Episode 3.08, Night of the Hunter, Part 1
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At the Police Station
Joan was scared to death, but she remembered what Grace had told her
during one of her many rants, “When you hear, ‘You have the right to
remain silent’, always say no when they get to the part ‘Do you give
up these rights’.” She never thought she would be happy to see
Captain Creepy again, but Mr. Kroner was there within minutes of her
arrival at the police station. Will had neglected to remove his phone
number from his cell phone and called him as she left the community
club in the squad car.
Mr. Kroner – “Hello, Joan, have they treated you okay? Considering?”
Joan – “Yeah, I guess so. Can you help me?”
Mr. Kroner – “That’s why I’m here. Your father has hired me as your
attorney. My first job is to get you home. Now, tell me in your own
words what happened.”
Joan tells Mr. Kroner that she had a moneybag that held the proceeds
raised for the charity event. She was afraid the police would steal
it, like they did the money from the police station. She threw the
moneybag up into the balcony to someone she knew would keep it safe.
Mr. Kroner – “Who was in the balcony?”
Joan – “I don’t want to say.”
Mr. Kroner – “Joan, you have to trust me. I need to know.”
Joan – “I’m not telling, not even if I have to stay here.”
Mr. Kroner – “Okay, I know you are scared, but I’m going to take care
of this. Are you hungry?”
Joan – “No, but I’m a little thirsty.”
Mr. Kroner – “Okay, I’ll get you something from the vending machine.”
He departs and comes back shortly, “I hope you like Coke. I’ll be
back soon.”
Mr. Kroner walks into the police processing area, “I am the attorney
for Joan Girardi. I want to know what my client is being charged
with. Now!”
The desk sergeant refers him to the arresting officer.
Mr. Kroner – “So, what is my client being charged with?”
Officer Garcia – “She was seen destroying evidence.”
Mr. Kroner – “What evidence?”
Officer Garcia – “She was seen throwing something up into the balcony
of the ballroom.”
Mr. Kroner – “And what was found when the balcony was searched?”
Officer Garcia – “Nothing, someone up there must have taken it.”
Mr. Kroner – “Okay, so the best thing you have is littering, but
since you have no litter, you don’t even have that. I suggest you
release my client immediately or the Girardi family will own half of
Arcadia.”
Officer Garcia leaves, and Detective Daghlian returns, “I think a big
mistake has been made. I am authorizing the immediate release of the
Chief’s daughter. I’m so sorry this happened.”
Mr. Kroner – “Okay. My client will not be making a statement in this
matter. If you want to talk to her, you call me first.” He hands Mike
his card.
Mr. Kroner returns with an officer, and Joan is released, “I have
talked to your parents. I’ll be taking you home now.”
Joan – “Thank you, Mr. Kroner.”
Mr. Kroner – “I don’t want you to talk about this to anyone, not even
your parents. I’ll be by tomorrow afternoon to talk more.”
Joan – “I have to see the unveiling of a sculpture at the Milton
Library tomorrow afternoon. It is very important to me. Can we talk
later?”
Mr. Kroner – “Okay, I’ll have my secretary schedule an appointment,
but no talking about this to anyone until after we talk, okay?”
Joan – “Okay.”
Mr. Kroner drops Joan off at home, and Helen immediately begins to
inquire about what happened, “Mom, Mr. Kroner said I shouldn’t talk
about it. I didn’t do anything wrong. I’m not saying anything more.
It’s late, I’m going to bed.”
After she gets cleaned up, she slips into bed. She’s still quivering.
Being in a jail cell is no big deal, unless you don’t know if you are
ever getting out again. She grabs a teddy bear she has ignored for
years and hugs it while she goes to sleep.
She leaves make-up class all dolled up like Betty Boop. Walking down
the hall, she flips her hair at a cute boy who is making eyes at her.
She finds Adam standing by his locker, “Hey.”
Adam – “Hey, I thought you’d already left.”
Joan, with a fake, notice-me smile, “No, I’m here.” She flutters her
eyelashes and tosses her hair.
Adam doesn’t notice, “Oh! Oh! They’re showing\ \ `The Night of the
Hunter <http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0048424/>`__\ \ at the Rialto
Classic Film Noir with Robert Mitchum. Wanna go?”
Joan sighs, “I don’t know, is it in black and white?”
Adam – “Uh, yeah, yeah.”He finally looks up and Joan does the hair
flip thing again. “It’s noir.”
Joan – “I don’t know, I have a lot of homework.” She presses her lips
together so he can see her ruby red lipstick.
