Adventures in Teal Cove

Evans residence
Late Afternoon
Sunday, June 28, 1982

Marie was already in a foul mood when the phone rang. The police department had called her that morning with an update on her car. The good news; it had been recovered. The bad news; it had been completely stripped and any possessions that had been left inside when it came up missing were gone. To make matters worse, some boaters had spotted it with several other vehicles submerged at the bottom of Cedar Lake. It had been underwater for several days and aside from her custom vanity plates the thieves had failed to remove, the car was a total loss. The police department told her that if she wanted her license plates that she could pick them up at the station. Sadly, that would be the only keep-sake of her sweet-sixteen present.

To make matters worse, she had had a huge fight with her parents. Knowing the car was completely ruined and she needed a new one, Marie had of course demanded her parents take her to the dealership immediately so that she could pick out a brand new one. However, her father had been adamant that they wait until the insurance settlement came in and that wouldn't even begin now until Monday and might take several weeks to process before they got the check. Her father also wanted her to think about what kind of car she would like before just making an impulse buy. As a result, Marie had thrown a screaming hissy fit and locked herself in the bedroom for the rest of the day pouting.

When the phone rang, Marie had cried herself out. Now she was just angry and in a foul mood. She was further annoyed when her mother informed her that she had a phone call and was unable to tell her who the caller was. All she knew was it was "some boy" and it wasn't Pete and insisted that what he was calling about was "very important."

Curious and hopeful that the mystery caller might have some kind of good news about the situation regarding the recovery of the car or some information about who was responsible, Marie finally emerged from her room, snatched the receiver, and made her way into the living room. The kitchen phone cord was exceptionally long and easily stretched all the way to the couch. Marie flopped down on the sofa, and stretched out across it, shoving the family's Maltese out of the way. The little dog landed on its legs on the floor. Looking at Marie indignantly, the tiny dog immediately jumped back up on the arm of the couch and found a spot to reclaim beside Marie near her legs.

"What," Marie hissed into the phone. She had her hand over the mouthpiece until she was situated and comfortable. She rolled her eyes in annoyance as soon as she realized it was Jerry Hardy. She'd completely put him and his task out of her mind. Jerry excitedly began to bombard her with a rambling summary of his weekend, jumping all over the place in the story.

"Whoa," Marie said, obviously annoyed. "Start at the beginning and tell me in order."

There was a pause, followed by some uh-huhs.

"A game? Yeah, I already know about the shit with Sharon. What does that have to do with... okay, yeah I know about that... it was part of a game of theirs? What? They kidnapped Starla? I don't follow... so they were playing some kind of stupid game when they found her? Why would they be digging through a trash bin at a restaurant? Scavenger hunt? You should have asked more about that... okay, yeah... so there's more."

Marie listened for a good minute or two before she spoke again. "YOU WERE ON THE BOAT WHEN THEY FOUND IT YESTERDAY AND DIDN'T THINK I NEEDED TO KNOW IMMEDIATELY," She yelled, her eyes getting wide. The little dog put it's head up as Marie sat upright. "And you didn't think that... 1) I didn't need to know my car was at the bottom of the lake IMMEDIATELY and 2) THEY were the ones that found it?"

Jerry rambled some more, only further annoying Marie. "Okay, whatever. You should have called me the minute you got off the boat," Marie scolded. "What else, and this better be good. I can't imagine what the fuck is bigger than finding my car at the bottom of the lake. The cops called this morning by the way... but anyway... get on with it!"

There was another pause as Marie's jaw dropped and her eyes got wide again. "Dungeons and Dragons? That devil worship game that nerdy people play where they summon demons and shit? You play that too? That's what they are doing over there? They are a fucking Satanic Cult and Starla and Tabitha are in it? No, I don't need you to explain how the fucking game works... I really don't care... God damn it Jerry! Focus! For Christ Sake... unless they drank goats blood I don't need the gory details of whatever went on there... Okay, so Starla and Tabitha are playing in a band that does heavy metal music and they are playing a satanic game... this chick they are hanging with is living with this guy, they aren't married, she shows up randomly from across the country, she just happens to be there with her camera when my car gets boosted, then the next week she happens to find Sharon McLeod tied up after she was robbed and stuffed totally naked in a dumpster at a restaurant while she and her dorky friends including two of MY girls are there with her, THEN by some fucking huge other coincidence, these people are on a boat that once again happens to conveniently go to just the right spot on a giant lake and casually look down and see my car underwater and to cap off the weekend, they are in a fucking cult with an older guy. Holy. Fucking. Shit."

There was a pause as Jerry spoke again before Marie cut him off. "Okay, anything else? Great. Yes. Thank you. Yeah, you did great Jerry... except the shit about not telling me immediately about my car... uh huh, okay, I have calls to make..."

There was another pause as the head cheerleader rolled her eyes again. "What? Payment? What the hell do you... oh. Yeah. Dori... Uh, yeah... Mmmmm, she's really busy this week... I dunno... Okay... CHILL OUT. Take a pill! Yeah, okay... uh, I dunno, maybe we can set you up next week on the 4th. We'll all be up at the club watching the big fireworks show. Maybe a double date with Pete. Okay, I'll get back to you..."

Marie hopped up off the couch and ran around the corner to where the phone was mounted on the wall. Jerry was now going off about the promised date with her best friend Doreen Rogers, the payment for gathering this information.

"Okay, I'll get back to you. Gotta go," Marie slammed the phone receiver on the hook before quickly removing it again and dialing Doreen's number.

"Dori, get your ass over here! You are NOT going to believe this shit," Marie said the minute Doreen answered the phone. "I need to call Felicia! Just come over NOW! It's an emergency!"

By the time Doreen arrived, Felicia was already at Marie's house. The pair was sitting in Marie's bedroom and she was excitedly going very something with her as she was speaking loudly and quickly. Doreen couldn't make out what was being said, though since the door was closed.

Whe she entered, Marie stopped mid-sentence. She was flopped across her bed and Felicia was sitting on a beanbag chair in the corner listening to whatever Marie had been ranting about.

"Oh my God, Dori," Marie said before the brunette had the chance to ask what was going on. "So scary-Jerry got the dirt and you are NOT going to believe what Starla and Tabitha have been involved in. It's worse than anything we could have imagined! They are in a fucking Satanic cult over at that guy's house!"

*tag Doreen*

"Not only that," Felicia chimed in. "But I think that Shelley girl has to be behind everything going on! They found Marie's car at the bottom of the lake yesterday and she just once again happened to be right there! Just like she was when Marie's car got stolen and they happened to be the ones that rescued Sharon when she got jumped. I think she's doing it all to get a job at the paper."

*tag Doreen*

"Dori, get your ass over here! You are NOT going to believe this shit," Marie said the minute Doreen answered the phone. "I need to call Felicia! Just come over NOW! It's an emergency!"

By the time Doreen arrived, Felicia was already at Marie's house. The pair was sitting in Marie's bedroom and she was excitedly going over something with her as she was speaking loudly and quickly. Doreen couldn't make out what was being said, though since the door was closed.

