The boys woke up totally refreshed and ready to go. They were also happy that it was the last day of school for two weeks. They went down to the Kitchen Nook with big smiles and appetites.
"Morning boys," called out 'dad' Ken.
"Morning dad," came back five times. But Matthew stopped and gave him a hug, as well.
"Brown noser," teased Kyle.
Matthew turned to face Kyle, and without his 'dad' seeing him, showed the younger twin the fickle finger of fate. That made the rest of the boys laugh out hard.
"Matthew ... did you just do what I think you did?" asked a smiling 'dad' Ken.
"Who me? Did what? I don't think so ... if you didn't see me," said a smiling Matthew.
"I guess no harm no foul. But don't do that again. OK?" replied Mr. Ken.
"Yes, sir," quickly answered the youngest Cover, who went over to eat his breakfast.
After the boys headed up to their Bus Stop, Mr. Ken went back to his private retreat to get ready for the day. He then went back to reading his morning newspaper as he waited for Chris and Sandra to arrive. He hoped that would be the last day of present wrapping.
When Matthew arrived at his school, he no sooner got off the bus that Max ran up to him.
"My mom ... she agreed. She said we'd go! I'll be there tonight, Matthew. I am so stoked that I'll finally get to see what Three Finger Cove looks like on the inside," offered Max in one breath.
"Great, Max, the Party starts at 6 and ends at 10, but make sure you get there before Santa arrives. Everyone tells me that's when the fun really starts. Even I'm looking forward to tonight to see what this Holiday Party is all about," replied Matthew.
By then the rest of Matthew's friends came over to him and Max. They heard part of the exchange and Brant and Noah piped up with their own stories of what they saw or what happened at Mr. Ken's Holiday party. The small group then walked over to where they usually hung out before the first bell.
Bailey came over to the group and asked to talk to Matthew. When they were out of earshot, she told the Cover that she talked to some of the other kids after school. Bailey told him she explained to them about what he told her about Ryan and they were just as surprised as she was. The young girl also told him she told the kids why he was trying to get to know Max.
Matthew asked her what that all meant. So, Bailey told him the kids said they would give him another chance, since he was the new kid and didn't understand about Max. Hearing that didn't surprise Matthew. He told himself they were acting as if he should be grateful to them for giving him a second chance.
"Bailey ... ahh, thank you for doing that. I just hope they will give Max the same chance as they are giving me. He promised me, and my other friends, he'd lay off being a bully. Actually, he told me he never hit anyone and I believe him, as I could never find anyone he had. He was just very verbal towards people," replied Matthew.
"Yes, I never heard he hit anyone, too. He was just, you know, obnoxious to everyone and they all hated that about him. So, they decided to avoid him," replied bailey.
"Are you going to be at the Party tonight?" asked Bailey.
"Duhhhh, I live there," laughed Matthew.
"Oh, yea, I forgot. I ... I've been to other Holiday parties at Three Finger Cove, but I never, I never really knew anyone. But, now that I know you and Max, and your other friends, will be there it might make it more fun," lightly laughed Bailey.
"Yes, I am looking forward to the Party, too. Mr. Ken ... he says the best part is when Santa arrives. I hope I get a little gift," said Matthew, with a smile.
The girl and boy said they'd see one another later and they went in their own directions. When the Cover met up with his friends, the first bell rang and they all headed into the school and their homerooms. The last school day before Christmas had begun.
Lincoln remembered where the school was from the previous day, so when he woke up that morning, he took his car and drove over there. He wanted to see what Matthew did when he got to school, and if he was ever out of the playground at any time during the day.
George Warren was out in his car that morning, too. He didn't want to see what happened the previous day when his and his twin's employer took his foster son to the boy's doctor appointment. There were three men at the school yesterday and he wanted to make sure they didn't show up again there today.
When Mr. George saw Lincoln drive up and stop and not get out he figured the man was getting ready to try to grab Matthew. Not knowing any better, he called Gene and told him what he saw. Gene told his twin he'd send out the school's resource officer to have a talk with the man.