Adam – “Are you mad at me ‘cause I wouldn’t go to the mall?”
Joan – “No.” She smiles at him.
Adam – “What?”
Joan is really frustrated now, “Notice anything?”
Adam looks at her and shrugs, “Uh... yeah. Jane.”
Joan – “Okay, just wondering. Enjoy your noir.” She walks off with a
sigh.
Will finally arrives home to learn that Joan has gone to bed. He
opens her door and enters without turning on the light. This is
something he has done a thousand times before. He bends over to kiss
her on the forehead.
Joan is still walking down the hall at school and suddenly,
everything is black. It’s blacker than black. She cannot see or hear
anything. She becomes frightened. She begins to grope and feel for
anything, but finds only empty space. Suddenly, a face flashes before
her. It is Ryan Hunter with demonic eyes. His hands are on his face
with L-O-V-E and H-A-T-E again tattooed on his knuckles like they
were at the DanceFest. He reaches for her and touches her forehead,
“I’m coming to get you my little pearl.”
Joan begins screaming. She thrashes out, sticking him. He falls away.
She continues screaming and thrashing wildly. There is now a little
light, and she sees the silhouette get up and head for it. Suddenly,
everything is bright.
Will – “Joan, honey, it’s all right.”
Joan continues screaming and thrashing wildly, still not knowing
where she is. Will grabs her and hugs her, “Joan, it’s me, wake up.”
Helen rushes into the room, “Joan, what’s wrong?”
Joan stops fighting and begins to let Will hug her. Her heart is
pounding, and her eyes are flooded with tears, “I… I guess I had a
bad dream.”
Will – “It’s okay now. You’ve had a bad night, but it’s over.
Everything will be all right now.”
Joan is still sobbing, “Did I hurt you?”
Will – “No, no, I’ll be fine. You just need to go back to sleep.”
Joan – “Sorry, Daddy.Can I speak to Mom? Alone?”
Will – “Sure, I love you.” He gives her a kiss and departs.
Joan – “Mom, I need clean sheets. Can you get me some?”
No words are spoken. Helen begins to put new linen on the bed while
Joan heads for the bathroom to wash up and put on clean pajamas.
Joan – “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to.”
Helen – “It’s okay, accidents happen. Here, climb back into bed.
Would you like to talk about anything?”
Joan – “No, I’ll just go back to sleep. Thanks, Mom.” Helen gives her
a kiss and begins to leave. She reaches for the light switch, “Mom,
please leave it on.” Helen closes the door, leaving on the light.
She returns downstairs to find Will with a bag of ice over his left
eye, “Let me see. Oh, that’s gonna shine.”
Will – “Our daughter has quite a punch!”
The Next Morning
It took Joan quite awhile to get back to sleep, so she wakes up
pretty late this morning. She takes her shower, dresses for the day,
and heads downstairs.
Luke – “Hey, slugger, how are you doing?”
Joan looks at him without a clue of what he’s talking about. Then she
sees her father sitting in the breakfast nook wearing a pair of
Foster Grants. She walks over to him and gently removes them, “I’m so
sorry, Daddy!”
Will – “It’s okay, it was an accident. I’ll be fine.”
Joan – “I can get some makeup and cover that up pretty good.”
Will – “No, it’s fine. It will go away on its own in a few days.”
Helen and Lilly return from Mass and enter the kitchen. Helen gives
Joan a hug, “Are you okay?”
Joan – “Yeah, I’m fine, but look at what I did to Dad.”
Helen – “I know, he’ll be fine.”Helen looks around, “Everyone hungry?
We’re having an early lunch.”
Joan – “Great, I’m starved!”
Will – “Why don’t we have fried egg sandwiches?”
Joan – “Eeeuw! Adam’s bloody brain on drugs. No thanks.”
Helen – “Some people like them with ketchup, but with just mustard is
much better. Why don’t I make us all some, and if you don’t like it,
I’ll make you something else.”
Helen makes up a massive serving of eggs and they all prepare their
sandwiches. Joan prepares hers, “Mustard, huh?” She takes a bite of
her sandwich, “Hmm, not bad!”
Kevin – “Hey, I found out something at the paper on Friday. Do you
know how much Adam is being paid for his sculpture?”
Helen – “It really doesn’t matter. It is an honor his sculpture was
selected.”
Kevin – “I know, but aren’t you curious?”
Luke – “I’m curious, how much?”
Kevin – “Twenty-five hundred dollars!”
