 
This book is a work of fiction, the people and places are not real, except in my own mind.

This book is dedicated to the late C.S. Lewis who sparked the imagination of a young girl.

Copyright © by Jodi Woody 2015

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews. Please do not participate in or encourage the piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author's rights. Purchase only authorized editions.

Cover design by Robin Ludwig Design Inc., http://www.gobookcoverdesign.com/.

Tinker's most marvelous mercy

"The quality of mercy is not strain'd,  
It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven  
Upon the place beneath: it is twice blest;  
It blesseth him that gives and him that takes:  
'Tis mightiest in the mightiest: it becomes  
The throned monarch better than his crown;  
His sceptre shows the force of temporal power,  
The attribute to awe and majesty,  
Wherein doth sit the dread and fear of kings;  
But mercy is above this sceptred sway;  
It is enthroned in the hearts of kings,  
It is an attribute to God himself;  
And earthly power doth then show likest God's  
When mercy seasons justice."  
―  William Shakespeare, The Merchant of Venice

Chapter 1

Tinker's restoration

Mr. Topper had been found out, and rooted out of Topperville. Tinker and Ben, (who was once known as Tiny) had taken back their home and restored its rightful name of "Beulah". Funtown, what was left after the storm, had been torn down and the people Topper had held hostage had been set free. The Village, though it had made it through the storm without a single blown away shingle, keeping all the inhabitants safe, had been bulldozed, burnt and buried. Gone was the shanty town where Topper had forced his slave workers to live. Roads had been excavated where the shanty town used to be, lovely little houses built, and small businesses had gone up.

So much had changed over the past year and the rest of the world was just finding out about the farce of Funtown. Topper had been sent away to work in a workshop of Tinker's in another town, where he was kept in a comfortable prison of sorts. Of course he was given another name, so that nobody would try to find him for whatever reasons they may have. For there were some who wanted their revenge and others who still felt Topper's mysterious power calling to them. Tinker, in his wisdom and mercy, had hidden Topper away where he couldn't harm and hopefully would be able to contribute in some small way. Though Tinker had the greatest reason to seek revenge, having everything taken from him and kept for years and years and years, he calmly declared that mercy would heal the wounds much quicker than any other method.

For some, not much had changed. Tommy still worked in the kitchen with Cookie, who he discovered was his grandmother. Janice still worked as a nurse with Doc Luke and the two of them were trying to figure out a way to separate the mechanical parts from the only mechanical soldier who remained, still a man inside the machine. Samuel was still a Skate Squad Leader and lived in the skate academy with the members who didn't find families to live with. Mrs. O'Malley was still head housekeeper of the Mansion, only now she smiled freely and didn't seem 'creepy' at all.

Though Jayde had found her family, Poppy her twelve year old sister, Jayden her father and Cynthia her mother, she still stayed in a room in Beulah, close to Ben's room. Tinker allowed her to stay and was patiently working with Jayde to move on from the past. Jayde, who had turned fourteen, still had issues with her father being the one remaining mechanical men. She wasn't exactly sure why, but she felt uncomfortable around Poppy and her mother as well. Tommy's opinion, that he had voiced quite often, was that Jayde had some misplaced guilt. Because she had been the hostage that kept her family slaving for Topper, while she lived in comfort in what was Topperville, he thought she needed to just dive in and forget the past.

Cynthia taught school for the younger children, while Jayden helped with the building. Both of them were doing the things they loved, what they had been doing before Jayde was taken as hostage by Topper. They had made attempts to remove the mechanical pieces from Jayden's body, but were unable to do so without doing more harm than good. He had been little better than a puppet of Topper's, unaware of anything other than enforcing the boundaries of Funtown and the Village. Cynthia, Jayden, and Poppy, all were hopeful that he could be freed one day. Jayde spent very little time with her birth family, preferring to spend time with those she called family. She wasn't comfortable with the constant reminder of the suffering of her family.

Samuel, who behaved so much older than his nineteen years, also counseled her to spend more time with her family. He still was a leader on the skate squad helping keep things peaceful. Janice, who happened to be Samuel's older sister, had kept her informed on their attempts to free Jayden from the machinery since she was a nurse at the infirmary. But Jayde stayed close to Ben and they continued to spend a lot of time together. Frequently she dined with Tinker and Ben, either in the dining hall with the others, or in their private rooms. Truth be told, she felt that they were more family to her.

Tommy and Cookie on the other hand were reveling in their new found relationship. Tommy had moved in with his grandmother in the little rooms next to the kitchen. She had begun training him as a cook even though he still performed the duties of a cook's assistant. Always a happy boy, he was quite ecstatic. Neither one of them had even given a moment's thought to leaving Beulah. They had loved Topperville even when it was under Topper's evil influence. So they found out Tinker's favorite foods and did their best to please their new master.

Tinker, though truly master of the house, treated everyone with kindness and mercy. He was patient and generous to all. While waiting for the new homes to be finished and Tinker Town to be built, he had found room for all of the displaced people. He had managed to find work for all of the adults so that everyone contributed. Some of the daily chores were done by mechanicals that Tinker had built, like the Cooke's helper that peeled potatoes, the Housekeeper's friend that sucked up dirt off of the wood floors. The children were no longer required to work like slaves, but went to school, had chores to attend to when school was out, and had free time to play.

Of course there were many fun things to do. Over the winter, they had played in the snow, building snowmen and castles. They played cards in the dining hall, sang around the fireplace. In spring they enjoyed the playground that Tinker himself had built for them outside. Gone was the noise and the glamour of Funtown, in its place was the quiet peacefulness of friends and family. Another spring had come and gone and now summer had come in all of her glory.

Chapter 2

Summer's planting

Jayde sat at the table with Ben and Tinker eating faster than a pig gulping down its slop. She was in quite the hurry to get outside. Their last day of school had been Friday and today, Monday was officially the beginning of their summer break. Usually, she liked to linger over the breakfast table with the father and son, but today they were planting some later crops in the town's communal garden. All the early planting had been done while they were still in class.

The garden had been the children's idea. Tommy, who loved food, had mentioned to Ben and Jayde how much produce they had to buy every month just to keep everyone at Beulah fed. That got Ben thinking of what he had learned in biology, and with Jayde's excellent planning skills, soon they had approached Tinker with the idea of a garden. They had spent a few weeks on research and planning as part of a school project. Tinker surprised them all by not only accepting the plan, but by putting the three in charge of the whole thing, with an adult to supervise, Henry.

Henry was an older man who had been one of the ride mechanics for Funtown. But now he was doing what he loved. Before his ill fated trip over thirty years ago, with some young friends from school to visit the so-called wonders of Funtown, he had been in college studying agriculture. His father had been a farmer and Henry surely inherited his father's love for the land.

Of course due to their school schedule, they had had to miss out on most of the actual "work" of plowing, tilling, and fertilizing. But they had ordered the seeds with Cookie's help and had drawn a diagram of where everything should be planted. Today the beans, carrots, cabbage and corn were going into the grown. They had about a dozen friends from school coming to help as well as about the same amount of adults.

"Jayde?" said Ben.

"Huh?" she answered distractedly.

"I asked you if Poppy was going to be there to help us today?" laughed Ben.

"Yes, and Cynthia will be there too," Jayde said as she popped the last bite in her mouth. "Now that school is out she has a lot of free time."

"Are you still calling your mother by her first name?" Tinker gently reproached.

"Yes," Jayde looked down at her plate.

"Why don't you at least try calling her "Mom" or "Mother" if that is easier for you?" suggested Tinker for at least the tenth time.

"I'll try," she used the standard reply.

"I don't get what is so hard for you," Ben said shaking his head. "I was so glad to find my dad."

"I know!" she exclaimed, "But this is different."

"Why?" countered Ben with a frown.

"It just is. Do we have to talk about this now? They are going to be planting soon, and today is the first day that we can be there the whole day!"

"You two run along, I'll be by later to check on things," chuckled Tinker.

"Thanks!" said Jayde as she practically knocked her chair over in her haste.

"But do try to remember what we've talked about," Tinker reminded her as they left.

Ben and Jayde stopped by the kitchen to fetch Tommy. He was just finishing up a big sink of dishes. Cookie gave them each a quick hug, trying not to get flour on them as she was baking the daily bread.

"Will you all be back for lunch, or should I send something out?" she asked.

"Can you send something out?" answered Ben.

"Of course, chicken salad sandwiches on some of your fresh bread?" suggested Tommy.

"And maybe a few cookies?" Jayde piped up.

"What about you, Ben, anything you would like?" Cookie asked.

"Some ice cold, fresh lemonade would be nice," he replied, his smile melting her heart.

"Thanks for letting me have the time off, Grandma. You're a peach!" said Tommy as he gave her a quick peck on the cheek.

"All work and no play is no life for a child. We learned that the hard way, didn't we?" said Cookie gruffly as she returned to kneading her dough.

"Yes, we did," Ben agreed solemnly.

"So off with you, and make sure you don't stay out in the sun all day. Take yourselves some breaks in the shade and drink plenty of water."

"We will!" Jayde called back as they almost ran out the door.

When they got to the garden, Henry was already there. He was an older man who had been one of the ride mechanics for Funtown. But now he was doing what he loved. Before his ill fated trip over twenty years ago, with some young friends from school to visit the so-called wonders of Funtown, he had been in college studying agriculture. His father had been a farmer and Henry surely inherited his father's love for the land.

"Good morning, young 'uns," he greeted them all.

"Good morning, Henry," they each replied in turn.

"I see you are all set to do some planting today. I already had to send one young lady home because she had on her school clothes," he chuckled.

"Was it Kitty?" asked Jayde with a cringe. Kitty was a cute little five year old that everyone had fallen in love with. She had been born in The Village and hadn't known anything better than life under Topper's rule.

"How did you guess?" laughed Henry.

"It's just that she wore rags for so long, that she loves wearing her fancy dresses," explained Jayde.

"That's what I figured. So I simply asked her if she wanted to ruin her pretty dress. She looked horrified and said she'd be right back," Henry replied.

"So we should have enough helpers today. Where would you like us to start?" asked Ben.

"The rows need to be laid out first. Grab that pole with the twine attached and follow me. I'll help you with the first couple, and then the three of you can finish up the rest," said Henry.

They followed Henry out into the rich dark soil and could see the rows already planted were clearly marked with a stake and a sign. The day was already warming up and the dirt smelt rich and earthy. The older man showed them how to place the pole at the beginning of the row and while Tommy held the pole in place, he had Ben take the twine down to the end of the row, creating a straight line. Then he took the handle of his hoe and used it to draw the line along the twine.

"So do you think you can finish up? We will need at least ten rows for today."

"Sure," answered Jayde.

"Ok, I'll leave you to it. You may want to take turns so that Jayde and Ben don't get all tuckered out while Tommy just stands in one spot," he teased.

"Oh, we'll make him work, don't worry about that," Ben said with a grin.

"Hey, I already helped serve breakfast and do the dishes. You two just got up!" Tommy pretended to be offended.

They all laughed as Tommy took one exaggerated step over to where the next row needed to be, held his pole nice and straight and said, "My job is done, you two get moving."

"Do you need some help," asked Vince as he walked up to the three friends. Vince was also a skate squad member and in the same grade as Jayde.

"I think we have it," Jayde answered. "I think three of us are plenty."

Ben noticed that Vince looked a little disappointed and added, "I am sure that Henry can give you something to do, there is plenty of work."

"Thanks, so I'll see you around," he added hopefully as he walked away.

"Why can't you be friendlier?" Tommy asked Jayde.

"What?" Jayde was confused. "We didn't need the help."

"Still, he just wanted to hang out with us," Ben commented. "He doesn't have too many friends and he never found his family."

"He also complains a lot and wants to be the center of attention," Jayde replied.

"Sounds like someone I know, how about you, Ben," teased Tommy.

"Oh, hush up and get back to work," Jayde commanded with a partial smile.

The threesome had marked off their fifth row by the time Poppy and Cynthia arrived to help. Poppy looked a lot like her sister, only her hair was blonde, while Jayde's was a fiery red, also Jayde had green eyes and Poppy's were blue. They both had their father's curly hair, though the younger sister's wasn't quite as unruly. Cynthia looked older than she really was. She hadn't even reached her thirty-fifth year, but the years spent drudging for Topper on his machines had taken a toll. Her once shiny blonde hair was dull and lifeless, her face careworn, and she tended to walk with a stoop to her shoulders.

Poppy ran ahead of her mom and reached the three friends first.

"Hey, Jayde, what are you doing?" she asked when she came to a stop, careful not to step off the grass into the plowed dirt.

"We are marking off the rows to be planted," answered Ben when Jayde ignored her sister.

"Can I help?" Poppy seemed not to care about Jayde's slight.

"We have it under control. Go talk to Henry and see what he needs you to do," Jayde replied.

By that time, Cynthia had met up with her daughters.

"Good morning, Cynthia," offered Tommy with a smile.

"Good morning," chimed in Ben over his shoulder as he stretched the twine.

"Good morning boys. It looks like you three have been busy. How are you this morning Jayde?" her mother asked.

"Good. We have a lot to do today," answered Jayde.

"Well, we'll leave you to your work. I was hoping you could come visit us this evening," said Cynthia.

"Can Tommy and Ben come too?" asked Poppy before Jayde could give an excuse.

"That would be wonderful, how about it boys?"

"Sorry, I already got the whole day off and I promised Grandma I'd help her this afternoon," answered Tommy.

"I can come," Ben replied with a questioning look towards Jayde.

"So then you will both be there around four?" Cynthia asked.

"Sure, I think we'll have time to get cleaned up by then," conceded Jayde.

"Good!" said Poppy. "Now let's go see if I can plant some flowers."

"We aren't planting flowers today, Poppy," said Jayde.

"Yes we are. Henry told me that we plant marigolds around the garden to keep the rabbits away," Poppy insisted.

"She's right, Jayde. Remember I found that in one of the books about pest control," offered Ben.

"Oh, yeah. Um...sorry Poppy," replied Jayde finally looking at her sister.

"For what? You can't remember everything," laughed Poppy.

"Only the bad stuff," murmured Tommy so only Jayde could hear.

"Well, let's get going, Poppy, before all the work is done," suggested Cynthia. "See you later."

"Cynth...um...Mom," stuttered Jayde.

Cynthia turned around with a look of surprise on her face, "Yes, Jayde?"

"Cookie is sending us some lunch if you want to eat with us later," Jayde said finally finding her voice.

"We'd love to," answered her mom with a smile.

After Cynthia was out of earshot, Tommy nudged Jayde with the pole and said, "See that wasn't so hard."

"I think it's your turn to stretch the string, let's rotate, Ben," said Jayde as she tugged the pole away from Tommy with a wicked grin.

Tommy just laughed at her and gave her a big wink.

Lunch with her mom and her sister ended up not being hard at all. Between Tommy and Poppy joking around, and Ben and Cynthia talking about astronomy, Jayde got out of having to have a real conversation with either one. She knew it might be different at dinner that evening, especially with her dad being there. Before she could fret about it too much, lunch was over and they all jumped to their feet when they heard a loud whistle. It sounded much like an oversized tea kettle that had spent too much time over the heat.

Looking almost exactly the way it sounded, slowly rolling down the hill was a mechanical contraption with Tinker and one of his helpers, Barnabus, walking calmly beside it. The younger children ran yelling and smiling as they usually did whenever they saw Tinker. Slowly the crowd, with the monster kettle in the center, made its way to the edge of the garden. Henry wiped his hands on his pants, he never wore gloves, saying he liked the feel of the dirt on his hands, and joined Tinker.

"Well, here she is, Henry," Tinker said with a proud smile.

"Does she work?" asked Henry a little skeptically.

"Of course it will work," grouched Barnabus.

"We are about to find out," laughed Tinker. "Stand back everyone and let's see if the Gardener's Helper is going to do her job."

