Three Finger Cove: The Twins ~ Book Four

Chapter Twenty~Nine

With the full day they had the day before, none of the Cover lads wanted to get out of bed Monday morning.  Even Robert hit the snooze button on his alarm clock.  But in the end, it was Robert who got up and got his other three 'brothers' up, so they all could get ready for school.

"Morning boys, running a little late this morning are we?" teased Mr. Ken.

"Yeah, even I still feel tired, 'dad'," replied Robert.  "I even hit my snooze button, but when I got up I got the rest of the guys up."

"Morning 'dad," called out Charles, who then went over and hugged the man.

"Good Morning 'Dad Ken'," said Kyle.  The lad then hugged the man.

"Morning 'Dad Ken'," said Kevin with a yawn and a smile.

Momma Maria had breakfast tacos ready for the lads that morning.  The flour tortillas had scrambled eggs, bacon and cheese wrapped up in it.  She also placed her special Salsa out on the table for anyone who might want a little kick for breakfast.  Momma also served very cold white milk as compared to the cold chocolate milk she usually served with their after-school snack.

As the Covers ate their breakfast, Dan Fischer arrived.  As soon as Kyle saw the man, he jumped out of his chair and ran to the man and hugged him.  "How did your job go Mr., Dan?" asked Kyle.

"It was quiet.  That's just the way I like it," was how Mr. Dan described his Sheriff duties, while he hugged the youngest twin back.

"Morning Dan," called out Ken, as he watched Dan and Kyle interact.

"Comes ands seats downs, Mr. Dans.  I haves lotses of breakfasts tacos fores everyones," said Momma Maria.  She then went and quickly made two bacon, egg and cheese tacos for the Sheriff's Lieutenant.  She then set a hot cup of coffee in front of him.  She also filled Mr. Ken's cup.

"I saw you had called when we returned from eating and driving the karts at the Go-Kart track, so I decided it was too late to call.  I figured I'd wait until 9 AM to let you sleep in.  I assumed that if it was very important you'd have told me to call you when I got in," said Ken to Dan, as the man had divested himself from the clingy twin.

What surprised all the Covers was that Kevin hadn't said anything about the way Kyle jumped up and hugged Mr. Dan.  The older twin just sat there eating his breakfast with a smile.

"Mr. Dan … 'Dad Ken' took us to the Go-Kart track last night after we ate.  That was so much fun!" said Kyle with his mouth full.  "We only did it twice, but that was two more times than our dad ever did with us!"

"Yeah, Mr. Dan, Kyle and me … we had a great time driving those cars.  I was afraid to go too fast in the beginning, but, Kyle, he started to go faster, so I did, too.  On our second ride, we were still passed, not as much, but we still had fun.  'Dad Ken' says we'll get better the more we drive.  It was too bad you couldn't have been there with us," added Kevin.

"Wow, that did sound like fun.  I have driven those karts with Charles and I have to agree they can be fun when you are driving against a buddy, or even your brother," smiled Mr. Dan, as he replied to the twin's revelation.

The lads finished their morning meal and then went to wash their hands and get their books.  When the boys were ready to leave for the bus they stopped and hugged Mr. Ken and Mr. Dan and then headed up the slight incline to the Main Gate and their Bus Stop.

With the lads out of the picture, Ken asked Dan if he had any news about Parker Parchsons.

"Actually, I had hoped you would have found something more at his house for me to go with," answered Dan.

"Dan, the only thing I found was some Money Market instruments.  I also took down their banking information, but I figured you already had that," replied Ken.

"Well, that is a start.  I can check to see if those numbers are different from what we have.  As for the Money Market info, it will give us some financial data that we might not have had.  Again, if those banking numbers are different, than what we have, it could show a pattern of banking fraud or money laundering.  As you know from Mildred's lawsuit, either of those can get them a few years in prison.