When she entered, Marie stopped mid-sentence. She was flopped across her bed and Felicia was sitting on a beanbag chair in the corner listening to whatever Marie had been ranting about.

"Oh my God, Dori," Marie said before the brunette had the chance to ask what was going on. "So scary-Jerry got the dirt and you are NOT going to believe what Starla and Tabitha have been involved in. It's worse than anything we could have imagined! They are in a fucking Satanic cult over at that guy's house!"

“They’re…” Doreen stood there speechless for a moment, trying to make sense of what Marie was saying. Once it sunk in, Doreen’s first thought was, ‘what the hell kind of lies has that idiot been telling Marie?’ But she didn’t say that. Whatever he had told her, it was clear Marie’d bought it hook, line, and sinker.

Doreen didn’t believe it, of course. That day at the country club, when Marie had sent him on this mission, Doreen had thought Marie was underestimating Jerry’s intelligence, and it had occurred to her that if Jerry figured out Marie was manipulating him, he might turn on them and maybe even feed them disinformation. Even if Jerry didn’t do that, Doreen understood that Jerry was motivated to win a date with her, and he could do so by pleasing Marie with the information he obtained. She figured Jerry would be willing to embellish things a bit to make his information more interesting. But if he’d gone so far as to claim Starla and Tabitha were part of a Satanic cult, he’d gone way over the top, and Doreen had to wonder if she herself had overestimated him.

But apparently she hadn’t, because whatever he’d said to her, Marie seemed to believe it wholeheartedly. Doreen understood that, at this point, it would be a mistake to point out that Jerry might be full of shit. If she convinced Marie that Jerry was lying, Marie would lose face for having believed his lies, and would resent her for it. If she didn’t convince her, Marie might see it as a challenge. No, best to go along with Marie on this. Besides, if Marie ended up making a big enough fool of herself on this, Doreen stood a chance of usurping Marie’s spot at the top of the pecking order.

“I’m sorry, they’re WHAT?” she ended up saying.

"Not only that," Felicia chimed in. "But I think that Shelley girl has to be behind everything going on! They found Marie's car at the bottom of the lake yesterday and she just once again happened to be right there! Just like she was when Marie's car got stolen and they happened to be the ones that rescued Sharon when she got jumped. I think she's doing it all to get a job at the paper."

Doreen started to get excited when she heard the words “They found Marie’s car”, but when she heard the “at the bottom of the lake” part, it killed the excitement. She put a concerned and sympathetic expression on her face and glanced at Marie before returning her attention to Felicia. She listened as Felicia’s related her suspicions of that Shelley girl, but she had doubts about that too. She herself had seen Shelley at the pageant taking pictures of Marie, Starla, and the others when the Camaro was stolen. Tabitha had been in the audience watching the pageant at the time, as were those nerd band mates of hers and that dorky guy Shelley apparently lived with. So who else did Shelley know here in town that could have pulled off the car theft for her? More likely this was just Felicia casting aspersions because she was jealous of Shelley, who was apparently making Felicia look bad at the newspaper. But again, whatever she herself believed, she knew she needed to take Felicia’s side. “Oh, yeah, you’re probably right about that. It does seem like this stuff started happening about the time she showed up.”

Now that she thought about it, it did seem like Shelley had had some awfully good luck being at the sites of newsworthy events. Maybe Felicia had a good point after all. But if so, Shelley would have needed help. She and those dorks she hung out with didn’t steal the Camaro, but maybe Shelley had someone else helping her. Maybe the same helpers who’d stolen the Camaro had been the ones to kidnap Sharon and leave her where Shelley and her friends could find her. But who could they be?

“Wait, are you saying that Shelley girl was there when they found Marie’s car?” Doreen asked. She hadn’t heard that part of the story yet. “Y’all are gonna have to tell me everything. You should probably start with what you found out from Jerry.”

"Dori, get your ass over here! You are NOT going to believe this shit," Marie said the minute Doreen answered the phone. "I need to call Felicia! Just come over NOW! It's an emergency!"

By the time Doreen arrived, Felicia was already at Marie's house. The pair was sitting in Marie's bedroom and she was excitedly going over something with her as she was speaking loudly and quickly. Doreen couldn't make out what was being said, though since the door was closed.

When she entered, Marie stopped mid-sentence. She was flopped across her bed and Felicia was sitting on a beanbag chair in the corner listening to whatever Marie had been ranting about.

"Oh my God, Dori," Marie said before the brunette had the chance to ask what was going on. "So scary-Jerry got the dirt and you are NOT going to believe what Starla and Tabitha have been involved in. It's worse than anything we could have imagined! They are in a fucking Satanic cult over at that guy's house!"

“They’re…” Doreen stood there speechless for a moment, trying to make sense of what Marie was saying. Once it sunk in, Doreen’s first thought was, ‘what the hell kind of lies has that idiot been telling Marie?’ But she didn’t say that. Whatever he had told her, it was clear Marie’d bought it hook, line, and sinker.

Doreen didn’t believe it, of course. That day at the country club, when Marie had sent him on this mission, Doreen had thought Marie was underestimating Jerry’s intelligence, and it had occurred to her that if Jerry figured out Marie was manipulating him, he might turn on them and maybe even feed them disinformation. Even if Jerry didn’t do that, Doreen understood that Jerry was motivated to win a date with her, and he could do so by pleasing Marie with the information he obtained. She figured Jerry would be willing to embellish things a bit to make his information more interesting. But if he’d gone so far as to claim Starla and Tabitha were part of a Satanic cult, he’d gone way over the top, and Doreen had to wonder if she herself had overestimated him.

But apparently she hadn’t, because whatever he’d said to her, Marie seemed to believe it wholeheartedly. Doreen understood that, at this point, it would be a mistake to point out that Jerry might be full of shit. If she convinced Marie that Jerry was lying, Marie would lose face for having believed his lies, and would resent her for it. If she didn’t convince her, Marie might see it as a challenge. No, best to go along with Marie on this. Besides, if Marie ended up making a big enough fool of herself on this, Doreen stood a chance of usurping Marie’s spot at the top of the pecking order.

“I’m sorry, they’re WHAT?” she ended up saying.

"Not only that," Felicia chimed in. "But I think that Shelley girl has to be behind everything going on! They found Marie's car at the bottom of the lake yesterday and she just once again happened to be right there! Just like she was when Marie's car got stolen and they happened to be the ones that rescued Sharon when she got jumped. I think she's doing it all to get a job at the paper."

