Episode 3.09, Night of the Hunter, Part 2
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Adam drops Joan off at home, and then he and Pax return home as well.
When Joan walks inside, she sees her father sitting on the couch
listening to a record. She sits beside him.
*…And, they’re coming to take me away, ha-haaa
They’re coming to take me away
Ho-ho, hee-hee, ha-haaa
To the funny farm
Where life is beautiful all the time
And I’ll be happy to see those nice young men
In their clean white coats
And they’re coming to take me away, ha-haaa…*
“Thanks Dad, did you put this one on especially for me?”
Will smiles, “No, this is a collection of one hit wonders. You just
came in at the right time. Oh, you told your mother that you would be
home by six thirty, so Chuck Kroner will be calling about then. He
says it won’t take long, and he and you can just talk on the phone
about Saturday night. That way it won’t be necessary to schedule a
meeting.”
Joan – “Okay, I hope it’s over.”
Will – “I believe it is.”
Helen comes in from the kitchen, “Joan, you’re home early! I thought
you were going to be late?”
Joan – “We were able to use Mr. Rove’s truck. That made the trip
quicker than taking the bus. What’s for dinner?”
Helen – “I picked up some salmon steaks on sale. Baked in lemon
sauce, sound good?”
Joan – “Yeah, salmon sounds good.”
Helen – “Good, it’ll be the five of us tonight. Kevin and Lilly
should be here soon.”
Mr. Kroner calls at six thirty on the dot. Joan takes the call in her
room. “Okay Joan, I think it’s over. I agree that what you did was
probably the right thing to do, but unfortunately, right and legal
aren’t always the same thing. I would recommend that you not bring up
the details of what happened to anyone. However, if you choose to,
just tell family and friends whom you know you can trust. Good luck,
Joan. Call me if you need me, but I hope we don’t have to speak
again.”
Joan – “Thank you, Mr. Kroner, goodbye.”
They gather around the table for dinner.
Helen – “You know, I just realized that you have never said the
blessing. Luke, would you do us the honor?”
Luke – “Yeah, sure. Thank you for the universe to explore, my family
and friends, and this meal. Amen.”
Helen – “Thank you Luke. How was your day?”
Joan interrupts, “Mom, I would like to go first, if it’s okay. Mr.
Kroner said that I shouldn’t talk about what happened Saturday night,
but now he says it’s okay. I want to tell you.” She looks at Luke and
Helen, and then continues.
“Rahav, my dance instructor, and Mrs. Villa, Alex’s mom, asked me to
help at a fund raiser for their neighborhood programs, so I
volunteered. Adam did, too. When we arrived, Adam went to help with
the lighting for the show up in the balcony. They asked me to collect
donations as people came in. When the band started to play, Mrs.
Villa said that I could go watch. I have never heard that kind of
music before or seen the kind of dancing they were doing. It just
began flowing through me. I started dancing with everyone else. It
was wonderful. After a little while, I returned to collecting
donations. I was really happy when Rahav arrived. Everyone loves her.
She is also the one who taught the dancers on stage. I went back up
to the ballroom, because I wanted to talk to her.
“Then I noticed Ryan Hunter in the crowd. He started talking about
how he was doing his civic duty by supporting Rahav’s fund raiser,
but that was all BS. He’s like a slug that comes out after a hard
rain. Then he walked outside and I saw him get on his cell phone. I
started to follow him, but I met Rahav. She is not only a great
teacher, but she’s a wonderful person. We started talking.
Afterwards, I went with Mrs. Villa into the rear anteroom to help her
count the money that we had raised.
“Then, all of a sudden, there was a commotion and police were
everywhere. I saw a police officer come into the next room where Alex
was. I saw Ryan bump into Alex, causing him to fall into the police
officer. I’m sure he did it on purpose. The officer got mad and
wrestled Alex to the ground. He put him in handcuffs. I tried to
explain that it was an accident, but they wouldn’t listen. I went
back down to the ballroom to find someone to give the money to, but I
couldn’t find anyone. I finally found Michael and gave him the money.
Then they arrested him and said they were going to confiscate the
money as evidence. I remembered how they had stolen the money from
the police station and… and this bad feeling just came over me. I
grabbed the moneybag and threw it up into the balcony, hoping Adam
was still there. Then they handcuffed me and sent me to the police
station.
“So, that’s what happened. I saw Alex in school today and told him I
would testify to what I saw. Someone has to learn the truth about
what really happened. This afternoon, Adam and I took the moneybag,
and we gave it to Brother Jimi. Dad, I’m sorry I caused so much
trouble, but I still feel like I did the right thing.”
After a moment of stunned silence, Will finally speaks up, “I
suspected that Ryan Hunter had more to do with this than he was
saying. I’m glad that you’ve told me what happened. I don’t often get
the opportunity to observe something from the citizen’s point of
view. I will have a talk with Internal Affairs and see if they will
open an investigation into this incident. But I want you to stay away
from everyone involved until the investigation is complete.”
Joan – “I guess that won’t be a problem. Rahav sent me a note that
she won’t be able to be my dance instructor anymore. I’ll have to
find someone new anyway.”
Helen – “I have mixed feelings. I believe you did the right thing,
but I don’t know if you should have been there in the first place.”
Joan – “Mom, it was a charity fund raiser. None of this should have
happened. It was all so insane!”
Helen – “Well, just the same, I agree with your father. You should
stay away from those people until he finds out the whole story. I
just want you to be safe.”
Joan decides they have talked enough about it, “Luke, don’t tell
anyone, not even Grace. I want to tell her myself.”
Luke – “Fine, I’ll just tell her you plan to talk to her if she
asks.” He pauses, now feeling what he had planned to say is
pointless, but he continues anyway, “Well, today I went to school. I
have some homework tonight. That’s about it.”
