Published: 25 May 2023

From The Previous Chapter:

Collin thanked his Big Bro for telling him that and added that he’d try to sleep in and he would see him and his ‘brothers’ sometime in the morning. The two hugged one last time and they both headed in their respective directions.

Mr. Ken knew that this weekend would be a busy one and he needed to get a good night’s rest. And now with Collin’s arrival, he knew the weekend would be that much more interesting.

When the owner of The Cove finally laid down in his comfortable king-sized bed, it didn’t take long for him to fall asleep.

The Covers all slept well that Friday night. Of course, Chief slept in Collin’s room that night.

Knock, knock, knock, Phillip heard on his bedroom door that Saturday morning.

“Go away, it’s too early to get up!” the young boy yelled from his bed.

“Phil, its nine o’clock and we have to get our showers, dressed and down for breakfast,” yelled back Matthew.

Phillip didn’t want to get out of bed. He knew he needed to, but it felt just like a school day when he knew he had to get up and that he wanted to just stay in bed. Reluctantly, the young Cover threw the covers off and slowly slipped out of his bed.

Phillip grabbed a clean pair of underwear and, holding them in front of his pointed-out pajamas, headed down to his bathroom to get ready for the day. The first thing he did was relieve the pressure in his bladder. He loved the fact his foster dad had installed the urinal, or porcelain god as his ‘brothers’ called it, in the bathroom. He then brushed his teeth, and when that was finished, he shucked off his pajamas and dirty underwear and jumped in the shower he used.

When the youngest foster boy finished his shower and had dried off, he put on his clean underwear and some deodorant and walked back to his bedroom, in just his underwear, to get dressed. As he did that, he realized he did something he wouldn’t have done only two weeks ago. He somewhat blushed at the thought. Then he smiled to himself that he’d done that.

As Phillip got dressed for the day, he thought about the past two plus weeks he’d been living at The Cove with Mr. Ken and his ‘brothers’. He came to realize that just being with his new ‘brothers’ has showed him what he was missing by being an only child.

He also saw that his ‘brothers’ weren’t embarrassed, or ashamed, to be seen naked, going from their bathroom to their bedrooms, after they’d taken their showers. He then thought back to when he and his friends changed into and out of their swimsuits down in the locker room. The boy inwardly smiled at the strides he’d made in such a short time.

Phillip heard his ‘brothers’ talking and laughing in the hallway, so he knew he needed to get his sneakers on and get down to the Kitchen Nook for breakfast. He didn’t want Mr. Ken to get mad at him. Then he realized that he never heard his foster dad ever really get mad at any of them. The man may have stressed his point a little more strenuously at times, but he never, ever got mad. Phillip loved that about Mr. Ken, as opposed to his mom who yelled at the top of her lungs at him when she was mad or angry for any reason.

“There’s my wayward foster son,” offered Mr. Ken, as Phillip walked into the Kitchen Nook a little later than the rest of the boys. The other boys applauded and laughed.

“Wha … what did I do?” asked a surprised Phillip, as he looked around to his ‘brothers’.

“Nothing. I’m just teasing you,” spoke up Mr. Ken. “Now take care of Chief’s bowls and grab yourself two breakfast tacos and a glass of milk. Your friends should be here in about twenty-five minutes.”

The Cover boys’ friends began arriving just before ten o’clock. The ones who’d been coming over to The Cove the longest, knew to just go down to the garage and their Cover friends would open the garage door at approximately ten o’clock. And that was what happened when Charles pressed the buttons to open three of the four garage doors.

“Are we spreading the eggs in the same places as we did last year?” asked Logan.

Billy spoke up and said that last year, the two older groups had a difficult time staying in their own areas, but that he had a solution. He then asked Gus to help him gather the traffic cones and they would set them out to identify the two separate areas.

Robert spoke up and said they’ve had those things ever since Collin lived there and he wished they had thought to use them all those other times. The teen then told everyone that their big ‘brother’ Collin arrived last night, so for them not to be surprised if they see him.

Gus heard what Robert said, so he asked Billy who Collin was. The older Cover told the exchange student that Collin was Mr. Ken’s first foster son. Billy added that he was also a college sophomore and was there for Easter. Billy told Gus he’d introduce them later, but for now they needed to put the traffic cones out.

Mr. Ken asked Phillip, Matthew and their friends to take the smaller Easter eggs, and begin putting them out on the grassy area between the estate’s wall and the driveway. He asked Mr. Wayne to supervise them and make sure they spread them out all the way down the lane. Mr. Ken then asked the other boys to split up and put out the rest of the eggs and to make sure they used all of the field.

