Sophie's Wisdom

***Sophie's Wisdom*** is the twelfth book in the Free Spirits series, focusing on Free Spirit scientist and domina Sophie Giuliani

## Plot Synopsis

On a drizzly day in the city of Stallbrook, preparations are being made at the APEx dungeon for a special event. Mistress Regina checks to see if everything is ready, followed by the arrival of the guest of honor, Sophie Giuliani, otherwise known in local BDSM circles as *La Duchessa*. The event is a separation ceremony for one of her submissives, Caleb, who will be moving to a new city. At the reception after the ceremony, she is approached by Adrian who inquires about whether she will be taking another submissive, and kisses her hand on leaving.

Later, Stallbroook police detective Frankie MacMillan arrives at a parking garage where a concrete pillar cracked open to reveal human remains placed inside over twenty years ago. Ernie Tolman, the current owner of the construction company behind the building of the garage, claims no knowledge of this, but promises to search through the company's records and cooperate with police in their investigation. At the Medical Examiner's office, Viktor Petran is sorting the bones and gives an initial description of the victim: female between 25 and 40 years of age, height approximately 5'0" to 5'3", signs of having given birth as well as some facial injuries months before death, condition of teeth indicating she was low-income for most of her life. Petran also found a garrote with the remains, with traces of skin that may be from her killer. He will send samples of tissue from the victim and perpetrator to the genetics lab at the University of Stallbrook for analysis; MacMillan's investigation will need to narrow the lists of who the victim and her killer might be. Sophie, who runs the genetics lab as well as teaching at the University, arrives to finalize arrangements for working with the M.E.'s office and the police.

At Sophie's condo, Persimmon arrives and makes preparations to serve her. While Sophie enjoys her submissive's service, she takes a call from her friend Tracey Bilodeau, chair of the Free Spirit downtown Local Gathering. Tracey asks Sophie to represent the Free Spirits at a preliminary meeting of representatives of like-minded groups about forming a coalitional group to coordinate activities around common concerns. Sophie then enjoys oral sex from Persimmon, and rewards her with the use of light bondage and a vibrator.

The following Saturday, Sophie arrives at Tandy's Bistro to meet with leaders and representatives of humanist, atheist and liberal religious groups - Rae August of the Humanist Circle, Don Campbell of First Unitarian Church, Tamara Carter of the University's Student Secular Society, John Miles of the Atheist Forum, and Tom Davis representing a small number of Stallbrook residents interested in Ethical Culture. Over brunch, they discuss common points of concern and how they might share information and coordinate their efforts through a "round table" group. Campbell agrees to come up with a draft statement of purpose for later discussion, with Rae and Sophie providing him with notes on the meeting.

At the next Sunday celebration of the Free Spirit downtown Gathering, Sophie meets with her friend Bridget Torjesen and two of her friends, Eric Chesterfield and Ben Rosen. Ben mentions the case of the remains found at the parking garage, and when the subject of the Mafia is brought up, he responds that the Russo crime family organization had been greatly weakened by the time of the murder, and that a more likely connection was with the notorious "Machine" of corrupt police officers which still existed at that time. Later that week, Rosen meets with Detective MacMillan and shares information about the Machine and its possible connections to the construction company then headed by Patsy Kessler, which Rosen garnered from his years as a trade union organizer. He believes that Cole Friedman, a cop suspected of being part of the Machine, and whose sister Shirley was married to Kessler, may have been involved.

Meanwhile, District Attorney Nate Teixeira is considering running for another term as either a Democrat or an independent. Democratic advisor Lisa Townsend urges him to run in the Democratic primary, but Main Street Republican advisor Wil Jackson suggests that Jeannie Meadows is almost certain to win the Democratic primary, while calling Republican contender Nick Taul a "QAnon fruitcake". Jackson believes Teixeira should run as an independent - this time with unofficial support from the local Libertarian and Green parties - as he would have a better chance of winning in the general election; Teixeira agrees, and wants Townsend as his campaign manager and Jackson as a senior advisor. Jackson concurs, but Townsend is hesitant, and Teixeira asks her to give it some more thought for a few days. Jackson also advises the D.A. to continue looking into the cold case of the recently discovered remains.

After talking with her assistant Val at the genetics lab, Sophie goes home to prepare for a dinner event at APEx, accompanied by another of her submissives, Justin. At her banquet table, Sophie discusses politics with some of the other people there, just before Mistress Regina introduces the guests of honor for the event, Wil and Daria Jackson, for their record-breaking fundraising efforts. During the dinner, Sophie catches a glimpse of Adrian, and decides to pass a note expressing her willingness to meet and discuss the possibility of his becoming another of her submissives. He agrees, and she sets a time and place to meet. The following Sunday afternoon, they meet at Prosaic Coffee & Tea in the city's North End to become more acquainted and what each is looking for in a possible Dominant/submissive relationship. Sophie tells Adrian that she shall first discuss the matter with her other submissives before arranging another meeting, and they part with hope.

