When the small group returned from their Dairy Queen trip, the boys watched as Chief lapped up her ice cream that Mr. Ken personally procured for the estates resident dog. After they enjoyed watching Chief enjoy her ice cream, and being it was already quite late the boys decided they'd get to bed knowing that tomorrow was going to be a long day.
Collin and Ryan headed for their en-suite while Robert and Eric headed for Robert's bedroom. The two new teenagers said their 'Good Nights' to Charles as he headed to his bedroom right next door.
Chief began to go with Robert and Eric when Robert knelt down to the dog and said, "I think Charles might like some company tonight since he doesn't have anyone to share his room with. Chief … this is his first night here with us, and … he might need someone to cuddle up to."
Charles heard what Robert said to Chief and smiled back at his friend and then called out to Chief to go with him. Chief gave a few doggie kisses to Robert before heading with Charles into the lad's bedroom. Before Charles closed his bedroom door, he heard Robert yell to him, "You know where our bedroom is if you need us!"
Everyone, except Charles, slept well that night. Charles' mind was still trying to wrap itself around the fact he was now living with the man everyone called a 'hero' because he took a bullet meant for his foster son, who was actually visiting him right now, too. His mom had told him so much about the man that he had sort of had a 'hero worship' going on, and, now, here he was living with the man his mom had told him so much about. Eventually, Charles' tiredness got the best of him and he did get some sleep.
The next morning, when Robert and Eric woke up, they discussed whether they should enjoy themselves in the room, or the shower. Robert voted for the bedroom, so as not to upset Charles if he came into the bathroom while they were there. Eric agreed with his best friend's logic and the two young teens shared some 'quality 'time with one another.
When Charles woke up that morning, he didn't know what time it was. He had no clock, or watch, but he figured it was getting late because the sun was already shining brightly. He also noticed Chief was also gone, so he figured he better get cleaned up and down to meet with Mr. Ken.
The new foster son grabbed a pair of clean underwear and headed to where he remembered the bathroom was. As soon as he entered, he went directly to the urinal and drained his dragon. He noticed he didn't have his usual morning wood but he figure he was so tired, from yesterday, his body didn't have any energy that morning. It was then he heard the shower so he put his play toy back inside his underwear and walked around the corner to see who was there.
Robert noticed his friend, Charles, as he walked to see who was there and called out to him, to join them. At first Charles was a bit hesitant, but saw both Robert and Eric were in there and they were just showering, so he delayed brushing his teeth and joined the two lads.
Charles took the shower head located between the two new teenagers and felt a bit awkward about it. He noticed the two 'best friends' were separated, and, since he only had the choice of the two vacant shower areas, to use, choosing that one should be okay.
"How'd you sleep, last night Charles?" asked Eric.
"Oh … I guess I slept OK. But, I still feel tired," replied Charles. "Do you guys always shower together?"
"Yes, we do and even when we had a big sleepover, back in the spring, all eight of us used this bathroom. 'Dad' had this one made for boys to use. The one across the hall is for girls to use," answered Robert.
Then Eric added, "Yeah, when the California Boys visited two years ago 'dad', I mean Mr. Ken, he had them use both since they all needed to get cleaned up and ready to go at the same time."
"Who are they … the California boys?" asked Charles.
Robert told him to ask Eric, as he wasn't living here back then. Eric then explained who they were and how he met them, and then gave him the full story. The whole time the boys talked they'd been washing themselves and before long it was time to dry off. Charles thought he'd feel 'weird' by showering with the other boys but when he was finished he thought it was pretty cool. It was then Chief came into the bathroom and barked a few times.
"Uh, oh … Mr. Ken must have sent Chief upstairs to get us," laughed Eric. "When you're here a little while you'll see how he uses her against us." Eric then laughed some more, and then he had to tell how Chief is sent to get them up in the morning, or to find them. Then, he warned Charles how Chief can open and close most doors and if he wants privacy, especially in the mornings, he needs to check and make sure his door is closed. Charles didn't understand what Eric meant until the lad did the universal motion for jacking-off. Charles got the idea right away.
"Come on," began Robert, "we need to get dressed and downstairs for breakfast. If we don't, 'dad' will come upstairs and get us. He's already sent Chief up for us."
