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 Adoré

   A Tale of Romance By The Star*

   Chapter Eight - Seniors Rule

   "Good grief, Marty!  I never thought I'd look at a return to school as a
break!" Adoré was relaxing on the living room sofa of the Corvallis house,
after they'd put the horses in the boarding stable.

   She was happy to return to her home.  She'd competed in several weekend
horse shows and had worked twelve-hour days with the horses at the ranch.
They had a senior year of college to complete, a lively and wonderful son
to raise, and more work to do than hours to do it in.

   Champ was left at the ranch.  He'd be on stud duty, with one of the two
horses they'd bought from Samantha Allen.  She brought two of the other
'Allen' horses with her.  Both, she felt, showed extraordinary promise, but
both needed a lot of schooling.

   The class schedules she and Marty had were pretty strenuous, too.  As
seniors, they had some latitude in the courses they chose.  But all of the
upper level classes were demanding.  And neither of them was willing to
just slide by.  Also, they were determined to make lasting friendships in
college.  The ranch was really remote and they needed friends to break up
their isolation from time to time.

   They kept their eyes open to find a good man for Denise, too.  A real
fear they had was that the men Denise tended to date were as messed up as
her family was.  They both were determined to do better for their friend.

   A month into the fall term, they had gotten back into it.  Marty helped
with the horses, schooling them on the basics, so Adoré could concentrate
on the fine points.  They both worked hard on their courses, and both made
sure they had at least an hour a day with Robby, just to play with
him--usually the best hour of their day.

   Marty introduced Denise to a fraternity brother who he considered a nice
guy.  He told him that he expected her to be treated with respect--she'd
had enough jerks in her life.  That casual relationship soon blossomed into
a romance and Marty had good hopes for it.

   Then the Thanksgiving break was upon them.

   They would spend the break at the ranch.  Adoré was really tempted to
take the horses back and bring two others back to Corvallis.  In the end,
she decided that the others were still really young and the two she had
needed the work.  Denise pleaded to come with them--she didn't want to stay
alone and she didn't want to go home with her new boyfriend...  It was too
soon for that.

   It was tight, but they all made it in the pickup.  Marty was happy for
the extended cab that allowed Robby to curl up behind the seat.

   Denise fell into the pattern of the summer: watching Robby and helping
Hazel--and was genuinely happy doing it.

   Adoré, with Marty and Ad keeping an eye on what she was doing, spent
serious time with the other horses they got from Samantha Allen.  She
gentled the foals and got them used to being handled and bridled.  She rode
Champ and the other two show horses, to keep them aware of what was
expected of them.

   She made time to review the Steele herd and marked several animals as
culls.  Those were separated into two categories.  The first would be sold
as jumpers for the hunt club market.  The second would be high-end cow
ponies or sold in the general riding market.  Ad would take care of that.

   Offered a chance to call her family on Thanksgiving Day, Denise
shuddered and called her boyfriend.

   They soon understood why Denise shuddered.



   Their holiday meal finished, the women were cleaning up while the men
watched football, courtesy of Ad's new satellite dish.  A really beat-up
old Plymouth pulled into the yard and parked by the house.  The thing
sounded like it wouldn't start again.  A middle-aged couple got out and
strolled up to the porch like they were neighbors dropping in for a casual
visit.

   Seeing them through a window, Denise ran to her room.

   When they rang the bell, Ad went to answer the door.

   "Hi," the man said.  "I'm Denise's step-dad.  This is her mother.  We
come to see her." He tried to walk in, but Ad blocked his way.

   "I don't know about that, mister.  What Denise are you talking about?"

   "The one who goes to Oregon State.  The one who didn't stay in Corvallis
like I told her, and came here instead."

   "You know, out here, folks don't just show up, 'less they're invited.  I
don't recall inviting you."

   "That's OK.  We're Denise's folks.  You might say she's our invitation."

   "Noooo.  Don't think I'd say that," Ad drawled.

   "Look.  We came a long ways to see our daughter.  You goin' let us in?"

   "I don't think so.  I think, if you're hungry, we'll give you some food
to take on your way."

   "Well, we was hopin' for some gas money and a bed for the night...from
Denise, you know?  I know she's been workin' for you-all and has money."

   "We don't have any extra beds.  We've never turned anybody away hungry,
but we aren't in the 'gas money' business."

   "That's OK.  We'll just sleep in Denise's room."