Joan decides to add more news, “Oh, and Adam got a dog today. Her
name is Pax. I think it will be good for him, but there’s a problem.
He’s not sure if someone else already owns her. He’s sending a
picture to the animal shelter. This is going to be a long week for
him, but I think it will be okay. I know the guy who gave it to him.”
Helen – “Lilly and I will say a prayer that he can keep the dog.”
Lilly – “Yeah, and maybe we can also pray that Denunzio someday gives
me a compliment or even just says, ‘Glad to see you’.”
Helen, a little annoyed by Lilly’s offhanded remark, replies, “We’ll
pray for both.”
Joan replies, ignoring Lilly’s comment completely, “Thanks, I really
think Adam needs this.”
Helen – “Lilly?”
Lilly – “Well, as you might have guessed, today didn’t go well. A
hundred little things kept going wrong. I received the list of slimes
for next weekend. Denunzio and Bonnie are becoming like a cancerous
growth that I can’t get rid of! I’m considering getting them both
blue shirts and having their names embroidered upside down above the
pocket. But, we are making progress. We are splitting this house into
an upstairs and downstairs apartment. We are almost finished building
the new outside stairway for the top floor.”
Helen – “Kevin?”
Kevin – “Well, it was pretty much the same as any day, but I’m doing
a lot more research than I used to. We have recently become networked
to a nationwide newspaper database. Nearly every major newspaper is
online. I have access to stories as far back as the early 1970’s in
some cases. It’s a great resource.”
Helen – “Will?”
Will – “Mike Daghlian almost quit today, but I talked him out of it.
I won’t go into details, but it’s good to have him back. Other than
that, it was a pretty ordinary day.”
Helen – “Well, June Goetzman called this afternoon. She has won the
bid on the restoration of another painting. She wouldn’t tell me what
it is, but she has agreed to meet with me two nights a week at the
Art Museum. It’s going to mean I won’t be able to cook dinners twice
a week, but I really want to see what I can learn from her. We will
start tomorrow evening. I hope none of you mind.”
Everyone agrees that it’s okay. Will continues, “Hey, if I can get
home early enough, I’ll cook something. If not, pizza, subs, or
burgers won’t hurt us for a couple of nights a week for a while. You
deserve this.”
After dinner, Joan goes up to her bedroom to do her homework. It is
done in a pretty short time, except for her reading for AP French.
She not only has to read and understand it, but she is subject in
class to have to recite and explain it orally. It’s challenging, but
Joan has a secret reason now for wanting to excel in French. Kevin
knows, but she doesn’t plan to tell the others until after the New
Year.
She finishes and sees that it’s still not too late. She calls Grace.
She tells Grace what she told her family. Grace responds in typical
fashion, “Subverting the corrupt totalitarian policía regime, and a
cop’s daughter to boot! Way to go.”
Joan – “Well, I know my dad’s a good cop. I just don’t know about the
rest.”
Grace – “Hey, my dad heard back from the janitor service guy. He’ll
do it.”
Joan – “Good, I’ll talk to you more about it tomorrow.”
She walks upstairs to Luke’s room, “Where can I buy one of those
keylogger things?”
At the Police Station
Will once again goes over the police reports from Saturday night. As
he had remembered, it is completely one-sided. There is absolutely no
mention of the citizen’s assertions that the police had no business
shutting the show down. He jots down Joan’s version of events and
mixes it with testimony he received from other witnesses. He adds
their names and phone numbers, excluding Joan’s of course, and adds
it to the file. He walks out to Jeannie, “Will you make a copy of
this report and also type up this statement for me?”
Jeannie – “Sure, Will, but I have a few things to do first. Would
about an hour or so be okay?”
Will – “Perfect, thank you.”
At School
Joan meets Adam at his locker and finds him talking to Elizabeth
Goetzman, “Hi, I didn’t know you two knew each other.”
Elizabeth – “Only through you.How is everything?”
Joan – “Oh, okay I guess.”
Elizabeth – “Adam told me that you might be looking for a new dance
class. Would you like to come with me to mine?”
Joan – “Maybe, but my former dance instructor suggested one, and I
want to check her out first. I’ll let you know.”
Elizabeth – “Okay, see you later. Bye, Adam.”
Joan – “So, how’s your dad doing? How’s Pax?”
Adam – “Dad’s back to work. He just needed a day to rest. Pax is
clean, but I still need to get something for the fleas.”
They begin to head for class, and meet up with Luke and Friedman.
Glynis also joins them with ‘what’s her name’.
Glynis– “This is Alice. Have any of you met her?”
Alice remembers Joan, but realizes the others probably don’t know
her, “Alice Orban, nice to meet you.”
Joan is relieved not to have to admit that she never knew her name,
“I saw you at the Milton Library on Sunday. Sorry we didn’t have time
to talk.”
Alice – “That’s okay, you looked busy.” She looks at Adam, “I love
your sculpture. I read stories to children on Saturday mornings.
Sometimes I just tell them stories that I make up. I already have a
great one about your sculpture. You guys aren’t the only ones who
recognized the faces.”
Adam – “Thank you, I’m glad you like it.”
Glynis– “I have decided to join the band this year. Alice tells me
they can use some more low brass. I’ll play the tuba.”
Joan – “Are you still in that other band too?”
Alice – “Oh, that’s what we’re talking about. It’s a different band
now, but I’m still blowing the tunes. I do a little singing, too. We
play mostly for fun. We have a gig at the Unurban this weekend. Would
you like to come?”
Joan – “Wow, the Unurban has a lot of good memories for me. Yeah,
what time?”
Alice – “Seven to eight, Saturday.”