Ten minutes later the resource officer, dressed in his official police uniform, including his gun, handcuffs, mace, and the other uniform accoutrements, walked out of the school and headed over to Lincoln's vehicle.
George watched as the resource officer approached the car. He took his camera out and took pictures of the event. The man in uniform indicated to the man in the car to wind down his window. When Lincoln did that the officer had a lively conversation with the man in the car. George continued to take pictures, but changed to video when Lincoln got out of his vehicle.
George watched as Lincoln got out of his car and had a very intense argument with the officer. The officer gave as much as he received and then pointed to the man he had to leave the school zone. Lincoln got pissed he had to leave. But he figured he could wait until someone came and took Matthew to another appointment and follow behind. What he didn't know was he would have a long wait.
Sandra and Chris Dominions arrived at The Cove a little past 8 o'clock that morning. Mr. Ken helped carry in the remaining gifts yet to be wrapped. When everything was inside, Mr. Ken asked Chris if he knew which presents the pool toys and rafts were in.
Mr. Chris asked why he wanted to know that. Mr. Ken told him he wanted to give the boys an early Christmas present tonight when Santa arrived. The boss told the Estate Manager that the boys were having a big sleepover Wednesday night and he was doing a Dive-In Movie. Mr. Ken said the rafts and diving toys would be a big hit for all the boys.
Mr. Chris asked his wife if she remembered which wrapping paper she used for those. Momma Maria spoke up and told them which paper they used. That meant Mr. Ken and Mr. Chris had to go up to the guest bedroom and search through the packages. After five minutes of searching through all the presents, they found six gifts they were certain where what they were looking for.
When the men came down with the six presents, Momma said there were two more, so she went upstairs looking for them. A short time later she came down the Kitchen Nook with a big smile on her face and a wrapped gift in either hand.
Mr. Ken checked which names were on the gifts. He wanted to make sure each boy got at least one present to open later tonight. Then, Mr. Ken brought out six Gift Certificates for a dinner for two at the Four Corners restaurant. He also had six small boxes to place them in. he asked for some wrapping paper, so he could wrap them.
The women took the certificates and small boxes from him and asked him whom they were for. Mr. Ken said he would wait until later in the evening and give those to people he thought were deserving of them. The women smiled at the thought. When they put gift tags on the small boxes, they fill out the From: line with Santa's name and left the To: line blank.
When Carter woke that morning and learned Lincoln was gone he was pissed. He was now regretting bailing the man out of jail. He'd been a pain in his ass ever since as the man continued to focus on Matthew. Dunlapman knew the man would be their downfall if they couldn't get Lincoln to stay focused on their plans for next week. They all knew they needed four people to make their planned robbery work next week.
At The Cove, that morning, Mr. Ken had a visitor. Sheriff's Lieutenant Dan Fischer stopped by to talk to him about Matthew and get a fresh cup of Coffee. The men talked some with the women and Dan was floored by all the gifts that were there in the Kitchen Nook. He was even more taken aback when Mr. Ken showed him all the wrapped gifts awaiting for Santa up in the guest bedroom.
"Ken ... anything from Matthew?" directly asked Lt. Dan Fischer, when the men finally got to the Study and closed the door.
"Dan, the only thing from Matthew is that he has this continuing dream. It doesn't happen every night that I am aware of, but it is bugging him. We talked about it some and I had him talk to Doug Jennings to get this take. Nothing as of yet," replied Ken Thomas.
"And, Dan ... yesterday ... Lincoln, at least I think that is who it was, came after Matthew. He and three other men were at Doug's office and they had us boxed in between them. Lucky for me Gene and George were there and had the men sandwiched between them.
"I think that Lonny guy recognized George and told them to all stand down. Soon after, they got into their vehicles and left. It was intense for a while, there. Lincoln kept calling out to Matthew and what he said wasn't pretty. I had expected Matthew to have a nightmare last night, but he slept pretty well," explained Mr. Ken.
"So, these four men ... the ones we have pictures of, came after Matthew?" asked a very concerned Dan Fischer.