   "Mister, I don't know what part of 'no' you don't understand.  You are
not spending the night and you are not even going to set foot in this
house." Hazel, having listened closely to the first part of the
conversation, had put up a meal from the leftover Thanksgiving feast and
pressed a large sack into Ad's hands.

   "Here's a dinner for you--enough for a couple days, from the heft of it.
Now head on down the road...  And don't come here again."

   "Now mister.  That's not very neighborly of you.  We just want to see
our daughter, this being Thanksgiving.  Isn't that what parents are for?"

   "Not in your case--and you're not neighbors.  If you're not out of here
right now, my wife will be on the phone to the sheriff.  You can spend the
rest of the weekend elsewhere, or in jail.  I really don't give a damn, as
long as it is away from here."

   "You'll regret this," the man threatened, as he and the woman retreated
from the porch.

   "I don't see how," Ad retorted, closing and latching the door.

   While Ad had been dealing with them, and Hazel packing food, Adoré had
gone to Denise's room.

   "Are they still here?" she asked, fearfully.

   "Yes, but Ad won't let them in."

   "I hope not.  They're evil, Dory.  Evil...  Mom held me down...  while
he raped me...  when I was a virgin.  Two nights later, I lay awake
listening to the screams while he did the same to my sister.  He's never
worked a day since he moved in with mom.  He lives on the insurance money
for me and my sister..."

   Adoré just held her.  What can you say, to something like that?  "Do you
have some money, Denise?  That he's stealing?"

   "Yes.  But how can I get it?  The checks come right to my bank
account--he made me put his name on the account too.  Same with my sister.
We can't do anything."

   "Maybe I can.  Can I try?"

   "I suppose.  I guess my sister ran away, since she wasn't with them..."

   "All right, Denise.  We're good friends, right?  I'll do what friends
do. I'll try to help.  OK?"

   Denise, wiped out by her mother's unexpected visit, agreed.  "If you
could...?  OK."

   As soon as the door was closed, Ad phoned the sheriff in Bend, described
the situation to the deputy on duty, and asked that the nearest patrol
deputy be dispatched to the ranch, just to be safe.  "Of course, we can
protect ourselves," Ad told the deputy, who he knew.  "But in this case, I
think one of your cars should make sure these folks get back to
civilization and don't try any mischief out here."

   "You got it, Ad.  I'll have somebody there in a half hour.  Give my love
to Hazel."

   "Thanks, Gary.  I'll do that."



   The old Plymouth made it about a fourth of the way down the ranch road
leading to the county road when it quit.  Soon the guy claiming to be
Denise's stepfather was back on the porch.

   "Ah...  sorry.  But my car seems to have quit.  Can you call a tow?  And
maybe give us a bed for the night?"

   "I'll call the tow.  In fact, I'll tow you to the county road.  You can
sleep in your car," Ad said.

   "Shit!  Western hospitality sure sucks," the guy said.

   Marty fired up the tractor and towed the car onto a wide spot in the
county road, while Ad called the sheriff back.  "Gary, the guy claims his
car broke down, now.  Send a tow truck too, please.  We'll put him on the
county road.  I don't want him on the property.  Talk about a slimy
customer.  This one is it."

   "OK, Ad.  I'm on it."

   "Thanks again, Gary.  I owe you one."

   "An invitation for deer season would do."

   "You got it.  Show up when you're ready to bag a big one."

   Ad got into his pickup, to ride to the county road with the intention of
telling their unwanted visitors that a tow was on the way.  Rounding the
knob that hid the ranch headquarters from the road, he saw that Marty was
dismounted from the tractor and had his hands in the air.

   Not one to waste motion, Ad pulled the old Winchester 30.06 from the
rack in his truck, checked to see that the magazine held the full five
rounds, and chambered a round.  Putting the weapon on "safe" he threw a
handful of shells from the glove box into his coat pocket and climbed a way
up the knob to a spot where he had good coverage of that part of the road,
and was concealed from anybody there.  Not that he thought the 'city guy'
would look up, anyway.

   Ad didn't believe in movie cowboy notions of chivalry.  His telescope
sight showed the guy holding a gun pointed at Marty.  Ad checked the wind
and estimated his relative elevation over his target.  He didn't try to
shoot the gun out of the guy's hand.  Nor did he try for a head shot.  He
put his cross-hairs on the center of the guy's chest and caressed the
trigger.