Joan – “I’ll be there.”
At the Police Station
Will enters the conference room where the Watchdog Committee has
assembled. He is confident and sure of his purpose. He looks around
at the faces, “I think most of you know me, but if not, I am Will
Girardi, Chief of Police.”
When he has a seat, Ryan immediately begins to speak, “I am really
sorry about what happened Saturday night. Your daughter’s arrest was
most unfortunate.”
This played right into Will’s hand, “Mr. Hunter, I have been doing
some investigation into what happened. I have concluded that what
happened was no accident. Rather, it was purposely orchestrated by
you to achieve those exact results.”
Ryan objects, “Chief Girardi, I assure you that I had nothing to do
with it. You are letting what happened to your daughter cloud your
judgment.”
Will – “No, I spoke with the people in charge of the fund raiser.
They had nothing to do with the drugs being sold outside and no
knowledge that some of the guests had smuggled beer into the concert.
Furthermore, I believe you also knew this and called the police as a
means to shut down the fund raiser. I cannot tolerate dealing with
someone or an organization that practices such methods.”
Ryan – “You are getting it all wrong!”
Will – “I don’t think so. I have no intention of having further
dealings with you or your organization. This meeting is over. Please
remove yourself from my police station.”
Ryan and the others begin to voice their objections, but Will ignores
them. He stands up and leaves the room.
At the Newspaper
Kevin has been working, actually enjoying finding the answers to the
tasks he has been assigned. He notices a rather tall handsome black
man talking to Rebecca. When they kiss, he realizes that this must be
the boyfriend she has mentioned on occasion. Both approach his desk.
Rebecca – “Kevin, this is my friend, Dan.”
Dan – “Dan Thompson, nice to meet you.”
Kevin – “Kevin Girardi, nice to meet you, too.”
Dan gets a puzzled look on his face, “Girardi? Do you have a sister
name Joan?”
Kevin – “Yeah, why?”
Dan – “I’m a resident at the University Medical Center. I treated
Joan last month after her car accident. How is she doing?”
Kevin – “She’s doing pretty good now. There don’t appear to be any
more symptoms from the accident.”
Dan – “I’m very glad to hear that. Please tell her hello from Doctor
Dan.”
Kevin – “Sure, I’ll do that.”
Rebecca – “Dan just stopped by to say hello. He has two extra tickets
to the UMC Charity Craft Show on Saturday. Then we plan to have
dinner. We were wondering if you and Lilly would like to join us. I
think it will be fun, and I have been dying to meet her.”
Kevin – “That sounds like something Lilly might enjoy. I know she
does some crafts. I’ll talk to her tonight and let you know
tomorrow.”
Dan – “Great. I hope it works out.”
At School
It is nearing the end of the class, and Joan has been struggling
through the dissection of their frog. She has been taking the notes,
but letting Grace and Adam do the actual cutting. However, Ms.
Lischak has been observing Joan’s lack of hands-on participation. She
insists that Joan do the next procedure, “But, Ms. Lischak! It’s hard
enough for me just to watch. I don’t know if I can do it.”
Ms. Lischak – “I want kinetic, not potential. Do it or you won’t get
credit for the lab.”
Joan takes the frog and turns it around to the correct position. It
is cool and slippery to the touch. A silent ‘ick’ rumbles through her
mind. She makes the incision and is startled when its leg twitches,
“He’s supposed to be asleep!” Adam applies a chloroform ball again to
the frog’s nostrils. Joan takes hold of the frog and continues. She
exposes its beating heart and becomes filled with compassion for this
disgusting creature. She grabs the frog tighter, closing its chest,
not wanting to see its heart any longer. Suddenly, it jumps out of
her hand and off the table. She screams! Grace, Adam, and Joan
immediately begin to search for the fleeing creature. The rest of the
class also becomes aware of the commotion. Joan gets down on her
hands and knees to search for her runaway. She spies it under Luke’s
chair. She begins to crawl and then jumps toward it, but the frog
leaps once again just as she tries to grab it. Others in the class
begin trying to capture the fugitive, but it proves to be too quick
and slippery. It has now made it to the front of the classroom. It
jumps onto Ms. Lischak’s desk and even she is startled by its sudden
appearance. It quickly leaps again toward the window. Normally, they
are kept closed, but Ms. Lischak had opened the front and rear
windows to ventilate chloroform from the room. The frog reaches its
target and out it goes.
Joan is still sitting on the floor, amazed and not believing what has
just happened. Others in the class sit stunned as well and begin to
look at each other. Several students rush over to the windows, but
the escapee can no longer be seen. After a moment silence, the class
bursts into laughter.
Joan stands up and watches her classmates. She doesn’t know whether
to join them in their laughter or cry. She looks at Ms. Lischak, “Ms.
Lischak, I tried, I really tried.”
Like most of the others, Ms. Lischak is now amused by what just
happened, “Joan, I cannot say I have ever had something like this
happen before, but you will get credit for the lab.”
At the Police Station
Will picks up the copy of the report and statement from Jeannie, and
with it, heads up to Internal Affairs. The head of IA is now Mimi
Rogers, who hates it when people make comments about an actress
having the same name, “It’s by marriage, stupid!” However, she has
gotten used to it and now just gives a fake smile when someone
believes they are being clever. Fortunately, Will has never made the
comparison, so at least for that reason, they are on fairly good
terms. He knocks on her door and asks for a few minutes, “We had an
incident Saturday night at the old community club building. The
address is in the report. The statement is from me. I compiled it
from statements I received from citizens at the scene. When you
compare the two accounts, the citizens and the police see the event
totally differently. I know sometimes that happens, but I really
think there is more to this. I would like you to check it out and see
if you come up with anything.”
