Chapter 12
Jeff Tracy found himself reading the same paragraph of the contract over and over again, but nothing seemed to make sense. He prided himself on being able to unravel and translate the most difficult legalese into plain terms. He sighed deeply and rubbing his tired neck focusing on something else. His gaze fell on the picture on his desk. It was a picture of his five sons from last Thanksgiving. The boys had given it to him with the fine silver frame for Christmas. It was certainly sturdier than the usual gilded macaroni and cardboard creations that the boys presented to him over the years. They were growing so much these days. Just yesterday, it seemed, the only crises he had to manage was the death of a pet hamster, or a scraped knee.
He was a tough father, lord knows with his rambunctious bunch and trying to raise them without Lucille... he had to be. Yet, Judge Jones was almost in the same position and seemed to have no idea how to raise children. Jeff witnessed a dressing down by the Judge of the poor child Martha that would have made a Marine tremble. Yes, she had broken the rules by working alone with dangerous equipment, but Gordon was just as much to blame. He figured that the girl had learned her lesson with the nasty burn. Gordon had taken his punishment quietly, showing remorse for his friend's injury and for the damage he'd done. A month's grounding and extra housework would keep the boy busy. With only two months to graduation and Gordon going off to the Air Force Academy it was time he settled down.
Jeff turned his attentions back to the stack of papers. Fluctuations in stock in Tracy Industries had wreaked havoc with his work. Someone was playing the market with a heavy hand, and he had to work hard to keep his contracts. He hoped that a trip to the Orient wasn't in the offing. He hated to call his mother back from Florida to put up with the vagaries of the New England spring, not to speak of the vagaries of Gordon and Alan. Maybe one of the older boys would be willing to take some leave... he turned his attention back to the pesky contract.
Em rolled restlessly in her bed. The sheets and blankets all conspired against her to make sleeping impossible. Her hand throbbed and she felt hot and cold at the same time. Daddy had been mad. The kind of cold, calculating anger that made lawyers blanche, and felons positively terrified. But, she was his daughter, not a criminal. Mr. Tracy for all of his gruffness had been so kind. She could see a lot of Gordon in him. She breathed out a quavering sigh that threatened to become a sob. Gordon. She was used to having a broken heart around him. Gordon never thought of her in a romantic way, not like a girl friend. She was content just to be his friend, but now that tie had disappeared. He didn't care about her. Maybe he never did. The sob finally escaped and she cried herself to sleep.
Charlotte took a deep breath and punched in the familiar number on her phone.
"I thought we weren't going to call one another." The deep masculine voice said on the line.
"I know...but, well my sister got hurt..." Charlotte stammered. She bit her bottom lip nervously.
"How badly?" Was the sharp reply.
"She got a bad burn on her hand. She'll be all right, but..."
"You losing your nerve? I knew I never should have put trust in a child..."
"No! You can trust me! I've done so much! And I'm not a child!"
"Sweetheart, your so much is merely a small cog in my plans to take over Tracy Industries. Don't place so much importance on your head. I doubt if you playing around with Tracy's son even ruffles his feathers." The male voice dripped with scorn and a hint of laughter.
"What do I have to do? Just tell me. I can prove my worth." Charlotte's voice was strong and determined, but her face was screwed up in pain and a real tear traced itself down her cheek.
There was silence on the other end of the phone call.
"Scandal. Tell Tracy that you are pregnant with his son's child."
"Ummm we never..." Charlotte murmured.
"How can someone bent on being unscrupulous still be innocent. Seduce him, wrap him tighter around your little fingers."
"What if we elope? I think I can make him marry me." Charlotte whispered. She wasn't willing to sacrifice her virginity to her business partner's prospects.
"That will do." The voice sounded satisfied. "Now, don't call me until you've done your work. Remember the rewards for this job will be - considerable."
"Just as long it gets me out of this prison." Charlotte spat out and scrubbed the tears off her face. "You can trust me."
"Trust you? You little lying witch? Never!" The man laughed, "But I will count on you."
Charlotte didn't waste any time. She easily entered her sister's room where she was sleeping. Anticipating her need for it, Charlotte had replaced her sister's pain pills with two of her mother's much stronger sedatives. Martha didn't even twitch as Charlotte powered up her computer and deftly entered the ridiculous password of Indiana Gordon.