Joan – “Wow! That’s quite a jump from five hundred!”
At the Milton Library
The Girardi’s decide that they want to arrive early to get a close
position for the unveiling. They actually overdo it and arrive 45
minutes early. Joan notices the library is open, “Why is it open on
Sunday?”
Helen – “It’s only open for three hours today, an hour and a half
before and after the event.”
Joan excuses herself and goes inside. She asks the librarian, “Do you
have a movie called, The Night of the Hunter?”
The librarian checks the computer, “Yes, it should be in the video
section. I’ll go with you.”
They walk to the rear of the library, and after a few minutes, the
librarian finds a VCR copy of the movie. They return to the checkout
counter and Joan provides her library card, “It’s due back next
Saturday.”
Joan – “Thank you.”
Joan returns outside to be with her family. They are all standing out
near the front of the sculpture. Well, at least they hope it’s the
front. The sculpture is covered with a large canvas tarp.
Carl and Adam Rove arrive, and they are followed shortly by Sarah
Polonsky and Grace.
Sarah – “Helen, nice dress.”
Helen – “Yeah, we both have good taste.”
A few more stragglers arrive. It is not a large group, maybe about 30
people in all. Joan doesn’t recognize most of them, but there are a
few familiar faces. Brian Beaumont and, she just can’t remember her
name, but the girl she met in the locker room and later when she
briefly played percussion… ism with the school band.
The librarian who had just helped Joan comes out and joins Adam. She
begins to speak, “We are very pleased to unveil this sculpture
dedicated to the joy of reading and to all of our patrons. The artist
is Adam Rove.” She gives him a brief hug, “And he will be available
to answer questions about the piece after the unveiling.”
Adam walks over and gently tugs on a cord that makes the canvas fall
away. Ooh’s and aah’s come from throughout the crowd. Flashes from
cameras begin to strobe the sculpture.
The exterior of the sculpture is like a cage, shaped like an egg on
its side. It is made of vertical strips of metal, about two inches
wide and about four inches apart. They alternate brown and silver. In
the front is a large oval shape cut out so the inside can be viewed
unobstructed.
Inside are a woman and a young girl, both sitting on chairs. The
woman is looking down at the book the girl is holding and the girl is
looking up at her mother. The girl is holding the open book with her
finger pointing to something on the page.
The woman and girl are both painted brown, except for their faces.
The leaves of the book are painted white, with writing on the open
face done in black.
The faces of the woman and girl have the Girardi’s in awe. They are
three-dimensional casts painted using semi-metallic paint. This gives
them even more texture than the rest of the piece and is the only
part of the sculpture that is completely non-abstract. But what is
obvious to all, at least to the Girardi’s, is that the mother is
Helen and the girl is Joan.
Adam is busy for some time, answering questions for audience members.
When he becomes free, he joins the Girardi’s. “Do you like it?”
Helen – “It’s beautiful! Had this been a class project, you would
definitely get an ‘A’.”
Joan – “It really is beautiful! And the faces. This is such a
wonderful gift.” She hugs him and gives him a kiss on the cheek.
Adam – “I just couldn’t help using the faces of the two women in this
world that I love the most.”
No one knows how to respond, because they all can see that he truly
means what he just said. Adam is forced away again to answer
questions from others in the audience. When he appears to be done,
Joan approaches him. “Adam, did you get that money?”
Adam – “Yeah, it’s safe, but what do I do with it now?”
Joan – “We need to get it to Brother Jimi. How do we find him?”
Adam – “We could ask Alex tomorrow.”
Joan – “Good idea.”She paused briefly, “Can I ask you for a favor?”
Adam - “Sure, anything.”
Joan – “I have to watch a scary movie, and I don’t want to watch it
alone. Would you watch it with me?”
Adam – “Sure, what is it?”
Joan – “It’s The Night of the Hunter.”
Adam – “Wow! I didn’t think you wanted to see it.”
Joan – “I don’t really, but I have to. I can’t explain. Will you
watch it with me?”
Adam – “Sure.”
Joan – “Can you have dinner with us tonight? Then we can watch the
movie after dinner.”
Adam – “Yeah, sure. What’s your mother cooking?”
Joan – “It’s just spaghetti and meatballs, but you know how great my
Dad’s sauce is.”
Adam – “Yeah, I remember. I’ll be there.”
It begins to rain so the group disperses for home.
At Home
Adam arrives just before dinner. He hangs up his poncho on a hook
near the back door. He and Joan sit out on the couch for a moment,
“Adam, can you help me with a calculus problem?”