Mimi – “This could be an IA problem, or it could be something the
detective bureau should investigate.”
Will – “The problem is that many of my officers and detectives were
involved. I need someone impartial to take a look. Will you do it?”
Mimi – “Okay, but if I find it’s not an IA problem, it’s back to
you.”
Will – “Fair enough, thank you.”
At School
News of the frog incident spread throughout the school even before
the class was over. As Joan tried to make her way to the next class,
she is bombarded by jokes from students she didn’t even know, “Found
Kermit yet?” “Lost your prince, huh?” Fortunately, Grace and Adam
didn’t join in, but Luke and Glynis came up with a joke of their own.
Glynis– “We were cheering for the frog all along, Hop-hop-hooray!”
Joan is relieved when she is finally able to duck into AP French
class.
Madam Marks – “Joan, would you stand up and recite paragraph 3 from
page 145.”
Joan finds the page and stands up to read, “\ Pendant la deuxième
guerre mondiale, les Français combattaient aux côtés des Anglais et
quand le temps de prendre les repas était arrivé, les Français
mangeaient des cuisses de grenouilles.” She pauses, now aware of the
joke being played on her, “\ Et bien comme vous pouvez vous
l’imaginer, ce n’était pas la sorte de repas que les anglais
mangaient. Les Anglais ont donc commencés à nommer les Français les
grenouilles.”Everyone in the class begins to laugh. Joan sits back
down, now beginning to feel the weight of the humiliation.
Madam Marks – “I’m sorry, Joan, it’s just so rare that I have an
opportunity to bring humor into the classroom. Tell you what, I won’t
call on you for the rest of the day.”
Joan decides to let it pass. She remembers how rude she was to her
when she first started taking French. She muses to herself, ‘Touché!’
She was actually looking forward to study hall, a place where the
students were supposed to remain quiet. This would allow her some
relief from the frog jokes. However, when she arrives, the teacher
calls her up to the front and gives her the pass from Ms. Keady. It
had totally slipped her mind.
She waves to Grace as she leaves the room, and of course, Grace
responds with a ‘Where are you going, Girardi’ expression on her
face. She’ll have to think of an excuse for this later.
Joan goes to the gym and initially can’t find Ms. Keady, “In here,
Joan.” Ms. Keady has laid down some mats in a small exercise room off
the main gym, “I want us to have some privacy. I really shouldn’t be
doing this at school, but it’s the best way to make our schedules
match. Hmm, no purse. Do you carry a purse?”
Joan – “When I’m not at school.”
Ms. Keady – “Good, bring it to school tomorrow. I want to see it.”
Joan – “What does that have to do with anything?”
Ms. Keady – “Just do it, I’ll explain later. How big is this guy you
are worried about? How does he compare to me?”
Joan – “He’s taller, but…” Joan pauses, a little embarrassed to say
it, “… but he weights less. He seems to be in good physical shape.”
Ms. Keady – “Good, I’ll teach you how to take advantage of his size
and weight. We’ll have to make you slippery like a frog.”
Joan eyes Ms. Keady. She remains straight-faced for the longest time,
but then she finally cracks a smile, “I just had to get that one in.
But really, I’m not being totally funny. I have a stack of books for
you to read. Most are about avoiding rape, but the techniques are the
same. You will be surprised how what clothing you are wearing at the
time can be an advantage or disadvantage. Let me see your shoes.”
Joan hands her the replacement shoes that Helen bought her after the
accident. Ms. Keady examines them and hands them back, “These will
give you good traction, but are useless as a weapon. See if you can
find a shoe with a hard short heel and a reinforced toe. Something
like that can be used for both.”
Joan – “When do we get to the karate part?”
Ms. Keady – “I’m going to start teaching you some moves, but the
‘karate part’ as you call it is only part of it. Hopefully, you will
never get to the point of needing it. Remember the goal, survival and
escape.”
After the lesson, Grace walks up to Joan at her locker, “So, where
did you go?”
Joan had forgotten to make up an excuse and now has to think fast,
“Ms. Keady has some new ideas for things for us to do in gym class. I
volunteered to be her guinea pig.”
Grace – “What kind of things?”
Joan – “It’s a surprise.”
As Joan walks home, she realizes her arm hurts. She pulls up her
sleeve to find a large bruise just below her shoulder. She is
puzzled, because she doesn’t remember Ms. Keady hitting her there.
She smiles and thinks to herself, “PFM, pure frogging magic!”
At Home
Joan arrives to find her father is home, “What are you doing here?”
Will – “I still have plenty of vacation time left. I’m going to try
to leave early Tuesdays and Thursdays until your mother is finished
with her art thing.”
Joan – “Right, that’s tonight. Well, I have to work. I just came home
to change my shoes. I hope it’s not busy. I have a lot of reading to
do.”
Will – “I’ve made pizza for dinner. Why don’t I put one in the oven,
and you can take a few slices with you?”
Joan – “Thanks, I’m starving.”
Will – “How was your day?”
Joan – “A day to forget, but I’m sure Luke will tell you all about
it.”
Will takes the hint and goes into the kitchen without comment. When
Joan comes back downstairs, she bags a few slices of pizza for her
dinner. She empties what she doesn’t need from her book bag and puts
in her dinner and a soda. As she prepares to leave, Helen returns
home, “Joan, I heard about what happened today. I’m so sorry. Would
you like to talk about it?”
Joan – “No, absolutely not, I want to forget about it. I’ll see you
tomorrow. Oh, have fun tonight.”
Helen – “Thank you.” She gives her a hug and Joan departs for the bus
stop.
Will – “Okay, tell me what happened.”
