"Not that I know of."

"Maybe I did tell him that I had a gun in my pocket, but I didn't say what kind of gun!" He grinned at Travis. Travis just shook his head.

"So is he here to get Penelope, to take her back with him? Because if he is, he's going to have a fight on his hands! I love my daughter a great deal, and it really hurt me to see her doped up and living with him all this time. Go tell her that I want to take her back home with me and take care of her. Go ahead and tell her, Travis. I'll wait."

Travis turned and yelled to Janice, who was on the front porch. "Janice, tell Penelope that her Dad wants to talk to her." As if in reply, they heard an almost primordial scream from inside the house. Apparently Penelope heard his request.

"Well, while we're waiting here, let me ask you a few questions, Bob. Are you still growing pot in the woods around your farm?"

"What?"

"You don't have to pretend with me. I know what goes on around my property. I know that you only grow it for your own use, or else I would have busted you years ago. I don't tolerate a drug dealer in the neighborhood, not with six kids under my roof."

"Thanks for sparing me!" Bob said sarcastically.

"You remember that 19 year old kid that stayed with his granddad, out Pilgrim Road? I think Scott was his name."

"Yeah, I remember him?" Bob said.

"He was a drug dealer."

"Yeah, he tried to sell me some weed one time."

"But you didn't need it because you grow your own?"

"And mine's better than his."

"Seen him lately?"

"Not seen him in years."

"Do you know why? Because I don't tolerate drug dealers in my neighborhood."

"So you killed him?"

"I didn't have to. I beat the c.r.a.p out of him, and pointed him down the road. I haven't seen him around here since. I talked to his granddad about a year ago. He said Scott is in Prison in Huntsville, Texas, and they'd just found out that he possibly has AIDS. He got it from his 'friends' in prison. So I guess we won't be seeing him around here anymore. The bottom line is, I don't put up with drug dealers in my neighborhood. Now from what I've heard from you and Penelope, this guy right here, who is presently watching us through his rear-view mirror, is a pretty big dealer in Arlington. If so, I'm going to bust his bubble too, he just doesn't know it yet. Are you sure about what you told me?"

"Oh yeah! I reported him to the Arlington City Police, but that was a mistake. He pays off the City Police. They are more corrupt than he is!"

"What about the Arlington County Sheriff? Think they're paid off too?"

"I wouldn't think so, but who knows?"

"I went to school with some of the Deputies who patrol out this way. I'll mention it to them."

"I don't see Penelope coming yet. Maybe you should go get her?"

"Janice delivered the message. If she doesn't want to come out, I'm not going to make her."

"I guess she's been telling you all kinds of lies and deceitful things about me, hasn't she?"

"Yeah, I've heard a few nasty things about you, but not all from Penelope. Some of it from Vance here."

"You can't believe anything that lyin' little twerp says!"

"What about your own daughter?"

"It's those drugs he has her on! She believes anything when she's on those drugs! I am appalled at what kinds of things she says to people about me! She knows they ain't true! She knows that I love her, and just want what's best for her! And that goes for my granddaughter, Jessica too! She has turned my own granddaughter against me with her bodacious lies! That's what really hurts! And I'll tell you something else, just between you and me and the trees, I think there is something a little fishy going on between Jessica and her step-dad!"

"You mean Herbert?"

"Yes! He keeps her hid away in that house all the time. She don't want nothin' to do with her mother and me! She's 18, and she don't date any boys! Now, you show me an 18 year old girl who don't date yet, and I'll show you a girl that has got something very troubling going on in her life!"

"Oh. So you're saying that Herbert won't let Jessica out to have a normal life? That he's trying to protect her from the outside world, in the same way that you protected Penelope from the outside world?"

Bob started to answer, not grasping what Travis was getting at, but then stopped. He didn't know for sure how much Travis knew. How much had they told him? The uncomfortable silence spoke volumes. He was completely unaware of what his right hand was doing. But Travis noticed.

"Bob, if you don't mind, could you wait until later to play with yourself? I find it offensive."

He stopped immediately, his face flushed red with embarra.s.sment, but did not remove his hands from his pockets. "I have a nervous condition. My right hand shakes sometimes."

"That wasn't shaking, it was stroking. And if it was a nervous condition, you couldn't control it like you just did."

Again, Bob seemed at a loss for words.

"Of course, what a man does in the privacy of his own pocket is his own business. What he does in the privacy of his own home with his daughter, or his mother, or both, is his business too. Unless, you know, like if the daughter, or granddaughter, or step-daughter is under age. Then it might be something of interest to the prosecutor's office. Incest among consenting adults might be against established taboo, but I don't think it's illegal. But if one party is under age, then it is called statutory rape."

Bob's face went from red with embarra.s.sment, to totally drained of its color.

"Are you okay, Bob? You don't look so good."

"Every accusation against me is a lie! Nothing you just accused me of can be proved in a court of law!"

"I did not specifically accuse you of anything, Bob! I was just speaking hypothetically! But I guess if the shoe fits, then wear it!"

It was at this point that Janice walked out to join her husband, as he talked to Bob.