As the older boys began setting out the Easter eggs, Billy and Gus had just finished placing out the traffic cones and the Cover told them to spread the 8-9-10-year-old eggs up in the area opposite the new storage shed and concrete pad and along the outer wall. The Cover told them it would give the older kids a larger area to search and then they could widen the other area for the 5-6 and 7-year-old kids.

So, the boys regrouped as Billy and Gus repositioned the traffic cones and the two search areas for the two older groups widened as they would run from the driveway through the soccer pitch and towards the lake.

Even though the boys arrived around ten o’clock it took them until well after eleven to get the Easter eggs out to the fields, and then begin spreading them along the designated Easter Egg Roll areas. Then, of course, Billy had the boys spread the Easter eggs up towards the outer wall to widen the search area for the older group, which added to the time it took the boys to spread out the eggs.

Mr. Ken saw what the boys had done and asked them why they did that. They all pointed to Billy for the answer.

“Mr. Ken … last year, as you know, it was my first year, so … well, I didn’t know what to expect. But after watching how the two older groups ran into one another, and took each other’s eggs, I figured this year I could try to keep that from happening. That was why Gus and I put out the traffic cones to try to keep them in their own areas.

“I also had the guys spread the Easter eggs up towards the outer wall. I did that to give the older kids a wider search area this year and thus widen the other kid’s area as they all ran towards the lake. I bet it will be a better Easter Egg Roll this year, Mr. Ken,” explained Billy.

Mr. Ken stood back and thought about what Bill had done and what it would do for the Easter Egg Roll. He realized the teen did what he always did, which was to view challenges and look for better ways to handle them. And this time the teen did what he thought would be best, but without checking with his foster dad. The man figured it would either work, or it wouldn’t. But it was too late to change what was already done.

After thinking some more about what the teenager had done, Mr. Ken inwardly smiled knowing that Bill had a good head on his shoulders and that he needed to sit down with the teen and have a directed talk with him about his future.

Collin had come out to the garage by then and heard the explanation. He thought about what Billy had said and inwardly he agreed with what the teen had said. Billy saw Collin standing there, so he quickly took Gus over to him and made the introductions. The two talked to one another as the rest of the boys waited around and talked amongst themselves.

Phillip and his friends stood back and looked out over all of the colorful Easter eggs spread out on the grounds of The Cove. Then they saw Charles bring out his quadcopter and begin flying it. They asked him why he was doing that. The Cover teen said he didn’t think he had any videos of the Easter Egg Roll and he wanted to get some before the people began to arrive.

The moms and dads and their children began arriving around eleven-thirty. They knew from previous years that parking was at a premium and even with the additional twelve spaces outside of The Cove, that Mr. Ken had installed last year before Christmas, that would not alleviate the parking problem. Mr. Ken had hoped the locals would walk to the estate, so there would not be such parking problems.

As the families arrived, the security guards told them to gather on the driveway. But more and more people kept coming and coming. There were many more participants this year than any previous year, so Mr. Wayne had the people walk over to the Cove Skate Park where there was more room for them to spread out.

Mr. Ken checked his portable PA system and then gathered up his ‘boys’ and they drove the golf carts up to the Cove Skate Park. The Cover boys’ friends hurried across the soccer field, being careful not to step on any plastic eggs, to meet them there.

It was closer to 12:15 when Mr. Ken got out his megaphone and had the children and parents gather close. He apologized for the delay, but he told them he didn’t anticipate the overflow of participants and wanted everyone to have a chance to arrive before he started the Easter Egg Roll. The owner of The Cove, and today’s host, called his boys over so he could introduce them to the crowd.

“Boys, girls and parents … thank you for attending my annual Easter Egg Roll. This is my fifth year and I want to take a few moments to introduce all of my boys to you. Some of you have seen them here before and or met them at the Christmas Party, but for those who haven’t, let me do that for you now.

Mr. Ken had the boys’ line up in the order they were brought to The Cove. That way he felt the adults would better understand the introductions.

“As you can see, I have five boys next to me. And, I want to tell you they are all residents of Three Finger Cove, which is now referred to as The Cove. Anyway. Robert, who is next to me, came to The Cove quite some time ago, and if you haven’t heard, I adopted him about eighteen months ago. He is now my legal son and heir.

