

Chapter 1

Hi, my name is Martin Howell and I'm a placer. You're probably thinking what is a placer? So to give you a better idea of what we are since we probably aren't mentioned in the dictionary. On my last assignment, I was incarcerated...yes I was thrown in jail. My job was to try and sway two opposing gang leaders from starting a prison riot. It all ended when one of them mysteriously ended up dead in the middle of the night. I won't go into how that happened. Before that I was living undercover in a tent in the Georgia heat for three months trying to change the mind of a group of rebel protestors. I hate the heat. Luckily, when mysterious things began happening in their base they decided it was time to stop. Hopefully, you're starting to get an idea of what it is I do. I have been doing this for almost twenty years now and have found myself in almost every situation imaginable. I have broken many laws including burglary, assault and battery, and even murder. Remember the prison assignment. We always go in undetected and work behind the scenes unbeknownst to the locals and authorities. We have probably already been in your town or city without you even realizing it. There are only a handful of us who are actually trained as placers. There were more, but two of us were killed in the line of duty and as far as I know they haven't been replaced yet. We have an administrator. He is my boss and his name is George Stafford. He's the one who started the program and recruited each one of us. He has a very convoluted background. No one seems to know exactly what he did beforehand, but word has it he worked for the State Department and CIA in some capacity. If you were to ask him he would give you one of those looks that would make you never ask again. I never have. He has the thickest head full of jet black hair that he insists on combing the same style as Elvis, complete with the sideburns and all. Funny thing is I don't think he would know an Elvis song if it hit him in the head. He makes our department run. Speaking of departments, I'm not exactly sure what government agency we fall under, but my checks all say the Department of Treasury on them so I know they are official and the bank has no problem cashing them. I love the job and would probably do it for no pay at all; hopefully no one will ever take me up on it though. You're probably wondering what I do when I'm not working, it's rare, but I spend time with my best friend and only real connection to the world, my twelve year old son Kyle. Like most of us placers, we have a difficult time maintaining a normal life because we are constantly living in different locations and assuming different identities. There have been times I have gotten so caught up in my assignments that I have actually forgotten my original name and identity. Please don't tell me parents that. But I never forget Kyle. He is the most important part of my life. He is my lifeline. I used to be married, but it didn't work for either of us because of my job, but we're still good friends and we agreed to share Kyle. I spend as much time as I possibly can with him. He doesn't understand what I do, in fact no one does except for George and the placers and even we don't know what one another are doing at any given time. George keeps it all in his head under that thick black hair. If something were to ever happen to him, I don't know what would happen to our organization. Maybe they would give someone a big black wig and make them be in charge. I just hope it's not me. Like I said before, he started the whole thing. He was the original placer some twenty years ago until it got too big for him and he needed help. He carefully spent the next five years recruiting us one by one. I was finishing up a master's degree in psychology when I was leaving class one night and I found him seated in the back seat of my car in the parking lot. After I realized he wasn't going to rob me and Elvis wasn't really alive, I stopped screaming and we spent the next four hours discussing the job. I started the very next day. I did eventually finish my degree. I spent the first year along with three others and George learning everything from how to shoot someone with a sniper rifle from two hundred yards away to how to successfully break up a marriage. Yes I have had to do that several times and believe me it can be done with any couple given the right approach. You'll have to take my word on it though. I can't say I am proud of everything I have done, but George always reminds us if we didn't do the things we do things would be a lot worse. Right now I'm seated at my desk in my office. We occupy the eighth floor of an unmarked office building in DC. There's no sign on the door and the elevator only works when it wants to, but we are required to use a biometric thumb print analyzer to enter our suite. It was cool at first but now it's annoying. I wonder what would happen if I lost my thumbs. I don't think anyone knows we are even here, below us are a few law firms that I think work mostly DUI cases based on the clientele I see in the elevator but no one ever comes up to our floor. I've been in the same office since I started. It's not exquisite or anything, standard government furniture with beige carpeting. But I do have a window with a spectacular view of another plain building, a comfortable chair and room for a few visitors which I never have of course. That is prohibited. I keep a few personal items in here, mostly pictures of Kyle and me doing things. There's a picture of us in Virginia Beach last year and him standing at first base on his Little League team. Then there are the buckets of shells we collected at the beach. I saved them all. We both love the water and whenever I am done with an assignment we usually head to the nearest beach, Virginia Beach is our favorite. I quickly turn my head when I hear a knock on my door. I hope it's not one of the drunks from below. George sticks his head in. I immediately start singing "Heartbreak Hotel..." He looks at me oddly.

"Are you ready Martin?" I nod my head at the King. "C'mon into my office and we'll go over the details."

I close the lid on my laptop. I watch Kyle's face fade into the bliss of Microsoft blue. A minute later I enter George's office. He has what you would call the corner office. It is large. I mean it's almost the size of a conference room, but this is where he spends his life. Most of us are convinced the man doesn't have a home. He lives here. We always joke that he probably has a bed that pops out of the wall at night. I always look for one when I go in there. I slowly step in and feel my feet sink into the plush carpet. It feels like I'm walking on a soft grassy field, not Government Issue like mine. My eyes automatically go to the far wall that is covered with TV screens. There are at least ten large size screens hanging on the wall all tuned to different channels, surprisingly none of them are tuned to an Elvis Presley video. That brings me to another point, none of us go into George's office unless we are called and that usually means we are getting ready to go on assignment. I'm not really sure why it's like that, but that's just the way it has always been. When we are working whether it is in our offices or on assignment he leaves us alone unless we need help. He stresses from the first day of training that we need to be able to take care of ourselves, because once we're in the field we are on our own and under no circumstance must we indicate we are associated with the Government. A few years ago I actually went to clown school for an upcoming assignment. Don't ask. I watch as George gets up from behind his large desk. I can barely see his face when he's seated behind it. It is covered with monitors. He has at least five large monitors in front of him. I'm not sure if they are all connected to one computer or five because I have never been back there and as far as I know, no one else has either. He is slowly walking over to the table on the other side of the room. It's a small round oak table with just two chairs. We never have multiple placers on the same job at least not that I know of. This is where we always go over the assignments. I can see it is covered with paperwork and three dark blue binders. Those are what we refer to as the Ops. They give all the details and background on the situation and what the end objective is. George always leaves it up to us as how best to accomplish the mission. He doesn't care how we get there. He just wants the end results. I watch as he sits down. He's probably just over six feet, a little shorter than me, but incredibly fit. I've heard he runs five miles seven days a week no matter what. I have never seen it, but I have heard from other placers that there is a treadmill off a small room to his office. I'm a few inches taller and probably a few pounds heavier, but I am in shape because that is something he demands. He never would say anything to me or any of us because it is just expected like most things are around here. There are many unwritten rules that go along with being a placer. I take my usual seat across from him and place my elbows softly on the table. I can't tell you how many times I have sat in the exact same spot over the years. There are probably marks on the table from them. I try and glimpse at the binders to get a clue as to what my new assignment will be but as I know there will be nothing to see. Everything will be inside. For the next few nights I will be instructed to learn everything in them and if there is any special training required I will be sent away immediately... hopefully, no clown school this time. I watch as George folds his arms in front of him, they are covered with dark bristles of hair. I wonder if he has to comb those as well. I try to look closer but immediately look up when I hear his deep voice.

"So I hope you enjoyed your time off." He clears his throat. "I suspect Kyle is well."

I nod my head. "Yeah he is doing great. We spent some time in Baltimore."

"Very nice. I take it you took him to the aquarium?" I watch a slight smile enter his mouth, that's about as much emotion as you get from George.

"Yep, you know how much he loves the ocean. We actually spent two days at the aquarium. Did you know that a dolphin cannot actually go to sleep or it will stop breathing? They have to be somewhat conscious so they can breathe."

"Sounds like you had an interesting time."

I nod my head. "It was enjoyable. Kyle is really growing up." I don't know if George has any children or a wife. In fact I know nothing about his personal life or even if he has one. Maybe he's an Elvis impersonator in his spare time. I try and look around for any studded suits hanging on the walls. He has always been at every big occasion in my life, my wedding and Kyle's birth. Some of the guys have said we are his children. I remember both times when we lost placers in the line of duty; George became very sullen and didn't pass out any assignments to anyone for weeks. In fact no one even saw him but we knew he was in his office, so I know he definitely cares deeply about all of us. I watch as his deep blue eyes direct me to the binders. It is time to get down to business. I feel a few butterflies begin circulating in my stomach. I'm not sure why I still get them after all these years, but just before each assignment I always do. I slightly lean forward. He picks up the first one and begins to leaf through it like it's a Sport's Illustrated. I suddenly wonder if George likes sports. I'm trying to peak. I can't tell if he notices me doing this, he probably does but he shows no reaction. He has a face that would be great for poker. I often want to ask him if he plays, but I don't dare. In fact I never ask him any questions because everything is in the Ops. He doesn't miss anything, so I know there is no reason for any questions. There never has been.

Chapter 2

I just got back home after dropping Kyle back off at his Mom's house. She had me come in for some freshly baked cookies. They were chocolate chip, my favorite. Sometimes I really wish we were all back together as a family and I think she does too, but we both know it will never work and have moved passed that. Kyle and I had a good time at the movies and getting a couple of burgers after at some new chain that specializes in gourmet food. Now I'm sitting at my small dining room table in my two bedroom condo in Alexandria. I can see into Kyle's room but I force myself to look away. Luckily, it's only about twenty minutes from Sarah's townhouse. I feel like I can almost see them if I look out the window hard enough. She works part-time so she can be home with Kyle. Fortunately, my salary is enough to cover the payments on both places, so much for my working for no pay theory. It's always so hard when I have to leave them, especially Kyle. His eyes just give away all his feelings. He is twelve, but he is still very much a young boy with his emotions and innocence. I can't believe how much he looks like Sarah with his light brown hair and big green eyes, sometimes I tell him and he turns red. I'm not really sure why but I think it's a good thing. I really miss him. I try and take him out of my mind and concentrate on the three binders in front of me. It's hard. I have a hot cup of coffee in one hand and the radio on quietly in the background, no Elvis. I have a long night in front of me. I have two weeks to be ready for my new assignment. I'm going in as Sam Phillips, a long term social studies sub in a middle school in Florida. I open the first binder and skim through the pages. It is filled with background on the school and includes pictures of each teacher and student with their name and a brief background. There are eight hundred and two kids and eighty staff members. The kids immediately remind me of Kyle. They are just a few years older than he is. Kyle is finishing up sixth grade this year and will be starting in middle school next fall. I close my eyes and picture the first time Sarah and I saw him. He was just a little bundle of flesh and blankets crying at the top of his lungs. The nurse kept telling us to let him cry it will clear out his lungs. I kept telling them there was something wrong, they won the argument. I miss those cries now. I slowly close the first binder knowing I will be memorizing as many of those faces as possible. Luckily, I have somewhat of a photographic memory making this task easier. I open the second binder and it is all about social studies and everything an eighth grade student would ever need to know. Not my favorite subject. I quickly close this one and got to the third one. It is the thinnest of the three but I know it contains the most important information. We call it the third Op. The first two are always composed of the background info and the third one tells us what we need to do. This is what they call the nitty-gritty. I have been in schools several times, but each time was vastly different. The last one a few years ago we had a custodian sexually assaulting female custodians at night. I went in as a custodian and was able to easily persuade the man to stop. I'm trained as a black belt in three different martial arts so sometimes it's fun to put it to use. Poor guy had no idea what hit him, literally. I also convinced the women to file charges. Last I heard he was serving a twenty-five year sentence, but I rarely follow up on any of the cases. It is just too hard and George always stresses to let it go and move to the next chapter as he calls it. I feel my breath slipping out of my lungs as I slowly read the third op. I can't believe what I'm seeing. I look at Kyle's picture on the shelf nearby and want to reach out for it. George has included emails from a student at the school indicating he and his friend are going to come in one day soon and shoot the place up killing as many kids as possible. I feel beads of sweat on my forehead. Apparently the emails were sent anonymously from a computer in a district library and are untraceable. It's now my job to stop it. I only have eight hundred and eighty-two clues to work from. I continue reading on...the police and school are at a loss, in comes the Placer to save the day. I have no idea how George has worked it out that I am a full-time sub. I'm guessing he probably paid off the teacher to take time off. I'm pretty sure no one in the school will know I'm there, or even the district. I better be good. Why did he have to pick social studies, maybe old George does have a sense of humor after all. I spend the next several hours reading the first two ops. I'm looking at the kid's faces trying to pick out who I think looks guilty, though I know it's a waste of time. I finally get up and fire up the Keurig for another Latte. I love this thing. Kyle got it for my birthday. I know it was really Sarah, but that's how it is with young kids, so give me a break and let me enjoy the thought. Plus the coffee is good and I don't have to leave the condo and go to Starbucks. I take a look at the map George included and see I'll be staying in a small apartment in Ft. Lauderdale, right off Atlantic Avenue. He knows how much I love the beach, but I'll probably be thinking of Kyle more. He is a big part of my motivation, but I don't want you thinking I don't care. I really do like saving people's lives, but the sooner I finish the sooner I see Kyle. I start studying the faces again. I spend most of the night memorizing the names and I finally decide to stop once they all start looking the same. Somehow, I get to sleep just as the sun begins to rise. I switched to decaf at the end. I'll only sleep for a few hours and then get back at it because tomorrow night I catch a flight to Florida to get settled in and continue my studying. Did I mention I don't like social studies? I hate having to learn all those dates and history again. These kids are really going to love me. I finally wake up and spend the next day doing the exact same thing as yesterday study and Keurig...study and Keurig. I'm able to build a house out of the K-cups on the table in front of me.

Chapter 3

He looked next to him and saw his friend watching, carefully examining and making sure everything was correct. Then he took a deep breath remembering the three most important aspects, breathing, sight picture and trigger pull. He felt like they were becoming second nature but he had to keep the mantra, there was no room for error. He took careful aim, checked his breathing and gently pulled the trigger in one fluid motion causing the firing pin to strike primer and send his round out the barrel at over 3000 feet per second. The dark-colored Budweiser bottle some thirty yards away exploded sending tiny bits of glass in all directions. He lowered the rifle feeling the now familiar kick of the AR-15 on his shoulder and smiled...so cool. His friend quickly came over and high-fived him. He had almost perfected their shooting. You would never know that just a year ago he had never shot a gun before except on video games of course. There is nothing like the feel of the real thing. He had just made ten out of ten destroying all the bottles they found in an abandoned dumpster behind an old tavern. He set his rifle down and stood to the side as he watched his friend do the same thing. They are almost ready.

Chapter 4

I'm finally on the plane heading south at 25,000 feet. You'll never guess what I'm doing, if you guessed studying and drinking coffee you were right. These placers sure earn their money, maybe when I retire I should become and Elvis impersonator. I'm seated next to an elderly couple on the inside of me towards the window. They've both got to be either in their nineties or near to it. They look almost exactly alike. I've heard that's what happens after being married for so long. I think the man, his name is Charlie is kind of losing his hearing because every couple of minutes or so he screams out "whaaaaaaaaaaat" and the whole plane becomes silent from fear. I wonder if the pilot can hear him. Then his wife will grab him and tell him to be quiet and then he smacks her on the face. Who knew all those years of marriage would end up so blissful. I go back to my studying. I have actually memorized about a third of the kids. I just hope they haven't changed their hair since these pictures were taken. I'm even beginning to read through some of the social studies material, but I won't bore you with the details here. For some reason the flight attendant skipped our row, maybe she values her hearing. I finally get her attention and she brings me a Diet Coke. I watch as she tries to take an order form the couple next to me. After two more deafening "whaaaaaaats" and smacks on the face I think I finally hear her say two bourbons, but I'm not sure because I think my brain is still vibrating. I slide as close to the aisle as I can and continue reading about the Sugar Act of 1764. I'm relieved when my Diet Coke arrives. I almost switch it for the bourbons but I quickly hand them off to the couple and cover my ears. I just hope the flight attendant doesn't get on the PA system again with emergency instructions like she did at pre-flight, that was brutal. He smiles when he takes the drink and hands it off to his wife. I don't dare say anything and quickly look away, and people complain about the boarding process. Somehow a few hours later we land and I'm driving a rented Ford Taurus. George must have figured it would be a good teacher car. Luckily it has a good radio and I have it turned all the way up so I can hear it, my poor ears. I love southern Florida and I smile seeing all the palm trees go by. I'll definitely have to take Kyle down here next time. I'm amazed by all the traffic. They say the DC area has it bad, but I think it's worse down here. Maybe everyone is just heading for the beach after work. I keep driving east. I open my window and can almost feel the ocean air swooping me in towards it. Finally I make the right on North Atlantic Boulevard and find my apartment building. It's a long two story garden style complex with Mediterranean roofs and endless palm trees. I immediately fall in love with it; despite thinking I've seen it many times on "Cops". I park in front of my unit. Each unit consists of four apartments and mine's on the second floor. George included the key with the ops. I climb up the staircase, it's one of those ones located outside and as I get to the top, I can see the Atlantic. We're a few blocks away, but I can see the white sands and turquoise water. I was going to say I would do this job for no pay again, but I quickly stop myself. I turn the lock and step into a nicely furnished one bedroom apartment. It even has a fifty-five inch TV installed on the wall probably so I can watch myself on Cops. I go to the refrigerator and it is fully stocked. George doesn't miss a beat. There are even a few shirts and shorts embroidered with Ocean Middle School on it, my new place of employment. I quickly unpack my two bags in the closet and dresser in the bedroom and head back out to the main room. There's a small kitchen off to one side and a large deck on the other. I open the sliding glass door and step out onto the deck. I feel the warm breeze brush my face. I can see the ocean waves weaving towards the shore. The beach is crowded with people clothed in colorful bathing suits. I think of Kyle again. I can't wait to see him down here. I walk back inside and on the glass coffee table is a disguise kit. It's pretty standard operation for a placer. This gives us the ability to go in as one person and then come back as another. I'll wear my disguise at work and then back here go as myself. George always goes with the best disguises. These are directly from Hollywood, made from the best there is. I'm forty-four with medium brown hair and somewhat normal features, but this disguise makes my hair longer and lighter and changes my nose and chin substantially. I'll have to start getting used to wearing it soon. At first they are usually uncomfortable, but I get used to them pretty quickly. There's also a small box with colored contacts, my eyes will become blue. I'll have to work on my tan too, because the tone of the mask is a little darker than mine. I love this guy George. I start to hum another Elvis song again. I immediately grab the first binder and change into my Ocean Middle School gear and start walking towards the beach. I cross a few roads and then I feel my feet stepping on the hot grainy sand. I quickly find a spot that's not too crowded, though it does seem unusually loud...but maybe that's because my ears are still ringing from the flight. I quickly look around to make sure old Charlie isn't nearby. I place my towel on the sand and sit back. I can feel the sun permeating my skin. It feels like I've been injected with a syringe full of warm water, luckily George left a bottle of suntan lotion. I begin scanning the names and pictures again till I feel my stomach begin to rumble. I'm all the way up to the last names ending in "M". Tonight I'll work on The War of 1812, I can't wait. I slowly climb to my feet and almost fall back down as something big, brown and furry sweeps out my legs. A large Golden Retriever is racing by me with a bright blue Frisbee in his mouth.

"Sorry about that." I look behind me and see a pretty thirty-something woman with long dark hair holding a red leash. She's wearing a white two piece white bathing suit. I force my eyes to concentrate on her face.

"No problem." I slowly feel my feet becoming steady below me again. I'm not sure how I didn't fall.

"Rusty loves to play Frisbee." She gives me a hard look. "I don't think I've seen you down here before...usually just the regulars come over here."

I can't believe how green her eyes are. I'm not even tempted to look down. "I just moved in up there." I point behind me at the Ocean Side Apartments.

She nods her head and starts to laugh. "Are you a teacher or something?"

I look down at my T-shirt and shorts. I feel slightly embarrassed. "Actually I'm a European supermodel trying out a new line of clothes. What do you think?"

"There's a good bathing suit shop right over there...not that your outfit isn't nice." She's really laughing now. So much for the Floridian hospitality I always hear about in the brochures. She holds out her hand. "Vickie and Rusty nice to meet you mister supermodel."

I shake her hand and laugh too. "I guess I'll head over there and get something better than this. I'll have to let my agency know this isn't a hit on the beach." I watch her laugh again.

"You're funny." Her head quickly turns around. "I've gotta go get Rusty before he digs up the whole beach." I look where her bright green eyes are focused and see Rusty bent over shooting sand up in the air behind him between his legs. "Nice to meet you supermodel."

"It's Martin the supermodel." I watch her run away towards Rusty. She looks back. I can still see her laughing. I smile and pick up my towel and look down at my clothes. I feel like an awkward teenager heading to gym class. I walk back towards the apartment and heat up some microwave food and grab a K-cup. I'm glad George had a Keurig installed in here. We have advanced teams that George contracts out that set up our situation before we arrive. I also have a phone number on every assignment where I can contact them if I need anything. I spend the rest of the night out on the deck studying American history. I think I can almost name the first fifteen presidents...gotta love this social studies.

Chapter 5

I wake up early as usual and go on a thirty minute run. I try and do this every morning before and after hitting the Keurig. I run along the beach. I have my eyes on the lookout for any large furry animals chasing Frisbees luckily; I arrive back safe and refreshed. Today, I am scheduled to visit the school. I'm actually starting sooner than scheduled. I received a brief message on my phone this morning from the assistant principal wondering if I could start tomorrow. He said the regular teacher had to leave earlier than he thought. Something about a change in surgery dates. I wonder if George had anything to do with that. Flexibility is definitely a key in being a placer. I guess I'll have to learn the rest of the presidents tonight. I'm scheduled to meet with the Principal and Assistant Principal in about two hours. I quickly take a shower and then place the mask on my face. It takes about fifteen minutes to get a good seal. I jump into the Ford Taurus and begin the drive. Ten minutes later I pull in front of a large two story brick building. I'm not sure where to park so I find in a spot along the outer fence. I hope I don't get towed. I quickly glance at the pictures of the two people I'll be meeting with. The AP is a man who looks about forty with a receding hairline and a stern face. It says he was a teacher beforehand and in addition to his AP duties he coaches the boys' basketball team. The Principal appears much older and has over thirty years of experience as an educator. I hope she doesn't ask me any tough social studies questions. I tell myself Chester A. Arthur was the twenty-first president. I wonder if I should blurt that out as soon as I meet them. I decide to keep my mouth shut as I'm ushered into a small conference room by the Principal's assistant. First thing I notice is how much nicer the carpet is than mine. I may have to mention this to George when I get back, maybe he'll be impressed with my presidential knowledge. A minute later a woman and man who look exactly like their pictures appear and enter the room. I stand up and shake their hands. She has a firm grip and is surprisingly short. I think she's less than five feet. Her hair is short and grayish colored and she has a face that means business. She reminds me a little of Secretary Albright who worked under the Clinton administration. He was the forty-second president for those of you checking. The man is much taller and obviously spends a lot of time in the gym. I can see his muscles bulging through his tailored white shirt. He has large glassy eyes that seem to grab ahold of you and then don't let go. I wonder if it's from all that heavy weight lifting. He firmly shakes my hand and we all sit down. They sit next to each other on the other side. I check my mask to make sure it is secure.

"So Mr. Phillips any problems finding us?" She has a slight tang to her voice, but it's friendly. I can't place the accent.

"No, not at all. I found it right away. Looks like a great school. I wish I had a school like this when I was this age, so close to the beach and all." They both give me forced smiles.

"Yes... Ocean is a great school as I'm sure you'll find. We are so thankful that you were able to come down here and fill in for Peter on such short notice. He is going in for surgery tomorrow morning. I was hoping you guys would get a chance to talk but he had to go to prep today."

I nod. "No problem. I'll do the best I can, but they will be tough shoes to fill I'm sure."

"You come highly recommended...all the way from DC. Are you looking at re-locating down here?"

"I love Florida. I've always wanted to see what it's like to live down here. This is the perfect opportunity." I see the AP nodding at me. He hasn't said anything yet. I think I'm doing fairly well so far. They seem to be buying everything I'm saying. I have no idea what George told them for my recommendation.

I watch as she looks down at a sheet of paper in front of her. "It says here you're a history buff." I nod my head...that George again. "I think you'll fit right in. These kids will give you a run for their money though, we take pride in our state testing and we always do very well in history. Peter runs a tight ship."

"History is my thing. I know it may seem kind of weird but while most people curl up on the beach to a novel I'm out there with a history book. Just yesterday, I was reading about Chester A. Arthur the twenty-first president right out on the beach. Couldn't tell you how many people gave me strange looks." I'm glad I was able to get that in.

"They both laugh. "You sound like just the kind of guy we need. Go Rays!"

"That's our school mascot." She says. She points behind me at a large picture of a ray surrounded by many smiling students and teachers. "That's our annual fishing trip. All the eighth graders go out on a charter and see what they can catch. In fact it's four weeks till Ray Day so we'll be expecting you as well. I hope you like fishing Mr. Phillips." I nod wondering what I have gotten myself into. I hate fish. I don't even like to eat goldfish crackers. "So to finish up, you'll be part of the Dolphin team, not Dolphins. Make sure you keep it singular because the Dolphins are our local football team as I'm sure you know....go fish!" I nod and smile. "Each team is made up of the four core subjects and a lead counselor who will help you. Do you have any questions?" I quickly shake my head no. I'm still thinking about the fishing trip. I stand up when they do. Now why don't you follow Mr. Jackson and he'll show you your room." I shake her hand and try not to step on her because she's so small. A minute later I'm following Mr. Jackson down the hall. The halls are painted in turquoise colors and lined with light blue lockers. I remember back to my time in junior high and my struggles with locker combinations. I hope no one needs help with theirs. I'm amazed at how quiet the school is. I want to ask if there are actually students here, but apparently Mr. Jackson reads minds.

"In about ten seconds the bell will ring and we'll be swarmed, so let's wait over here." I slowly count down in my head and sure enough in ten seconds a loud shrieking bell rings overhead and hundreds of kids start pouring into the halls. I almost take up a defensive stance and start performing katas, but I'm suddenly mesmerized by all these kids thinking one of them has evil intentions of killing the others. I examine each kids face as they walk by looking for the right set of eyes, but no one strikes out at me. A few minutes later, the silence overcomes us again as the kids shuffle into their classrooms and I follow Mr. Jackson again. He's not a man of many words so I keep my mouth shut. We stop outside room 103. This must be my room. I look in the window and see a large woman standing inside. Her hair is tied so tightly in a bun behind her head that her eyes appear to be bulging like a goldfish. "This will be your room." I nod. "Try and be here before seven –thirty tomorrow so you have time to get ready. I'll stop by to check on you... any questions?" I shake my head no and shake his hand. He gives me another forced smile.

"Goodbye Mr. Phillps."

"Goodbye Mr. Jackson."

I follow him towards the exit and head back to my car. There were four Presidents assassinated in office: Lincoln, Garfield, McKinley and Kennedy. That's me always studying. As soon as I get back in the Taurus I remove the mask. It feels good to get it off. I carefully place it in the plastic case and head back to the apartment. I smile looking at the clock and seeing that I can be on the beach before noon. I love this job. I throw on my Ocean Middle school shirt and head over to the swim shop. The place is empty except for two beautiful college-aged girls behind the counter wearing nothing but very skimpy bathing suits. I'm surprised there's not a line outside the door filled with young men. Neither of them looks up as I walk in. Their faces are buried in women's magazines probably solving the world's problems. I stroll over to the men's section. Surprisingly, it's much smaller than the women's. I quickly pick out a long pair of blue trunks with tiny surfers on them. I wonder if the women will be impressed. I amble up to the counter and neither one even looks up. So much for being impressed.

"I'd like to purchase these." I set the trunks down on the counter. Still no reaction...gotta love great customer service. "Excuse me ladies." I call out again a little louder. Finally the woman sitting closest to the register looks up and gives me an annoyed look. She has long blond hair bleached so many times it is almost white. She looks at me for a second then immediately goes back to her magazine and holds up one finger. Finally a minute later, she places the magazine down and slowly walks over to me. She avoids eye contact and grabs the trunks and tells me, "twenty dollars." I hand over the cash, she gives me a receipt and sits back down and starts reading the magazine again. I'm still standing at the register, but neither of them seems to notice. "Have a nice day ladies." I call out. Neither of them answers. I walk out. I love making new friends. Twenty minutes later I'm on the beach wearing my new trunks with the little surfers on them and the middle school t-shirt. I think even Chester A. Arthur would be proud.

Chapter 6

I'm trying to memorize the kids with last names ending in "S" when I hear barking. I look up and see Rusty coming. I quickly brace myself for the impact. He runs right up to me, stops and drops the Frisbee at my feet. What's with this dog? I reach out and scratch his neck. He has that typical Golden Retriever smile on his face. A minute later, Vickie is standing over me. She's wearing bright red shorts and a white t-shirt, her long black hair is dancing behind her.

"Hey our local supermodel is here again. I like the bathing suit... still modeling the same shirt though."

I quickly stand up and turn all the way around. "I'm glad you like it." Rusty starts licking my leg. I hope he's doesn't mistake me for a fire hydrant.

"I think Rusty approves too. So what are you studying today?"

"You know more middle school stuff."

"You really a teacher over there?" I nod. "You know my son goes to Ocean. I'll have to let him know that a super model is coming." She laughs.

"What grade is he in?"

"Seventh."

"It seems like a good school." I scratch behind Rusty's ears again.

"I think he wants you to throw the Frisbee...do supermodels know how?" I laugh and give it a good toss. We both watch as Rusty chases it and almost catches it in mid-air. "Not bad. If this supermodel thing doesn't work out for you, maybe you can throw Frisbees for a living."

I laugh. "Are you always this funny?"

"No, only with newbies on the beach wearing middle school gym uniforms claiming to be a supermodel."

"Don't forget the new swim trucks." I point at my shorts just as Rusty comes back and drops the Frisbee at my feet again. I send it flying up the beach and watch Rusty follow it. He just misses it again.

She looks at her watch. "Are you hungry?"

"What?"

"It's lunch time and since you're new and just in from Europe, how about I show you the best place on the beach to get something to eat unless you already have a date with another supermodel."

"That sounds good." I close the binder.

"You like burgers?" I nod. "I'll meet you back here in about a half hour. Let me just finish walking Rusty. Is that enough time for a supermodel to be ready?"

"Yeah...they train us to change quickly on the runways."

She smiles. "I like you. See you soon Sam." I wave as she takes off running behind Rusty towards the ocean. For a second it looks like they're both going in the water till Rusty turns at the last second. I smile and pick up my towel and start heading back towards the apartment. I throw on another shirt, leaving the bathing suit on. I'll have to let the girls know at the bathing suit shop that someone was impressed. I slowly walk back down the stairs towards the beach. The sun is directly overhead sending tiny sparkles onto the sand. I'm really starting to love Florida. I make it back to the same place I was before. It's about halfway between the road and the ocean. I notice a few more people out here than a few minutes ago. It must be the noon rush. These Florida people have it made. I bet it's snowing back in DC. A few minutes later I see Vickie coming towards me. She is wearing the same shirt and shorts as before but she has put on a pair of white sneakers.

"Hey I almost didn't recognize without your Ocean Middle shirt." She lightly punches my shoulder. "Are you ready for some good food?"

"I'm always up for a good meal." I quickly answer back.

"Good...because like I said before these guys are the best and they're right up here." She points at a group of buildings about a hundred yards away where the swimwear shop is. Maybe I should take quick walk in there with Vickie.

"How do all these people get the time off to come to the beach every day?" I point at the crowded beach. It is much more crowded the closer we get to the buildings.

"It's a little known secret of South Florida. You guys up north take smoke breaks we take beach breaks." She grabs my elbow and starts pulling me along.

"How long have you been down here?"

She smiles displaying a perfect set of white teeth. "All my life. My parents fell in love down here on vacation and decided to make it their home and we've been here ever since." I follow her up a small set of stairs and onto a cement walk similar to a boardwalk. There are many little stores and restaurants alongside each other facing the ocean all crowded with people. I wave at the swimwear shop as we walk by. "I'm glad you found the place okay. I told you I like your suit."

"Yeah it is a great little shop."

She looks back at me. "Ha ha. That's Karen and Heather's place. Easy come...easy go if you know what I mean." I nod. "We'll here we are." She points to a little place called Uncle Mikes. It is an open place with most of the tables outside on the patio facing the ocean. There are people coming and going and a long line in the waiting area. "I've already got the perfect table." She leads me right into the restaurant and out onto the patio to an area that feels like it's floating on top of the ocean. The end of the patio ends at the ocean. The breeze feels unbelievable. "How's this?"

"How did you do that?" I look at her, she's smiling. It's a mischievous grin. A minute later a waiter approaches. He's dressed in a light blue surfer shirt and cargo pants. He looks like a stereotypical surfer. I wonder if I should show him my bathing suit with the little surfers. "Hi Ms. Jacobs what can we get you today?"

"We would like two Uncle Mikes and Coladas?" She looks at me. "Sound good?" I nod.

"What's going on here?" I look all around. The place is decorated with tiny brightly colored fish everywhere.

"Uncle Mike was my uncle."

"This is your uncle's place?"

She smiles again, the same mischievous one. "Nope, actually it's mine. Uncle Mike passed away and he left it to me. I've been running this place for almost ten years now. What do you think?"

"You own this?" I look all around at all the people and busy staff.

"Sure do, but I've got to say this is the first time I have ever had a male supermodel in my restaurant. I guess I should feel honored."

I smile. "This place is great. I love it. By the way what's an Uncle Mike?"

"You'll find out real soon. So tell me Martin what are you really doing down here? No one travels hundreds of miles to be a substitute teacher at Ocean Middle School."

I nod my head as the waiter sets down two large white colored pinna coladas. I immediately take a sip and smile. "Good drink."

"It better be. So where's the wife and kids? You one of those guys with a mid-life crisis and decided to head to the beach?

"Ha...ha. Nope. Just down here to see if I like it. I have a twelve year old son back north."

"Divorced huh? Recent?"

"Years ago. Just didn't work out."

"Welcome to the club. Me too. A single Mom married to her restaurant."

"Seems like a great life."

"I love it. I think you'll like it down here, though the supermodels usually hang out a little south of here on South Beach so you may need to travel down there."

"You're too much." I watch a dad try and coax his young son into the ocean below us.

"You miss him don't you?" I see her looking at the beach.

"So much so. He's my whole world."

"So when's he coming down?"

"Soon...very soon." The waiter returns with two of the largest burgers I've ever seen and places them in front of us.

"Martin, meet an Uncle Mike." She points at the burgers, thanks the waiter and I take a bite into the juiciest and most tender burger I have ever had.

"Delicious."

"I told you it was the best food on the beach." She smiles in between bites.

I take another long drink. "I could get used to this."

"It's not hard. I can't tell you the number of people who come down here on vacation and don't leave." She takes a small bite. "It's not called the Venice of America for nothing. We have over three-thousand hours of sunshine every year."

I nod. "I like it almost as much as the Uncle Mike." I take another bite and taste a mushroom. I spend the next hour and half drinking Pinna Coladas and talking to Vickie from everything about our kids to stories about Ft Lauderdale. I finally stumble back to my apartment and think about FDR's New Deal, gotta love being a Placer.

Chapter 7

I wake up early still feeling a little groggy from too many drinks, but I'm still able to run thirty minutes alongside the beach with no problem. I quickly shower and fit the mask on. I'm ready for my first day as a teacher. I start recalling the highlights of Warren Harding's presidency as I make the drive to Ocean Middle School. I'm not sure what I'll do if I see Vickie dropping off her son, but I know she won't recognize me with my mask on. I usually don't get involved with anyone while working on an assignment, but she seems so nice and I think I can learn something from her about Ocean Middle School as an outside parent. That's me always looking for an angle. I arrive and park in the same area as I did before. I'll have to ask about getting a parking placard. I see the long line of cars at the kiss and ride area. I force myself not to look for Vickie and walk in the main door. I wave to the ladies at the front office. They wave back recognizing me from yesterday. I make my way down to room 103. Mr. Jackson is standing right outside my door.

"Good morning Mr. Phillips."

"Good morning Mr. Jackson." I reply back.

"You ready to go?" He taps me on the back.

"I'm all set. I can't wait." He nods. I told you I love a man of a few words. I quickly step into my room and place my bag on the big metal desk in the front. Mr. Jackson gave me the sub plans yesterday when I left so I had a chance to study them last night in between reading about all the amendments. Who knew there were so many of them? I immediately write my name out on the board behind me, not really sure why but that's what substitutes always did when I was in school. Just as I finish I hear someone behind me. I quickly turn my head, there's a woman dressed in a very old and out of style wrinkled navy blue dress standing there. She looks close to sixty with thick glasses and long unkempt dark hair full of gray streaks, not your typical looking south Floridian. I immediately think of my grandmother.

"Hi Mr. Phillips. My name is Lucille. I wanted to introduce myself and see if you need anything." I quickly walk over to her and shake her hand. I make sure not to squeeze too tightly. "I'm also on the Dolphin team." I nod. "Make sure you refer to us as the Dolphin team not the Dolphins so you don't get us confused...."

"With the football team." I quickly add.

She smiles. "Great. I'm glad you know that already. We take our football seriously down here." I try and picture her seated on a couch holding a beer and watching the game. I quickly get the image out of my mind. "Are you ready? These kids can be tough. Now Peter was the master with them though. He had them prepared and ready for the States. You know they're coming up."

"I have heard and I think I am ready. We should be fine. Thanks for checking in. It was nice to meet you." I start moving towards the door but she doesn't follow.

"Now it's very important that you establish control as soon as the kids come in. I see you have written your name down already...that is good." I take a few more steps towards the door. She still isn't moving. I look at the clock. Five minutes till the bell rings. "I'll give you a few strategies that work for me." She keeps going. "First it is important to engage each student as if they are the only one in your class, second..."

"Ms. Lucille...would it be possible for us to continue this conversation later?" I softly place my hand on her shoulder trying to guide her towards the door. Her worn shoes and sagging hose seem like they're glued to the floor. "I need to get ready for the kids."

"Let me just give you one more strategy..."

"Please Lucille. I need to get a few things ready." These teachers are something else down here. Finally the bell rings and the students pour in drowning out poor little Lucille. Next time I look up she has left the room. I stand in front of the board and watch the kids enter. They eye me curiously but sit down fairly quickly. I straighten out my tie and touch my mask. I don't say anything. I just look at each one of them individually. Lucille would be so proud. Finally a minute later, I introduce myself.

"Hi my name is Mr. Phillips." I even point to my name on the board. I wonder if that's a strategy too.

"When's Mr. Langston coming back?" A tall thin kid wearing a Dolphins jersey not Dolphin calls out. He's seated in the back.

"I'm not sure, but he's out for an extended period of time so you're stuck with me now."

"Is it true he's getting brain surgery?"

I keep my eyes focused on the student. I'm already thinking if he's the one. "I don't know the details why he is out. They didn't tell me, but be assured he'll be back."

"What if he dies? Will you be our new teacher?" All the kids look serious. I can tell they had something with Mr. Langston. I wonder why George picked him to leave.

"He's not going to die. I promise he'll be back as soon as he can."

"Are you going to run the history club too?" A small girl with short blond hair seated in the front row asks me.

"I'm not sure. They haven't told me yet. But today I'm here to teach you social studies so let's get started." I look around the room. I think I recognize a few of the kids from their pictures. There's one girl in the back with purple hair that I don't remember. "Let's take attendance." I call out each name and mark them present. I have no students missing. I call the office and let them know.

"Mr. Langston does attendance on his computer." Gotta love these kids.

"Maybe one day I will too. Okay so let's talk about the Articles of Confederation." My favorite. I wonder if the kids are as excited as I am. A long hour later the bell rings and I tell them what to read for homework. I watch them shuffle out and the next group march in. This goes on four more times till I get a lunch break. I packed a sandwich and an apple. I quickly wolf them down and walk out into the hall. A few minutes later, I find the teacher's lounge and almost turn around as soon as I enter because Lucille's seated right at the table with about ten other teachers. They all eye me curiously. I introduce myself and quickly leave getting a cup of coffee. The substitute is always the outsider. I make my way back to my classroom and wait for the next round of students, luckily no Lucille. We talk about the Articles three more times and finally I hear the most beautiful sound ever, the final bell and I'm free. I write down a few notes about a couple kids in my classes that struck me as odd, but for the most part no one stood out. Maybe I should concentrate on Lucille. I head back to the parking lot and quickly drive away pulling off my mask. It's going to take me a few weeks to get a grip on any of the kids and develop any leads so I can stop this thing from happening. I don't think anyone suspected me. All in all, I think my first day went fairly well except for forgetting a few of the thirteen original colonies that I was quickly corrected upon by two students. Gotta love it when the kids no more than the teacher.

Chapter 8

As soon as I get back to the apartment, I cross off close to twenty kids I know didn't send it the emails. Yes, they are mostly girls except for the one boy in my sixth period class named Kevin who has no functioning fingers. It makes it kind of hard to pull a trigger. I look at Kyle's picture on the coffee table. First thing I unpacked. I already miss him so much, especially after seeing all those kids. Maybe I can teach him about the Articles of Confederation when I get back. I'm sure he'll love me for that. I decide to take a look at the library where the email was sent from after dinner. Grilled microwave chicken breast tonight, not bad. I park right out front and walk in. It's a large building with two floors of books. The computers are located on the first floor. There are two rows of ten computers each. They are all full, mostly by adults. I don't see anyone around the age of a middle school student in here. I guess that means they're all doing their social studies homework at home, yeah right! The emails were all sent out at around 6:30 PM which is about five minutes away. I find a chair near the computers and pretend to browse through a computer magazine. They're rating free apps. I'm happy to see the new Angry Birds got a high rating though not as high as the paid version. I watch as people come and go from the computers. It looks like they have about forty-five minutes before they have to get up and let the next person on it. There's a librarian type of lady holding a clipboard and calling out names...still no young kids. I don't see any cameras anywhere. An extremely thin man no more than thirty with almost no hair and denim shorts that look like a whole family could wear at once sits next to me and begins looking at the magazine rack. I try and nod at the food magazines but I don't think he sees me. I go back to watching the computers for anything suspicious. A minute later he taps me on the shoulder.

He has a very low voice, like a radio announcer. "Excuse me sir, can I read that magazine?"

I nod. "Sure. It's all yours." I hand it to him.

"You want to buy the Angry Birds Star Wars, it's worth the money." I feel like I should look for a radio. "Yesterday I played for twelve hours."

"You played Angry Birds for twelve hours?"

"No...I played Angry Birds Star Wars for twelve hours and the day before I played it for ten."

I watch as he begins frantically leafing through the magazine. "What about work and sleep?"

"I don't work. That's why I come here every night."

"You come here every night?" He nods without looking up. I feel like suggesting the swimwear shop for him to work at. "How long have you been coming here?"

"A couple of months. My parents make me come to look at the classifys."

"Classifieds?" He looks up from the magazine. I notice his eyes are gray.

"That's what I said."

I shake my head. "Okay." I look back at the computers. "Maybe you can help me out then. I'm trying to find out if my son has been using these computers. You haven't seen any middle School kids in here on these computers?"

He shakes his head up and down. "Look...there's a new version coming out next month. It says right here." He points at a page towards the back of the magazine.

"That's great news." I pull out a twenty. "Look, can you try and remember if you saw some kids here?"

He looks at me and then the money. I see his big gray eyes come to life. "Yeah the middle kids were here doing a project. I went to middle too. Did you know that?"

"That's great. Do you remember what project they were doing?"

"I think it was English Bit."

"English Lit?"

"That's what I said."

I smile. "Yes you did." I hand him the twenty. He puts it up to his nose and begins sniffing it. I tap him on the shoulder and walk up to the library circulation desk. I look back at the man and he's still sniffing the twenty. I wonder if I should have bought him a burger instead. He looks so thin. A minute later, a pleasant looking woman looks over her reading glasses and asks how she can help me.

"Hi, my son was working on an English Lit project last month for Ocean Middle School and he needs to check a reference. Would you still happen to have any of those books available?"

"Oh yes. I remember that...all those kids in here every night. We put everything back but they would all be in section 113." She points behind me at a long row of books. "They were from Mr. Stane's class. I hope that helps. They do it every year." That was easy.

