Published: 6 Mar 2025
From the Previous Chapter:
‘Dad’ Ken was impressed that the young puppy was learning some commands, and that the puppy master and puppy were getting along so well. ‘Dad’ Ken then reminded Matthew to make sure he took Sarge outside to pee before he went to bed. The two shared a hug, and Mr. Ken petted Sarge before he headed to the next boys’ room.
In Phillip’s room, the youngest Cover told his ‘dad’ all about the band’s attempt at choosing its name, and he mentioned a few of the names they were thinking of. ‘Dad’ Ken encouraged the youngster to stick with it, and soon they would have the name for their band. The two shared a hug before ‘dad’ Ken headed to his retreat for the night.
During Mr. Ken’s regular Monday meeting of all of his Group Managers, the man learned that his extensive empire was doing very well. Out at the new Four Corner’s Amusement Park, attendance was steady, but what the owner was really interested in was the status of the installation of the new train.
Jacqueline Kromiere, or Ms. Jackie, as she is known, is the Project Manager for the train installation, as well as the railroad station, schoolhouse, cottage with an outhouse, farmhouse with a paddock and the saloon with a horse hitch and watering trough, reported that the track bed and some of the track was well underway across the backside of the amusement park.
Ms. Jackie proposed that they could begin construction of the smaller building projects that were going to be located along that section of the track, as they wouldn’t interfere with the track installation. But she did emphasize that that railroad station was the most important of all of the construction projects, and had to be completed before the time the track installation company was ready to prepare the track bed and install the track next to the station.
Mr. Ken got confirmation from the Architect Group that all five building plans were complete, and the railroad station plans were awaiting the County’s approval, and then with it they could obtain the building permits, and then the Construction/Design Group could begin building it. But in the meantime, since the other structures were not going to be inhabited, but were just going to be used as stage props for the trains, they could begin construction at any time.
When everyone was leaving the regular Monday Group Managers meeting, Mr. Ken asked the Architect Group Manager, and the Three Finger Real Estate Group Manager into a separate meeting with him and Ben. He asked the Three Finger Real Estate Group Manager, who is actually a realtor what, if anything, he found out about acquiring the 8+ acre plot of land that abuts the Four Corners Amusement Park.
The realtor described his associates initial meeting and discussion with the agent tending the land sale and office complex construction offering. The man stated that the land agent wasn’t too interested in discussing letting the property go, and he believes it is because he would lose out on a tremendous commission if he wasn’t involved in the office complex completion.
The realtor said their next step would be to have direct contact with the owner, and get a feel from him, as to what he would want to do. The man reminded everyone that this endeavor could find themselves in protracted negotiations and his timeline for acquisition, if the owner is agreeable, still stands at close to four months.
Mr. Ken told the realtor to have his agent research who the owner is and then the two of them develop a plan of attack that would give them the best opportunity to gain control of that parcel of land. The realtor said he understood what Mr. Ken wanted, and with that the meeting was over.
With all of his meetings over, Mr. Ken received his messages from Rosemary Martin, his Executive Secretary. One that caught his eye was from Amy Ozarker, the lawyer who was working to get DNA samples from the four men who apparently raped Kate nine years ago.
When Mr. Ken talked to Amy, the lawyer reported that she had all four DNA samples and wanted to know when he could return back east to talk to Kate about doing the DNA Test Kits, along with Rusty, to finally find out which man might be the young boy’s father.
Ken Thomas told Ms. Ozarker that Wednesday would be the earliest he could be out that way, but he had to coordinate with his Estate Master and Manager about the timing, and that he would let her know in the morning. The man was now happy that Rusty could soon learn who his real father is.
At the high school, Billy, Robert and Charles all met up with their friends, as they always did. Billy used that time to catch up with his friends, and to learn how they were doing in their part time jobs. And even now Lonnie had taken a part time job at the Marina, so when the weekends came, Billy didn’t have any of his original friends stopping by.
Robert did the same with his friends, as a number of them were now working at the Four Corners Amusement Park, and that was the only time they got to catch up with one another. The big discussion that went on between the teenagers who weren’t working was where could they find part time employment, and if Robert’s dad would even allow him to start working when he turned sixteen next year.