"Yeah, where is she? How'd she get … oh, I see what you mean. She came in here to get us and then opened the door and let herself out. Now, I see what you mean," finished Charles, which had answered his own question.
The three boys went to their bedrooms and got dressed for the day and headed down to the Kitchen Nook. As they got to the top of the stairs, Collin and Ryan and Chief met them there.
"I see Chief came and got you two, as well," piped up Eric.
"Yep, she found us, in the shower. Where'd she find you guys?" said Ryan.
"In the shower," replied a smiling Robert, as the five lads walked down the stairs.
The five 'brothers' all walked into the Kitchen Nook at the same time only to hear Mr. Ken remark, "There's my brood of kids. It's about time you all got up for breakfast. Momma can't keep this food warm, for too long, without ruining it."
"Morning 'dad'," called out Robert, and, then, went over and hugged the man.
Eric also called out, "Morning 'dad'", and he, too, hugged the man.
"Morning Big Bro," said Collin, and hugged the man.
"Yeah, morning, Bro," said Ryan, and he, too, hugged Mr. Ken.
Charles saw all this and he was dumbfounded. He didn't know what to do, or to say, as he'd been there less than a day, and this place was nothing like any of the other foster homes he'd been in.
Mr. Ken saw the bewilderment in his new foster son, so he called him over and said, "Charles, they are just being overly polite this morning. They normally don't individually say 'Good Morning' and then hug me. And, since you're the new guy here and you don't even know me that well yet, what say we just say good morning and shake hands. Will that work for you?"
Charles smiled at his new foster dad and said "Yes, sir." Then, as he began to shake Mr. Ken's hand, the man pulled him into a big hug. "I didn't say anything about me not giving you a big hug, now, did I?" laughed Mr. Ken, as he released the new boy. Charles just smiled at the man.
The six current residents of Three Finger Cove talked as they ate their morning breakfast. They talked about the carnival and the foods that they can eat and of course the rides. Mr. Ken told them that everyone would be given a wrist band for the rides and twenty coupons, for each of the food, drink booths, and games booths. He told them that should be plenty and after that there were no more, and that included them. He did ask them to meet with him at about 8:30 so they could all enjoy the fireworks show together.
Then, as the lads began to exit the Kitchen Nook, they all got in line to thank Momma Maria and give her a hug for her cooking them such a great breakfast. Charles saw what they were doing and, from hearing what the other boys told the woman, he knew that was the right thing to do, so he got in behind Robert.
When it came time for Charles turn, he said to the woman, "I want to thank you for being so kind to me last night when I arrived here. Then, this morning … I've never had someone make such a great breakfast, for me, in my entire life. I hope I get to stay here forever, and ever!" The boy then gave Momma Maria big hug. When he let go, he had a few tears in his eyes. Momma saw them and pulled the boy back into her and she gave him a big hug, this time.
Ken Thomas saw the emotions the lad exhibited and knowing from what he observed, out on the carnival grounds the evening before, he decided he needed to spend a few minutes with the lad before he went outside with the boys.
"Charles … can I talk with you, in my Study, for a few minutes before you go outside with the guys. I promise guys, I won't take too long," said Mr. Ken.
Charles followed the man back to the room he was first in, the evening before, and as he walked in that direction he heard his friend Robert, tell him they'd wait for him. That put a big smile on the lad.
As they sat down, in adjoining plush leather seats, Mr. Ken said to the lad, "Charles … I want to apologize for everything being so hectic for you, right now. I never thought I'd get another foster boy, after Collin, and then Ms. Judy asked me to take on Robert, and now I have you, too. I want to welcome you, officially, to Three Finger Cove and I hope you do love The Cove enough that you will want to stay here, with me and Robert and, of course, Chief.
"I also noticed that you … well, that you may not have had many hugs in the past years, especially while in the foster care system, but as you can see … well, we hug a lot here. If you are uncomfortable in doing that, you can just say so and we'll make sure to honor your personal space. So, how did you sleep last night?"
The boy and man talked for a few minutes about Charles bedroom and how well he slept. Then Mr. Ken told his new foster son that he would take him shopping tomorrow, and get him new clothes and a clock. Charles began to argue saying the clothes he has were good enough but all Mr. Ken could do was tell him to talk to Robert, and then he'd understand. The lad left the Study with a big question mark on his face and he decided he'd ask Robert the first chance he got.