Helen – “Joan was dissecting a frog in AP Biology when it leaped off
the table and jumped out of the window. It really sounds hilarious,
but Joan was totally embarrassed. I was told that she chased after it
and actually leaped at it once while trying to catch it. The rumors
of what happened began to fly through the school, growing wilder with
each telling, but I believe I got a pretty accurate description of
what happened from Adam.” She tries to suppress it, but she begins to
laugh, “Something like this could only happen to our daughter… or in
a comic strip.”
Will – “Well, I could tell that she was upset about something.” He
begins to smile as the image of Joan leaping after the frog flashes
through his mind, “I guess we’ll not bring this up at dinner
tomorrow. I’ll bet she has had enough harassment about it already.”
Helen – “From what I have heard, everyone has been making jokes.
Maybe we’ll bring it up in a few weeks when she no longer so
sensitive about it. What smells so good?”
Will – “I’ve made pizza. Would you like some?”
Helen – “Yeah, that sounds good. Let me change into some old clothes,
and I’ll be back. I don’t want to get paint on my good ones.”
At the Bookstore
Much to Joan’s dismay, the store is busy. It is quite a while before
it calms down enough for her to do her homework and reading. She is
initially annoyed when she hears the door chime, but is relieved when
she sees that it is Rahav who has come into the store, “What’s with
the dream? Is something bad going to happen to me?”
God – “It’s only a possibility. It still depends upon choices yet to
be made.”
Joan – “God, I’m scared! I don’t think I can go up against Ryan, not
in a physical battle.”
God – “Turmoil, conflict, chaos, it is all part of life. We have
talked about this before. You can’t control everything. There will
always be surprises, good and bad. However, you have made the right
decision by contacting Ms. Keady. You would have made a good Girl
Scout.”
Joan – “This is no time to be funny!”
God – “Have confidence in yourself. How many times do I have to
remind you of that?”
Joan can see that once again, God has avoided answering her
questions, “Why can’t you teach me dance anymore?”
God – “Because you don’t need me for that. Sister Sarah is an
excellent dance instructor. Elizabeth’s instructor is also very good
and there are others. It is up to you.”
Joan – “How can anyone be as good as you?”
God ignores the question, “Have you noticed anything happening over
the last few months?”
Joan – “Like what?”
God – “The yoga class, the dance class, seeking out Ms. Keady, these
are all things I would have had to tell you to do in the past. Now
you are doing them on your own.”
Joan – “Those are all things that I wanted to do, except for the last
one. I felt I needed to do that.”
God – “When I have given you assignments in the past, they have
always been with your best interest in mind. Now you are beginning to
see what needs to be done on your own.”
Joan – “So now you’re beaming thoughts into my head?”
God – “No, your thoughts and your choices have been and will always
be your own, but more and more often, they are becoming the same
choices that I would have made for you. Do you know what that is
called?”
God doesn’t wait for an answer, “It is not necessary that you
understand it.” She strokes the hair out of Joan’s eyes and begins to
leave, “Oh, think about what Ms. Keady told you yesterday. I’ll see
you later.” Joan is once again left feeling that she has been given
more questions than answers. She wonders for a moment about what God
has told her and then decides to go back to her reading.
At Lilly’s Apartment
Kevin and Lilly decided to order Chinese. Neither of them felt like
eating out tonight. They are enjoying the variety of dishes that they
ordered from Lin’s Family Restaurant.
Kevin – “I met Rebecca’s new boyfriend today. He seems really nice.
He’s a doctor at UMC and he knows Joan from treating her after the
accident.”
Lilly – “That’s quite a coincidence!”
Kevin – “Yeah, that was a surprise. He and Rebecca would like us to
join them on Saturday at the UMC Craft Show. Then we can have dinner,
afterward. I think we should go.”
Lilly – “I don’t know. It’s not going to be easy for me being with
Rebecca, knowing that you two were once an item.”
Kevin – “I know, but that was a long time ago. She’s my boss and we
are just friends now.”
Lilly asks, “With her new boyfriend, right?” She’s not expecting an
answer, just thinking out loud, “Okay, I’ll go. What kind of crafts?”
Kevin – “I suppose all kinds. I really don’t know, but it’s something
different to do.”
At the Bookstore
Joan is reading when suddenly, there is a brilliant flash of light.
All of the lights inside of the store go out. She walks to the
windows and sees the lights are out everywhere. The only light she
can see are the brilliant sparks spewing from a transformer on a pole
the next block over. She locks the door. She waits, hoping the power
will come back on, but it doesn’t. She looks out again, but this
time, as another round of sparks spew from the transformer, she sees
someone. Perhaps it’s a man, she’s not sure, but someone is standing
on the sidewalk about twenty feet from the store.
She walks back into the store and lights a candle. She finds her way
to Sammy’s office and calls him at home. She notifies him of the
power outage, and that she plans to go home. He agrees to return and
set the store alarm. She leaves the candle there and walks out to the
windows again. There is no light to see by, but she strains to see in
the darkness. Headlights from a turning car briefly sweep a path of
light. Yes, he’s still there! Goose bumps begin to coat her arms.
Prickly things begin to dance down the back of her neck.
She returns to Sammy’s office. Her heart is now pounding, and she is
becoming short of breath. She thinks about what Ms. Keady told her
and of God’s reminder, “The best way to win a fight is to avoid it in
the first place.” She makes the call and waits to hear the answer,
“Girardi residence.”
“Daddy,” she pauses, unable to make the words come out, “We’ve had a
power failure at the store. It’s out everywhere.” She pauses again,
not wanting to tell him about the man outside, “I’m afraid to walk to
the bus stop. Will you come get me?”