Adam – “Yeah, I’ll try, but where is Luke?”
Joan – “Cleaning his fish tank, I hope. I just need to understand how
to do it. I’ll figure out the answers on my own. They look over the
problems and come up with the method to find the correct solutions,
“Thanks, Adam.”
Dinner is ready, so they all gather around the table.
Helen – “Welcome, Adam.This is the first time in a long time that you
have had dinner with us, except for the crab feast. We have begun to
say a prayer before dinner. Would you do us the honor?”
Adam – “Mrs. G., I don’t know any prayers. We don’t pray at home. I
believe in God, but I just talk to him myself.”
Helen – “Can you make something up? Sometimes those are the best
kind.”
Adam – “Okay, ah… thank you for letting me enjoy this meal with my
friends.”
Helen – “Thank you, Adam”
Dinner continues with little additional conversation, except for a
minor altercation between Joan and Luke. She is still mad that he
wouldn’t help her with her calculus, “I’m not going to do your
homework for you.”
Joan – “I didn’t ask you to do it for me, I asked you to explain it
to me, there’s a difference. And always expecting something in return
is getting old.”
Ultimately, Luke feels bad about the misunderstanding and agrees to
help her in the future. In fact, Joan takes advantage of his guilt
and convinces him to also read Thomas Aquinas’ Summa Theologica. It
is not something he would have done on his own, but when Helen and
Lilly also chime in supporting Joan’s idea, he agrees. They just want
him to read it and explain it to them from his point of view.
After dinner, Will and Kevin go out to work on the boat. They have
already cut and warped the next board for the skin of the haul. They
hope to mount it in place this evening.
Joan and Adam sit down on the couch to watch the movie. Luke is
allowed to join them when he asks. Helen and Lilly take care of the
after-dinner cleanup. And as if on cue, the rain outside is joined by
thunder and lightning bolts every few minutes.
As the movie progresses, Adam points out the visual techniques used
during the creation of the movie. Joan pretends to be interested,
even though that is not her reason for watching. She feels she has to
learn why she would dream about a movie she has never seen, and
probably would have never watched had it not been for her dream.
However, Luke is finding Adam’s analysis interesting.
The movie is scary enough on its own, but when Reverend Harry Powell
shows up with the L-O-V-E and H-A-T-E tattoos on his knuckles, Joan
begins to fall back into the terror of her dream. She subconsciously
takes Adam’s arm and begins to hold it tight.
Reverend Harry Powell – “I can hear you whisperin’ children, so I
know you’re down there. I can feel myself gettin’ awful mad. I’m out
of patience, children. I’m coming to find you now.”
This scene strikes terror in Joan’s heart with its familiarity with
what Ryan said in her dream and the knowledge that the name of the
young girl in the story is Pearl Harper. She had hoped that by
watching this movie, she would learn her dream was just a bad dream,
but it is obvious to her now that this is a warning of some kind,
‘Okay God, I have learned to deal with pain, but how does one deal
with terror?’ By the end of the movie, Joan’s pounding heart is about
to explode out of her chest. Adam’s arm is nearly senseless where
Joan had been holding it so tight. Of course, Adam is just enjoying
the opportunity to spend time with Joan, and he doesn’t care about
the pain she has been leaving in his arm. He doesn’t say a word.
The movie ends, and Will and Kevin finish their work on the boat at
about the same time. Helen and Lilly have been playing
double-solitaire at the kitchen table. They all congregate in the
living room to close the evening, “Thank you Adam for watching this
movie with me. It really helped having you here.”
Adam – “I enjoyed spending time with you, too.”
Lilly – “Hey, Adam.Can I give you a ride home?”
Adam – “No, I brought my Dad’s truck.”
Joan – “I’ll see you at school tomorrow.”
Lilly and Adam depart, and the Girardi’s call it a night. In bed,
Joan wonders about the movie. ‘Terror’ pretty much sums it up, but
one part still has her baffled. Why was John upset when they put
Reverend Powell in handcuffs, and why did he refuse to testify
against him at the trial? It just doesn’t make sense! She remembers
the lullaby and begins to sing it softly as she goes to sleep.
*Hush, little one, hush
Hush, my little one, hush
Morning soon shall light your pillow
Birds must sing in yonder willow
Hush, my little one, hush
Hush, little one, hush*
*Rest, dearest one, rest
Rest here on my breast
Little child with heart so brave
Angel hosts will keep you safe
Rest, little one, rest
Rest, my little one, rest.*
At School
Joan is coming out of Calculus class with a smile on her face. She
had a pop quiz this morning and has learned that she only got one
wrong, and it was just due to a stupid mistake. She sees Adam, “Hey,
thanks for helping me last night. It really helped on the quiz I had
today. Have you seen Alex yet?”
