Little Lost Leon: Chapter Eleven

cHAPTER ELEVEN

Alfred sat alone in his Rainbow’s End study thinking about the plan of attack on Master Mark’s old compound that was set to begin at dawn.  This was in just four more hours if the sun came up as usual around that time of year, and Alfred was starting to really feel the pressure.

Not that the plan was unsound, mind you.  For well over a hundred men had volunteered to participate, and they were among the best of the best in every respect.  Most had previous military experience, and all could keep their wits about them while under extreme duress.

Only about a third of the volunteers would actually storm the gates and seek to gain full control over the compound as quickly as possible.  The rest would be left outside searching for escapees, and this is the part that had Alfred so worried.  For Vernon had mentioned that he would not be at all surprised to find several escape tunnels dug under the compound.  He did not actually know of any, but considering the fact that the cave the cabal met in had several manmade escape tunnels, he would not doubt the existence of tunnels under Master Mark’s old compound.

No, it was not just that Alfred did not want anyone at the compound escaping justice.  For it was much more about the escapees warning others and drive the cabal even farther underground.

A knock on the door to the study interrupted Alfred’s deep thinking.  Alfred told whoever it was to come in, and Vernon stepped into the room with some rather interesting news.

“I am really sorry to disturb you, Alfred, but I thought you should hear this.”

“What’s on your mind, Vernon?”

“While I was thinking about how the raid may go, a voice in my head started talking to me.”

“Oh?  Please, go on.”

“It was a voice familiar to me.  For I have heard it twice before.  The first time was during what I would now describe as being a vision I had the night before I first came to Shire.  I have already told you about escaping my father’s dungeon and stumbling around in the dark up in the mountains before making my way down into Blue Valley, but I left out the part about finding myself in a cleft on the side of a mountain and having what I thought at the time was a dream.  Whether a vision or a dream, a man was standing in this large field full of lush, green grass speaking to me in that voice.  He talked to me like he had known me my entire life and indirectly encouraged me to find Shire, which I obviously did.”

“I owe that man a great debt of gratitude, then.  Regardless of if anything can be found of Ruby, I am quite confident of you becoming more and more valuable to Shire, Blue Valley Academy and me, personally, which includes my family, of course.  I really do think of you as being family now.”

Vernon was so overcome with emotion, he almost collapsed.  Alfred motioned for him to sit down, and Vernon continued to speak after he took a seat on a plush couch to the left of Alfred’s massive desk.

“I promise to do my best to be worthy of your confidence in me, Alfred.  The second time I heard the man in my vision was while I was standing in front of the Shire complex.  He said, ‘Good, you made it!’”

“He was standing out in front with you?”

“Well, I am not so sure now.  For after I heard him say that, I turned around to see him standing behind me.  I told him that I had thought he was a figment of my imagination.  Then I suppose I blinked or something.  For he was gone, and Graham was standing where he had been.  Graham thought I was telling him that I thought he was a figment of my imagination, and I figured that it might be good for me to just keep my mouth shut about my vision and the man.”

“Whoa, that is some wild stuff, but I can believe that it really happened.  Please, don’t ask me how.  For I really cannot explain it, but deep down, what you are telling me is ringing true.”

“Be assured that I feel the same way about it, Alfred.  For I have run across a lot of falsehoods parading around as truths, but my encounters with the mysterious stranger sure seems real enough.”

“Please, tell me what he had to say to you tonight.”

“I was thinking about how dangerous my father has become, and the mysterious stranger told me to leave my father to him.  He went on to explain that my father had not been simply possessed by a demon.  For he had been possessed by the devil himself, who was someone he had known even before he became Satan and was named, Lucifer.  He went on to say that no one in the raiding party would see him, but Satan would and leave to go about his business until the time for him to stop.  All I have to do is walk up to my father.”

“This is so great.  For your father built quite an evil empire on fake exorcisms, and it will appear that you really have cast out a demon!  I wonder if that is the way true exorcisms are supposed to work?”