Charles and his friends all talked about how they would be the ‘older’ boys at The Cove next summer, and ultimately responsible for the barbeques, power washing the Pavilion and restrooms, and keeping order amongst all of the other boys there.
Some of Charles’ friends speculated that he would take over cutting the field, if Robert and Eric get jobs when they turn sixteen. But Charles told them that he too wants to work at Four Corners, and gain as much experience in Park Operations as he could, so that when he was sixteen his dad would let him go to Adventure Forest, and work with Jason for the summer. His friends laughed and told him, “Good luck with that!”
Phillip and his friends were talking about their playing as a band at the end of October. They knew that they needed the next few weekends to practice, practice and practice some more to be super ready for their gig. Phillip did remind them that his ‘dad’ was taking them to Six Flags Fiesta Texas over the three-day October weekend, and for them to be talking to their parents about letting them go.
That evening after dinner, ‘dad’ Ken reviewed with the boys what was happening around The Cove in the coming week, and who had what appointments. He then asked the boys if they had anything they wanted to bring up.
Phillip asked what was the date for the trip to Fiesta Texas, and what did his friends need to know in order to go. He reasoned his friends needed the information, so they could talk to their parents about it and plan.
Mr. Ken quickly looked at the school calendar and then told the boys that they should tell all of their friends that Saturday the 7th of October would be the primary day, and the rain date would be Sunday the 8th. The man reminded the boys to have their friends tell their parents that there would be chaperones. He then added that Mr. Chris needed to know how many are going by the middle of the week before the trip, so for them to start pushing for a response.
After the discussion of the fall park trip was over, ‘dad’ Ken told the boys that he would be leaving to travel back east on Wednesday, and that he would be gone for at least two days. Matthew immediately asked him if he really had to. ‘Dad’ Ken told the pre-teen that it involved a situation that Lane had created, and he was needed to help Kate get it resolved before Thanksgiving, at the earliest.
Sarge, the new resident pet, sat on Matthew’s lap during the entire meeting, and when it was over, the new puppy master put the nine-week-old down, attached his lead and the two went outside, so the puppy could get used to relieving itself before bedtime. ‘Dad’ Ken was happy to see that the youngster did that. Chief went along to supervise.
The next day, after all the boys had gotten off to school, Mr. Ken stayed back from going to work to talk to Wayne and Chris. He wanted to tell them about his going back east on Wednesday, and have Chris make the trip arrangements. He also wanted to talk to them about the upcoming fall park trip for the boys and their friends, and then his and Phillip’s three-day one-on-one trip in early November.
Mr. Ken also wanted to mention to the men that Phillip, and his band, would be playing at two venues later in October, and he had to ensure that Phillip got there. In addition, he told them about his and Ben’s trip to Florida in early November to attend the International Attraction and Amusement Park Association Expo (IAAPA) to see what new rides, concessions and midway games were now being offered. He reasoned that with six parks they needed to know what was going to be available for them to consider adding to their parks.
Then the owner remembered one more thing. “Guys … Ben and his family … they are going to visit three of the parks during the three-day weekend in early October. Ben needs to do an inspection of all the parks, and he’s taking his family along for them to see what all the parks look like. Anyway, … I volunteered us to watch their puppy, while they were gone. I told him that Chief and Sarge would probably enjoy the reunion.”
Chris looked over at Wayne who looked back at Chris. They both then burst out laughing. Chris then asked, tongue in cheek, if he could bring his puppy over too, and then wondered if Judy would want to do the same. The three men had a good laugh over that.
Mr. Ken said that Ben, or Addison, would drop their puppy off sometime on Thursday and pick her up late Sunday, but probably sometime Monday, as they would get in late Sunday night.
With the fall season right around the corner, things at The Cove had begun to slow down. The puppies were all in their new homes, the boys were ensconced in school, and the next big event at The Cove would probably be Thanksgiving.
Wayne asked his boss if Kate and her boys would be there and Mr. Ken told the Estate Master that he had no idea. He did tell the man that he would bring that up to her this week, when he saw her. He did tell the men that the main reason for his visit was to help sort out who Rusty’s real father was.