Quick to comply, everyone made room for the new wonder. Tinker turned a crank and shifted a lever and with a sputter and another slow whistle, the Gardener's Helper rolled through the nearest row. The machine had wide tracks instead of tires, much like a tank. Where a tea kettle had a single spout, the Helper had several sprinkler type projections that sprayed the row on each side with just the right amount of water.

"It's a sprinkler!" yelled Kitty who looked just as cute in her overalls as she had in her frilly dress.

"It is much better than a sprinkler, little Kitty," said Tinker as he caught the little girl up in his arms. "She heats the water up to just the right amount so as not to shock the tender plants when they come up. She holds enough to water one whole section at a time. That way we will need less help watering and everyone will have more time for other things."

"What kinds of things," asked Kitty with big eyes.

"Things like swimming, playing catch-me-if-you-can, and drinking lemonade in the shade," he answered.

"That is more fun than carrying water cans," Tommy piped up.

"Well, Thomas, there is nothing wrong with good honest work, but life is more than work, right Ben?"

"Yes, sir," Ben nodded.

"Somebody should have told Topper that," answered a bitter voice in the crowd.

"Whenever we make one thing, the thing, life is unbalanced and people get hurt. I think that Mr. Topper is learning his lesson. We need to move on and let the past rest. Life in Tinker Town is good. We have friends and family, and look how we all have come together to plant this garden, and to plan for a good harvest."

"And some good food from Cookie," Tommy piped up again.

"Your grandmother touches a lot of people through her gift of wonderful dishes," laughed Tinker while he rubbed his belly. "Now, I think it's time for me to get back to work. Jayde, do you think you could handle the Gardener's Helper?"

"Me," yelped Jayde.

"If you don't want to..." Tommy began.

"Of course I do! I just don't want to break it or anything."

"My dad made it. It's not going to break," stated Ben.

"Ok, you're right. I can do it. You get to help me Ben," she said giving him a pointed look.

"How about me?" asked Tommy.

"Why don't the three of you take turns," suggested Henry. "I'll be right here if you need anything."

"Do you think it is safe to allow the children to use it?" Barnabus asked Tinker. He was a large man with bent shoulders from working over a work bench. He had spiky, stiff gray hair that was cut short and resembled a porky pine.

"Certainly, I trust them," answered Tinker patting the tall man on the back.

"I don't trust all of them," Barnabus mumbled under his breath so Tinker couldn't hear. But replied out loud, "You know best, I am sure."

"What about me?" asked Kitty with a pouty lip.

"Well, Kitty Girl, you can help me look for worms," Henry said with excitement. "We need to make sure we have plenty for our flowers, they help the soil."

"Do I hafta' touch them?" asked the little girl.

"Not if you don't want to," answered the gardener.

"Oh, no, I want to, but mommy is always telling me not to play with them. But, if I hafta' touch them to do my job, then she can't be mad, see?" answered Kitty with a smile and a nod of her little head.

Tinker and Henry both laughed out loud at her reasoning.

"I am sure that your mother won't mind you helping Henry," said Tinker with a wink at the man.

"Oh, goody!"
Chapter 3

Another step closer

When the sun was at its hottest, Cookie sent down some fresh lemonade and some cool cucumber sandwiches, and tucked in the side of the basket were some fresh sugar cookies for dessert. Cynthia and Poppy joined them on the large blanket spread out in the shade of a big oak tree. Jayde was thankful that Ben and Tommy were both there as they helped keep the conversation light. Mostly they talked about the garden and what they wanted to do with their summer off. Jayde was content to eat, rest, and contribute a little to the conversation.

This isn't so bad, she thought. Tinker is right; I need to try harder to be part of my family again.

No sooner had this thought gone through her head, when she realized her mother was trying to get her attention.

"Sorry, what did you say?" muttered Jayde.

"I asked it you would like to join us for supper tonight."

"Can Ben and Tommy come?" Jayde quickly asked.

"Well, sure, if they would like to..." began Cynthia.

"Sorry, I can't," said Tommy. "Grandma already gave me the day off to help out in the garden and I promised to help her in the kitchen for supper. Thanks for inviting me though."

"I think you should spend some time with your family," said Ben with a frown.

"You should come," said Poppy and Jayde wanted to kiss her sister. "My mom is a good cook."

"He is used to eating Cookie's fare, don't get his hopes up too high," laughed Poppies mom.

"Ok, I guess this time I can come. I'll double check with my Dad, but I am sure he will be fine eating without me."

"Great. How about five o'clock?" Cynthia suggested. "We better get back to work, though after that good food a nap doesn't sound so bad."

"Nap! I never like naps," Poppy said in mock horror.

"I'm not particularly fond of them either. I think after being asleep for so long when I was ill, I'd rather be up and about, especially on such a nice sunny day."

"Yeah, you aren't looking so pale these days. Pretty soon you'll be as tall as Jayde, and as chubby as me," teased Tommy.

"I think you've had a pretty good head start on him," Jayde commented with a smile.

"Grandma says I am a husky built boy," laughed Tommy. "She says it with all the pride of a good cook and a good grandma."

"Nothing wrong with liking your food, but now it's time to work some of it off," replied Ben.

"You kids go ahead and I will put everything packed away in the basket and bring it back to the kitchen. Poppy you listen to Jayde and be a good helper while I am gone," Cynthia instructed.

"I will," smiled her younger daughter as she jumped up off the blanket. "Jayde, do you think now you could show me how to mark off rows?"

"Sure, I'm not sure if we will be planting anything else today, but it won't hurt to have a few ready ahead of time."

The rest of the day was spent hoeing, watering, and throwing some mud around. They were all dirty and happy when Henry finally told them it was time to call it a day. Ben, Jayde and Tommy helped put tools away. Cynthia and Poppy had left earlier volunteering to walk Kitty home on their way. Before leaving Jayde's mother reminded them that they would be eating around five. On the way back Tommy took the opportunity to coach Jayde again on how she should behave with her family.

"Wow, you have all kinds of advice today. First you are coaching me on how to be a better friend to Vince, and now you are telling me how to be a better daughter and sister."

"Do you want me to stop?" asked Ben a little embarrassed.

"No, I was just remembering that only a while ago, you were like a little brother, and now you seem to be taking on the role of a big brother," she teased.

"You were there for me when I needed you and I am going to return the favor. Like going to dinner with you tonight."

"I wish I hadn't told my mom we would come for dinner," Jayde admitted to Ben as they walked to her family's small home.

"I just don't understand you, Jayde. Everyone else who found family members were so excited to be reunited and you act like it's such a chore to just eat supper with them. Vince is a good example; he was crushed to find out that he didn't have any family. I should march right back home and have supper with my own father and make you go alone," suggested Ben.

"No! I'm just nervous. I haven't spent a lot of time with my father and to be honest, he's a little scary with all those gears and tubes and stuff."

"He is still your Dad under all of that," reminded Ben.

"I know, I know, but..." she stammered.

"But what?" Ben asked.

"I can't explain it. I'm just not comfortable around him yet," Jayde tried to explain her unexplainable feelings. "Please, just eat with us this one time?"

"Ok, what are friends for if not to help out in awkward situations?"

"Thanks, I'll make it up to you. I promise," grinned Jayde.

"Hey, it's no trouble on my part. I love hanging out with your family. Poppy is funny and your parents are very brave and smart people."

"They are, aren't they," mused Jayde. "Thanks for reminding me. Tommy thinks that I have some kind of guilt thing going on. You know, that somehow I feel guilty for what they went through...maybe he is right."

"Everything that happened in Topperville was totally Topper's fault. No one else is to blame for it. You were all just children, and your parent's were only trying to protect you," Ben reminded her.

"Have you forgiven Topper for keeping you from your real dad for so long?" Jayde asked.

"Of course. Father says that when we forgive, we keep ourselves from getting bitter. Bitterness is like a cancer that can eat us up from the inside. He says that is why Topper was so evil to begin with. He was jealous of my Father and wanted everything he had, but instead of working hard to have a life like ours, he just stole everything away from us." Ben explained. "What about you? Have you been able to forgive him?"

"I think so. Samuel talked to me a lot about it. Janice and he lost everything. Their parents were killed and they have way more to forgive than I do. He said that when we choose to forgive others it benefits us. First I thought that if I forgave him it was like saying that what he did was acceptable, but now I just know it means I am letting go of all the anger and the hurt. Sometimes I still get a little mad about it though," she admitted.

"I do to, but when I do I just remind myself that it is over now and that I have such a good life. Topper doesn't. He is being held accountable for what he has done."

"I'm just glad that we will never have to see him again," proclaimed Jayde.

"That makes two of us," laughed Ben. "Well, here we are and there is your sister waiting outside for us."

Poppy stood outside with a big smile and waved at the two friends as they walked the last block. Her parent's home was small and sturdy. There was a front porch with some rocking chairs and a porch swing all along the front. The yard was neat and tidy and Jayden had built some flower beds along the fence for his wife. Already there were beautiful flowers blooming in them all.

"It's about time!" exclaimed Poppy.

"We aren't late," Jayde said.

"Oh, I know. It just feels like I have been waiting out here forever," laughed her sister. "I am just so happy you guys came over. Mom even made a peach pie for dessert."

"Pie is always good," Ben said with his eyebrows raised.

"Well, come on in," invited Poppy as she opened the front door.

The smell of a good home cooked meal greeted them as they came into the kitchen. Cynthia stood at the stove stirring a big pot and the table was already set. Jayde's mother had on a simple cotton dress with an apron tied over the front. Her hair pinned up and something about the scene caused a memory to come back to Jayde. She and Poppy had been playing with something on the floor as their mother made lunch for them. She heard her mom's voice and it brought her back to the present.

"Hi kids, why don't you have a seat. Your Father will be home soon, Jayde and we will eat as soon as he cleans up."

"It sure smells good," said Ben with a long drawn out sniff.  
"Thank you," laughed the cook. "I am making beef stew with homemade sourdough bread."

"And peach pie!" piped Poppy.

"Jayde's favorite," replied Cynthia with a smile.

"Apple is my favorite," Jayde replied quickly.

"Oh, I am sorry," said Cynthia turning back to the stove. "It used to be your favorite, but I guess peoples tastes change as they get older."

"I still really like peach," Jayde stammered.

"She basically likes pie," Ben added, trying to lighten the tension.

"Me too," said Poppy. "You can tell we are Father's daughters."

The girls' mom turned back around and gave her youngest daughter a smile. "Yes, you have your father's taste in food, and my curly hair."

Before Jayde could say anything, the front door opened. With soft whirring and clicking sounds, Jayden came into the house. He still had attachments over both of his eyes, so it was hard to register emotion, but his face lit up when he saw both of his daughters sitting at the table. Noticing the nervous look on Jayde's face, he smiled and walked to the stove.

"Something smells good," he said as he kissed his wife's cheek.

"Then you better go wash up so we can eat," she replied shoeing him towards the washroom.

Ben gave Jayde a kick under the table as they watched her father walk down the hall.

"Poppy can you get the lemonade out of the icebox, please," asked Cynthia.

As soon as she got up from the table, Jayde whispered angrily, "What was that all about?"

"You should have at least said hello. Didn't you see how happy he was to see you here?"

"I wasn't looking at him, I was...well, I wasn't looking. Shhh, here he comes," Jayde warned.

Her father sat at the end of the table and let out a big sigh. "It's good to be home, and with both of my daughters here with me. I see you brought along young Benjamin as well."

"Yes sir, I couldn't pass up on an invitation for some good food."

"My lovely wife is a good cook," laughed Jayden.

"It's so nice to have a real kitchen again," Cynthia remarked as she began to ladle out the steaming stew into their bowels.

"Mom made peach pie," Poppy announced.

"One of my favorites," replied Jayden.

"Only one of them," teased Cynthia as she sat down with the rest of the family.

Jayden bowed his head and said, "We are thankful for this food and for our family and friends."

There was little conversation as they all tucked into their food, but after a short while Poppy began to tell her father about their day in the garden.

"Jayde showed me how to set off the rows and Tinker showed us his new invention," she said.

"What kind of invention?" Jayden asked.

Ben had his mouth full and gave Jayde a pointed look.

"It's called a Gardener's Helper," Jayde quickly replied.

"It looked like a big teapot," giggled Poppy.

"Did it?" asked Jayden looking to Jayde to answer the question.

"Yes, it really does," Jayde couldn't help smiling at the bemused look on her father's face. "It even kind of whistles like one. We use it to water the garden. The water is slightly warm so that it won't shock the plants during the hot part of the day. It made watering so much quicker than just buckets and watering cans."

"Well, I'd like to take a look at that," Jayden said with a chuckle.

"Your father is quite a man," Cynthia said to Ben.

"Yes, Ma'am, he is."

"We are very thankful for everything he has done for us," Jayden replied.

"He is helping Doc figure out a way to get Father out of all of his gears and stuff," Poppy explained.

"Yes, he talks to me about that sometimes," answered Ben. "If anyone can figure it out, Father can."

"How is that going," asked Jayde without looking up from her plate.

Jayden looked over at his wife and she gave him a sad smile.

"I am afraid not so good. Topper wasn't actually the one who came up with this idea. It was one of the other tinkers he had working for him. That man didn't leave any information behind and according to Topper; he doesn't know how to release me from the mechanics."

"You've talked to Topper?" exclaimed Jayde.

"No, Ben's Father has," Jayden explained.

"I don't think we can trust him. He probably does know but he wouldn't do a thing to help anyone but himself," indicated Jayde.

"I do trust Tinker though. So if he says that Topper doesn't know, then that is good enough for me. Doc Luke and Janice are both working hard to figure something out with Tinker. It won't be long now," he assured everyone.

Jayde couldn't help but notice her mother wiping a tear from the corner of her eye.

"What have you been working on?" asked Ben in an obvious attempt at changing the conversation.

"We have been building new Confectionary for Mrs. Morelli, and as soon as we are done with that Tinker wants us to build a mercantile," Jayden answered with pride.

"A confectionary, that's great! I loved her salt water taffy Tinker brought me some the day he fixed my arm," Poppy replied.

"I even heard from a little bird that she may need a helper after school next year," Jayden added.

"Do you think I could do it?" inquired Poppy with her eyes as big as her bowl.

"We'll see," laughed Cynthia.

"Jayde, are you going to still be on the skate squad this summer?" asked Poppy.

"The Junior squad is only doing a few short shifts. Samuel wants us all to enjoy our summer. There are quite a few senior members and Samuel and Toby are going to schedule us all extra time off. I enjoy skating so either way it's fine with me. I can always skate in my free time if I want."

"Can I get a pair of skate shoes?" Poppy wheedled.

"Have Jayde find out for you," Jayden replied. "Do you think you can help your sister learn to skate?"

"I'm not a very good teacher," Jayde said guiltily, "I think I don't have as much patience as mom."

"Ha! That's funny," snorted Ben, "patience isn't one of Jayde's virtues, but she was able to teach me how to skate."

"Yeah," said Poppy. "I can skate to Mrs. Morelli's after school next year and help her make taffy!"

They all chuckled at Poppy's enthusiasm. They visited and joked around as they ate the peach pie, and Jayde had to admit that her mom's peach pie was better than Cookies, though she would never tell Tommy's grandmother. Soon, Jayden was rubbing his head and looking weary.

"Is your head hurting again, Papa?" asked Poppy quietly.

"Just a little sweetheart."

"I think it's time we get going Jayde," Ben announced.

"Your right."

As they stood up the rest of the family did as well. Ben shook hands with Jayden and thanked Cynthia for the supper. Jayde gave her mother an awkward hug and didn't quite know how to hug her father. Instead she smiled up at him and let him pat her on the head.

"Good night everyone, and thank you for the good time," Jayde said as they left.

"We will have to do it again soon," remarked Cynthia.

"Don't forget about the skate shoes, Jayde," Poppy yelled as they walked away.

"That wasn't so bad, now was it?" Ben lectured as soon as they were out of earshot.

"No, it wasn't," Jayde admitted. "It is still weird, but it was a nice weird."

"You are too funny," laughed Ben as he punched her in the arm and took off running. "Race you home."