“Believe or not, he just spoke to me again.”

“Really?  What did he say?”

“He said, ‘Yes,’ and this was less than a half-second after you wondered out-loud if that is the way true exorcisms are supposed to work.”

“I really need to get me a guardian angel, and one who will tell me things, too.”

“I will put in a good word on your behalf.”

Alfred and Vernon had a good laugh, but it did not last long.  For the dawn would be breaking soon.

The raid went better than either Alfred or Vernon hoped.  Not only were fifty-six degenerates of varying degrees taken into custody by the county sheriff, a great treasure was also found.  For as soon as Vernon’s father had recovered enough to speak, he told Vernon where he had a complete list of all of the members of the cabal—complete with their business interests and non-member associates in their own illicit enterprises.

Oh yes, the exorcism also went very well, and there was a two for one bonus to it.  For Vernon’s father had collapsed in a heap and started sobbing quite uncontrollably as soon as Vernon was within close reach.  Vernon’s mother had rushed into the room from another door, and she also collapsed in a heap and started sobbing quite uncontrollably.

Alfred asked the sheriff to release Vernon’s parents to Vernon’s custody if he guaranteed that they would stand trial when the time came, and the sheriff eagerly agreed.  For he simply did not have the space to hold them all in the county jail.

Sister Evangeline was among those captured in the raid, and Vernon asked if the same deal made for his parents could be also extended to include her because of the efforts she had made to aid in his escape from his father’s dungeon.  Alfred agreed, and the sheriff agreed.

The United States Marshal Department conducted most of the raids on the other members of the underground cabal, and the Secret Service conducted a couple of their own.  For two of the cabal members were heavily into counterfeiting, and the Secret Service was quite serious about putting an end to as much of that as possible.

The list of other illicit enterprises was most appalling.  Several of the cabal members were still heavily involved in the slave-trade, and what made this even more egregious is that many of the slaves were small children from Africa, Asia and eastern Europe sold for sexual exploitation.  Oh yes, there were even more young women bought and sold for this despicable purpose.

Aside from the slavery, there was everything from loan-sharking to outright theft of both monies and services, illegal gambling, physical assaults of varying degrees of severity and murder—lots and lots of murder.  In many cases, a list of legal activities would have been much shorter than a list of illegal ones.

Less than a month after Alfred’s raid, all of the others were in custody and held at Army bases until time for their trials.  The head deputy United States Marshal over western North Carolina wanted to also send Vernon’s parents and Sister Evangeline to an Army base, but Alfred was able to persuade him otherwise by giving his branch a very special deal for some Shire prisoner transport wagons.  No, Alfred did not consider this to be inappropriate, and with the county sheriff receiving an even better deal, neither did he.

Vernon’s parents and Sister Evangeline were put up in the main house at Rainbow’s End, and they all conducted themselves admirably.  Vernon’s mother and Sister Evangeline dove right into helping with house staff duties in any way they could, and Vernon’s father taught classes at BVA under the watchful eye of the head of the new Religious Studies Department, who just happened to be his son, Vernon.

The classes that Vernon’s father taught on the Occult quickly became one of the most talked about things to BVA, and thanks to the loud protestations of self-proclaimed good Christians from around the area and well beyond, BVA soon became world-famous.

By popular demand, public debates between Vernon’s father and prominent Christian ministers started being held, and thousands came from far and wide to attend these very intense exchanges.  No, Vernon’s father was not trying to encourage anyone to follow any dark paths.  It was quite to the contrary, actually.  For he was very open about the horrors he participated in while being possessed, but the ministers refused to let that get in the way of their grand displays of self-righteous indignation.

When attendance of their own church services began to dwindle, most of the ministers declined to further engage.  It became Vernon’s turn to take center-stage, so to speak.  His public debates with leaders of other faiths over the virtues of their religious beliefs in comparison to true Christianity drew even larger crowds.