Adam – “Great on the test and no, I haven’t seen him yet.”
Luke, Grace, Glynis, and Friedman join them. Their next class is
Government.
Grace – “Why didn’t you tell me you got arrested?”
Joan – “I didn’t. They just took me down to the police station and
then let me go.”
Adam – “You got arrested?”
Joan – “No, they didn’t even question or charge me. It doesn’t
count.”
Grace – “You are going to have to tell me about this later.”
Joan – “Luke.”
Luke – “I just mentioned it to Grace. How was I to know you hadn’t
told anyone?”
Joan – “Duh!Maybe because I didn’t want anyone to know?”
Friedman – “Great! Now we have a sub-defective with a record.”
Joan – “There’s no record, none at all. Just drop it.”
Luke – “This conversation is getting kind of marginal if you know
what I mean.”
Friedman takes the hint and drops the subject.
Glynis– “Wow, someone as sweet as you being a jailbird. There has to
be a song in there somewhere.”
Joan – “There’s no jailbird, and there’s no song.Stop it.”
They all enter the classroom, and there is still no sign of Alex.
Joan – “Alex did get arrested. Maybe he’s still in jail.”
Grace – “Oh, I can’t wait to hear about this.”
Just as the bell rings, Alex flies through the door.
At the Police Station
Will arrives and notices an envelope on his desk. He opens it. It is
the resignation of Michael Daghlian. He looks around the office and
doesn’t see him. He calls Carlisle to his office, “Have you seen Mike
Daghlian?”
Carlisle– “Yeah, he was here earlier cleaning out his desk. I told
him he should wait to talk to you, but he said he couldn’t.”
Will – “Do you still have that card with his cell phone number on
it?”
Carlisle– “Yeah, I believe so. I’ll have to dig around for a minute.”
Carlislefinds the card and gives it to Will. Will just hopes he
hasn’t had time to change his number yet. He makes the call. It rings
and rings and finally, “Hello… Daghlian.”
Will – “Mike, Will Girardi. Where are you?”
Mike – “I just got on the interstate heading back to Connersburg.”
Will – “Please come back to the office. I want to talk to you.”
Mike – “What’s there to talk about. On my second day back, I caused
your daughter to be arrested. How much worse could I have screwed
up?”
Will – “That’s what I need to talk to you about. It wasn’t your
fault. Come on back. I don’t want you to quit.”
Mike agrees to come back to talk.
At School
After class, Alex explains that he just had his bail hearing this
morning and that’s why he was late for school. He hands Joan a note,
“Mom got this from Rahav for you.”
Adam – “Hey Alex, how can I get a hold of Brother Jimi?”
Alex – “He’s usually at the soup kitchen on
Walnot Street
for dinner. He helps out there. It’s just around the corner from St.
Michael’s.”
Adam – “Thanks, is there anything I can help you with?”
Alex – “No, I’ll take care of it.”
Joan takes him aside, “I saw what happened. I’ll testify if your
lawyer wants me too.”
Alex – “Thanks Joan, I’ll tell him that.”
Joan and Adam head for their next class. She reads the note, ‘I won’t
be your dance instructor anymore. I have other things I need to do.
If you want to continue dance lessons, call Sister Sarah at 555-1514.
I’ll be in touch. Love you, Rahav.’ “No! Rahav can’t teach me dancing
anymore. I’ll have to find another instructor.”
Adam – “So, you really like to dance?”
Joan – “Yeah, I never thought about it before, but now that I’m doing
it, I love it.”
Adam – “I wish I didn’t have two left feet.”
Joan – “You are going to dance with me someday, so find a right
foot.”
Adam smiles, but decides to move on in the conversation, “I thought I
would take the money to Brother Jimi after school. You wanna come
along?”
Joan – “Yeah, sure. Looks like I won’t be dancing tonight.”
At the Police Station
Mike returns, and Will calls a meeting with Carlisle and Toni in the
conference room. “Are we still doing weekly sweeps for bugs?”
Carlisle– “Yeah, we haven’t found anything since the first sweep.”
Will – “Good. Mike, you were conned. All of you. I know we still
don’t have diddley squat on Ryan Hunter, but I know he’s our man.