Doreen started to get excited when she heard the words “They found Marie’s car”, but when she heard the “at the bottom of the lake” part, it killed the excitement. She put a concerned and sympathetic expression on her face and glanced at Marie before returning her attention to Felicia. She listened as Felicia’s related her suspicions of that Shelley girl, but she had doubts about that too. She herself had seen Shelley at the pageant taking pictures of Marie, Starla, and the others when the Camaro was stolen. Tabitha had been in the audience watching the pageant at the time, as were those nerd band mates of hers and that dorky guy Shelley apparently lived with. So who else did Shelley know here in town that could have pulled off the car theft for her? More likely this was just Felicia casting aspersions because she was jealous of Shelley, who was apparently making Felicia look bad at the newspaper. But again, whatever she herself believed, she knew she needed to take Felicia’s side. “Oh, yeah, you’re probably right about that. It does seem like this stuff started happening about the time she showed up.”

Now that she thought about it, it did seem like Shelley had had some awfully good luck being at the sites of newsworthy events. Maybe Felicia had a good point after all. But if so, Shelley would have needed help. She and those dorks she hung out with didn’t steal the Camaro, but maybe Shelley had someone else helping her. Maybe the same helpers who’d stolen the Camaro had been the ones to kidnap Sharon and leave her where Shelley and her friends could find her. But who could they be?

“Wait, are you saying that Shelley girl was there when they found Marie’s car?” Doreen asked. She hadn’t heard that part of the story yet. “Y’all are gonna have to tell me everything. You should probably start with what you found out from Jerry.”

"Okay," Marie began. "So get this... there was some reading between the lines, but because, ya know, I've got..." She paused and tapped the side of her head with her index finger. "I pieced some shit together. So, first of all Friday night and Sharon. Those dorks were playing some kind of a weird game when they conveniently found Sharon tied up the dumpster behind Chuck E. Cheese. The old guy and one of the other dorks works there."

Marie sat up and shifted on the bed. Doreen was still standing in the doorway. Marie pointed to the corner of the bed so Doreen could take a seat.

*Tag Doreen*

"Anyway, something about they kidnapped Starla, don't ask me what that was about but as that ended they found Sharon in a dumpster wrapped up in duct tape. More on that in a moment. Anyway, Saturday, one of them owns a boat. Not a nice one like ours mind you, but one of those kinds that redneck people go fishing in. They all went out on the lake with Jerry and this is where it gets interesting."

Marie paused for dramatic effect waiting for Doreen to inquire what happened next.

*Tag Doreen*

"So, whatever they did wasn't all that important except they just happened to find MY car and a few others underwater at the backside of the lake," Marie continued. She went on to tell all she had learned from Jerry.

*Tag Doreen*

"Oh, it gets better Dori. Now we're to Sunday... and we get to what is REALLY going on with that guy. They are playing Dungeons and Dragons! This guy is one of those cult leader people... there is a word for that. Uh, Dungeon Master? So Starla and Tabitha are in a Satanic Cult lead by this guy which explains why they are in a heavy metal band. I thought they were just hanging out with dorks, but it's much deeper than that!"

*Tag Doreen*

"But here's the thing, not only are Starla and Tabitha hanging out with the wrong people, they are in real danger! But here is the other thing that bothers me. That Shelley girl... she shows up, no one has ever heard of her before. She moves in with a creepy older guy that is clearly into Satanism. First sighting, pageant. Not only do I lose but Sharon takes MY crown. My car comes up missing. Next weekend, Sharon ends up robbed and abducted. She's found in a dumpster BY THEM following some kind of bizarre game, or should I say initiation? Not only are they the big heroes, but our little reporter happens to have her camera with her."

Marie paused as her eyes drifted to Felicia who didn't say anything but looked pissed.

"Then, a day later they just accidentally find my car and some of the others at the lake," Marie said hopping off the bed as she moved around the room. She resembled Perry Mason going over the evidence in the final minutes of the show before proving his client innocent and turning the tables on the person making the accusations and proving that they were in fact the one behind the caper.

"Once again, that Shelley chick is right there to get the scoop," Marie concluded. "Now I ask you, Dori. You're a smart girl. What can you conclude from all of this?"

Marie stopped just in front of the other girl and bent down slightly to make eye contact. She was just inches from Doreen's face now.

*Tag Doreen*

"Okay," Marie began. "So get this... there was some reading between the lines, but because, ya know, I've got..." She paused and tapped the side of her head with her index finger. "I pieced some shit together. So, first of all Friday night and Sharon. Those dorks were playing some kind of a weird game when they conveniently found Sharon tied up the dumpster behind Chuck E. Cheese. The old guy and one of the other dorks works there."

Marie sat up and shifted on the bed. Doreen was still standing in the doorway. Marie pointed to the corner of the bed so Doreen could take a seat.

“Some kind of weird game?” asked Doreen, her bewilderment showing on her face. “While they were supposed to be working?” At Marie’s unspoken invitation she came over and took a seat on the side of the bed. “What kind of weird game are we talking about?”

"Anyway, something about they kidnapped Starla, don't ask me what that was about but as that ended they found Sharon in a dumpster wrapped up in duct tape. More on that in a moment. Anyway, Saturday, one of them owns a boat. Not a nice one like ours mind you, but one of those kinds that redneck people go fishing in. They all went out on the lake with Jerry and this is where it gets interesting."

Marie paused for dramatic effect waiting for Doreen to inquire what happened next.

Doreen smirked at Marie’s comment about the kind of boat rednecks used for fishing. But she was confused about one of Marie’s other remarks. She’d said something about Starla being kidnapped, but the kidnap victim had been Sharon. Had Marie just misspoken? Or was she saying both Starla and Sharon had been kidnapped? Sharon being found tied up in a dumpster was the only kidnapping she’d heard about. It occurred to her that this might be more embellishment by Jerry. Doreen wanted to ask more about that, but it would have to wait until Marie came back around to it after this fish tale she was launching into now.

“Okay, you have my curiosity piqued. What happened on the lake?” Doreen assumed this was going to have something to do with Marie’s car, since Felicia’d already mentioned it had been found in the lake, and that Shelley had been there.

"So, whatever they did wasn't all that important except they just happened to find MY car and a few others underwater at the backside of the lake," Marie continued. She went on to tell all she had learned from Jerry.

“Um, okay,” she said after Marie had told her what she knew about the discovery of the stolen cars. Doreen didn’t mention it to Marie, but she knew Shelley, that guy she hung out with, and the others with Jerry on the boat hadn’t been directly involved in the theft of Marie’s car, because she’d seen them all at the pageant when the theft was happening. That didn’t necessarily mean they didn’t know anything about it; it was possibly they could have known whoever the actual culprits were. Maybe they knew where to go to make the discovery because the real thieves had told them. She had to wonder why the real thieves would give them that information, but she supposed if they were close enough buddies with Shelley, they might have told her so she could make it big with the newspaper.

"Oh, it gets better Dori. Now we're to Sunday... and we get to what is REALLY going on with that guy. They are playing Dungeons and Dragons! This guy is one of those cult leader people... there is a word for that. Uh, Dungeon Master? So Starla and Tabitha are in a Satanic Cult lead by this guy which explains why they are in a heavy metal band. I thought they were just hanging out with dorks, but it's much deeper than that!"