Vernon’s brothers and sisters were not released to Vernon’s custody at first, but since they all played very minor roles in the wickedness, it was not long before they were also out at Rainbow’s End.  Since the big house was starting to become a little too crowded for Miranda’s comfort on account of her and Alfred’s children, Vernon’s brothers were put to work helping to build other houses on the estate.

Alfred had been toying with the idea for quite some time to use for BVA professors and Shire employees to live quite comfortably and cheaply, and it was not too long before several new houses were ready for occupation.  Vernon’s sisters were put to work in different areas of Shire, and it all went very well.

Alfred marveled at how well it was all going, but there was still no information about Ruby discovered.  That all changed one day when Vernon’s oldest brother, Douglas, asked to see Alfred in private.

“What can I do for you, Douglas?”

“Not a thing, sir.  For you have treated me and my family with much more kindness than we deserve, but I understand that you are seeking information about your missing sister, Ruby.  Did I hear correctly?”

“Yes, you did, indeed.  Do you have some?”

“I think I may, but I am not sure.  You see, my father arranged for me to also have a date with Rosie, and I thought I ran into her again on a riverboat docked near St. Louis, Missouri around ten years ago.  She was calling herself Amelia back then, and she disappeared before I could make sure if it was really Rosie or not.”

Alfred’s eyes grew wide as soon as he heard the name, Amelia.  For that had been their mother’s name, in case you have forgotten.  He pressed Douglas for more.

“Do you remember the name of the riverboat?”

“The Shady Lady.  It was quite well-known up and down the river.  So, I do not think you will have any trouble locating it.  Although, you might run into a lot of trouble finding out anything from the people still working on it or attending parties.  For I had a hard time gaining acceptance, and I had connections to use.  I am sorry, The Shady Lady was one of several used to hold special parties up and down the river, and the people involved are not inclined to say very much at all—especially not to someone they have just met.”

“Thank you, Douglas.  I will keep you informed of any progress made.”

It had been so long, Alfred almost expected it to be always hard, but he was encouraged.  For he thought that maybe, just maybe, he might be inching closer to the day when he could bring his wayward sister home.

Alfred quickly made arrangements to take off for St. Louis as soon as possible, but his plans soon changed.  For Sister Evangeline asked to also see him in private.

“Please forgive me for taking far too long to come forward, Alfred.  My mind has been having a hard time sorting things out since my dark companion left me, but I know that this is no excuse.”

“I understand, Sister Evangeline.  I am very glad you are here now, though.  Do you have some information on Ruby?”

“Please, call me, Evelyn.  For that is my real name, and yes, I do have an update about Ruby’s whereabouts after she left The Shady Lady.  I had associates keeping a watch out for her across the country.  I know that it sounds as twisted as anything can be, but I always felt more like a mother, or at least an older sister, to your little sister.  Since I did not see anything wrong with what I was helping her get into, I felt no shame, but after she left Master Mark’s cult, I was concerned about her welfare.  So, I secretly had associates keeping a watch out for her on their travels, and one of them reported that Ruby had married a rich rancher in northern Colorado.  If I remember right, his ranch was outside of Fort Collins, but I do not remember his name.  Oh, and she was calling herself, Dawn.”

That last tidbit brought a tear to Alfred’s eye.  For he and Ruby had shared many very special dawns together while under their father’s roof because neither one had received a blow from their father’s hand yet that day, and it was their time to dream together of a day when they would never receive another one.

Alfred thanked Evelyn profusely for the information and set about planning a trip to Colorado.  Suddenly he felt more confident than ever that he was very close to tracking Ruby down, and as an added bonus, there was Shire business to conduct in Denver.

Alfred had been planning to conduct the negotiations with a large brewery in Denver himself and having Miranda along.  For not only was she very valuable when it came to Shire business, she had fallen madly in love with the Alps when they went on their working honeymoon around Europe.  With the Rockies being right there for the seeing, the trip seemed like a win-win to Alfred.  It did also to Miranda.

