Naked in School
Freedom to be Free
Chapter 4 - Shock
Drew was directed to go to the principal’s office; when she entered, she saw a boy sitting in a chair there.
Huh. What’s this? She wondered.
“Hello again, Miss Harper,” Walters greeted her. “This is Mr Evan Werser; he’s also a freshman...”
Walters’ words sunk in. I just heard Evan Werser’s name—it was in the announcements for the Program kids during home room! So why is he... no, why am I, here now?
Her answer came very quickly.
“I had a report about you from Mrs Steward about you interrupting a class demo. So I had you called just now because this week’s chosen freshman girl wasn’t in school today, so in her place, and for your interference with a class, you’ve been selected as one of this week’s freshman Program participants and Mr Werser will be your partn...”
“NO! I can’t do that!” Drew cried. “I was sexually assaulted and... no! I just can’t!”
“Sorry, but you must. You don’t have any choice about participating, Miss Harper; you’ve been selected for this week. The nurse said that because you can’t take the shot, you must avoid engaging in sexual intercourse while you participate this week. And now, both of you, please start undressing. Clothes go in those boxes next to the table there.”
She shook her head in denial. “But I can’t!”
“You must, Miss Harper. The Program is the law in high schools now; you were chosen as a substitute and you have no choice about participating; it’s required. There will be legal consequences if you don’t obey the rules. I asked you to begin removing your clothes; now do it.”
The boy began to speak. “Sir, she’s as scared as I am, but...”
“NO! I won’t!” Drew interrupted. Her fright was rapidly turning into panic. They can’t make me do this. They just can’t. she thought wildly.
She whirled around and ran for the door.
“I just won’t!” she called as she flung the door open and tore out of the room.
She ran out of the office, into the hall, and headed for the school entrance door.
A rent-a-cop guard was there and moved to intercept her, but Drew, using her soccer skills, dodged around him and was out the door before he could react.
As she ran to her house, Drew tried to gather her thoughts. How can I get out of being in that naked Program? I think that they’ll try to get my father to make me do it. Or maybe the police will come, since there’s a law or something. I can’t stay anywhere where they’ll find me—I hate it at that house anyway with Candy, especially since grandma isn’t around anymore.
When Drew got to her house, she was relieved to see that Candy wasn’t there. The phone was ringing when she entered; a glance at the caller ID told her that the call was from the school.
Let it go to voice mail, she thought.
Drew looked around her room and then the house, planning on what to take. I guess I’ll have to run away, then. No way am I gonna do that Program. I’ll go to my hideout and try to figure out what to do. This is so fuckin’ unfair!
She grabbed a large backpack which she found in the garage and began stuffing it with some clothing and the grocery items she needed; she had assembled a little camping setup in her “hideout” already, since she had stayed there overnight on many occasions, escaping Candy’s wrath. She had about $40 saved from her allowance and then thought, If I’m running away, I need more money and I know where Father keeps some.
She raided that stash and found a little over a hundred in fives and tens.
Ignoring the ringing phone again, Drew left the house for her hideout.
When she entered the woods, she looked around and, seeing no one nearby, she went down the trail which passed near her hide-out. She slipped off the trail and carefully made her way the two hundred feet to the bushes guarding her hide-out. She crawled through them, pushing her backpack ahead of her as she did, and looked around. Nothing had been disturbed.
Good. Nobody should be able to find me here. Now I can plan what to do. Oh! Shit! My phone! They can find me with that!
She hurriedly checked it and was relieved to see that it was still off; she had shut it off when she went into the school that morning. Seems like ages ago, she thought.
Back at the school, Connor looked for Drew at their Health class but she wasn’t there. She didn’t appear at lunch either. He looked over at the table that was used by the prior week’s Program kids—yeah, naked kids. Looks like they’ve adopted it as the Program table, he thought. Then he had a premonition. Let me sit at the next table.
After five minutes, Connor noticed Principal Walters heading toward his part of the room and stopping at the Program table. Curious, he decided to eavesdrop a little; Walters wasn’t being exactly quiet when he spoke.
“Hello, students. No one’s in trouble but I have a question. This is a long shot,” Walters asked them, “but does anyone here know Drew Harper or know who her friends are?”
