Chapter 12 Book 7

Chapter 12

Room For All

Mom was greatly disappointed that the school, which was supposed to be perfect for Arthur, did not match its pamphlet description. She felt like the walls were crashing in. She wanted to wrap Arthur in a cocoon so tight that nothing could ever hurt him again, but she couldn't. She cringed when she asked. "So, what do we do now?"

Stringham said. "We get married, we party until we drop, then we start from square one until we find a spot where we know without a doubt that is safe and secure. I'll start by using the contacts we already have; we have one turncoat already willing to spill his guts. Perhaps we can find more, if not we'll capture Miss Badass and make her talk. Roberta darling, do you think we can ask your mother at the wedding for something that well loosen that tongue of hers without casting a wicked witch spell on us?"

She nodded. "I'll try, but she can be quite difficult. She'll be wanting a favor in return."

Stringham gave her a sigh and said. "I am against the wall. I got an unreliable ghost boy and no big stick. What choice do I have? As long as it isn't a blood sacrifice and selling my soul, I am willing to grant almost any favor."

Jenny screamed, yelling at the girls to hide, tossing her wedding dress to them so we couldn't see it. Dad said. "I'll take Arthur and us guys will leave you girls to it." Dr. Sars gave the bracelet to Dad. Even though he didn't want to wear it, it wasn't because it looked girlish. It was a reminder that Arthur was like an uncontrollable child, more so than he ever was. Yet when Dad was in charge Arthur's attitude was more in control, mostly because he feared him more, with good reason.

He didn't dare drag his feet as he stayed close by, knowing if he tried to run or outdistance us the bands around him would confine him on the spot until Dad released him. He hated that, but Dad didn't like using it unless he had to. So instead, he didn't ask Arthur any questions, just ignored him so he couldn't spout off acting like a crazy person. He ignored him when he scowled at us or mumbled, and when he stopped, he said. "Come on, Arthur."

We had left the limo, and I was on my feet again. It felt good to be walking like a normal person. We didn't have a lot for us to do considering we boys had our tuxes for tomorrow; guys were simple when it came to weddings. It was the girls that liked all the frilly stuff while we went to the diner a few blocks away and ordered hot chocolate and waited for the girls.

Stringham flashed some cash and the manager at the diner, placed a phone for him to use near his office while we sat in private both with the sign stating that section was closed. It seemed Stringham never relaxed as he spent most of his time on the phone making sure every detail was being handled and everything was on schedule. He was in his own office with a little black book arranging things like he was the director of his movie. He would cuss and then he would say, "Good, thanks, we can do that," and then on to the next call.

We never knew who he was talking to as he drank hot chocolate by the bucket full until he had to empty his bladder and do it all over again. It was nearly eleven o'clock, nearly four hours since we left the school, and still no sign of the girls. We didn't care; they could take all day as long as we didn't have to listen to their shrill screaming over a dress, which cost more than feeding a small country. Stringham promised them a Cinderella wedding, and that was exactly what they were getting.

By the time the girls finally arrived, it was almost one o'clock in the afternoon and both Eli and I were drifting off to sleep. While Stringham tirelessly worked on various tasks behind the scenes, we had been sitting there for hours with nothing to occupy our time, and Dad had exhausted every newspaper and magazine within reach. As we patiently awaited the girls to grab a quick bite, we consumed a small meal. We only had one more stop to make, and that was to the reception hall to make sure everything was being done the way the girls wanted it. Again, we boys were no help as we waited for them while they decided the color of napkins that would fit nicely with the tablecloths and what silverware, and the list went on and on.

The only thing that saved us was they had their own wedding planner, and everything they had was easily obtainable. Of course, it would be when Stringham was giving them a fist full of cash as it grew on trees.

I had no doubt whatsoever that most of that money came from the Satanic Church fund, not that they weren't going to need it rotting in a jail cell. I had to admit the place was huge with two floors with a balcony sitting where we would be tying the knot, and the reception hall was the size of two high school Gyms. Each would be decorated to the nines. I didn't even want to see the price tag when it came across my desk. But that still left us with one question: what to do with Arthur?

Stringham, of course, had it all worked out, stated he would be coming to the wedding and then he would be staying under his and Dr. Sar's protection in their little cottage. Personally, I didn't care because I had enough on my plate. It had to do with my mother and my grandmother. I did my job; I made sure that Stringham and Tony had the information they needed regarding the school chucked full of witches and warlocks.

