Discovery

by Douglas E Roff

  “What would you have me do then and what exactly do you foresee is the consequence of these intemperate actions? Five of the Eight Families have already started a bridal registry. Everyone seems happy except you.”

  “I’m not the only one who thinks this is madness. For once I agree with the consensus.” Maria reclined in her chair, then continued, “You’re going to have to put a stop to this, once and for all. Before this gets out of hand.”

  “Because?”

  “Because if one of them doesn’t kill the other, then together they are going to commit acts of unspeakable violence and cruelty that we are all going to lament. They are matter and antimatter, and there will be nothing good left in the wake of the explosion that will be their collective behavior. You know this to be true.”

  “I know no such thing and neither do you. You’re no better at predicting the future than I, and significantly worse than I at manipulating behavior to our advantage. This you know to be true. I admit to some slight trepidation about this relationship and I will admit I never truly thought it would actually come to pass. But it wasn’t a social experiment; I sincerely hoped they would find each other one day. They are gifted and can help each other to channel their baser instincts. They are better – safer – together than they are apart. I’m surprised you don’t see that.”

  “Have you read Misti’s high school and college records? Incidents, episodes and disciplinary actions? You must know she is a very troubled young woman. Her own father understands that. Why can’t you?”

  “She is like a daughter to me and you know that. Would you set your sights on Adam next? Where will this end?” Edward paused, then continued, “They are good for each other and I will continue to guide them and help them to channel their most exotic tendencies in positive directions. Besides, Misti has never done anything criminal in her entire life. Broken no laws. Never been arrested, detained, questioned or formally disciplined. Never. Zilch. Nada.”

  Edward paused, looking at his old friend, watching her reaction. “I’ve made sure. I’ve watched her, talked to her and guided her. So far, she’s a model taxpaying citizen and a rising young talent. I’m proud of her. You should be too.”

  “So why, oh why, if that’s true, would none of the boys at Sacred Heart ask Misti out. None. Why? Because they were all afraid of her. The girls were flat out terrified of her and swore she threatened and bullied them at every opportunity. She tried to seduce a priest. She did seduce one of her language tutors. I’m told that video is still floating around somewhere on the internet.”

  “If what you claim is true, then how come she had so many close friends? Like Tammy Bainbridge, now at Brown University. Or Alicia Jackson, just graduated from Chicago. Or Becky Anderson, or Kimmy Hardaway or Elizabeth Clement? Or for that matter, Cindy Eagan. Is there something wrong with Cindy too?”

  “You’d be surprised what Cindy has to say, although she seems to agree with you on this. She says Misti is a different kind of cat but not crazy or screwed up in any way. But I think there’s more to that friendship than she’s admitting, and Cindy is only saying what she must to stay out of the discussion. Very typically Cindy.”

  Maria stopped briefly, then continued, “There’s more. In college, complaints from campus security and from three overseas exchange programs for violent, aggressive and other unacceptable behavior. Implicated in all sorts of nasty stuff and associations with a small army of undesirable elements. She was generally running around with little restraint or concern for consequence. And, what else is there Edward? I’ll wager you know a lot more than you’re saying or that I know or can guess.”

  “Again, Maria what have you got that can’t be explained equally well by acknowledging she was a healthy growing teen testing her boundaries and experimenting with … life. I’m telling you she’s fine, and Adam is in love with her. I think you should leave her be. This relationship is the best thing we could have asked for.”

  “I think she should be institutionalized or helped to the afterlife. You’re going to regret your meddling and your scheming and your inaction one day. I hope the collateral damage does not include our son.”

  Her tone changed. “So, what’s this trip to Las Vegas really all about? She told you anything yet?”

  “Nope. But if I had to bet, this was Adam’s idea and Misti will be Mrs. Adam St. James by the end of this little vacation. From everything Misti has told me, Adam is deep into planning their future cover story, so they can live together in peace among the herd. Like normal people.”

  “Does that include us?”

  “It does. Adam wants Misti to sell the place in Seattle and remain in Barrows Bay permanently. Less chance for mishap while they get used to their new-found happiness.”

  “And the repercussions from the FBI incident, is that attended to?”

  “Yes. All patched up.”

  “You’re sure you know what you’re doing, Edward?”

  “I do. Try not to worry. Misti is OK. The kids will be fine and happy. I promise.”

  “Last time you promised me something, a gangbanger in LA disappeared. ‘I don’t know anything about that, I swear.’ I didn’t believe you then and I still have my doubts now. But I will sit and watch and pray that you know what you’re doing.”

  “Try not to worry, Maria.”

  “I won’t. When I’m dead.”

  Chapter 54

  Maria departed unhappy and Edward was once again left alone in his office with his thoughts. He mulled over the conversation that had just taken place and was sad to think he couldn’t be totally honest with his friend and co-parent for the better part of a quarter century. He truly did love Maria and Agustin as brother and sister, but like Misti and Adam, knew that they were still the ‘others’. To Edward, Maria and Agustin were hopelessly conventional in their thought and conduct. They thought conventionally, acted conventionally and willingly played by all the nonsensical rules written by people they had never met and shouldn’t trust.

