What Happened to Baby Cameron?
by: E Walk
(© 2009 by the Author)
 

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Chapter 24 

Chad Steps to the Plate

Hank and I were awakened by a knock on the door.  We were both wearing briefs, so I asked the visitor to enter.

Chad entered and Hank sat up, “Chad, what are you doing here?”

Chad stood his ground, “Mr. Rodgers, I’m here for two reasons.  First, I wanted to make sure the animals at the farm were okay.  When I got there, Freddie, Chase and Jordan were already there and they were being badgered by reporters.”

“Secondly, I think I need to go to the news conference today.  Mother is a basket case.  The man and what he has done have totally demoralized our Mother.  I’m afraid she’d totally fall apart if I weren’t there.  I don’t want the reporters anywhere near my three brothers.  I just talked to Cam as I was coming up the steps and he said the reporters were even here.  Someone needs to tell those people to back off.”

Hank climbed out of bed, “Chad, I was hoping to keep any of you boys from being involved.  Is your Mother really that fragile?”

“Yes, sir.  I’m not sure she could respond to any questions.  I don’t think she slept at all last night.  I could hear her crying from the room where Damon and I were supposed to be sleeping.”

“Chris is going to take Damon to school and Mr. Young is already very protective of Gaylon and Terry.  They’ll be fine.  I told Damon not to discuss what happened, with anyone, should he be approached at school by a reporter.”

I looked at Chad, “Go eat some breakfast.  You’re going to need all of the energy you can get.  Tell our five guys that I’ll be taking them to school as soon as I can get dressed.”

After Chad had departed, I looked at Hank, “Cowboy, I think Chad is probably correct.  He probably should be at the news conference.  Where is it going to be and at what time?”

Hank smirked, “I arranged for it to be in the conference room at my office, at ten A.M..  I figured the pricks would be pissed off about having to lug their equipment up five flights of stairs, since they will not have access to the elevators.”

“Why Henry Rodgers, I’ve never seen you act like this before.  You aren’t going to let our sons hear you talk like that, are you?”

“Stevie, I promise to be nice when they’re around.”

I took the five boys to school and walked them into the building to make sure they weren't accosted by any reporters, Cam asked,
“Dad, why are you walking in with us?  You never do this unless you’re going to talk to my teacher.  Is something wrong?”

“Nothing is wrong. I just need to talk to the principal.”

I walked into the building with the boys and went to talk to the Principal.  I asked that none of the five guys be permitted to be interviewed by a reporter should they happen to show up at the school.

The Principal asked, “Is there a problem?”

“Yes, but it has nothing to do with the five boys.  We’re involved, only peripherally.”

I went to the house on the hill, changed clothes and grabbed a bit to eat.  Chad and his Mother were both there, and Mrs. Martin was definitely a walking zombie.  Chad was trying to console his Mother.  “Mom, it will be okay.  Mr. Rodgers and Mr. Michaels will take care of any problems.”

Chad looked at me, “Mr. Michaels, what should we wear?”

“Chad, don’t get too dressed up.  Have your Mother wear something very plain, so people won’t realize what a beautiful lady she is.”

I drove Chad and Mrs. Martin to Hank’s office building.  I knew where the elevators were, since I had been there a great many times in the past six years.  We went to the fifth floor and went to Hank’s office, which was out of sight of the conference room.”

His receptionist, Leah, looked at us, “Hi Mr. Michaels, I understand that there are going to be some fireworks today.  Mr. Rodgers is talking to Mr. Manning and the State Attorney General.  He said for you to relax in the waiting room until he came to get you.  He’s very agitated today.”

We went into the waiting room and I tried to give Chad and his Mother something to drink or eat, but they both refused.  Chad’s legs were bouncing up and down so bad that they were making the floor vibrate.

At about five until ten, Hank arrived with Mr. Manning.  Hank smiled,  “Chad and Linda, just remember, this is not about you.  These people are trying to make a name for themselves.”