"Ah, good fresh material. You really should have shared some of this with dear Flash," Charlotte muttered triumphantly. "Then he would be eating out of your hand instead of mine. Then again, dear sister, you are not beautiful or even pretty. And I have the interest of an older man." Em stirred restlessly in her bed and Charlotte went back to copying by hand the words she wanted. Gordon Tracy was as good as hers.
Gordon didn't know when he felt so miserable. Everything in his life seemed to be going down the tubes, flushed down the toilet that was his life. Run over by the train as he lay tied to the tracks. Hung out to dry, like the laundry, only to have it rain.
He had tried to explain to Charlotte that he couldn't stay, but she kept clinging to him and sniveling. It was a pretty horrible thing that had happened to her, but it was only two bits of hair and she was still pretty, he explained to her over and over again.
Predictably, his father had hit the roof when he found out that Gordon had been with Charlotte instead of backing up Em. And Em! Em wasn't speaking to him. She didn't even get mad at him and hit him like she usually did when he screwed up. The look on her face was so - hurt. Alan had taken the remains of her science project to the Jones house, as he was persona non grata there. The judge had practically issued a restraining order between Tracy's and Jones's. When he asked Alan how everyone was, he got a note smuggled to him from Charlotte and snarl from his normally affable little brother.
"You made her cry!" Alan said accusingly and went to his room slamming the door two times to make sure Gordon got the message.
Dearest Gordon,
I spent the whole night crying, and worrying about you!! You are my strength, and my encouragement to continue through these times and trials. I just hope that I can find the courage to match yours in the days to come. I wrote a poem about you. I think you will like it.
You are burning with the heat of life,
Heart of flame of yours rule your head
Well, you always had a spirit that burned so bright,
That my eyes could not always bear it's light.
Yours forever,
Charlotte Jones
P.S. Meet me in the library after English Class.
He felt his ears burn. A poem, huh? But it sort fit him and made him feel good, something he wasn't sure he deserved. He was sure that Em would forgive him, in time, and Charlotte was ready to stand with him through anything.
Jeff Tracy found himself reading the same paragraph of the contract over and over again, but nothing seemed to make sense. He prided himself on being able to unravel and translate the most difficult legalese into plain terms. He sighed deeply and rubbing his tired neck focusing on something else. His gaze fell on the picture on his desk. It was a picture of his five sons from last Thanksgiving. The boys had given it to him with the fine silver frame for Christmas. It was certainly sturdier than the usual gilded macaroni and cardboard creations that the boys presented to him over the years. They were growing so much these days. Just yesterday, it seemed, the only crises he had to manage was the death of a pet hamster, or a scraped knee.
He was a tough father, lord knows with his rambunctious bunch and trying to raise them without Lucille... he had to be. Yet, Judge Jones was almost in the same position and seemed to have no idea how to raise children. Jeff witnessed a dressing down by the Judge of the poor child Martha that would have made a Marine tremble. Yes, she had broken the rules by working alone with dangerous equipment, but Gordon was just as much to blame. He figured that the girl had learned her lesson with the nasty burn. Gordon had taken his punishment quietly, showing remorse for his friend's injury and for the damage he'd done. A month's grounding and extra housework would keep the boy busy. With only two months to graduation and Gordon going off to the Air Force Academy it was time he settled down.
Jeff turned his attentions back to the stack of papers. Fluctuations in stock in Tracy Industries had wreaked havoc with his work. Someone was playing the market with a heavy hand, and he had to work hard to keep his contracts. He hoped that a trip to the Orient wasn't in the offing. He hated to call his mother back from Florida to put up with the vagaries of the New England spring, not to speak of the vagaries of Gordon and Alan. Maybe one of the older boys would be willing to take some leave... he turned his attention back to the pesky contract.
Em rolled restlessly in her bed. The sheets and blankets all conspired against her to make sleeping impossible. Her hand throbbed and she felt hot and cold at the same time. Daddy had been mad. The kind of cold, calculating anger that made lawyers blanche, and felons positively terrified. But, she was his daughter, not a criminal. Mr. Tracy for all of his gruffness had been so kind. She could see a lot of Gordon in him. She breathed out a quavering sigh that threatened to become a sob. Gordon. She was used to having a broken heart around him. Gordon never thought of her in a romantic way, not like a girl friend. She was content just to be his friend, but now that tie had disappeared. He didn't care about her. Maybe he never did. The sob finally escaped and she cried herself to sleep.