Chris then mentioned that the wedding invitation for Jules and Eleanor came, and the date was set for the weekend before Thanksgiving. The Estate Manager added that the reception site had not yet been decided because of their late decision. Mr. Ken laughed and told Chris that he might go ahead and offer The Cove, as long as the invitations stays at or below 300 and they can coordinate a caterer, parking attendants and a band. The three men laughed. But Chris said that he’d call Jules, as soon as their meeting was over.
Mr. Ken then turned his thoughts towards the Christmas Holidays. He told the men that with Christmas being on a Monday that year his two Holiday parties might have to be early, unless he can be convinced that having one party on the 23rd is not a bad idea. He asked the two men to think it over and get back to him.
One last item that the owner of The Cove brought up was that both Robert and Billy wanted to go visit a loved one before the Holidays. He said that he needed to choose a date to take his son to visit his mother, and that he needed someone to take Billy to see his mother, and that with them going to school, Saturdays was the only day that would work.
Before Mr. Ken left for work, the men discussed the number of fires that seem to be happening in the south part of the county. The three men speculated if it was the work of a firebug, or was it just a slow news reporting period, and they were focusing on the small inconsequential fires trying to gin up circulation.
Mr. Ken told them that he read in the newspaper, which reported that the Fire Marshall said that the arsonist had used the same methods at each of the three fires, and that it would eventually be his downfall. The three men all agreed that they hoped that the person would soon be caught.
When he got to the office, Ken Thomas called Kate to let her know that he would be back east on Wednesday, and asked her if she was available to go out to dinner that night. Kate was ecstatic that her boyfriend would be coming all that way just to see her. Little did she know the real reason for his visit.
At school that Tuesday, the Cover boys told their friends that they needed to ask their parents about going to Fiesta Texas that Saturday of the three-day weekend, and that there would be at least four chaperones. The boys asked their friends to let them know by next Friday, as Mr. Chris needed to make the bus arrangements.
Phillip’s friends had lots of questions, some of which pertained to how much would it cost them, what time would they leave and get back, and how much money would they need for the day. Phillip told them that he’d never been there with his ‘dad’ and ‘brothers’, so he would have to find out from Matthew during lunch.
At the office Ben Walthers and Mr. Ken talked about what Ben would be doing while he inspected the parks during that three-day weekend. The owner of Three Finger Entertainment, Ken Thomas, asked Ben to focus on the areas that he found lacking, when he was there with his boys last August.
Mr. Ken told the President of TFE to check that the rides were being kept clean and painted where necessary, the trash cans were also being washed and changed out to keep the yellow jackets from flying around them, the trash around the park was being picked up and the tall grasses cut all over the grounds, and lastly the entrance area was clean and inviting.
After lunch, Matthew told Phillip’s bandmates that Mr. Ken was paying for them to go to Fiesta Texas, and he would also buy them dinner, but they would need money for snacks and drinks during the day. The Cover pre-teen told the boys that they would probably leave The Cove around 8:30 and be back by 11 p.m., but they’ll know better the times the closer they get to the actual date. Matthew also told them that Sunday would be the rain-date.
After dinner Tuesday night, ‘dad’ Ken reviewed who had any appointments, and how he saw the Holidays as they approached. He reminded them that if they visit the parks right after Christmas it would be a whirlwind stopover, as they needed to be back for the New Year’s Eve celebration on the 31st.
Charles asked if they could do a few after Christmas and the rest after the New Year. The teen’s dad told Charles that he’d ‘take it under advisement’. All the boys laughed.
Robert then asked if they could have their sleepover that coming Friday night. The teen reasoned with him being gone, if he tells them now, they could coordinate with Momma Maria, Mr. Wayne and Mr. Dennis to have everything ready.
With everything going on, ‘dad’ Ken had totally forgotten that the boys had asked him earlier about having the sleepover. So, he told them that if Mr. Wayne and Mr. Dennis were willing to be the chaperones, then they could have their sleepover. The boys were all smiles and they thanked their ‘dad’ for letting them have that special party.
