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“Are you fucking serious? I thought that kind of thing was a joke.” My mouth drops open in disbelief.
“Oh no, here in the South, they take your virginity very seriously.” Cassie almost manages to keep a straight face, but William snorts, and the five of them start to giggle like kids.
“We all know most of them regularly mess around with each other. Lucy has been known to blow the entire forward line of the football team for good luck before a game,” Sally explains.
“Oh yes, and don’t forget that if you let them fuck your ass, you still count as a virgin,” Tyrone says a little too loudly, and the table next to us looks around. He ducks, and I think if I could see him blush, he would be doing that right now.
I chuckle. “So it’s been around for years? Because the photo I saw had Martha and James in it, as well as Governor Turner.”
“Oh yes, that photo is the who’s who of prominent people in Summerville.”
I grab my phone and open it up to the photo I took. “Show me,” I demand, and William and Tyrone move closer and start to point people out.
“That’s Father Sweeny and his wife Melissa.” Tyrone points to a fairly serious looking couple. They look like teenagers who don’t know the meaning of fun. “You know James and Martha, but that is Ted and June Standish. That’s Sophie’s mom and dad and James’s brother.”
I look between the two men and can see the family resemblance.
“Ted runs an import-export business out of the docks here and is quite wealthy,” William tells me, and I’m almost giddy with excitement. These foster kids are giving me all the good information, and I don’t even have to work hard for it.
“I recognize Mr. Marshall there.” I point out the guidance counselor. “And of course Governor Turner.”
“Yup, and the man next to him is his brother Kevin,” Cassie chimes in. “He’s the black sheep of the family and owns the tattoo parlor in town.” Governor Jeffery Turner has his arm slung around a man next to him, and I wouldn’t have thought they would be related. Kevin is dark-haired and stocky, whereas Governor Turner is blonde, tall, and slender. “Kevin is the president of the local chapter of the Raging Scorpion MC. Not long after this photo was taken, he was kicked out of the group because of his unsavory acquaintances. I think Governor Turner left at the same time.”
I look at Cassie with wide eyes. “Wow, you are a real fount of information.”
She just rolls her eyes and grins. “You would not believe the things women gossip about when they come to the thrift shop. And everything Governor Turner was fair game recently with his sons returning to town.”
“Okay, what about the others?” The boys are about to continue when Sally reaches over and steals the phone out of my hand. I raise my eyebrows, and she grins.
“What? I want to be involved too.” She and her sister put their heads together to study the photo. “Okay, these two, Rebecca and Timothy, are married and own the Mug Shot Diner. I think they are friends of Kevin’s. I’ve seen them having lunch together there sometimes, and Ryland is always given preferential service whenever he’s hanging out there.” Sally rolls her eyes.
“I can’t believe they have all been happily coupled up since high school. That’s got to be what, over thirty years?”
“Who says they are happy?” Cassie counters, pointing a carrot stick at me. “Remember, no one notices the foster kid at the checkout at the thrift store. I can tell you that most of those men are not faithful to their wives. Timothy and Rebecca are solid, and Governor Turner is a widow, but there are whispers about all of the others.”
“What about the last two men?” I point out two guys who aren’t with women, and the five of them exchange a glance.
“That’s Matthew Stewart. He owns that club in town, and the other is Isaac Palmer. He’s the captain of the coast guard outfit here in town,” Stephanie says before leaning in. Everyone gets closer, and she whispers, “It’s rumored that they are lovers, and that the club actually has a secret society underneath it. Apparently this specific Divinity of Morality chapter still exists because they run a sex club under the main club. Secret membership only.” She hands me back my phone, gesturing to the photo. “And it’s not just a basic sex club, but something more depraved.”
Holy shit, how does everyone not know about this if my fellow teenage foster kids do? Or is it one of those not so secret secrets that everyone is in on? They must see the question on my face, because William puts his arm around me and pulls me in for a side hug. “See? Being invisible does pay off. Stick with us, kid, because we have all the good gossip.”
My table laughs, but a louder, shrill peal of laughter draws our attention. We all turn to find Sophie glaring at us while the three girls with her try to outdo our laughter.
“Oh shit, how did you manage to get on Sophie Standish’s shit list after only half a day?” Tyrone asks as we turn back.
I shrug. “I think just breathing was enough. So tell me more about this chapter. I’m assuming Sophie runs it. Are all of the people at her table in it?” When I looked, I noticed that Lathan, Miller, and Bishop are there again, as well as Jessica, Lucy, and the last girl whose name I now know is Michelle.
“Sophie, Michelle, Lucy, and Jessica are, as well as Billy, a couple of his teammates, and Ashley, who is Father Sweeny’s son. I think they are trying to recruit the new boys too. Traditionally, people who have paired up in the Divinity of Morality group go on to get married. It’s almost like a cult. Michelle and Lucy are actually both exchange students who live with Sophie’s family. Before Ryland arrived, they were all paired up. Sophie was with Billy, and Michelle was with Ashley. Jessica and Lucy weren’t with anyone in particular, and they seem to float week to week, but now that Ryland has arrived, Sophie dropped Billy like he was a grenade and has been working Ryland like a two-dime hooker.” Cassie sounds scornful.
“I think the other guys are just pretty eye candy. None of them have connections with the town, and Miller is a tattooed and pierced foster kid. That doesn’t really fit in with their code. I’m sure Sophie will try to drive a wedge between Miller and Ryland’s friendship as soon as she can, and Miller will find himself sitting over here with the rejects. If Jessica was smart, she would be working Billy instead of trying to get her hooks into Miller. Billy is from a prominent family and her ticket to easy street if she wants it.” Cassie sounds wise beyond her years, and I can tell she’s been through shit. All five of them have.
To be honest all five of them show the kind of smarts my dad is always looking for. If the Standishes end up being a part of this, then I will make sure my dad offers all five of them a place at MITHOS. I think they would make a great team. I also see the way William looks at Cassie, even though she seems to be oblivious.
The bell rings before I can ask any more questions, but I count lunch as a win. There were no snide remarks, and I got a shit ton of information. We may be able to wrap up this investigation quicker than I thought, and then I can go back to being a solo player.
Chapter 14
My last class after lunch is PE, and it requires me changing into a uniform that the PE teacher throws at me when I make my way to the gym.
