All rights reserved. Other than downloading one copy for personal enjoyment, no part of this story may be reproduced or transmitted by any means, except for reviews, without the written permission of the author. As in real life, the sexual themes unfold gradually and are kept to a realistic level. Comments on the story are appreciated and may be addressed to the author, Dwight Wilson, at adm2780@yahoo.com
This story contains descriptions of consensual sexual contact between males, adult and minor. As such it is homoerotic, designed for the entertainment of mature adults. If you are not of legal age to read such material, or if the subject matter would create irresolvable personal moral dilemmas, please exit now
Note: I would like to thank Colin and John for their continued support and patience while I try to write this story. Their support and efforts at editing and correcting my errors not only keep me in line, but contribute significantly to the reader's pleasure
Chapter Fifty-Five: New Horizons
Grandpa and his nurse sat in the golf cart watching the boys play their ball games. Daniel could see them and tell by their pointing that they were watching Danny and Ian as they fulfilled their roles as batboys. Both of the little ones showed boundless energy and enthusiasm for what they did. Both boys were also very dirty and didn't care, which seemed appropriate for batboys.
Daniel walked around watching the boys. Most of them were outside playing a game or waiting their turn to join in. As he watched the boys he always thought back to when he first saw them or their first days at New Horizons. He never ceased to be amazed at how quickly youth was able to turn its back on adversity and grasp the brighter side of life. As he wandered around the complex, he spotted TJ and Evan, who didn't look well. This gave Daniel concern, particularly since the boys had spent the night with Grandpa and he didn't know if something he wouldn't approve of had happened. The boys spotted Daniel and approached him.
"Mr. Dan'l?" TJ called out with an almost whiney sound to his voice. Daniel knew this was not like TJ and waited for the boys to come near.
"Mr. Dan'l, is it alright, . . I mean, me and Evan, can we go to the infirmary and take a nap? We're just worn out and there's no place else that's kinda quiet or where the guys won't bother us." TJ paused a minute, then added. "We swear, Mr. Dan'l, we just want to take a little nap, that's all." The look on the boys faces was almost pathetic. Daniel had to take a deep breath to avoid laughing; he didn't want to embarrass the boys.
"Boys, are you feeling alright? Did something happen last night that I should know about?" The boys looked at one another, questioning what Daniel said, and then realized what he thought.
"No, Mr. Dan'l, no, nothin' happened bad. Well, you see, Grandpa kinda wore us out last night. We just need some sleep, that's all." Daniel had to laugh at the answer.
"Grandpa wore you two out. That's what you're trying to tell me, right?"
"Yes, sir. It's true. He surprised us, too. Mr. Dan'l, you shoulda seen him. The stuff he did ta Evan in the tub, Evan didn't know if he was comin' or going."
"I was cummin'." Evan interjected with a laugh, and then quickly became serious when Daniel looked at the boy as though he had lost his mind.
"Mr. Dan'l," TJ continued, "we swear. That old man lifted Evan in his arms and carried him to bed like it was nothin'. Then he got Evan ready again and impaled himself on Evan. Then he started workin' on me and never moved on Evan."
"That's right, Mr. Dan'l." Evan was excited again. "He put me over the edge just usin' his butt muscles without even movin'. It was unreal! And then . . ."
"Hold it, right there, guys. You ever hear the phrase TMI? Well, you two are giving me more information than I really care to hear. Now, I knew that when I said you could stay in that modular unit with Grandpa, you wouldn't be knitting, okay? But, you two are telling me that old man wore out two teenage boys. That's your story?"
"It's true, Mr. Dan'l, it's true! He said he was gonna show us stuff we never thought about, and he did. He said he wanted to see how much stamina we had and how many times we could hit a sexual high. We lost count, Mr. Dan'l, but he definitely milked us dry. Actually, my balls are still hurtin'. He didn't do nothin' bad, Mr. Dan'l." TJ's voice almost sounded like he was both apologizing and pleading. "I'd like ta do it again, but not right now. I'd rather take a nap." Daniel couldn't control himself any longer. He laughed too hard to answer the boys who just stood there looking at one another. Daniel finally nodded and waved them off.
