Scars Don't Tan In Sachem Pond

Home Grown
Sustainable Living

Building mod

 by Bill Vee

For Frank

August 31st

1.

    "I told you guys this would be fun," Lido told her two ten year old twins Wart and Mojo. Talking them into walking around the Pond had been hard enough, but she stayed optimistic. She just wanted to do something with them before school started next week.

    "Are we there yet?" Wart smirked.

    "Almost, my funny man, almost?" she told him.

    "If you want to live to be eleven," Mojo said. Her mom gave her a look that said, I've got this, thanks.

    "We're almost done," They had been walking about an hour or so. Lido had gotten the idea from her own mom who said she used to do it. with her friends when she was a teenager. They did it mostly to get into the other beaches which you had to belong to or needed an ankle tag or something. It was to meet guys who were doing the same thing.

    "Grandma liked to do this?" Mojo asked.

    They were about 1000 feet from where they had started. A metal hurricane fence had been erected and extended about ten feet out into the water. Trees had also grown into it.

    "Oh, man," Wart said when he saw the obstacle, "I'm not getting wet."

    Lido was wondering how they were going to get around it when she saw something. It didn't look like a body but she knew it was. She'd seen too many lately. How many bodies is this Pond going to cough up, she was thinking. Charlie her grandfather was going to say, "Princess got another one." The princess legend again.

    "Come here, both of you, look at me," she said grabbing the arms of her two kids.

    "What?" they both asked.

    Then Lido saw it was the body of a woman.

2.

    Hank saw the nuns from the local church care for his wife daily and wait on her. They were all in the kitchen. The nuns would come every day at 7 am and leave at 5 pm, you could set your clock by them. They were here because Lynn had Alzheiimers. He would take over at 5:01 pm until she went to bed. On Wednesday evenings, another group of nuns took over and he would have an evening to himself. These were what their retirement years had become.

    And not what either of them had planned for. Not the forgetting at first, then the things she could do or would do, and the arguments. Mostly over nothing. That hurt him the most.

    He had been in Navy Intelligence in the military, and an engineering career after. A very smart guy who thought he could handle anything. Raise kids with his wife would have been nice, all bills paid off, also got in a few vacations.

    One year they even went to Fatima in Spain where the miracle of the Virgin Mary appeared to the three children. Guys at work kidded him that Lynn was looking for another miracle. For a better husband. But he took the kidding because he had Lynn. They were in love, but better yet he loved her more than life itself.

    But now this.

    He had retired to take care of her before he got the nuns to help. One of the best decisions and one of the last lucid thoughts of his wife. She didn't know him anymore now, but she knew them. He tried doing consulting from the house, but had to give it up. He couldn't concentrate. A guy who could still use a slide rule and had almost total recall for things that happened over forty years ago, the same guys at work also would ask him what he had to eat on those days he could remember in detail. But now he thought he was going crazy too.

    However, tonight was Hanks' Night Out, he had begun to call it. The second secular shift would be here in a few hours.

    He missed his talks with Lynn about the house, about one of their trips, about anything.

    That was the other part he hated most. She looked like his wife, sounded like her, but she wasn't home anymore. And he was a stranger to her. Every day.

3.

    Charlie Roberts was both happy and sad that the local Italian eatery, Luis's, was closing it's doors tonight. Luis was moving to Florida. No more cold weather for Luis. After trying to get his two son's to stay and run it, but when they both decided to do something else or early retire themselves, Luis sold it for a good price and a big profit. To a guy who would be calling it Spider Kelly's.

    Luis's had been there in the middle of town for almost 60 years. Everyone who lived in Sachem Pond had been in for a meal or a drink at least once. It was a landmark, a tradition.

    While Charlie was glad for Luis, it was Luis who he had met around the time he had opened his hobby shop. But the man was now old, a little tired. Something Charlie could relate to.

    The sons had grown up with the restaurant and had managed the place for at least the last few years or longer. So when the old man sold it, they were also ready to go. Charlie thought he wouldn't be surprised if the sons ended up in Florida too.

    Charlie's late son, Donnie, former Sheriff Park and all their friends worked there at one time or another. From busboys, waiters, bartenders and anything else that needed to be done. They all ate there and drank there when they were of age. Eighteen years old and drinking age, but Charlie always was happy they were close to home.

    And even when he didn't go there on Thanksgiving night that later got switched to New Year's Day night, he didn't even go anymore. There were five friends  who held the yearly vigil.  All dead now.  Then it was just him.

    But now he toasted them at the house with a root beer or a ginger ale or whatever was in the house. The memory stayed with him in spirit.

4.

    Lido had called the kids over to her and in the direction of her SUV. "Look at me, guys, Don't look over there.

    She knew she had to get the twins out of there.

    Wart was on his  cell phone, looking for a new game to play when he looked over where he wasn't supposed to be looking. "Oh, crap," he said.

    "Mom, Wart said a bad word," Mojo said.

    Lido told her, "No, he's right."

    She was going to call her grandfather Charlie, but he still didn't answer his cell. Her car made it up the hill on Sachem Pond Road, passed the old church and the grammar school to Charlie's house.

    When she parked the Mommobile on his street in front of the house, she told Mojo to go and see if Charlie can come over and watch them at their house.

    "Tell him we're having Chicken Parm," she added.

    "OK," Mojo said.

    Lido got on her phone and called the sheriff's office.

    Deputy Jerry answered the phone. She told him about the body and where it was. She was taking her kids home and after she did she would come back down to the Pond if they wanted her to. But she was going to anyway.

    Charlie and Mojo got in the SUV which was on the go again.

    "What's going on?" Charlie asked.

    Lido began to tell him about what she saw at the Pond leaving out certain parts not meant for young ears.

    He told her he could stay with the kids and dinner sounded good too. But all he wanted to tell her was about his going to Luis's tonight.

5.

    "You see her?" Jason the younger town deputy asked as he walked toward the area where Lido had said the body was.

    "She's not going anywhere," Jerry the other deputy told him. Then he frowned, "Oh, you mean our friend Lido."

    "Thought she'd be here. Is that a woman?"

    "Know better when we get closer. Bring any wading boots?"

    "In the cruiser's trunk. Not getting wet if I don't have to. Might need a pruning shear too."

    "I'll get it. Thrown me the keys," he told Jason.

    Lido pulled into the town beach parking lot and parked next to the cruiser.

6.

    "I can't believe I'm going to be eleven tomorrow," Mojo told her great grandfather.

    "You're catching up to me? I've been eleven over seven times," he said.

    "But I'm older than ..." Mojo waited for Wart's response

    "Guess I'm gonna hear about those few minutes forever."
   "I'll take forever if I was a twin. Brothers are gone, sister gone, wife gone, son gone ...Don't need anymore gones. Need more birthdays." Charlie rubbed his chin.

    "Lots," Mojo told him.   

     Wart then rubbed his chin. "I saw the body, Grandpa Charlie. I know mom told me not to look. I think it was a girl, but girls don't drown in the Pond," he said.

    "They do too," Mojo told him.

    "How would you know?"

    "The princess drowned."

    The Charlie said, "No more drowns in that Pond. Been too many already."

    "The lady looked like Mom," Wart couldn't help saying.

7.

    Lido just watched as the deputies got everything ready. Jason had the boots on and was walking into the water, hook in one hand and branch clipper in the other.

    "Looks like it's made to look like she's been here awhile. Any suggestions?" Jason asked.

    "Don't trip? Is she tied in or floating or what?"

    Jason was glad he had gloves on, he put both the tool in his left hand. "I'm just gonna grab her arm and pull."

    "Be careful you don't pull it off,"

    With that Lido went to go sit in the Mommobile.

    "We lost the diving lady again," Jason said and then added about the body, "She's in there pretty good."

    "Well, cut some of the branches,"

    "I'm getting to it. Odd for a woman to drown here."

    "We don't know that yet."

8.

    Hank was the one who did all the chores at the house now. He had helped his wife when she asked, but he had gone from doing almost nothing to doing almost every thing the nuns didn't do. And they didn't do much. But they did feed him.

    He was raised Catholic so he didn't have a high opinion about the nuns from his own school days. He remembered a lot which he wished he could forget. Now it would be called over the top micro-management and corporal punishment of kids whose parents were paying for this priviledge. Hitting and telling pre-teens to sit still and be quiet even silent under threat wasn't his idea of school. His own parents were strict but were more lenient.

    The one thing he hated doing at the house was the wash. But it was their stuff. And he did need some clean clothes for tonight. He wanted to go to Luis's for an hour or so. See Luis, maybe Charlie if he showed up. And whoever else he used to know from there. Have a beer or two, nothing crazy. Then he would see what else he had to do and then go home.

9.

    Lido watched the deputies from the SUV. With one eye open. She never really liked to watch this stuff when they recovered a body from the Pond. Gave her the creeps. But she was fascinated for some reason this time.

    Jason almost had the body free. The legs were still under water.

    "She weighs a ton, Jerry,'' he told the other deputy.

    "Well, just free the legs and you should be able to move her," Jerry told him and watched as Jason got the legs free.

    Jason stood back for a moment, "Son of a bitch."

    "Now what?"

    "There are weights tied to the ankles with wire,"

    Lido started up the SUV when she saw the weights. And threw it into reverse. "I don't need this."

    She did have to go pickup the birthday cake for the kids. Happy thoughts, she told herself. Every year a different design that she had to explain to the woman behind the counter of the only bakery still left in town. She would get a big smile back from the woman when she understood what Lido wanted and she'd give her a big smile back when the cake looked liked she had imagined it would.

10.

    Charlie's cell phone vibrated with a long buzz and Mojo who was with him showed him how to answer the call.

    "That one," she told him.

    "Uh, hello," he said and took a breath that he had managed to do it. Mojo nodded.

    "Charlie? It's me. Lido." Lido was almost shocked that he answered.

    "Hi."

    "I'm only a few minutes away. Got the cake. Everything OK?"

    "Mojo showed me what to push ....".

    "Good."

    "... again."

    "I'll see you."

    Charlie put the phone down on the kitchen table, "That was weird."

    "It's just a phone, Grandpa," Wart told him. "I'll show you how to play a game if you want?"

    "That's OK, Wart. One step at a time."

11.

    Lido also thought the call was weird until her grandfather got the hang of his cell phone. If he ever did. She just wanted to hear Charlie's voice. Any voice. And not the one on his voicemail. He was her father figure since she had come back to Long Island. Lido wasn't sure if he knew that but she sure did. Especially since she lost her her own dad when she was so young and her mom had never remarried.    

    The cake. The twins' birthday cake was exactly what she wanted for them. She just hoped they liked it as much as she did.

   The short conversation on her cell and the picking up of the cake had helped her with her seeing the body at the Pond. To dilute the image a bit. Anything would have done it. She did feel calmer. But she did hate seeing bodies emerge from that Pond. That took her father. She was glad she hadn't experience that, her mom never spoke about it. But one day she did fear that the next body to emerge would be his. Even though she knew he was buried out in Calverton where they buried the deceased veterans. Charlie had made sure she knew all that when she was old enough to ask.

12.

    When Jason and Jerry had returned to the sheriff's office, Sheriff Glenn asked if they were OK, Dealing with bodies had an effect on some people. Even them.

    "You two alright?" Glenn asked.

    "I'm good," Jerry told him.

    Jason paused for a moment. "Been a few too many lately for me, but as long as I get to drop them off at the county, I'm OK." He smiled. "Even with this guy," he pointed at Jerry.

    Jerry laughed. "Hey, I was there too."  He slapped Jason on the shoulder. "You sure?"

     Jason nodded.

    "Ready to do the report before you forget what happened?" the sheriff shrugged.

    "Yeah, sure. Gonna be a while before I forget this one. Jason picked up a pen off the desk and looked around for the report pad before he sat down in front of the computer. He was still visibly shaken no matter what he said. But getting it down on paper first always helped get it out.

13.

    Jack was going to be one of the bartenders for the final night at Luis's. He had been working part time to piggy back his full time job. But he had retired last year from the Post Office, so this was now his only job and it was ending tonight too. He would tell anyone who listened, thank God for his pension and the social security checks each month. He wasn't going to starve to death after he stopped bartending. But it would change his seeing the locals on a regular basis.

    He had already checked to make sure there was enough liquor on the shelves. There was also the usual condiments of lemons, limes, olives, and onions for drinks. They had them. They were mostly a beer bar, but they were ready for the odd martini.

    Tonight they were going to have champagne. They always had splits, the small bottles, but there would be fifths too. And a big magnum for Luis when he made his final toast. The last night. The last time. For Luis's. Forever. Then onto Florida for the restaurant owner.

    He saw they needed glasses but the other bartender for tonight could bring them out. He'd check to make sure last night's crew had run them through the dishwasher and they were dry. He found a box of towels. Those linen ones were his bread and butter when he wiped down everything at his end of the bar during his shift.

14.

