Even after staying up late talking to his 'boys' and needing to get caught up on his sleep in his own bed, Ken Thomas was up at 8:15 the morning after his triumphant return. The man took care of his morning business before heading outside to retrieve the morning newspaper. He then stopped to fill his first cup of coffee before sitting down to get caught up on the local news.
It was a little past 9 a.m. when Charles made his way downstairs. He deliberately woke up early, so he could try to convince his 'dad' to take them out to breakfast.
"Well, what has you up so early, Charles?"; asked 'dad' Ken. "Ohh, don't tell me . . . you want me to take you guys out for breakfast, don't you?";
Charles smiled at what his 'dad' said, and he ran to him to give him a big hug.
"Yea, 'dad', we missed you and we want you to treat us by taking us out to breakfast,"; replied the pre-teen.
"But that's all I did all week. I ate breakfast out, every day, while you all enjoyed Momma Maria's home-cooked breakfasts. Don't I get one of those too?"; said Mr. Ken, trying to put it on thick that he wanted a quiet morning.
"But she isn't here, 'dad', so you won't get one of those until Monday. Come on 'dad', we missed you and we want to eat at IHOP or Denney's,"; replied Charles with his puppy-dog eyes.
Mr. Ken knew he was beaten, but he tried one more time, anyway. "But your 'brothers' . . . they aren't up and ready, so that means I don't have to take you.";
"But you aren't ready either and by the time all of my 'brothers' are ready and you are too we can go out to breakfast,"; countered a smiling Charles.
'Dad' Ken knew he was beaten, so he agreed to take them out to breakfast. The man told Charles to wake his 'brothers' and tell them they had to be downstairs showered and dressed by a quarter after ten. He also told the pre-teen they were going to Four Corners, since they didn't have a lot of time before their friends arrived.
Billy was the only holdout about getting up, showered and dressed to go out to breakfast. It wasn't something he was used to doing, so he was against it. But, Charles dragged the teenager out of bed and told his older 'brother' he'd better be showered, dressed and downstairs by 10:15. The pre-teen added that if he wasn't he'd see what five 'brothers', who want to go out for breakfast, could do to him, and they wouldn't be as easy as three high school bullies tried to be.
Billy laughed as he got off the floor. He told Charles he'd be ready and then headed to the bathroom. After the teenager drained his dragon, he brushed his teeth and then joined his 'brothers' in the shower room.
By 10:15 the six Cover boys were down in the Kitchen Nook waiting for Mr. Ken to arrive to drive them out to breakfast. That was when Mr. Wayne came walking into the room as well.
"Am I invited?"; asked Mr. Wayne, when he saw all six boys dressed in school clothes and smelling clean and they all smelled of cologne.
"Ahhh, I'm glad you boys invited Mr. Wayne to go with us,"; called out 'dad' Ken, as he walked into the Nook. The boys laughed.
"What, what did I say?"; asked 'dad' Ken.
"Let's go. We're wasting good eating time. We'll explain along the way,"; said Charles.
The Covers called ahead to let them know that eight of them were on their way. Then, Charles told his 'dad' that Mr. Wayne just happened to come to the Kitchen Nook and they had forgotten to wake him. Mr. Ken laughed and told the boys he'd called the man and invited him himself. They all had a good laugh as they drove to the Four Corners Diner.
Billy hadn't eaten out much before when he lived with his mom and stepdad or his other foster parents. But he was getting used to it now that he'd done that a few times with Mr. Ken. And the food he was allowed to eat was far better than anything his mom ever cooked. Although, he'd never want to give up Momma Maria's cooking, ever.
It was a little after twelve noon when the Covers returned home. When they arrived, their friends were waiting outside the Main Gate. Mr. Ken, of course, stopped to find out why the guards hadn't let them in. The guard on duty explained that he knew none of the residents were home and he wasn't told he could allow their friends in, when they weren't.
