School was to be dismissed for summer vacation the following Friday. On Thursday, Henry received a somewhat panicked call from Steve Brainard. Kate Burtch had demanded that Steve release Marty to her. Steve had tried to explain that he was under court order not to release the boy to anyone except Dr. Schmidt, the Trollers, Jerry Dissler or Reind and Betje Friesema. Kate demanded the boy saying that she had reason to believe that the boy was being abused that it was her legal responsibility to investigate.
Steve called Jerry and was told to let the boy go. Jerry advised Steve that Kate was under constant surveillance but that that information was to be held in the strictest confidence. Kate was not to know that she was being investigated. Jerry emphasized again the importance of the investigation being kept secret from Kate by saying that the lives of at least two children may very well depend on it. Jerry than asked him to call Henry and tell him that Jerry was on his way to the courthouse and that it was important that Henry be ready to go with Jerry.
The Jefferson County Sheriff's Department did not have enough personnel to keep an officer on constant Kate watch. Henry had hired a detective agency operated by a former Milwaukee police commander, Ervin Deering, who was both a good investigator and a good friend. Their man had followed Kate into the country, into a dense wooded area where she could not be seen from any usually traveled road. Kate had a police radio in her car but set only on the frequency usually used by the sheriff's department. On a pre-agreed different frequency Jerry was notified as to Kate's location.
Both Henry and Jerry were concerned that retrieving Marty might disclose the covert investigation. There were at least two children on Kate's caseload whose whereabouts was not known. They may have run away and Kate, not wanting to admit to incompetence, may just not have reported it. But there was also the possibility that she was up to something a great deal more sinister than incompetence. It was important that she not suspect the surveillance but, to Henry, Marty's rescue was far more important.
Henry was a judge but he was also a lawyer so he knew well how to be devious. He explained knowing her location by telling Kate that an abandon car had been reported and when the plate number was run, it was found to be Kate's. Henry had been informed that Kate had taken Marty from school. She had been instructed not to have Marty in her physical custody without permission from Henry. That would explain Henry's accompanying Jerry to the site.
Marty was angry when Kate first took him. "Uncle Henry said you ain't s'posed to have me." Twice when Kate stopped at a stop sign, Marty attempted to get out of the car but was grabbed by Kate. When they turned onto this road that was nothing more than two strips of weedy dirt, Marty became afraid. What was she going to do to him? Was she "taking" him like somebody took Auty and the baby? Maybe this is what happened when you got took. They took you to the woods and let the bears eat you.
But after they stopped, Marty realized that Kate took him there because she didn't want Uncle Henry to find them. She wanted him to say things that ain't true. She wanted him to tell lies about Uncle Henry.
Kate had tried all her usual tricks but she couldn't get the kid to break. She really didn't know Marty. She had left him with Mart but never paid much attention to him. She had no idea how intelligent he was or how stubborn and feisty he could be.
Kate had just moved from cajoling and bewildering to threats when Jerry's car drove up. Marty recognized the car and was out of Kate's car yelling, "She's trying to make me say that Uncle Henry did sex stuff to me. She said that if I didn't say that, she'd make me go back to Dort Street."
When Henry got out of Jerry's car, Marty was in his arms. "See, Uncle Henry. I told you she is a bitch. Can I call her Miss Bitch now?"
"No you can't. You're too good a boy to let her make you lie and you're too good a boy for her to make you unkind.
"Marty, please go and wait in Jerry's car. I need to talk to Jerry and Miss Burtch and you have to trust me. It's something you can't hear right now."
"I trust you because you love me. I hate her because she's a bitch!"
"Marty!"
"Well, she is!" Marty crawled into Jerry's car.
Henry looked at Kate. "I don't know how often you've played this game but we're going to put a stop to this one."
"I was just doing my job. Anytime a man your age wants to spend time with a nine year old boy, you know the kid's being abused."
"I'm not going to argue that point with you but let me ask you a question. If I were his grandfather and his parents died and he had no other living relatives, what would you do with him?"
"I'd put him with his relative but you are not a relative."
"That makes a lot of sense. According the statistics I've read, most child molestations are perpetrated by a relative or close friend."
Jerry spoke up. "Very little of what she does makes sense."
Kate did not respond. She knew that she had gotten herself into a predicament but she'd wriggle out. She always had.
Henry spoke to Jerry. "I understand that the University of Wisconsin has a new Child Psychiatrist on staff who has done major studies on child abuse accusations. I want you to get her, have her interview Marty and then you, Kate, Mervin, Rick Olmstead, and the sheriff meet with her to hear her evaluation. Then, either file charges or send Mervin to me so we can talk about Kate!" That last comment was said while looking hard into Kate's eyes. For the first time in her professional life, Kate was a little shaken. She knew that she could handle Mervin but this Schmidt son of a bitch, well, she wasn't sure about him.
Henry continued. "Jerry, I want you to take Marty home with you until he has seen this gal from Madison. He's played with your kids and will feel comfortable there. I probably shouldn't restrain Kate from going to the group home but I can and will file an order to keep her away from your home. You'll have it in an hour. If she attempts to contact Marty, jail her.
"Oh, yes. Keep him home tomorrow. I'll call Steve."
"They only have half a day but Marty will miss the party. I have the day off tomorrow. Is it OK if I take him over and stay with him?"
"Thanks. I'd hate to have Marty miss the party but I don't want any chance of Kate getting near him. I want him to talk to that Madison woman without any suggestion of influence either from Kate or from me."
Marty's reaction to the arrangement was, "But it's the weekend. I get to be at our house on the weekend."
"Not this weekend, Little Bird. Please trust me on this."
Henry got reluctant agreement from Marty.
"Can't we just forget this? I'm satisfied that you have not molested the boy."
"No, Kate, you opened this can of worms and you are either going to catch your fish or eat the damn things yourself. If the good doctor from Madison finds that you have used duress with Marty, every damn accusation you've ever made will be investigated."
Kate maintained her smug aura of superiority but she was thinking, "It just isn't worth this shit. I've got to speed up my plan to get the hell out of here."