    Hank decided to have dinner with his wife this evening. He didn't always, but tonight he wanted to. The nuns had made a stew that tasted like goulash. He had had it before with them. He felt it was their best meal. Little Sister Mary Martha had the touch for that one. She knew her spices. The rest of the time their other  meals were so bland no matter how much salt you used.

    Sadly, they could serve Lynn the same meal every night and she'd never complain. Same as later when they played that same old episode on disc of the Odd Couple. The one where they played poker. Hank would always smile but he would excuse himself. He couldn't watch it again after the many times he'd seen it. Lynn must have seen it over a hundred times. He would sit with her once in a while but get up right before the end. But that was a while ago. It was her favorite episode before she got sick and now it was forever new to her. Then the nuns would put her to bed by 10 pm and then they'd take turns on watch while she slept until the new shift of nuns would arrive early the next morning.

15.

    Jerry had a great question, the sheriff thought. "How many more people is this Pond going to take?"

    "Not the Indian princess?" Glenn kidded him.

    "And not that psychopath that Gene Park caught a few years ago now." Jerry was mad. "You ever find out who she was?"

    "The victim? Jill Hyde. Jack's daughter. She's a letter carrier for the postal service."

    "Does he know yet?"

    "How? No, we just got a confirm a bit ago. And we get to tell him." Glenn kept reading the coroner's report on the screen. "She didn't drown."

    "Fractured skull?"

    "Huh? No, broken neck, technically 2nd vertebrate."

    "I thought it was around the shoulder by the way Jason carried her out of the water."

    "Was made to look like a drowning. Ankle weights? Um, but no water in the lungs."

    "Another sick bastard. My guess is that she knew her murderer."

    "Just once could it be someone they don't know."

    "Would make our job harder."

    "It will keep until tomorrow, we'll tell him then."

16.

    Guy the other bartender got to Luis's around 5 pm. He knew he'd be there until closing or when they closed the doors until every last hand shake and every last good bye was said. Should be interesting, he thought, maybe even see a few old faces who hadn't been in for a few years.

    He saw that Jack was already there taking care of what Jack called his section of the bar. He and Jack never really got along so it was better that way. Ever since he and Jill broke up when Guy tried to rekindle their relationship and even worser when he only mentioned it.

    Guy was really Brad, born, Bradley, but he never used that. Well, not anymore. He's had enough of that in school. Jack was the one who first called him Guy and it caught on until he started using it himself. Jack was so bad at names, but mostly for people he didn't like. He'd call you Guy. And if you were dating his daughter Jill, he would say, forget about it.

    "Hey, Guy, I set up your end of the bar. Fix it how you like it," Jack called to him.

    "I will."

    "Just stay down your end then." Jack shook his head.

    Guy smirked at him. "You bet I will. I'll sent all the old farts up your way too."

    You do that, at least they tip."

    "Go to hell."

    Guy gave Jack a look back that said, F you and glad this was the last night. He was ready to talk to the new owners of Spider Kelly, Luis's new name, about keeping his job.

    "I'll save you a spot," Jack said and then added, "And we both need glasses. They're dry and ready for you." Guy grabbed his cigarettes and went out the back door.

17.

    "So you'll go with me over to see Jack Hyde tomorrow morning to give him the bad news?" Jason asked the sheriff in front of Jerry who muffled a laugh.

    "Sure, you're first time, but never gets easier. Just say it like the book says. Then wait for the reaction which could be almost anything," Glenn told him. "You'll be OK. You're dad knows him. Good guy."

    "Thanks,' Jason said.

    "Shouldn't be too dangerous."

    "You going to tell him?" Jerry said to the sheriff. He had a big grin on his face.

    Glenn also cracked a smile. "Um, telling him is my job, thanks for thinking you had to do it, part of the sheriff job descript."

    Jason shook his head and as the two laughed. He then half-smiled.

   "Jason, I do want you to come with me sometime to see how it's done." Jerry and Glenn got serious, "and see what it's really all about."

18.

    "What are you doing?" Wart asked Mojo. She put something behind her back.

    "Nothing," she said.

   "Don't steal my answer for everything, What's up?'

    "There's a kid at school ...", she showed him. It was a lie. It was really for the person who killed Jill, 

    "I'll pound him."

    "I'll pound him and you can watch. I just don't want anyone knowing what's going on."

    "So you're making a voodoo doll?"

    "Yup."

    "You know you need something of his to make it work."

    "Oh?" she then threw it hard and it landed on the shelf over the desk. But she did stick a pin in the head before she tossed it. "How do you know about that?" 
     "Ever hear of Google?"

19.

    The nuns were making dinner for Lynn. The little nun was making her goulash stew, but now Hank wasn't hungry. Maybe he'd get something at Luis's while he was there. He heard there was going to be plenty of food or he'd just get a small bar pie. Enough for a party of one.

    He got what he needed for later from the top shelf in the bedroom closet. His old clown suit which consisted of bed sheets sewn together by Lynn back when. He had hoped to use it more after he retired. Go to the schools, libraries, daycare or anywhere he could perform.

    He wore no makeup. The nose if he had one or he'd buy a red lipstick to put on his nose. His suit was white and subtle, no big fluffy button balls he called them. Some color but not much. The whole thing was to not scare the kids or even the adults. He knew about phobias. Lynn was scared of clowns too. And his main reason why he had made the changes to his costume.

    This was all before she got sick. Healthy but not the same. Now the same. Always. And he got tired of telling the story.

    So tonight he would take the suit with him, leave it in the car while he was at Luis's. For later if possible. Just go for a walk around town in his costume and see what happened.

20.

    Charlie was still at the house getting ready to walk up to Luis's. He hadn't been there many times in the last few years. He didn't eat out much anymore and he had stopped drinking too. OK, a shot of the good stuff every once in a great while when he couldn't sleep. Didn't matter much, he was the last of the five of them who had held a yearly vigil at Luis's on Thanksgiving night then New Year's night. Now he'd drink a root beer or ginger ale at the house and toast the departed friends. Gone but not forgotten. Not by him.

    Seeing Luis and his sons would be good. And he was sure a few others of his generation who were still alive. Maybe Gene Park or some of his deceased son's friends too. This night could bring back a lot of memories. His son had worked there, all his friends had worked there too, dinners with his wife Mo, a dinner with Lido, her husband and the twins, but not for a while. 

    If it got to be too much, he'd go home.

21.

    "Are we going to Luis's?" Roberto asked at their dinner table.

    "Wasn't planning to, You want to?" Lido said.    

    "Just that it's the end of an era."

    "But not our era and I really don't want to dig up my dad's spirit. He's in the right place of my memory of him."

    "OK, just wanted to ask."

    "Thanks. Besides I have some classes still to plan and then there's the twins party tomorrow. You know that's going to last all day."

    "I can't wait."

    "You're cute when you're sarcastic."

    Roberto grinned at her. She shook her head and just smiled.

22.

    Charlie walked along the side of the road any traffic at his back on his way to town. He knew he was a little early, but this way he knew he'd get a good seat at the bar. He left his ever present webbed aluminum chair back at the house.

    A car he didn't recognize pulled up behind him, no lights. "Hey old guy, you need a ride?"

    Charlie looked until the car pulled along side. "Ah, Hank, I don't scare much these days, but you had me going."

    "Sorry about that, not my intention. Can I give you a ride to Luis's, save you a few steps?"

    "Sure, thanks."

    "We can go in the back door so I can smell what's cooking. I didn't have dinner."

    "Heard they're going to have plenty of food."

    "Good, I could eat a horse."

    "How's Lynn?"

    "The never ending question."

    "Sorry."

    "It's OK. Just feel like the Invisible Man of our relationship. But the answer is it's not easy."

    "We all go through it. I've had mine, This is yours."

    "I guess, but nice way of putting it. Too bad it takes your heart out of your chest, mushes it all up and then stuffs it back in. Yup, Hurts every day." 

    "That's how it feels."

    "You know, when I left the house Lynn said 'Goodbye, Henry'. She used to call me that back when we were dating a 100 years ago. Then she turned to one of the nuns and said, 'Goodbye, Henry'. I had to leave right there and then.

    The conversation in the car went quiet for a moment.

    Charlie the asked to change the subject, "What's all the stuff in the back seat? A Carl Yastremski bat too?"

    "It's part of my old clown outfit for the act. Thinking of starting to perform again."  

    "Sounds good," Charlie said as Hank parked the car behind the Italian restaurant. "A few people here already. I'm getting hungry too."

23.

    Guy had been outside for another cigarette. He knew that once it got busy catching time for a smoke was going to be hard. He saw Charlie and Hank enter through the rear door of Luis's. They were talking and didn't see him. The invisible ninja, he made himself laugh.

    He was just glad he had got here on time. Or a few minutes late. No one was going to complain except Jack. And Jack always had something to say when it came to him or one of Jack's friends who always stayed at the other end of the bar whenever he and Jack worked together.

    So tonight was his last night at Luis's too. He guessed that Luis's would be remodeled for a few weeks before reopening as Spider Kelly's. Guy hoped they would get a younger crowd but first he had to get an interview with the new people who promised they would talk to the present workers.

    He didn't think there would be a problem, but he did need the job. And the money and the tips. And hopefully  no more Jack or his old cronies. And no more hearing about Jill, Jack's daughter.

    He had had Jill Forever tattooed on the back of his right hand. Jack went nuts when he saw it. Jill didn't react much better. So he had it changed to Jilt Forever. Just like Johnny Depp did about Winona. Wino Forever indeed.

    And Jack and Jill, who thought that one up. Sappy, he thought.

24.

    Guy had met Jill a few years ago. He was still driving the ice cream truck in the summers. She was a mail carrier with a route that included the area where Charlie lived, Lido and her family lived and so did her dad. She enjoyed the familiarity. She knew everyone. It used to be her dad's old route before he retired and talked her into taking the post office test.

    Guy always wanted to be a carrier too, but he could never figure out how or when to take the test. And by the time he had, there was a hiring freeze. He was almost forty now and didn't want it anymore and doubted he could walk a route every day.

    But they had hit it off when they met. Hell, he swept her off her feet. He always kept cool water in the truck with her in mind. And her money was no good if she wanted an ice cream.

    She called him Brad, he did tell her that everyone called him Guy. But she only would call him Brad. And not Jerkill or Jeckyl like in high school, a play on his last name Jaykill.

    She had moved on, but he could never let go even after she ended it.

25.

    Charlie and Hank got the last two open stools and the end of the bar where Jack was.

    "Nice that you guys showed up, going to be old home week tonight. What will it be?" Jack asked them.

    "Seltzer," Charlie said as he shook Jack's hand.

    "I'll put a lemon slice in it for you, Everything's on the house. Get something to eat," Charlie thanked him and went over to the buffet table.

    "And what for you, been a while." Hank and Jack also shook hands.

    "Still got any root beer under the counter?"

    "You know I do, my own personal stash." Jack went to get him a glass. "You two gonna get crazy on me this evening?"

    "I'll get nuts later." Hank laughed.

    "How's Lynn?"

    "The same unfortunately."

    "Sorry."

    "Don't be. It's my cross to bear. The nuns are a lot of help."

    "I'm glad. All I got is Jill."

    Charlie was back with a large plateful of food. Shrimp, mozzarella sticks, some kind of zucchini salad and a few other things. "Don't let Luis's wife fill your plate. I'm never gonna eat all this. And saw Luis, he said he'd be over in a bit."

    Hank took a shrimp and a cheese stick.

    "Hey," Charlie said.

    "You said you couldn't eat all this," Hank said.

    "Go ahead, I'm kidding." Charlie patted him on the back.

    Guy had come back in, nodded at Jack and stood by him, Hank and Charlie.

    Jack said, "I'm glad we're here for this. I know Luis really appreciates it. Just wish my Jane," he nodded to Charlie, "your Maureen and son Donnie." Then he nodded to Hank, "And your Lynn."

    "Yeah, would be," Charlie said.  

    Guy was back down at the other end of the bar watching the three men, Only Larry Ferry was sitting by him and was nursing a beer.

    "Charlie," Guy said, "you ever teach your son to swim?"

    Jack said, "you want me to hold him down while you hit him?"

    "Nah, that's OK." Charlie shook his head and refused to look at Guy. "Losing Donnie to the Pond was worse than anything that that little prick could say. And I don't talk like that anymore even when they think they're a prick."

    "You made an exception tonight," Jack said. Charlie smiled.

    But Hank was the one who was mad. "I'll kill you later." When in doubt be sarcastic, was Hank's thought.

    "You do that," Guy told him and went to refresh Ferry's beer.

26.

    Guy never got over Jill. He knew she didn't have a boyfriend at the moment. She'd had a few since him. But he could tell, it wasn't that hard, she had just moved in with her father. The house she grew up in. The home where she felt safe. 

    She might be available, but Guy knew he wasn't on her list. Available was a good word, but unavailable was better. She was never home, never answered her phone. He like he was dating her voicemail.

