Published: 20 Nov 2025

From the Previous Chapter:

He knew that with Darrin alerting the twins that there was a fire nearby and then them ascertaining that there indeed was a house on fire, the teen would have to answer some questions. Lucky for the teen, though, he knew that the teen was with two former Sheriff Deputies and in no way could he have set the fire himself, as he wasn’t out of their sight the entire time.

The dad slash foster dad was tired when he finally sat down on his king-sized bed that night. He said to himself before turning out the lights, “With the boys living here, there is never a dull moment at the Cove. That’s for sure!” He laughed and then turned out the lights, slipped under the blankets and he was soon fast sleep. The Cove was peaceful and quiet the whole night through.

When Mr. Ken opened his morning newspaper that Wednesday morning there were two eye catching headlines.

The man was at the courthouse and heard the teens testimony and knew what should be in that article. So, Mr. Ken went immediately to the second article to see what the reporter had to say about the fire. This is what the article had to say:

Ken Thomas read the article and couldn’t fault the reporter for what he said. He was glad that he hadn’t named Darrin, or that he lived at The Cove. He was sure now, though, that Darrin needed to be aware that someone might come to the school to talk to him. So, he needed to call Stewart Russell and have him ready to either go there, or come to The Cove later tonight, whenever the fire marshal wanted to talk to Darrin.

At breakfast that Wednesday morning, the three youngest Cover boys were still hyped up about searching, reporting and watching the fire the previous evening. They talked about it while they ate and both ‘dad’ Ken and Momma Maria heard more about how Darrin just felt like there was a fire somewhere, and convinced Mr. Gene and Mr. George to go looking for it.

Phillip then told how the guy at the house next door wasn’t too happy that he kept ringing the doorbell. That was until he heard that the house next door was on fire. The young Cover then told how the guy went outside and got his garden hose and began wetting down the side of his house and roof.

Then, before the three Cover boys went off to school, ‘dad’ Ken reminded Darrin that if anybody came to the school to talk to him about anything, especially about the fire, he was to tell them he wasn’t to talk to them without his foster dad and his lawyer present. Darrin replied that he’d do that and then the three were off to catch the school bus.

When the three older teens came down for their breakfast, Billy was still telling his ‘brothers’ about the fire, as they walked into the Kitchen Nook and how Darrin was able to determine that there was a house fire somewhere close by.

Charles was still trying to figure out how his new ‘brother’ just knew that a house was on fire. The teen’s dad spoke up and reminded his son that Darrin had experienced one first-hand and he remembered what it smelled like and was able to convince the Warren twins to go look.

When Mr. Ken arrived at the office that morning, he told his executive secretary, Rosemary, that he needed to make an important phone call and she wasn’t to interrupt him unless the building was on fire. The woman smiled at the way her boss said that, and she knew the man was going to call his special lady friend.

When Kate answered the phone, Ken apologized profusely to her for not calling, sooner. He then told the woman he loved all the reasons why he hadn’t called. It took him a good two minutes, or so, to go through all the instances that kept him busy all weekend and up through last night’s fire.

Kate forgave him knowing that his boys came first and that he gives them 110 percent of his time and attention. She also knew that with any new addition, they always take up a lot of his time as he tries to get them settled into a routine. Kate was surprised that his new foster, Darrin, was the center of attention last night, as he was the one who insisted something was on fire and then he found a house that was.

The two love birds talked about what was happening with them. Kate told Ken that just about all of his contingency properties have gone to settlement, with a few who are still trying to wiggle out of their contract. That made Ken laugh knowing that Amy Ozarker would just love to take them to court to force them to comply and pay court costs on top of that.

Ken reminded Kate that this coming weekend was going to be a Cover Family Day on Sunday with breakfast and then him and the boys going to the shooting range. He then told her that the following weekend he and Phillip were going on a three-day trip. He told her that he thought the boy hadn’t told him where he wanted to go, but when he asked Phillip, the boy said that that he told him back at the beginning of the month. Kate laughed and told him he better find out the particulars before they get on the plane, so he knows where to go when they get off. They both had a good laugh over that.

Ken then asked Kate if she and the boys and her mom were still committed to coming to The Cove for Thanksgiving. He told her that he has the plane scheduled to pick them up Friday afternoon for them to arrive at The Cove early that evening. Ken then told her that Jules and Eleanor’s wedding was on Saturday, and then the rest of the week was either full of things to do, or nothing to do, as she and her mother would want.