Cynthia was helping her husband out of his work clothes, quiet a chore with all of the mechanical parts and pieces attached to him. He looked weary and she could tell that he was fighting another headache. He had suffered from them ever since the day of the big storm. Doc Luke said that it probably had something to do with the eyepiece that was embedded in his right eye. It was bigger and had a greater magnification than the one in his left eye. They had been hoping to remove that part first of all, but hadn't been able to fully dislodge it without damaging the eye.

"I thought you were going to show Jayde the bed you have all set up in her and Poppy's room?" He asked wearily.

"I just couldn't. You see how uncomfortable she still is with us. I so want our family back together so we can move on. That whole life of torture and pain can all be forgotten once our daughter is back home with us," Cynthia sighed.

"What about all of this?" Jayden said pointing to some of the gears and shafts running down his arms.

"Tinker and Doc will figure it out. Besides, you haven't changed on the inside; you are still the man I married all those years ago."

"Just have patience, Cynthia. She'll come around. However, next time she comes over, you need to show her all the work you have done to make this house a home for her. Maybe she just needs to know we want her here."

"We've told her that a number of times. There just seems to be some kind of a wall built up between us," answered his wife. "But you are right. Next time she can see just where she would be sleeping at night."

"Did I tell you today how much I love you?" asked Jayden.

"Yes, you did, but I don't mind at all hearing it one more time."

Chapter 4

The mystery

Jayde was just getting ready to crawl into bed when there was a soft knock on her door. Thinking it was Ben; she grabbed her robe and put it on over her nightdress as she walked to the door. But when she opened it up it was O'Malley, the head housekeeper standing there. Jayde used to think she was scary and that she was spying for Topper, but she found out that Mrs. O'Malley had actually been helping Tinker all along. Now she loved the woman and thought of her as part of her family.

"Sorry Jayde, were you in bed, dear?" she asked as she entered the room and shut the door behind her.

"Not quiet yet," Jayde said with a smile.

"The reason I am stopping by is that I have a favor to ask of you. You were such a help with saving Ben and so many others from Topper that I thought of you right away. Here, I have something to show you."

Mrs. O'Malley pulled a small piece of writing paper from out of the pocket of her apron and handed it to Jayde. When Jayde unfolded it there was a short note in large handwritten ink that said, "There is a traitor among us."

"What does it mean?" asked Jayde with her brows drawn in.

"I'm not quite sure. I don't want to bother Tinker with it unless I think it is important. Someone slipped this under my door last night. I don't recognize the writing and they didn't sign it. I assume whoever wrote it meant it as a warning. I can't be sure. We both know that things aren't always as they seem."

"That's for sure," remarked Jayde. "What would you like me to do?"

"I would like you to keep this to yourself, let's not bother Ben or any of the others with it unless we need to. Do you think you can keep your ears and eyes open, use some of your skate police training and see if you can help me figure out who might have sent this? Also, if there really is someone here who wishes harm, we will need to warn everyone."

"Sure, I can do that. Mrs. O'Malley, do you think Topper could ever come back?"

"No, dear, Tinker would never allow him to escape. He has him under lock and key," the housekeeper assured the girl.

"Good."

"Don't worry yourself, it is probably some childish prank, but you and I will do a little investigating just to make sure," Mrs. O'Malley replied. "Why don't you get on in bed. I'll shut off the light for you and shut your door. I'll pop in tomorrow about the same time and you can let me know if you discovered anything suspicious."

"Goodnight, Mrs. O'Malley."

"Goodnight, Jayde."

As tired as Jayde was from her long day out of doors and her visit with her family, she lay for quite some time and pondered over the mysterious note slipped under Mrs. O'Malley's door. If Victoria hadn't left, she might suspect her of pulling something like this, but she went along with so many others who just wanted a fresh start away from all the bad memories.

Who could be a traitor here? She wondered. Everyone who is left stayed because they love Tinker and Ben. Does that mean that one of Topper's followers is still here, or that one of our own is against Tinker and what he is doing here?

With no answers to any of those questions, she finally drifted off to sleep.

The next morning dawned bright and sunny as the day before. Jayde and Ben had both told Henry that they would be back to help in the garden. Tommy was helping his grandmother with some chores and then they were making a trip to pick up some supplies. She dressed quickly with the note fresh in her mind and hurried downstairs for breakfast.

As she sat down at one of the big tables she looked around at all of the people who still lived at Beulah and ate together in the large dining hall. Most were the ones who didn't have any family. There were several children and a few teens. Samuel and Janice were both there eating side by side. Every face was familiar, and there wasn't one person that Jayde thought would think a note like the one Mrs. O'Malley had would be funny. They had all lost their families thanks to Topper's devious ways.

When Ben came downstairs, he let her know he had already eaten with his father upstairs in their private quarters. Jayde was just finishing up her fruit and French toast, so he sat down to wait. He noticed that she wasn't really focused on her food.

"What's got you so stirred up?" he asked.

"What?" she asked distractedly.

"You are looking around like you have never been here before," he said shaking his head.

"Oh, I just was thinking how lucky we both are to have family. Everyone one here lost someone. A lot of the younger ones don't even have brothers or sisters that they know of."

"That's why it's important for you to make an effort to be nicer to your family and to all of these who don't have one. Eventually you will have to move out of here and move in with them," he declared.

"Tinker said I can stay as long as I want," she snapped.

"I know, don't bite my head off," he laughed.

"Sorry, I know you are right. Can we just not talk about it for once today?" she begged.

"Sure. So, Tommy isn't going with us today. Do you think Poppy will be there?"

"I am pretty sure you couldn't keep her away. I think Cyn...Mom is going to bring her back and both of them are going to help out today again. Why the sudden interest in my sister?" Jayde asked.

"Nothing sudden. I like her. She's funny," he stated.

"And I am not?" Jayde inquired.

"Not on purpose," he teased. "You two are a lot alike actually. A person can never have too many friends."

"No they can't, maybe we should ask Vince to come and help us today," Jayde agreed. "I want to pop into the kitchen and see if we can sneak something for lunch before we head out."

"You don't have to sneak. Cookie is always happy to fatten us up. She thinks everyone should look like her and Tommy," Ben said with a smile.

"I don't think I will ever love food as much as he does," Jayde laughed. "But I do love Cookie's cooking."

When they got to the kitchen, they were surprised to see an older gentleman sitting off to the side with a cup of something hot in his hands. He had longish hair and a full beard and mustaches. You could barely make out a pair of beady eyes in all the hair. He wore old work clothes that were worn but clean and a big floppy hat smashed down low on his forehead.

"Look what the cat drug in," teased Tommy as they walked in, he was up to his elbows in sudsy dish water.

"Good morning, Cookie," Ben and Jayde both sang out.

"Good morning. Out to the garden again today?" she asked.

"Yes, we are. We promised Henry that we would help him out today. Besides we had a lot of fun yesterday. It doesn't really feel like work," Ben replied.

"You don't mind me taking Tommy with me do you? I can't wait until the mercantile is in and I won't have to make these trips any more. So many places don't want to deliver all the way out here that sometimes we just have to make a trip for some special supplies," Cookie said as she continued to work.

"No you can have him, he didn't work very hard yesterday anyway," Jayde said with a wink.

"I did too. I even have the sunburn to prove it," Tommy countered over his shoulder.

"Just teasing," Jayde said looking sideways at the strange man.

"Cookie we were wondering..." Ben began.

"Right over there," she nodded towards a big basket covered with a checkered cloth. "I had a feeling you two would be paying me a visit today. Why you can't just come back and eat like everyone else is beyond me."

"We just like to picnic outside while we can," Jayde explained.

"Thanks a bunch Cookie," exclaimed Ben. "Have fun with your grandma, Tommy."

"I always do," he replied. "Don't work too hard."

Jayde grabbed the basket and turned to see the man staring at Ben. She narrowed her eyes and took the opportunity to look closer while he was focused on her friend. Suddenly he looked right at her and caught her staring. Ben hadn't noticed and the two of them quickly left the kitchen.

"Who was that man?" She asked.

"What man?"

"You're kidding me right?" Jayde demanded. "You didn't see that hairy man sitting in the corner with the big hat?"

"Nope. Maybe he is some relation to Cookie?" suggested Ben.

"No, Tommy would have introduced us, we are his best friends."

"So you've never seen him before?" asked Ben, curious now.

"I don't think so. Only it's hard to tell. He had so much facial hair and that big floppy hat, he could have been anyone under all of that," she admitted. "He was sure staring at you."

"Maybe he is a friend of my Father's and recognized me?" offered Ben.

"Maybe, I'll ask Tommy later," Jayde was thinking of that note and wishing she could tell Ben about it.

They both noticed Vince sitting at a table with a few of the junior squad. Ben motioned for Jayde to do the honors and she took a deep breath and asked Vince to join them.

"I'd love to thanks, but...I have to do something else. Will you let me know when you are going again?" he said looking disappointed again.

"We will probably be out there a lot this summer,"  
Ben mentioned. "Feel free to join us anytime, and not just at the garden."

"Thanks!"

Once they got to the community garden, Jayde forgot all about the strange man and the note. Henry had ordered a truck load of marigolds to plant around the border of the garden to keep pests away. When the truck pulled in with all of the yellow and orange flowers, it caused quite a stir. They spent the rest of the day planting the pungent flowers and making sure that they were watered well. It was nice to have half grown plants instead of waiting for seeds to bloom, and the Gardener's Helper to do most of the watering.

Poppy did come and help them in the morning, but she said that their mother had gone to the hospital with their father. Doc had something new that he wanted to try and do to help free Jayden from his mechanisms. They shared their lunch with Poppy and then she went home to do some chores and start supper for her mother. Before leaving, she asked Jayde if she wanted to come back over to eat with them again. Jayde told her that she had something to do for Mrs. O'Malley and couldn't make it.

Now they were back at Beulah and returning Cookies basket, the stranger was fresh on Jayde's mind again. Tommy and his grandmother were unpacking boxes of supplies.

"Cookie, who was that man in your kitchen this morning," she inquired.

"That was Dugby. He just showed up this morning asking for Tinker. He is a handyman and heard that we might need some help with our building. Tinker asked me to make him welcome. He'll be staying here with us until he can get a place of his own in Tinker Town," Cookie explained.

"Does my father know him," asked Ben.

"That I don't know, Ben. You will have to ask your father about that. He sure was a quiet one, and very polite," replied Cookie.

"Did you two have fun working today?" asked Tommy.

"As a matter of fact, we did. We planted a whole truck load of flowers today," Jayde answered.

"Wow, that's a lot of seed!" exclaimed Tommy.

"No," laughed Ben, "they were plants, not seeds."

"That makes more sense. What kind?" Tommy continued to unpack boxes and put thing away as they talked.

"They were marigolds. Henry says that rabbits, mice, and deer don't like the smell of them and it helps keep pests away from the fruits and vegetables," Jayde said. "I can see why. They didn't smell nice like roses or carnations," commented Jayde.

"I love their colors though, and they will bloom until it frosts," mentioned Cookie. "Would the two of you like a snack? It will be a while before we eat Supper. Are you eating with Ben and Tinker tonight Jayde?"

"Not tonight, Cookie. I want to see Samuel and Janice so I'll be eating with everyone else in the dining hall. Do you think Dugby will be eating with us?"

"More than likely he will be. Why don't you make it a point of saying hello and introducing yourself? I should have introduced you both this morning, but he was being so quiet over in the corner that I plum forgot he was here."

"Either that or you are just getting old," teased Tommy.

Cookie snapped him with her towel and laughed with her grandson. Jayde smiled at the warm relationship they had. Even before they knew that Cookie was Tommy's grandmother, the two had always gotten along in a special way.

Why can't I be like that with my family? Though Jayde.

But said, "I guess we better go wash all of the garden dirt off of us before we eat."

"See you at supper," Tommy called out as they left.

"Ben, tonight ask Tinker about Dugby," Jayde requested.

"Why are you so interested in him?" Ben asked.

"No reason, we just haven't had any newcomers since Topper left. I guess I am just curious," Jayde couldn't look Ben in the eye in case he could tell that she wasn't being completely honest. She felt bad about lying, but she didn't want Ben to worry if he didn't need to. He and his father had already suffered enough.

"Do you want to get together after dinner and I can tell you all about it?" inquired Ben.

"No...Mrs. O'Malley said she needed me for something," she stammered.

"Ok, then I'll see you in the morning." Ben walked away looking concerned but didn't say anything else.

When Jayde came down for supper, she was disappointed not to find Dugby anywhere in the dining hall. Janice was there with her brother Samuel and they beckoned her over to their table. Samuel was a senior skate squad leader and his sister Janice was a nurse in the infirmary. Jayde didn't get to see her as often as she saw Samuel. They were the ones who had enlisted Jayde, Ben, and Tommy's help when they were trying to free the people from Topper's tyranny. Now they were just like family to Jayde.

"Hey, would you like to sit with us?" asked Janice.

"I sure would. I was hoping to see you both tonight," Jayde commented as she sat on the bench across from the siblings.

"How is your Father doing, Jayde?" Samuel inquired.

"Janice would know more about that than I would," mumbled Jayde.

Janice raised her eyebrows and answered her brother's question.

"I think he is getting frustrated. He just wants to move on and all of those mechanicals are just a constant reminder of what happened to him."

"He said he is getting headaches too," Jayde commented.

"So you are talking to him," replied Janice.

"Actually, I ate dinner with my family last night. Ben went with me," Jayde explained.

"Good for you," Samuel reached across the table and patted her hand. "How did it go?"

"It was nice really. Mom is a good cook and between Ben and Poppy, they did most of the talking," answered Jayde.

"Did you talk about moving in?" asked Janice.

"No...I am not ready for that yet. Ben has been nagging me about it. He acts like he is trying to get rid of me," she smiled.

"He just knows how nice it is to be with family," Samuel suggested.

"I know, but aren't you the one who told me that family isn't just those who are related to you?" Jayde countered.

"She's got you there," teased Janice. "He was right too. However, Jayde, that doesn't mean that you can't have both kinds of family. You can still have all of us and your parents and Poppy. The whole time that Topper had them in his grasp they knew you were here away from all of them. This might all be new to you, but to them it is a dream come true to be a family again."

"Tinker has been saying the same thing to me. I guess I am just stubborn or stupid," sighed Jayde.

"Stubborn maybe, but not stupid," Samuel interjected.

"It will get easier," Janice promised.

"Why can't I just be like Tommy and Cookie and all of the other families that were reunited?" wondered Jayde.

"If I have learned anything by being a nurse, it is that no two people are the same. We have all been created differently. Don't ever wish you were like someone else," instructed Janice.

"And I have learned from being a peace keeper that people can change," said Samuel. "If you don't like your attitude then you need to change it."

"How do I do that?" asked Jayde.

"By doing what you did last night. Make an effort to spend time with your family. Ben and Tinker aren't going anywhere. You can still spend time with them, and us," Samuel replied.

"What about me?" exclaimed Tommy as he walked by with a big tray.

"You too," laughed Jayde. "Can you eat with us?"

"I already ate earlier with Cookie; I have to help her serve dinner."

"What if we pitch in and help you serve, then could you sit with us a bit?" asked Janice.

"Sure, but aren't you tired from working all day?" asked Tommy.

"I probably didn't work any harder than any of the kitchen staff," she smiled while standing up.

"Ok, then you better go see Grandma and ask her for some aprons and some instructions," beamed Tommy.

After helping Tommy and some of the other servers get the food out to all of the hungry people, they all sat back down. Tommy still ended up with a plate of food, saying that all of his hard work had made him hungry again. When they were finished eating, they sat around and visited for a while. It wasn't until Tommy said he better be getting back to the kitchen that Jayde remembered the stranger.

"I didn't see Dugby here this evening. Did he eat with you guys earlier?"

"No, it was just the kitchen staff," answered Tommy.

"That's odd, you'd think he would want to meet everyone," Jayde puzzled.

"Who is Dugby?" inquired Samuel.