Daniel remembered Grandpa said the two of them needed to have a private talk. He walked towards Grandpa's golf cart. As he did, the nurse got out and moved towards the modular home. When he was near the cart, Grandpa patted the seat for Daniel to sit down.
"Grandpa, there doesn't seem to be a whole lot to keep you entertained around here."
"Daniel, when you reach my age it doesn't take a whole lot. To sit back and watch these boys laugh and carry on means more than anyone can really explain." Grandpa paused for the briefest of moments. "I saw you talking with TJ and Evan, are they okay?"
"Well, I guess that depends on how you look at it." Daniel responded with a slight smile. "They asked me if they could go to the infirmary where it was quiet and take a nap. Seems a certain older gentleman pretty much wore them out last night." Grandpa looked at Daniel and, without the slightest hesitation, broke into a big smile. "You know how it is sometimes, Daniel. Those boys haven't learned how to pace themselves, yet. One thing I can assure you of, that certain older gentleman got some memories he will forever cherish." The two men rode the cart around the ball field and parked near the groves where they could still watch the boys, but also talk in private.
"Daniel, I hope you understand that I do truly love those two boys and would never do anything or allow anyone else to do anything to harm them. If I was a little younger I'd even consider trying to get custody of them and raise them myself. However, at my age the courts would just laugh. Having them around is one of the few things this old man has to look forward to now." Daniel could hear the sincerity in Grandpa's voice and knew, instinctively, the older man would not harm the boys. Daniel then became very serious.
"Grandpa, let me be serious with you now. Yesterday you said we may be getting into more than we thought. I'm going to have to admit that I've always been curious about you. I think there's a lot more to you than you're willing to let people know and, yesterday, you really piqued my curiosity when you said we needed to speak privately." Daniel sat back and waited for Grandpa to pick up the conversation.
"Daniel, look out here. When I say look out here I'm not saying just see the superficial part. Look deep, and think about what you see." Daniel began to hear and see a different side of this mysterious man. "You're right when you say there are things I'm not willing to let people know. Part is by choice, part is necessity. I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to trust me for part of it."
"During my life I've worked all over the world. Did you know that there are some cultures where the parents want their sons to become pleasure boys? Notice that I said pleasure boys, not pleasure slaves. There are countries, particularly in Africa, where the people are so poor that they live in houses built of palm fronds. Kids wear hand me downs, or clothes found in the dumps. It isn't unusual for the kids, particularly boys, not to wear anything at all until they reach puberty. Puberty to them is around fourteen or fifteen, sometimes later. Because they are embarrassed, the kids don't go to school."
"What the parents do for the kids is to try to find them mentors or caregivers. An adult assumes responsibility for the child's health care, day to day support, and education. They sign a contract allowing the caregiver to have custody and control until that child's sixteenth birthday. The parent's receive a small stipend to help the rest of the family. The parent's have visitation rights of a half day per week plus one more full day during the month agreeable to all parties. The caregiver has the option of granting more time. The child is tested right after his sixteenth birthday and if he scores high enough, he is sent to a school for higher education. If he doesn't score high enough for higher education, then he goes to trade school. The end result is that the child has the opportunity for a better life."
"But suppose the child doesn't want to go to a caretaker?" Daniel asked.
"Why wouldn't he? He has a comfortable home, he has plenty to eat, he gets an education, he can visit family, and he is helping the rest of the family. To refuse to go would result in being disowned for shaming the family. Now, there are rules. The caretaker may punish, but may not be cruel or inflict permanent damage. In other words, no whipping or caning or any other form of punishment that may cause like damage. My understanding was that if a boy had to be punished, it was with a belt or paddle across the butt or something similar."
"The boy knows what is expected. In many cases the parents will begin training at an early age. I've been villages where it's not unusual for a father to teach his five year old son fellatio. It's done gently, not cruelly. If the father is cruel, officials will pick him up and he could be whipped. They try to protect the children. At age six they can go to a training school where instructors work with the boys teaching them the art of pleasing a man. I know there's a minimum age for anal penetration, but it varies from village to village. The boys don't walk in totally blind. It's an accepted way of life to them. If a boy can't give oral sex and swallow a man or take his penetration by the time the boy is eight, he's disowned. You go from village to village and you'll see the little one on the street, begging. Their parents can walk right by them and ignore them. Sounds almost barbaric, doesn't it?"
