THE DEVIL WAS THE DETAILS
Caving in, Fred drove Serena to the precinct, saying, "I'm going to leave this to you, Serena. It's your domain." Which it turned out not to be. No one there would speak to a woman.
So it was fortunate that Fred had been there, because the police were disinterested in anything Serena was saying. There was another, quasi-police-looking guy following around the young officer who seemed to be handling Sally's situation. Fred had turned to Serena and said, "Don't worry about him. At the New State House, we're assigning special security to assist and oversee all the law enforcement outlets. They're called Eyes of God."
Sally was brought into the interviewing room where Fred and Serena were waiting. Descending into tears she said, "Thank the Lord, it is so good to see you! There's been a huge misunderstanding…."
Fred said, "Slow down, Sally, slow down. Please, sit." The three of them sat around the bare table, Serena making sure she sat back a bit to let Fred handle it all. Fred asked, "Tell, me - what is this all about."
Through more tears, Sally said, "I'd been late for school to pick up my daughter. I can't drive now, none of us can. The buses are full so I was 45 minutes late - by that time the school had called a social worker. We tried to settle it there, but the school then called the police." Fred handed Sally one of his handkerchiefs, mainly to slow her down. It worked, the tears abated somewhat.
She said, "I now don't know where she is. The police have this guy. The cop consults with him, won't tell me what's going on. Mr and Mrs Waterford, can you help out? Please? Get me a lawyer or something?"
At that Fred stood, as did Serena. They assured Sally that all would be taken care of.
As Serena waited by the front door of the precinct, Fred was engrossed in conversation with The Eye, as Serena was learning to call them. Fred had been showing the man his credentials.
THE DARK DRIVE HOME
They were mostly silent on the way home. Finally Serena said, "How long before we get Sally back?"
Fred measured his words. "We don't. Eventually we'll get a live-in."
Serena said, raising her voice perceptibly: "a live-in? We can't afford that?"
Fred replied, "All the other commanders are getting live-ins. It will soon be a requirement."
"'Commanders'?" Serena asked, "What's that?"
Fred said that that was going to be his designation at the Statehouse, itself soon to be renamed. Serena said, "What? You're going to be military?" Fred assured her that that was not what it was about. The new Chancery was going to have absolute sovereignty over its own District, which is what the new amalgamation of old States was going to be called. 'No more Rhode Island', was the way Fred had put it.
Fred said, "We're in the process of dissolving the old State courts, particularly the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court. That one is key, been in business since 1692. Dissolve that one, and we're half-way home. D.C. has assured us that the dissolution will survive the national Supreme Court, as newly constituted." Fred thought for a minute, then added, "the Supreme Court will also take care of things, even for Sally."
"Ok, Fred, while you men are rearranging the deckchairs on the Titanic, what the hell is going to happen to Sally and her daughter? Are we getting her a lawyer?"
Fred took even longer to reply.
Finally he said, "I told you: the Supreme Court will be signing off on it. They just don't know it yet. But we need a test case. Two, actually. Sally is perfect." Serena asked Fred to quit talking politics, when they needed to sort out their home situation.
Fred assured her, "I am talking about that. Tomorrow, I'm going to announce to my brothers in Chancery that we finally have our test case." The girl would be taken by Department of Children and Families. Eventually she'll be given to a proper home, as he put it, "one not run by a slut."
'A slut?', Serena thought. Sally was no slut. Her husband had left her!
Serena asked, "what do you mean, 'given a home'?"
Fred said, "Ok, the term is 'reassigned'. Cushing has volunteered to be the first to receive one. He said he'd relish the legal fight. But it won't come to that."
Serena said, "Sonia is going to have a child in the house?"
Fred countered, "No, Ray is going to have a child in his house. Commanders are going to be at the forefront in combating the fertility crisis."
Serena asked, "What's going to happen to Sally? Will she be our 'live-in'?"
Fred said, "Sally is fertile, Serena. She'll be doing other things. C'mon, you wrote about this, women fulfilling their reproductive destinies." He said that the new national Supreme Court was going to be key in allowing centres for the few fertile women who remained. Not only was women's reproduction going to be, in essence, criminalized - the Supreme Court was set to sign off on a whole list of Biblically approved punishments.
One provision was to be 'sentenced' to what Fred told Serena was, 'Bilhah servitude'. Training, branding, enforced placement - once again, Fred referred to those receiving-homes as 'proper'.
