear her crying before we got there. In fact, she seemed very happy to see us once she figured out we weren't going to hurt her. One of my men held on to her the entire way back – I mean hugging her, ma'am."

"Do you think she was faking, Captain?" Stephanie asked directly. He thought about it for a moment.

"Miss Hall - I've been on other missions like this before and I've seen some good fakers in my time. If Miss Wilson was faking, then she should get some kind of award for it. I honestly believe something scared her to the point of hysteria."

"Thank you Captain - you most likely will be called on to testify to that."

"I figured so much, ma'am." The waitress brought out our food and we started eating. As soon as the Captain was done, he excused himself saying he had to get back to the base, but he would be available for the trial. I sat there picking at my salad and running through the events in my mind.

"You know you should really eat everything," Stephanie said while finishing up her salad. "It's good for your body." I gave her a somewhat disgusted look.

"Salads aren't really my favorite food. But then, I guess this is one of those changes I have to make," I added with a small frown. To my surprise Stephanie laughed.

"I understand, Linda. I was a steak and potato's man myself before arriving at Peace River."

"You were?" I looked at her, debating if I should ask the question. She smiled rather mischievous.

"Yes, Linda - I was a man just like you. Moreover, I was a pretty good lawyer as well. But unfortunately, nothing else was going right in my life."

"Can you tell me how it happened?" She grinned.

"Are you sure you want to know?" I nodded that I did. "Eight years, three months and 16 days - that's how long I've been Stephanie Hall. Like I said, I had a very successful law practice but only because I worked 16 hour a day. I didn't have a wife or kids - there wasn't any time in my life for such trivial things. The last time I was intimate with a woman, well, I couldn't have told you when. I was a workaholic who was working my way into an early grave.

"Then one day this mysterious woman walks into my office and asks for my help. She wanted me to represent her in a case that involved some sort of land transfer. It was a simple case but she was willing to pay my fee and I decided I could use the break from the rat race. As it turned out, I didn't have any other cases to deal with at the time - which was a first in my professional career. So she drove me to Peace River where I met with Judge Jasper. He told me I needed to be there and that's how I became Stephanie Hall."

"But - how did you take it - being turned into a woman?"

"Badly at first," she said with a frown. "I ended up as a 22 years old woman in a short skirt. I wanted out of Peace River and even tried escaping once. But, Officer Deimos caught me and brought me back in front of the Judge. Judge Jasper was slightly pissed to say the least but I was able to explain my position and - he gave me a chance to redeem myself. He allowed me to practice law again and I found working only eight hours a day was just as rewarding as working 16 hours. Then I met someone, fell in love, got married, brought a house, and had two great kids. It worked out pretty well."

"Do you miss being a man?" She looked at me with understanding eyes.

"No, I don't Linda. While I may have been more financially successful as a man, I'm much better off as a woman today. If I were to change back into my former self tomorrow, I don't think I would be happy anymore. So I count the days and my blessings that I'm alive with a family and happy about who I am. Moreover, every now and then, I get to participate in a real trial. It's not a bad life. In fact it's a good life!" She smiled pleasantly.

"About my trial," I said with my head hanging down, "I'm sorry I didn't take your advice. I let my ego get the best of me and I should've listened to you."

I looked up at her. "But I want to thank you, Stephanie, for everything you did for me back there. I never got the chance to thank you properly before I left."

She gave me an understanding look. "I understand how you felt, Linda, believe me, I was much worse. You and the Judge have a troubled history, but can I give you a little insight here? I think Judge Jasper really does like you. I can tell by the way he treats you."

"You mean like crap!" I stated sarcastically. "I wish he'd like me a little bit less then." Stephanie laughed heartily.

"No, he really is a nice man once he warms up to you."

I leaned forward. "Who is he?"

Stephanie grinned. "Judge Jasper predicted you would ask me that question. And he told me to give you this message - you're not ready to know yet. Sorry Linda, but I have my orders. Just hang in there - you'll find out."

"Okay," I replied in a disappointed tone. "I guess we should talk about what to do next. Do you think Peggy is lying?"

"I don't know," the attorney answered nervously. "The Captain seems to think she isn't but that doesn't help my case. This still could be an act on her part."

"I know, but something doesn't feel right about all this. Why turn back toward town when you're trying to get away? And why drop your backpack containing everything you need and not pick it up. It just doesn't add up."

"I think we need to visit the site where her attack took place," said Stephanie. She picked up the phone and dialed a number.

"Sergeant Williams please. Sergeant Williams, this is Stephanie Hall. I want to investigate the place where Peggy said the attack took place and was wondering if you could have someone meet us there. Thanks, that would be great. Bye."

She turned off her cell phone and looked at me sadly. "Sorry Linda, Judge Herns' orders. You can only go into a restricted area with an armed guard by your side."

"I understand," I responded wishing that Judge Herns would trust me more and knowing I had to earn it again.

*****************************

Officer Candy was already waiting as we pulled into the parking lot. He was his usual un-cheery self around me. Stephanie greeted him with a smile and had him lead the way to where the backpack had been found. As it turned out, he had been the one who had found it.

"Right over there," he pointed to a clump of rocks at the bottom of a steep ravine. "I found her flashlight about five feet away in the bushes.

"Did you see any footprints besides hers Officer?" asked Stephanie.

"I didn't even see her footprints," Candy said with a slight smile as he loosened up some. "It snowed 8 inches during the night and covered up whatever tracks there were."

I noticed a red piece of paper like a gum wrapper lying halfway out of the snow. I picked it up and looked at it carefully. "Tell me, Officer Candy, do you smoke?"

"If I did I wouldn't tell you," he answered rudely.

'Always a 'jackass' Officer Candy,' I said to myself. Stephanie came over to see what I had and I handed it to her. The officer looked to see what I had as well.

"It's a gum wrapper - so what?" he stated somewhat defiantly.

"Not just a gum wrapper, Officer," I said with a standoff stare to show I wasn't going to back down. "It's a nicotine gum wrapper - used by those trying to quit smoking."

"Humph," he grunted. "That would include almost every person who's brought to Andersonville. Most of 'your type' are smokers."

"Not really," I smiled while setting him up. "The Judge hates smoking so she doesn't allow it in her town. Everyone she transitions is given a new, smoke-free body. Even the most avid smoker wouldn't feel the need to light up. And since you can't buy cigarettes in this town anyway, there wouldn't be much reason for anyone to use this type of gum unless they weren't transformed."

Officer Candy narrowed his eyes at me. "Are you suggesting it was a cop who attacked Peggy Wilson; that is if you believe her made-up story?"

"I'm not suggesting anything," I replied smiling while preparing to spring the trap, "but that's an interesting thought. By the way, Officer Candy, where were you that night?"

"Why you little son of a - " he cursed under his breath. Officer Candy took an angry step toward me but I was able to move out of his way in time.