He’s probably the most cunning criminal we have ever faced. Trust me
on this.
“I talked to Brother Jimi Saturday night. He and someone named Rahav
were the ones who helped to organize the charity concert. They had
nothing to do with the drugs being sold outside and didn’t know that
some of the kids had snuck beer into the concert. Had he known, he
would have taken their beer and kicked them out. What happened
Saturday night happened just as Ryan Hunter wanted it to. He
distorted the facts and Mike, since you weren’t completely briefed on
him, he was able to use you to his advantage. I have had enough of
Ryan Hunter and his Watchdog Committee. I’m going to sever ties.
Brother Jimi is creating an alternate organization with whom I think
we can deal with in a much more cooperative manner.
“Carlisle, is the meeting with Ryan’s committee still set up for
tomorrow?”
Carlisle– “Yeah, nine o’clock.”
Will – “Okay, I’ll tell them. However, after tomorrow, we don’t have
anything more to do with them, unless it is to put them behind bars.
“Now, onto another matter.You are cops. That’s all I want you to be,
but I am a cop and, unfortunately, a politician. It’s not part of the
job of Chief of Police that I like, but it’s one I have accepted as
part of the job. There will be a story published in the Herald on
Wednesday that has connections to Ryan Hunter. When Ryan makes a
stink about me severing ties with his group, this article should blow
some of the wind out of his sails. You can all read the article when
it’s published, then you’ll know what I’m talking about. I don’t want
any of you to make statements to the press. I’ll handle it.
“Toni, Carlisle, take time off from what you are doing and get Mike
up to speed on Ryan Hunter. Mike, I’m tearing up your resignation.
Get back to work.”
At the Newspaper
Kevin – “So, we’re agreed?”
Andy – “I still don’t like this. Holding the story until Wednesday
might allow someone else to scoop me first.”
Rebecca – “Yeah, that’s a possibility, but you wouldn’t have this
story if it wasn’t for Kevin. I promise, if you hold the story, I’ll
give you a byline on the second story as well. You just need to be at
the police station between nine and nine thirty tomorrow. Deal?”
Andy is still not happy, but he agrees, “Deal.”
At School
The whole gang is leaving AP Biology, “God, I don’t know if I can do
it!”
Adam – “Joan, they will be asleep. They won’t feel a thing.”
Joan – “Yeah, but I don’t like killing. Not even something as
disgusting as a frog.”
Luke – “It’s part of learning science. You have to do it. Besides,
you eat meat. You even had crabs this summer.”
Joan – “Yeah, I know, but I don’t plan to eat the frog.” She
remembers something that she wants to ask Luke about, “Hey guys, I’ll
catch up with you later. Come on, Luke.”
Once they are alone, “So, have you and Friedman found out anything
new?”
Luke – “I gave what we had to Dad the other day. Friedman hasn’t been
able to get back in. Ryan’s security is just too tight. We’re going
to need something like a keylogger to get past his security.”
Joan – “And a keylogger is that spy thing you told me about, right?”
Luke – “Right, but I don’t know how we’ll ever get one installed.”
Joan – “Leave that to me. Thanks, I’ll see you later.”
Joan stops into Helen’s classroom, “Mom, I’ll be a little late for
dinner tonight, maybe about six thirty. Adam and I have to run an
errand.”
Helen – “Okay, we’ll wait for you. I sure do miss you in class this
year.”
Joan – “Mom, I told you, art just isn’t my thing. I love what Adam
does, but I’ll never be able to do that. Besides, I couldn’t take Art
and AP French. You still have Adam.”
Helen – “Yeah, but I want both.”
Joan sighs, “I’ll see you later.”
Grace and Joan are in study hall later. Grace inquires, “So tell me
what happened the other night.”
Joan – “I can’t, at least not yet, not until I talk to Mr. Kroner.”
Grace – “Come on, I’m dying here!”
Joan – “I’m sorry, you’ll just have to wait. Now, you told me that
your dad knows someone who provides the janitor service for Ryan’s
Watchdog Committee, right?”
Grace – “Yeah, he cleans their office on Monday’s and Thursday’s.”
Joan – “Have your dad ask him if he would be willing to install
something on Ryan’s computer. It will only take a minute. He could
install it on Monday and remove it on Thursday. And no, it’s not
legal, but the only danger will probably be when he removes it on
Thursday. He just needs not to get caught doing it.”
Grace – “Okay, I’ll find out.”
After school, Adam and Joan go to his house. Adam is surprised to see
the truck parked in the driveway, “Dad, are you home?”