True to their word, Robert and Eric, along with Collin and Ryan and Chief, were waiting for him on the stairs. Charles put on a big smile when he saw all four boys waiting for him and he told them 'Thanks'. Then, to Chief, he knelt down and scratched behind her ears and gave her his thanks for staying with him last night, and for waiting for him, now. Chief just smiled big for her new 'master' and then gave the lad a few doggie kisses.
The five lads walked out onto the carnival grounds and Charles, along with Robert, was amazed that no people were there yet. Ryan told the lads that the grounds wouldn't open until twelve, noon, so none of Mr. Ken's guests would arrive before that. He told them the people they saw walking around there, now, were the operators of the food and drink booths and the carnival workers.
The carnival owner saw the two lads who helped 'test' the rides yesterday and he went up to them and asked if they, and their friends, were willing to test the rides again before the rest of the people arrived. Collin and Robert quickly retold their story about the day before when they were given the chance to ride all the rides and that they had a blast. Charles looked over at Eric. Eric looked over at Ryan and the new high school graduate looked back at his two younger 'brothers'. The three smiled at one another and proclaimed, "When do we begin!"
The carnival operator took all five lads over to the Gravitron. The five lads entered the flying-saucer shaped ride and each boy took a position in one of the 45 padded vertical, angled slightly outward, panels. As the ride began to spin, each individual panel, set on rollers, and, due to centrifugal force, each lad naturally began to rise upward.
When the optimum speed was reached they began to experience centrifugal forces equivalent to three times the force of gravity. One-hundred and fifty seconds after entering the ride it was brought to a halt. As the lads were exiting the ride, the ride operator told boys to come back later, when it was dark, and they'd get to experience the ride with all the lights flashing and the sound turned up high.
After being on that intense spinning ride, Charles asked if they could do the Tilt-A-Whirl next. The carnival owner obliged and with the five boys they now walked over to the next ride. When they arrived, the boys had to decide how they would split up as there could only be three people per gondola. Collin and Ryan said for Charles to ride with them, and, so he did. The two sets of lads tried to sit in opposite gondolas of each other but with seven gondolas that wasn't exactly possible.
As the ride operator began the ride, the gondolas began to roll back and forth on their axis as they rode over the hills and into the valleys. The ride then picked up some speed and when it did the gondola with the heavier load, Collin, Ryan, and Charles, began to spin around on its axis more and more. The gondola with just Robert and Eric didn't get as wild a ride as the others. As the gondolas continued to spin, round and round, Charles could be heard laughing hard since he was having a great time. When the ride came to a stop, Robert and Eric wanted to ride it again with the heavier load. The owner reminded them they still have more rides to 'test' and they could ride it later with their wrist bands.
Their next ride was Ghoul City. The owner recommended they do this one next to allow their stomachs to settle some. The ride cars could only hold two people, so that meant one person had to go by themselves. Collin said he would ride alone since he rode it yesterday. Robert and Eric rode together and Ryan and Charles rode the car right after them.
As the ride began, they started up a slight incline that took them to the top of the ride. There they began to see lots of 'scary' creatures along with hearing some funny noises and seeing a few more ghouls and creepy spirits. The ride then took them to the first floor and there they saw more ghosts, strange characters, and a few more scary monsters. When the ride was over, the lads gathered together and laughed at the corny characters and the ride itself. The owner had a smirk on his face, too, as he knew exactly what the boys were talking about.
They next went to The Banzai. This ride took them for a giant 55 foot upside-down loop with nothing below their feet. Sure they were securely strapped into their floor-less seat, with over-the-shoulder restraints, but they found themselves turning upside-down a few times before the ride came to a stop. They all said they enjoyed it but were glad they waited until after the Ghoul City ride.
They then headed over to the Cliff Hanger. When they entered the ride, the operator had the first three lay down on their stomachs in one glider sled and the other two in the next one. The operator made sure they were strapped in correctly and then went over to the controls. As the ride began to spin, the boys found the ride boom arm slowly rising to its 65 degreed tilt. That tilt had the boys rising up to 50 ft. and then quickly coming down towards the ground, all the while the glider sleds swung out, and tilted in the air. The glider had a kite like sail on its top which made it look as if the riders were hang gliding. The five lads all enjoyed the feeling of flying that they all got.
