I looked over at the Sheriff and said, I can’t say I’m pleased, to hear he survived. He and his father are a couple of sick son-of-a-bitches, I said. The property has been sealed off, said the sheriff. We have special agents coming from Langley and Denver, to help with the investigation, responded the FBI agent.
The photographs in Sonny’s room, tell a gruesome story, about what went on out there. If the dates are correct on the back of the pictures, and in their trophy room. They date back to a time, when the old man was in his early twenties. We may never trace who all these kids are.
The U.S. Marshal said. In the late sixties and seventies they had thousands of hitchhikers, crossing this country. Most were run-a-ways, on their way to California, where they would join the big hippie movement. A lot were draft dodgers, going into hiding. We think a lot of the young men and women, in the older Polaroid photos, were some of these hitchhikers.
I told the men in the room that Abagail said her mother was buried in the front yard. The FBI agent said they have a new corpse detection system, coming from Langley, with specialist that know how to uncover buried bodies.
I looked over at the Sheriff, and said he didn’t bring me into his office, to tell me he’s been out to the Brighton’s house. You’re right, he said. I didn’t bring you in here to talk about the house. What I want to know, is what turned you on to Doug Brighton, in the first place.
I got up from the table, walked over to a counter, and poured me another cup of coffee. I told the three law men, how I tracked Christine Anderson to Palisade. I explained how I had spoken, to the Greyhound bus driver, who was the last to see her. He was absolutely sure she was on the bus when they stopped, at the small bus terminal in Palisade.
The bus driver told me, there was some sort of brewery and wine festival, going on in the area and a bunch of bikers were hanging out, raising hell. The bus driver, just wanted to get moving. He said he didn’t take his normal head count, when he left, for his next stop in Salt Lake City.
I told them I came back to Palisade and talked with the locals, as well as placed flyers in their businesses, with Christine’s photo on it. After a few months had past, I got a call from a girl, who said she had information about the woman I was looking for.
The girl said her grandmother, lives on the reservation in Fruita. She is a medicine woman for the tribe’s elders. The reservation is on the north side of Fruita, at the base of Fire in The Sky and Rock Mountain.
I came back to Grand Junction and spoke to the medicine woman, who told me she had delivered a baby, from the women in the photo. She also said she delivered another child, at the same house, two years ago.
I told the three law enforcement officers that I began to snoop around and decided to dig a little deeper into the Brighton’s. Last night, was just a fluke. Catching Douglas with Marylou, in the barn, was a complete surprise. After given the two dogs a little sedative, and then taking Douglas out. I was only interested in getting Marylou, Abagail, and Caroline, off the property, and as far away from that hell hole, as I could get them.
Who’s the medicine woman, the Marshal asked? I’m not going to tell you, I replied. The Sheriff said he knew and it wasn’t important at this point. When we finished talking, another deputy, took me into a cafeteria area, where Abagail and Caroline were sitting at a table eating. I sat down with them and Caroline tried to feed me some of her breakfast.
I asked another officer, if he knew where Marylou was. He said Deputy Harcort, took her over to the hospital, to have her checked out. I wasn’t sure why they would do that, but I guess I would find out later. I ate a little breakfast, with Abagail and Caroline. While we were eating a social service worker came into the cafeteria and spoke with Abagail.
They wanted to take her and Caroline into protective custody. Because Abagail was over eighteen they couldn’t force her. I told the lady social worker, they were staying with me. When she got to pushy, I suggested she better checkout who I am, before she goes too far. Sheriff Miller came into the cafeteria and told the social worker, he had everything under control, and for her to leave.
The sheriff’s department, had found clean dry clothes for Caroline, in their evidence room. The three of us spent most of the day, in the cafeteria, talking. Marylou was now back from the hospital.
While Marylou and I were alone together, she told me, Douglas had raped her, the night he dragged her from his truck, and forced her into the cage.
I now remembered seeing him through the crack in the wall. I knew he was probably up to no good, but I couldn’t see what he was doing. The wood partition that made up the horse stall, was blocking my view. I never imagined he was harming a young girl.