Charlotte took a deep breath and punched in the familiar number on her phone.
"I thought we weren't going to call one another." The deep masculine voice said on the line.
"I know...but, well my sister got hurt..." Charlotte stammered. She bit her bottom lip nervously.
"How badly?" Was the sharp reply.
"She got a bad burn on her hand. She'll be all right, but..."
"You losing your nerve? I knew I never should have put trust in a child..."
"No! You can trust me! I've done so much! And I'm not a child!"
"Sweetheart, your so much is merely a small cog in my plans to take over Tracy Industries. Don't place so much importance on your head. I doubt if you playing around with Tracy's son even ruffles his feathers." The male voice dripped with scorn and a hint of laughter.
"What do I have to do? Just tell me. I can prove my worth." Charlotte's voice was strong and determined, but her face was screwed up in pain and a real tear traced itself down her cheek.
There was silence on the other end of the phone call.
"Scandal. Tell Tracy that you are pregnant with his son's child."
"Ummm we never..." Charlotte murmured.
"How can someone bent on being unscrupulous still be innocent. Seduce him, wrap him tighter around your little fingers."
"What if we elope? I think I can make him marry me." Charlotte whispered. She wasn't willing to sacrifice her virginity to her business partner's prospects.
"That will do." The voice sounded satisfied. "Now, don't call me until you've done your work. Remember the rewards for this job will be - considerable."
"Just as long it gets me out of this prison." Charlotte spat out and scrubbed the tears off her face. "You can trust me."
"Trust you? You little lying witch? Never!" The man laughed, "But I will count on you."
Charlotte didn't waste any time. She easily entered her sister's room where she was sleeping. Anticipating her need for it, Charlotte had replaced her sister's pain pills with two of her mother's much stronger sedatives. Martha didn't even twitch as Charlotte powered up her computer and deftly entered the ridiculous password of Indiana Gordon.
"Ah, good fresh material. You really should have shared some of this with dear Flash," Charlotte muttered triumphantly. "Then he would be eating out of your hand instead of mine. Then again, dear sister, you are not beautiful or even pretty. And I have the interest of an older man." Em stirred restlessly in her bed and Charlotte went back to copying by hand the words she wanted. Gordon Tracy was as good as hers.
Gordon didn't know when he felt so miserable. Everything in his life seemed to be going down the tubes, flushed down the toilet that was his life. Run over by the train as he lay tied to the tracks. Hung out to dry, like the laundry, only to have it rain.
He had tried to explain to Charlotte that he couldn't stay, but she kept clinging to him and sniveling. It was a pretty horrible thing that had happened to her, but it was only two bits of hair and she was still pretty, he explained to her over and over again.
Predictably, his father had hit the roof when he found out that Gordon had been with Charlotte instead of backing up Em. And Em! Em wasn't speaking to him. She didn't even get mad at him and hit him like she usually did when he screwed up. The look on her face was so - hurt. Alan had taken the remains of her science project to the Jones house, as he was persona non grata there. The judge had practically issued a restraining order between Tracy's and Jones's. When he asked Alan how everyone was, he got a note smuggled to him from Charlotte and snarl from his normally affable little brother.
"You made her cry!" Alan said accusingly and went to his room slamming the door two times to make sure Gordon got the message.
Dearest Gordon,
I spent the whole night crying, and worrying about you!! You are my strength, and my encouragement to continue through these times and trials. I just hope that I can find the courage to match yours in the days to come. I wrote a poem about you. I think you will like it.
You are burning with the heat of life,
Heart of flame of yours rule your head
Well, you always had a spirit that burned so bright,
That my eyes could not always bear it's light.
Yours forever,
Charlotte Jones
P.S. Meet me in the library after English Class.
He felt his ears burn. A poem, huh? But it sort fit him and made him feel good, something he wasn't sure he deserved. He was sure that Em would forgive him, in time, and Charlotte was ready to stand with him through anything.