“A cult leader? You mean like that Jim Jones guy?” Doreen asked. She’d heard of Dungeons and Dragons, but didn’t really know anything about it, other than that it was a game played by nerds. She’d also heard it was Satanic in nature, but she wasn’t sure playing automatically meant you were part of a cult. A lot of those heavy metal bands used Satanic imagery too, but she figured that was mostly just for shock value and PR. Rebellious teens liked that kind of stuff because the grown-ups got upset about it.

Regardless, it wasn’t something cheerleaders ought to be involved in. It could definitely damage the squad’s reputation if it got out. People would be calling them “Satan’s Cheerleaders” after that stupid horror/comedy movie from a few years ago. Of course, that was assuming Jerry wasn’t making it all up in the first place, of which Doreen wasn’t convinced.

"But here's the thing, not only are Starla and Tabitha hanging out with the wrong people, they are in real danger! But here is the other thing that bothers me. That Shelley girl... she shows up, no one has ever heard of her before. She moves in with a creepy older guy that is clearly into Satanism. First sighting, pageant. Not only do I lose but Sharon takes MY crown. My car comes up missing. Next weekend, Sharon ends up robbed and abducted. She's found in a dumpster BY THEM following some kind of bizarre game, or should I say initiation? Not only are they the big heroes, but our little reporter happens to have her camera with her."

Marie paused as her eyes drifted to Felicia who didn't say anything but looked pissed.

"Then, a day later they just accidentally find my car and some of the others at the lake," Marie said hopping off the bed as she moved around the room. She resembled Perry Mason going over the evidence in the final minutes of the show before proving his client innocent and turning the tables on the person making the accusations and proving that they were in fact the one behind the caper.

"Once again, that Shelley chick is right there to get the scoop," Marie concluded. "Now I ask you, Dori. You're a smart girl. What can you conclude from all of this?"

Marie stopped just in front of the other girl and bent down slightly to make eye contact. She was just inches from Doreen's face now.

Doreen fought the temptation to make a snarky remark, like “Maybe Shelley’s a demon from hell that they summoned during their Dungeons and Dragons ritual, and she’s here to make our lives miserable.” That wouldn’t go over well, and Marie would think Doreen was making fun of her, which wouldn’t have been untrue, but would definitely be unwise. Instead, she said after a little thought, “Well, it’s not surprising that Shelley would have been at the pageant, since pretty much EVERYBODY in town was there. But it is surprising that she was also there when Sharon was found, and when your car was found, just when she’s trying to get on the newspaper staff. It’s almost like she’s getting some kind of inside information from somebody. Who else does she hang out with? What else do we know about her? Did Jerry tell you where she came from, how long she’s been in town, or anything else about her? Do we even know what her last name is?”

“Also, if Starla and Tabitha are playing Dungeons and Dragons, we clearly need to put a stop to that. It could reflect badly on the squad. How sure is Jerry that that’s what they’re doing? Did he actually play with them? And if so, can we trust him? He might be part of the cult too now. And if he's some kind of Satanist, I ain't going out with him.”

Felicia listened quietly fuming as Doreen and Marie went back and forth. Hearing reminders about how Shelley had been there each time to get the scoop was really grinding her gears.

“Well, it’s not surprising that Shelley would have been at the pageant, since pretty much EVERYBODY in town was there. But it is surprising that she was also there when Sharon was found, and when your car was found, just when she’s trying to get on the newspaper staff. It’s almost like she’s getting some kind of inside information from somebody. Who else does she hang out with? What else do we know about her? Did Jerry tell you where she came from, how long she’s been in town, or anything else about her? Do we even know what her last name is?”

"I know her last name is Higgins and she's from Pennsylvania. That's where the plates on her car are from," Marie replied glancing to Felicia who had gotten those tidbits of information for them already. "But we need to figure a lot of this out. More importantly, we need to figure out what we are going to do about it."

“Also, if Starla and Tabitha are playing Dungeons and Dragons, we clearly need to put a stop to that. It could reflect badly on the squad. How sure is Jerry that that’s what they’re doing? Did he actually play with them? And if so, can we trust him? He might be part of the cult too now. And if he's some kind of Satanist, I ain't going out with him.”

Marie glanced at the clock on her nightstand. It was just before 7 o'clock. "Tell you what, let's discuss this over dinner," Marie suggested. "Shall we head to the club?"

"On a Sunday night? All the golfers are going to have the dining room filled. Not to mention a lot of people bring their families up there," Felicia pointed out. It wasn't that she objected going to the country club, they could get there by 7:30. The problem was that in the summer, the place tended to be pretty packed on a Sunday evening.

"We could always get food at the poolside snack bar," Marie replied. "You know they'll bring whatever they serve in the main dining room down. Besides, it will be just as crowded if we go down to restaurant row on a Sunday."

Felicia glanced to Doreen for a moment.

"Fine, I'll drive I guess," Felicia offered quickly before Doreen had a chance to say anything.

*tag Doreen*

"Great! Let's do this and continue the conversation in the car," Marie said hoping up.

A short while later, the girls were heading towards the country club. Of course Marie rode up front and Doreen had to sit in the backseat. That was probably why Felicia was quick to volunteer to be the driver. Marie spent most of the ride dominating the conversation going over what they had already said and a long rant about her car and how pissed she was about Jerry not telling her about it as soon as he knew what had happened.

"Speaking of," Marie suddenly mentioned, remembering that Doreen had mentioned she wouldn't go on a date with Jerry if he was into Satanism. "He did ask about you Dori. Now, you do have the right to say no and I wouldn't blame you, however, we did kind of make an agreement. I suggested maybe we could do a double date thing with Pete next Sunday while watching fireworks. It did sound like things went south at the end of his little visit with the dorks, so I don't know how much more useful he would be..."

Marie trailed off. The fact that things had ended on a sour note was the first new bit of information that had come up since they left the house and Marie had not elaborated as to what she meant by that.

*tag Doreen*

Felicia had been silently going over things in her mind. "Okay, hold it," She interrupted and glanced in the rearview at the backseat.

"I don't like this Jerry guy," she began. "Something isn't right about him and I don't think we need to be giving him access to Doreen like that, especially if he's mixed up in some of this crazy shit he's claiming they're into. We have no reason to believe this guy. What if he's lying just to get in Doreen's pants?"

*tag Doreen*

"Now hear me out girl," Felicia continued. "Let's put creepy Jerry aside for a moment and assume he doesn't have anything else to offer. So, there are two things we need here. First, you need to get Starla and that new girl...uh what's-her-name... Starla's little, away from those people. I'll let you figure that one out, Marie. You're the team captain. The second thing we need to do is get more dirt on this Shelley chick. Before Doreen even talks to that guy again, we need a little time to verify the facts. This girl is on one hell of a lucky streak... I think she might need a partner to handle all of this news if you catch my drift..."

Felicia paused to see if the other two followed where she was going with this.

*tag Doreen*

"We could always get food at the poolside snack bar," Marie replied. "You know they'll bring whatever they serve in the main dining room down. Besides, it will be just as crowded if we go down to restaurant row on a Sunday."