I told her I was sorry, I had not saved her sooner. She said she was alright and he had not hurt her. She said the hospital had given her a morning after pill, before Deputy Harcort brought her back here.
Marylou is a tough little girl and she was handling her experience like a pro. We were sitting, talking about my airplane, when her parents, Fred and Shirley Watson, came into the cafeteria.
Marylou ran to them and they hugged her. She pulled them across the room to the table where Abagail, Caroline, and I were sitting. This is Mr. Steele, she said. He saved me from that horrible man. I was standing now, and Shirley Watson hugged me, and started crying at the same time. I looked over at Fred and he too had tears in his eyes. He then put his arm around me and thanked me, for saving his little girl.
I had them sit with us and talk. I told them Marylou was a tough little lady and explained how she helped me with Abagail and Caroline.
It was getting late and I needed to get my rented SUV from the Best Western Motel in Fruita. I called over to the Grand Vista Hotel, by the airport and made arrangement for two large, two bedroom suites. I wanted one for me, Abagail and Caroline and one for the Watson’s. I sent the Watson’s on over to the Hotel, with Abagail and Caroline. I had a deputy sheriff, run me out to the Best Western.
After I checked out of the Best Western, I drove to the Grand Vista Hotel. The hotel had put us on the top floor, in two large suites. When I arrived at the hotel, I found out the Watson’s had taken their daughter, Abagail, and Caroline, to the local Walmart, to buy them new clothes. I jumped in the shower and quickly bathe, before dressing in slacks and a clean shirt.
When they returned the ladies had loaded Fred down with shopping bags. I thanked them and tried to repay Fred for Abagail and Caroline’s clothes. He said, I save their little girl. They have been repaid in full.
That evening the Watson’s had dinner with Abagail, Caroline, and me, at a local family restaurant. I found out Fred owned a large Ford Dealership in Omaha, Nebraska and they lived across the Missouri River in Council Bluffs, Iowa. He said Marylou, could have worked for him, but she’s an independent person and wanted to work in a diner, for a year and save for college.
When we got back to the hotel, Deputy Harcort was waiting in the lobby. She asked to speak to me privately. We stepped over in an empty area, where the hotel has their continental breakfast.
Sheriff Miller, has asked that I stay with Abagail and Caroline, for a few days. I don’t mind sleeping on a couch, she said. Non-sense I stated and walked over to the reception desk and asked the lady behind the counter, if the adjoining room next to my suite, was empty. She quickly checked her registry and said it was available. I told her to reserve it for the next week. I took Deputy Harcort and her single piece of luggage, over to the elevators, where the others were waiting.
We got some top protection for the next few days, I said to the Watson’s. I made light of the fact, the county thought Abagail and Caroline, needed a chaperon.
The adjoining room was a standard size hotel room, used mostly for large families, occupying the suite. It was a perfect solution. I gave Deputy Harcort my room, in the suite, and I took the adjoining room, with the separation doors staying opened. This way, the girls wouldn’t think I had abandoned them.
That night I called K
ala and told her everything that had happened, over the last few days. She was crying and begged me to allow her to come out to Grand Junction and help me with Abagail and Caroline. I told her, I would work it out with Samuel Black, owner of Florida Coastal Aviation, to fly her out here. I said I would call her back with the specifics, in the morning and to go ahead and pack.
I spent the rest of the evening in the suite with Deputy Harcort, Abagail, and Caroline, who sat in my lap, fallen asleep. Abagail told us how her mother taught her to read and write. Every day they would play school and her mother was the teacher and she was the student.
She said her mother took care of the old man. She fed and bathe him almost daily. He slept most of the time and that was when they would sit and read. She said Douglas, would bring them books, paper, and pencils, all the time.
Abagail told us, as she got older it was harder for her mother to keep Sonny away from her. She said Sonny did the same things to her, he had been doing to her mother for years. I was pregnant at fifteen, and when my mother found out, she tried to hurt Sonny, with a knife. She cut him pretty bad and he took the knife and stabbed my mom, a bunch of times. I ran upstairs and hid behind the bed.