"That's how I viewed it. But they stayed about four car lengths away from us and didn't come any closer. All they did was intimidate Matthew, but it sounded like Lincoln wanted to get his hands on Matthew very badly," replied the owner of The Cove.
"I didn't know Lincoln had been bailed out. But again it isn't something I check regularly. Had there been any other attempts to get to Matthew?" asked Dan.
"Just that skirmish outside the restroom on Tuesday with Kyle. The men had been following us from the school to the medical office building, but yesterday was the first time they sort of approached us and were interested in Matthew. I personally don't think they did anything illegal in doing that. What do you think?" asked Ken Thomas.
"Well, it is disturbing, to say the least. But, to me, they haven't done anything illegal. There is nothing wrong with following another car. Millions of drivers do that every day as they drive the same roads, as do other drivers. You said they didn't touch you or Matthew and speech is free as far as I know it. No matter what they said.
"But, let's get back to these dreams. What can you tell me about them, Ken?" asked Dan.
"Well, Matthew ... he says they've become a little more detailed. He told me the dream began with just pennies and plain targets and ringing bells. But yesterday, he told me that now there were clothes covered in pennies and the targets were now made up of red and white circles, but there was nothing different with the ringing bells," was how Mr. Ken described Matthew's dream.
"Wow, that is a mash-up of items. Did he add anything else, like where was he, where did he go, were there other people in the dream?" asked Dan.
"No, he just gave me the highlights. The other night when he was talking about the dream, Robert told him to write down what he could remember about the dream as soon as he woke up. He did that which was why he had more detail to tell me," replied Mr. Ken.
"Hey, you going to come to the Party tonight? You know Santa will be here at 8," asked Mr. Ken.
"Well, I will be off duty by then. I could stop by when I get off duty, but I'd be in uniform. Or, I could go back to my apartment and change into something more comfortable," grinned Dan.
"You can come any way you feel comfortable, Dan. I know one person who will be happy to see you?" chuckled Ken Thomas.
The men talked some more about Matthew and what happened yesterday. Ken did remind Dan that he was taking the boys to Six Flags on Monday and he volunteered to chaperone. Dan said he has it marked in bold letters on his calendar and on his cell phone to remind him. Dan said he was looking forward to doing the chaperone thing. Both men laughed.
At lunchtime, Matthew and his friends ate together. The Cover did help Max pay for his lunch and Max was happy he had five hot lunches that week. He knew when he got home he felt so much better with a good meal in his stomach.
"Matthew ... you look like you aren't here," said Brant. "I noticed you are engaged, but not really focused on what's going on. What's happened that has you this way?" finished Brant.
"Guys ... let's finish up here and go outside and talk where it is more private," replied Matthew.
When the seven friends got outside in their section of the schoolyard, Matthew told them what happened when his 'dad' took him to his doctor's appointment, yesterday. That totally surprised the Covers friends and they wanted to know more.
Matthew told them how Lincoln wanted him to go over to him. The Cover told his friends he knew that was the wrong thing for him to do, as he knew the man would beat him within an inch of his life if not kill him.
The Cover told his friends how Mr. Gene and Mr. George came up on either side of the men and sort of sandwiched them between them. Matthew said that if his 'dads' security men hadn't shown up he might not be there right now.
"You mean, your 'dad' ... he has security men covering him?" asked Max.
"No, not him ... me," reluctantly replied Matthew.
"But ... but why? Why would he have security men watch you?" asked a persistent Max.
"Max ... it's because of what my mom did last week. She tried to take me away before Mr. Wayne found her and me. He called for the Sheriff's men and they arrested her for attempted kidnapping and a bunch of other things," answered the Cover.
"Geez, and those security men followed you to your doctor appointment?" continued Max.
"Max ... my mom's friends might be after me as well because ... they think I know something. My mom ... she tried to get me to tell her what I told them, you know, the police. You see, I sat in the room a few times when they all talked. I didn't really listen in because I knew if Lincoln thought I had he'd beat me and I was tired of being beat.