At the Major Case Unit, Detective Le brings in paperwork from the D.A.'s archives on Cole Friedman, to search for information of a possible female witness who went missing in 2000, when the body found in the parking garage was put into the pillar. Police cadets Herrera and Richter join Le and MacMillan in searching through the files. They find record of a thirty-three year old sex worker, Tina Santiago, who had talked to an Assistant District Attorney about Friedman in December 1999, but then went missing. MacMillan notes that her description matches the details they have from the skeletal remains, as well as the timing of her disappearance. She assigns Le to follow up and find more information on her, and commends Herrera on spotting this detail.

At another meeting at Tandy's, Don Campbell presents a draft mission statement for the proposed "Stallbrook Round Table of Reason" which is approved by the rest. They discuss a consensus decision-making process, and how to communicate items of interest to individuals. Tamara also invites Sophie and Tom to make presentations about the Free Spirits and Ethical Culture respectively for the University's Interfaith Council, which the Humanist Circle and First Unitarian have done, as well as the Bahá’í Spiritual Assembly and the Quakers. Sophie considers making such a presentation in the near future.

Nata Teixeira meets with Assistant D.A. Carvel Scott regarding progress on the Tina Santiago case. Scott reports that they have found relatives of the victim to obtain a DNA sample for comparison, but have not yet heard from Cole Friedman's son Jon. He also tells Teixeira that Zarina Quincy has been working on a forensic reconstruction of Santiago's face, and that Lieutenant MacMillan may find a third person who had assisted with pouring the concrete which covered Santiago's body, albeit without knowing the body was there. The two men discuss how a police officer like Friedman, and others in the Machine, could become so corrupt and brutal.

On a Saturday, Sophie and her household of submissives meet with Adrian, to inquire further about whether they would be a good addition to the group. The response is positive, and it is agreed that Adrian shall serve *La Duchessa* for a trial period before she makes a final decision.

MacMillan drops by the genetics lab and reports that, while Santiago's relatives are willing to provide a DNA sample, Jon Friedman is refusing to cooperate, claiming that the investigators are trying to smear his late father. During the discussion, MacMillan reveals that Cole Friedman's sister Shirley once donated bone marrow to a young girl; Sophie points out that, if the recipient is still alive, her blood would have Shirley's DNA. MacMillan says that she will try to track the recipient down.

Adrian's first day of service in Sophie's home is one she finds very enjoyable. Her new submissive is very attentive, an excellent cook, and learns quickly in providing sensual boot worship for her. It is a relaxing finish to a busy day, ending with Adrian laying their head on Sophie's lap while music plays on her stereo.

At the University's student union, Sophie arrives with Persimmon (in her vanilla persona, to assist with her PowerPoint projection). After the audience has arrived and seated, Tamara introduces Sophie, and Sophie gives her presentation on the Free Spirit Connection, including her own personal story of how she came to join the Connection. She fields several questions from the audience, and takes her leave with her hosts from the Interfaith Council.

Lieutenant MacMillan has located the recipient of Shirley Friedman Kessler's bone marrow - Lenore Goldwater, now a mother and still living in Stallbrook. When MacMillan explains the reason why they need a blood sample from her, Goldwater agrees and accompanies her to the Medical Examiner's office, where Doctor Petran collects the sample and arranges to have it sent to Sophie at the University genetics lab. On the way back home, Goldwater asks MacMillan if she could be kept apprised of the outcome of the case, and the detective agrees.

Corinna and Persimmon accompany Sophie to a party held by Sweet Spot, a woman-only sex club that meets regularly at the Montrose night club in Stallbrook. They perform a couple of BDSM scenes, and Persimmon is given the opportunity to practice flogging techniques on Corinna. After the second scene, with the two submissives exhausted yet satiated, they call it a night and leave for home.

The following Monday, Sophie stops by a coffee shop on the way to her lab, the owner of which greets her warmly in Italian and prepares her favorite coffee beverage. At the lab, she is given good news about a transplant tissue match from one of the technicians, and proceeds to her office to begin her workday. She has a video call with a colleague in London, regarding his research into the genetic history of Britain, with Sophie as a consultant. She then has lunch with Tracey Bilodeau, who tells her they have been getting positive feedback about her presentation at the University, including interest in starting a Free Spirit student association there. After lunch, Sophie heads to a class she teaches, then meets with graduate students on their respective theses, and progress reports on various projects in the genetics lab. With one more stop at Aldo's coffee shop, she arrived home where Adrian would once more provide service to her - this time including oral sex during dessert.