The Ocean Trip, a family flat ride, was next. This was a simple boat shaped ride that went in a full 360 degree circle, somewhat like the Banzai. The thrill here was the lads found themselves being hung upside down for a few seconds as the boat continued to do it's full circle. The boys were all laughing when they came off that ride.
Their next ride went in a full circle, too, but this one had seats that swung outward while the ride tower tilted at 15 degrees. It was called the Trapeze. They next tried Crystal Lil's which was another two story attraction featuring a glass and mirror maze on the first level and funny trick mirrors on the top level. They then moved onto the Scooters and crashed their cars into one another and laughed at their own unskilled driving.
The five boys all shook the carnival owner's hand while they thanked him for allowing them to ride all the best rides before the people began to show and the lines began to form. As they walked along, it was decided to catch up with Mr. Ken and get their wrist bands, and tickets, before the neighbors began to arrive en masse. Mr. Ken told them they were very smart to do that.
The lads, tickets in hand and wrist band in place, went back to the picnic grounds to check out the food booths. It was getting close to lunch time and they wanted to see what there was to eat. They all settled on potato pancakes with ketchup, mustard or sour cream. They'd never seen them prepared the way the church ladies were making them, so they just knew they had to try them. They were glad they did.
By the time they guys ate, the local residents started to arrive at Three Finger Cove. The Police Explorers worked the entrance gate along with the off duty Sheriff Deputies who would also provide security for the day's festivities. The Explorers made sure every resident received a ride wrist band, 20 game tickets and 20 food tickets and told the residents the food tickets also needed to be used for drinks, too.
It was about 1 PM when Robert's cell phone rang. It was Mr. Ken asking that he and Charles, and Chief come up to the Study to meet the new Household Manger. Charles didn't know anything about that position so Robert explained it to him, as they walked up to the front of the house. It was there Charles was surprised to find his friend had a key to the door and used it to let them inside. Charles made a note to himself to ask about the key and the clothes.
As Robert, Charles, and Chief walked into the Study, Mr. Ken said to them, "Boys … I want you to meet Christopher 'Mr. Chris' Dominions. He's agreed to be the new Household Manager. He was going to meet with us yesterday but he had a doctor appointment that went longer than he expected. But he is here now, along with his family."
And then to the man, "Chris, I want you to meet my foster sons, Robert and Charles, and beside them is Chief, the estate's resident dog. Chris, I'll let you introduce your family to them."
"Boys, I am thrilled to get the job here at Three Finger Cove," started out Mr. Chris, as the boys would call him. "I spent two tours in Iraq and Afghanistan and I received this (He showed the lads his artificial leg.). I'm still recovering but this job will allow me to continue to see my doctors which is what I was doing yesterday that went way longer than it should have. This job will also allow me to take care of my family. And, speaking of my family, I want you to meet my wife, Sandra, my little girl, Hailey, she's ten, and my son, Christopher, aka, Chris Jr. He's almost nine."
They all shook one another's hands. Then, Mr. Ken suggested he give Mr. Chris' family a tour of the house and he asked the boy's to join him. Reluctantly, Robert and Charles followed along as Mr. Ken gave the Dominions' the 'nickel' tour. The family was overly impressed with the estate and they did ask a few questions about the shooting.
While the tour was going on, the three other 'brothers' came looking for Robert and Charles. They found them when the group came down in the elevator to the Great Room. It was an awkward meeting but Mr. Ken introduced Collin, as his former first foster son, Ryan, as the Beach Master, and Eric as Robert's best friend and confidant, and frequent visitor. They all shook hands as Mr. Chris introduced his family, to the three new lads.
Ken Thomas knew why the three brothers came into the house so he invited Sandra and her kids to enjoy some of the 4th of July Picnic, while he and Chris talked more about the job. He told them he'd get each of them wrist bands and tickets for food and games and the boys would show them around.
Since it was just past 3 PM, and Mr. Chris' children were hungry, the group walked around the busy Picnic area to see what the kids might like for lunch. Hailey decided on a cheeseburger and soda while Chris Jr. decided to have a foot long hot dog and fries and a drink. Their mom, Sandra, asked if they didn't think their stomachs were big enough for all that but Robert spoke up and said Chief would be more than happy to have their leftovers. Everyone had a good laugh over that.