"Oh, on a different note, Todd called me and told me his good news.  He'd gotten his driver's license and he called to thank me for all the help I gave him.  That was nice of him to do that.  I'd even forgotten when his birthday was," said Dan.

"Yeah, he came over yesterday to do his job and stopped by when he saw I had the mower out of the storage garage.  We were all gone Saturday and he told me when he came over to take care of the dock, beach and the shoreline he saw the field needed to be cut.  So, he did that instead of his regular job.  I talked to Chris earlier about finding someone to take care of that field, but we both had forgotten about it.

"Robert and Eric, well Robert, that is, asked me about ways to earn some money.  He heard me offer the Beach Master job to Todd and saw how he reacted to the news.  The boy then wondered why I didn't offer the job to him and Eric.  I explained Todd's situation to him and Robert said he understood, but then asked if he and Eric could do the job when Todd goes off to college.

"Robert made all that money for his parents and he now wants to make money for himself.  He got a few dollars from the television news station and the reporter from when they misidentified him as the attacker this past Memorial Day weekend.  It was a nice sum, but he needs lots more for college and life," answered Ken.

"I thought you'd fund his college," laughed Dan.

"Yeah, I probably will, if he is still with me.  With DPS, though, anything can happen.  He has family out there who didn't want him initially, but they could claim him at any time.  If they do, and they think he has money, they will be in for a very unpleasant surprise.  I had his money put into a type of investment that only he can get to when he is either eighteen and attending college, or when he turns twenty-one," answered Ken.

Dan laughed at what Ken told him and told him he hoped the lad would stay with him.

"Hey, let's go to my Study.  I'll get the Parchsons information for you," said Mr. Ken, as he got up from the tables.

Just as the two men were getting ready to walk out the Kitchen Nook, Momma Maria called out "Meisters Dans, you comes fors dienners tonights, yeses?"

Dan looked at Ken who nodded his head.  Dan looked back at Momma Maria and told her he would be there.

Momma Maria then told him, "Dienners ats sixes o'clocks soes don't bees lates."

"OK, Momma I'll be here … and on time.  Thank you," replied Dan, as he and Ken walked out of the Kitchen Nook.

At school that morning, the twins friends who rode the Jet Ski with Mr. Ken told everyone they knew about it.  The story around the school that day was the fun some of the kids had at The Cove the day before.  Now, a lot more boys and some of the girls wanted to be invited over to play with the twins, but they didn't know how to go about it.

The twins were happy they were the center of the talk of the school.  Their dad, back at their old house, had made them lose most of their friends and they were really beginning to enjoy having friends again.  They even liked the fact they can have some come over to their new house.  Both lads had big smiles on their faces.

Over at The Cove, Ken and Dan were talking about the financial instruments Ken found in the Parchsons residence when the phone rang.  It was Ms. Judy.

  …  …  …

"Yes, Judy, I did offer the job to Eric and Robert," replied Ken, to Judy's question about her son taking the job of cutting the field and trimming and edging it, as well.

Dan's eyes lit up hearing that part of the conversation.

  …  …  …

"Judy, they are getting older by the minute and they both want to earn money.  Matter of fact, as they enter their freshman year, next fall, they will need funds to go to the school dances, football games, etc.  This can also instill in them some responsibility and a sense of purpose.  They will be earning what I paid Danny and Todd to do that same job," explained Ken to Eric's mom.

  …  …  …

"Oh, they have until Friday to tell me if they want the job, or not.  After that, I need Chris to find someone who wants to do that job on a bi-weekly basis," explained Ken.

"By the way, Judy … who cuts your grass?" Ken laughed as he asked his friend.

  …  …  …

"Oh, Eric does, does he," laughed Ken.  "So … don't you think if he had a second job, a paying job, it would help him with his self-esteem and make him feel much better about himself?" continued Ken.