    Then he saw her with some guy at the diner on Taylor. In a booth in the back but he saw them. He walked in and walked right out, he couldn't stay. He'd tell her all about it on her voicemail.

27.

    Luis came over to see the three men at the bar. Charlie got up off the stool and gave Luis a hug.

    "All good things ..." Charlie told him. Then they shook hand.

    "...must come to an end," Luis said.

    "You'll be good. I felt the same when I sold the hobby store. Besides don't they have bocce ball in Florida?"

    "You remember that? They call it shuffleboard down there. Do they still have shuffleboard?"

    Both men laughed. Luis turned to Hank and Jack.

    Hank said, "Hi, boss." Luis shook his hand.

    "Ah, yes. You and a lot of others worked for me and Charlie over the years. It was a pleasure, Hank." Charlie squeezed Hank's shoulder. "And Jack, we can't get rid of him." They all laughed, Jack the hardest.

    "Thanks,  I'm gonna go when you go, Luis, not to Florida, will still be here in Sachem Pond. Don't really want to break in a new owner.
    Luis smiled. "We were lucky to have you."

    The old man then turned to Charlie and said, "I'm sure a few more of the guys and gals may show up still. Too bad, wish your Donnie was here too."

    "Me too, Luis," Charlie told him. "You have to tell these two the story about your original sign and how it became Luis's."

    Luis shook his head. "All these years later and I'm still mad about that. The damn sign painter thought we forgot the 's. I wanted Luis'. Had business and menus that said that but no one could pronounce it, So by the guy adding the 's, it worked."

    Charlie added, "Nevermind someone with a Latin first name owning an Italian restaurant."

    "Hey, my mom liked it. And she didn't like Luigi," he laughed again.

    Just then his two sons rolled in an old jukebox in great condition. They were telling former sheriff Gene Park and now county man that they'd had it at the house, usually broke it out for special family events. Charlie and the others could overhear them talking. Gene was still admiring the old machine, then he saw the records on it. 45 rpms. Green Tambourine by Lemon Pipers, Hey Jude by The Beatles, Fire by Arthur Brown, one from The Box Tops and a dozen more. 

    Story was they got it from Chet and Terry's, the old bar across from Moore's Funeral Home down the street from the restaurant a bunch of years ago. The sons restored it when Luis's was thinking about putting in a oldies jukebox not too many years ago. But they opted for the big screen TV's for sports. Once in a while a movie for a movie night that lasted a month. The satellite has whatever game  they could get and there was a game almost every night.

    Gene Park came over to them after he pulled himself away from the jukebox.

    "Did you see that? Wow. I even remember most of the songs. Guess I'm getting old," he said. Irony was he was the youngest of them by at least a year. Hank was a year older.

    "Have to remember your past and the old songs," Charlie said.

    "That's true ... what a weird day, they found a woman down by the Pond today. They ID'd her they said, but I didn't hear. And they're still trying to find out if she drowned. And now this jukebox."

    "Damn Princess has still been busy," Hank said.

    "She gets at least one a year still and women aren't safe either," Charlie told them.

    "Wonder who she is?" Jack asked, "When I delivered the mail I used to hear everything."

28.

    If you knew Jill, Lido always said, how could you believe anyone would do this to her. And Lido was one of the only people who knew she was dead. And couldn't get the image of her friend out of her head. She did tell the deputies who it was even though they had to go through the process of IDing the body.

    And on Jill's vacation too, Lido thought. Jill had been so looking forward to it. A week off. The joke was, where was she going on her vacation, her answer was sunny Sachem Pond to catch up with herself. Lido could understand that so well, family, kids, work, all of it and no time for nothing.

    And Lido hadn't even wanted to tell Charlie who she knew he was going to see Jack and Guy tonight. Charlie could keep a secret, but he also knew he couldn't tell Jack before it was official. She didn't want to put that burden on her aging grandfather.

29.

    Joe D. and Freddie showed up at Luis's with their ladies. They both sat by Guy and waved to Charlie. Their dads were part of the friends of Charlie who showed up at Luis's on Thanksgiving night vigil then New Year's night until they were all gone. Except for Charlie. Joe D Sr's son and old Dave's son. Charlie wondered where they would all go after Luis's was gone. Hope for the new place Spider Kelly's to carry on the tradition or even make a few new ones.

    Hank mentioned to Charlie about leaving in a bit, but he did want to see who still was going to show up. Charlie told him OK. Even though this party was low key, Charlie was usually in bed by nine whether he went to sleep or read until he did. But this was Hank's night out and he did have other plans before he went home for the evening. If he could do it.

30.

    Jill hated smoking, but not so much that she didn't try to start to smoke. Back when she was going out with Guy. She'd gone out with a few guys who smoked but it was bad with Guy because he smoked so much. When Guy and Jack found out about her smoking they both got mad at her. Not that they could ever stop smoking, but her dad eventually did. For her. And smoking had taken her mom.

    All Jill had really wanted to do was to be in love, but she wasn't sure if Guy was the right one. She was never sure about any of them She always felt Guy was but she never knew if this time would be the last time, her last chance to be loved. This was forever in her thoughts since she turned thirty years old five years ago.

    Guy just wanted her to talk to him. About them. She never did and he never asked.

    She did tell him about her mom. She had a great mom and she missed her almost daily. But one of her memories as a baby was about being put in a closet, no lights, no nothing, just her in a portable car seat. She even asked her dad, but he couldn't remember the incident. She could never forget it. Not good, not bad, just was.

    Guy had gotten her on the rebound from a serious relationship that she thought was the one. But it didn't last. Guy never got to feel that. With her.

31.

    Hank tapped Charlie who had been talking at the bar to Jack on the shoulder. He pointed to a few more people shaking hands with Luis. Ed Dunne and his wife, Hallock Hawkins of Hawkins Hardware up on the corner and Billy Schmidt Sr.

    "Hi, Hal," Hank said and went over to shake hands and talk for a moment.

    Tommy the guy who bought Charlie's old store Pond Hobbies and opened his own hobby store put his hand on Charlie's shoulder. Charlie turned around.

    "How's everything?" Charlie asked him.

    "Hey, Charlie. Not so good. Closing next month."

    "What happened? You were doing great."

    "Ah, you know, a few stores close and some new people come in. Things change. Kids on the computers etc. Not much call for hobby stuff anymore. You sold at the right time."

    "You had a nice run, Tommy. A few good to great years."

    "I just hate starting over again." Tommy shook his head. "I'll figure out something."

    The store owner left Charlie to go see Hank. Charlie thought to himself, nice to see Hank out seeing people but then people could say the same thing about himself.

    "Charlie Roberts!" It was Nancy Jolly the waitress. She was a friend of Jody's. "You look good," she told him.    

    "Sure, you do too," Charlie said.

    "Liar," she laughed and kissed him on the cheek. "But you do look good, what's your secret?"

    "I stopped counting years after age 70. I just tell folks I'm 150. That's why I'll always look good."

    "Well, say hi to that daughter-in-law of yours for me, OK?"

    "Alright, but I don't see her much anymore." He really didn't.

    "Well, if you do." She kissed him on the cheek again. "By the way I'm quitting too. Time to start getting Social Security and yell at the TV. And do the grandma thing full time."

    "You'll be fine. Take care," he told her as Hank back over and sat on the next stool.

    "You ready?" he asked.

    "Anytime you are. I'll make Lido show me the pics from tonight and any videos of anyone who comes in later on the Facebook anyway."

32.

    Lido regretted going back to the Pond after dropping off the kids at the house. Seeing Jill's body being put in the body bag as she got there, she had hoped that had been done while she was gone.

    "We meet again," Jason had said to her. She didn't even hear him. She just stood there staring at the fence Jill was tied to. "You OK?"

    "Not good," she told him but added, "I'm OK," when she saw his face. The look was a combination of concern and the fact that they only had one body bag with them.

    "Um, OK," he finally said.

    She had been thinking about Jill, a friend, not a close confidant. They did look alike from the back, Roberto would tell her. She'd kid him about looking at Jill's back and he'd get all red in the face. Then she'd kiss him on the neck and smile.

    Same shape, same hair style, sisters from different mothers.

    Jill would tell her about  her upcoming vacation and Guy and then the new boyfriend who wasn't working out.

    One story Jill told her about Guy was she asked him, do you love me, I love you, in  a very intimate moment of theirs. He answered, I guess so.  She would always hear a question mark which confused her. And even pissed her off when she was only surprised that he did.

    Then Lido was confused because she'd kill Roberto unless she knew he was kidding, but Roberto would never ever kid her in the moment and she'd never ask the question then. All Lido knew was Jill had problems with men especially like Guy. And she was so insecure when it came to her relationships.

33.

    Hank and Charlie were in the car with Charlie giving directions as to where and when to make turns. When they reached his house Charlie shook Hank's hand and said, "Thanks ... don't be a stranger and don't do anything I would do."'    

    Hank smiled, "Nah, I'm going straight home."

    Charlie gave a glance at the things in the back seat. Patted the roof of the car and began his walk up the driveway as Hank pulled away.

    It was a few minutes after 9 pm, so Hank drove towards the Pond. Too early to go home. The Odd Couple was still on. He'd go park by the hurricane fence in the town beach parking lot and look out over the water at the lights that probably stayed on nightly by those who lived by the Pond.

    He was at peace for the moment. Then he reached into the back seat for the clown costume and his Yaz model Louisville Slugger baseball bat. He pulled from his pocket a metallic device he'd been working on of late. It was one of those car window glass breaking instruments that could be used to get someone out of a burning car or rescue a drowning victim in their vehicle underwater.

    It was attached by screws to the part he had made so it fit perfectly over the end of the bat barrel. Two twists of a couple of bolts that he could hand tighten and he was in business. Not the sweet part of the bat where most players got their hits. But the end where nearly all ball players would complain about the sting in their hands. But the sting wouldn't bother  Hank, he wouldn't be on the receiving part. He was going to be the stinger tonight.

    All he knew was this was way overdue.

34.

     "Yeah, could be the same people who'd come to his funeral," Jack told Ed Dunne about Luis as he came up to the bar to get a couple of drinks and say hello to Jack.

        Ed nodded. "But he gets to go to live in Florida, me I just visit. I couldn't handle it all year."

        "Same here."

     "Well, let me get back to the Mrs. Nice seeing you again."

    "I'm done here after tonight."

    "I'm sure we'll bump into each other. Your daughter's my letter carrier. I'll tell her to say hi for me."

    "That will work."

    They shook hands. Ed then waived to his wife that he was coming back over to sit with her.

    Jack grabbed his bar towel and gave the bar area the once over. One more time. The last time. Guy wasn't busy either for the moment and Jack called him over.

    "Look, I'm gonna go. You can handle this. Give you a chance to show the Spider people how good you are," Jack told him. He was thinking about shaking Guy's hand. They'd worked together for a while but thought better of it. Jack had made sure he had shaken everyone's hand who had come up the his station at the bar.

    "I can handle it. Alright, I guess." Guy then turned and went back to his station.

    Then a loud noise on the street. Breaking glass. Luis's sons were out the front door followed by Guy, Freddie and Joe D. And Jack the wondered if he was ever going to get home tonight.

35.

    Hank's heartbeat was going 100 mph. He jumped 10 feet when the first window broke. The bat had bounced off the first set of front windows and didn't make much noise. Plexiglass. On the hobby store. He got the nail place and then the store next to it. Bam bam. Then he heard people in front of Luis's the only place still open. With the bat under his arm he ran for his car parked on the side of the hobby store.

    His heart was still racing. He drove away with his car lights off. Three men were running toward the nail store wile others congregated in front of the restaurant.

    He turned left out of the parking lot in the direction of the Pond. His adrenaline was still pumping as he put the car lights on. One of the sheriff''s cruisers drove passed him in a hurry in oncoming traffic.

    Back when Hank was growing up, the town had 2 hardware stores, 3 supermarkets, 2 gas stations, 2 dry cleaners, 3 drugstores, a barber shop, a shoe repair shop, 2 stationary stores, 2 bakeries, a 5 and dime store, 2 eating places, a hobby shop and even a deli. A few more too. All gone now except for a hardware store, a drugstore, and whoever replaces Luis's. The newer stores were alright, but it wasn't the same. He hardly ever frequented those stores. Couldn't remember even one time. 

    He and other kids almost single-handedly supported the old stores he remembered. Even if it were only for candy and their other needs. Or the daily bread, milk and cigarette runs for their moms.

    Lynn had also told him the other day, she forgot to water the house plastic plant. She could have been talking to the dog. But they didn't have a dog. Hank just wanted it to be the way it was  for him and his wife, his best friend, the stores and well, everything.

    He missed her presence and the old way the town was. He missed it all and worse he was having a hard time controlling his anger. All his emotions.

   He sat in his car, waiting for his heart to stop speeding and then he'd go home. Well, to his house. It wasn't much of a home anymore.