It was now almost 4 PM when the group finished eating. As they strolled around the midway, the younger kids wanted to try out some of the games. Their first stop was the Duck and Fish Pond. Chris Jr. wanted to do that one so he handed over a ticket and tried his luck. And he did have some luck as he won a nice orange and white plush fish.
Hailey wanted to try the Balloon Burst. The operator gave her three darts for her ticket, and she needed to burst three balloons in order to win a prize. The ten year old was real good with the darts and she won a small prize her first time out. The operator then told her she could win a bigger prize if she burst three more balloons. The young lady gave the man another ticket and proceeded to win a medium sized stuffed animal. She wanted to try it again but mom nixed that idea saying they needed to see what other games they could play. With that, they continued to walk around the estate grounds, checking out all the other games there were to play.
As the group walked along, Robert and Eric spotted the Ski Ball concession and headed in that direction. They each gave the operator a ticket and he gave each of them nine ski-balls to launch into the slanted target. Nine Thousand points was the highest anyone could get and Eric almost did that, scoring an impressive 8500. Robert only scored 6500 and, remembering what Mr. Ken told him about being a gracious loser, he congratulated his best friend for his score. Eric won a medium plush stuffed animal. Robert only won a small one.
Ryan saw the Basketball toss and headed over to it. The teenager gave up one of his tickets and proceeded to try to shoot three basketballs through the hoop. Needless to say, none of them went through the hoop. His friend Collin laughed at him and was then challenged to see how good he could do. Collin didn't do any better. Robert and Eric tried that game, too, and only Robert got one basket through the hoop. Chris Jr. asked his mom if he could try, and getting the OK, proceeded to get all three baskets through the hoop, winning a basketball to take home. The older lads then found out the kid played the game and was a good free throw shooter.
They tried the Water Gun Race next and all eight sat down and gave up a ticket. At the sound of the bell they all tried to get as much water into the target and be the first one to raise up the ball. Sandra was the big winner that time and because there were so many players she won a medium sized stuffed animal.
Up in the Three Finger Cove Study, Mr. Ken and Mr. Chris were talking over the general duties Chris Dominions would be responsible for. Ken Thomas did have a list of the specific duties he talked from but told Chris the man needed to be on the job to get any real understanding of what to do. Ken did stress the problems Jules Diamond found, during his investigations, and told Chris he would need to observe the contractors very carefully to ensure he got his monies worth.
The two men also talked about the boys. Ken made it clear that he would be responsible for the boys and would be their disciplinarian when the time ever came. He did ask Chris to correct the lads if he saw them doing something unsafe, or stupid, or just plain wrong and then tell him about it so he could talk to the lad and take whatever corrective action was necessary.
Chris was curious as to why his new employer brought that subject up and was so adamant about who did what, when it came to the foster sons. Ken told him of the troubles Robert had with the former Household Manager and how, over time, she decided she was the best person to be the lads 'foster anything' and began giving out corrective actions or punishments. Ken then told the new Manager how he, and Chief, found the woman standing over the boy, with a huge metal spoon, held high over her head, and how she had used it to beat the boy with it. Chris was taken aback over the story and thanked the man for that back story.
Out on the Picnic grounds, Chris Jr. wanted to ride some of the rides but the ones he chose were more for his size so the older lads excused themselves and told Mrs. Dominions they would catch up with her and the kids later. Then, as the five 'brothers' walked around, Eric and Robert's friends came up to them
"Hey Robert, hey Eric" called out Brad, as he and Chuck, Gordon, Josh, Trevor, Cody and Logan came up to the five 'brothers'.
"Hey guys, I want you to meet someone," replied Robert.
"Guys, I want you to meet my new 'brother', Charles," continued Robert.
"Your new brother?" a dumbfounded Chuck asked.
"Yep, Charles is Mr. Ken's new foster son, so that makes him my 'brother'," answered Robert.
Chuck went over to Charles and said, "Hi Charlie, my name is Chuck."
Then, before Charles could rectify the lads misunderstanding, Robert said, "No, Chuck, his name is Charles, not Charlie!"