"I think it does. Thanks so much." I take one more look at the computers then walk towards the book shelf and pretend to browse. I pick up a Hemmingway. English Lit wasn't my strong suit either, maybe I should've tried English bit. A few minutes later I head back to the apartment with two new clues. I immediately throw in a K-cup and open the first binder. I look at the picture of Mr. Stane. He appears to be in his thirties. I'll have to get access to his class lists, I wonder if I should ask Lucille. I spend the next few hours reviewing the Articles of Confederation. I won't bore you with the details. Maybe tomorrow I'll try and read a Hemmingway. For some reason I'm still wide awake, probably from all that coffee. I decide to go for a walk on the beach. I quickly remember the Cops episodes so I pack my Berretta. I know it's old but it's the one I first started training with and I'm comfortable with it so I stick with it. Maybe that's the reason I'm still using the first version of Angry Birds. I better not tell my library friend though. I quickly walk down the stairs and through the parking lot to the beach. There are still quite a few people milling about even at 10:00 PM. I look over at the far end of the beach and see Uncle Mike's still lit up and going strong. I decide to go the other direction. I walk right along the edge of the beach until I like feel of the water washing up over my feet. I think it's one of my favorite things, you know like that song 'These are a few of favorite things'. I wonder why they didn't include it in that song. I see a few couples huddled together on the beach. Other than that I feel like I'm all alone until I look back and see two men about fifty yards behind me. I keep walking for the next ten minutes or so and they stay the same distance back. Maybe they're just out for a walk like me. I decide to cut across the beach and walk along the road back to my apartment. I watch as they do the same thing. I think I'm being followed. I continue on. There's not as much traffic on the roads either, beach rush must be over. I decide to slow down and see if they catch up. They slow down too. Maybe they're getting ready to film a Cops episode. A minute later I stop and sit on a bench just off the road facing the beach under a large palm tree. The breeze from the ocean is blowing across my face. I look behind me and suddenly don't see the two men anymore, I guess they left. I place my hand on the Beretta just in case. A minute later they're standing in front of me. It's like they came out of nowhere. They're both wearing dark hoodies, so I can't see their faces. I don't let them see the Beretta. I don't see any cameras either so I guess it's not a Cop's episode.

"What are you doing here?" The slightly taller of the two says to me. He's leaning forward and has both hands in his pockets. He has a low mumbling voice.

"Sitting on a bench." I smile. Kill them with kindness. "Would you like to join me?"

I watch as they both look at each other. "You a smart ass?"

"As opposed to a dumb ass?" They both take a step forward towards me. I guess they don't like my kindness.

"What are you doing out here? I ain't never seen you before."

I hold out my left hand, my other one is tightly on the Berretta in my pocket. "I aint never seen you guys before either. Name is Martin...nice to meet you gentleman."

"This guy is playing you man." The other hoodie finally speaks, he has a soft voice.

"You ain't funny man. You don't know who you're messing with. You wanna get hurt?" I see his fists curl up and his dark eyes dilate.

"No...I really don't like getting hurt."

"Then you better get outtta here." They take another step closer. I can almost touch them now.

"Where do I go?"

"Back where you came from. This is our beach. We run this place."

I nod my head. "You have a nice beach."

"I'm telling you he's playing you dude." The second hoodie speaks again. His voice sounds much younger.

I watch as the taller one thinks for a second then he brings his arm up, easy giveaway, it comes towards my head. I quickly duck out of the way, stand up and grab his arm twisting him onto the ground...Aikido, my second black belt. The younger one has a small stick in his hand. It looks like a police nightstick. He brings it back and I snap it out of his hand before he even swings it...amateurs. I take it and throw it towards the ocean. I can't tell if it lands in the water. The taller one slowly rises back to his feet. I have my hand back on the Berretta just in case. He's holding his twisted arm and scowling at me. He places his arm around the smaller one. "Let's go. You better not be out here again."

"Yeah I know because this is your beach right?" They both look back at me as they slowly walk away. I ease my hand off the Berretta. "Have a nice night boys. I love your beach." After they disappear I slowly get up and walk back to my apartment. I spend another hour going over the reading I assigned the students. A placer's life is never dull.

Chapter 9

I'm back standing in front of my first period class again. No Lucille this morning. I go over the reading assignment and do the boring questions at the end of the chapter. I wonder if they write them that way on purpose. I'm actually impressed with the responses the kids are giving me. I think they might have really read the chapters, maybe I should. I manage to stay awake the rest of the period. I have two boys in my first period class that I decide need further investigation. Jeff and Wi. They both sit in the back and do a lot of whispering to each other throughout the whole class. I guess they could be discussing the excitement of my teaching but I think I better check to make sure. I still haven't figured out how to get the class lists for Stane and Larkin. I'll try and figure something out before lunch...another sandwich and apple today. I could go for an Uncle Mike burger. I wish we had more time for lunch, maybe if I stay here long enough I can join the union. I get through my next few periods and write down five more names. I'm up to seven possibilities. I slowly make my way down to the lunch room. Of course Lucille is seated at the head of the table, there's a few extra chairs open at the other end so I sit down. Everyone is talking about the kids in their classes. I always wondered what teachers talk about in teacher lounges. I'm trying to think of something to add about one of my kids as I slowly un-wrap my sandwich and apple. No one seems to pay attention to it though, maybe because they all have delicious looking microwave dishes. I may have to start bringing those. There are three men and two women at the table one of them Lucille. The walls are covered with advertisements for books and substitute teacher information. I notice there are two microwaves and of course the coffee machine that has become my new friend despite it not being a Keurig. Lucille seems to be controlling the conversation; I hope she doesn't start talking about strategies again.

She looks towards me. I take a big bite and chew quickly. "So how is the second day Mr. Phillips?"

I swallow quickly. "So far so good...I definitely have some interesting students." I watch as the other teachers suddenly look my way. I take another bite. "Yeah...I had two girls this morning start singing the National Anthem when I talked about Francis Scott Key." No one laughs, just forced smiles. Hopefully my kids will do something better tomorrow.

"Mr. Phillips is down from DC trying to take over for Peter." They all nod.

The man looks at me. "How do you like this weather down here?" I instantly recognize him as Mr. Stane even though his chin is now covered with facial hair.

"I love it, just last night I was out on the beach." I keep that part about the two men following me quiet. "No beaches in DC."

"Can't beat the beaches down here."

"So what do you teach?"

"English Lit."

"Sounds interesting." He nods. "I had a few kids talking about that today."

He smiles. "Really...English Lit. I can't believe it. These kids just don't appreciate a good book anymore. All they care about is their video games. I wish there was a way to combine them." Everyone laughs except Lucille. Must not be one of her approved strategies.

I look at Lucille. "I'd really like to know more about my kids like what classes they take. Do we have access to that?"

Mr. Stane quickly answers. I think he cut off Lucille because she looks upset. "We have the "Attend" program."

"Mr. Phillips doesn't have a computer. He's just a sub." Gotta love that Lucille.

"You can stop by my room any off period or after school and I'll show you."

"Thanks Mr. Stane."

"Call me Bill." He shakes my hand and I introduce myself too.

"You better check with Mr. Jackson first." Lucille chides in.

"He won't care. Any way we can help Sam here I think would be great. C'mon up after the last bell." I want to stick my tongue out at Lucille. I watch as they all get up and head out the door leaving me alone in the teacher's lounge. I feel like I should scream. A minute later, I hear the bell ring and the stampede of teenage feet in the hallway. Four of those feet belong to potential killers. I take my time getting back to my classroom and slowly walk the halls. I see Mr. Jackson up ahead outside my room. I hope Lucille didn't talk to him.

"Hi Mr. Phillips."

"Hi Mr. Jackson."

"Just wanted to make sure everything is going well. Anything you need?"

I want to say a longer lunch break and better food, but I decide to keep my opinion to myself for now and instead say, "Any chance of getting a computer?"

"Let me look into it and ask our IT guys."

"Great. Thanks."

"You're welcome Mr. Phillips."

"Thanks again Mr. Jackson." I watch as he looks back at me oddly and walks back down the hall.

"Hi Mr. Phillips." I hear a much younger voice behind me call out. I look back. It's Wi from my first period class. He's holding a large piece of drift wood with the word 'pass' written on it. I say hi and watch him disappear down the hallway. Once he's far enough away I decide to follow him... might as well start my investigation. I keep a good distance back as he turns the corner by the library and heads towards the front of the school. Ocean Middle School is designed in a giant square surrounding a courtyard that I have never seen anyone use yet. Each hallway is named after the room numbers. I keep following him as he turns down the two-hundred hallway. A minute later, he slips into the boy's bathroom. I stop outside and try and peer in to make sure he's not loading up an AR-15. I don't hear any strange noises and it looks like he's in there by himself so I start to step in a little more when I hear a loud screeching voice behind me.

"Mr. Phillips, are you looking in the boy's bathroom?" You guessed it, Lucille.

"Yes, I saw a student go in there and I heard some odd sounds."

"You ought to be ashamed of yourself." Her face is bright red; wrinkles are forming red streaks like a map of tiny rivers.

"About what?" I look back at the bathroom as Wi walks by and nods at me. I nod back. I want to go in and make sure he left nothing suspicious behind.

"That bathroom is for kids only and I would suggest you stay out of it or go anywhere near it. I knew there was something about you. I'll have my eye on you."

"Thank you Lucille." She turns around quickly and stomps down the hallway behind Wi. As soon as she's gone I step into the bathroom. I don't see any weapons or anything. I mentally lower Wi down on my list. Gotta love Lucille. Every school needs to have one.

Chapter 10

I'm walking up the stairs to my apartment. Mr. Stane gave me all the printouts of his students and mine. I've got them in my bag. Luckily, it's still only a little after 3:00, so I should have time to go to the beach. Hopefully no one will follow me this time. I quickly pull up my surfer bathing suit and throw on my Ocean Middle T-shirt and end up in my usual spot a few minutes later. I have the Berretta tucked under my shirt just in case. For some reason the beach isn't as crowded as it usually is, maybe there's sharks or something. I lay out my towel in my favorite spot. A minute later I'm reading the names of Mr. Stane's kids. There are a hundred and twenty-five kids on it. I compare each one to the pictures and quickly rule out about eighty of them, yes all the girls and a few kids that I recognize from my classes that I know aren't capable of putting together a sentence. Maybe I should recommend Mr. Stane to have them begin reading books. A few hours later, the evening rush starts to fill in the spaces around me. I guess the sharks have left. I decide to work on lesson plans for the rest of the week. I think the kids will be excited to see were going to study the divergent paths of the American people in the south in the 1800's, gotta love this stuff. An hour later I hear the tiny feet of my furry friend Rusty running, slightly behind him his Vicki. He starts licking my face, lucky me. I scratch his neck and wave at Vicki who arrives a minute later. I don't scratch her neck.

"I guess it's true what they say four legs are quicker than two."

"Funny...Martin. How's the school work going? Are we solving all the problems yet?" She sits down on the sand next to me. I quickly close my books.

"What's wrong?" She picks up the textbook. "Don't want me to read about the American South?" She is laughing. "This looks like exciting stuff. You like this?" I nod up and down. She rolls her eyes. "Now I see why you came all this way down here." I reach out to snag the book out of her hand, but at the last second she pulls it away and jumps up jogging away. "You really want this back? You'll have to catch me and these two legs are pretty fast." She starts running away, Rusty immediately follows her. I jump up and start running after them. A minute later, I'm right beside her. She stops. "Not bad Martin...not bad. How about dinner? You think you can get away from this exciting stuff for another Uncle Mike?"

I laugh. "I guess I can try, but I better bring my book in case I get bored." A few minutes later we're seated at the same table enjoying the view and two Coronas.

"So how's that teaching gig?"

"It's great! I really love this stuff." I tap my social studies book. "Enriching their minds one student at a time." I read that on the wall in the teacher's lounge.

She looks into my eyes. "I hope all the teachers are like you at Ocean." I wonder if I should tell her about Lucille. "I wonder about a few of Chris's teachers, especially his math one, but I'll save that for another day."

"Is he your only kid?"

She nods her head. "Yep, he'll actually be here in about fifteen minutes. Maybe you two have seen each other in the hallways."

I feel a twinge of anxiety in my chest. "I doubt it there are so many kids in there." I take a long sip of the Corona and look down at the beach. A minute later the same waiter drops off two giant Uncle Mike's in front of us. I think back to my sandwich and apple from lunch, suddenly my senses quickly wake up.

"You look like you haven't seen food in days."

"I haven't. You know us supermodels have to stick to a certain diet." I take a big bite and feel my mouth form a smile.

"Your something else aren't you?"

"This is delicious. I don't know how you do it."

"I'm glad you like it. This was my uncle's specialty. He came up with the recipe. All I had to do was add it to the menu. That's him right there?"

"Where?" I quickly turn my head where she is looking.

"The picture silly. Remember he passed away."

I see a large picture of a fifty something year old man wearing a Hawaiian shirt and windblown hair hanging on the wall near the kitchen. He has a pleasant smile on his face. "Looks like a good guy."

"He was. Died rescuing a child right out here. If you look down there you'll see a little sign telling about the child and him." She points at the beach. I see a small sign that looks like a plaque right on the sand below us. "Look who's here." I turn my head back around and see a tall lanky kid with dark hair and bright green eyes just like his mother standing next to our table. "Chris, meet Mr. Howell."

I stand up and shake his hand. He has a firm handshake for such a thin kid. "Nice to meet you."

"Chris...Mr. Howell is a sub at Ocean." I watch as he looks at me to see if he recognizes me. He shakes his head up and down.

"Nice to meet you too, Mom, can I go get something to eat."

She gets immediately up and walks him towards the kitchen. "I'll be right back." A few minutes later she returns. "He just finished baseball practice. He always comes here after and eats and does his homework."

"Must be a cool life for him."

"It could be better. I wish we could go home, but I have a good manager so I usually check out of here by eight and get Chris home and ready for school. I know you teachers really like that."

I nod. "Yes we do. Seems like a good kid."

"Yeah...I haven't had any real problems with him yet. I wish his dad was more of a help, but he went off to California with a young blond." She touches her hair. "Maybe I should have dyed it blond huh?"

"No...I like it just like that."

"Is that a compliment Martin?"

I laugh. "I think so, did you know a compliment is a complement noun." I read that yesterday in the teacher's lounge too.

"Whatever." She taps me on the shoulder again. "Teachers...!"

"Restaurant owners." I quickly say back. We both laugh and enjoy each other's company for another hour or so. Finally I make my way back home. As soon as I step off the boardwalk I see the two hoodies waiting for me.

Chapter 11

They finished shooting about an hour ago and he followed his friend back to the structure. It was about a mile away. He wasn't sure how he had found it, but that's how it was down here as soon as you get away from the city and water there were plenty of abandoned properties. Despite being born and raised down here, it felt good to step inside out of the bright sun. The shade felt cool. His friend tossed him a large bottle of orange Gatorade. That was their drink of choice, especially after a day of shooting. It tasted so good going down his throat. The dusty field had dried him out a few hours ago. He followed his friend towards the back. The building was made up of two rooms. He had only been in the first one so far, but he curiously walked into the second one and stopped short upon seeing the scene. He couldn't believe his eyes. He felt like he was on a movie set. Nothing looked real.

Chapter 12

I quickly walk up to the hoodies keeping myself in position where I can see all of them at once. There are three of them now. They move into a semi-circle in front of me. I keep my right hand on the Berretta. "How are we tonight gentlemen? I see we have another friend."

"I told you he's a smart ass. You think you're funny don't you?" Tall hoodie from last night mumbles at me. I see he's still holding his arm. The other two quietly laugh. I love peer pressure. I still can't really see their faces but the new guy seems to be about the same size and build. Maybe I should ask them where they get those hoodies. I think I might look good in one of those.

"I try. Hey did you guys hear the one about the little wave racing against the big wave?" Guess who won the race?" They turn towards each other. "Neither one, they ended in a tide....get it. Pretty funny huh?" None of them laugh. Maybe I'm not that funny.

"You're a dead man." Tall Hoodie leans towards me. I can see his eyes. They are dark and brooding. No wonder he doesn't think I'm funny.

"What's wrong? You didn't like my joke?"

New hoodie steps directly in front of me. "Shut up." I look down at his hand and he's holding a long knife with a serrated edge. "You going to die tonight funny man." He has a raspy voice with a little Spanish accent to it. I can see his face as he gets closer to me. I think he might be Hispanic? He has dark eyes and very dark features and what looks like some facial hair on his chin. He points the knife at me. "You a teacher or something? Why you wearing that shirt?"

"No I'm actually a comedian."

"I don't like you." He raises the knife to my chest

"But you don't even know me yet." I give him a big smile, but for some reason he doesn't smile back.

"You going to cut him up? You saw what he did to my arm." Tall Hoodie steps forward next to new hoodie. The other hoodie is staying back. I wonder if he's still nervous like last night, probably a younger brother or something. I glance at him, but I can't see his face in the darkness.

"What are you going to do man?" New Hoodie is moving the knife up and down in front of me.

"I'm going to go home and try and think of more jokes."

"You're not funny."

"Do you want me to try another joke?"

"Shut up." New Hoodie raises his voice some. I look around and there is no one nearby. Where are the Cop's cameras when I need them?

"Cut him up man. What are you waiting for?" T all Hoodie calls out.

New Hoodie looks over at him and I jump as quickly as I can. I grab New Hoodie's wrist and twist the knife out of his hand. It clangs as it lands hard onto the pavement. Both hoodies look surprised. "What the..." As soon as he leans down to recover it I connect my right foot to his chin and hear a loud crack. I may have broken his chin. He goes down with both hands holding his chin. I feel a jolt of pain under my right eye and my vision goes blurry. I see Tall hoodie's fist leaving my face. I spin around and catch him with a right to his nose with the heel of my hand. I feel it splatter. He goes down next to new hoodie. I think I hear crying. Maybe now they'll laugh at my jokes. Nervous Hoodie runs away again. I'm really starting to like him. I step over them both making sure not to step in the blood and quickly walk back to my apartment holding my hand under my throbbing eye. By the time I place the key in my lock I hear sirens. I quickly close the door, change my clothes and put on my mask in case the police come knocking. I feel the pressure on my eye from where I was hit. I never saw it coming. I guess I need to get back in the dojo, or maybe I'm getting old. As soon I sit down and start reading about treaties my phone rings...saved by the bell.

"Martin...it's George. How is everything going on the assignment?"

"I don't mention my eye or the police outside my window possibly looking for me. "Good so far, slowly making progress." I say instead. George never calls to check in. In fact he's probably only called me twice in twenty years while on the job, so I'm immediately a little concerned.

"We have some new information. I wanted to pass along." I hear him take a long breath, I wonder if he just finished singing an Elvis song. "Another email came in last night. I'm forwarding it to you now." I look down at my phone when I hear the chime. There's an attachment. I quickly thumb it open and read through the text. The message is basically the same as the others but it shows two pairs of hands holding two AR-15's and an assorted bunch of handguns and weapons on a small table behind them. I can't believe the display of weapons. I have to look closely to make sure they are real. It looks like they are in a barn or some kind of outdoor building because I can see a dirt floor in the background.

"This looks like it's getting serious."

"Yes, Martin I am convinced the threat is real. We still have no timeline, but it is interesting that they are warning us in this way. This was sent to the superintendent's email."

I adjust my mask and look out the window. I can still see swirling blue lights. "Any idea where the emails came from?"

"Same IP address as before in the library. 7:01 PM last night."

"Interesting."

"Yes it is, but I know you'll figure it out you're the best." I wonder if he says that to every placer. "Let me know if you need anything."

"I will. Thanks for the information." I hear the phone click and the line go dead. I decide to take a walk outside and see what the police are up to. I'm wearing my mask and different clothes so I should be able to walk by without the three brilliant hoodies recognizing me. I climb down the steps and head across the parking lot. I can feel the warm breeze blowing at me from the ocean. It feels good even through the mask. There's a small crowd of people near the far end where the police cars are still flashing their strobes, still no cameras so I guess Cops didn't get the word. I slowly walk up amongst them and watch two EMT's work on new hoodie. He's lying on a gurney. They have his hood off and I can see the features of a twenty something year old Hispanic male with his chin split wide open. It looks like they are trying to control the bleeding. I wonder what happened. Next to him on another gurney is tall hoodie. His head is uncovered as well. He's younger than I figured, probably in his late teens light brown hair. I can see his face, but it looks funny because his nose is squashed like a pancake in the middle of it. Wonder what happened to him, maybe I should ask. Nervous hoodie is nowhere to be seen. I told you I like him. Both hoodies are talking to officers but I can't hear what they're saying. No one seems to be looking my way. I told you these masks are good. I look next to me and there's a large middle–aged woman wearing as much mascara as a circus clown standing there. She's in a dark green too-short terry cloth bathrobe watching the whole scene very excitedly. Her large milky thighs are glowing from the light. This is probably the biggest thing that's happened down here all year. She's chewing what looks like about ten pieces of gum at once and trying to blow bubbles but I don't think she knows how. I watch as she crinkles her mouth together and blows but nothing happens. I wonder if should warn everyone to duck just in case.

"So what happened?"

She looks towards me; I can see the huge wrinkled wad of gum sitting on her tongue. I take a step back. "Some crazy guy just jumped these two kids. They were just walking through...good kids."

"Wow. They look pretty bad."

Another big chomp...she's determined. "This kind of thing never happens down here. They're saying the guy was huge like six five and two-fifty." I think she has a southern accent but it's hard to tell between chews. She points at tall hoodie. "They say his nose was busted in ten places." I notice the curlers in her hair.

"Wow that sounds like some scary guy."

She reaches into her pocket and takes out two more pieces of gum and shoves them into her mouth. I never knew a human mouth could open that wide. I bet her dentist is thrilled. "Yeah the police are looking for him. Be careful if you see him."

"I'll do that."

She turns back towards the EMT's and police. I can hear her mouth chomping away. I slowly take a few steps back, look on the ground for any gum and then go back to my apartment for the night.

Chapter 13

I wake up early and complete a twenty minute run along the beach again. All the police and spectators have cleared. I check for gum just to be sure. I'm surprised at how few people are out. Maybe they're scared by the big guy hurting innocent kids. I wonder who that could be. A little while later I'm standing in front of my first period kids trying to take attendance on the computer that was dropped off on my desk this morning.

"You don't do it like that. You just have to click on the pictures." I quickly turn my head around and standing behind me is Tim. He sits in the front row. I move my mouse over the first face and click. A blue checkmark appears on the picture. "You can click all of them except for Cyndi, she's out today."

I look back at him and smile. "So how do you know so much about this?"

A shy smile overtakes his face. "Mr. Langston always lets me do it. I can do it for you too if you want." I click a few more of the pictures as I look to make sure each kid is here. I skip over Cyndi's. "Just click on 'submit' and you're done." His finger taps the screen.

"Thanks Tim, but I think I better do it at first so I get the hang of it. Does Mr. Langston always let students use his computer?"

"Sometimes, I'm the class manager so I get to do things like that. He assigns each one of us a job at the beginning of the year."

I look around at all the faces. They are all concentrating on Tim and me. "Thanks Tim...you can go sit down because I know you guys have got to be excited to start talking about American's in the south." I watch their faces droop with excitement. "Who wants to answer the first question?" I better hold on this is getting exciting. We go over the chapter questions and I talk about what I know about the south from my reading. I can tell their enthused. I watch Wi whisper secrets to Jeff. My next three periods come and go with as much excitement as the first. No one stands out except for the tall red haired boy named Coleman in the back who looks like he was dozing the whole time. He has done this all three days. I wonder if maybe he's tired because he's up all night cleaning out his AR-15's. I'll keep an eye on him. I stroll down to the teacher's lounge and even say hi to Lucille. She doesn't say anything back and the rest of the teachers near her all eye me curiously. I wonder what she's telling them. I sit next to Mr. Stane who smiles and asks me how things are going.

"Great thanks for all the help with the computer."

He looks at Lucille. She quickly turns her head away. "Any time you need anything let me know."

"I got a computer this morning." I wink at Lucille when no one is looking. She frowns. I love this lady. She and a few others quickly get up and head back into the hallway leaving Mr. Stane and me.

"Don't worry about her. She's been here way too long. It happens to all of us. We just need to know when it's time to go."

I nod. "How's the English Lit going?"

"Great. I actually had a few kids showing some interest this morning. I love it."

"How do they get the books you want them to read?"

He laughs. "I guess you've been to our lovely state of the art library here at Ocean." He winks. "Not much to offer as far as books. I don't even know why they call it a library. I have to send my kids to the county branch. We have a whole section reserved." I love this guy's sarcasm.

"That makes it tough. I guess I won't assign any outside reading."

He starts to stand up. I look up at the clock the bell is about to ring. "Use the county one. We have a deal with them that they can sign out the books using their Ocean cards, makes it a lot easier for them and for us."

"Do you have kids using it now?"

He crumples up his bag and throws it into the trash can. I hear it clunk as it hits the metal side. "Always...I think I have kids in there every night. In fact last night I had my class go over there. By the way, the parents are real supportive of it too. I guess they are sick of all the fundraisers for all the crap we do...you know how it is." I nod. He waves good bye as he heads out into the hall just as the bell rings above me. I sit back and eat my lunch in the peaceful room. I even memorize a few more teaching quotes on the wall. I'm starting to think I may have just narrowed down my list to a hundred and twenty-five students with at least half of those being girls. I take a big bite and start thinking about the New Deal. It really gets me senses going. Eventually I decide to head back down to my room. I enjoy the peaceful quiet of the halls as I walk back. I try and picture how I would do it if I were going to shoot up a school. I think I would wait for classes to change and hang around near the front of the building where the most traffic is. I'm surprised there's not any visible police presence with all the threats. I know they haven't made any of them public, but just in case something happens I would think they would like to keep the police nearby. I've checked most parts of the school for anyone I suspect as being undercover and as far as I know, I'm the only new teacher except for the subs that come and go every day. I watch as a small boy walks past me with his head down. He doesn't even look up as I call out hello. He's wearing a Dolphins jersey not Dolphin, I think if I hear that one more time I'll start yelling. Today is apparently jersey day because all the kids are decked out in their various jerseys, most of them Dolphins and the Heat. I may have to invest in a Dolphins jersey so I fit in. Maybe that would make Lucille like me some more. I walk past a boy's bathroom in the three-hundred hallway. There's one in each hallway for both boys and girls. I look around behind me and don't see anyone, meaning Lucille, so I quietly step in. I hear feet shuffling in the far stall. It looks like there are four pairs of sneakers in there. That means four feet and two people for those of you non-math people. I just stand and listen. This isn't going to be good no matter how it turns out. I can already feel it. I hope Lucille doesn't walk in now. I walk very quietly. I don't think they know I'm here yet. There are four stalls in here, four sinks and a wall full of urinals. It's a large bathroom. Like everywhere else the walls are painted turquoise. They really like their Dolphins down here. I hear a few quiet giggles as I slowly approach the stall. The door is closed and locked. The other three are wide open. I slowly tiptoe to the third one, directly next to them. The giggling stops. I jump up on the toilet seat and peer down into their stall. There are two boys standing there. Their hands are full of tiny blue and white pills that look like candy.

"Don't move." I yell. I quickly jump down and rip open their door. Both of their faces are bright red. The first boy tries to run by me but I grab him and toss him back into the stall. "Drop the pills boys...now!" I yell. Neither of them moves. "Drop them." They both look up at me and open their hands, about twenty pills fall onto the floor scattering in all different directions. I look at the second boy and have to catch my breath. It's Chris, Vickie's son. "C'mon...get out of here." They both slowly walk past me and stop in the middle of the bathroom. "What are your names?"

The first boy looks at me. He is tall with shaggy blond hair. He looks like a future surfer. "Joe and David."

"Tell me your names boys."

"We just did." Chris utters back. He's not the same boy I saw standing at Uncle Mikes. He has a much different tone.

"Your real names."

"Those are our real names." Chris says again. I can see him looking at himself in the mirror. I walk behind them and close and lock the bathroom door, just like they do in the movies. They both jump when they hear the lock snap in place. I slowly edge back towards them and stop directly in front of Chris.

"Let's try this one more time Chris."

"What? How do you know my name?" I can see the terror in his eyes.

"And your friend's name is?"

"It's Luke." He takes a step back. "What's going to happen to us?"

"We're going to jail dude." Chris quickly answers.

"I can't man, my parents will kill me."

I look at Chris. "What about yours?"

"Just my mom...she'll kill me too." He looks like he's about to cry. I see him biting his lip. "Please help us out."

"What are you doing with all this stuff?" I point at the pills.

"It's just Ex."

"It's still dangerous. You shouldn't be messing with this. Now go clean it up and put everything in the toilet. All of it." They both slowly walk back to the stall and begin picking up the pills and throwing them into the toilet. Each pill makes a tiny splash as it lands in the water. "Now empty your pockets...all of them." I say. They both look at me and then empty them. Three more pills fall out. I nod at the toilet and Chris throws them in. "Flush it." They both closely watch as the pills disappear down the drain. "Now get out of here and don't let me catch you again or I'll go to the police."

"You're letting us go dude?"

"It's Mr. Phillips, Luke."

"You're that new sub." He looks at Chris. He stares at me for a few seconds then quickly turns away.

"I'll be watching you guys. Now get out of here." I watch as they unlock the door and quickly leave the bathroom. I stand there looking at myself in the mirror and wonder what I will say next time I see Vickie.

Chapter 14

I'm back at the library again. It's almost 6:30, so I'm hoping some kids will show up. I'm reading an article about Mediterranean roofs in Architectural Digest...okay I'm pretending to read. I'm really watching the computers. No sign of Angry Birds man yet, maybe he stopped to get a bite to eat on the way. Still no kids yet either, but I do recognize a few of the same faces on the computers as last time I was here....gotta love the nightlife at the library. There's the same two thirty-year old men seated next to each other playing one of those video games that they connect to each other online. I think it's called Minecraft. I'll have to ask my Angry Birds friend when he gets here. I recognize them because they are wearing the same exact clothes they wore last time...cut-off jeans and plain white t-shirts full of stains. They're moms must be so proud. Next to them is the old lady who spends all her time looking at wedding sites. She must be in her late eighties and has a cane. I don't think she's our emailer. There are also the two professional looking ladies who go back and forth between Facebook and email, women and their socializing. I could spend all night here. It's fascinating. The rest of the computers are all taken by new faces, but none of them appear to be under the age of twenty-five. I keep flipping through the pages pretending to study the pictures of roofs. Finally I see two kids enter. They look the right age for Ocean Middle. I feel my blood pressure slightly rise. This could be it. I watch as they speak to the librarian and then quickly disappear behind a stack of books. I pretend to keep flipping through my magazine, still no Angry Birds guy, maybe I should grab the app magazine. A few minutes later a small group of four or five young teenage boys enter. I watch them talk to the computer librarian. She writes something down on her clipboard and points at the group of computers. They begin to linger around the computers. The old lady keeps looking up at them every time they walk by. Maybe she doesn't want them to see her looking at wedding dresses. One of the boys stops a little too long next to her. I feel like saying something but eventually he moves on. I think the old lady stuck her tongue out at him, but I can't be sure. I quietly laugh.

"What's so bunny?" I quickly turn my head around and Angry Birds guy is standing over me.

"What's so funny?"

"That's what I said."

I nod my head. "Something in this magazine made me laugh." I look up at Angry Birds guy and out of the corner of my eye I keep an eye on the teenagers at the same time. They are still circling like a pack of wolves. Some of the other adults on thee computers appear to be getting uncomfortable.

"That's not a funny magazy."

"Magazine?"

"That's what I said."

"I know...sorry." I've got to stop doing this. "I'm just laughing at how boring it is compared to the app mags." I watch as he quickly walks over to the magazine rack and grabs two magazines. He hands me this month's _Technology Developer._ "Thanks." I place down the Architectural Digest and smile as I leaf through the tech one. He sits down next to me. He barely takes up half of the seat. He's so thin. I think he has lost weight since the last time I saw him. The boys are still circling. "We're you in here last night?"

He looks up and nods. "Every night. Remember I told you."

"Just checking to make sure. Did you happen to see any kids on the computers?"

He looks over at the computer rows. "You know those are all duel cores. That's why I don't use them. I have a coward."

"A quad?"

"That's what I said." Oops I forgot again.

"Did you see any kids over there?"

He nods. "Yep, the same kids that are there now were there last night."

I look towards the computers again. There are now five more boys walking with the other ones. They are talking loudly. The librarian with the clipboard walks up to them and points at a group of chairs on the other side. The boys reluctantly walk over to them and sit down. The wedding dress lady smiles at the librarian. "All those boys were here last night?"

"That's what I said. Do your ears work okay?"

I smile and hand him a twenty dollar bill. He grabs it out of my hand and quickly leaves. I yell out for him to get a burger but I don't think he hears me. He's gone. I go back to my magazine and watch the boys. They are laughing and giggling like boys that age do. I skim through an article about writing the next great iPad app and becoming an instant millionaire. Maybe I should switch careers. A little while later, the clipboard librarian taps on a few shoulders and the boys start taking over the computers. The old lady quickly stands up. I wonder if she picked out a nice dress. She shakes her head as she walks by the boys. Another few minutes go by and all the boys are one the computers now. I can hear the laughs from over here. I decide to get up and walk by. None of them are on any email sites. They all seem to be looking at the same picture of some pretty young lady. I walk back to my magazine and read about how great Android is. I pick up my iPhone. A few minutes later, I see the boy whose screen is facing towards me open up a Gmail page. The emails have come from the Gmail address, Orion99@gmail.com . You probably know the Greek mythology story of Orion, who was the giant hunter turned into a constellation when he died, I sure didn't. I slowly get up again and walk by the computers again. I can't see anything on the screens, but it looks like all the boys are on Gmail now. Way to make my job easy boys. I try not to look too obvious and I hope the librarian doesn't tell me to go sit down like she did with the boys. I see her looking at me. I quickly go back to my seat. I take out my iPhone and take pictures of each of the boys. A minute later, I go to the other side. I find a seat and do the same. I don't recognize any of them from school. An hour or so later, they all get up and leave together. I immediately go to the closest computer and try and check the history but it is set to automatically delete. I check the next two before I feel a tap on my shoulder. It's the clipboard librarian. She has a frown on her face. She tells me I have to sign up for a computer and wait for my turn. I start to say something when I see there's no one waiting and there are at least ten open computers, but instead I thank her and leave. A few minutes later I'm heading towards Uncle Mikes for another giant burger. I decide to dial Doug, my computer specialist friend, everyone should have one to see if he has any ideas. I listen as the phone rings through the car's speakers. I love Bluetooth.

"Yeeeeeloow."

"Hi Doug it's Martin."

"Hey buddy?" He always has so much energy. I think he recently switched to 5 Hour Energy. He used to be a Jolt drinker.

"I need your help with something."

"Anytime Martin boy...anytime. How's my little buddy doing? What grade is he in now?"

"He's in sixth. He's great. He misses you." I remember the last time I brought Kyle to his house. He lives in Georgetown in a three floor townhouse. The bottom two floors are full of computers, and I mean everywhere, the kitchen, the living room, you name it. Kyle was amazed. When we went Doug was trying to hack a bank site just for the fun of it. He had at least twenty computers cracking passwords all at once. I remember having to explain to Kyle on the way home that he was getting paid to do that, though I'm not really sure he was.

"So what can I do for buddy?" Have I mentioned he calls everyone buddy.

"I have a Gmail account I need to figure out whose it is."

"Give me the address buddy." I read him the address and hear him take a deep breath. "Got it...it's out of Ft. Lauderdale and it belongs to someone named Hunter God, no address. Funny name buddy."

"It's a fake name. Can you get anything else?" I hear him tapping on keys.

"What are you always getting into?"

"Just work stuff."

"I understand buddy. Hold on one second," Several more deep breaths. Maybe I should tell him he needs to start getting some exercise. "Okay...I got it."

"What?"

"I'm in."

"You're in the account?"

"You got it buddy. Hold on and I'll give you the password and you can be in too." I smile seeing the Uncle Mike's lights up ahead. It's still only 7:30. "Here you go. The password is..." I hear him laugh. "You're going to love this...schoolsucks."

"Schoolsucks?"

"That's it buddy. Anything else?"

"No...that's all. Thanks so much."

Another deep breath, "Anytime. Now you remember to bring that boy by sometime real soon. I got some new stuff I want to show him."

"Will do. Do you have any Coward 4's?"

"You mean quad 4's?"

"That's what I said." I laugh to myself.

"Got a whole room of them, glad to see you're finally starting to learn something about computers."

"Thanks again. See you soon."

"You got it buddy." I click the End button and park next to a bright red Corvette at Uncle Mike's.

Chapter 15

I walk into the restaurant, it's really busy. There are waiters dressed in their surfer attire running in all directions. I don't see Vickie anywhere. I find a stool at the bar between two extra-large sized-men holding huge beer mugs. I can barely hear myself think. Jimmy Buffet is blaring through speakers somewhere above me and the Miami Heat are playing on about ten large sized LCD's. They're playing the Bulls and losing by ten points. The bartender, a young surfer-looking guy leans towards me and I scream out Corona please. I think he hears me because he quickly turns around and reaches below the counter. This actually my first time inside the restaurant both times before I was seated outside. The inside of the restaurant is decorated in a nautical theme, no surprise there. There are fish nets and plastic colorful tropical fish hanging from all the walls. The ceiling is a large skylight. I can see the stars twinkling above me. The waiter drops the Corona in front of me with a lime and smiles. I wonder if he likes me. I take a long sip. It immediately tickles my throat. One of the over-sized guys next to me gives me a strange look. Maybe he doesn't like Corona. He's wearing a sleeveless shirt with cargo jeans. I don't think he's ever seen the inside of a gym or a razor for that matter. His face is covered with mangy facial hair. I immediately touch my smooth chin. I have to shave closely when wearing the mask to keep a clean seal. I take out my iPhone and scroll through the pictures of the kids I took at the library. I angle it back towards me when I see over-sized guy trying to look at my screen. Most of the pictures came out pretty well. I think I'll be able to match them to the pictures of the kids in the Ops binders. I'm hoping I'll be able to narrow things down to about ten suspects, at least that's my theory. I'm still a little worried I won't be able to do it in time. I go to the email accounts setting and add the account for Orion that Doug figured out for me. I laugh when I type in the password. A minute later I get the message "account successfully set up". No new messages yet. I start to think about what I'll do next when I feel a sharp pain on my right side. Over-sized guys elbow has just landed in my side.

I lean towards him rubbing my side. "Please be careful."

He looks at me and turns back to his friend, over-sized guy number two. They go back to their conversation about the Heat. A minute later he twists the other direction and his other elbow heads toward my shoulder. I duck out of the way and grab hold of his elbow and push it back. He falls onto the floor. I hope he didn't crack the foundation. He slowly gets up with the help of his friend. They both look at me.

"You want to get hurt boy?" He leans in towards me.

I scream back, "I just did." I rub my side where I can already feel a bruise forming. I can smell his awful breath. It smells like a refrigerator after an extended power outage. His beard is covered with tiny little crumbs. I slowly slide off my stool and stand next to him. He's a little taller than me and probably outweighs me by about a hundred and fifty pounds, most of it in his stomach. His friend is even heavier with maybe two spare tires around his waist. I see our image in the mirror behind the bar. I can't believe how skinny I look. Maybe I should eat a few more Uncle Mikes. He starts screaming something, but I can't understand it so I just shrug my shoulders. I watch as his hand come towards me. It's like it's moving in slow motion. I easily step out of the way and sweep his feet out from under him. It feels like a small earthquake when he lands. I quickly turn back around when I feel a soft tap on my shoulder and see Vickie standing there. She motions me to come with her. I hold up one finger to over-sized man and walk with Vickie. I follow her outside onto the patio. I can see our table, it's empty. She leads me past it to the railing that overlooks the beach. The moon is reflecting on the surface.

"Martin stay away from those two. They are nothing but trouble."

"Why do you let them come in?"

"Because they have been coming here since my Uncle owned the place. Most people just ignore them because they're so big, but not you. I saw how you sent him on his butt." She laughs. "They teach you that in model school?"

"You know those model schools they teach you everything." She smiles. Her hand reaches out and touches my eye. "What happened to your eye?"

"I'm trying out some new makeup."

"Shut up." She turns back around and looks out at the ocean. I face her. "Are you hungry?"

"I think I have heard that question before."

She laughs and looks at her watch. "I have to head back home with Chris. How about you come with me and I'll make you a nice dinner, not an Uncle Mike, but home cooked. Chris and I usually eat a late dinner." I picture Chris in the bathroom flushing down the drugs.

"Sounds good."

She nods. "Good. You just wait here and we'll head back. Chris left a few minutes ago. You stay away from Hank and Willy. I'll be watching you." She points at the security camera bubble on the wall. I lean against the railing and watch her disappear back into the kitchen. I can't see Hank or Willy so I turn back around and enjoy the soothing wave action below. A minute later I hear Vickie's voice calling out goodnight to the waiters and waitresses. She guides me off the patio down a small set of steps and onto the beach. I immediately keep my eyes focused for the hoodies. I pray they don't show up tonight. Hopefully, they're still in the hospital or their feet are stuck in a big wad of gum. We slowly walk along the sand. It feels like it's grabbing my feet. There's hardly anyone out here, nothing but the sounds of crashing waves.

"Do you do this every night?"

"Yeah, usually I have Chris with me, but he has a lot of homework." I nod. "I hope you like chicken."

"I love them. In fact I know quite a bit about them. Do you know what side of the chicken has the most feathers?"

Her eyes look upwards. "Hmmmm...I have no idea."

"The outside."

She lightly punches me on the shoulder and fakes a loud laugh. "Very funny Martin...very funny. I bet you've been waiting to use that one."

"You know it."

"This is it." She points to a large condo building just off the beach. It's called Paradise Towers.

"Wow...impressive."

"Wait till you see the view, but don't mind the mess. We restaurateurs don't have a lot of time to clean and with a teenage kid...you know how it is."

"Excuses...excuses." I laugh as we enter a large ornate lobby lined with built-in fish tanks filled with tropical fish. She waves at a man dressed in a white shirt and chinos seated behind a desk. He has a very serious face. He waves back. I follow her into the elevator. She pushes number twenty-five. "You're on the top?"

"No...I just like number twenty-five. I told you it has a good view." About twenty seconds later we step out of the elevator and she places her key in room number 2506. I am amazed when we step in it's a beautiful condo. There's a modern kitchen filled with stainless steel and an almost completely glass wall covering the entire side of the room looking out onto the ocean.

"Wow, you weren't lying. This is amazing." I stand in front of the window and see a large boat steaming by, its lights bobbing up and down.

"Go on out on the deck, I'm going to go check on Chris and put together dinner. I'll bring you out a drink."

"Are you sure?"

"Get out there or I'll give your other eye a black eye." I laugh and quickly step out onto the deck. It's fairly large with a small table that can seat four and two or three lounge chairs. I choose one of the lounge chairs. The warm breeze is blowing across my face. A minute later Vickie is standing next to me with a Corona. I really like this girl. Chris walks out right behind her. I feel my heart beat slightly faster seeing him before I remember he won't recognize me.

"Hey Chris. How are you?"

He mumbles, "good."

"How's school going? Working hard?" He nods. The cocky attitude from school is gone. I wonder if I should ask him to empty his pockets. I look into his eyes. They don't look dilated so maybe he hasn't gotten another stash. I thank Vickie for the Corona and they both disappear back inside leaving me to my oasis. A little while later Vicki returns and sets out two plates with delicious looking helpings of Chicken Marcela.

She motions me over. "Any more chicken jokes?"

I laugh and take a bite. "Wow. This is amazing." I nod my head. "And no feathers either."

"You're asking for it mister." She pours us both a glass of red wine.

"Where's Chris?" I look into the condo.

"He better be doing his homework. I'm worried about him. Lately his grades have slipped. I think he's distracted about something. Probably just his age, at least that's what they tell me."

"There are a lot of distractions for kids that age. Some good...some bad." She probably thinks I'm a seasoned educator.

A look of concern grows over her face. "You think he's into something bad?"

"No...of course not." I lie and take another sip of wine. I tell myself I will keep an extra eye on him at school. "You just have to keep doing what you're doing and he'll be fine. You're a good mom."