  To Edward, societal laws were loose guidelines of conduct as opposed to bright line strictures. And though he had been raised in a strict ‘law and order’ household growing up, even his parents drew distinctions between what was legal and what was moral. While they were appalled by what they deemed the vast immorality of modernity, Edward had always been far more interested in what he could get away with. What might be tolerated.

  Not long into his teens, Edward was already trying to push the limits of what he could do within the parameters of appropriate normative behaviors, both in Iowa and around his doting parents. He tested boundaries while still living at home but expanded his horizons significantly upon arriving at UCLA as a freshman. What followed could only be described as an evolutionary path to an anti-social self-awareness, feigned social integration combined with practical experimentation.

  By the end of his first summer as he transitioned to life as a college sophomore, he had logged his first kill. The man deserved his fate and Edward had no issues with the man’s death or his own lack of remorse for his role in it. Edward took no pleasure in the act, instead feeling something akin to a minor modicum of responsibility. But he could’ve just as easily let it fall from his consciousness as a mere data point from an interesting summer vacation long ago.

  He didn’t. Instead, he chose to remember, to log the data appropriately and catalog it for later use. He would learn from the experience and grow.

  Edward didn’t then, nor did he now, ever consider himself a monster, pariah or social outcast. He did, however, consider himself and his private world to be surrounded by such monsters and he had to be prepared to deal with such evil in his own way – by giving in kind what bad folk do, or try to do, to him and his. He was Old Testament justified and beyond that he would not bother to inquire.

  Chapter 55

  Edward’s thoughts then turned to Misti and Adam, what had been done and what needed to be done. There was a real method to his madness and h
e had carefully planned and shaped events over many years. His work with Misti had begun with her at age eight, when his interest and understanding of her unique pathology had first bubbled to the surface. He had had her privately tested by a battery of psychiatrists before she could develop the sociopathic skill of evasion, so the results were unlikely to be skewed.

  Those results, as well as all subsequent sessions, were done privately with no external record kept. Everything from the age of eight was on paper and in Edward’s possession, and no names were ever permitted to be used. The handsomely paid doctors were flown in from out of state and returned home without disclosure of what or why their analysis was undertaken. Two sets of records existed and were known only to the shrinks, Edward and God: one was for Misti and one was for Adam.

  Edward didn’t see the results as flaws to be fixed but rather as incredible skills to be transformed, moulded and channeled. He took the long view of where this would go in five, ten even twenty years into the future. If he could begin immediately, he would have just enough time for his plan to have even a remote chance of success. But still a chance.

  His first stop was Carlos, who knew only a small piece of the gravity of the challenge for Misti. Carlos recognized only that something was wrong and had been from the time the child could walk and talk. Her behavior was sometimes totally inappropriate for a child of her age. Punishments like time out, grounding or other forms of stricter discipline had no effect: she paid little attention to her mother, who could not control her from the time she was four. Carlos could modify and mollify her inclinations, but even he realized that with time, she would eventually stop listening to him too.

  When Edward approached Carlos with comforting words and a plan, Carlos was more than willing to go along. Edward promised to save his little girl and turn her life around. Carlos willingly tendered the soul of his only child to his best friend in the hopes that he could be successful and that he would live to see the day that Misti was happy, married and a mother. Maybe then he could relax.

  Misti’s mother contemplated suicide and not for the first time, when she was told of Edward’s new role in their lives. She couldn’t bear the thought and was convinced that if there was truly a hell, her life in Seattle most resembled what eternal damnation must be like.

  For Misti’s part, she seemed unfazed by the sudden interest of Uncle Edward in her life. She was unaware of the intense monitoring, planning and follow through that would characterize her future life. She would become aware of changes, of course, though only dimly at first. After all, she was but a child.

  Edward began with phone calls and visits every month, which morphed into weekly visits and calls, then eventually daily email contact and long conversations about school, friends and her activities.

  Misti entered the world of competitive jiu jitsu and related martial arts, travelled frequently even as a child and, by high school, was spending her summers abroad learning languages and developing other skills and talents. Every detail was arranged by Edward and the results fed directly to him. He made sure that Misti understood the correlation between his involvement and the quality of her life. She may not have initially felt anything akin to gratitude, but she did understand Uncle Edward’s relevance.

  As she got older, it was Edward who spoke to her in hushed tones and a reassuring voice that everything would be OK, that she was completely normal and that he understood her in ways nobody else ever would.

  Misti hoped that was true and, over time, confided everything to Edward. He never sought to judge this troubled little girl, only understand and guide her. By the time Misti was twelve, she had a clear view of herself and the world. From that point forward her relationship with Edward became more like father and daughter. Whatever she wanted or needed from then on was supplied by Edward through Carlos. He focused her life on martial arts, education and self-discipline, with extravagant rewards for accomplishment. Edward deemed some behaviors which troubled school and activity authorities as merely tangential to her overall progress. If he saw her advancing on the big items, her friends, schoolmates and other acquaintances would have to bear whatever indiscretions or problems Misti may have caused.