"Alright, ENOUGH!" Stephanie yelled. She pointed her feminine finger at the cop. "You, watch from over there." Officer Candy gave me a look that was meant to kill and slowly walked away.

"Seems to have a bit of a temper," I chuckled. Stephanie turned and gave me an angry glare.

"Do you want me to take you off the case right now?" she asked. "Because that was an incredibility stupid thing to do!"

"He was being a Jackass," I countered.

"Aright, so he was," Stephanie agreed. "But he can break you in half without even trying; and believe me, he would have tried. In case you've forgotten, you're supposed to be all "Sugar and Spice", not some smart-ass teenager looking for trouble. If you want to work with me you're going to play it by the numbers – do I make myself clear?"

"Crystal," I replied while trying not to smile. "So what do you want me to do now?"

She sighed slightly. "I wish I knew. If only we could see her movements that night. It would at least show us if she was telling the truth.

"Maybe there's a way," I answered. I pulled out my cell phone and punched a private phone number.

"Hello," the voice said.

"Dennis, this is Linda. I need a favor from you."

"What is it?" he asked with reservation.

"Have you heard about the case I'm working on with Stephanie Hall?"

"Yes."

"Well, I need you to give me access to the bunker."

"And may I ask what for?" Dennis asked dryly.

"We need to see the movement of Peggy Wilson that night." I went on to explain what I was looking for. "This is the only way we can be sure Peggy is telling us the truth." Dennis seemed to understand how important the truth in this case was.

"Hold on, Linda." I heard a click followed by the typical boring elevator music. Two minutes later Dennis was back on the phone.

"Alright, it's been taken care of. When you get back to the Courthouse go to the elevator and push the service button. Colonel Myers is out today so Sergeant Summers will be taking care of you."

"Not Jeff Summers?" I asked with disappointment.

"It's either him or you can forget about going down there today, young lady," Dennis replied back smartly.

"Alright, thanks for your help, Dennis. We'll be there in about 10 minutes. Thank you." I turned off my phone and stuck it back in my pocket.

"Who's Jeff Summers?" Stephanie wanted to know.

"Just some guy who asked me out on a date once. I turned him down."

"Why - is he creepy?"

"No," I said. "I wasn't ready to go out with him. Let's go."

"When was the last time you went out on a date?" Stephanie asked curiously.

"I haven't been out on one - at least not as Linda Anderson unless you count the times I went out to lunch with Dennis Butz. Like I said, I'm not ready to date yet."

Stephanie gave me a smile as we got in my car. "You're ready Linda. You just need to get past the nervous feeling of going out with a man. Once you do your life will never be the same."

"That I believe," I half-grinned.

*****************************

Sergeant Jeff Summers met us at the elevator door. "Welcome ladies." He gave me an extra glance over. "Let's go into Colonel Myers' office were we can talk."

Stephanie and I followed him past the temps; each one involved in their own little world. A couple of them said 'hi' to me as I went by causing me to smile slightly. After my return back to Andersonville, Dennis had allowed me to go down to the bunker and apologize to everyone for the trouble I had caused. To help ease any ill feelings, I also brought along 400 chocolate chip cookies that I had baked myself. It seemed the temps had been programmed to like chocolate of any kind and it made me believe that a group of women had written their programs. Jeff took a seat at the Colonel's desk and brought up a file.

"Dennis explained what you're looking for so I took the liberty of getting it ready for you." He hit the return key and the program started. There was a pink dot that quickly turned to red as it approached the restricted area. It stopped there for about a minute then took off toward the woods.

"There's the gully," he said pointing to a line on the computer. The dot stopped, then actually moved backwards slightly. After about 40 seconds, it took off away from town.

"Can you run this back in a loop?" I said pointing to the time line. Jeff punched in a command and you could see the dot moving back and forth on the screen.

"She did come back!" I blurted out.

"It would appear she's telling the truth, at least that much of it," Stephanie agreed as she turned to the young man. "Sergeant Summers, can you tell us how many yards that would be by chance?"

"I can break it down into inches if you like, Ms. Hall," he said with a smile. I noticed he didn't make a move to do it though.

"Is there a problem?" Stephanie asked him.

"Well, you see, Ms. Hall, what you're wanting me to do is going to take a lot of time and as you can see - we're short-handed down here right now."

"I have a paper from the Judge granting me complete cooperation from any agency in Andersonville," she stated while pulling it out of her purse.

"Yes Ms. Hall, I'm sure you do," he replied politely. "But if you read the charter, we're not a part of the town of Andersonville. We may be right below the town but we're our own little community down here. I'm not under any obligation to help you further. Like I said, we're short-handed and I'm a little busy right now.

"Now look here you little twerp," I started but Stephanie stopped me.

"You want something, don't you?" she asked him. "What is it?"

"I was thinking of going to the movies tonight but I hate going out alone." I knew where this was going.

"No way!" I told him. "Now give us the information we want before I break you in half." The young man looked hurt.

"Go on," Stephanie said. I started to protest but she stopped me.

"Like I said," he grinned shyly. "I don't want to go to the movies alone; in fact, I hate eating out by myself. So if Miss Anderson would be willing to accompany me to say a dinner and a movie I think I could be persuaded to get you what you need by tomorrow morning."

"That's it?" Stephanie said. "That's all you want?"

"Well, not quite. She has to be nice to me too. I mean - she has to treat this like a real date, as if she wants to be there. I don't want her complaining the entire time we're together. Oh, and I want her to wear a skirt or dress. It doesn't have to be short, just something girlish."

I glared angrily at the young man who didn't seem to notice. There was no way in 'Hell' that this fantasy date of his was going to happen.

"What time do you want to pick her up?" Stephanie asked.

"What!" I yelled out in surprise.

"How about six," the man said with excitement. "I'm supposed to get off early today."

"Now wait a minute," I tried to argue but Stephanie was ignoring me.

"She'll be ready - all sugar and spice in a nice dress – and heels," Stephanie grinned

"HEELS!" I roared but my partner was already beating a path back to the elevator.

"You go to hell!" I snapped angrily at the young man who was grinning like a cat that just ate the canary.

"See you at six," he replied happily. I ran to catch up with Stephanie who was making a hasty retreat.

"Just what the hell did you think you were doing back there?" I demanded to know.

"Getting what I want," she replied innocently enough, "and making sure you have a fun night off. You've been working too hard lately."

"Now wait just a minute," I argued. "My social life has 'nothing' to do with this case. Besides, I don't need your help getting me dates."

"Really?" she asked in a surprised tone. "And the last time you went out was?" I fumed silently. "Look, Linda, this is the only way we can get the information I need to defend Peggy Wilson. In case you've forgotten, that's what we are both trying to do here. Besides, it's dinner and a movie - how bad can it be?"

"Fine - then you go out with him," I snapped.