Connor had noticed that one of the naked kids there was Evan Werser; he had heard Evan’s name announced in home room that morning but he hadn’t seen him in the second period math class they shared. Evan caught Connor’s eye and looked a question at him and Connor realized that Evan was asking if he should mention that he and Drew had sat together at lunch last week. Connor nodded back to him that it was okay.
As Evan began speaking, “Mr Walters, I think Connor—he’s at the next table there—is a friend of hers.”
As Walters turned around, Connor got up and spoke, “Drew and I have been getting to know each other, sir. Do you know where she is? We’re in the same first and third period classes and then get together at lunch. She was in my first period class, got sent to the office, but then she wasn’t in my third period class.”
“I would ask you the same question, where is she, Mr...”
“Martin. Connor Martin.”
“Ah, Mr Martin. She was called for the Program in the first period to partner with Mr Werser here since the other freshman girl was absent today. She ran out of the school when I told her. Very quickly, I might add.”
“I’m sure. She told me that she’s a soccer fullback. She said that she’s been clocked sprinting at up to 18 kilometers per hour and runs about eight to ten kilometers in every game she plays,” Connor told him.
The kids at the table were saying, “Wow” ... “Jeez, that’s crazy” ... “That’s real good” ...
Walters looked at him hard. “Ah. I did hear that she was supposed to see the counselor today to switch her P.E. section to be with the soccer team.”
“She did tell me that, yes. She was sick during the two tryout days and got another chance to try out last week; the coach is having her train with the team and she’ll probably get a spot on it.”
“Mr Martin, could you please join me in the office to speak privately? It won’t take long and I’ll make sure you get back before lunch is over.”
“Okay.”
Connor packed up the rest of his bagged lunch and followed Walters out.
In the office, Walters told Connor, “We’ve tried calling her home; goes to voice mail. I sent one of the counselors to her home but there’s apparently no one there. What can you tell me—you don’t need to break anything of confidence that she’s shared, but I want to ensure that she’s safe.”
That got Connor angry. “Safe? You call being stripped naked in school being safe? Drew told me what had happened to her when she was younger—she came this close to being raped and she still has nightmares about it. She must have panicked when you told her she had to strip. What she saw in that assembly that you ran last week actually did make her panic, then the attack on her here at school happened, and the Biology demo we saw almost made her sick. I saw how badly she was affected by those things. I don’t know her well, but from what she told me of her family life, I’ll bet that she’ll try to run away, rather than chance being forced to do the Program.”
“We can’t allow that, son. Do you know where she might be?”
“I just get to see her at school. We talk at lunch. Drew’s had a rough life and it’s toughened her; she can be very stubborn and she’s fiercely competitive. If she’s decided that she won’t be in the Program, and that she could be forcibly stripped, like she saw happen to that girl, she very well might decide to run away. Drew has no feelings for her father, and her grandmother, who basically raised her, had a stroke and is almost unresponsive. Drew’s got no one here; nothing’s keeping her here. Could you assure her that she’d not be forced to be in the Program? That might get her back.”
“We couldn’t do that. It would set a precedent and others would expect the same treatment,” Walters replied. “Would you... ah, do you think... would Drew... accept being in the Program if you were to be her partner and ‘protect’ her?” He made a finger-quote sign.
“We aren’t in all the same classes, okay? And what about toilets and locker rooms? I’m sure she’d never agree—and for that matter, I’ve been considering my own situation and come to decide that I’d never take part in the Program myself. I won’t allow anyone to strip me either. Where I grew up, I had to defend myself physically and if someone were to try to forcibly strip me, I could do them some real damage.”
“Are you making a threat, Mr Martin? You could get arrested, you know.”
“No, it’s not a threat. Just a statement of fact. In the one week of the Program here, I saw enough to make me object to the whole idea of the forced nudity. Like Drew, I will not participate either.”
“It’s a graduation requirement...”
“And there’s the GED for those who drop out. That’s not a convincing reason. I have much more serious issues to worry about and a stupid nudity program isn’t gonna be one of them. Do you know anything about life in the foster care system, Mr Walters? It’s not pleasant. Listen, I told you what I know of Drew. I’m sure she’s a runaway now or will be very soon, even though it’s been less than a day. As I said, she’s stubborn and determined. Can I go back to lunch now?”