A.D.A. Scott notifies Sophie that Jon Friedman has filed for a court order to block the use of DNA sampling from Lenore Goldwater to compare with that of Tina Santiago's killer, claiming that it was obtained illegally and that the sample would be tainted with Goldwater's original DNA. Sophie and Val prepare paperwork to bring to court, and meet Scott there. The first point is quickly quashed by Judge Erica Petrie, who then hears Sophie's expert testimony that the sample provided from Goldwater's blood would not be tainted, and Sophie provides scientific literature to back this up. Petrie calls the court into recess to review the literature. Jon Friedman confronts Sophie, who replies that she is only seeking the truth, and expresses her belief that Friedman owes that to his own children regarding what their grandfather may or may not have done. Friedman then concedes, telling his lawyer to inform the judge that he is dropping the matter.

At the next Round Table meeting, questions are raised about the Free Spirit Connection. Don Campbell reports that some members of First Unitarian are still resistant to working with the Free Spirits, given that in the past several church members had left to join the downtown Local Gathering. Rae proposes a possible means of resolving the conflict, and Campbell agrees to explore it. Tom Davis then tells Sophie that he and others in the Ethical Culture group were particularly concerned about the Connection's support for decriminalizing sex work instead of an "end-demand" approach. Sophie urges him to listen to sex workers themselves, as they see end-demand strategies as harmful to them; Rae and others in the Round Table point out that member groups will have different opinions and perspectives on a number of issues, and that sex worker issues wouldn't be a priority for their coalition (at least not yet).

Sophie delivers the results of the DNA comparisons to the Medical Examiner - the victim's remains are those of Tina Santiago, and the skin sample from the garrote is from the late Officer Cole Friedman. MacMillan is also there, providing additional evidence that Patrick Kessler was an accomplice in a money-laundering scheme with his brother-in-law Friedman and others in the Machine organization, as well as in concealing Santiago's body. Petran announces that he will have the formal inquest begun, and MacMillan and Sophie express satisfaction in wrapping up this case, especially as it gives more details into the corruption and abuses which once plagued the city's police department.

Wanting to give Adrian a treat for their fine service, Sophie arranges a special scene with her friend and fellow domina Daria Jackson. At the south metro Local Gathering, Sophie bring Adrian, Justin and Tor, while Daria brings Moira, who is also looking forward to this scene. After the celebration service, they convene in one of the communion rooms at the meetinghouse, where Moira fellates Adrian and the other subs and gleefully receives bukkake from them. Afterwards, Moira mentions a discussion group for submissives, under the auspices of APEx, and Sophie encourages Adrian to attend.

After the inquest rules that Tina Santiago was murdered by Cole Friedman, Tina's family wishes to have her remains cremated and interred. Stallbrook's sex worker community wishes to hold a candlelight memorial service for her, to be organized by the Alliance for Sex Worker Rights. Two Alliance members, Zoe and Maya, talk with Tina's brother-in-law about why they wish to remember her this way, and he consents to the service. Almost a hundred people - including those from the District Attorney's office and police department - gather to honor Tina and recommit to end violence against sex workers. MacMillan says a few words on behalf of Tina, and a Free Spirit Celebrant delivers some closing words before the candles are extinguishes and the crowd solemnly disperses.

At the genetics lab, Sophie's assistant Val asks for some friendly advice about her budding romantic relationship. Sophie urges her to tell him that she'd like to become more physically intimate, and to listen to him about what he wants and why he may be hesitant to go further. Val thanks her for her advice and support, and they return to work.

Rae August arrives at the downtown Gathering's Sunday celebration to discuss an email from the leader of a "nontheistic Satanic group" that wants to participate in the Round Table. Sophie shares Rae's concern about bringing this group in; fortunately, they have no members in either Stallbrook or Duquesne County, so Sophie recommends that they merely inform them of events after the fact.

At the home shared by the triad of Peri Winger, Andrew Hamady and Lila Jaworski, Lila leads a discussion on outreach for Free Spirits in the greater Stallbrook area. She and other leaders emphasize that "outreach" is not evangelism or recruiting, but simply letting other people know who the Free Spirits are and what they believe. They talk about what approaches would be good or bad for everyday outreach, and Sophie is asked to talk about her experience with presenting for the University's Interfaith Council.

Later on campus, a student approaches Sophie about being the faculty advisor for a new Free Spirit student group. She looks over their paperwork and discusses some options before agreeing to be their advisor. Then, after grading some student papers, she heads to the office of the Dean of Students, who talks with her about the Sexual Misconduct Review Board. Sophie reiterates her objections that such a board is redundant given that there are already committees for handling misconduct by students, faculty and other staff, as well as the standards by which allegations of sexual misconduct is reviewed. The Dean promises to bring these concerns to the University's new Title IX coordinator, and once more asks Sophie to consider being a part of the process.

Sophie and her submissives then go to the triad's house, where they are preparing a special Italian dinner; Wil and Daria, accompanied by Moira, would join them later. Near the end of the meal, a brief collaring ceremony is held, formally welcoming Adrian into the house of *La Duchessa*. When the last course is finished, and the dishes are cleared, the hosts and their guests gather in the living room for a well-orchestrated sex party. When all was done, Sophie and her female subs share one of the bedrooms, with the domina reflecting on how much she enjoyed her busy yet fulfilling life.