Junior locked me upstairs and he left the house. He was gone for a long time. When he got back home, he wouldn’t let me out. I had to potty in the bucket upstairs. The next night, after dark, he buried my mom in the front yard. When he finished, he took me out in the front yard and showed me where he had buried her. After that, I had to start taking care of his father. While I was pregnant, Sonny left me alone. He would often lock me in the upstairs. I could hear him digging with the tractor at night, in the side yard.
An old woman came to the house and helped me have Caroline. Sonny had moved his dad into his bedroom and put me in his dad’s bed, until my baby was born. It hurt so bad. I couldn’t get up for a week.
Sonny helped, with feeding and changing Caroline, until I could do it on my own. After Caroline was born, he never hurt me again. It was a long time, before he would allow me to give Caroline a name.
We were watching a funny show on television and one of the girls on the show was named Caroline. I decide that would be, what I would name, my daughter.
My mother told me every day about the world around us. She said she hoped someday to take me away from the house and show me how beautiful the world was. She promised me she would get us out and to freedom.
Sometimes junior would leave for days and my mother and I would play music on the kitchen radio and dance. We always had plenty food to eat. We tried for a long time to push the bars off the kitchen windows and get out. Those were the only windows in the house that would open.
The mean dogs would run around by the window, where we were at, and bark at us. Sometimes junior wouldn’t feed the dogs for days. Mom and I couldn’t feed them. They would probably eat us, if they could get to us. We were never allowed to go into the other rooms in down hallway.
Sometimes junior would make us take food and water upstairs and he would lock us up there for days. We tried to yell for help, but no one ever heard us. One time junior was coming home and heard us yelling out the kitchen windows. After that, he nailed all the windows closed and put in an airconditioner in the dining room window and one upstairs in our space. Mom and I was always cold in the winter and hot in the summer.
I sat and listened to Abagail talk. It was so nice, she was now relaxed enough to speak. I also saw how the things she was telling us, was affecting Brenda Harcort. Neither she nor I, could have ever imagined, what Abagail and the precious small child, asleep in my lap, had gone through.
This new found freedom, was going to be easier on Caroline, than Abagail. Caroline was still young enough to grow and experience the adventures that await her. Abagail has been through so much, it was going to take her longer.
It was getting late and I could see Deputy Harcort and Abagail were getting tired. I carried Caroline into the bedroom followed by Abagail. I told her, I was just in the other room if she needed me. She hugged me and said thanks for saving them.
Friday morning Caroline was up and came looking for me. She found me asleep in the adjoining room. She jumped up on the bed and snuggled under the covers, in the middle of the bed. Abagail came looking for Caroline and found her lying in bed with me. She lay down on the other side of Caroline and we all went back to sleep.
When we got up, I called Samuel Black at Florida Coastal Aviation. I spent about twenty minutes, working out the details, for him to fly Kala out here to Colorado. I then called Kala’s cell and she answered quickly. I told her a car would be by at eleven to pick her up and take her to the hanger at Florida Coastal. Samuel’s son George, will fly her out here to Grand Junction.
I said, I would meet her at Walker Municipal Airport, at the same private hangar, where my plane is parked.
County Sheriff Miller had asked the Watson’s to stay one more day. The Sheriff wanted to take a recorded interview with Marylou, but he wanted her to get a good night sleep first. He said he hoped she would not have to come back and testify against the Brighton’s.
Thursday morning, also found the truck service center locked down, and all the Brighton’s properties sealed under a court order. Their home was now surrounded by two dozen forensic specialists, all trained in buried remains and decomposed bodies. Inside the house were other crime scene investigating specialist.
Kala arrived at 5:00, Colorado time. I was at the airport hangar waiting for her, with Abagail and Caroline. When she landed, I was holding Caroline standing outside the security gate. When she saw me, she ran over to the gate. She couldn’t wait, until the young man with her luggage, came over to open the locked gate. She quickly pushed the gate open and hugged and kissed me. Caroline reached out for Kala and she took her from me. Caroline hugged her and showed Kala the soft cuddly stuffed bunny rabbit, the Watson’s had bought her.