"He's not interested in me," Stephanie said as we rode the elevator back up to the surface. "Besides, you have to admit he's kind of cute."

"Please tell me this isn't happening," I groaned.

"Oh, it won't be so bad," she said as we got out. "You two will have a great time, I'm sure."

"Wait a minute, what happens if I decide not to go out with him? You can't force me to go out with him, you know."

"True," she said with a tight grin. "But then, I can always tell the Judge you're refusing to follow my instructions. Remember, Linda, you work for me."

"And my 'ass' is yours to do with as you please - is that what you're telling me?" Stephanie just smiled. "You know what this case means to me?" I whined.

"Oh, it'll be fun," she said giving me a quick hug as we walked outside. "Now we better get over to your house so you can get all prettied up for him."

"Yippee!" I said with no enthusiasm at all.

*****************************

"There's got to be something you can wear," Stephanie said while going through my closet. "Something nice but not too sexy for a first date."

"How about something long - like my blue skirt?" I half-suggested.

"Too boring," she replied. "You need to wear something bright - maybe something with a flower design on it." I cringed at the thought. I heard the door close downstairs and the sound of my mother walking up the steps.

"Linda, what are you doing home at this time of the day?" she asked somewhat concerned. "You're not sick, are you?"

"No mom, I'm fine. This is Stephanie Hall, she's an attorney from Peace River."

My mother was a pleasant soul and she smiled brightly at the stranger. "I'm pleased to meet you, Stephanie. So what are you two girls doing?" Stephanie answered before I got a chance to.

"We're trying to find a dress or skirt for Linda to wear on her date tonight."

"A DATE!" my mother repeated out loud. I could see visions of wedding bells dancing in her eyes. "With whom?" she inquired.

"No one you know, mom," I answered while giving Stephanie the evil eye for spilling the beans. She just returned my glare with a smile.

"He's a nice young man we met today," Stephanie explained. "He's picking her at six and taking her out to dinner and a movie."

"And you want to get all dressed up to impress him," my mother said looking at me in a new light. I thought I was going to be sick. Didn't anyone care about the fact that I didn't want to go out with him?

"Why not wear the dress I made for you for your birthday?" my mother suggested. "You look so cute in it."

"Oh no, mom, not the dress," I protested slightly. "It's not that kind of date and I sure as heck don't want to look 'cute' for him."

"Which one is it?" asked Stephanie.

"Oh, it's downstairs. Wait right here while I go get it." My mother took off down the steps like a rocket. I had never seen her move so fast before in my life.

"See what you did," I groaned. "Now we're going to be playing dress up for the rest of the day." Stephanie gave me a sisterly hug.

"It's all for a good cause," she smiled. "Relax - this is going to be fun. Look, if you want to get back at him play the part to the hilt. Make him open up the car door for you and pull out your chair. You can be nice and make him work all night." Her idea made me smile a little.

"You know, Stephanie - you're pretty sneaky for a lawyer."

"I thought all lawyers were supposed to be sneaky," she replied with a grin. About that time my mother came rushing into the room holding the dress she had made for me in her hand.

"What do you think?" she asked. I wanted to run somewhere and hide. The dress was pink - light pink, with lace attached to the V-neck collar and a flared skirt that hung almost 3 inches above my knee. It wasn't that the dress was ugly - it was pink. Apparently, the real Linda Anderson loved pink while I on the other hand didn't.

"Maybe something not so bold," Stephanie suggested while giving me a wink.

"You think," my mother replied.

"This is something Linda would wear to a nice restaurant. If I'm not mistaken, he's taking her to Pizza Hut. Why don't we try this instead." She held out a tan sweater with a turtleneck and short, blue-Jean skirt. "You'll look casual but girlish for him at the same time." My mother gave me a approving smile.

I sighed and held out my arms. "Fine - make me beautiful," I told the two of them. They giggled and approached me.

*****************************

When I had told them to make me beautiful, I was only joking. However, they both took me as being serious and went all out to make me look as good as they could. While my mother brushed my hair and worked it into a pretty ponytail, Stephanie carefully applied my makeup. When they were through I looked at myself in the full-length mirror and gasped. Even thought I was dressed in a casual outfit I looked good - damn good. Both ladies stood there smiling over my shoulder.

"See, Linda, with a little work you can look as pretty as the next girl," my mother said with pride in her voice. I could see she was picturing herself twenty years ago - not that my mother wasn't an attractive woman at 37.

"By the way, Stephanie, what were you planning to do tonight?" my mother asked.

"I hadn't really thought about it," she answered.

"Well, since Linda won't be here because of her 'date'," my mother smiled when she said the word, "why don't you join us for dinner. Sox and I would love to hear about your practice in Peace River."

"Are you sure? I don't want to impose."

"We would love to have you join us," my mom insisted. We heard the front door open and close. "That's Sox and Jennifer now. Let's go downstairs so you can meet him."

My father had just put his coat away when we got to the base of the stairs. He came over and kissed my mother, then looked at me with some curiosity. "You look different tonight," he stated.

"She's going out on a 'date' tonight," my mother bubbled as if there were something magical about the event.

"Really," my father said giving me the once over. "Did he fill out a résumé to date my pretty little girl?"

"Dad!" I protested but not too hard. It was nice to have him think of me as his own kid.

"Sox, this is Stephanie Hall. She's an attorney from Peace River."

Pleased to meet you, Stephanie," my father replied with a warm handshake. "What brings you to Andersonville?"

"Some personal business. A friend of mine got in a little trouble and I'm trying to get to the bottom of it."

"I see," my father said turning his attention back to me. "So, honey, tell me something about this boy you're going out with tonight." All of the sudden I felt my mother's interest peak as well

"I don't know, Dad - he's just someone I met at work. He's been asking me out for a while now and I decided to take him up on it."

"Oh, come on, Linda," Stephanie urged. "Tell them what a great catch he is." She turned to my mother who was listening with both ears. "He has a great job and is such a gentleman - and he's also kind of cute."

"Linda," my mother said with pleasant surprise. "You didn't say anything about him being cute."

"Sounds like he may have stolen my little girl's heart," my father observed.

"Mom - Dad, I'm not going to marry the guy. We're just going to

dinner - honest." I shot Stephanie a 'Thanks a lot' look.

"That's how it started with me and your mom," my father said hugging my mother and giving her a kiss on the cheek. She laughed in a loving way.

"Mom, is it almost time for dinner?" Jennifer asked. "I'm starved."

"Of course, pumpkin," my mother replied to her youngest daughter. "Let's go into the kitchen and see how the chicken is doing."

"I'll join you, mom," I said following her to the kitchen. My father and Stephanie went into the family room to talk and it wasn't too long after that when Steve showed up and joined in on their conversation. Right at the stroke of six the doorbell rang.