“Yes. We’re done here. Thanks for your very frank comments, Mr Martin.”
As Connor left, he was thinking. I maybe do know where she might possibly be. In our talking together, she commented about how she loved the solitude and peacefulness when she got away from her home and went on her runs on the park’s trails. She also implied that she stays away from her home overnight a fair amount. Maybe she’s holed up somewhere nearby, maybe where she goes when she stays away from home, and I can find her if I check possible places that are reasonably close by.
Early that evening, Connor borrowed one of the group home’s bikes and pedaled over to where he thought Drew’s house was located. When he got to her street, he saw a police cruiser parked outside her house—it fit her description of it. After the cop left, he went to the door and knocked. An angry man opened it.
“What is it... oh, thought it was the cops again. What do you want, young man?”
“You Drew Harper’s dad?”
“I am. You know where that kid is now? She skipped school today and stuff’s missing from the house now.”
“I only saw her in the first two classes we had today. I came by to see if you heard anything.”
“No. But this wouldn’t be the first time she’s not come home. She’s gone plenty of times, gone for several days at a time and then returns. Yeah, does that lots of times. But this is the first time she’s skipped out from school. Drew and my gal don’t... ah... get along, see, and Drew disappears mostly after they fight. If you see her, tell her to get her ass back home and get back to that damn school. Wish I didn’t hafta take care of her ... ah ... Hate it when the cops come. Always after she does something stupid...”
Connor could see that the man cared little for his daughter and realized how accurately Drew had portrayed their relationship.
She told me that she runs a few miles every morning. Maybe she’ll do an early-morning run tomorrow? He thought. I’ll get out to the park and watch for her.
He didn’t see her Tuesday or Wednesday morning so he wracked his brain to recall the times he had seen her before high school began. It wasn’t this spring, maybe it was last fall, after he had been living at the group home here for a few months, and had started watching the girls’ soccer games. He had noticed a tall girl who seemed to dominate the play then. He realized that must have been Drew back then; her hair seemed to be much lighter and shorter now. He realized, also, that he had seen a tall girl coming into the park area during other times in the last year or so and going into the woods at the far end. He couldn’t recall seeing her reappear, though.
Maybe she found a place to hide somewhere in there? he wondered. Something to check. I need a plan.
Back in school on Wednesday, a police detective had Walters call a number of students who had interacted with Drew to the office to be interviewed, and Connor was one of the first called. He told the officer the same things he had told Walters, that he thought that she was a runaway, getting away from having to participate in the Program because of her abuse experience. The officer asked Walters if the school could relent on its participation policy, given her history of the assault, but he demurred, saying that he had to follow policy. Connor was now determined to try to find her.
Drew was trying to figure out what to do now. She had limited money, and if she stayed here too long, her supplies would run out and she’d have to use the money she needed to travel with.
It’s Wednesday now, she calculated, and I have enough food and stuff for a week. By that time, people probably won’t be actively looking for me and I can leave town. I need to head south ‘cause it’s getting really cold at night now and the fire isn’t gonna work for much longer. Damn, I really would like a shower...
By Friday afternoon, Connor had come up with a plan. He knew of the battery-operated trail cameras that hunters and wildlife fans liked to use but since he didn’t have a good idea where Drew might be, he would have to set up a number of cameras. But if he caught her image, he’d still have only a general idea of her actual location. That wasn’t such a good plan.
The forest covers about fifty acres, he reasoned. The trails that wind through it are maybe two miles, total, if even that. And the undergrowth is thick in places; I’ve seen thorny plants in there too—I think they’re either hawthorn or acacia. My old house had some acacia in the back yard.
Then he recalled that a little stream flowed out of those woods.
Maybe she set up near flowing water? I wonder if there’s a way to rent an infrared camera. Then I could walk around and look for hot spots.
Indeed, Connor found that he could rent one from a home improvement store overnight for less than sixty dollars. Fortunately he could afford it; he had some money he had salvaged from the fire...
At 11 pm Saturday night, he set out with the little camera device and headed for the stream near where it exited the woods. Backtracking it and using a little flashlight he had covered with some red cellophane to preserve his night vision, he followed the trail which generally paralleled the stream. He had gone only a quarter mile along the trail as he moved the camera side to side before he began to pick up a heat source in the dense bushes near the stream. It appeared to be large enough to be a person! He moved off the trail into the bushes and soon encountered some thorny ones.