"He's a stranger to Beulah. We saw him this morning in the kitchen. He said that he wanted to come and help rebuild," explained Jayde.

"It's finally happening. We knew that Tinker Town would grow once the word got out what a nice place it is," Janice commented.

"I think he may have known Tinker before," said Jayde. "Ben is going to find out tonight."

"Got your curiosity up, huh?" chuckled Samuel.

"I guess you could say that..." Jayde said.

"Well, I gotta' go. It was nice eating with you and not having to work so hard," Tommy thanked his friends.

"You are welcome and thank your Grandma for the good food," Samuel insisted. "Jayde, what do you have planned for this evening?"

"I had planned on heading to my room early. I started a book that is very interesting and I am going to read before bed," Jayde answered.

"Summer break and you are reading? Should I have you stop by the infirmary?" teased Janice.

"Ha, Ha," smiled Jayde. "I'll see you on my next shift, Samuel, and Janice, thanks for all that you are doing to try and help my dad."

"Goodnight, Jayde. Enjoy that book," said Samuel.

"Oh, I will."

Jayde didn't have to wait too long for Mrs. O'Malley to show up. While she waited she did read so that she didn't feel guilty about lying.

"So did you find anything out?" asked the housekeeper.

"There is a strange man that just moved here. His name is Dugby. Tommy and I saw him in the kitchen this morning," Jayde proclaimed.

"Oh, did anyone know anything about him?"

"No, Ben was going to find out if Tinker knew him," said Jayde.

"Well, we will give it a couple of more days. If nothing else happens, we will just forget about it. It probably is someone's idea of a joke. I'd like to find out who and send them to over to Samuel so that he could set them straight about what is and isn't funny," Mrs. O'Malley responded.

"People just want to move on and it seems like something is always getting in the way. Even though it is mean, I hope it is just a joke. It is kind of exciting to have a mystery, but we were just talking at supper how people need to get past it all."

"Does that mean you will be leaving us soon and moving in with your family?" asked Mrs. O'Malley.

"You are the third person who has asked me that."

"You didn't answer me, young lady," said Mrs. O'Malley with her eyebrows raised.

"No, other than the day they finished the house, they haven't asked me again. I'm just not ready yet," Jayde admitted.

"I am sure the offer still stands. I know your family loves you and wants you with them."

"I know..."

"Well, I will leave you to your book. You keep your eyes open again tomorrow. I won't stop by. If you find anything out just come and find me. We can pretend like I have a chore for you to do," suggested the housekeeper.

"Speaking of... I told some people that you had something for me to do tonight and I told others that I was going to be reading. I guess I am not so good at this."

"Hmm, if anyone asks, just tell them that I didn't need you after all so you read instead. That would make it more feasible if you had to stop by tomorrow."

"Thanks."

"Goodnight, Jayde."

Chapter 5

Another note

The next morning Ben filled Jayde in on Dugby. He had asked his father about him at Supper. Tinker did know Dugby as they had had some business dealings in the past. Though he was a good handyman, his health wasn't the best so he had eaten in his room and went to bed early."

"Mrs. O'Malley didn't need me after all last night, but she asked me to stop by today. I don't think I'll be going to the garden today."

"Ok, I'll let Henry know."

"If you see my mother and Poppy, can you let them know too?" asked Jayde.

"Sure. I'll tell them you were sorry to miss them," teased Ben.

Jayde thought about it a minute and said, "You know I think I will."

She was smiling when she found Mrs. O'Malley.

"Good, I was hoping you didn't go to the garden today. There is something I need you to do for me," Mrs. O'Malley said and took Jayde by the arm.

She led her by the arm to her office and they went in and she closed the door behind them.

"Look what was slipped under my door last night."

She handed Jayde a folded up note. Jayde unfolded it to see the same handwriting as before. "Beware the fatherless son."

"What does it mean?" asked Jayde as she handed the note back to the head housekeeper.

"I am not sure. I have been thinking about it all morning. I just can't figure it out. I have been thinking of speaking to Tinker about it," admitted the woman.

"Really, so you don't think it is a prank?"

"I am not so sure anymore," Mrs. O'Malley replied.

"So far they are just warnings. They aren't threatening anyone. Why don't we ask for some more helpers?" suggested Jayde.

"Who did you have in mind?"

"Well, Tommy sees pretty much everyone in Beulah. He could keep watch here while I keep a look out at the garden and while I am on patrol," answered Jayde. "Or we could talk to Samuel about it."

"Samuel would want to go to Tinker right away. Why don't you fill Tommy in and we will let it go a few more days."

Jayde spent the rest of the day going through the mansion with a writing tablet and a pencil scribbling notes. Her alibi was that she was taking inventory of some household items for Mrs. O'Malley. In reality she was taking notes of anything that looks out of the ordinary. Tommy was thrilled to help and reminded Jayde that it wasn't much different from what they did before to free themselves from Topper's rule.

Jayde couldn't help catching the mystery fever, even though in the back of her mind she hoped it was only a prank. She did her best not to rouse any one's suspicion, but poked her head every common room in the mansion. Just getting ready to call it a day, Jayde made her way back up to her room to clean up for dinner. She had come out of search mode and was thinking about the aroma that had been coming from the kitchen, when she noticed someone going into Ben's room.

Quickly she snuck past her door and to the end of the hall where Ben had a room next to hers. Putting her ear to the door, she tried to see if she could hear any voices. The only sound was slow footsteps going through the room.

"What are you doing?" Ben stage whispered right behind her.

Jayde jumped and let out a little shriek.

"Ben! You scared me half to death," Realizing that whoever was inside his room may have heard her, she quickly pulled him down the hall into her room.

"Ok...what exactly are we doing?" asked Ben.

"There was someone in your room," Jayde explained.

"It was probably Mrs. O'Malley or one of the maids. I don't exactly keep my room nice and neat."

"No, it looked like a man. It happened so fast and I wasn't paying attention," murmured Jayde.

"Why would you be paying attention to my room? You've been acting weird every since we went to dinner at your parents house," commented her friend. "It's probably just my Father. Let's go right now and you can stop this nonsense."

"Wait! Let's just crack my door and see if whoever it is leaves. Your room is at the end of the hall. If it is your dad he will either walk by here or just go across the hall to his room. If it isn't, they will have to go by my room to get back downstairs."

"Jayde, it's my room and this is my home. I am not going to skulk around..."

Ben never finished his sentence because they could clearly hear his door open and close. If they hadn't been right next door they never would have noticed. Whoever it was, they were trying to be quiet. The two tiptoed to her door and both pressed an ear. They heard footsteps move past them and go down the hall towards the stairs. Suddenly, Ben pulled the door open and jumped out into the hall. He could just make out a man heading away from them.

"Who is it?" asked Jayde excitedly.

"That's weird. It looked like that Dugby fellow. I wonder what he was doing in my room. Maybe he was lost and just too embarrassed to say."

"Are you sure it was him?" inquired Jayde.

"Pretty sure."

"Let's go look and see if anything is missing from your room," she suggested.

"Ok, but I don't know what I would have that anyone couldn't get for themselves," replied Ben.

A search of Ben's room didn't turn up anything missing or suspicious. They both sat down at the small table and Ben just looked at Jayde.

"What?" she demanded.

"You can't hide anything from me, what is bothering you? Is it your family," Ben asked.

Jayde thought about the promise she made to Mrs. O'Malley and took the 'way out' that Ben gave her.

"Yeah, I guess I have been thinking about moving in with them."

"That's great, Jayde. Have you decided when?"

"I think by the end of the summer," she replied.

"Why so long?" Ben asked puzzled.

"I am hoping that by that time they will be able to get all that...stuff...off my father. Every time I see him like that I think about the people he hurt," she explained.

"It wasn't his fault, Jayde. He had no choice, you know that. Topper was controlling him to the point that he wasn't really himself. He can't even remember any of the time he spent as one of the mechanical guards. If you can't forgive what your father did unknowingly, how will you ever be able to forgive someone who does something wrong intentionally?"

"You mean like Topper. Have you forgiven him?" remarked Jayde angrily.

"Actually I have."

"How could you?" she demanded.

"How could I not. Jayde, I am not perfect and I hope that people will forgive me when I mess up. Also, Papa explained to me that when we don't forgive it hurts us more than the other person. Didn't we just talk about this?" Ben asked frustrated.

"I get it, but Topper? He was just plain evil!" screeched Jayde.

"He is just a person like the rest of us. He did evil things, that's true but, Jayde, I have some good memories from the time I thought he was my father. It just isn't worth being bitter about. I have Tinker now and all of my friends. I am happy."

"You wouldn't be if you still had to be around him every day," sputtered Jayde.

"You are probably right. I don't have to be though and I'd like to think that I could still forgive him if I had to. How can you compare your dad to Topper anyway?" drilled Ben.

"I am not! I... look, I don't want to talk about it anymore, ok?"

"Fine, can I sit with you tonight. Papa wants to eat with everyone downstairs in the dining hall. You're not mad at me are you?"

"No," she sighed as she got up from her chair, "and yes, you can sit with me, as long as we don't talk about my family."

"Deal."

As Jayde changed for dinner, she thought about how easily she had been distracted from finding Dugby in Ben's room. Quickly she put on her dress and headed downstairs hoping to catch Mrs. O'Malley before supper. She found her in her office sitting at her desk.

"Can I come in," asked Jayde as she peeked her head in the door.

"Of course, dear. What did you uncover today?"

"At first I thought the day was wasted, but as I was going to my room I saw someone go into Ben's room."

Jayde related the circumstances to the woman, leaving out her argument with Ben.

"So, Ben was pretty sure it was Dugby?" she asked with concern on her face.

"Yes."

"That just doesn't make sense. The timing is right, but Tinker knows him and invited him to stay. Hmmm..."

"I will keep an eye on him as much as I can. I have a skate squad shift tomorrow morning and I promised to work in the garden after lunch with Ben and Tommy," replied Jayde.

"Maybe I will have to sit with our Mr. Dugby at supper tonight," mused Mrs. O'Malley.

"Tinker is eating with us too, maybe he will be sitting with him," suggested Jayde.

"Perfect."

Supper was not disappointing. Jayde sat with Ben and some of the younger skate cadets and the smells from earlier were nothing compared to the good food they were served. Cookie had even made a pudding, steaming and running with caramel sauce. Mrs. O'Malley sat at the head table with Tinker. A few others were there as well including Barnabus, Doc. Luke, Henry, and Dugby.

Jayde figured that the housekeeper had it under control, so she decided to just enjoy her meal and her friends.

"So you are skating tomorrow?" asked Vince.

"Yes, are you?" Jayde inquired.

"I have the afternoon shift with Toby."

"I have the morning shift with Samuel," said Jayde.

"Toby is ok and everything, but I would rather work with Samuel," replied Vince.

"Why is that?" asked Ben.

"Toby is so bossy. Samuel asks you to do something, even though you know you have to, he makes it sound like you have a choice."

"You do have a choice," Jayde remarked.

"Not if you want to stay on the squad," countered Vince.

"That's part of being a team. Doing what the team leaders says," Jayde said matter-of-factly.

"Then maybe we could change shifts?" suggested the boy.

"Can't do. I am working in the garden tomorrow afternoon."

"If you don't like being on the squad, I am sure my father can find something else for you to do," Ben offered.

"No! I love skating. It's ok, I can put up with bossy Toby, it's not that big of a deal."

"Speaking of..." Jayde whispered then said loudly, "Hi Toby."

"Hi, Jayde. Can I talk to you for a minute Vince?"

Vince looked down at his plate and closed his eyes before answering, "Um, sure."

"Will you be back?" asked Ben. "We are thinking of doing some star watching tonight if you want to join us."

"I'll try," said Vince as he followed after Toby.

"He didn't seem too happy about going with Toby," commented Ben.

"He is bossy and he can be crabby like his dad," said Jayde. Toby was Barnabus' son. "But I wasn't going to admit that to Vince. We have to respect our squad leaders. He probably just wanted to go over something about his shift tomorrow."

"With the visitors we have been having on the weekends, you will probably be busy tomorrow," Ben replied.

"Thankfully, the worse thing I have had to handle since Topper left was a little girl who got separated from her parents. We found them frantically searching for her in the park. She had chased a butterfly."

"Sounds like something Kitty would do," laughed Ben.

"What time do you think you will be at the garden?" asked Jayde.

"I will probably help bring lunch down and then stay and work with you," Ben answered.

"Good. Let's go see if we can talk Cookie into letting Tommy help too."

"If you'd like we could ask Cookie for some hot chocolate and do some star gazing tonight. I have a new chart I am trying to fill out. There hasn't been a cloud in the sky all day, so it should be nice and clear," invited Ben.

Chapter 6

Star gazing

Later, after dark, Jayde and Ben were in his room with his star gazing telescope. The sky was clear and they could see lots of stars. Everyone was settled in for the evening and the two of them sat on Ben's balcony each with a mug of hot chocolate. Ben had a chart out and was making notes on their observations. He had his eye to the telescope and Jayde was waiting for her turn. The moon was half full and there was plenty of silvery light bathing the scene before her, so she just let her eyes wander over her cup.

Suddenly she caught movement out of the corner of her eye. Trying to focus in, she squinted and leaned forward. Sure enough a dark shadow was moving across the courtyard below. It seemed to be trying to stay mostly in the dark areas. Not wanting to announce their presence, she tapped Ben on the arm and made a quiet "shhh" sound at the same time. When Ben turned her way she pointed to the moving shadow.

Putting his eye to a smaller telescope he located the shadow in his view piece and then motioned for Jayde to take a look. It took a minute for her to focus in and then a little while longer for her target to move into an area where there was more light. Jayde sucked in a sharp breath and motioned for Ben to follow her inside. Closing the balcony door as quietly as possible, she waited until they were inside to say a word.

"Who was it?" whispered Ben.

"Why are you whispering?" giggled Jayde. "He can't hear us in here."

"He who?"

"It was Dugby," she answered.

"Why was he being so sneaky?" wondered Ben.

"Should we follow him?" Jayde asked.

"Maybe we should just talk to my dad," suggested Ben.

"No, not just yet. Let's just see where he is going first."

The two of them quickly and quietly got down the stairs and out on the grounds. They didn't see Dugby anywhere. Ben started off in the direction that they had seen the old man walking in and they moved as fast as they could without making a lot of noise. Soon, he put his hand up so Jayde would stop. Keeping in a shadow of a large tree, he motioned up ahead. By straining, Jayde could just make out a shadow moving slowly up ahead of them.

They followed the stranger for quite some time, losing him in the dark a few times, only to catch a glimpse again when he walked through a patch of moonlight. After some time, Jayde realized that they were in Tinker Town and getting closer to her parents house. Out of nowhere a panic set in and Jayde just knew he was heading to her house. All sorts of things ran through her imagination.

There is no way I want Ben to see him going to see my father's house, she thought. Is my father the traitor?

Thinking quickly she pretended to trip and called out to Ben. Dugby clearly heard them, but didn't know where the noise came from. The stranger disappeared into the shadows and Ben came back to Jayde. Trying to hide the relief on her face, she collapsed to the ground and grabbed her ankle.

"What happened," whispered Ben.

"I twisted my ankle walking in the dark," she whispered back.

"Can you stand on it?" Ben inquired, forgetting all about the reason they were wondering around at night.

"Maybe if you help me," Jayde replied.

She let Ben help her to her feet and then she limped the whole way back. It took twice as long, but once she had committed to the farce, she couldn't see a way out. It wasn't until they were almost home that Ben mentioned Dugby.

"So where do you think he was going?"

"Well, if your father knew him from before, maybe he has friends in Tinker Town," suggested Jayde.

"Why be so sneaky about it then? A person that doesn't have anything to hide doesn't sneak around in the middle of the night. He was obviously trying to stay in the shadows."

"Can we just not talk about it now? My ankle is really hurting," Jayde lied.

"Well, I am going to tell Papa about it when we get back."