Ken then explained that he and Ben Walthers, his President of Three Finger Entertainment, were headed down to Florida the week before Thanksgiving to attend an amusement park exposition that showcases new amusement rides, midway games and foods. He reasoned to her that he and Ben needed to see what new and exciting things were being introduced to the amusement industry for them to consider adding to their parks in the coming years.

The two talked for almost two hours before they both needed to get busy with what they do for a living. Ken told Kate that he missed her a lot and was looking forward to seeing her that Thanksgiving week. The two sent hugs and kisses over the phone, and then they ended their call with the promise to talk again, soon.

At school that morning, Darrin told his friends, who weren’t with him last night, about his finding a house that was on fire. The Cover told them how he smelled something burning, but that there wasn’t any visible fire. He told how Mr. Gene and Mr. George had them spread out trying to find where the burning smell was coming from.

Darrin then told them how when he went on the porch of a house For Sale that he could smell a lot of smoke and that he thought he could see fire. So, he said he called the security twins over who looked for themselves and agreed the house was on fire and then they called the Sheriff’s office and fire department to tell them what they found.

Darrin continued and told his friends how in about ten minutes the house was fully engulfed in flames that he thought it had to be arson, because of how fast the flames spread. He then added that Mr. Ken told him that because of the way he found the house on fire that he’ll probably have someone who will want to talk to him today and that he’s supposed to tell them that he has to have Mr. Ken or his lawyer present.

When the Cover’s friends heard that Darrin had a lawyer, they all asked him when he got one of those. The teen told him that his foster dad told him last night that all of the boys at The Cove have a lawyer who represents them for things like this. The boys were all amazed and surprised that if the Cover boys ever get into trouble, they have a lawyer ready to defend them.

After Ken Thomas finished talking to Kate, he remembered he needed to call Stewart Russell to let him know about Darrin finding the house on fire and how he knew and that the fire marshal will probably want to talk to him and that he will want him present when that happens.

When the foster dad got through to the lawyer, Stewart told him that he was busy with clients all day and that he would have to meet with the fire marshal later that evening. Mr. Ken thanked him for telling him that and he told him that he’d let him know if a meeting was arranged and at what time.

Mr. Ken then decided to head the fire marshal off, so he called the man’s office to tell him that Darrin would not be available to talk to him until later that evening. When the fire marshal heard that he was not happy, as he wanted to talk with the teenager right after lunch.

Ken Thomas reiterated to the man that his foster son was not available until after dinner time and that the teen would not talk to him without him and his counsel being present. The fire marshal told the foster dad that he would talk to the teen whenever he chooses and then hung up the phone.

The teen’s foster dad knew that with the man’s demeanor this could cause trouble for them both. So, he got up, went to his secretary and told her that he had to go to the school to pick up one of his boys and that he may not be back.

When Ken Thomas arrived at Darrin’s school, Liliana Dillows, the school’s secretary was surprised to see him enter. She asked him how she could help him and he first asked if he could talk to Mr. Chassen, the school’s principal.

Ms. Dillows not only knew who Mr. Thomas was, but what influence he held in the community and with the School Board, so she asked him to wait as she contacted Mr. Chassen to see if he was available to talk to him.

Three minutes later Dan Chassen, the school’s principal, came out of his office and greeted Mr. Ken.

“Mr. Ken, what a pleasant surprise. What brings you in today?” asked the principal, as he directed the man into his office, as he also closed the door.

“Dan … I need to take Darrin out of class today before the fire marshal comes here to demand to talk to him. Let me explain. Last night, that house fire near me … it was Darrin who found it.” began Mr. Ken.

“But why would the fire marshal need to talk to the teen that you need to get him out of school before he does talk to him?” asked Dan.

“Dan … it was the way Darrin noticed that something was one fire. You see … Darrin … he … his whole family … they were involved in a house fire and … well … he lost his mom and dad and his older brother in that fire. It was his knowing what a burning house smells like that had him focus on finding where the fire was.