Okay, I know pretty much where this is now. I hear water gurgling in the bushes ahead and there are two strong heat signals. Must be a campfire there too . I’ll come back when it’s daylight so I don’t scare her.
Drew was startled by what appeared to be the sounds of something moving in the woods outside her bushes. Crackling sounds and sounds of swinging branches. She didn’t think that there were any large wild animals out here.
Maybe it’s a dog, I’ve seen dogs in the woods here, she thought.
Then the sounds went away and she relaxed.
The next day, Connor returned the camera and got his deposit back. He stopped at a fast-food place and bought a few hamburgers, several packages of fries, and a few bottles of fruit juice. Then he went into the woods. He crept up to the bushes where he had been last night and indeed, they were thorny.
“Drew? You in there? It’s Connor. I’ve been trying to find you for several days.”
He heard a little shriek, then, “Connor? Really? Are you alone?”
“Yeah, I’m alone for sure. I had figured you must be camped out somewhere in here but didn’t let on to anyone else. How the hell did you get in there, anyway?”
She giggled. Her voice got closer. “It’s my fort. Camouflaged the entrance.”
Then part of a bush swung away and her head popped out.
“Jeez. That’s clever. You blocked your tunnel in with part of a bush, but kept its roots so it wouldn’t wither,” Connor praised her.
“Come into my abode,” Drew invited.
They both crawled back inside the ring of bushes.
“Awesome setup here,” Connor said, looking around. “I brought you some food. Thought you might need it.”
He handed the bag to her.
“Wow, thanks! Been coming here for two years now. It’s my real home. Not that other place.”
“I spoke to your father on Monday. You were right; I could tell how he feels about you.”
“Damn. What did he say?”
“Quote: get your ass home and go to school. Didn’t seem to care much where you were otherwise. And the cops visited him and the school. Walters found out that we spent time together so he tried to convince me to be your ‘protector’ when you’re in the Program. I asked him to exempt you—so did the cop—but he said no. I told him that you were sure to run away from here; nothing was keeping you.”
“That’s exactly right. So with that stupid Program running, you’ll have to do it too, you know.”
She opened the bag and took out a burger.
“No. I had a long talk with Walters after you scrammed. He was looking for someone who might know where you went. I told him that I had decided that, like you, I would never participate either. Not because I’m modest or been assaulted, but because the Program is wrong morally.”
“Damn. What did he say to that?”
“Told me I wouldn’t graduate. I told him that didn’t bother me; I could take the GED test and that would be the same.”
“Hey, you eat a burger too. I actually have plenty of food supplies here. What made up your mind about the Program?”
He took a package and unwrapped it.
“I thought about that for a long time. You know, what I think is that how the Program tries to stress how it will make a person comfortable with his or her body kinda masks what really happens with people. It seems like the Program might have been intended to empower us kids by removing our personal modesty, but its only result seems to be the kids’ exposure, both invasive physical exposure and exposure to objectifying treatment by others. I mean, the Program kids become sex objects for all the clothed kids. I think that while having a good body image is very important—accepting yourself for who you are and what you look like—getting there mustn’t come from sacrificing your safety and personal self-integrity.”
“Oooh, I like that. It’s sooo right!”
“Sure. What I’ve seen during the past two weeks is that the kids in the Program are forced into situations where their personal limits are ignored, their view of their body image is distorted—since they’ve been made into sex objects—and their personal morals violated. You know, I’ve been thinking hard about my future for a long time and now this crap came up. So I got this other idea and started planning it while I was looking for you. I think that you must have figured by now that I’ve got nothing to keep me living here, even less than you do. You know that I’ve got no family and the county is taking care of me. Right, sure they are. That group home is the pits. So I decided to ask you this: Do you want to team up and face the cold world together? It’ll be tough but I have some ideas.”
Tears came to Drew’s eyes. “Wow. I’d love to team up. I like you, Connor. But how can that work? I only have less than 150 dollars. Sure, I’d share that happily, but that means spreading us so thin...”
Connor tried to say something but Drew stopped him.
“You live in that group home so you probably have less that I do...”