"No! I...I mean..." Jayde let the sentence hang, not sure what to say. She had promised Mrs. O'Malley and then went and involved Ben in their chase after secrets. She had messed everything up.

"What's going on, Jayde?" her friend demanded.

"You know how you had to trust me when I found out that Topper wasn't your father?" Jayde reminded him.

"Yes."

"I need you to trust me again. I can't tell you what's going on until I talk to someone else about it. I made a promise. And I promise you that tomorrow I will let you know what is going on. Can you give me until tomorrow night before you talk to Tinker?" she pleaded.

"Sure. Until tomorrow. Are you in trouble?"

"No," she quickly replied.

Is someone in danger?" he continued.

"Look, we are almost back. If you can wait until tomorrow I will either let you know what is going on, or I will go with you to talk to Tinker. Deal?"

"Deal," agreed Ben.

Getting up the stairs pretending to have a twisted ankle was pretty hard. Convincing Ben not to wake anyone up to look at it was even harder. Jayde managed both and wearily sank into bed. Despite how tired she was, sleep didn't come until the wee hours. Jayde's imagination ran wild with crazy speculations of what her father and Dugby might be planning.

Early the next morning, when most of the household was still sleeping, Jayde explained what had happened the night before to Mrs. O'Malley. She blurted everything out before the housekeeper could even take a seat. After she finished her story, Mrs. O'Malley handed Jayde another note.

"That makes three notes," she said.

Jayde was afraid to open it. Would it name her father as the traitor? Finally she took a deep breath and unfolded the paper.

"Tinker's book was not stolen by Mr. Topper."

"Do you think my father gave Topper Tinker's book of inventions?" asked Jayde in fear.

"Jayde, after what you told me, I think I should have gone to Tinker right away with this. Why don't the two of us go and do that right now. Give me that note back and I will get the other two. We should be able to catch Tinker before breakfast."

When they got to Tinker's quarters Ben was there with his father. Mrs. O'Malley asked if they could talk to Tinker alone, but Jayde asked if Ben could stay. Ben gave her a smile thanking her for keeping the promise she had made the night before.

"Please, Ladies, have a seat. Now, what can I help you with?"

Jayde looked at Mrs. O'Malley and waited for her to explain.

"Let me start by just apologizing right from the start. I have been keeping something from you, Tinker, and now I know that though my intentions might have been good, it was still wrong. Can you forgive me?"

"Of course, Mrs. O'Malley. You have been a trusted friend for longer than most."

"Well the last few nights I have had these notes slipped under my door," she explained as she handed the notes to Tinker.

He read them without saying a word and then handed them over to his son. Ben read the notes and when he got to the last one, he took a deep breath, exhaled and looked right at the two visitors.

"I am the traitor," he stated.

"What!" blurted Jayde.

Ben looked at his father, who gave a nod for him to continue.

"It's kind of a long story," he replied.

"We have plenty of time," said Tinker.

"When I was little, I used to follow Topper around. He was funny and made interesting mechanical toys. He gave me several that I still have in a chest in my room. He also gave me a lot of attention and I spent quite a few hours a day with him alone. After a while he began to talk about Papa and the way that he did things. I was young and I believed his lies. Before long, I began to think that Topper would do a better job using my father's ideas than my father was."

Jayde shook her head, not wanting to believe that Ben could ever be the traitor, yet not wanting to believe it was her own father.

"One day, Topper convinced me to give him Papa's book of inventions. I was able to sneak it away and Topper spent the rest of the day looking over all of the ideas and telling me what he could build and make out of each one. They sounded like so much fun and he talked like Papa would be thrilled to have his ideas improved upon."

"Later, when the Papa noticed the book was missing, he never thought to question me about it. Topper bought me my first star gazing telescope that day and thanked me for not telling my father. Within a few months, my father was gone...and I don't remember how, but I began to believe that Topper was my father and I forgot all about Tinker."

"So, you see. I am the traitor that your notes are talking about. I guess you could say that it was my fault that there ever was a Funtown and that so many people were hurt," he explained.

"But...how..." Jayde was at a loss for words. Her mind was going in a million different directions.

"Once Ben started getting more of his memory back, he confessed what he had done and asked me to forgive him," added Tinker.

"So, someone else must also know about what Ben did," offered Mrs. O'Malley. "I was hoping it was some kind of prank."

"I am afraid it isn't a prank. There must be some other person who wasn't affected by the mind control that Topper used. Hmm..." agreed Tinker.

"Wait, so does that mean that Ben is in danger," Jayde asked.

"It could be," Tinker said with concern.

"Who else knows about these notes?" Ben inquired.

"I told Tommy, just yesterday. Otherwise it is just the two of us," answered Mrs. O'Malley.

"Then can you go find Samuel for me, Jayde," Tinker instructed.

"We are both on the morning skate squad shift, so he is probably in the dining hall."

"Hurry then. You should probably have Tommy come too and he can bring a tray for us all to eat up here," Tinker said.

On her way downstairs, Jayde met Toby on the stairs coming up. She didn't think about it until she reached the dining hall, that Toby and Barnabus had their own home and didn't live at the mansion. Having other things on her mind she quickly forgot about it spotting Samuel just sitting down.

Jayde relayed Tinker's request for him to join them upstairs for dinner. Stopping by the kitchen she asked if Tommy could bring a tray up and let Cookie know that Tinker needed him for a bit. Not wanting to explain anything to Tommy she didn't wait for him and turned right around and headed back upstairs.

My dad isn't the traitor, my dad isn't the traitor. She kept repeating those words as she climbed the stairs. As soon as the words finally sunk in, she began to think of Ben and what it must have been like to remember that his actions contributed to Topper's evil plans. No wonder it was easy for him to forgive Topper, whispered a voice inside. He was just a little boy; he was tricked by a bad man. And now he might be in danger.

When she arrived at Tinker's quarters they were making small talk waiting for Tommy to arrive. Jayde felt antsy and was glad she would get to skate today. It always helped ease the tension and worked off her extra energy. She loved the wind in her curls, her skate boots, and the shiny red uniform. Letting the conversation drift over her, she daydreamed about skating while they waited for Tommy.

As soon as he arrived and the food was dished up, Tinker clued the two newcomers in on what the rest of them had already discussed.

"Wow," for the first time, ever, Tommy had stopped eating when his plate wasn't empty and was shaking his head.

"You don't have any idea who could be writing the notes?" Samuel asked as he pulled a small notebook and a pencil out of his pocket.

"I really don't," answered Tinker. "What is your advice?"

"I think if we can figure out who is leaving the notes, then we can get to the bottom of this."

"We can have someone watch Mrs. O'Malley's door," suggested Ben.

"There isn't any place to hide up here. If they see someone loitering around they will know that we are on to them," Jayde replied.

"She is right, Ben. Unfortunately we are going to have to watch from the inside of the room. Mrs. O'Malley, would you mind staying in a different room for the next couple of nights and I'll stay inside your room with the lights off. When they slip it under the door, I can nab them before they get away."

"She can stay in my room if you let me keep watch with you," offered Jayde.

"That's ok by me. Then after you come off duty you better take a nap, it will be a long night. Speaking of duty, it's about time for our morning shift. Are we all agreed on the plan?" asked Samuel.

"We will leave it in your capable hands squad leader," Tinker approved. "Children, you can be dismissed. I would like to speak with the adults."

The three friends walked in silence until they got to the stairs. Then Ben blurted, "Am I still your friend?"

"Of course!" Tommy insisted.

"Jayde?" asked Ben as they slowly descended the stairway.

"Really, you have to ask...it's all in the past. Besides you were just a little boy. I'm just worried about who we might be catching tonight."

"Why?" Tommy inquired.

"I... I thought maybe my dad had something to do with it." Jayde confessed.

"Why would you think that?" Ben asked with a frown.

"It looked like Dugby was headed to his house last night. That he was the traitor. So I faked hurting my ankle to keep you from finding out."

"I wondered about that. You seemed to be walking just fine this morning. Of all the people in Tinkerville, why would you think it was your dad?"

"I don't know, I guess the whole mechanical thing still bothers me. What if Topper still has some control over him?"

"My Dad said that that wasn't possible," insisted Ben.

"Seriously, Jayde, you need to get over it!" Tommy commanded his best friend.

"I agree," Ben seconded.

"I'm trying. After I see who is behind all of this, my mind will be clearer."

"You just need to make up your mind that your family loves you and that your father is a good man. My father has great respect for yours," Ben encouraged.

"Everyone who knows Jayden respects him," insisted Tommy. "Everyone but you."

"You two are right. I need to sit down and talk to my dad and explain how I have been feeling. I was afraid of hurting his feelings, but I guess not wanting to be around him isn't exactly helping his feelings either. As soon as we catch whoever is slipping these notes under Mrs. O'Malley's door, I'll set a time alone with Jayden."

"Why wait?" Tommy asked as they headed towards the kitchen.

"I'm going to be busy the next couple of days and I don't want to be distracted. It has been years, a few more days won't hurt," Jayde said.

"No, it won't. Can you at least stop by the garden this afternoon on your way back from your skate squad shift and say hello to your mom and Poppy?" suggested Ben.

"Sure. I can do that," agreed Jayde.

Cynthia and Poppy were both working hard when Jayde stopped by. Little Kitty was doing her best to get in everyone's way, but they all loved the little girl so tried to be patient. Toby and his father, Barnabus, were also there. Toby was talking to Henry and Barnabus was just coming out from behind the garden shed. There weren't as many people helping out as some of the excitement had worn off. Most of the younger children just wanted to play.

Kitty came running and showed Jayde a lady bug that she had trapped in her pocket.

"Isn't she pretty?" asked the little girl.

"She is lovely, but don't you think her babies might be missing her?" Jayde replied.

"Oh, I never thought of that. Do you think I should let her go?"

"I think that might be best," suggested Jayde thinking of Kitty's mother finding a dead bug in her pocket at laundry time.

"Where will I find her home?"

"I am sure she knows the way. Why don't you put her on the top of one of the flowers and just let her fly away home," said Jayde.

"Ok, then I am going to see if Henry needs my help. Bye Jayde."

"That was nice of you," said Poppy with a smile.

"I couldn't help thinking of that bug being trapped in her pocket," laughed Jayde.

"I thought you weren't working today," mentioned her mom.

"Not in the garden anyway, but I did want to stop and say 'hello'," Jayde said.

"Good, well let's take a little break in the shade, shall we?" Cynthia suggested.

"You two go ahead, I am going to go and rescue Henry. He's not going to get anything done today, with Toby asking a million questions and now Kitty trying to get his attention," Poppy said as she left her mother and her older sister alone.

"How are you enjoying your summer," asked Cynthia.

"It's a nice change from school, not that I mind school so much," Jayde smiled, knowing her mom loved teaching school. "I can't wait to see how the garden will look like in a few months."

"All the hard work will pay off," Cynthia replied. "It's rewarding to work because you want to and not because you have to. Also, we are all going to benefit from our work, not just a few."

"I am sorry for what you all had to go through," murmured Jayde.

"So am I, but we move on and make our lives better from here. Things are looking up wouldn't you say?"

"Yes, they are," answered Jayde wondering if that was really true.

Chapter 7

Time wasted

The next two nights Mrs. O'Malley snuck over to Jayde's room while Jayde and Samuel hid in hers. There wasn't a single trace of a note or a suspect. They all agreed that whoever it was must have figured out that they were setting up a trap. Two days wasted and nothing to show for it.

True to her promise to Ben and Tommy, Jayde has asked to meet with her father to talk over some things. They were sitting in a sunny secluded spot in the courtyard of Beulah sipping some of Cookies sweet tea. Jayde and Jayden had already discussed the weather, the community garden, and how great the sweet tea was. Not sure how to even start the conversation, she took a big drink and looked at her father out of the corner of her eye.

"I'm glad you wanted to talk, Jayde. Your mom and I have wanted to show you your room. We are still hoping that you will come and live with us," her father started.

"Um, sure. I can come and see it. I think I may need some more time though. That's one of the things I wanted to talk to you about. I'm just not sure where to start."

"Maybe I can help. Does all of this bother you?" Jayden asked as he indicated the mechanical parts connected to his body and face.

Jayde kept her head lowered, but nodded it up and down.

"Do you have any questions for me?" coaxed her father.

"Does it hurt?"

"I sometimes get headaches, but no, the rest isn't painful. I am sure when they installed all of this it was. I don't remember anything past being put under with some foul smelling chemical."

"How do you know that Topper didn't leave something else behind, you know in your head?" asked Jayde finally looking at her dad.

"Doc Luke assured me that Topper didn't have that type of technology. His mind control was done by some type of signals. They were transmitted into an earpiece that Doc has already been able to remove, and the transmitter was destroyed in the storm. That is what killed all of the other men like me. When it blew the receptors in their ears did fatal damage to their brains. The only reason I lived is that I had been knocked out at the time, by that falling beam. Somehow that protected me from the destruct signal."

"Will you ever be able to..." Jayde didn't know how to say it.

"Be normal again," finished her father.

Again Jayde nodded her head, not saying anything.

"Well, I didn't want to get your hopes up, but there is someone who thinks he can help me."

"Really," asked Jayde her eyes wide.

"Really," laughed Jayden. "Tinker knew him from before and he has recently come to Tinkerville."

"Dugby?" Jayde said in disbelief.

"Yes. Do you know him then?"

"I haven't officially met him yet. So that's why he was heading to your house the other night."

"How did you know about that?" he inquired.

"Ben and I followed him," she answered sheepishly. "There has been some mysterious things happening at Beulah and we thought maybe he had something to do with it."

"What kind of happenings," Jayden said sounding worried.

"I'm not sure if I am allowed to talk about it. You can ask Samuel or Tinker. The skate squad is investigating it. Well, Samuel and I are anyway."

"Are you in danger?" he asked with a frown.

"Oh, no, it's nothing like that. It will probably end up being nothing anyway. We just have to check it out, all part of the job," Jayde smiled trying to reassure her father.

She had to admit it felt pretty good to know that he was so concerned about her well being. He may look scary on the outside, but inside he was still her father. Poppy and her mother didn't seem to be bothered by her dad's appearance. Besides Poppy had the artificial arm that Tinker built for her to replace the one she lost in the accident at Funtown.

"You don't have to worry about me."

"That's what fathers do," he explained. "Jayde, you do know that we tried everything we could to keep you safe, before."

"Yes," she whispered. Then turning toward the house she added, "I think that is what bothers me the most."

"What do you mean?" Jayden was confused.

"Everything you all went through was because of me," unshed tears welled up in Jayde's eyes.

"No Jayde! Everything that happened to us, and I mean everything was all Topper's doing. None of it was your fault. What you are feeling is misplaced guilt."

"That's what my friends all keep telling me," laughed Jayde. "Maybe I am just a slow learner."

"Then I guess you take more after me than your mother," he joked. "Honestly, I think we both have some forgiveness issues. Your mother is always telling me that I have to forgive Topper. Even Doc says some of the headaches could be caused from just plain being angry."

"Really?"

"Yes. So what do you say? Should we work on that together?"

"I think I would like that," agreed Jayde. "Dad, I hope that Dugby can help you, but even if he can't I am going to try and not let it bother me."

"That is the best we can ever do, Jayde, just try our hardest and hope for the best."

Later that day Ben, Jayde, Poppy, and Vince were all working in the garden with Henry. Most everyone else had gone home before lunch. The Gardener's helper was moving through the rows with Ben watering all of the fledgling plants growing in nice straight rows. The others were pulling weeds. Kitty was there as usual but wasn't much help, she spent more time chasing butterflies and digging for earth worms than pulling weeds. She was currently skipping in the row next to Ben and trying to imitate the whistling noise that the fancy watering contraption made.

Suddenly the whistle went higher and there was a loud bang! Henry was the first one there, with Jayde and Poppy skidding in the muck a few seconds behind him. Tommy was the last to see the destruction. The Gardener's Helper had literally blown its spout. Water was everywhere; the closest plants were singed and wilting. Ben was laying on the ground a few rows over dazed and wet. Pieces of the Helper were scattered every which way.

