A Step Off the Path

Could be Nasty

Chapter 1

I picked up the letter opener from my desktop and started fiddling with it. In this electronic age, it didn't get as much work as it used to.

The two people sitting on the other side of my desk were late middle age and a decent, respectable-looking married couple. They had come to me with an unusual request.

I call myself a Confidential Consultant. My blurb claims that I can provide confidential help and guidance with a whole range of problems, including domestic, personal, financial, and relationship issues, just about anything.

Generally, I pass the client along to another professional, but I don't just give them a card and say off you go and make an appointment with this person. I get the story, I get the background and do whatever preliminary investigation is appropriate. Then I discuss it with one of my contacts, say a lawyer, and make the appointment for the client myself.

This method ensures that the client's problem is being dealt with in the best possible manner by the right person. I've been in this business for over twenty years and have a high client satisfaction rate.

"Mrs Ramos, my wife and I have strong feelings about certain matters. We are comfortably off and can readily afford to pay your fees. If you can confirm our suspicions, or alternatively, allay our fears, then we would be most grateful."

"It's causing us considerable worry," Mrs Maidon contributed.

The matter concerning the Maidons was that they believed that the two girls in the family next door were being sexually abused, or at least the older one. The family, the Hallets, had only moved there a few months ago. They were renting.

The girls were aged eleven and thirteen. I inwardly grimaced, this could be a nasty business.

"Tell me again the basis of your suspicions."

"Well, the family keep very much to themselves. You could almost say that they have politely rebuffed any attempts by ourselves and other neighbours to get to know them. They . . ."

"I think that they are actually quite secretive," interrupted Mrs Maidon.

"The girls mainly seem to play in their own backyard and appear to have only limited contact with the other children in the street."

"We do a lot of gardening out the back of our place, my husband is semi-retired I should add, and that's where we've spoken to the girls on several occasions."

"Sometimes I think they don't see us or realise that we're there when we're down weeding or planting and we hear them talking."
The woman worked her mouth, "The fact is, Mrs Ramos, that the girls show a very comprehensive knowledge about sexual matters, especially the elder one, Liesel, much more than you would expect at their young ages."

"And then there is the way Liesel dresses," put in the husband.

"Yes, quite provocatively in my view. She only has a small bust, but she likes to have plenty of it on display. She wears short skirts and too much make-up and jewellery for a girl of her age. I think she's trying to present as sexy."

"She seems to flirt with her father and behaves very girly towards him."

"Mrs Ramos, we realise that there is nothing definite here, but there are red flags, warning signs that something could be wrong. We're not trying to make trouble, we're just worried."

"Fair enough," I conceded. "You said that you had notified Child Welfare, but no action has been taken as far as you can see."

"That's right, nothing at all."

I felt that the Maidons were genuine, so I took the case.

Chapter 2

I got no more than I expected when I rang my contact in Child Welfare: "All I can tell you, Gloria, is that the report was investigated and no evidence of abuse was found."

Instead of using one of my investigative people, I decided to have a look for myself. Over the next week or so, I managed to see the girls a number of times.

The Maidons were right, Liesel certainly dressed girly and sexy, even in her school uniform.

Then I had an interesting thought and decided to take a chance and visit the Hallets.

I talked my way in and had a frank discussion with them. Then I asked them if I could bring the Maidons over. They agreed.

I got the older couple there and said, "Mr and Mrs Maidon, please keep what you are about to hear strictly confidential."

Puzzled, but, "Yes" and "Very well."

"Go on, Liesel," I smiled at her.

"Oh, you see, I'm a transgender girl. I was born a boy, but I always thought that I was really a girl, and about a year ago I started to change over."

Gobsmacked describes it, I think.

Mr Hallet stepped in, "We're keeping it a secret at the moment because we want to let Liesel experience being a girl without any hassles for a while at least. Unfortunately, we expect she will be subjected to some disrespect and mistreatment when she is known to be transgender."

"Oh, that's awful, how unfair."

"Look, we're so sorry. We've made a terrible mistake . . ."

"No, please," Mrs Hallet interrupted, "You did the right thing. You had concerns . . ."

I left them to it.

In case you're wondering how I realised what was going on, let's just say, it takes one to know one.