The council sat in session and the Protractor summoned Damash of Three. Into the middle of the Majestic Hall, the hazy form of a Jade Bear became noticeable but quickly faded to the normal human shape of a Jade resident.
“I am Damash of Three. Thank you for hearing me.”
“We know that,” Jalan said. “What we don't know is how you remained outside, and why we should honor your request? Would you tell us, please?”
“The first question is difficult. I was wounded and could not catch up with the hunting party, and the wounds would not allow me to send a message. I was trapped, had nowhere to go, and could do nothing to help myself. I remained that way until a few years ago when a Jade Bear statue appeared in South Africa. When I discovered it, I attached myself to it and eventually stopped in America, where I have been for the remainder of the time.
“The second question is easy. I want you to open the Portal to allow me to bring Amanda Matkins back here to live as my wife.”
Righli snickered as he watched the sour expression on Jalan's and Ningla's faces.
“That might not be possible,” Jalan commented.
Damash of Three's face grew concerned. “Why not? Are you going to violate the Jade Code and leave me outside? What is wrong here? Is this the Council of Jade, or is it something else? Where is Nansu, the Arbitrator?”
“Dead,” Ningla said. “This is the council and there has been some changes since you left us. Sixteen years ago, we chose to seal the portal and stop recruiting and stop rescuing orphans. I vaguely remember the last hunt through the Portal. They were all renegades and if you were one of them, oh well.”
Damash felt his body relax and waver slightly from the astonishing statement so casually delivered. “That is insane! It would lead to extinction through attrition. Do you speak for the entire Jade population?”
Ningla did not answer but Righli gladly spoke up.
“They spoke for some of the population. There was much debate over the last orphan brought in and six of the council members voted for sealing. I did not. Neither did Nansu or Volla. We were against it, but they voted us down. Now you have sent a request and have opened old wounds.”
Damash studied the men’s faces. “What happened that you fought for extinction? This is very difficult to believe.”
Jalan cast a peeved glance to Righli and answered. “The last one we rescued was defective, but skilled at hiding it. She killed seven of our residents before . . . before we killed her. That was a painful time and although some disagree, we chose to close it and keep all the people and problems on the outside.”
Righli waved a hand. “I voted for tighter screening, but the rest would not hear of it.”
Damash grew firmer in his questioning. “For that you chose extermination? You prefer genocide and suicide to supporting the Life Principles? This is wrong! I was not included in the vote. I wish to run the Paraclipse and achieve full Jade Bear status. That is my right as a Jade resident! I demand it!”
“Bravo!” shouted Righli.
Ningla stood swiftly in a fighting posture. “You fool! That would require opening the Portal, after we have chosen not to!”
“Sit down!” Jalan tugged on his tunic until he complied.
“And you think that leaving me on the outside, trapped and useless is justified?”
“That's your own fault! Hie thee hence and stop bothering us!” Ningla said.
“It happened against my will and I was left! The hunt leaders did not return to check on me; they simply left!”
“Silence!” roared Jalan with a slam of both fists on the table and the place fell quiet. He sighed and sat. “Is there no other request, Damash of Three?”
“If you don't grant that request, then I will explain of the Jade Community. I've touched the Jade Request Lines, and I've touched the Jade Bear Transposition Lines three times and I know that if I have the correct motivation, I can penetrate it fully, regardless of not running the Paraclipse. I dislike being left, being trapped and being denied an orphan of the caliber of Amanda Matkins. If you violate my rights now, I will make you suffer for it. I’ll expose you to the world outside. And you know what their scientists will do. Need I say more?”
Ningli’s eyes narrowed in a heinous gaze. “You would not dare.”
Righli snickered and covered his mouth at a malevolent glance from Jalan.
“He just might,” said Jalan. “What is Amanda Matkins? Why is she so important to you and to us?”
Damash offered a shrug of shoulders. “Ask the Inquirers. I prefer you finding out on your own, instead of hearing it from me. That way I know you'll agree with my request versus perpetuating stupidity.”
Jalan nodded in agreement and promised. “We will hold some special meetings and consider your request.”
“I will accept that answer. It's better than a direct and final no.” He bowed slightly and his image disappeared from the hall.
Amanda met Brownie at the former Kent County Drive-in and took him to pick up the motorcycle. “Do you know where the pull off is, north of Blackbird? It's right alongside the tracks, maybe half a mile north of the switch point on the west side of the tracks?”