"Thanks." Her face blushes.

"And a great cook. This is awesome." She leans in close to me. I can smell her flowery scent. I place my hand on her back and pull her closer. She feels so soft. We stay like that for at least another hour. Then I help her with the dishes and tell her I have to get going. She gives me a good night kiss that makes me dizzy. I stumble down the hall and ride the elevator to the ground. Who knew being a placer could be so much fun.

Chapter 16

I'm back in front of my class again. Thank God it's Friday. Last night I went to my apartment and matched the pictures from the library to eight Ocean eighth graders. Two of them, Hamilton and Lucent, gotta love the names down here, are in my fourth period class that starts in about thirty-three seconds not that I'm counting. I'm giving the kids an essay quiz on the Articles of Confederation...should be a fun weekend. I count down the last few seconds and watch the kids scramble out and the new ones come in. Hamilton and Lucent come in right before the late bell rings. They come in together smiling and laughing. They must have gotten word about the quiz. Hamilton is the bigger of the two and actually looks like he belongs in high school. He already has dark facial hair under his lip, and long bangs down to his eyes. The girls seem to take notice of him whenever he walks in. Lucent is smaller and probably hasn't started puberty. His face looks young and smooth. He has short cropped blond-colored hair styled back perfectly. He must spend a fortune on hair products. These two are really a piece of work. They are always together and sit down beside each other. I'll have to check their answers more closely than the others. I watch as they both grab a seat in the back. They're still smiling. I quickly announce the quiz and watch their smiling faces quickly transition into concern. Teachers are so powerful. I pass out the quizzes and take attendance on my computer. I'm actually getting pretty good at it. I'm sure Tim from first period would be proud of me. A long while later the bell finally rings and I take my walk down to the teacher's lounge. I'm carrying a frozen turkey with mash potato meal. I can't wait to heat it up. I watch the last few kids enter their classrooms as I step into the teacher's lounge. Lucille and her friends don't even look up. I see Mr. Stane seated at the end by himself. I put my stuff next to him and nod. He nods back. I grab a big cup of coffee and watch the microwave heat up my meal. Exactly two minutes and fifty seconds later I sit down and take my first bite.

"How was the first week?"

I quickly swallow and look at Mr. Stane. I notice no one else at the table is talking they are all looking at me. "It was great...I'm really enjoying this." Everyone is talking again. I wonder what they were expecting me to say. "Gave my first quiz today, can't wait to see how they did."

"I know what you'll be doing this weekend." He laughs.

"Yeah I made sure not to make any plans."

"Take them out on the beach. How many kids do you have?"

"A hundred and twenty-five."

"I hope it was on something interesting."

"You better believe it, nothing like the old Articles of Confederation." I shake my head.

"Some attitude for only your first week Mr. Phillips." I look right at Lucille and smile. I love this lady. A second later the bell rings and everyone gets up. Lucille stares at me shaking her head. I give her a wink. She quickly turns her head and walks out the door.

Mr. Stane pats me on the shoulder. "Have fun." He laughs all the way out the door. I'm left all alone just me and my turkey. I finish the last few bites and get another cup of coffee. I'm glad they don't have a limit on this stuff. My Keurig is going to be going full tilt this weekend. I finish up and walk back towards my room. I watch a young man enter a restroom. As soon as I round the last corner before my room I see Chris walking down the hall towards me. He's walking fast. I quickly walk to the other side in front of him.

"Whoa...whoa slow down." He stops and looks at me oddly. "How are things going? Where are you headed?"

He answers in a quiet voice, "to the restroom."

"Do I have to come with you?"

"No." He tries to walk by me but I move in front of him. "What are you doing?"

"Trying to keep you from ruining your life."

"I'm just trying to go to the bathroom."

"With Luke right?"

"No...just me."

"Really than why did he just walk in there a minute ago?"

"I don't know."

"Are you sure?"

He leans back against the wall. His hands go in his pockets. I lean in and face towards him. "Why are you doing this? I thought you were a sub. Just leave us alone."

"Sorry, I'm a teacher and it's my job so let's go." I grab his shirt and lightly drag him towards the restroom. I guide him in. I can already see Luke's feet under the stall.

Chris is looking directly at me. "Do I know you?"

I nod. "Yes don't you remember the other day?"

"No...I mean before that. You seem familiar to me."

"I get that a lot. A lot of people confuse me with Brad Pitt."

He doesn't laugh. I don't think he gets my joke. "No...it's not that. I just think I know you from somewhere."

"Let's go Luke. Get out of there." I bang on the stall door. A minute later he opens the door and slowly walks out. "Let's go guys. Hand it over." They both look at each other. "Hand it over now." I raise my voice slightly. A minute later they both reach into their pockets and hand me twenty or so blue and green colored pills. "This is the last time. I'm going to check you every day from now on. I see it again we go to the principal and your parents. Now go." I throw the pills in the toilet and pull the flush handle. I watch them swirl down the drain. I head out the door and as soon as I step out I hear the scratchy voice of Lucille.

"I told you to stay out of the boy's bathroom Mr. Phillips." She has a huge frown on her face.

"You should smile more. You would be a whole lot prettier." She frowns even more.

"I'm going to talk to Mr. Jackson right now and also about that attitude of yours." I smile and wink at her and walk back towards my room. "This isn't funny Mr. Phillips."

"Smile...Lucille...smile." I say quietly. I hear her stomping down the hall away from me. I quickly arrive back at my classroom. The door is wide open and I know I closed it...big offense for us teachers leaving the door open. I walk in the room and there's a man seated at my desk. He looks to be about thirty-something with dark brown hair combed straight back. He's wearing a tie and slacks but no jacket. He stands up as soon as he sees me. I immediately see the gun on his hip.

He reaches his hand out to me. "Mr. Phillips...I'm Detective Reynolds with Miami Dade Police." I shake his hand.

"I know you've just started here but I just wanted to check with you to see if you notice anything unusual with any of your students."

I shake my head. "Nothing more than any other hormonal jacked up thirteen and fourteen year olds." He laughs. "What's going on?"

"We're just routinely checking on the kids. Nothing unusual just a few unexplained threats have come out of Ocean Middle School lately." He looks down at my computer.

"Like what? Should I be worried?"

"No...no nothing to be worried about." He takes a step closer to me. I see his gold badge clipped to his belt. "I'm not at liberty to discuss anything anyway. I just wanted to see if you have noticed anything since you're new to the school." He looks at my feet. "So Mr. Jackson tells me you're from D.C., what brings you down here?"

I look towards the window. "You can't beat the weather."

"You got that right?"

He looks back at the computer. "So how are you with a computer?"

I eye him curiously. "You know. I can surf the net or send an email." I see his eyes brighten slightly. He can't suspect me, can he?

He doesn't say anything just looks at me for a minute then finally he reaches in his front pocket and hands me a small card. "Thanks for your time Mr. Phillips. Please call me if you notice anything unusual."

I place the card on my desk. "Will do. Nice to meet you Detective." He walks out the door. Two minutes later Mr. Jackson walks in. He's wearing a light blue suit, must be a Florida thing so I don't tell him how out of style he looks.

"Hi Mr. Phillips."

"Hi Mr. Jackson." Gotta love this guy too.

"I see you met Detective Reynolds." He sits on one of the student desks.

"Yeah what was that all about?" He looks at my computer. Never seen a computer get this much attention.

"We've just had some small threats. We always get them so he sometimes comes by to check on things." I nod and look at my computer too. "I'm here to talk to you about the boy's bathroom. Some teachers have been saying you're using the boys and not the staff facilities."

I nod again. "Sorry. I had to go and I couldn't make it. You know how it is, but next time I'll make it to the staff one." Oh...Lucille have I told you lately how much I love you.

"I hear you. How's everything else going?"

"Wonderful. I've got a great weekend ahead. I get to read about one of my favorite subjects, the Articles of Confederation. Did you now that John Dickinson from Delaware actually wrote the draft?"

He quickly rises from the desk. "Keep up the good work. Have a good rest of the day. Bye Mr. Phillips."

"Bye Mr. Jackson." He looks back at me oddly again as he leaves the room.

Chapter 17

I make it back to my apartment and the sun is still shining. I immediately throw on my bathing suit and head to the beach. I'm loaded up with a bag full of quizzes. I can't wait to start reading, lucky me. It's Friday afternoon so the beach is crowded. I find an open spot a little further back from the ocean than I usually am. I lay my towel out and place the bag next to me. I bet everyone wishes they were a social studies teacher like me. I first go over my list of possible suspects. I have the eight from the library last night and then Jeff, Wi from my first period class. I have even included Chris and Luke on my list, though they are at the bottom. I'm concentrating on the eight first. I have written down all their addresses and I hope I'll be able to check them out at home this weekend if I can get through these quizzes. I look at the bag and shake my head. I pull out the first one and almost fall asleep after the first paragraph. It's going to be a long weekend. I spend the next several hours deciphering cryptic handwriting and drinking Diet Coke. I know what you're thinking I'm a caffeine junkie...it's all part of being a placer. I finally finish reading the twenty-fifth one, only a hundred more to go. I decide I better stop because I'm reading the answers but not comprehending anything and it's not because of the handwriting. It's because I'm out of Diet Coke. I slowly stand up back on my feet. I look down the beach. It's still crowded. There are people in the water and lying in the sun. I decide to go test the water. I wade through the bodies and touch the water with my toes. It feels warm as it runs over me. I start debating with myself what I would like better an ocean made of Diet Coke or coffee when I feel a familiar wet nose touch my leg. It's Rusty. He drops the Frisbee at my feet. I have to quickly grab it before it drifts out to sea. I pick it up and give it a toss down the beach. Luckily it doesn't hit anyone and at the last second Rusty jumps up and catches it. I clap and he turns around and trots back to me. I rub his back. A minute later Vickie walks up to us. She holds out her hand and gives me a high five.

"I saw him catch it. That's the first time he's ever caught one way to go supermodel man." I tap her hand and throw another one about twenty feet away. Rusty jumps up at the last second again and snags it firmly in his teeth. He looks so proud. "Good job Rusty!" He runs back to Vickie and drops the Frisbee at her feet. She kneels down and begins rubbing his back. He returns the favor licking her on the mouth. And to think I just kissed those lips last night, lucky me. "So what are you up to today?"

I point back towards my bag and towel. "Grading quizzes about the Articles of Confederation."

"Sounds exciting. I feel like I'm missing out on a good time."

"You don't know what you're missing." We slowly walk back towards my bag. Luckily it's still there.

"How about some dinner? If you can get away from our colonies first attempt at a Government."

"Wow! I'm impressed." I pick up the Frisbee and give it another toss. Rusty chases after it and just misses catching it.

"History minor at Florida, you hungry?"

"Did George Washington have wooden teeth? Of course I'm hungry." I reach down and pick up my bag and towel. "Let me just drop this stuff off."

She grabs my hand. "Bring them with you. Why don't we have dinner and then we'll both tackle those quizzes together."

"Really?" She nods her head and kisses me on the lips. I immediately think of Rusty just licking her. As soon as she looks away I quickly wipe my mouth off with my sleeve. "Thanks."

"You got it." We sit down at our usual table and I order another Uncle Mike and a Corona. No caffeine. I see Chris walk by several times. He's helping the bus boys. Vickie notices me. "I've got him working here till he gets his grades back up. At least I know where he is. I'm not sure what's going on, maybe he needs a teacher like you."

I laugh. "Is he a history buff like his mom?"

"I'm not a history buff. I just needed to pick a minor. I majored in journalism." I give her an odd look. "Yep...I used to be a reporter for the Miami Herald before Uncle Mike passed away. I actually worked the story of him saving that boy." She points at the picture of her Uncle. I can see an article below it. I didn't notice it before.

"That's impressive."

"You never know who you're dealing with now do you? Let's take you for example you're a teacher but you used to be a European supermodel." Her green eyes sparkle.

"I will never let that down will I?"

She shakes her head and smiles. "Nope and you better not either. So were you a history major?"

"Nope...psychology?"

"Psychology really? I would have never guessed that."

"Yep...you never know who you're dealing with now do you." We both laugh and finish off our burgers and a second Corona. We head back to her condo. Chris has already left Uncle Mikes. We hold hands the whole way back. It's really nice. She leans over to kiss me just outside the condo. Afterwards, I feel dizzy again and I've already forgotten about Rusty's licks. We arrive in the condo and I immediately head out onto the deck. I'm startled for a second when I first step out there. Chris is leaning against the far railing.

"Hey Chris." He doesn't say anything, just nods...gotta love these kids these days. "How's everything going?" Another nod. Maybe I should try it. "How are things going in school?" He doesn't make any movement. His eyes are focused on me.

"I know you from somewhere don't I?" I want to congratulate him on finally speaking but Vickie comes up behind me and places her arms around my waist. He's still looking at me.

"What's wrong Chris?" Her voice echoes in my ear.

"Nothing. I thought I knew Mr. Howell from somewhere."

"You probably do dear. You've probably seen him at school."

He shakes his head. "It's more than that. I don't know. I'm going to go watch a movie." He walks by and Vickie rubs the top of his head. He frowns.

We spend the next few hours going over the quizzes and drinking Coronas and they say drinking and driving don't mix. Somehow I think we finish them, but everything got a little blurry towards the end. Next thing I know I'm waking up on a huge king-sized bed with the most beautiful sunrise ever pouring in on me. I slowly sit up. I'm all alone. At least I thought I was till I feel a wet tongue hit the back of my neck. I recognize that tongue from anywhere. I reach over and scratch Rusty's ears. There's a note on the table beside me. It says Vickie and Chris are at the restaurant working the breakfast shift. She left me all alone in her condo with Rusty. I look at my watch. I can't believe it's almost 10:00 AM. I never sleep this late, must have been all the quizzes...or the Coronas. I place my feet on the floor and stretch. She has a nice room. On the dresser are pictures of Chris in various poses and uniforms. There's a huge walk-in closet on the opposite side. I can see it is full of clothes she probably never wears down here. I walk back out into the hall and hear four little feet following behind me. I see another note on the dining room table pointing me towards the coffee and a small tray of homemade muffins. No surprise I go for the coffee first, those muffins sure look good though. I eat two of them. I quickly throw on the rest of my clothes and decide to take a quick peek into Chris's room before I leave. There are only two bedrooms so I figure out which one is his real quick. They train us placers well. As soon as I step in I am instantly reminded of Kyle. There are posters and pictures all over the walls of baseball teams and pictures of Chris in various Little League uniforms. I pick up a few trophies and examine them. Chris is quite a good baseball player. I start to search through a few drawers looking for more pills but I don't find anything right away so I leave and head back to my apartment. I even let the dog give my hand a lick when I said good bye. As I'm walking back, I see a wanted poster for a man that resembles me only he's much bigger and broader. Apparently the police are on the lookout for the guy who beat up the hoodies. I wonder who that guy is. I quickly sneak up to my apartment without anyone seeing me. I saw the gum lady standing in the parking lot, but she didn't seem to notice me. Maybe her feet are finally stuck in a pile of gum. As soon as I enter the apartment I feel my iPhone vibrate. There's a message to the Orion account. It's a reply back. The original sender, (Orion) says to "meet at pier 66 @11" and the reply back says "c u at 11." Gotta love this texting language...OMG.

Chapter 18

He steps out onto the pier wearing chinos and a white -colored shirt just like his friend instructed. He stands near the bench where most of the foot traffic is going by. Most of the people are either heading out towards the dock or going to the hotel and shopping in the assortment of small novelty shops located nearby. A minute later he sees his friend coming towards him. He almost doesn't recognize him wearing the same thing he is, but he waves and a minute later they are both seated on the bench. His friend lifts up his shirt and hands him a nine millimeter and instructs him to put it in his waist band. He immediately feels some apprehension but quickly does as he's told. His friend shows no fear. He instructs him that they will practice their scenario here with all the people. He touches the handgun as he stands up and follows his friend making sure it is secured tightly. He would hate for it to fall out in front of all these people. He listens to his friend describe how the layout of the pier is the same as the school. He immediately notices the similarities. He follows his friend to a spot opposite the bench where there are a bunch of palm trees obscuring them from the crowds. He follows his friend's lead and takes out his handgun holding it firmly in his hands.

Chapter 19

I Google Pier 66, it's only a few miles from my apartment so I have plenty of time to fire up the Keurig and do a little research beforehand. I decide to start with Lucent, he's the kid from the library last night who is also in my fourth period class. I pull up his home address on my computer. It's a Coral Way address. I heard someone saying the homes are nice over there. I pull up the street on Google maps and look at the satellite images. It's a large structure right on one of the canals. I think Vickie called it the Venice of Florida. I'll have to check it out later. I pull up a few other images of nearby homes and each one is bigger than the next. This is going to make my job even harder. An hour or so later and three cups of coffee later, I've built the foundation for another Keurig house on the coffee table. I love this stuff. I decide to make my way over to the pier. I quickly slide through the parking lot avoiding the two police officers riding on mountain bikes. I definitely need a hoodie. I even see the gum lady seated on a bench, but she doesn't notice me again. I slowly pull out of the parking lot in my Taurus. I pretend to blow a bubble as I drive by gum lady. She still doesn't turn her head. I wonder if it works. A little while later I pull into Pier 66 parking lot. It looks much bigger than it did on Google and I even used the street view. I park in the Hyatt Regency parking lot. I have no idea where to begin looking, so I start walking on the docks. They are filled with large gleaming white yachts. I love the names, _Show me the Money, Deep Pockets, Mine's Bigger than Yours..._ gotta love these rich boaters and their sense of humor. I see crew members on most of the decks scrubbing and polishing up the brass, it's making it difficult to see. They're even wearing shirts with the boats name on the back. I want to laugh but I quickly focus my mind back on the search for the texting teenagers. I don't see anyone younger than thirty anywhere near me, but it may be because of the shiny brass blocking my vision. Maybe I should hide the brass cleaner. I walk all the way to the end of one of the piers and stop in front of a large white hulled yacht that is easily a hundred and twenty feet long named "Easy Money". I'm trying to look in the multiple tinted windows and imagine what it looks like inside when I'm startled by a tap on my shoulder behind me. I turn around and at first I don't see anyone, but then I look down and there's a very short man, way less than five feet. He must be in his late seventies with hair as white as the yachts. He has a puffy face, almost pink from the sun. He's wearing a white polo shirt and white shorts both with the name _Easy Money_ stitched on them.

"You like her?"

I look all around me. "Who?"

He laughs. "Easy Money." He points at the magnificent boat. I smile.

"Very nice." I try and stoop down so I'm not towering over him. He is missing a large patch of hair directly in the middle of his head. It is very pink. I wish I wasn't so tall.

"I just bought her. You an owner?"

I shake my head. "Nope just an admirer."

"She's one hundred thirty feet long, twenty foot berth and she draws about fifteen." I nod my head. I look behind me to see if any kids just happen to be walking by. "Gotta crew of five for me and the little lady. She's really smooth." I look at my watch it's five minutes till 11:00. "You know I got her over in Spain. Flew over and rode her back. She was a doll the whole way across. Now the previous owner owned a diamond mine so she is full of little surprises." He winks. "You never know where you might find something shiny if you know what I mean." He winks again. I look back over my shoulder towards the Hyatt. I still don't see any middle-school aged kids. "She's got twin diesels and they're actually pretty efficient, you know we only filled up twice in the last six months. My Captain says that's good, and he's been around. Before this, he skippered the _Tax Free_ that's the Benetti down on dock two." He points over his left shoulder. "She's nice but nothing like this one." He looks back at the _Easy Money_. "You know her galley has twin burners and the dining room can seat fifteen." I nod and look at my watch again. It's 11:00. He doesn't notice. "Only thing I really had to do was get new carpets in the master, and you'll never guess why?" He looks at me waiting for an answer. I throw up my hands. "Little lady didn't think the color matched our comforter. We're heading out again tonight, taking her to Nassau. I want to spend some time in the casino. You know last time I had two royal flushes." I nod. "You a gambling man?" I shake my head and keep my eyes focused on the end of the pier near the hotel. I start to slowly move my feet away. He still doesn't notice. "I got a table in the stern. You can actually see where it is from here. See that window right there." He points towards a large tinted window up near the deck. "That's where I have my table. We don't play with any money of course." He winks again.

"Look...it sounds great, but I really have to get going."

"How would you like to take a look onboard? I usually start my tours in the stern and work towards the bow. I'll even show you that poker table if you know what I mean." Another wink. "I'm sure you want to see that dining room. Did I tell you we can seat fifteen for dinner. Oh yeah, that reminds me, I got a new chef. This will be his first cruise with us. He was on the _Funny Money,_ that's the Feadship over there." He points somewhere over his right shoulder. "Of course we tasted his food before and Jack recommended him to me."

"Great...I really have to go. It was nice talking to you."

His tiny hand grabs my shirt. "No...no...no don't be silly come on aboard and I'll have the chef cook us up a little something. I'm sure you want to try something. How does smoked salmon sound? He puts it on these little crackers and it melts right in your mouth. Only thing I have heard is his wine selection can be a little too French but you can't have everything." I try and back away but his tiny hand is squeezing my shirt tightly. "I'll tell you what my wife Martha should be here any minute now, so maybe we can go aboard and have a drink and some salmon. We can sit out on the balcony." He points at the stern of the boat. I see two kids run by at the end of the pier. They look about thirteen or fourteen. My heart beats a little faster. I quickly pull away from him and start heading towards the kids, but I go too fast because he loses his balance and falls backwards onto the dock. He starts to roll off the dock towards the water, I quickly reach out and am able to grab his arms and lift him up at the last minute. He lies on his back looking at me and is about to say something when I hear a loud shriek behind me. I turn my head and see an even tinier woman running towards us.

"Herman...Herman are you okay?"

"Martha. Hurry I can't move my back." I quickly place my hand under his tiny back to try and stabilize him. I keep my eyes at the end of the pier and see the two kids walking towards the hotel they are too far away to recognize them.

"Herman what happened?" The little woman kneels down beside him and immediately pushes me aside. She has short styled gray hair and is wearing a bright green shirt with a white skirt, looks like she's just come from the country club. Gotta love these rich boaters. "What did you do to him?" She is looking directly at me, her two beady eyes drilling into mine.

"All I did was invite him aboard and then this." Herman coughs out.

"I was just trying to leave. I really have to go. I look towards the hotel. I don't see the kids anymore.

"Not before you talk to the police." Great now the police are after me in two different places. I'm doing really well down here. I quickly stand up and tap Herman's shoulder and then I take off in a sprint down the dock towards the hotel. I hear yelling behind me, but I ignore it. I make it to the end and don't see either kid. I stomp my foot. I quickly walk around the hotel and parking lot till I hear distant sirens and pull out of the parking lot in the Taurus. I don't think anyone notices me. I pass a Miami Dade police cruiser but he keeps going. I hope I don't get a call from George. I make it back to my apartment complex and park in my usual spot. I don't see any police officers in the parking lot so I slowly walk back up to my apartment enjoying the fresh air and breeze. I feel my heart almost come to a halt when I see Nervous Hoodie seated on a bench at the other end. He nods in my direction. I turn and start walking in his direction. I place my right hand in my pocket and grip the Berretta just in case. I look all around and don't see Gum Lady or any other hoodies. Maybe they're still in the hospital. I sit down next to him. I can see both of his hands are free, so at least he's not holding a weapon. I told you I liked this guy.

"My brother is really messed up. He needs plastic surgery." He has a quiet voice. I keep my eyes straight ahead.

"Sorry to hear that but he shouldn't be going around picking fights with people he doesn't know."

"Why did you do that?"

"Because they had a knife and he tried to punch me." He looks down. I look over at him. He quickly turns his head. "Why are you here?" He doesn't answer. "Why are you here?"

He whispers, "They're going to kill you.

I nod. "Why are you telling me this?"

He pulls his hood a little tighter over his head. "I don't want him to go to jail like our dad."

"Tell him to just let it go."

"He won't, neither of them will."

I try and look at his face, but he quickly turns away again. "How old are you?" He shakes his head. "Really...how old are you?"

"Fourteen." He finally mumbles.

"You go to Middle?" No response, "Ocean Middle School?"

"I know what it is. Are you going to tell my teachers?"

I shake my head. "No, I just don't want you to end up like your brother. You're too young for this." He slowly stands up. I see his face and dark nervous young eyes. "Hang in there kid and talk to your brother. It's not worth it."

"Will he go to jail?"

"Not if he stops." I watch as he slowly walks away and disappears onto the beach amongst all the bathers. It's definitely more crowded on the weekends. I can't even see my usual spot. I wonder if there's a way I can mark it. Maybe I can borrow Rusty. I stay put on the bench for a while watching the waves roll onto the beach. I start to think about Kyle and whether or not I'll be bringing him down here now that I have two guys that want to kill me, the police on my tail and a tiny rich old man who thinks I assaulted him. Love the life of a Placer.

Chapter 20

His friend quickly puts his gun back in his waistband when they see the man come running down the pier in their direction and the sirens a few seconds later. He does the same. A minute later they jump out from behind the palm tree and quickly blend into the crowd. They head back towards the hotel and watch from within a small souvenir shop as two police cruisers stop at the end of the pier and approach a tiny elderly man and lady seated at the end of the dock. Rehearsal is officially postponed. He is relieved when his friend takes the gun back.

Chapter 21

I'm still mad I missed the kids at Pier 66. I keep checking the email but there are no messages sent or deleted. I even downloaded a texting shortcut code guide so I can follow the next one. I'm driving by the houses of Lucent and Hamilton on Coral Way. These are the two kids I saw in the library the other night and are in my fourth period class. I can't believe they both live on the same street. I read that Lucent's father owns a few car dealerships and Hamilton's dad works in investments. Sometimes I wonder why I became a Placer. The street is lined with palm trees on both sides forming a canopy of shade over the street. I immediately think of a new background on my computer. I drive down and pass Lucent's house. I feel like waving but the landscaping crew in the vast front yard is looking at me so I keep driving. I guess they're not used to seeing a Ford Taurus down here. A few more houses down I go by Hamilton's. His house is slightly bigger but the same Mediterranean style. I'm not sure what it means, but both kids definitely come from money. I eventually make my way out of the neighborhood, but not after feeling my net worth ego dwindling down to almost nothing. I take a drive back across town a few miles and find Wi's townhome community. Most of the homes are worn down and unkempt with garbage littering the grounds, almost the complete opposite of the other two. A few miles away, Jeff lives in modest home a few miles from the water. After about three hours I decide to head back home. I didn't really accomplish much, but at least I know where some of my students live. I'll have to ask Lucille if she's ever done that. I park in my usual spot and look all around for any hoodies or police or heavy gum chewing women. Everything looks clear so I slowly step out of the Taurus and head towards my apartment. I'm already thinking about the vanilla latte. Hopefully, I'll finish the foundation.

"Martin." I immediately reach for the Berretta, till I turn around and see Vickie behind me. She has a big smile on her face.

"What are you doing here?" I stop.

"Nice to see you too."

"I don't mean it that way..." She starts laughing.

"I just wanted to see how you were holding up after last night." I smile and lean in and give her a light kiss on the lips. "You're not too hung over. I see you managed to find the coffee and muffins."

"Yeah. Thanks for that. Sorry I slept so long. How was the breakfast shift?"

"You know a girl's got to make her money unlike you teachers who get to sleep in on the weekends." I laugh and quickly scan the parking lot for anyone lurking around. I lead her towards the apartment building. "So which one is yours?"

"You want to see?"

"No I just ask that question to everyone."

I shake my head. "You really are something aren't you?"

"So they say." We both laugh and walk into the stairwell. She stops by the mailboxes.

"I already got my mail."

"You know this guy kind of looks like you, he's just a little tougher looking and doesn't have you smooth supermodel looks." She's pointing at a piece of paper hanging up above the mailboxes with the sketch of the suspect who's been beating up hoodies.

I rub my face. "It's tough being so good looking." She lightly slaps my back.

"Now...get going. I want to see how the other half lives." She follows me up to my level. I open my door and she walks in. She immediately goes to the picture of Kyle on the coffee table...women. "He's adorable. He looks just like you. I bet you hear that all the time."

"Yeah I think he has a future as a model just like me." She smiles and picks up the empty Keurig cups. There goes my foundation.

"You are a coffee drinker aren't you?"

"We all have our vices." I pick up my Ocean Middle shirt and shorts from the floor and place it on the back of the chair.

"Don't worry I live with a teenager. I'm used to it." She walks through the kitchen and then disappears into the bedroom. I follow her and see her seated on the bed. "Not bad." She taps it with her hand. "You want to go out and get something to eat. I promise no Uncle Mikes tonight."

"No Uncle Mikes what do you mean?" I rub my stomach.

"I take one night off every week and tonight is going to be the night I've decided. Plus Chris is sleeping over at a friend's house."

"Luke's right?"

She quickly turns her head towards me. "How did you know?"

"I saw them together at school the other day."

"They are good friends. They met playing baseball." I nod. "How about we go to the Silver Dolphin?"

"Sure, sounds good."

"I hope it's not better than Uncle Mikes." She throws a pillow at me. I catch it and toss it back at her.

"Nothing is better than Uncle Mikes." She smiles and pulls me close. We embrace and kiss for a moment. Her lips feel so soft but I force myself not to pass out. A little while later we're seated in the corner of a dark restaurant almost halfway to Miami. I'm eating Mahi-Mahi my new favorite meal since I've been down here. Vickie ordered the grouper. We're talking about our kids, I don't mention the ecstasy thing, but I try not and think about what Luke and Chris are doing at the sleepover. I reach for another sip of wine when my phone begins to vibrate. I immediately jump, so much for my Placer training. Maybe I'm getting too old for this.

"You okay there Martin?"

I'm holding my iPhone in front of me staring at the screen. The message says "Dry run tonight...mwbr." I quickly pull out my texting guide. I have it folded up in my pocket, always prepared, George would be proud. I can see Vickie curiously eying me. I see "mwbr" means more will be revealed. How long do I have to wait? I take a deep breath. "Sorry about that." Vickie is still staring at me. I try and clear my mind.

"Everything okay?"

I nod. "Just goes with the job."

"Let me guess, one of your kids lost the homework."

I take a long sip of the white wine. I feel it massage my throat as it goes down. Maybe I should switch to wine instead of all that coffee. "Something like that. It was actually a parent who wants to know how their kid did on the quiz." The best I could do on short notice.

She laughs. "I hope it was one of the ones we graded at the beginning."

I smile. "Me too because I don't even remember anything after about the fourth one."

"My teacher." She reaches across and grasps my hand. My nerves begin to stir. We finish the fish and order a chocolate covered brownie that we both share. Delicious. A little bit later we're back in my Taurus heading north when I receive another message...."dry run at parking lot @ 9". I quickly park in my usual spot at the apartment complex and look around, no hoodies or gum lady so I jump out and open Vickie's door for her. My mom would be so proud. I'm trying to figure out what parking lot the dry run will be in. I have so many more kids to look into. I have never blown an assignment in my twenty years. In fact I don't think any placer has except the two that were killed, and I think they both had done enough to prevent any tragedy. There's no way I'm going to let these kids shoot up the school. I read the message again. Vickie is holding my hand. We enter the building and begin walking up the steps. I quickly stop when I see a shadow at the top of the stairs. I push Vickie back behind me. She starts to say something but I place my hand over her mouth. I can feel her frowning. I pull out the Berretta and motion for Vickie to stay put. I slowly climb up the stairs staying to the left side. I feel my pulse beginning to speed up, but I use my breathing techniques to keep it under control. I can't fire accurately with a shaking hand. I get about halfway up the stairs when I can tell it's definitely a human shadow hiding against the wall outside my door. It's got to be one of the hoodies coming to execute me. I pause and bring the Berretta out in front of me aiming it towards the shadow.

"Let's go...come on out." I yell but there's no movement. I look back at Vickie. She's ducked down against the wall by the mailboxes. She looks scared. "C'mon I'm not going to say it again. C'mon out." Still no one yet. "I'm counting to five and then I'm coming...one...two...three..." On three, I quickly jump around the corner ready to fire. My finger is dug in on the trigger. As soon as I look around I see the figure under the hoodie. He's propped up against the wall with a large hole in his chest. I just stand there looking into his eyes. He is staring back at me. I reach down and check his vitals though I already know there aren't any. I feel the tears building up behind my eyes. I can't move anymore. I feel like my feet are stuck to the ground.

"What is it Martin? Is everything okay?" I finally take a step backwards and see Vickie standing down below. She's looking towards me for an explanation. I have nothing. "What's wrong?"

"He's dead?"

"Who's dead?" I watch as she starts to walk up the stairs.

I quickly jump in front of her. "You don't want to see it."

"What's going on Martin?"

"I don't know but we need to call the police." I put the Berretta away and dial 911. Vickie and I sit on the bottom step and wait.

"Who was that? Did you know him?" She places her arm around my shoulder.

"Kind of, I've seen him around here a few times. Seemed like a nice kid." I liked Nervous Hoodie.

"A kid? How old is he?" Her pupils are fully dilated.

"Thirteen, fourteen...I guess."

"He's a kid." I nod my head. "He's the same age as Chris. Does he go to Middle?"

"I think so."

"Oh my God." She buries her face in my shirt. I can hear the sirens in the distant approaching. "Why do you have a gun anyway? Is it really that dangerous near here...?" A second later her voice is drowned out by a chorus of sirens and bright lights. We stand up as the officers approach the door with their guns out. I point to the top of the stairs. I watch as they pull the hood off of him. I see a boy whose innocence has been replaced by fear. I long for Kyle.

Chapter 22

Vickie and I are seated in the back seat of an unmarked Miami Dade police car, no we're not going to jail but the detective wants to speak with us about nervous hoodie. I can see the crime scene analysts outside my apartment and EMT's checking the body. A minute ago I even saw the gum lady walk by, her mouth in constant motion. I watch as a tall dark haired man strolls over towards the car. He's wearing a short sleeve white shirt with a dark tie with tan chinos. I can see him looking at us in the back seat. He's probably around fifty and has a face that looks like it has seen plenty of gruesome crimes. He opens the front passenger door and slides in the seat pulling the door shut behind him. There's no divider between the front and back seat so they must not use this car to transport prisoners, must be a perk.

"Detective Simmons." He reaches back and shakes our hands. He has a firm grip. "Any idea who the kid was? And why he died outside your apartment? I assume it's your apartment right Mr. Martin?"

I nod my head. "It is mine, but I have no idea why he was killed there. I've been gone all day. I've seen him around here from time to time."

"I don't know if you noticed but your lock was jimmied?"

"What's that mean?"

His dark eyes focus on Vickie. "It means someone tried to get into his apartment."

"Oh my God! You're staying with me from now on." I see the concern growing on her face.

"Did they get in?"

"Not that we can tell. But I would appreciate it if you could take a look in a few minutes." I nod. "Now tell me where have you seen this kid around?"

I look out the window. "Just coming and going to my apartment. I think it was him, but there's a bunch of kids who wear those hoodies around here."

"Yes there are several gangs in this area." I smile thinking how I was right about the Cops episodes in this area. "Something funny about that?"

"No Detective. I was just thinking about how much fun one of those hoodies would have been when I was a kid." He gives me a weird look. I told you we Placers can think quick.

"Now as you are probably aware there was an attack a few nights ago in this area on two kids and the suspect kind of matches your description. And now we have another one dead at your doorstep. Do you see where I'm going with this?"

I lean forward. "You're suspecting me?"

"I didn't say that. I'm just a little curious about this. Maybe you're some crazy vigilante."

"He's a school teacher." Vickie blurts out. I feel her hand squeezing mine.

"Like I said I don't feel like you're a killer, but it is interesting." I wonder if I should tell him about my last assignment where I had to kill the gang leader in the prison. I decide to keep quiet. "My theory right now is that the kid was trying to get away and he just happened to end up at your apartment and he couldn't pry open the door."

"That makes more sense." Vickie releases my hand somewhat.

"I also have a witness seeing two men dressed similarly leaving shortly before you called." I want to ask him if one had his nose bashed in but again I don't say anything. "So how about we take a walk to your apartment to make sure no one got in." We slowly step out of the police car and follow the detective to the stairs. Vickie is holding my hand. We walk up the stairs past several officers. The body is covered leaving only a trail of blood beside it showing something bad happened. I unlock the door and let the detective and Vickie step in. Everything looks the same. Besides, I would have known if someone had come in because I always place a piece of scotch tape in the door frame when I leave and it still looks undisturbed...another Placer trick. Detective Simmons immediately goes to my kitchen table and touches the stack of Keurig cups. He must be a coffee lover too. "I think you should take up the offer and stay somewhere else at least for the rest of today. As you can imagine it will be pretty busy around here." I nod. "How long have you lived here?"

"Only about a week. I just moved down here."

He laughs. "Welcome to South Florida my friend."

"Some welcome."

I feel Vickie grab my hand again. "Please don't leave. It's not like this. Tell him Detective."

"It's usually not that you have someone murdered at your doorstep but things can get a bit rough down here. So watch yourself." I see his pupils darting all over the room, probably looking for anything suspicious. George ensures our places are always as sterile as possible with very few personal items. I only have the picture of Kyle, but I have it face down on the coffee table and my disguise kit is hidden away in a secret compartment in the dresser. Every unit we stay in has one, so many perks. We watch the detective leave. He hands me a business card before he leaves indicating that he works homicide. I wonder if I've seen him on Cops. I'll have to go find some old shows. I quickly gather a few personal items and a change of clothes and follow Vickie back out into the hallway. It looks like the guys from the morgue are here because they are dressed in shirts that say Miami-Dade Morgue, did I tell you how perceptive we Placers are too. They are standing near the body. We quickly go down the stairs and take a deep breath of air pushing out the smell of death. I start to head for the Taurus.

"How about we just walk over, it's a nice night." I nod. "I can't believe what happened. I have never seen anything like that down here. I'm out here every night." I pull her tightly to me. "I'm worried about Chris now. I hope he doesn't get mixed up in any of this. He's such a good kid." I just nod again, though my brain is trying to force my mouth to say something. We slowly make our way to her condo. I keep one hand on the Berretta the whole time just in case. I don't think Vickie notices. We both ride up the elevator in silence and as soon as we enter the condo I head onto the deck. A minute later we're both drinking Coronas. Vickie slides up close to me and I pull her into my arms, I can feel her trembling. "What do you think is going to happen? Why was he killed?"

"He was probably at the wrong place at the wrong time." I'm full of wisdom.

"He was so young." I pull her closer.

"He was probably mixed up in with the gangs the detective was talking about. Makes you just want to hug your kids right? I'd give anything to see Kyle right now." I close my eyes and think of us on the beach.

"Maybe I should have Chris come back home tonight?"

I nod my head. "I'm not sure how to tell you this, but I have heard a few things about Luke." She quickly jumps away from me and leans on the railing. I can't believe I'm telling her this.

"Like what?"

"I don't know...just stuff." I shrug my shoulders. Maybe I shouldn't have opened my mouth.

"You know and you better tell me."

"I think it might be something to do with drugs but I really don't know. I just overheard some teachers talking at lunch." I watch as her face tightens

"If Chris is doing drugs I'll kill him. I really will." She pushes away from the railing and storms inside. I take one last swig of my Corona and follow her in. She is going into Chris's room. I look in the doorway and watch her start going through drawers. "Don't just stand there...help me out." She yells. I head to his mattress and start pulling it apart. A minute later I find a similar looking bag like I saw at school the other day inside a slit in the mattress. "How did you do that?" She grabs the bag out of my hand. There are about fifteen brightly colored tablets inside. "What are these?"

"They look like Ecstasy."

"I'm going to kill that kid. All we have been through." She starts squeezing the pills between her fingers. I see tears flowing from her eyes, so I grab her tight and lead her out of Chris's room. We end up on the couch. Her head is leaning on my shoulder. I'm not sure how long we stay like that, but I wake up several hours later and it looks like the sun is starting to rise. I gently lay her down on the pillow and head back out onto the deck. I grab another Corona for breakfast, maybe coffee is over-rated. I watch the sun rise over the ocean. It slowly creeps up on the horizon and casts its long glow over the water below turning it a bright orange color. It's really majestic. It reminds me of a long silk sheet rippling in the wind. I finish the Corona and quietly leave the condo.

Chapter 23

I make it back to my apartment and I'm happy to see only two police cars in the parking lot. At the top of my steps there is nothing left except for chalk lines showing where nervous hoodie took his last breath. I feel emptiness in my stomach. I decide to try and fill it with something from the Keurig and some whole grain toast. Maybe I should see if it will brew Corona's. I go for a run and then decide to spend the next several hours on the beach. I even bring the quizzes from Friday to make sure we actually graded them since most of that night is still pretty much a fog. Who thinks I have a drinking problem? Since it's so early I am able to get my usual spot. I lay down my towel and begin reading the exciting minds of eighth grade social studies students. I'm not sure how many hours go by, but I feel my skin getting hot so I make my way to the water. I still can't believe how clear and warm it is. I carefully search for sharks and then I jump in. It feels so good. I pretend Kyle is next to me, his face lit up with his huge smile. A minute later, I see a group of hoodies walk by near the parking lot. I think one of them has a bandage on his nose. I start to get out, but I decide to stay in place when I see a mom and four little kids walking by and plus I don't have my Berretta. They look towards my apartment and then disappear. I eventually get out convincing myself there's a great white behind me, even though it's really a teenager in a white bathing suit. I go back and finish the quizzes. I'm not sure what time it is but my stomach is growling. I wonder if great white's growl? I quickly head back to the apartment, change into something that doesn't say Ocean Middle, yes believe it or not I have other things and I make my way to Uncle Mikes. As soon as I get there, I notice something is different with Vickie. She has a different look on her face, very determined. I see Chris seated at a nearby table with books surrounding him.

"Hey look what the cat dragged in." She leans into me and places a soft kiss on my lips. Chris looks up and quickly turns away shaking his head at me...teenagers.

"How are you Chris? Hitting the books?" He shrugs and lowers his eyes back to the book. I think it is a science textbook but I can't be sure because I only know what the social studies ones look like.

"He's got two tests this week...right Chris." He nods. Not much for words this kid. "Follow me." She motions towards the patio. I follow her to the railing and stand next to her watching the ocean. I don't see any sharks. "You snuck out on me this morning. I woke up and it was like you were never there. I wasn't sure if I had been dreaming."

"Sorry, I jog first thing every morning on the beach."

"Supermodel training huh?"

I smile. "Something like that. So how's he doing?" I look back towards Chris's table. His back is to us.

"We had a long talk this morning. He said...you were right Luke is the one behind the pills. They are selling them to other kids. Chris has never taken one he says and I believe him." She squeezes my arm. "Apparently Luke has an older brother who gets him the pills and he talked Chris and Luke into working for him. I told him he can't go out again until his grades come back up and definitely no more Luke. Would you mind looking after them at school?"

"I'll try. It's a big school though."

"He says he's still never seen you."

"I guess he hasn't asked any of the girls where the new teacher that looks like Brad Pitt is."

"Get out of here you..." She pushes me against the rail. "You want something to eat?"

"No...I just go to restaurants to talk to pretty girls."

She pushes me down into the chair at her table. "Let me guess an Uncle Mike?"

"How did you ever know?"

She points at her head. "You didn't know I read minds. I know what you're thinking right now."

I laugh. "I hope not or I might get in trouble."

"You might." She play punches my shoulder. "I've got to work in the back. We have a new manager, so you stay out here as long as you want. You're welcome to come by after I'm done if you want."

"I just might...but you probably already know that since you can read my mind." She laughs and disappears in the back. I watch Chris leaning over the books. I sit back on my chair and watch as three hoodies walk by below on the beach. A few minutes later, my Uncle Mike is delivered by a surfer-looking waiter with an ice cold Corona. I gulp down the Corona and inhale the burger, and to think people call me a pig. I decide to take a walk on the beach after. I tried to pay for the meal, but the waiter wouldn't take any money so I left a tip under my plate when he wasn't looking. Who knew dating a restaurant owner would be so beneficial. I decide to follow in the direction of the Hoodies. I've got my Berretta. I walk for at least twenty minutes and don't see any sign of them so I turn around and go back towards the restaurant. I still have another hour till Vickie leaves. I walk along the water feeling my feet getting wet. I told you how much I love that feeling. For some reason, the beach is very empty. I immediately look towards the ocean to make sure I don't see any dorsal fins. I try and remember what a land shark is as I keep walking. A little while later, I'm standing on the beach below Uncle Mikes. I stop and see the plaque where Uncle Mike saved the life of a child. It tells the story how he ran into the surf and pulled out a drowning boy. It was right after Hurricane Sandy so the seas were still rough. He was an expert swimmer, but the rip tide was so strong it pulled him under and he couldn't recover...a real hero. I find a bench and sit down and watch the waves roll into the sand. It's so soothing. I'm so memorized by the motion I don't even realize an old man is sitting next to me on the bench. I look over and he's staring directly at me. He has a weathered face and stringy gray hair thickest on his temples resembling an old fisherman. He's wearing only shorts.