Now he did speak. “Wait, Drew. Hear me out. You’ll be the only one who knows but I’ll tell you my secret. It’s really a secret, huge, okay?”
She nodded uncertainly. “I can keep a secret. Look at my hidey-hole here.”
Connor chuckled. “Okay, point taken. I told you that my home was destroyed when the garage blew up.” She nodded. “So my father had gotten into drugs when I was maybe ten, even younger. I didn’t know it then, but when I was thirteen—see how I look physically?”
“Yeah. You said you’re fifteen but look older. Maybe you could pass for eighteen, even.”
“You think? I know that at thirteen I could pass for sixteen or seventeen; Dad told me that. He decided that he would use me as a courier. No one would suspect a kid, he told me. I hated the idea but went along with it, since he told me that he’d wait till I hit fourteen. So he got me a driver’s license and a mid-sized motorcycle and taught me to ride. The license is actually real, not fake, and I don’t know how he managed that. Something about having influence over someone at a state motor vehicles office. So when we leave, we’ve got a ride.”
“Oh, wow, that’s really more than I hoped for. But...”
“Yeah, cash. So here’s the thing. When the explosion happened and the house caught fire, I realized what must have happened. I knew where Dad kept his private stuff, and the bike and other things were kept in this rental storage locker place. I went to his room and dug out what was there and threw it in a duffel bag—almost got caught by the fire, see?”
He shrugged off his shirt and she saw burn scars on his left arm and shoulder.
“Oh jeez, wow. Poor Connor.”
“It was worth it to me. Dad had a bunch of cash in the house and his papers and the other stuff I found included the storage locker contract and the keys. I had my IDs including the driver’s license; I even found my birth certificate. It was all together in the desk in his bedroom. All that I dumped into the duffel and I got out of the burning house just in time, ran into the green belt behind the house, and hid the duffel up in a tree back in the woods there. Then I went back to the house but passed out from the pain just about when I got back. The fire people found me and I woke up in the hospital.”
“Oh hell, what a story... you’re okay now, but back then?”
“A week in the hospital. Second degree burns. I had a lot of counseling too; told you about that. And I got put into the foster kid system. Maybe three months afterwards, I skipped school and went to get that duffel. The house site had been razed. I read the contract; the storage place had been paid up for two years. So I sent them a money order for another year and it’s good till next May now.”
Drew was trying to assimilate this information. She just stared at Connor.
“To wrap it all up, I went to the storage place just before I got sent to the group home here. It’s in Lowell, you know, six miles north, where I used to live. The bike’s still there and starts fine. I had stashed the duffel there too. Also, there were several sports bags filled with cash there, mostly hundreds, so that’s not useful to us—kids with hundred dollar bills? So I took a bunch of fifties, twenties, and tens and keep them in a money belt, see?”
He showed it to her and her eyes goggled.
“I figure that there’s maybe sixteen grand in the storage unit there, but maybe fifteen of it is in hundreds. So I need to figure out how to break it down to smaller bills. Anyway, I told you that I had that meeting with a cop and prosecutor?”
“Um, yeah...”
“The cops are still working on clues they had found in the remains of the fire, and finally identified and located one of Dad’s ‘associates,’ as they called him. He had suggested to them that Dad had this stash of money and drugs, so they were quizzing me about what I knew about that. I told them that I didn’t know that guy from Adam and that the fire was so bad that probably everything got burnt up. I told them that it had almost killed me, too. They seemed to accept that but told me that chatter from the local Lowell gang was that Karl Martin, my father, had more drugs stashed away somewhere. I should contact the detective if anyone asks me where the drugs are. That’s what happened up to now. So those other boxes in the storage place might hold drugs, I’m guessing.”
“My head’s swimming,” Drew remarked. “Looks like I’ll be joining you rather than the other way around. How come you just didn’t run away when you could?”
“Dunno... stability or inertia, I guess. Leaving the area was more of an unknown than having the county take care of me. Like that worked. Better I should have run. But then I wouldn’t have met you.”
“Aw, that’s sweet. You like me?”
“Really, Drew, yeah. We seem to think about stuff the same way and have had similar bad family experiences. So yeah, I like you.”
She got up, went over to him, and hugged him.