“Oh, yes. I know it well.”
“I'll meet you there.” She blew him a kiss and drove away.
Brownie scratched his head and looked at Jimmy, who simply smiled. “It won't blow up, will it?”
Jimmy chuckled. “No. She's only going to hurt him, not kill him. Trust her, Brownie. She's all right. It’s a true pleasure to see her back from the living death. I love it.”
Amanda had him move the bike to the backside of the clearing and she placed a plastic cover over it. She chained it to a tree and placed some brush in front to hide it.
“Now what?” he asked.
“You curious? If you're around when he gets the keys, I'll take you along to watch. I think you’ll get a kick out of it.”
He considered her reaction before he spoke. “Amanda, if we're friends, can I ask something of you? Just a little favor?”
The seriousness in his voice stopped the smile on her face and she nodded. “Lay it on me, friend.”
“Be careful of your drinking. You don't look like the drinking type and I don't want to see you unable to quit. You know what I mean? I don't want to see you messed up and hooked on a deadly habit. You're a nice person and someday, a good man will come along and what a treasure you are. You also need to be clear-headed if Joseph gets vengeful and the same holds true if you meet a good man later. You don't need the complications that can grab you and ruin what you have or want.”
“Wow!” She sighed and leaned against him. “I never thought of hearing that. Are you serious? Never mind that question. You wouldn't have said it if you weren't. I'm using it as an escape, but I guess I'd better watch it. Thanks, friend.” She kissed his cheek and moved toward the car. “I'll do that, I promise. However, for right now, have you ever been to a petting zoo?”
“Not for a long time.”
“It's time to correct that. Come along and let’s give the animals a thrill.” She beckoned with her hand and a sunny smile.
Joyce laughed when Joseph told her about his bike and the letters. She stopped when he glared at her and shook her head. “This is rich. Tell me, Joseph, should I place a chair in the corner and keep a dunce hat nearby?”
“You're the one who wanted honesty! You're not helping matters.”
“Nor are you. How can you do those things to and with other women and treat me like a queen? You do that. You make me feel so excellent and loved that my head spins sometimes. That's why I overlook some things, but everyone has a limit. You don't have to reveal all you dirty laundry during the divorce.”
He put his hands over his face and sighed. “I don't know what to do or say, love. I can't find her, I don't know where she is, so I can't talk to her. I'm not sure she'd talk right now anyway. However, the waiting really sucks, because I don't know what she has in mind.”
“I know what you mean. I also know that's exactly what she wants you to feel. Torment is hell in itself. She'll let you know when she's ready. In the meantime, have you made the visit to the lawyer?”
“I did. He said it might take a little longer since we don't know where she is, but it's done.”
She rubbed her hand in circles up and down his back. “Wonderful. We'll handle it one step at a time and then we'll be together. And in the meantime, let me take you upstairs and work some of my magic on you, to drain some of the tension away. Would you like that?”
“I think so. No, I know so.”
Joseph left Joyce and went to work the next morning. Howard followed him into the office with many question about past cases and after an hour he was uneasy, although he had no specific cause.
“What's the meaning of these questions?” he asked during a break.
“Didn't you read the memo from the director about case reviews? It was through the office about a week ago. Maybe you missed it because of your problems with Amanda.”
“Possibly. It just caught me off guard.”
“That happens sometimes. Speaking of Amanda, how's the divorce going?”
He grew sullen instantly. “It's going, and that's about all I know. She moved out and I don't know where she is. She just disappeared. That'll slow things down, but what can I say?”
“Sorry to hear that. You'll be okay, so long as you're clean in the affair. You are, aren't you?”
Joseph picked up on the remark and felt his heart skip a beat.
“Yes, I am.” Inside he realized he spoke with more conviction than he felt.
“Good to hear that.” Howard stood in way of ending the meeting.
“We'll call it quits for the day. You're due in court tomorrow morning, aren't you?”
“Yes. I'll be there.”
“Take Linda Lutz with you. She's new to the office but not the system. She came from Georgetown and she wants to get into the Level Three cases, so I want to give her some courtroom experience, and I may as well use the best.”
“Okay. I'll talk to her before the end of the day,” Joseph promised. When Howard left, Joseph locked the door and took a drink of whiskey. He popped a breath freshener and the receptionist beeped his phone.
“Yes, Judy?”
“While you were in conference, a woman dropped off an envelope for you. It feels like a set of keys.”