"Hello my friend." He has a raspy voice filtered from many cigarettes and cigars.

I quickly look behind me to make sure he's talking to me. There's no one behind me. "How are you? Nice night huh?"

"Beautiful. I come here every night." He looks toward the ocean. "You new around here? You don't look like you're from down here. You a Yankee?"

"Kind of. I just moved down from up north."

"Yankee?"

I look at his shorts. They are faded and torn like he has been living outdoors for years. "From DC so not really a Yankee."

"What are you doing down here? Why do you guys come down here?"

"Weather. You have the best weather and the beaches. We don't have this in DC."

He brushes the three strings of hair from his eyes. "See that sign...right here we had a boy drown."

"Almost drown. The man saved him. In fact the restaurant is named after him." I say proudly pointing at the balcony above us.

"He was saved, but others have drowned before him like my son....no one saved him. Where was Uncle Mike then?" His voice is getting louder.

I look back towards the ocean. "I'm sorry to hear that."

"That's what everyone says, but he still drowned. There's no sign for him. This boy gets to keep living." He points at the plaque.

"Maybe you should ask about getting something for your boy."

He looks at me for a long time. He has faded green eyes. His pupils are dancing all around. "No one wants to hear about the one that didn't make it."

"Sure they do. Everyone should be remembered."

"They won't name no restaurant after him. That's' for sure." He's almost yelling now. I scoot back a little on the bench.

"You ready Martin." I quickly turn my neck up towards the balcony. I can see Vickie leaning over the railing. "Hi Mr. Coleman." I watch as he nods and looks back towards the ocean.

"Where's my restaurant?" He screams.

"Come on up Martin. We'll meet you out front." I quickly jump up from the bench. Mr. Coleman is now ranting something unintelligible so I just walk by. I don't think he even notices me. A minute later I'm walking with Chris and Vickie towards the condo.

"Don't worry about Mr. Coleman. He's a nice man who lost his son there years ago. I think it's been about fifty years now or so they say. He's kind of a legend around here. They say every night at around ten o'clock you can hear his son calling out from the ocean for someone to save him. I've never heard it, but a lot of high school kids come out here claiming they do, but I think they're boozed up." She looks at Chris. "Don't get any ideas Chris."

"Remember Mom I didn't do anything."

She pats his back. "Yes Chris...I know. You only sell them." He gives her an odd look. I place my arm around her shoulder. Gotta love feeling uncomfortable.

Chapter 24

I'm back in front of my first period class talking about tax laws...no TGIM for me. I ended up staying with Vickie for a couple of Coronas and then I had to leave because of my dedication to the art of teaching. I'm just about ready to pass out the quizzes. I have Tim, Jeff and Wi up front to help me. Don't worry I put the grade on the second page so they can't see what other kids got. See Lucille you don't know all the teaching tricks. Actually I got that one from Google. I watch as each kid looks at their grade. Some smiles and some frowns, gotta love teaching. I can't wait to grade this week's quiz on taxes, even more exciting. Better get a big supply of Corona. I carefully watch Jeff, Wi and Tim pass them out. They seem like good kids, but you can never be sure what they are really capable of. Wi is probably the one I'm most suspicious of and it's not because of his name either. He just seems to have a little resentment against the other kids in the class except for Jeff. Jeff on the other hand is always smiling. Seems to be one of those kids that is always happy, but it could be an act. I'll have to continue to watch them closely. We spend the next hour going over the quizzes. I can't believe I'm still awake when the bell rings. I stand at the door and watch Jeff and Wi walk down the hall whispering to each other. They disappear around the corner, hopefully not to go get their M16's. Tim walks the other direction smiling at each kid that walks by him. No surprise at the strange looks he receives, but I guess he's probably used to that by now. I continue the same thing for the next few periods till Lucent and Hamilton arrive in my fourth period class. These are the two rich kids who were both seen at the library during the times of the possible email. I have them pass out the quizzes. They don't look too happy about it. I guess they're not used to actually working. They both passed the quizzes with 'B's, suspiciously the answers were very similar. I talk to the class about the quiz, they both seem very distracted. Maybe they're plotting the shooting. I hope they're not mad about just getting B's. Finally the bell rings and the class shuffles out. I stop Lucent and Hamilton on their way out and ask them to stay. They both look at each other than me. I have them stand near my desk.

"Thank you guys for passing out the quizzes." They smile politely. "I just wanted to let you know your answers are very similar and you were sitting right next to each other...please be careful." They both nod and I let them go. I wonder what they're thinking. I wish I could read minds like Vickie. I watch them walk down the hall. They stay on the far sides. Each one almost making it known they aren't talking to each other...I love these teenagers, so easy to understand. I think about Kyle for a minute before I head down to the teacher's lounge. No surprise when I walk in Lucille gives me a mean look. I wink at her and give her my best Brad Pitt smile. She frowns back. I guess I need to work on my charm. I grab a seat near Mr. Stane and heat up my Chicken and Broccoli pasta. It smells so good. I could go for a Corona though.

"Have a good weekend? How was the quiz?"

I nod. "Not bad. I spent an uneventful weekend on the beach reading about the Articles of Confederation...couldn't have been better." I leave out the part about nervous hoodie dead on my doorstep.

"I think you're fitting in nicely." Lucille frowns and quickly gets up. I take a big bite of my pasta and Diet Coke. All the teachers drink it. I don't know why they put anything else in the soda machine. It should just be all Diet Coke. At least Lucille and I have something in common, but I don't think she's too impressed. I watch as her and her other cronies head out of the lounge leaving me with my pasta. Whoever said a man's best friend is his favorite meal. I wave goodbye to Mr. Stane. I wonder if they planned it so I'm the only teacher off for fifth period. I sit and enjoy the quiet and read the rest of the posters on the walls. I'm trying to learn some new quotes to impress Vickie with. This boyfriend thing sure requires a lot of work. I finally finish my pasta and decide to walk the halls. I start out by the main office and try and see how someone would come in and shoot the place up. The best vantage point looks to be the intersection of the 7th and 8th grade hallways. This is the corner closest to the Main Office and furthest from my room. I try and picture how two fourteen year old boys would think. This is also where Mr. Jackson and the rest of the admin stand during class changes. I would guess at least half of the school passes through here at every class change. I cringe with the thought of the damage that could be done here. I quickly look behind me and see Luke sneaking into the same restroom. These kids just don't learn. I hide behind a corner and sure enough a minute later here comes Chris. I watch him enter into the same restroom. I count to ten and then follow him in. As soon as I step in I notice something different. Both boys are standing in front of the commodes. They both look at me.

"We're not doing anything wrong?" Luke shakes his head. "We're just talking...this is BS."

I walk over and stand in front of them. I can see Chris's eyes twitching. I immediately think of Vickie. "What's BS about this?"

"You can't follow us around. You're not even supposed to be in here."

I look directly at Luke. "Empty you pockets boys...now." I turn to Chris.

"I'm not doing it." Luke starts walking towards the door. As soon as he gets by me, I grab his shirt and push him against the wall.

"Get off me."

"Empty them."

"What's going on in here?" I quickly turn my head and see Mr. Jackson standing behind me.

"He's trying to beat us up." Luke wipes off his forehead.

I take a step back. "They were fighting in here Mr. Jackson. I heard them so I came in here to break it up. You boys shake hands." They look at me oddly then step forward and shake hands. "Thank you."

"All right now get back to class." Chris stares at me as he walks by us. I wink. A minute later, they both disappear out the door.

"Nice work Mr. Phillips."

"Thanks Mr. Jackson."

"I'll keep an eye on them." I nod and walk back out of the restroom towards my classroom. I see Lucille in her classroom as I walk by. I smile and she quickly looks away. I wonder if I should go in and offer her a few teaching strategies. I get back to my room and watch as the next period of kids file in. I give them a casual wave, most of them ignore me. A few minutes later, I'm talking about taxes and their eyelids are starting to droop. I can't understand why, this stuff is so exciting. I almost jump in mid-sentence about tariffs when I feel my smartphone vibrate. I quickly look at the message and it says "tonight at the lib for NM." Gotta love these texting messages. I quickly decipher 'lib' means library but I don't know what 'NM' stands for. I finish discussing tariffs and watch the kids leave at the bell. They seem to go out much faster than they came in. I can't possibly understand why. I wave and again I get no response. I wonder who said the south is so much friendlier. I finish my last period class with the same wave and no response, maybe I should consult with Lucille. I quickly head outside and wait in the parking lot till I see Chris. He's walking with Luke. I don't see Vickie anywhere. I sneak up behind them. They don't hear anything, Placer training of course.

"Hello gentlemen." They both look back and frown.

"Thanks for saving us back there, but why you so into us?"

I look at Luke. "Because I don't want to see you mess your lives up, especially you." I look at Chris. "You said it's just your Mom at home. Think about her."

"Man we didn't do nothing wrong."

"You guys owe me...now hand me the pills." They both look at each other. Luke reaches in his pocket and hands me a small bag containing about ten pills. "How about you?" I look at Chris.

"I don't have any."

"You sure?"

"I'm sure." He looks at me oddly staring right into my eyes.

"Now look, here's the deal. You guys are going to work for me from now on."

"What? You deal ex?"

"No." I look at both of their faces. I can still see the youth and innocence in their eyes. "I want to know the ins and outs of what's going on in this school. Who else is dealing with drugs, weapons or anything illegal."

"They're dealing guns at Ocean? No way?"

I look at Luke. "I'm not saying they are. I just want to know everything going on."

"Aren't you just a sub?" I nod. "Then why are you so into Ocean?"

"I want to be a regular teacher here, but I want the school cleaned up first and you guys are going to help me do that."

"I ain't no snitch." Luke shakes his head.

"Neither am I."

"Then let's go take these to Mr. Jackson." I hold up the bag of pills.

"You can't do that."

"I just did. So do we have a deal?" I look at them both. They look at each other.

"I guess." Luke answers first.

"Chris?"

He shrugs his shoulders. "Are you going to tell my mom?"

"Nope. This is our deal, but if I find out you're hiding things I'm taking these to Mr. Jackson."

"Okay." They both walk towards a long line of cars shaking their heads and looking back at me. I wave but they don't wave back. This is starting to become a trend.

Chapter 25

I'm sitting in the public library by the magazines again. It's almost six but I have no idea what time the e-mailers are supposed to meet up. I'm actually reading an education magazine, that's me always looking for new strategies. No one is at the computers yet near the age I'm looking for. I see the same old lady looking at wedding dresses again and the man next to her is looking at Corvettes, mid-life crisis I'm guessing. Most of the other computers are empty so hopefully they will show up soon.

"Ahh...excuse me mister." I quickly turn my head around and behind me I see the skinny app guy. 'Why aren't you reading this?" He hands me the newest app mag. I reluctantly take it and put the teaching magazine back in the rack. "Wait till you see the new Temple Gun."

"You mean Temple Run."

"That's what I said." I nod my head and pretend to read the details of the game.

"You still coming every night?"

He nods. "Yep...every night unless I have a tournament."

"What kind of tournament?" I look up from the magazine.

"An online Star Wars Angry Birds...what do you think?"

"I don't know what I was thinking...I guess I was distracted by the new Temple Sun."

"You mean Temple Run."

"That's what I said." I laugh to myself, no reaction by skinny guy.

"You better read that whole thing." He points at the article.

"I will. I start to sit back down and pretend to read and watch the computers when I notice skinny guy's fingers are all black and blue. "What happened to your fingers?"

"Tournament silly. How did you forget?"

I nod. "You're right. I should have remembered." I watch him go sit down across from me with a Mac mag shaking his head in disbelief. A minute later six kids enter and immediately talk to the clipboard librarian. She has them write something and then they sit down at the computers. I see Lucent and Hamilton and four others I recognize only through pictures. I hide behind the magazine. Only Lucent and Hamilton appear to be talking to each other. The others are connecting to websites with pictures of weird creatures on them...teenage boys. I observe for a few more minutes carefully positioning myself so I can see all their screens. They are still looking at the strange images. I think they are dragon hybrids. They are very colorful with what looks like human and dragon features combined. I'll have to check with Kyle and see if he likes these too. I hope not. I watch as another group of middle school age kids walk in. There's at least five more. Who said my job was going to be easy. They repeat the same process and take seats at the rest of the open computers. I see Jeff and Wi amongst them. One of them is sitting next to the old lady still looking at wedding dresses. I wonder how she'll like seeing one of those colorful teenage creatures on the screen next to her. I take another walk around looking at all the screens. I think there are ten now and of course they're all on Gmail now.

"Why aren't you reading about Temple Run?"

"What...?" I turn around and Skinny Guy is standing right behind me.

"Do you want to read mine it talks about the Macingosh."

"You mean Macintosh?"

"That's what I said." I can't help it, but I start to laugh uncontrollably.

"What's so funny?"

"Nothing."

"What are you laughing at?" A look of concern is growing on his face.

"I was just thinking of...a funny Mac joke I heard the other day." His face instantly brightens up.

"Tell me please."

"Okay...what's the biggest difference between a Mac and a PC?"

"I don't know. What?"

"About a thousand dollars." I finally stop laughing."

"That's not that funny. I have both a PC and a Mac." He has annoyed look on his face. What do you want it was the best I could come up with on such short notice. Skinny guy quickly goes back to his magazine, so I continue walking around the screens. I see the clipboard librarian looking at me again. I hope she doesn't yell at me. I'm trying to look at their emails, but I can see the frustration quickly growing on her face so I go back to the magazine section. I wave at Skinny Guy but he doesn't look up. I pick up the app magazine again and pretend to read. The clipboard librarian isn't looking at me anymore. I decide to take a quick look at the sent items from the Orion account and I notice a new message sent less than two minutes ago. It is addressed to the superintendent again and it says that the administration at the school is in danger too. I quickly jump up out of my seat and throw the magazine of the floor. Skinny Guy says something but I don't hear it. I immediately run over to the computers and closely walk behind each boys screen. Some of them look back at me. I can see Clipboard Librarian coming towards me. Even the wedding dress lady is sneering at me. I can't believe it. A message was just sent while I was here. I take one more walk around. Most of the boys are back on the Internet. I'm about to walk by the last two when I feel two sharp hands grab my shirt. I quickly turn around. It's Clipboard Librarian.

"Sir...you need to back off from the computers. They are entitled to their privacy." She points to a sign above me stating the library's privacy policy. All the boys are looking at me. I try and get one last look at their screens but I feel myself being pushed away. A minute later another much stronger set of hands is behind me leading me towards the door. A man in a security guard uniform is telling me I need to leave. As soon as I'm outside I call my computer expert friend Doug.

"Yeeeeelllloooow."

"Doug...it's me. I need you to check on a location of an email sent about three minutes ago. I'm at the library on the corner of Western and 7th in Ft Lauderdale. It's the same one as I told you about before, the Orion one with the schoolsucks as the password.

"Whoa...whoa...hold on buddy. Calm down. What's going on there Martin buddy." I take a deep breath and tell him the whole thing again. ""Hang on a few seconds there buddy and your friend Doug will have an answer." I walk towards the Taurus and sit down in the front seat. I feel the tension in my shoulders and chest. I think I need to go for a run after this or maybe I should switch to decaf. A minute later I hear a click. "You are correct buddy. That email was sent form a public library computer at the exact address you mentioned. I can't tell you which computer, but I can give you the IP address." I listen as he reads off a seven digit number. I write it down. "You'll have to go to each computer to find it and remember they are leased so it won't have the same address for too long. I hope that helps." I thank him and head back to the library front entrance. As soon as I step inside the security guard tells me I have to leave. I try to explain to him that I need to access the computers but after he threatens to call the police. I'm forced to leave. Yes, even a Placer sometimes has to know when to stop. I stay in my car for another hour or so till I watch the last of the ten kids get picked up by their parents. Finally I slam the gas pedal and head back towards Atlantic Avenue and my apartment.

Chapter 26

He opened up the Gmail program to check for a response. There hadn't been any replies to any of their emails yet. He's certain it's the correct email address because a few weeks ago when they got the idea, they sent a message to the same address posing as a concerned parent and they received an immediate response. His friend always had him write the emails. He considered himself a good writer and a good student. He actually enjoyed school, especially all the learning stuff. It had always been that way. Even in kindergarten he always tried to get the teacher to teach him to read harder books. Of course he kept that to himself as he got a little older. It wasn't cool being a smart kid, but his friend didn't seem to mind letting him do all the writing and work out logistics. He enjoyed that part. He was nervous about the guns and violence at first but now he felt almost as comfortable with that part as he did the other. His friend said he was becoming a warrior. He liked the sound of that. He felt like a cool kid now and his friend promised him they would be the coolest and most famous when it was all over. He couldn't wait for that. He was counting the days now. That's how close they were.

Chapter 27

As soon as I step up the stairs I see another shadow on the top outside my door. Here we go again. I immediately lean against the side wall again and slowly begin walking up. Just as I start to take the Berretta out Detective Simmons steps out. He's wearing almost the same outfit as before except for a short sleeve light blue shirt and a dark tie. I quickly slip my hand from my pocket.

"Detective Simmons what brings you here?" I take another step up.

"I think we need to talk. Do you mind?" He's pointing at my door. I get to the top and place my key in the lock and step in. He follows directly behind me.

"How about a cup of coffee?" I see him eyeing my Keurig foundation. At least what's left of it.

"Sounds good." He takes a seat at the table and begins stacking up the K-cups that Vickie knocked down. I make two vanilla lattes and bring them over to the table. Have I told you I love this thing? I sit down opposite from him. He takes out a notepad and places it in front of him and takes a long drink from the mug. I do the same. This stuff is awesome. I wonder if should offer him a Corona. I decide to stick with the coffee. He holds up a copy of the same sketch hanging above the mailboxes downstairs. "So let's not waste any time, is this you?"

"I don't think so. I think I'm much better looking don't you?"

"Enough with the funny stuff Mr. Howell. We have a witness that claims they saw you assault those two victims."

"I'm not sure what to say, but it couldn't have been me. Do I look like the kind of guy who goes around beating people up?" I take another sip.

"That's not for me to decide. Look...those guys that were beat up are bad guys I know, but they didn't deserve to be beaten almost to death. One of them will probably be disfigured for life."

"I wish I could offer you something more, but there's nothing else I can tell you."

He nods his head. He has very dark piercing eyes that seem to grab ahold of you and never let go. "We're going to be running a lineup tomorrow afternoon that we want you to be in. One of the victims says he can definitely ID you."

"No problem. I have classes all day then I can come by after."

He nods and takes a sip of coffee. "This is good stuff."

"Vanilla Latte," I answer back proudly.

I watch as he finishes it and stands up. He tries to smile. "We'll see you tomorrow down at the station." I take another sip and watch him leave. Now what am I going to? I quickly change my shirt and head out the door. I walk through the parking lot. I feel like I'm being watched. I'm not sure by who, but I'm guessing it's either the police or the hoodies. I casually glance all around me to see if I notice anyone, but nothing stands out. I squeeze the Berretta in my pocket. I slowly make my way across the beach stopping every few minutes and sitting down on one of the benches. I'm hoping whoever it is will make a wrong movement and I'll notice them. There are not too many people out tonight, maybe because it's a bit windy. A few minutes later, I step inside Uncle Mikes. It's a light crowd as well. I immediately see the two giants at the bar so of course I sit down next to them. They both give me a frown, but quickly look away, so much for good impressions. I don't see Vickie or Chris. They have probably already left for the night since it is already past eight. I wonder if Vickie has Chris studying again. I order a Corona and an Uncle Mike from the bar. The bartender is a different guy tonight. He is much older than me and is all gray including a thick beard. He smiles when I say Uncle Mike. I look in the mirror in front of me and see if I see anyone who looks out of place and is following me. I don't see any hoodies or law enforcement, but maybe they are good or I'm just getting paranoid. I probably had too much caffeine. I better start catching up with the Coronas. I take a big sip when he sets it in front of me.

"You're the guy Vickie is with right?" His beard is moist from sweat.

"Yeah is she around or did she already leave?"

"She had to leave early...she had an emergency."

"What...what kind of an emergency? Is everything okay?"

He looks behind me at a customer who is trying to get his attention, "Something with her son. She flew out of here so fast I didn't get a chance to find out." I take another big sip when I feel the big man's elbow next to me catch my ribs. I feel an aching pain, here we go again. I ignore it, though I would like to put him on the floor again. I sit there looking straight ahead trying to imagine what could have happened to Chris till finally my burger is placed in front of me by the bearded bartender. I feel another elbow connect hard with my shoulder. I restrain myself and smile at the bartender. He just shakes his head. Finally I take a huge bite. It tastes so good. I can feel my stomach waking up as the first bite makes its way down. I wish Vickie was here to enjoy it with me. Another elbow, this time to my neck. Now I know it's deliberate.

"Enough with the elbows." I yell out after another big swallow.

The big man turns my direction. "You better not be talking to me again swami."

"Swami? Are you a pirate or something?" He turns back around towards his other friend swinging his giant elbows towards my head. I duck and push over his stool and watch him go flying down again. I want to say déjà vu but I keep quiet as his friend leans over to help him. "Too much to drink," I say to the bartender who gives me a wink." A minute later the giant stumbles to his feet and charges at me like a bull to a red cape. I look down and realize I'm not even wearing anything red. I simply step out of the way and watch him crash into an empty stool. His face is bright red. Finally, some red, maybe I should point him at the mirror. I keep an eye on his friend, but he's still sitting on a stool drinking his tap, some friend. I watch as he gains his balance and comes at me again. I duck out of the way at the last second and he crashes into the bar. I guess there is something to the saying 'dumb as an ox'. I lean over and take another bite as he rises up again. I can see him seething. His friend is trying to help him stand up. I take another gulp of the Corona. The bartender and some of the other customers have gathered around to watch the action. A minute later, he leans toward me and swings his massive fist in my direction. I easily deflect it with my forearm and land my curled up hand on his nose. He goes down in a pool of red blood. I take another bite, no point letting an Uncle Mike go to waste. A minute later Detective Simmons and two uniform police officers enter from the back. Now I know who was following me. They immediately get between us, despite the giant being on the floor. Everyone quickly clears away. I slide back up on my stool and take another bite till Simmons taps me on the shoulder.

"What the hell happened here?"

I point at the giant now sitting up on the floor and holding his bloody nose. "He attacked me."

"Why is it wherever you go there is violence involved?" I smile. I watch as Simmons leans down and helps the giant up. He's really bleeding. He gives me a mean look. I wink and he starts coming at me again till Simmons and the officers hold him back. I take another swig and finish my burger. "So what happened?" I listen as the giant slurs out his answer. He's telling Simmons that I punched him in the face, funny but he left out all the rest of it. I look at the bartender. He's still standing next to me rubbing his beard. Simmons leans in and listens to him describe in detail exactly what happened. A few minutes later, Simmons tells me to go home and I leave. I'm not sure what happened to the giant but I think I hear an ambulance siren approaching. I decide to walk over to Vickie's to see what happened to Chris. Out of the corner of my eye, I think I see one of the hoodies on the side of the condo building. I think its new hoodie. I told you I need to get one of those. I feel the Berretta and start walking towards him. I see him duck behind the building. I start to jog. I have the Berretta all the way out as I round the corner, but I don't see anyone. I quickly slow down and stay alongside the sidewalk next to the condo building. It is surrounded by tropical bushes that he could be hiding in. I look back behind me hoping the police aren't still following me, though it's too late to turn back now. I think back and see nervous hoodie's innocent eyes looking towards my apartment. It burns my inside that they killed him. I squeeze the Berretta a little tighter. I see something moving up ahead of me on the other side of the sidewalk behind one of the bushes. I wonder if I'm walking into a trap. I slow way down and lean towards the bush. I have the Berretta aimed directly at the bush. I feel like pulling the trigger but I hold myself back. Movement again, I'm positive it is him. I position my finger on the trigger when my phone starts to ring. I reach down to shut it off but it's too late I see it's Vickie's number. I click the answer button and place it next to my ear with my left arm. I listen as Vickie tells me to please come up to her condo as soon as I can. She won't tell me what's wrong. I hang up and continue towards the bush. I hear something behind me. I turn my head and as soon as I do I feel a sharp pain on my temple. I've been hit by something. It feels like a rock. I look back towards the bush and I can see whoever was hiding run away from the sidewalk near the road. It was definitely a hoodie. I try to chase him, but my temple is throbbing so much I can't get my legs working correctly so I can't keep up. I watch as he disappears out of sight. I stomp my foot down and put the Berretta back in my pocket. I place my hand on my head and feel the warm blood oozing out. I guess it could have been worse; it could have been a bullet instead. I keep my hand on my head as I enter the condo despite a few strange looks from some of the residents. Even the guy in the chinos looks at me oddly. He buzzes me up and I step into the elevator and push the button for the top floor. I step off and as soon as I approach Vickie's door I can hear her voice. She's yelling at someone. I just hope it's not going to be me. I knock on the door and she quickly opens it and waves me in. She's on the phone with someone. I don't see Chris. She points at my head and hands me a wad of paper towels. I wipe everything down and am happy the blood has finally begun to slow down. I hate head wounds. I listen as she rants on about how she needs more help with Chris...ex-husband I'm guessing. I head to the fridge and grab a bottle of water. I don't see any Corona. Finally she hangs up the phone. She slams it down.

"Are you okay? What happened?"

I touch my head. "I fell down on the way over."

"Yeah right." She immediately takes the paper towels and begins putting pressure on my head. "I'd love to see what happened to the other guy."

I just shake my head. "So what happened with Chris? Is he okay?"

She keeps pushing on my head. I wonder if she can feel the throbbing pain. I take a big gulp of the cold water. It tastes so good, not as good as a Corona but still good. "He got beat up on the way home from school. Him and Luke."

"What? How bad is he?"

She turns her head towards the back of the condo. "Chris, come out here for a minute." I hear shuffling behind me and a few seconds later I see Chris stumble towards me. He has bandages on his head and his arm is in a cast. "We had to go the emergency room."

"You okay Chris?" He shrugs at me. "Who did this?" He doesn't answer.

"He won't say anything about it. The police said to give him time." I watch as he turns around and disappears into his room.

"Where did it happen?" I think back to seeing them walking near the parked cars in the school parking lot after school today.

"Somewhere between school and Luke's house. I told him no more Luke. I don't know what to do anymore. First drugs and now this." I see tears in her eyes. I quickly place my arm around her shoulders. She squeezes my hand.

"Let me try and talk to him."

"It probably won't do any good, but you can give it a try." She wipes her eyes with the back of her hand. "How's your head?"

"I think it has stopped bleeding." I remove the paper towel and head towards Chris's room. As soon as I open the door I notice something is different.

Chapter 28

Chris is seated on the edge of his bed facing away from me. He's holding a long berated hunting knife in his hand. He jumps as soon as he sees me.

"Easy...easy...Chris." I hold out my hands in front of me and he sits back down. "Nice knife." I sit down next to him. "Can I see it?" He reluctantly hands it to me. "So where did you get a beauty like this?" He doesn't answer. I hold up the knife and see my reflection in the mirror. I wonder if Chris thinks I look like Rambo too. "I can show you how to use this if you want." He looks at me but still doesn't speak. Gotta love these kids. I flick the knife behind my wrist and pretend to strike down on an enemy, Placer training again. I think Chris looks impressed.

"How do you know how to do that?" His voice is quiet, just above a whisper.

"I used to study martial arts."

"Really...cool!" His face is starting to light up. I quickly stand up and close his bedroom door.

"So why don't you tell me what really happened earlier. Who did this to you?"

He looks down at his feet on the rug. "I don't know."

"It's okay. I'm not your mom you can tell me."

He shakes his head. "You'll just tell her."

"No I won't. I promise." I look directly into his eyes. They are both bloodshot from crying. "I'll even show you some moves. Not with this though...not yet." I flick the knife in my hands. Chris's eyes follow every movement. "C'mon...now tell me what happened."

"I was leaving school with my friend and we were walking down Sun View when two guys came up behind us and started punching us."

"Who was your friend? Luke?" He nods. "Who were the guys? Did you know them?"

"No. I don't think so. They were calling us drug dealers, but we didn't have anything on us."

"Did you see what they looked like?"

"A little bit, but they were wearing hoods. One of them had a gun. He's the one that shot Luke."

"Luke was shot?" He nods. "Is he okay?"

He keeps his eyes focused on his feet. "I don't know. My mom and I came home after they let me go."

"Does your mom know about Luke?" He nods. "Did they say anything to you?"

"Who?" He looks up at me. I can see tears in his eyes. He quickly looks back down.

"The guys that jumped you." He shakes his head no. "Did you get a good look at the gun?"

"Why are you asking me all this? The police already went through this at the hospital."

"I just want to find out who did this so we can get them off the streets." I see his eyes look at the knife. "Is that what this is for?"

He nods. "Luke gave it to me in case something like this happens, but I didn't have it yesterday."

"You can't have it at school."

"I know, but Luke got shot and I didn't do anything. I ran away."

"That's why you're still alive. You did the right thing." I pat his shoulder.

"I just hope Luke makes it." I pull him close. He lets go and looks at my head. "What happened to you?"

"I fell down and hit my head." He quickly looks away. I put the knife in my pocket. "Thanks..."

"You got it...how about I keep this till you're ready. We'll start training as soon as you feel better." He smiles. I slowly get up and head out his door. As soon as I step out back into the condo I see Vickie standing against the glass window holding two Coronas. Have I told you lately how much I like her? I grab one of the bottles and follow her onto the deck.

"So what did he say?"

"Not much...just that he was jumped by a couple of kids for no reason." I take a long sip. "Any idea how Luke is?"

She shakes her head. "I really don't know. I was so upset when I got there I don't even remember. Uncle Mikes just called to see how he was doing and I heard what happened? Is that how you hurt your head?"

"No. Nothing really happened there except those two big guys started with me. One ended up on the floor again. I think the police are dealing with him."

She touches my head again. "I think the bleeding has finally stopped. Are you sure you just fell?"

"I'm sure. It was dark and I was mad at that big idiot." I take another drink. She wraps her arms around me.

"I'm sorry...I should have been there and you wouldn't have had to deal with them. I'm going to ban them from the restaurant starting tomorrow." I hug her back. "What am I going to do about Chris?"

"I think he'll be fine. He just needs to take everything in. I'm going to work with him on some martial arts."

"You think that's a good idea?"

"Then next time he'll be able to at least defend himself."

"You think it will happen again? If I had picked him up like I did when he was in elementary school none of this would have happened. Maybe I should cut back my time at the restaurant."

I hold her tighter. "He'll be fine. He just needs some time. I think it really shook him up. I'll keep a tighter watch for him at Ocean."

I feel her fingers digging into me. I'm not sure how long we stay like that but my Corona was getting warm when I finally got another sip. After a while I put Vickie in bed and I start to walk back to my apartment. I wonder if I'm still being followed. My head doesn't hurt too much anymore, but I definitely am on the lookout for more flying rocks. Damn hoodies. I finally make it back to my apartment safely. There wasn't even anyone waiting on the top of the stairs this time, so I head back in and make a decaf latte and begin reading about The Treaty of Versailles. It's so exciting I think it takes me over five minutes to fall asleep. I wake up sometime in the early morning and decide to go for a run. Gotta love those treaties. A few hours later I park in my usual spot at school and walk through the main door. As soon as I walk in I notice something is different. I can see the looks on the ladies in the main office. They don't even have their usual fake smiles for me. I wonder if I'm being fired, maybe I shouldn't have used decaf last night and actually read about the treaty. As I'm walking towards my classroom I overhear two teachers, I think they teach seventh grade math, say that Luke didn't make it. He died from a gunshot wound. I feel my stomach lurch forward. I can't believe it...Luke is dead.

Chapter 29

I walk directly to my classroom right past Lucille. I don't give her a wink or even look at her in the hallway. I quickly step inside and lock my door. I still have about ten minutes till the kids come. I dial Vickie's number and let her know what happened. She starts crying and I hear Chris asking what's wrong in the background. A minute later I hear him screaming and she tells me she loves me and has to go. The principal has sent out an email and has instructed the staff that an announcement and tribute will be made in Luke's honor once the kids get in. The teachers are instructed to send the ones that can't handle it to the counselor's offices, and I thought this was going to be a boring assignment. I don't say anything as the students begin to shuffle in. Most of them are still laughing and joking from the bus ride in, though from the looks of the kiss and ride line I don't know why we even have busses anymore. I think of Kyle again. Damn I miss that kid. As soon as they're all seated the principal comes on the P.A and explains that Luke was killed in a terrible tragedy. She does a good job of leaving out the details of what happened. A sudden gasp is let out by my students. Even Wi and Jeff have their heads down. Once she finishes I ask if anyone needs any help. No one raises their hand, so I start talking about the Treaty, but I can tell right away it's not working and it's not because I have no idea what I'm talking about for once, the kids are too emotionally jarred to think.

"Allright....forget the Treaty. What do you guys think about what happened?"

Tim the class manager immediately responds. He looks like he's shaking. "I know Luke and his buddy Chris, they were always together. They played on my baseball team...Chris is an awesome pitcher. Luke was the catcher..." He starts to stutter. "I can't believe he's gone." I think I see tears.

Another girl shouts out. "Do you think he's in heaven? My dad says there is no heaven."

"What do you think?"

"I think there is...there has to be. God created us and he wouldn't just let us die would he?"

I take a deep breath. "No, I don't believe he would. Think about how perfect the world is...the sun rises every day, we have air to breath, the temperature is just right. Our bodies are perfect. God takes special care to create each one of us." They are all looking at me, their sad and confused eyes wide open. Probably the first time most of them have ever confronted death. I try and think of something else to say but nothing comes out of my mouth. I'm just as stunned as they are.

"Do you know how he was killed?" Jeff asks from the back. I think I see Wi smirk, but I'm not sure.

"She didn't say." Notice I didn't lie. "But it doesn't matter how he died really. He was a kid just like you guys." I think of Kyle again. I feel my eyes getting moist. I can't imagine what Luke's family is going through. I actually feel a little nauseous. I wonder if a Corona would help.

"Is it true they are drug dealers?" The small red haired girl in the front row says. Her name is Michelle.

"I heard they were the biggest dealers in the school. My brother says they sold to kids in high school," The boy behind her.

"I heard that too." They are all talking at once. I can't let them get out of control.

"Quiet...everyone. Please. Let's take this one at a time. You'll all have a chance to talk." I wonder how Lucille is handling this. Maybe I should have listened to some of her strategies. "Okay, first of all no one has said they are drug dealers. All we know is that one of them was killed and the other was hurt. Everything your saying is just rumors...rumors are okay, but we need to just go on what we know are the facts for now."

"Then why was he just killed for no reason?" Michelle again.

"That's the way life works sometimes. Things happen for no reason." I look at all the faces. They are all empty eyed and staring at me for the answer.

"Is it going to happen to us?" This is harder than I thought. Maybe I should have stayed with the Treaty.

"No it's not going to happen to you guys. Once we find out more information we'll know what happened, but for now let's just try to remember one of our own in a good way."

"I'm scared." Michelle again.

"There's no reason to be scared..."

"But you just said he was killed for no reason." I love these kids.

"No...I mean things happen sometimes that we can't explain. I'm sure you have heard the expression 'the Lord works in mysterious ways'," most of them nod. "It means sometime we don't understand why things happen, only God does, and we have to accept that. It doesn't mean it is going to happen to you. I'm sure they knew each other, probably an argument gone too far or something. It's not just a random act. I can promise you if the police thought you were in any kind of danger they would be here right now, not some substitute like me." I think to myself and wonder why they aren't taking the other threat as seriously, at least George did by sending me here. I just hope I don't fail them.

"They were drug dealers." Seth yells out from the far side. He's a know-it-all with blond curly hair. I think every class has one of them.

"No, remember were not saying that because we don't know for sure. Let's not jump to any more conclusions or we won't talk about this anymore....got it?" I watch as they all nod, even the know-it-all.

"It's not fair he was only fourteen," Tim the class manager.

I think hard before I answer this one, "No...it's not, so let's wait for the police and everyone to do their jobs and find out exactly what happened." This goes on for the rest of the period as well as the next three, same questions, different kids. Even Hamilton and Lucent joined in. I take my walk down to the teacher's lounge and see Lucille and her crew as well as my friend Mr. Stane. I sit down next to him. Everyone has an uncomfortable look on their face, even Lucille.

"So what do you think?" I look at Mr. Stane. He's busy finishing up his sandwich. He has the same thing every day, ham and cheese. I walk over to the microwave and push three minutes for my chicken lasagna. I'm starting to get used to this.

"It's hard to believe it happened to a kid here."

"This is the second one." I quickly snap my head towards him. "The first one happened a few days ago. Josh Hansen."

"Josh Hansen?" I see Lucille looking at me.

"Yep...he didn't come very much, but he was an eighth grader here. He was shot to death over at Ocean Side Apartments." Nervous hoodie. I forgot all about him saying he went here. "Our counselors were working with him. I think he was actually starting to take a turn for the better. His brothers were his downfall. But we're not counting that as a death of one of our students. They'll be no words or dedications for him, because he came from the wrong side of the tracks..."

"Enough Mr. Stane. He doesn't need to know all this. He's just a sub." Good old Lucille. I give her a wink. She immediately jumps up and her friends follow. A minute later they march out of the lounge leaving me alone with Mr. Stane.

"So tell me, what's the word on Luke? Was he up to illegal activities here? That's all the kids are talking about."

"Those are the rumors. He and Chris were both junior dealers learning their trade, but I don't think they were moving enough stuff to get shot over, so for now I don't think he was killed for drugs."

"For what then? I need to have something to tell my kids."

"I'm just telling them that it was a personal argument gone wrong, but I really think they were probably up to something, not drugs but something they were instigating. I've had both of them and they are kind of the class instigators, but you didn't hear that from me." I nod and thank him. He walks out the door and I pull my chicken lasagna out of the microwave. It smells so good. I just received an email that next period we are to all meet in the gym for a vigil for Luke, no nervous hoodie. Mr. Stane is right. After I finish my lasagna and another cup of coffee, no vanilla latte, but it's still coffee so I'm happy I make my way to the gym. Mr. Jackson and The Principal or as the students affectionately call her "Little Caesar" are standing in the middle off the floor next to a large photograph of Luke. I think it is a yearbook picture by the look of the pose. A lot of the kids are crying and I can see the counselors running up and down the stands trying to aid them. I immediately look for my suspects and I spot Lucent and Hamilton up on the top row whispering into each other's ears. Wi and Jeff are sitting stoically somewhere near the front. I find my others and they all appear very uncomfortable. I listen as she talks about how we need to honor every life and we are all gifts. She talks about Luke's accomplishments. Apparently, he was quite the baseball player. I think of Kyle again. I can't wait to get back home. I hope he's doing okay and never gets involved in anything like this. Maybe I'll have to have a talk with him to make sure it never happens. After Little Caesar finishes Mr. Jackson talks for a few minutes about how we need to remain strong and be there for each other. It's the most words I have ever heard him say at one time. I almost smile. After a while they finally finish and the kids are dismissed to go home. I start to walk back to my classroom when I feel my iPhone buzzing. I quickly pull it out. There's a new sent message is in there from Orion. I gasp when I read it. It's addressed to the Superintendent. "I hope you enjoyed us getting rid of that drug dealing scum of a student...next will be the student body."

Chapter 30

It was so weird yesterday seeing that boy get shot. It wasn't like the movies at all. He didn't just fall down. He actually stood there for at least a minute just clutching his chest until he finally started to cough and had to sit down. He couldn't believe it when his friend pulled the trigger either. It was so much louder than during their training. Every time he closes his eyes he still sees that boy standing there just staring at them holding his chest, and now he's dead. He didn't know what happened to the other kid, he ran away. His friend started to chase him but then he decided to just let him go. It had been kind of fun kicking and throwing punches at them. He even heard a snap when he pulled the kid's arm back. He was the one who ran away.
Chapter 31

I get back to my apartment sometime late afternoon. I see the beach crowd gathered in their usual spots. I'm not in the mood for the sun right now, so I start up my Keurig and begin the first floor rebuild of my K-cup house. I love being productive. I'm not sure how long I stay like this but I notice the sun is beginning to go down. I can't stop thinking that Luke was killed by the same guys that I am here to stop. I feel like I have failed and to think it could have been Chris too. I decide to walk over to Uncle Mikes and find Vickie and Chris. I want to ask Chris some more questions about his attackers. Just as I'm about to pick up my stuff I hear a knock on my door. I look through the peephole expecting to see a hoodie standing there with a gun pointing at me, but instead I see Detective Simmons.

"Mr. Howell...did you forget our appointment at the station today. Remember the lineup?"

I nod. "I had a tough day at school, we lost a student yesterday. I'm sorry but I was heading down there now." I jingle my keys. I'm always thinking.

"Why don't you ride with me so we can talk on the way?"

I smile, "Only if I can ride in the front."

I watch him consider this then he nods. "It's a deal." I reach out my hand to shake but he turns away and heads back down the stairs. Who says police officers are no fun. I race him to the car and yell out shotgun, but he doesn't laugh. They've really got to work on their sense of humor down here. We quickly pull out of the parking lot and to think people say I drive fast. "Okay...so tell me what you know about the student at your school?"

"Which one?" He looks at me oddly.

"You know they were both students at Ocean. The one killed at my doorstep and Luke yesterday."

"You've been doing some detecting into this?"

I shake my head, "Nope...just my job as a teacher."

"Okay, so you see the connection then. We have two students who go to the same school killed within a week apart."

"You can't possibly think they are related?"

He looks over at me. I want to say you should keep your eyes on the road at these speeds, but I keep my mouth shut. "I'm not saying they are, but it is kind of odd, since in the history of this city we have never had a middle-school kid killed. So what do you think?"

"I think like your witness said the kid near my apartment was killed by some kind of gang activity and the boy yesterday got himself into something he shouldn't have."

"What about his friend? He's your girlfriend's son right?"

I look out the window at the people leaving the beach and heading to the parking lots. "I don't know if she's my girlfriend, but yes he is her son."

"If you know something you need to let me know."

I shake my head. "I doubt I know any more than you, just what I hear. That they may have been doing something illegal and they got popped for it."

"Drug dealing right?"

"I guess that's all I have heard." He nods.

"So about the other thing. This victim says it was you that brutalized him. I hope for your sake he is wrong."

"Me too," I smile. We don't speak for the rest of the ten minute ride. I do hold on for dear life however. I follow Detective Simmons into the police station and I'm surprised when I see Vickie seated at a desk in the back. I quickly run over to her and we embrace. She feels so warm and comfortable.

"Why are you here Martin?" Her eyes are glossy and red from crying.

"They want to talk to me about the kid that was killed outside my apartment."

"I thought they had a witness that saw a gang member do it."

"They do, but I guess they just want to make sure. What are you doing here?" She points toward a closed door. "They want to talk more to Chris about what happened with Luke...I can't believe he died."

"Me neither. How is Chris handling it?"

"Not well. He actually slept next to me all night last night. I think we both cried half the night. I'm so scared." I hug her tightly till I see Simmons motioning me over.

"I'll be right back as soon as I'm done."