Jayde and Poppy kneeled next to Ben trying to assess the damage. Tommy was staring at the mangled helper when suddenly Henry shouted, "Where's Kitty!"

Tommy immediately walked around the helper and began the search.

"Here! She's over here!"

"I'm fine, go help Kitty," Ben told the girls.

When Jayde got to Henry and Tommy she saw Kitty lying on the ground. There was blood and what looked like burns on her body.

"Run for Doc!" yelled Henry.

"Jayde, your faster, go," prompted Poppy.

Jayde took off like a shot, wishing she had her skate shoes with her. She still managed to get to the infirmary quickly and brought back not only the doctor, but Nurse Janice as well. By the time they got there, Ben was up. Quite a crowd had gathered including Tinker.

"Ok, folks let's give Doc some room," suggested Tinker.

The crowd parted and the two medical personnel crouched down to care for the little girl. Henry stayed by her side and refused to budge. No one insisted, knowing how much he cared for the little one. Tommy had gone to fetch her parents and Poppy was standing with Ben and Tinker. The two friends were holding hands. Ben had a handkerchief to this forehead and Jayde could see some blood seeping through.

"Are you ok?" she inquired as she walked over to them.

"Just a scratch," he answered.

"And a lump the size of a hen's egg, one of the little one's ran to Cookie for some ice to put on it," Poppy informed her sister.

"What happened, Tinker?" Jayde asked.

"I am not sure yet. Once Kitty is taken care of and removed out of the garden, I will take a good look at the Helper. From what I can see so far, it looks like she overheated and blew. There is release valves installed even though we never thought they would be needed. I don't understand why they didn't work."

"Do you suspect foul play?" asked Samuel as he joined them, hearing Tinker's explanation.

"It's too soon to tell, but yes, Samuel. I am afraid so."

Ben and Jayde exchanged a look between them. Poppy was too busy watching the doctor with Kitty to notice, but Vince heard it all and saw the look exchanged by the two friends.

They had managed to get the little one on a stretcher. Janice called for Samuel and Jayde to help Henry carry her to the infirmary.

"I'll come right back," promised Jayde.

"Tinker, can you make sure no one but you touches anything, before I get back?" asked Samuel.

"Right, good idea," he replied.

"Everyone can we please stay out of the garden until we can take a good look? If you were here when the accident occurred, please stay close until Skate Leader Samuel can talk to you," Tinker addressed the crowd.

Jayde and Samuel left Kitty in the capable hands of the Doctor. Her parents and Tommy had met them shortly after they had carried their daughter inside. Henry was explaining what had happened when the two skate squad team members hurried back to the garden.

"Why would someone do this?" Jayde asked as they ran.

"That's what we are going to find out!" assured Samuel. "Have you guys ever had trouble with the Gardener's Helper before?"

"No, besides Tinker made it. Have you ever known of one of his inventions not to work? He always tests everything before he reveals it to others," Jayde insisted.

"Your right. Where is it stored when it isn't being used," Samuel huffed as he ran.

"Henry puts her in the garden shed. It's big enough to get her out of the weather. It's not locked. When we get to the garden before him, we can just go in and get whatever tools we need. We never had any reason to lock it."

They were both out of breath by the time they got to the Garden. Tinker was standing next to the helper with his arms lost inside its shattered interior. Most of the crowd had dispersed. Samuel asked Jayde if she had her notebook and pencil handy. She had made it a point of carrying it since she began to look for clues with the first note. Taking it out of her pocket reminded her of the notes.

"Do you think this has anything to do with the notes?" she asked, lowering her voice so that only Samuel could hear.

He raised his eyebrows and gave her a quick nod.

"You go question everyone who was here and see what they noticed. I'm going to go see what Tinker has figured out."

Jayde talked to each person who claimed to be there, she didn't notice that Vince had already left. No one had noticed anything odd. Even Ben said everything was going just fine until he heard the shrill whistle and the bang. Next thing he knew he was on the ground soaking wet. Luckily he hadn't been burned and was only bruised and a little battered.

"What about you, did you notice anything," Ben asked Jayde.

"Not a thing. There were no strangers around. It was just all of us usual garden workers and Vince, where is he do you think?

"He said he had a patrol," Ben answered.

"Maybe it just malfunctioned?" mused out loud.

"My dad built that thing," Ben said with a shake of his head. "There is no way it malfunctioned. He is way too careful to let anything like that happen."

"I know. That's what Samuel and I were just talking about," Jayde admitted.

Just then Tommy arrived and began to ask questions of his own. Soon Jayden and Cynthia showed up relieved to see that both of their daughters were unharmed. Jayde, Ben and Poppy filled the three of them in on what had happened.

"Jayde, can you tell us now what has been going on?" asked her dad.

"Let me go and talk to Papa real quick just to make sure, Sir," Ben answered for Jayde.

Ben talked to his father and then turned and gave Jayde a thumbs-up to indicate Tinker's answer and didn't return to the group. Jayde assumed he was embarrassed about his part in the whole story. She knew her parents wouldn't hold it against him and shared all that had happened since that first note was slipped under the door.

"So Ben gave the book to Topper?" Jayden confirmed. "He must have felt awful when he remembered that."

"He did," Poppy replied.

"How do you know?" Jayde asked with frown.

"He already told me about giving the book to Topper. I didn't know about the notes though," her sister answered.

"He told you, when?"

"I don't know, a while ago. Why are you mad?" Poppy wondered.

"He never told me and we've been friends way longer than the two of you," snapped Jayde.

"Hey," Tommy warned.

"He was afraid to tell you," Poppy said shrugging her shoulders.

"You aren't exactly the forgiving type," murmured Tommy.

"I'm told that I get that from my dad," Jayde pointed out with a grin.

The others laughed, and Cynthia winked at her husband.

"Does it really matter now who knew first?" Poppy asked turning the conversation back.

"No," Jayde took a deep breath, "It doesn't. Ben and I are friends. You are not only my sister but Ben's friend as well. I think I am just tired of all the secrets."

"Do you want every little thing you've ever done shouted from the rooftops?" asked her mom.

"No!" she exclaimed emphatically.

"Well, then thinking that Ben should have shared this with every one isn't really fair is it? Sometimes we all have things we have done in our past that we just want others to forget. If we are truly sorry, and those we have hurt have forgiven us," expressed Cynthia.

"That must have been what Tinker was talking about. He kept saying that we needed to be merciful and quick to forgive. He said that when we do that, the other person can move on and we won't become bitter," Jayde responded.

"That is why we all love him so much. He is very wise and very merciful," said Poppy.

"Here comes Tinker," Jayden said. "Maybe we can get some answers."

"Well?" prompted Jayde.

"It definitely was tampered with. She overheated and the safety valve didn't vent. That super heated water sprung a leak first before she blew. That's how Kitty got burned," Tinker related.

"Did you find leads?" Samuel inquired.

"No, nothing. Ben and I were right here and we didn't see anything suspicious."

"Tinker, I'd like to help if you'd let me," offered Jayden.

"We'd appreciate the help," Tinker replied. "Samuel you can coordinate. I am sure there will be others volunteering. A child was injured and people will be upset. I will need you all to help me keep this from turning into a fiasco. We don't want any vigilante looking for vengeance."

They all nodded or verbally agreed.

"We have worked hard to build this community and to move ahead after the troubles of our past. There is no need to move backwards. I'll get some of my men to come and clean up this mess. Since Henry is still at the infirmary, I'd like to get it done right away, then he won't have to see the damage to his garden. Other than the notes that were left under Mrs. O'Malley's door, we have nothing to go on, but we need to assume that Ben is in danger," warned Tinker.

"Jayden, if you are serious about helping, I would like you to help take some shifts to help protect Ben.

"My pleasure," Jayden said with a smile.

"The challenge is going to be not making it obvious. We don't want them to know that we are watching over him. If either one of your daughters can be with you and Ben, it will throw them off. You need to make it look like you are just hanging out with family and friends. For the most part, Ben, you should go on about your normal business, working in the garden, star gazing, picnics, and all the normal summer things."

"Should I keep all of my skate squad shifts?" asked Jayde.

"Yes, and you need to keep your eyes and ears open whether you are on your shift or not."

"We will sit down and figure out a schedule, but basically if you aren't with your dad, Ben, then you need to be with a group of people that has at least one adult," instructed Samuel.

"Right now, I'd like to go and see how Kitty is doing, why don't you come along, son?" suggested Tinker.

"Can we come along?" questioned Cynthia.

"Of course. Jayde and Tommy, what about you?" Tinker asked the two friends.

"If I don't get back to the kitchen and fill my grandma in, she might make me peel potatoes all night," Tommy joked.

"I think I'd like to look around some more if you don't mind, before they come to clean up the mess," Jayde replied.

"Then you can supervise and make sure that they do as little harm as possible to the plants while they are picking up the pieces of the Gardener's helper. I also think as a precaution that we shouldn't allow anyone bare foot in the dirt for a while. Some of those pieces are rather sharp."

While Jayde scouted around trying to pick up any clues, she thought about the two nights wasted and all the time Tinker had spent on the Gardener's Helper. Now they would have to replant some of the garden where the explosion and the hot water had either killed or damaged some of the plants. After all of the excitement, she forgot all about her intentions of tracking down Vince to see if he remembered anything.

We've got to get a lead on whoever is doing this soon. If anything happens to Ben...at least I'll be able to spend more time with my family without being alone. It will give me a chance to catch up on all the years that were wasted while Topper was in control.
Chapter 8

Redeeming the time

Over the next couple of days, things were pretty normal. Kitty was treated for some cuts, bruises, and a few nasty burns, and then sent home with her parents. Gifts poured in that first day, with the biggest one coming from Henry. Jayde, Ben, and Tinker helped Henry replant the young plants that were destroyed. Not another note had surfaced, and not a single clue.

Jayde's time with Ben and her family ended up being more fun than she thought. They had all gone swimming; Jayden had to watch from the grassy bank, as too much water could cause havoc on his gears. Poppy still managed to splash him quite a bit and Jayde enjoyed seeing her mother and Poppy tease her dad about it. Now, they were sitting under the shade of a big tree resting after a game of croquet.

"Mind if I join you?" asked Vince.

"Not at all," said Jayden indicating a place next to him.

"I just got off my shift on the squad and thought I'd spend a few minutes in the shade. It gets hot in this uniform," Vince explained.

He was still wearing the red, shiny, full piece uniform that the skate squad wore. The hood was pulled off of his head and hung down his back, his whistle hanging around his neck and his skate shoes had been converted to plain walking shoes. Sweat glistened on his face.

"Would you like some water?" asked Cynthia.

"That would be great," taking the glass she offered, he leaned back against the big tree. "So you all were playing croquet?"

"Yes, and Ben and I won," bragged Poppy.

"That's only because you have that special arm that Tinker made you," teased her father.

"Look who's talking!" she snorted.

"I still don't know my own strength sometimes," Jayden replied sheepishly.

"One of the balls is on the other side of the garden and his mallet is shattered," explained Ben.

"Wow," Vince's eyes opened wide. "What else can you do?"

"Vince!" Jayde exclaimed thinking that was rude.

"Its fine, Jayde. Well, young man, I am not completely sure. I certainly haven't tried everything that might be possible. I can see farther with the eyepiece, I can run faster, and both my arms and legs are stronger. That would explain the ball flying so far away."

"But, dad will be back to normal soon. They are working on removing the mechanical parts a little at a time," Jayde added.

"When will that be?" Vince seemed overly curious to Jayde, after all he was her father.

"Hopefully by the end of this month," Jayden answered.

"If they all come off we will be pleased, but if some of them have to stay, we are ok with that too," Cynthia stated.

"Yep, then I can always win at croquet," grinned Poppy.

Jayden grabbed his daughter and ruffled her curls. Vince looked on with envy. Jayde noticed his sad look and remembered that he hadn't found any family members after being freed from Toppers control. They may be an odd family, Poppy with her mechanical arm, her father with his mechanical attachments and she with her crazy curly red hair, her mother was the only normal looking one. In fact the sun and fresh air had been good for Cynthia, she was sitting up straighter and her cheeks looked rosy. Her hair was even sparkling in the sun coming through the leaves.

Jayde felt a spark of pity for her fellow squad member with no family. It wouldn't hurt to share her family and friends.

"We will probably be here for a while if you want to go change out of your uniform and come back," she offered.

"That would be great, but I promised Toby that I would, um, help him fix something," he stammered.

"What are you fixing, maybe I can help," Ben suggested.

"Oh! No, I think it is supposed to be a surprise, so thanks anyway," he hurriedly jumped up and said goodbye.

"That was a little weird..." murmured Ben.

"Yeah, I thought he didn't like Toby. He was just complaining about how crabby and bossy he was," Jayde agreed.

"Why did you want him to come back?" asked Jayden.

"I remembered that he doesn't have any family and I think seeing us all together made him sad," explained Jayde.

"He didn't seem sad to me, just nosey," said Poppy.

"Well, everyone isn't as comfortable or used to being around someone like me," Jayden came to his defense. "It's ok to be curious. Since we are one mallet short and a ball needs to be found, why don't we take a stroll and see if we can locate it. Then we can go to the workshop and see if they can make us another mallet."

"Then can we go see how the candy shop is coming along?" begged Poppy.

"You know it's finished," laughed Jayde.

"Yes, but the entire inventory hadn't come in last time. Mrs. Morelli said that she would have more arriving this week. Besides I want her to see my face a lot this summer so maybe I can get the job this fall."

"A girl with a plan," Ben said with a smile, everyone got a chuckle out of that.

"I just want to make up for all the years I never got to try any of Mrs. Morelli's sweets, and I had to work at a job I hated," mentioned Poppy seriously.

"Well, in that case, maybe we should buy a few to take home with us," suggested her father.

"I think I'll pick something out for Tommy. Even though his grandmother is a great cook, and can bake like nobody's business, I bet I can find something special for him," added Jayde.

"Then I guess I better find something for my Papa too," piped up Ben.

"Mrs. Morelli will be happy to see us," laughed Cynthia as she stood and brushed the grass off of her skirt.

"Oh, good..." Poppy said with a look of speculation on her face.

Later as they were leaving the Confectionary shop, Ben elbowed Jayde and jerked his chin across the street. Walking alone on the other side was Toby and his father, Barnabus. Jayde frowned, not sure what the big deal was.

Ben deliberately slowed down and Jayde taking the hint that he wanted to tell her something also lagged behind.

"What?" she whispered.

"Didn't Vince say he had to help Toby with something?"

"I forgot, do you think they would have already finished?" she wondered.

"If it was going to be that quick I think he would have asked us to wait. You saw how he wanted to stay," Ben pointed out.

"I wonder what he is up to?"

"Clearly not helping Toby."

Jayde went straight to the kitchen to show Tommy what she had found for him. Mrs. Morelli had a little bag of what looked like potatoes made out of candy. Jayde remembered how much her friend hated peeling potatoes. That seemed to be the only chore that he didn't like in the kitchen. He didn't even mind washing huge sinks full of dishes.

"Hey Tommy, could you peel these for me?" she asked as she handed him the little bag.

"Where did you find such little potatoes," he asked in surprise.

"Mrs. Morelli's."

"You mean they are sweets?" he asked.

"Try one and see," she said with a smile.

He popped one in his mouth and started chewing.

"They taste like a sweet potato with butter and brown sugar, only yummier. Do you want to try one?"

"No thank you. I already ate more than what is good for anyone to eat. Poppy took a whole bag home. Mom and Dad offered to send some with me, but I don't have as big of a sweet tooth as Poppy. I think it's because I always had some of Cookie's great desserts and she grew up without."

"What's my excuse then," he chuckled.

"You got me there," Jayde admitted.

"I am glad I don't have to peel the real thing anymore. Tinker said he is working on a lemonade maker. Pretty soon we won't have to squeeze any more lemons. Of course my grandmother is a little skeptic," he added loud enough for Cookie to hear.

