Published: 16 Apr 2026

From the Previous Chapter:

The owner of The Cove knew he was as tired as he looked when he saw his face in the bathroom mirror. He quickly got ready for bed, then he went and sat on the edge of his king-sized bed, and thought some about the events of that tumultuous weekend. He soon realized there was no way he could have anticipated what happened to Phillip and his mother.

The dad/foster dad was tired and he made doubly sure that his alarm clock was set for his usual Monday morning wake up time. He told himself that he didn’t want to oversleep. The man then turned off the lights in his bedroom and climbed under the covers.

It didn’t take long for Ken Thomas to fall asleep that Sunday night and when he did, all of the boys were also asleep. And even though the house was quiet throughout the night, one boy, in particular, didn’t sleep all that well.

Still feeling tired from the effects of what happened over the weekend, Ken Thomas knew he needed to get out of bed and be out in the Kitchen Nook when the boys came down for breakfast. He quickly got out of bed and used his en suite to get ready for his day, got dressed and proceeded out to the Nook to get his first cup of coffee.

Momma Maria had that first cup of coffee ready for her employer, and as soon as she saw him arrive, she brought his favorite cup over to the table, where he usually sat, placed it in front of him and then filled it.

Mr. Ken could smell the freshly made brew, as the woman poured the fluid into the cup, and after he took his first sip of the hot liquid, he lifted the cup, as was his habit, to salute her for taking such good care of him.

Momma then said something to him about what happened at the Four Corners Diner to Phillip and asked him if the niño would be OK. Mr. Ken told Momma that the boy was working through the stigma of what happened, and would be going to school that morning. He also told her that he would make appointments for him to talk to Doctor Doug for the foreseeable future.

Momma told Mr. Ken that she would say a prayer and light a candle for the boy’s quick return to being a normal happy Cover. Mr. Ken smiled and thanked her for doing that for the boy.

The owner of The Cove then went about getting his morning newspaper out of the protective sleeve, so he could begin reading what was happening in the world and around the area.

What immediately caught the man was the teaser headlines at the top of the front page mentioning that there were still unanswered questions about the hostage taking, over the weekend. Mr. Ken knew that the news media would harp, or focus, on this as there was nothing else going on right then for them to put their attention on.

The man did go to the article to see what the newspaper was asking, as being unanswered, and he learned that they wanted to know about the gun, that the ‘boy’ had been holding, what type it was, and the ‘why’ he didn’t tell anyone.

They also wanted to know why it took so long for that information to be released. They also wanted to know why those men were after the ‘boy’ and his mother, and where the men had intended to take them if they had gotten away from the Diner.

Mr. Ken just shook his head at the writer’s insistence at knowing the answers to those questions. He said to himself that, ‘hindsight is always 20/20’ and what does a ten-year-old know what he can do when he is threatened by someone who is known to be a bad guy.

As ‘dad’ Ken continued to read the newspaper, the first three boys came down for breakfast. They all said good morning to him and Momma Maria and then Darrin and Matthew went and took care of fixing Chief and Sarge’s first meal of the day.

As those two boys were taking care of the resident pets, ‘Dad’ Ken called Phillip over to him. “‘Son’, you going to be, ok?”

Phillip sighed and replied, “Yes, I think so. I … I just wished I didn’t have to do this.”

“You’ll have to deal with this sooner or later, and the sooner you face this the quicker it will be over. Now, go and enjoy your Momma Breakfast,” encouraged ‘dad’ Ken.

As the boys ate, ‘dad’ Ken asked Darrin and Matthew to stay close to their ‘brother’ at school today. He asked them to run interference for him concerning his classmates and any other students who gets too aggressive over asking him about what happened at the Diner.

Darrin said he understood what he meant. The teen said that he’ll stay close to make sure any student doesn’t get too insistent on his ‘brother’ answering their questions, or get furious or close to hostile, when Phillip doesn’t answer them the way they think he should.

‘Dad’ Ken commented that he hoped that it wouldn’t come to that, but if it did for them to take their ‘brother to Mr. Chassen, the principal, and tell him what happened.

As soon as the boys left for school, Mr. Ken did call the school. He talked to Dan Chassen, the principal, about what Phillip went through at the Diner. He asked the man if he could have the resource officer to watch what was happening out in the schoolyard that morning and to intervene if the students got to intimidating. The principal told Mr. Ken that he’d take care of it.