   The bullet arrived before the sound of the shot.  Marty heard it pass
and fell to the ground, rolling away.  His attacker was dead before his
body crumpled.  A hunting bullet at a mere 200 yards will make hamburger of
a man's heart and lungs, when it has some shattered fragments of rib to
help stir the stew.  When their ears cleared from the sound of the shot,
Marty and Ad heard the woman screaming.  She had a gun, too, and was waving
it around dementedly.  Marty again dove for the dirt and crawled away from
the car.

   Ad and Marty just sat and waited-to see that no one left the car--until
the deputy sheriff arrived.  Ad came down from the knob to intercept him,
making sure he parked safely away from the woman with the gun.

   "What we got, deputy, is a couple claiming to be the mother and
stepfather of a girl who works for us.  They showed up out of the blue,
wanting us to put them up.  All they did was put us off.  Anyway, I ordered
them off the place.  Then they said their car broke down.  So I had Marty
tow them to the county road and called for a tow truck.  When I drove out
here to tell them a tow was on the way, I saw the guy holding Marty at
gunpoint.  He looked like he was ready to shoot, so I shot first.  Then we
saw the woman in the car waving a gun around, too...

   "It's all yours, and we're glad to let you have it.  If we can help, we
will."

   "Thanks, I guess, Ad.  OK.  I'll try to talk to her.  Just stay back
here for now.  OK?"

   "Happy to."

   The deputy turned on the loudspeaker on his car and identified himself
as a deputy sheriff.  "Ma'am, there will be no more shooting here.  I need
you to throw your gun out of the car.  Ma'am.  Do it now.  Throw the gun
out the window right now, and there will be no more shooting here today."

   They heard a scream from the car.  "If you want my gun, come get it, you
bastards!" Then she opened fire on the patrol car.  Fortunately, she was
too far away to do any damage, though one bullet did break a window on the
side.

   When she had obviously emptied her magazine, the deputy trotted to her
car and stuck his pistol in her ear.  "Drop the gun, ma'am, or I'll pull
the trigger on mine.  And after being shot at, I really don't mind doing
it."

   She believed him and let her pistol drop to the floor of the car.  The
deputy opened the car door and pulled her out, cuffing her as he did.  He
frisked her and frog-marched her to his car, where he stowed her in the
back seat.  Then he returned to check the guy who was lying in the road,
bled out.  Finally, he searched the Plymouth.  Besides a spare tire and an
old suitcase, the trunk contained the body of a young woman who, from the
looks of it, had been beaten to death.

   Returning to his patrol car, the deputy placed the woman under arrest,
then called his dispatcher, requesting a lab crew and the coroner.  "I've
got two stiffs, Gary.  One new and one a couple days dead.  One live one in
custody.  Gary...don't fuck around on this.  I need help and I need it now.
I'm on the county road, at the entrance to the Steele Ranch.  Ad and Marty
Steele are here with me."

   "Don't freak out, Harlow.  The Sheriff himself, and a lab team from the
State Police are on their way, code blue.  The coroner is about an hour
away.  OK?"

   "Thanks, Gary.  This is really freaky.  I thought I was just supposed to
arrest drunks on Thanksgiving, you know?"

   "Yeah, pal.  Hang in there.  Help really is on the way."

   Marty took Ad's pickup and went back to the house.  When he told the
women what had happened, Denise demanded that she be taken to the scene.

   Seeing the body in the trunk of the car, she screamed and stormed toward
the patrol car.  Marty grabbed her and physically stopped her.  She was in
an insane rage.

   Marty held her until she'd regained control, then asked what had set her
off.  "That's my little sister.  They killed her.  And they were after me.
I've put up with so much...  so much...  I'll kill her for this...  Let me
go, Marty.  I have something to do!"

   "No, Denise.  She's in custody.  She won't get away and she'll fry for
this.  All you can do now is screw yourself up.  She's not worth it...  but
you are.  Let it go, Denise."

   Slowly, gradually, the tension left her.  Then she sobbed, as Marty held
her.  After a bit, he steered her back into the pickup and returned her to
the house, for the women to comfort her.

   Returning to the road, Marty told the deputy what he'd learned.  He was
also able to give him the address Denise had for her mother--an older
rented house in east Portland.

   The deputy radioed that in, suggesting that the Multnomah County Sheriff
be asked to investigate and treat the house as a probable crime scene.

