Chapter 31: Loose Ends

The week had been an extremely tense time in the domestic lives of the husbands. To say their wives were unhappy was an understatement of the first magnitude. Michael and Jon'a-ren fled to Steve's home for an hour or two of respite from the angry, reproachful outbursts of their wives. Steve shared their problem, although Marie wasn't swearing or breaking into tearful outbursts. No ... she was stalking through the day as if looking for some way to hurl herself into the US on a quest of mayhem and vengeance, to rip it apart until she'd flushed out all the monsters who were causing her waking nightmares, and to tear them, slowly, into shredded strips.

"Don't look at me!" Michael protested. "How could I possibly have known that caring for those kids, and learning what had happened to them, would result in this?!"

"I could point out that it was your idea, but I'm not sure that it was yours, alone," Jon'a-ren answered. "But I can indeed lay some of the fault at the feet of our two humans, Tib and Chuck! It is their wives who have stoked the fires of anger!" He glared at the two men who hunkered down on their bar stools, each nursing a cold beer from Steve's refrigerated bar tap.

"Hey!" Tib retorted, "We resemble that remark! Need I remind you gentlemen that it was Lyn'na-ra who first went ballistic when JoAnne finally broke the seal of silence and read the report to the women's meeting?"

"Never mind!" Steve interrupted, loudly. "It was bound to happen, and you all know it! We cannot blame the women, and we shouldn't feel guilt by association. We're just handy for them to vent their feelings against. Who're they going to tell? The public? The press?

"Sure, they've been able to inform a few high-ranking Canadian authorities, but the Canadians' hands are tied. Other than offering care and assistance to the kids, there's little they can do about the US violators, and we all know it," Steve reminded them. "We should take some comfort in the fact that we do have the ability, and now ... boy, howdy, do we now... have the motivation to do something about it.

"Gentlemen, I'd suggest that the best way out of this mess for all of us ... as husbands and innocent victims of our wives's emotions ... is to get our asses off these stools, gather around the table, and figure how we're going to swoop down on the US and clean out that nest of vipers!" Steve admonished them.

To a man, all of them raised their various beverages in salute.

The children rescued from the infiltration attempts were healed at the healing centers, and all were in excellent physical condition. But that did little for their emotional trauma. They ranged in age from five to eleven years. Some had been sexually molested; most had been physically abused; all had been traumatized. Two children had seen their parents killed; three had been addicted to illicit drugs either at birth or later.

Slowly, the children had warmed to the attentions of Julie Tibbets and JoAnne Briggs, who took plenary control of the cadre of women volunteers. They immediately requested that Patricia Porter be contacted in Geneva, where she'd been staying since their harrowing rescue and flight out of Virginia when Michael was shot.

"She's been a school nurse for several years," Julie explained. "She is used to dealing with other people's children on a daily basis. And she may have valuable experience working with child psychologists. We're going to need all the help we can get!"

Abuses

Martha Jacobs joined the angry mothers group, lending her experience dealing with the news media. Her presence brought the numbers to six, not counting Lyn'na-ra and Dee'rah. Patricia Porter had finished her initial evaluation of the group of six children. Her report was heart-breaking when she revealed what the children had told her.

"We learned that two of the children were siblings, taken by force from their Washington, D.C. home," she began. "Juan Ramirez, age eleven, was taken to the Saskatoon center by his impostor parents. He said that he and his sister, Juanita, age ten, were present when their parents were gunned down by their parents' drug supplier during a home invasion. The brother and sister were separated; Juanita was presented for treatment to the Toronto healing center.

"We've since learned that Juan and Juanita were sexually molested as payment for drugs for their addicted parents; the children were recently addicted to crack cocaine. Both were infected with HIV and had developed AIDS. Neither had long to live when they'd arrived at the two healing centers. They've since been completely cured of their addiction and HIV infections, but they remain severely traumatized by their experience.

"Shawna Sullivan, a nine-year-old girl, and Answan Booker, a six-year-old boy, both were abducted from a Philadelphia welfare hospice center. Both are orphans. Shawna never knew her parents; she was abandoned at birth. She was also told that she was too 'sickly' to ever be adopted. She was diagnosed with late-stage AIDS here at the Penticton center.

"Antwan said that he never knew his father; his mother died last year. Someone told him she died of a heroin overdose. He had been at the hospice for only a few weeks, waiting to die from a cancerous brain tumor. His diagnosis was confirmed at the Edmonton healing center where he was rescued.

"They said that two men wearing hospital clothing and masks took them from their beds late at night. They were separated shortly after; both said they were drugged to keep them quiet, and threatened with beatings if they said anything while being interviewed at the healing centers.

"Robin Meredith is a seven--year-old girl who was living with her homeless parents in Detroit. She cannot say what happened. She was asleep one night in a welfare clinic ward. She woke up in the back of a van on a highway. Robin was diagnosed with late-stage leukemia.

"With her was a five-year-old boy, Justin Robertson, also from Detroit. He is an orphan, apparently born with HIV infection that had recently become an AIDS condition.

"Robin was rescued from the Winnipeg center; Justin from the Ottawa center.

"We've made inquiries through the Canadian Ministry of Justice. The Philadelphia and Detroit abductions were reported to those cities' police departments, but no leads were developed and neither case is being actively investigated," Patricia continued.

"These four children also suffer psychological trauma to a greater or lesser degree, but none so severe as the Ramirez siblings.

"I'm pleased to report that our Canadian hosts have been extraordinarily gracious with their understanding and assistance. All six children are now considered 'wards of Canada' and will be granted full citizenship. They wait only for our final evaluation concerning probable outcome of psychological healing, and final adoption or foster-home arrangements through our group. Until their adoption, all will remain together at our Penticton children's home.

"Now I believe that Martha has a report to make. Martha?"

"Yes. As you all know, the men are arranging for justice to be imposed south of the border. Meanwhile, we are arranging for complete documentation and exposure of this inexcusable crime against humanity. To that end, I'm pleased to report the following:

"We have medical documentation of a 'before and after' type from all of the healing centers where the children were taken by the US operatives. The screening physicians at each center have given us medical reports of each child's condition as it existed upon their arrival; and a similar medical evaluation following their healing chamber treatment. In each case, of course, the child was restored to perfect physical health," Martha smiled. "We possess documented video footage of the children's appearance both before and after. This, of course, is accompanied by the video surveillance of them with their impostor parents at each site.

"I have contacted the producers of the popular American television investigative series, 60 Minutes. They are most eager to come here to interview our children. We have promised them independent access to the staff at each of the healing centers involved in this case. I expect they will be arriving early next week. I should stress that we must keep this arrangement confidential, lest word get back to the US authorities, who could be tempted to stop the 60 Minutes people at the border."

The group broke into wide smiles. This was one television episode they'd all look forward to viewing.