Carl – “Yeah, in here.” They find him sitting in a high back stuffed
chair.
Adam – “What are you doing here? I thought you would be working.”
Carl – “Oh, I fell and bruised my butt. It’s nothing, but I decided
to take tonight off.”
Joan, who had intended to remain quiet, speaks up, “I know all about
bruising. You’re better off breaking something.”
Carl – “Oh, hi Joan. I didn’t know you were here. I guess I shouldn’t
have said ‘butt’.”
Joan – “It’s okay, Mr. Rove.”
Adam – “Since you’re home, can I borrow the truck? I’ll be back by
six to fix dinner.”
Carl – “Yeah, keys are on the hook.”
Adam – “Well, since we’re driving and not taking the bus, we have
time. Can I get you anything?”
Carl – “Yeah, a 7-Up.There’s a case in the fridge.”
Adam – “Sure, Joan, you want anything?”
Joan – “I would like a 7-Up, too. I need to see what the flowers are
missing.”
Adam comes back with the sodas, “Come here Joan, I want to show you
something.”
They go back to his bedroom. It’s somewhat dark because the huge oak
tree outside perpetually shades the room. He walks to the corner of
the room and turns on a light, “This is the scale model I submitted
to the library. They let me have it back.”
The model is identical to the one at the library, only this one is
just slightly over one foot tall, “I love both of them. You are so
talented.”
Adam – “Well, as long as you were here, I thought I would show it to
you.” He reaches under his mattress and pulls out the moneybag,
“Let’s get this back to Brother Jimi.”
At the Bateman Residence
Kevin has thought for a long time about Lilly’s remark on how badly
he treated girls when he was in high school. He has made a list and
has been taking off early from work periodically. This is number
three. Susan Berry, co-captain of the cheerleading squad, and now
Mrs. John Bateman. He already called her and she begrudgingly agreed
to a meeting. He is to pull up to her house, honk the horn, and she
will meet him at the curb.
She comes out of the house carrying her newborn son, “Make this
quick, I have to feed him.”
Kevin – “I have been thinking a lot about the way I treated you in
high school. I was really a jerk. I just wanted you to know that I
know that now, and that I am truly sorry.”
Susan – “So that’s it? You want me to forgive you now?”
Kevin – “No, I don’t expect forgiveness. I just wanted you to know
that I’m sorry. I’ll leave you alone now. I wish you all the best
with your new family.”
Kevin leaves and Susan is left to wonder. Did he really mean what he
said or is this just another con? She goes back inside and tends to
her son.
On
Dilcue Street
As they approach St. Michaels, Joan notices a store with its services
pasted on large banners just inside of the storefront windows. They
proceed past and turn on
Walnot Street
. When they stop, Adam says, “Let’s go in and see if he’s here.”
Joan – “You go in. I need to check something at the store we just
passed. I’ll meet you back here.”
Adam – “But Joan, this was all your doing. Don’t you want credit?”
Joan – “I didn’t come with you to get credit. Just make sure the
money gets back where it belongs. I’ll meet you back here in a few
minutes.”
Joan walks up and turns the corner back toward the store. She crosses
mid-street and stands on the sidewalk, looking at the signs. She goes
in and approaches the receptionist, “You teach karate, judo, and tae
kwon do, which one is the fastest to learn?”
Receptionist – “What’s your hurry? All of these disciplines take time
to master.”
Joan – “There’s a guy who I think is going to try to hurt me. I need
to learn something fast.”
Receptionist – “What is your name?”
Joan – “Joan Girardi.”
Receptionist – “Wait here.” She walks into the back and returns in a
few minutes, “The instructor will see you now.” She escorts Joan to
an office in the rear corner of the gym, “I was quite surprised when
I heard your name. Come in Joan.”
Joan – “Oh my God, Ms. Keady!What are you doing here?”
Ms. Keady – “I work here part time. High school gym instructors don’t
make much money. In fact, I make more here part time than I do
through the school.”
Joan – “Then why do both?”
Ms. Keady – “I need the medical benefits through the teachers’ union.
I have a daughter, but that’s another story. Is someone at school
threatening you?”
Joan – “No, it’s someone outside of school.”
Ms. Keady – “We have a policy here that if anyone comes in with a
story like yours, we try to help them immediately. Have you told your
father? He is Chief of Police.”
Joan – “This guy hasn’t actually made a threat. It’s just something I
can sense between the lines.”
Ms. Keady – “You know, the best way to win a fight is to avoid it in
the first place. Is that a possibility?”