Will canhear the fear in her voice, “Just wait there. Stay in the
store. Lock the door. I’ll be there soon.” He walks up to his bedroom
and instinctively retrieves his badge and gun. It’s the years of
being a police officer. He informs Luke he is leaving to pick up Joan
at work.
As he arrives, his headlights briefly illuminate a man standing on
the sidewalk wearing a hooded sweatshirt. He places his police light
on the dash and turns it on. After a few moments, the man walks away.
Will walks to the door and calls, “Joan, it’s me. I’m here to take
you home.”
Joan blows out the candle and walks to the door where she has
collected her things. She has had time to calm down, knowing that her
father was coming to get her. They leave for home.
Joan – “I’m sorry for being such a scaredy-cat.”
Will – “You did the right thing.” He doesn’t want to tell her about
the man he saw outside of the store, “Your mother has a sense
sometimes of when things are wrong. You were right to trust you
instincts.”
At Home
Joan begins to head up to her room, but Will stops her, “I’ve made
dessert. Why don’t you come have some?” Joan hesitates, not knowing
for sure if she’s hungry, “Come on, it will do you good to have
something in your stomach before you go to bed.”
Joan agrees and Will heads for the kitchen. He cuts two portions of
apple pie and places a slice of American cheese on each. He pops them
into the microwave. When he removes them, he pours cinnamon sauce
over them and adds a scoop of vanilla ice cream to each, “Voila!”
When Joan returns, she and her father sit quietly enjoying their
dessert, “Dad, what is it called when two people come up with the
same idea? Is there a word for that?”
Will considers her question for a moment, “The only thing I can think
of is ‘like minded’. Is that what you’re looking for?”
Joan – “I’m not sure. It’s just something I’ve been wondering about.
Thanks.”
Joan climbs into bed and begins to wonder about the man at the store.
Was someone really there or did she imagine him? As she falls asleep,
she remembers Rachel’s words, “It’s a hard world for little things.”
Joan is drinking punch at a school dance, much like the Crystal Ball,
but somehow different. Everyone is there, her friends, and the many
kids that she only knows by sight. She looks around, scouring the
crowd. She thanks God that Steve Ramsey is nowhere in sight.
Someone taps her on the shoulder. She turns to see it is Adam, “Would
you like to dance?” She is both puzzled and delighted. They walk out
onto the dance floor and begin a waltz. She remembers her dream and
the dance she had with Cute Boy God. As with him, she and Adam begin
to dance as if on air. She’s in heaven.
Joan smiles and opens her eyes. The room is dark, but she knows now
that it was a dream. She thinks to herself, ‘This is not one for the
journal. There is no way Adam could ever dance like that.’ She laughs
and remembers what Mr. Tuchman said, “Yeah, I’m going to have to stop
eating cheese before I go to bed.” She rolls over and goes back to
sleep.
The next morning, everyone is busy making breakfast. Helen is cooking
eggs and hash browns, Joan is manning the toaster, and Luke is
spreading butter and jelly on the toast. Papa Girardi is skating this
morning. He’s sitting at the table, chuckling as he reads today’s
newspaper.
Helen – “Your father told me about you being frightened at the
bookstore last night. Thank you for not knocking me across the room
when I came to give you a kiss.”
Joan smiles, “You’re welcome. How was last night?”
Helen – “Oh, it was wonderful. I’ll tell you more at dinner tonight,
but I have already learned a lot. June is restoring\ `The Garden,
Epping <http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a361/mshaffer2/Picture.jpg>`__\ ,
by Lucien Pissarro. It’s a beautiful painting.”
Luke has been quiet this morning. He finally speaks up, “You have to
admit, seeing that frog jump out of the window was hilarious. But,
when no IQ Beaterman came up with the ‘Frog from Nantucket’ joke, I
knew things were getting out of hand. I’m sure there will be more
jokes today, but I won’t be a part of it. You should probably just
ignore them.”
Joan – “Well, I’m sure the jokes aren’t over either. I’ll just grin
and bear it. What else can I do? If I ignore them, maybe they’ll go
away.”
Luke – “Well, it won’t be for awhile. I heard Sally Thornton talking
to people. I think there’s going to be something in The Eagle about
it.”
Joan – “No! That will start it all over again.”
Helen – “I won’t be able to stop it, but I’ll make sure that it is at
least accurate. I’ll limit their sources to only those who where
actually in the classroom.”
At the Police Station
When Will arrives at the office, he is surrounded by a slew of
reporters.
Reporter – “Roger Franz, BBY-AM.Chief Girardi, Mr. Ryan has made a
lot of accusations about you and your police department. Would you be
willing to make a statement?”
Will – “I have read the newspaper this morning also. Mr. Hunter is
good at making claims, but he has offered absolutely no proof to
substantiate any of them.”
Reporter – “Erica Stevenson, WGF-TV.Mr. Hunter stated that you have
severed ties with his organization. Isn’t that in violation with the
Arcadia City Charter?”
Will – “Both the old and new city charters recommend that the police
department engage in constructive communications with civic
organizations such as Mr. Hunter’s Watchdog Committee, but they do
not specify which organizations and leaves that decision up to me.
Mr. Hunter and his organization have demonstrated that their agenda
and the wishes of the people they purport to represent are not the
same. The second headline in this morning’s newspaper further reveals
Mr. Hunter’s agenda with his illegal campaign contributions to
Councilmen’s Turner and Jarod’s election campaigns. I have every
reason to believe I have made the right decision by severing ties
with his organization.”
Reporter – “Henry Taschen, Free Press.A witness at the HipHop Fest
Saturday night stated she saw your daughter being arrested. Would you
be willing to make a comment?”
Will – “My daughter was taken into protective custody, but then
mistakenly thought to be a suspect. The error was realized shortly
after her arrival at the police station, and she was released. No
charges were filed. That will be all, thank you.”