  …  …  …

"Yes, I am … I'm going to let Robert do the job if he wants to.  I told them both that they can't have their friends out there when they are working.  I also reminded them that it would take time away from their buddies.  Todd was there and he told them how long it took when he and Danny first started taking care of the field," further explained Ken.

  …  …  …

"Yeah, I hear, you, but you know they might do it once, or twice and figure it isn't fun not being with their friends, since they have to do the job on the weekends or Holiday.  And besides, that field will stop growing by Christmas time, I do believe, so they may get to cut it 6 times, plus or minus," answered Ken.

"Oh, and Judy, one last thing, before you go.  The boys … they've asked me a few times now … about taking them to SeaWorld and it's Howl-o-Scream," started Ken Thomas.

  …  …  …

"Why am I telling you? Well, Judy … I'll need a few chaperones as they also want to take ALL of their friends, too.  So, I am asking you if you'd like to volunteer to be a chaperone for me and … I'll even pay your way in," laughed Ken.

  …  …  …

"OK, think about it, but I'm going to talk to Chris to look into a motor coach and group admissions for about 40 to 50 people," added Ken.

  …  …  …

"OK, I'll talk with you later.  Let me know," finished Ken, and then he hung up the phone.

"So, you offered the Bobbsey Twins the job of cutting the large field, and you think they can handle it?  Aren't you taking a risk there, Ken?" asked Dan, after Ken hung up.

"And what's this you want to take a zillion kids to SeaWorld?  Have you ever been there?  If you're going to do that, then I'd recommend you get there early, about noontime, and plan to leave late at night" added Dan, to the SeaWorld question he asked Judy.

"Dan, as far as the field goes, I was taught that kids need to feel that they are doing something worthwhile in their lives.  And, if they are earning some money, and if they can use it for whatever they want, they are going to not only feel better about themselves, it should also increase their self-esteem, as I just told Judy.  Even if they don't continue with the job they will learn about responsibility and commitment.  I would like to see them to give it a try, but I won't make them feel bad about it if they don't," explained Ken.

"As for the Howl-O-Scream, yeah, I am probably putting myself way out in left field on this one.  But, you know what?  I should blame you!" teased Ken.

"Me?  What did I do?" chuckled back Dan.

"Yes, you!  It was you who took them to SeaWorld and that is where they saw the sign for the Howl-O-Scream," Ken continued, laughing.  "I should draft you to be one of the chaperones.  You know what else I should do?  I should call your boss Barnes up and tell him to assign you to us," heartily laughed Ken.

"OK, I hear you.  You know what?  I did have a good time at SeaWorld that day.  We left sort of earlier than I thought we should but the kids weren't mine and I wasn't sure what time their parents expected them home.  But if you decide to go, and I can get the day off, I'd like to go back.  I'll even volunteer to be one of your chaperones," advised Dan.

"Well, good luck with the lads cutting the field and when you decide on the day for SeaWorld let me know and I'll see what I can do.  In the meantime, I'm going to check out this information you got and see if it gets me anywhere," offered Dan.  The man then got up, thanked Ken,  shook his hand and walked out of the Study to his car.

Ken went looking for Chris after Dan left.  When he found his Estate Manager, he told him about offering the field cutting job to Robert and Eric.  Chris said that he thought that was a good plan as he'd forgotten about finding someone to cut the field, himself.  The two men had a good laugh over that.  Ken then told Chris to add the regular pay for cutting the field to Todd's paycheck since the lad did cut the grass on Saturday all by himself.  Chris said he'd do that for sure.

It was then, Mr. Ken told Chris about his plans for taking the lads to SeaWorld.  He asked the man to get the cost of a motor coach bus that also has a restroom and could take between 40 to 50 people to SeaWorld down in San Antonio and back.  Mr. Ken then told Chris to call SeaWorld and get the cost for a group admission.

Chris wanted to know the day he planned to take the kids and Mr. Ken said he'd have to look at the calendar and that he'd have to get back to him on that, but he did say he was going to look at the three-day weekend in October.  Chris just shook his head at the thought of taking 40-50 kids to an amusement park and headed off to start making some phone calls.