"I'll get it," Jennifer yelled while running to the door. "I want to see the man Linda is going to marry."

"Don't tell him that, you little scamp!" I yelled at her. My mother walked over and stood behind me - putting her nervous hands on my shoulders. I hadn't realized what a big deal having me date someone was to her.

"Hello," Jennifer said pleasantly as she opened up the door. "You must be Jeff, my sister's new boyfriend." I closed my eyes and wanted to die.

The young man laughed. "And you must be Jennifer, Linda's younger sister. I've heard a lot of good things about you." My father got up and walked over to the door.

"Good evening, sir," Jeff said politely while holding out his hand, which my father accepted.

"Come in out of the cold, son," he replied. Jeff stepped inside holding some flowers in his hands. He was wearing a nice shirt with a tie and a pair of navy blue pants. I felt my mother push me forward as if I was being present to him as some kind of trophy. When he saw me, he smiled brightly.

"Wow Linda, you look great!" I smiled, partly out of my agreement to be nice to him, but mostly because I enjoyed the attention he was giving me.

"Here, these are for you." He handed me six long-stemmed, red roses.

"Thank you," I replied in a nervous tone. "They're beautiful." My mother stepped forward and shook his hand.

"It's so nice to finally meet you, Jeff," she told him. "Linda has been talking about you all day and has said so many nice things about you."

I rolled my eyes at my mother's exaggerations. Apparently, she found him to be quite charming.

"As she has told me many nice things about you, Mrs. Anderson," he said politely. The man was trying for points with my parents.

"Don't you think we should be going, Jeff? I don't want to miss the movie." My mother seemed disappointed that we weren't going to be staying longer. I, on the other hand, knew it would be painful for me if we did stay.

"Yes, I think we should," he agreed - eager to start our date.

"Mom, can you put these in a vase for me?"

"Of course, dear," she replied as she took the flowers from me. "I'll put them on the dinner room table where we can enjoy them while we eat. Now you two run along and have a good time."

"And have her home by midnight, son," Sox added.

I smiled - good old dad. While my mother was on cloud nine at the prospect of planning a wedding, my father wasn't quite as fast to let me go. To him I was still his little girl. How I loved the old man dearly. Stephanie stepped forward to give me a hug and whisper some advice in my ear.

"Relax and be yourself. And don't forget to make him work for this." I giggled and followed him out the door.

********************************

"So what do you want to talk about," Jeff asked as we waited for our food. We were sitting across from each other so we could talk.

"How about some of the things your boss didn't cover in my last tour," I half-joked. He raised his finger and shook it at me in a playful manner.

"Aww, aww, awww, we can't talk about work tonight, remember." I had to laugh just a little at his actions. "But seriously, isn't there anything you want to talk about?"

"How about you, Jeff? Tell me something about yourself."

"What would you like to know?" he asked with interest.

"Your parents, where you grew up - stuff like that." He grew serious.

"I'm not that interesting really. My parents, my adopted parents that is, live just outside Chicago. I have a half-sister who's in the Air Force over in Germany. I don't see them very often now."

"What happened to your real parents?" I asked softly.

"I don't know, Linda. My mother was only 15 when she had me; I don't know how old my father was. I was fortunate to be adopted when I was still a baby, so I had parents all my life. Still, every now and then I wonder if my real parents ever think of me."

"I'm sure they do, Jeff," I replied in a reassuring voice. "If you could meet with them - what would you tell them?

"I would tell them 'Thanks'," he answered with a smile, "for doing what they thought was best and allowing me to grow up in a normal family setting. Putting me up for adoption was a pretty grown-up decision on their part."

"Sounds like it," I agreed. "So what are your plans for the future."

He looked at me with his soft, brown eyes that could have melted the soul of any woman - even mine if I opened up to him a little. "Find someone to settle down with. Buy a house on a big plot of land to raise some horses, cows, and have a few kids. What about you Linda?"

"I haven't decided." The truth of the matter was, I could picture myself in his dream. I found the thought a little scary but even more so, I found myself thinking how great it would be.

 

*****************************

I had to admit my date with Jeff wasn't nearly as bad as I though it would be. The guy was actually pleasant to be around. In fact, he was somewhat shy and that made me feel a little more at ease since I didn't have to spend the entire night fighting him off. At the movies, I even made the first move by putting my head on his shoulder. I don't know why I did it, I guess I wanted to see how it would make me feel and it made me feel wonderful.

After the movie we went back to his place to talk a little more but it wasn't long before I found myself snuggling up against him again. He seemed somewhat surprised by my actions but definitely happy about it. Finally, I decided to take the plunge - at least a small one. I sat up slightly and kissed him. He wrapped his arms around me and returned my kiss - only gently. I found a surge of sexual feelings rushing through my body, but was able to control it. He reached slowly for my breast but I moved one of my hands up to intercept his.

"I'm sorry," he whispered.

"It's okay," I whispered back. Being a guy once I could understand how he was feeling. A single woman sitting there in his arms in his apartment with the lights down low. I also knew that I had been sending him signals that I hadn't meant to send.

"By the way, I didn't tell you to stop kissing me."

He gave me an embarrassed smile and we went back to what we were doing. Later, he drove me home before my curfew was up. I was still feeling the sexual excitement going through my body and wondered how women fought it off. Then I remembered that women got pregnant so they had to be responsible. Jeff got out of the car and walked me to the door.

"I had a great time, Linda," he said shyly.

"So did I, Jeff," I replied with a smile.

"Linda - are you - I mean - did you really have a good time or were you just - you know, doing it because it was part of our deal."

Talk about a mood killer. I flashed him a smile.

"Goodnight, Jeff." I reached over and gave him a big one on the lips. Might as well let him think about it the rest of the night. Then I turned and went inside.

"How was your date?" someone asked me from the living room. It was my mom sitting on the couch.

"Mom, were you waiting up for me?" My mother was usually in bed by 10pm so she could get up early in the morning.

"No, not really" she told me picking up a cup of ice water. I noticed she looked upset.

"Mom, what's wrong?" I asked in a concerned voice while sitting down next to her.

"Oh, it's nothing," she said but I could see that it was something. "Just a silly dream I have every now and then."

"Want to tell me about it?" She shook her head 'no'. "It might help," I pressed.

"I don't know where to begin." She took a moment to collect her thoughts. "Every now and then it's like I remember living a different life, only it's not a happy one. You, your brother Steve, and Jennifer are dead. I'm sitting in another house as an old woman, all sad and depressed. Your father is there as well, drinking harder than he used to, only I'm not concerned about that anymore."

"Does anything else happen?" I asked knowing there was more truth to the story than what she knew.

"Sometimes there is. Sometimes a man shows up. I don't remember him telling me his name but I think it's Tom. He's a friendly man. I wish he were real, honey, because I think you would like him. He's very nice and considerate and in many ways reminds me of you. Somehow he managed to bring Jennifer back to me; only I don't think it's really her, just someone who looks like her." My mother waved me off. "See, it's a silly dream."