“And, I’m afraid that they somehow believe that Darrin … that he started the fire. The thing is … he was with five other boys and Gene and George Warren, the two security men I hired to go along with the boys, as they went out Trick-Or-Treating last night. So, there is no way that Darrin … that he could have set that fire because he was with the two men the whole time.

“And after talking to the fire marshal earlier to tell him that Darrin would not be available until after dinner, because his lawyer is not available until then, the fire marshal told me that he would talk to the teen whenever he felt like it. So, well, I need to get Darrin out of harm’s way before the fire marshal starts something that will get ugly if I don’t get Darrin away from him,” finished explaining Mr. Ken

The principal then pushed a button on his intercom and asked Ms. Dillows to have Darrin Rossman come to the office. He told her not to tell the teacher anything else, as to why the teen needed to come there. Less than five minutes later, Darrin entered the office only to see his foster dad there waiting on him.

“Mr. Ken … did I do something wrong that … that you had to come to the school?” asked the teen Cover.

“No, Darrin, I just want to keep you away from the fire marshal until Mr. Russell is available to be there when you talk to him. So, I’m taking you home,” replied Mr. Ken.

“Thanks, Dan,” added the foster dad, and then the two Covers departed the school.

Since it was going on eleven o’clock, Mr. Ken gave Darrin the option of going out to lunch or going back to The Cove for a Momma lunch. Darrin never had lunch at any other place then at school and at the barbeques at The Cove, so he opted to have lunch someplace else. So, Mr. Ken began driving to where he knew Darrin had never been.

“What’s this place?” asked Darrin, when the two Covers arrived at the Lakeside Hotel.

“Darrin … this is one of the places that I own. I figured that you’ve never been here and today would be a good time to take you here and let you see it. So, what say we go in and have a nice lunch and after that I’ll show you something else that I own,” replied the foster dad.

When the two Covers walked into the hotel lobby, word got out to the manager that the owner was there with someone new, which was probably one of his ‘sons’. And, as Mr. Ken walked up to the restaurant Hostess to ask for a table, the woman immediately recognized him and, even though people were waiting for a table, showed him to an empty table. She then made a call to the chef to tell him that the owner was there with a new boy, which might be a new ‘son’.

“Ah, Mr. Ken, ahh … other people …they had one of those signaling devices to tell them their table was ready. How come we were seated before them?” asked the new Cover.

A smiling Ken Thomas looked at his foster son and told him that because he owned the hotel, he gets priority treatment, whenever he is there. He then told the teen that he shouldn’t be surprised when the hotel manager stops by to greet him, and to tell him to let him know if there was anything not up to his liking.

Mr. Ken then told Darrin, with a smile on his face, that after their meal is almost finished, the head chef will also come out to check that their meal was more than satisfactory.

Darrin was getting a first-class immersion into one of his foster dad’s businesses and he hadn’t even ordered off the menu yet. The teen was being blown away by everything so far.

Since it was lunch time, the two Covers each ordered a simple fare of a bacon cheeseburger with mayo, lettuce, tomato and pickle. Darrin ordered his with a side of fries and a coke, while Mr. Ken ordered his with a side of onion rings and a coke.

It was while they were waiting for the meal to arrive, that the hotel manager stopped by their table. The man did what Mr. Ken said that he would do, and it was then that Mr. Thomas introduced Darrin to the man and told him that he was his newest ‘son’, and left it at that.

The manager then mentioned that he hadn’t seen his other sons there for quite some time. Mr. Ken told the manager that with six boys, aged from eleven to sixteen, and now with the Holidays just around the corner, they are just too busy to get over there, right now, but that he will tell the boys that he had asked about them.

It didn’t take long for the Covers meal to arrive at their table. Darrin was surprised at the size of the cheeseburger and the large number of French fries that came with it. He also told Mr. Ken that he was glad they didn’t have a garden salad beforehand.

And just as the teen’s foster dad had predicted, the chef came to their table to make sure their burgers were to their liking. Mr. Ken told him that he’s never had a bad meal there, ever. He then took the time to introduce his newest foster son to the man.

After they had eaten, Mr. Ken showed Darrin around the hotel. That was so the teen had a good idea of what the place looked like. The two then got into the car and Mr. Ken drove over to the office building.

“Why did we drive over here when we could have walked, Mr. Ken?” asked Darrin.