  Edward occasionally paid off some aggrieved parent or adult for his ward’s misbehavior, something he always discussed fully with her afterwards. Edward didn’t criticize or punish, rather used each episode as a ‘teachable moment’ for behavior modification. By the age of fourteen, Misti was fully on board with the plan, her role in it and her absolute obedience to Edward. As she gained more life experience, her inquisitive nature, education and sophistication allowed her to begin her own private journey, much as Edward had at her age.

  The two were simpatico in all matters and Misti adored Edward as a second father.

  When she was ten and the Incident in the park was thought to be almost long forgotten, she brought it up to Edward. She asked why she enjoyed watching Adam hurt that boy, why it remained fresh in her memory in sweet detail and whether it meant that there was something wrong with her. Edward told her that nothing was wrong with her, nothing at all. She was completely normal in his eyes and in every way.

  Good things were in store for her, if she worked hard and did as she was instructed. But he warned her of straying from the path he had carefully constructed for her as well as the severe pitfalls that she should scrupulously avoid.

  “Things can so easily be misinterpreted by strangers, my angel, and that is why you must always tell me what you have done, what you are thinking and how it makes you feel. You are perfect as you are, and nothing is wrong, but you are different. Different scares some people sometimes and they may not understand how truly perfect you are. People will be jealous and afraid, but they don’t matter. Only you matter.”

  “Will I ever get to see Adam again? You promised I could. You promised.”

  “If you do everything I ask, then one day when you are older, and all grown up, you will be with Adam, and, if you want, he will fall in love with you again. This is all I can promise, so if that is what you want, then that is what you shall have.”

  “If you promise, then I promise too. Thanks Daddy.”

  Chapter 56

  Misti graduated from her middle school as the top scholar, top athlete and most successful student Sacred Heart Academy had ever produced. She was ready for high school at the same institution, just a different building on the same campus. She had formed good friendships in the primary grades but now kids from other schools would funnel into Sacred Heart and new friendships would be made with new girls.

  Her best friends would come from her high school experience and the girls she met would become life-long friends. Misti was without question the girl in charge and she found her dominant personality a good fit with her evolving tastes, desires and appetites. Things she commanded others to do were simply done and questions were seldom asked. Along with her cadre of close friends, Misti experimented with dominance and submission taking each new experience in stride and deriving new sorts of pleasures she had only read about but never considered possible in her own life. She rapidly began to discover what she enjoyed and how to thoroughly enjoy it.

  Edward, though aware of the thorny path his ward was traveling, was generally supportive of her personal growth and assured her of his permission for experimenting in a limited and controlled way. Edward recognized there was no way to stem the inevitable with Misti, only try to curb and redirect where possible. Nothing shocked Edward; all he asked was that Misti not record any of her exploits nor allow any of her close cadre to do so either. This was a strict rule and Edward would be mightily upset if she didn’t adhere to his guidelines.

  While she admonished her best friends that their adventures in high school could never be recorded for posterity, never tweeted, posted or emailed to anyone ever or shared with anyone outside their close circle of conspirators, it didn’t mean that Misti was constrained by her own dictates. Misti did keep trophies of her exploit
s, recorded surreptitiously and without the knowledge or agreement of her friends. Girls who decided they had had enough of Misti and her bossy nature often found an envelope stuffed in their locker with a color photo and note attached.

  Girls did not fuck with Misti and she used her knowledge, personality and experience to hone her skill at obfuscation, stealth and domination. She was beautiful, bright, intelligent and personable to anyone on the outside looking in. On the inside she was slowly learning how to become the immensely successful monster she would later fully come to realize.

  Edward watched her progress and was satisfied with what he saw. Misti’s behaviors had no bright line limits. Instead Edward permitted a wide range of behaviors that he wouldn’t permit to get too far out of hand. Mostly, he was successful. Occasionally, less so.

  The broad range of her pathology was known to him and he kept that knowledge close. He shared it not.

  In the summer after eighth grade, Misti took her first trip abroad, to Italy. She made her way to Italy to learn Italian and continue specialized studies at a private institute in Capua. Physical training, advanced martial arts, weapons and endurance were taught, along with art history, modern and ancient cultures and personal refinement. Early introductory education was given in criminology, the science of crime scene investigation and rules of evidence, American style. The latter courses were augmented and refined as Misti grew older, with each summer spent in a new country learning yet another language and building upon previous experience. Some instructors remained the same; most changed year to year and location to location.

  Each year, at the end of the summer, she returned home more confidant, more refined and less inhibited by the rules and norms of her own culture. Once she understood the construct nature of American social and civil mores, and the flexible concepts of private social and moral behaviors, the happier she became in its full display.