Jean felt it when Payton rolled over in bed, the weight of her arm on one elbow as she peered over at him to make sure he was asleep. Again, he felt the young teacher's weight slowly shift as Payton Geer slid from his bed. The soft padding of her bare feet, the subtitle metallic sound of the chamber's door latch, the soft squeaking of the hinges as she pulled the door open before slipping through and through all this Batard feigned sleep. The superintendent heard the soft but frantic search that Payton made for her discarded clothing and the groan of the front door as Payton bolted in her bid for freedom.
Jean Batard watched as Payton Greer fled across the lawn, a stunning barefooted little redheaded nymph, bathed in the soft virginal light of the moon. He watched as she searched for the narrow drive in the shadowed night, as Payton ran in a desperate bid to escape her fate, to escape Batard. An evil smile bowed Jean's lips as he turned to his dresser and picked up his secure cell phone and made a well-practiced call.
"She's running, you know what to do."
The night was growing darker as Sheriff Mat Larimer patrolled west on state route 30 when he saw a lithe young beauty slowly staggering down the road. He set the red and blue lights of his cruiser flashing and slowly pulled up to the barefooted girl. The window on the passenger side of the cruiser slowly rolled down and Mat Larimer leaned over.
"Is that you Miss Greer?............" There was a note of concern in his voice. "............Get In Miss Greer."
"Oh God, it's you," There was a soft click as the cruiser's door unlocked and Payton breathlessly gasped. The stunning young redhead bent over and sobbed, "Please,"
He watched as the shaken young beauty hesitated to get into the cruiser as if she were in shock.
"You've got to help me. Batard...Jean Batard's gone crazy. He raped me...drugged me..." As Payton made her accusation, the words coming in a halting flood of emotions. Mat Larimer had gotten out of the cruiser and helped Payton Greer into the back of the cruiser.
"That a serious charge Miss Greer and one that will require investigation." The sheriff closed the car door and got into the driver's seat.
"You look all done in Miss Greer and exhausted I know of an all night dinner where we can get some hot coffee into you and something to eat. Then you can give me a statement and tell me what happened between you and Superintendent Batard." They drove down the road for 20 minutes to a little grease spoon with a flickering neon sign that read "Joe's Eats."
"I know it's not much to look at Miss Greer, but the coffee is hot, and the food is good." Mat opened the back door of the cruiser and helped Payton out and into the dinner. A man with two day old stubble and a greased stained apron watched from behind the counter as the Sheriff and Payton entered.
"Two Coffees, and some eggs and bacon........" The sheriff paused as he ushered Payton into a booth at the back of the dinner.
"..........or would you prefer sausage Miss Greer?"
When they had eaten their meal the sheriff grew serious.
"Ok Miss Greer tell me exactly what happened."
There was a haggard note to the young teacher's voice and the dark shadows around her soft blue eyes, showed the stress that Payton had been under. Mat Larimer watched as the stunning young beauty seemed to curl in around herself as she picked at her food and slowly began to tell him her story.
"Batard...he forced me to have sex with him last night. He knows that I have a boyfriend back in the city..." Payton's voice took on a sadder for away quality, like a lost little girl, as she continued her story of extortion and betrayal.
"Something happened the first day of the semester. One minute we were at the teachers' lounge enjoying a glass of wine. Next thing I remember waking up in my bedroom the next day with all my clothes on the floor.......... I'm not a heavy drinker but something was off about the wine they gave me."
Mat could see that Payton was having a hard time sorting out the memories of the events of the party, a difficulty that could be hard to bring Batard to justice and that suited him just fine. Yet he leaned in a little closer to listen to the frightened young teacher's tale.
"My review wasn't long ago. Superintendent Batard thought I did a good job until he told me I was about to get fired,............ took out this envelope full of photos of me and Julie....Julie and I...I'm not that kind of woman, officer. I bet Julie and Jean are in cahoots....... Either get fired from a teaching job you love, rebel against their authority, and save your own skin............He decided to extort me, if I didn't give him what he wants, those pictures will likely be everywhere." The sheriff could hear the desperation in Payton's voice, her apparent need that he believe her when she told him that Batard had driven her up here to his cabin for a weekend of sex and sin.
"They're drugging me with something. Lightheaded feelings, sometimes it's a bit harder to remember things because some parts are distorted.........I swear, I would never get that close to either of those two in that way. If I did, I swear it would never be out of my own volition. You've got to believe me." By the time that Payton Greer had finished her lurid tale of sex and extortion Larimer could see the tears shimmering in the girl's soft blue eyes as if pleading with him to believe her.
"Miss Greer do you think you could find Batard's cabin again?" Again, the raspy grabbled sound of the Sheriff's police radio. Before Payton could answer he held up his hand for silence.
"Standby......... Andy do you have an address for a Jean Batard in Lakeview County?" There was a pause as an uncomfortable silence hung between them, only the muted sounds of the dinner broke that heavy silence. Then Larimer began to scribble an address on his note pad.
"10-4 Andy." The Sheriff folded his note pad and placed in his pocket then raised his dark hooded eyes to Payton's.
"These are some very serious charges your making Miss Greer........." His voice was level even handed as he gazed deeply into the tear shimmering depths of the young teacher's stunning blue eyes, as if trying to judge the truth of what she said. Mat Larimer's stern face relaxed as if he had made up his mind.
" Miss Greer I think we need to pay Superintendent Batard a little visit!" Was that fear that he saw flare in Payton's stunning azure blue eyes? He reached across the table and took both Payton's hands in his in a fatherly gesture, to comfort and reassure her of his belief in what she had told him. Larimer leaned closer so as not to be overheard.
"Miss Greer the address that my deputy gave me for Superintendent Batard cabin is out of my jurisdiction.........." He paused for a moment as he toyed with the naïve young teacher's emotions.
" But there is nothing stopping us from confronting him, making a citizen's arrest, and hauling the lecher back to Johnsonville to face the music for what he has done to you. We are a rather tight knit moral community as you know Miss Greer." Sheriff Larimer stood, still holding Payton's hands.
"It is time to pay the piper Miss Greer.........shall we go?" Yes it was time to pay the piper, but it was not Batard who would pay but Payton. Mat Larimer smiled to himself as he drove Payton Greer back to Batard's cabin. The cruiser pulled up to the darken Manson. To all appearance Jean Batard was still a bed dreaming of what he had done to the young teacher and got away with. Sheriff Larimer escorted Payton to the front door, he had made it clear that under the state law, it was she that would have to confront Batard. The Sheriff pounded on the front door yelling,
"Sheriff Larimer........Open up!..........I know you are in there Batard." The lights slowly came on apparently Batard making his way down from his bedroom to answer the sheriff summons. Slowly the massive wood door swung open,
"Mr. Batard?" The sheriff voice was stern his face a set mask. Then suddenly Mat broke out in laughter and pushed the startled young teacher into Batard's waiting arms.
"Jean you really shouldn't let your toys wander over the countryside late at night my friend you might lose them." That heavy wooden door closed behind Payton as she stood there between the two men.