She nods and tries to smile. "Good luck...but you won't need it. How about you come over after and I'll make you dinner." She blows me a kiss. I blow a kiss back and giver the thumbs up. I walk back to Simmons and he directs me down a narrow hall filled with pictures of police officers in action. I look for one of Simmons but he keeps hurrying me up. He leads me into a small room with glass on one side and four or five other men who I guess look something like me, not as good looking though, but I don't say anything. I wave to Simmons as he steps back out and see a large female officer waving us in order. She hands me a large white card with the number five on it. I yell out lucky number five, but no one pays attention. She lines us up side by side and tells us not to smile, so much for trying to charm my way out of this. We remain like this for at least ten minutes and then the curtain finally slides open to a mirror. I can see all of us standing next to each other and no one looks anything alike...should make hoodie's decision real easy. I squint my eyes and try and change my looks as much as possible. I changed my hair to part the other direction while I was waiting for the curtain to open. I tighten up my mouth muscles and slack my posture. I'm fairly satisfied with my image in the mirror because I now look very similar to number three. We used to practice lineups in Placer training so I feel somewhat comfortable, but I am sweating a little bit. I can't see hoodie but I can feel his eyes burning into us, especially me. I change my eyes to mimic number three exactly. Even I can't tell the difference between us, okay maybe I'm exaggerating a little bit, but we do look fairly alike. We stay like this for at least fifteen minutes. I can't believe how much I'm sweating. I hope Vickie has the Coronas stocked up or they let us have them in jail. I try not to imagine being placed in a cell again, especially after my last assignment. I'm really kind of burned out on jail cells right now. Finally the curtain closes and the female officer takes our cards and shuffles us back out. Detective Simmons is standing right outside.

"Let's go Howell."

"Where?"

He shakes his head. "Back home. I don't know how you did it, but he couldn't be sure it was you. He had it down to two of you." I smile to myself. "But don't worry, we'll bring the other victim in another day and I'm sure he'll pick you." I follow him back out to where the desks are. I don't see Vickie anymore so I follow Detective Simmons into his car. He drives even faster back to my apartment and doesn't say a word...nothing like a sore loser. I wave, but he quickly pulls away. I quietly walk back into my apartment, no one at the top of the stairs again. I like it this way much better. I change into another shirt and shorts, nothing with Ocean on it and I head back out. Who says being a Placer is not an active job. I walk across the parking lot and onto the beach and head towards the lights by Uncle Mikes and the bathing suit shop. I don't see my two bathing suit store ladies. Maybe they are busy helping customers. I keep my eye out for any hoodies or police behind me but I don't see anyone or feel anyone lurking behind me. It's a good feeling. I walk by Uncle Mikes and peek in to make sure Vickie is in there. I don't see her, but I see my two giant-sized buddies, they sneer...I give them a friendly wave. A surfer-dressed waiter stops me and lets me know Vickie isn't there. I thank him and head back out onto the walkway and head towards the condo. I'm still looking for the hoodies, I hope they don't strike tonight, I'm tired and hungry and more importantly ready for a Corona. Luckily, I make it to the condo entrance without seeing anyone. I wave at the khaki guy, expecting him to wave back but instead he calls me over.

"Hey Mr. Howell."

"Hey." I say back. He smiles. I reach my hand out to shake his hand. He shakes and tells me his name is Thomas. I say like the train but he doesn't laugh. I guess I need to work on my jokes.

"We need to get you on the official guest list."

"There's an official list?"

He points at the computer. "Yep...and only I can edit it."

"So you're the official gatekeeper."

He touches his gelled tightly parted hair and smiles. His lips too moist from Chapstick overuse. "Yes, one of my many duties...now Ms. Vickie is quite a gal." I nod. "And I don't want just anyone going up there so I need to make sure who goes in and out of here." I nod again. "I'm going to add you right now." He takes a deep breath like he's writing an amendment to the Constitution. I try and keep a straight face. "Are you ready?" I nod. I love a guy who takes his job too seriously. I watch as he moves the mouse around and clicks a few keys. "It's done. You're an official guest. Now the only reason I did this was because Ms. Vickie approved it and if she changes her mind, I can remove you."

"I will keep that in mind. By the way, what happens if you're not here?"

His eyes begin blinking nonstop and he starts to almost shake from the waist up then he takes another deep breath. "The residents have access cards so they would have to come down and approve the guests, but I live right over there." He points at a door behind me off the lobby. "And yes, I have cameras that I watch when I'm not on duty out here, but unless I'm asleep which is usually only a few hours I'm watching the door."

"Wow...very impressive. I'm glad to hear that." I reach over and shake his hand again. He touches his greasy hair and runs his finger down the perfectly straight part again. I wonder if he uses a ruler on that. I watch as he straightens his blue blazer and red clip-on as I wait for the elevator. I give him a small wave as I step in. He sharply salutes back. I should see if George would hire him for our DC office. I exit the elevator at the top floor and walk down to Vickie's. For the first time I'm aware of the cameras above me tracking my movements. I feel like waving but instead I quietly knock on her door and a minute later she opens it up.

"Martin...I'm so glad you're here. Sorry we had to leave. The police just kept asking Chris the same questions over and over." I give her a hug and hear the door close behind me. "How did it go for you?"

"They had one of the victims try and identify who attacked him and they put us in a lineup. He didn't choose me."

"That's great. And here I thought you were some kind of psycho killer." She laughs.

"I don't think Thomas downstairs would have added me to the guest list then."

A big smile overtakes her face causing her eyes to sparkle even more. "He's a character that Thomas. Sorry if he caused you any aggravation. He's just very particular."

"That's a good way to describe him. At least I can feel safe knowing he's down there watching out for you."

She nods, "How about a Corona?"

"I never thought you would ask." I follow here out onto the deck. It's another perfect night in Ft. Lauderdale with a slight ocean breeze and mild temperatures. I could get used to this. "So did you find out anything else about what happened or who did it?"

She shakes her head. "No...he's still saying he didn't get a good look at the attackers. They seem to have stepped up their efforts though." I think back to the last email to the Superintendent.

"Probably getting a lot of heat that a kid was killed for no apparent reason."

She nods. "I just can't over the fact that it could have been Chris." I pull her close and feel her shaking in my arms.

"How is he doing?"

"About the same, I can't send him to school or anything he's such a mess. He still screams for me all the time at night."

"It takes time...he'll come around soon. He's a good kid and he has you for his mom so he'll be okay." She hugs me even tighter. They teach us Placers the right things to say don't they? I stay with her on the deck for a few more hours till she falls asleep then I head back home. I pass by Thomas on the way out. He's still seated ramrod straight is his chair. "Good night Thomas."

"Good night Mr. Howell," Gotta love that guy.

Chapter 32

I'm up early today. I decide to go for another thirty minute run on the beach even though it's raining. I never realized how tough sand is to run in when it rains. It feels like I'm wearing cement boots. I finally make it back to my apartment. I immediately remove my shoes before I enter. No one seems impressed though. I kick up the Keurig and watch as my latte heats up. A few minutes later I'm done with my shower and third cup and I'm pulling into the parking lot at Ocean. I still park in the back, tough being a sub. I notice a few extra police cars and I think I see Detective Nichols sitting in an unmarked but I'm not sure because he is holding a newspaper in front of his face. I'm wondering if the extra police presence is because of what happened to Luke and Chris or the latest email to the superintendent. I hope they are cooperating together on this, but sometimes I wonder. I hear my phone begin to ring.

"Hello."

"Whaaaaat's up buddy?"

"Hey...not much. Still working on the same project."

"I figured that so I've been tracking the emails that are being sent from the Orion account."

I watch as I see Lucille get out of a light blue Prius. I wonder if I should tell her I have a Hummer back in DC. "That's great. So what have you found out?"

"You're working on some pretty heavy stuff buddy. This Orion guy is taking claim for killing someone."

"I know...I know." Lucille is wearing some kind of full length velvet material black dress. Doesn't she realize this is South Florida. She walks past me and doesn't even give me a look. I wink of course. Her eyes squint with disgust. Love this lady. "What did you find?"

"Let me tell you buddy. That last email last night was sent from within a school called Ocean Middle School."

"What?" I stop right outside the main door under the canopy.

"Yep...I can even tell you what computer it came from buddy."

I take a deep breath. "How can you do that?"

"Let me tell you buddy...first you track the IP address through the DNS server and then I get through the firewall and run a trace using a scanner...."

"Alright...I guess I don't really need to know the how just the where."

"Okay buddy...but you're missing out on some good free tech info. Here's the info...it is a Dell laptop."

"I need more than that..."

"Hang in there buddy I'm just getting started. I'm actually logged into the computer right now."

"You are?" I listen as the rain patters on the canopy above me.

"You bet you. It was logged in by the same person as it was yesterday when the Gmail was emailed. I wasn't monitoring then though, but now I'll keep looking at it all the time."

"Whose computer is it?"

"That's the funny thing wait till you hear this name buddy? Stane, like a bad stain...you get it?" Mr. Stane I can't believe it. I saw him at the assembly yesterday right before the email was sent. I picture him standing in the back listening to the admin team. "You still there buddy?"

"Yeah...are you sure it was his computer?"

"Sure as the caps lock produces uppercase letters..."

"What?"

"Little computer humor buddy...bear with me." I pretend to laugh.

"It can't be Mr. Stane. He's a teacher."

"I'm watching him type an email right now. It looks like he's writing a parent about a low test grade. It's the same computer. Like I said I'll keep watching it."

I watch as the busses begin to arrive at the door next to me. It looks like a long sea of yellow. "Is it possible someone else could have used the computer?"

"It's possible buddy, but it was logged in as Stane...don't you love that name. Stane...Stane...Stane."

"Okay...thanks."

"Anytime buddy. I'll call you if I see anything else suspicious. You be careful." I say goodbye and end the call. I can't believe Mr. Stane's computer was the one the email was sent from. I remain standing in the same place and continue to watch the kids exit the busses till I feel a tap on my shoulder.

"Good morning Mr. Phillips."

"Good morning Mr. Jackson." I watch as he walks over to greet the kids. He's holding a large greenish-colored umbrella emblazoned with the Ocean Middle School emblem. I slowly turn around and enter the school and head up to my classroom. I pass by Lucille's classroom and give her another wink. I'm not sure if she sees me or not because she quickly turns the other direction. I get to my room and step in front of the class. Today's class is about treaties again, another exciting day in Ocean eighth grade social studies. I spend the morning lecturing about the various treaties. The kids are definitely as excited as I am. I carefully watch Wii, Tim, Jeff and Hamilton and Lucent in my morning classes. None of them do or say anything exciting except roll their eyes when I assign the homework. It must be something they teach these kids because they all seem to do it the same way. I finally hear the bell and make my way to the lunch room. I feel a twinge of excitement when I see Mr. Stane seated at the end of the table. He waves at me. I casually wave back and wink at Lucille. She frowns. As soon as I sit down she and the others immediately rise to head for their afternoon classes, so much for loving the sub. I wonder if they have as much excitement as I do talking about the great treaties. I place my casserole in the microwave and sit down next to Mr. Stane.

"How's it going today?"

"Better than last time, we're back to talking about treaties."

"One of my favorite topics...Treaty of Versailles was always my favorite. I actually just read a novel about that very subject a few months ago. I'll have to bring it on for you. You'll love it if you find World War I interesting." I can't wait to read that one, "Fascinating stuff. How about you I'm sure you have a favorite?" I quickly stand up when I hear the three beeps from the microwave, saved by the bell. "C'mon."

"I guess I like them all. They're all fascinating in their own respect." I better not tell him I had no idea the Versailles's one was World War I. "Not to change subjects, but I've been meaning to ask you, about our laptops. Are we supposed to let students use them?"

He shakes his head. "No...under no circumstance are you because you have access to grades and student data on there and you know what they would do if they could get into that." I nod. "You didn't hear it from me, but a lot of teachers let the students do attendance on them. Even I do it sometimes, but don't tell anyone."

"I won't. So when you're not in the room do you leave it out and logged in?" He starts to stand up. I can't believe how good the casserole smells and it says it's the low-fat version too. I pull the lid off and a cloud of smoke rises into the air.

"That smells good." I nod. "When I'm not in the room, I usually just lock my computer. Hit the Windows key and the L at the same time. I think we're supposed to put it out of sight, but no one does and no one says anything."

I watch as he quickly walks towards the door leaving me alone with my casserole. I yell thanks and he waves back. Now I'm even more confused. I finish my lunch and smile when the final bell rings. You don't realize how relieving it is to see those kids walk out of my classroom. No wonder teachers always look so stressed out. I start to pack up my things when I see Mr. Jackson enter my room.

"Hello Mr. Phillps."

"Hello Mr. Jackson." He gives me a strange look.

He walks over to my desk and stands in front of it and straightens out his perfect Windsor knot. "I want to ask you if you'd be willing to take over the history club. I've been hearing a lot of good things about you from the students. I think you would be perfect for it. It meets twice a week after school and has about forty kids in it."

I want to yell out no way but instead I nod. "That would be great." I even pretend to smile, despite the groaning going on inside...more history. I definitely need a Corona. He shakes my hand.

"Good evening Mr. Phillips."

"Good evening Mr. Jackson." He turns around and gives me another odd look before he steps back out into the hallway. Now what have I got myself into and who ever said Placers don't go the extra mile. I finally get in my car and head home before I get volunteered for something else. I park in my usual spot and just as I'm about to walk up the stairs, I feel a searing pain on the back of my head and everything goes black.

Chapter 33

When I open my eyes I'm not really sure where I am and my head is killing me. I think I need a drink. I close them and open them again hoping it's a bad dream. I've been having a lot of those lately but I see very bright lights and a large window that takes up most of the wall. I'm in a hospital and I hear beeping noises, not a good sign. I try to sit up but there are wires attached to both my arms. A minute later a lady with short blond hair and a pink shirt emblazoned with small giraffes walks in, maybe I'm in the pediatric ward.

"How are you feeling Mr. Howell?" She has an unusually pleasant cheery voice.

"Awful. I have no idea where I am or what happened and my head is killing me, other than that I'm great." I think she laughs but I can't tell if that was a sound from one of the machines or from her.

"You took quite a wallop on your noggin." I try and move my hand to touch it but the wires are too tight and they start to pull causing my arm to hurt. "No...no...no let's keep our little fingers right where they are." She places her hand over mine.

"What is this place?"

"You're at Holy Cross."

"I feel like I'm at holy hell." She might have laughed again, but I still can't be sure. I wish someone would turn off these damn machines. "How long have I been here?"

"Let's not talk about that right now."

I try and move my arm again. "What time is it now?" I can't believe how much my head hurts.

"It is 8:00."

I try and sit up again. "Oh good...I can still make it to class in time."

"Stay right where you are mister. It is 8:00 PM and you're not going anywhere bucko." She touches my forehead. "Let's check those vitals. I'm going to hug you're arm with this." She points to a blood pressure cuff. "Then we can talk about getting something yummy in that tummy."

"Is this a pediatric hospital by chance?"

Her face turns a weird color, almost purple. "No...why would you ask?"

"No reason." I watch the cuff inflate.

A minute later she takes it off. "121/82...not bad. Now stick this in mister mouth and don't open it till it goes beepy." I groan. "Good job. Now I'm going to go get the doctor so sit tighty-tight." You've got to be kidding me. Maybe I am still dreaming. Two minutes later an extremely tall black man enters the room. He ducks under the door frame. He has thick glasses and short grayish colored hair, very distinguished looking.

"Good evening Mr. Howell. I'm Dr. Young. How are you feeling?" His has a very pleasant voice.

"My head is killing me and I have no idea how I got here."

"I can believe that." He quickly turns his head. "Nurse...can we get some morphine going in here?" She nods and quickly leaves the room. "I'm going to start a pump that you can use whenever the pain gets too much. It looks like you were hit with a blunt object such as a baseball bat. There are detectives out there that want to ask you more about it, but I told them they need to wait till you are feeling a little better." I feel his fingers touch some kind of bandage on the back of my head. I jump slightly when he touches it. "It looks like it's doing well. You should be feeling better in no time. So tell me what you remember?" He takes a pen and a small pad.

"I think I was walking back to my apartment and then I woke up and I was here." I look all around the room. The walls are a pale yellow with light blue stripes at the top. Typical hospital trying to soothe you, if only they realized the only soothing thing is getting out of here. "I really don't remember anything after that."

"That makes sense. You suffered a concussion that rendered you unconscious, but there doesn't appear to be any lasting damage or swelling on the CT's." I nod my head. "I think in another day or two we should be able to send you home." He looks at the chair next to the bed. It's one of those chairs that turns into a bed that no one can ever figure out quite how it's supposed to work. "Is there anyone you want us to contact? Family members?" I think Vickie for a second but then I just shake my head no. "Okay...get some rest. I'll be back to check on you. The nurse will start relieving the pain you're experiencing." I thank him and watch him duck under the doorway and disappear. A few minutes later I feel my eyes become very heavy and the next thing I know I'm in dreamland. Sometime later I open my eyes and I see daylight. The curtains are closed but I can see the sunlight peeking through. Next to me is a new machine with a little palm sized piece of rubber near my hand. It's attached by a wire. I squeeze it and instantly feel the pain leave the back of my head...morphine pump is here. I try and sit up and surprisingly I'm able to. A minute later the same nurse strides into my room.

"Good morning twinkle toes...how are we feeling today on this lovely morning."

"Good." I mutter.

"It's time for some goodies. Let's check your tempy first." I wish I had a muzzle. I lay back down as she goes through all the vitals and records them on a checklist. A minute later she pushes a cart in front of me with two pieces of toast and a banana. I slowly pick up the bread and take a bite. She passes me a bottle of orange juice. I look around for a Keurig.

"Is there a phone I can use?"

She looks startled for a second then pushes another table on wheels next to the bed with an old style phone on it. I dial Ocean Middle School and speak with one of the office ladies. She's very happy to hear from me and tells me she hopes I recover soon. I let her know I'll be back tomorrow or the next day. I ask her how everything is going there and she tells me normal, so I instantly relax. The nurse is still standing next to me. "I want everything finished and a full tummy." She points at the food. I feel the morphine kicking in and my eyes getting tired. Next thing I know I'm out and the nurse has left. I think I smile when I hear her annoying feet walk towards the door, but I'm not really sure because everything is so foggy. I have no idea how long it has been since I've been asleep this time but it's very bright when I wake up again and I'm still in the hospital. I sense someone next to...I quickly turn my head and see Vickie seated on the pull out chair. Her eyes are closed and she's sound asleep. I guess she couldn't figure out how to pull it open either. I smile looking at her face. Her soft features are fully relaxed as she breathes slowly in and out. She looks so peaceful. I look back towards the window and try and figure out what time it is. A minute later I hear my name softly being called. I quickly turn my head and see Vickie's eyes wide open.

"Hi Martin, how are you feeling?"

"Great...I love this pump. I'm thinking about installing one in my apartment and getting rid of the coffee."

"Oh...Martin, I was so worried. I didn't hear from you so I called all the hospitals and they said you were admitted. I even called the school and the lady said she never heard of you."

'You know how it is when you're a sub." I quietly laugh.

"I can't believe you were hit like that. You could have been killed."

I shake my head. "We Howells are known for our hard heads." I softly tap the bandage. Surprisingly it doesn't hurt. Vickie immediately jumps up and gives me a long kiss on my lips. I hear the equipment behind me start to beep louder and quicker so I quickly pull away so nurse goody-two-shoes doesn't come racing in.

"Who do you think is responsible for this?" She intertwines her fingers in mine.

"I'm thinking it has to be a baseball player since the weapon used was a bat, probably one of the Marlins."

"C'mon Martin this isn't time for your little jokes. Do you think it's the same people that attacked Chris?" I feel her grip tighten.

"No...no...no. I think it has something to do with what's been going on near my apartment. The police are supposed to come in and talk to me soon."

"I think when you get out of here. You should stay with me and Chris."

I nod. "So how is Chris?"

She looks away. "I sent him to school today for the first time. He was nervous but he said he was ready to go back. I hope he's okay. I'm going to pick him up as soon as it's over."

"Good idea. How are you doing?"

"Considering my son was attacked last week and now you. I guess I'm as good as can be expected. Just so you know Thomas is going to increase the security around our condo."

"I wonder if that means he'll move his bed into the lobby now too."

"He tries Martin...Does it hurt?" She points at the bandage.

"It used to before they gave me this pump. Like I said before I'm bringing it home with me."

We both turn our heads and see Detective Simmons walk in. He's wearing a pink short-sleeve shirt with a dark blue tie and a pair of chinos. I wonder where these detectives down here shop at. "Good afternoon Mr. Howell. I'm sorry to hear what happened." He waves at Vickie. She nods back. "I hear you're going to be okay though."

"Yeah...I'm doing a lot better than yesterday when it happened." I watch Simmons and Vickie both look at each other. They both look confused and no one says anything for a minute.

Finally Simmons breaks the silence. "Mr. Howell...you've been in here for four days."

"Are you kidding me?" I watch as they both shake their heads.

"Nope, I've been coming here every day to check on your status. I do have some good news."

"I'm going home?"

He smiles, but the way only a detective can do when he's with someone he probably thinks is a suspect in something. "I don't know about that but we do have a witness to you getting hit."

"Really?" Vickie leans forward and squeezes my hand even tighter. "Who is it?"

"I can't say who it is, but I can say they gave a pretty good description as to what happened. He looks at me. "Do you know who did this to you?"

"Probably a big leaguer because of how well they used a baseball bat."

"Actually if they had used it better you wouldn't be here talking to me now. You're still alive so I think we can rule out any baseball players."

I try and sit up a little bit. It doesn't hurt as much. I'm still shocked I've been here that long. "Who did they see?"

"That's the problem. The person that did it was wearing a hoodie."

"Of course."

Simmons leans in. "Why do you say that?"

"I just mean it's my luck they couldn't see who did it, so you really have nothing then right?"

"We have a medium built male who was apparently hiding behind a bush right outside your apartment and he snuck up behind you and took a swing."

"Let me guess the person that told you this chews gum...a lot of gum."

Simmons looks confused. "How do you know that?"

"Because she's always watching everyone and everything out there and you can always tell where she's been by where the piles of gum ae." I watch as Simmons glances at the bottom of his loafers.

"Just know I'm glad you're okay but we'll probably call you back in again for another lineup." I shrug. He slowly stands up and nods at Vickie. She looks away. Have I told you how much I like this woman? We watch Simmons leave. I think we talk for a few more minutes, but I'm not sure because my head is hurting and I activate the pump. A minute later I'm floating away on a puffy white cloud.

Chapter 34

I wake up again and it's the next day, at least that's what nurse goody two-shoes just told me. She said Vickie left sometime last night, something about going home to watch Chris. She said today I'm going to start walking around and hopefully go home tomorrow. I wonder if i should let the hoodies know I'm still alive. I hope they don't get a bigger bat. I feel my head start throbbing at the thought.

"Let's go Mister Magoo on your feety-feet." She's back. I groan. She helps me out of bed and I slowly stand on my feet. I'm a little wobbly but it feels good to be up. We slowly walk across the floor. She's holding all my wires and tubes on a wheeled stand. Somehow we make it out the door towards the nurse's station. "Super duper job, someone is going to earn a goody when we're done." I wish I could tell her the only thing I want is her to go away. We spend the rest of the day walking, resting and eating goodies...popsicles of different flavors. I was surprised to see the floor wasn't full of children on our last pass around. The tall doctor came in a few minutes ago and told me everything looks good. He even put a smaller bandage on my head and confirmed I am going home tomorrow. He said I just have to get off the morphine first, so much for bringing it home. Maybe I can ask George to get me one. I quickly turn around when I feel a tap on my shoulder. It's Vickie again.

"Look at you walking around." She grabs my hand and pulls me close till goody-two shoes gives her a mean look and she backs off a little bit.

"Going home tomorrow!" I yell out.

"We'll see sweet cheeks." Both Vickie and I look at goody-two shoes. She doesn't even notice. She leaves us alone when we get back to my room, but she looks at Vickie like a mother would do leaving a teenage son alone with a girl. "I'm watching you mister." We both laugh when she walks out.

"Is she always like that?"

"No...She's usually worse." I lay back down. "How about we order some dinner from my new favorite restaurant?"

"What? You can't go to Uncle Mikes."

"Who's talking about Uncle Mikes I'm talking about the hospital cafe. I think tonight we're having meat loaf." She laughs.

"You better not like it better than Uncle Mikes sweet cheeks." I throw my pillow at her. She starts to throw it back but stops when she sees my bandage. Maybe I should keep this thing on long term.

"Never...though I may change my mind after the meatloaf."

"As soon as you're better we're getting you an Uncle Mike with everything." I lick my lips. "And don't forget you're coming home with me if I can get you away from your little nurse friend." I smile.

"How was Chris's day at school?"

"He said the kids welcomed him back. He was happy to go back this morning and last night he actually slept in his own room, just in time for my super-model friend whose coming home from the hospital tomorrow." I smile. Vickie stays and eats then she leaves me to go be with Chris. A soon as she leaves, goody-two shoes comes back...never a dull moment in the hospital.

"Let's go I want to see those little feety-feet. I groan again. She gives me one of those stern looks so I quickly stand up and let her lead me for another walk. "You want to spend time with your little girllfriend you better be able to walk all the way around...now hup...two...hup two." I frown the whole way around as we make a complete lap and here I thought I was supposed to be recovering. Finally she lets me go back to sleep and when I wake up again I see Vickie at my door talking to the doctor. Her neck is arched almost completely up. I wonder if I'll have to rub her neck tonight.

"Okay...Mr. Howell, are we ready to go home?" I nod my head violently up and down. "Take it easy there I don't want you to hurt yourself.' I watch as he nears my bed. Vickie looks like a child next to him. "Let me take one more look at this." I feel the bandage come off and his gloved hands touching the back of my head. I don't feel any discomfort; maybe I won't need the morphine pump. "I'm going to give you some pain meds but I want you to quickly switch to anti-inflammatories. Got it?" I nod a little slower this time. "Okay let's get you out of here." He walks out of the room carefully ducking under the door frame. I wonder how many bruises he has on his head. Ten minutes later, goody-two shoes comes back in and re-bandages my head with a small gauze.

"I want this to stay cleany-clean...you got it mister? You change it twice a day...once when you wake up and before you go beddy-by." I give her a thumbs-up and feel Vickie pushing me quickly towards the door. I think she says something else but I'm already out the door being led down the hallway with my discharge papers in hand. We quickly stop by the check-out desk and sign everything and the next thing I know I'm a free man. I haven't felt this good since I ended the gang problem in the prison on my last assignment...the life of a Placer. Vickie holds me tight as we climb into her Saturn. A few minutes later, we stop at my apartment. I told her I had to grab a few items if I was going to stay in her house. You guessed it; the Keurig is the first thing I grab. I also get bunch of clothes and the bag containing my mask. I make sure and carry that one. Finally we make it to her condo and walk into the lobby. Thomas immediately pops up when he sees me.

"How are you Mr. Howell? I heard what happened." I look behind him for an arsenal and his bed but everything looks the same.

"I'm doing much better now, nothing a little coffee can't cure." I hold up the Keurig. He nods and points behind him to small single-cup unit on his desk. I never noticed it before. "We'll have to trade K-cups one of these days."

"Martin is going to be staying with me for a while Thomas." I feel Vickie squeeze my arm.

"No problem. I have him on the guest list. I'll up him to long-term. I can only do that on this computer." He points to a small monitor on the far side of the desk.

"Thanks Thomas."

"You can know you're safe here ma'am. " I smile as Vickie leads me into the open elevator door. We enjoy the ten-second ride to the top. Vickie places the key in the lock and we're both surprised when we see Chris asleep on the couch.

"Chris...Chris. What are you doing here? You're supposed to be at school." Vickie is shaking his arm. "Martin...he's not waking up." She starts to violently roll him. I drop all my bags except the Keurig, I carefully set that down and run over to the couch. I quickly check his pulse. I feel a weak ping on my index finger.

"Call 911." I yell out. I roll him on his side and that's when I see the empty brown colored pill bottle fall onto the floor. "Tell them it's a drug overdose."

"How do you know?" I throw the bottle to her. She catches it and begins reading the name into the phone. It's some kind of anti-anxiety medicine. I continue to monitor Chris's lifeless body. He looks so young and innocent lying on the couch. He's still breathing but it's becoming shallower. I check his pulse and it's barely registering on my finger so I keep it there and hope it doesn't stop. A minute later, his body starts to convulse. He's seizing. I hear Vickie screaming but I can't hear what she's saying. I somehow manage to get Chris onto the floor and he finally stops moving around. It kind of reminds me of when you first take a fish out of water. I quickly check his pulse and breathing and I don't feel anything so I begin CPR. George makes sure we are all medically qualified. We actually get trained by EMT's and have to ride with them several times a year. I usually hate it, but this is one time I'm glad I went because I don't panic and know exactly what to do. I start compressions immediately and alternate in rescue breathing. I can hear Vickie talking away on the phone but I still can't tell what she's saying because everything is spinning round and round. The whole room feels like it's on an axis and spinning. I continue pressing on his chest till I feel some strong hands pull me away. I have no idea how long I have been doing this or whose hands they belong too, but the next thing I feel is I am lying on the floor not seeing anything except blurry images and gray.

Chapter 35

I'm finally able to open my eyes and at first I'm not sure where I am till I hear a familiar voice. "Good mornin honey bun." I want to pull my ears off. I see goody-two shoes. How did that happen? "How are you feeling sunshine?" I start to answer then close my eyes again, but I can't fall back asleep.

"Not good...I just had the worst dream...that I left earlier and now I'm back."

"Poor little thingy, I told you to be careful."

"It really happened?"

"Sure did. Let me check mister heady." I groan as she peels off the bandage.

"What happened?"

"The doctor will be in soon sunshine, but from what I heard you saved your girlfriend's son's life."

"It wasn't a dream?"

"No chipmunk. It wasn't a dream. You left then you came back to me. I think you missed me." I close my eyes for a moment and think back to giving Chris CPR and being pulled off.

"How did I get here?"

"You came in by ambulance yesterday. You passed out."

"Yesterday?" I sit up. "I've been here all night?"

I immediately feel her hands on my chest. "Not too fast sugar-plummy you don't want to hurt yourself again." I quickly turn my head as the tall doctor ducks under the door. I think he's even taller than yesterday.

"Hello Mr. Howell." I nod. "You are all the talk around here saving that boy, but it wasn't the best thing for your condition. How are you feeling?"

"A little confused and groggy." Goody-two shoes leaves.

"I can imagine. All that exertion was just too much in your condition. You need to rest for a while in here. Good news is you head looks good. It's really healing."

"How's Chris?"

"The boy you saved?" I nod. "I hear he's going to be just fine. I think they gave him charcoal and pumped his stomach, but he probably wouldn't have made it if you hadn't done what you did. The EMT's had to pull you off. His mother sends her best to you. She told me to tell you she would be by as soon as Chris is okay. She's been running back and forth between both rooms all night." He shakes his head. "You're quite a guy Mr. Howell."

"Thanks. Make sure you keep telling everyone that." He laughs quietly. I feel his giant hands checking my head. I lie back down. "I think you can get out of here tomorrow as long as you don't save any more lives. Stay away from the emergency room please," a doctor with a sense of humor. I thank him and watch him duck under the door frame and disappear out the door. I feel like I'm at the zoo watching the giraffes. I don't have the morphine pump and I think I'm in a new room, but I doze off again. When I wake up again it is dark outside. I wish I could sleep like this when I'm not in a hospital. I start pushing the buttons on the bed and I finally figure out how to raise the top of my bed. I turn on the TV and quickly find the news, still no school shootings in the news. I take a deep breath and switch to the Miami Heat game. My Wizards are getting blown out of course. I decide to order another tasty meatloaf.

"Hi Sweety pie." I don't look away from the TV hoping she'll get the message. "Let's stick mister tempy down your throat, now close that little mouthy." So much for her getting the message. I lie down and don't move while she checks my blood pressure and oxygen levels. I think everything is okay, but I'm scared to say anything. "Time to fill that tummy with something yummy." She hands me the phone and the menu. I order the meatloaf again. I can't wait to get out of here. I watch her exit the room and I start to breathe normally again. A few minutes later, a man in a white shirt and pants pushes a cart in with my mystery meat loaf on it. I'm just thankful it's hot. I scarf it down. I already feel much better. I just hope goody-two shoes stays away. I try and look and see if the doors have locks on them, but I don't see any. I take a few bites of the cookie and start dreaming about my Keurig till I drift off to sleep. I wake up the next morning and a different nurse is checking my blood pressure. She's much older and has a very stern face and expression. I already like her a lot. She says hi and tells me to just relax. I want to give her a hug. A minute later she leaves and I see I have a message on the phone. It's Vickie. She says her and Chris went home this morning and that she'll be by to get me as soon as I get discharged. I think she says thank you a hundred times. I hung up before the message ended. I flip on the news again, still no breaking news. I'm quickly relieved and turn it off. I call Ocean and let them know I'm back in the hospital. The secretary tells me to hold on. A minute later I hear a familiar voice.

"Hello Mr. Phillips."

"Hello Mr. Jackson." I think he's giving me that strange look through the phone.

"You take care and come back as soon as you can. The kids are all asking about you."

"I will definitely be back on Monday." Tomorrow is Friday.

"Sounds good Mr. Phillips."

"Yes Mr. Jackson."

"Take care of yourself Mr. Phillips."

"Thank you Mr. Jackson." I picture him still looking at me oddly. I'm glad when we finally hang up. I order a triple stack of pancakes and a coffee. Not a vanilla latte but it's better than nothing. A few hours later I'm being led down the hallway by the old nurse, still no goody-two shoes. I carefully look around every corner and breathe regularly whenever I don't see her. I quickly sign out and get ready to call a cab when I see the familiar Saturn pull up. It's Vickie. She pulls right up to me and runs out hugging me so tightly I feel like I may get re-admitted.

"Thank you so much Martin. How can I ever thank you?"

"How about with an Uncle Mike?" They really teach us Placers to think quickly huh? I'm finally able to get in the car once she lets go of me. We drive directly to Uncle Mikes. She has me wait in the car while she runs inside. I quickly turn to a local news station and am relieved again that there have been no school shootings. I switch to a livelier one and listen to them go back and forth between the hits from Lady Ga Ga and Katy Perry. I think of Kyle again. I think he is more of a Katy Perry fan. I can't wait to see him. A minute later, Vickie is back with a large brown grocery bag. She places it on my lap. I can smell the cooked meat and feel my stomach start dancing. I don't even think about the meat loaf anymore. We get back to the condo. I carry the bag in. Thomas waves at us from his desk. I see him eyeing the bag so I keep it on my other side and quickly get into the elevator. I'm not taking any chances. We get off on her floor and enter her condo. She immediately goes and checks on Chris. He's sound asleep on his bed. She looks relieved. I take the bag out onto the deck and take out the three burgers. I quickly un-wrap the first one and take a large bite. I don't think anything has ever tasted so good. Vickie sits next to me and hands me an opened bottle of Corona. Life is about as good as it gets. I don't say another word until I crumple up my wrapper and throw it back in the bag. Vickie hasn't even had half. I start eyeing hers till she pushes it towards me.

"A little hungry Martin?"

I nod. "You know a man can only have so much meat loaf in his life."

"I see." She smiles and quickly turns her head when Chris steps out onto the deck.

He looks at me. "Hi Mr. Howell. Thank you." I see tears in Vickie's eyes. I immediately get up and give Chris a hug. He hugs me back. I reach into the bag and throw him the last burger. He catches it and disappears back into the condo.

"He looks good."

"Yeah...but I'm still so worried. We have an appointment tomorrow with a psychiatrist. I think they'll put him on some more medication." She starts sobbing. I quickly place my arm around her keeping my other hand on what's left of the Uncle Mike. "I can't believe how close I came to losing him Martin...twice. He's my whole life. If you hadn't saved him he wouldn't be here."

"He's doing better. It happens after someone goes through something so traumatic in losing a friend in such a violent manner. Sometimes it's just too much for us to process."

"Do you think he'll try it again? I was so scared when I left him today, but the doctor at the hospital assured me he wouldn't do it again and he's on anti-depressants now."

"Usually, it's just a one-time thing and then they move on with help from medication like you're already doing. I think he'll be fine. He just needs time." She places her arms around me, forcing my hands close to my body. Luckily, I finished the last bite. I am so full, but I feel good. I smile as I take her in and feel all her warmth and love.

Chapter 36

He had a tough night sleeping last night, now that they are so close to actually going through with it. His friend is so excited though. He can see it in his eyes. He wished he felt the same amount of joy but instead all he feels is anxiety. He doesn't dare tell him though. Today they are back at their home-made shooting range. His friend has set up hundreds of beer cans scattered all over on a ledge roughly ten yards away. He said they are going to simulate shooting into a crowd, the cans being the students. They are going to practice maximizing the amount of kills. He's loosely holding his AR-15 in his hands and has two nine's strapped to his waist alongside extra magazines for the AR-15. His friend has instructed him they need to reload the magazines as quickly as possible that is the key. Each magazine holds thirty rounds and they will go fast. Once they have expended all the rounds from the magazines then they resort to the handguns and unload all of them and then escape. That is the key his friend states over and over. Kill as much as you can as fast as you can and then escape. Today they are going to practice with their disguises on. His friend is convinced they will be successful. He's still not sure but after seeing the disguises he is feeling a little better, maybe they have a chance. He would sure hate to spend the rest of his life in jail. His friend keeps telling him they will walk away and laugh about it later. He's not really sure what's so funny. They are taking human lives, students, but as soon as he gives the signal he starts shooting the cans. He feels the rounds flying out the barrel. It feels so powerful, like a reality video game. He makes sure to keep his eyes focused on the cans and changes magazines without taking his eyes off the targets. He knows his friend will analyze it after on the video screen. He records everything.

Chapter 37

I wake up to a beautiful sunrise streaming through the floor to ceiling windows. Vickie is snuggled up next to me as well as Rusty on the other side snoring away very loudly...lucky me. I try to move Rusty away but he doesn't budge. I pull Vickie in closer and keep my eyes on the window. I can feel the warmth of the sunlight and ocean softly caressing us, a perfect day for a run and my Keurig. If only I could move to get up. I look over at Rusty, he has moved in closer to me. I can feel his strong back breathing in and out. I wish I had his Frisbee. I lay like this for at least another hour till I feel Vickie begin to stir. I quickly close my eyes when I see her rolling over. I think I hear her laugh seeing the dog practically on top of me. A minute later, she slowly slips off the covers and gets out of bed. I inch over to her side getting some instant relief from Rusty till I feel him snug up to me a few seconds later... gotta love these dogs. I slowly sit up and pretend I just woke up. Vickie looks at me and smiles. Her eyes are still puffy from sleep but her face looks perfect. I'm glad I don't have a mirror. I have the type of hair that goes in every direction when I wake up.

"How'd you sleep?" She's smiling and looking at Rusty whose head is now lying on my lap still snoring.

"Great." I scratch his head trying to talk over the loud snores.

"I think he likes you. How about some breakfast? Do you want dry or wet food? Or would you just prefer milk bones?" I take her pillow and throw it at her. She blocks it with her arm. "How's your head? We need to change your bandage after breakfast okay sweety-pants."

"You're just so funny this morning." I scratch Rusty's head again.

"What can you expect from a girl who sleeps next to a supermodel? I'm going to go check on Chris." I watch as she slips on a terry cloth light blue bathrobe and heads out the door. I lie back down and rub Rusty's belly. You can't beat...em you might as well join...em right?" A few minutes later, I smell the aroma of eggs and bacon permeating through the air, my second favorite smell after coffee. Rusty and I leap out of bed and head for the kitchen. I grab a seat at the table and start eating. I can't believe how hungry I am. It looks like Rusty is feeling the same way. He has his nose buried in his bowl. Vickie gave him some pieces of bacon mixed up in his food. No milk bones for me by the way. I watch as Chris stumbles out into the kitchen. It's amazing how the smell of bacon and eggs can get anybody out of bed, even teenagers. Chris sits down across from me and nods. I nod back and take another bite. Vickie sits down next to him and Rusty who has finished his is now looking at me for mine. I guess that means we have bonded after last night. After I finish my second plate I go start up my Keurig and a minute later I'm sipping a vanilla latte. I take it out on the deck. It doesn't get much better than this. Vickie and Chris go back into their rooms to get dressed or whatever it is they do in the morning. I have my eyes on the beach watching all the early beach goers arrive. Rusty comes out a minute later and sits by my feet. I rub his neck.

"Now you rest your little heady now." I laugh. "I'll be back later to check on you guys. I have to go to the restaurant for a while." She leans down and gives me a kiss and quickly pets Rusty behind his ears. He looks up at me. "Chris is going to be here for a while then he's going to come down to the restaurant." I nod. "Would you mind taking Rusty out with you? I know you like to run in the mornings, he's a great companion if you can keep up." I shake my head and laugh. She quickly disappears out the front door leaving me and Rusty on the deck. A few minutes later, I make another cup and throw on my Ocean shorts and shirt. I let Chris know I'm going for a run. He mumbles something about going to the restaurant. I mumble something back. I love teenage talk. Rusty and I ride down the elevator. No surprise Thomas is at the desk.

"Are you sleeping out here now?"

"No...Mr. Howell. I sleep for a few hours in my place over there." He points at his condo door. "But don't worry remember I told you I have cameras. I just can't tell you where they are."

I smile. "I believe you Thomas." I step outside with Rusty and he quickly does his business in the small patch of bushes where I got hit with a rock the other night. We start to run on the beach. My feet feel so good hitting the water. Vickie was right Rusty is keeping right up and after twenty minutes he's still going strong and I'm starting to feel winded, maybe I should start eating milk bones and dry food. We finish our run and head back up into the condo. I wave at Thomas. When we get into the condo Chris is already gone leaving Rusty and me to an empty place. I quickly do a search of Chris's room and don't find anything that could hurt him. I make another K-Cup and after a shower I change and take my mask bag and head back out. I walk back over to my apartment keeping an eye out for any hoodies. I don't see anyone. I'm constantly looking behind me too now. There's no way I'm taking another hit on the back of the head. Maybe I should hire a couple bodyguards. I changed my bandage after my shower. Vickie had everything all laid out on the bathroom counter. I place the bag on my seat and start up the Taurus. I'm not really sure where I'm headed but I end up in the parking lot at Ocean Middle School. It's Friday and the kids are already in class. I wonder who has the honor of filling in for me. I hope they like treaties. I park near my usual spot and close my eyes picturing all my students. I can see Wi, Jeff, Lucent and even Hamilton. I try and picture each of them sending emails and planning the murder of their fellow students. I can't get any clear thoughts. I finally open my eyes and look around the parking lot. Almost all the spots are filled. I actually see two other people, men about my age seated in their cars alone across from me. They don't seem to be paying attention to me they are just looking straight ahead, focusing on something. I try and see what they are looking at. There's a small man crouched behind a green Honda near the school. It's parked in the first row closest to the school. I can just make him out. I don't recognize him from working at the school, but it's tough seeing from this distance. I try and lean forward without drawing any attention to myself. I can see him a little better. He's wearing red shorts and a white t-shirt. It looks like he's trying to look in the windows along the front of the school. I look back at the man seated in the car closest to me and I realize it's Detective Reynolds. He's the one who came to see me in class when I first started. It seems so long ago now. He's completely focused on the man. I look back over at the little guy. He's on his hands and knees and is crawling around the side of the Honda. I watch as Detective Reynolds signals to the other man seated in the car to hold on a second. I feel like I need to get away, but I decide to stick around and see what happens. Hey I'm off today, so why not. A minute later, the little man is around the car and is on the small strip of grass that separates the parking lot from the school building. He's still on his hands and knees and is moving closer to the building. I can see the heads of students inside oblivious to what is going on outside. My room's on the other side, so they're not mine. Too bad they're not Lucille's. The man is now right up alongside the school and it looks like he's slowly standing up to look in the windows. Detective Reynolds is leaning forward ready to move. I slowly lean back. I watch as the little guy stands in place peering in the windows. I don't think he has any idea he's being watched. His hands are still at his sides. A long minute goes by and then I see Detective Reynolds and the other man spring out of their cars with their guns drawn and force the little man down on the ground. He looks so surprised. I watch as they place cuffs on him and lead him back towards the other car. I can't believe this is happening. The students inside still have no idea what's going on outside. I quickly turn my head left hearing the knock on my window. There's another man standing there I didn't see before, maybe I am getting too old. He's tall with dark wavy hair. I can immediately tell from his eyes that he's a cop. I roll down the window.

"Excuse me sir. Can you tell me what you're doing here?"