   As it turned out, the house was already well known.  It was a meth lab,
and had been busted two days before.  With the information about the dead
girl, the detectives and forensics people were able to establish that the
girl had been kept prisoner there, and that she had probably been killed
there.



   The exciting break over, Marty and Adoré returned to Corvallis with
Denise and little Robby.  They were ready to get back to school.  There was
less than a month before finals, and they all wanted to do well, this last
year.



   Since the murder of Denise's sister had probably taken place in
Portland, even though its discovery had been in Deschutes County, the
investigation and trial were moved north.

   Eventually, Denise's mother was found guilty of aggravated murder and
sentenced to execution.

   Denise consistently refused to accept calls from her mother, or her
mother's court-appointed lawyers.  With the Steele's help and support, she
managed to stay out of the news.  (Several years later, when her mother was
finally executed, an especially persistent reporter managed to track her
down.  "I hope the bitch fries in hell!" she told him.  (He was looking for
some anti-capital punishment propaganda.) "The only way I'd support her
getting out of this would be if it would bring my sister back.  She killed
her.  She raped us both.  She's a cold-blooded murderer and total bitch. 
May she burn in eternal damnation!" She slammed the door in the reporter's
face and collapsed, sobbing, into her husband's arms.)



   - - + + + + + -

   In spite of the heavy schedule they'd undertaken, they were determined
to enjoy their last year of college.  They bought season tickets for
football and several basketball games.  They attended the winter formal and
enjoyed dressing up--Adoré was breathtaking in a formal gown.

   Christmas had been a family holiday--but always before in Richmond. 
Adoré felt her mother was feeling lonely, so they flew out to visit her. 
It wasn't too hard to do, as they still had occasional use of the family
jet, her mother having insisted that the kids had priority over executives
from various family-owned businesses.



   One really gloomy, rainy winter day in February, nobody bothered to tell
them the bad news.

   The bad news was that Darnell Hollins had been released from prison.

   They were told, much too late that, "A federal judge ordered that the
prison had two hundred too many inmates.  The crowding was 'cruel and
unusual punishment'.  Hollins was one of those released.  We hoped he'd
just go back to Portland where, hopefully, he'd join a gang and get shot in
a turf war or something..."

   What they didn't count on was that Darnell felt that Adoré 'owed him'
for his prison time and she was going to pay!

   Marty returned home from a late class.  It was an advanced genetics
seminar for animal husbandry majors--only six students--and the professor
made it intense.  Denise had a date that night and wasn't home.  Marty just
wanted a sandwich, a beer, and bed.

   What he got was a broom handle beside the head and hogtied before he
came to.  Hollins had Adoré stripped naked, spread-eagled, and tied to the
corners of her bed.  He heard Marty's key in the door and rushed out to
handle him, then came back in the bedroom.

   "You miserable honky bitch.  You thought your pussy was too lily white
for ol' Darnell.  Well, I'm gonna show you what you been missin'.  Maybe
I'll even leave a little Darnell in you.  Would you like that?"

   As he leaned down to kiss her, she spat in his face.  Immediately, he
slapped her hard with both hands, using full swings of his arms.

   "Big fucking man," she ground out through her tears of pain and rage. 
"Beat helpless and pregnant women.  You're not a black man.  You're a
shitty little street nigger.  You aren't even fit to be a slave.  My family
would have sold you off, you worthless piece of brown shit."

   Enraged, he pummeled her, breaking her nose and blacking an eye, with a
cut in the eyelid.  He didn't neglect the rest of her, including a broken
rib and some internal injuries.

   "I'll show you who's worthless, cunt!" he screamed.  "You'll be begging
for more of me in that unused little pussy of yours when I'm done with
you."

   "Yeah.  That's why they call you 'needle dick', huh?" she grunted at
him.

   He was moving above her, preparing to enter her forcefully when the
window shattered.

   A really big guy shot through the window and tackled Hollins, knocking
him off of Adoré and clear off the bed.  Several others just as big
followed.  They surrounded Darnell and proceeded to pound him to a pulp.

   Seeing that all was in hand, one stood up and politely covered Adoré
with a blanket, then untied her ankles and wrists.  While the others hauled
Darnell off into the kitchen, he stepped into the bathroom, where he wet a
cloth and returned to gently wash the blood from Adoré's face.

   "Hey Gil, there's a guy out here, tied up!"