"It's not that I don't trust Tinker, but lemonade is very touchy, it is so easy to get it too sweet or too tart. I have it down to a science," Cookie insisted.

"That's why he asked you for the exact recipe and is going to let you try it out so he can fine tune it," reminded Tommy.

"Can I steel Tommy for a bit?" Jayde asked his grandmother.

"Sure dear, he isn't even supposed to be here. He just loves his grandmother so much, he can't keep out of the kitchen," she teased.

"Yes ma'am, that and your cooking."

They headed outside where Jayde could talk to him in private.

"Have you noticed anything weird with Vince lately?" she asked.

Tommy considered the question before answering, "No not especially. Why?"

"It's probably nothing, but today he wanted to hang out with us and was asking all kinds of questions about my dad and his mechanicals. Then I kind of felt sorry for him and invited him to spend the afternoon with us and he said he had to go and help Toby. Later we saw Toby and his dad and Vince wasn't with them."

"I think all of this stuff with the notes and the Gardener's Helper has you grasping at straws," Tommy said. "Any other time you wouldn't have given any of that a second thought. If you are worried about it, go and tell Samuel. Keeping things to yourself and trying to handle it without help only ever gets you in trouble."

"Your right, in fact I should have said something to dad right away."

"At least you're calling him dad. How are you getting along with your family now?"

"The last few days have been really nice. Tomorrow we are eating lunch at their house and Poppy wants to show me the room they have fixed up for me," related Jayde.

"Do you think you'll be moving in soon?"

"Honestly, I don't think I will be ready until all this is settled and I know that Ben is safe. Also Dugby has been helping Doc Luke to remove all of the metal workings from my dad. I am getting used to it, but still would like to wait until he is free from all of that."

"Have they had much luck?" asked Tommy.

"So far only the hand and finger pieces have come off. Everything else is still attached. It's slow going. I am just thankful that Dugby is here."

"And to think that you thought he was the note writer," Tommy reminded her. "That's why you can't be too suspicious of Vince. Things aren't always like they seem. You should have learned that lesson from Topper."

"I know. I am going to find Samuel now and just let him know. He can decide if it is important. You enjoy your potatoes."

"I already did," he said holding up the empty bag laughing.

Jayde ate dinner with Tinker and Ben that evening in Tinker's private rooms. He explained the lemonade maker, and they had easy conversation. Neither father nor son showed any signs of worry or stress. Jayde decided she was going to try to be more like them.

Just before she was about to go to sleep there was a knock on her door. When she opened it there stood Tommy with two cups of hot cocoa.

"Hi, did I get here in time?"

"Yes, I hadn't gone to bed yet. I was studying the notes I took the day of the explosion. What brings you here?"

"Well, tonight at dinner I noticed something you might be interested in. Vince was sitting with Toby and Barnabus and when I walked by they all hushed up like someone clapped their hand over their mouths. I just thought it was weird. I wouldn't have noticed if you hadn't mentioned it earlier."

"That is odd. Vince claims he doesn't even like Toby. I wonder what is going on?" she replied.

"What did Samuel have to say about it?"

"Not much. He just nodded his head and took some notes," she answered.

"Well, I'll let you know if I see or hear anything."

"Thanks Tommy, and thanks for the cocoa," Jayde replied.

The very next morning as Jayde was sitting down to eat in the dining hall; there was a huge caterwauling coming from the kitchen. She jumped up along with a few others and ran to see what was going on. Cookie was yelling, some of the girls were screaming, and there were potatoes and peals flying everywhere. Most surprising was the sight of Tommy whacking away at the Cooke's Helper with the biggest cast iron frying pan in the kitchen. Finally the girls stilled and with one final whack the Helper was too.

"What happened?" Jayde exclaimed.

"That thing went mad! One minute it was peeling away for the morning hash browns and the next it was spitting peelings and exploding potatoes everywhere. Now look at my kitchen!" Cookie angrily spluttered flapping her apron.

"Is anyone hurt?" asked Tinker as he came in the door.

"I am not hurt, girls?" inquired Cookie.

They both shook their heads and continued to stare at Tommy.

"Tommy?" asked Jayde.

"I am fine, but Tinker, I think I destroyed your mechanical," he answered sadly.

"I am pretty sure you didn't have a choice and that someone else sabotaged the helper before you ever got here this morning. Thankfully no one was hurt." Noticing a young man standing beside him with a stricken look on his face, Tinker addressed him, "Vince, go and get Samuel for me please. He wasn't in the dining hall yet."

"Could someone really have gotten hurt, Tinker? It's just a fancy potato peeler," Vince asked with a frown before turning to leave.

"I am afraid so, there are very sharp blades inside and those flying potatoes are quite heavy," answered Tinker giving the young man another look in the face.

"Do you want me to go?" asked Jayde impatiently.

"No, I am going," Vince turned and ran out of the kitchen.

By then there was more people trying to get a look and the kitchen was getting crowded.

"Ok, everyone, if you aren't needed here, then get out of my kitchen. I still have people to feed and food to cook. Now shoo," Cookie admonished the crowd.

Once everyone had left except the staff, Jayde, Tinker, and Ben, there was room for Mrs. O'Malley, Vince, and Samuel to come in. She took one look at the mess and handed another note to Tinker. He quickly unfolded it and read it out loud.

"Beware the ghost from the past."

"What's this all about?" exclaimed Cookie. "Who is this traitor?"

"Your grandson can fill you in later, Cookie, for right now I will tell you that Ben, and apparently others, are in danger," Tinker answered the flabbergasted woman.

"Our Ben! That will never do... some hooligan came into my kitchen and fiddled with my Cooke's helper, well..." she spluttered.

"Tommy, are you ok?" asked Jayde.

"Fine, but Grandma is right, we have a lot of people to feed so maybe we can get this mess cleaned up and you all can figure all of this out later?" he answered sadly.

"Would you like some help peeling the potatoes?" offered Jayde. "I know how much you hate doing that."

"That would be great. Do you think you can fix her?" he asked Tinker indicating the smashed mechanical.

"No, sorry, it wouldn't take much for me to make a new one though. Just give me a few days."

"Thank you, sir," Tommy smiled.

Everyone pitched in to help, Vince most of all. Whatever misgivings that Jayde had allowed about Vince disappeared after she saw how much he helped set things right. He even helped her peel the potatoes so that Tommy could help Cookie with other things. She couldn't help wondering as the pile of peelings grew who could be behind all of this.

That afternoon, Jayde went to visit her father in the infirmary. Doc and Dugby had been at work removing some more of Jayden's mechanical parts and this time he had needed to spend the night. Poppy and Cynthia were both there when Jayde arrived.

"How is he?" Jayde asked Poppy when she saw her standing out in the sunshine.

"You can ask him yourself. He's awake. I just needed to stretch and get some fresh air. The smell of the infirmary always gets to me."

"Have you and mom been here all night?" Jayde inquired.

"Yes, Doc let me use an empty bed and mom stayed in the chair next to Dad," she answered with a big yawn. "Now the sun and the fresh air are making me sleepy. Come on I'll walk you in. We should be able to go home soon. They just wanted to make sure that Dad can keep food down before they let him go. This was a hard one."

"How much...I mean..." Jayde didn't quite know how to ask.

"How much is man and how much is machine?" Poppy laughed.

"Well, yes, I guess that is what I mean," smiled Jayde.

"They were able to get one arm and one eye cleared," answered Poppy as she pulled the door open.

"That's all?" murmured Jayde behind her.

"That's more than we had hoped for this time. It was very hard on him, and there will be some scarring on his arm and face. Please don't act all depressed about it in front of our parents. The rest of us are very happy with this improvement. Doc and Dugby both worked very hard."

"I am happy!" Jayde tried to sound convincing. Poppy turned and gave her a look and just shook her head.

"Really I am. You'll see, I won't make anyone feel bad," she promised.

When the girls walked into their father's room, Nurse Janice and Doc Luke were hovered over him. Jayde couldn't see his arm or his face. Cynthia hopped out of her chair and came to greet Jayde.

"You came just in time. They are taking the bandages off of your father's eye. We will know in a few minutes if he will be able to see out of it."

Jayde bit back what she was about to say. If he can see, she thought to herself. Instead she took her mother's hand and allowed herself to be led to the foot of Jayden's bed.

"Is that my firstborn," Jayden called from the bed.

"Yes, I am here," she answered with a smile.

"Ok, this is the last one. Keep your eyes closed until I tell you, Jayden," said Doc as he removed the last wrap.

Nurse Janice removed a cotton ball off of his freed eye and Jayde could see ugly cuts and some stitches all around his eye. Luckily he couldn't see her flinch. Thinking of her promise to Poppy, Jayde steeled herself and held her breath.

"Ok, now put your hand over the eye with the eyepiece and slowly open this one and tell me what you can see," instructed the doctor.

Jayden did as he was told. Slowly he opened the eye that was clear and blinked a few times. Jayde's heart was slamming in her chest and she was sure her father would be able to hear from his bead. Finally a slow smile spread across his face.

"I see three beautiful young ladies at the foot of the bed. They are a little fuzzy around the edges, but they are sure a sight to behold."

Nurse Janice and Doc hugged each other while Cynthia went to her husband. Poppy squealed and grabbed both of Jayde's hands spinning her around and around the room. Everyone was elated. Suddenly there was a gruff voice from the doorway.

"I assume this means we had success."

"Dugby, yes! We never could have done it without you," Doc went to shake the man's hand.

"How can we ever thank you," asked Cynthia.

"No need. The look on all of your faces is quite enough. I only stopped by to see how things went. After such a long night, I think I will return to Beulah for a nap," with that, the strange man turned and walked out of the room.

Something tugged at the back of Jayde's mind, but with all the excitement she didn't take the time to give it any thought.

"So are you letting us go home?" demanded Poppy.

"Yes, I believe we will. Cynthia let Janice show you how to clean the wounds and change the bandages on Jayden's arm. You won't have to do anything to his eye other that watch and make sure that the stitches are healing. You should regain full sight in that eye over the next few days, Jayden. Just be patient."

"He is the model of patience," bragged Cynthia.

"Ha!" snorted her husband. "That's what you think. Right now I am very impatient to be out of this bed and back at home."

"Do you mind if I come with you? There have been some new developments that I would like to talk to you about." Jayde asked her father.

"It's your home as well, Jayde, you never have to ask and you are always welcome," Cynthia quickly took her daughters hand.

"Thank you, I just wanted to make sure that I didn't tire Dad out or anything."

"Talking with you won't tucker me out. I will be happy to have you all under one roof if even for a short bit," answered her father.

Chapter 9

Unraveling the web

Tinker's living room was occupied by several people all trying to figure out who was behind the recent sabotages and the mysterious notes. Skate squad leader, Samuel was standing in front of everyone and was in charge of the meeting. Mrs. O'Malley, Jayden, Jayde, Ben, Tinker, Tommy, Cookie, and Henry were all present.

"So, we are sure these events are related," Samuel continued. Let's cover what we do know. The first note mentioned a "traitor," it was not signed and was slipped under Mrs. O'Malley's door. Are there any ideas or questions on this first incident?"

"I was wondering," mused Tommy, "Why Mrs. O'Malley?"

"I can't help but wonder the same thing," admitted the head housekeeper.

"Well, you were helping Tinker all along, when the rest of us followed Topper. Maybe this person knows that. There are very few of us who do know that fact and I think we can safely say that one of us did not put that note under your door," Jayde explained.

"Good, Jayde," Samuel said as he added that to his notes. "Anyone else?"

When there were negative head shakes, he continued, "All of us here also know that Ben was the one who gave Tinker's book to Topper. We assume that the "traitor" mentioned is in fact Ben."

"What if it is not?" piped up Cookie.

"Cookie, I know you love my son..." Tinker interjected.

"Tinker, I don't mean to say that he didn't do what he did, I am just saying that there may be another so called traitor," Cookie explained. "We have several new people to our community. There is Dugby for one."

"Dugby isn't new to me," Tinker replied.

"And he helped Doc with my dad," Jayde quickly added.

"Then my mind is at ease with him, but there are others. And if Mrs. O'Malley was able to stay free from Topper's mind control, wouldn't there be others as well."

"Cookie that is a good point," Samuel thanked the elderly woman. "If that is true, then maybe Ben isn't in any more danger than anyone else."

"I do work in the garden, but hardly ever help out in the kitchen, so if either one of those attacks had been meant to harm me, our enemy failed miserably," Ben commented.

"That brings me to the next note, and the Gardener's Helper. The second said that Tinker's book was not stolen. Again, we all assumed this is referring to Ben."

"Now that we all know that Topper got the book from my son, it seems that someone else knows of this fact," Tinker said.

"Then we have the incident at the garden where Kitty was injured," Samuel continued. "We haven't been able to come up with much. Jayde, what do you have from those who were helping out that day?"

"No one remembered anything odd at all," she shrugged. "I was there and didn't notice anything either."

"What about Vince, did you ever get a chance to talk to him, remember he had a squad shift that day and had to leave," Ben reminded her.

"No, I forgot," Jayde admitted.

"He wasn't on the schedule that day unless he changed shifts with someone, Jayde, you need to check that out. Ok, what about the day before. Could someone have messed with the Helper the day before, Tinker?"

"Yes, the damage they did wouldn't have caused the accident until we actually were using her," Tinker replied.

"Who would be able to do that, who would know what would have to be done and what could happen?" Jayden asked.

"Any of the tinkers could figure it out and I explained it all pretty well to Ben and Henry. Do either of you think you could have done it, not saying you did, just from a layperson's view?"

"I know I could have," Ben said.

"I guess with the work I did on the Funtown rides, I probably could have with the information you gave me," answered Henry.

"So you're saying that anyone who worked on a ride could have done it!" exclaimed Jayde feeling like there were way too many suspects.

"No, not without Tinker going into all the details and showing me how she worked," Henry replied.

"Ok, so did anyone see any of the other tinkers around the garden the day before?" asked Samuel.

"Oh, yes, I almost forgot!" Jayde said. "I had stopped by to see my mom and Poppy the day before and I saw Barnabus coming out of the shed."

"When was this? I don't remember seeing Barnabus, and he certainly didn't say he needed anything in the shed," Henry inquired.

"You were talking to Toby at the time," Jayde commented. "Even Poppy said something about how many questions Toby had been asking you."

"Yep, that boy wanted to know the whole history of gardening...hmmm."

"What are you thinking, Henry?" asked Samuel.

"It just seems a little peculiar that he chose that time to be so curious about the subject."

"Yes, it does. He has never even helped us in the garden before or since that day," Ben offered.

"Ok, I think we are agreed that Toby and Barnabus need to be included in our suspects," Samuel said.

"What about Vince then?" Tommy asked. "He also has been hanging out with those two."

"Yes, they not only have been eating together, but several times Vince said he had something to do for Toby," Jayde added. "And he left the garden saying he had a skate shift when you say that he didn't, Samuel."

"Let's add him as well then," Samuel said. "Moving on we then have the third note. Again, it was left under Mrs. O'Malley's door. This note warns of "the fatherless son." I hate to sound like I am repeating myself, but it also seems to be referring to Ben.

"Unless they are referring to another son, Ben clearly has a father," pointed out Cookie.

"If it is someone who was sympathetic with Topper, they would consider Ben "fatherless" wouldn't they. After all Topper is gone and won't be back," suggested Jayden.

"And if there were others that managed to stay clear of Topper's mind control, maybe someone Topper trusted, they could be working for him," Jayde said with some fear in her voice.

"Let me assure all of you that I know exactly where Topper is and this has nothing to do with him. He is no longer a threat to anyone here," promised Tinker. "Having said that, it doesn't mean that there isn't someone who feels that Ben betrayed Topper and is looking for a reason to get back at Ben."

"I almost wish you all hadn't included me in all of this," Cookie admitted shaking her head. "After all that poor boy has been through, after everything we all have been through, to think that someone would want things back the way they were."

"Cookie you are right! Why didn't I think of that," said Jayde.