"But since my mom tried to take me away, I've been having the same sort of dream. It started with just loads and loads of pennies and plain circular targets. One more thing was there were these ringing bells, like in a church steeple or on Santa's sleigh.
"I talked to Mr. Ken about it and my 'brothers', as well. And yesterday, after those men left, I talked to Doctor Doug. But last night, the dream had changed some. Now there were all these clothes covered with pennies and the target now was made up of big red and white circles. The ringing bells hadn't changed any. None of them had any idea what that all meant.
"It bothers me that I have this dream, and no one can tell me what it means. My 'dad' thinks that as time goes on my dream may reveal a lot more like it just had. I sure hope so.
"So, how many of you are coming over tonight for the Holiday party?" asked Matthew, in trying to change the subject.
All the boy's hands went up, including Max's. That surprised five of the boys who asked Max how he was going. Matthew answered for Max and told them he gave him a hand-delivered invitation. That again surprised the five boys, but after a few moments of thinking about it, they all patted Max on his back for saying he'd be there.
Carter had finally gotten ahold of Lincoln and had him return to the motel room. When the errant man showed, the other three immediately got down on him. They, to a man, told him he was jeopardizing their chance at a big score on Christmas Eve and he had to stop thinking about the boy and focus on what they had planned.
Lincoln knew they were right, and after waiting half the day hoping Matthew would be taken out of school, he wasn't. He told the men that, now school was out for the Holidays, he'd have no other opportunities to get to the boy.
School let out early that Friday. It was only an hour earlier than usual, but for kids in school, any time off was welcomed. Mr. Ken had forgotten the boys would be home an hour early and when they arrived back home he was grateful Sandra and Momma had finished wrapping all those gifts.
It was then Sandra realized her kids would be getting home early too, and she wouldn't be there. She quickly called her neighbor and asked her to look after her boy and girl and she was on her way home. Chris escorted his wife out the door and to her car and she quickly drove off.
"Boy am I glad school's over for two weeks," exclaimed Kyle. "I do like school ... but only when we're not there," laughed Kyle, who was joined in by his twin brother.
"Boys ... do you have any homework to do?" asked 'dad' Ken.
"No, dad, they don't give us homework over the Holidays. They knew we wouldn't do it," laughed Robert.
"Matthew ... what about you catching up to your classmates? Will I have to get you a tutor after the Holidays?" asked a serious 'dad' Ken.
"Well, I think I'm caught up. My teacher says we'll have a test when we get back to see how much we've forgotten over the Holidays," smiled Matthew. "So, I bet that if I do well in that test I'll be good to go."
"Ok, then, but I am relying on your to use some of this time over the next two weeks to review some of your books. That's to ensure you do get a good grade after the Holidays. But, even if you don't, I'll get you that tutor. Having to make up two full months of schoolwork is a daunting task," counseled 'dad' Ken.
Momma Maria hadn't fixed the boys a special afterschool snack, so she quickly brought out something the boys had earlier in the week. When they sat down to eat, she told them that after that weekend they'd have loads of different foods to eat and she wanted them to eat up the extras she had. The boys didn't care, they were glad they had something to snack on as that's what they were used to doing after school.
When the boys had finished their snack, they went to the Study to talk to their 'dad'. They asked if they had time to ride their skateboards. 'Dad' Ken looked at the time and since the Party didn't start until 6 PM, he told them they could have fun until 5 o'clock. He then told them they had to take a shower and get dressed and be downstairs by 5:30.
"But 'dad', the Party doesn't start until 6, so why do we have to be down here so early?" asked Kevin.
"It's because I want to make sure you are all good to go and are ready to accept our guests. I also want to go over with you what your duties will be tonight," explained 'dad' Ken.
The boys quickly ran out of the Study, with Chief following on their heels. The boys grabbed their coats and headed out to the ramps. With them being the only ones out there they had them all to themselves.
"Why don't we come out here during the week?" asked Matthew.
