IO Saturnalia Everyone - Happy Feast of Saturn!

Also, Happy Hanukkah - Light the lights, fry the latkes, and enjoy your chocolate gelt!


"It started with a parking ticket I got on campus," Star began, giving Will Reid a sideways glance. "It was issued by one of the campus police officers."

"Pigs!" Donny gave his decided opinion as he served everyone dessert.

"I didn't think I deserved it," Star gave Donny a smile. "However, when I tried to discuss the matter with the issuing officer he offered me a totally unacceptable solution – That I have sex with him in exchange for his tearing up the ticket. I don't know if he was aware of the fact that I was working here on weekends, but when I told him emphatically 'No', he got belligerent, began calling me names, and made some serious-sounding threats."

"I was scared, so I just took the ticket from him, got in my car, and drove off." Star stopped to catch her breath.

"That wasn't the end of it," Emma ventured a guess.

"No, it wasn't," Star confirmed. "For the next several weeks, every time I turned around, there he was. I couldn't go anywhere on campus without him following me. In addition, he must have propositioned me every other day, saying that other female students had cooperated and what was my problem. I stopped driving my car to school because I was afraid he would give me another ticket and I would have to endure him yet again. I tried filing a complaint in the Campus Police office, but I got the feeling they didn't believe me. They just told me what a good officer he was. The same was true when I contacted the university's Administration offices."

"Star finally told me what was going on," Miss Lacy took up the story. "And, when I heard about it, I knew it had to stop. I figured the best way to get everyone's attention was to file a lawsuit, so I called Will." She smiled over at him.

"At our first meeting Laurel showed me her original ticket," Will Reid began his explanation. "And, the minute I saw it I knew what was going on."

He looked over at Reid. "Spencer, do you remember a kid named Bobby Myers who lived a street over from us when you were growing up?" he asked.

"He was a bully," was Reid's immediate answer. "Always picking on the younger kids. Do you mean - ?"

"Yes," his father nodded. "The minute I saw that the signature on the ticket was 'Robert H. Myers' I knew he was still at it and that he had to be stopped."

"Mr. Reid was great!" Star told the group.

"The first thing I discovered was that approximately 75% of all the tickets Robert Myers had written in the past 18 months were for females," Will Reid told them. "And, even though the Campus Police Chief agreed with me that that was unusual, he couldn't do anything without any complainants. And, other than Laurel, none of the women were willing to come forward."

"I finally found someone who was getting ready to graduate," Star explained. "All her paperwork had been filed and approved, and she figured it was beyond the point where someone could derail it. So, she stepped up and spoke up. When the news got around that we had another complainant, several other women came forward."

"And, as a result, Robert H. Meyers is now a Former Campus Police Officer," Will Reid concluded. "And he has been banned from ever setting foot on campus again."

I told you he was great!" Star enthused. "And he refused to charge me a penny for all his work!"

"It was my pleasure," Will Reid assured her. "Although, as for the damage he caused – " the lawyer looked pointedly at Star.

"Star, is that why you aren't in school any more?" Emma questioned concerned. "You let him scare you away?"

"I just felt as if everyone was staring at me every time I walked across campus," Star confessed. "And, I couldn't deal with it."

"That is not right!" Emma declared. "By your giving in like that he's won, and you don't deserve that. Have you thought about going back?"

"I would have to find new housing," Star replied. "And, I don't know if I could still get into the classes I need. And, I don't know, I just can't seem to get it together!"

"Okay, housing is easy," Emma told her. "If you don't mind a few stairs, you can move in with me temporarily. I'm right on the bus line to the university so you won't have to worry about transportation. And, as far as classes are concerned, I do have a few contacts at the school and I am sure we can work something out to get you back in time to start the winter term."

"A few stairs?" Reid questioned.

"Spen-cer," Emma's pronunciation of his name sounded like a warning as she turned her head to glare at him.

"You would do that for me?" Star questioned surprised.

"Of course!" Emma assured her. "I hate to see a perfectly good brain go to waste!"