Robert and Eric's friends looked at one another and it was Trevor who remarked that just as they call Robert, Robert they'll call Charlie, Charles. They then all had a good laugh over the obvious.
"How old are you Charles?" asked Gordon.
"Twelve," responded Charles without offering up anything else.
"You gonna be in 8th grade when school starts in August?" asked Josh.
"No … I'll be in 7th grade. I only just turned 12 last April, so I'm not old enough for 8th grade," replied Charles.
"Then, we'll need to introduce you to a couple of kids we know who'll be in 7th grade with you," exclaimed Josh. "I've seen a few of them here already so when we come up on them I'll make sure you meet them."
"Thanks … ahh, Josh is it?" spoke up Charles.
Robert heard what Charles just said and was taken aback over it. He figured Charles would hang with him and his friends and wasn't ready to hear Charles looking for friends of his own already. Robert decided to not say anything but figured he'd talk to Charles later.
"Hey, have you guys ridden any of the rides yet?" asked Cody.
"Yea, we did," announced Robert. "The carnival owner let the five of us test ride the major rides earlier this morning before anybody was allowed into the grounds. You'll like them when you get the chance."
"Oh, okay," said Cody. "You want to hang with us?"
"Maybe later, okay? I want to spend some time with Collin and Ryan and Eric and I also want to get to know my new 'brother' Charles better. Maybe we can catch up later and ride some rides together or play a few of the games if we have any tickets left," replied Robert.
"Oh, okay, that works," announced Cody. "We'll see you guys around the picnic grounds, then. It was nice to meet you Charles, but don't let these two (pointing at Robert and Eric) give you any of their bullshit," laughed Cody. "They've been known to exaggerate their expertise on the ramps," added Cody, as he continued to laugh as he was joined by the others in his group.
"You guys," chuckled Eric. "We won't have to give him any of that so called 'bullshit' because he'll be able to see for himself. Won't he Robert?"
"Is Mr. Ken gonna allow us to use the ramps later?" asked Chuck.
"No! He said there'll be way too many kids here today, and if they see us using the ramps they'll want to, too. Soooo … he said for us to forgo doing that today and besides we have so many other things we can do," responded Robert.
"Like what things?" quickly asked Chuck.
"Well, first there's the rides, then there's all those games to play, and the great food they have here is always good, but … we can all go swimming, too," said Eric, as he answered Chuck's question.
"Yeah, swimming sounds good, real good," offered Brad. "I just love that indoor pool Mr. Ken has."
"The indoor pool can't be used, Brad," spoke up Ryan. "Mr. Ken doesn't want a bunch of people inside the house with all that is going on. You can all use the beach, though," smiled Ryan. "It does have lifeguards for you."
"Oh … OK, Ryan … thanks," said Brad. "But I think it's getting a bit too late in the day to use the beach, now. It's already past 4:30 PM and by the time we all got changed and out into the water the sun will have gone down enough that the air will be cool enough that we'd feel cold when we get out. I think I'll beg off this time," finished up Brad, as he and the other boys walked away.
"We'll catch up with you later Robert. You too, Eric," yelled Josh.
The five 'brothers' continued to walk around the picnic grounds and it was Charles who suggested they go to where the skateboard ramps were so he could see what they looked like. The youngster said he wanted to see what the other boys were talking about so he could see for himself. Collin did remind him that his Big Bro would not be too happy if anyone decided to try them out when he specifically said no one was to use them today. Even with that said, the five boys headed in that direction.
Noticing the late time, Chris and Mr. Ken decided stop their discussions and go looking for Chris' family and the five 'brothers'. They found Chris' family easy enough but finding the 'brother's proved to be problematic. Mr. Ken saw Brad and Chuck and Trevor coming off one of the rides and asked them if they'd seen his foster sons anywhere. The boys said they were supposed to meet up with them later but hadn't seen them since. Mr. Ken thanked the lads and continued searching for the five teens.
After the five 'brothers' checked out the skateboard ramps, they headed back to the picnic grounds to look for Robert and Eric's friends from before. They had no idea Mr. Ken was looking for them.
As the evening moved towards night, over at the Four Corners, five biker's had stopped for gas. As they came out of the station after paying for their gas, one of the bikers noticed all the light emanating from an area not too far from where they were. Their leader decided they'd check it out hoping they would be able to enjoy whatever was happening there.