Mr. Ken smiled at the man's honest answer. He knew there wasn't anything wrong with what the guard had done. He just forgot that they might not be back in time and the boy's friends would be there. In the meantime, all the boys entered The Cove and followed the Covers down to the ramps. That is all except Billy and his three friends.
"Mr. Ken, I want you to meet Lonnie, Lonnie Crossheirs and his mom, Claire. Lonnie, Mrs. Crossheirs, this is my foster dad, Mr. Ken Thomas,"; was how Billy did the introductions.
"It is nice to meet you Lonnie, Mrs. Crossheirs, Claire, and welcome to The Cove. Lonnie . . . I'm sure you've heard this from Bill and these two, but I want you to know that as long as you get along with the other boys and help when you're asked you can keep coming back, as long as Bill is here. But, mess up and you'll never be asked back.
"Bill will get you entered into the database and once you're in you will have to show some ID a few times until the guards know who you are. After that it should be routine,"; explained the owner of The Cove.
Mrs. Crossheirs asked Mr. Ken to explain to her why there were armed guards guarding his property. The man explained about the attempted kidnapping of his other four 'sons' back in the fall and the repeated harassment of another 'son' by his mother. The owner of The Cove did tell a little white lie there, but the woman didn't need to know the whole truth.
Claire Crossheirs was happy with the explanation. Mr. Ken then told the woman that Lonnie could stay until six when there was no school the following day and only until five when there was. He also told the woman that many times the other parents pick their boys up and if she is here then she could meet them. The man added that they could tell them their thoughts about their boys coming over to The Cove.
Once Lonnie was entered into The Cove's database, the four friends walked down to the ramps. Once there, Billy explained how the boys share the ramps and that every time they add a new friend they get less and less time on them. Bill then pointed out the new Cove Skate Park being built.
Lonnie wanted to go right up there and look at it, but Billy told him none of them are allowed to go there unless his foster dad, Mr. Wayne or Mr. Chris took them. The older Cover explained that with so many boys there's the chance of someone touching what they shouldn't, or walking where they shouldn't and that one of them could get hurt. Bill then said he'd ask if they'd show him later today or tomorrow.
Lonnie then asked who those men he mentioned were. Billy then explained who Mr. Wayne and Mr. Chris were. Billy added that the more Lonnie comes over the more he'll understand what responsibilities those two men have at The Cove and for them
Billy showed Lonnie and his other two friends around The Cove. He took them through the garage into the Kitchen Nook and showed them everything on that floor except Mr. Ken's private retreat. The oldest Cover then thought to himself that he needed to ask Mr. Ken to show him and his 'brothers' that area.
Billy took Lonnie, Brett and Kaden up to his room where he showed them around and then the teens talked. Lonnie asked why he had that room and Billy explained the rooms were picked by the boys as they arrived and there were only two rooms left from which to choose. Billy told all three friends he was lucky that he had a private room because Robert and Charles were in other foster homes before that one and they had to share with one or two other boys.
Billy took his friends down to the Great Room and showed them around the Theater, bar, wine room and party restrooms. Lonnie's biggest surprise came when he saw the size of the indoor pool. Brett and Kaden had already seen it, so they weren't as surprised. Billy then told Lonnie why he wanted him to bring his swimsuit and a towel. The Cover's new friend smiled.
The weather was nice, so the four friends walked down to the beach and The Cove's Marina. That was the first time Billy's three friends got that close to the Commander, the personal watercraft and the Sunfish sailboat and the water toys.
Billy hadn't been at The Cove very long so he told his friends he didn't know anything specific about what they were seeing. Billy did tell them that his 'brothers' told him they play 'King of the Mountain' on the biggest water toy out in the cove.
Billy added that once he got his Coast Guard training for the personal watercraft he'd be able to take one of them out on the lake. That surprised the three friends and they asked if they could do that, too. Billy told them he'd have to check, but the one thing he did know, was that they had to have the certificate showing they had taken, and passed the training, before they could drive the WaveRunners' or the Jet Ski.
