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+Episode 3.08, Night of the Hunter, Part 1
+-----------------------------------------
+
+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.”