36.

    Guy and Luis's two sons were still standing outside the front door.

    One of the brothers asked the other, "Can you still hear anything?"

    "No, not even a store alarm."

    Guy said, "Here's the sheriff." 

    Jerry parked the car by the nail store. He and Deputy Jason got out and surveyed the damage.

    "Go over and see if they saw anything at Luis's," Jerry said.

    "Got it."

    "I get to call the sheriff and then call the owner to get down here to put up some plywood for the hole  and keep out the raccoons, squirrels and any nosy bodies out too. Gonna wake up everyone if  this didn't already."

    "Be right back," Jason said and crossed the street over to the restaurant.

    Gene Park stuck his head out the front door and saw Jason.

    "Hi, Pop. Hey did you guys see anything?" Jason asked.

    "Your grandpa's here too, "Gene told his son, "Stick your head in before you go."

    "Will do."

    The brothers told the deputy that they heard the noise and ran out. Guy said the same but that he came from behind the bar. So they knew nothing.

    "Anybody hurt?" Guy asked.

    "No," Jason told him. He could see Jerry was on his cell phone. Jason flashed 10 fingers to him and Jerry nodded. Then Jason went inside behind his dad and over to his grandpa, hugged him and shook his hand.

    "Easy on the grip," Jason told him which made the old man smile. Then he grabbed his dad's hand who then slapped Jason on the shoulder. A 'go get 'em' kind of thing. "I'll see you soon," he told his dad and was out the front door to be with Jerry.

    They were going to have to find a piece of wood panel. Maybe the firehouse around the corner had something. They always had stuff. Someone will be there. Or make a call and a sheet of wood would mystically appear from one of the firefighters from his home.

    Guy and the brothers went back inside. The commotion of the night was over.

    Jack watched as Guy took his place behind the bar. Jack said again, "Think I'm gonna take off. Say my goodbyes. You can handle it."

    "You know I can," Guy told him.

37.

    "Wonder who thought this was a good idea?" Jerry said aloud. "I called Glenn and he said to wait for the store owners," he told Jason, "Get all this  boarded up and then send you home. Said he'll see you when you get in at noon."

    "Sounds good. What do you want me to do?" Jason asked.

    "Both owners are bringing plywood. You can help them put it up whenever they get here."

    "Alright ...My grandfather was at Luis's. Great to see him. He's gotta be ninety. Still has a handshake." Jason grinned.

    "Oh, yeah, one good thing for tonight. I never met my grandfathers and I'm the oldest son. Both died young. My dad's gone too. You're lucky. I'm hoping to break that tradition."

    "I would," Jason said and Jerry laughed hard.

    "But too much Irish in my family. The hot flame goes out first."

38.

    Jack pulled his car into the driveway, shut off the engine and then fumbled for his house key.

    No Jill, not home yet, he thought. He didn't eat at the bar. He never did. Took something home once in a while, but tonight he didn't. Maybe reheat some chicken from dinner the other night or eat some instant oatmeal. Or maybe both, he was hungry but the chicken first. Together would be too weird.

    When he opened the house door, he put the light on over the kitchen table. Was going to turn off the outside light but he remembered Jill was still out. At least for a few more hours. She was on vacation, but she liked her sleep and besides she was always up early anyway.

    Between the kitchen and the outside door was a steep set of stairs to the basement. He'd always thought they were in a weird place. The house he had grown up in as a kid had the basement stairs entrance outside. He wished this house also did. Safer. If he ever got rich he'd change that.

    He went over to the door to shut off the outside light again, he then remembered he didn't want to again, force of habit. He turned quickly back to the kitchen, had nothing to grab onto and fell. Thirteen steps down to a landing at the bottom. His feet had gone out from under him.

    When he did land he both felt and heard a crunch in his shoulder. He hit the side of his head on the landing. Couldn't turn his neck. In the dark at the bottom now, he wasn't in any pain, more numb than anything.

    Hopefully Jill would be home soon. His cell was on the kitchen table. He could stay awake until he saw his daughter, Then he passed out.

September 1, Thursday.

39.

    "You awake?" Mojo asked her brother. She had been thinking about their birthday. She had stuck her head in his bedroom doorway.

    "You know I am," Wart told her. "The sun's not even up yet.'

    "I know, but I can't sleep anymore. I can't believe we're eleven."

    "Let me sleep or you're never gonna be twelve."

    "It's different for girls, you know."

    "Oh man, go back to sleep." He pulled a pillow over his head.

    Mojo went back to her room. No way was she getting back to sleep. She was excited. And she wouldn't be surprised if it was just another day for her twin brother. Maybe a shirt, a new game. The new Halo game would make him happy. Too violent for her. And maybe something her mom could think of for the both of them but no matching shirts or anything else. Unless her shirt said, I'm With Stupid.

    From her desk drawer she got something she had been working on since seeing the lady by the fence in the Pond. Even though, her mom said not to look but both she and Wart got a good look. Without staring. Without their mom noticing.

    It was the doll. Well kinda. Two pieces of burlap from the garage that she had sewn together. Put a bunch of cotton balls inside and drew a man's face on it. First it was going to be Wart when she got mad at him the other day. But she couldn't even do that to her twin. No, it was for the man who killed the lady.

    She held it in the palm of her hand and stack a needle in its head. She made a mad run to her brother's room. Quietly she listened. He moved and then made a grunting sound like he always did. She wanted to be sure her first wish wasn't still in effect.

    OK, she thought, this was for the man who hurt the lady and left her in the Pond. With the needle still deep in the doll's head she placed it back in the desk's middle drawer under some papers in case her mom was looking for something.

40.

    "What time are we going over to Jack Hyde's house to deliver the bad news?" Jason Park asked Glenn as he got up to get a cup of coffee at the office coffee maker.

    "Any milk left?" the sheriff asked, "what do you mean we? I get to do this alone, maybe with Jerry if anyone. But probably a little after nine am after I finish yesterday's reports."

    "Plenty, just brought more when I came in, I'll go if you need me."

    "Some other time. This will be hard enough. Someone's kid even if they're grown up. But, thanks. Anything new on the smashed store windows in town?"

    "Nothing, but I want to talk to Luis's other bartender and the owner's sons again. See if they can remember anything else."

    "Good idea. Gene Park used talk about the last time it happened. Back in the 60s. Some bald guy in a sheet with an axe. Never caught him."

    "My dad had some great stories from back when he was a kid, when he was  the sheriff and even now."

    "We all do, Jason, we all do. You will too."

41.

    Charlie knew it was Hank. Seeing the bat and his costume in the back seat of his car. Was just a broken pane of glass waiting to happen. But between hurricanes, big storms, breakins and kids with pellet guns and other assorted pieces of destruction, it wasn't anything that hadn't happened before.

    His old hobby store window had been victim of the pellet guns. He only noticed the pellet bits on the sidewalk on the ground in front of the store. Then the mini holes like little bullet divots. And he couldn't leave it like that because it could easily shatter. And of course, he had no insurance for it and no money to replace it. The old supermarket had only moved out a few months prior to their new locale down the street.

    So he knew what it felt like to be on the receiving end.

    He could understand what but not why. You couldn't say they rolled up the sidewalks in Sachem Pond after a certain hour. But each year fewer and fewer places were open late anymore.

    But enough of that until he would need to come forward or Hank gave himself up or the sheriffs office figured it out, Charlie told himself.

    There was a twin birthday party to go to. Should be good but he didn't know what to expect. And that was less and less in each passing year.

42.

    Glenn parked the cruiser in front of Jack Hyde's house on Hill Street. The street wasn't as hilly as Hillcrest drive one street over. Hillcrest was also called the Six Sisters because of the slopes. But Hill was also rightly named. More so if you were a teen on a skateboard or a dirt bike.

    Jack's car was parked in the driveway. All quiet for a Thursday morning. Not a creature was stirring. Well, he was. Glenn sighed and knocked on the door. He hoped Jack had heard his knock and not his exhale.

    "Jack, you there?" Glenn called out after his third knock.

    He listened for a moment. He thought he heard a moan. He knocked a fourth time.

    Another moan. Louder this time. Glenn banged on the door. A another loud moan.

    He grabbed the door knob and jiggled it. It was open and it surprised him. He opened the door a few inches.

    "Jack?"

    A much clearer moan from inside. The sheriff opened the door all the way. He looked around the kitchen. He expected to find Jack on the floor.

    "Jack?"

    A groan came from the dark at the bottom of the stairs. Glenn switched the overhead light on.

    "Jack! Hold on!" he told him. He didn't even go down the stairway when he called 911. Then he hung up. 911 would get his office. He then called Suffolk Hospital for an ambulance. And Stat, he told them. Then he called his office and got Jason.

    "Hey, Skip," Jason said.

    "Get over here ASAP, and bring the First Aid kit with you."

    "Is there ... nevermind ...I'll be there in 5 minutes."

    "And bring the Crime Scene tape."

43.

    "You up now?" It was Mojo at Wart's bedroom door.

    "I'm up, Ma." And put the pillow over his head again.

    "C'mon, Wart. You know it's me Mojo."

    "Can you go away? Can't I even sleep in on my birthday?"

    "Our birthday."

    "How can I forget."

    Lido and Roberto were still in bed, not sleeping, but in no hurry to get up and face the day.

    "Can you hear our offspring bugging each other on their birthday?" Lido said with a phony pride in her voice.

    "I'm very proud," Roberto told her. She laughed.

    "I'm glad I was an only child."

    "Wish I would have known, you could have had one of my four sisters. For free even."

    "Ah, thank you very much."

    Lido stuck her head out her bedroom doorway.

    "What time is our party?" Mojo asked when she saw her mom.

    "Not before lunch."

44.

    Glenn was now at the bottom of the basement stairs telling Jack to stay awake. Jack was talking but it was incoherent babble. Jack kept trying to move, but Glenn put his hand on Jack's shoulder and that seemed to calm him temporarily.

    "Skip?" Jason said through the half open front door.

    "Down here, Jason," Glenn said.

    "Whoa, what do we do?"

    "Nothing until the EMT people get here. Can you wait with him? I need a moment outside and I'll flag down the ambulance."

    "OK, I got it."

    "And .. I'll be right back."

    Jason didn't do anything. But he did listen to Jack's breathing. It was shallow but the man was still with him.

        He glanced up the stairs from the landing where he and Jack were. 13 steps. Unlucky last night or whenever Jack fell down.

    "and broke his crown ... and probably his shoulder," Jason said out loud and he remembered the old nursery rhyme, He added the part about the shoulder.

        There was a dark bruise on the left side of Jack's temple and his left arm didn't look right. Most likely broken or whatever, Jason thought, and if he lives will be a hell of a rehab. And he doesn't even know about his daughter yet. That kind of anger could either kill you or keep you alive.

    "Jason?" It was Glenn. "Come on up. Ambulance is here."

    "He's breathing. It's shallow but he's alive," Jason told him.

    "Good observance. I got the same thing. Let these guys do their job," Glenn said as two males and two females ran passed them with their equipment. One of the males stood at the top of the stairs with a folded up stretcher.    

    After a few minutes, the attendants had Jack strapped onto the stretcher with a neck brace. Jack groaned as he went passed the sheriff and the deputy.

    "That's a good sign," one of the women told them and handed Jack's keys to Jason.

    "I guess we should lock up?" Jason told Glenn.

    "Lock and load."

    Standing by the sheriff's car door Jason said this all reminded him of a joke his dad used to tell. The one about the guy who gets a telegram at the house. The man said he had never gotten a singing telegram. The messenger said they never did that. The guy begged and begged the messenger who finally gave in but said he didn't think this was that kind of telegram. The man asked again and said it would be OK.

    Alright, here goes the messenger said, 'Dada, dada, da da ... your father's dead'.

    "Funny, but forget about telling that joke again, even if they say it's ok," the sheriff said.

    "10-4, Skip. See you back at the office."

    "Yup ... I didn't know your dad knew that one."

45.

    Charlie was down at the Pond sitting in his webbed aluminum chair. He had been there since 7 am. Couldn't sleep. Again. I had been nice at Luis's and glad he had gone. See the old faces and some probably for the last time. Like Luis. And His sons. Maybe Jack. And others. And they probably wouldn't see him. Again.

    Sad about Tommy's Toys, but Charlie thought that had he had the money they had the doors would never close. But people always said that. 20/20 hindsight. Being in business was always risky. There were times when he was running the Pond Hobby Shop from month to month, but December was always a good month. Sometimes good enough to bail out the whole year, but he guessed that things had changed. They had for Tommy.

    The Mommobile with Lido and Mojo pulled into the town beach parking lot. Charlie glanced over, he was surprised to see them. They waved. He got up from his chair and walked toward his granddaughter and great granddaughter.

    Lido was talking to Mojo as they walked to where they found Jill. Charlie would follow until one of them said hello. It was sad, Charlie thought, the death of this woman was going to effect a lot of people especially her dad. She was all he had.