Joan – “No, I think he’s going to come after me no matter what.”
Ms. Keady – “What period do you have study hall?”
Joan – “The last period of the day.”
Ms. Keady – “Okay, I’ll give you a recurring pass for the last
period. Meet me in the gym. I’ll teach you what I can.”
Joan – “Which one?”
Ms. Keady – “None of them. I’m going to teach you hopefully to be
able to thwart off an attack long enough to escape. That’s what you
need.”
Joan – “What is that called?”
Ms. Keady – “Street fighting.”
Joan – “Thank you, I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Ms. Keady – “Now don’t get to thinking you’re going to become Buffy
the Vampire Slayer or something. That will get you killed. Survival
and escape, that’s it.”
Joan – “Thank you, Ms. Keady.”
Joan returns to find Adam is still sitting in the truck, “Did you
give him the money?”
Adam – “He’s not here yet. A lady inside is going to tell him I’m out
here when he arrives. Have a seat.”
Joan gets in, “So, where did you go?”
Joan – “I did a little shopping. I just ordered something I needed.”
Adam can see she doesn’t want to provide additional information. It’s
just as well, because he sees Brother Jimi approaching, “I’m Brother
Jimi. Are you Adam Rove?”
Adam – “Yeah, I helped with the lighting last Saturday night. Can you
tell me where the money for the charity was supposed to go?”
Brother Jimi – “Unfortunately, the money is missing.”
Adam – “No, if it wasn’t missing, who was supposed to take it?”
Brother Jimi – “That would have been me. I was going to divide it up
among several charities.”
Adam pulls the moneybag out and hands it to him, “Here it is, all of
it.”
Brother Jimi is quite surprised, “How did you get hold of it?”
Adam looks at Joan. She motions for him not to say anything, “This is
my friend, Joan Girardi. She took the money and gave it to me. We
didn’t want the police to steal it.”
Brother Jimi looks into the truck, “Thank you, Joan. God bless you.”
Joan – “You’re welcome. Just see that it gets to where it belongs.”
Brother Jimi leaves, and Adam pauses before starting the truck, “I’ve
found a dog. I’m going to go get her.”
Joan – “Come on, you don’t need a dog.”
He looks at her and their eyes meld for a moment before he breaks
away, “Yes, I do.”
He starts the truck and begins to drive down
Dilcue Street
. Joan sits quietly thinking, not about what he just told her, but
about the loneliness and despair she just saw in his eyes. She looks
at him again and remembers. The world disappears and the words that
have been struggling to escape from her heart flow softly from her
lips, “I still love you.”
Adam sees Homeless Man God and blurts out at the same time, “There he
is!” He pulls over. “Come on.”
Joan sits stunned, not believing that he didn’t hear what she just
told him. She gets out and Adam is already petting the dog. She’s
wagging her tail.
Homeless Man God – “Does this mean you have decided to give her a
home?”
Adam – “Yeah, if it’s still okay?”
Homeless Man God – “Her name is Pax. She likes you.”
Paxis a mixed breed, part German Shepherd, part Husky, and part wolf.
She weighs about 60 pounds and has a white underside, a gray back
with some black and brown, and a black face. Her tail has a black
tip. Adam puts the collar and leash on her that he brought with him.
Homeless Man God – “That’s not necessary, Pax will be with you from
hereon.”
Adam – “Well, I think it’s a good idea until she gets to know me.” He
realizes Joan has been standing there quietly, “This is my friend
Joan.”
Joan – “We’ve met. Why don't you put Pax in the camper, and I’ll be
there in a minute?”
Adam – “But, I want her to sit up with us.”
Joan – “Not until you give her a bath.”
Adam leaves, and Joan asks God, “So what’s up with the dream?!!”
God – “Not now, I’ll explain later.”
Joan is frustrated, wanting an answer now, but she knows he will keep
his promise. “Okay, then what’s with the dog?”
God – “It’s like Adam said, he needs something.”
Joan – “You have to know what I have been thinking. Won’t I be
enough?”
God – “Not soon enough. He needs to be able to share his love now.”
Joan wonders about God’s comment, “You mean he’s been thinking
about…”
God interrupts, “Pax will be good for Adam. She’s a fine dog.”
Joan returns to the truck. Pax is sticking her head through the
opening in the rear window. Joan pets her and sees her for what she
really is, a gift from God, “Adam, I’ve changed my mind. I think you
and Pax are a good idea, but you still have to give her a bath.”