“The next teenager is Charles. He arrived at The Cove on the 4th of July about two years ago and since then I have also adopted him. And he, too, is now my legal son and heir.

“Next to him is my foster son, Matthew. He came to The Cove about the time I adopted Robert. And, then, there is Bill, another of my foster sons. He arrived at The Cove last year just before the Easter Egg Roll and today is a sophomore at Alvin York High School.

“And lastly, there is Phillip. He too is a foster son and only just arrived and has been with us for a little more than two weeks. So, if you see any of them out and about don’t be shy; say Hi to them,” finished Mr. Ken Thomas.

“Oh, and that strapping young man you also see with me … this is Collin. Collin … as you may know, he was my first foster son and he is here visiting us. He is now a college sophomore,” was how Mr. Ken introduced his Little Brother. The gathered group applauded.

“Now for the Rules of the Easter Egg Roll. They haven’t changed … much … since last year,” chuckle Mr. Ken.

“What I did do, if you were here last year, was separate the age groups to make it fairer for the 2 to 4-year old’s, the 5 to 7-year old’s and the 8 to 10-year-olds.

“That said, the rest of the Easter Egg Roll Rules have not changed from the previous years. But for the benefit of any new residents, and attendees, I want to quickly reiterate them.

One: The children MUST stay in their designated areas.

Two: The Easter Eggs may or may not contain a Prize Coupon, but pick them up anyway. The majority of the eggs contain nickels, dimes or quarters and/or some Easter Candy. And some … may contain paper money, as well.

Three: When all the Easter Eggs have been collected, the children are to open the eggs to see if they WON a prize. If you find a coupon, come over to the garage and go to the area with the color of your coupon to collect your prize.

Four: ONLY ONE PRIZE will be awarded to a child. Even if they have multiple Prize Coupons. If that is the case, that child will select which Prize they want. Prizes not collected will have their coupon placed in an egg and put into a box for the children who did not win a prize to have a second chance to pick a plastic egg and possibly win a prize. That will not happen until all prizes have been awarded.

Five: Parents, please be aware that some Easter eggs DO contain small coins. They have either quarters, dimes or nickels, so please watch your child does NOT put them in his or her mouth and swallow them. A few Easter eggs DO have paper money in them, so please watch out for them, as well.

Six: The decisions of the Judges, that would be me and my ‘sons’, are FINAL.

“Are we ready to start the Easter Egg Roll?” asked a pumped-up Ken Thomas.

The kids all screamed, “Yeaaaaaa!”

“OK, but since we are here at the Cove’s Skate Park, let me tell you where your assigned areas are. And once I see everyone is at their starting area, I will sound the horn on the megaphone and everyone can run and grab as many of the plastic Easter eggs, they can.

“Now … will the two, three and four-year-old’s please gather at the top of the driveway at the Main Gate and you will gather your Easter eggs from the grass along the estate wall all the way down to the end of the driveway.

“The five, six and seven-year-olds … if you will head down the driveway and stop just before the guest house. Your Easter Egg Roll area is to the right of the traffic cones and goes all the way towards the lake, but please don’t go into the lake. I don’t think you’d like the cold water at this time of year, and your parents won’t like taking a cold wet child home.

As for the eight, nine and ten-year old’s … your search area is to the left of the traffic cones, and please stay to the left. Also, you will also want to search past the Pavilion and up towards the estate’s wall.

“When I see everyone is ready, at the sound of the horn the children can go ahead and grab as many plastic eggs as they can,” finished Mr. Ken, who then told the children to head to their assigned areas.

It was while Mr. Ken was explaining everything to the children and their parents that Phillip saw someone in the crowd that he never thought he would see at The Cove.

“Billy, Billy he … he’s here,” whispered a scared Phillip to his older ‘brother’.

“Whose here?” loudly asked Billy.

“Shoosh, he’ll hear you,” chastised Phillip.

“Who?” quickly asked the older Cover teen.

“Rafael,” whispered Phillip. “We got to tell Mr. Ken. He’s … he’s probably here to take me away with him to … to somewhere so he can beat me up, or something worse,” now somewhat cried a still scared Phillip.

“You’re shitting me, Phil. Where is he? What does he look like?” quickly asked Billy.

“He … he’s the guy with all the tattoos on his arms and … and neck. He’s … he’s also wearing a black watch cap, dark sunglasses, a white t-shirt and dark gray long baggy pants. And … and I bet he has at least two or three of his gang members with him here too,” still whispered Phillip, as he tried to hide behind the Cover teenager.