Fred quipped, "although I'll admit there is no provision in there for being torn apart by dogs. That'll be for birth control."
CONCLUDING UNSCIENTIFIC POSTSCRIPT
It had been less than six months since the vice-President of the old United States had refused to certify the Electoral College results from the election two months' previous.
The subsequent constitutional chaos had allowed her, Serena, to be denied a housekeeper. With only the promise of a 'live-in'. It had also allowed Sonia Cushing to receive a child, well before the Waterfords.
Among other things, their friendship was now officially dead.
Serena often thought that she could thank the last sitting, United States vice-president for destroying her friendship with Sonia.
CHANCERY IN CRISIS
It was Commander Ray Cushing now at the very same police precinct that Fred had visited when Sally had been held.
This time, Ray's arrest had been effected by an Eye of God, one of the first handled outside of what was fast becoming obsolete - community based-policing.
As such, the police captain of the precinct had not known how to handle the bureaucracy of the arrest. When the captain had complained to the Eye, that he did not want Ray Cushing 'to walk' because of some clerical snafu, The Eye had assured the captain - "Sir, I am the process."
On the face of it, Ray Cushing would probably not even make bail. Local judges often refused supervised release by surety, for capital murder cases. Particularly putting known violent people 'back onto the street' where they were likely to reoffend.
As such, Ray Price's one phone call, was to Fred Waterford.
As a Commander, Fred had asked both The Eye as well as the captain, "Can I speak to Commander Cushing alone?" The captain asked if Fred was Ray's lawyer, which Fred was not. Still, The Eye tapped the captain on the shoulder and said, "let's go."
When he was let into Ray's cell, Fred noted that there were no obvious cameras or recording sources. They must not have known Ray's status in the New State House, this cell was for common criminals.
Seeing him, Ray stood and wiped tears from his cheeks. "Fred, Fred, thank you for coming." Ray then smiled a sheepish smile and added, "Just like Antigua, old friend, just like Antigua."
"Oh God, Ray, hopefully not like Antigua. You know how you and I get when we're drinking."
Ray held his hands behind his back while looking at the cell-floor, "I swear, Fred, it wasn't like that. I've not cheated on you, I haven't."
Fred abruptly interrupted, "look, Ray, just shut up, okay? Just stow it. What the fuck happened?"
"She laughed at me, Fred, she laughed," Ray said with angry tears.
"Who laughed at you, Ray? Sonia?"
Ray looked up at Fred with wild anger, "the fucking handmaid, Fred, the slut. It was 'the time of the month' as they say, I went upstairs to do my duty. Sonia stayed downstairs. She didn't help, she kept wishing me luck!" Ray stared at Fred for some understanding, but when Fred remained impassive, Ray continued, "you of all people, Fred, you know what Sonia means by that. She fucking threw it in my face."
"Okay, okay, Ray, calm down." Fred took a step towards the man, but resisted touching him. "So the handmaid, she laughed at you. What happened then?"
"I hit her, Fred. I hit the fucking bitch."
"Ray, they said you killed her. You're saying you killed her with one punch?"
Cushing quieted, then said softly, "it was weird, even on the ground she continued laughing. Next thing I knew Sonia was next to me and our Guardian had grabbed the statuette I was beating her with." Ray said quizzically, "she was dead, her head was a pulp, but she was laughing."
At that point, Fred reached out and held Ray's hand. The two men stood quietly surveying the space between them.
Ray then said more sheepishly than he'd been up until that time, "our daughter, Sonia brought my little girl with her. She saw it all. They were with me when the Guardian put zip ties on my hands, behind my back. Why did Sonia have to let our daughter witness that!?"
Eventually Fred let go, he turned and yelled, "Captain! Eye of God! I'm ready!"
CONSEQUENCES
Ray Cushing had not escaped consequences.
By directive of the New Gilead Chancery - on which he sat - Commander Ray Cushing was fined for destroying State property, to whit, killing his handmaid.
He did receive another sentence. It had been Fred Waterford's idea, to enshrine 'A Witnessing', so as to have other Commanders in the house during what was now referred to as 'The Ceremony'. For added accountability, the Commander's Wife would be present during The Ceremony. The rest of the house staff - including any live-in maid or Guardian security - would be downstairs where the opening ritual would take place. Everyone would remain downstairs until The Ceremony had concluded.
In selling The Witnessing to Chancery, Fred had called it all 'transparency'.
Sonia had wanted the whole process referred to as 'Ray's rule'.