The four high school freshmen eventually wound up out at the skateboard ramps and Billy asked the other boys if Lonnie could take a run on them to show his stuff. The forty or so boys stood back and watched Lonnie do a few tricks on the ramps. He showed the younger boys he could hold his own on the ramps, but he was no professional.
While the Cover boys and their friends rode the ramps and or got a tour of The Cove, Mr. Ken and Wayne Mitchell were talking about Bill and his situation. Mr. Ken was adamant that Wayne follow this through, since he was the one who talked to the principal, lawyer and CPS caseworker. Mr. Ken added the man also downloaded the fight videos off the internet and made the copies for Stewart Russell.
Mr. Wayne felt honored, but he also felt a bit over his head. He'd never done anything like that before and here he had to ramrod the School Board hearing for Bill and anything associated with it. Mr. Ken assured his Estate Master that he'd back him up with whatever support he needed, except his getting directly involved.
As the men talked, Wayne told his employer how Mr. Stanley acted towards his being there and how the principal resisted looking for additional CCTV footage, and or wanting to provide it to him.
Mr. Wayne told his boss he only hoped Stew Russell would have better luck in retrieving the school's extra video footage. The Estate Master also told Mr. Ken that Billy told some of his classmates to write what they saw, sign it and give it to him on Monday.
After hearing the way Mark Stanley, the Principal at Alvin York High School acted; Mr. Ken then wondered out loud if the principal was still holding a grudge from back when Collin lived with him. Mr. Ken then explained to Wayne what happened when Collin was attacked.
Then, the owner of The Cove told Wayne how Mr. Stanley didn't protect Ryan or Collin from being interviewed by the authorities without their parent or lawyer present. The man went into some detail about how Ryan was taken to the police precinct in handcuffs and placed with hardened criminals for refusing to answer the detective's questions, without his mom or lawyer present.
Mr. Ken then told his Estate Master how Principal Stanley allowed an Assistant District Attorney to pull Collin out of class and begin to question him without even calling him to even let him know the ADA was there, and asking if it was all right for Collin to be questioned.
The boys eventually decided to burn some burgers and dogs. Billy told his friends to watch what the boys did. But Robert called Billy over and asked him and his friends to break into one of the three groups and go with them to see what needed to be done.
Because Mr. Ken had directed that only ten boys each, getting the supplies, would set the barbeque up, instead of all forty plus. Kaden went with Brett to get the burgers, dogs, ice and soda. Lonnie went with Billy and they saw where the utensils, buns, toppings, etcetera were. Both groups took their items to the back patio where two other boys, the third team, were getting the grill ready.
Lonnie asked Billy how often the boys did that, and how much did each boy have to chip in for the barbeque. Kaden and Brett chuckled at the question, and then Billy told his new friend that his foster dad, Mr. Ken, pays for it all.
Lonnie got a big surprised look on his face and then asked if Mr. Ken knew the boys were running through the house to get all the parts and pieces. Billy told his friend that Mr. Ken had been doing that for all his foster boys, and their friends, ever since a teen named Collin lived there. Lonnie just shook his head at learning that.
As the burgers and dogs came ready, Robert asked Billy to go inside and ask Mr. Ken and Mr. Wayne to come out and eat with them. Billy took Lonnie with him when he went inside. When the two teens returned there were two older teenagers added to the mix.
Seeing the two much older teens there surprised Lonnie, who asked who they were. Billy explained they were Russell and Jordan, a senior and a junior, and they were the lifeguards for when they swam in the indoor pool.
Lonnie couldn't understand why Mr. Ken needed lifeguards, but Billy told him that with over 40 boys in the water, at the same time, it was easy for one of them to be hurt and possibly go missing.
The Cover added that the guards were there to make sure they all had fun and no one got hurt. Lonnie thanked his new friend for the information. The two teens then got in line to get some burgers and dogs.