Billy pulled out his cell phone. Phillip asked him who he was going to call. The teen told his younger ‘brother’ he was calling Mr. Wayne.

When the call was connected, Phillip heard Billy say, “Mr. Wayne, we have a problem.

… … …

“Phil says that he’s seen that guy Rafael, and that he is here and he probably has two or three of his gang here with him.”

… … …

“Yes, sir. Phil says he’s wearing a black watch cap, sunglasses, white t-shirt and dark gray long baggy pants. Oh, and he had lots of tattoos on his arms and neck.

… … …

“OK, yes, we’ll stay at the Pavilion and wait for you to call me,” finished up Billy.

Billy then looked at his younger ‘brother and told him, “Phil, Mr. Wayne says we’re to stay here, and out of sight, and we’re to wait for him to call me,” advised Billy, as the two Covers went to hide in the Pavilion’s storage room.

“But … what if he’s already seen me, Billy? If he has, he … he’ll be looking all over for me?” said a still scared Phillip.

While Billy and Phillip tried to stay out of sight, Mr. Wayne got in contact with the lead security guard and told him what he needed to have all his men do. Lucky for them, Mr. Chris, like last year, had the night security crew stay over for crowd control until the Easter Egg Roll was over, so there were now ten-armed security guards present at The Cove.

With ten-armed security guards on site, eight of them began two-man search teams for the men who had loads of tattoos and where probably dressed alike with a white t-shirt, dark sunglasses and dark gray baggy pants. As they did that, Mr. Wayne made another phone call.

“Dan, it appears Rafael is here looking for Phillip and he may have two or three of his man with him. I have the security guards, they’re in four, two-man search teams, searching for them and they will detain them, as best they can, without using force. We do have about 250 kids here and probably more parents, so they know they have to be very careful,” advised Wayne Mitchell.

Dan told Mr. Wayne he would send some patrol cars to The Cove code two, that was with lights but no sirens, so as to not warn the men. Dan then said he was off-duty today, but he’d be right over as he was at his apartment over at Four Corners.

All the while that was happening, the three different age groups had gotten to their own Easter Egg Roll staring area on either side of the main driveway that leads from the Main Gate to the main house. So, when Mr. Ken, with Collin at his side, saw the children were getting restless, he sounded the horn on his megaphone.

Upon the sound of the horn the children ran to the first egg they found, collected it into their basket and headed on to the next one. The older kids had the longer legs and some ran to the further areas first hoping to collect the winning eggs. They also searched up near the estate’s wall and their Roll this year took longer than ever before.

Gus, the German exchange student, and Isaiah, the exchange student’s host’s son, had helped set out the one thousand Easter eggs. Now they watched as the 2 to 4-year-olds, the 5 to 7-year-olds and the 8 to 10-year-olds scrambled to collect as many of the eggs as they could when Mr. Ken sounded the horn.

What they thought was funny were the 2 to 4-year-olds collecting the smallest of the Easter eggs, especially the 2-year-olds who needed their parents help. Gus took as many pictures of the event as he could, as he wanted to send them to his parents back in Germany. He just knew his dad would be amazed at how Mr. Ken ‘celebrated’ his community.

When the two older groups finished collecting all the plastic eggs in the soccer pitch area and the extended areas Billy identified, they then began to check their eggs. Upon finding a coupon the boys and girls could be heard yelling about their find.

The smaller 2-, 3- and 4-year-olds were slower than the other two groups. The four-year-old’s sort of knew what they were supposed to do and were busy collecting the Easter eggs. The two-year-old’s, some dressed as Easter Bunnies, would pick up an egg and put it in their mouth. The moms and dads had their cameras ready and took loads of pictures, then they had their child put the egg in their basket.

The three-years olds weren’t as fast as the four-year olds, but they sort of held their own and were busy picking up the eggs overlooked by their older challengers. Some of the parents helped their two-year-old collect plastic eggs and the Cover boys watching over the Easter Egg Roll knew to let them.

The older groups, when they were finished with their Easter Egg Roll and had found a prize-winning coupon in their plastic eggs, knew to go over to the garage to get their prize. When they got there, only Robert and his friends were there to retrieve the prizes for the winners. The Cover wondered where Billy and Phillip were, so he called his dad.

Mr. Ken, along with Collin, were talking to some of the parents and was surprised to learn that Phillip and Billy were not anywhere to be found to help his son with handing out the prizes. So, he called Mr. Wayne and asked him if he knew where Billy and Phillip were. It was then he learned about Rafael and his gang being on the estate. He and Collin quickly made an excuse from the people he was talking with and they made their way up to the Main Gate.