At the office that morning, when her boss arrived, Rosemary didn’t know what to say to him about what happened over the weekend to his foster son. But it didn’t matter, because as soon as Mr. Thomas arrived, he asked her to have Ben Walthers come to his office.

When Ben arrived, Mr. Ken had him sit down as he wanted to talk to him.

“Ben … you probably know what transpired at the Four Corners Diner this past weekend. It’s because of that that I will be extremely busy this morning, so I want you to handle the meeting for me. Just tell them to give you the highlights and then move on.

“Emilio Ramirez, the Three Finger Real Estate Group manager, he’s talked to me about those vacant acres next to the amusement park. He thinks that the owner is close to selling. If he has any more information about that let me know right away. I know you can handle this, Ben,” finished Mr. Ken.

After Ben left to run the Monday morning meeting, Ken Thomas’s first call was to his lawyer, Bill Jackson. When the two talked, Mr. Ken needed to know what legal problems Phillip might be exposed to, because of what happened in the Diner, and the revelation of his holding the gun for Ruiz.

Bill told him that the Sheriff’s office would have already charged the boy over the gun, once they had originally found it. So, the lawyer told the foster dad not to stress out over that. Bill Jackson then told Ken Thomas that whatever the Diner’s patrons told the news media was all hearsay and anything Phillip and Mackenzie said, that is heard on any video recordings, could be construed as them being under duress. But, again, Bill Jackson, told Ken not to stress out, as they would be able to fight anything the authorities bring up against his foster son.

Mr. Ken’s next call was to his friend Dan Fischer. When Dan came to the phone, Ken wanted to know how they could shut down Rafael Ruiz’s control of his gang from prison. Dan was honest with his friend and told him that it was out of their hands, and that he would have to go the Texas Department of Criminal Justice to start.

Ken Thomas didn’t need to hear that, so he called his lawyer back. The two talked and after Bill understood what his client wanted him to do, Bill Jackson told Ken Thomas that he’d make some phone calls and that it would take some time; longer than a day or two. Again, Ken Thomas didn’t want to hear that, but he knew that Bill would do what he needed to do and he’d call him when he was finished.

Mr. Ken was so stressed out over the whole thing, that he decided to call Kate. He needed someone he could talk to and she was the best person he could think of that he knew would be able to calm him down enough, for him to get through the rest of the day.

At school that morning, as soon as Phillip got off the school bus, his band mates met him and they all walked to where they usually hung out before the first bell rang. But that didn’t deter the other students from searching him out to ask him about what happened to him and his mother in the Diner on Saturday.

The questions were simple enough in the beginning, but as the older students learned that he was there they came over and became more demanding with their questions. Darrin stepped up and told them all to knock it off and to leave his ‘brother’ alone. They argued that Phillip wasn’t his ‘brother’ and to stop defending him.

By then the school’s resource office, who is actually a sworn police officer assigned to the school, finally stepped in to stifle the argument that was beginning between Darrin and the older students. He took Phillip inside the school, to Principal Chassen, who asked him if he’d be OK.

The young Cover told the principal that it was the older students who were the most aggressive in wanting him to answer their questions about what happened to him and his mother in the Diner.

Later that morning, Dan Chassen took to the school-wide intercom and got all of the students, teachers and other staff employees’ attention. He told them in no uncertain terms were they to approach Phillip Girroads about what happened to him and his mother at the Four Corners Diner that past Saturday.

The principal told them that the Sheriff’s detectives were already working that issue and have interviewed him extensively. He also reminded them that many of the Diner’s patrons have talked extensively to the news media and revealed what went on inside the Diner up to the time the gunmen decided to try to leave.

The principal added that if they want to know what went on inside the Diner all they needed to do was read the Sunday papers and their latest issues. Dan Chassen again reminded everyone not to bother Phillip about that matter.

Later that afternoon, when Phillip returned home from school, Detectives Lt. Matthias and Sgt, Roberts were at The Cove waiting. Ken Thomas had called them that morning to tell them that his foster son had remembered something and had wanted to tell them, which was why they had stopped by. ‘Dad’ Ken came home early for the meeting and he, Mr. Wayne, Mr. Dennis and the detectives were in the Study when Phillip came home.