The twins enjoyed talking to the other kids in their class during Lunch.  Some of the kids were even bold enough to ask them how they could get invited over to their house.  The twins said they had to ask 'Dad Ken', but that they could usually ask two kids each per day over the weekend.

When the twins said the words 'Dad Ken' they got a few stares.  The class knew they lived at Three Finger Cove, but they figured their friends would call the owner either Mr. Ken or just 'dad'.  That question came at them from a lot of the boys and girls who had never been to The Cove and thus they didn't understand.

It was Sam and Terran who told the kids to 'can it'.  The two friends then explained the term and that satisfied most of the boys and girls, but a few were still a bit unsure about the twins calling the owner of The Cove, 'Dad Ken'.

The twins were doing great in class.  Kyle was the better student of the twins and now, without his twin brother in the same room, he did even better than ever before.  Kevin, on the other hand, didn't have his younger twin in the same room as him, so he wasn't constantly looking at what Kyle was doing, so he could tell his mom.  So, not being distracted by watching his younger twin, he was able to concentrate more on what the teacher was saying and he realized he learned a lot more.

Charles and Richard talked that day too.  Richard told his friend how his dad and Mr. Chris had gotten together for the second weekend in a row and how the two men talked about their time in combat and the way they received their wounds.

Richard also told Charles he listened to some of what they said to one another and he could tell his dad and Mr. Chris were much happier after their talks.  Rickard also told Charles that his dad did get the communications job and would start next Monday.  Charles was happy for his friend.  He wanted to tell Rich about the Howl-O-Scream, but his dad told them not to mention it until he had a better idea of the logistics and if they would even go at all.

The Cover lads got home at the same time they usually did and they immediately went to find Momma Maria for their after-school snack.  Today the woman had made for them, three different type of cupcakes.  Some cupcakes were white cake with milk chocolate icing while some were chocolate cake with white icing then some were yellow cake with either white or chocolate icing but they had colorful sprinkles on the icing.

"Wow, Momma Maria, you must have cooked all afternoon for you to make three different types of cupcakes," offered Kyle. "And that wonderful smell.  Is that our dinner?"

"Oh, Si mi mijios Ives beeans cookinks alls days alongs," smiled Momma Maria.

"Yes, thank you, Momma Maria, for making these for us.  You always have something awesome for us when we get home from school.  Our mom only gave us store-bought cookies and regular milk; if she even thought about it.  And what's that you're cooking for dinner?  It sure smells so good.  I can't wait!" added Kevin.

Momma Maria had indeed been busy that day not only making the three different types of wonderful cupcakes.  She also spent time making and finishing that evening's dinner.  Since Dan was going to be there for dinner, she cooked Beef and Chicken Fajitas and made fresh homemade tortilla's to go with them.  She also sautéed onions mixed with red and green peppers to a nice golden brown.  On top of that, she also made Mexican Borracho Beans, rice, and then she shredded fresh lettuce, tomatoes, and cheese and had sour cream for topping anything and everything she had made for dinner.  With that, she also made her homemade salsa to be used with the Fajitas.  It would be a dinner to remember.

The four Cover lads dug into their wonderful sweet treats and washed them down with very cold chocolate milk, just like the boys loved.  When the boys were finished, they thanked Momma Maria again before heading up to their bedrooms to start their homework.

As Robert began his trek up the stairs to his bedroom, Mr. Ken called out to the boys for Robert to come into his Study.

"Hi, 'dad', what do you need me for?" asked Robert.

"Robert have a seat," asked 'dad' Ken, as he came out from behind his desk and sat in the chair right next to Robert.