    "Hey, Charlie," Lido called to him.

    He grunted.

    "Hi, Grandpa Charlie," Mojo said. She looked sad to him.

    "You ok?" Lido asked.

    "Just achy," he told her.

    "Ah ... Moj is having trouble with this."

    "Lot of folks will."

    Mojo pulled the doll out of her pocket. She showed it to Charlie.

    Lido said, "She made this after Jill died but is feeling she had something to do with it."

    Charlie smiled. Mojo's head was down. Note of guilt.

   He told them, "Doesn't work that way. Can't happen after, And it wouldn't work anyway unless you had a piece of clothing or hair or something."

    Mojo handed him a small nylon scarf from her other pocket. "She gave it to me a while back when she was delivering mail to our house. She knew all the kids. I really liked her ... this sucks."

    "Yes, it does," Charlie said, "but still she was gone before you made the doll. So you're off the hook. Can I see the doll?"

    "Here," she handed it to him who looked it over. He gave it to Lido.

    Mojo shook her head.

    "And no more of these just in  case." He patted the girl on the shoulder.

    "I won't," she said and smiled at him.

    "Good, I'm going to hang out here for another hour and then I'll see you folks for the big party. We'll get nuts."

    "Ha, no we won't," Lido said.

    Charlie did an almost Beavis and Butthead like dance, mostly with his arms. "Hell, we won't."

    Mojo then laughed and was off with her mom to go bury the doll.

    "That's what I wanted to hear. You have a great laugh. See you two at the house," he told them as he went to go sit in his metal chair and stare out over the water.

46.

    With Jerry and Jason back out on patrol in their cruisers, the sheriff had received a call from the hospital that Jack was awake. He was about as stable as he was going to get. The shoulder was worse than his head wound but his head situation wasn't good either.

    They wanted to do surgery on the shoulder. Something about putting in a pin or screws or both. Could his office help contact his daughter or any other relative. Glenn gave them the bad news about Jill's death and he wasn't sure if the wife was dead or divorced or what?

    All in case he went into a coma which was still possible. But they would talk to Jack when he was lucent. Glenn also wanted to talk to him too. He told the hospital that he would be the one to tell Jack about Jill. They said it would be better if he didn't know for a bit so they could stabilize him before any operation could happen. 

47.

    Hank was at the house deep in thought. His thinking was that breaking of the town store windows should have lessened his anger. The nuns were upstairs taking care of Lynn and he was down in the basement workshop just banging things and moving some things around.

    The problem was he was still mad, Still angry. Seething almost. Not so he couldn't be civil. But he was downstairs so he wouldn't be tempted to lash out. And even at a nun or his wife. But he really wasn't mad at them. No he'd still eat dinner with them. Chili surprise, whatever the hell that was, but he did like chili. He'd probably eat it up there or down here, he wasn't sure yet. Hell, he wasn't sure of anything today. He just hoped this wasn't going to be this way every day from now on.

    But it did feel good to break the glass and even hitting the plexiglass was okay too. But he was more surprised when the glass did break than any kind of fulfillment or whatever word he was searching for.

    Would he go out again tonight. He wasn't sure. A firm maybe, he said to himself. Then he smiled. But the smile vanished when he remembered all he wanted was for things to get back to the way they were. Lynn her ownself and everything else. Was that too much to ask, Apparently it was.

48.

    "I want cake," Wart said as he grabbed the big knife Lido had put on the kitchen table.

    It was just going to be family. Just the five of them. Three generations minus Donnie's, but Jody did promise she would call.

    "Wart, I want to get a picture of the cake, then you guys," Lido said.

    The cake design was a yin yang symbol, black and white, two halves of a whole. Like the twins, mirror images, one lefty, one righty. Was even hard to tell them apart as babies. She wouldn't let Roberto put a number one or any number on them. He was kidding. So she used to dress with prime colors for Wart, pastels for Mojo.

    Wart was looking all over the place for presents in between bites of his second of his second piece of cake. Mojo was still nursing the only piece she would eat as well as everyone else.

    "I give up, where are the presents?" Wart finally asked.

    Roberto, Lido and Charlie all shrugged like it had been rehearsed. Then Charlie smiled.

    "I guess I'll go first," he said and pulled two small cases from his pocket. "This family doesn't have many heirlooms."

    He opened the first case.

    "What's an ... heirloom?" Wart asked him.

    Lido said, "Usually something old and precious to all members of the family, priceless and irreplaceable."

    "Wow," Wart said.

    Charlie opened his hand. A pocket watch. "I got this for Donnie when he was 12, you're almost the same age. I cleaned it up and had the jeweler in town check it out. It works.
He opened it and showed Wart. He had put a picture of himself, Maureen, Donnie and Jody holding Lido."

    "Awesome," Wart told him.

    "Cool," Mojo added.

    "I haven't seen this in forever," Lido said.

    Roberto also said, "Nice, Charlie."     

    "And now for Mojo," Charlie said.

    The girl's eyes got big.

    "Your Grandma Maureen always liked this one." He handed her the gift.

    "A necklace?" she asked as she took it out of the package.

    "Don't think it's too big for you."

    Lido said, "Charlie, this is too much."

    "Not really," he said, "it's got some turquoise in it but it's gold filled. Worth more to us than a dealer or someone. No, it's perfect for her. There's a few more. You should really look at them, Lido. What am I going to do with them? Besides, Maureen would want you guys to have them. Jody's not getting nothing from me."

    Lido wasn't happy about the way Charlie spoke about her mom but she didn't even speak well of him either. "Yeah, I'll come over."

    "I'd like that," he told her.

    It was Roberto's turn. "And keeping with the birthday twins. There are two mountain bikes out in the garage waiting for a couple of riders."

    "You blew the surprise. Lido smiled at him.

    "You're kidding. These guys knew about it the day I brought them home. And I thought no one was around. They have bicycle radar."

    "Us?" Wart said, "Never knew a thing." A white lie.

    Mojo kicked him under the table.

49.

    Jill and Lido didn't look alike when they met. Jill was a brunette like her mom. Lido was a long haired blonde like her mom and the sun would make her hair lighter during the summers. But Lido cut her hair after the kids arrived. Two kids for a first time mom and still teaching. She had to cut it, no time to really take care of it. Roberto said he liked it. It was just a shower, dry it, brush it and she was out the door each morning.

    Jill cut her hair for the same reason except for the kids thing. None yet, she'd always say. The blonde hair came later. First as an experiment then she kept it because everyone liked it. She wasn't sure herself at first but it grew on her was her joke.

    From the back they also almost looked alike, down to the color of their hair in the back. They could have been twins or at least sisters. Roberto was the first to notice it, then Charlie after it was pointed out to him a few times.

    They would call each other 'sis' to play it up. Both were only childs, Lido lost her dad, Jill her mom. They turned out OK, Charlie would say. Both women with holes in their lives, they coped, but always wondered what it would have been like if they had had both parents. Not all the time. Mostly around holidays or a birthday. And Jill's dad and Lido's mom tried their best to bridge the parent gap in each their homes. It wasn't easy on them either.

    Jill also used to talk to Lido about Guy. But after a while she couldn't. Lido didn't like him and couldn't contain her dislike. Other than Guy wasn't Lido's type, never had a real job and acted like he'd never grown up or ever would. A man child, she called him. Jill didn't get mad but didn't want to hear her friend's spin as her boyfriend because they were always hard to come by. For her. Jill eventually dumped Guy because he smoked and always smelled of smoke. And smoking had killed her mom. Breast cancer before her mom's time was up. And then it got worse for Jill. And she couldn't tell anyone about it. Or wanted to. Thought she could handle it. Alone.

50.

    The sheriff asked both Jason and Jerry if they had heard anything new about the window clown. That was what they had begun to call him.

    It was because one of the business owners with the broken window kept asking them about the clown that got their store. Not because they were making fun, but only in the office. But it was also a good code word for their case. They weren't opposed to either. Besides they thought it was kinda funny. And humor was helpful in  the job.

    Nothing new. Unless he strikes again. Not much to do if it was a one time thing. Hopefully it wasn't a revenge thing. But as far as Glenn knew no one disliked the store owners, most people didn't even know they existed.

    Glenn told Jason that Jerry was going home and it was all his. But Jason would have the day off tomorrow. They all knew it was a weird schedule but it worked. It had been set up but former Sheriff Gene Park. Glenn would always say, if it ain't broke.

    After the two men left, Jason checked the office. Phone on, coffee machine off, all good for everything else. He went out the door, got in the cruiser and got ready to watch over Sachem Pond for the rest of the night. Glenn had a line to his house if anything came up while Jason finished his job or something happened. The sheriff's cell was always on too. But it worked.

51.

    Hank ate dinner with Lynn and the nuns, then the nuns left for the convent their home. To go do whatever nuns did. For all he knew they played cards, He laughed.

    He would watch over Lynn tonight. She could busy herself with knitting, do needlepoint or even a crossword puzzle the way she used to before. Before the change. Back when she's look up and smile at him. Even if he had had a bad day, the smile would fix his little corner of their world.

    Now she never looked up anymore. Sometimes he just watched her hands. Everything they did was perfect. Never a lost stitch or a grab for the dictionary for help for a word. When he wanted her attention he had to grab her arm. She would look up at him. No smile. No expression. "Why did you do that?" she'd always ask.

    It was either to tell her that her favorite Odd Couple episode was on or something else to take away her attention from what she was doing. Thank god for Felix and Oscar, he'd tell himself.

    After the DVD was over, he'd grab her arm again. He'd tell her it was time for bed. The nuns had already changed her clothes to her nightgown under her favorite robe. She'd get into bed after laying the robe on the end of the bed with slippers nearby on the floor.  And then fell asleep like she had been shot.

    It was like this every night. She'd sleep straight through. And this was their life now. And forever, he'd add. 10 pm every night. The world was him. Without her. Without them. Together. It was like being married to sleeping beauty.

    He went out on the patio with his glass of ice tea. He took a sip. He stared at the glass then he threw it. The glass and the ice cubes shattered on the stone patio surface. The dog next door barked twice. Broken glass, the sound, the pieces. He pushed the shards into the flower with his foot. That was for another day. And another day. And another. The same. Again and again. He sighed.

52.

    Guy had had his appointment with the new owners of Luis's. They told him of their grand plans for Spider Kelly's. Food. Lunch and dinner, mixed drinks, blended drinks, imported beers. Did they think he could handle it.

    He told them how much business he had brought to Luis's. Guy was part of the upscale after the last renovation of the restaurant. Luis's had been there going on sixty years. They are, they were  a fixture in the village, he told them. He said he could be the bridge to the new place, a familiar face they knew. When he had asked if they had a bar manager yet, not yet. He told them Jack had said he was retiring. No one knew about his fall.

    They told him that they'd get back to him. What he heard was he better file for unemployment just in case. And when he left the interview, he headed over to the local office in Pochogue who told him to apply online.

53.

    The twins rode their new bikes until Lido messaged them both on their cell phones. What a difference over the Stingray bikes they had been riding. Or to Mojo her mom screaming her name to come in for dinner.

    They rode down by the Pond, passed by Charlie's house on the way. Went over by the Six Sisters on Hill Street, Three Corners by the high school and the old deli across from the small church cemetery. Even up the big hill by the oldest grammar school in town.

    Mojo had told Wart about the doll during one of their pit stops.

    He smirked. "Why'd you do that?"

    "It was just an experiment," she said, "mom and I buried it down at the Pond."

    "Good, aren't those things dangerous?"

    "Grandpa Charlie said you need some hair or something."

                                                                                                                                                                                 ******

       Mojo's phone rang, no message this time, it was her mom. Wart shrugged his shoulders and they got on their bikes and headed home.

    It was just staring to get dark when they got there, Roberto was standing on the driveway. "So?" he asked.

    "Awesome," Wart told him.

    "Thanks, Daddy, we didn't even  know we needed new bikes," Mojo said.

    "Can I ask you something" Wart rubbed his head. "I'm still wondering where Wolfie is?"

    "Me, too," Roberto said, I think I see that dog all the time, but not around here, he's a free spirit."

    "Yeah, but I wish he was our free spirit.

54.

    The Odd Couple TV show was over. But Lynn wasn't going to bed tonight unless Hank told her who he was. This was a stab in his already broken heart. And it had been happening more frequently of late. He told her he was her husband. He had to tell her his name.

    She'd then say, oh that's good I guess, but I don't remember you. She then smiled a small grin and told him he was still very handsome. She liked his voice, it was kind, she would also say. As tense as Hank was, these episodes all made him more intense, he was also surprised his voice could still be calm.

    She sat on the bed and Hank pulled up the covers for her when she was ready. Where are the kids, she would also ask. Fine, he would tell her.

    When they were first married, she'd had a miscarriage and wouldn't be able to have children. And as much they wanted kids, they both accepted it. He couldn't tell her any of this now, too much information, No, the non-existent children were fine. He wouldn't even mind if they could have the talk of adopting a child or four one last time. But that never happened either.