I am not saying it didn't bother me, because it did. I'll I could hear was the screaming as they tortured those poor children. They weren't helping them. There was no therapy of any kind. It was a place of crazy people, and the staff doing whatever they liked to them. Just thinking about it made my stomach hurt. I may not have liked Arthur or Shawn, but what I saw I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy, not even Crawford.

The one thing I had was plenty of time to tell Tony and Stringham everything that was going on in that place. Stringham didn't ask if I was out of my mind. He trusted me. He knew I would never lie to him. He said, putting his arms around me. I shouldn't worry about it. Because he and Tony would make sure they would be stopped. He made several phone calls and said. "I don't care; I want that place taken care of. I want them to know that their days are numbered. Either find someone to do it or I will."

He paused for a long moment and said. "Is that the best you can do? Fine! Do that, and when the surveillance comes back, and it shows that we are right, you owe me a big favor. I am talking big. Yes, I'll send the specks to the place by tonight. Thanks, I mean that … you won't regret it. Now, have I ever let you down? Well, except for her … how did I know she used to be a man? You kissed her, I didn't? Yeah, yeah. See you in the funny papers."

He gave me two thumbs up and said. "Give her my love and tell her next time I am in town will paint the town. Yes, I got the order, and I'll place it the second I get off the phone." Stringham clicked the receiver button a couple of times and waited. "Max, this is Stringham. I need you to send six, no, make it fifty dozen of your best red roses, and a bottle of that wine I like. That's the one. Actually, make it two, and send it to this address." After he hung up the phone, he settled the check and discreetly handed the manager some bills from his pocket. "Alright everyone, it's time to head back; our guests will start wondering where we are if we don't hurry."

Once we were back inside the limo, Stringham put his arm around me and said. "That was quite a show today. For a minute, I actually thought you had lost your marbles. Too bad I didn't get it on tape … Tony, you told us he could pull us out of a tight spot if he had to."

Tony said. "Like I said, it's always an adventure when we have him around. You never know what he is going to do next and pray that you're smart enough to catch on before the second act, or he'll leave you in the dust. I wish I had more like him on my team."

Arthur scowled at me. "Thanks for ruining it, Mule boy. I could have played games, and painted pictures and not have to worry about the dumb Mule boy messing it up."

Dr. Sars said. "You want to play games and paint pictures? I got everything you need at home. Now behave yourself and perhaps I will let you do just that. I am just too tired to care about your rudeness but don't press your luck. You have been told we don't call people names, Arthur. If you don't have anything nice to say, keep your mouth shut."

We had been home maybe ten minutes, and the house was deserted, but of course, it would, knowing girls and how they like to shop trying on everything that their eyes catch, especially when they had a briefcase full of money and a credit card. I felt sorry for Stringham when the bill arrived. Grandma was the first one to arrive as the driver helped her out and up the steps to make sure she didn't fall. There were only two of them and not as steep as hers back at home, but ever since she had fallen down them she had feared them ever since.

I corralled Sparky and Jake's dog so Grandma could get in without them jumping all over her. He had just a little too much spunk for her taste, but once she was settled, I would let them lose so even they could give her a proper greeting. Dr. Sars quickly took care of Arthur. I didn't ask, seeing the tranq dart in her hands.

The moment Grandma saw me she growled at Mom and Dad. "What the hell did you do to his hair? And where in the hell are your glasses, son?" Mom dug them for them in her purse and handed them to me and Grandma washed the lipstick off my face with her fingers even though I was sure there wasn't any. Once she had, she gave me a hug and several more kisses. She was ready. I gave a heavy sigh as she crossed her arms. She said. "Ok, I am here, and I have come a long way for some answers, that you are all going to give me." Dad gave up his seat by the fireplace so she could be toasty warm, and she took it, she was too angry at him to thank him. The driver put her things by the door and smartly left for us to deal with her, which said she was more than a little upset from our last phone call.

In some ways, I was glad that we had the house to ourselves, so I would have to be bombarded with questions not only by her but by my mother. She said. "Again, I am not getting any younger young man. Now, tell me what this is all about. I got the invitation and nearly lost my false teeth. Seeing you dressed up as a pirate of some kind, I couldn't make heads or tails regarding who you were marrying and why; so, we will start with that."