I suddenly realized that Hank was dressed in a business suit, which was indeed a rare occurrence.  He looked at the clock, “It’s time to go face the music.  Mr. Manning and I will be there to answer the questions.  Steve, sit in the audience, in case we need you.”

Hank was brutal, “Good morning members of the press and reporters.  I’d call you ladies and gentlemen, but I can’t lower my moral standards to do that.  I can not fathom why you are hounding Mrs. Martin and her sons.  They had nothing to do with what Mr. Martin did at the Capitol building.  They hadn’t been in contact with the man for over twenty four hours prior to when the incident took place.  I understand that one of your ilk was brazen enough to go to my ranch last night and question my friend Mr. Michaels and our sons, looking for the Martins.”

A young lady stood, “Who are you and why are you speaking for the family?  We’re not interested in talking to a lawyer.  We want to know more about Mr. Martin and why he committed the atrocity that he did.”

Hank bristled, “Lady, I’m representing the Martin family.  Mrs. Martin was preparing to file for a divorce even before the incident yesterday.  The other gentleman with me on the platform is Mr. Manning of the State Child Protection Agency.  We removed Mr. Martin’s family from the premises and Mr. Martin spent the night in jail.”

That was the wrong thing for Hank to have said and the reporters were all shouting.  “Why was the family removed from the premises?”

Chad went to the microphone, “Mr. Rodgers, I think it is time for these reporters to realize that they should be worrying about the victims of the man who caused me to be born, rather than worrying about my Mother and three brothers.”

“Members of the press, I’ll be glad to explain what was happening, if you can keep your mouths shut and listen.  What I’m going to tell you has nothing whatsoever to do with what Mr. Martin did at the Capitol building, but it will explain what kind of person the monster was.  If anyone interrupts me, this conference is terminated.  I will not allow my Mother and brothers to endure anymore pain.”

Chad walked the press through the story of what happened to him, and how he met us.  He described what we found when we went to the farm.  He was very skillful in his presentation.  He looked at his Mother, “Mother, please go take your makeup off so these newsmongers can see exactly what the Martin person did to you.  In the meantime, I have some things to say to the these publicity seekers.”

“For your information, Mr. Martin bragged about how much sex he got, because of his job.  He bragged that he probably had fathered more kids than any one else in the state of Colorado.”

Mrs. Martin reappeared and Chad pointed to her, “That was the kind of man that Mr. Martin was.”

A gentleman spoke up from behind me, “Members of the media, none of this conference is to be made available to the public.”

One of the reporters looked at the man, “How can you stop us?  Haven‘t you ever heard of freedom of the press?”

The gentleman stood and walked to the platform.  “I’m Judge Rayburn, Chief Justice of the Colorado Supreme Court.  There is such thing as a gag order, also.  What Chad told you should not be divulged.  The Martins have endured enough pain.  Furthermore, the State Attorney General, Mrs. Crowder, tells me that there have been calls coming in claiming that Mr. Martin was the father of a number of children.”

One young reporter spoke up, “Sir, this interview was going out on live feed and viewers are already calling in.”

Hank stood, “It was made very clear when we agreed to do this news conference that there were to be no live feeds.  Since we’re live, let me say this to those people who are viewing, Mrs. Martin and her four sons will not assume the responsibility for any liability for any actions of Mr. Martin.”

One reporter asked, “How can we get in touch with the Martins?”

Judge Rayburn answered, “If anyone from the media, approaches Mrs. Martin or her four sons, you will be slapped with fine for invasion of privacy  and contempt of a court order.  Mr. Rodgers, I would appreciate if you would advise me if these people  or other people continue to badger the Martins.”

Hank looked at me, ‘Mr. Michaels, would you please escort Mrs. Martin and Chad out of here.  I believe Mr. Chad has already missed enough school because of this mess.”

The press started to follow us but security guards prevented them from doing so.  We were long gone by the time the press made it down five flights of stairs.”

I dropped Mrs. Martin at the house and she assured us she would be fine.  As we were pulling away from the house, Chad asked, “Mr. Michaels, can we get something to eat before I go back to school.  I lost everything I ate this morning because I was so nervous.”