   "Well, untie him and haul him in here, asshole!" the leader of the group
called back.

   Adoré was very frightened when she saw them drag Marty, limp as a rag
and with his scalp torn and bleeding, into the room.

   "What have you done to him?" she screamed.

   "Relax, Dory...  You don't recognize me, do you?  We had that advanced
history class together.  I'm Gil Torrey."

   "Oh.  Hey, Gil.  What's going on?  Why are you here?"

   "Your dad was a fraternity brother of ours.  Sorry he's gone by the
way...  Anyway, he asked us to keep an eye on you.  A real close eye.  He
was afraid of something like this, I guess.  As you see, we take our duties
to our brothers seriously." He chuckled.  "He also paid for a very nice
renovation to the kitchen in the fraternity house.  Since we're mostly
jocks, we REALLY appreciated that.  Though it wasn't necessary.

   "To make a long story short, we just heard that this asshole got out of
prison.  We'd have been here sooner, but the brother in our house just
heard about it a bit ago."

   A really big black guy said quietly, "That was me.  Nobody told me until
just now.  I'm so sorry this happened."

   "It's not your fault," Adoré reassured him.  "I'm happy you got here
when you did.  Though I'd have fucked that turkey a dozen times, rather
than have him hurt Marty."

   "I think he'll be OK," one of them said.  "His pulse is strong and he's
breathing OK.  His pupils look OK, too.  But a doctor should see him--to
stitch up his head at least." Adoré recognized him as the starting inside
linebacker on the football team.  He'd been drafted by St.  Louis, as she
recalled.  She thought he probably knew a little about injuries that
resulted from being hit.

   "Did anybody call the cops?" their leader Gil, who was the fraternity
president, asked.

   "Not yet.  We waited for you to give the word."

   "Good.  Dory, maybe you should get some clothing on?  We'll just be in
the kitchen with this garbage.  We'll call the police and an ambulance for
your husband in just a little bit.  Let us take care of it, OK?"

   She agreed and, when they'd closed her bedroom door, went to the
bathroom to get some tissues to pack her nose.  While she was there, the
shock and tension caught up with her, and she woofed up the entire contents
of her stomach--a painful process with a broken rib.  Then she cleaned
herself up as good as she could and got a warm wet rag to bathe Marty's
face and head.  She hurt terribly, and would ride in the ambulance with
Marty.

   In the kitchen, Darnell was awakened by hard slaps from one of the black
members of the group.  "Hey Darnell ol' buddy.  Wakey wakey." He slapped
him again--as hard as he could.  When Hollins' eyes opened he said quietly,
"Remember me, bro?  You tried to get me kicked out of school when you were
still here, remember?  And you tried to stick me with the heat when you
raped that sorority freshman that time.  Good fun, wasn't it, boy?"

   Darnell tried to smile, though his lips were cracked and bleeding.  "We
had some times, din't we, bro?"

   "You had some time.  And I don't think of you as a brother.  You're
nigger slime, not fit to be integrated.  We're going to give you a little
lesson in manners.  Then we're going to see if we can get you put away for
lots and lots of years.  Won't that be fun, Darnell, old buddy?"

   He turned as if to stand up.  Continuing his turn, he sunk his fist as
hard as he could in Hollins' solar plexus.

   Hollins convulsed, then lay still.

   "Damn, man.  Why you do that?  He isn't breathing.  If he's dead, none
of the rest of us will get a chance to work on him."

   "Oh, he'll breathe.  Watch." He kicked Darnell in the ribs and, sure
enough, he gasped, and started to breathe again.

   "How'd you know to do that?"

   "Basic anatomy.  His diaphragm muscles were locked up by the shock to
the solar plexus.  The pain of the broken rib solved that." He stomped a
knee, shattering it.  "Man sure has fragile bones.  Guess that's why he
never played football, you think?" he asked conversationally.

   Another stomped an elbow, while the other black smashed his nose with a
fist.  When they were through with him, both legs and one arm were broken.
The legs pretty well shattered, and the arm wouldn't be much use either. 
His nose, cheekbone, and jaw were broken, and an ear almost torn from his
head.  They made sure his knuckles were skinned, too.

   Then they hit each other sufficient to provide some bruises, without
real damage.

   Surveying the scene, Gil said, "I think we're just about done here. 
I'll call the cops.  You, Larry, you check on the Steeles...  KNOCK first,
asshole!  Mrs.  Steele has shown us enough skin for one night."