I took her hand in mine and said, "I don't think it's silly, mom, but maybe you should talk to someone else about this. I know this doctor in my office; her name is Carol Green. I think she could help you."

"I'm fine, honey," she answered sweetly. "Look," she held up my hand. "It's just a dream. You're still here - at least for a little until you move out. Then I'll miss you."

"Oh mom," I said with love in voice. I hugged her tightly.

*****************************

"How was your date last night?" Stephanie asked with a smile.

"It was okay," I said nonchalantly.

"Just okay, huh?" she replied coyly.

"Alright, better than just okay," I smiled. "Are you ready to go down below and see what he has?"

"Any time that you are," she answered. I picked up the phone and called Dennis Butz, who cleared it with the men below. A minute later we were standing in a private office with Colonel Myers and Jeff Summers.

"17 feet, 8 inches," Jeff stated. "That's how far she came back before taking off again." The picture on the computer held a much closer view of the terrain.

"What happened after that?" I asked. Jeff started the program at a much slower speed. The red dot representing Peggy Wilson moved slightly from side to side - stopped - moved about 7 feet to the north, stopped again, then headed north at a fast pace.

"That could have been a struggle," I pointed out.

"Or it could have been Peggy Wilson trying to decide what to do," Colonel Myers countered. "Maybe she had second thoughts and decided to run anyway."

"I'm convinced her story is real," Stephanie announced. "While it's clear Peggy did try to escape - I also believe she changed her mind and was coming back based on what I just saw. I also have a hard time believing Peggy would leave her backpack and flashlight behind; items she badly needed to help her escape."

"And if Peggy is telling the truth," I added, "then the person who attacked her wasn't a transformed person." Colonel Myers looked a little uncomfortable at the suggestion.

"It's possible," the Colonel started out slowly, "that someone could have sneaked in from the outside, but I doubt it. The weather was bad that night and they would've had at least an 11 mile hike from the main road that's not monitored."

"What about the soldiers at the nearby base?" I suggested quietly as not to insult the man. I saw that he took none from my suggestion.

"I'll check on that for you, Miss Anderson. If there's a bad apple in the group, the base commander will want to know about it just as much as you do. That only leaves one other set of people to worry about."

"The Andersonville Police force," I said with a bad taste in my mouth.

"And I can tell you, Dave Williams won't be happy to hear his men are being investigated," the Colonel finished for me.

"We don't have a choice now," Stephanie stated. "We better go see the Judge first."

*****************************

"WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?" Dave Williams roared. It was the first time I had actually seen Sergeant Williams this angry. "You want to have these two investigate my men? For what reason?"

"To see if one of them has any history that we don't know about," Stephanie calmly explained. "Your Honor, we have to investigate Miss Wilson's claim. There is good reason to suspect she is telling the truth about her attack."

"This isn't an investigation," Dave stated with disgust, "it's a 'damn' witch hunt. They want to focus the blame of Miss Wilson's escape on someone else. Well, I'll be 'DAMNED' if Miss Anderson is going to be nosing through personal information on my men. Your Honor, Linda's one of the reasons my men are here. Who knows what she'll find out or what she'll do with that information? Look what she did with the information she learned while in the bunker!" It was a cheap shot and Dave Williams knew it.

"Okay," Judge Herns said, raising her arms to shut everyone up. "Ms. Hall, is this why you want authorization to have Linda run a check on his men? To shift the blame on someone else?"

"Of course not, Your Honor," Stephanie answered in a slightly hurt tone. "I want to find out the truth about what happened that night. I'm not trying to pin the blame on anyone here." The Judge looked at Sergeant Williams who held a silent, angry expression.

"Sergeant Williams," Judge Herns said softly, "I'm going to allow her request." Dave's face got beet red but he didn't say a word. "However, I agree with you 100% that Linda shouldn't have information about your men. That's why after this is over I'll make sure she doesn't remember anything about the files she looked at. Is this acceptable to you?"

"Yes, Your Honor, I guess it'll have to do," he responded in an acid tone that indicated he didn't like the idea but would accept it.

"Thank you, Sergeant Williams," replied Judge Herns. "I know this isn't easy for you."

We got up to leave but Judge Herns stopped me. "Linda, I want you to stay for a moment please!" After everyone left she turned to me.

"Linda, I'm going out on the limb here for you and Stephanie. Please tell me my trust isn't being misplaced."

"It's not, Your Honor," I told her. "I wouldn't be asking for permission if it wasn't necessary."

Judge Herns nodded slightly. "Just do me a favor, try not to step on any toes in the process. You'll still have to work with these people on a daily basis after this case is over. Keep that in mind."

"I understand where you're coming from June. I won't do anything to misplace your trust in me again. I'll keep this under tight control."

"Thank you, Linda," she replied with a tight smile. Stephanie was waiting for me outside her door.

"What did she say?" Stephanie asked curiously.

"To be careful. I'm going back down to the bunker to look at their

records - are you joining me?" Stephanie shook her head 'no'.

"First I'm going to see Mr. Galloway and tell him we don't have a deal. Then I'm going to talk to Carol Green and see if she can provide me with anymore to work with." The attorney stopped and gave me a serious look. "I'm counting on you to find me something, Linda. Give me something I can use - something with teeth."

"I'll do my best, Stephanie. If someone is hiding a secret, I'll find it."

"Good luck then." She gave me a hug and we both headed off in separate directions.

*****************************

Colonel Myers had provided me with my own office to work in. I was busy going through the records of each police officer that Andersonville employed - including Dave William's file. Sometimes it was the quiet ones you had to be concerned about. Out of the five 'real' officers Andersonville employed at the time, only officer Candy, Tabler, and Stevens - a recent hire, were smokers. Officer Philips and Williams weren't. I was looking closer at Officer Stevens when Colonel Myers interrupted me.

"I checked with security at the base," he told me. "There were 117 men out on liberty that night. However, all of them were flown to Billings earlier that afternoon since it's the only good size town around. None of them were AOL at the time the plane took off - two hours after Peggy Wilson was captured. Seeing that it's the only airport around here it's unlikely one of them could've flown here and then back to Billings in such a short time. However, just to be sure I checked with the base control tower for any unidentified planes in the area that night. There weren't any."

"Thank you, Colonel Myers." I frowned slightly at what I had to ask him next. "Can I ask about your men?"

Barry Myers closed the door so no one else could hear him. "I knew you would eventually, Miss Anderson, and I appreciate you asking me in private. Only of one of my men smoked prior to this assignment." He seemed a little uneasy to tell me who that was.

"Sergeant Summers?" I ventured a guess.