I quickly scan my mind and instinctively spill out the first thing that comes up. "I'm a parent and I have a student in there. With everything going on around here I just wanted to make sure he's okay."

"What do you mean going on around here?" He looks puzzled.

"You know...the boy that was killed and the other one beat up." He nods. "I have the day off so I just wanted to keep an eye out."

He holds up a gold badge. "Don't worry sir...we are already here."

"What's going on with that guy?" I point at the car they put the little man in.

"Just a peeping tom, he comes around here every so often. He's going back to jail so don't worry, we're very familiar with him." He places the badge back in his pocket.

"Thank you for doing such a good job."

"You can rest assured sir. We will be here." I nod my head and slowly pull away, just another day in the parking lot of a middle school. I decide to head back to my apartment. I park in my usual spot and look all around me as I always do...no hoodies. "Oh where oh where did those little hoodies go..." I sing as I walk up my stairs and freeze when I get to the top, my apartment door is wide open. I take out my Berretta and slowly peer in. I immediately take slow breaths and calm my nerves, Placer training. I step all the way inside. The place is trashed. Everything is upside down. I'm glad I brought my Keurig to Vickie's. I slowly tiptoe into the kitchen my gun out in front of me, so far no one, but most of the dishes are out of the cabinets and on the counter. I don't see anything broken, but someone had a good time in here. I back out and take a deep breath as I step around the corner towards the bedroom and bathroom. My bedroom door is partially shut, I always leave it open. I quickly stop when I hear a noise coming from inside. Someone is in there. It sounds like my dresser drawers are being opened and closed very slowly. I don't move. I place my finger firmly on the trigger and slowly tiptoe ahead. I'm trying to control my pulse and breathing, but it doesn't seem to be working. I'm not really sure why I'm so nervous. I've been in many more dangerous situations before. I think back to my time in prison how scary it was. There were many nights I was sure I would never see Kyle again. I take a few more steps forward. I hear some more noises though they seem a little quieter. I wonder if they know I'm out here. Finally I hear nothing, complete silence except for my beating pulse. I wish I had a volume control for this thing. I think back through my breathing techniques and slowly breath in and then out my nose. It seems to help a little bit. I'm right outside my door. I can't see in. I try and lean forward to see if I can see any movement, nothing. I'm not liking this. I have a bad feeling and I never get bad feelings, they train us to be positive. I take another step forward. I'm waiting for something to crash down on my head, there's no way I'm suffering through goody-two shoes again. I grip the gun a little tighter. The bathroom is to my left, I quickly peak in there. It is empty. Luckily, I have a clear shower curtain...no comments please. Now it's just my bedroom. I still don't hear anything. I'm trying to think whether I should rush in with my gun out or slowly walk in. Both methods have their advantages. I choose the first one. I decide to count to five...one...two...three...four...five.

Chapter 38

I abruptly push my right shoulder into the door and it flies open crashing against the wall. I hope I didn't break the wall. I wouldn't know how to explain that to George. I see no one at first, but then I quickly turn back around and see Detective Simmons calmly peering into my walk-in closet.

"Good afternoon Mr. Howell. I hope you have a license for that."

I quickly lower my gun and place it back in my waistband. "Yes...of course I do. What are you doing in here?" He hands me a sheet of paper. It's a search warrant.

"It's all right there. As you can see I'm looking for anything to tie you to the assault of those two young men."

I shake my head and sit down on the edge of the bed. I can still hear my pulse beating away. I think I better tell George I need some additional training. "There's nothing here. I had nothing to do with them."

"I agree there is nothing here. In fact, it looks like you have no personal items here at all. Everything looks staged. You sure you're really living here?"

"Not anymore."

"You moved in with you're pretty little girlfriend huh?"

"None of your business Detective."

"Something's not right with you Martin. I have my suspicions and I'm usually correct." He slams the closet door shut. "I'm not done yet with you yet."

"You mean you're going to help me clean up the mess you made. You trashed my place."

"Just doing my job." He looks toward my waistline. "Now let me see that permit."

I reach for my wallet and pull out a small card. George is so thorough. I watch as Simmons looks at it and shakes his head. "You're lucky."

"Actually...I'm legal."

Simmons storms out of my bedroom. "Have a good day Mr. Howell. Don't forget about our next lineup. You'll be hearing from me soon." I hear him call out from the other side of the apartment. I quickly follow him out and shut my outside door. I spend the next hour or so cleaning up till I hear a knock on my door. I look through the peephole. It's Vickie. I quickly open the door.

"What are you doing here?" I pull her into me and give her a hug. "What happened to the place?"

"Detective Simmons was just here."

"What's with that guy?"

"Apparently he doesn't like me." I place two pillows back on the couch. Vickie heads to the kitchen and starts putting dishes away.

"What was he looking for?"

"He said something to tie me to the assault of the hoodies."

"But...you had nothing to do with that right?"

I shake my head, "No...not really." I watch as she immediately pops out from inside the kitchen and is looking directly at me.

"Did you have something to do with that?" I sit down on the couch. Vickie sits across from me on one of the upholstered chairs. "What's going on Martin? What aren't you telling me?"

I look down directly at the beige carpet. "I did have a problem a while ago. I went out for a walk and a couple of guys attacked me so I defended myself. I didn't do anything wrong though."

She stands up and sits next to me. "Why don't you just tell the detective that?"

"Because he'll arrest me, it's their word against mine and they told him I attacked them. They have the bruises to prove it too. He believes them for some reason. It's a losing battle." She places her hand on my shoulders.

"So you're telling me that picture downstairs is really you?"

"I guess."

"That explains why you ended up in the hospital the other day."

"Maybe."

"What about the kid who was killed over there?" She points at the door.

"He was with them when they jumped me, but he was a good kid. He ran away. He didn't do anything. He didn't deserve to die. I think they killed him because they saw me talking to him the other day. He came to warn me that they were after me."

She wraps both of her arms around me. "Oh my God Martin, what are we going to do?"

"We're not going to do anything. You're staying out of this."

"I love you Martin and I'm not staying out of anything. I believe you. I don't think you could hurt anybody. I want you to stay far away from here. You are safe at my place with Thomas there." I laugh thinking of Thomas seated behind the desk, his eyes not leaving the front door. "You don't think the people that attacked Chris and Luke had anything to do with this do you?"

I shake my head. "No...no...no...that is a totally different incident, nothing to do with this."

She nods and leans in and kisses me. "Let's get your stuff together and get you out of here." We both slowly stand up and head to the bedroom. She opens the closet Simmons was looking in and grabs a large bag. I throw the rest of my clothes and personal items in there. We leave the apartment. I stop on the landing outside my apartment. You can still see the faded stains on the carpet. Vickie shakes her head. I follow her downstairs and watch as she rips down the poster with my likeness on it, "A souvenir." She calls out. I laugh. A few minutes later we're seated at Uncle Mikes. I have a Corona and an Uncle Mike in front of me. I'm smiling. Detective Simmons is long gone from my mind. There's just no room for him and a giant burger. Vickie eats quickly then heads back into the kitchen. I finish my burger and order another Corona. I see Chris seated on the far side of the restaurant, so I go over and sit with him. He nods at me as I sit down. He's sipping on a soda and playing with an iPhone. I'm not sure if it's his or Vickie's.

"Hey Chris. How's it going?"

He shrugs. "It's going." Typical teenage talk.

"Your mom tells me you're back in school. That's great." He just nods, real conversationalist...this kid. "So tell me have you seen those kids again?" He suddenly looks away from the screen and looks at me and shakes his head. "It's okay to be scared Chris. I know I would have been."

"They killed Luke for no reason."

"Did you get a good look at them?"

He shakes his head. I look around. I don't see Vickie so I keep going. "I already went over this with the police. They drew sketches too."

"So you did see them?"

"No...not really the sketches don't look like anyone. It was a waste of time." I can see agitation filling up his eyes. "Why are you asking me anyway? You're not the police. You're a teacher and I've never even seen you there. I even asked about you and they say there is no one there with your name." His voice is getting louder. "I should tell my mom." He starts to stand up.

"Chris...please sit down. I'm just trying to help. I really am a substitute there. I teach 8th grade social studies." I take a deep breath and really wish I had been more careful getting involved with Chris and Vickie before this. George would kill me if he knew I was this close to blowing my cover. "Look...I have a boy almost the same age as you and he has been through some tough things and it helps him to talk about it."

"I don't want to talk about it."

"Can you give me an approximate age on your attackers?" I watch as his eyes go back to the iPhone. I lower my voice to almost a whisper. I can see Vickie in the back now. "Please Chris...it may make a big difference."

He looks up from the screen again. "This is the last thing I'm going to say about it, and then I'm never talking about it again. I told you they were wearing hoods and I couldn't see their faces."

"We're they bigger than you?"

He nods. "A little bit."

I see Vickie coming towards us. She has a soft smile on her face. "How about voices? Any accents? Deep...soft?"

Chris squints his eyes at me. The anger is really growing. "I don't know. I don't think they had any accents. Their voices were deeper than mine." He quickly stands up and walks towards the exit door and slams it shut behind him.

Vickie immediately sits down in his place. "What was that all about?"

"I think I may have upset him. We were talking about what happened."

She bites her lower lip and look towards the same door Chris just left through. "Martin...I know you're just trying to help, but they said not to prod him just let him talk when he's ready. The police really did a job on him so he's probably still a little upset."

I nod. "Sorry, I was just trying to help."

"I know...just give him some time." She pulls my hand into hers. "I've got to stay here for a while why don't you go back to the condo for a while and keep an eye on him. I'll be there in a while. You promise no more talk about what happen?" I nod. She kisses my cheek and disappears into the back again. I finish my Corona and head out behind Chris.

Chapter 39

He's seated next to his friend in the library. It is fairly crowded for a Friday night, but most of the people are seated at the computers or over in the periodical section waiting. He can tell they are waiting because they keep going up to the lady with the clipboard. He recognizes some of the same people that are here every time they come, but no one seems to pay attention to them so he ignores them. His friend is busy pulling up his Gmail account, so he does the same thing on his computer. His friend tells him to always act as natural as possible and no one will ever suspect anything. He used to flinch and scan his eyes all over the place, but after his friend showed him the video of him doing so he has since stopped. He videos everything. He even has cameras set up in the school to record their big event. He can't believe how close they are from doing it now. He liked it better when it was months away, because it seemed like it would never happen. Now it's here and he couldn't stop it even if he wanted to. That's the thing he's not sure if he wants to or not. It doesn't feel right, but his friend tells him it has to be done. He can't wait to get it over with. Today after they send the email they are going to rehearse their escape. Despite what his friend says he feels this is the most important part. His friend says the killing is. He looks over at his friend's screen and watches him methodically begin typing in the text box. He insisted that he type tonight's message. He can't read what he's typing but he imagines it's another warning. He says this will make everyone feel dumb after it's over and cause the community to fall apart once they hear about all the advanced notice. He has assured him he will let the media know about all the warning email messages as soon as they are safe and secure. He can actually see a slight smile on his friend's face as he continues to type. He quickly closes his own Gmail after realizing he has no new messages and pulls up a website about Corvettes.

Chapter 40

I immediately see Chris slowly walking along the beach. It looks like he's headed back towards the condo. I keep a good distance back and follow behind him. I instinctively look in all directions for anyone or anything wearing a hoodie, the coast looks clear. We walk along the beach for a while passing in front of Uncle Mikes. The old man's not here and I don't hear any screams. I stop and read the plaque about Uncle Mike and how he saved the kid from drowning. What a guy. I wonder how he would feel knowing he has a restaurant and a burger named after him. A dammed good burger I might add. I can still taste it in my mouth. I keep my distance from Chris as he continues on past the condo. He doesn't even look at it. We walk for another five minutes till I feel my iPhone start buzzing. I look down at the screen and see there's another message from the Orion account to the superintendent's office with the subject "death". I scroll down to the body of the message it's only a few words. "In just a short period of time all the beasts will be killed." A vague reference to Orion myth. I have been doing some extracurricular reading if you're wondering. I sit down on the sand and take off my shoes, the ocean rolls onto my feet. I can't see Chris anymore. He disappeared down the beach. I'm trying to figure out the meaning of the message. Why do they keep telling us they are going to kill? Why not just do it? I think that means a cry for help, maybe they really want to be stopped. I read it again as well as all the others. They all basically say the same thing. It's almost like a bomb threat. Maybe they're just playing games. I try and think why George would send me down here for just a threat. There must be more to this. I think about making the one phone call I have never made in all my years as a Placer. I can't see George holding out, so I don't dial out of respect, but I still feel like I'm missing something. I watch a seagull swoop down a few yards from me and pull a small fish out of the ocean and fly away, so precise and graceful. I read through the emails again. There's got to be something. Nothing is jumping out so I get back up and start walking down the beach in the direction Chris was going. After a while I turn around and head back towards the condo. As soon as I enter the lobby I see Thomas's razor like eyes focus in on me. I smile at him. He nods back and turns his attention back to the door and cameras. I love this guy. I take the ten second ride to the top floor and enter the condo. I feel relief when I see Chris lying in front of the TV playing his X-box. He nods at me and goes back to killing off the aliens attacking our world. Thank God these kids are saving us. I quickly slip out onto the deck with another Corona. After my first sip, my phone starts ringing, Chris doesn't even look up, must be another alien attack. I see it's from Doug.

"What's up buddy?"

I lower my voice and place the phone close to my mouth. "How's it going Doug?"

"I'm sure you saw the new email buddy. Just wanted to let you know, it came from the same place as the others again."

"Library? Or Mr. Stane?"

"Library buddy. No Stane this time...still love his name." I hear keys being clicked in the background. "I don't know what you got yourself into this time buddy, but be careful out there."

"What time were they sent at?"

"One hour and forty-nine minutes ago buddy."

"Thanks Doug." I hear a click and the phone goes dead. I quickly finish off the Corona grab my bag and wave at Chris. I tell him I'm heading out but he doesn't acknowledge me, more aliens I guess. I ride the elevator down and make it to the parking lot. I quickly start up the Taurus and speed towards the library. A few minutes later I stride inside with my mask on. The computer terminals are all full and the clipboard lady is mingling about. It's the same lady so I'm glad I wore my mask. I make my way over to the periodicals and take a seat facing the computers. I see four or five middle school-aged kids. I recognize two of them. They both look at me. I smile back at them and they quickly turn back to their computers. I pick up the Sport's Illustrated and pretend to read an article about the Redskin's rookie quarterback. I flash back to taking Kyle to a game two years ago when the Redskins beat the Giants in the playoffs. We got the tickets from a contact of George's. We had so much fun and were both hoarse by the time we went home. I really miss him.

"Why aren't you reading the asp mag this time?"

"The apps mag?"

"That's what I said." I smile seeing my old friend.

"How do you know it's me?"

"What do you mean?"

"Look at my face." I watch him squint his eyes and try and focus on my mask. Maybe I better let George know these masks aren't really fool proof.

"Do you want me to get you the bag?"

"The mag?"

"That's what I said."

I smile and nod as he goes and gets the app magazine. I pull a ten out of my wallet and hand it to him. He immediately places it in his pocket and starts to walk away. "Hold on...hold on. Have you seen any kids here on the computers who have left recently?" He nods. "Do you remember what they looked like?" He nods again. "Were they tall? What color hair?" He nods. "Yes they were tall?" He nods again. "How tall?" Another nod. This is going well. I shake his hand and thank him. A minute later I see him disappear out the library exit. I pick up the app magazine and watch the computers again. I check to make sure I still have my mask on. I don't understand how he could possibly recognize me. I place the magazine down and slowly walk towards the computers. Most people are browsing the web, some are looking at news sites and some are shopping. Two of the kids are on Gmail. I try and close in on them till I feel a tap on my shoulder. I turn around and see my skinny friend again. He's holding the magazine.

"Aren't you going to read this?" He places it in my hands. I look back at the Gmail screens, but I'm too far away to read anything.

"Yes...thank you. I thought you left."

"I did then I came back."

"OH...thanks." I follow him back towards the periodical section...lucky me. I hold open the magazine and monitor the kids on the computers. I'm pretty sure they are long gone now, but I just want to make sure. I think I'm starting to get desperate. I need a break. Finally two kids get up. I think they were the ones using Gmail. I quickly place down the magazine and follow them outside. They are seated on a bench and one of them is on the phone. I walk over to my Taurus and wait. About five minutes later, a bright red new Chevy Tahoe pulls up with a middle-aged man behind the wheel. The two kids crawl into the back seat. No shotgun. I wait till they pull out then I follow them. I keep my distance so there's no way they can detect me. You got it...placer training again. George used to have us spend hours just following random cars and finding out as much information as we could about someone. It's amazing what you can find out by just following people. I can't tell you the number of cheating spouses I came upon. I even observed one guy hold up a Seven-Eleven. I anonymously called the police. I continue following the Tahoe down Atlantic Avenue. The guy tends to be a fast driver, my kind of guy. I have no idea where we're going and why I'm even following him, maybe I just need to feel like I'm doing something. We finally turn off into a residential neighborhood. The houses look fairly expensive, nowhere near Hamilton or Lucent's, but much more expensive than mine. I think I need to talk to George about a raise. I watch as the Tahoe slows down in front of a smaller house, at least compared to the rest of the neighborhood. The taller of the two kids jumps out and starts walking up the driveway. The Tahoe pulls away. I start to follow the Tahoe, till I see the kid in my rearview quickly turn around and head back down the driveway. He looks down the street where the Tahoe went. I pull over and continue watching him. I told you, you never know who you're following. The kid starts jogging towards me. I go for the Berretta but at the last second he turns into a wooded area and disappears. I decide I better investigate. This could be interesting. I quietly exit the Taurus and slowly walk down the street to where the kid went into the woods. I feel my pulse begin to quicken so I start breathing through my nose and slowly exhaling, it works. I start to think maybe I should have stayed with the Taurus as I step into the dark woods. I don't really like the woods. I didn't really get a good look at the kid, other than he was tall. I take a few steps in and don't hear or see anyone. I immediately think it's a trap till I hear a small engine spring to life about ten feet away. I quickly bend down onto one knee and watch as a four-wheel ATV disappears away from me down a small path I didn't notice before. I continue walking down the path for a few minutes but it just seems to just go on and there's no sign of the ATV. I eventually turn around and head back towards the Taurus. I drive back by the house, noticing there are lights on inside the house and decide to head back to the condo. I don't follow anyone the whole way there...enough excitement for one day. I remove my mask, head inside and wave at Thomas. He nods at me keeping a stern look on his face. I try to think of a good joke to lighten him up but can't think of anything so I hit the up button on the elevator. A minute later I'm inside the condo standing in the kitchen with a Corona in my hand...all is good.

Chapter 41

I wake up with the sun streaming in and Vickie curled up next to me one side and of course Rusty on the other. I feel like a sandwich, but at least I'm not being licked, not yet. I roll over and am somehow able to get out of bed without waking either of them up. I head out into the kitchen and start up the Keurig,time for a vanilla latte. A little while later Vickie enters into the kitchen followed by Rusty. He comes right up to me and starts licking my leg...gotta love this dog.

"He really likes you Martin. He doesn't just lick anyone."

"Must be the coffee."

"Or your supermodel looks."

"You can't blame him for that."

"Get out of here. Why don't you make me one of those lattes's you're so famous for?" I look over at the Keurig. I still have at least twenty k-cups left so I nod and quickly make a hot cup for Vickie. Don't worry I would have made one even in there was only one left. I watch her take a sip. I hope she doesn't like it too much. "Chris and I have a surprise for you today."

"I hate surprises."

She takes another long sip. It looks like she's eyeing the Keurig. "You'll like this one. It's something everyone in South Florida has to go through."

"Now I'm even more worried."

"It'll be fun. By the way, what happened to your clothes last night, they were filthy. It looked like you were rolling around in the grass. You weren't fighting with those guys again were you?"

I shake my head. "No...I just wanted to take a little hike."

"A hike? We're in Ft. Lauderdale not Colorado." She closes her eyes. "Actually...I don't think I want to know." I laugh. "Would you mind taking Rusty with you on your run again this morning? Unless you're planning on another hike."

I take another drink. I'm almost ready for my second cup. "I'll be happy to take the little fellow. I hope he can keep up with me this time." I didn't tell her last time he about did me in and I thought I was in shape.

"He looks like he'll be ready. Remember four legs always beat two." I scratch him behind the ears and he starts licking my legs again. He better not lift his leg. A little while later Rusty and I are going strong on the beach, at least he is but don't tell Vickie. We've been going for almost thirty minutes. I'm still thinking about seeing the kid on the ATV last night. Maybe I should get one for the beach. I'll have to see what Vickie thinks. The best I can figure is that the kid didn't want the other kid to know where he lives or at least make him think he lived on that street. It still bothers me though, stuff like that does. I look at my watch and finally stop running. I have to pull on Rusty's leash to get him to. I don't know what this dog is thinking; maybe he thinks he can run a marathon. I lead him back to the condo. Of course Thomas is seated in his usual spot. His eyes focused only on the door. This guy is unbelievable. Rusty and I walk over to him.

"How are you today Thomas?"

He looks away from the door and into my eyes for a second. "I'm good, keeping an eye on things. How's your head?"

I touch the small bandage. I don't feel any pain anymore, but I have to wear the bandage for a few more days to keep it clean. Vickie has a new one ready every morning. "Much better, I think I can finally get rid of the bandage in a day or two. Is everything quiet out there?" I look towards the door.

"As long as I'm here. How's Rusty?"

"He just took me on a thirty minute run. He's training for a marathon."

"Nice. You two keep up the good work." He starts typing quickly on one of his keyboards. "Have to update the log every ten minutes."

"You really are dedicated to this aren't you?"

I watch as his eyes focus back on the door. "It's my job Mr. Martin to keep the residents safe. You never know what can happen down here. Take your head for example." I nod.

"You're doing a great job and I hope you're being paid well for it too."

"Not doing it for the money Mr. Howell."

I want to say you have no time to spend it because you're always here, but instead I give him a thumbs up and head towards the elevator. I push the up button and watch Thomas's amazing vigilance as I wait for the next car. A minute later I'm back in the condo and making another vanilla latte. Vickie shakes her head. Chris is seated at one of the bar stools eating what looks like a bowl of Cap'n Crunch. I'm immediately reminded of Kyle again, that's his favorite too. I pick up the box and shake it. "A breakfast for champions."

Vickie laughs and says, "just drink your coffee." Chris just looks at me. "Chris...I told Martin we are taking him on a few little excursions today to get him acclimated to Ft. Lauderdale. Remember?" He nods his head and smiles in between bites. "Go take a shower...you stink." I chug the rest of the coffee and head to the shower. The condo has two bathrooms. I use the one in Vickie's room. It is beautifully tiled, unlike mine back home that looks like it is on its last leg. Maybe it's time I did some updates when I get back. I stand under the faucet and try and think about what surprise they have for me, but I can't get my list of suspects out of my head. I go through each one again from my classes. I can't put one in front of the other. I have to be missing something. I end up staying in the shower so long I think I hear Vickie banging on the door telling me to get out so there's still some hot water left. I quickly snap out of it and turn the water off and dry off and get dressed. A little while later, and yes, another cup from the Keurig I'm seated next to Vickie in the front seat of her Saturn. Chris is in the back. Vickie has a funny smile on her face and keeps looking back at Chris suspiciously. We drive for the next hour or so heading inland as they say or west. A little while later we pull into a marshy parking lot with a huge sign that says 'Gator Park'. I immediately begin my breathing techniques. I'm scared to death of reptiles, especially large ones with huge mouths and teeth. Vickie finds a spot and I take a few more breaths before I exit. Chris and Vickie are laughing. I pretend to laugh too.

"So what do you think? You can't come to Florida and not experience any alligators." She places her arm around my shoulder. I hope she can't feel me trembling.

"Gator Park huh? I've heard of this place. Isn't there a TV show about it or something?"

"There are a lot of shows about alligator rescuers down here." Chris quickly answers. I can't believe how calm they look. Even the sign with the alligator picture scares me. A minute later Vickie runs off and returns with three tickets.

"We start with the airboat ride first...it's over here." I watch as her and Chris take off heading towards a crowd of people and some weird looking boats. I reluctantly follow them. A minute later I'm being seated next to Vickie and Chris with about twenty others in a large open boat with a man sitting about five feet above us in a chair, behind him looks like a giant fan, the airboat. I'm glad I at least opted for the middle seat. Have I told you my other fear is boats? I try to act calm, placer training again. Never let them see you sweat...though I'm glad it's like a hundred degrees today. A second later I hear a loud motor near the fan come to life and we take off like a shot. I want to close my eyes, but Chris and Vickie are looking right at me, so I give my best fake smile. I grab onto the seat as tightly as I can when the Wildman driving decides we need to do a few donuts. Should I add we're going about fifty miles an hour. This is not good. I would give anything for a Corona. I finally take a breath again as he straightens us out and we head into the marsh. I can already feel the alligators swimming below us. The boat pick up speed again as we weave in and out of water and marsh. I hope this guy knows what he is doing. This is one sea of water I would not want to have to swim in. It feels like we're going close to a hundred now. Chris and Vickie are still smiling.

"Isn't this fun?" I nod my head in agreement to Vickie. She grabs my hand. I want to squeeze tightly but I force myself to pretend I'm relaxed. Finally we slow down and the Wildman begins describing the scenery and the various birds around us. I think some of them are even pink, but I'm too scared to turn my head all the way to look at them. A minute later he yells and we come to almost a complete stop. He's yelling for us to look to our left. Out of the corner of my eye I see a huge alligator about two feet away from the boat. Vickie is frantically tapping my shoulder to look. Wildman says this is a mother alligator and her babies are all around her. I think I see a few little heads looking at us, but I don't look too closely. Then he says sometimes she is known to hop onto the boat if she feels threatened. I want to start yelling for us to go, but he keeps talking and I think mother alligator is getting closer. I can already feel my arm getting bitten off. "Aren't they cute Martin?"

"Very cute." I look over at Chris on my right side. He looks like he's ready to jump in and swim with the alligators. What's with these people down here?" We finally start to move again and he slows down every time we see another alligator...maybe I like the fast speeds better. We go on like this for about a half an hour till we're finally back where we started. I quickly jump off the boat and onto the dock. It never felt so good before.

"Mom...can we go see a show? I heard they let you hold a baby alligator."

"Of course we can. I don't think Martin has ever held an alligator before."

"And Martin never wants to hold one." I mutter.

"What did you say Martin?"

"I said I can't wait to go to a show." She tugs on my arm and pulls me up next to Chris. I make sure and keep my eyes ahead on the ground in case I see anything with big teeth down there. A few minutes later we're seated near a small pond that is roped off. I wish it were fenced off with a large concrete wall. A man is in there talking about alligators. A second later a large one jumps out right at the man but he masterfully gets out of the way just in time. He throws him a large piece of some kind of meat. I think back to the hospital meat loaf for some reason. He does this several more times till another man comes out with some large snakes that almost make my heart stop a few times. The only thing that scares me more than alligators is snakes. I'm glad when he finally puts those things away. Now it's time to hold the alligator. I watch as Chris enters another small pond and there's a man holding a small alligator. It can't be more than a foot and a half long. I watch as Chris sits next to him and the man places the alligator on Chris's lap. Vickie immediately begins taking pictures. Finally he comes out and the guy motions for me to go. I hesitate for a minute but then I look at Vickie and Chris and smile as I approach the man and his little monster. The things I do for a placer. I closely look at the little guy and can see his teeth. They may be small but they look sharp. I cringe as he hands me the thing and places it on my lap. It feels slimy and scaly at the same time. I make sure and keep my hands far away from his mouth. I try and smile as Vickie takes my picture. Wait till I show this to Kyle. Finally, the man takes it back and I quickly walk back out. I'm exhausted.

"Now wasn't that fun Martin?" I just smile. I don't think I'm able to speak quite yet. "We've got one more surprise for you today. We just have to drive back to Ft. Lauderdale. You're going to love this. It's not as exciting but kind of a tradition down here for tourists."

"Any more alligators?"

"Not really." I'm not sure if l like that answer so I just nod. We drive for a while till I recognize we are back in Ft. Lauderdale. We pull up to a large dock located on the Intercostal Waterway. "See that boat over there." She points at a large paddle boat type that you would normally see on a river." I nod. "It's called the Jungle Queen and we're going on that. You'll love it," great another boat. This is turning into some day. We wait in another line and finally begin to board. It's has two stories. Chris immediately calls out that were sitting up top so I reluctantly follow him and Vickie up the tiny staircase to a long bench seat. Chris takes the window seat and once again I'm in the middle but at least we're high enough up that I shouldn't have to worry about alligators. A few minutes later we pull away from the dock and head down the busy waterway. It's filled with all kinds of boats coming and going...water taxis, fishing boats and other tourist traps like us. We're traveling at a leisurely pace so I'm not nervous or anything, I just wish I were on land. I pray my stomach won't decide to get seasick now. I did notice a restroom close by so I feel a little better. I look all around us, every seat is almost filled. This is a popular attraction. Everyone's head is turned toward the water so I look out over Chris's shoulder and I can't believe my eyes. The shore is lined with huge sprawling mansions each one landscaped better than the next and in front of almost every one of them is a yacht that would make my friend from the _Easy Money_ back on Pier 66 jealous. I smile thinking of the little guy and his little wife. I wonder what they told the police about me. He's probably off in the Bahamas trying to show someone else his great boat. My eyes are latched onto the mansions as the guide is speaking to us in the microphone telling us who the owners are. Vickie squeezes my hand and rests her chin on my shoulder...all is good except for being on this damn boat. Finally a little while later after feeling like I'm the poorest guy in the world we tie up to some kind of small island and they shuffle us off into and huge room full of long tables. A second later waiters are bringing us out plates of chicken, shrimp and ribs like I've never seen, and I thought an Uncle Mike's was big. I keep eating till I can eat no more. Both Vickie and Chris are both laughing at me. I'm laughing too till I realize I have to get back on that boat to go home. Hopefully, we can get a seat close to the restroom again. After we eat we go see a comedy show and another animal show, luckily I don't have to touch any alligators this time. I think Chris looks disappointed. Now is the true test we're getting back on the boat and it's completely dark outside. At least no one will be able to tell how green I look. I'm actually surprised on the way back how calm and peaceful it is. Chris is curled up listening to his iPhone and Vickie and I are holding hands enjoying the dark scenery. Yes, I'm actually enjoying being on a boat, it sure beats that hundred mile an hour airboat. I think it's about an hour later we're back at the dock we started from and Vickie is driving us home.

"So what did you think Martin?"

"It was an interesting day."

She quickly turns her head towards me. I want to say watch the road but she says, "Interesting? What exactly does that mean?"

I'm glad to see she's looking straight ahead again. "It was fun and interesting."

"What did you like best? Oh never mind. It was definitely the food right?"

"Those shrimp and ribs we're unbelievable."

She turns her head again, "easy mister...if you want another Uncle Mike burger one day."

"Nothing will ever beat one of those, but that was good. I couldn't believe how much food they had."

"What about holding the alligator? And the airboat?"

"That was the interesting part."

She laughs. "We'll now you can say you have been officially indoctrinated to Ft. Lauderdale."

"What's so funny?"

"The expression on your face holding that alligator was precious."

"It's a reptile with huge teeth. It's not supposed to be held."

She laughs again. "Martin it was about as big as your hand."

"All right...all right. Thanks for the fun day." She leans over and gives me a kiss till I nudge her face back towards the road. We both laugh when we hear Chris groan from the back seat. What a day.

Chapter 42

I'm back in front of my first period class today wearing a small bandage that all the kids are staring at. I think they actually missed me, though it may be because my sub was so bad. I just heard a girl say he just read straight from the text book. I'm actually glad to be back and on the case. I feel like I may have missed too much time while I was in the hospital but at least nothing happened while I was gone. I'm still recovering from our little adventure over the weekend though. I keep checking my fingers to make sure they are still there. Vickie emailed me the picture of me and the alligator. I guess he was kind of small, but he's still an alligator with teeth. I watch Jeff and Wi in the back whispering to each other. I still can't make out anything they're saying...some things never change. All the other kids have their normal blank expressions on their face. I guess they're waiting for my great words of wisdom.

"Mr. Phillips did you almost die?"

"What happened to you?"

"Why are you wearing that thing on your head?" Gotta love these kids.

"I had a little accident last week and got this little bandage, but I'm fine now. Are you guys ready to talk about World War II? They all give me more blank stares.

"Are you going to be able to go out on Ray Day next week?"

I shudder, another boat. "Yes, I'll be there. I'm looking forward to it." I guess it can't be worse than the airboat. We finally talk about World War II and how it ended, you got it the treaty. I repeat the same process for the next four periods, same questions about the bandage and same blank stares about the material. Finally, the lunch bell. I quickly make my way down to the teacher's lounge. The same usual group is seated in there, Lucille at the head of the table as usual. She gives me an odd look, so I wink back and she quickly turns away. I'm glad she missed me. I walk over to the microwave and heat up one of those healthy burritos sold in the frozen food section. I think it's vegetarian with tofu or something. It was in Vickie's freezer.

"Hey Sam how are you feeling? I hear you took quite a fall."

I sit down next to Mr. Stane and open the wrapper on my burrito, it is hot. "Much better, just had a little accident." I see all the ladies at the other end of the table listening, even Lucille. "So how were things around here?" The ladies start to get up.

"Same old stuff...you know. You're sub was an interesting fellow though. He would come in here and wouldn't stop talking, didn't care if anyone was listening at all. He would just talk away."

"Yeah, I heard from a few of the kids that he would just read out of the book the whole class."

"I think they missed you...you must be doing something right." I look to where Lucille was sitting and wished she was still here so she could hear this.

"I did miss the kids."

He taps my shoulder. "That's what it's all about...the kids. That's why we all do this." He lowers his voice, "Even that old windbag Lucille." I nod. "I gotta tell you. She was telling everyone you wouldn't come back, but I knew different. I can see it in your eyes. You have a determination. That's what you need to make it as a teacher, especially with these middle-school kids." He slowly stands up and throws his sandwich wrapper in the large trash can behind me.

"Thanks." He nods and heads out the door. I stay and eat my burrito and apple. I guess I'll have to do some more food shopping...I have a feeling this isn't going to fill me up. I hang around the lounge for a little while after I finish eating. The peace and quiet is nice. I notice there are a few new posters on the wall. I try and memorize the new quotes. You never know when you might need them. I start to head back to my classroom when I see a tall slender kid in front of me it's the same kid from last night who was pretending to live somewhere else. I still feel sorry for him. I picture him probably living in some run-down community that he's too embarrassed to let anyone know. I watch as he disappears around the corner. I continue walking to my room and start getting my lesson plans ready. Treaty time again...yay. Then I hear a loud screeching siren. I quickly go for my Berretta till I realize it's a fire alarm. Kids and teachers are frantically passing by my door heading for the exits. I'm not sure how long I remain in place till I feel myself being pulled along with the crowd. A minute later I end up on the side of the school on a large field. All the kids are lined up behind their teachers holding up signs. I'm watching the admins run from one group to the next trying to get a count of who is here and who is not. I'm glad I don't have any kids this period. I see Chris slightly to my left. He's first in line standing directly behind a small petite woman. He stands solemnly staring straight ahead. A minute later I'm shocked when I hear sirens in the distant and Mr. Jackson yelling out that this is not a drill. I turn back towards the building and look for any signs of smoke or fire and don't see anything. That's when I realize this would be a perfect scenario for a shooting, all the kids funneling out the same few doors. I grip the Berretta in my pocket just in case. I start scanning each and every student looking for anyone holding a weapon or anything suspicious. I don't see anything. The sirens are getting louder and louder. I start walking up and down each aisle of kids looking for anything. Most of the kids are like Chris just staring straight ahead. There's a shallow wood line separating the school from a neighborhood behind us that I start walking towards. I quickly glance behind me, some of the teachers and students are curiously eying my movements. I keep going. As I get closer, I notice some movement in the woods to my right. I quicken my pace. A second later I'm running all out. Someone or something is over there. I sure hope it's not an alligator. I get to the spot where I last saw the movement. I can see that the small trees were indented where someone had been standing. I start to search the area and on the ground are a set of binoculars. Someone was here and had to leave quickly. I hear footsteps moving quickly below me. Someone is running. The sirens are making it difficult to tell which way they are going. I look back towards the school. I think half the kids are looking at me and the other half at the fire trucks pulling into the parking lot. I start to run towards the footsteps. I have no idea where I'm going, and I'm not sure if I mentioned it before but I hate the woods. George makes us live off the wilderness for one week every year. He drops us off in the middle of nowhere with nothing and then he comes back and gets us a week later. You learn how to survive. I think they call it sink or swim. Luckily, I've learned how to swim and live off the wilderness, but I am thrilled when I see him there to pick me up at the end of the week. He always treats us to a huge spaghetti dinner after. I continue running in the same direction I think I last heard the footsteps. I still don't see anyone so I keep running. I can see the end of the woods about fifty yards in front of me. It opens into a neighborhood full of colonial homes. I break out of the woods and am running through someone's backyard, I hope they don't have a dog. As I come around the front, I see someone up ahead. He's wearing what looks like a red shirt and dark shorts. I can't tell if it's a kid or not, but he's moving quickly. He just ducked behind another colonial across the street. I sprint towards the road and follow him behind the house. I'm still not sure who I'm chasing or why, but something definitely seemed suspicious about it and George always teaches us to go with our hunches. I get behind the house, luckily no dog again and I don't see or hear anyone. I'm sweating so much under this mask. I don't think they were designed for running in the Florida heat. I stop in the backyard. It's a large well-manicured yard with a wooden high-end swing set and slide. I quickly scan everything in the yard and along the house. There's no sign of anyone. I'm still clutching the Berretta tightly in my pocket. I stay back here for at least five minutes and still don't see him. I have lost him. I decide to knock on the door and a thirty-something year old attractive woman curiously answers. I ask her if she saw anyone, she tells me no, but I see a look of concern growing on her face so I tell her I'm with Ocean Middle School and we are looking for a kid who slipped away. I thank her and walk around the neighborhood a few more minutes, still no one. I slowly make my way back towards the woods and Ocean. By the time I step out of the woods and back onto the field I see the last of the kids heading inside. I slowly make my way back inside. I'm waiting for the sweat to leave my forehead so no one notices anything with my mask. I wish I could take this damn thing off. I can't wait to get to the beach later. I can already feel the sand below me, I wonder if I'm becoming a Floridian. I step back into my classroom and listen to Little Caesar, the principal, thank the kids for their cooperation. She said that an alarm was pulled and there will be an investigation. The kids are supposed to go back to the class they were in before the alarm was pulled for thirty more minutes. I sit down at my desk and log back into my computer. I'm wondering how someone logged into Mr. Stane's computer when Mr. Jackson and Detective Reynolds enter my room.

"Hello Mr. Phillips."

"Hello Mr. Jackson." Reynolds gives us both a weird look.

"So what were you doing out there?" They both sit down on two desks in front of me. One of them is where Tim, my classroom manager sits.

I look out the window. "I thought I saw someone acting strange in the woods out there."

"What do you mean strange?" Reynolds leans towards me.

"I'm not really sure...I just saw what looked like a kid standing out there while everyone else was lined up on the field. It seemed out of place so I went to look."

"So did you find anyone?"

"No...but I found this." I hand him the binoculars.

"Binoculars?" Jackson looks at Reynolds.

"What do you think they were doing?"

"I'm not sure...that's why I wanted to check it out."

Reynolds looks at the binoculars. "They said you took off running."

"Yeah...I thought I saw someone running away. I was curious."

"You heard the alarm was pulled right?" I nod. "Any ideas on who pulled it or why?" I shake my head. "How's your head? I heard you were in the hospital?"

"It's fine now." I touch the small bandage

"What happened?"

"I fell." They both stand up.

"Thanks for checking on that Mr. Phillips." Mr. Jackson shakes my hand. "We're glad you're back. I want to stop by later to talk to you about the history club, if you're still interested." I nod.

"Bye Mr. Phillips."

"Bye Mr. Jackson." Reynolds looks at me oddly again then heads out of my room followed by Mr. Jackson.

Chapter 43

After the final bell rings, and by the way, I love that sound, maybe I should change my ring tone, I make my way up to Mr. Stane's room. I'm still curious about how his computer was used in one of the emails. I look inside his classroom and see him seated in front of his computer. I quietly knock on the door and he waves me in.

"Hey Sam what's going on?"

"Not much. I just wanted to stop by to ask you a few things about our laptops." I tap my bag on my shoulder.

"Shoot."

I almost pull out my Berretta, but instead I ask. "Do you remember when I asked you about kids using these?" He nods. "Do you know if there's any way they can access them?"

He shakes his head. "No...like I told you we have to keep them locked when we're not using them. Now each kid has their own username and password that I guess would work on any computer, but I'm not sure." He laughs. "I'm not really too computer savvy. I pretty much only use this thing for email and Word. I've got about twenty emails right now from parents that I have to answer. Why you asking you think one of our little menacing kids got on yours?"

"No...I was just curious because I would think it wouldn't be that hard to crack a password."

"Probably not, but that's all we got. We don't use any of those fancy thumbprint scanners down here."

"So you just leave yours on your desk when you're not here?"

He looks down at his laptop. "Yep...I don't worry about it. If someone cracks my password I guess I'll hear about it you know..." He laughs again. "Let me guess old Lucille has been getting on you again about this right?"

"Not really...I was just curious."

"Remember what I told you about her, she's a few years beyond retirement if you know what I mean. Just ignore her. You're doing a good job here."

"Thanks. I guess I'm going to head out to the beach to work on tomorrow's lessons."

"Good idea. I wish I could join you, but email doesn't work out there. See you tomorrow. Glad you're back." I thank him and head outside to the Taurus. A few minutes later I'm back in the empty condo changing into my surfer trunks. I'm really getting used to this life. I make it on down to the beach in about ten minutes. I'm in my usual spot with my social studies book, great reading material. The sun is really bright today, but for some reason the beach is much emptier than usual. I try and read a few pages of the chapter on "Rebuilding after World War II" I get so excited my eyes start closing so I decide to get up and take a walk. I walk down to the water and stick my feet in. The water is so warm compared to Virginia Beach. It feels like I could almost jump right in and I never jump right in only Kyle does. It usually takes me an half an hour to even get up to my waist. Kyle just laughs at me while he's riding the waves. I really miss that kid. I can't wait till this assignment is over. I guess it could be worse; I could be back in jail instead of living in a beautiful condo with a beautiful woman. I'm still not really sure how it all happened, but it is kind of fun except for the part about not catching the students threatening to shoot the school up yet. I really felt like I was close today in the field. I just had a hunch that someone was up to something. I quickly step out of the water and run back to my Redskins towel and social studies book. No surprise they are still there, probably the least two things to be stolen on the beach. I walk back to the condo parking lot and hop in my Taurus. I place the mask on my head. It's still sweaty from running in the heat earlier. I arrive back at Ocean and go to my classroom. There are still several teachers burning the midnight oil. I wonder if Lucille is still here. I avoid her room on my way. A minute later I enter my room and carefully grab the binoculars on my desk using my shirt. I don't know why I didn't think about it before. As soon as I get back to my car, I call Frank Gibson. He's the CSI guy for placers. He does any forensics or anything like that we need. I think he used to work for the FBI or something, but now he has a small private office in DC. I've used him on many occasions and he always comes through quick. I have no idea how much George pays him for his services, but whatever it is it is well worth it. I have his number programmed on my phone; you never know when you need a good forensic guy. He answers on the first ring.

"Gibson Investigations, this is Frank."

"Hey Frank...Martin here. How are you?"

"You mean the one and only Martin Howell who still owes me dinner."

I shake my head...that Frank and his memory. He brings this up every time I call him. It was many years ago when he was helping me out on an assignment that I joked to him if he could trace some DNA I would buy him dinner. "I haven't forgotten, just been busy."

"Busy...for ten years and twenty-one days." I forgot to mention he has a photographic memory like you've never seen."

"I've had a lot of assignments Frank."

"Let's see this is the forty-third time you've called me since then." See what I mean. "I guess I'll let it slide this time, but next time you're back here we need to go eat and I'm talking Ruth Chris's since it's been so long. You owe me."

"You got it Frank." I say the same thing every time.

"So what can I do for you now my little friend? I see you're calling from Florida."