"Grandpa, how do you learn all these things?"
"I was a caretaker. In fact, I had two boys. They were beautiful little guys; twins that I got when they were six. Their family was extremely poor, but became part of my family. The boys ran around following me everywhere. Finally, one day I offered to help the family. I didn't realize then that what I did, by offering to help, was an insult to the father. It was a blatant statement that he was not man enough to care for his family. I was told that the only way to save face was for him to let me have the boys and become their caretaker."
"I took the boys and became well coached on the custom. I paid the family a good stipend and allowed the boys to visit the family almost anytime they wanted. They were smart kids, too, and soaked up knowledge like a dry sponge dropped into the ocean. I won't lie to you, Daniel. They were my pleasure boys and taught me a lot of what I showed TJ and Evan last night. That's why they were with me and to deny them was an insult to them and their family. The best thing I could do to help the family was brag about how well the boys did pleasing me."
"Grandpa, you speak of them in the past tense. What happened?"
"Nothing, they just grew up. They were the cutest and then most handsome kids you'd ever want to know. They never wore a stitch until they entered puberty and then only when I took them out. Their skin was so black that at night time the only way I could find them was for them to smile. They had huge smiles with perfect white teeth that reflected the light. When they turned sixteen, it was time to send them home. You should have seen the look on their faces when I told them they had to wear clothes. I think they'd rather have taken a beating. Funny how societies' values can be so different from one culture to another; using boys for pleasure. To them it was honorable."
"They took their belongings and returned to their families. When they tested, they scored very high and qualified for college. I paid for their advanced education. The cost was pennies compared to here because the government supplemented the cost. They're both doctors now. They're families are very proud and have status because of the twins. There were other boys that I helped, most of them boys off the streets. The main thing I did was help them find a caregiver. What you need to realize Daniel, is that their society worked out a way for the kids to get ahead, the families to benefit, and slavery was illegal in their country."
"When I came back to America and heard about kids being used in pleasure palaces, I didn't think much of it. After all, I'd just spent years as care giver to two boys that were my pleasure boys. A friend took me to a house of pleasure and I saw what was happening. That's when I learned the boys were slaves. It was worse than ugly. What I saw made me sick. I thought to myself, 'leave it to America'. One of the poorest countries in the world found a way to have pleasure boys and make it dignified and beneficial. We found a way to debase it and fuck the whole thing up. We gave a whole new meaning to the term barbaric. Typical."
The two men continued to sit in the golf cart and watched the boys. Grandpa was more than a little upset. Daniel tried to comprehend what Grandpa had just told him. The question that kept running through Daniel's mind was, 'where did Grandpa stand now?' Finally, Daniel broke the silence.
"Grandpa, have you thought about trying to do something to change the system?" Grandpa laughed, almost snickered, to himself.
"Daniel, I thought about it, then thought about it some more. I've only been back here less than two years. I started looking into things and the more I looked, the more disheartened I became. Taking boys and selling them as slaves, pleasure slaves, had become big business. When big business gets in the picture, watch out! Big business means big bucks. Big bucks that can buy politicians, television time, newspaper space. Everything you need to sell your point to the average citizen. Then I heard about New Horizons. I checked into your program and saw it as the first positive step towards restoring some of the values that this country had sacrificed brothers for nearly two hundred years ago. Don't misunderstand me. I see nothing wrong with enslaving criminals that refuse to live by society's rules. Enslaving children for the sins of the parent? That's sick."
"I know you're concentrating on saving the children. Everyone I've talked to admires how you pulled that old statute out regarding jointly owned property to save a bunch of the kids. Something tells me you know what you're doing. Take the enemies position and words and turn it against them. Excellent. There's a lot of people that want you to succeed and will support you behind the scene. Just remember, big business equals big bucks equals big payoffs. Be careful, for your sake and the sake of these boys."