That night when the boys went up to their rooms, they all began texting their friends about the sleepover. They told their friends to ask their parents tonight, or tomorrow before they go to school, if they could be there. Phillip was happy that they’d get to do another sleepover, as the first one he ever had, he remembered, was a lot of fun.
‘Dad’ Ken stopped and talked to all of the boys before going to bed himself that night, as was his normal habit to let each boy talk to him individually without the other ‘brothers’ hearing what the two of them were talking about.
After spending over six months at The Cove, Phillip was enjoying having a ‘dad’ to talk to every night before bed. He loved the one-on-one time he had with the man, as it made him feel special. He knew he could mention anything to his foster dad, and it wouldn’t get back to any of his ‘brothers’.
That night, Phillip again told his ‘dad’ that he and his bandmates were trying to decide on a name for their band, before they played at their gigs later in October. ‘Dad’ Ken told the young Cover that he had faith in him and his friends that they would find a good sounding name that would define who they were. He told Phillip to keep at it and that they all should agree, or there would be ill will amongst them going forward.
Phillip hugged the man and thanked him for always talking with him, and that he appreciated everything that he’s done for him ever since he began living there.
‘Dad’ Ken reminded the lad to not forget to drain his dragon before going to bed and then he left the room, with Chief following right behind, as she was going outside one last time before settling down herself before sleeping in Phillip’s room.
Ken Thomas wasn’t in a big hurry to leave for the Austin-Bergstrom airport that Wednesday morning. He didn’t have an important meeting with Arnie at Crystal Lake, so he took his time reading his morning newspaper, and eating his breakfast. He also wanted to wait to say goodbye to all the boys before the limo picked him up, and drove him to his waiting private jet.
When the younger boys came down for breakfast, Matthew mentioned to Momma that they were talking about having a sleepover that Friday. When Momma Maria asked the boys if they knew how many of their friends would attend that she would need to buy for, the two younger Covers said that they wouldn’t know until they asked at school today.
When the three teenagers came down for breakfast, Billy asked Momma if she could help them out and buy what they needed to have a sleepover that Friday. Momma told them that their ‘brothers’ mentioned it to her, and she needed to know how many would be there so she knew how much to buy. The teens, like their ‘brother’s earlier, told her that they wouldn’t know until they talked to their friends at school and they returned to have their snack.
With the two-hour travel time, the 20- to 25-minute check-in and TSA security check his take-off was scheduled for around 11 a.m. Mr. Ken brought along some papers to work on, while he flew back east to help pass the time, and to stay ahead of what was happening in his empire of businesses that seem to keep growing.
With the three-hour flight time, and the loss of one hour, as he flew back east, Mr. Ken arrived at his destination around three o’clock. After signing for his rental car, driving to his hotel and checking in, it was now after four o’clock.
Mr. Thomas’ first phone call was to Amy Ozarker to let her know he was in town and going to dinner with Kate that evening, and that he would then discuss with her why he was there. The two decided that they would ask Kate to bring Rusty by the office after school, so they could start the DNA process, which would take approximately three weeks for the results to be returned.
The two then talked about how they would have to proceed after the results were received. Mr. Ken told Amy that Kate would have to be a part of that decision, as it would greatly affect her son. He reasoned that she should be the one to tell Rusty what the DNA results were and which one of the four men turned out to be his father.
Mr. Ken then called Arnie. He told the Crystal Lake operations manager that he was in town and that if he had a chance he would like to stop by. He explained that he was there on other important matters, which had to be taken care of first, and he would let him know if he would be able to stop by and check on any new construction processes.
Arnie was happy to hear that the owner was in town and had hoped the man could stop by. The operations manager always liked to be kept in the loop of what was going on, and he also liked being able to voice his observations and the park’s needs directly to the higher-ups.
Ken Thomas finally called Kate, who was on pins and needles waiting for him to call. The two decided that he would pick her up around six o’clock, and just the two of them would go out for a nice dinner, but nothing fancy.
When Mr. Ken arrived at Kate’s home to take her out to dinner, her boys were very happy to see him. They were disappointed that they weren’t going out with them, but the man told them that maybe they could go out tomorrow, if he could get away from his other meetings. The boys thought that was great, and they gave their mom a hug and a kiss before she left.