"It's because after we get our homework done, and then eat dinner it is too late. Plus, I don't think dad wants us out here too late at night," replied Robert, who continued to enjoy the practically empty ramps.
Mr. Chris dropped off the voting chips at the Main gate and explained to them what they were going to be used for. The guards had a question on what their procedures would be for the night with all those people coming to The Cove. All Mr. Chris could say was for them to call Mr. Ken and ask him.
The lead guard did call Mr. Ken. He asked their primary employer what they were supposed to do while all those people would be coming to The Cove. Mr. Ken told them they should keep patrolling the grounds and let the Sheriff's Deputies handle the crowd and parking. Mr. Ken told the man that the Police Explorers would direct the parking and give out the voting chips to his guests.
At 5 o'clock, the boys came inside to get ready for their first Three Finger Cove Holiday Party. They quickly showered and then got dressed in their new suits. Some of them wore their green vests and some wore their red vests. Robert pulled them aside and asked them to all dress alike.
The teenager explained that whatever color they wore tonight they would wear the other color tomorrow. They talked about it for a few minutes and before long they all were wearing the green vest. When they walked down the stairs and finally walked into the Study, Mr. Ken was happy they all choose to wear the same color.
"Thank you boys' for all wearing the same color. You all look so handsome all dressed up in your Sunday's finest. You will all stand out if I ever need to find you. Let's all take a seat and talk about tonight and what you should expect and what your duties are.
"First and foremost ... you all represent ... The Cove and ultimately ... me. Tonight's Party is something the neighborhood looks forward to every year, now. This is my fourth Holiday Party for my neighbors and our friends and I hope that I've made this a memorable night for everyone. Including you five!
"Now, let's get down to what your job is tonight. Tonight you are The Cove's ambassadors and you are also my ... gatekeepers. You should represent yourselves at your highest level and be courteous and friendly to all of our guests. There could be as many as 350 people here tonight and they will range in age from newborn to over 80 years old.
"What do you mean we're your gatekeepers?" asked Matthew.
"Well, people will try to get around the gates we've put out so people won't go into our personal spaces. You are to gently guide them away from those areas," said Mr. Ken.
"But how do we do that? We're all young and people won't listen to us," countered Matthew.
"I'm glad you asked that, Matthew," replied 'dad' Ken, who got up and went behind his desk and brought out six two-way radios.
"You will each have one of these. They are not play toys, boys. It is a big responsibility to have one and the only time you use it is when you have a problem you can't solve, or someone ignores you. Robert, you're going to be Cover 2, Charles, you're Cover 3, Kevin, you're Cover 4, Kyle, you're Cover 5, and Matthew you are Cover 6. And boys ... I'm Cover 1," laughed 'dad' Ken.
"Your call sign is on your radio, so if you can't remember it all you need to do is look at the front and you'll see it. And, I don't want you boys hanging out together. It is OK to stop and exchange some info, occasionally, but our guests may want to talk to you and learn something about you.
"That's where you have to be careful about what you tell them. My recommendation is to tell them when you arrived, that you love it here, (smiled Mr. Ken) and some of the things you've done since you arrived, like the water toys, SeaWorld, the ramps, and your special trips if you had one," suggested 'dad' Ken.
"But, what do I tell them, 'dad'?" asked a serious Matthew.
"Matthew you tell them you arrived as fast as you could and that was four weeks ago. Tell them you love having big 'brothers' and a great place to live. Please don't tell them your last name or mention Lincoln. If people persist in wanting information about any of you, just excuses yourself and use your radio and call in a Code 99. That is also on your radio, as well.
"If any of us hear that called, ask where the Code 99 is and head in that direction. When you get there tell the guest that your 'brother' has to go and then lead him away. Don't be rude and if the person persists tell them you'll probably see them around later," explained 'dad' Ken.
"Have you ever used a Code 99 before, 'dad'?" asked Kyle.
"We didn't use codes the last three years. The first year Collin and Ryan were here with me and we did have some problems. The word got out that I'd taken a bullet for Collin and people wanted an explanation.