“Phillip, you remember Lt. Matthias and Sgt, Roberts,” began ‘dad’ Ken. “They are here, as you requested. So, please take a seat and then you can tell them what you remembered since your encounter with Rafael’s gang members on Saturday.”

Phillip felt a little outnumbered sitting there in the Study with all those men there, especially with the detectives standing looking down at him. He looked to his ‘dad’ for some reassurance that everything was going to be OK. And, after getting a nod that everything was going to be alright, the detectives began, and asked the young Cover to tell them what he remembered.

“Well, began Phillip, “as I was talking to my ‘brothers’, at dinner Saturday night, and then … and then yesterday, I remembered something else that the gunmen said. The first man, the one who came into the Diner and talked to my mom and me, first. He’s the one who told us that he was the one who hit my mom with the gun. So, that it wasn’t Rafael who’d done that. But Rafael was the one who trashed our apartment, though.

“Anyway, he also told my mom and I, before his companions came, that Rafael … that Rafael was going to use that gun, the one that I was hiding for him, that Rafael was going to rob a store that night, but he couldn’t because I wasn’t there to give him the gun back to him. He said that Rafael Ruiz was pissed, err that he was mad at me, for not being there and that he was going to ‘kill me’, the next time he saw me.

“Oh, and the other thing I remembered. They told me that Rafael … when he came to The Cove during the Easter Egg Roll … that he came there to talk to me, but he got arrested instead. They said that he blamed me for that.

“Then the night that Rafael and his gang got into that gun fight, while we were visiting my ‘dad’s’ amusement parks. They told me that Ruiz … that he was there not to rob The Cove, but they were there … they were there to … to kidnap me. And Rafael was going to do something to me, but they didn’t say what,” finished Phillip.

The detectives talked to the young Cover for a few more minutes before they decided to leave. They thanked the boy for the added information and Mr. Ken for the time to talk to his foster son.

Momma was waiting for the men to leave, so she could get Phillip to the Kitchen Nook for his afterschool snack. The boy’s ‘brothers’ were waiting, too, for their younger ‘brother’ to arrive. They wanted to know what the detectives want to talk to him about.

Phillip told them that he told his ‘dad that he had remembered something from Saturday and had them stop by, so he could tell them. The boys had him tell them what he told the detectives, so they would know everything that had happened to their ‘brother’ on Saturday.

After dinner, ‘dad’ Ken held his usual meeting and covered what was going to happen at The Cove in the coming weeks. He told the boys that the house would soon be decorated for the Holidays, so for them not to be surprised when they come home one day and see the ladies here starting to decorate the house.

Robert then asked his dad if they would get to set up his train under the tree once that was all decorated. The teen’s dad told his son that he’d like them to do that again this year.

Phillip and Darrin weren’t there last year, when the boys set up Mr. Ken’s trains, so they asked what that was all about. The older boys then explained all about it and how much fun it was to put the train tracks under the huge Christmas tree.

When ‘dad’ Ken went up to say goodnight to the boys, he talked to Phillip a little longer than the other boys that night. He wanted to make sure the boy was doing alright after his ordeal from Saturday. The two talked, some more, at length. about that day and what the boy told the detectives earlier. Then before ‘dad’ Ken left the boy, he told him that Doctor Doug would see him on Thursday at two o’clock.

It had been another long, arduous day for Ken Thomas. He was glad that it was over and he was finally getting the chance to go to bed. He used his en suite to get ready for bed and then he went and sat on the edge of his king-sized bed. He tried to think of everything that transpired during the day but his mind was so full that he knew he needed the rest in order to make sense of it all in the morning.

So, the man decided to turn off the lights. get under the blankets, go to sleep and let his body and mind get the rest they both needed after the last few difficult days. He tossed and turned as his mind replayed what happened on Saturday and then considered what could have been. The Cove was quiet throughout the night but one person still did not sleep well.

When he awoke Tuesday morning, Ken Thomas didn’t feel to much better than when he went to bed. But he knew he needed to get up and be out in the Kitchen Nook when the boys came down for breakfast, before they went off to school.

So, the dad/foster dad went to his en suite to get ready for his day, then he dressed and before long he was walking into the Kitchen Nook, where Momma Maria had his first cup of coffee waiting for him.

“Good morning, Momma,” called out Mr. Ken, as he entered the Nook.