The romantically involved couple went to a different restaurant for dinner that evening, instead of where they would normally have gone. Ken told Kate that he wanted to have a nice sit-down dinner, with a candle lit atmosphere. Kate blushed at the thought.
During dinner the two talked about her boys and then his ‘boys’, and how things were moving along with the new school year. Ken brought up the fact that his new seafood restaurant would soon be open, and he asked Kate again if she would be his date for the Grand Opening.
Kate didn’t want to disappoint the man, but she also didn’t want to be there for just one night and told him so. To that end he told her that the Grand Opening was probably going to be over that three-day weekend in October and that he would fly her and the boys out Friday night. Then he regrouped and suggested she pick the boys up right after lunch from school and they leave early Friday afternoon.
Ken recommended that they arrive Friday, as then her boys could go with his boys and their friends to Fiesta Texas that Saturday, with the Grand Opening of the seafood restaurant scheduled for that Sunday. He did tell Kate that the restaurant would probably have been open for about a week to ten days before that to work out any kinks, and get the staff in sync for what he believes will be a very busy dining venue.
Kate smiled and told her boyfriend that she would think about it. The two then talked about Thanksgiving, and what were their plans. Ken told her that he would have at least twelve, if not more, people in attendance and with the new puppy in residence he couldn’t very well have someone watch Sarge for him.
“Sarge?” asked Kate.
“Oh, yes, we named the new puppy, Sarge. The boys decided, after going through a vast number of names, they couldn’t have the puppy outrank his mom, the Chief, so Sergeant, or Sarge, was agreed upon by everyone including Chief, and the puppy,” explained Ken.
Kate laughed at the explanation and at how cute the puppy must be as it learns its name. Ken told her that Matthew has become the puppy master, and is responsible for feeding, walking and attempting to teach Sarge some tricks. The man told Kate that Sarge lays in the pre-teens lap during their meetings, and is content to be stroked by the boy. The man added that the two are really best friends.
The couple still didn’t drink any alcoholic beverages during dinner, but had iced water with lemon wedges instead. Kate secretly loved that Ken didn’t need to drink alcohol, when they were out. She knew that he wasn’t a teetotaler, and did enjoy an evening beverage when he was with friends, and away from The Cove. She also knew that he didn’t drink at home to unwind after a long day, and that was one of the many things that she loved about the man she hoped one day to marry.
After dinner, the two walked outside and held hands as they walked and talked. Ken then asked Kate to sit at one of the many benches that were available, as he told her he had something he wanted to tell her.
Kate got alarmed when Ken had said that, and asked him outright what he wanted to say.
“Kate … the reason … the real reason that I am here is because … well, it is because Amy … she has been attempting to get DNA samples from those four men, who did you wrong, and … and she now has all four samples,” began Ken, and Kate immediately wanted to say something.
But Ken stopped her by saying, “Now hear me out. What we’d like you to do … with your permission … is to bring Rusty to her office after school tomorrow and … and we’ll do four cheek samples, just as was done with Lane.
“We’ll send them off and then hopefully in three weeks … then hopefully in three weeks we’ll get a match and Rusty, well, you … you will know which, if any, of those four men is Rusty’s father,” finished Ken.
Kate sat there and didn’t know what to say.
“Kate … the three of us … we talked about doing something like this a while ago, after Detective Wilder explained what they found when they served the search warrant on Evelyn’s home. You, yourself, you even asked if they found any date-rape drugs. After that there was some discussion about whether, or not, the DA could get DNA samples, but the detective said they couldn’t without due cause.
“It was then the three of us, Amy, you and I … we all discussed getting DNA samples clandestinely and even you said something to the effect that we weren’t the police, and we didn’t have to abide by certain rules. You then asked Amy if her investigator could get something with DNA on it that we could submit them along with Rusty’s sample, and send it to one of those places. Well, that’s why I am here,” submitted Ken
After hearing what Ken just told her, Kate remembered that conversation that was right after learning that Lane wasn’t Rusty’s father. Kate then smiled and thanked him for continuing to work on that issue, as she had totally put it out of her mind. Kate told Ken that she would bring Rusty to Amy’s office tomorrow, at about three-thirty. And with that the woman pulled Ken to herself and gave him a big kiss.