"Judge Adam, Adam Richards that is, got the mic and gave a short talk. Then, I told the guests my story and then Collin got up and told them how I took a bullet meant for him. And, boy was that ever an interesting first New Year's Eve Party.
"Now, there will be several Sheriff's Deputies walking around as well. You can also go to them if you are having a problem with a guest. Also, if people ignore the DO NOT ENTER signs, get a deputy or use your radio to call me, Robert or Charles," finished 'dad' Ken.
"Can we take our friends beyond the DO NOT ENTER signs? You know, the ones who haven't been over here for sleepovers and skating?" asked Kyle.
"Yes, you may, but don't take too many with you. And let your 'brothers' know what you are doing, so if they don't see you they won't be worried. Any other questions?" asked Mr. Ken.
Their meeting over, the boys went out into the house and tried out their radios. Mr. Ken didn't say anything for the first five minutes, but after that, he radioed to them that playtime was over and they had to get serious as their first guests were arriving.
Matthew looked at the time and saw it was only 5:50. The young Cover looked out at the driveway and he saw an older couple getting out of their car. He saw the older man get a wheelchair out of the trunk and bring it around to what Matthew figured was his wife. When they arrived at the front door, Matthew decided to meet them at the Foyer Door and welcome them to The Cove.
"Merry Christmas, and welcome to The Cove," said Matthew, as the older couple came up to the door.
"Well, Merry Christmas to you, too, young man. You are new here, aren't you? We didn't see any kids here last year, did we dear?" said the older woman.
"Yes, I'm new. I only arrived here four weeks ago but ... but I arrived as fast as I could," said a smiling Matthew.
"Mr. and Mrs. McKenzie, I see you've met one of my foster sons. This is Matthew and he has only been with me about four weeks, now," offered Mr. Ken.
"Yes, he told us that, and he also said he got here as fast as he could. He's a keeper, Mr. Ken," replied the older woman. "Maybe he can escort us inside and show us where you keep all that great food."
Matthew asked them if they had voted for the best Toy Soldier, yet. The man said they hadn't but they didn't want to go back over there. Then, the woman asked if he could run their votes over. Matthew said he would and all they had to do is tell him which one they liked. They each picked a different Toy Soldier.
When Matthew came back, he escorted them inside and they immediately headed for the elevator. Matthew had never been inside the elevator, but he noticed the older couple had obviously been there before.
The young Cover asked them how many times they'd been there. The man told him that it was their fourth visit to Three Finger Cove. Matthew smiled and continued down to the Great Room with them while in the elevator. Once they arrived in the Great Room, the three made their way outside, to the tent, where the caterer was set up with all with the great foods for the evening.
The Police Explorers explained to Mr. Ken's guests about the voting for the best Toy Soldier and they impressed upon them to vote before they went inside. They also told them that Santa would be there at 8 o'clock and if they had a gift for him to present to someone they should drop it off at the Hat and Coat Check room just inside the Foyer Door.
By 6:15 many people had already arrived at The Cove for the Season's Holiday Party. There was lots of activity at the Main Gate and the security guards and the Sheriff's Deputies stayed out of each other's way. They each had their specific jobs to perform and they didn't want to encroach.
But with the Sheriff Deputies focused on parking and crowd control, the security guards kept their watch on the people as a whole. That made sense as the deputies were also inside the house keeping an eye on the DO NOT ENTER areas as well as who was drinking alcoholic drinks and who shouldn't be. Granted, Mr. Ken only offered beer that night, but still, some of the older teens might try to sneak a glass or two.
The boys walked around the Great Room and outside on the Patio and talked with many of their neighbors and other guests. Most of the neighbors didn't know Mr. Ken now had four foster boys and had adopted one of his foster sons. The reason for that was all the boys arrived after the last Holiday season. The neighbors who did know that, had boys or girls in the same school as the boys.
Mr. Ken did his thing by greeting his neighbors and other guests. The Covers were so busy they didn't know what was happening up at the Main Gate. Lucky for the owner of The Cove, he had very dedicated men working as security guards that night.
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