At School
As expected, the frog jokes were still flying. Joan’s smirk at each
one seems to have the effect that she wants. She has mixed feelings
when Sally asks her for an interview. She doesn’t know Sally well,
but she seems to want to get the facts and not the rumors of what
happened. “We thought we gave the frog enough chloroform, but
obviously not. It jumped off the table, and we couldn’t catch it. The
rest you know. I can’t explain it.”
During lunch, she can hear the jokes whispered in the cafeteria, but
at least none of her friends are telling them any longer. Joan
finishes lunch early and decides to call Sister Sarah. She walks
outside and sits on a bench to make the call, “Saint Mary’s Convent.
Sister Rosanna. May I help you?”
Joan – “Hello, may I speak to Sister Sarah?”
Sister Rosanna – “I’m sorry, she’s not available right now. Can I
help you?”
Joan – “I’m calling about dance lessons.”
Sister Rosanna – “Oh, I can help you with that.” She gives Joan the
details of the nights and time and their address. She also provides a
brief description of the dances they teach, “We ask for donations
from the students. The proceeds go to support our order. Would you
like to join us tonight?”
Joan – “Yeah, but I’ll have to check the bus schedule.”
Sister Rosanna – “Oh, just catch the 7th Street bus. It arrives 10
minutes before class and leaves 20 minutes afterward. We set up the
class so people could use the bus. Just ask to get off at Holy Hill.”
Joan – “Holy Hill?”
Sister Rosanna – “Oh, that’s just what the neighbors call it. It’s a
joke.”
Joan – “Thanks, Sister Rosanna.I’ll try to make it. Bye.”
Later, when she meets with Ms. Keady, she provides her purse for
inspection. “Binaca, good to freshen breath, but it is also very
disabling when sprayed in the eyes. A pen and pencil, also good for
jabbing. Not much else in here. I’ll give you a list of things you
might want to add.”
Joan – “Ms. Keady, I don’t know if I can fight like that.”
Ms. Keady – “You don’t get it. If this happens, you are going to be
fighting for your life. You can be Joan all the rest of the time, but
during the attack, you have to become vicious. It’s the only way
you’re going to come out of it alive. Have you ever been in a fight?”
Joan – “Not many. I had a fight with Judith. I thought she was trying
to steal Adam from me.”
Ms. Keady – “Good. Okay, I’m Judith, show me how mad and angry you
are.”
Joan – “But I was wrong, it was all a mistake.”
Ms. Keady – “I don’t care about that. I want you to go back to those
feelings you had when you started fighting. Fear is disabling. Anger
and hate are your weapons.”
Joan – “But that’s not me!”
MsKeady – “It has to be you during your struggle. You have to learn
to be able to turn it on. We are going to work on this until you show
me you can do it.”
After class, Joan has difficulty calming down. Ms. Keady had finally
made Joan mad enough to strike back. She mumbles to herself, “Calling
my mom stupid and ugly, and Judith was not a junkie, and slapping me
for no reason.” She just couldn’t take it any more. “Good, good, you
found it. Remember that place. You’ll need to go back there.” Joan is
still mad, but is starting to realize why Ms. Keady did it. There was
a power and a rage that came over her. Now she needs to find a way to
turn it off.
She meets Grace after class, “Girardi, you look like you could kill
something. Too many frog jokes?”
Joan – “No, it’s not that. It’s something else. I’ll be okay. I just
need to be alone for a while. I have to go to the computer lab to
check the bus schedule. I have dance class tonight.”
Grace – “When are we going to go over our lab notes?”
Joan – “I already answered the questions. We just need to make sure
they’re right. I’ll call you later. No, why don’t you find Adam and
meet me in the lab?”
Grace – “I’ll go check. I hope he’s still here.”
Joan – “If you don’t find him, meet me there anyway. You can call him
later.”
Grace goes to his locker, and finds Adam and Elizabeth talking, “Joan
wants to go over our lab notes… now.”
Adam – “I can’t, Elizabeth and I have to go. I’ll call you later.
Just tell her I had something to do. Tell her I had to work.”
Grace – “Dude, I’m not going to lie for you.”
Adam – “You know she can’t find out about this, not yet.”
Grace – “She’s going to figure out something is going on, it’s just a
matter of time.”
Adam – “If that happens, then I’ll tell her myself.” Adam and
Elizabeth leave together.
Grace is not happy, caught in the middle again. She goes to the lab,
“I couldn’t find him. I’ll call him later.”
Joan – “I got the bus schedule. We don’t have much of time. Here are
my notes. I just had to guess on the last one, since we never did
it.”
Grace – “What’s your brother doing tonight?”
Joan – “I don’t know, he’s your boyfriend.”
Grace – “Guess I’ll break out the lip gloss and pay him a visit. I’ll
get the notes for the last one.”
Joan – “Oh, if I don’t, tell my mom I had dance class and I’ll be
home between seven thirty and eight.”
Grace – “Don’t you know her number?”
Joan – “It only works if she has her phone turned on. I gotta go.
Maybe she’s still in the art room.”
Joan checks the art room, but Helen has already gone. She tries her
cell, but there is no answer. She calls Kevin and is in luck. Kevin
will let everyone know that she has gone to dance class.
Downtown, Joan transfers to the 7th Street bus and a familiar voice
begins to speak.
“\ She walks in beauty, like the night
Of cloudless climes and starry skies;
And all that ‘s best of dark and bright
Meet in her aspect and her eyes.\ ”
Joan walks down the aisle and sits beside him, “It still sounds so
much better when you say it.”
Roger – “How have you been?”
Joan – “Oh, a lot of things have happened, but I’m doing okay. Where
are you going?”