"I've got some prints I need you to try and find for me. I doubt there in the system, but just in case."

"This will cost you an extra-large steak...you up for that?"

I hear him laughing. "Of course Frank, next time I get back I'll give you a call."

"You better. You know what to do, so send them to my email." I glance at the binoculars.

"Can you keep a record of them in case I need to match them later?"

He laughs in the phone again. "Of course, but that will cost you another few ounces of steak, maybe I'll invite some friends too."

"Don't push it Frank." I love this guy, maybe I'll really take him out one day.

"I'll get back to you real soon and don't forget I'm still thinking about one of those corn-fed mid-western beef filets. You know they have a hundred and thirty five locations. Fourteen of them are actually in Florida, There's one in Ft. Lauderdale, Boca Raton, Coral Gables, Destin..."

"Thanks Frank. I'll get them right to you." Sometimes his memory and knowledge can get a little too much, but he is good...very good. I could only imagine what a dinner out would be like with him. I decide to swing by the apartment on the way back to the condo first. I need to grab a few things. As soon as I step onto the stairs, I see my door is open again...gotta love these cops down here. I slowly tiptoe into my door. I wonder what Detective Simmons is looking through this time. Maybe I should sneak up on him and scare him. I quietly laugh to myself till I see my apartment. It is trashed, much worse than last time. The couch is upside down and ripped apart, the TV is smashed on the floor. All the pictures on the walls have been ripped down. I walk into the kitchen and see pieces of dishes and glass all over the floor. I'm not laughing anymore when I picture George's face in my mind. I walk over to the bedroom and the mattress is upside down, how do these cops expect me to sleep? I take out my wallet and pull out Simmons card. Before I dial I take two deep breaths. He answers right away, probably been waiting for the call all day.

"This is Simmons."

"Thanks Detective for destroying my apartment. I think you have some explaining to do." I hate controlling my anger.

"I thought we already went over this."

"I thought we did too, but it looks like you decided to do it again."

I don't hear anything for a minute then he says, "Hold on a second." I wonder if this is some kind of technique to let me cool off or he can't talk because he's laughing hysterically. "I've only been out there that one time and I had a warrant."

"Well...someone has been out here and tore my place up."

"It wasn't us. I'll tell you what. I've got to head over that way anyway so I'll stop by in a few minutes. I have to talk to you about something." I hang up the phone and walk back outside and sit on the steps, at least they didn't break those. About ten minutes later Simmons drives up in some new unmarked dark blue Chevy. I watch him park right in front. He quickly steps out. He's wearing light-colored chinos and a bright yellow button down, I wonder if I should tell him Miami Vice was so eighties.

"Hello Mr. Howell."

"Detective Simmons." He follows me up the stairs. I watch the surprise look on his face as he steps into my apartment. He doesn't say anything. I stay by the dining room table and look at my fallen K-cup tower as he goes into the kitchen and then the bedroom. A minute later he comes back to me.

"It looks like someone doesn't like very much Howell."

"Maybe they were just trying to re-decorate." He doesn't laugh. "Is there anything you can do?"

He nods his head and looks at my K-cups. "I'll get a team out here to check for prints and knock on some doors; maybe someone saw or heard something." I immediately think of the gum lady. Maybe I should check the bottoms of my shoes. "You're still shacking with your girl."

"Shacking?"

"Yeah...you know living at her place." I nod. "I would suggest you still stay away from here. You can hire a clean-up crew to get this place fixed up after we're done. I'll let you know." He looks all around the living room. "Now the other thing we need to talk about is victim number two is ready for a lineup. He wants to come in Wednesday, so how about I come by and pick you up say around five. I doubt you'll be so lucky this time." He smiles...gotta love this guy.

"Sure...whatever."

"I'll get you Howell. This just proves to me that it was you because why else would someone come and trash your place unless you did something to them."

"You tell me...you're the police down here. Remember I'm from up north."

He squints his eyes and looks at me. "Now don't you get any ideas about going back up there till after that lineup. Do I have to keep an eye on you?" I shake my head no. "See you at five then on Wednesday. Don't touch anything in here." I follow him out of the apartment and pull the door shut. We both look at the damage to the door where it was kicked in. Even my piece of tape is broken.

Chapter 44

He was still shaking. Today was too close. His friend had him stationed in the woods behind the school with a video camera and a pair of binoculars when he had pulled the alarm. He was supposed to record how the kids filed out and what door they came out of. Everything had been going well till Mr. Phillips came running out of nowhere. He hadn't even seen him till he was right on top of him. His friend had luckily developed an escape plan just in case. It worked beautifully too. He ran into the neighborhood and dove behind a small group of Hedges. Mr. Phillips had walked right by him. His friend had assured him he wouldn't be seen and he was right. His friend was so smart. He hoped he would get that way. He tried to calm himself down telling himself he's fine and free and he had the video. He won't tell his friend about the binoculars. He wasn't really sure where he dropped them. Hopefully, no one will find them anyway. In a little while his friend is going to pick him up and they are going to watch the video and go through another rehearsal. This is it. A few more rehearsals and then it's time. He hopes he won't let him down. He wasn't sure what it was going to feel like to actually shoot real people. He remembered how he felt when his friend shot that drug dealing kid. It was so weird. It wasn't like the video games or the targets. He had to do it. This was his calling his friend had told him. He was born to be a warrior and now he was trained. He smiled and looked off into the woods for the familiar sound of his friend coming to pick him up.

Chapter 45

I decide to drive around for a while before I head back towards the condo. I park in one of the visitor spots, I guess one of these days I'll have to ask Thomas about getting an assigned spot now that I'm on the official list. It's so nice to be official. I walk into the lobby and no surprise his two eyes are focused on me. I don't know how he always does it.

"Hello Thomas."

"Hello Mr. Howell." No smile just a pleasant expression. Probably practices it in the mirror. That's what George used to have us do in training. We would all sit in front of a mirror for hours on end practicing various expressions. He even had an acting coach come in one a week. I got so good I could actually cry on demand. The trick was to think of a really sad experience...works every time.

"Are you having a good day?"

He nods his head. "Every day is a good day." I guess I should have expected that answer. I tap him on the shoulder and tell him to keep up the good work. He nods again and trains his eyes back on the front door and the various monitors surrounding him must be a real blast to hang out with. I hit the up button and enjoy the ride up to the top floor. When I enter the condo, I notice no one is home except for Rusty. I kneel down and rub behind his ears, he rewards me with a big wet tongue, lucky me again. I head to the kitchen and grab a Corona for me and one for Rusty, okay just kidding. I get him a milk bone and a bowl of cold water. We both head out onto the deck and enjoy the beginning of the sunset and of course more importantly the Corona. After a couple Coronas and bowls of water I decide to head down to Uncle Mikes. Nothing tastes better after a Corona than an Uncle Mike. I step inside and notice an unusually large crowd tonight and it's only Monday. I don't see Vickie or Chris anywhere. I wander over to the bar area and notice my two over-sized friends aren't there. I guess they finally kicked them out. I hope they don't take away too much of the profits. I order another Corona and an Uncle Mike. I don't recognize the bartender, but he passes me a bottle and a few minutes later the Uncle Mike. It's delicious. I nod at a picture of Uncle Mike above the bar to thank him for his creation. Guy was a genius. A few minutes later I hear one of the worst voices I have ever heard singing a Jimmy Buffet song behind me. I look up and I see a man and a woman up on a little stage holding a microphone, above them is a big sign saying that Monday is karaoke contest night. That explains the large crowd. A minute later I hear nothing but boos so I join in. Something about booing that is so much fun. I can't explain it. I watch a few more contestants try to sing and everyone gets booed before they even finish half the song. This is fun. I order another Corona and finish my burger. I'm feeling really good. I'm just not sure whether it's from the burger or all the Coronas I've had. I'm booing louder and louder now when two young girls dressed in what looks like only Hawaiian shirts try and sing The Gambler by Kenny Rogers. They are awful. I jump when I feel a tap on my shoulder. I'm expecting to see over-sized guy but it's Vickie. She gives me a nice smile and a quick kiss. She sits down on the empty stool next to me.

"You enjoying this?"

I nod. "They do this every Monday?"

"Yep...the winner gets a hundred bucks and a free dinner."

"Are you kidding me?"

"Nope. You know it is kind of a tradition for the employees to sing a song or two. Uncle Mike was quite the singer."

"You sing?"

She gives me a weird look. "What? Are you saying you don't think I can?"

I shake my head and watch a middle aged man with a middle-aged waistline and too many beers in him attempt something by Guns and Roses. He gets booed within seconds...gotta love this tough crowd. "I'm not saying that...it's just..."

She starts to laugh and pull me close. "It's just what Mr. Howell. You think because you're a supermodel only you can have super-talent?"

"I'm not saying anything."

"How about you put your money where your mouth is? Let's have a little contest. C'mon." I fight back as she pulls me towards the stage. She grabs the mic from Guns and Roses guy. He quickly goes back to his drinking, lucky guy. "Ladies and Gentleman." Vickie is talking in the mic. "I have just been challenged to a singing contest by this man right here." She points at me. I feel my face redden and my pulse quicken.

"Singing contest...I never said..." I yell back but my voice quickly gets drained out by the screaming crowd.

"So will you guys help me out and vote on who is better?" I listen to the crowd cheer back. I can't sing. I've never sang in my life, except maybe in the car driving by myself. I need to think quick. I use my placer training and start my breathing techniques. George never taught us to sing. I'm screwed. I'll make a fool of myself. I look up at the stage and then back at all the people, there's no way I can do this. I see Vickie looking at a small booklet full of songs. She looks at me and smiles. Chris is standing next to her laughing. I wish I had another Corona. A minute later she gives me the thumbs up and I hear Vacation by the Go Go's start up, Vickie's voice is filling the air. She sounds just like them, even better. Everyone in the crowd is going nuts and singing along. I can't think of any way out of this. I look all around for a fire alarm. Why can't over-sized guy be here tonight? I listen to her sing perfectly with the music. She's a pro. Not one boo from the crowd. Even Guns and Roses guy is singing away with her. Finally the song ends and the place explodes in one huge cheer. She looks at me and signals me on stage with her little finger. I don't move. I think my feet are glued to the floor. I look around to see if gum lady is nearby. I feel myself being pushed from behind and somehow I end up on the stage next to Vickie. She hugs me and gives me a big kiss and hands me the mic. I think she yells good luck, but I can't hear anything because my heart is beating so loudly in my ears. I feel nauseas. Someone hands me the song book. I start leafing through it for something I know, there has to be something. I didn't sign up for this. I think of Kyle and Katy Perry, but I figure I better pick a more manly song. I settle on Sweet Home Alabama, not sure why but I figure it's close to Florida so maybe someone will appreciate it. A minute later I hear the music start up and the lyrics show up on a wall above the bar. Every eye is on me including Vickie and Chris who are both smiling and laughing. I somehow start singing, it doesn't even sound like me with all the reverb, but I keep going till I start the part where I sing Sweet Home Alabama. I think I'm doing great, this is actually fun. I can't believe I'm up here singing and starting to actually enjoy this till I feel a tap on my back, it's the guy who runs the music machine. He tells me I'm supposed to stop once everyone starts booing. I stop singing for a minute and that's when I notice all the boos. I didn't even hear them before. The music keeps going. It's Vickie, she's on stage and singing it now and the crowd is starting to cheer again. I start to walk off the stage to listen till she waves for me to sing with her. I start out quietly and then start singing as loudly as I can. I'm not sure if anyone is booing or cheering because I'm staring into her eyes and only hearing our two voices. I have never had this much fun. I wish the song would never end. Finally the song ends and Vickie gives me a huge hug and deep kiss that gets the crowd chanting again. We wave and jump off the stage and join Chris. We slowly make our way through the crowd and outside into the peaceful darkness. It's so quiet.

"I love you so much Martin. You did it. That was very brave. I could tell you were so nervous. He did great didn't he Chris?" Chris has a big smile on his face. I've never seen him this relaxed. He is nodding his head up and down. Vickie steps between us and places one around me and one around Chris. "That was fun. I haven't done that in so long. What made you pick that song?"

"Just seemed like the right one."

"I'm so proud of you Martin Howell." We skip, hug and kiss the whole way back to the condo. Even Thomas gives me a little smile and that's odd for him. We get back up to the condo and Vickie offers me a Corona and of course I accept. We head out to the deck and spend the next several hours in each other's arms. I wish this night would never end. Finally we go to bed and I wake up the next morning to Vickie whistling Sweet Home Alabama in my ear. I'll never live this down.

Chapter 46

He looked over at his friend. He's holding his thumb up high in the air. Rehearsal is over for the night. He thinks he must have done well. Tonight they used dummies. His friend had sheets with little faces painted on them hanging all over the back like a cheap Halloween party. He felt good, really good. His friend said he would feel a high like he had never experienced before after it was over, but he was feeling it tonight. He sat down next to him in front of the forty inch monitor and smiled seeing himself expertly shoot down ghost after ghost. He must have taken down at least twenty of the thirty or so hanging. It looked like his friend let him do the brunt of the shooting. He was drinking a cup of coffee. He had a small coffee machine plugged in behind the monitor. His friend was bigger than most of the others and so much more mature. He even had some hair growing on top of his lip. He so wished he could look like that instead of being small and meek, but he was a warrior now and as his friend says when you're trained and ready size doesn't mean anything. You can even use it to your advantage. He wasn't really sure what all that meant but it sounded good. In fact, everything sounded good that he said. He had never really had any close friends up until this point. He always felt like an outsider, but now he fit in. He was somebody. He couldn't wait till it was all over so everyone would see how great he had become. He smiled again when he saw himself quickly load a second magazine into the AR-15. It looked just like they did it on the movies. He was so smooth. He was an expert now. He looked over at his friend. He was still sipping his coffee and closely watching the video. He didn't speak much but when he did, it was always important. He didn't know much about him. He had never seen him before this year. It was like he came out of nowhere, but he was here now and right next to him. He was his best friend. They were like brothers. He wondered if this is what soldiers felt like before they went into combat. He closed his eyes and pictured himself running through a field and shooting enemy soldiers. It felt so good. He decided when he is ready he will become a soldier. It should be easy because he is already trained. Maybe he can become one of those Special Forces ones like in the movies. Just think how proud his parents would be. He pictured himself wearing a uniform full of medals. He quickly opened his eyes hearing his friend's voice. The video was over and he was telling him it's time to go. He followed him out and made the ride back...another night closer to becoming a hero. He felt good.

Chapter 47

I'm back at Middle sitting at my desk in front of my computer waiting for the first bell to ring. I still have about ten minutes to go. Today were going to talk about the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. It's funny how I always thought I knew all about them till I started reading through it. I wonder if Kyle really knows what they mean. I hope so because maybe he can explain it to me. I love this Google. Everything I need to know is right at my fingertips. The kids will be so impressed when I start lecturing. Did you know Ben Franklin was in such bad health that he needed help in signing the Constitution? I pull up a few more facts and type them onto my screen. I think I'm ready. Classes are only thirty minutes today, we have an assembly at the end of the day on Ray Day. I can't wait. I read through my student's names again looking for any new suspects. I'm still stuck on the same few; you know them by now, Wi, Hamilton, Lucent, etc. One of them has to be the shooter. It only makes sense because of the emails and the library and Stane's computer. They all had access to them at the right time. I checked the logs to see if anyone was missing from the last assembly when the email was sent from Stane's computer and they were all present. I even checked yesterday at the fire drill and it looked like everyone was there too, so I have no idea who was in the woods. I only saw the back of him for a second. I think he was wearing cargo shorts and a t-shirt, the same thing every boy wears down here. I decide to call Frank about the prints on the binoculars

"This is Frank."

"Hi Frank. Martin."

"I see your still in Florida. Did you happen to go to a Ruth Chris yet? Do you want me to tell you where they are again? Because I can...Ft. Lauderdale, Tampa..."

"Frank...Frank. I'm calling about the prints. Any luck?"

"Why of course. I've lifted ten different prints and identified two of them, one being yours and the other belonging to a Detective Bruce Reynolds of the Miami-Dade PD. Does that help you?"

I type one last note about the Constitution on my computer and look at the clock...Two more minutes. "No...what about the others?"

I hear him clear his throat. "They were all not on record. At least six of them were juveniles."

"How can you tell?"

"By the size and texture Martin."

I nod my head. "Okay. Thank you for trying. Can you keep the juvenile ones on record? I may need them later."

"You got it, now about our dinner. When do you come back to DC?"

"Hopefully soon, I need to wrap this assignment up."

"I was thinking we could do the Ruth Chris in Georgetown because it is probably the closest for both of us. I have calculated the route from my place to be exactly five point six miles and with traffic deviations, because I figure we'll probably go around six." Thirty seconds till the bell. "I can make it in twenty one minutes, give or take twenty seconds. Now do you want to hear how I got that?"

"Maybe next time Frank...I've got to go." First time I ever look forward to the first bell.

I stand up and watch my kids march through the door and into their seats. I feel like I'm watching a zombie movie. I always wondered why everyone always opts for the kids to have later start times. I wonder if Kyle looks like this when he comes in. I see Wi and Tim enter and whisper something to each other. I bet they're talking about the Constitution. I have a copy of it tacked up on the board behind me. A minute later Tim comes up to me and starts checking to see who is here and who isn't. I still don't let him use my computer. He writes down who is absent...gotta love this kid. He has teacher's pet written all over him. Finally the second bell rings and we get down to teaching. I start talking about the Constitution and Bill of Rights and I'm happy to learn the kids know about as much about it as I do. I take a few deep breaths to make sure I stay awake and start going through my presentations. The kids are really on the edge of their seats. We finish up quickly because of the short period times. I go through the same routine three more times till I talk my daily walk into the lunchroom and confront Lucille. For some reason there are no other teachers in there just me and Lucille.

"Where's everyone else today?" She doesn't answer me right away, juts gives me one of those creepy looks that a stranger on the street might give you if you walked up to them and asked them a question.

"Short periods today Mr. Phillips. Didn't you read your morning email? I know you have a computer." She sneers.

"Still have to eat lunch."

"Most teachers eat in their rooms on short period days."

"I guess it's just us today then Lucille." I give her a long wink.

"There is no just us Mr. Phillips." She quickly stands up and throws her microwave tray in the garbage can. "And I wish you would stop that winking. I do not find it flattering." She's wearing an old sweater and dark blue stockings under a long skirt that has no defined color. It looks at least a hundred years old.

"What don't you like about me Lucille?"

She starts to head for the door then quickly stops and turns around. "It's your attitude. You have no business teaching. I've been here for over thirty years. I was around long before we had computers. I could have probably been your teacher and you come in here like you are on the same level as us. You have to earn it Mr. Phillips."

"I'm doing the best I can Lucille."

"Talk to me in thirty years." She takes a long look at me and frowns. I wink again. She quickly exits and slams the door behind her. I really love that Lucille. I heat up my homemade spaghetti and meatballs. Vickie gave it to me this morning. I sit down and enjoy the taste. It's much better than the microwave version. The assembly starts in about fifteen minutes so I figure I'll start walking around in about five minutes just to make sure no one is planning anything today. I squeeze my Berettas. Yes, I have two with me now just in case. I'm not one of those guys you see on the movies who can shoot two guns at a time, but I can switch guns quicker once I'm out of ammo in the first one. I quickly finish the homemade spaghetti. Too bad Lucille didn't stick around so I could show her. There's about ten minutes left so I head out into the hallway. I quickly walk towards the front of the building by the main office. There's no one walking around yet, but in just a few minutes the halls will be flooded with kids and teachers trying to keep them in line. I hope I can keep them alive. I have both guns tucked in my waist in concealed holsters. I walk by the main office and wave to the ladies in there. They both wave back. As I get around the corner I see a couple kids heading towards the gym. It looks like they are carrying pictures of kids on a large boat, must be previous years Ray Day. I wish I could take a sick day. As I head towards the gym I almost run into the tall kid again, he's the one who is pretending to be living somewhere else. I want to tell him not to be embarrassed. Maybe I should tell him I've been living a secret life for the last twenty years and it's not so bad. I wonder where he really lives. I decide one night after this is all over I'll follow him home, really home and see why he's so embarrassed. I look into the gym and see a bunch of teachers setting up a computer and about ten or so kids hanging up pictures and posters. Tim is standing on a small stool trying to hang a large poster. I start to wave then keep walking when I hear Mr. Jackson make the announcement for teachers to start bringing their kids down. The kids immediately start speeding up the process of hanging. I quickly walk back towards the main office and main intersection. I'm watching for kids remaining stationary or lagging behind. This would be a good time to start shooting the place up. I wait as all the kids go by. A few teachers like Mr. Stane wave at me. Lucille just walks by. I give her another wink. A few minutes later, the halls are quiet and I can hear the Principal's voice through speakers talking about how much fun Ray Day will be. I wander towards the gym and end up standing in the back with all the teachers. Behind her a slideshow is running showing various kids and real fishermen pulling in large fish. I start to cringe. Maybe I should start doing a rain dance. I wonder when hurricane season starts. She finishes a little while later and the kids file out to go home. I'm right behind them. I'm headed to the beach to read more up on the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, I'm so excited. Did you know the Constitution has only 4,400 words? Fascinating stuff, I can't wait to get my spot on the beach. I reach the condo in record time and get changed and even guzzle down a Corona before I make it to the beach. I find my usual spot open. I start reading and it must be good because I don't even notice the Frisbee at my feet till I hear a familiar bark. I pet Rusty on the head and give the Frisbee a big toss towards the ocean. It lands about three feet in and Rusty charges in after it. I hear Vickie laughing behind me.

"What..ya reading there mister?"

"A real classic. I mean this one goes way back...all the way to the 1700's." I hold up the tiny book and watch Vickie's face form a perfect smile. Her teeth glitter from the bright sun.

"I've heard that's a best seller. So how much longer is my little teacher going to read about our country's famous framers?"

"The suspense is killing me so I may need to take a break."

"Great...let's take Rusty back home then we'll go out."

"No Karaoke right?"

She smiles and places her arm on my shoulder. "Nope...but they're still talking about you at work. That was priceless." I throw the Frisbee towards the ocean again and Rusty leaps at the last second and makes a great catch. I hear people all around us clap. I start bowing till Vickie softly punches me in the arm and starts singing, "Sweet Home Alabama..." She's singing it loudly and purposely off key. I lunge towards her and she starts to run away. I chase her as quickly as I can and grab hold of her. We both fall onto the sand laughing till Rusty comes over and starts licking us in the face...gotta love this dog and his tongue. I quickly get up and pull her with me. We enjoy the rest of the walk back to the condo on our feet. I'm laughing so hard by the time I get there listening to her sing like me that I don't even notice Thomas. I'm sure he noticed us. "Let's go. I have a little surprise for you before we get something to eat. I follow her back out and through the lobby. We both make sure to wave at Thomas. He waves back and even smiles at Vickie. I just get a friendly look. It's definitely a women's world out here. I follow her back in the direction of Uncle Mikes. I start to slow down as we get close. "No Karaoke tonight silly. Don't be so scared. And besides we're not going there anyway. I don't have to be back there till later for the dance contest. I hope you're ready."

"What?"

She's laughing again and pointing right at me. "I should take your picture, the look on your face is priceless. I'm kidding. Now go in there." She is pointing at the door to the swimwear shop I went in a few weeks ago.

"In there? Why?"

"Just go in." I follow her in and see the same two girls, and no surprise they're reading magazines. I hope not the same ones. They immediately place them down when they see Vickie...what? They start asking how she is. All three of them are talking at the same time. A few minutes later Vickie introduces me to them. I don't think they remember me or care because they go back to talking to Vickie again. I told you it's a women's world. I stand there for what seems like an eternity looking around the store. I never noticed all the pictures of surfers on the walls before. Maybe I should grow my hair out like that. I'll have to ask Vickie. A second later she drags me towards the tiny men's section and picks out a couple of surfer shirts. One's blue and the other one is yellow. "I'm buying these for you. You stick out like a sore thumb with those Ocean shirts you always wear. Remember were in Ft. Lauderdale." I watch her walk up to the cash register and the two girls immediately jump up and help ring her up. I'm so jealous. I follow her out. "You're welcome Martin."

"Thank you. How did you do that with those girls?"

"I told you before how they are. Maybe you should try singing your Sweet Home Alabama to them and see if that works." I laugh and shake my head. "I'm going to take you someplace different tonight. See that pier?" She's pointing at a long pier at least a hundred yards heading out into the ocean. "At the very end is the best fish you will ever taste."

"I'm not really a big fish guy."

"I promise you, you will like it. They cook it right on the boat it is caught on. Best fish in Florida. I used to walk down here for lunch a few times a week, but with the new managers I have trouble getting away." She interlaces her hand in mind and we walk towards the pier. I hope it doesn't taste too fishy.

"So how's Chris doing?"

"He called after school. He has baseball practice today. Down here they play almost all year round."

"Kyle would love that. He hates when the season is over. It gets cold up there."

"Yeah...they always broadcast the weather up north down here in the winter. Makes us feel really good, especially when you get all that snow."

"You Florida people are really something." We're about halfway down the pier now. At the end I can see about ten or so white plastic tables and chairs set up and a long line of people standing near a large fishing boat. "This is it?"

"I told you...you eat it right off the boat. See they're cooking it right there." She points at two men wearing shorts and fishing hats standing over a smoking grill."

"You think they'll have cheeseburgers?"

She laughs and shakes her head. "I promise you after one bite you won't be thinking about a cheeseburger."

"Not even an Uncle Mike?"

She leans close to me and whispers in my ear. "No...not even an Uncle Mike but don't tell anyone." We stand in line and I watch the two guys dish out the fish on paper plates. Behind them is a cooler full of beer and I think I see some Coronas. I smile. "It looks like sword fish today....yum."

"Great I'm going to get stabbed too." A minute later one of the men hands us two plates full of swordfish and of course two Coronas. We get a seat at the last empty plastic table and I immediately start drinking the Corona. Vickie starts right in on the fish. I just look at mine till she tells me I need to try it. I shake my head then reluctantly take a bite. At first the texture makes me feel funny, but then I start to chew and it's the most delicate savory thing I have ever eaten. I immediately place the Corona down and eat the rest of my sword fish without even taking a drink. I didn't even get stabbed. After I finish, I look up and see Vickie smiling at me. I want to ask for more, but the line is about twenty-five deep now so I finish the Corona and look at her empty plate. "I guess someone liked the sword fish."

I nod my head. "That was good."

"Better than an Uncle Mike?"

"What's an Uncle Mike?"

"You...I ought to..." I immediately jump away from her and start running down the pier I look behind me and see Vickie following me and catching up fast. Who knew she was a sprinter too.

Chapter 48

I just dropped Vickie off at Uncle Mikes and I'm heading towards the library again. I received another email from our friendly shooters that said, "This is your last warning till destruction and mayhem will take place." Short and sweet. It was sent to the superintendent again. I feel like I should go talk to the superintendent and find out why they aren't doing more about this threat. I feel like I'm the only one trying to stop it. I park in front of the library. I actually got a good spot. An old lady, I think the one who always looks at wedding dresses on the computer was pulling out. I think her car might be older than her. I smile at the driver behind me who wanted the same spot. I slowly make my way into the library. I'm not wearing my mask and I'm happy to see it's a different security guard tonight. As soon as I step inside I feel like I'm back at Ocean. There must be at least thirty kids in here. It looks like Stane's kids again. Half of them are on the computers and the other half are hanging around the literature section. I immediately recognize a bunch of the kids. I see Wii, Jeff, Hamilton and Lucent near the computers. Over by the books, the tall kid who is embarrassed to live in his house is talking to my brown-nosed friend Tim. I wonder if he's the same way in Stane's class. I bet he lets him use his computer. I walk towards the periodicals, none of the kids look at me. I take a seat near the newspapers and pick up one of the small local ones. I'm pretending to read an article about caring for palm trees when I see two kids I'm not familiar with quickly close out Gmail on the computers closest to me. I look at my iPhone and see the email was sent forty-five minutes ago. My computer friend sent me an email right after it was sent informing me it came from the library. I'm guessing the senders are probably still here. I watch as the two kids get up and head over to the literature section while two others immediately take over their computers. They both go right on to You Tube. I can't see what videos they're watching but it looks like Katy Perry from here...teenage boys. I stay in my seat still pretending to read about palm trees just watching all the kids. They are all boys I should add which is kind of odd too. I know that at least one of them has to be the guy planning on doing the shooting. There is no doubt in my mind. I closely examine each one of them. I'm not really sure what I'm looking for but I'm hoping someone or something will stick out. I almost jump up and hit the ceiling when I feel a tap on my shoulder. I look back and it's Angry Birds guy. He looks even skinnier than before. He's wearing a faded shirt that says Nintendo on it and a pair of denim shorts that are probably made for a ten year old boy.

"Where you been?"

"I've been busy."

"Playing Angry Birds?"

He's holding the same app magazine. "No...just been busy working."

"There's an oopday coming out tonight for it."

"Update?"

He gives me a strange look. "That's what I said." I nod.

"Say have all these boys been in here long?" He nods and mumbles something. I immediately pull out my wallet and hand him a ten. He takes it and smiles. "Have you seen these kids here for a while?"

"Yes. They been here all night. They go to Ocean Middle School. You know I used to go there."

I nod. "Yes...I remember you told me that before." He hands me the magazine.

"You need to read about the new Pencil Run." He points at a picture.

"You mean Temple Run..." I try and stop myself but it's too late.

"That's what I said." I watch him place the money in his pocket and quickly head out the door. I wonder if I should follow him. I'd be very curious to see where he goes with that money. After he disappears I continue holding the magazine and keep watching the kids. Most of them are going back and forth between to the computers and the literary section. I place the magazine down and walk over to the literary section. There are about ten kids standing there looking through books. The tall misplaced kid and Tim are looking at the same book. Wii and Jeff are both kneeling down going through the bottom shelf. I walk down the aisle and stop a few feet from them and pretend to look through some of the classics. They can't be any more boring than the stuff I'm reading now. I'm trying to listen to what the kids are saying but they seem to be just talking about the books. Too bad Stane's not here he would be thrilled. I stay for another minute till two kids I've never seen before start looking at me, I quickly walk back towards the magazines. I walk by the computers on the way and notice one kid with long dark hair in a ponytail on Gmail. He's been sitting at the same computer the whole time and no one seems to be talking to him. I slow down as I walk by his screen and try and read his email. It looks like he is typing a new one. There's nothing in the subject line just like the ones that went to the superintendent. I reach down and pretend to tie my shoe, even though I'm wearing loafers with no laces. I hope no one notices. He's typing something about meeting up tomorrow night in a parking lot. I feel my pulse begin to speed up. This could be the guy. I look up and see clipboard librarian giving me the eye. She's the same one as before so I quickly make my way over to the periodicals and pick up the app magazine again. Clipboard librarian is now talking to the security guard and looking at me. I decide to make her job easier and immediately walk out the exit before I get thrown out. I wait outside in my car for the kids to start coming out. It's already 8:00 PM so hopefully they'll be coming out soon. I see the security guard look out the door to make sure I'm gone. I guess next time I better wear the mask. I look at the box sitting next to me on the front seat. While I'm waiting I try and think how I can beat the lineup tomorrow after school. I doubt I'll get lucky again. I can't afford to go to jail now. We're too close. I could just not show up but then Simmons will probably come looking for me and may even issue a warrant. I wonder if I should just wear the mask and change my clothes all day tomorrow. I continue thinking till I see a group of kids stumble out. They are all carrying at least one book. I don't know any of these kids but I watch a large light blue van pull up and they all hop inside. I debate following it till I see ponytail kid come out followed by tall embarrassed kid and Wii. I don't see Jeff. I think it's the first time I've never seen them together. They are all standing in front of a bench leafing through their books. A minute later Tim and Jeff come out and join the group. Tim says something and everyone laughs except for ponytail. He stays by himself keeping his head down. I wait till a new Chrysler Town and Country shows up driven by a middle-aged man. Tim jumps into the front seat. I deduce it must be his dad, see that placer training at work. The others file into the back after the automatic doors open. I follow them as they pull out of the lot. I stay back at least three cars as we drive away. There's not much traffic tonight. I watch as they turn into Wii's neighborhood and he jumps out in front of his house. A few minutes later we stop in front of the tall kid's pretend house. I stay back for a minute and watch him start to walk up the driveway and then disappear into the woods to his real house. I'm tempted to follow him out of curiosity, but instead I follow the minivan till it pulls onto a street called Ponce De Lion Drive with some of the largest homes I have ever seen in my life. These are mansions like right out of the movies. I have to put my tongue back in my mouth it's hanging out so far. These look like the homes I saw with Vickie and Chris when we went on that Jungle Queen ride. I feel like I'm in Hollywood. A minute later the minivan stoops in front of a home with a gated driveway and ponytail steps outside. I watch the minivan drive away. I decide to stay behind. The kid walks up to the gate and punches in a code and the large doors swing open to the most beautifully landscaped home I have ever seen. There are palms everywhere, their long limbs almost reaching endlessly. It looks like paradise. There is a large circular driveway with about ten cars parked on it. It looks like an import lot. I watch the boy slowly walk up the driveway towards the humungous home. His ponytail is swinging behind him. The house reminds me of a Mediterranean castle with a large main facade and two silos on each side coming together in a rustic colored paneled roof. On the far side is at least a ten car garage. I wonder if it's filled with even more cars. I look around at my Taurus and suddenly feel very self-conscious and to think I said I would do this for no money. Ponytail keeps walking towards the massive doors and as soon as he starts walking up the steps the door opens and an older man dressed in a tuxedo opens the door. I watch as they both disappear. I remain outside the gate just staring till I hear a horn honking behind me. There's a Mercedes behind me trying to get by. I continue on down the road trying to keep my eyes on the road instead of at all the houses. The Mercedes turns into one of the houses on the other side. I continue driving till I get to the end of the road. It ends at the canal. I turn around and head back towards ponytail's house. I decide to park near the gate and get a closer look. I slowly get out of the Taurus and walk along the wall. It's a solid wall of about six feet, the first four made of cement and the last two of wrought iron. I bet the fence alone cost more than my house. I slowly climb over it and pull myself down into the grass. I don't dare move as soon as my feet land on the grass in case an alarm goes off or a giant dog comes out of nowhere. I think I would choose the alarm before the dog. After a minute goes by, and nothing happens, I start walking along the fence in the dark shadows. I'm not really sure what I'm looking for or why I'm even doing this. Maybe I just want to feel what it's like to be rich. I keep walking along the fence staying under the ceiling of palm trees. I make it all the way to the back of the house. I can see the light glimmering off the canal in the distance, though it is partially blocked by a super yacht tied up to a dock behind the house. I can almost smell the scent of money. I start creeping towards the actual house away from the fence. I try and stay in the shadows but I feel slightly exposed as I get close. There's a large pool in the back with a waterfall and a Jacuzzi. I think the Jacuzzi is bigger than most community pools. I'm right next to the house now and there's a window directly in front of me. I tiptoe closer to it and peer in. I'm looking into a huge stainless steel kitchen. I think I could fit my whole house just in the kitchen. I jump when I see someone enter the room. It's the tuxedo guy. I lean back against the side of the window, but I think it's too late. I think he sees me because he's coming right towards the window very quickly. "Damn it." I yell out. I'm not sure what to do till I hear a door open up by the pool and someone yells out, "who's out there?" I slowly make my way back towards the front again when all of a sudden the yard is lit up like it's the middle of the day. Floodlights are shining down from the roof making my escape almost impossible. I start to question myself why I came in here in the first place. I make a break for it across the yard towards the fence and as soon as I take a step someone tells me to stop from the front. "I'm screwed." I picture myself in handcuffs as I reach the wall. There are footsteps right behind me. I reach for the wall and start climbing till I feel a pair of strong hands grabbing on to me. I look back behind me and there's a beefy guy wearing a security uniform. I pull away from him and see his hands go for his holster. He has a Taser. I remember our Taser training and yelp. I hated it. I grab onto the wrought iron and start pulling myself over when I feel the Taser grip onto my leg. My body goes limp. I hate that feeling. I drop to the ground right in front of security guard. I can't move. I'm lying on the grass looking at the security guard's smiling face. He is built like a bodybuilder. A minute later, I hear more voices and I see ponytail and tuxedo man standing over me to. I try and sit up and still can't move. They're all talking at once asking me why I'm there. Ponytail is closely looking at me. I hope he doesn't remember me form the library. Tuxedo man is telling the security guard to call the police.

"Hold on...hold on. I'm just here taking pictures. Please take those prongs out of my leg, they're killing me."

"Not yet." Security guard barks back. His fingers are dialing.

"Please...please I'm bleeding."

"Do something Michael."

Security guard looks at tuxedo man. "I am I'm calling 911."

"No, about his leg, it's bleeding. Can you remove them? Please Michael. I don't want any more lawsuits."

Security guard sets the phone down and gently pulls the prongs out of my legs. "Now don't get any ideas."

"I can barely even feel my legs and like I said I'm just here to take pictures."

Tuxedo man looks at me again. "Why do you keep saying you're taking pictures? What are you talking about?"

I slowly reach into my pocket and pull out my iPhone. "Look." I hold up the pictures of the houses from the Jungle Queen cruise."

"What are these?"

"Pictures of your house, I loved it so much I wanted to see it closer. I just meant to take them from the top of that fence." I point behind me. "Then I fell down and I just kept going to get some good pictures."

"You really believe him Mr. Hackett." Security guard is shaking his head looking at his phone.

"I'm telling you the truth. This is the most beautiful house I've ever seen."

"Thanks." Tuxedo man looks at security guard. "Maybe he's telling the truth."

"I doubt it. We'll let the police figure it out...they should be here soon." He starts putting the Taser gun away.

"How much longer till I can feel my legs?"

"It can take up to ten minutes."

"I hope so because I can't feel anything."

"You didn't give him too much did you Michael?" Security guard shakes his head and holsters the Taser. I wait till he pushes it down with his other hand then I quickly raise my right leg and slam it into security guards face. He quickly falls back onto the grass stunned. Tuxedo man and pony tail jump back.

"Sorry guys...I have to go." I leap to my feet and climb over the fence. I grab the wrought iron and throw my legs over the fence. I look back and see security guard holding his hands over his face. I race down the street along the fence and hop in the Taurus. It starts right up and I drive towards the exit. I can hear police sirens in the distance. I speed out of the neighborhood and back onto the main road. I see police lights behind me turn on to Ponce De Leon. They're not following me, another close call. I make it back to the condo parking lot and as soon as I park I see Vickie and Chris walking ahead of me towards the door so I do what any good boyfriend would do I quickly sneak up on them and just as I get about a foot behind them I tap them on their shoulders and yell "boo." I laugh as they both jump twenty feet in the air.

"You little..." Vickie gives me a menacing look. All three of us are still laughing when we enter the lobby. Thomas just gives us a hard look. I wonder if he even knows how to laugh. While were waiting for the elevator, Vickie's eyes sweep over at me. She starts at my feet and ends up at my head. "What happened to you? You look like you just came home from a war."

"Alligators."

"What?"

"They bit me down by the water."

"Oh my God! Look at your legs. We've got to get you to a hospital." She pulls me close. I can see Thomas watching us out of the corner of his eyes. I suddenly start to laugh. "You didn't get bit by and alligator did you?"

I shake my head. "No...I fell down on the beach and landed on some rocks." She kisses me on the forehead.

"You poor baby. Let's go clean you up, though I ought to let you suffer after you scared us half to death and then said you got bit by an alligator." We all laugh again as we step into the elevator. Life is good, but it gets even better once we get into the condo and Vickie hands me a Corona. We hang out on the deck after she cleans me up and eat chocolate chip ice cream and Coronas. Eventually Chris goes to bed and Vickie and I end up sleeping on two lounge chairs under the stars and in each other's arms.

Chapter 49

I wake up bright and early. Luckily no wet dog tongue just wet mist from the early morning ocean. Vickie is still out of it on her lounge chair so I quietly go back inside and wake up the Keurig. After two quick cups I put on my Ocean gear, no surfer shirts and head out for a run. I try and take Rusty out with me but he doesn't even acknowledge me from the couch. I guess he had a late night; maybe I should stop putting Corona in his water bowl. I hit the beach. I love this time of the day because the beaches are empty. I decide to run right along the edge of the water and not wear any shoes. After about five minutes my feet feel like cement again with all the wet sand sticking to the bottom of them. I guess I won't be going for my usual thirty minutes. I decide to run about ten or twelve minutes and then turn around and head back towards the condo. It feels so good with the breeze and the water splashing on my legs. The cuts from the Taser prongs are almost completely gone now thanks to Vickie cleaning them up and of course the Coronas. I hope that security guard is okay. I smile as I run past the pier with the fish; maybe I'll sneak over there after school if I can get out of that stupid lineup. I hope the hoodie doesn't recognize me again. I'll try all my tactics again. I look down at my watch and see I'm going on thirteen minutes, I decide to keep going to fifteen, hey I've got to be able to keep up with Rusty next time he runs with me. I run past a man and his young son knee deep in the ocean casting their rods out into the ocean. I wonder if I should take up fishing and try to catch some swordfish. Maybe I'll see what Vickie thinks. I look at my watch, fifteen minutes, I decide to finally turn around and start heading back towards the condo. I should have plenty of time for a few more cups of Keurig and a shower before first period, another day on the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. You know the word democracy does not appear anywhere in the Constitution. I think I'll schedule a quiz for Friday that should get a rise out of the kids and of course kill my weekend plans...gotta love this teaching thing. I think about a career as a sword fisherman again till my feet are start getting really heavy and tired again. I see the condo up ahead, maybe next time I'll run the road. I finally make it to the beach in front of the condo. I'm really tired. I may have to make it three vanilla lattes to get through this day. I decide to walk on the road for a few minutes to let my legs cool down and get a break from the heavy sand. I go behind the condo building where I got hit with that rock the other day. I call it no-man's land back here. There's nothing but large tropical bushes covering both sides of the walkway almost forming a tunnel. It's a beautiful area but probably not the place to be late at night unless you enjoy getting hit with rocks. I lean down and tie my shoes. Yes I like to walk without my shoes tied, not for the cool way it looks but because it allows my feet to breathe and plus I'm lazy. As soon as I bend down I feel a searing pain shoot down my back, it doesn't feel like a rock. I've been stabbed with a knife, I immediately recognize the pain. I feel the warm blood rolling down my back onto the ground. I can't move. I feel like I'm paralyzed from the pain. I quickly turn my head and see the two hoodies behind me laughing and pointing at my bleeding back. New hoodie is holding a large knife with blood dripping off the tip, my blood and tall hoodie is holding a gun. I try and get up to my feet, but tall hoodie strikes my face with the gun. I feel the sting and fall back to the ground. This is not going well. They are both still laughing. I look closely at their faces despite my blurry vision and see they are still wearing the bandages on their faces. I can't believe how much my back is hurting. I try and roll over but new hoodie kicks me back down. I'm in trouble. I don't have the Berettas. I decided to leave them in the condo so I didn't have to carry the extra weight on my run. I feel really stupid right now, but don't tell anyone. They're both standing above me just looking and laughing at me. We're all alone out here. I think about calling for help, but I doubt anyone would hear me back here, so I don't bother. Tall hoodie is pointing the gun right at me. It looks like a Glock, but it's hard to tell with my blurry vision. I watch helplessly as new hoodie leans in close to me with the knife and places it about an inch away from my face.

"Not so funny now is it joke man." I can smell his breath. It's garlicky. I want to reach out and put my hand in his mouth, but I can't move anything. My back is killing me. I hope I don't bleed to death out here, but at least if I do I'll go out seeing a nice view above me. Those tropical bushes are really pretty. Tall hoodie kneels down next to me while new hoodie and points the gun directly at my face. I wonder if they'll give me a choice on how I want to die.