Felicia glanced to Doreen for a moment.

"Fine, I'll drive I guess," Felicia offered quickly before Doreen had a chance to say anything.

Doreen nodded and said, “Sounds like a plan.” The job of driving was going to fall to either Felicia or herself, since Marie was currently without a car of her own. It wasn’t like Marie was going to borrow the family car. Felicia’s offer to drive meant Doreen would end up riding in the back seat, but she was fine with that; it would give her a chance to think.

"Great! Let's do this and continue the conversation in the car," Marie said hoping up.

A short while later, the girls were heading towards the country club. Of course Marie rode up front and Doreen had to sit in the backseat. That was probably why Felicia was quick to volunteer to be the driver. Marie spent most of the ride dominating the conversation going over what they had already said and a long rant about her car and how pissed she was about Jerry not telling her about it as soon as he knew what had happened.

"Speaking of," Marie suddenly mentioned, remembering that Doreen had mentioned she wouldn't go on a date with Jerry if he was into Satanism. "He did ask about you Dori. Now, you do have the right to say no and I wouldn't blame you, however, we did kind of make an agreement. I suggested maybe we could do a double date thing with Pete next Sunday while watching fireworks. It did sound like things went south at the end of his little visit with the dorks, so I don't know how much more useful he would be..."

Marie trailed off. The fact that things had ended on a sour note was the first new bit of information that had come up since they left the house and Marie had not elaborated as to what she meant by that.

Doreen smiled and said, “That’s fine. If you’re good with it, so am I. That double date idea was a stroke of genius.”

Doreen understood that she was going to have to go on at least one date with Jerry. Although Marie had told her she had the right to refuse, Doreen knew those were just words. She may technically have that right, but Marie was encouraging her to go on a date with Jerry, and that meant she had to go on a date with Jerry; refusal really wasn’t an option.

Doreen had hoped that her comment linking Jerry himself to that Dungeons and Dragons game and Satanism would have damaged Jerry’s credibility in Marie’s mind, and soured Marie on the idea of Jerry dating her. Apparently it had not. From Marie’s description, Doreen was still unclear on whether Jerry had actually played the game himself, or had just witnessed the others playing it (and that was assuming there really had been such a game and Jerry wasn’t just making it all up to impress Marie). Doreen wished that she had heard exactly what Jerry had said to Marie, but unfortunately she was getting the information third-hand. Whatever he had said, Marie had been persuaded enough to allow this date business to proceed.

The date with Jerry may be inevitable at this point, but Marie had thrown her a bone by suggesting that it be in the form of a double date with her and Pete. That would make things a lot easier; it meant she wouldn’t have to be alone with Jerry. If the date took place at the club during the Independence Day celebration, then a lot of other people would be around as well, making it that much harder for Jerry to ‘put the moves on her’. And if Marie was right that Jerry’s usefulness had come to an end, then this date would probably be a one-time thing. Doreen could live with that.

Felicia had been silently going over things in her mind. "Okay, hold it," She interrupted and glanced in the rearview at the backseat.

"I don't like this Jerry guy," she began. "Something isn't right about him and I don't think we need to be giving him access to Doreen like that, especially if he's mixed up in some of this crazy shit he's claiming they're into. We have no reason to believe this guy. What if he's lying just to get in Doreen's pants?"

Doreen raised an eyebrow. It seemed Felicia was connecting the dots in a way Marie hadn’t. As a result, Felicia was making the argument that she herself had been unwilling to make for fear it would damage her standing. A glimmer of hope arose in Doreen that she might get out of this date after all. She decided not to say anything and let Felicia make the argument for her. If Marie decided that Doreen didn’t need to keep that date with Jerry, it was best that Marie think she’d come to that conclusion herself without being pushed to it by Doreen. Though she didn’t speak, she did add a little “hmmm…” sound, trying to give the impression she hadn’t thought of Felicia’s idea before now, but found it interesting.

"Now hear me out girl," Felicia continued. "Let's put creepy Jerry aside for a moment and assume he doesn't have anything else to offer. So, there are two things we need here. First, you need to get Starla and that new girl...uh what's-her-name... Starla's little, away from those people. I'll let you figure that one out, Marie. You're the team captain. The second thing we need to do is get more dirt on this Shelley chick. Before Doreen even talks to that guy again, we need a little time to verify the facts. This girl is on one hell of a lucky streak... I think she might need a partner to handle all of this news if you catch my drift..."

Felicia paused to see if the other two followed where she was going with this.

Doreen suppressed her temptation to groan in frustration when Felicia started shifting the conversation away from Jerry and onto Starla, Tabitha, and Shelley. She needed Marie questioning Jerry’s value and his veracity, not thinking about how to deal with the girls. That was especially true in the case of Shelley. Starla and Tabitha at least were part of the cheerleading squad, or would be in the coming year, so that made them part of Doreen’s concerns. But Doreen had no interest in Shelley, beyond the fact that she was causing problems for Marie and especially for Felicia. Although, now that she thought about it, if Shelley was being a bad influence on Starla and Tabitha, that would give Doreen more of a reason to take a personal interest in her. Shelley’s interference could adversely affect the squad, and Doreen couldn’t allow that.

Despite Doreen’s irritation that Felicia seemed to be moving the topic away from Jerry, it seemed best not to interrupt her, so she continued to listen closely to what Felicia was saying. Doreen’s patience was rewarded when Felicia brought up Jerry again, saying Doreen shouldn’t even talk to him until they could verify the facts. Doreen wanted to cheer at that, but she kept quiet until Felicia was finished talking.

“Ahhh, I think I see what you’re talking about. You want to buddy up with Shelley. Kind of like what Jerry did, but on a professional level, not playing games or doing Satanic rituals with dorks. Maybe if Shelley is involved in all these news events that keep happening, you can find out what she’s doing, or maybe even stop her if she’s doing something nefarious.” Doreen didn’t suggest that Felicia might try to sabotage Shelley’s career even if she wasn’t doing anything nefarious, but she did wonder if something like that was on Felicia’s mind.

*tags*

Felicia had been silently going over things in her mind. "Okay, hold it," She interrupted and glanced in the rearview at the backseat.

"I don't like this Jerry guy," she began. "Something isn't right about him and I don't think we need to be giving him access to Doreen like that, especially if he's mixed up in some of this crazy shit he's claiming they're into. We have no reason to believe this guy. What if he's lying just to get in Doreen's pants?"

Doreen raised an eyebrow. It seemed Felicia was connecting the dots in a way Marie hadn’t. As a result, Felicia was making the argument that she herself had been unwilling to make for fear it would damage her standing. A glimmer of hope arose in Doreen that she might get out of this date after all. She decided not to say anything and let Felicia make the argument for her. If Marie decided that Doreen didn’t need to keep that date with Jerry, it was best that Marie think she’d come to that conclusion herself without being pushed to it by Doreen. Though she didn’t speak, she did add a little “hmmm…” sound, trying to give the impression she hadn’t thought of Felicia’s idea before now, but found it interesting.