    He watched her fall asleep, went out on the patio and looked up at the stars for a moment. His thinking was that he couldn't do this for the rest of his life and she'd probably outlive him too. He had been putting money aside for just that. He checked the stars again and wondered if there was someone out there who could fix Lynn to her old self.

    No one down here could.

52.

    Charlie heard about Jack after the party was done. Lido offered him to stay for dinner and he accepted. He needed to talk to them or somebody about Jack in the hospital, waiting for his daughter who was never going to show up.

    After dinner, they had Meatloaf Latino. Lido called it that because she added beans, taco sauce medium and extra onion. Roberto would laugh and say the only thing Latino about it was that he had ate it. They all ate it and a lot of it, even Charlie who had popped two Tums before and another two afterward, Take that indigestion, he would always say. She made too much every time like his Maureen, for an army, he would always ask, but not tonight, he was serious. But it did always make for great leftover sandwiches.

    The kids excused themselves from the table. Lido knew she had to tell Charlie about Jill.

    "You know the woman I found at the Pond?" she asked him.

    "Yeah," Charlie said, ''the lady you found." 

    "The lady I found was Jill."

    "Wow, damn, really?"

    "Really, I didn't want to tell anyone, mainly because the kids were with me. And I didn't want to talk about it here."

    "But now you did."

    "You had to know. But Jack won't be told until he's awake or better or?"

    "The sheriff is waiting to tell him. It could kill him if he's not ....".

    "He'll never be ready. I can tell you that personally."

    "I know."

    "You do, I do too. But I'd like to go see him now that he's alone ... us Lone Rangers have to stick together." Charlie tried to smile.

    Lido grabbed his hand. "I can't take you. I still have some classes to prep and no time to even do that."

    Roberto who had been listening said, "Tomorrow I'll take you in the morning if you like. I have to pick something up at the University. I can drop you at the hospital. It's just next door. You do your visit and I can find something to always do. We'll figure out the time, whatever,. I'll get you there and then back here, OK?"

    "Thank you, Roberto, I hate to impose ..."

    "On family, it's nothing. Da nada. Besides this is something you need to do."

    "That I do, really I do."

56.

    The sheriff called the hospital. They said, they thought he might be awake or more awake tomorrow. Glenn wasn't going to push, but he did want to notify the relative within 48 hours. He would be realistic about it. He didn't want to kill the father too.

    He thought about the joke that Jason had told. "Your daughter's dead and now her dad's dead too," he sang it to himself with the current spin. No, tomorrow was soon enough.

    But he didn't want to go over to the hospital if Jack was going to be sleeping. He did decide he would wait for a call from them and then call again tomorrow if he didn't get a call.

    Glenn called Jerry on the cruiser radio. All quiet out there. He wasn't expecting anything and neither was Jerry who joked about falling asleep at the wheel. Glenn didn't get mad even laughed and told Jerry that he'd come visit him in the hospital if he survived.

    Jerry laughed too and said "All good, 10-4."

    Glenn said, "OK."

    He also decided to call Jason at the house. Gene Park, Jason's dad, answered the phone. Jason was out for the evening with his girlfriend. The two men talked for a while. Gene knew about Jack. Sad, Gene said. Glenn told him he hadn't been  able to tell Jack about Jill's death. Gene told him not to beat himself up over it the way he did, nothing was harder than telling parents about a kid who drowned. They talked about how glad they were that they caught that idiot all those years ago.

    They also spoke about the broken store windows, Gene could only remember kids with pellet guns who put tiny holes in large glass windows. But hurricanes and big storms did more damage than the kids or the guy last night had done. Glenn agreed but he couldn't remember the pellets. Was probably more than twenty years ago. Before Glenn's time as a deputy.

   They also talked about doing something together soon. Though with their work schedules it would be hard. Before they said goodbye, Gene told him to call when he had time. Glenn could pick his brain any time. Too many things he could never forget, Glenn said, nature of the job.

57.

    Many times after they broke up, Jill had almost thought Guy was still stalking her. But she had no proof, just a feeling. She never told anyone. She kept it to herself.

                                                                                                                                                                    *****

    Guy was still thinking about Jill of late. And that some women brought out the worst  in him the more he liked them. It got worse after they rejected him. All he wanted was a reason. One he could live with. It was like he wasn't done with the relationship and never knew why it didn't work.

                                                                                                                         ******

    She could never see Guy but sometimes Jill had known he was there. Looking at her. She would make herself laugh when she called it Guydar. Her own version of radar to keep her from being afraid or whatever other emotion it caused. Her mom had talked to her about fear when Jill was a teen. When he mom was getting worse from the chemo. Afraid of the cancer. Of leaving the family. Of leaving the planet. Of leaving Jill. Of all the things her mom still wanted to do, to see.

                                                                                                                          *******

    Guy was afraid of his father when he was growing up. Then one day he wasn't anymore. He would always say his father taught him fear and baseball. He had to teach himself not to fear. He really hated when his father treated his mom like crap. And Guy would get mad at himself when he would treat a girl that way. He couldn't help it. And he wouldn't start until they broke up.

58

    Hank went out and sat in his car on the driveway. He used to do this when he was a teen. Go sit in his dad's car, think about the future and things he was going to do in this life. Or in his life at the time.

    The Met game was on the radio. They were winning for the moment, but when they would they ever win, and not be on the losing side. His situation at the moment, but he wasn't sure if he had a comeback left in him. He wasn't sure about the Mets either.

    Everything was in the back seat if he wanted to do out tonight. The bat, the metal piece, the sheets/costume, the makeup. His thoughts turned to what if. What if he ended it all. Suicide? He had no idea how, he knew what and why.

    It was getting harder every day, but  how could he leave Lynn. In her condition. But then how would she ever know. What would happen to her then. He always did everything for both of them. Now he wasn't sure if it was only him.

    He hated having these thoughts, Everyone did but he couldn't do it. To them. Both.

September 2, Friday

59.

    It was 9 am when Roberto dropped Charlie off in front of Suffolk Hospital before going over to his classroom and the teachers lounge at the university.

    "I'll pick you up at ..." Roberto told him.

    "I really don't know," Charlie said, "all I know is Jack's on the 11th floor."

    "Well, if I don't see you out here. I'll stick my head inside the door of his room. Take your time."

    "That will work. Thanks, Roberto."

    "Es nada."

    Charlie waved and walked in search of the elevator. Right before he reached Jack's room, he saw the sheriff speaking to one of the nurses who motioned to a doctor who told Glenn that Jack was awake.

    When Glenn was done talking to the doctor, he nodded to Charlie who had taken a seat in the hall until someone told him what was going on.

    "Hi, Charlie."

    "Hi, Sheriff."

    "Jack just woke up. You know his daughter died?"

    Charlie nodded. "Lido told me."

    "Well, Jack doesn't. And I have to tell him before you go in. So it's official and it is policy."

    "I understand."

    "I hope you do. You might be walking into the room of a crazy man after I tell him."

    Charlie shrugged. "I lost a son. I know the feeling. Maybe it will help if he sees me."

    "Maybe ... and thanks." Glenn shook Charlie's hand and went into Jack's room as the sheriff left for the elevator.

60.

    When Glenn got back to his office, he got the great idea of calling  Mrs. Rodriguez for a favor. It was seeing Charlie at the hospital that spurred it. Jill the dead woman and Lido were friends. And Lido did find the body.

    "And they look alike from the back, don't they?" Glenn asked aloud.

    "Who does?" It was Jason who looked up from doing a weekly report.

    "Jill Hyde and Lido Rodriguez."

    "I guess. They do a little. Mrs. R was trying to teach Ms. Hyde how to dive."

    "How the hell do you know that?"

    "Dive shop gossip."

    Glenn shook his head. "Wonder if she would pose to catch the creep who killed Hyde?"

    "You can only ask."

    "You don't think they look a lot alike?"

    Jason gave shrug. "Maybe Mrs. R can be of help there."

61.

    Charlie was almost depressed when he got aback down to the hospital lobby where Roberto was waiting for him.

    "Hi," Charlie said and sat down next to Roberto.

    "You OK?" Roberto asked.

    "No ... he's a mess from the fall, fractured skull, broken shoulder and a chipped a bone in his neck. And he's blames himself. I gave him my best listen, but I had to stop. It was bringing up my Donnie feelings. And I can't take that pain again."

    "No one ever gets over losing a child, I even know that ...".

    "Tell me about it. But at least I was all physically broken  and I only told you half of what's going on with him. He's alone. I still had Maureen until she got sick ...".

    They both got up and started the walk to the SUV in the parking lot. An ambulance siren blared as they neared the emergency entrance. Two EMTs opened the rear door of the wagon. Pulled out a gurney with an old man hooked up to two IVs.

    It was Luis.

    "What happened?" Charlie asked.

    "Major thrombosis," one of the attendants told him.

    Charlie looked at Roberto.

    "Blood clot," Roberto said.

    Charlie just nodded. "Not a good day for the Pond, Let's get out here before I make it three."

62.

    Glenn called Lido before he changed his mind about asking her to be a decoy for them to catch the person who killed Jill Hyde.

    "Hi, Sheriff. No more diving for a while for you guys. Too many bad experiences. I've got some work to do before classes start."

    "I know and I'm sorry."

    "I love diving but you guys suck all the fun out of it."

    "No diving, I promise. Um, You were a friend of Jill Hyde's."

    "So?"

    "And you guys looked a little alike."

    "My husband says he couldn't tell us apart from the back until Jill did her hair flip thing she used to do ...".

    "That's exactly why I'm calling you."

    Glenn explained his talk with Jack this morning and he thinks it was Guy the other bartender at Luis's. Nothing else to go on. Jason will be with you. Be a decoy too. Make it look like a first date."

    "What? And a first date?" she told him, "I'm not sure. But for Jill. I would like to know who could have done to her what I saw. Let me think on it."

    The sheriff thanked her.

    "Well, she's  thinking about it," he told Jason.

    Lido thought for a moment. What a weird last couple of days. She didn't mind helping the sheriff. And this time it was for Jill, a friend. But why did she always want to throw up after she helped them.

    "Mom?" Mojo asked. She could see that her mom had been deep in thought about something, but felt her interruption was worth it.

    "Yeah, baby."

    "I know you said not to go down to the Pond and to forget about the doll. Well, I couldn't. Wish I could. I was still curious."

    Lido listened. She was mad that Mojo went down there. But it was a doll.

    "I talked Wart into going with me," she continued, "we went to the spot where you and I buried it ...".

    "And?"

    "It was gone."

    "Sure you went to the right place?"

    "Yup, I put a small blue rock on the spot. But no doll in the hole. Wart made the hole gigantic even. No doll."

    "But it looked like we left it?"

    "Animals fill holes?"

    "No, they don't and they'd never replace a stone. Weird."

    "That's what Wart said."

63.

    Hank spent the morning trying to decide whether he was going out tonight. After the nuns left. After the Odd Couple. After he put Lynn to bed.

    He'd tell the nuns that Lynn was having trouble getting to sleep the last night. They said they could give her one of those non-addictive sleeping pills and suggested he take one too. He didn't argue with them but asked what if she wakes up. They said he would hear her.

    He remember everything he needed was in the car. He never found his rubber clown nose. But it was all the makeup he ever needed. He was convinced that the white face cream and the exaggerated eyes and mouth were what scared people. And this clown didn't want to scare anyone. Maybe by accident, but not intentually. Never. 

    What was the old song, he thought, 'Make 'Em Laugh'? Yeah, that was what he wanted. From what movie? Wasn't important. He and Lynn loved it, but never watched it together again. Ever.

64.

    Lido had been talking to Roberto about what the sheriff had asked her to do. She was scared. They kept asking her to do stuff  that scared the hell out of her.

    Roberto said, then don't do it.

    She smiled then frowned. She knew one of the deputies would be acting as a decoy too. And she would be the double for Jill. From the back. With the hair flip even. Shaking in her proverbial shoes.

    Roberto said, they did look alike, but Jill was dead. Can't bring her back.

    She told him, he didn't see her in the water. And Jill was a friend. How could she not help to catch the idiot who did this to her friend. How couldn't she?

    She really didn't leave herself a choice. And she hoped that if the tables were turned someone would do the same for her.

    Roberto went over behind her kitchen table chair and hugger her around the shoulders. "You're the strongest woman I know."    

    She hugged his arms. "If you only knew."

65.

    Glenn got off the phone. The conversation was mostly listening with him saying, yes, OK, I understand, yes you'll have someone with you and we'll have a car watching you. You'll be in no danger, as close to 100% as we can get.

    Jason had been listening. "Mrs. Rodriguez?"

    "How'd you guess," the sheriff said. "I know she's still freaked out over seeing the Ferry body parts."

    "She doesn't scare easy."