When Mr. Ken and Collin arrived at the Main Gate, the two learned that the security guards had been able to round up two of Rafael’s gang, but they had not yet found Rafael. Dan arrived shortly thereafter, quickly greeted Collin, and he and Mr. Ken talked. Just then, four Sheriff Deputies arrived and were given Rafael’s description and the Deputies, accompanied by the security guards began combing the estate’s grounds.

The parent’s saw the sudden arrival of the Sheriff’s Deputies and then their quick dispersal on the estate’s grounds with some of the security guards accompanying them. The parents asked the older Cover boys and their friends what was happening, but the boys hadn’t been told what was going on, so they couldn’t tell them. The parents searched out Mr. Ken, but he was nowhere to be seen.

Everyone then saw the deputies and security guards had apprehended a man who was trying his damnedest to get away from their strong hold on him. But they had their handcuffs on him with his arms locked behind his back. The parents and the boys all took out their cell phones and began taking a video of the man, the deputies, and security guards.

With Rafael now detained and at the Main Gate, Sheriff’s Lieutenant Dan Fischer had his deputies take the man, and the two other men, to the Headquarters and told them to process them. The Sheriff’s office had been looking for Rafael Ruiz for some time now, and especially since Mackenzie Flores, Phillip’s mom, had been attacked.

Now, with Rafael under arrest, they would charge him with all the counts they had on file for him, and then he would be given the opportunity to call a lawyer. Since it was a Saturday, depending upon what time they finished their paperwork, he may not be able to bail out until Monday, if no judge was available.

As soon as Rafael was driven away from The Cove, Mr. Wayne called Billy’s cell phone to tell him that he and Phillip could come to the Main Gate. The two Cover boys hurried over to talk with the Estate Master, Mr. Ken and Dan Fischer.

The parents of youngest Easter Egg searchers saw that the excitement was over, so they had their children check their plastic eggs to see what they won. The young boys and girls were all excited to find candy and some coins in the small plastic eggs. They were even more excited when they found they had a prize coupon.

The next step was for the parents and their kids to walk over to the garage to exchange their coupon for their prize. Some of the boys and the girls had multiple coupons and they got to select which prize they wanted.

The youngest children didn’t know which prize they wanted, at first, so the boys manning the prize counter showed both of the prizes to the child. That way the child could choose which one they wanted. Many of the girls took the large plush animals. The boys took the candy basket as it also had a small plush animal along with candy. The smiles on the children’s faces were priceless and the parents caught them on their cameras.

All of the boys and girls, of all ages, who hadn’t received a prize, were able to then stop by the garage to choose from a box filed with plastic eggs that had the extra coupons from the kids who had multiple ones. There were more children than prizes left, but each youngster who hadn’t received a prize was able to pick a plastic egg.

Some boys and girls found a coupon their first time through the line and were happy. They got to choose from what was remaining. The children continued to pick a plastic egg until all the prizes were given away. Some children who never received a prize were disappointed, but they thanked Mr. Ken for having the Easter Egg Roll for them.

As the parents, and their children, were leaving The Cove, the parents stopped and asked Mr. Ken if he would tell them why the Sheriff Deputies, and his security guards, had apprehended that man.

Mr. Ken told them, “A man that had been wanted by the Sheriff’s Department for some time, now … someone had recognized him being here, at the Easter Egg Roll, so they notified my Estate Master who in turn got my security guards looking for him and his cohorts. Then Mr. Wayne called the Sheriff’s Department about him being here.

“Before the Deputies arrived, my security detail … they were able to silently detain two of the men and then when the Deputies arrived, they, and my security guards, worked together to stealthily and efficiently take the wanted man into custody. I’m sure you noticed they did that without interrupting the Easter Egg Roll and involving any of you or the children. I think they did a wonderful job, don’t you?”

Whitney Neezeman and her friend Taylor, along with Whitney’s parents, were waiting outside the Main Gate while the Sheriff’s Deputies were handling Rafael Ruiz and his two cohorts. She had to call Robert so they could get into The Cove as Robert had forgotten she was going to be there at 2:30.

Robert apologized to the two girls and explained that the Easter Egg Roll was late in starting and then they had three men arrested who were on the Sheriff’s Department wanted list. The Cover teen told the girls that he never knew that was going to happen when he invited them over. But he was glad it was all over and they were there now.

