Published: 23 Jan 2025

Mackenzie Flores’s decision to leave her son, Phillip, in the CPS system, for whatever reasons she gave Ken Thomas and Judy Turner, was probably the best thing for the young boy. At least at The Cove, the eleven-year-old will continue to grow and mature into a wonderful young man under the warm and loving ‘family’ environment Phillip would continue to have with his ‘dad’ and four ‘brothers’.

For as much as Phillip looked forward to moving home and living with his mother, after the Labor Day Holiday, he had a difficult time comprehending why his mom decided to let him remain with his ‘dad’ and ‘brothers’.

When Phillip came downstairs, after talking with ‘dad’ Ken about why his mother was leaving him there at The Cove, his ‘brothers’ asked him if he was going to be OK. Phillip, with a smile on his face, told them that they had to put up with him for a little while longer. When they asked him how long was that, the young Cover told them, “Until I graduate from college”, then he laughed. Everyone laughed at the supposed joke.

With the drama of Phillip now staying at The Cove over, ‘Dad’ Ken asked the boys where they wanted to eat. They told him anywhere but the Four Corners Diner, as parking would be hard to find. So, they decided on a fast-food place.

Mr. Ken went into his Study to make a phone call to Wayne, to tell him where they were going to eat, so he could call Dan and Dennis and the three of them could meet them there, or meet them at the agreed upon place in about ninety minutes.

Mr. Ken had already placed the guns and ammo in the back of the van in a locked cabinet, so the boys would have no idea they would be headed to the shooting range after they ate.

To say the Covers were hungry when they left The Cove that afternoon would be an understatement. Even Collin stuck around to learn what the big meeting was all about that morning, and he wanted to learn how it affected his youngest ‘brother’, Phillip.

As the Covers ate, Collin’s Big Bro whispered to him what all the commotion was about between Phillip and his mother. Collin was appalled that Mackenzie wanted to keep her son in the foster care system, until she was ready to take him back. Collin told his Big Brother that he was happy that his ‘little brother’ would be staying in a great home, where he would be loved by everyone there, and he could continue to grow and have everything he needed.

After everyone ate, Collin said goodbye to his ‘brothers’ and told them that he would be back around Thanksgiving. After some hugs from his ‘brothers’, the college junior then headed off to his college house to get himself mentally ready for his junior year of college. He also needed to fill the house with food for him and his roommates, so he had a long day ahead of himself.

The rest of the Covers loaded into the van and when they learned that they would be headed over to the shooting range they were all excited they would get to shoot the pistols again. That was something that they hadn’t done in a very long time.

Phillip was looking forward to shooting that small gun again. He’d only gotten to shoot it that one time at Easter and that was almost five months ago. All the boys were happy they were going to the firing range.

When the Covers arrived, Mr. Wayne, Mr. Dan and Mr. Dennis were all waiting for them and they had already reserved five shooting lanes at the range for them that day. Ken Thomas was grateful for that, as it sped up their getting set up to shoot.

Phillip and Matthew again got to shoot the 10-round GLOCK G44 .22 LR Rimfire Pistol that their ‘dad’ had bought last Christmas and the Ruger® SR22™ .22 LR Rimfire Pistol that Mr. Ken picked up after Phillip began living with them. The older boys took turns shooting the 15 + 1 Glock – 9mm GLK 19 Gen5 15 FSS MOS Pistol and the 12 + 1 Sig Sauer – P365 XL 9mm Nitron Black X-Series Striker Handgun that ‘dad’ Ken had also bought at Christmas time.

Billy, Charles and Eric also got to try out Robert’s Glock 26 Gen-3 9mm pistol that he got from his parents’ estate after the District Attorney determined that it had never been used in an illegal manner by his dad.