"I don't like him either," Marie began, "but..."

"Now hear me out girl," Felicia continued. "Let's put creepy Jerry aside for a moment and assume he doesn't have anything else to offer. So, there are two things we need here. First, you need to get Starla and that new girl...uh what's-her-name... Starla's little, away from those people. I'll let you figure that one out, Marie. You're the team captain. The second thing we need to do is get more dirt on this Shelley chick. Before Doreen even talks to that guy again, we need a little time to verify the facts. This girl is on one hell of a lucky streak... I think she might need a partner to handle all of this news if you catch my drift..."

Felicia paused to see if the other two followed where she was going with this.

"Oh, I get it," Marie quickly replied. She wanted to make sure that Doreen saw that she was on top of her game here. "That's brilliant!" Marie glanced over her shoulder to the backseat to see if Doreen had picked up on what Felicia was proposing.

Doreen suppressed her temptation to groan in frustration when Felicia started shifting the conversation away from Jerry and onto Starla, Tabitha, and Shelley. She needed Marie questioning Jerry’s value and his veracity, not thinking about how to deal with the girls. That was especially true in the case of Shelley. Starla and Tabitha at least were part of the cheerleading squad, or would be in the coming year, so that made them part of Doreen’s concerns. But Doreen had no interest in Shelley, beyond the fact that she was causing problems for Marie and especially for Felicia. Although, now that she thought about it, if Shelley was being a bad influence on Starla and Tabitha, that would give Doreen more of a reason to take a personal interest in her. Shelley’s interference could adversely affect the squad, and Doreen couldn’t allow that.

Despite Doreen’s irritation that Felicia seemed to be moving the topic away from Jerry, it seemed best not to interrupt her, so she continued to listen closely to what Felicia was saying. Doreen’s patience was rewarded when Felicia brought up Jerry again, saying Doreen shouldn’t even talk to him until they could verify the facts. Doreen wanted to cheer at that, but she kept quiet until Felicia was finished talking.

“Ahhh, I think I see what you’re talking about. You want to buddy up with Shelley. Kind of like what Jerry did, but on a professional level, not playing games or doing Satanic rituals with dorks. Maybe if Shelley is involved in all these news events that keep happening, you can find out what she’s doing, or maybe even stop her if she’s doing something nefarious.” Doreen didn’t suggest that Felicia might try to sabotage Shelley’s career even if she wasn’t doing anything nefarious, but she did wonder if something like that was on Felicia’s mind.

"Exactly," Felicia replied nodding.

"That way you can learn more about her, prevent her from staging anything if that's what is going on, and you'll get in on the action, too," Marie said stating the obvious. "I like it!"

*Tag Doreen*

"Now before we get to Starla and Tabitha, let's get back to what we're going to do about Jerry," Marie suggested. "I think maybe I'll have a little talk with Pete regarding our... concerns. He's Jerry's friend after all. Jerry is stupid and will run his mouth so it shouldn't be too hard for Pete to get extra details out of him. I'm sure Pete can take care of that well ahead of next weekend and we'll go from there."

*tag Doreen*

About that time, Felicia turned onto the long driveway that lead to the River Oaks Country Club. The parking lot was relatively full as expected, but the main building with the formal dining room, gym, pool, and lockers wasn't packed. Felicia found a spot a few rows from the main walkway so the girls didn't have to walk all that far. Marie hopped out. Felicia's car was a four door, so Doreen could let herself out.

River Oaks Country Club
June 28, 1982
7:30

Despite the busy Sunday, there wasn't a long wait for a table in the formal dining room. About 10 minutes later, the girls were all seated around a table in the corner. Marie had filled the time by grabbing a copy of the directory and reviewing information about the Baxter and Blackwell families. Once settled, Marie resumed the conversation.

"Where were we," Marie asked after placing her drink order and choosing an appetizer. "Oh yes, Starla and Tabitha. Clearly, they are in the wrong company and are engaging in inappropriate activity not befitting of a cheerleader." Marie paused waiting for the other two to re-affirm what had already been stated numerous times.

*Tags*

"The question," Marie continued. "Is what do we do about it? I'll open the floor for suggestions."

*Tags*

“Ahhh, I think I see what you’re talking about. You want to buddy up with Shelley. Kind of like what Jerry did, but on a professional level, not playing games or doing Satanic rituals with dorks. Maybe if Shelley is involved in all these news events that keep happening, you can find out what she’s doing, or maybe even stop her if she’s doing something nefarious.” Doreen didn’t suggest that Felicia might try to sabotage Shelley’s career even if she wasn’t doing anything nefarious, but she did wonder if something like that was on Felicia’s mind.

"Exactly," Felicia replied nodding.

"That way you can learn more about her, prevent her from staging anything if that's what is going on, and you'll get in on the action, too," Marie said stating the obvious. "I like it!"

“Or let her stage something, but get evidence of it and then expose her,” said Doreen with satisfaction. “That could turn into a big news story on its own, one you’d get credit for.”

"Now before we get to Starla and Tabitha, let's get back to what we're going to do about Jerry," Marie suggested. "I think maybe I'll have a little talk with Pete regarding our... concerns. He's Jerry's friend after all. Jerry is stupid and will run his mouth so it shouldn't be too hard for Pete to get extra details out of him. I'm sure Pete can take care of that well ahead of next weekend and we'll go from there."

Doreen still hadn’t made up her mind about Jerry’s intelligence. He said some pretty dumb things at times, but sometimes Doreen got the feeling he was smarter than he was letting on, or was smart when it came to thinking things through but not when it came to social skills. Lately, her opinion of his intelligence was trending downward. Regardless, she was pretty sure Jerry was smarter than Pete, but of course she wasn’t going to say that in front of Marie. “Tell Pete to make sure he finds out all he can about that game, and specifically Jerry’s involvement in it.” She needed a good excuse to get out of ‘dating’ Jerry, and right now his involvement in Dungeons and Dragons seemed like her best shot.

About that time, Felicia turned onto the long driveway that lead to the River Oaks Country Club. The parking lot was relatively full as expected, but the main building with the formal dining room, gym, pool, and lockers wasn't packed. Felicia found a spot a few rows from the main walkway so the girls didn't have to walk all that far. Marie hopped out. Felicia's car was a four door, so Doreen could let herself out.

River Oaks Country Club
June 28, 1982
7:30

Despite the busy Sunday, there wasn't a long wait for a table in the formal dining room. About 10 minutes later, the girls were all seated around a table in the corner. Marie had filled the time by grabbing a copy of the directory and reviewing information about the Baxter and Blackwell families. Once settled, Marie resumed the conversation.

"Where were we," Marie asked after placing her drink order and choosing an appetizer. "Oh yes, Starla and Tabitha. Clearly, they are in the wrong company and are engaging in inappropriate activity not befitting of a cheerleader." Marie paused waiting for the other two to re-affirm what had already been stated numerous times already.