As the group of motorcyclists got closer to the place where the large amount of light was centered, they began to see there was some sort of carnival going on. They stopped a few blocks from the carnival to discuss their plan and then headed for the party.
When the bikers pulled up to the carnival, they saw there was a gated entrance. The leader saw there was no guard so he decided to lead his biker friend's right through the gate's driveway and into the festival grounds.
The five bikers no sooner pulled into Three Finger Cove when they were approached by the Police Explorer's manning the check-in point. The first Explorer went up to the first biker and tried to tell him that they couldn't park there. But, each time the teenager opened his mouth to speak, the biker gunned his motorcycle and drowned out anything the lad tried to say. Another Police Explorer came up but he went to the other bikers, who had shut down their motors, and was able to tell them they couldn't park there and would have to find other spots.
One of the four biker followers went over to their leader and got him to stop gunning his motor and told him what the 'would-be police-boys' had told them. The leader didn't want to hear that so he shut down his motorcycle and set the kick-stand out to rest the motor where he stopped it. The leader figured the festival only had these dressed up 'kid cops' as all the security they had and so he motioned to his followers to begin to walk towards the action.
The Police Explorer's immediately sensed trouble so they quickly radioed the Sheriff Deputies who were out on duty on the carnival grounds and explained what just happened. The lead deputy told the teens to just monitor the bikers, for now. He then radioed two of the other on-site deputies to head towards the entrance and find out what was happening there. Once that communication was out of the way, the lead deputy radioed headquarters, explained what he had going on, and asked that backup be made aware of the situation and be prepared for a quick response. He then headed towards the front gate.
As the delicate situation played out near the entrance to The Cove, the lead deputy recognized it had the potential to explode into a major confrontation so he searched out Mr. Thomas. While the deputies quickly and quietly converged on The Cove's entrance, Mr. Ken had finally found his 'boys' and they were trying to decide whether to ride a few rides then eat, or vice versa.
Just as The Cove's residents decided to ride before they ate, and ultimately got sick, the lead deputy came up to Ken Thomas and explained what was transpiring at the front gate. Mr. Ken decided to tag along with the deputy to see, first-hand, what was going on and walked towards the main entrance. The five 'brothers' hung back for a few moments and talked about what they thought was happening at the Main Gate. They then decided to go see for themselves, what the hubbub was all about, but also decided to hang back some when they got close.
Up at the gate, the Police Explorer's were trying their best to contain the five bikers while waiting for the on-site deputies to appear. The bikers were none too happy about being told they couldn't join in the festivities and told the teenagers such while using many crude and obscene four letter words. But that didn't deter the bikers as they continued to walk towards the main picnic area. They hadn't got all that far along when the on-site deputies came up to the biker group and told them to "stop right where they were."
"This is a public function, officer, and you can't keep us from attending," spoke up the biker leader.
"Yes, I can!" forcefully offered the Sheriff's Deputy. "This IS a private function on PRIVATE Property and unless you have an invitation I MUST tell you to get on your motors and leave the premises!"
"You gotta be shitting me!" said the biker leader. "This looks like a charity event and we're here to spend our money and help these charities out." The leader then turned to his followers and smiled at them.
Just as the on-scene deputy was about to explain what the carnival was all about, the lead deputy and Mr. Thomas arrived. The three deputies conferred while Mr. Ken listened in. The deputies decision, with Mr. Ken's concurrence, was to politely ask the five uninvited guests to get on their 'rides' and leave the premises before they are arrested for trespassing and disturbing the peace.
The biker leader became incensed at what he just heard and he began to argue with the deputies about what he felt was a gross miscarriage of justice. He demanded to talk to the organizer of the carnival to hear it from that person's own mouth that he and his friends had to leave.
The lead deputy made the decision to not involve Mr. Ken as the man sensed a possible confrontation between the two principal's that would not be advantageous to the owner of The Cove. Mr. Ken just stood by letting the deputies earn their pay.
Meanwhile, the five 'brothers' had slowly walked up towards the gathering of adults and when they were about 30 feet away they stopped. They heard what the deputy told the bikers and the angry response the biker gave in return. The boys knew not to say anything so they stayed quiet. When Mr. Ken turned away from the bikers, so they wouldn't make the connection that he was the carnival organizer, he saw his 'boys' and walked over to where they stood.