Momma smiled at the man and returned the greeting, as she brought the man’s favorite coffee cup and a carafe of hot coffee over to the table where he sat. The woman placed the cup down and then filled it with the hot brew, where the owner of The Cove took a quick sip, and then lifted the cup to her, in his way, to salute her for taking such good care of him.

That morning, though, after giving his usual salute, the man offered, “Momma … I don’t know what I, well, we … what we would do without you. You are the nexus … the link that holds us Covers together, and … and we owe you so much. So, please … please don’t ever stop doing what you do for us, as I do honestly believe that I, err, that we … that we would be lost without you!”

Momma was at first taken aback at what she just heard from her employer. But she knew that the man truly loved her for what she has done for him, and the boys, over all those years. So, she thanked him for what he said to her. But what she didn’t know was that the man was hurting inside, as he still hadn’t fully wrapped his mind around what transpired over the weekend and what could have been for him and the rest of the boys.

When the first three boys came into the Kitchen Nook, they said good morning to the two adults and then Darrin and Matthew took care of fixing the resident pets their first meal of the day. Then, after they washed their hands, they sat down to a Momma breakfast.

As the boys ate their breakfast, ‘dad’ Ken talked to them about their previous day. Matthew told their ‘dad’ that after Mr. Chassen told the entire school over the intercom to leave Phillip alone, no one came to him at lunch to bother him about what happened to him at the Diner.

Phillip spoke up and told his ‘dad’ how his band mates came to him and hung around him, so that it helped keep the rest of the school students away.

‘Dad’ Ken was happy to hear that and he asked Darrin and Matthew to keep an eye on their ‘brother’ and to help him if he needs to keep the rest of the students away again, today. The two older boys agreed to watch over their ‘brother’ and they said that they would do what they did yesterday to keep the students from bothering him too much.

When the three younger boys went off to school and the three older teens came down for breakfast, they could tell that their ‘dad’ was preoccupied. They could tell that he had something on his mind, as he wasn’t as engaging with them as he usually is. They didn’t want to say anything to him, as they knew when he is busy with projects at his work, that he gets that way.

On their way out to school, Robert did stop and talk to Momma and he mentioned to her that his dad seems to be engrossed in something at work. But Momma Maria told the teenager that the teen’s dad told her something that morning that she feels that he is still troubled over what happened to Phillip. The teenager asked Momma that if she thinks that, then she should say something to Mr. Wayne and Mr. Chris.

When Chris and Wayne arrived at The Cove and were sitting around the Kitchen Nook drinking coffee and eating some breakfast that Momma had made for them, Momma sat down at the table and got their attention.

It was then that she told them what Mr. Ken said to her that morning. She explained that it wasn’t so much what he said, but the way that he said it. Then she told them what Robert had told her before leaving for school, which was why she was mentioning it to them, now.

Chris and Wayne looked at one another and they remembered back when their employer was under a lot of stress and had needed some intervention. The two walked to the Study and Wayne made a phone call to a doctor that they used once before.

When the Estate Master got off the phone, he went back to the Kitchen Nook to tell Momma that they were going to have a guest for dinner that night. When she learned who it was, she smiled.

Once he arrived at the office, Ken Thomas settled down. He immersed himself in his work by reviewing what was brought up at the Monday meeting and looking forward to what would hopefully be the expansion of the Four Corners Amusement Park that spring, if he could only get possession of those adjacent eight plus acres of land.

As he was contemplating what could be, Ben Walthers came to his office. Mr. Ken welcomed the interruption and he asked Ben what was on his mind. The President of Three Finger Entertainment, LLC told the owner of TFE that Emilio Ramirez, the Three Finger Real Estate Group manager, said something interesting to him after the meeting.

Ben continued and told the boss that Emilio felt that the property owner needed a little push to finally decide to sell the property. When Mr. Ken asked what did Mr. Ramirez mean, Ben said that he felt they needed to release a better description of the roller coaster they intend to build next to his property.

That intrigued Mr. Thomas and he asked Ben if he had an idea if what he could do. And Mr. Walthers said that he had contacted one of those coaster manufacturers they were going to talk with after the Holidays, and they sent him a picture and a video of a ninety-foot steel coaster that they were going to suggest to them. Ben then pulled the picture and video out that were on his cell phone and then showed Mr. Ken.