The four freshmen headed over to the lifeguards to talk to them. Lonnie was curious about how they got the job and how they liked it. Russell told them how they watched over the boys as they played on the water toys during the summer, and then the indoor pool when it got cooler.
Jordan added they took their lifeguard training during the winter, so they would be ready for a lifeguard job during the summer. The junior told them how lucky he was to be asked to work at The Cove. He explained that Mr. Ken paid very well and they only had to guard for maybe two to three hours, each time, during the cooler months, but were paid for the entire time they were there.
When the eating was done, ten different boys were assigned to two teams to take down the barbeque, and another team of three to clean up the grill and put everything away. Robert asked Billy and his friends to follow along to see what it took to get everything cleaned up before they went swimming.
Lonnie had questions and this time it had to do with all the boys having free access to the inside of the house. All Billy could tell him was that the boys knew what a good deal they had coming over to The Cove, and none of them wanted to mess it up by doing something that would cause them to never be asked back.
When it was time to swim, Billy told his friend to get their suits and he'd wait for them. Lonnie asked Billy where his swimsuit was and Billy told him his was in the dryer and he had to go get it from there. Lonnie walked away shaking his head. Brett told the new friend that he needed to 'chill' some and just go with the flow. Brett explained that things were different there and after he was there a few times he'd fully understand.
When the four freshmen went to change into their swimsuits, many of the younger boys had already changed and were out in the water. Billy explained to Lonnie, after they changed, they'd place their clothes in a locker out on the pool deck and then he, Brett and Kaden needed to take a swim test. Lonnie started to balk, but Brett nudged him to wait and see.
"Lonnie, Mr. Ken requires everyone, including adults, who swim in his indoor pool, to swim across the width to make sure they are good swimmers. No one has ever failed the test. Now the three of you have never swum in this pool, so just jump in and swim across,"; said Billy.
The younger boys watched as Billy had his three friends do the swim test. When the three teenagers reached the other end of the pool the younger boys all applauded. Lonnie didn't know what that was all about, but Kaden figured the younger boys were glad they were made to do the test as they had. Kaden then got out of the water and took a bow. That caused lots of laughter from the other boys.
With the four older teens in the mix, Russell and Jordan figured that would change some of the games they had devised. But Russell asked the older teens if they were interested in playing some of the games, or did they want to just swim and talk. Brett was all for playing, so Billy and Kaden joined in as well.
Lonnie was the lone holdout. Billy told his new friend that he should play and see what the games were all about, and to see if they were any fun. Brett added that if he didn't think it was fun, he could just sit out. Lonnie agreed to that condition and joined in. Russell explained the game to be played and that he and Jordan chose the teams.
The younger boys thought that the addition of the four older teens would have changed the outcome of the game they played. But they were wrong. The older boys didn't have any history in playing and they were more like observers going through the motions than giving their all to their team. The team that did win had Lonnie on it. Who would have ever thought that would happen?
After the boys swam, Billy went to Mr. Ken and asked him if he'd take Lonnie up to the new skate park and show him the construction site and explain what was happening. Mr. Ken and Mr. Wayne said for Bill to bring Lonnie into the Study, so he could see the artist's rendition to get an overview of what he'd see.
The four older teens went to the Study and Mr. Ken showed Lonnie what the Cove Skate Park was going to look like. Lonnie was impressed at what he saw and told the man he couldn't wait to see what it looked like up closer. The six people walked out of the house and straight up towards the construction site.
The other Cover boys saw what was happening, so they told their friends and they all quickly followed along. Mr. Wayne took the lead in explaining to Lonnie what he was seeing. Since they came in from the Main Gate side instead of the lakeside, the Estate Master pointed out where some of the smaller elements, such as, rails, ledges, stairs, hips, roller extensions, slope rails and more would be.
As the group continued along the top of the property Mr. Wayne pointed out the larger of the skate bowls that was formed and already concreted. The Estate Master explained how there would eventually be lights for night skating and sunshade sails that would cover up to as much as 80% of the park to help keep the heat from the sun off the skaters. He finished by telling the observers Mr. Ken hoped the skate park would be finished by Memorial Day, or sooner.