I gave a nod, motioned Rhoda, Eli, and Jackie forward, and said. "Grandma, meet Rhoda, and this is Eli, her brother, and Jackie her best friend."

I let them shake hands and took a seat on the other couch. Grandma gave them each a once over and said. "Ok, so who is marrying who?"

I said. "Rhoda is marrying me, and Eli is marrying me, and Jackie is marrying me, Eli is marrying all of us." Grandma blinked a couple of times and said, "Let me get this straight?" Then, shaking her head slightly, a gesture that spoke of uncertainty, she indicated she wasn't sure,

So, I said "Rhoda is going to be my first wife, Jackie is going to be my second wife, and Eli my first husband, Eli is marrying Jackie as her first wife and Rhoda is going to be his second wife.

Grandma blinked, and we gave her a minute, letting Dad get up and get her a glass of water. It took her a few minutes, said. "And this is legal?"

I waved my hand back and forth and said. "Yes, and no."

Grandma took several swallows and said. "Ok, so the big question is why?" 

Stringham said. "It's complicated. Would you like me to show the video first or explain it to you?"

Grandma growled. "Please, tell me, it's not another one of those like last time?" 

Stringham waved his hand and said in the same gesture as us, meaning unsure. "Not sure how to answer that question, but here it goes." He took it from the top regarding where we left off after the Gloria incident.

She didn't like knowing that Jeff was involved, because she wasn't all that fond of him. After all, he was a sign that trouble was brewing. Once he had explained Texas, he put the video in showing me playing Shawn as the bad boy and had edited taking out the spots where the camera had panned off into space and other scenes, it was the first time I and my friends had seen it.

When Grandma looked at me, she was in such a state of distress that she exclaimed we would need to have one of those lengthy conversations about bad language and related matters. Acting or not, she had a distaste for vulgar language and didn't appreciate it. My father's use of that kind of language was always a source of displeasure for my grandmother, and now it appears that both of my sisters, particularly Susan, are adopting the same habit to an even greater extent.

Considering my Grandma's sensibilities and her objections to the activities in the boy's dorms, Mr. Stringum went above and beyond to ensure that the content remained appropriate for all audiences, strictly adhering to a PG-13 rating. Grandma was aware that I kissed boys and engaged in intimate activities with them. She would even playfully tease me about it, but she preferred not to witness it firsthand. While she accepted my nudist lifestyle and tolerated my bisexuality to some extent, it still didn't sit well with her. She hoped that I would eventually "get my head on straight" or realize that it wasn't considered normal in her day, as she often reminded me.

According to her, people, especially those in the LDS church, didn't engage in such behaviors openly. Sooner rather than later, she insisted that I stop participating in these activities. However, she didn't see any harm in us bathing or swimming naked together. She and my grandfather had done it frequently when they were young, though they kept it a secret from our family and some relatives giving a sly wink, showing it was a secret for only me and my brother Aaron to know. Besides it was far too late to stop me or my brother Aaron. Considering we had seen it all, more times she could wish the count to the point there was no big mystery about seeing our first naked girl or woman. It was the sexual aspect that she tried her best to ignore.

Once the tape had played itself out. He explained what was going to happen next, said. "It's not for the weak stomach."

Grandma waved it away, and I said. "Are you sure?"

Grandma said. "I have already seen the worst I have ever seen in my entire life." Stringham nodded and played the wedding ceremony tape; she jumped up and grabbed my arms the moment Eli's Dad set us on fire. Stringham paused and explained the trick. She looked at my arms again and said. "That's something you don't see every day." The fact I, Eli, and the girls were naked on the tape, didn't even faze her, not a single blush. Then again why would she, she, have seen me, my brother Aaron naked most of our lives, and had raised boys of her own. Boys and Men have the same parts, nothing to get excited about.

Stringham said. "I'll stop there because not even I have that strong of a stomach." And quickly explained what happened next. She paled and said. "Second thought I rather not see that, but still haven't answered my question why they are getting married? And why do you think you need to do this? And most important why my grandson?"

Stringham quickly said. "Remember what I said about Crawford?"

She said. "Yes, I know he's evil and belongs in hell. Like those I have just seen on that video." He quickly explained what happened during our first black Sunday. Her eyes widened and she had a nuclear meltdown. Cussing him and my adoptive parents from here to sundown. "And you are putting my grandson in the fire so he can get his ass cooked for a bunch of crazy people?"