"I don't have to stand here and take this! Tell Penelope that if she needs a place to stay, that my door is open to her. h.e.l.lo Mrs. Lee."

"h.e.l.lo. I came out here to tell you that I tried to get Penelope to come out here to talk to you, but she wouldn't do it. She is terrified of you! She peed in her pants again and won't come out of the house!"

Travis shook his head. "Every time something scares her, she lets go of her bladder! She has peed all over our house since she's been here! I don't want her staying here if she can't be house broken!"

"Travis, that's an ugly thing to say!"

"But it's the truth! I'm ready to run all of you clowns off my property!"

"Then I won't burden you with my presence any longer!" Bob angrily spit tobacco juice on the ground, then opened his truck door to get in.

"Don't leave mad, Bob! Just leave! And have a nice day!" That was when he and Janice both saw the brown car slowly coming up the driveway. It was an Arlington County Sheriff's Deputy car.

"We've got company, Bob!"

He looked in his rear-view mirror and became alarmed. "You called the cops on me?"

"No, we didn't call them." Travis said. "I'll go see what they want."

The Sheriff's car pulled in far enough that he prevented Bob from backing out. Two officers got out of the car wearing their 'smoky' hats, and removed their sungla.s.ses as they a.s.sessed the situation. The senior officer approached Travis, as Travis approached him.

"Is this the Travis Lee residence?"

"Yes sir. I am Travis Lee. What brings you out, officer?"

"We got a 911 call from your home phone. We were told that there was trouble, and that someone could get killed. The woman who called, identified herself as Janice Lee."

"That's my wife!"

"May we speak to her?"

"She's right here. Janice!"

"Yes?"

"Did you call 911?"

"No, I didn't!"

"The officers say that a Janice Lee called them from our phone . . ."

"Penelope! It had to be her!"

"Who is Penelope?" The Deputy asked.

"She is a neighbor," Janice explained. "This is her Dad here in this red truck. And her boyfriend is in the gray truck. We've been having, I guess what you would call a family dispute."

"This Penelope, what is her last name?"

"Jones."

"We need to speak to her. By law, when we receive a 911 call, we must speak to the person who made the call. Where is she?"

"In the house."

"Then let's go speak to her."

Bob spoke up. "Excuse me, officer, but you seem to have me blocked in. Can you let me out before you go into the house?"

"There has been a 911 call from this residence, and no one is to leave this scene before I have determined what is going on. Deputy Hill, stay here with the car, and make sure these two men do not leave!"

"Yes Sir."

Bob looked sick, and Vance slumped down even lower in the driver's seat of his truck.

Travis and Janice led the Deputy into their home to talk to Penelope, but she was not in the living room. Janice went back to the bedrooms and called out to them, "Here she is!" They went to the back bedroom, where they found Penelope hiding behind a bed, curled up in the fetal position. Janice was still angry about her name being used to call 911, immediately confronted her about it. Weeping and rocking back and forth, she admitted it.

"Yes, I called 911! I thought there was about to be trouble when my Dad drove up!"

"What kind of trouble?" The Deputy asked.

"Bad trouble! Someone could get killed! That kind of trouble!"

"Who is going to kill who?"

"I don't know! It could be anybody! It could be everybody! I don't know! I don't want anybody to get hurt on account of me! I've just caused trouble by coming here!"

"You can say that again!" Travis said, before Janice jabbed him with her elbow.

The Deputy glanced at Janice and Travis. "Is she okay? I mean, mentally?"

"Probably not," Travis replied. "It's a long story."

"I've got all day, and I love a good story."

Travis took a deep breath. "Then let's go out on the porch and sit down. Penelope, get out of the floor and come outside too. You can verify what I tell the Deputy."

She shook her head.

"Janice, get her up, and make her come outside, while I explain things to the Deputy."

"I'll try."

On the front porch, Travis sat in the swing, and gently swung back and forth, as the officer leaned against the rail with his arms crossed, and listened. In the midst of the explanation, Janice and Penelope joined them. Travis told how the day had unfolded, and then backed up and filled in the gaps with the secret family history of the Deasons, who beget who, and even included the chapter concerning Vance. Parts of the tale clearly shocked the officer. When Travis had finished, the Deputy turned to Penelope and asked, "Is what Mr. Lee said accurate?"

She closed her eyes and nodded her head, choking back tears.

"From what I have heard, you have a good case against your father, as long as you are willing to testify in court. Get a good lawyer, and round up family and friends to back up your testimony, and the prosecutor will have a field day with this guy! He can probably put your Dad away for the rest of his life."

"No, I don't want to do that!"

"We can arrest him right now, on charges of aggravated rape, as long as you are willing to press the charges."

"No, I don't. Just forget that you heard any of this!"

"So then, you are admitting that you lied about him raping you?"

"No, he did it, I just don't want to press charges against him."

The Deputy looked exasperated. "Well, then there is nothing we can do here. My advice is to get a lawyer and press charges against him. To me, there is no lower form of life than a child molester! If you change your mind, give us a call back." He placed his 'smoky' hat back on his head and headed back toward his car. Janice looked disappointed.