"Would you like to fill us in on your revelation?" Tommy asked her.

"Who had a good life under Topper? It certainly wouldn't be someone who ran one of the rides. My parents can attest to that. They had nothing but heartache and hard work. We need to look at who was living well."

"Well, I did, and most of us that lived here. The orphans were also treated well, and those who ran the shops and hotels," Cookie replied.

"Also the other tinkers," Ben added.

"And we already said that they would have known how to sabotage the Gardener's Helper," Samuel replied.

"And the Cooke's Helper!" Tommy exclaimed.

"So we have narrowed it down, and out of all of our suspects that would leave Barnabus, and possibly Toby and Vince as well," Tinker pointed out. "So what do we do now?"

"When I need to catch a rat in the kitchen, I set a trap," Cookie replied practically.

Chapter 10

The trap

"Hello, Vince. Some of us are going fishing this afternoon; would you like to come with us?" Jayde asked as they were going into the Skate Patrol building.

"Who all is going?" he inquired.

"Tommy and I, and I think my sister is coming too."

"Ben can't come?" he casually asked.

"No, his dad is going to be gone today, and Ben is working on a surprise for him while he is away. It's not very often that Tinker isn't home," Jayde informed Vince.

"How about your dad, can he come?"

"He will be at the infirmary today; my mom is staying with him. He didn't want Poppy and I to hang around and wait so he suggested we go fishing," answered Jayde. "Cookie is sending a picnic basket along."

"I think I might be able to...what time?"

"We are going to meet by the garden at noon," Jayde said. "If you can come, just meet us there."

"Thanks. Oh, can you tell Samuel that I will be late? I just realized I forgot my whistle. I'll be right back," Vince ran back out the way they had just come.

When Jayde entered the room, she told Samuel what Vince had said.

"Well, that's that," Samuel commented.

Shortly after twelve, Vince met Tommy, Poppy, and Jayde in the garden. He had a fishing pole with him and looked anything but excited about going. When the two friends greeted him, he plastered on a fake smile and they all headed for the fishing hole.

After several attempts to get Vince to talk, Jayde finally gave up. The three of them just sat at the bank of the pond and worried about what was happening back at Beulah. The fish weren't biting much since it was the hottest part of the day and Jayde wished she hadn't agreed to keep Vince busy. She wanted to be back where all the excitement would be. Just when she was going to suggest they head back, Vince broke the silence.

"I can't do this," he said jumping up.

"What?" asked Tommy.

"I'm sorry, I gotta' go. There is something I need to do," he stammered.

"Wait, Vince!" Jayde too jumped up and stopped him by grabbing his arm. "What's going on?"

"Look, I did something stupid and now I wish I hadn't. If I hurry maybe I can stop it," what he was saying wouldn't have made any sense if Tommy and Jayde hadn't known what was happening.

"Is this about Ben?" demanded Jayde.

Vince shot her a scared look and just nodded yes.

"Tell us," Jayde pressed.

"There isn't time, I have to stop them," he cried.

"Vince, Tinker is there and so is Jayde's father, among others. Ben is safe. Just tell us what's going on," Jayde tried to reassure him.

"I thought you said..." he began.

"I lied. We knew about the threat to Ben and we were supposed to keep you busy," Tommy explained.

"Vince, why don't you just tell us what your part in all of this is," suggested Poppy calmly. "Here sit down and we will all listen."

Jayde rolled her eyes at Poppies calm approach, but sat down pulling Vince down with her.

"Ok, if you are sure that Ben is safe."

"He is," assured Jayde.

"Quite awhile ago Toby caught me alone and said that he needed my help. Well, I don't really like him so I asked what he needed before I would agree to help him. He told me that there was a traitor and that he and his father were trying to get rid of him. When he said it was Ben, I refused and threatened to go to Tinker. That's when he told me that I had family outside of Tinkerville and that his father knew who they were. He promised that if I helped him then they would tell help me find my family."

"So many of you found your family and I really wanted to have the same thing. You know? I guess I was being selfish. But they promised no one would get hurt, then Kitty was and I still went along with them. They said they were going to take Ben away, but I don't trust them. I was supposed to tell them if I ever thought Ben was going to be alone. It seems like he hasn't been for weeks," explained Vince

"That's because of the notes. We knew Ben was in danger so we have made sure to have someone around him all the time," Tommy stated.

"What notes?" asked Vince.

"Someone has been leaving notes about a traitor. You didn't know anything about it?" Jayde grilled.

"No, nobody ever said anything about any notes," Vince answered. "But I guess they don't tell me everything. Yesterday when you invited me, I went and told Toby. He said to go with you and to keep you away. Whatever they are planning, it's going to take place, is taking place right now."

"Do you know what they have planned?" Poppy was still the calm one.

"No, but I really don't trust them, can we at least go back and see? We don't have to get too close," pleaded Vince.

"What do you think?" Jayde asked Poppy and Tommy.

"If we stay outside and away from Beulah, it should be ok. I am a little anxious," admitted Tommy.

"I trust Dad and Tinker, but I wouldn't mind knowing what is going on," Poppy said.

"Ok, but you need to stay right with us. You say you don't trust them, but honestly, Vince, I can't say I trust you either," Jayde stated. "How do we know you aren't going to warn them?"

"I already told you who it was, why would I do that if I was going to help them?" Vince replied.

"Then just stay with us, do you promise?" asked Poppy.

"Yes, I promise."

The four of them arrived at the garden quickly. As they got a little closer they could see Jayde and Poppy's father in the courtyard. He was standing under Ben's balcony looking up. Poppy was the first one to point out the two men wrestling on the balcony above.

"Let's go, we can get closer. Who is that?" cried Jayde as they ran towards the commotion.

"That looks like Barnabus," Vince replied.

The two men disappeared into the room and the children kept running. Suddenly one of them came out holding on to Ben. Jayden crouched down and jumped. At the same time the other man came running out of the room and tackled Barnabus.

Jayde stopped running and covered her mouth as two things happened at once.

Her father jumped to the second story and grabbed Ben, as the other two men tumbled over the railing of the balcony. As both hit the ground, she regained control of her legs and sprinted for all she was worth. She caught up with the others and beat them to the scene. Jayde was just in time to see Toby yelling on Ben's balcony above as Tinker and Samuel grabbed him and pulled him back. Her training kicked in and she ran to where the two fallen men lay. Barnabus' head was at an unnatural angle. A quick look was all it took to know that he was not a threat.

Hurrying over to the other man, Jayde took in a large breath. She was so shocked she just stood there and stared. Lying on the ground with what looked like a fake beard and wig attached to a big floppy hat, was Topper.

"Topper," she whispered.

The man was still breathing and turned his head slightly in her direction. He was trying to speak, but Jayde couldn't hear him. She crept closer until she was just a few feet away.

Leaning down she could hear his raspy voice ask one question, "Ben...safe?"

At that time the others caught up to her, she could hear their confused conversation but couldn't take her eyes off of the man lying at her feet.

Her daze was broken when several people came running outside, including Ben, Tinker, and her father.

"It's Topper," she yelled when she saw them. "Dugby is Topper."

Tinker placed his hand on his son's back and gently pressed him towards the man who had saved his life. Ben slowly walked forward and then after getting a nod from his Father, knelt down.

"Ben..." wheezed the injured man.

"I am here."

"So sorry...Son," he smiled sadly up at Ben.

"You saved me," Ben replied with wonder.

"Love..." he tried to speak but couldn't finish.

Ben took his hand and squeezed it. He again looked up at Tinker, who had tears running. His father gave him another nod.

"I love you too. I forgive you," the young man said.

Topper looked up at Ben and gave a wink. Then closed both eyes and let out a long breath. His hand went slack in Ben's. Tinker came forward and helped his son up from the ground.

Jayde turned and ran to her father. She buried her face in his chest and cried all of the pent up tears. He wrapped his arms, gears and all around his daughter and let her cry it out.

Jayde woke up in a strange bed. The room had the look of twilight about it. That soft light at the end of the day that made everything seem dreamy. She yawned and stretched turning her head to find her father sitting next to her on another bed that was twin of her own.

"How are you feeling?" he asked her.

"Kind of like a washrag that has been rung out," she answered truthfully.

"Is this Poppy's room?" she asked.

"And yours."

"It's nice," she said not wanting to talk about anything else.

"You can wake up here every day if you wanted to," he said with a smile.

"Can we get my stuff tomorrow?" Jayde asked.

"Of course. Tinker would like us to come and see him. How about we walk you back and then tomorrow we can help you move home?"

"I guess..."

"Wouldn't you like to close this chapter and start a new one?" he inquired.

"That's exactly what I want to do. That was Topper wasn't it?"

"Yes, he has been here as Dugby. Which explains how he knew so much about helping Doc." Jayden answered.

"Now that he is gone..."

"He left his notes and Doc thinks we can continue with the work we started. Everything is healing nicely," he explained.

"Dad," she wasn't sure how to say it, "I saw what you did. You jumped two stories."

"You saw that?"

"Yes, you saved Ben," she stated.

"Not alone, Topper was there too."

"If you had been...normal...you wouldn't have been able to jump that high."

"No, I wouldn't." he agreed.

"I am glad that you could jump that high and I am sorry for the way I have behaved," she admitted.

"Well, I think that you behaved pretty well considering. Does that mean you want me to keep all of this?"

"Only if you want to. It doesn't matter anymore. It never should have," she answered with a shrug.

"I think I'd like to be free from it all. Your mom and your sister are quite worried about you. You broke down and I had to carry you home. Should we let them know you are ok?"

"Yes, and then let's go tell Tinker and Ben that I am moving home," Jayde said with a smile.

Chapter 11

Forgiveness

Tinker's room was again full of people. Some were still in shock about all that had happened that day, including Vince. Jayde was there with her whole family, Tommy and Cookie were there also. Samuel, Janice, and Doc were present. Mrs. O'Malley and Toby were there as well. Tinker stood where Samuel had just a short time ago when they had planned to set their trap. Even though it had worked as planned there were still a few surprises that nobody had counted on.

"We have had some time to work this all out. Thanks to Toby and Vince we now know the full story," he began. "If you can let me explain and hold your questions until I am finished it won't take us all night."

"First of all I want to say that both Vince and Toby were deceived and were working with Barnabus under false pretences. Not that either one isn't at fault, but I ask you to show mercy on the two of them. It seems that the best place to start is with Barnabus. You all know that he was a tinker for Topper. He helped build many of the rides and other mechanicals, including the mechanical men. As we surmised, he was immune to Topper's mind control, but was willing to help with his schemes so that he could live a life of luxury."

"Barnabus had no children, but after the fall of Funtown, he falsely claimed Toby as his own. I have found papers in his possession that show that he was not Toby's father. His intention was to influence Toby to get revenge on the person he saw as the one who ruined his life. That would be Ben. Later, he lied to young Vince here and claimed to know where his family was, even promising to help reunite them. Thankfully, Vince came to his senses and told some of his friends what was happening."

"Quite some time ago, Topper had a change come over him. I am not sure what prompted that change, unless it was the fact that Ben and I both chose to forgive him. We talked several times about what he had done and the consequences of his actions on so many people. During one of those conversations he offered to help make things right with Jayden by helping Doc. I eventually agreed for him to come, but to protect the feelings of everyone involved we agreed for him to come as Dugby."

"I allowed him to come so that in some way he could help repair some of the damage that he had done. There is no way to every fix it all. Lives were lost and others ruined by his evil deeds. However, I have always found that mercy and restoration go a long way in healing broken lives. He not only helped Jayden, but he fought to save Ben. Though his actions while in control of Funtown and Topperville were terrible I couldn't deny him the chance to repair some of that damage."

The room remained quiet even after Tinker stopped talking. There were so many bad memories associated with Topper that it was hard to believe that he would come to try and do anything good.

"Why did he do it? Save Ben?" asked Jayde.

"Because he loved me," answered Ben.

"Even someone like Topper can love and want to be loved," Cookie suggested.

"We all need people in our lives that love and care about us. That's why Toby and Vince both helped Barnabus, right?" Poppy added.

Vince nodded with tears in his eyes. While Toby sat quiet and still.

"And now Topper is really gone..." Jayde murmured.

"What happens to us?" asked Vince indicating Toby next to him.

"That's up to you," answered Tinker. "You are welcome to stay; you both will be removed from the skate squad for a time until you can prove yourselves. But you don't have to leave. If you choose to leave, then you will go with my blessing."

"I think I would like to start over somewhere else," said Toby finally lifting his eyes.

"I can help you get settled in somewhere," Tinker replied. "What about you, Vince."

"I know I don't have any family here, but I can't imagine living anywhere else."

"Vince, if you want to stay you can move in with Janice and me," offered Samuel. "Then when you are ready you can return to the skate squad if that is what you want to do."

"Live with you," he asked confused.

"I told you that I found papers in Barnabus' belongings, remember? Those papers show that Janice and Samuel are your brother and sister."

"Really?" he asked in shock.

"Yes," laughed Janice. "So what do you say?"

"That would be great!"

"What about my family? Is there any information about me?" asked Toby with some hope.

"Your father was a mechanical and was killed the day of the storm. I am afraid that your mother never came to Funtown, all of the records that Topper and Barnabus kept list your father as a single parent," answered Tinker with regret.

"How could I have believed him?" mused Toby. "After all that happened I was happy to have a family. I should have known. He never told me he loved me and he never acted like he cared about me. All he ever talked about was Ben and how he had ruined everything. I thought that if I helped him that things would be better."

"You have to forgive," suggested Jayde. "I know how bad life can be if you don't."

"I know you said you want to start over somewhere else, but the offer I made to Vince, is open to you too," Samuel said.

"But I am not family," Toby replied with a frown.

"There are families that you are born into, and there are families that you choose and who choose you," Janice assured him. "Before we all knew who we were related too, we still behaved and cared about each other just like a big family."

"Janice is right, young man. If you choose to stay, we can all be your family," Cookie agreed.

"It doesn't seem fair, after all I've done I don't deserve your mercy," Toby said shaking his head.

"Sometimes the hardest person to forgive is yourself," Jayde commented. "I know this from experience. I hurt my family and others just because I blamed myself for what had happened to them."

"That's why forgiveness is so important. It frees us. You can't earn mercy. That's the whole point. It is only given when it isn't deserved," answered Tinker.

"Then I'll stay," Toby agreed.

"Good, it is getting late and it has been a long and hard day for all of us. Tomorrow is a new beginning. Let's all put the past behind us and move forward as one big happy family," suggested Tinker.

As everyone left, Jayde said goodbye to her parents and then lingered with Ben and Tinker.

"Was there something else you wanted to talk about?" asked Tinker.

"I just wanted to thank you both for everything you've done for me," answered Jayde. "And to let you know that I am going to move in with my parents."

"It's about time," teased Ben.

"I am happy for you, Jayde. You know you can come and visit Ben any time you want," Tinker said with a big hug. "You are family after all."

"Thank you, Tinker. I loved staying here with you both, but now it's time that I go home."

"So if this is your last night, how about a cup of hot cocoa with Tommy. My balcony is ruined, but we could sit on my Dad's?" asked Ben.

"Aren't you tired?" Jayden inquired.

"I napped," he said with a shrug.

"Me too," giggled Jayde. "Hey why don't you go get Tommy and the cocoa, while I try to catch Poppy? Is it ok if I have a sleepover my last night here, Tinker?"

"Like I said, one big happy family."

Jodi has always loved the written word. She enjoys writing almost as much as reading. Her tastes run from science fiction and fantasy, steampunk and westerns, to historical and romance. The only genre she will not read, ever, is horror. Now that her three children are now grown, she has begun her writing career. She and her husband of almost 30 years live in Wisconsin. They have seven grandchildren and a spoiled Rat Terrier/Jack Russell. Though she plans on writing some Christian fiction, she also plans on writing some that are purely for entertainment, without any kind of Christian message. Jodi's goal is to make her characters come alive and to provide a small place of escape for her readers.

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