When the group arrived at the Pavilion, they saw the shell was complete. The roof was fully installed, but missing, were the doors to the restrooms, storage room and closets, the lights and security cameras and of course the picnic tables and seats. The restrooms also needed the sinks, toilets, urinals and privacy walls, but everyone could see what the facility would be like when fully finished and furnished.
By the time the group viewed the construction site and had their questions answered it was time for the boys to head on home. They collected their skateboards and bags with their wet swimsuits and dirty towels and headed up to the Main Gate to await their parents or ride their bikes on home.
Claire Crossheirs was glad she came for her son. She was able to meet Celeste Wrangeler, Brett's mother, and Anna Stylers, Kaden's mom. The three women talked about their son's being invited to The Cove, and what it might mean for them and their sons.
Mr. Ken came over to the three women and reintroduced himself to all three women and answered any questions they had for him. He also introduced Mr. Wayne to them and explained what the Estate Master's duties were there at Three Finger Cove.
The women also met some of the younger boys' moms and that caused many dinners to be late as the women shared stories of their sons coming over to The Cove. The moms shared some stories of how Mr. Ken had treated their sons to special trips, free swimming at the Lakeside Water Park and rides on the Commander, as well as him feeding them burgers and dogs each time they came over.
The three older teens' moms were impressed with what they heard, and they knew there had to be lots more for them to learn. Some exchanged phone numbers while others told the new moms they could talk tomorrow and any time they are there. Then, before long, the area outside the Main Gate was empty and the Covers could plan where they would go for dinner.
The Covers went over to the Four Corners Diner where they could order from an extensive menu plus be more relaxed as they ate. The talk that evening centered on Billy and his three friends. The younger Covers told how different it was having the four older boys playing the pool games with them, but that they didn't make much of a difference, since they didn't know the games.
When the chatter quieted down, Billy asked Mr. Ken if he would show him and his 'brothers' what his private retreat looked like. The teenager explained how when he first arrived, and was looking around the inside of the house, he had intended to walk back there, but Chief wouldn't let him. The teen added that Mr. Chris suggested he ask his foster dad and that was what he was doing.
Mr. Ken knew the question was coming, he just didn't know when. Billy hadn't been at The Cove very long, and he was so busy with other things, that the man figured there was finally a lull in Billy being so busy.
Kevin, Kyle and Matthew heard Billy's question and they chimed in and said they thought that was a good idea, since they had never seen that area either. 'Dad' Ken told the group that only Collin and Robert had ever seen his private haven, and he never thought to show it to any of his other 'boys'.
'Dad' Ken did agree to show the boys his private area, but he had to ask them did they want to see it tonight or tomorrow. The man explained if they wanted to see it tonight, they would go back to The Cove after they ate. But, if they wanted to see it tomorrow, they could see it before their friends arrived.
The boys talked amongst themselves, and they all agreed to see it tomorrow. They told 'dad', Ken, they wanted to drive the Go-Karts before they went home. Mr. Ken figured they would vote that way, because he knew how much the boys enjoyed driving the karts. The man had the boys finish their dinners, and then they all headed over to the Go-Kart Track to wait in line for their turn.
Matthew called front row before anyone else could do so. He wanted to race his butt off that evening and show Robert he was becoming just as good as his older 'brother'. Billy quickly called for the front row, as well, so he and Matthew could be the first ones out of the starting gate.
Robert wasn't happy he wouldn't get out first, then he heard his other 'brothers' call out second and third rows and before the teen knew it, he was relegated to the fourth row with his dad next to him.
When it was their turn to race, Robert couldn't wait to get out on the racetrack. Matthew and Billy raced out first and were long gone by the time Robert cleared the starting gate. The teen had to clear Charles and Mr. Wayne first and it took him the first lap just to pass Mr. Wayne. Charles was getting better at racing, and he blocked his older 'brother' through the second lap. Robert now had to get passed the twins.