The three deputies and now all five bikers began to argue. The lead deputy didn't like the odds so he pressed the button on his shoulder mic and let the loud debate go out over the air-waves. The Sheriff Headquarters heard the transmission and knowing of the potential for a confrontation out at The Cove's annual carnival, they dispatched additional manpower. Deputy Sheriff Dan Fischer was the first back-up deputy on scene. He was followed by three more Sheriff Deputies.
"George, what do we have here? Do we need to take these people into custody or are you just trying to move them along and defuse the situation?" asked Dan Fischer, who was now one of the few On-Patrol Commanders that Sheriff Barnes had appointed when he was reelected.
George Carrillo, the carnivals lead deputy appraised Dan on what transpired so far and recommended they just defuse the situation and send the bikers packing. As the two deputies talked, the other five Sheriff Deputies kept an eye on the bikers and wouldn't allow them to get to their motorcycles. Ken Thomas, and his 'boys', kept watch as the two deputies talked while the other deputies kept the five bikers bunched up. By this time, a few carnival goers noticed all the Sheriff Deputies and wondered what was going on there and began to walk up towards the gate to see what they could see.
It was during the time, while George and Dan talked, that the biker's leader looked over at the man and the five boys when he thought he recognized one of the boys. He took a longer look at the lads and as a certain boy moved and his face caught some light the man yelled out, "Hey Charlie … I wondered what happened to you, boy. Come on over here and let us two get away from here and we'll have some fun together."
Charles didn't know what to do. He was dumbfounded that anyone that far away from his old neighborhood would recognize him but here was one of his mom's old boyfriends who knew who he was. Charles turned his face away from the biker group and began to cry.
It was Robert who took the offensive and yelled, "His name isn't Charlie. His name is CHARLES! He's lived here for a long time so I am sure this teenager is NOT the person who you think he is."
The apparent recognition by the biker and now Charles' crying caught the attention of Mr. Ken who immediately pulled the lad to him and tried to comfort the lad.
"Oh, I know who that boy is. His name is Charlie. His momma was my main squeeze for a long time and I'd recognize him anywhere. Get on over here Charlie and let's go have some fun!" again yelled the biker leader, who then began to walk over to the group of boys.
The biker got three steps towards Charles when Dan Fischer told the man to 'Stop!" The man didn't stop where he was and continued towards Charles. Dan Fischer again told the man to 'Stop' or he'd be arrested. The man stopped but he continued to call out to Charles and for the lad to come to the man and leave with him for 'some fun'. The man yelled out, "Boy … you are one good piece of ass … that's for sure. Come over here and I'll make sure we take real good care of you." The man then laughed out loud.
Ken Thomas knew from the man's taunting that this would not end well if he and the boys remained where they were. He told the lads they were going to go back to the carnival and he'd let the deputies take care of the riffraff. As they walked away, the biker called out again to Charles, one more time, and moved like he was going to run to the boy to take him with him and his biker followers. Then the man called out to Mr. Ken, "Hey, man, you got one prime piece of boy ass there mister. He'll sure make your corn stalk stands real high."
The man then made what looked like a move to go after Charles, so the nearest deputy stepped in front of the man to prevent him going any further. The other bikers didn't like what they saw and they joined in to help get their leader away from the 'dirty cops'. That was the wrong move to make when there were now seven Sheriff Deputies present to maintain order.
As soon as the deputy who stepped in front of the biker leader was accosted by the other bikers, the remaining Sheriff Deputies went into action and began to assist their companion. George Canfields shoulder mic was still activated and when Headquarters heard the commotion they dispatched additional deputies. Within five minutes five additional Sheriff Deputies arrived at The Cove. Their sirens and flashing lights now caught the attention of more of the carnival crowd which began to gravitate to the commotion. Lucky for the deputies they had subdued the bikers before the onlookers could make a nuisance of themselves.
While the Sheriff Deputies took care of the bikers, Mr. Ken took the distraught Charles into the house to try to calm him down. He only allowed Robert and Chief to accompany him. Ken Thomas knew he now had a huge problem on his hands.