Taylor asked if Gordon was there. Robert smiled at the question and then pulled out his cell phone and called Gordon. When his friend answered, the Cover told him that there was someone there asking about him, and she was waiting for him to come up to the Main Gate. Gordon hurried up the slight rise.

While some of the boys began walking the estate grounds looking for leftover plastic eggs and pieces of them, the remaining boys began straightening up the garage and breaking down the boxes. And while they did that, they were asking one another what all the Sheriff Deputies were doing there and why they arrested that one man.

After the plastic eggs were all cleaned up and the garage straightened up and the mess put into the dumpsters, Mr. Ken called the boys together and thanked them for all their hard work in putting the Annual Easter Egg Roll together.

Logan asked Mr. Ken if he expected that many kids this year and if he was going to maybe restrict who can come next year, or maybe lower the ages of who can attend.

Mr. Ken said he didn’t anticipate there would be that many boys and girls this year and that he might have to restrict where the children come from, or lower the ages as Logan suggested. Mr. Ken then said that maybe he should look for a bigger venue to hold it at.

Preston quickly spoke up and said that he could maybe use the soccer fields down near Four Corners where Mark had his games. The youngster added that there was probably enough space there, unless there were soccer games. Mr. Ken thanked the young boy for the idea.

Mr. Ken, Mr. Wayne and Mr. Dan all went into the Study to talk about what happened with the apprehension of Rafael Ruiz and two of his henchmen. They invited Phillip to go with them, so they could ask him how he spotted the man, and if he knew how Rafael knew he was there.

Up at the Pavilion, Whitney and Taylor were enjoying being the only females amongst a bunch of male freshmen and sophomore high school teens. Gordon was enjoying himself as he was smitten with Taylor. They had exchanged phone numbers the other day and had talked some since. Now they were out on the Cove Skate Park showing one another what they could do.

In the Study, Phillip told the three men that he had no idea how Rafael knew he was living at The Cove. He told them he had no contact with any of his neighbors, other than at the hospital and he didn’t tell them.

It was then the boy realized he had told his mom that they would be doing the Easter Egg Roll there today and there were all those neighbors out in the waiting room to see her. The boy said that he’d bet she unknowingly told them about today and they in-turn somehow got that information to Rafael, or his men.

Mr. Ken thanked Phillip for talking to them and then he sent him to catch up with his friends.

Up at the Pavilion, Phillip’s friends asked him why he had to talk to Mr. Ken and the other two men. Phillip told them that they knew who Mr. Wayne was and that the other man was Mr. Dan who is a Sheriff’s Lieutenant that Mr. Ken knows very well. But the boys persisted and wanted to know why he had to talk to them.

Phillip told them that the man who they arrested was after him and had showed up at The Cove and he told Billy who told Mr. Wayne, who called Mr. Dan, who, being a Sheriff’s Lieutenant, called the Deputies.

Billy heard his little ‘brother’ telling his friends about Rafael, so he went over to him and pulled him aside. Billy asked Phillip if he really wanted his friends to know about Rafael and why he was living at The Cove.

Phillip then realized what he was about to do, so he thanked Billy for talking to him. When Phillip went back to his friends. He told them that the man the Sheriff’s Deputies arrested was the man they were after for the attack on his mom.

Weston said, “I thought you said he was after you?”

“Well, since my mom is still in the hospital, I think he is after me. Why else would he be here?” replied Phillip.

The burning of burgers and dogs eventually got underway and Whitney and Taylor were given the opportunity to go through the serving line first and fix their burger and dog and then pick where they wanted to sit. The boys then told them to get their drink of choice from either of the soda machines and a cup of ice and take it to their table.

Gordon and Robert sat at the girls table, but so did four other boys as the girls chose a table for eight. The other freshmen and sophomore boys sat at the tables nearby, so they all could continue talking.

The three men came up to the Pavilion as the boys were burning the burgers and dogs. After the girls got their burgers and dogs, the men got theirs and took a table away from the teens. The men had decided to talk to the boys afterwards, so they all understood what happened and why, just in case they are asked any questions by their other friends, later.

The men waited until the boys were almost finished cleaning up when they asked for their attention.

“Boys … and girls … again I want to thank you for all your assistance in helping me again in putting on my Annual Easter Egg Roll. Today … it was a bit different from the previous years as we had many more boys and girls attend, which, I guess, is going to make me reconsider my continuing to conduct this annual event and/or where to hold it. More about that next year,” laughed Mr. Ken.