    "Well, that couldn't be helped, you were there. What were you expecting?"

    "I wasn't even expecting the mask, I mean the face."

    "Me either, but she told me Jill Hyde was her friend like five times. Think you can handle her?"

    "Think she's gonna handle me. Unless she's super quiet I'll just nod my head and say, uh huh, a lot. I had a girlfriend like that once."

    "I don't think you'll have any problem tonight."

    "Tonight?"

    "I spoke to Bob the Spider Kelly owner. He called back before. Just wanted to go over parking and whatever else we can do. Here's a list. Just be cool, he's got a couple other places. Tell him you were bringing Lido and also tell him about Luis."

    "OK, uh, Luis?"

    "He's in the hospital with a blood clot."

    "Wow, I'm never retiring."

    "Ha, you will when it's time."

66.

    Guy thought he'd eat dinner before he went up to Spiders to see the owner at 6 pm. They could talk about the new job and he could see what they've done to Luis's so far."

    He really wanted to get this over with. Like yesterday. He could handle unemployment for a few weeks but he had bills like everyone. And he didn't want to get behind again. It took him years the last time.

    And maybe piggyback the Spiders job with something during the day. But that was only if they didn't offer him full time. His worst nightmare was turning into Jack.

    Spiders would he a younger crowd he hoped. It could be the social part of his life. Like Facebook or Instagram in a bar. Maybe he could get the new guy to do a Facebook or Twitter page along with the big screens for sports and maybe one for movies.

    Guy was full of ideas. An idea man, he would say. But also a guy looking for a job. Or maybe he'd wait on the ideas for a bit . See if they were open to them. See if he even got the job first. But he'd keep thinking.

67.

    Charlie was down at the Pond. Webbed aluminum chair on the sand. A ham sandwich in his pocket. A lot on his mind. He'd either eat the sandwich before sunset or make something when he got home. He still had four meals in the freezer from Luis's courtesy of Lido and family. He'd get it figured out when he got hungry.

    He was concerned about the tribute. Of old friends. Each with something big on their plate. Jack's daughter was dead and he had to heal up from his injuries. Jack had no luck at all of late.

    Then Luis, sells the restaurant, plans to go to Florida for his retirement. Then a thrombosis.

    Charlie's own dad had a great line, never get too comfortable. He knew what it meant now. When Charlie retired from his business Pond Hobby, he wasn't sure what he was going to do with himself, especially with  Maureen gone. He did know he wasn't going to sit in front of the TV all day or be online either. That was how the chair at the Pond began. Something to do every day even if he just stared out at the water.

    Maybe it was time for a new chair, he thought. Maybe Hawkins Hardware still had the kind he liked. They had everything. They always did.

    And he had to go see Luis tomorrow. He'd need to ask for a ride there. Again. Lido and Roberto didn't seem to mind.

    HIs thoughts turned to Hank. He was really concerned about him. He sounded good the other night at the restaurant but something was just plain off. Charlie laughed, somedays they could even say that about him. But he was 20 years older than Hank who was the age Donnie would be. If he was still here. Still somewhere on the planet, not just in some hearts.

    Charlie also knew what it was like to have a sick wife. Like when Maureen was all doped up from the pain in her chest. But she was still coherent most of the time. Until the night before she passed. She wasn't Mo anymore. Lido had been here for him when she could.

    But what the hell did Hank have? Nuns? And he couldn't even talk with Lynn. That would have broken Charlie's heart. He couldn't imagine what it was doing to Hank.  

    Yeah, he would figure out a way to see Hank every day. And get Mojo or Lido to show him how to use the damn cell phone.

    Charlie looked out over the Pond and took a breath. Not a sigh, just a breath. He was still here. And if he could live through losing Donnie and then his Mo. He was pretty strong for an old guy. Like that song Lido used to listen to. It was funny. He wasn't sure if flying was in his future, but watching over a few old friends was. While a few were still watching over him. And have a few talks with Wart. They could still teach each other something.

68.

    Jason arrived at the Rodriguez house to pick up Lido. A fine mist covered the cruiser's front window. But as he stood at the door umbrella still closed in his hand, the drizzle seemed to stop.

    Roberto and Lido opened the door. Jason was nervous. He must have said Sir to Roberto at least three times.

    Jason broke the ice when he saw Lido's black and white umbrella. "You won't need that, I think it's stopped."

    "OK," Lido said.

    But he added, "Take it anyway, it'll show up more than mine and that's what tonight is all about."

    "OK."

    She hugged Roberto. "For Jill," she said to him.

    "You good?" Roberto asked.

    "Think so. Seems like whenever I'm getting the crap scared out of me this guy shows up."

    "Sorry about that," Jason said.

    "Forget it," she told him. To Roberto she said, "See you guys in a few hours."

    Roberto held the screen door open. "Be home early, kids."

    "You're enjoying this," she told him.

    The couple walked to the deputy's car. Lido put her hand out to feel for the rain, but it was still stopped. It would start again before this night was over.

    "I'm surprised we're using the cruiser," she said.

    Jason put his umbrella in the back seat. "If it's OK, we'll walk over to Luis's and be surprised it's closed. I'll park over by Tommy's Toys by the old sheriff call booth behind the old Town Crier sign. Yeah, your grandpa's old store. The cruiser will look normal over there."

    "I guess that's OK. Are you taking your gun?"    

    "I'll have my gun."

    "How about wearing a hat or something  to complete your disguise. They know you and they know I'm married."

    "I have a Yankee hat in the trunk and a wool cap too I think."

    "Get the Yankee cap for when we get there."

    "OK, this is one hell of a first date you know. Do you have a sister who could do this instead?"

    "Nope, one of a kind. Jill was the closest thing I had to a sister."

    He laughed and then said he was sorry again as he parked the cruiser in the lot between Tommy's and the gas station. They waited in the car until the rain stopped or Jason saw a few cars parked near Luis's old façade.

69.

    Glenn called Jerry on his cruiser.

    "Jason just checked in. They're parked by the toy store," the sheriff told him.

    "Got it. I'm parked by the Fire Department building. Hope I won't look out of place there," Jerry said.

    "Nah, that's good. Can you see Jason and the front of the restaurant?"

    "Jason and Mrs. R are still in the cruiser. I can barely see them. And I can see Luis's close enough."

    "Good, hang tight right there."

    Glenn thought, why was this stuff always on his watch. He' didn't remember much of this on the last sheriff's watch. Gene Park was always cool about this stuff. This waiting made Glenn crazy when he was the one in the office and not in one of the cars. Hopefully Jason has his father's cool.

70.

    Hank had put Lynn to bed early. He played the Odd Couple early too. Once it was over, his wife knew it was time for bed. She was already in her bed clothes and robe.

    At the end of the DVD she got up and walked to her bedroom, Hank only steps behind her. She took off the robe and handed it to him. She sat on the bed and looked at the small clock on the nightstand. Hank could have swore she starred at it for at least a minute. But just just nodded her head after a few seconds, pulled the covers back, got under and Hank fixed them just the way she liked them.

    He knew this from all the years of living with her, not this person who thought he was a stranger.

    "Honey," she said, "sweet dreams." Just like she used to. Back before all this happened to her. To them.

    "To you, my love," he replied.

    She smiled, her old smile.

    The guilty man nodded.

    He went and got his keys, put a few more lights on in the house, checked on Lynn one more time. And then locked the outside door behind him.

71.

    For some reason Charlie wanted to see the sunset tonight even if it was drizzling on and off. He had unfolded the metal chair and placed it on the sand. He'd seen thousands of sunsets from his spot on the Pond. Even if he had to wait for one tonight.

    It would be fall in a few weeks and then winter again. He would come here fewer and fewer times as the weather got colder. But it was the wind that whipped across the Pond from the west. The direction he faced. Not very feng shui of him, he thought and laughed when he remembered Lido telling him about it. Life in balance. But at least his bed faced east and that was more  important if you believed.

    Charlie didn't have a choice in either case. He wasn't walking around the Pond to the other side and the bed just fit the bedroom. Maureen told him that. He trusted her when it came to the house and it didn't include the moving big heavy furniture version.

    The sun was still covered by clouds but in his mind it was a golden disc in the sky. And who cared about the air pollution for a great sunset memory. But he really did care, because he believed in the old adage, leave it better than you found it. He tried in his own way. Someone had to talk to the airplanes and the cars about their contribution. But it still made for a pretty sight at the end of the day.

72.

    Jason and Lido were still in the cruiser. The drizzle was getting worse. First, a light shower for a minute then a drizzle. Like a child who didn't know what it wanted.

    "Car Three? Jason?" It was Glenn. Lido jumped then smiled at the deputy.

    "Yes, Skip?"

    "What's going on?"

    "Still raining on and off. Nothing going on. A few cars in front of Luis's. But probably workmen cars."

    "OK, call me if anything happens. Try to get out soon."

    "It seems to be up to the weather."

    "Well, you have an umbrella. That will keep you dry and hide your faces."

    "Will do, Skip. Out."

    Jason shrugged at Lido. He didn't know what to tell her. Lido was quiet and nodded at him.

    They both sat in silence looking for anything between the raindrops on the windshield.

73.

    Charlie was glad he brought his rain hat and had one of those raincoats when folded up fit in a pouch in his pocket.

    He had both the hat and the coat on. Not much protection if the clouds opened up. No wind right now, but the rain was off and on. He'd endure it for another half hour.  Weird weather, but that was Long Island in the fall.

                                                                                                                 ****

    Guy had parked his car behind Spider Kelly, the same parking spot against the wall when he still worked for Luis's. Less door dings and other assorted dents, he told himself, back there. He didn't know what kind of car or cars he was looking for. The new owner who asked him to come up to see him after dinner could be driving anything. A Mercedes, an Audi, a BMW, or even a SUV. Luis was  easy. He always drove a Cadillac.

    Along with his new car, Luis even had a 1966 not too long ago, the one with the great fins. His sons had got a great deal on it and gave it to their dad as a birthday present. Luis loved it.

    Guy wait a while longer. Hopefully the rain would stop. Then he'd go around the front and see what cars were parked there. Then he'd find an open door or knock until someone answered.

74.

    Hank drove through town, watching and checking out what was going on. Sachem Pond always looked like a sleepy little burg when it rained.

    The gas station on the corner was quiet. No one got gas in the rain. Or they'd sit at the pump until Jacob the new kid finally looked up from his phone to see if it was worth getting wet.

    Hank parked on the side of the station. He saw the cruiser and hoped they didn't see him. He couldn't be sure if they were waiting. For him. Or something else was going on. Or Charlie had told them it was him who broke the windows. He couldn't blame Charlie. Just looking out for him like a father figure would.

    So Hank decided he would sit for a while. The cruiser probably couldn't see him and Jacob wasn't going to chase him away in the rain.

75.

    "Enough of this," Guy said out loud. He checked the car front window. The rain seemed to stop. Again. He opened the driver side door, put his feet on the ground and held his hand out to feel for rain. Just a mist.

    He had no hat, no umbrella. He closed the car door and headed for the alley between the old 5&10 Store and the old supermarket that were both now a bunch of new stores.

    When he got to the sidewalk, he turned the corner and got a great view of the east side of the street. There were five vehicles in front of Luis's now Spiders.

    Three pickup trucks that looked like they had been through the war and two cars that weren't new. But no one in any of them and were wet from the storm.

    He didn't know what to do. He really didn't want to leave without talking to the new owner. He'd give it another hour and went back to where his car was parked.

76.

    "That was him. By the old 5 & Dime," Jason told Lido.

    "Who's him?"

    "The guy we're looking for. Guy the bartender."

    "You saw that in the dark and in the rain?"

    "20-15 in each eye, but I'm colorblind, I can see primary colors, but I can't tell tell what color a shade is."

   "Wow! ... what color is this?" Lido pointed to her top.

    "Orange."

   "Whoa, you are bad."

    "No, I always say orange. Because I can't stand being asked."

    "It's purple with some blue."

    "You proved my point. I would have said blue."

    "Hey, where did he go? Lido then asked when she didn't see guy.

    "Oh, shit. Hopefully back to his car."

    "You're just guessing."

    "A conclusion ... or he's gone."

77.

    Hank turned his windshield wipers off and on. It had stopped raining, was just a mist now, not a drizzle. The cruiser was still parked by Tommy's Toys.

    The clown costume was in the back seat, folded neatly. He grabbed the bat and the costume. He placed them on the passenger seat.

    He would put on the clown suit, it couldn't hurt, he thought. It fit perfectly over his street clothes and was even thick enough so the street clothes didn't show through.

    He unfolded the suit pants, took off his shoes and tried to get his leg through. Have to be a damn contortionist to do this in a car, he thought.

    He put his shoes back on. And as quiet as he could he opened his car door. The inside light didn't come on. The cruiser wouldn't see him. He got out with the clown shirt over his arm. He put it on as fast as he could and then got back inside his car.