Dan Fischer and Wayne Mitchell were also shooting their own personal guns. Dan brought his preferred personal weapon the 7-round Ruger GP100 357 Magnum, 4.2in Stainless Revolver, while Wayne brought his 12 + 1 Taurus PT111 Millennium G2 9mm Pistol. Mr. Dennis didn’t own a pistol, but the boys shared the three 9mm pistols with him, as did Mr. Ken with his two pistols.

‘Dad’ Ken owned a 15 round Glock 20, Gen 4, 10mm 15 with laser sights that he brought along, but he also brought his 15 round Walther P99 9mm, 4-inch barrel, double-action/single-action stageable trigger gun that he had switched to. He too hadn’t shot either gun in quite some time and he wanted to get comfortable with them once again.

The other three men got to try out those two guns, as well, to see how they fared up against the other guns they were shooting that day. Dan was the most impressed with them. As a Sheriff’s Deputy he shot a number of different guns and he liked what Ken Thomas had bought to protect himself and The Cove. The Sheriff’s Lieutenant was just happy that his friend never had to use them to defend himself, or The Cove.

The group of ten, including the men, teens and boys spent over two hours at the shooting range that afternoon with each of them sending well over 150 rounds down range. ‘Dad’ Ken and Mr. Dan took some time to help both Phillip and Matthew group their shots on the targets.

As for Mr. Dennis, although he spent a good amount of time in the service to his country and knew how to shoot, it had been quite some time since he had gone to a shooting range. His time there brought back many memories and he thoroughly enjoyed himself in the company of his friends and the Cover boys.

After they finished their time at the shooting range, the group headed over to the Marina to check out its Grand Opening. It was now later in the day, and the crowds had dissipated somewhat so the parking lot wasn’t all that crowded and they easily all found spots to park.

The boys had visited there before, but it had been some time since they had been there. This visit was actually the first visit for Mr. Dennis, Mr. Wayne and Mr. Dan. The three adults were amazed at what they saw.

The men all knew, from talking with Ken Thomas what was there, but when they saw the extent of the boat slips, the dual fueling depot, the size of the marina bait store that sold all sorts of fishing gear and that there was also a scuba sales and service facility associated inside, they were greatly impressed with what the owner of The Cove was able to put together, along with his investors.

The group walked out on one of the boat docks and saw that they were lighted, there were fresh water taps provided to all boat slips and that fire hoses and life ring cabinets were also stationed strategically along the docks for safety purposes.

The group looked over to the restaurant, which wasn’t open yet, but Mr. Ken told them that they could go up onto the outside deck and peer inside to see what the interior looked like. Once up there, their host explained that when the restaurant opens in a few weeks there would be outside tables with umbrellas, so that people could enjoy their meals out there and watch the sun set.

From up on the restaurant’s outside deck the group could also get a better view of the entire marina where they noticed that there were different sized slips so, they asked about them. Mr. Ken told everyone that those were for the different sized boats on the lake and he further explained the slip rentals were priced accordingly. The Marina’s owner added that there were also reserved slips for the Texas Parks & Wildlife Game Wardens and the Lake Water Safety and Rescue Team Members to use for quick access out onto the lake.

Mr. Ken then pointed out, from the deck’s height, how the parking lot was divided up for the restaurant, pier rental customers, general daily parking and boat trailer parking for those who used the boat launch ramps. He also explained that the small buildings they could see were the public restrooms located out in the parking area for people to use.

Phillip spoke up and asked who would be taking care of cleaning them. Mr. Ken told him that the bait store employees were responsible for taking care of cleaning them and ensuring there were enough supplies for the people to use. The older boys began to chuckle at hearing that and Phillip asked them why they were laughing.

Billy told his little ‘brother’ that his friend, Lonnie, works there part-time and that he would be one of the people cleaning the restrooms. All Phillip said in reply was, “Well, at least he has experience.”

When the boys heard what Phillip had to say, they all burst out laughing, knowing that Lonnie, along with all of the Cover boy’s friends, had experience cleaning the restrooms at the Pavilion back at The Cove. Even the adults snickered at the boy’s thinking.