Eli said. "Yes, they are crazy, but not all of them, and those are the ones we are trying to save. Children, newborn children, families being forced to rape and kill their own children, wives, and husband; all in the name of some religion for greed and power, hoping to take over the world. We are after those people that think it is ok to do this. The Satanic cult is growing and growing quickly.

"We saved one school, my school, but there are hundreds where they are entrenched. In fact, this very morning we visited a school hoping to put Arthur there so he could get the care he needs. Yet when we arrived, we were greeted by a witch and the entire school was infected with them. We had to leave those poor people unable to help them today. The school was located in Salt Lake City no more than fifteen or twenty blocks from the LDS Temple. And 30 more blocks on the opposite of the Catholic Church and countless others.

"Not over five miles from here is where the Satanic Church is with over four hundred members. Eric has a map in his room where he is tracking each of the locations we find, and we are gathering information on each one and then working inside as we take them down. Tony here and Jenny have a team where they are doing all the heavy lifting. Eric and I are the first responders.

"We go in and we scope it out and we get out, letting the team go in, and neutralize the problem. The damage to us is minimal, we have been trained to fight, and we train every day so if we get caught with our pants down, a figure of speaking of course." Eli gave me a wink, knowing not to let that one out of the bag regarding my grandma.

She said. "Ok, I understand that. I am not going to say I like it, because I feel that you shouldn't be the ones doing it, but for arrangement's sake, let's say you are doing this so how does marrying each other help in this?" Stringham quickly explained about the girls and Eli and why it needed to look like we were the ones who got the girls pregnant. Grandma breathed a sigh of relief. "Why didn't you tell me that in the first place? I was thinking that my grandson was only marrying the poor girl because it's the proper thing to do. So, in a since you are getting married to protect them and the baby? I can live with that, but what happens when the girls have the baby who is going to raise it?"

Stringham said. "We haven't got that far, but the girls were thinking about raising it on their own or putting it up for adoption. Either way, the child will receive good care. I have seen to that."

She nodded. "So, the marriage is a show, and my grandson isn't really getting married, but he is going to live as though he is married to Rhoda, Jackie, and Eli, and so forth … until the babies are born, and the threat is eliminated?" She gave a heavy sigh and said. "I guess … I don't like it, but I know my grandson he'll do it, regardless. He is stubborn, just like his grandfather and his father. I can only imagine the look on his father's face when he finds out.

"It's going to be something that I can't wait to see on his face; especially when he finds out. Not only did you marry one girl, but you also took the extraordinary step of marrying two girls and even a boy. I made sure to let him know about your bisexuality, and his reaction was so surprising that it brought me immense joy and laughter for hours, even though I don't fully approve of that choice, but for now I am willing to accept it, but don't, and I mean don't push your luck, you're walking on very thin ice young man, so thin it's going to crack. However, the baby will be the icing on the cake when he finds out …, I can't wait to see his expression, it's going to be a Kodak moment. So, the rest of the people getting married tomorrow is also a sham?"

Stringham smiled sheepishly and said. "Nope, it's a done deal; I am getting married to this fine woman Dr. Roberta Sars. And this man Tony is getting married to this fine woman Jenny and then my David is finally tying the knot with Mr. Rothwell's daughter Jody. But you haven't heard the best part. Don't laugh and hang onto your seat, Doris. Everyone here is getting baptized tomorrow morning, including yours truly in an LDS church nearby, and Bishop Earl and Bishop Sakes are doing the honors."

Grandma was stunned and blinked several times, and he nodded "What?" she said. "And who do we have to thank for this little miracle?"

Stringham laughed. "Eric's friend Jeff."

Grandma said. "So, he can be useful after all. I'd kiss him, but right now rather turn him over my knee giving him what for, involving my grandson in this, and I hope he is here listening to me." I nodded, and she said. "Me and him are going to have words when I kick the bucket, and they won't be pleasant."

Stringham said. "I am afraid you might have to get in line on that one."

Grandma said. "Ok, so I am here and so can someone show me around, and … oh damn, please tell me that's not your mother?"

I knew it was, hearing her voice. "Are you sure this is the right place?" Landon opened the door, and everyone followed.

My adoptive Mom said. "Shoes! Don't you dare get mud on my clean floors?"