“If they’re playing Dungeons and Dragons and involved in Satanic rituals, we definitely have to put an end to that, and we need to do so without it becoming public knowledge,” said Doreen. “If it became known, it would disgrace the team. Imagine what the opposing crowds at football games would be shouting at us! Not to mention our moral duty to make sure our members don’t fall into depravity or worse. We could be saving their lives by getting them out of that.”

"The question," Marie continued. "Is what do we do about it? I'll open the floor for suggestions."

“Do their parents even know what they’re up to? As members of the club, I doubt their parents would want knowledge of those kinds of activities getting out, even if they’re willing to let their daughters engage in such things in the first place. It could damage their families’ reputations in the club, and it could reflect badly on the club in general. So I guess in that respect the club is in the same situation in this matter as the cheerleading squad. Maybe someone needs to talk to their parents and let them know there are concerns about who their daughters are hanging out with. It may not even be necessary to bring up the Satanic thing; it might be that if they find out their girls are hanging out with a grown unmarried man who has a live-in girlfriend, they would put a stop to it. And if that turns out not to be enough, maybe then we can bring up the Satanic thing. But if it goes that far, we’d probably need more proof, so we’d need more information from Jerry about that game.”

River Oaks Country Club
June 28, 1982
7:30

Despite the busy Sunday, there wasn't a long wait for a table in the formal dining room. About 10 minutes later, the girls were all seated around a table in the corner. Marie had filled the time by grabbing a copy of the directory and reviewing information about the Baxter and Blackwell families. Once settled, Marie resumed the conversation.

"Where were we," Marie asked after placing her drink order and choosing an appetizer. "Oh yes, Starla and Tabitha. Clearly, they are in the wrong company and are engaging in inappropriate activity not befitting of a cheerleader." Marie paused waiting for the other two to re-affirm what had already been stated numerous times already.

“If they’re playing Dungeons and Dragons and involved in Satanic rituals, we definitely have to put an end to that, and we need to do so without it becoming public knowledge,” said Doreen. “If it became known, it would disgrace the team. Imagine what the opposing crowds at football games would be shouting at us! Not to mention our moral duty to make sure our members don’t fall into depravity or worse. We could be saving their lives by getting them out of that.”

"Whether or not they are in any real danger is questionable," Felicia interjected. "Even if this game involved supposed Satanic worship, it was questionable if it did any real harm." She suspected it was kind of like an Oijua board, probably harmless but not very Christian to be messing with. "Here are the things we need to focus on. You have a group of high school kids hanging out with an older man who has a woman he's not married to living with him. What is he allowing them to do? Are they actin' a fool? Are they drinking? Smoking pot? Are Starla and that hippy guy screwing in the bedroom? That's the kind of shit we need to focus on. If nothing else, like Doreen said, it reflects badly on ya'll and not the way they should behave if they're on the squad. There is a certain image they are required to uphold and that shit ain't cuttin' it. That's a violation of their social contracts. That's part of the rules of the squad."

"The question," Marie continued. "Is what do we do about it? I'll open the floor for suggestions."

“Do their parents even know what they’re up to? As members of the club, I doubt their parents would want knowledge of those kinds of activities getting out, even if they’re willing to let their daughters engage in such things in the first place. It could damage their families’ reputations in the club, and it could reflect badly on the club in general. So I guess in that respect the club is in the same situation in this matter as the cheerleading squad. Maybe someone needs to talk to their parents and let them know there are concerns about who their daughters are hanging out with. It may not even be necessary to bring up the Satanic thing; it might be that if they find out their girls are hanging out with a grown unmarried man who has a live-in girlfriend, they would put a stop to it. And if that turns out not to be enough, maybe then we can bring up the Satanic thing. But if it goes that far, we’d probably need more proof, so we’d need more information from Jerry about that game.”

"Doreen's right," Felicia said nodding. She looked across the table directly at Marie. "So, you wanna know what you should do? Here's the way I'd handle it if I were in your shoes. I'll see what I can dig up on Shelley Higgins. You get Pete on Jerry and see what all he lets slip. Now, as for Starla and what's her name..."

Felicia again fumbled with the new girl's name. Why was it she couldn't remember the redhead's name?

"Tabitha, but it doesn't matter, she's a first year," Marie replied shrugging.

"Right, anyway here's what I think you should do," Felicia continued. "Talk to your dad. We already saw Tabitha's dad up here and knows he plays golf. You have a concerned chat with him and ask him to invite her dad out for a round of golf. Who knows, maybe they know each other. Maybe he can talk to both of their dads if Mr. Baxter plays golf, too. Don't go all crazy on the devil stuff, though. Focus on the fact that they hanging out with two guys of questionable character, ya know below standards? Meanwhile, they going over to this older guys house and we have it on good word that things are going on..."

*Tag Marie*

"The question," Marie continued. "Is what do we do about it? I'll open the floor for suggestions."

“Do their parents even know what they’re up to? As members of the club, I doubt their parents would want knowledge of those kinds of activities getting out, even if they’re willing to let their daughters engage in such things in the first place. It could damage their families’ reputations in the club, and it could reflect badly on the club in general. So I guess in that respect the club is in the same situation in this matter as the cheerleading squad. Maybe someone needs to talk to their parents and let them know there are concerns about who their daughters are hanging out with. It may not even be necessary to bring up the Satanic thing; it might be that if they find out their girls are hanging out with a grown unmarried man who has a live-in girlfriend, they would put a stop to it. And if that turns out not to be enough, maybe then we can bring up the Satanic thing. But if it goes that far, we’d probably need more proof, so we’d need more information from Jerry about that game.”

"Doreen's right," Felicia said nodding. She looked across the table directly at Marie. "So, you wanna know what you should do? Here's the way I'd handle it if I were in your shoes. I'll see what I can dig up on Shelley Higgins. You get Pete on Jerry and see what all he lets slip. Now, as for Starla and what's her name..."

Felicia again fumbled with the new girl's name. Why was it she couldn't remember the redhead's name?

"Tabitha, but it doesn't matter, she's a first year," Marie replied shrugging.

"Right, anyway here's what I think you should do," Felicia continued. "Talk to your dad. We already saw Tabitha's dad up here and knows he plays golf. You have a concerned chat with him and ask him to invite her dad out for a round of golf. Who knows, maybe they know each other. Maybe he can talk to both of their dads if Mr. Baxter plays golf, too. Don't go all crazy on the devil stuff, though. Focus on the fact that they hanging out with two guys of questionable character, ya know below standards? Meanwhile, they going over to this older guys house and we have it on good word that things are going on..."

"Hmm, yeah," Marie said rubbing her chin thoughtfully. The waiter set her appetizer in front of her and a plate of bread. Marie waited until the waiter finished serving everyone and she had placed her order for her main course before continuing.

Felicia settled on a dinner salad. It was a little late in the evening for a full meal and she wasn't that hungry.