Of course, everyone signed up for the giveaways that the Marina was offering during their Grand Opening. After the boys had filled out their entry and before they placed it into the box, they asked their ‘dad’ why he hadn’t filled one out.

“Boys … if you read the back of your entry, it says something to the effect of who is not eligible to participate. People like employees and their families, suppliers of the products being giving away and the owners and their families and a few others,” chuckled Mr. Ken.

“You mean we can’t win if our name … if our name is picked from the box?” asked the surprised Phillip.

“Yes, that’s what he means,” answered Charles.

And with that affirmed, all the boys scrunched up their entry forms and threw them into the trash can. But Mr. Dan, Mr. Dennis and Mr. Wayne put their entries into the box saying they didn’t fall into any of those categories. The three men all smiled as they turned and looked at the boys.

From the Marina, the group decided to walk over to the Four Corners Amusement Park figuring that parking over there would be difficult to find, as it was the Park’s Grand Opening weekend as well.

As the boys walked up to the amusement park, they told their ‘dad’ that they were getting hungry and their ‘dad’, of course, asked if they wanted to eat in the Diner. But the boys, instead, asked if they could try the foods that the Park was now offering.

Mr. Ken had forgotten that Nelson Sanders, the parks operations manager, was going to slowly introduce more and more offerings as the weeks went on. So, he too, was interested to see what was being offered, how well everything was being presented and how good it tasted.

“Yes, I agree. Let’s all try out what the Park has to offer,” replied ‘dad’ Ken. “And I would like us to try at least one of everything, so I can get an idea if they are what the public would like.”

“No, dad, you want to know if they are good enough to keep serving,” chuckled Charles. For that comment the teen got a bop on his head and a hug from his dad.

The group walked around to see what was now being served at the park. It wasn’t an extensive menu, but it was the typical amusement park foods, such as, foot long hot dogs, chicken nuggets, hamburgers, with or without cheese, French fries, churros, funnel cake, soft pretzels and cotton candy.

Mr. Ken asked his ‘boys’ to first try the foot longs, hamburgers, chicken nuggets and French fries and that they could try the other things later for dessert. The boys eagerly got in line and then decided who would get what. The men just stood back and watched.

With their food and drinks in hand, the boys went to the covered picnic Pavilion. The men, by that time, had gotten in line to get what they wanted to eat and soon, they joined the six boys.

The boys talked about their meal and how good it tasted, as they ate, and they shared the abundance of French fries from one another’s food baskets. The men had also decided to each get something different and as they ate, they discussed how well the food was presented and tasted. The boys then joined in discussing how they thought the food was presented to them.

Charles told his dad that the server just threw his basket down on the counter before he placed his drink there. Phillip said that the same thing happened to him. Billy told Mr. Ken that his server placed the basket down gently along with his drink and asked him if there was anything else he needed. Robert and Eric had similar experiences to their ‘brothers’ which surprised the owner of the park, as all the men were all treated like Billy was. Mr. Ken knew he needed to talk with Ben and Nelson tomorrow after their regular meeting.

The Four Corners Amusement Park was well attended that Labor Day and the boys decided they didn’t want to stand in line to ride any of the attractions. They did, though, want to try the churros, funnel cake, soft pretzels and cotton candy. Even the men wanted to try some of them, to see if they were as good as they looked.

As the boys ate what they were calling their after-meal dessert, Billy suggested that the park should offer chocolate churros as well as the cinnamon ones. It was Matthew who suggested that the park should offer different dipping sauces for the soft pretzels, as only offering mustard didn’t hack it. The boys all agreed with their youngest ‘brother’.

The pre-teen suggested the park should offer caramel, sweet glaze, cream cheese, honey mustard, nacho cheese and ranch dressing sauces, or dips, as options, as they do when they stop for soft pretzels at the Outlet Mall. ‘Dad’ Ken and the other men liked that idea.