“On top of the arrival of the additional children this year … you probably saw the Sheriff’s Deputies arrive and, with the help of my security guards, arrest someone. What you didn’t see was … was that my security guards had also detained two other men, while the children were collecting their eggs. These men were associates of the man you saw arrested after the Easter Egg Roll was over.

“This man …,” began Mr. Ken, but was interrupted by Phillip.

“That man … he was the man that they, the Sheriff’s Deputies, were after as the man who they believe attacked my mom in our apartment after I began living here at The Cove. He somehow … he somehow found out I was living here and … and he might have been after me so … so my mom wouldn’t testify against him,” offered Phillip, as an explanation for the man’s arrest.

Mr. Ken looked at Phillip and nodded to him and then he added, “There were also two men with the man you saw led away by the deputies and the security guards. We believe they were here to help intimidate Phillip somehow and get him to get his mom not to testify as to what happened in their apartment.

“But we don’t know how they could have done that with all the people here and ten-armed security guards roaming around the estate. Now … does anyone have any questions?” finished the owner of The Cove.

None of the boys, or the two girls, had any questions for Mr. Ken, but they would talk about what happened today, amongst themselves, before they had to leave for the day. Mr. Ken did remind everyone that tomorrow would be a Family Day for the residents of The Cove and the boys would have to catch up with their friends at school on Monday.

Mr. Ken talked to Phillip about what he said to explain why Rafael was there today and why he was arrested. Phillip said that was what he told his friends and he wanted the story to stay the same. The young Cover added that he was going to explain to his friends who Rafael was, but Billy pulled him aside and asked him if he was ready to tell everyone why he was living at The Cove. Phillip said he decided he didn’t and that he told them about Rafael being the man who attacked his mom.

Mr. Ken said that he felt that was a good story to come up with, but he had to stick with it if he was ever asked about it again.

The Covers went out for a late dinner that evening. The boys enjoyed having their oldest big ‘brother’ there with them and they peppered him with questions the entire time. The large group then went over to drive the Go-Karts. This time Mr. Ken, Mr. Wayne and Collin got on the Go-Kart Track with the boys and Mr. Ken told the Track Manager to give them a few extra laps as he usually did.

Collin won the race that evening while Phillip was still learning his way around the course and the best way to drive the go-kart. The Covers stopped for ice cream at Mr. Ken’s Kreamy Kone before heading home.

When the Covers returned home, there were news reporters and television cameras stationed outside The Cove’s Main Gate hoping to get some comment from Mr. Ken Thomas on the events of the day concerning the arrest of three man after his Annual Easter Egg Roll.

“Boys, I was afraid of this. I’ll drive you down to the house and come back and talk to them,” announced ‘dad’ Ken.

The boys all told him they wanted to stay with him and listen to what he had to say. Mr. Ken told them he didn’t want them close to the television cameras or giving the news reporters the chance to call out to them to get their views on what happened. He told them he was taking them down to the house. Period!

Mr. Ken quickly came back to the Main Gate to answer the news reporter’s questions about what happened after the Easter Egg Roll. He told them he was taken by surprise when he learned that Rafael Ruiz and two of his cohorts were on his estate. He explained that his Estate Master was made aware of their presence just as the Easter Egg Roll had begun and immediately took steps to have the men detained by the onsite security until the Sheriff’s Deputies could arrive.

Mr. Ken additionally told the news media that he wasn’t made aware of what was happening until after the children had collected all of the one thousand Easter eggs that were set out on the estate and were checking to see if they had gotten any of the prize coupons.

The news reporters asked him if he knew if it was true that Rafael Ruiz was there to actually intimidate one of his foster boys as was reported to them by someone who videoed the Sheriff’s Deputies and security guards leading a handcuffed man to the Main Gate.

Mr. Ken told them that all he knew was the man, Rafael Ruiz, was wanted by the Sheriff’s Department in connection with a home invasion, the attack on the mother of one of his foster sons and the willful destruction of the contents of the family’s apartment. He added that he had no idea why the man thought he could just come in and talk to the boy, without his approval, especially during the commotion of the Easter Egg Roll, with ten well-armed security guards on-duty during the annual event.

The boys were disappointed that they couldn’t be at the Main Gate while their ‘dad’ was talking to the news media. They checked the television stations to see if it was being televised live, but they didn’t find it. While the boys tried to find their ‘dad’ on the TV, Phillip had Chief’s cup of vanilla ice cream and he decided to give it to the resident pet. He asked her to sit before he gave it to her. The resident pet did just that.