On the video, as the coaster car went up the ninety-foot lift hill, the roll-back mechanism clanged loudly as it caught the cogs. Then, as the coaster car went down the track, the video had the passengers loudly screaming on the down hills and tight turns. And in the background, they could hear another coaster car begin its transit up the lift hill adding to the cacophony of noise.

“Ben … I think you have a winner there. So, what’s your plan?” now asked

Ben Walthers explained that he planned to call Rene and offer her an exclusive on the coaster they were looking at and that he had a manufacturers video rendition he could show her. Ken Thomas knew that she would bite at the opportunity to have the exclusive and to possibly show the new coaster on one of her segments called, Viewers Want to Know. Mr. Ken told him to go ahead.

It was after lunch that Mr. Ken realized that Nicholas Crown was supposed to have been sentenced yesterday. But he was so preoccupied with everything that was going on with what happened over the weekend that he had totally forgotten to check what the teenager was given by the courts for his being found guilty of the attempted murder of Richard Longger, as well as with planning the assault, stalking and assault and battery resulting in a serious bodily injury to a minor child.

So, Mr. Ken quickly went to the on-line newspapers to see what they had reported. There he read that the judge gave Nicholas Crown the five years that he had agreed to in the plea bargain, but that the judge also sentenced him to two years each for the planning the assault and his stalking and the assault and battery resulting in serious bodily injury to Richard Longger.

The judge announced that the two-year sentences would run concurrently but would be added to Crown’s five years for the attempted murder charge which mean that Nicholas Crown would spend seven years in prison. Ken Thomas smiled that justice was somewhat delivered. He now wondered what would happen to Leah Hoalmes if she took a plea bargain.

That afternoon Mr. Dennis took Darrin to his appointment with Doctor Doug. Along the way the two talked and, again, Darrin told how he was glad he wasn’t in his younger ‘brothers’ shoes right now, especially if from what he said about that they wanted him dead, was true.

That was the first time that Mr. Dennis was hearing that, as he wasn’t with the Covers Saturday night when they went out for dinner. So, he asked Darrin to tell him more of what Phillip had revealed to the ‘family’. The teen Cover said that he would and he began by telling the man that the initial gunman let Phillip and his mom know that he was there to kidnap them.

Darrin added that Phillip told them that it was the initial gunman who beat his mother and not Rafael, but that it was Rafael Ruiz who destroyed everything in the house because he couldn’t find the gun.

The teen then mentioned that Phillip whispered to his mother that they had to fight them because Phillip figured that if he was going to get hurt, he wanted it to happen there where the Sheriff’s Deputies could save him because if they didn’t, and the men got away with them, they could never be found. The teen finished his telling by saying that his ‘brother’ was thoroughly scared that they would actually kill him.

Mr. Dennis thanked Darrin for filling in the blanks for him, as they headed over to Doctor Doug’s, for Darrin’s scheduled appointment.

About five o’clock that evening, Ken Thomas was surprised to learn that they had a surprise guest for dinner. He was even more surprised that the guest was there to see him before dinner.

Wayne Mitchell pulled his boss aside, as Doctor Douglas Jennings arrived, and told him that he, Momma and Chris decided that he was too stressed out, over what happened to Phillip, and that he needed someone to talk to about it.

The Estate Master reminded him how he talked to Doctor Doug once before, when he needed to clear his mind and this, again, was one of those times that he needed to sit down with a trusted friend and clear his mind.

Ken Thomas didn’t know what to say other than to thank Wayne for doing that for him. He agreed that when he and Chris set him up to talk to Doctor Doug before, it was what he truly needed. And now he knows, this what he needs now, because his mind was still distraught over everything that happened to his ‘son’ Phillip.

When Doctor Jennings arrived, all of the Covers were there to greet him. It was when the doctor and ‘dad’ Ken went into the Study and they closed the door, that the boys learned that the two men were going to visit with one another, as they hadn’t had that opportunity in a long time.

Darrin was concerned that the good doctor was there to tell Mr. Ken everything that he’d told the doctor. But his ‘brothers’ told him that for as long as they’d been talking to Doctor Doug, they never knew of anything that they told him that ever got back to their ‘dad’. That put the teen at ease because he was afraid that his foster dad would send him away if he learned of the things that he talked about.