Phillip had gotten the funnel cake with strawberries and told everyone that he liked it, but it was messy and that he needed more napkins. He suggested that the strawberries should be whole or cut up and not in a runny glaze that runs all over the plate. Mr. Ken took a mental note of what the boy said and of what he also saw.

Robert and Eric said their cotton candy was really good, as they pulled pieces off the paper cone it came on, and stuffed it in their mouths. Mr. Wayne reached over to Robert’s cotton candy floss and pulled off a piece, ate it and then agreed. Everyone laughed.

It had been a long day for everyone and they all agreed to head home and catch up with one another tomorrow. Mr. Dennis thanked Mr. Ken for inviting him to have a wonderful ‘family’ day and then shook his hand. The man then thanked the boys for being the wonderful young men they were, and soon he was walking over to the Marina, where his vehicle was parked.

Mr. Dan also thanked his friend Ken for the incredible day to share with him and his ‘family’. He told his host, and the boys, how he thoroughly enjoyed shooting with them, while showing Phillip and Matthew how to better group their shots, as well as seeing the new Marina. He told everyone that he’d see them when he sees them, and then he was off to get his parked car, which was also over at the Marina parking lot.

Mr. Wayne was the next one to leave the group. He also thanked his employer for the special day, as well, and he told the boys that he’d see them tomorrow after school. The Estate Master then walked over to the Marina, as well, to get to his vehicle.

Billy drove the van and they took Eric home before heading back to The Cove where everyone greeted Chief, who was disappointed that they didn’t have her favorite ice cream treat for her. They all scratched behind her ears and then they all headed down to the Great Room to relax and talk. There ‘Dad’ Ken wanted to talk to boys about their younger ‘brother’ remaining with them for the foreseeable future.

The boys each had a puppy in their laps, as did ‘dad’ Ken, and with one puppy left over Billy had it in his bigger lap. Mr. Ken didn’t go into the circumstances with the boys, as to why Mackenzie Flores had decided to keep her son in the Children’s Protective Services system. What he wanted to do was to have them all, tell everyone who asked why Phillip was still living with them, the same answer.

‘Dad’ Ken asked the boys to tell everyone that even though Phillip thought that he was going back to living with his mother after Labor Day, his mother’s continuing medical situation and new job hours would put her son back in the same situation that placed him the CPS system in the first place. So, it was decided that, for the time being, it would be in Phillip’s best interests for him to remain at The Cove until Mackenzie has her medical problems sorted, and she has regular working hours at which time her son can count on her being home when he is there.

The boys immediately had questions as to what were the real reasons as to why Phillip’s mom didn’t want her son back living with her right now. But ‘dad’ Ken reminded them that it would be up to Phillip to tell them, when he was ready, as to why his mom decided to forgo his moving back with her right now. He also told them not to pester their ‘brother’ to tell them why his mom had decided to leave him there.

The boys understood where their ‘dad’ was coming from when he told them that, and they all agreed not to hound Phillip to tell them. They all knew that there were some unspoken reasons as to why they were in the CPS system that they would not want to get out, so it was only fair that they gave Phillip the same consideration, to let him tell them at his own time, like they all had when they first arrived at The Cove.

With that taken care of, Mr. Ken asked Phillip if he’d seen his ‘brothers’ with a special coin. When the youngest Cover said he had, ‘dad’ Ken brought out a coin and handed it to Phillip.

“Phillip … I didn’t give you one of these when you first arrived, because … well, I was under the assumption that you would not be living with us for all that long and … well, I didn’t want to give you one and have to explain what it was and what it is to be used for,” began ‘dad’ Ken.

“Used for? It’s only a coin and it has no value that I can see,” spoke up Phillip, as he turned the coin over and over.

The rest of the boys chuckled at what their ‘brother’ just said, as they looked back and forth to one another.

“Yes, Phillip, the coin has no real monetary value, but … but it does have a use. You see young man the coin … it is a very special coin that can be used when and if … you are in trouble,” began the man before being interrupted by the young boy.