Roger – “O send out thy light and thy truth that they may lead me,
and bring me unto thy holy hill, and to thy dwelling. You?”
Joan – “Me, too! Dance class?”
Roger – “Yes.” He thinks for a moment, “I will never forget our last
time together. You are such a beautiful and intelligent young woman,
and I’m not sorry that I kissed you. But things have happened for me,
too. I’m engaged!”
Joan – “Congratulations! Tell me about her.”
Roger – “Her name is Cee-Cee, and like you, I tutored her. I still
tutor her, but now I do it because I love her. She is a year younger
than me and attends Dawson State. She’s majoring in dance. That’s why
I’m here. I want so much to be able to dance with her.”
Joan – “Well, maybe we can practice together. I just love to dance,
and I want to learn everything I can.”
Roger – “That would be nice, but Sister Sarah has her own ideas. She
usually pairs people with similar abilities. I’m a klutz when it
comes to dancing, so you might be better off with someone else.”
Joan – “We’ll see, but I’m sure we can squeeze in a dance from time
to time.”
Roger – “I would like that. We’re almost there.”
The bus slows and turns to drive up the hill. Normally, they don’t
service directly to the door, but for the sisters, they have made an
exception. Walking up and down the hill was tiring for them and many
of them use the bus to commute to the Catholic elementary and high
schools. It was a small compromise.
They walk inside and Joan enjoys the feeling of being home. The room
is the same as in her dream. She signs the register and waits for the
nun to finish talking to the man in front of her. She looks around
the room some more, absorbing the details.
Nun – “Hello Joan, I’m Sister Sarah, welcome.”
Joan is brought back from her daydream. She looks at her. How did she
know her name? Is she God? She does look familiar, but she just can’t
place her. Was it from her dream or somewhere else? “Hello, it’s nice
to meet you.”
Sister Sarah – “Is this your first time taking dance lessons?”
Joan – “No, I have had a few classes.”
Sister Sarah – “Good. We’ll see who shows up tonight, and I’ll try to
pair you with someone appropriate. Here’s your name tag.”
Joan now remembers signing the register. She gives Sister Sarah her
donation, “Thank you.”
They begin by doing the jitterbug. She has seen it done in her dream
and in movies, and even faked it with Elizabeth, but doing it right
is something new. She is paired with a girl named Jamie. She is
pleased when she finds she can pick it up quickly, but the rapid
movements of the dance are exhausting. She is relieved when the short
break finally comes. She feels much better after she drinks several
cups of water from the cooler.
Her mind wanders, and she thinks back to the cover story that she
told Grace, ‘What if Ms. Keady had us start doing the jitterbug? That
would be great exercise and fun too.’ She plans to mention it to Ms.
Keady.
They resume class by practicing a series of waltzes. Jamie is a great
partner, but Joan decides to keep her promise of a dance to Roger.
He’s not as bad a dancer as he thinks. But as they dance, they both
drift off into their own worlds. Roger is dancing with Cee-Cee and
Joan is dancing with Adam. She wants to dance with him, even if it’s
only in her dreams.
At Home
Joan arrives at home to find Will and Helen sitting at the table,
“Hi, what did we have for dinner? I’m starved!”
Helen – “I’ll fix it for you, have a seat.”
Helen goes into the kitchen and heats up Joan’s dinner in the
microwave. She returns with it along with a glass of milk.
Will – “Kevin told us that you went to dance class. Didn’t we ask you
not to see those people until after the investigation is finished?”
Joan – “I didn’t! I have a new teacher. I’m now taking classes at
Saint Mary’s Convent.”
Helen – “Okay, but you should have told us. Your father and I have
been worrying about you for no reason.”
Joan – “I’m sorry, I just called today at lunch and found out the
class was tonight. I tried to tell you, but I couldn’t find you.”
Will is now relieved to know that he was wrong, “How is the new
class?”
Joan – “Great! I loved Rahav, but Sister Sarah is good too. I like it
there. Is Grace here?”
Helen – “She was here earlier, but she’s gone home.”
Joan finishes eating and quickly checks the five-day forecast in the
newspaper before heading upstairs. She calls Grace and confirms that
the lab questions are all complete and correct. She pauses to collect
her thoughts before making the next call. She hears him pick up, “Hi,
Adam. What are you doing?”
Adam – “I’ve been playing with Pax in the backyard. I just came in.”
Joan – “I was wondering, could you get your dad’s truck on Saturday?”
Adam – “Hang on.” He asks his dad and then replies, “Sure, no
problem. Where do you want to go?”
Joan – “I would really like to go to Mercer Creek. The weather is
supposed to be nice, and you can bring Pax. It’ll be fun.”
Adam knows Joan too well and can sense she is holding something back,
“Sure, no problem, but I get the feeling there is something else.”
Joan hesitates slightly, “Judith and I went there about this time
last year. I really miss her.”
Joan doesn’t have to say anything more, “Sure, Joan, let’s go.”
Joan tells Adam goodnight and begins to write in her journal. She
writes about how crazy the last few days have been: being arrested,
the dreams, the sculpture, the movie, Pax, the frog, the power
outage, knocking Ms. Keady on her ass, and dancing. “Whew!” But she
doesn’t write what is most on her mind, the other reason for asking
Adam to take her to Mercer Creek. She’ll save that for later.
Will and Helen are reading in bed. Helen is reading a novel and Will
is chuckling once again through the stories on the front page of the
newspaper. He lays the paper down and looks at Helen. He does the
most remarkable Vincent Price laugh. “Ah-ah-ah-ah-ah ...
Ah-ah-ah-ah-ah ... Ah-ah-ah-ah-ah ... Who is hunting whom?”