We ate at a Burger King restaurant, which is not my favorite. but it was close to Cody High School. 

While we were eating our Whoppers, I commended Chad, “Chad, you did a splendid job, today.  You set the media back on their ears.”

Chad looked forlorn, “Mr. Michaels, I probably lost all of my friends now that I’ve rather outed myself.”

“Chad, I don’t think so.  Let’s get you to school.  I’ll call Chris and tell him that he’s to pick you and Damon up.”

I called Chris and told him that he needed to pick up both boys.  Chris replied, “I didn’t realize I was going to be operating a taxi system when I got promoted.  I’ll get the guys.  I hope Chad isn’t a nervous wreck.  He was practically bouncing off the walls this morning.”

When the five young guys were at the ranch, after school, they were outside when the thundering herds from the north and south arrived.  Not only that, Chad arrived with his three brothers.

I went to talk to Chad, “What happened when you went back to school?”

Chad had a sheepish grin, “Mr. Michaels, it was weird.  People who have never spoken to me before came up to me and started talking.”

Chad totally changed gears, “Mr. Michaels, is it okay for me and Damon to go take care of the animals at the farm?”

“Chad, I would rather the two of you not go alone.  Go talk to Freddie and Chase and see what needs to be done.  I’m not sure that it is safe for you to go alone.”

We were interrupted by the arrival of Hank, “Chad, you were marvelous today.  You said exactly what needed to be said and made it clear that the media was to stay away from you guys and your Mother.  You’ll be glad to know that we have someone who wants to buy the farm and the animals.  I believe you know the young man and his wife.  They just got married last year.”

You could tell that Chad was trying to think who was going to buy the farm, “Are you taking about Adam and Alisha?”

“Yep, Mr. Peepers, came to my office this afternoon and wanted to know if we were going to sell it.”

“But sir, it was Adam’s brother Alan who is the person who caused this whole mess.  Alan and I have been good friends for years.   How can Adam and Alisha afford the farm?”

 

“Yeah, I met Alan and he’s a hunk.  I can see why you might like him.  He looks like an angel with his curly blond hair and his blue eyes.  I like the way he has dimples in his cheeks appear when he smiles.  I’m going to advance the Peepers the money to make the down payment, because I don’t think it would be advisable for you and your family to live there, because of the bad memories.”

Chad was almost in tears, “But how are we going to survive and where are we going to live?”

“Well for starters, you’re going to be living at the house on the hill.  Your Mother will be receiving money for being the housekeeper and the cook at that facility.  You and Damon can earn some cash by taking care of the ranch on weekends, to give Chase, Freddie and Jordan some time off.  Besides, your biggest job is to make sure you keep your grades up so you can go to college.”

Chad was hugging Hank and me when Cam and his minions arrived.  Cam asked, “Dads, is that mean man bothering you.  We’ll beat him up.  Mr. Lucas wants to talk to you.”

“Where is Mr. Lucas?”

“He and his people are loading the vans out front.”

Hank hugged Cam, “Thanks, son; we’ll go talk to him.  Chad, perhaps you should come with us.”

We walked to the front of the house where the guys were loading their supplies.  Rod looked at us, “Everything here is ready.  The lift chair is due to arrive tomorrow afternoon.  Are you sure that you still want us to make the house on the hill handicapped accessible, in light of everything that has happened?”

 

Hank answered, “Yes, we’re sure.  Things may change and we need to make sure that Monsieur Tibideaux can move about freely when he gets here.  Rod, thanks for taking care of this so quickly.  Send the bill for the charges as soon as you have them calculated.”

We watched as Rod and his people pulled away.  Ellie came onto the porch wiping her hands on her apron.  “Chad, your Mother called and said you and your brothers were to get your butts back to the house on the hill, because dinner was going to be ready.  She doesn’t want Chris and Wayne to starve.”

After Chad had departed with his brother, I looked at Hank, “Do you think Mrs. Martin said that?”

