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them.
    “From then on it was all physical, but by this time I didn’t care to the point that I didn’t feel anything.
    “I heard Calvin tell Mackey that if he could get me to fight him maybe he could get it up and that he might as well get something out of all this before I was gone. Mackey told him that he was one sick dude. Calvin told him to shut up and rough me up. By now I didn’t care one way or the other and I was determined not to fight.
    “Things got rougher and rougher and I was going in and out of consciousness. It was like this was all happening to someone else and I was watching from above.
    “They would leave me alone for a few hours until I gained consciousness an d then come back. I heard Mackey tell Calvin at one point that this wasn’t his thing. That’s when Calvin suggested that Mackey burn my feet with his cigarette. While he was doing that, Calvin started punching me in the face and rubbing himself. But it didn’t work for him and I was glad.
    “I’ve got to tell you this, T racy. Mackey wanted to quit several times and kept telling Calvin he didn’t’ like it, that he liked a consenting woman. I think he was afraid of Calvin. When you catch them you might want to get Mackey to roll over on Calvin. Is that what you call it?”
    “It is,” said Tracy, “go on with the story. I think I forgot to tell you but I’m recording this.”
    “I’m glad because I don’t want to have to tell this over again. There’s not much left to tell. I don’t know how long the physical stuff lasted. I lost all track of time. Then suddenly Judith was there. I’ve never been so glad to see anyone. I’m sorry I’ve been so stupid.”
     
     
     
    CHAPTER 12
     
    “We’re going to get those bastards and whoever is behind all this madness,” Tracy said. “There’s some nasty shit going on here. I’ve heard rumors over the years, but every time I have tried to look into it my boss told me to stay out of it.
    “I don’t know if I can trust my boss. I don’t know who to trust. It may just be that I don’t have clearance to know anything about this and this is some evidence they need.
    “But on the other hand, if I tell him and he’s in on it then we’re all in danger. It’s a catch twenty two.”
    Mimi looked worn out. We had headed over to the cottage after Julia had been given a sedative so she would sleep. She had looked so tired when we left her. She said she felt drained.
    Tracy and I insisted on Mimi going to bed whe n we got to the cabin. After Mimi retired, we each took a glass of wine out on the porch and sat on the swing.
    Neither one of us said anything for awhile. I think we were still in a state of shock about what Julia had been through. It sounded like something from a horror movie. I had been through a lot in my lifetime, but Julia had been through more than any ten people should ever have to go through.
    Final ly Tracy tapped my leg and said, “Do you have any ideas, Judith? Maybe by looking at the situation, from a psychological point of view, you could give me some advice. I feel trapped.”
    I let out a long slow breath. “What if you presented this to your boss as a hypothetical situation? Tell me what he’s like. Have you had a good relationship with him up until now?”
    “We went out together a couple of times , years ago, Alan Coleman and I. He is one of those men who is too perfect looking. You know what I’m talking about, broad shoulders, narrow hips, tight butt. He works out all the time and keeps his body in perfect shape.
    “Anyway , I didn’t think it was a good idea to get involved with my boss, so I didn’t go out with him again. Come to think of it, he’s also too smooth. He knows just what to say at any given time, a real charmer.”
    I wanted to give her information but I didn’t want to insult her intelligence.
    After hesitating, I said, “You know, don’t you, that most sociopaths are very charming?”
    She laughed. “You don’t need to be so