This is the seventh installment of my story about a family with an interesting dynamic. Herein a dark cloud creeps over the family, and a father risks it all to protect his daughter.
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Chapter Seven: Intrigue, Betrayal, and Deception
Jackson had completely forgotten about the 'package' he received earlier in the day until he opened his briefcase to put his 'homework' in it. He put away his papers, closed the case and headed for home. When he got there, he stopped in the kitchen to get a paring knife, remembering that it was wrapped in duct tape, and took everything to his office in the upstairs front bedroom.
It took him nearly fifteen minutes to cut through what turned out to be three layers of the nearly bullet-proof covering. When he finally got the 'package' open, he found a Ziplock baggie with numbers written on it that contained the Q-tip he swabbed the swimsuit with, twelve official looking documents on University letterhead with handwritten notes in the margins, nine pieces of lined notebook paper with chemical formulas that appeared to be several combinations of methamphetamines and psychotropic mixtures, and Xerox copies of cash register receipts and cancelled checks.
Lastly, there was a plain sheet of paper, typed, single spaced, with a long narrative summing up where all of the 'evidence' included seemed to lead the author of the note. The paper was signed 'Deep Throat'.
Jackson pondered the 'Watergate Conspirators' reference and chuckled to himself. He knew that his young, former student was not the source of this information, he was only a courier. He was sure that this went much higher, and was much more serious than he thought. He took out a large manila folder, sealed the papers in it and headed for garage. He closed the garage door and lifted the two foot square ½" thick hardened steel plate on the garage floor. He put the folder into the lockbox that was buried in the dirt floor of the garage, hidden under the plate. He locked the box and carefully replaced the steel plate and kicked dirt over it to conceal its existence.
He returned to the house after he had disposed of the remains of the 'package', burning it with some old newspapers in the steel 'burn barrel' in the back yard. Some of what he had just read and the names he had recognized were troubling him. 'Could this really involve people he respected and considered to be friends and colleagues?' he wondered. He lost track of time as he smoked his pipe and considered what to do next. Jackson knew one thing for sure, this was no trivial matter. Some very powerful people were involved the drugging of his daughter and if Vanessa was involved, she was only a pawn in a much larger game of chess.
His train of thought was interrupted by his daughter's excited voice as she burst into the house saying "Guess what happened to me today, Daddy!" She hopped on his lap and recounted her whole day from her college and scholarship news to her 'visit' with Judith and her friend.
First, she told him of her acceptance all of the schools she had applied to and her decision to go to ISU because of the extra scholarship. Then she told him about the rest of her day. She did not leave out any details, even the sweet, affectionate Black Lab, and the three-way with Julia and Lola's owner.
She realized her story was getting her daddy excited when she felt his growing erection under her and soon they were naked in bed doing what they both enjoyed the most.
When they took a break from their lovemaking, they decided to eat dinner at home. As they were waiting for their frozen dinners to heat up in the oven, a thought popped into Jackson's mind and he asked his daughter "Baby, that kid Jeremy that you were talking about some time ago, what is his last name?"
"His name is Jeremy Knuppel, why Daddy?" Traci said.
"Hmmm," her father said, and asked "By any chance is his father Raymond Knuppel, the chair of the Chemistry Department?"
"I think his father is a department head at the University Daddy, why?" she said
"And, by some chance was his mother Willa one of the attendee's at Vanessa's little soiree last weekend?" he asked.
"Yes Daddy, she was one of the women who got mad and stormed out because she wanted me to spend the night with her."
Jackson looked directly into his daughter's eyes and said sternly "Traci darling, what I am about to tell you is not to leave this house. You must not even hint that you know any of this. I have in my possession some information that the source of the drugs that were deposited on your 'costume' was the chemistry lab at the University. I cannot prove who actually manufactured the concoction because they have covered their tracks very carefully."
Jackson continued, "I am quite certain that this Jeremy Knupple appears to be carrying a grudge against you, and this makes him dangerous for several reasons. He may be a spoiled brat and an entitled asshole, but he has some very powerful and politically connected friends. I do not want you to have anything to do with him. Go out of your way to avoid him and his friends because they are as dangerous as he is. As soon as you graduate I think I will be sending you away from here, out East, to assure your safety if things get dangerous for you here."
He continued. "I am in the process of doing some covert research to find out how many people are involved in this conspiracy, and until I am sure who is and is not connected to this mess, I will not make any offensive moves. Right now the only actions I am taking are defensive ones, to make sure that the one person I love most is protected from harm. You are the most important person in the world to me, and the only one I trust completely, but I must keep you in the dark about what I will be doing this summer, so your ignorance of my actions will protect you from harm. Be wary of what you say, and who you say it to. I hate to say this, but even your best friends may be used against you."
"I know you have told some of your friends about our 'relationship' but you must stop talking about 'us' with anyone until I can be sure who we can truly trust. I will contact Julia and let her know why you won't be visiting her for a while. I know that you are thinking that I am overreacting, but if you knew what I do, you would understand." He concluded
She started to cry and sobbed "I don't want to leave you Daddy, I love you, and I need you!"
"I know sweetheart, but these are powerful people, and they would not hesitate to do us physical harm or destroy our reputations to save themselves. I know how much you love me and I know this will be hard, but you must trust me that things will be much better once I deal with these people on my terms, not theirs. They have lived their whole lives believing they could do anything they want without retribution from others. They believe that no one can touch them no matter what they do or say, but when the tables are turned against them it could really get ugly. When that happens, and it will very soon, they will strike at whoever is in their way. This is the reason I must remove you from the 'line of fire'." he said.
Jackson continued, "One of my cousins has a little place on the beach at Martha's Vineyard, and I'm going to ask him if you can stay there for a month or two. He has two daughters about your age, so you will have plenty to keep you occupied. Cousin Hector's place is on a secluded part of the island and is adjacent to a 'clothing optional' beach. He has told me that his girls are 'flexible' sexually, so I think you will have fun, and probably come home with a good tan."
Traci perked up and said "Wow daddy, that really sounds like fun. I will miss you terribly, but running around naked on the beach with my sexy girl cousins sounds like a blast! I understand why you need to take care of things this way, and will do as you ask. I will worry about you daddy, so please don't do anything dangerous."
"Of course, I must ask that you do not mention this to anyone." Jackson said, and continued "Your friends cannot know anything about what your plans for the summer are. If anyone asks you must tell them that you are not sure what you will be doing this summer. The fact that you have just 'disappeared' will add a veil of mystery and confuse everyone when 'all hell' rains down on the people who are responsible for this."