“Let me tell you what I’m thinking,” Connor went on. “First, the money. In one of the bags I found a notebook with some contact phone numbers and I recognized one name. It was one of Dad’s suppliers. I had met him several times and although he’s in the illegal drug business, he seemed to be, well, honest? Contradiction there, I know. I think that he can launder that cash for me. I figure that if I offer 25 percent, four grand, he’ll open a bank account with the rest and I can get a debit card. Free money for him and no danger. Hey Drew, when you skipped from your home, did you get any IDs?”
“I’m only fourteen. My school ID and Social Security card is all. Oh, and my soccer awards and certificates.”
“All right, not a problem. And finally, when we go, we should head south. Winter’s coming. And I have a tentative plan. I seem to recall a possible second cousin who lives in Hershey in Pennsylvania, where my family’s from, I think. He also would have the same last name as me. I think that Hershey’s not all that big a town. Maybe we can find him and start our new lives there.”
“Huh, you really have plans. And I thought I was prepared to run away—was gonna do yard work and house cleaning and stuff like that for money and just head for somewhere where the winter’s not too cold.”
“Yeah, sketchy plan. You could get in real bad trouble, you know.”
“You’re right. My father’ll probably even stop my phone account if I don’t contact him after a few months.”
“Oh, your cell phone, Drew...”
“Yeah, it’s off. So it can’t be tracked.”
“Good. But we should get some cheap ones, I think they’re called burners. I’m gonna keep mine off, even though I doubt the authorities even know I have one. Kept Dad’s too. He had a bank account that pays the cost, it’s in a fictitious name and I couldn’t find the password to access it. I took all the papers in his desk and all his records were there. Unless that info is in one of the places in the storage place that I didn’t check.”
Drew began to cry.
“Oh jeez, what’s wrong?” Connor exclaimed.
“N... n... nothing,” Drew choked. “It’s just that I realized how harebrained an idea I had about just running with no plan. And here you come, like a shining knight, and show the way. You seem to think of everything.”
“That’s ‘cause I’ve been thinking and planning about running away for two years now. For you, it’s been just a week. I had a head start on you, okay? What you’re doing is incredibly brave. A bit stupid, but brave still.”
“Gee thanks, Connor. You’re pretty stupid yourself for throwing in with me,” Drew giggled.
“For sure. Two stupids on the run, escaping the evil clutches of the nefarious Program.”
Drew laughed.
“Let’s plan for the next several days. I need to be in school Monday, at least, ‘cause it’ll take a few days to get ready to run. How portable is this stuff here?”
He pointed around.
“If we don’t need the more perishable food, I can get it all into my big hiking backpack. The tent folds up small and the sleeping bag, air mattress, and camping oven are the only bigger things. The cooking gear all nests. The rest are my clothes. I’m not attached to any clothes left in my former house but my soccer gear and cleats are important. The other crap here I could leave if we’re traveling light.”
“Okay. I’ll need a backpack too. The bike has a nice big storage box trunk on it. Courier, remember? You’ll need a helmet and riding clothes, boots. We can get those in Lowell where they won’t be looking for us. Now, how about having you move out of here to that little strip motel at the edge of town? I can register, pay cash, and you’ll have a comfortable place to keep hiding until we pull out of here. Not that these accommodations here don’t look comfortable.”
Drew laughed. “I really did enjoy living here... except when it got too cold. Winters were bad ‘cause I was forced to stay at the house with the bitch. Kept myself locked up in my room. But I do miss a shower. The motel sounds ace. How do we get to the motel? Isn’t it several miles?”
“Yeah, but it’s on that intercity bus route. There’s a stop not far from my group home. Damn, it’ll be great leaving that behind.”
Fortunately the bus ran on Sundays and by 3 p.m., Drew was ensconced in a room. With a shower. There was a fast-food place next door, so meals were taken care of too.
When Connor arrived at the motel after school on Monday, he had a full backpack with him.
“Cleaned most of my stuff out at the group home. I left enough to make it look like I was still there. They don’t keep close tabs on us, mainly ‘cause of the different schools we go to and the various schedules. Tomorrow morning we’ll catch the bus for Lowell.”
“Oooh, that’s exciting,” Drew said.
“I’m gonna stay one more night at the group home and then come here. I’ve used Lyft to get back and forth from here ‘cause the busses only run two hours apart.”