Daniel and Grandpa continued to talk for a short while longer. Grandpa drove the cart around to the pool area where they were swamped with wet, naked boys. Daniel looked into Grandpa's eyes and knew he wouldn't hurt any of them. Then Daniel laughed to himself. All the talking they did and Daniel still didn't know who Grandpa was.
Clayton was so nervous when he got home with his mom that he thought he was going to get sick before he got inside. He stood outside looking at the door. His last memory of that door was hearing it slam as his father physically threw him out. He looked at his mom who tried to smile and give him support. He looked at the area behind the house where he hid that first night. He remembered every word, every scream, every insult, every hurt. Clay wanted to come home. He wanted to be with his family again. He wanted to be a kid again. Clay was scared. He was scared for what he had lost. He was scared for what might be. He sank to his knees and cried.
Mary stood next to her son. She knew he was hurting. As a mother she hurt with her son, and more, because she wasn't sure what to say or do for him. Adjusting would take time.
Clay remained on the ground, eyes closed, sobbing. When he felt a hand on his shoulder he opened his eyes. There, in front of him, was a pair of bare feet, young feet, his brother's feet. Before Clay could look up, Marich dropped to the ground in front of his brother. With a hand on each shoulder he gave Clay a gentle shake. Clay looked up to see that his brother was also crying, but there was a difference; Marich also smiled. Clay and Marich hugged one another and stayed on their knees, in front of their home, and cried their happiness. Marich had seen his brother since he left home, at Ft. Ogden. This time Clay was back; Clay was home. Mary stood by her boys and let them bond again. After a few minutes she let them know it was time to go in.
Clay walked through the house. He marveled at how the house had not changed. All of the pictures, including pictures of him, still hung on the walls or sat on tables.
"Mom put them back up." Marich answered Clay's unspoken question. "After dad threw you out, he took down every picture and every reminder of you. He told me I no longer had a brother. I was mad at him and told him I would always have a brother. He slapped me." Clay turned to look at his younger brother.
"I'm sorry, Mar. I didn't mean to ruin your family, too."
"You didn't, Clay. Don't you understand? It would have happened anyway, sometime. Think back; think about both of us. It never mattered what we tried or did. We could never satisfy him. I think he was looking for an excuse to get rid of one or both of us."
"But, why, Mar? Why would he want to do that? Why did he hate me so much?" The sound of Clay's voice expressed his utter confusion and loss, not understanding why his father could hate him so much.
"Because he was afraid," Mary stated the answer without emotion. She had been standing close by and overheard the boys. The unexpected sound of her voice startled both boys. "Boys, you need to understand that for your father, he was afraid that he would fail you. His father always wanted him to go to college, to be somebody. His father couldn't afford to send him; he felt that he had failed his only son. Your father was the same way. It had nothing to do with anything either of you did. It was his weakness, his fault. It was easier for your father to find a fault and blame you than it was for him to accept the responsibility of being a father and possibly failing. In the end he failed at everything." Mary approached her oldest son. She wrapped her arms around him and lay his head on her shoulder before she continued.
"That night he and I argued. I told him what I just told you. When I went to bed that night, I closed the door and locked it. We never shared a bed from that night to this. Don't misunderstand me. There was a day when I thought your father was the greatest man on this earth. That's why I married him. He gave me two beautiful boys; no woman could ask for more. As a mother I will ask for more and I will get it. My boys will be cared for and will have an education."
"Mama, I don't want to cause you trouble. Maybe, if I'm not here you and Dad will . .you know . .maybe you will be able to . ."
"Clay, no. There will be no maybe's, what ifs, or anything else. What has happened did because it was meant to be. There is just one thing I want each of you to understand. He is your father whether you agree with him or not. Regardless of what he says or does, you show him respect. If there is to be any trouble, let it be on his shoulders, not yours. Do you understand?"
"Yes ma'am." Came the answer from two tired voices.
"Clay, have you looked in your room yet?"