    He glanced over at the old restaurant and saw the bartender from Luis's. For just a minute and then he disappeared around the side of the building. Hank shook his head.

78.

    Guy checked his watch. Only ten minutes since the last time he checked. He would give the owner another thirty minutes then he would leave. He thought about leaving a note with one of the workers but he didn't have a pen.

    The rain had begun again, but still light. He could see a few lightning strikes off to the south bay over Pochogue. Short bursts then it stopped. The sky was talking, his father used to say.

                                                                                                                             ****

    "Let's go," Jason said to Lido.

    "When it started to rain again? No way it will stop again."

    "OK, but pretty soon it won't matter, that is if the bartender doesn't show again."

    "I bet he shows."

    "You're on."

79.

    Wart had heard his mom call Grandpa Charlie after dinner and before the deputy came by to get her. He didn't like the idea of his mom playing decoy for some creep. And he knew Charlie was going down to the Pond for a sunset which he did a lot. Almost rain or shine.

    "I'm going down  to the Pond," he told Mojo who was standing in the doorway of his room. She was bored and wondering what he was doing. She'd even play against him in one of his online games if she had to.

    "Why? It's still raining," she said, "Besides, Mom will kill you."

    He patted a plastic hat and a vinyl poncho on the bed. "I'll be OK, my legs will get wet. I'll be back in no time. Just want to make sure Grandpa Charlie's alright."

    "I'm sure he is, he's probably home by now."

    "I'd call him if he'd answer his phone."

    "Exactly."

    "Then I'm going too."

    "No way. You'll slow me down."

    "Will not."  

80.

    Lido and Jason both opened their car doors. No interior lights came on, Jason had hit the light button. They each took an umbrella.

    "One umbrella," Jason said to her, "This one's bigger." And he picked the more decorative one. "He'll see us with this one."

    "Everyone will, " Lido said and they both laughed.    

    So the two of them under the one umbrella crossed the street and headed for Luis's.

    The cars and the trucks were still in front on the street. It was quiet. A drill cut the silence, but it was gone again. Sounded like the workers were getting ready to call it a night.

    When they reached the old restaurant door, they peaked through the glass to see what was going on. One of the workers waved and mouthed the word Closed. They already knew that.

    "They're closed until they reopen as Spider Kelly's." It was Guy and he hadn't recognized them. "It's all over."

    "Thanks," Jason told him from under the umbrella. "Guess we'll wait for the new place."

    "Yup. Have a good night. It should be open the next time you come."

    "OK, we will."

    Jason and Lido turned away from Guy and began to walk towards the hidden cruiser. Lido was positive Guy was watching them. Her own version of Guydar. She did the hair flip thing in a way he could see it even with them under the cover of the colorful umbrella.

    He didn't see it, she thought.

    But then he began walking toward them.

81.

    "is he still coming?" Lido asked her date for the evening.

    "Think so, slouch down. All he'll see is the cruiser," Jason told her. She did. "You did the flip?"

    "Yup, think it worked?"

    "Hard to tell, but he's coming."

    Lido was almost holding her breath. They could see Guy now standing on the divider island in the middle of the street,

    The divider was probably done to give character to the main drag. It was built a few years ago. No one really liked it. Made it hard to cross the street. Especially when the weather was bad like it was tonight. The old parallel parking setup was tough on drivers backing out but at least you didn't feel like you were going to get killed.

82.

    "You little bitch," Guy said. He hadn't missed the hair flip he noticed it. It went through him like a spear. He shook his head. "No, you're dead. I want to forget you. Did what I had to do."

    Just then a car light shone on the sheriff car. It looked empty. Probably left it there as a deterrent to whatever the weekend could bring, he thought. He stood still on the island next to one of the still growing trees.

                                                                                                                             ****

    Hank saw the couple walk to the cruiser. He thought it was weird. There weren't any female deputies that he knew of. Was possible, he guessed. He wasn't always on top of things in the town. He'd ask Charlie. But he had enough on his head to think about. To worry about. He was barely maintaining.

    He rolled down the car window to feel for rain. Maybe there was less activity at the other end of town. Check the stores down there.

    When he saw Guy on the island, he started the car. Lights off. He grinned at the thought of waking Jacob with the sound of his starting the engine.

    Something was going on tonight. Almost a Twin Peaks thing going on. And he wanted no part of that fantasy.

    He put the car in drive, but still didn't put on the lights until he hit the street. Make it look like he was a regular car just driving through town.

    Hank took a breath as he slowly passed by Guy.  But Guy recognized him.

    "A friend of Jack's," Guy said and slapped the wet top of Hank's car roof.

    Hank took another breath, hit the gas and kept driving.

    "You better run, you clown ...". Guy then spun around into the tree he had been holding onto.

83.

    "Did you see that?" Lido asked Jason but she almost yelled it. The cruiser windows were up and had muffled her voice.

    "Keep it down," he told her. "I saw it." he dialed the sheriff on his cell phone.

    "Keep what down? That was nasty."

    Glenn answered on the first ring. "It went down."

                                                                                                                             ****

    Hank kept driving. Passed all the stores then made a right turn after the town historical society building. Go down to the Pond, he told himself, take it easy going down the big hill and park in the town beach parking lot. Catch his breath. His adrenaline was pumping like an old steam engine.

    He pulled into the lot which was still open. He could see Charlie in his chair on the sand. He could go over and talk with him about this quirky rain. He would listen to Charlie who would probably have  a story about it. He always had great stories.  

84.

    Wart and Mojo rode their bikes into the beach parking lot. They could see Charlie in his chair staring out over the water like he always did.

    "Grandpa Charlie!" Both twins said loud enough so they wouldn't scare the hell out of him, but they still did.

    "You two scared me," he told them.

    "No, we didn't," Wart said.

    "We did?" Mojo told him.

    "You sure did. I just get deep in thought sometimes when I'm here." Charlie rubbed his chin stubble. "Just thinking about stuff."

    "I do that too," Mojo said. Wart agreed.

85.

    Jason opened the cruiser door. The car was gone. The deputy walked over to the island. Guy was down.

    He wouldn't have believed it if he hadn't seen it himself. He wasn't sure if Lido had seen it then he remembered her almost scream.

    Guy was on his back. Arms and legs going in four different directions. He had been twisted after placing his hands on the wet top of the car, spun into one of the young trees.

    There was a darkening bruise on his neck by the caroted artery which carried blood supply to the brain. No pulse, no nothing, not even a heartbeat.

    He just knew when he did the report for this one he'd be putting Freak Accident in the reason box. Jason doubted the driver of the now missing car even knew what happened. It wasn't a real hit and run, but he wished the driver had stopped so he could be questioned. Or maybe come forward later, Jason thought, he did remember what the car looked like.

    Lido came over.

    "Stay back. I know you don't like seeing dead people?"

    She stayed "What happened?"

    "Looks like the tree caught him on the neck."

    "He's dead?"

    "Yup."

    Jason's cell phone went off. It was Glenn. He walked a few feet away to answer it.

    "EMTs and ambulance should be there soon. If you need any help Jerry was over at the Fire Department. If not someone's always there," Glenn told him.   

    Jason then said,  "Uh, sure, sorry. Yes, of course. Almost forget about you with all what's going on here."'    

    "It's OK, very understandable. My heart is still pumping too. I'll never get used to this."

    "Me either ... but I'll calm down when the ambulance gets here. No hurry but. Uh, thanks."'    

    "No problem, this was all for the Hyde woman."

    Jason nodded. Lido had also made a call to Roberto. She'd explained when he got here, and somehow the twins were down at the Pond with Charlie.

    They were both off their phones. "OK, take care," she told Jason, "I have to go find my kids at the Pond."

    "It never ends."

    "Not until they throw the dirt on you, oh, sorry," she said then smiled  as she waited for Roberto to pull up in the Dadmobile.

86.

    Charlie waved to Hank. No response.

    The kids were behind Charlie

    "Is he awake?" Mojo asked.

    "Looks like he is," he told her, "Wait here, I'm going to check what's going on."

    "OK," both twins said.

    Charlie walked the sand to the parking lot where Hank was parked.

    The driver side window was down. Hank had his elbow in the opening. He wasn't moving. Probably just thinking, Charlie thought, and this wasn't Hank's night out.

    "Hank? What are you doing here?" Charlie asked as he got close to the car. Hank still didn't move.

    "I know you got a lot on your mind," he continued, "but you could at least say 'hi' ...".

    Charlie was now standing next to the driver's side door. Hank was staring straight ahead. Still no movement. He poked Hank in the arm with his index and middle fingers. Hank's head slumped to his chest. Charlie placed those same two fingers on the side of Hank's neck.

    Nothing. Not a beat or a swallow. Nothing. And Charlie had seen the look on Hank's face before on other dead people. Hank was like a son to him so this was hard, but not as hard as his Maureen who had been looking at him as he slept. Eyes wide open, but she too was gone.

    "Grandpa Charlie?" It was Wart.

    "Stay back, guys," Charlie said.

    "Is he ..." Mojo asked.

    "Afraid so. Stay where you are." Charlie walked over to them. "Guess we should call the sheriff."

    Wart punched in 911 on his cell. "Not sure if they'll believe a kid ...".

    Charlie just nodded and took the cell phone and looked at it like he didn't know what to do with it.

    "Push here," Mojo told him. "Then there."

    The 911 phone number was ringing on the other end.

    Wart told Mojo to call Lido.

    "Uh, this is Charlie Roberts down at the Pond at the town beach. There's a body in a car. Hank ...". He just couldn't say anymore. He just got quiet like Hank.

    "Someone's coming, it's OK, Hank," Wart said.

87.

    An  ambulance and a couple of guys from the fire department showed up. Jason pointed to the body on the ground. Guy was dead, but the EMTs gave him CPR. The just in case rule, but also policy, one of the techs said.

    Lido had called Roberto to come get her then both of them would go down to the Pond. Mojo's voice on the phone sounded different when she called her. It was like Wart's when he knew he was in trouble. he almost sounded like he was going to cry, So did Mojo. She and Wart were with Charlie and they were all with Hank.

    And Hank was finally at peace. The altercation with Guy had scared him, but the stress on him of the last few years with Lynn. It was too much. It's the caretaker who can die first in a situation like this.

    Roberto parked the SUV in the beach parking lot. He and Lido ran over to the kids and Charlie. Lido hugged Wart and Roberto hugged Mojo. Both Wart and Mojo teared up and wiped their eyes. They didn't know Hank well but they knew him. The guy with the sick wife and the nuns.

    Charlie hid his pain. "Well, the princess got another one." Then he got real quiet. Hank had been like a son to him since Donnie had passed. He was one of Donnie's friends. One of the guys. They had gotten close after Donnie drowned. He was there for Charlie and Maureen. It had helped.

    Lido couldn't hold onto Wart who ran over to Charlie. He hugged the old man around the waist. Charlie put his arm around Wart's shoulder.

    "Guy the bartender just died in the middle of town, on the island by the young trees," Lido told Charlie.

    "Wow." It was all that Charlie could say.

    "He hit Hank's car on the roof. It spun him around and he face planted into one of the saplings they just put in. Got him in the neck. Jason was saying caroted artery when I left."

    Charlie leaned against Hank's car.

    "You OK?" Lido asked.

    "I'm good," he said, "just not going to stand anymore waiting for the sheriff, the EMTs or whoever's coming." He rubbed his left knee. "Mojo showed me how to use the phone, I called this in."

    "One step at a time."

    Wart went and got Charlie his chair and they all waited for the ambulance and the sheriff. Roberto was leaning against the SUV and watching Lido talk to Charlie. The kids were now on their bikes, their legs like human kickstands. Lido watched and listened for a siren or lights. It was getting dark and the only nearby light came from the amber street lamps up on Sachem Pond Drive.

    Wart still on his bike rolled over to Charlie. "Sorry about your friend."

    "Thanks. You can't stop people from dying. We all will die. It's probably the thing that we all have most in common."

    "Don't die, Grandpa."

    "I'm not going anywhere yet," Charlie smiled.

    They both got quiet for a moment.

    Then Wart asked, "Maybe tomorrow, would you tell me about my Grandpa Donnie?"

    "Sure will. You know, he was a lot like you when he was eleven. I've got a bunch of pictures from back then."

    "Really?"

    "Yup. You'll be surprised," he told the boy. Then Charlie said, "Good night, Donnie." Then to Wart he said, "He's always listening, Hank's with him now."

BVTS Publishing copyright 2015

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 Scars Don't Tan In Sachem Pond  in the Sachem Pond series and still FREE to read all of them. Scars is about a woman dies in the Pond, a restaurant closes, a broken hearted clown, a bad love affair and the twins have a birthday. princessofsachempond.com about the princess legend, baneofsachempond.com about a hurricane on Halloween and prodigaldreamsofsachempond.com about a mask found in the frozen lake.

each of my novels has facebook  page, please feel free to see what's there and to like, thanks.

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