When we got back to the hotel, the Watson’s were in their suite. I introduced them to Kala Kealoha and awkwardly explained, my relationship with her. I took them all out to dinner, including Deputy Harcort.
At dinner I gave Marylou and her parents one of my personal business cards. I said we should keep in touch. I wanted to know how Marylou was doing and that she finally got to college.
After dinner we sat in the restaurant, laughed, and shared stories about our lives. Kala told them about her life in Hawaii and growing up in an orphanage. Caroline was in a highchair between Abagail and me. Kala was on Abagail’s left side and they were holding hands. Marylou was on my right, followed by Shirley, Fred and then Deputy Harcort. I could hear their subconscious thoughts, running through everyone’s head. It was difficult to separate each of their thoughts, but it was clear to me, we were a happy group.
We were back at the hotel by 8:00 Thursday evening. Fred and Shirley headed to their suite and Marylou joined me and the other four females in our suite. I took soft drink orders from everyone and went down to the lobby, where the hotel had a small snack area and picked up some crunchy snacks and soft drinks.
Back in the suite, I sat at a counter next to the mini kitchen, so I could see all the ladies sitting on the sofa and chairs, in the living area. Caroline was knelt down in front of the coffee table munching on potato chips and drinking water out of a sippy cup.
Deputy Harcort came over and sat down on the stool next to me. We were both looking at the ladies sitting on the sofa and little Caroline on the floor. I think those two really like Kala, she said. I had to agree with her. I wasn’t sure if it was Kala’s tall slender body, her warm golden skin, or her angelic soft spoken voice, or maybe even her youthful appearance, but I could see, Abagail and Caroline was really taken with her.
Marylou went next door, to her parent’s suite, at ten and I carried the sleeping Caroline into the bedroom, and put her in bed. Deputy Harcort also went to bed leaving Abagail and Kala, with me in the living room.
Abagail asked me what was going to happen to her and Caroline. Befor
e I could reply, Kala said, you’re coming home with us, to Florida.
I don’t know what I’m supposed to do, said Abagail. I’ve never had to make any decisions before. The clothes I owned, belonged to my mother, and the things Caroline has, were mine when I was growing up. I have no money and have never worked at a job.
Kala and I began to chuckle, as I explained to Abagail, I had more money than she could ever imagine. I explained, she will never need to worry about money. I said we will take things slowly and let her grow into her new life. I said Caroline will have an opportunity to go to school and to grow up, into a beautiful smart woman.
Abagail said she didn’t want anything from the house and never wanted to go back there. I told her she didn’t have to go back. Kala and I would get her and Caroline everything they needed.
We talked until almost midnight, before Abagail went to her room and Kala and I went into the adjoining suite. When I got into bed Kala rolled over next to me. Her long shapely legs, weaved in between my legs, and her arm was over my chest, pulling herself close. I gave her a long goodnight kiss and she snuggled close and went to sleep.
I could feel Kala’s heart beating and the warmth of our bodies together. My eyes were closed and sleep was starting to overtake me. Visions of the last New Year’s party at the Fish House, was in my head. I could see both Lorain and Kala standing with me, while we counted down the last seconds to midnight.
I kissed Lorain at midnight. Then Kala, gave me a large passionate kiss. Lorain wrapped her arms around both Kala and me and we hugged standing in the middle of the floor. The vision was so clear, it was as if it were happening now.
My vision changed, to me lying on the sectional in my great room, that same night. I was listening to Lorain and Kala giggling, like a couple of high school girls, in the master bedroom. I could hear them talking and laughing, just like Lorain was here.
I remembered the next morning, while my two inebriated females, sat at the kitchen bar, nursing a hangover and sipping on hot coffee. I asked what they were laughing at all night. Lorain said she and Kala were thinking about attacking me, and having a threesome.
Alien Among Us (TJ Steele Book 1) Page 22