That night Momma Maria, because she, Wayne and Chris had invited Doctor Jennings over for dinner, and because of the reason they had invited him over, she made her wonderful Mexican dinner of beef fajitas, grilled onions, red and green peppers, refried beans, rice, fresh guacamole, diced tomatoes, shredded lettuce, sour cream, salsa and warm homemade tortillas. She also made something new: Mexican Corn on the Cob.

Everyone loved Momma’s Mexican cooking and tonight she outdid herself. The flavors were so well blended, that everyone loved that they got put on their own tortilla the right amount of beef fajitas, grilled onions and peppers, diced tomatoes, and anything else they wanted to make their first plate. That along with the refried beans and rice and tonight they all tried Momma’s Mexican Corn on the Cob, and they loved it.

Conversation at the table refrained from talking about what happened last Saturday. The boys focused on what they wanted for Christmas and then they talked about getting some sort of gag gift for their ‘brothers’ that they open on Christmas eve.

Doctor Doug enjoyed hearing the banter amongst the boys. His being a bachelor didn’t give him the opportunity to be exposed to what goes on in a large family, like what was there that night.

Tonight, for dessert, Momma made Strawberry-Cream Cheese Empanadas. She also had vanilla ice cream and fresh strawberries on the table for everyone to add to their plate. Doctor Doug would remember that night for quite some time.

‘Dad’ Ken walked Doctor Doug out to his car, with Mr. Wayne keeping the boys inside so the men could have a few words, without prying ears, which Mr. Ken was thankful for. And the one thing that Douglas Jennings told Ken Thomas was for him to call him any time he felt the way he did when things just don’t mesh the way he feels they should.

The two shook hands before the doctor got into his vehicle and drove out the Main Gate.

‘Dad’ Ken held a shortened meeting that night. The first thing he began with was by telling the boys that he learned that Nicholas Crown would spend a total of seven years in the Texas State Prison system. He explained that the teenager was given five years in the state prison for his attempted murder of Richard Longger and two additional years for his other crimes to be served consecutively.

Darrin had no idea who Nicholas Crown and Richard Longger was and Charles gave him a quick ‘down and dirty’ synopsis of what happened last summer to one of his best friends.

Mr. Ken then quickly reminded Phillip that he’d see Doctor Doug on Thursday, that he would be going back east sometime in December, and that The Cove would soon begin being decorated for the Holidays.

He then asked the boys to not only be working on their Christmas and gag gift lists, but he also needed them to think about what they can give the staff for Christmas. He told them to also look at the school’s Holiday schedule and then talk amongst themselves if they wanted to do two trips to the parks, visiting two then three parks, or three then two parks, or one long trip.

‘Dad’ Ken also told them that there would be the two regular Holiday parties with the local friend’s party on Friday the 22nd and his business party on Saturday the 23rd. He told them to talk to Mr. Wayne if they had any questions about the parties, the trips, their lists, or anything else.

With that all said and done ‘dad’ Ken sent the boys up to their rooms to relax before going to bed for the night.

With the boys all gone, Wayne asked his boss if his talk with Doctor Doug proved fruitful. Mr. Ken smiled and told his employee that it was a good move by him and his companions.

The owner of The Cove told Wayne that Doctor Doug was able to put things into perspective for him, so he could better prioritize what needed to be done; to focus on the important things, and to hand off those things that others can handle for him.

Wayne knew what was coming next, so he waited for what his employer was going to tell him.

“So, Wayne, “began Mr. Ken, “please coordinate with Joel Meekerts on the decorating of The Cove. Get Dennis on board with this, so he knows what goes into getting this place ready for the Holidays.

“I also want you two, to work with the boys on their Christmas wish and gag gift lists. Have Dennis sit with the boys, as they eat their afterschool snacks, so he can talk with them and get their ideas and possibly give them some.

“Also, talk with them about the amusement park trips and how they want to handle them. The school Holiday schedule will let us do any number of ways to tackle those. By the way, I am still trying to get Kate and her family to spend the Holidays with us. It would make it much easier for me if she would.

“And please don’t hesitate to call me with anything that needs my attention. I do apologize for dumping all this on you, but … well, there are some issues that are pressing and need my direct attention. I’m sure you understand and please … please explain it to Dennis, for me,” finished Mr. Ken.

Wayne told his employer that he understood how things get complicated for him at this time of year and with what happened to Phillip just added to his stress. The Estate Master told Mr. Ken that it was also time that Dennis got his feet immersed in the working of The Cove.