"Yes," Colonel Myers answered with some concern. "He's a good man, Miss Anderson, but I also know this makes him a suspect. For the record, I don't believe he could have done something like this."

"Why Colonel?" I was interested in his reasons.

"I know Jeff," he said honestly. "He talks to me about women but not in a disrespectful way. The young man is looking for love, not some cheap thrill. I've seen him push away many of the um - ladies that hang around the officers at the clubs we visit. To do something like this isn't in Jeff's nature."

"Your word means a lot here, Colonel Myers," I said truthfully. "For the moment I won't make him part of my investigation. For the record, I also don't believe he could've done this."

Colonel Myers gave me a relaxed grin. "Good! I don't have to tell you what this would do to the moral of my men if he was suspected of doing something wrong."

"Does he ever talk about me, Colonel?" The man gave me a slight smile.

"Is this part of the investigation?" he asked.

I shook my head. "No, just curious."

"We have talked about you, Miss Anderson," he grinned brightly. "Now if you will excuse me, I have some paper work to fill out."

He left my office and I turned back to my investigation of the three police officers. Officer Candy was from Lincoln, Nebraska. He had been divorced twice, no surprise there, and had a son who was 15 years old.

Officer Tabler had been a cop in New York City. He was also divorced, but with no children. I noticed he had several awards for outstanding police work.

Officer Stevens was single and from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He had also earned a few awards for outstanding police work - one where he saved two kids from a burning car. There didn't seem to be anything out of the ordinary about the three police officers. I decided to do an intensive Internet search of the police computer for any unsolved rape or murder in those three areas over the past five years. Five minutes later I got a hit.

There had been seven rapes committed in the Milwaukee area in the past two years - all involving young girls under the age of 20. Each MO was the same - a man dressed in dark clothes and a hood approached them from behind, held them down, and raped them. The police had been baffled by the lack of clues left behind and one theory was that the rapist might have been an ex-cop. I looked up the number of the detective in charge of the cases, a Detective Appleton, and buzzed Colonel Myers.

"What's up?" he asked walking into my office and closing the door.

"I want to make a long distance phone call and I know I need your permission to do so," I said politely.

"To who and why?" Colonel Myers wanted to know. He listened carefully to my reasons then wrote down a number in case the detective wanted to call me back. He picked up the phone, not the one on my desk, but on the table close by, and entered in a code followed by the phone number. Then he indicated for me to pick up my phone while he listened carefully to our conversation. I noticed his finger was sitting firmly on the disconnect button in case I said anything wrong. It was clear the Colonel didn't trust me completely and wasn't going to take any chances.

When the receptionist answered, I asked to speak to the investigator. Detective Appleton was a rather grumpy man and carried all the signs of someone badly needing a vacation. I talked about what had happened with Peggy Wilson and he agreed there were some similarities with his cases.

"I found some nicotine wrappers at the crime scene. Did you happen to find any wrappers at your sites?" I asked.

"Cigarette buds," the detective told me. "The woman who were raped all said the man smelled like cigarette smoke so we're guessing they belonged to him." He refused to tell me much more until he could verify who I was. After talking with him for about 10 minutes I hung up the phone.

"Colonel Myers, I have a bad, bad feeling about this." Jeff knocked on the door.

"Yea Jeff," the Colonel said. "What do you need?"

"It's a tape Miss Anderson wanted me to get for her." He handed it to the Colonel who gave it to me. The young man continued to stand there staring at me.

"Is there something else?" the Colonel asked his Sergeant impatiently.

"It can wait I guess," the young man answered. He turned and sadly walked away.

Colonel Myers watched him go and chuckled. "If I didn't know better, I would swear he wanted to ask you out again." I gave the Colonel a dirty look and pushed in the tape.

"What have you got there?" he asked curiously.

"According to Officer Steven's log - he was checking out Rutland's Furniture Warehouse around the time Peggy Wilson was attacked." I watched the clock on the tape and fast-forwarded it to 11:30pm. "If his log is correct, then he should show up on this tape during that time."

Just as I explained what I was doing a police car pulled into the lot and stopped. Officer Stevens got out and started checking the doors of the warehouse. After a few minutes he got back into his car and drove off

"It was a nice try," the Colonel said gently, "but there's the proof that he's not the attacker."

I stared at the screen in puzzlement. For some reason, it just didn't feel right.

"You have a register of all trucks and trailers that come in, don't you?"

"Yes, in the computer," Colonel Myers stated. "Why?"

"Can you bring up the number on this trailer and tell me when it arrived and left." The Colonel walked over to my desk and punched in his access code on the computer. Then he started scrolling through the screens until he got to the place where he could enter in a VIN number.

"It came in on the 7th," he looked up at me, "and left on the 9th."

"Almost a week before the alleged attack took place," I pointed out. "Look at the date, it reads the 14th but that can't be correct."

"So someone switched the tapes?" he asked now really interested.

"Someone did more than that, they modified the tape to make it look like it's from another night. This picture is fed into a video recorder at the Andersonville Police station - I guess so you guys can check and see if - well you know."

"If one of our residents tries hiding in a trailers or a railroad boxcar in an attempt to escape from here," he finished for me in a dry tone.

"Yea, I guess so." I felt slightly embarrassing having to bring my escape up again. I wondered if Colonel Myers had truly forgiven me for escaping on his watch.

"What time did it snow on the 14th?" I asked.

Colonel Myers pulled up a weather chart on the computer. "About 1am the next morning - the 15th."

I fast forwarded it to 2am the next morning and hit play. It was snowing hard but the trailer was gone.

"I think this proves your case," the Colonel answered triumphantly.

"All it proves is that someone is trying to hide something from me," I told him. "It doesn't tell me why. But this Officer Stevens is a pretty slippery fellow to do something like this. If it weren't for the trailer in the picture, we wouldn't have known the video was a fake. Pretty stupid thing to do for someone with such a high IQ."

"Sometimes people like that think they can't be caught so they get lazy and sloppy," said the Colonel.

"Well, somehow I have to link it all together." I thought about it for a few minutes and started checking Officer Stevens' work schedule while he was on the Milwaukee Police force. The Colonel saw that I was busy and excused himself from my presence. For the next hour I checked and crossed-checked everything I could on Officer Stevens. What I finally found gave me cold chills. I did some more checking just to be sure.

"Shit!" I said out loud. "What a sneaky son of a bitch." I picked up the phone and called Stephanie.

"Did you find something," she wanted to know.

"Maybe - but proving it is going to be a bitch! We need to catch Dave Williams before he leaves."

"I'll meet you there," she told me and hung up the phone.

*****************************

Sergeant Williams was just getting ready to leave when I showed up. The look on his face said it all - I wasn't his favorite person at the moment.

"Come to arrest someone?" he asked sarcastically. About that time Stephanie walked into the police station and joined us.