"Robert, I talked to Bill and Stewart today.  After your parents accepted their plea deals, I asked Bill and Stewart to do something for me.  Well, actually for you.  Today, they told me that their petition to the courts to liquidate your parent's holdings that includes the house, bank accounts, bonds, and money markets; essentially everything they own was agreed to by the courts.  The lawyers also asked the courts to place the monies from the sale of everything into a special account for you.

"Of course there will be costs to be taken out to satisfy outstanding debts to their lawyer, if he hasn't already been paid, and of course Bill and Stew's compensation for all the work they are doing to get you these funds.

"I wanted to tell you this because … well, you and I need to go over to your house to collect anything else you may still want to keep.  If I may, I suggest you take the photo albums, separate pictures of your parents and of course any pictures of you.  If there are any electronic devices you want, we'll take them too.

"You may also want to take any valuable jewelry your mom may have as when the sale goes through they will be lucky to get 50 cents on the dollar for any of her jewelry.  I was thinking we should do that this weekend.  It can be just you and me, or you can take Eric and/or your brothers, too, if you want.

"Oh, we also have to have a court recorder there to make a list of everything you take.  That way the courts know what happened to things that could reduce the final value of the sale of all your parents' assets.  I'll get more information from Bill or Stewart later in the week.  I wanted to let you know now, so you can make plans for at least Saturday," finished up 'dad' Ken.

Robert sat there stunned from hearing what was going to happen.  He realized that in doing this it would mark the ending of his life with his parents, as he knew it.  With that, tears began to flow, then the more he thought about it the harder the tears ran down his cheeks.

'Dad' Ken saw what was happening and without saying a word he pulled the crying lad into his lap.  It was then that Robert began to bawl his eyes out.  All 'dad' Ken could do was hold onto the teen and help him get through the pain he knew the young teenager had to be going through right then.

It took Robert about ten minutes to get control of himself and another five to finally sit up in Mr. Ken's lap and thank him for holding him.  The two shared a hug and then they got up and out of the shared chair.  After one more hug, 'dad Ken told his 'son' they could talk about it after dinner, if the lad wanted to.  Robert then walked slowly up the stairs to his room.

It was 5:30 when Dan Fischer arrived back at The Cove.  He headed directly to Mr. Ken's Study, because he knew that was where the man was usually holed up, to talk to the owner of The Cove.

"Ken, those bank accounts and Money Market numbers you got for me were not anywhere in any of the databases we had on Parker.  It gave us a new starting point and we may have hit on something big.  It appears that Parker Parchsons maybe be a money man for someone.  Those bank account numbers you gave us led us to an account that showed thousands and thousands of dollars going through them over the past 3 years," revealed Dan.

"You know, Dan … that's about the time frame Robert was made to start going with those men and he began making all that money for his parents.  I wonder … if Parker and Frank … it they knew one another?" speculated Ken.

"You know … that is an interesting question.  Maybe we'll figure that out after we find where all this money came from.  With this amount of money going through these bank accounts, it looks like there might be wire fraud and possible money laundering involved so the Fed's have been called in.  I think Parker Parchsons is in for a world of hurt if he can't justify where all that money came from and went.  Another big question that everyone has is, 'what does his wife have to do with all this money'?

"Dan, in the beginning, Angela Harrison didn't jump right out as being involved.  But, as they dug into the money more and where it went and for what it was used for, she was caught up in the knowing what Frank was using Robert for.  I wonder if Vivian will be equally involved," again speculated Ken.

"No one has decided, yet, when the Parchsons will be interviewed.  The talk was that since they are stuck in the hospital, and they have nowhere to go, no one is concerned they are a flight risk.  At least not yet," illustrated Lieutenant Dan Fischer of what they found.

The two men talked until the boys came down the stairs and stopped in the Study.  Kyle, when he saw Dan sitting there, immediately ran to the man and hugged him.  The youngest twin then began to tell him all about his visit with his mom and dad on Saturday.  The other Cover lads just listened as the young twin told his story.