   Adoré had put on a sweat suit, thinking correctly that the doctors would
insist on a complete examination at the hospital.  She needed the medical
attention, not knowing that the pain she felt was from serious damage. 
When the fraternity man was admitted, he checked Marty who was still out
but all right, and offered to show Adoré the results of their work.

   "I'll want to see that.  But first, I need to check my son."

   "Your baby was HERE through all this?"

   "Yes.  He's in the next room."

   When she went to check on him, Robby was sleeping soundly.  The
fraternity man who went with her offered to baby-sit, however long it took,
until she and Marty were back from the hospital.

   "Thanks.  I'd appreciate that.  Denise should be back in an hour or
two--unless she spends the night..." Thinking of Denise and having the
young man's attention, she asked about the reputation of Denise's
boyfriend.

   "He's a good guy.  Pretty much a straight arrow.  He's not in our house,
but I've had a couple classes with him.  And though he's not the brightest
kid in school, nobody works harder.  I hear he's really serious about
Denise, too.  I think they make a great couple, myself."

   "Thanks.  She's had a really tough time and I worry about her."

   The boy just shook his head.  The woman he was talking to had had as
tough a time as he could imagine.  He didn't want to think about what
Denise might have gone through.



   The police arrested Hollins without fanfare and seemed to accept the
fraternity men's story right down the line.  They were more than happy that
the big thug was put down without a cop getting hurt.  And if he got banged
up a bit in the process...  well, if one attacks citizens, one might expect
the citizens to fight back.

   About the time the cops were leaving, Denise arrived.  She flew into the
house, and was immediately questioned about what she was doing and why she
was there.  The man who'd volunteered to babysit recognized her and told
the police that she lived there and had a right to be concerned about four
police cars and an ambulance in front of her home.

   When she had a chance, Adoré called her mother from the hospital, even
though it woke her up.  She explained the situation and that she and Marty
had been hurt but would be all right.  Robby was fine and their assailant
was in custody.  Mrs.  Parmentier said she'd fly out in the morning.

   "No need mom.  It's all over and we're OK.  I just called and woke you
up because I knew you'd be upset if I didn't."

   "Well, it's an excuse for some quality grandma time, then.  I'm coming."

   Hazel's reaction was the same.

   The hospital stitched up Marty's head and packed Adoré's nostrils.  They
also taped her ribs tightly, and X-rayed her abdomen.  She had an
appointment with an ENT specialist in a week, when the swelling would be
down.  Her nose would need some work.  Meanwhile, she again sported some
really spectacular bruises.

   Although she wanted to go home, the hospital insisted on keeping her
overnight.  The next morning she was shown the results of the tests. 
Besides the broken rib, she had lacerated a kidney--it was expected to heal
by itself OK.  But her remaining ovary, already barely functional, was
destroyed, and would have to be removed.  The doctor strongly recommended
removing the uterus, too.

   "It's been scarred and battered.  With both ovaries gone, all it can do
is give you painful periods.  You'll need estrogen replacement therapy
anyway, but why ask for a lifetime of pain every month, when the organ no
longer serves any purpose?"

   Adoré and Marty cried together.  They had absolutely no possibility of
having more children now.  Then they approved the operation and Adoré spent
the next week in the hospital.

   Their mothers coddled them both for a day--and Robby as long as they
were there.

   They demanded and got a meeting with the president of the university.

   Though they admitted that the Athletic Department had done a pretty good
job of cleaning its house when the problem was first uncovered, they felt
that the school's skirts weren't entirely clean in the matter.

   Why was the basketball coach not supervised?  Why are athletes allowed
to get as far as they do without being qualified to be in the university at
all?  And why is violent, antisocial behavior, if it is performed by an
athlete, laughed off as 'high spirits'?  They were well aware that the
president was the one who had hired the coach--and that he had been proud
of the accomplishment, touting recruitment from the inner cities as a good
thing for the university for 'diversity,' and a good opportunity for poor
youths 'who would otherwise not be able to partake of the largess of
American society.'

   The meeting did not go well.  The president was very polite and very
sorry for the problems their kids had experienced.  But he completely
denied that the university had anything to do with it.

   "Buster, that is pure bullshit, and you know it is!" Hazel finally
exploded.  "My daughter complained about the behavior of that ...  that
_person_.  Basically, she was told that nothing could be done until she was
assaulted.  And, due to YOUR inaction, that is exactly what happened.  She
was assaulted, along with four of your own employees.