"Sergeant Williams - I'm sorry it has to be this way but I think you should see this." I held out a plain manila folder containing a day's worth of investigating paperwork.

He looked at it briefly and said smugly, "In my office." He closed the door behind us, then looked carefully at the report once more. An angry frown appeared on his face.

"This doesn't prove anything," he said while tossing the report back at me.

"Maybe not - but you owe me a chance to find out."

He looked at me with steel-cold eyes and asked, "what's your plan?" I carefully outlined everything for him. A half-hour later Stephanie and I were walking down the hallway to see Judge Herns about a search warrant. Everything had to be done legally it seemed.

*****************************

The next morning, Sergeant Williams had his men assemble near the spot where Peggy Williams had been attacked. None of them looked happy standing there in the cold when we showed up. I led the way as Stephanie followed behind me, the cold wind kicking up our skirts.

"Good morning, men," I said to them firmly. None of them said anything in return so I continued. "I'm sorry to be so dramatic but one of you is guilty of attacking Peggy Wilson." I noticed Officer Stevens shifted nervously.

"And who would that be Miss Lady PI?" Officer Candy snarled.

"Not YOU!" I hissed back the officer. "Although nothing would please me more than to see you hauled back to your own jail in cuffs." I could see that Officer Candy wanted to rush me but good sense kept him from doing so.

"You see, we went looking for an item at someone's apartment this morning and found this!" I held up a necklace in front of them. "It belongs to one of the women who were raped in Milwaukee – the same person who attacked Peggy Wilson recently. The same person who accidentally left his calling card," I told them while holding up the nicotine gum wrapper.

"Where did you get that from?" Officer Philips asked while pointing at the necklace.

"From Officer Stevens' apartment." The other officers looked at him suspiciously. "It was in a box in his dresser."

"I don't know what she's talking about," Officer Stevens said while backing away slightly from the rest of them.

"It's over son," Dave Williams told him. "I was the one who searched your apartment and found the necklace."

"She's crazy," Stevens told the other men. He tried to run but Officer Candy and Philips both grabbed him before he got very far.

"Put him in my car," Dave ordered with disgust. Stevens was still crying about his innocence when they closed the door.

"I think that does it, Linda," Stephanie said to me. "You've at least given me hope that I can get Peggy's punishment reduced. We better get to court now."

"You go ahead," I told her. "Jeff has provided me with Peggy's movements in the wood and I want to check for more clues."

"Not alone, you're not," Dave said sternly. "You're still under a restriction. I'll have Officer Candy go with you."

"Not Candy!" I told him defiantly. "Someone else."

"FINE!" Dave shot back angrily. "Officer Philips."

"Yes sir?"

"Please escort Miss Anderson around the area." Then I heard him whisper, "and keep a good eye on her at all times." He walked away in a huff.

"See you later, Linda," Stephanie said, "and good work." She gave me a smile and walked over to Officer Tabler's police car to get a ride back to the Courthouse.

"I'm going this way," I told Officer Philips.

"You really pissed Dave off with that little stunt of yours," he told me.

"It's not my fault that he has a bad cop working for him," I defended myself.

Officer Philips smiled and gave me room to work. I began searching the bushes and trees in the nearby area for clues. A lot of the snow had melted so I was confident if there was something to be found I would find it. I wanted to make my case against Officer Stevens as airtight as I could. So I thrashed around for almost an hour until Officer Philips spotted what I was looking for.

"Miss Anderson," he said kneeing down, "take a look at this." It was a piece of cloth of a black police jacket. "I remember Officer Stevens telling me he tore his uniform somehow. This must be how it happened."

"We can match the fibers up with his jacket to prove it belongs to him," I said joyfully. "Good work, Officer Philips - I think you just proved our case."

Office Philips grinned at my excitement and said, "I guess we can go back now."

"Not yet," I replied and playing a hunch. "You know, you're very smart Officer Philips."

"Thank you," he responded while sensing I hadn't meant it as a compliment.

"I mean it - you almost got away with it. For a while I thought it was Officer Stevens who attacked Peggy Wilson, until I figured out it was really you."

"I don't know what you're talking about," he barked at me. "The cold must be affecting your brain, I'm taking you in."

"Do that and I'll tell Dave Williams everything," I threatened. "You see, the Milwaukee detective suspected it was a cop who was raping all these women. The crime scenes were too clean – except for the cigarette butts that is."

"Which couldn't have been mine since I'm not a smoker."

"Yes, I know. I'll give you points on that one – throwing everyone off your trail like that. The detectives were looking for a smoker - not someone who hated cigarettes. And then the nicotine wrapper you left behind to throw everyone off your trail, very nice touch. We would think, incorrectly of course, that the person who attacked Peggy Wilson was a smoker trying to quit. If Officer Candy were any kind of a cop he would have gotten here sooner and found the wrapper before it was buried in the snow. Hell, we may have been able to pull Stevens fingerprints off it. I'm guessing here, but most likely you saw Officer Stevens throw the wrapper in the trash can and pulled it out when no one was looking."

The officer continued to stare at me and said, "Go on."

"When you found out Officer Stevens came from Milwaukee you had the perfect patsy. However, you made the mistake of committing the crime while he was on duty, so you doctored the tapes. That was real smart, Officer Philips, I must admit. By cutting in three hours worth of old tape with the trailer in the foreground, you knew I would find out that the videotape was fabricated and all the evidence would point to a cover-up by Officer Stevens. But something didn't seem right to me, so I made sure Sargent Williams told you about the search he was doing at Officer

Stevens' apartment this morning."

"For what purpose?" Officer Philips asked. I could see his demeanor changing.

"To see if you would plant the necklace on him. What proved it wasn't Stevens was the fact that we didn't find any evidence from all the other rapes. You see, most rapists like to take something with them as a trophy. In the Milwaukee cases, this rapist was no different. He took a ring, or a necklace, or a pair of panties from his victims. But all that Stevens had in his apartment was this necklace - and it wasn't even that nice."

"So he got rid of the other stuff when he moved here," Philips argued. I could see he was getting defensive, a good sign.

"Maybe, but I found something important that proved Officer Stevens couldn't have committed those rapes. In three instances, he was working on the other side of town when the rapes took place. In another instance, he was in the hospital recovering from knee surgery. That caused me to start looking somewhere else. When I found out you lived just outside Green Bay – less than an hour drive from Milwaukee - it got me thinking. So I checked your work record and found you were off each night that the rapes occurred."

"You'll never prove any of this," he snarled.

"No, but I bet Judge Herns can find out the truth if you don't play ball," I smiled evilly.

"What do you want?" he demanded to know.

"I want out of this damn place Officer Philips, and you're going to help me."

"How am I going to do that?" he asked angrily and taking the bait.

"First, you're going to find out were all the weak places in Andersonville are for me. Then you're going to secure me a safe place on the outside to hide until everything calms down. In addition, you're going to supply me with money to live on until I figure out what to do next. So from this point on, Officer Philips, you take orders FROM ME!"