Soon, Momma Maria came to the Study and told them to get washed up and dinner would soon be served.  That said, everyone in the Study scattered to different parts of the house in order to get washed up.  They all sat down in the Dining Room that night as Momma Maria wanted to serve a semi-formal dinner to her 'men'.

Conversation around the dining room table centered on the meal Momma Maria had prepared for them that night.  The beef and chicken fajitas meat almost fell off the serving fork when anyone picked it up to put onto their warm plates or if they wanted to make a burrito with their freshly made tortillas.  Dan was flabbergasted over the taste of the Borracho Beans as he could never remember ever having anything like that ever before.

The dinner was very relaxed and as everyone filled up on the great Mexican dinner, the twins began to tell Mr. Dan a bit more about their go-kart races the other night.  All Dan could do was smile and inwardly laugh at the enthusiasm both twins had as they talked about their first ever experience on the go-kart track.

It was just as they were finishing dinner that Mr. Ken received a phone call from the gate guards.  He told Dan and the boys that there were two men up at the gate who wanted to talk to him.  He asked Dan to accompany him and of course, the boys wanted to come along.  'Dad Ken' smiled at them and asked them to clean up first and follow a few minutes behind them.

Ken and Dan walked out of the Dining Room and headed to the Foyer Entrance where they exited and walked up the slight incline to the Main Gate to see what the two men wanted to see him about.

When Mr. Ken arrived at the Main Gate, he and Dan talked to the guard who told them what the two men wanted.  After hearing what the guard had to say, the two men walked out of the Guard House and approached the two men.

"I understand you want to talk to me.  I'm Ken Thomas," said Mr. Ken.

"Oh, yeah, right, I have some legal papers here … that I want to show you," said one man, as he pulled the papers out of his back pocket.  "They tell you that the twins, Kevin and Kyle, are to go with me.  They will be living with me until their parents are released from the hospital."

Mr. Ken took the papers handed to him and looked them over.  He then passed to them to Dan to look over.

"You didn't know these papers needed to go through the County Juvenile Court system or the Director of Children's Protective Services first?" asked Ken Thomas.

"Those papers tell me that the boys are supposed to live with me.  Now where are they?" roughly said the larger of the two men.

"I'm going to make a copy of these papers, if you don't mind.  That way I have a copy for when the boys are released to you.  It will take just a minute," announced Mr. Ken, who walked back into the Guard Shack to use the copy machine.

When the owner of The Cove returned, he handed the original Special Power of Attorney to the man he received them from.  Mr. Ken again told the men that they had to get the Juvenile Court or Children's Protective Services to sign off on them before he can release the twins.

"Now listen here, mister.  I drove a long distance to come here tonight, and I want those two boys, NOW!" angrily yelled the larger, heavy-set man.

"I'm sorry, when the boys were assigned to me I had official court papers giving me full guardianship of the lads.  And, until I get legal papers relieving me of that responsibility the boys, Kevin and Kyle, will remain here at The Cove,' calmly explained Mr. Ken, while Dan just stood back and listened and watched.

It was just then the four Cover lads approached the Main Gate.  It was as the lads looked through the gate that the man saw Kevin and Kyle and yelled out to them.  "Kevin, Kyle … your dad sent me to pick you up.  Now go get your clothes; you're coming with me!"

"No, Julian … I won't!  I told my dad that I didn't want to go with you," Kevin angrily yelled back.

"Boy … I said go get your clothes and bring them up here and do it NOW!  I want to get back to my place before it gets too late," screamed Julian.

"No, I won't!  I never liked being with you, Julian, and I told my dad that.  I told him he should find someone different," screamed back Kevin.

The entire time the lad and man yelled back and forth to one another, Kyle stood there with his mouth wide open while not knowing what was going on.  Even Robert and Charles were surprised that someone had come to take the twins away without Ms. Judy calling to tell their 'dad'.