“Well, ‘son’, I own this place too, and … well, I wanted you to see it as I do every day when I come to work here. Now, let’s see what happens when we walk inside, shall we?” teased the foster dad.

As soon as the two Covers walked inside the building, the security guard immediately recognized Mr. Thomas and greeted him with a, “Good afternoon, Mr. Thomas. I see you have someone new with you, today.”

Mr. Ken acknowledged the guard’s greeting and then he introduced Darrin to him as his newest ‘son’. The owner of the building then told the guard that they were going up to his office, so he could show his new ‘son’ around. The two then walked over to the elevators and then headed up to the eighth floor.

Rosemary Martin was very surprised that Mr. Thomas had returned to the office and that he had a young teenager with him.

“Rosemary … this my newest foster son, Darrin. Darrin … this is Rosemary Martin. She is my executive secretary and besides making my coffee every day I am at the office, she also keeps me out of trouble,” was how Ken Thomas made the introductions.

Mr. Ken then told his secretary that he was going to show Darrin around the different offices in case she needed him. The two Covers then walked into Mr. Ken’s office first, so the teen could see where his foster dad works from and then they headed to the other offices.

It was while they were talking to Ben Walthers that Mr. Ken’s cell phone rang. It was Wayne calling to tell him that the fire marshal was at The Cove to see Darrin. Mr. Ken told Wayne that he needed to call Stewart Russell to confirm a time for the fire marshal to return, so for him to stall the man for a few minutes.

Mr. Ken then quickly called the lawyer to see when was the earliest that he could be at The Cove to be there to protect Darrin, while he is questioned by the fire marshal about last night’s house fire. Stewart told Mr. Thomas that he could be there at five, but no sooner. Mr. Ken thanked the man and then he quickly called Wayne and told him to have the fire marshal return at five, when Darrin would be there.

This was the first time that Ben was meeting the newest Cover, so the President of Three Finger Entertainment was asking the teen how he liked living at The Cove and was he looking forward to visiting Mr. Ken’s amusement parks over the Holidays.

Mr. Ken took the newest Cover to visit all of his Group offices and he explained what each one was responsible for. Darrin came away from that afternoon’s show and tell by seeing and knowing more than any one of his other ‘brothers’ did about their ‘dad’s’ office building.

Once back at The Cove, Darrin went to his computer and began searching for more information about his foster dad and his businesses and whatever else he could find out about The Cove. His quick immersion into Mr. Ken’s business holdings got him thinking about how rich his foster dad really was and he was going to try to figure it out, if he ever could.

When Phillip and Matthew came home from school, they went looking for Darrin. They got a text message from their ‘dad’ telling them that he picked their ‘brother’ up from school and for them not to go looking for him the end of school. The two boys now wanted to know why their ‘brother’ had to be taken home.

When the two younger Covers found Darrin, they asked him why their ‘dad’ had to take him home. That was when they learned about the fire marshal wanting to talk to him and Mr. Russell wasn’t available until five o’clock tonight and Mr. Ken didn’t want him talking to the man without him being represented by a lawyer.

The two boys also learned that their ‘dad’ took Darrin to the Lakeside Hotel for lunch and then they went over to their ‘dad’s’ office building and their older ‘brother’ got to not only see their ‘dad’s’ office, but he got to see and meet all of Mr. Ken’s Group Managers. They were now disappointed that they never got to do any of that.

The three boys then quickly hurried down to the Kitchen Nook for their afterschool snack before Momma got the ‘spoon’ after them.

At five o’clock the fire marshal arrived at The Cove to talk to Darrin. But the lawyer, Stewart Russell, hadn’t arrive yet. Mr. Ken told the guards to allow the man to enter and have him drive down to the Foyer entrance. He also told them that Stewart Russell was also due to arrive and for them not to delay him.

Mr. Ken met the fire marshal outside the house after the man exited his vehicle.

As the man approached, the owner of The Cove offered, “Welcome to The Cove. I’m Ken Thomas, Darrin’s foster parent.”

“Yes, I know who you are. My name is County Fire Marshal Eugene Murphy. And, I also been warned not to play games with you or to try to double speak, meaning try to trip up your charge, Darrin. Is he here?” now asked Mr. Murphy.

“Yes, MISTER Murphy, my CHARGE is here. But his lawyer is late and until Mr. Russell is here, I will not allow you to speak with him,” advised Mr. Ken.