Individually, Kyle and Kevin weren't much of a match against their 'brother', but as a twosome, they caused Robert lots of headache. They worked together to block Robert and it took the teenager until the fourth lap to get past Kevin and the next half of a lap to get past Kyle. Robert was pissed he had to work so hard to get past those four Covers. What he forgot was his dad was right behind him.
Robert had totally forgotten about his dad being on the same row as he was. It wasn't until the man bumped into him from behind that he now had another problem. Dad Ken changed his son's focus to him instead of racing to pass Billy and Matthew who were still out front racing one another.
Robert felt it was so unfair that his own family chose to fight against him. The teen had to fight off his dad and then Kyle came up to him and tried to pass him. And, during all that time, Billy and Matthew were passing some of the other drivers on the same race and Robert would have to pass them before he even caught up to his 'brothers'.
When the teen passed the starting line and he saw that there were only three laps left in the race, he knew he could never gain enough ground to pass and win. Robert was beside himself that they worked against him. The teen just gave up on the race and went slowly around the course until the Red race light was lit indicating the race was over.
Matthew won the race, but it wasn't easy as Billy gave him a good tight race up to the end. The younger Cover was congratulated by his 'brothers' on his win. All the 'brothers' except Robert who sulked and didn't say anything to anyone after the race.
Mr. Wayne nudged his employer to look over at Robert, and the way he was acting. Mr. Ken didn't like what he saw, so he went over to his son to talk to him.
"Robert, son . . . you lost fair and square, so why are you acting this way?"; asked the teen's dad.
"I didn't lose fair and square, dad. You all worked against me, so Matthew could win. You did that once before, but I still won. But today, today you all ganged up against me,"; argued back the teen.
"No, we didn't gang up on you, son. Today . . . today you found yourself further back in the group and you had to work to get past all of those in front of you. During the other races you seem to find yourself upfront, but today . . . today you learned how difficult it is to win from the back. And you have to give Matthew credit when he almost beat you once before.
"And, son, if you look back, you'll remember that Matthew . . . that he always started way in the back of the pack. So, for him . . . even to catch up to you was a big achievement for him. Today, today he was out first, as you mostly have been, and he won. You owe it to him to congratulate him on the achievement. He worked hard to learn how to drive and he earned the win.
"Robert . . . do you remember our talk about being a gracious winner as well as a good loser? Now is the time for you to be a good loser and acknowledge your 'brother's' achievement. . . . Robert?"; asked the teen's dad, when he didn't get a reply.
"Yes, dad, you're right. I was mad that I had to get past all my other 'brothers' to even catch him and they didn't let me. They made me work to get past them. That made me even madder and I tried hard to get past everyone, but as the laps went by, I knew . . . I knew I could never catch him. It doesn't feel good to lose, dad,"; answered Robert.
"How do you think Matthew feels after he lost to you so many times?"; asked dad Ken.
Robert smiled, and his dad pulled the boy to him and gave him a hug. The man then gave his son a slight shove to go over to Matthew and congratulate him.
"Matthew, you drove a hard race. I tried like the dickens to get to you, but I couldn't get past our 'brothers' soon enough to make it a race. Congratulations on your win!"; said Robert, who hugged the youngest Cover.
The Covers loaded into the van and headed over to their favorite ice cream stand. Mr. Wayne bought that night and everyone got banana splits. They sat and ate their concoctions and talked about the race. When they were ready to depart for home, Mr. Wayne gave some money to Kevin to get Chief her medium dish of ice cream. The older twin was not happy.
When the Covers returned home, Chief went directly to Billy to get her ice cream. But Billy showed her his hands were empty, so the resident pet had to go searching for her treat. The dog checked Matthew, then Kyle, next came Charles, and then Robert. Chief was beside herself, as she didn't know who could have her cup of ice cream.