“In trouble? But I’m always here, or at school. When will I ever get into trouble?” now asked perplexed Phillip.

“Phillip,” started Matthew, “I used my coin when my mom … when she tried to take me away from Doctor Doug’s office building, when I was finished with my appointment and went to use the restroom.

“She knew I was there, somehow, and she … she dragged me to a closet in the women’s restroom, while Mr. Wayne and the Sheriff’s Deputies were looking for me. And I used it, the coin, again when my dad … when my REAL dad, that is, … when he beat me so bad that I wound up in the hospital. ‘Dad’, he was notified that my coin went off, and he came and fought to bring me back here,” finished the pre-teen.

“You did? And, ‘dad’ Ken did that?” asked an unbelieving Phillip; looking back and both between the two.

“Yes, Phillip, all that happened,” answered ‘dad’ Ken. “But let me explain about the coin. You see … I had these special coins made by one of my manufacturing companies. The coins have a mechanism inside of them that when you squeeze the coin, with your thumb and forefinger, it will cause a chemical reaction that creates a battery that begins to send out a signal which is picked up by an overhead satellite.

“The satellite, in turn, sends a signal down to Diamond Security telling the person on duty where the signal is coming from and they then call the Sheriff’s office and then me. The Sheriff’s office dispatches an officer to the place and then they call me. I will then look at the master listing to see who the coin belongs to.

“The coins … they have been used successfully five times, if I remember right. And not just by your ‘brothers’. When I first got them, I had given all of your ‘brothers’ friends one as well. Two of the coins were used last summer, while we were visiting the amusement parks.

“You may remember when Lt. Dan briefed us on what happened in the Food Court at The Mall when Richard Longger and David Fritzer … when they were being beaten by the older teens in The Mall’s Food Court restrooms. They both had coins and they wisely used them.

“And, I want you to have a coin because you are a Cover, and all of the Covers have one. One thing about this coin is … you aren’t to tell anyone about it. If one of your friends sees it … you tell them that it is something that I gave you because all of your ‘brothers’ have them. If they ask to see it, don’t let them handle it. That’s because if they squeeze it the Sheriff’s Deputies would be there in less than five minutes.

“And Phillip … another reason I want you to have this coin is because … because of Rafael and his cohorts. He’s come to The Cove twice looking for you. He could also find you at Doctor Doug’s, or at Four Corner’s, or on the school playground. So, you need to have a way of calling for help because if they take you away, they will take your cell phone away from you and throw it away because they know the police can track you by its signal.

“So, it is imperative that if someone tries to abduct you, or does take you away somewhere you need to squeeze that coin and do it as soon as you can. If they try to take the coin away from you got to plead to them for you to be able to keep it, as it means so much to you, as it was a special gift from me. Tell them anything, so you can get it to squeeze it! Also … know that when you squeeze the coin it will get hot. Any questions?” finished ‘dad’ Ken.

Phillip just sat there looking at his coin, as he continued to turn it over and over. He heard what his ‘dad’ just told him, and it made sense to him. The young Cover then looked over to Matthew and asked him, “Did you know … did you really know when it was time to, you know, to squeeze your coin?”

“Oh, yea,” quickly announced Matthew. “My mom … she told me that she was going to kill me, when she had the chance. She swore she’d kill me because I had talked to the police about what her and her boyfriend, Lincoln, did to me. She fumed at me, while she was squeezing my balls. So, I knew then that I needed to squeeze my coin to let them know where I was.”

It was then that Billy spoke up. “Phil … I didn’t squeeze my coin, but … but after the men who had beaten me to a pulp, and then shot the Goldersons … it was Mark, who came out of hiding. I told him where my coin was, and I had him squeeze it. After he did that, I had him hide again until Mr. Ken came to find him. The coin works and you’ll know when to use it. Trust me!”