“Yes, I see. You know … I could have issued a warrant for the boy,” spoke the fire marshal.

“Under what grounds? For noticing a fire and having someone else call it in? Get real! You have no grounds to do so and you know it. And on top of that you have no legal authority to do so. You have to go through the same procedure any police officer does to obtain one and then only a sworn officer of the law can enforce a warrant. All you can do is request a search warrant in order to enter a premises for the purpose of investigating the origins of a fire to determine its cause,” shot back Ken Thomas.

The fire marshal stood back for a few seconds thinking about what he wanted to say next. Then when he spoke, he wanted to make sure he relayed what he wanted to say to Mr. Thomas, so he knew what he was saying was honest and sincere.

“Mr. Thomas … since it is just the two of us standing out here talking … I’d like to tell you something that I am sure you are not aware of. You are a learned man, so I … I would assume you are aware of all the suspicious fires that happened in the southern part of the county not too long ago.

“Well, one of the reasons I want to talk to young Darrin is because … well, it is because of what was found in the Rossman’s home after the fire that took his entire family. What I am about to tell you I would hope … I would ask you to keep this information to yourself, and not discuss it with anyone not privy to it.

“You see … what was found in the Rossman’s home, when we investigated it after the fire was … were many of the same materials that were used to start the fires at all … at ALL, mind you, of those other suspicious fires in the southern part of the county.

“We thought we had found our arsonist with the demise of sixteen-year-old Dawson Rossman. But … well, we figure it was a two-man team. One drove to the buildings and the two of them helped then deployed the accelerant all over the place, and then they used a simple delay mechanism, so that they would be home when the fires actually started.

“We found parts and pieces of such a mechanism in their basement that was not totally destroyed by the fire because the water pooled down there and shielded them somewhat from the fire,” finished the fire marshal.

“Understand this, just so you know,” began Mr. Ken, “when I was asked to foster young Darrin … I was told by the Director of Children’s Protective Services herself, Ms. Judy Turner, that they thought the older brother … that he was the person responsible for all the fires that had been recently set down there.

“Ms. Turner also told me that they found evidence at their fire … that was also at the other fires and since the older boy had a driver’s license, and could easily get to all of the places that burned, that was why they believed he was the arsonist.”

“Wow, so you already knew about Dawson … and that there was the possibility of both brothers being involved,” stated Mr. Murphy, in order to qualify what he just heard.

“Yes and no, Mr. Murphy. I knew that they thought that the older brother was the arsonist. But Ms. Judy … she never said anything to me that Darrin … that he might also be involved.”

By then Stewart Russell had arrived and the two men decided to greet him and go inside to talk to Darrin. Then once inside the Study, Mr. Ken called Darrin to come to the Study.

Mr. Ken introduced the teen to the fire marshal and his lawyer and explained that Mr. Murphy wanted to talk to him about last night’s fire and how he noticed it. He then told his foster that Mr. Russell was there to assure that the fire marshal didn’t overstep his bounds by asking him about anything else but the fire, unless he agrees to answer them.

With that all said and done, the fire inspector began asking Darrin questions about how he noticed that there was a fire. Darrin corrected the man and told him that he didn’t notice that there was a fire, at first. The teen told that man that all he did was smell something burning.

The fire marshal then asked the Cover how it was that he was the one to find the house that was eventually found to be on fire.

Darrin explained that when he smelled that something was burning, Mr. Gene and Mr. George told him that it was probably people using their fireplaces.

Darrin was then asked to explain what happened after that. The teen told Mr. Murphy that he had to convince the two men that what he sensed was similar to what he smelled the night his house was on fire and he lost his entire family. The thirteen-year-old further described how the men asked everyone with them to ask around of the other Trick-Or-Treaters if they also smelled something burning and if so, from where.

Fire Marshal Murphy then asked how it was that Darrin picked that particular house to check, to see if it was the one that was on fire. The teen told the man that when no one could tell where the burning smell was coming from, the two security men asked everyone to check around. He described how he went up to the vacant house with the For Sale sign on it, as no one else was going there.

“Darrin … what was it that you recognized, or what was it that you saw, when you were up on that porch?” asked Eugene Murphy.