Then, Chief spied Kevin and he had a guilty face on him and she sped over to the older twin to check him out. But the twin showed Chief his empty hands. Chief was perplexed. She could smell the ice cream, but she had no idea which boy had it. Mr. Wayne was the one who placed the treat on the floor for the resident pet.
Chief saw the man put the concoction on the floor and she hurried over to it and began lapping it all up. The Covers watched their pet eat the ice cream, even as the cup moved around the floor as she tried to get to it all.
When the cup was empty, Chief went over to Mr. Wayne, sat in front of the man and presented her hand for him to shake. When the Estate master reached for the paw, Chief jumped up at him and began kissing him. Everyone laughed at how Chief tricked Mr. Wayne after he tricked her.
The Covers headed to the Study to talk as they usually did after a night out or before bedtime. They took their normal seats and Chief lay down next to Billy. They talked about the Go-Kart race that evening and Matthew and Billy told how they fought one another to finish first. Billy then applauded Matthew on his win.
Robert then asked his dad to tell them what he did on his trip to the other amusement parks. Mr. Ken told the boys what he did at each park and how the new rides were not ready due to lots of rain back east all winter long. Robert then wanted to know how Jason was working out for him.
"Boys . . . you were there when Mr. Shartz sent Jason back to the office and got someone new to finish taking you around Fantasy Fun Park. You may also have heard that I offered an important task to Jason as we flew back home. Wayne and Collin weren't happy that I did that, but I needed someone to inspect Edgewood and Crystal Lake amusement parks before I bought them.
"At the time there was a lot on my plate and I did not see a time in my schedule that I could do that before the end of January. In talking with Mr. Shartz, he told me Jason had worked for him for eighteen years and had a very good handle on park operations and maintenance. Sometimes as the boss you have to make a decision that uses a person's strong points even though that person may have some rough edges. Jason, you will agree, had some rough edges.
"Now, looking back, I am happy I chose Jason to do the inspections. When he and I went back to do a final inspection before I would decide if I would buy either one or both parks, Jason had the pictures and maintenance information on all the rides at both parks! His knowledge of park operations and maintenance was invaluable to me making my decision.
"And, as you know, I only bought Crystal Lake. Edgewood . . . it had such poor maintenance records and had rides that I would have to immediately shutter, because they were old and not well maintained. I just hope that Edgewood's owners will do the right thing and shut down those rides we identified, well before they have a tragic accident.
"Now, as for my recent inspections, I found out that the previous owners of Crystal Lake had some information they did not share with me before I made my offer. The bottom line is that the rebuilding and highway extension that was projected to begin next year, which would go past Crystal Lake and further to the lake proper, has been placed on hold.
"Some of the County Commissioners want to use the highway money they promised to the project to spread around their districts in trying to get themselves reelected. I have made a proposal to them and now they have to either accept it, and the highway project moves forward, or, if they don't, then my plans for Crystal Lake will have to be put on hold until new county commissioners are elected and the highway project is back on the front burner,"; finished Mr. Ken.
"So, will we still be able to visit all the parks this summer?"; quickly asked Matthew.
"Yes, Matthew, we will go visit all four parks. And this time we won't be going for just a few hours. I'm going to plan a good ten days for this trip, so we can spend a full day and then some at each park. I also know you all want to visit Crystal Lake, so we'll do that one last,"; explained 'dad' Ken.
"Last?"; spoke up Kevin. "I thought we'd visit it first. We've been to all the other parks and we know what they look like and the rides they have.";
"Yes, Kevin, you have, but by going there last you will get a better perspective of the park and can better compare it to the other three amusement parks. Plus, we'll leave from Crystal Lake and return home and you can all talk about it as we fly home,"; replied Mr. Ken.
"Now, I see it is getting late and you all should head up to your rooms and begin settling down before getting into your beds. Mr. Wayne and I will be up soon. Now git!"; said 'dad' Ken.
The adult Covers gave the boys about fifteen minutes to settle down before going up to say goodnight to them. Everyone slept very well that night.
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