It was too much for the cop to bear. He pulled out his gun and pointed it right at me "I don't take orders from a girl - especially one who is here for committing a crime. So I got a better idea."

"You don't really plan on shooting me, do you?" I asked calmly on the outside while inside I was shaking in my boots. "There's no way you can explain this."

Officer Philips pulled out another gun from his pocket. "See this?" He held the gun out in front of me. "This is how your life ends. The story goes like this. I was looking over this clue we found when you pulled out this gun and took a shot at me in a mad attempt to escape. I returned fire, sadly striking you in the chest and killing you. Your fingerprints will be found on this gun and no one will be the wiser."

"Don't be a fool, Officer Philips," I told him while trying to buy time. "No one will believe your story. Where would I get a gun anyway?"

"That's for someone else to figure out," he said while raising his gun at me. "The Judge won't be able to ask you since you'll be dead!"

"Why did you do it?" I asked. "Why did you attack Peggy Wilson that night?"

"Because we had history," he said lowering his gun slightly. "When she first got to Andersonville she thought she could get out of here by sleeping with me." He grinned evilly. "Stupid girl - but what can you expect from someone with her record. I kind of got used to screwing her every night but when she got caught trying to escape the first time the fun stopped." A disappointed frown appeared on his face.

"That night I saw Peggy sneak out of her house with a backpack. It didn't take a genius to figure out what she was planning to do. I made my way into the woods and waited for her. I think you're grown up enough to figure out what I was going to do next."

"And how were you going to stop her from telling anyone?" I prayed he kept talking.

"There're a lot of rocks in that gully, Miss Anderson - big, sharp ones. So if she were to fall and hit her head on one of them, who would suspect me? And think about it, the most secure place in the world and I commit the perfect crime under everyone's noses." He smiled coldly and pointed his gun back at me again. "And it looks like I still can, as soon as I tie up the last loose end. Goodbye, Miss Anderson."

He pulled trigger and there was a loud pop - causing me to jump out of reaction instead of fear. Officer Philips looked at his gun, then at me still standing here unhurt. He pulled the trigger several more times; causing it to make a loud popping sound but his gun didn't shoot.

"FREEZE!" yelled Captain Young as he stepped out from behind a tree not far from where the cop was standing. Several other soldiers followed his lead; their big, dark rifles pointed right at the cop. Officer Philips turned pale.

"When you were changing into your uniform Dave Williams put blanks in your gun. You can pull the trigger all you want Officer Philips - it can't hurt me." I noticed Captain Young's men were moving in cautiously.

"He didn't do anything to this gun," Philips said while pointing the other gun at me. "If I'm going down then so are you."

He tried to bring it up but there was a loud crack and the gun disintegrated in his hand. The cop screamed in pain and several of Captain's Young men rushed over and knocked him to the ground. I breathed a sigh of relief.

When Captain Young came over to see how I was doing and I found myself wishing he would hug and comfort me. I had come face to face with death and my nerves were on overload.

"I'll like to thank the man who saved my life," I stuttered out. A small smile appeared on Captain Young's face.

"Lieutenant Pennington - front and center," he ordered. A thin, attractive woman wearing a camouflage uniform came out of the woods holding a specialized rifle. "Miss Anderson would like to thank you."

"Just doing my job ma'am," she said professionally. I reached over and joyfully hugged her anyway.

******

"All rise," Officer Tabler bellowed out. "The Municipal Court for the City of Andersonville, Montana, is now in session. The Honorable Judge Herns is presiding."

Judge Herns took her seat on the bench and looked sternly at the young teenager who stood there nervously. "Miss Wilson, I've read the report. Your attempt to escape has caused quite a stir around here the past week. You know we can't allow such things to go unpunished."

"Your Honor," Stephanie started out but the Judge held up her hands to stop her.

"Mrs. Hall, I really don't see a need to drag this out any longer than it already has. Peggy Wilson tried escaping from Andersonville and then lied about it. There isn't much else to say, is there?"

"I'm sorry Your Honor - I am," Peggy interrupted. "I tried coming back."

"I guess we'll never know for sure," Judge Herns said with a frown. "However, from what Miss Anderson has discovered I believe you are telling me the truth. I also believe, in time, you would've tried this stunt again."

"Give me a second chance, Your Honor," she begged.

"I have," Judge Herns answered back in a neutral tone. "In fact I've given you two chances with a warning each time of what would happen if you tried this again, but you continue to ignore them."

"But I'm really, really sorry," she said breaking down. "I swear, I won't try it again." The Judge stared at her with an authoritarian look for a moment.

"I have a solution to this problem. Stand still Miss Wilson."

The Judge closed her eyes and held up her hands. Peggy Wilson put her face in her hands and wept at what was to come. The ball of light/energy struck her and she began to shrink. I watched in horror as a basket appeared underneath Peggy's legs and she quickly was transformed into a small infant. All I could think about was what a waste. All my hard work to prove Peggy's case and for what? I hadn't saved her from this fate. Judge Herns walked over to the basket and picked up the screaming child.

"Hush," she said as she cradled Peggy lovingly in her arms. "Now let me explain to you what is happening. You will remain in this form for one week. After that I will return you back to your original life as a 14-year-old girl. I'm hoping this week will be a constant reminder of what will happen if you try to escape again. Next time it will be permanent."

Judge Herns hugged the baby tightly and I could see by her actions that she hoped it never came to that.

*****************************

"I guess this is it," Stephanie said as we stood outside the Andersonville Courthouse. Officer Deimos was standing next to his police car waiting patiently for her. In the back of the car was Officer Philips who was staring forward, a broken man. I felt a little bad for him; he was one cop that I had actually kind of liked.

"What do you think Judge Jasper will do to him?" I asked. Stephanie frowned.

"The Judge doesn't like bad cops as you well know. Since Officer Philips doesn't seem to have any remorse for what he did, the Judge will come down on him hard." Then she gave me a devious smile. "But I still have a trick or two up my sleeve. I'll do my best to make sure he at least remains human."

"Thank you," I said while giving her a hug.

"No - thank you," Stephanie replied. "Not only did you help me solve this case, but I also had a lot of fun in the process. I hope you get a chance to visit me sometime in Peace River."

"Just let me know when Judge Jasper goes on vacation," I laughed. She giggled and gave me one final hug before heading to the car. As they drove off, Officer Philips looked back to give me one last evil glare. I said a silent prayer for him, then turned to go back inside.

Fade out...

 

 

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© 2001 by Kelly Davidson. All Rights Reserved. These documents (including, without limitation, all articles, text, images, logos, compilation design) may printed for personal use only. No portion of these documents may be stored electronically, distributed electronically, or otherwise made available without express written consent of the copyright holder.