“Mr. Murphy … when I was up on the porch, I immediately could smell a strong order of smoke. And when I looked in through the window it looked like there was flickering coming from back where the kitchen was,” responded Darrin.

‘What did you do next?” asked the fire marshal.

“I called out to Mr. Gene to come over there to check what I thought I was finding. And he and his brother; they both come over,” replied Darrin.

“And what happened then?” the teen was asked.

“Mr. Gene … he came up on the porch with me and Mr. George … he went to the back of the house to see if he could find anything,” answered Darrin.

“Then what?” asked Mr. Murphy.

“The two men decided that the house was on fire and they both pulled out their cell phones and one called the Sheriff’s office and the other called the fire department,” was how the Cover answered the man.

“Let me ask you Darrin …why did you say that it had to be arson? About last night’s fire, that is?’ asked the fire marshal.

“Well, the fire … it spread so quickly. It was like within ten minutes and the whole house was engulfed in flames. How else could the fire spread that quickly if it weren’t arson?” now asked the teenager.

“And, Darrin,” began Eugene Murphy, “it was said that you mentioned that you also smelled something akin to kerosene. How was it that you knew what kerosene smelled like?”

“I’d smelled it before and it is way different than what regular gas smells like,” offered the teen Cover. “So, when I smelled that odor, it seemed to me to be kerosene. So, I mentioned it to either Mr. Gene or Mr. George, or maybe both, as we were all standing around waiting for the fire department to arrive.”

Not missing a beat, Mr. Murphy continued with his questions and asked, “Darrin … at any time while you were out Trick-Or-Treating last night … were you ever alone? I mean … did you ever go off by yourself … where none of the other boys could see you?”

Darrin was taken by surprise by the question, and he looked over to Mr. Ken, as to see if he should answer such a question.

“Now hear this Mr. Murphy,” spoke up Mr. Ken. “Darrin … he was with five other boys last night and two retired Sheriff’s Deputies, who I hired as security for them. Are you suggesting that Darrin … that he somehow snuck away from seven people to arrange to start that fire in order that he could find it?” now demanded the foster dad.

And before the man could answer, Mr. Ken had pulled out his cell phone and made a call.

“Bill … collect Matthew and Phillip and the three of you come to the Study,” was heard Mr. Ken say by Mr. Murphy, Mr. Russell and Darrin.

Less than a minute later there was a knock on the Study door, and Mr. Ken opened it and let the three Cover boys inside.

“Boys … this is Mr. Eugene Murphy. He is the County Fire Marshal and he is here to ask Darrin questions about last night’s house fire. Now, I want you to tell him if any time did Darrin ever … did Darrin ever leave your group to go anywhere, like the restroom, or to stop and talk to a friend, while you all walked ahead?” the boys ‘dad’ asked of them.

Billy answered first and told the man that he never saw Darrin leave the group for any reason.

Matthew told the man that he was always with the group, and Phillip said essentially the same thing as both his ‘brothers’ had.

“Mr. Murphy … three of the seven people who were with Darrin last night have told you that they never saw him leave the group. I suggest that you contact the other four to see if they have something different to say. Do you have any other important questions? If not … then this session is over!” announced Ken Thomas, foster dad to one Darrin Rosman.

The four boys were stunned when they heard their ‘dad’ talk the way he did to the important man who was in the Study. They then walked out of the Study and closed the door behind them.

“Mr. Murphy, please don’t take offense to what I just said and how I said it. It was pure theatrics for the boy’s sake. Stewart … Mr. Murphy … he briefed me on something before you arrived, which was the reason for his being here. May I tell the boy’s lawyer what you told me?” asked Mr. Ken.

Mr. Murphy decided that he’d tell Stewart Russell himself, so that there was no misstating his reason for questioning the teen. The fire marshal then told the lawyer that they suspect that Darrin was part of a two-man team who were responsible for setting the fires in the southern part of the county, where the boy once lived before coming to The Cove.

The fire marshal continued and told Stewart that the boy’s older brother, Dawson, who was killed in the house fire, had the ways and means and they found parts and pieces of like materials used in the other fires in their home during their fire investigation. He then asked Mr. Russell to keep that information to himself for the time being.