Mr. Ken took a quick look at the copy of the papers Julian had given him and said, "Mr. Julian Hankers, NO ONE, and I stress NO ONE … comes to a house, in the middle of the night, to take away kids from the person who has legal custody.  Seeing it is after 7 PM these boys are NOT going anywhere with you, or anyone else, tonight.

"I suggest that you take those papers to Juvenile Court first thing tomorrow morning and get Judge Adam Richards to approve the removal of the twins from MY home.  Barring that, you could take the papers to Ms. Judy Turner, the Director of Children's Protective Services, instead.   Either one of those two people has the authority to put the twins in your custody.

"But hear me … NOT until you bring me those release papers from someone in authority WILL the twins be released to you, or anyone else.  In the meantime, Kevin and Kyle will remain with me at Three Finger Cove.  Do I make myself clear?" now angrily spoke Ken Thomas.

Julian didn't like anyone talking to him like Mr. Ken just did.  The man ignored what Mr. Ken had to say, so he again yelled out to the twins, "Kevin, Kyle … GO!  Get your clothes! NOW!  I have legal papers here that say you are MINE until your parents get out of the hospital.  NOW git and make it FAST!"

Kyle was scared and he didn't know what to do.  He'd never met that man, but obviously, Kevin had as he had called him by his name.  Kyle wanted to run to Mr. Dan, but knew that would put him closer to the man who wanted to take him away.

Kevin got up some more nerve and yelled to Julian, "I am NEVER going with you.  I'll run away, if I have to, if I'm ever made to go with you.  My dad knows I don't like you and I told him … I didn't want me and Kyle to have to go with you, EVER!  Now, GO AWAY!"

Kevin then ran back towards the house with tears streaming down his face.  Kyle followed closely behind.  Robert and Charles saw the twins were running back to the house, but they decided to stay just inside the Main Gate to watch and listen to what might happen next.

"Mr. Thomas, I have legal papers here and if I have to I will get the country Sheriff's office to serve them on you and then you'll be in big trouble," said Julian, trying to scare the owner of The Cove.

It was then that Dan Fischer stepped out and towards the man.  He then reached into his back pocket and brought out his wallet.  He then flipped it open to reveal his silver and gold badge with the word Sheriff across the top and the word Lieutenant across the bottom.

"Gentlemen … as you were saying," said Dan, as he showed the two men his badge.  "I AM a Sheriff's Lieutenant and we do NOT serve papers on anyone … unless they are arrest warrants.  I suggest you do as Mr. Thomas told you to do, and get the proper authority to issue release papers for the twins.  Until then, I suggest you do not come back here with those papers you have in your hands.  That Special Power of Attorney, you hold, is only good when the twins are actually in your care.  Now, why don't you two get in your car … and leave?"

Begrudgingly, the two men left, but Julian yelled as they got into their car they hadn't seen the last of them.  Julian then peeled out as he left the premises.  As the two men drove half-way down the street, Julian pulled the car over to talk to his friend, Vince.

"Vince … we're not going to visit no judge or no director tomorrow.  Also, did you notice the Bus Stop back there?  I bet that is where the kids catch their bus in the morning, soooo … tomorrow morning … we'll be parked just down the street and we'll follow the bus to their school.  There we'll take these legal papers into the principal and get them to give us the boys.  What do you say to that?" asked Julian.

"Are you sure?  That man, Mr. Thomas, won't he call the principal about us and what you are trying to do?" Vince wondered out loud.

"I bet he won't," reasoned Julian.  "I'll bet that when he saw we were leaving that he'll just wait until sometime tomorrow for us to come with that judge's or the director's papers telling him to release the boys to me.  I'll also bet we don't see him at the Bus Stop, or even at the school tomorrow.  Come on, let's find a cheap motel and spend the night."

Vince wasn't convinced, but it was Julian's name on the Special Power of Attorney papers and he was just along for the ride.  The two men then went looking for a cheap place to sleep.


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