“Steve, I have no idea what’s happening anymore.  I think I need to retire like you.”

“Look, Henry Rogers, we just need to stop and smell the roses.  We have five wonderful young boys to help mature into fine young men like our first batch of boys.”

We were eating dinner when the phone rang.  Cam went to answer it.

“Dads, it’s Jacob.  He wants to talk to you.”

I went to get the phone, “Hi Jake, what’s up?  What happening with the team, you’ve lost three in a row?”

“Dad, we hit a brick wall and we need to figure out a way to get around it.  That’s not the reason I called.  Who is this Chad person who was on the national news this evening with you and Dad Hank?  Have you been watching the news?”

“Jacob it’s a long story.  I’ll send you and email and explain what’s happening and how we met Chad.”

“What news was the story on anyway.  A judge ordered that Chad’s statements should not be aired.”

“Dad, all the major networks are airing the story since six people have now died.  You should hear what the analyst are saying about Colorado.  Dad, I need to go.  We have a home game tonight.  Hopefully we can get our act together.”

When I went back to the table, Cam asked, “Dad, what did Jacob want?”

“He just wanted to talk.  He has a game tonight and I think he just was a little nervous.”

When Hank and I were in the living room, I told him why Jacob called, “Hank, the story of what happened today is on all of the national news.  Jacob said that six people had now died.  Aren’t there going to be a lot of law suits because of what Mr. Martin did?”

Hank took a deep breath, “Steve, I have no idea what’s going to happen anymore.  The Attorney General said that they had been contacted by ten women who said that Mr. Martin fixed their tax problems after having sex with them.  The Governor has relieved the Head of the Revenue Service and the deputy because of this fiasco.  Let’s get our boys to bed so we can catch the latest news.”

We went to find the boys and they were in the kitchen, having some ice cream.  Cam looked at us, “Dads, we already had a shower.  Randy and Tony are going to sleep in Kevin and Jacob’s room.  That’s okay, isn’t it?”

Hank grinned, “Of course, are they going to use one bed or two?”

Cam shrugged his shoulders, “They’ll probably start out in two but wind up in one, because they’re cold.  They may even wind up back in our room.”

I was having a difficult time trying to refrain from laughing.

When Hank and I were settled in our room, he turned on the television. The person was saying, ‘Ladies and gentlemen, the lead story comes from Denver, Colorado.  The shooting rampage of a Mr.Martin has now claimed a tenth victim.” 

“We have also learned that the man used his position in the Colorado Department of Revenue to gain sexual access to his patrons.  His son stated earlier today that the man bragged about having more children than anyone else in the state of Colorado.”

“His oldest son today was very explicit in describing his father’s activities.  We are prohibited from describing the details of what the young man said, but witnesses report that the young man spoke very eloquently.  He had his Mother remove her makeup so the media could see how she had been beaten.”

“We have been advised that there is a fund in place for the families of the victims of the shooting.  The funds are to be sent to the Rogers House of Fun in Denver, Colorado.  A second fund has been established for the Martin children.  The funds for that purpose should be sent to the Michaels Advertising Agency, Attn Wayne Young, Denver Colorado.”

I looked at Hank, “Is there anything else I don’t know but should?”

Hank hugged me, “I didn’t know about the fund to help the Martin family.  I’m concerned that the relatives of the victims of the massacre and then, who knows how many illegitimate children’s mothers are going to surface.  I‘m trying to prevent lawsuits being filed against Mrs. Martin.  Fortunately. Chad and his brothers are still minors, so they probably shouldn’t be named in any suits.   But in today‘s crazy society, you never know.   Now, let‘s get some sleep.  It‘s been a long day.”

To be continued...

 Editor's Notes:  This chapter was really packed full of stuff. Generally, I try to find the best in everyone, but there are some people that it is best to stay as far away from as possible, and Mr. Martin was one of those people.  He was hateful, self centered and brutal.

I hope the next chapter won't be too long in coming.

Darryl AKA The Radio Rancher 

Posted: 02/05/10