Joseph hurried to the reception area and tore open the envelope.
He jingled the keys and thought. “What did she look like?”
“She was small, quiet, had short red hair and was really pretty. She said her name was Amanda and she’d call you later. She your new girlfriend?”
“Not hardly.”
He returned to his office, raised the blinds and sat down at his desk. “This is unusual. What are you up to, Amanda? Why steal the damned thing and give it back?”
Soon Judy beeped him again. “Mister Matkins, you have a call from Amanda on line five.”
Joseph grabbed the phone and pressed the button. “What do you want?”
“To talk, dear. How's your life going right now?”
“Just shut up about my life and tell me what you want? Do you want the house? Alimony? What, damn it?”
“Oh, my, dear husband. Do calm down. Stress isn't good for your heart. When I'm finished, I want nothing that I haven't already taken. I want nothing of yours.”
“Then why are you doing this? I could kill you, you know?”
“You have, more than once! Every harsh word, every slap, every one of your blood sucking friends who used me against my will. You've already killed me, hon, but you won't again! Your bike's in a pull off along the railroad tracks, north of Blackbird. It's covered and chained to the tree. You have the keys for the bike and the lock in your hand. Just go north on the west side of the tracks about a half mile from Road 213 and you'll find it.”
“You didn't answer me. Why are you doing this?”
“So I can divorce you without putting you in jail for sodomy, for one reason. This way I can take the stand if necessary, with a clear conscious, knowing that you've suffered enough at my hands and I'll let it pass. If you try to worm out of it, I'll tear you apart and you’ll have so little self-esteem left that no one will want or care for you. Do you understand?”
“Yes.”
“Good. Do you have any nude pictures of Joyce?”
“No. I don't.”
“I'll send you some. She's a nice woman. You'll be nicer for her when you're finished your probation. Ta-ta, darling.”
“Wait!” he shouted and heard a dial tone.
Across the highway, Amanda watched him through binoculars from the showroom of and automobile dealer and laughed as he slammed the phone down. “Let's see, from his limited vocabulary, he probably used the words, bitch and whore.”
Amanda phoned Brownie and he had time to spend with her. She drove to an empty field where they could watch Joseph without being seen. They sat on her hood with binoculars and talked for nearly an hour before he arrived in his car, bouncing along the tracks. Amanda removed a small black box from her blouse pocket and lay it on the hood beside her. “Very good, trusting husband.”
Joseph parked the car and locked the doors. He walked to the back of the pull off and moved the brush aside, uncovered the bike and tossed the cover aside. He unlocked the chain and moved the bike close to the tracks and put the kick stand down.
Amanda laughed and coaxed him. “Now inspect it, husband. I may have left a bomb on it.”
He spent several minutes inspecting the bike and eventually satisfied himself that it was safe to ride. He put the keys in the ignition and started the engine.
“Excellent.” Amanda held the tiny black box in her hand.
Joseph mounted the bike and moved it forward along the side of the tracks, going south. Amanda flipped a red switch and the bike moved faster as a servo poured more gas into the carburetor. Joseph turned the gas to compensate for it but it only increased in speed.
“What the hell?” he asked. The ride quickly got rough and he applied the brakes. Amanda flipped a blue switch and the brake cables were locked in place.
“What the hell?” he repeated and suddenly the bike became airborne.
“That farmer's crossing will get you every time if you aren't careful, Joseph,” Amanda warned him as bike and rider separated.
Joseph hit the ground and rolled a few feet. The bike hit the ground a few feet farther away from him, and spun in a circle. Amanda flipped both switches up and the bike stopped.
Joseph lay still for a few minutes, until he regained his senses and slowly sat up. He felt several cuts along his legs and arms and probably his back also. He removed his helmet and checked his head for cuts or bumps and found none. “What the hell happened?” he asked the bike, and slowly pushed himself up. He walked to the bike and inspected it again, but he still could find nothing out of place.
Amanda laughed richly. “Short but sweet. What do you think, friend?”
“I think I'm very glad to be your friend and on your good side. That dude's going to be sore and then some.”
“He'll also be bent out of shape when his mechanic finds out how it was done.”
They watched him start the bike again, but he tested the throttle and brakes many times before riding away.
“You going to do it again?” Brownie asked.
“Nah, once is enough. He liked to do the same thing to me, again and again. I'll go for a variety. I'll let him go and then we'll go around the field and put the second part of this into action.”