Mr. Ken showed both men to the Foyer Door and he also walked outside with the men. The three talked a bit more about the questioning and Mr. Murphy said that he would contact the Warren twins tomorrow to get their account of Darrin’s whereabouts during their Trick-Or-Treating.

Stewart Russell opined that the teen would have needed a generous amount of time away from the group in order for him to be able to get into the locked house, stage the fire and then get back to the group without them ever noticing. The two men departed on that last statement.

Ken Thomas apologized to Momma Maria for being so late for dinner. The woman knew that he and Darrin had that important meeting that couldn’t be put off. So, Momma served the others and kept everything warm for him and Darrin, who was sitting down eating already.

Mr. Ken then sat down himself and began eating his dinner, which was still surprisingly warm. The rest of the Covers sat and talked to their ‘dad’, and they asked about the fire marshal and his questions for their ‘brother’.

Mr. Wayne was there and he had questions himself, but he knew he shouldn’t ask them in that setting. So, he listened as the boys ask their questions and how his boss and Darrin answered them.

The four boys who were there then talked about how their ‘dad’ got mad at the fire marshal and essentially told him to leave. Mr. Ken had to put a kibosh on that right away. He told them all that he didn’t want them saying anything to anyone that he kicked the man out of the house. He told them that this was an internal matter and not for outsiders to hear. He then asked them if they all understood what he meant. They all said that they did.

Later in the Study, after ‘dad’ Ken covered that Darrin had a dentist appointment tomorrow, Thursday, and Phillip had a Doctor Doug appointment on Friday and that nothing else had change, he asked the boys if they had anything they wanted to bring up.

That was when he was hit with the question as to why Darrin got to have lunch with him at the Lakeside Hotel and then he got to see where his office was and then he got to meet all of the Group Managers.

‘Dad’ Ken swallowed hard and then told them, “I thought it was the right thing to do at the time. I had to hide Darrin from the fire marshal until five o’clock and it was near lunch time and I knew he’d never seen the Lakeside Hotel and had never eaten there, so that’s where I took him.”

“But ‘dad’ … you never took us and showed us your office and took us around to meet all of the Group Managers,” gripped Matthew, with the other boys somewhat joining in with his complaint.

‘Dad’ Ken knew he needed to make up for that, so he told the boys that sometime during the Holidays, if not sooner, he’d try to take them over and show them his office and have them meet any of the Group Managers who are there.

After their meeting, Mr. Wayne asked his own questions about the fire marshal and about the abrupt way the meeting ended. Mr. Ken told his Estate Master that there was much more to Darrin’s history that had to do with his deceased brother, Dawson. Mr. Ken didn’t tell Wayne the whole story, but he told him that they suspected that Dawson was the person responsible for the arson fires in the south part of the county.

Wayne also wanted to know about the way he ended the meeting. Mr. Ken told Wayne that he wanted to show Darrin that he supported him, and with the question about his ever leaving the group last night made it seem like the fire marshal was intimating that Darrin was the one who somehow set the fire in order to find it.

That seem to satisfy Wayne especially after he had talked to Darrin and learned from the teen that was when Mr. Ken called Billy to have him bring Matthew and Phillp to the Study and his foster dad had his ‘brothers’ tell the man that he never let the group the whole night.

That night when ‘dad’ Ken went up to say goodnight to his ‘boys’, each of them had their own questions about why the fire marshal only talked to Darrin and not Billy, Matthew or Phillip.

“Dad’ Ken told them that it was because of the way that Darrin insisted on there being a fire and then he was able to find it. They, the fire marshal’s service, wanted to know how he was able to do that. That answer seemed to satisfy the boys.

They also asked their ‘dad’ if he was going to show them his office and the other offices in his building. The man knew he opened a can of worms by taking Darrin there, but he assured all of the boys that he would make sure to take them there as soon as he could.

As the owner of The Cove was getting ready for bed that Wednesday evening, he thought to himself about what the fire marshal told him about Darrin possibly being a part of a two-man arsonist team. He, for the life of him, couldn’t believe that the teen could be a part of anything like that. He told himself that the teen had never wanted to go outside The Cove by himself, and had never shown an interest in matches, lighters or anything that had to do with fire.

The man decided he was worrying about something that didn’t appear to be worth worrying about, so with that, he turned off the lights in his retreat, crawled under the covers and went to sleep. The Cove was quiet throughout the 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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