   "Now we find that the university was notified of Hollins' release from
prison two days before he was released.  And no one bothered to inform our
family.  We weren't even warned, so that we could take measures in our own
defense.  That is unconscionable.  And I intend to do something about it.
If you had a scrap of integrity, you'd resign, since you can't keep your
own campus safe."

   "Now, ladies..." he began, but they stormed out of his office before
they said something they'd regret.

   The cousin in Portland was called.  Who did he know who could hurt the
president of the university?

   Well, the governor is a fraternity brother.  And the President of the
Senate was a law school classmate...

   As he was eating his lunch, the president was interrupted by a call from
the governor.

   "This isn't a social call, Clyde.  I need your resignation on my desk by
the end of the day."

   Taken aback, the university head asked, "Why would I do that?"

   "Because you have been criminally negligent--at best."

   "That's just not true.  And I don't even know what you're referring to."

   "Sure you do.  That former scholarship, 'diversity' student you coddled.
And then protected...  You know, the one who is in the slammer awaiting
trial for kidnapping, aggravated assault, rape, burglary and various other
felonies.  The one you set loose on good kids from this state, and then had
the gall to deny it all...  That's what I'm talking about!" The Governor
was so angry, he could barely spit out his words.

   "Governor, I'm sure you've been misinformed.  We had an unfortunate
incident down here...  that occurred _off_ campus, by the way.  The
University is not involved or implicated in any way.  I see no reason to
admit that it was, or that I had any part in it.  I certainly see no reason
to resign from my office."

   That evening, the governor appeared on the newscasts.  "We pride
ourselves here in Oregon on our quality of life.  We also pride ourselves
on the fact that our citizens are safe in their homes.  We are a unique
state and enjoy unique blessings.

   "When I find that one of our top state employees is not performing at
the level we expect--and we demand the best because we are the best and
deserve nothing less--then as the chief executive of the state, I have no
choice but to remove the individual so identified.  Especially when that
lack of performance threatens the safety of our citizens.

   "Today I have demanded the resignation of the president of Oregon State
University, for inadequate--indeed, negligent--performance of the duties of
his office.  Through his incompetence, citizens of the state have been
assaulted and raped.  One of them, I am sad to say, twice.  I have not
received a response to my request, but I am sure I will in the morning.

   "Be assured my friends, the citizens of our state, including the
students in our schools, are the first priority of this administration. 
'Programs' and 'procedures' are not.  No one in my administration who,
through ineptitude, inaction, or plain carelessness allows our people to
lose their right to safety in their person and in their homes will remain a
state employee once I hear of it."

   In the morning, there was another item on the news.  The president
refused to resign.  He claimed that, if he did, he would be admitting that
the University was at fault--and himself specifically.  Since, he claimed,
neither was the case, he saw no reason to leave his post.

   The Governor called in the Secretary of Education, an elected official
who happened to be a member of the other political party.  However, they
were in agreement on this.  Since the presidents of the state's
institutions of higher education serve at the pleasure of the state Board
of Education, an emergency session of that board was convened and, when
they'd heard the details of what had happened, they were unanimous that the
man had to go--especially since the governor had publicly demanded his
resignation.  The problem wasn't so much with what he had done and not
done, but with his attitude, as expressed in his meeting with Mrs. 
Parmentier and Mrs.  Steele, the parents of the students who were attacked,
and his statements to the media.

   That afternoon, at the Governor's direction, two State Police officers
entered the office of the president of the university.  One hung up the
phone the man was using, pulled his chair back from his desk, with him in
it, and pulled him to his feet.  When he sputtered about their high-handed
treatment of an important official, the cop delivered the notice of his
termination from state employment and told him he was prepared to escort
him from the campus--immediately.  The other cop stationed himself at the
entrance to the office suite, preventing anyone from entering, and allowing
those in the offices to leave, but not take anything with them--ladies'
purses were opened and only normal items were allowed to be removed from
the office.

   The police later searched the office, and the old president's personal
belongings were shipped to him.  But they were especially careful that he
was not allowed to remove any documents or notes--no one wanted him to get
the idea of "correcting the record" at some future date.  His termination
notice contained a clause that entering university premises would be
considered trespassing and treated accordingly.