"So yeah, I'll ask daddy about talking to Mr. Blackwell. I'll explain she's new and in with the wrong people and I'm worried about her," Marie said, pausing to take a bite of a crabcake. "We'll leave their cult out of it. I'll say she's going to a house a few streets over, this shifty girl from out of state lives there with an older man she's not married to. A mutual, um, friend went over there and found they were playing...that game and left because he was uncomfortable with it..."

That was only a half-truth. Jerry had apparently left, but Marie never did quite understand what the hell happened. The fact he was playing too wasn't important. Calling Jerry a 'friend' was also a stretch, but who was counting?

"We can say that we don't know for sure, but a lot of inappropriate things may be going on over there," Marie continued. "And she's hanging out with very questionable people. Then, Dori, why don't you have your dad approach Mr. Baxter? Or do you think we should wait and see what happens with Tabitha, first?"

*tag Doreen*

Marie then turned her attention to Felicia. "What about Karen? You're in her adult class and so is Miss Shelley Higgins. Karen needs to know about this chick. I don't think she'd want her taking over her class if she knew about her questionable lucky streak and her living with... that man."

"Right," Felicia replied nodding and grabbed some of the bread and buttered it. "Hmm, I'm wondering if I should wait til after the next class or do it beforehand. I don't want Shelley Higgins blaming me for losing her job. At the same time, if she gets fired from being a dance instructor, she'll need the job at the paper more, although she works at the burger joint in the parking lot. I am still debating if I should confront her at the class first and then tell Karen."

She glanced from Marie to Doreen. Marie also glanced at Doreen. It seemed both girls wanted her input on when Felicia should report what she knew about Shelley to Karen.

*Tag Doreen*

"I think we have our plan then, ladies," Marie said with a slightly evil-looking smirk crossing her lips. "I will wait to talk to daddy tomorrow night. I think I'll bring it up at dinner. I may give Pete a ring when we finish dinner, though. I want to get him on the whole following up with Jerry thing ASAP. Once daddy talks to Tabitha's father, we'll decide the next steps. I don't know much about her family and how they'll take the news or if that will put an end to her associating with those people."

*tag Doreen*

"So yeah, I'll ask daddy about talking to Mr. Blackwell. I'll explain she's new and in with the wrong people and I'm worried about her," Marie said, pausing to take a bite of a crabcake. "We'll leave their cult out of it. I'll say she's going to a house a few streets over, this shifty girl from out of state lives there with an older man she's not married to. A mutual, um, friend went over there and found they were playing...that game and left because he was uncomfortable with it..."

That was only a half-truth. Jerry had apparently left, but Marie never did quite understand what the hell happened. The fact he was playing too wasn't important. Calling Jerry a 'friend' was also a stretch, but who was counting?

"We can say that we don't know for sure, but a lot of inappropriate things may be going on over there," Marie continued. "And she's hanging out with very questionable people. Then, Dori, why don't you have your dad approach Mr. Baxter? Or do you think we should wait and see what happens with Tabitha, first?"

“I think it might be best if I hold off a little bit,” said Doreen. “The thing is, our dads talk to each other, and if we both go to them and ask them to talk to the fathers of other girls, it’s going to look like we’re making a concerted effort. Which, of course, we are, but I think we should try to make it look more natural. You can go to your dad and bring up your concerns about Tabitha, and we’ll see what happens. Then, if bad things are still going on a few days later, I can mention at the dinner table that I’m worried about Starla. That way our dads are less likely to figure out we’re trying to manipulate them. Besides, I’m not sure about Mr. Baxter’s availability. I think he’s a pilot, and out of town a lot.”

Marie then turned her attention to Felicia. "What about Karen? You're in her adult class and so is Miss Shelley Higgins. Karen needs to know about this chick. I don't think she'd want her taking over her class if she knew about her questionable lucky streak and her living with... that man."

"Right," Felicia replied nodding and grabbed some of the bread and buttered it. "Hmm, I'm wondering if I should wait til after the next class or do it beforehand. I don't want Shelley Higgins blaming me for losing her job. At the same time, if she gets fired from being a dance instructor, she'll need the job at the paper more, although she works at the burger joint in the parking lot. I am still debating if I should confront her at the class first and then tell Karen."

She glanced from Marie to Doreen. Marie also glanced at Doreen. It seemed both girls wanted her input on when Felicia should report what she knew about Shelley to Karen.

As the two girls looked at Doreen, a realization suddenly struck her: she might be the one here with the real power. Sure, Marie was the captain of the cheerleading squad and the most popular, and by all outward appearances was the one in control. But Marie was relying on Doreen to advise her here, as was often the case, and so was Felicia. That gave Doreen some measure of influence and control. Marie thought she was so smart, and she was in some ways; she knew how to operate in social situations, and was good at manipulating people. But Marie lacked the ability to think things through, and a lot of the ‘clever little ideas’ she came up with weren’t nearly as clever as she thought they were, though no one would tell Marie that to her face. Doreen had heard of the concept of the ‘power behind the throne’, but now she was coming to a new understanding of it, and realized that description fit her. She liked the idea.

“If you’re serious about getting close to Shelley in order to find out what she’s doing and expose her, you should talk to Karen before the class. As fun as it might be to confront Shelley at the class, your best bet is to try to get on her good side, even if you’re just pretending. Think of it as going undercover,” Doreen said to Felicia. “If you confront her at the class and then she gets fired afterwards, she’s going to assume you’re behind it, and that will make it harder for you to get close to her. Even if the newspaper folks ask you two to team up on something, she’ll likely find ways to shut you out if she doesn’t like you. Also, keep in mind that if she blames you for interfering with her teaching job, she might find a way to interfere with your newspaper job as revenge. I know you’ve been with the paper longer, but with the hot streak she’s been on lately, she might be in position to cause trouble for you. Your best bet is to get on her good side and wait it out until you can get the evidence you need to expose her as a fraud. Think long-term. And if you talk to Karen before the class, you could get Shelley fired without her linking it to you. You accomplish one goal without making another harder to achieve.”

“Also, when you talk to Karen, I would concentrate on the fact that Shelley’s living with a man she’s not married to, and how that could be bad for the class. Karen’s not involved in reporting the news, so she’s not really going to care much about Shelley’s suspicious lucky streak with reporting it. But the moral rectitude of Shelley’s character is going to directly concern her if she’s thinking of turning the class over to Shelley this fall. She’s not going to want someone like that being an influence on her students.”

"I think we have our plan then, ladies," Marie said with a slightly evil-looking smirk crossing her lips. "I will wait to talk to daddy tomorrow night. I think I'll bring it up at dinner. I may give Pete a ring when we finish dinner, though. I want to get him on the whole following up with Jerry thing ASAP. Once daddy talks to Tabitha's father, we'll decide the next steps. I don't know much about her family and how they'll take the news or if that will put an end to her associating with those people."

“Sounds good,” said Doreen before taking a bite of her bourbon-glazed salmon. “Just make sure Pete finds out all he can about Jerry’s involvement with that game. She was counting on that information to provide an excuse for kicking Jerry to the curb.