‘Dad’ Ken didn’t spend a lot of time with the boys that Tuesday night. He did thank Bill again for the hard work he did at the Four Corners Diner/Restaurant and that he’d try to make it up to him one day. He told his son, Robert, the same thing when he went to the teenager’s room, next.

In Charles’ room, the teen’s dad told him that he was sorry for not getting that information about Nicholas to him sooner, but that he was so preoccupied with what happened to Phillip that it had totally slipped his mind.

The teen told his dad that it was OK, and that he knew how busy he gets at this time of year. Charles told his dad that he was happy that Nicholas got what he deserved, but wished he’d gotten about ten more years.

In Matthew’s room, ‘dad’ Ken asked him about what he meant when he said that the coin got hot. The soon-to-be teen told his ‘dad’ that Phillip told them that the coin got so hot that the gunmen couldn’t hold it when they took it from him. ‘Dad’ Ken thanked Matthew for that information and told the pre-teen that he’d call his electronics manufacturer and ask them to check their specifications, to see if there might be something wrong with just that one coin, or with all of them.

When ‘dad’ Ken stopped by Phillip’s bedroom, the boy was playing on his guitar. The man listened for a few moments, and then he got the youngsters attention. Phillip smiled when he saw that his ‘dad was there and then he went to him and hugged him.

“You doing OK, ‘son’?” asked ‘dad’ Ken.

“Yeah, I’m doing OK, ‘dad’. At least the kids at school … they aren’t bugging me about what happened. … ‘Dad’ … do you think … do you think that Rafael … that he will try to get at me again?” now asked the young Cover.

“Phillip … that is a very good question. I’ve talked to Mr. Dan and he’s … well, he gave me a source to talk with to see what I can do about Mr. Ruiz. But … but it’s going to take time. And, in the meantime, I’m not going to let you go off the estate again, as I had, without some sort of security. OK?” replied ‘dad’ Ken.

“Does that mean when I play at Four Corners, you’ll have someone there with me?” quickly asked the young Cover.

“Yes, I guess it does,” answered ‘dad’ Ken, who then hugged his foster son, before leaving to go and talk with Darrin.

“Knock, knock, knock,” announced Mr. Ken, as he arrived at his foster’s room.

“Come in, Mr. Ken,” offered Darrin.

“Darrin, if you need more information about Nicholas and Richard, talk with Charles. Charles and Richard … they were very good friends and we were visiting my parks when we heard about the stabbing. My son … he was beside himself the whole time we were gone, until we got back. And even then, he wasn’t allowed to go and visit his friend because … well, that doesn’t matter.

“Just know that many things happened around The Cove long before your arrival. I’m sure that you’ve heard some stories from your ‘brothers’ and that you’ve maybe even checked the world wide web for more. And, of course, the boys … they have their own stories that when they are ready, they will tell you about them.

“Right now, how are you doing? I’m sorry for not spending much time with you as of late. You see how busy things get around here and, of course, what happened to Phillip throws a curve ball into any plans anyone may have made. Also, the Holidays … they throw a monkey wrench into what happens around here, too.

“Keep in mind, that if you have any problems you can go to Mr. Wayne, as he is a licensed foster parent, too. He does have the authority to act in my stead when I am not available,” counseled Mr. Ken.

The two shared a hug before Mr. Ken headed down to his retreat.

That night Ken Thomas felt so much better inside, as he got ready for bed. His talk with Doctor Jennings was what he needed. The talk allowed him to talk out loud with someone about all of the things that were clouding his mind. It also gave him an opportunity to hear himself speak those issues out loud and with Doctor Doug there, he was able to help him see them more clearly and prioritize them.

He somewhat felt bad about dumping what he did onto Wayne earlier, but it wasn’t anything that he hadn’t done before, or what Wayne hadn’t handled before, as well. He was glad, though, that he told Wayne to get Dennis involved with all of it, too, now.

Once he was ready for bed, Ken Thomas sat on the edge of his bed, as he had begun to do, as of late, and he thought of the things that went on during the day. The one thing that he did notice was that he didn’t feel so stressed as he had the past few days. He was so looking forward to having a good night’s sleep.

It wasn’t long after he turned off the light in his bedroom and crawled under the covers that the owner of The Cove was fast asleep. This was the first night in the last three that he slept so well. Even the boys all had a good night’s sleep, for a change.

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

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