Rex Taylor: Turned on family

"Yes," Sean tried to lie, but Jamie's voice drowned his.

"We do all kinds of sexy things," she said.

"Such as?"

Jamie petted her brother's band. "I'm not ashamed," she told him. "Sometimes we lie down in bed and I spread my legs and Sean puts his."

"STOP IT!" Laurel barked. "Jamie are you a virgin?"

"Not any more," her daughter giggled.

Laurel sank into a chair, her hands covering her eyes. After what seemed hours she looked up at her children. "How did this start?"

Jamie shrugged. "I don't know," she said.

"It had to have some kind of impetus. Something, or someone, gave you the idea. Who? One of the kids at school? Television? A movie? What?"

Sean withered under the ice other glare. "It was the other night," he said. "When you were away."

"And Robin was here!" Laurel deduced instantly. She saw Sean's face twitch at the mention of the blonde girl's name, and she saw a sudden look of pain as his sister kicked him savagely beneath the table.

"Tattletale," Jamie grumbled.

"And that's enough from you, young lady," Laurel said firmly. The shame of it was almost too much to bear. She wanted to scream, to hide, to go into the darkness and never come out. But she couldn't break down in front of the kids. She couldn't let them know how much they'd hurt her, disappointed her. And why didn't they have the decency to be ashamed of themselves, for Christ's sake? Why did Jamie have to be so cocksure now, so arrogant? Why that smug expression on her cute girl face?

But at least Laurel had some answers now. It was Robin Mackenzie, the perverted babysitter, that mask of innocence covering a bodyful of teenage evil, who had ruined her life. Seduced her husband, corrupted her children. She'd not confront Sam now. How could she tell him about the children, what she'd seen, what they'd told her? For all his sins, he didn't deserve to bear that shame.

No! She'd go right to the source. This afternoon she'd send them all three packing. Sean and Jamie could go to a movie. Could they get into trouble there? Dear God, surely they'd know enough to keep their hands off each other in a public place! And Sam, he'd been hinting about a bush-league game in Marietta. Let him spend the afternoon drinking beer and watching baseball. Laurel wanted to talk to that teenaged slut, and she needed privacy for what she was going to say. And if she still felt this angry when Robin arrived, it would be better if there were no witnesses. She could always try a claim of self-defense.

Robin always slept till noon on Sundays, and so she'd only been up long enough to drink a cup of tea and eat a bit of yogurt when Laurel Willis called. She couldn't quite place the tone of Laurel's voice, though. It was nice, as usual, but with a steeliness on the edges that Robin had never noticed before. Mrs. Willis sounded as if she were just a bit upset about something, and Robin couldn't help wondering what that had to do with her and why she should be summoned to the Willis house this early afternoon.

Unless – oh, shit! Had Mr. Willis gotten a wild hair up his ass and spilled the beans? Well, if that was it, Robin was made in the shade. She'd just tell the God's truth. She'd been scared and shaken from being attacked, and it had just… happened. Nothing personal at all.

She got the car keys from the end table. As she started to the door, her mother came into the room. Robin steeled herself for a lecture on how much nicer that green shirt would look if there were a bra underneath.

"Dear," said Mrs. Mackenzie, "I forgot to tell you. Dennis called last night. Just after you and Bonnie left."

Robin turned, heart skipping two beats. "Honest?" she asked, wondering why she should be so excited. Hadn't she broken with Dennis forever? Hadn't she sworn off men for good? Then why was she standing there by the door, about to wet her panties with excitement? "What did he say?"

Mrs. Mackenzie shrugged. "Not much, really. I think he said he'd call again today. Or maybe come over."

Robin sighed. She didn't know any more than she had before. "If he should call or come by, tell him to wait. I'll be back soon as I can," she said, silently cursing herself for her lack of resolution.

She thought of nothing but Dennis as she strolled out to the waiting Pinto, sat behind the wheel, and took off from the curb. The car whirred around the corner and was gone.

Spider Schroeder fiddled with the visor of his Castro cap. "There she went," he said. "In the fuckin' car. But she's gotta get out of it somewhere, and when she does – good-bye, ass!"

Timmy was uneasy. "I don't know," he said. "Maybe we ought to forget all about it. I mean, she can't be that good a piece of ass. Betcha we could do better'n her if we tried."

"She owes us," the Spider replied firmly. "If we let her get away with all she's done to us, everybody in town will be laughing our asses off. We gotta stand up for ourselves. Show people we can't be pushed around."

"I'm not so fuckin' sure," Punch cut in. "You act like you're in love with her or something. She don't mean shit to me."

"And you're a piss-ass," Spider rejoined wittily. "If she'd kicked you in the nuts, you'd be as worked up as I am. Now get started. And don't follow too fuckin' close. We can find that Pinto soon as she parks it, and we don't want her to see us."

"I know that," Punch growled, shoving the '58 into forward. If Robin knew they were tailing her, she didn't show any sign. Just like on TV, Punch thought proudly.

Robin hadn't quite counted on the welcome she received at the Willises. She followed Laurel into the kitchen and the older woman stood a moment, her hands braced on the countertop, before turning towards Robin, rage blazing in her eyes.

"You despicable little slut! You bitch! I could kill you for what you've done to me and my family."

Balanced on her highest platforms, Robin stared down at the tiny woman caught in massive anger. Robin was dumbstruck. What had Mrs. Willis found out, exactly?

Laurel's rage cooled as quickly as it had flared. She slumped into a chair at the kitchen table, lit herself a cigarette, inhaled it with a dry cough, and stubbed it out in the ashtray. Throwing her shoulders back, she said to Robin, "I can understand your making a play for my husband. He's an attractive man. But why in the name of God did you have to corrupt my children, too, you wretched cunt?" Her voice was thin and bitter, stabbing Robin like a knife of ice. So it was all out in the open, huh?

Robin shook her head. Oh, Christ, the shit had really hit the fan. "God, Mrs. Willis, I don't know what to say, I mean, it was all so freaky."

"Freaky?" Laurel exploded. "Freaky? You seduce my husband, debauch my children, and you call it freaky? What the hell kind of a human being are you?"

"Look," Robin defended. "Everything that happened, well, it just happened. It was like rolling a ball downhill. Something starts, and who can stop it?"

"I caught them today," Laurel said bitterly. "Jamie was, she was balling her brother. Does it make you happy to know that your rolling ball got that far? Does it?"

Robin started to reply, but Laurel cut her off. "I'd better tell you, I'm recording all this." She jabbed her thumb at a small cassette recorder on the countertop. Robin hadn't even noticed it. "So when I go to trial for what I'm going to do to you, the jury can hear the whole filthy truth from your dirty mouth. And there's not a chance they'll convict me."

"Listen," Robin cut in, wanting nothing more than a chance to explain herself. God, she thought, somehow the idea of Mrs. Willis finding out hadn't really occurred to her. She'd reacted to the kids and their sexual advances on a footing of equality. Their mqther's reaction hadn't seemed very important. But it was now.