Clay had not seen his room. More correctly, he had not seen the room that he and Marich had shared since the time they were very young. He always thought it was strange that his parents had a four bedroom house, but he couldn't have his own room. One of the bedrooms was a guestroom, and the other his father used as an office. As a boy approaching young manhood, he felt that he should be allowed some privacy and not always have his brother watching him or spying on what he did. The worst part was always when his parents would ask him why he needed so much privacy. How does a teenage boy explain to his parents what a hormone driven teenage boy likes to do in his room?
When Clay entered the bedroom he was surprised to see that it was exactly as he remembered leaving it. His things were semi-organized with a few items strewn about. The t-shirt he had worn to school that day still hung over the corner of his desk chair. His papers still lay on top of his desk. He turned and looked at his mom who just smiled and gave him the look that could only be interpreted as 'welcome home'.
"We didn't move anything. When your father started to come in here, I blocked the door. He was not going to wipe out my memories of my first son. Marich has kept the room clean. I watched him as he would pick something up to clean it and then place it back in the same exact spot. Marich always said that you'd be back one day." Marich blushed.
"It's just how I remember it. It's just like I left for school this morning and just got back." As they left the room, Marich leaned into his brother and whispered.
"It's not exactly the same. I found some of your toys and reading stuff. Nice." Clay turned and looked at his brother, surprised.
Clay spent the first couple of days visiting with his mother and brother, getting accustomed to being home again. Mary had always let her boys run free at home if they wanted to. It wasn't unusual for them to be running through the yard playing some kid's game and suddenly decide it was hot and jump in the pool. She was never surprised to look out the window and discover that some of the other neighborhood kids would show up and the next thing she knew she was preparing afternoon snacks for half the neighborhood boys. Most of the parents had the same attitude about letting their boys run free, so if one came over and suddenly appeared naked, usually dripping pool water on her floor, it meant nothing. She noticed more when one of the boys wasn't naked.
Sunday afternoon, things appeared to be returning to normal around her home. Clay and Marich were in the pool and she soon heard other voices, all familiar. Around mid- afternoon she looked out the window and counted five boys in the pool. Her sons were close enough in age that they shared some of the same friends and often the friends were brothers, also. While she prepared a snack tray for the boys, she heard the harsh voice and words of familiar trouble.
"You faggot! I threw you out of here once and told you to never come back! What are you doing here?"
Clay's father was screaming at Clay. Clay was on the cool-deck, backing away from his father and keeping himself in front of Marich who appeared frightened. Mary saw the other three boys and realized they were frightened to the point of not knowing what to do. Mary rushed out of the house and stood in front of her two sons.
"Why are here? The court said you must call me and get permission to come here. You will not threaten my son and you will not call him names! Look at the number I have punched into this phone. Do you leave or do I call the police?"
"He's a faggot! He will not be around Marich! Marich is my son, too!" As Clay's father yelled he made a threatening move towards the boy.
"Enough! The phone is ringing; the police will come. You touch either one of the boys and I will personally swear out the warrant to have you arrested. Tomorrow, the attorney will file the papers so you may not come near this house, me, or either of the boys regardless of where we are. Leave. Now!!"
The boys' father did not say anymore. The hatred shown in his eyes and was directed equally at Clay and Mary.
"Listen to me very carefully. Once, you threw Clay out and I wasn't strong enough to stand up to you. Clay suffered because of your prejudice and stupidity. Clay suffered because his mother did not stand up and protect her child. No more! Hear me good. NO MORE!! Go live elsewhere with your ignorance. I tried to be good to you and let you visit with Marich. From now on, you will not visit with either of the boys unless someone is with them. Do you understand what I am telling you? No more ignorance. No more anger to my sons. No more blaming them for your failures. You say Clay is no longer your son. That is good for Clay. Now leave!" As Mary finished they saw flashing lights approaching. Clay and Marich watched their father walk off; neither boy could shed a tear.
When Mary finished talking to the police, she returned to the pool area and found the boys huddled on two of the chaise loungers. She knew the episode had been unpleasant and unnerving to all of the boys. Forcing herself to smile, she approached the boys.