The couple then resumed their hand-in-hand walk, and it was really late when Ken took Kate home. Edith, Kate’s mom, had a big smile on her face when Ken brought Kate to the front door. She liked Ken from the beginning and every time the man came to see her daughter it showed her how much he really cared and loved Kate. She knew long distance romances were destined for failure, but Ken Thomas was doing his damnedest to make it work.
Back at The Cove, while eating their afterschool snack, the two younger boys talked to Momma Maria about their upcoming sleepover that weekend. They confirmed that they each would have seven friends.
When the three teens came home, they told Momma Maria that they would have a combined 18 to 20 friends coming to the sleepover. Billy qualified that number by saying that most of his friends worked part-time, and they wouldn’t know their weekend schedules until Friday night. So, Momma did the math and laughed that she would have to buy for up to about 40 boys, plus the three adults and two lifeguards.
The teens looked at one another not knowing where the extra number came from. It was then that Matthew spoke up admitting the additional fourteen boys were his and Phillips. Charles cackled and then teased his younger ‘brothers’ that they had forgotten about them. That made everyone laugh.
It was Billy who asked her if she could get the pancake batter, and the liquid eggs, as she did for them the last time, as they wanted to make breakfast tacos on Saturday. They also asked her if she could also get them the meats, the different breads, cheeses and dressings for them to make the sub sandwiches for lunch.
Momma told them to go and check on their tomato, onion and lettuce supplies, and then they could ask Mr. Wayne, or Mr. Dennis, to take them, either tonight or tomorrow, to the big box store to get what they need.
Mr. Wayne was in the Kitchen Nook and told the boys to hurry up to the Pavilion, and check on those items, as well as what sodas, waters, buns and chips they also needed. The boys quickly ran outside to the golf carts, and drove up to the Pavilion to take inventory.
Then, with their list in hand of all of the different sodas, flavored waters, hot dog and hamburger bun, tomatoes, onions, heads of lettuce and bags of chips they needed they stopped in the Study to talk to Mr. Wayne. They asked the man if he, or Mr. Dennis, could get them before Friday.
However, the Estate Master turned the question around on the Cover boys. He asked Billy, Robert and Charles if they would be ready to go out tomorrow after school, and help him get whatever they needed. The three teenagers looked at one another, and told him they would love to go, as long as Momma Maria wouldn’t get mad if they didn’t eat their afterschool snack.
Mr. Wayne said he’d wait for them to have their snack, and then they’d leave with him taking the van, while Bill took the truck. Matthew and Phillip asked if they could go along. Mr. Wayne said the more the merrier, and that way it would make quick work of loading the water, soda, buns, chips and anything else they needed into the van and truck at the big box store, and get it back there and off load it into the Pavilion.
The boy’s sleepover for that weekend was well on its way with Momma Maria agreeing to buy what they needed to host breakfast and lunch that Saturday, with the Estate Master going to assist them to obtain the extra water and sodas for the two drink machines up at the Pavilion, along with hot dog and hamburger buns, bags of chips and anything else the boys could convince the Estate Master to buy for them to have for the sleepover.
That night, when the Estate Master went up to say goodnight to the boys, each of them thanked Mr. Wayne for agreeing to take them out to buy the water, sodas and anything else they thought that they needed for the Pavilion. It was then that Robert asked the man if they could also get some salsa, Chile con queso and guacamole dips along with some tortilla or nacho chips for their friends to also snack on. The Estate Master told the teen that he would wait and see when they got to the store tomorrow.
When the Estate Master stopped in Matthew’s room, it was he who asked if they could do the movie up at the Pavilion. He argued that they did it two times before, and this might be the last time that the weather might be good enough for them to do it.
With Mr. Wayne, playing devil’s advocate, asked the pre-teen which movie they would show. Matthew beamed at the question and recommended that they’d show one off the list they didn’t show when the twins were there, if ‘dad’ hadn’t gotten any new ones. That answer put a smile on the man’s face.
The saga of Three Finger Cove continues. Let Chowhound know you are reading his story: Chowhnd at Gmail dot Com
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