   The Governor was really angry.  "I'm pissed off that the sanctimonious
bastard tried to bluff it out.  When I went public, he should have folded,
and we'd have sent him on his way gracefully.  Well, fuck him.  The more
humiliation, the better, as far as I'm concerned.  He'll never run a major
university again, that's for sure."

   A little--very little--digging by the prosecutors discovered that
Hollins had a couple of juvenile felony convictions.  Oregon doesn't have a
"three strikes" law, but the trial judge did allow his entire record to be
entered into evidence in the sentencing phase of his trial.  He also
permitted testimony from the Steeles that his original obsession with Adoré
began when she was seven months pregnant and obviously not trying to
attract male attention.  Marty had had no interaction with him whatever,
until he'd been ambushed in his own kitchen.  He'd never laid eyes on the
man, except for pictures, before seeing him in court.

   Testimony made it clear that Hollins' first action after release from
prison was to attack Adoré again, as revenge for not letting herself be
raped before--when she was pregnant.

   The judge also allowed color pictures of Adoré after both attacks.  They
both showed the extensive bruising he'd caused.  The first also showed her
advanced pregnancy, the second set of pictures showed that he'd beaten her
severely about her entire body.

   Hollins tried to say, "Well what about them guys beat me up?  Whatcha
doon 'bout them?"

   The judge sternly told him to sit down and keep his mouth shut, or he'd
make sure he kept his mouth shut.  Then he was told that he, the judge, had
personally reviewed the police reports, including all the statements of the
witnesses.  The statements and the physical evidence corroborated each
other and supported the story that Hollins had resisted violently when
accosted by the group from the fraternity, and that they had done only what
was necessary to subdue him.  Photos of bruises and black eyes were
included in the record, as well as photos of the Steeles, and reports from
their doctors about the damage Hollins had inflicted on them.  This
included a statement that the trauma to Adoré was such that she would never
be able to bear children, since a complete hysterectomy had been required
to repair the damage.

   "So don't try to put any blame on others, young man," the judge said
sternly.

   "You are the one on trial here.  In view of your record and your
attitude, this court sees no cause to be lenient.  The court notes that
this is a fourth felony offense, all of them involving violent attacks
against other people.  So I sentence you to twenty-five to forty years in
the state penitentiary on each count.  I order that the sentences will be
consecutive, not concurrent.  I further find that you are a menace to
others and to society generally and order that you will not be released
early to reduce prison population--nor will you be eligible for parole
until you have served at least twenty-five years...  We're adjourned." The
gavel fell and the judge left, leaving behind a violently shouting Darnell
Hollins who needed three bailiffs to subdue him and take him out of the
courtroom.

   - - + + + + + -

   "Quite a year you're having," Hazel mentioned to the kids, as they
enjoyed a good restaurant meal with Mrs.  Parmentier and Denise after the
trial was over.

   "Yeah.  And your pull with the Governor sure added to the excitement. 
I'm glad no one at school has figured that out yet.  Everybody just thinks
the pompous old windbag got crosswise with the Man."

   "He did.  I just helped it along.  But first Denise's mother, now this
Hollins character...  Why do you kids seem to attract such violent people?"

   "It's a good thing you're smiling, mom," Adoré said.  "I'd be real
offended if you weren't.  I really tried to give that guy a gentle brush
off, then a not so gentle brush off.  But always a brush off.  I never
encouraged him in the slightest."

   "I believe you, honey," her mother said.  "It just seems we've had a
pretty violent year."

   "We have.  And I hope it's all over...  Changing the subject, did you
hear about Denise's money?"

   "Yes.  Hazel told me.  It was nice of you to get her competent legal
help, dear."

   "She'd have done it for me," Adoré said.  Denise nodded in affirmation,
her eyes glowing.

   "Well, I think it's marvelous, dear.  Now Denise doesn't have to do
babysitting or housekeeping and can just concentrate on school."

   "Thank you," Denise said in her quiet way.  "But I want to finish out
the year helping Adoré.  I really like Robby.  We're pals.  And I've had a
free place to stay all this time.  Dory needs the help.  She works so hard
with the horses and school, too.  I guess it's like, 'what are friends
for'?"

   "And we appreciate you too, Denise," Marty said.  "You know, she's lived
with us all this time and never once hit on me?" Adoré and Denise both
slugged him for that.

   "Children!  Behave!" said Hazel.  "...  You did deserve that, Marty."



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