"Now, I want to see everyone smiling and having a good time, okay? I was preparing a snack for all of you but suppose we do something different. How about I take all of you out to eat and then, maybe, a movie?" Mary was a mother, she knew how to change a child's disposition almost instantly.
"Where we gonna eat? Can we see the new Die hard movie?" Marich picked up on the offer immediately.
"Die Hard movie? What is it rated?" Mary gave her younger son a suspicious look.
"I'm not sure, 'R' maybe? But, it's not a bad 'R'. Mom, please?" Marich was now using his pleading, trying to be innocent, look. It didn't work.
"No 'R' movies. Look in the paper and find a 'PG'. We'll eat wherever you want to go. The boys need to call home and get permission." Three naked boys darted for the phone. "And all of you have to get dressed." Mary concluded with a laugh. Clay followed his mother inside.
"Mom?" Clay felt guilty for what had happened and didn't want to cause trouble for anyone.
"Yes, baby," Mary turned to look at her son and knew immediately what he was thinking. "It wasn't your fault, baby. Stop thinking like this, you must. He wasn't supposed to be anywhere near here and the fact that he was just tells us he has been snooping around, spying, looking for something to use as an excuse to cause trouble."
"But, Mom, you and Marich, I just . . ." Mary cut her son off.
"No. It wasn't your fault. Do not put this on yourself. He did it. It was his fault. You know I'm proud of the way you handled it, don't you?" Clay gave his mother a puzzled look. "I'm proud of the way you stood in front of your brother to protect him. I knew you were frightened, too, but you stood there and protected Marich. That proves that my boy has a good heart." Mary gave her son a hug and a kiss.
"Now, you go there with the other boys and make sure they call their parents. Then all of you need to find out what time the movie starts. Do you think the boys' will mind if your mama goes along? Now, go, get out, go." Clay gave his mother a hug and ran out of the house feeling lighter and better than he had in a long time.
Tuesday evening, Daniel sat in his office feeling exhausted. He never realized that reuniting families would take so much out of him. The seventh boy had just left for home with his parents. So far, all of the parents claimed to have been able to pay the debt that was the root of the evil, or make arrangements to get it paid within a very short time frame. For most of them, it was only a matter of arranging for a second mortgage on their home. For others, family members contributed whatever amount was needed. As Daniel sat with his forehead resting in the palm of his hands Paul stuck his head in the door to let him know the Captain was on the phone.
"Captain, this is a rather unusual time for you to be calling isn't it?"
"Daniel, I don't think you have any room to make comments on working hours. You know how it is, we do what we have to do when it happens. For some reason, criminals don't break the law within the normal working day. Besides, I have some news on a couple of items I thought you might be interested in."
"Oh? And what might those be?"
"Why don't we start with Grandpa Smith?" The Captain definitely had Daniel's attention at this point. "We did a background check and found that Grandpa didn't exist until about eighteen months ago. Do I have your undivided attention now?"
"Absolutely. Please keep going. Any idea who he was before he became Grandpa Smith?"
"No, and we can't get the information either. When we started snooping into his background we received a couple of visitors. They were federal agents. In what they perceived to be a nice manner, we were told to let it go. Of course, as soon as they told us to let it go, that was the last thing I planned on. Unfortunately, I kept hitting dead ends."
"I called a couple of friends from the early days. They're both working for the feds now. When I first spoke to them they were very cooperative and enthusiastic to help out an old buddy. They called me back a couple of hours later and very politely told me they couldn't help me. When I asked if they 'couldn't' or 'wouldn't' they weren't too happy. I had to apologize for the implications of my question and then explained why I was so interested in the gentleman. Again, they called me back in a couple of hours."
"Better news this time, I hope?" Daniel asked.
"Well, I think it was better, and I also think it's all we're going to get at this time. It seems Grandpa was somehow tied into the feds and worked overseas."
"That ties in to some things he told me. He told me he worked in Africa. He was around some of those cultures where they will more or less indenture their children in exchange for the children to have a better opportunity for a better life. He told me he was a caretaker and the two boys he helped wound up being doctors. He also helped several others. That's all I really know."