On Tuesday morning, Drew and Connor began their flight from the Program’s clutches. Drew, wearing dark glasses, her loose unisex clothes, and a baseball cap, together with Connor, boarded a bus to Lowell. When they arrived at the terminal, they stowed their gear in coin lockers and went to a discount store and purchased burner phones and three-month cards for unlimited data and minutes. After retrieving their backpacks, Connor called for a Uber driver and told him where to go. This was an extended-stay motel which was located close to the storage place.
“I already reserved on line...” he told Drew.
“How...? Don’t you need a credit card?”
“I got a prepaid debit card to use for stuff like that.”
“You know so much... I feel like a little kid.”
“Don’t. Remember, think of everything I had to go through. And years to make plans.”
“Okay. What’s next?”
“We’ll get checked in. Then have lunch. Then to that Wal-Mart over there and we’ll get you a helmet. The riding clothes can wait; I need some too. After that, we’ll go to the storage place. Oh, the only rooms they have are single kings. Will that be a problem for you, Drew?”
She gave Connor a hard look but then chuckled. “I promise that I won’t attack you during the night. But no naked-in-motel program is running here, and no Program sex is scheduled, okay?”
“Very funny. I agree.”
Connor opened the lock on the storage unit and pulled up the door.
“Wow,” Drew exclaimed. “Nice motorcycle!”
“Yeah. A Honda touring model. See the big trunk and side bags? Plenty of storage.”
“And you learned to ride this at thirteen?”
“Yep. I told you that I was kinda big for my age. Okay, the last times I was here, I was rushed and couldn’t go through all this stuff. But we have lots of time now. The cash is in those sport duffles over there. That bunch of plastic totes; I never looked in them, and haven’t checked that little file cabinet over there. See that duffel with the burn marks? That’s what I escaped the house with.”
Drew came over and laid her hands on his arm.
“And I’m so happy that you did escape, Connor...”
“Thanks...” He looked at her and smiled. “Let’s check those totes first.”
He opened one and they looked in.
“Filled with baggies? What’s that stuff?” Drew asked.
“Damn, looks like weed—marijuana. Mostly legal to have but only in small amounts. Hmm, looks like one-ounce bags. Must be over a hundred here.”
They opened a second tote and it held the same kind of baggies as the first. The third was different, however. It was only partly filled; there were eight gallon-sized plastic baggies filled with small packets, three dozen in total.
“It’s a white powder?” Drew asked
“Holy shit, must be coke. Powdered cocaine. Damn, gotta get rid of this right away. The weed’s kinda okay but not this stuff. Oh, there’s a bathroom at the end of the next row of units. I’m gonna flush this crap. While I’m doing that, why don’t you look at the stuff in that file cabinet?”
“Okay. Be careful.”
“Oh, I will.”
When Connor returned, Drew had some interesting finds to show him.
“Look at this. It’s banking info. Mostly statements. And in the folders with the statements, look—account numbers, web addresses, and I guess passwords! That’s what you wanted, right?”
“Oh wow, yes!” He hugged her. “Let’s see. This is the account that’s paying for the cell phones, mine and Dad’s. He had them under an alias name so that means that the authorities don’t know I have them. Now that I have access to that account, I can find out how much is in it. And this other bank isn’t in the country—it’s in the Cayman Islands. The last statement here shows over 81 thousand dollars! Damn! I wonder if this was all Dad’s or if it was part of a gang’s stash. No one ever came around looking for me to see if I knew about any money—except the cops—so I’m guessing no one knows about that offshore account. I’ll need to rethink my idea of laundering the cash here.”
“And there was this in there too,” Drew opened a box. “Guns.”
Connor closed his eyes and sighed. “Oh shit. SIG Sauer, it says on the grips. I need to read up on them.”
“You’re keeping them, right?”
“Yeah, I am. Is that okay?”
“I think so. My father carries a gun in his truck, so the idea doesn’t scare me.”
“Good. Anything else in there?”
“Just lists of names and contact info...”
“Ah, must be Dad’s customers. Okay, let’s see just how much money is in those bags.”
There was just over 14 thousand dollars in hundreds, the rest, over a thousand, in smaller bills. They separated out the remaining cash, the smaller denomination bills, which went into Connor’s money belt and Drew’s backpack.
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