Phillip just sat there stunned at what he just heard. The young Cover knew there were secrets as to why his ‘brothers’ were living at The Cove. He knew about Billy’s beating and the Golderson’s being shot, but he didn’t know that it was Mark who had summoned the police by squeezing his big ‘brothers’ coin.

Phillip also learned more about Matthew and what happened between him and his mother and why he now doesn’t want to go back to living with her. He knew a little about Charles, but practically nothing about Robert. And here he was concerned about why his own mother didn’t want him living with her, which was nothing in comparison to what his ‘brothers’ had to deal with.

“Guys … I never knew. I’m … I’m sorry that you all had it so bad. I guess I was always thinking about myself and … and when I would be going back to living with my mom, while none of you will ever, well maybe Matthew might have to, but none of you will ever get to live with your moms again. I just don’t know how I would feel if I knew that would happen to me,” somewhat apologized Phillip, who had begun to let tears fall from his eyes.

Billy saw the tears and he put the two puppies down, then went over to his little ‘brother’, had him put his puppy down and he pulled him up into a hug. The other boys also put their puppies down and they all joined in a group hug.

The puppies began to whimper at being taken off their warm laps and being put down on the cold floor. Chief saw the boys gather together and, with her pups crying for attention, she barked at them and they all went running to her.

Once the boys broke their hug, ‘dad’ Ken asked them if there was anything that they needed to bring up. Hearing they didn’t have anything he asked them to get Chief and the pup’s fresh water for the night, and watch as Chief lets her brood out to pee before everyone went to bed.

That night Phillip and his ‘dad’ sat down and talked at length about the boy’s mother’s decision to leave him in the CPS system, and her reasons why. The eleven-year-old cried his heart out some more, as he still was having a difficult time understanding why his mom did that to him.

‘Dad’ Ken tried to explain to his ‘son’ that his mom felt that with her leaving him with his ‘brothers’ he would continue to have the best of everything that she could never afford to give him, if he were to move back with her.

Phillip told his ‘dad’ that he loved all the things that he did for him, but he didn’t care if he didn’t get to do them ever again. He told ‘dad’ Ken that all he just wanted was to live with his mom, again. And with that the boy broke down and cried some more. ‘Dad’ Ken just held onto to boy to let him know he was welcome there and of course loved by him and his ‘brothers’.

Once Phillip settled down some, the young Cover asked his ‘dad’ if he really thought that Rafael Ruiz would actually try to get to him.

‘Dad’ Ken thought about that for a few moments, and then he told Phillip, “Young man … each of your ‘brothers’ … they all had someone in their past life … who wanted some sort of revenge on them. I think it is best we take all the precautions we can, and with you having your coin with you all the time … it is the best protection I can do for you when you are not here on The Cove.

“Remember … if your friends see the coin don’t let them play with it. Just tell them you want to try to keep it as scratch free as possible. OK?” encouraged ‘dad’ Ken.

“‘Dad’ … you said that all of my ‘brothers’ friends had gotten a coin, too. Will … will all of my friends … will they get a coin, too, now?” asked Phillip.

Mr. Ken hadn’t thought about Phillip’s friends getting a coin, as well, after he’d given the boy his coin, and the question caught him off guard. So, he told the young boy that he’d look into it and he would let him know.

Before the two said good night to one another, Phillip again thanked his ‘dad’ for everything he’d done for him, and for thinking about his safety by giving him his coin. The young Cover then asked if he would ever get to talk to his mom. ‘Dad’ Ken told the boy that he would let this issue settle for a few weeks before he contacted his mom, to see if she would meet with her son, and talk to him about her decision, so he would fully understand why.

Phillip thanked his ‘dad’ for thinking about doing that and then said that he was tired and that he better get to bed. The two hugged and the boy headed to his bathroom to drain his dragon, while Mr. Ken headed down the stairs. Chief was nowhere to be seen, as she was still staying by her young brood, so Phillip would be sans a roommate that night, again.

The saga of Three Finger Cove continues. Let Chowhound know you are reading his story: Chowhnd at Gmail dot Com

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