"That ties to what I was told, Daniel. They also told m that I could assure you that he was a good man and wouldn't hurt the children for anything. They did tell me he is gay and enjoys giving pleasure to others. Daniel, it sounded as though they were trying to vouch for his personal character. The nurse you told me was always with him? His history is about the same and he works exclusively for Grandpa Smith. We did determine that he has a pretty good income. We don't know where it's coming from for certain, but it appears to be legitimate and fairly substantial."
"All this cloak and dagger stuff could drive me crazy." Daniel stated more to express his frustration than anything else. "Almost sounds like this man is in a witness protection or other government protection program. But, you say your sources did say he didn't have a shady character when it comes to the kids?"
"That's right. They admit that he's gay, but there's never been anything to give cause to worry. If anything, he has a tendency to protect the children."
Captain, you said you had a couple of items?"
"Yes, and I think you'll really like this one. Remember you had asked me to check into the father of Brian, Evan, Randy and Josh and the twins? Well, it took a little extra persuasion, but if you'll recall, we were able to get several statements from associates. Seems the father has a big mouth. He couldn't help but brag about ripping the boys off, or at least the estate. I turned everything over to the prosecutor's office and they feel we have enough to bring charges. We think we have enough here to really put the squeeze on him and help the boys."
"Excellent. Any idea how much of the money is left or if he was successful in investing the money?"
"We're still running the numbers, but we think he's managed to hide some of it. One of the things I wanted to talk to you about is the strategy to make him hand over everything. I think we might have a good shot at bluffing our way through some of this. Particularly if we pick him up and leave him in a certain area for a couple of days before interrogating him. Daniel, this is the big question, do you want him to have to face the boys?"
"I'm leaving that up to the boys. One part of me says to let them face him and say anything they want. Maybe it would help filter out some of the bitterness they seem to hold. Another part of me says they've started a new life and should just keep going. I think the choice needs to be made by the boys. When do you plan on picking him up?"
"Any time now. At the moment I'm trying to coordinate things so it fits your schedule the best." The Captain was really making an effort to do what was best for the boys.
"Captain, I'll talk to the boys and let them know what's happening. They really need to decide if they want to face. Personally, I think it might do them good to vent some of their anger towards him. We're scheduled to serve lunch at the senior center Wednesday of next week, do you think we might have numbers then?"
"I'll put a call in and let the accountants know we have to have a rough set of numbers no later than Monday. We can pick him up then and let him sweat it out a little until Wednesday. Will that work for you, Daniel?"
"Excellent. That should give the boys time to decide what they want to do."
As Daniel spoke on the phone, Richard and Jamie stepped into Daniel's office. Both young men were excited. They put a note in front of Daniel letting him know they had located the families for two more boys. The families wanted to come tonight or tomorrow to get their sons.
"Captain, remember I said we had found the families for seven of the boys. Make that nine. If you would, give me a call when you have the rough set of numbers and I'll have a talk with the boys. I'll need to set up conservatorships for them also."
Daniel ended his call and just looked at the two young college volunteers as they all exchanged huge smiles.
"Fellas, you've been doing a great job. Maybe I need to talk to my dad and arrange to keep you two on here for a while. I'd love to try and track down the families of some of these other boys. Why are you guys having more luck than the authorities?" At first, the boys just shrugged their shoulders.
"Daniel, the authorities don't have the time and resources we're using. A lot of people don't realize how much work goes into locating some of these people. We do have to go back to the university, but if you don't mind, Daniel, we could keep working from there and try to locate more families after we get back."
"Boys, there's a lot of families that would forever be in your debt. Now, for these two boys, how far away are they?"
"One family is less than an hour away." Jamie stated. "The other family's about three hours away. Their phone numbers are on the slips if you want to call them.
Less than two hours later Daniel entered the dorm and found eight year old David. He asked the boy if he would go for a walk with him so they could talk a little. David held Daniel's hand and watched the ground as they walked. Half way across the commons Daniel stopped and kneeled down next to the boy. David looked at Daniel, puzzled. Daniel turned his head and pointed towards the office. David stood still for a moment, frozen, and then ran to his parents. Another boy was headed home.
End Ch Fifty-Five