Chief then lapped up the cold treat as fast as she normally did. She and Phillip then wrestled on the Kitchen Nook floor for a few minutes before Collin put a stop to it. The boys then headed to the Study and waited for their ‘dad’ to return to talk to them before they went up to their rooms to relax before going to bed.

Mr. Ken didn’t stay up at the Main Gate very long. He was polite and answered the reporter’s questions, but honestly told them that he had no idea that the man was on his property until he saw the man being restrained by the Sheriff’s Deputies and his security guards.

When he returned to the house, the boys asked their ‘dad’ all about what the reporters asked him. He tried to give them the best first-hand report as to what happened as he could. It was while the Covers were talking that the phone rang at the desk. It was Ms. Judy telling Mr. Ken about the news report she saw on the early evening news.

Ms. Judy told them about the video showing the arrest of one Rafael Ruiz at The Cove that afternoon right after his Easter Egg Roll. She told him the reporter said the man was wanted in the attack of the mother of one of his foster boys and was there possibly to intimidate the boy so his mother wouldn’t testify against him. Ms. Judy asked him about how true that was.

Mr. Ken told her that was the story they told the boys before they left for the day. He told her they didn’t want them to know the true story about Rafael wanting to get Phillip for not being there to give him back his gun. Mr. Ken also told her that just a while ago he talked to the news reporters up at the Main Gate about what happened and that there probably would be an update later on the ten o’clock news.

Ms. Judy agreed to the misdirection they thought up and then asked him how the boy was doing. He told her she needed to do a home study for her records. The two had a good laugh over her not being to the Cove since Phillip began living there. Ms. Judy said she’d rectify that before hanging up the call.

The Covers then talked about the upcoming Memorial Day Picnic, the end of school in a few weeks, their after-school trip, the DA talking to Billy next weekend and that he and Billy would be traveling to visit his mother one day soon, and that he and Robert would also be visiting his mom, as well.

The boys asked Collin if he was going to join them as they visited their ‘dad’s’ amusement parks. Collin told them he was going to be visiting his manufacturing plants, as he did last year, but he would try to join them at one of the parks.

Collin then asked about Billy having to talk to the DA and his visiting his mom. Billy told him the DA would prepare him for the trial that the two men, who did the home invasion last year at the Golderson’s and that it would soon start. Billy added he hadn’t seen his mom for over two years and he asked Mr. Ken if he’d take him. The teen said his foster dad agreed and he hoped they’d go next weekend.

Robert spoke up just then and told his big ‘brother’ that he was going to visit his mom soon, too and he was thinking of going to visit his dad, as well. But Robert added that he was still thinking hard on that, since it was his dad who caused everything to happen to him.

Before sending the boys up to bed, Mr. Ken asked the boys not to come down to the Great Room before nine o’clock to check on what the Easter Bunny had brought them. He told them they all needed to get a good night’s rest after having to get up early today and after all the excitement of the arrest and Collin’s arrival. The man added they would go out for a brunch at Four Corners and from there he would be taking them to various places throughout the day.

The boys again asked him where they were going tomorrow, but ‘dad’ Ken refused to tell them and that with their Family Day only twelve hours away, they could wait until then.

Mr. Wayne had gone home after dinner that evening, so Mr. Ken would be the only one visiting the boys before they went to bed. Collin said he’d also visit his ‘brothers’ some, too. The college sophomore did take more time with Phillip to try to get to know him better.

Mr. Ken didn’t spend much time in any of the boys’ rooms that night. He told them to sleep in and reminded them to come down to the Great Room, as a group, at nine o’clock and they didn’t have to have taken their showers beforehand. The boys said they would.

When he finished visiting with his ‘sons’, Mr. Ken was now happy that Collin had arrived. Initially, he would have had to take all the boys Easter baskets down to the Great Room by himself, but now he could draft Collin into helping him. The two would be using the big rolling cart from the garage and the elevator, as well. This year the Easter candy and gifts were in the extra room off the master bedroom, so the boys wouldn’t be tempted to go searching the guest suites to see what they were getting.

Of the five Cover boys, Phillip was the only one who wondered what he would find tomorrow morning that the Easter Bunny brought him. Mr. Ken had told him that he would get a cell phone one day, and he hoped that it would be one of the items the Easter Bunny would bring him.

The Cove was quiet throughout the night. Chief slept again with Collin that night.

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

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