"Any more jokes?" Tall hoodie asks. His mouth is wide open. He is missing at least six or seven teeth. I'd like to remove a few more of those. If only I could move my arms. I wish I hadn't run so far. I lie there helplessly for what seems like hours till I feel the tip of the knife touch my cheek. It burns. I have to do something. I abruptly raise my right foot and connect to the groin of new hoodie. He falls backward with the knife still in his grip. Tall Hoodie touches my face with the muzzle, a classic mistake, never place a gun that close to someone, especially a placer. I distract him by slowly raising my left arm, that's the best I can do. I watch his eyes move towards it. "Don't even think about it funny man or I'll pull the trigger right now." I quickly snap my right hand up and grab the muzzle pushing it away from my face. I'm back on my feet with both hands on the gun struggling with tall hoodie. He's stronger than I thought or maybe I'm too tired but I think I'm winning the battle because I feel the gun slipping in to my hands till I feel a sudden sharp searing pain on the back of my head. New hoodie just hit me with the knife handle. I'm able to spin away from new hoodie and keep my grip on the gun. Tall hoodie has his finger on the trigger. He's ready to end my life now. I see new hoodie coming at me out of the corner of my eye. He has the knife out on front of him going for the middle of my back. Just as he brings it down I duck and twist out of the way and send my heel into his stomach as he lunges forward. He falls to the ground. Now it's just me and tall hoodie. I jump when the gun goes off. Tall hoodie's finger squeezes the trigger. He tries to pull it again, but I wedge my finger between his and the trigger. I feel the steel cutting into my finger but I don't let go. I can't. I look back behind me for new hoodie to get back on his feet but he's holding his chest and his hands are covered with blood. The bullet must have entered his heart area. Tall hoodie looks away. We're both still holding on as tightly as we can. It's mano vs. mano. He's trying to point the gun at me, but I'm keeping it away from my body. I quickly slip my feet behind his and force him backwards, a minute later he goes down on the ground loosening his grip on the pistol. I lose my balance too and go down right behind him. The gun goes flying away from both of us. He kicks out with his foot and connects to my chin causing me to recoil in pain. Who knew he had some skills. We both make it back to our feet and look at the gun. It's about ten feet away from us, too far. I watch as he cocks his arm back and takes a punch at me. I block it and connect to the side of his head with my left. It feels good. I catch him right on the bandage. He goes down fast holding his nose. I walk over to the gun keeping an eye on him. Just as I'm about to reach for it, he lets go of his nose and reaches behind his back pulling out another gun. It's a small compact model. I can't determine what type. He aims it directly at me and pulls the trigger. I think the bullet misses me because I don't feel any pain and I'm still standing. I reach down for the Glock and in one motion I fire two rounds into his chest. Tall hoodie is down. I remove the gun from his hands. He is staring directly at me, his eyes are lifeless. I slap him as I hard as I can on the side of his face and watch his whole body go limp as life leaves him.

"That was for nervous hoodie." I look back and check new hoodie. He isn't moving anymore either. His days on earth have ended too. I reach behind me and touch my back. The bleeding seems to have slowed down or stopped, so maybe I'm going to live. I walk back over to tall hoodie and check his pulse, there is nothing. I shake my head. I'm not sure what to do. As second later, I hear a voice tell me to freeze and put my hands in the air. I look to my right, there are two Miami-Dade uniform police officers aiming their weapons directly at me. I do exactly as they say. A minute later, I'm seated in the back of a police car with handcuffs on. Two EMT's are treating my back and head wounds. I feel woozy. After they finish bandaging me up, one of the officers who earlier had pointed his weapon at me gets in the car and we drive away. I can barely keep my eyes open. A few minutes later, at least I think it is we arrive at a police station and the officer slowly walks me into a small windowless room. He gets me a cup of water. I wonder if I should ask if they have a Keurig. I think I doze off and on for a while but sometime later, I'm led out of the room by a large African American man and fingerprinted and have my picture taken. I think I'm being arrested. He leads me back down a hallway and a flight of stairs and places me alone in a cell. I'm in jail again.

Chapter 50

I wake up sometime later. I feel someone rustling my shoulder. It's Detective Simmons.

"Let's go Howell. You're being charged with double homicide."

"What? They attacked me." He places his hands under my arms and helps me to my feet. There's a uniformed officer outside my cell. He assists Simmons placing a pair of hand cuffs loosely on my wrists in front of me. They lead me back down the same hallway and up the stairs to a small windowless room with an old metal table and two chairs. He places me in one of the chairs and he takes the one opposite of me...interrogation time.

"So...I guess you didn't want to go through another lineup huh?"

"I'm telling you they attacked me." I place my handcuffed wrists on the table. It makes a clang.

He shakes his head and looks around the room. "I guess that's how you just happened to shoot both of them right?"

"I was just walking and they came out with knives and guns, their guns."

"Look Howell...we have you now, so you might as well confess. Why don't you start at the beginning and tell me how the whole thing happened. Start with when you beat them up a few weeks ago."

I just stare at him. He's obviously not going to believe a word I say. "They've been after me since I first came down here."

"I'm going to find out everything about you. I bet there's a reason you came down here, probably hiding from something you did back up there. We're going to uncover everything and then you're going to get the needle." He raises his voice and slams his fist on the table. The sound echoes throughout the whole room. "So you better start talking...now." He slams the table again.

'I've told you everything. I was walking around and they attacked me. They tried to kill me. Look at my back." I turn my shoulders so my back is facing him and lift up my shirt with the handcuffs.

"That's a typical defensive wound. They were trying to defend themselves from you."

"What's with you and these guys Detective? First they kill one of their own at my apartment. He was just a kid and now they try and kill me. The wound is on my back. How is that a defensive wound?"

He shakes his head again. "I don't see it that way. I think you've had it in for them since you came down here and now you've murdered them. You're in big trouble Howell. I have the DA coming down in in a few minutes so maybe you better tell me real quick what happened."

I shake my head in disbelief. It's still full of cobwebs from the whack I took. "Look...when I first came down here I was out walking around one night and they jumped me. Did I defend myself?... Yes I did. Should've I told you about what happened before yes, but you would have never believed me just like you don't now. I was walking behind the condo and they attacked me with a knife and gun."

"Funny, how they both died and you walked away isn't it?"

"Not really. They tried to kill me."

"You keep saying that, but there is gun residue on your hand and your prints are on the guns and you were seen holding the guns when the police go there." He stands up. "And by the way, they were illegal guns, but I'm sure you were already aware of that. Maybe you can tell me where you got them."

"You're obviously not going to believe me. What about my right to an attorney? Can I make a phone call?"

"Are you asking for an attorney Howell? You don't strike me as the type of guy who would do that."

"I didn't say I was...but I would like to make a phone call." I have no idea who I'm going to call. I can't call George...I could call the emergency number I have setup down here." Simmons hands me his cell phone. I dial Vickie's number. She's crying so hard I can't even understand her, but she says she is coming down with her attorney. I think I say goodbye before Simmons grabs the phone. He gets up and leaves the room. I think he leaves me there for several hours, but I have no idea because there are no clocks in here. There is nothing on the walls except for white painted cinder blocks. I think I've counted them several times already. Finally the door opens again and it's Simmons and another man who looks slightly older and balder with an expensive suit. Simmons has loosened his tie and unbuttoned several buttons on his shirt.

"Howell...this is Adam Garcia he's the ADA down here." I look at him. He nods and takes the seat Simmons was in before. Simmons stands behind him.

"Look...we have you red-handed. They caught you with the gun in your hand. I understand maybe they threw a few punches at you and you got carried away. It happens...I know. Let's just make this easier and you can write down what happened here and that will be the end of it."

"You're going to let me go?"

"I didn't say that." He has a smooth voice probably polished from many trials.

"We all know you did it, so sign a confession and well see what we can do. I'm willing to work with you here." He looks over at Simmons. Simmons just glares back. "Right Detective?" He looks back towards me. He has very dark brown eyes. "Now Detective Simmons would like to place you on death row and I can understand why, but I'm willing to make a deal here, so work with me...c'mon."

I just stare back. I can't believe it. He hands me the legal pad. I watch him smile at Simmons who just looks away and shakes his head. I start writing. It takes me about five minutes to finish. I slide the pad back across the table.

"Good job Mr. Howell. I promise I'll help you out." He starts reading. "What the hell is this...All I did was defend myself, this is a joke. I am not saying anything else. I want an attorney present from now on..."

Simmons takes a step closer to read the writing. "I told you Adam."

The DA quickly stands up. "Get him out of here Detective. I gave you a chance. Go rot in jail. You'll be arraigned later today. I'll make sure you get the death penalty." I wink at him. "Now Detective," He shouts. Simmons violently grabs me and pushes me towards the door. He doesn't say anything till we get back to the cell.

"I told you I would get you Howell." I smile and sit on the edge of the tiny bed. I'm already getting flashbacks of my last assignment in the prison. I lie down on my side and close my eyes. I wake up a little while later. First thing I do is touch my back, it feels a lot better, even my head is clearer. I have no idea how long I have slept. I stand up and look around my tiny cell. Besides, the small cot and stainless steel toilet and sink there isn't much to see. I turn the faucet on and throw some cold water on my face. It feels good. I wish I had a Corona to go with it though. I can't believe all that has happened. I wonder what time it is and if anything has happened at Ocean. I hope no one has shot the place up. I need to get out of here. It doesn't look like anyone is going to believe me. I look around for any chance of escape. It doesn't look very promising since three walls are covered with the same white painted cinder blocks and the other one is covered with bars. I grab hold of the bars and try to look out but I can't see anything. I know there are more cells on both sides of me, but I don't know if they are occupied. I go back to the bunk and start doing the one thing that kept me sane during my last prison stint. I daydream. I pretend Kyle and I are running along the beach and jumping in waves. He's laughing at me because I just tripped and fell in the sand. I pretend to pull mounds of sand out of my face when I hear someone coming. It's Simmons.

"Let's go, you're getting arraigned." I follow Simmons as he leads me back upstairs and into an elevator. He doesn't say a word. A few minutes later we're in a court room and I see the same DA, Adam Garcia standing in front of a judge. She's about sixty and has very short hair and glasses. She's giving me a mean look. This will go well. She calls me by my name and tells me to stand in front of her. Simmons props me up. The DA reads out the charge of two counts of first degree murder. I don't like the sound of this.

"How do you plea Mr. Howell?...Mr. Howell."

"Ahh...not guilty your honor." She bangs her gavel and motions to the bailiff to get the next case. Simmons drags me out off the courthouse and back down to my comfortable cell, lucky me.

"Oh...by the way your little girlfriend came by all worried about you until I told her you murdered two people then she ran off crying." I watch him walk away and climb back onto my bed. I wonder how many people have slept here before me. I don't see any signs that George Washington slept here. I lie back down and try not to feel sorry for myself and start dreaming about Kyle again. We're throwing a large colorful beach ball on the sandiest most colorful beach I have ever seen. Vickie is there, Chris and Rusty too. Life couldn't be better. I suddenly wake up to the sound of a loud moan, someone in one of the cells next to me is crying. Nothing worse than a grown man crying in prison. I spent many nights falling asleep to that sound. I go back to my dream and watch Kyle throw a Frisbee and Rusty catches it in mid-air. We all clap. We're like a happy little family.

Sometime later I'm aroused by Simmons again. "Let's go Howell. I've got another witness to identify you. He saw you at the scene and saw the whole thing go down." I slowly roll over and stand up. He grabs me under my arms again and drags me out in the hall. We go through the same hall and up the stairs again. He leads me to the same room I did the line up before. There are five other guys in front of me. I look at the clock and can't believe it's two in the morning...what a day. I watch Simmons talk to another hoodie then he directs the officer to lead us in. I'm number five. I stand in place and don't even try any tactics. I'm too tired and know it won't do any good now. A minute later the officer leads us back out. Simmons is standing right outside the door with a giant smile on his face. "Got you." I roll my eyes and follow his back towards the stairs. I stop when I see Vickie coming through the door from outside. Thomas is behind her. I can't believe it. I barely recognize him away from his desk. What's he doing here? Vickie waves at me. She tries to smile, but I see the tears start rolling down from her eyes. Thomas gives me a big nod. What is going on? Have they turned on me too? I feel doomed as I look back and see their faces as Simmons pushes me down the stairs. I feel broken on the inside. Simmons places me on my bed and I immediately lie down feeling defeated. I don't even think George could get me out of this. I try and day dream but nothing is coming except a life behind bars. My eyes start getting moist thinking about not seeing Kyle anymore. There's no way I'll let him see me in prison. I think I finally fall asleep a little while later, when I wake up my pillow is soaked form the tears and a uniformed police officer is standing over me.

"Let's go." He reaches for my arms.

"Now what?"

"Just come with me." He points toward the cell door. I follow him out and down the hallway again. This is getting old."

"Where's Simmons?"

"He's busy." I shake my head and climb the same stairs. He leads me into a different room. The walls are still empty white cylinders but it's a little bigger. I guess it's time for another interrogation. I think they're trying to wear me down and it's working. I hope I don't slip. The officer leaves and another man comes in. He looks no more than thirty five and has short cropped light blond hair.

"Hi...I'm Detective Kropp."

"What is Simmons going to come in and play the bad cop again?"

He shakes his head. "Nope...nothing like that." He has a chipper voice. It is very irritating. "Let me see your wrists." I reluctantly place them on the table and he uses his key and unlocks them. I immediately rub them. They are all red and chafed.

"The good cop bad cop routine isn't going to work. I'm too tired and sore for any more games," I look down.

"I understand Mr. Howell and I promise you I'm not playing any games. In fact you're free to go."

"What?" I immediately snap my head up. "What are you talking about?"

"Your friend from the condo had everything on tape. We saw the whole thing. You were right you were just defending yourself. In fact you did the right thing. You got those two idiots off the streets."

"Thomas?"

He nods. "Yep, he had a bunch of cameras back there. We had no idea, but he came forward with it and even the DA said to let you go. You're a free man." I'm wondering if I'm still dreaming. "I'm very sorry for any inconvenience. Your wife is out there waiting for you." He points at the door.

"You're serious?" He nods. "She's my girlfriend."

"Okay." He extends his hand, we shake and I head for the door. I see Vickie standing right outside. I fall into her arms. She holds me so tight. It feels so good. I don't want to let go. We finally head for the door and an officer hands me my phone and personal belongings. I place everything in my pocket. I quickly check my iPhone for any messages. I take a big breath seeing there isn't anything new. Just as were about to walk out the door. I see Simmons walk by. I lean in close to him and whisper, "got you." He doesn't even look at me. He just quickly walks away. I step outside into the fresh air and take a giant breath then I jump in next to Vickie and we drive home. I think I smile the whole way, but I don't remember anything after placing my hand in her lap falling asleep almost immediately. What a day...I keep telling myself I love being a placer.

Chapter 51

It's almost four in the morning, the sun will be rising in a few hours but he hasn't slept at all. Tomorrow is the last day of innocence. The rehearsals are all completed. The plans are all made and the escape is ready. His friend has everything planned down to the smallest detail. It felt weird eating dinner tonight. It seemed like everyone was staring at him, but he wasn't hungry anyway, so it didn't bother him. In fact he hadn't eaten anything since breakfast. He wondered if this is how all the great military leaders felt before going into battle. He pictured himself being cheered in a big parade right down Atlantic Avenue. Everyone is calling out his name and telling him he's a hero. It feels good. He wonders what his friend is doing now. He insisted all communications be stopped and that includes texting, emailing or even using the computer. He can't even surf the net or watch You Tube videos. They had sent that short email the other night from the library. His friend said that was the last warning. He wasn't really sure why they used the library every night. He figured it had to do with tracing IP addresses, at least that's what his friend told him and that's why they were to never use any of their own devices. He tried to close his eyes again, but sleep just wasn't coming so he finally gave up and took out a few of the new magazines he had bought. They were gun magazines. He loved to look and stare at the pictures of the latest models. He imagined them in his hand and pulling the trigger. It felt so good. He knew he could handle any of them and even imagined one day they might have a picture of him in one of the magazines modeling one because he was now a warrior.

Chapter 52

I finally wake up and the sun is glaring at me through the giant condo window. I look over next to me and Vickie is nowhere to be found. Even Rusty is missing. I guess she already left for work. The clock on the wall says it is 10:15. I quickly reach for my iPhone and dial Ocean. One of the ladies at the front desk answers on the first ring and transfers me to Mr. Jackson. I explain to him what happened and he tells me to take the rest of the week off. I tell him I'll be in after lunch, there's no way I'm taking a chance and missing another day. I have a bad feeling about things. I slowly get out of bed. I can't believe how sore I am. My back and head still feel like someone is hitting me with a hammer. I stumble out of the bedroom and make it to the kitchen and find the most important thing, the Keurig. Attached to it is a note from Vickie. She tells me to have a good day and she'll be home around dinner time. She said she dropped the dog off with a neighbor so he wouldn't bother me. I make two quick vanilla lattes and pour a bowl of Raisin Bran, my favorite. Vickie even bought me one of those giant boxes they sell at those warehouse stores. After two bowls and a third latte I'm finally starting to feel human again. I head to the shower and don't even dare to look at myself in the mirror till I get out. I feel the steaming water hit my back it almost makes me cry, but after a while I feel a wave of relaxation take over my body. I think I stay in there for about thirty minutes. I hope Vickie doesn't look at the water bill too closely this month. After I get dressed I head directly downstairs, there's someone I need to see. As soon as I step off the elevator, I can see the back of Thomas's perfectly combed hair. I have no idea how he is able to take a shower or anything. I have only seen him away from the desk once, last night at the police station. He slowly turns his head as I approach him and nods. I walk as quickly as I can and hold my hand out.

"Thank you...thank you so much Thomas. You saved me."

He looks toward one of the monitors, "Just doing my job Mr. Howell, looking out for the residents of this great place."

"How did you know to look at that tape?"

"I review the tapes every night for any incidents, and then I saw you get attacked and I talked to Ms. Vickie and she told me what happened. Glad I could help." He lets go of my hand and writes something down in his log.

"I just want to say you are doing a great job. If there's anything you ever need please let me know."

"Thank you Mr. Howell. No need to offer anything. I have everything I need right here." He points all around him. I shake my head in disbelief and head out the door. They just don't make them like that anymore. I head out to my Taurus and slowly pull out of the parking lot, as I get towards the back of the condo I still see several police cars and yellow crime scene tape blocking the tunnel. I wave at the officer sitting in his car. He doesn't even notice me. I bet Thomas is watching the whole thing on one of his monitors. I wanted to ask him who was watching the condo last night when he came down to the police station but I didn't dare. I love that guy, maybe I should open a restaurant down here and call it Thomas's...I promise we'll have no karaoke though. I head to Ocean and make it in about fifteen minutes. Nothing looks unusual meaning there's not a thousand police cars or media vans scattered everywhere so hopefully there was no school shooting. I park and walk into the building and wave at the ladies. For some reason they don't wave instead, they motion me towards them. I enter the office and they point at Mr. Jackson's office. The way the main office is setup is there is a reception area with two desks facing the front door where the two ladies sit and then behind them are the four admin offices. The first one on the left is Mr. Jacksons. I lightly knock on the door and he holds up a finger telling me to hold on. He's on the phone. I lean against his door and look around his office. It's small, smaller than mine back home, but it looks both professional and comfortable at the same time. His walls are covered with photos of him and the boys' basketball team and various degrees and awards. I don't think there's a person in this school without at least one advanced degree. Finally he hangs up the phone and waves me in. I sit in one of the two chairs opposite his desk. I feel like one of the students in trouble. I hope he doesn't yell at me.

"Mr. Phillips...you didn't have to come in today. We already have a sub."

"I know Mr. Jackson but I feel obligated to be here."

He shakes his head. "I understand, but we have a system where we can get a sub on a short notice. Shouldn't you be with your mother?" I forgot to tell you. I told him my mother had a stroke last night. There was no way I was going to tell him I shot and killed the two hoodies even though it was in self-defense.

"My two sisters are with her. I'll head up over the weekend to give them a break." Don't worry I already called ahead last night and setup a fake phone number just in case. George has people for that kind of thing. I told you he's the smartest guy in the world, never misses anything.

"Okay...but we already have Mr. Samuels for the whole day in your class and it wouldn't really be fair to send him home. Your welcome to help him out or you can work in one of the lounges and get ready for the history club." He shuffles some papers on his desk. They are all organized in small neat piles. "Have you had any chance to work on that yet?"

"Oh yes. I've got some good ideas." Lying is a big part of being a placer if you haven't noticed by now. "You know me and history. We meet after school today for the first time."

"Good to hear Mr. Phillips."

"Thank you Mr. Jackson."

"You can use 401. I don't think any of the teachers use that one."

I adjust my mask. It's sticking on the back of my neck a little from the cuts. "Okay. Thanks Mr. Jackson."

"Thanks Mr. Phillips."

I leave his office and see him making another call, the life of a middle school assistant principal. I wave at the ladies and head down the hall. I carefully eye all the nooks and corners as I make my way towards my room. I hope they don't like the sub better than me; maybe it will be some boring guy like last time. I almost fall down when I look through my window and see a twenty-something year old blond standing in front of my class. Every male student looks more awake than they have all year. I wonder why. I laugh and continue down the hall. Maybe I should suggest to George how we should dress from now on. I stop in front of Lucille's room and see her. She's wearing a green velvet dress with green socks and shoes. I start singing _Oh Christmas Tree._ She looks in my direction so I give her another wink and she frowns. I'm really starting to like that woman. I keep walking past the 300's and into the 400's; it's really a big school. I quickly turn my head when I hear my name being called out. It's Tim, the class pet. I wave as he disappears into one of the bathrooms, probably going in there to clean it. I make it to room 401. Mr. Jackson was right no one is using it. In fact it looks like no one has ever used it. There are chairs and desks stacked up along the walls and cobwebs on the ceilings. I pull out a desk and chair from the stack and plug in my computer. I'm surprised the outlet actually works. I immediately check my email and delete a few boring ones from teachers. It's always the same people sending out emails every day complaining about something. The man in 305 is always complaining about the noise in the hallway and the woman down the hall says teachers are dismissing kids too late...gotta love middle school. I read an email about Ray Day. We're supposed to be here at 6:30 AM and meet in the parking lot. Don't tell anyone but I'm kind of looking forward to it now. I want to catch a swordfish. I wonder if the Principal will get mad if I bring a bunch of Coronas. I start reading about the Constitution again. I know I'm a glutton for punishment, but I've got to come up with something for the history club today. I wonder how many kids will actually show up. If anyone had gone to a history club when I was a kid they would have sure been beat up. Things have really changed. I look up when I see a group of four or five boys walk by. I step out behind them. I instantly recognize pony tail and a few others from the library. There's even the tall boy who pretends to live somewhere else. I follow them down the hall. They're all talking and laughing at the same time, typical boys.

"Hey Sam." I jump hearing my name.

"Hey Mr. Stane. What's up?"

"Just checking my students to make sure they actually go to the computer lab. They're doing a project on a famous author from the nineteenth century." He quickly catches up to me.

"Let me guess...Edgar Allen Poe."

He smiles broadly, "Very good Sam. I'm impressed."

He's actually the only one I know but don't tell him that. "Who's the one with the ponytail?"

"Oh you mean...PJ Hackett?" I nod. "He's a bright one that kid. You know who is dad is right?"

I shake my head. "Really? No one has told you? You know from Hackett TV, all those reality shows."

I nod. That explains the huge house last night. "How about the others?" We're still about twenty yards behind them.

"There's William Morris, he's the tall one, another bright kid, actually exceptionally bright. Then there's Paul Wiggins, he's the one with blond hair over there. You have to watch him, and then Billy and Roland. There all pretty good kids for the most part, but you know what happens when you get a group of boys together...the mob mentality takes place." I look at him. "You know one suggests something and they all agree to it no matter the consequences." He stops and we watch them enter a room. "Oh good, it looks like they're listening today. Now they're Mrs. Raymond's problem." He turns around slowly and starts walking back towards the lounge I'm working in. I follow him.

"So how do the other kids take to the Hackett kid?"

"You'd be surprised he's actually not spoiled or anything. His parents are really active in his upbringing...good people. They're always joking that his next show will be a reality show on my class." He laughs.

"They're working at the library too right?"

"Yep, remember I told you all the kids use the public one since ours is a joke. They go at least two or three nights a week. In fact the library is called the Hackett library after the old man practically donated the whole thing." I nod. "So what are you doing in here?" We stop outside room 401.

"I'm working on the history club for this afternoon." He pats me on the back and tells me to have a good day. I go back into the lounge and unlock my computer. I immediately pull up Hackett's website. It's clearly the same guy I saw last night. I read about his upcoming shows. He has one coming up about a group of people who compete to see can live in a small box the longest, that ought to be interesting. I go back to the exciting world of history. I can barely contain myself. Finally the last bell rings and I go to my room. The knock-out blond has already left, probably trying to run away from the teenage boys. A few minutes later a group of ten or so boys enter my room. I only recognize Tim. He introduces the others to me. None of them are in my class, and most of them actually appear to be normal kids, so much for my stereotyping. I talk about history for a while. We cover everything from World War II all the way back to Alexander the Great. I just let the kids ramble on. They know so much more than me. I pretend to be writing things down. I feel like I'm watching one of those kids's shows where the kids know all the answers to the host's questions and I don't. I'm sure Hackett has one of those in his lineup. A little while later the late bus bell rings and the kids disappear. I smile...I successfully completed my first history club session. Maybe next week will be just as exciting. I can't wait. I get back in my Taurus and head over to a rent-a-car place and pick up a small Ford SUV. I drive back to Ponce De Leon Drive and go past the Hackett place. I'm still wearing my mask even though it's killing me, I told you, anything for a Placer. I decide to park up the street. There's no way I'm going over that wall again. My leg is still sore from those damn prongs. I just sit and watch for a while till I get bored and start thinking about Coronas again, my favorite subject. I remove my mask, hey a placer can only suffer so long and decide to drive by my other suspect's houses you know...Wii, Hamilton and Lucent. Nothing going on anywhere, maybe it's the calm before the storm. I even explore my curiosity and check out the kid who pretends to live in the nice house. I go in the woods and see his 4X4 parked behind a tree. I sit down on it and start it up and follow the path. It's kind of fun. I'm not sure how far I go but the sun is starting to fade so I turn around. I'll have to get one of these. I wind my way back through the trees and end up back where it was parked. I can't believe it, the kid is just standing there leaning against a tree and looking at me. I'm screwed. Now I'll get arrested for stealing a 4X4. I pull up next to him and kill the engine.

"Hey is this thing yours. I'm sorry but it's an awesome ride." He still doesn't say anything. He has a weird expression on his face. "I just took it for a spin, handles beautifully out there." I point behind me. He just stares. Then I realize he's wearing a complete police tactical uniform under his leather jacket. "Are you a cop?" I pretend to laugh.

He finally answers. "No, this is my dad's. It's great for riding in the brush."

"Cool. I really just wanted to try it out. Here...I'll give you some gas money." I reach in my back pocket and hand him a ten. He reluctantly takes it and shoves it in his coat pocket. "You're not going to call your dad or anything are you?"

He laughs and his face relaxes instantly making him to look his age again. "Of course not, I understand you didn't know whose it was. I shouldn't have left it out here like this...my bad. My old man would kill me if he knew I did this. Thanks for bringing it back dude, and thanks for the gas money." I watch as he hops on the 4X4 and takes off. He waves at me. Stane was right...a good kid. Maybe he's embarrassed by his dad being a cop, what's this world coming too? I walk back to my SUV and drop it back off at the rental place then make a beeline for Uncle Mikes. I immediately place an order for two Coronas and an Uncle Mike. Hey I need to celebrate I'm running the history club.

Chapter 53

He actually is starting to feel his eyes get heavy. He took two Tylenol PM's tonight. He has to get some sleep before the big day tomorrow. He just finished going over the plan for the hundredth time in his head. His friend said to see it happen. He's ready. Tomorrow will be the biggest day of his life. It feels so good to finally be here. For some reason all the nervousness and tensions are gone. He has never felt this calm in his life. He'll become a man tomorrow. He can't wait. He finally gives in to the sleep and dreams of becoming a true warrior.

Chapter 54

I finally finished my Uncle Mike and a few Coronas. I'm not really sure how many I had, but Vickie and I are slowly walking back towards the condo and I'm holding onto her pretty tightly, so maybe it was a few too many, but who's counting. It's another beautiful night in South Florida. We're strolling along the beach and there's no one around, it feels like we have the world to ourselves. I haven't felt this relaxed in a long time, maybe it's the beautiful weather, probably all the Coronas, but it still feels good. I wish this walk would last forever, but unfortunately tomorrow is Friday and I have to stand in front of my kids and talk about history again. Tomorrow we review the Constitution and the Bill of Rights and then I have a quiz, so my weekend plans are shot. Maybe I can convince Vickie to assist me again, though maybe we'll have to cut back on the Coronas this time. We make our way inside the condo. I immediately go and shake Thomas's hand again. He gives me a firm grasp and a smile for Vickie. Then we head upstairs and go immediately out onto the deck. Chris is sound asleep. We both fall asleep in each other's arms under the stars again and I am jolted early in the morning when my iPhone starts chirping with its annoying early morning alarm. I somehow manage to roll Vickie off me without waking her and head back inside to the Keurig. I fire up two lattes, I may need three today, I'm feeling a little groggy. Rusty follows me into the kitchen so I give him some water and end up taking him on a short twenty minute run. I'm really struggling this morning, maybe I'll have to start cutting back on the Corona. I'm somehow able to get back inside, of course Thomas is still sitting in the same place he was last night. I'm really starting to think the guy doesn't sleep at all. He just stays at the desk all night. One night, I may have to check on him. I take a quick shower and make it to Ocean with less than two minutes to spare. I jog past Lucille's room and I can see her shaking her head at me. I give her a wink but I don't think she even sees it. Good ole Lucille. I'm in my classroom, one minute till the bell rings. I quickly open my computer and pull out the review, another exciting day in middle school social studies. I can't wait till lunch to get some more coffee. I look around my room for a good place to set up a Keurig. I wonder if Mr. Jackson would allow it. I listen as the bell rings causing my already large headache to ache even more...gotta love early mornings after late nights. The kids pour in and scramble into their seats. They seem so much louder than usual today, must be excited about the quiz. I wait for Tim to help me with attendance. I may even let him use the computer today so I get it right, but he doesn't show up. Great...the one day I need him he's out sick, some teacher's pet. I stumble through checking the attendance. I think I get it right for the most part. I start to talk about the Constitution and the Bill of Rights till I start to see half the class start dozing off as well as me, so I say it's time for a quiz and hear a collective groan. Who said teaching isn't fun. I watch as the kids go to work writing down their answers, I hope they're not too long. Finally the bell rings and the last kid turns in his quiz. I smile at Wi and Jeff when they turn theirs in together at the same time. They both give me a weird look. I repeat the same process for the next three periods and then finally it's lunch time. I race down to the teacher's lounge. All I can think about is the coffee machine. As soon as I step into the lounge I see my good friend Lucille and her entourage seated at the end of the table. She sneers at me. I give her a long wink. She looks disgusted. I throw my mac and cheese in the microwave, another Vickie creation and start filling up on coffee. I instantly start to feel much better and more alert. I'll definitely have to talk to Mr. Jackson about a Keurig. I sit down next to Mr. Stane. He's finishing up a sandwich.

"You look a little tired today Sam."

"I had kind of a late night last night you know..." Lucille is shaking her head and whispering something to the teachers around her.

"So what do you think of the extra security?"

"What do you mean?" I take a big gulp it burns my throat.

"You didn't see the email from admin this morning?" I shake my head. "They said there will be extra police present today due to an outside threat."

"Are you serious? I wonder what's going on."

"Probably still something to do with what happened to Luke a few weeks ago. A parent probably got nervous. You know how it is." I nod and watch him get up and head out the door leaving me to myself. I quickly go to the old desktop computer behind me and log in. It's slow but my email finally opens and I read the message about extra police presence in the building today. I can't believe they're finally waking up...it's about time. I actually smile for the first time all day. The mac and cheese taste so good. I get another cup of coffee and finish my last bite. I could go for another bowl, maybe I'll stop by that fish place on the way home. I hope the line isn't too long. I grab one more cup for the walk back to my room and head back out into the hallway. I jump seeing Vickie in the hallway. She's heading towards the main office then I remember Chris has a dentist appointment. She doesn't even notice me. I follow her towards the main office and slip in past her while she's talking to the ladies about pulling out Chris. I check for Mr. Jackson in his office but he's not in. One of the ladies tells me he's walking the halls. I want to tell him about the history club meeting yesterday and how much I enjoyed it. I walk past Vickie and just look her. I see her watching me out of the corner of her eye. She doesn't recognize me. I head back out and head towards my room, three more periods till I'm out of here. I nod at the two police officers standing in the doorway. They are dressed in full combat gear complete with heavy weapons and masks, so much for subtlety. They both nod back at me and continue their vigilance. The school is finally safe. I smile. I casually walk down the hall; there are only a few kids out and about. I don't recognize any of them till I see Chris come walking quickly around the corner. He waves at me. I say hi. I look up at the clock. One minute till the bells going to ring and the hall will be full of hundreds of kids. I quicken my pace. I don't want to be late to my own class. I round the corner and make it to the 300 hallway. Thirty seconds. I start to walk even faster. I'm not going to make it. Ten...nine...eight...oh no. I scream out as loud as I can. How did I miss that? I stop and turn around so quickly the coffee pours out of my mug. I actually throw the whole cup down onto the floor smashing it into hundreds of pieces and start running back towards the main office. I knew I recognized his mannerisms and build before. They seemed so familiar to me when I saw him, but I didn't think anything of it before. Seven...six...five...I look up at the clock. I've got to make it. I sprint around the corner. I can see the main office hallway. It's still about sixty yards away. I reach into my waistband and pull out both guns. I have one out in each hand, remember I can only shoot one at a time, but right now I need every advantage I can get. How did I miss it? Four...three... There's Lucille and Mr. Jackson in front of me. I blow by them waving my Berettas at them to stay back and stop the kids. They both give me strange looks. I don't even have time to wink at Lucille. Two...one...the bell rings. I see Vickie and Chris step outside the main office. I start screaming for them to go back inside. Their faces turn to terror seeing my guns out in front of me and they disappear back into the main office. I hear kids pouring out into the halls behind me. Mr. Jackson is screaming for them to get back in. I think he's telling them there's a man up there with a gun...me. I don't look back. I'm almost to the main door where the policemen are and then it happens. Gunfire erupts in front of me. The shots are ringing out down the 100 hallway, the one around the corner. I open up with my Berettas, both of them pumping lead towards the shooters. They both turn towards me. I'm happy. They're not shooting at the students they are shooting at me. I feel their rounds blazing over my head down the hall. I hope no one is behind me. I take a quick look back and see Mr. Jackson pinned down on the floor waving at kids to stay back and Lucille is lying next to him screaming. I keep firing. I'm outgunned. There's no way I can match these guys. I creep up towards a pillar outside the main office. It's between me and the shooters. They're still aiming for me. I feel cinder blocks crunching and cracking all around me. I continue to fire. I have to change magazines on my main gun. I only have one left after this. The taller one is back shooting down the opposite hallway again. I crouch down and expose myself and aim for his neck, the only place not protected by armor. I squeeze the trigger at least five times till I see a bright red explosion below his head. He drops the rifle and his hands go to his neck. The shorter one continues firing towards me and I feel a sharp pain on my right leg. I've been hit. I throw my left hand gun down and grab my leg. It's killing me. I can see Vickie, Chris and the main office ladies scrambling towards the back of the office. There is broken glass everywhere. I keep firing. The taller cop is not holding his weapon anymore, he is still clutching his neck and there's a heavy stream of blood pouring through his hands. I think I hit his carotid artery. I watch as he finally goes down. The smaller one looks towards him and then back at me and starts firing. I watch as he expertly changes his magazine. He has obviously been well-trained. More shots ring out at me. I keep firing, though I'm starting to conserve my ammo. I can't get a good angle on him because of the volume of fire coming at me. I don't think he's going to run out any time soon. The firing finally stops for a minute, so I creep forward and look to aim my Beretta at him, but I don't see him anymore. He has moved back near the door so I can't see him. He has stripped his friend of all his weapons. Where are the real police? I'm still mad at myself for not recognizing William Morris when I walked by him a few minutes ago in the police uniform. The same one he was wearing last night in the woods. I really doubt it's his fathers. I wonder who the other shooter is. I'm guessing pony tail. The shots keep coming. I try and stop the oozing blood on my leg with my hand. I'm down on my knees now leaning against the pillar. I slowly lean out and aim for the door again. All I can see is the barrel of his AR-15. I need to get a better angle. I slide on my stomach towards the main office. The shooter sees me and about fifty shots ring out above my head breaking more glass and wood above me. It feels like the building has come alive. I'm able to open the door and slide across the room. I see Vickie and Chris hiding behind a desk. I tell them to move into the back. They don't move. I think they're confused whether or not I'm the bad guy or good guy since I'm shooting at two cops. What a brilliant scheme, especially the call ahead letting them know there will be extra police in the building. Probably part of their escape plan as well to just slip out when the real police show up. I yell to the office ladies for them to call the police and let them know there are two guys dressed as police officers. Vickie is still staring at me. Her mouth is wide open and she's holding Chris tightly. Shots are still ringing out above us and slamming into the walls causing little pieces of concrete to fall down onto the floor.

"Vickie...it's me. I promise you'll be okay. I love you." She looks really confused now and hugs Chris even tighter. I crawl to the other side of the office and open the far door. I can see the shooter now. I don't think he sees me yet. I jump up to my knees and start firing at him again. I think I hit his chest, but he's wearing a vest so it doesn't faze him. He starts firing at me again.

"You're leg." I look back and Vickie throws me a sweater. I think it belongs to one of the main office ladies. They're always cold. That's another thing living down here I have found out, all the buildings are cold all the time. They have the air on all the time.

"Thanks.Vickie." I grab the sweater and place it on my leg pushing down firmly then I start to fire again. Vickie and Chris give each other a strange look. I think I'm hitting him in the chest but he keeps firing at me with the AR-15. I have no chance. I need to do something. I still have no idea how many students are down around the corner or if anyone is still exposed. I think I'm down to only a few rounds left, so I need to think of something quick or we're all going to die. I look up and Morris is still down. I think his days are behind him now. I'm still mad at myself for missing that. I see the smaller shooter starting to move. He's making his way towards us. I try and see which door he's going to come in. There are two doors and I'm by the one on the side facing the hallway. I think he's coming for the one that faces the main entrance. I hear some more shots ring out. They sound like they're headed down the hallway where Mr. Jackson and I were a few minutes ago. I look back Vickie and Chris are still exposed. "Vickie and Chris...on three run into that office and close the door." I point at Mr. Jackson's office.

"What is going on? Who are you?"

I ignore her. "One...two...three...go." I stand up and fire repeatedly out the door. The smaller shooter is right there. He aims the AR-15 towards me and starts pulling the trigger. I feel two shots whiz by me and then nothing happens. He's out of ammo. He throws the rifle onto the ground and starts to pull out a pistol. It looks like Glock. I dive through the door firing at him. I'm aiming for his knees. I connect with at least three shots and see blood squirting out leaving a misty trail behind him as he keeps going... I keep firing. He finally drops the pistol and falls to the floor holding his shredded legs. I fire again and land on top of him. I flip him over and pin his arms on his back. I can hear him crying in pain trying to grab his knees. I keep his hands behind his back. A minute later a swarm of police officers enter the building and place handcuffs on him. I watch as they roll him back over and remove his mask. I feel my stomach lurch when I see his face. It's Tim. I can't believe it. Tim the teacher's pet. A minute later two EMT's grab hold of me and start treating my leg. The white sweater Vickie threw to me is covered with bright red blood. I watch Mr. Jackson and the Principal walk by me with two police officers. A minute later they are standing over me, the Principal is crying.

"Mr. Phillips you saved us. How did you know?" She gives me a hug. Mr. Jackson taps me on the shoulder. I see Lucille down the hallway still lying face down and yelling, her green stocking all twisted. I want to start singing Christmas carols again, but instead I look towards the shooters.

"Are there any casualties?" They both look at the two officers.

"We have a few gunshot wounds to limbs but no loss of life except to the shooter over there. I believe his name is William Morris."

"You're a real hero Mr. Phillips." Mr. Jackson taps me on the back. "You saved hundreds of lives."

"You really are." The officer taps my shoulder. "How did you know they weren't real police officers?"

"I recognized Morris."

"There would have been hundreds of kids out here shot dead if you didn't stop them. You are amazing." I nod and watch the EMT place a large bandage on my knee.

"We need to get him to the hospital." I stand up as they lead me towards the front door. I look back and see Tim laying there, his look of innocence is completely gone. There are four or five EMT's working on his legs. Behind him, Morris is lying in a pool of blood surrounded by police officers looking over his weapons. I slowly walk outside limping on my leg to a waiting ambulance. There are hundreds of police cars and officers walking all about. As soon as I sit down on the gurney, I feel a tap on my shoulder. It's Vickie and Chris.

"Thank you so much for saving our lives." I nod and reach under my shirt pulling off the Sam Phillip's mask. They both almost fall out of the ambulance. "Martin? What? Who are you? Are you a cop?"

"Mr. Phillips? Mr. Howell? I don't get it." Chris is staring at me.

A minute later an EMT hops in the back. "Okay...we're leaving are you guys coming with us?" He looks at Vickie and Chris. They are both still staring at me. Then they both nod together not taking their eyes off me.

I look at Vickie. She leans down and holds my hand and gives me a big kiss. "I'll explain it to you later." I whisper. I close my eyes as I feel the engine come to life and the sirens above me screech out. A while later after an emergency room visit, we're back in the condo out on the deck. My leg is still wrapped up and I'm drinking a Corona. Vickie is sitting next to me still staring at me. She hasn't left my side since she found out it was me. We finally turned the news off after hearing about the hero substitute teacher Mr. Phillips who potentially saved the lives of thousands. The reporters are all trying to get an exclusive with him but for some reason he can't be found. I wonder if he ever will. I received a call from George a little while ago congratulating me on a successful assignment. I thanked him and told him I'd see him soon.

"Okay Martin. So tell me who you really are?"

"I'm a Placer."

She looks confused, "A what?"

"I can't tell you too much about it, but we go in around the country getting placed in tough spots, hence the term placer and try and stop things before they happen."

"So you knew this was going to happen?"

"I knew there was a chance."

"Does that mean everything you told me isn't true?"

"Only the part about being a teacher and a supermodel."

She closes her eyes. "Do you really have a son?"

"Yep, his name is Kyle."

"What about us?"

"What do you mean?"

"Was that fake too?"

"No...that was as real as it gets. In fact I've never done anything like that before. It's actually against the rules."

"You probably have a girlfriend in every port?"

I laugh. "Nope, just one." I watch as her face as it goes from sadness to happiness.

"So what's going to happen now?"

I rub my leg. "I'm not really sure. I really care about you Vickie. You're the best thing that's ever happened to me."

"But...you have to go back and probably get assigned somewhere else."

"Probably...but we'll find a way. We have to." I pull her close. "I'm off now for a while. My boss wants me to fully recover before I report back."

She snuggles up to me. "I love you Martin Howell...is that your real name?"

I laugh. "It really is...and I love you too Vickie."

Chapter 56

I look up when I hear the knock on my door and see the thick head of black hair. I quickly get up and follow George into his office and take my usual seat at the table allowing my feet to settle into the plush carpet.

"So how's the leg?"

I look down at my leg. "I'm completely recovered and running again. Did thirty minutes this morning not even a cringe of pain."

"Good...good to hear." He looks back at the wall of TV's. I think he might have added another one since last time I've been in here. "How about the vacation? I suspect it went well."

"I went back to Ft. Lauderdale." He looks surprised. "Kyle and I really enjoyed the beaches. You ever been down there?" He nods and smiles. "I actually got to hold an alligator." I reach into my pocket and pull out my iPhone. "See here's a picture of Kyle me and Chris each holding alligators...and look at this one...this guy cooks the fish right on the boat he catches it on. Stuff melts in your mouth." I flip to another picture. "This is Uncle Mikes...a great little restaurant. You know it's named after a guy that saved a drowning boy."

"That sounds wonderful. So who's the special young lady in those pictures?"

"That's Vickie. She's really great."

"I suspect you'll be spending as much as your vacation time as you can with her?"

"I will. We're going to take turns going back and forth. Her and her son will visit us next and then we'll visit them."

"Sounds like a great gal. I'm happy for you." He looks towards the three ops on the table. "Are you ready for your next assignment?"

I nod. "Always."

"Good because this one is going to be an interesting one."