They decided to leave their children behind in the care of her parents.  For they did not know what to expect from Ruby.  That is, if she could be found, of course.  There would be time to introduce their children to their aunt if they found her settled down with a family of her own.

The trip out west took longer than Alfred and Miranda anticipated.  Although, it was a matter of perspective.  For they actually made it to Denver at the exact scheduled time of the train’s arrival, but they were both so very anxious to finally find Ruby, they could swear that they had observed snails making better time than they were at different points along the way.

Alfred had sent a telegram to the general manager of the Shire regional office in Denver before they left Blue Valley so that he would be ready to take care of unloading the team and wagon from the train as Alfred and Miranda proceeded on to Fort Collins, and he was waiting on them at the depot.

The wagon was loaded with wooden barrels of different sizes already branded with the brewery’s logo to show its representatives what their barrels would look like.  This was another brilliant contribution Miranda had made to the Shire cause.

As soon as they arrived in Fort Collins, Alfred and Miranda made their way to the Larimer County Sheriff’s Office.  Much to their great dismay, they were informed that Cyrus, the rich rancher Ruby had married, had died from a long illness six months before they arrived.

On the other hand, Alfred and Miranda were somewhat encouraged to be told that it was thought that Ruby had moved back to Denver.  So, they booked passage on another train headed back to Denver.

Alfred and Miranda looked high and low all over Denver for a solid week without finding a trace of Ruby’s existence.  Neither one wanted to quit looking, but they were feeling guilty over leaving their children with Miranda’s parents for much longer.

So, Alfred and Miranda asked the employees of the Shire regional office to keep a keen eye peeled, and they contacted the brewery to set a time to meet.  The time of the meeting was set for the next day at noon, and it would be held in a restaurant that had dining rooms available for private occasions.

The plan was that the brewery’s two owners and their wives would attend the meeting with Alfred and Miranda.  After eating a few bites, the owner’s wives would take Miranda on a tour of their favorite shops and sights around Denver while the men engaged in serious business.

Alfred was rather reluctant to agree to their plan.  For it was consistent with the attitude that a woman had no place in serious business, but Miranda insisted that it would be just fine.  “Besides,” Miranda said, “Maybe I can sell the wives on purchasing some Shire furniture pieces?  After all, I brought along the miniature replicas for the Denver office, and we just might wander by it while we are out and about.”  Alfred’s love and appreciation for her kept growing and growing.

Everything went as planned until the wives took off on their adventure.  Then the brewery’s owners proposed an adventure of their own design, which they wanted to begin as soon as the contract with Shire was signed.

No, Alfred was not about to join in on their adventure at first.  For it involved spending a couple of hours down the street at a famous brothel, but the more he thought about it, the more his mind kept coming back to Ruby being so involved in the sex-trade in the past.  “With her husband dead,” Alfred reasoned to himself, “She just might have returned to a familiar setting for another length of time.”

In any event, Alfred wanted to see the owner’s signatures on the dotted line first, and he was signing his own name when his concentration was interrupted.  For one of the owners had taken a short trip to the little boys room after he had signed the contract, and he was not alone when he returned to the table.

“Do any of you boys know how to show a lonely girl a good time?  I am new in town, and I am ready to party!”

Alfred’s head shot up.  “Ruby?”

Ruby’s face turned ashen when she heard her real name being called.  She took one look at Alfred and bolted from the room.

Alfred had done some whitetail deer hunting over the years, and Ruby bolting from the room reminded him of seeing that flash of white as a deer turned tail and ran for cover.  For her hair was now dyed the color of wheat straw, which looked almost white from a distance.

Alfred jumped up from the table and ran after his sister, but that flash of white was the last he saw of her.  He frantically rushed outside of the restaurant, but there was no sign of Ruby in any direction.